After several days of back-and-forth speculation, the Cleveland Cavaliers did what most expected Thursday night in drafting Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the No.1 overall pick in the NBA draft.

There had been much debate between whether the Cavs with go with Arizona forward or Irving.

The Cavs went with the one-and-done Irving, who only played in 11 games his freshman season with the Blue Devils due to a toe injury. The chance to draft a point guard of the future was obviously what the Cavaliers brass coveted most as they look to rebuild following the deflating loss of LeBron James to free agency last summer.

There doesn’t seem to be a player the caliber of James in the draft, but Arizona’s Derrick Williams and Irving seemed to be strong players that a franchise will be able to build around.

In the 6-foot-3, 191-pound Irving, the Cavs get a solid point guard who make plays and make his teammates better. He averaged 17.5 points and 4.3 assists in 11 games with Duke this past season. What he does lack is the explosiveness of Chicago Bulls Derrick Rose and the Washington Wizards John Wall—the last two point guards to be taken No.1 in the draft.

Williams, who was drafted second by the Minnesota Timberwolves, might have been more explosive but uncertainty of whether he is a small forward or power forward cooled the Cavs on making him the No.1 overall selection.

Contact Terrance Harris at terrancefharris@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @Terranceharris

NBA Commissioner David Stern and No. 1 overall draft pick Kyrie Irving of Duke.  (Photo: AP Photo/Mel Evans)