2012 NBA Redraft: How wrong we were in real time

#4 Pick: Andre Drummond (Originally: Dion Waiters)

Yes, I am biased because Andre Drummond is one of my favorite current players as a Piston fan. But this just makes sense to me given what Cleveland’s plan was at the time. They were looking to build a team that would be attractive to hope to lure LeBron James back to them at the end of his Miami run. Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson were drafted the year before so there is room for either another big man or a forward.

Khris Middleton is likely the better player if we were taking the front office’s plan out of the equation here but I am trying to put myself in Dan Gilbert’s shoes (something I never thought I would say). The Cavaliers made a point of not selecting someone who would play the same positon as James so I think they would pass on Middleton.

Andre Drummond is a two-time All-Star and the best rebounder of the generation. If they had taken Drummond they would have been able to run pick-and-roll with Kyrie Irving which would have been a joy to watch.

Furthermore, if they make this move they would not sign Andrew Bynum during the 2013 offseason and then need to attach a future first-round pick, two future second-round picks and swap rights on an additional first-rounder to swap him out for Luol Deng because of how problematic Bynum was in Cleveland.

With the fifth pick in the 2012 NBA Redraft, the Sacramento Kings select…