Hey, Danny Ferry: If Trading Up To Draft Sam Young Is Wrong, You Don’t Want To Be Right

Besides the strong possibility of LeBron James picking up his player option for 2010-11 and J.J. Hickson sparking the interest of many General Managers around the league, we learned one more important tidbit in our interview with beat writer Brian Windhorst last week:

Danny Ferry and University of Pittsburgh head coach Jamie Dixon are very close.

That would be the same Dixon who coached ‘09 draft prospect Sam Young for four years at Pittsburgh. The same Sam Young that Ferry is rumored to have a strong interest in for this month’s draft. The same Sam Young whose athleticism, length, and strong potential as a wing defender would fit in perfectly — oh, so perfectly — for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

If only the Cavs were drafting 19th in this year’s draft like last year. Hey, they didn’t win a championship this year, so what’s the difference?

That’s because Young will, in all likelihood, be gone by the time the Cavs are making their scheduled selection at pick #30. That is, unless they move up into the early 20’s to tab their guy from Pitt.

Young is a James Posey in the making. He’s athletic, has a big wingspan, and can be a threat to hit the outside shot. And while some will look at his age of 24 and say that he’s too old to be a rookie, the Cavs will look at him as the perfect fit as a seasoned four-year college veteran who won’t take much time to work his way into the rotation.

Here’s what the draft experts have had to say about Young, whose stock has (unfortunately for the Cavs) exploded in the past few weeks:

Positives:

Powerful, athletic forward Can score both inside and out Has a nice midrange jumper Developing 3-point shot Excellent rebounder for his size Great running the floor, strong finisher Master of the shot fake Negatives: Still learning a new position Has more potential to play tougher on the defensive end Turns 24 in March

-Chad Ford, ESPN.com

Sam Young has an awesome profile for a defender at the next level, but his
ability to translate some of his situation skills to the next level
will determine how effectively he can display them.


Blessed with athleticism, strength, and an excellent body, Sam Young looks the part and has the work ethic to be a defensive specialist at
the next level. Certain parts of his offensive game fit the description
of an effective role-player as well. Young was a real go-to guy in
college, ranking second on our list in possessions used (17.8) while
posting an efficient PPP of 1.03 (5th). Most of his scoring comes from
two specific areas: his finishing ability and his catch and shoot jump
shot. Around the rim, Young is ranked 4th in this group at 6.5 Pos/G
and is 2nd at 1.27 PPP. His 44% shooting in catch and shoot situations
is good for 4th and he ranks 3rd in terms of possessions at 5 per game.
If he improves the range on his jumper to acclimate the 37.2%
three-point percentage he posted as a senior past the NBA-line, he
could become a viable offensive role-player who is an even better
defender, a la James Posey.


The fact that he shot 49% from the field on 1.9 Pos/G in the post is a
nice compliment to his ability to impact the game with the possessions
his teammates create for him, and really highlights the toughness and
physicality he brings to the table. Where Young struggles is in his
ability to create his own shot , converting on just 17/56 or 30% of his
isolation opportunities. His ball-handling skills don’t allow him to be
much of a threat in transition or operating on the pick and roll, and
he is not particularly prolific in terms of his ability to shoot off
the dribble.

-Draftexpress.com

A great athlete, possessing a strong body with a tremendous wingspan …
Has shown major improvements through the course of his college career …
Has put in serious work on his jumpshot, as a result he has become a
reliable threat from the outside … One of the better leapers in
college, he is able to finish with a variety of highlight plays … Even
though it looks very awkward, his shot fake is surprisingly effective
and it allows him to get by the defense … His strong body gives him the
luxury of absorbing contact when attacking the basket … For all of his
offensive gains, he is still a more valuable asset on the defensive end
… His combination of size, length and athleticism allow him to lock
down players from a variety of positions … He works extremely hard
moving his feet and even though he is very aggressive, he is fairly
disciplined and doesn’t take careless gambles.

-nbadraft.net

At 6′6″ and 223, Young is strong enough to back up LeBron at the “3″ and quick and athletic enough to back up Delonte West at the “2.” At 24, he’s another young piece that the Cavs can add to their core nucleus around LeBron James, and with his 6′10.75″ wingspan (as per draftexpress.com), he’d be a great answer to throw out there at guys like Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis if and when the Magic come up again in the playoffs.

Just as the Magic did with Courtney Lee at the 22nd pick last year, it’s possible that the Cavaliers could be getting a rotation player right off the bat through the draft, the first time that Ferry would have ever done that in his tenure as GM. But it will be difficult to get him.

ESPN.com’s Chad Ford has Young going 20th to Utah in his fourth mock draft, the highest that the Pitt Panther has been in any of Ford’s mocks. Draftexpress.com has him going 23rd in their mock as of June 15th, and nbadraft.net has Young going 28th to Minnesota. So as you can probably figure out by now, it will be an absolute stunner if Young falls to 30th to the Cavs.

A stunner…and a risk. A risk that the Cavs, especially at this point, can’t afford to take.

The Cavs are going to have to trade up, and trade up a considerable number of spots. They have the 30th and 46th picks in the draft as ammunition. The Cavs would also have to look at including cash in getting the pick, then going back and buying their way back into the second round (like they did last year for Darnell Jackson). This definitely isn’t the summer to spare expenses.

Young’s versatility in playing multiple positions (the two and the three) would be a heck of an asset on a team that has its cornerstone (LeBron) able to play any one of four positions. Young averaged 31.8 minutes a game this past year for a Pittsburgh team that advanced all the way to the Elite Eight before losing a heartbreaker to Villanova, who lost to eventual champion North Carolina.

In that game against Nova, Young put up 28 points and seven boards to lead the Panthers. He had 19 points in the team’s 60-55 win over Xavier in the “Sweet 16,” 32 points and eight boards in their 84-76 win over Oklahoma State in the second round, and 14 points and 13 boards in Pitt’s 72-62 first round win over Eastern Tennessee State. For the year, Young averaged 19.2 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 37.2 percent from 3-point range.

Every year, there is one player who usually ends up making a large handful of GM’s look like idiots for letting him drop so low in the draft. Last year, it was Western Kentucky’s Courtney Lee, who stayed in college through his senior year and went 22nd overall. Today, he’s the starter at shooting guard for the Eastern Conference champion Orlando Magic.

Young, who like Lee is a little older than his draft counterparts and stayed for his senior year, has the potential to out-do the Western Kentucky product. Young’s game will translate well into the pros, and since most rookies have to start out by making a name for themselves on defense, this is where Young can excel. His ideal size and tremendous wingspan make him well-equipped to defend both the two and the three in the NBA.

He also has the potential to develop a consistent perimeter game on offense, which should all but polish off his resume in becoming a future Cavalier.

As if wheeling and dealing for help around the league isn’t difficult enough for Ferry, he’ll have to wheel and deal in the draft as well if Sam Young is in his plans.

But for an organization that has had a difficult time building itself through the draft, this should be Ferry’s first priority. And the last thing he wants to see is another Eastern Conference team drafting a guy right under his nose on its way to making him a starter.

Especially one that is quietly building a team that could be on its way to sending the Cavs home early for summer next year.