I think I have heard Sam Young’s name more times in the past 72 hours than I will ever hear it again in the NBA. Local sportscasters and fans are making it out like with the last pick of the first round, we passed on Larry Bird. I would really like to encourage everyone to take a deep breath on this one. I’m not trying to disparage the guy – he may end up being a nice NBA player at some point. But I think people need to step back and realize that the chances that Sam Young was the piece that was going to propel the Cavs to a title this year were about as high as my chances of being mistaken for Patrick Ewing (though my recent switch back to the high top fade and new policy of greeting anyone with a Snickers bar by booming “What’s up, Ryan” in the deepest voice possible may make this somewhat more grey).
John Hollinger actually said it better than anyone on draft night. When the Cavs were on the clock with the 30th pick, Mark Jackson, Jeff Van Gundy, and Stu Scott were talking about how what Cleveland really needed to get with this draft slot was a long, athletic player who could go mano a mano with Rashard Lewis come playoff time. Hollinger’s take via tweet:
“Guys, it’s the 30th pick in a bad draft. They’re not getting a guy who will shut down Rashard Lewis this May. Set the bar a little lower.”
Oh, and as I went back through Hollinger’s twitter profile to find that quote, I stumbled on this one:
“Sam Young was probably the most overrated prospect in the draft. Be glad Cavs didn’t take him.”
Not that Hollinger’s analysis is the be-all end-all, but I think there’s a pretty good chance he’s right.
Maybe part of it is that we Clevelanders are still so used to the day of being a shit team that we can’t quite comprehend that we’re no longer in a position to draft a top guy anymore. Or maybe it’s that everyone is informed juuuuust enough thanks to the internet that they believe they are more qualified to make these picks than the Cavs’ brain trust. I don’t know. But I would encourage everyone to remember the Sam Young Fever that seems to have struck Cleveland since Thursday. The 30th selection in a draft that’s been universally acknowledged as the shittiest in a decade is not make or break.
Instead, let’s look back on it at the end of the season and see whether it’s really as bad as the Browns taking Gerard Warren instead of LaDainian Tomlinson. In fact, I’m going to set it on my Outlook calendar to remind me, because I’m pretty certain that next June no one will even remember the guy’s name.
Expect a real asshole-ish post from me about this in a year. But until then, please remain calm. The passing over of Sam Young is not the death of the franchise.
-T.
