Cavaliers' drafts started with John Johnson in 1970; it's been interesting since | Opinion
Jun. 19—It's NBA Draft week so for Cavaliers fans it's time remember John Johnson.
Never heard of him? That's OK. The diehard of diehard fans or those who have been around long enough might be the few who remember Johnson as the first-ever draft pick of the Cavaliers.
In 1970, Johnson — a forward from Iowa — went to the expansion Cavaliers No. 7 overall.
Cleveland had 19 picks that draft with players selected from such schools as Saint Mary of the Plains College, Concordia College, Hanover College and Ashland University, which had two players drafted by the Cavaliers.
Of course, 1970 was years before the NBA Draft became a mega TV event so there was little buzz surrounding the pick of Johnson, who had a solid NBA career. In 869 career games, he averaged 12.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Which brings us to June 22 and the 2023 NBA Draft. There's little to no buzz surrounding Cleveland because the team does not own a first-round pick. That is unusual for the Cavaliers, a franchise for years picking high in the first round.
Some of those picks have hit, some have not. So in honor of Johnson, here's a list (in chronological order, from most recent) of the 10 most interesting — not necessarily the most successful — drafts in Cavaliers history:
2021
Pick >> Evan Mobley No. 3 overall
The skinny >> In two seasons, Mobley is growing into a tremendous two-way player who can guard any player on the court while averaging 15.6 points and 8.7 rebounds. Barring a serious injury, Mobley is already looking like one of the franchise's best-ever draft picks.
2019
Picks >> Darius Garland No. 5, Dyland Windler No. 26
The skinny >> Cleveland's current core began when it drafted Garland out of Vanderbilt. When Collin Sexton was traded in the summer of 2022, it opened the door for Garland to take over the point-guard position and he's flourished. The last two seasons, Garland has averaged 21 points and eight assists.
2014
Picks >> Andrew Wiggins No. 1, Joe Harris No. 33
The skinny >> When the Cavaliers won the draft lottery for the second straight year in stunning fashion — they had just a 1.7 percent chance — Wiggins was the top pick. He never played a minute in Cleveland. Instead, the pick and rights to Wiggins were the centerpiece in a trade to the Timberwolves for Kevin Love, who was instrumental in the franchise making four straight trips to the Finals, and winning it all in 2016.
2013
Picks >> Anthony Bennett No. 1, Sergey Karasev No. 19, Allen Crabbe No. 31, Carrick Felix No. 33
The skinny >> In the Cavaliers' defense, the 2013 draft wasn't a strong one but the selection of Bennett — which stunned just about everyone on draft day — was a disaster of epic proportions. Bennett played in just 151 games in his career and averaged 4.4 points. The best player in this draft was Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP and NBA champion, who went No. 15 to the Bucks.
2011
Picks >> Kyrie Irving No. 1, Tristan Thompson No. 4, Justin Harper No. 32, Milan Macvan No. 54
The skinny >> The selections of the playmaking Irving and Thompson — an effective rebounder and role player — likely was enough for LeBron James to think he could make the Cavaliers a championship contender upon a return to Cleveland. Four years later in 2015, James did return and by 2016, Cleveland was again a city of champions.
2003
Picks >> LeBron James No. 1, Jason Kapono No. 31
The skinny >> James is arguably the greatest No. 1 overall pick in NBA history, alongside Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Simply put, his presence in Cleveland changed everything about the franchise.
1996
Picks >> Vitaly Potapenko No. 12, Zydrunas Ilgauskas No. 20, Reggie Geary No. 56
The skinny >> Ilgauskas battled foot problems early in his career but eventually panned out as one of the franchise's all-time best players as a multiple-time all-star, but the 1996 draft was a huge "what if? for the Cavaliers. Their first pick — Ukraine center Vitaly Potapenko of Wright State — lasted a little more than two seasons in Cleveland. The next three players selected after Potapenko were Kobe Bryant at No. 13, Peja Stojakovic at No. 14 and Steve Nash at No. 15. The late Bryant is considered one of the greatest players of all time. Stojakovic played more than a decade and averaged 17 points in his career. Nash averaged 14.3 points and dished out more than 10,000 assists in his 18-year career and won two MVPs.
1986
Picks >> Brad Daugherty No. 1, Ron Harper No. 8, Johnny Newman No. 29, five others
The skinny >> Save the draft day that landed LeBron James, the 1986 draft was easily the biggest and best haul in Cavaliers history. It started when Wayne Embry was hired as general manager just before the draft. Embry, armed with the No. 8 overall pick, traded forward Roy Hinson and $800,000 to the 76ers for the No. 1 overall pick. Cleveland then selected North Carolina center Brad Daugherty, who became an all-star center. At No. 8, Ron Harper was the pick and was an instant standout as he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting to Chuck Person. Embry wasn't finished. He traded a 1989 second-round pick to Dallas for the rights to its No. 29 overall pick, point guard Mark Price of Georgia Tech. Although Harper was eventually traded, the core of Daugherty, Price and John "Hot Rod" Williams (picked in the 1985 draft) helped make Cleveland a winner.
1985
Picks >> Charles Oakley No. 9, Calvin Duncan No. 30, John "Hot Rod" Williams No. 45, five others
The skinny >> Some have argued former NBA Commissioner David Stern rigged the draft lottery so the Knicks could land Georgetown's Patrick Ewing. New York did get the top pick and Ewing. The Cavaliers settled on No. 9, and late in the top 15, forwards were going quick. Chris Mullin went No. 7 to Golden State, then Detlef Schrempf went to Dallas (a pick acquired from the Cavaliers) at No. 8. At No. 9, Cleveland took Charles Oakley, who attended John Hay High School. The pick of Oakley was a pick-and-swap trade between Cleveland and the Bulls. Chicago took University of Memphis center Keith Lee at No. 11, and the teams traded the picks. The Cavaliers also got Ennis Whatley in the deal that was definitely won by the Bulls. Three picks later at No. 14, the Jazz took Karl Malone, who's No. 3 on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Cleveland made up for its first round in Round 2, when it selected John "Hot Rod" Williams from Tulane. Hot Rod became a valuable bench player for the Cavaliers' talented teams of the late 1980s into the early 1990s.
1971
Picks >> Austin Carr No. 1, Steve Patterson No. 18, 16 others
The skinny >> The pick of Carr — known today as Mr. Cavalier because of his longtime role as TV analyst — was a good one as Carr averaged 15.4 points for his carer, but ultimately his career was derailed by injuries.
