Five Things Each NBA Draft Lottery Team Needs to Do: Part 4 -- Cleveland Cavaliers

Photo: Associated Press - Adam Parker This is part four of a twelve part-installment of a Beard and Stache special where we'll be breaking down the top things that each lottery team needs to accomplish this offseason in order to improve heading into the 2012-13 campaign. We'll update the series daily with a new team in advance of our soon-to-be released Beard and Stache NBA Mock Draft. We covered the Washington Wizards in yesterday's edition, which can be found here. Today we'll be focusing on a team and a city that's dealt with more heartbreak than all of Kim Kardashian's past suitors combined -- the Cleveland Cavaliers. 1. Draft Bradley Beal I know what many of you, especially the Cavs' fans out there, are thinking. Beal is not a smart pick. He's an undersized combo guard and while pairing reigning Beal with reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving would make for a nice offensive duo, it would also leave Cleveland's backcourt in dire straits defensively. While that's a valid point and I can see why any number of people would make that case to not draft Beal, the fact of the matter is, the league is changing. The age of the prototypical 6'6" shooting guard is slowly dying out. Size is being replaced with more skill and off-the-charts athleticism. Though there are some decent-sized two guards in this draft, there are none worthy of the number four overall pick (though UConn's Jeremy Lamb could get a look), which is ultimately why it wouldn't surprise me if the Cavs' traded down depending on how the board looked when it reached them. But for the sake of this discussion, let's say they stick with Beal. Though only 6'3" and 200 lbs., 'BB' can flat out shoot it from anywhere in the gym. He could be a regular at the All-Star game for years to come on his offensive game alone. ESPN's Doug Gottlieb likens Beal to a "Ray Allen-type" player as long as he does his work in the gym. Beal could also turn out to be the next Eric Gordon or Monta Ellis, and obviously, I don't think the Cavs -- who have more holes on their roster than a slice of swiss cheese -- could say no to that. 2. Request that Center Anderson Varejao Restructure His Contract and If He Refuses, Amnesty Him Okay, Cleveland. I know what I speak of is absolute heresy, but before you start pelting me with rotten tomatoes and the like, hear me out. Varejao is making $7.7 million per season and still has four years remaining on his current contract. Yes, he is a gritty defender and a guy that gives more effort and shows more heart than arguably anyone on the floor on any given night, but the fact of the matter is that "Andy V" has become injury-prone. Sure, he averaged a double-double last year with ten points and eleven rebounds. However, he only played in 25 out of 66 games. Do I see this happening? Probably not considering the lack of quality replacements out there and the fact that I don't see Cleveland pulling the trigger on UConn center Andre Drummond in the draft, either. Call me crazy, Cleveland, but it just doesn't seem to make good business sense to pay the "Garbage Man" almost $8 million a year if he can't stay on the floor. Whatever the method, I feel it's best the Cavs find a way to move on from Varejao ASAP. 3. Luke Walton...What to Do About Luke Walton... Well, he was essentially acquired because the Lakers were adamant about shedding his horrendous contract (2-yrs, almost $6 million per) in return for relinquishing their first round pick in the upcoming draft (24th overall) to the Cavs'. Other than having an immeasurable basketball acumen -- he's basically the extension of a head coach on the floor -- Bill Walton's son doesn't really have anything of value to offer any NBA team. He owns career averages of 4.8 points, 2.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game and averaged a pathetic 1.8 points, 1.2 assists and 1.6 rebounds per game last year between L.A. and Cleveland. Give me a break. I imagine the vast majority of us could do better than that.  If Cleveland uses the amnesty clause at all, it will probably be on Walton. Varejao may be facing spells on the sidelines of late, but when he's healthy, at least he contributes in a noticeable way. As for Luke Walton, the value of keeping him ... oh wait. There isn't any. Get this joker off the team. 4. Give Kyrie Irving the Keys to the Offense ala Derrick Rose in Chicago or Steve Nash in Phoenix The former Duke Blue Devil has mad skills on the hardwood. There's no other way to put it. The kid is bursting with talent and is far and away Cleveland's best player. That being said, I think it's time to remove the restraints he may have had in his rookie season and unleash him fully on the rest of the league in year two. Irving has the makings of a star in this league, whether it be as an offensive minded point guard like Rose where he averages over 20 points per game or runs the show like Nash. Cleveland would be wise to run the offense exclusively through Irving from this point on. 5. Have Patience, Trust in Byron Scott Head coach Byron Scott knows a thing or two about playing point guard in the NBA. Allow him to continue molding the young Cavs' leader into a perennial All-Star. Not only that, he's a great fit for Cleveland seeing as how he's a defensive-minded coach. Whether or not the hiring of Scott was just a ploy to try and lure back that guy who now plays down in Miami or not, it was still a smart choice. I've always thought Scott to be one of the better coaches in the Association and it would be a shame if the Cavs' let him walk anytime soon. Be sure to follow Beard And Stache on Twitter @BeardAndStache, and also Adam @Adam_Parker43, Like our Facebook page HERE!