Updated throughout the day with quick takes from staff.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have the No. 1 and No. 4 picks in the 2011 NBA Draft this Thursday. They have no publicly announced who they will be picking No. 1, though everyone assuming it will be the consensus No. 1 pick, Kyrie Irving. The Cavaliers are using this uncertainty to trick draft prospects into thinking they are potential No. 1 picks so that they can get extra workouts for consideration at the No. 4.
Enes Kanter's camp has fallen for this. Kanter, a Turkish big man, has a second workout in Cleveland today. From Yahoo!'s Marc J. Spears:
"It wouldn’t be necessary for Enes to go again if he isn’t being considered for the top pick," said Kanter’s manager, Max Ergul.
That's right if you read it a certain way. It wouldn't be necessary for Enes to go again if he's not in the mix at No. 1. It would be necessary for the Cavs, though, considering they could potentially have options at No. 4, with Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas, Jan Vesely and others on the board. Kanter is assured of going top-six. If Cleveland didn't have the No. 1 pick, it's highly unlikely he'd grant the Cavs a second workout.
So basically, Cleveland is using their No. 1 pick and the gullibility of a top prospect's agent to expand their knowledge base on a player. Pretty brilliant, if you ask me.
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