--Ohio State F/C Kosta Koufos dropped to the Utah Jazz at No. 23 in the NBA draft. Sacramento threw off the upper part of the draft when it selected Rider forward/center Jason Thompson at No. 12. Many experts predicted the 7-1, 265-pound Koufos could go as high as Golden State at 14. But he started slipping and went all the way to the Jazz, right past the Cavaliers at 19. Many thought the Cavs would take the local product if he was on the board. However, they took North Carolina State F J.J. Hickson instead. Others they left on the board were Kansas F Darrell Arthur, Western Kentucky G Courtney Lee and Memphis G Chris Douglas-Roberts. "These were guys we studied all year," Cavs GM Danny Ferry said. "It was a challenging decision. The 'bigs' in this draft were really strong."
--This time last year, the Cavs had another raw 6-9 power forward from N.C. State -- Cedric Simmons. He proved to be a little too raw and was traded to Chicago on Feb. 21. QUOTE TO NOTE: "He has a lot to learn. He's a young kid. It's our job to put him in the best position to succeed over the next 12 to 18 months. I felt comfortable with where we were picking him." -- Cavs GM Danny Ferry on North Carolina State power forward J.J. Hickson.
