CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kentucky coach John Calipari hopes the Cavaliers draft Wildcats center Nerlens Noel with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on June 27.

It's not because it would be a feather in Calipari's cap. He had six players drafted off his roster last year, tying the record for one school, including No. 1 Anthony Davis and No. 2 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the first time two players from the same school have been taken at the top of the draft. There were five first-round picks in 2010 and seven players who have been taken in the top five, including top picks Davis, John Wall and Derrick Rose.

The reason Calipari wants Noel to wind up in Cleveland has more to do with his respect for Cavs General Manager Chris Grant and his staff when it comes to their draft history.

"They haven't made mistakes,'' Calipari said in a telephone interview on Wednesday, one day after the Cavs won the lottery to earn the No. 1 pick for the second time in three years. "If they pick him, in all likelihood, history tells you something: It's not a mistake, which means it's good for my kid.

"Chris Grant has been in our building more than any other GM. That's no disrespect to any other GM. That's just a fact. He and his staff are very thorough in what they've done. That's why I say I hope he gets drafted by them.''

Calipari, who has been much more successful in college at Memphis and Kentucky than he was coaching the New Jersey Nets, goes through the litany of Grant's draft choices.

With the No. 1 pick in 2011, he took Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, even though injury limited him to just 11 college games. With the fourth pick, he took Tristan Thompson, which was seen as a reach at the time.

With the No. 4 pick last year, he drafted Dion Waiters, again bucking conventional wisdom.

"They were right,'' Calipari said of those picks. "So if they take my kid, history tells you they did the right thing, which means my kid's in good shape.

"My hope is they take Nerlens because they do their research and say, 'We need that shot blocker behind what we have. ... We know he's going to gain 40 pounds. We know the trajectory.' They know where he was at the beginning of the year and they know how much he improved because they were here. They saw it. I don't have to explain anything to Chris.''

Calipari even asked Grant's advice when Noel tore his ACL in February. Grant suggested Noel see doctors at the Cleveland Clinic or specialist Dr. James Andrews. Noel opted for Andrews, and his rehabilitation has been progressing well.

"It's not the same injury it used to be,'' Calipari said. "I don't think teams are looking at it like, 'Wow. He's done.' They they want to know his rehab schedule, his work ethic, what the doctors are saying. All that stuff is coming out pretty good (for Noel).''

Asked to compare Noel and Davis, Calipari said, ''They're just different. Anthony had more guard skills than Nerlens would have. Their shot blocking is about the same. Nerlens is more of a four/five, where Anthony could play some three. Nerlens could guard a three, but he's not going to play that position. Anthony, if he had to, could play the three.''

Another reason the coach would like to see Noel in Cleveland is that he thinks the Cavs are going to become an elite team in the not-too-distant future.

"Kyrie, in my opinion, will be the best point guard in the league in short order,'' Calipari said. "(The Cavs will be) one of the best six teams in the league, within four years, because of the youngness of their team and next year's draft. Within the next year or two, you're going to see them being one of those teams trying to win the whole thing.

"Smile. Enjoy. Don't sell your [season] tickets.''