Written by Rich Swerbinsky

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The Cavs were able to pluck another pretty intriguing guy off the board at #42, selecting talented Texas guard Daniel Gibson with their first pick in the second round. The team followed that up by drafting Nigerian power forward Ejike Ugboaja with their final selection, #55 overall. In this piece, I give my takes on both players, and how they may or may not fit into the teams 2006-2007 plans. The Cavs finished off what I felt was an incredibly successful draft by selecting Texas point guard Daniel Gibson and Nigerian power forward Ejike Ugboaja with the 42nd and 55th overall selections in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Gibson is a risky pick, but is a very talented kid with considerable upside. After a very strong freshman year for the Longhorns where he averaged 14.2 points per contest and was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Gibson regressed as a sophomore, being used more as an off guard than a point guard as the season wore on. His points per game slipped to 13.4, and he shot a lower percentage from the field, line, and three point range than he did his freshman year.

More than likely, the Cavs will look to develop Gibson as a pure point guard, while Shannon Brown will be groomed as a combo guard. Gibson has good size (6’2, 190), a great first step, and is a very good defender who gets his share of steals. He’s a potent catch shoot threat, and has a scorers mentality.

Gibson is rough around the edges, and there are many out there that feel he will never make it as a NBA player despite great natural talent. He’s often been dubbed as a “shooting guard in a point guards body” and will have to really work on his ball handling and distribution skills to make it as a NBA point guard.

That all said, Gibson has great upside and has the talent to develop into a quality player in this league. I like this selection.

With their final pick, the Cavaliers selected Ejike Ugboaja, a power forward who played last season in the Nigeria Premier League. Ugboaja is a 6’9, 230 pound project who is said to be very impressive defensively and on the boards, and still in need of refinement of his offensive game.

Most likely, the Cavs will keep Ugboaja over seas, or send him to their affiliate in the NBA Developmental League, just as they did with last year’s second round pick, Marty Andriuskievicius.