A Cavs Mini-Team Fantasy Draft

All-Star weekend has come and gone, but unfortunately, Cavs basketball remained as distant from us as it was before Sunday night. There was a grand total of zero Cleveland Cavaliers present at All-Star Weekend. Darius Garland and Isaac Okoro weren't even on the fictional Rising Stars rosters announced by the NBA.

The Cavs have been a rollercoaster of excitement and depression this season, as is often the case with rebuilding teams, but diehards like me struggle to keep my mind off them even when there's nothing to talk about in regards to the team. (Well, except for wondering when the heck Koby Altman is gonna do something about Andre Drummond.)

So in honor of the NBA All-Star Game's schoolyard-style captain draft, I declared the entire Cavaliers roster a team full of All-Stars, and gathered 2 other Cavs-diehards and to do a quick, little "Cavs Mini-Team Fantasy Draft". Here's the rundown of how it worked:

• The Cavs have 16 total players rostered right now, so we decided to do 3 teams of 5.
• We held a serpentine draft. When someone's team was up, they picked the player who they thought would make their team the best right now. The future wasn't considered.
• Injuries were thrown out the window.

I want to give a quick thanks to my Cavs Twitter buddies, Nolan Arnold (@_NolanArnold) and Ty (@_Tydog_), for doing this with me. Make sure to follow them both if you aren't already! Without further ado... the first pick:

Team Nolan
Round 1, Pick 1: Jarrett Allen

Reasoning: "Jarrett is only 22 years old, has the highest floor on the team, and can fit great on any team."

PG: 
SG: 
SF: 
PF: 
C: Jarrett Allen

Team Ty
Round 1, Pick 2: Collin Sexton

Reasoning: "Sexton is the best scorer on the team, can play either guard spot, and is one of the few playmakers available to choose from."

PG: Collin Sexton
SG: 
SF: 
PF: 
C: 

Team Brayden
Round 1, Pick 3: Darius Garland

Reasoning: "The Cavs don't have many playmakers to choose from, so Darius was an easy selection at #3. He figures to be the team's offensive focal point."

PG: Darius Garland
SG: 
SF: 
PF: 
C: 

Team Brayden
Round 2, Pick 4: Kevin Love

Reasoning: "Kevin provides a lot of value to the team as a floor-spacing, heady veteran who can distribute the ball out of the post. He'll take some of the scoring load off of DG."

PG: Darius Garland
SG: 
SF: 
PF: Kevin Love
C: 

Team Ty
Round 2, Pick 5: Larry Nance Jr

Reasoning: "Larry is a versatile defender as a big and is able to play the 3-5 at a high level. He's an underrated passer and can knock down shots."

PG: Collin Sexton
SG: 
SF: 
PF: 
C: Larry Nance Jr

Team Nolan
Round 2, Pick 6: Dylan Windler

Reasoning: "Windler is one of the highest IQ guys on the team, can space the floor as well as anyone, and can guard the 2 through the 4."

PG: 
SG: Dylan Windler
SF: 
PF: 
C: Jarrett Allen

Team Nolan
Round 3, Pick 7: Isaac Okoro

Reasoning: "Isaac can take on the defensive assignment of guarding the opposing team's best player, while also being a great help defender."

PG: 
SG: Dylan Windler
SF:
PF: Isaac Okoro
C: Jarrett Allen

Team Ty
Round 3, Pick 8: Dean Wade

Reasoning: "Knockdown shooter. Dean Wade gives a boatload of spacing that is much appreciated for a Sexton-Nance pick and roll."

PG: Collin Sexton
SG: 
SF: 
PF: Dean Wade
C: Larry Nance Jr

Team Brayden
Round 3, Pick 9: Andre Drummond

Reasoning: "Reluctantly, I jump at the opportunity to add Drummond, despite my inability to enjoy watching him play basketball. Dre should anchor this squad's defense so long as he's engaged."

PG: Darius Garland
SG: 
SF: 
PF: Kevin Love
C: Andre Drummond

Team Brayden
Round 4, Pick 10: Cedi Osman

Reasoning: "Cedi should add value as a gunner from deep and a versatile offensive piece. He becomes the de-facto 3&D wing for this team."

PG: Darius Garland
SG: 
SF: Cedi Osman
PF: Kevin Love
C: Andre Drummond

Team Ty
Round 4, Pick 11: Damyean Dotson

Reasoning: "I bring Dotson in as an extra shot-creator to pair with Sexton. He'll be able to take some of the playmaking burden off of him."

PG: Collin Sexton
SG: Damyean Dotson
SF: 
PF: Dean Wade
C: Larry Nance Jr

Team Nolan
Round 4, Pick 12: Matthew Dellavedova

Reasoning: "Delly can initiate the offense and create good looks for both Jarrett and Windler, while also having an extremely high IQ as the court general of the team."

PG: Matthew Dellavedova
SG: Dylan Windler
SF: 
PF: Isaac Okoro
C: Jarrett Allen

Team Nolan
Round 5, Pick 13: Lamar Stevens

Reasoning: "Lamar Stevens fills a role as a ball of energy, who's able to step into passing lanes and make the high-energy plays that others simply don't often perform."

PG: Matthew Dellavedova
SG: Dylan Windler
SF: Lamar Stevens
PF: Isaac Okoro
C: Jarrett Allen

Final Statement: "My team is full of youth, energy, and high IQ players on the defensive end of the floor. Their ability to attack close-outs and get into the lane will also create open looks for Dylan. Jarrett will get his 15 and 10 with great defense, and the IQ of Delly will only make him better in the process. Lamar and Okoro can take on the best opposing offensive matchups and overpower them physically. The spacing is not the greatest, but the ability to defend at a high level with youth and energy will help this team win games."

Team Ty
Round 5, Pick 14: Taurean Prince

Reasoning: "Prince is a 40% 3 point shooter and can finish the spaced pick and roll attack. He's a solid defender and can use his length to bother bigger players."

PG: Collin Sexton
SG: Damyean Dotson
SF: Taurean Prince
PF: Dean Wade
C: Larry Nance Jr

Final statement: "This team is built to give a Collin Sexton-and-Larry Nance Jr pick and roll/pop game plenty of room to work. Dotson also exists as a secondary shot creator. This roster allows a switch-heavy defense that can lead to easy transition baskets throughout the game."

Team Brayden
Round 5, Pick 15: Brodric Thomas

Reasoning: "Brodric provides my team with another 3-level scorer with the size to guard opposing 2s. There's still a lot of unknown with him, but he has a projectable role in the NBA."

PG: Darius Garland
SG: Brodric Thomas
SF: Cedi Osman
PF: Kevin Love
C: Andre Drummond

Final statement: "I opted to build a team that can throw a lot of different looks at you offensively. If they're up against a smaller frontcourt, Love and Drummond are more than capable of operating out-of-the-post. Love's inside-out ability paired with Cedi's off-ball skills as a shooter and cutter should provide Garland and Brodric plenty of opportunities to work with. The defense might be a little rough, but if this team gives a crap, they should be able to dodge league-worst level on that end."

With the draft over, unfortunately JaVale McGee wound up being the odd man out. It's probably a little unfair to the level of player he is, but the Cavs' roster makeup currently features a glut of bigs. 

So which team do you like the most? If these teams faced off right now, barring any injury concerns, which group do you predict would take the W? Let me, Nolan, and Ty know in the poll underneath this post on my Twitter page!