Kyle Goldcamp/AP Photo

The Cleveland Cavaliers have waived Erie BayHawks forward Kyle Goldcamp, who starred at Gannon University, and Canton Charge forward Tyrell Biggs, who played college basketball at Pitt.

The Cavaliers announced it today.

The Cavaliers now have 17 players in training camp with one being BayHawks forward Mychel Thompson. NBA teams can have 15 total players with 13 being on the roster. It used to be 12 players.

Goldcamp joined the Cavaliers on the first day of training camp after being invited by the team’s director of player personnel, Wes Wilcox, who is also the general manager of the expansion Charge.

He was invited six hours before Erie played Canton.

The BayHawks lost that game, 101-98.

The 6-foot, 10-inch, 250-pound Goldcamp missed five games while with the Cavaliers. Erie went 2-3 in those games.

Goldcamp must clear NBA waivers so he won’t play in today’s game at Maine, but should be back for Friday’s game against Tulsa at Tullio Arena. That will give Erie 10 players.

Kyle Spain averaged 8.1 points for Erie in 44 games last season./Photo by Jack Hanrahan/Erie Times-News

Shooters. Rebounders.

That’s how Erie BayHawks general manager of basketball operations, Allan Houston, summarized what Erie will look for in the 2011 D-League Draft, which starts Thursday at 7 p.m.

The BayHawks have the seventh and ninth pick in the first round and have two more picks in the second round. Before figuring out what they need, you got know what they got coming back.

Returning players:

PG – Blake Ahearn (27 years old, 6-2, 190, Missouri State) – Shooter. Scorer (Avg. 16.9 points in 31 games for  Erie last season, 96.2 FT%). Not a great defender, but is scrappy.

PF – Kyle Goldcamp (25 years old, 6-10, 230, Gannon) – Tough. Plays hard. Has a lefty hook, but gets garbage points. Aggressive.

SF – Kyle Spain (6-5, 210, San Diego State) – Plays on the perimeter. Has unlimited range on the jump shot. Struggles defending on perimeter.

SF Chaz McCrommon (6-6, 200, Robert Morris) – Joined Erie late last season. Only played one game for the BayHawks. Considered a solid defender and capable scorer.

Here are the free-agent invites:

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In 2008-09, Taj McCullough (with the ball) injured his knee as a rook. Then the BayHawks released him./ETN file photo.

Recognize some of them.

PG Jamaal Tinsley – old school NBA vet. PF Chris Taft – big fella had much potential at Pitt.

SF Taj McCullough – once wore a BayHawks uniform before then Erie coach John Treloar released him. Highly skilled on offense.

PG Tristan Thompson (North Texas) – Lit up Kansas State for 28 points in the 2010 NCAA Tournament. SF Alando Tucker – was all world at Wisconsin (all-time leading scorer with 2,147 points).

There are a few others sprinkled here and there, but for the most part, there are more unknowns than known guys on this list of 30 players to watch in the 2011 D-League Draft, which begins Thursday at 7 p.m.

Why?

Well, you could say because the NBA is still in lockout and guys either went overseas or aren’t confident the lockout is going to end anytime soon.

You could say guys just don’t want to play for less than $30,000.

Whatever the reason, there are enough guy the pool to have an 8-round draft. It won’t take long to see if it’s watered down or possesses the same level of talent it has in previous years.

For example, is there an Ivan Johnson in the draft. A guy who can come in and average 22 and 8 for an entire season like he did for Erie last season.

Have to wait and see, but as always, the best players will surface. The question is, who are those guys?

Kentucky has the game's most dynamic talent in freshman point guard John Wall.

Please people.

I know my bracket is done. It’s been done.

Three of my four Final Four picks have already been eliminated. Georgetown, my national champion pick, couldn’t get out of the first round, Pitt didn’t have enough to push past Xavier and Louisville lost to Cal in the first round.

Yeah, I’m certainly a risk taker, but it’s all good. My only saving grace is that Kentucky is not only still in, but now the favorite to win it all since Kansas got upset in the second round by Northern Iowa.

I have the Wildcats making it to the title game so I’ll be tuned in when they play Cornell tonight at 9:30. UK has the most talent in the tournament, but Cornell is way more experienced.

However, if one team has at least four future NBA players, it should win a game like this. Then again, I had Georgetown winning the whole darn thing so what do I know.

Center Greg Monroe will lead Georgetown to championship glory this season.

Just filled out my bracket. It’s so much fun, you just want to enjoy every pick.

As most people who follow my work know, I’m a risk taker on these things. Why do it and play conversative?

Might as well pick some first-round upsets. So here are mine for this year’s NCAA Tournament. (seedings in brackets)

Midwest: (13) San Diego State over (6) Tennessee. Don’t trust the Vols.(10) Georgia Tech over (7) Oklahoma State.

West: (12) UTEP over (5) Butler. Just like UTEP’s style. (10) Florida over (7) BYU.

East: (10) Missouri over (7) Clemson. Definitely don’t trust Clemson. Maybe it’s the orange.

South: None here unless you count (9) Louisville beating (8) California.

My bracket gets even crazier after that, but at the end, these are my Final Four picks.

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Overall, I wasn’t impressed.

Maybe because I put so much faith in the Slam Dunk Contest, but NBA All-Star Weekend wasn’t all that this year. Especially the Slam Dunk Contest.

Shannon Brown let me down. Big time.

Now just because it all took place in the new ginormous Cowboys Stadium with the Hulk-Size HD Flat Screen doesn’t make it the greatest show on earth. However, having 109,000 people – the largest crowd ever to watch a basketball game – at Sunday’s All-Star game was impressive.

I know. I sound like a hater.

I’m not. Just wanted more.

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