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There’s always a certain amount of risk associated with selecting the top pick.
And if there’s ever been a reminder of how it’s not always as easy as just select the no-brainer best player in the draft, it would be this year’s NBA Draft.
Most experts and NBA Draft handicappers have Duke standout Kyrie Irving projected as the consensus No. 1 overall pick when the Cleveland Cavaliers announce which player will be the future of their franchise.
But the risk with Irving is his lack of experience at a high level.
Yes, players Like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant jumped from prep to the pros and had no trouble. Perhaps more similar to Irving, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony went from playing just his freshman season at Syracuse to a rather seamless transition into the professional ranks.
But of the aforementioned, only James was the faced with the overwhelming responsibility of living up to the hype that accompanies being the top overall pick of the draft.
And even though being the top pick also opens the door for scrutiny—ask Italy’s Andrea Bargnani, who was Toronto’s top pick in 2006 or Michael Olowokandi as the Clippers’ No. 1 choice in 1998—Irving is likely to be a Cavalier when Thursday’s draft concludes.
Considering he only played a fraction of last season as an injury riddled freshman for the Blue Devils, Irving does come with question marks.
Still, is Irving more of a gamble than the Warriors selecting Joe Smith of Maryland in 1995 in front of Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace, or Andrew Bogut becoming a Buck before Chris Paul or Deron Williams 10 years later?
After all, only half of the top picks in the last 10 years have been NBA All-Stars.
Besides, until someone erases the memory of the Wizards selecting Kwame Brown as a No. 1 overall pick in 2001, Irving as the top take in this year’s class seems relatively safe.
For more 2011 NBA Draft coverage, stay tuned to Bleacher Report for updated NBA mock drafts, B/R's Big Board of Recruits, NBA Draft rumors, NBA Draft results and draft grades.
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