As expected, the Cleveland Cavaliers took former Duke point guard Kyrie Irving No. 1 overall Thursday night in the 2011 NBA Draft. Irving, a 6-foot-3, 191-pound point guard, played only 11 games for the Blue Devils in 2010-2011 due to a toe injury. He averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists in those 11 games.
The Cavaliers also have the fourth overall selection in this year’s draft.
There really was not much intrigue around the Irving pick. This has been the consensus choice since the Cavs won the NBA Draft Lottery. Things will now get interesting, however.
Much intrigue revolves around a couple of New York players. High-scoring guard Jimmer Fredette, whom the New York Knicks have reportedly expressed interest in. Many analysts don’t expect Fredette to last past Utah at No. 12. The Knicks pick 17th.
The other player is Kemba Walker, formerly of national champion UConn. The Bronx native was originally expected to go in to the top 10, but some analysts now think Walker could slide and still be available to the Knicks.