Wade 2.0? Cavs’ Scott endorses picks

Akron Beacon Journal

INDEPENDENCE

The first time Byron Scott watched film of Dion Waiters, he instantly thought of Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade. The stocky build, his ability to get to the basket and finish, the ability to hit open shots and find other guys on the floor all had the Cavaliers coach intrigued.

But he didn’t want to be fooled by one game film, so he watched another, then another and another. After viewing about 15 game tapes, Scott made his conclusion.

“I kept coming back to the same thought,” Scott said. “The kid is good.”

Scott played shooting guard for 19 years in the NBA and won three championship rings. He knows something about the position, and the Cavs’ selection of Waiters at No. 4 on Thursday night was as much his decision as it was General Manager Chris Grant’s.

“He’s a pit bull,” Scott said. “This kid isn’t afraid of anyone.”

The Cavs brought upwards of 70 players to the Cleveland Clinic Courts over the past couple of months for a draft that included 60 players. But the two players they drafted never stepped foot inside the facility until Friday.

The Cavs had North Carolina center Tyler Zeller ranked in their top 10. When he fell out of the lottery, Grant quickly orchestrated a trade with the Dallas Mavericks to move up from No. 24 to No. 17 to snatch a legitimate 7-foot center who can run the floor and rebound immediately.

“We didn’t think Tyler was going to be on our radar,” Scott said. “We thought he was going to be in the top 10. With 4 and 24, we had no way of getting him. Once we got to 17 and made the deal with Dallas, it was a no-brainer.”

The Waiters pick was a bit more complicated. The Cavs would’ve loved the opportunity to work him out, but Waiters followed the advice of agent Rob Pelinka and left the NBA combine before working out. He didn’t hold any private workouts because of a promise he had been given by another lottery team.