Cavs Eye North Carolina's Harrison Barnes as Possible Draft Pick
Fitzgerald Cecilio
Cleveland, OH
Last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers have started their rebuilding plans from the LeBron James era by selecting Kyrie Irving as the No. 1 overall pick.
With Irving leading the charge, the Cavaliers showed some promise and he eventually won the Rookie of the Year award in overwhelming fashion.
The Cavaliers, however, need a dependable forward who can complement Irving's offensive prowess and playmaking for them to contend next season.
Armed with the No. 4 pick in the draft, Cleveland can immediately fill that need by picking North Carolina's Harrison Barnes on June 28.
League sources told Sports Illustrated (SI) that the Cavs are very high on 6-foot-8 Barnes and appear ready to use their No. 4 pick on the high-scoring 20-year-old small forward.
"He's a pretty big deal to them," one executive told SI.
Scouting reports have described Barnes as a complete package, with a strong body, awesome agility, explosive first step, outstanding shooting ability and a good defensive stopper for a small forward.
Last year, Barnes averaged 17.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in 38 games for the Tar Heels. In 2010, he normed 15.7 points and 3.8 caroms.
Chemistry will be not be a problem if ever Barnes joins Cleveland as he and Irving are very good friends. They both share the same agent and established a close friendship as the top two stars of their high school class.
If Barnes is not available, the Cavs have two options -- take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of Kentucky or shooting guard Bradley Beal of Florida.
A great shooter and all-around player, the 6-5 Beal will add depth to a position that desperately needs it in Cleveland. In his freshman year, he averaged 14.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in 37 games for the Gators.
Suns may offer $16M deal to Cavs forward Alonzo Gee
Phoenix, AZ
The Phoenix Suns are eyeing restricted free agent Alonzo Gee of the Cleveland Cavaliers to beef up their frontline.
The Morning Journal of Northern Ohio reported that the Suns could sign the 6-6 small forward Gee to an offer sheet worth $16 million over four years when the period for signing free agents begins July 11.
There is a chance that the Cavaliers won't match any offer for Gee because they are reportedly eyeing to use their No. 4 pick to acquire Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of Kentucky in this year's NBA Draft.
Aside from Phoenix, other teams which expressed interest in Gee are the Washington Wizards, Boston Celtics and the Houston Rockets.
As restricted free agent, the Cavaliers have the right to match any offer Gee receives in the offseason.
Gee, undrafted in 2009, averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game for the Cavaliers last season. In 2010, Gee averaged 7.6 and 3.9 rebounds in 40 games for the Cavs.
He received his first NBA break on March 7, 2010 when he was signed by the Washington Wizards to a 10-day contract. Ten days after signing, Gee recorded his first career double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets.
That performance prompted the Wizards to reward him with a second 10-day contract. On March 26, Gee made his first NBA start against Charlotte Bobcats and scored a career-high 19 points.
Gee moved to the San Antonio Spurs when his second 10-day deal was not renewed by the Wizards.
The Spurs then assigned Gee to the Austin Toros in the NBA Developmental League (NBADL), averaging 21 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest. He was later chosen as the NBADL's Rookie of the Year.
He played five games for San Antonio but was waived November 16. He briefly returned to the Wizards before he was signed by the Cavaliers.
During the 2011 NBA lockout, Gee joined Asseco Prokom Gdynia in Poland but returned to the United States in November due to personal reasons.
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