Like I said, not signing any usable bench players was no accident.
Grant hinted that we'd need to draft high for at least one more season. This season's horrible record is purely by design.
They don't have a choice in the matter, it's how contending teams are built in today's NBA. And there's never any guarantee that it will work either. It takes some topnotch talent evaluation. There is some luck involved as well.
The Waiters pick is probably going to turn out better than anyone could have imagined. Kyrie was a no-brainer. TT still has another year or 2 to develop into a solid role player, the kind every good team needs. Zeller is going to be a quality big man who brings a different skill set to the table, and he should complement TT.
One more good draft and then they can build the bench and add a FA or 2.
My only fear is that by the time this team is ready to contend, You-know-who will be one of the best free agents available, and he'll be looking to return to Cleveland like the returning savior. And it will be hard if not impossible for Gilbert to take him back. And if it all works and they do win some rings, LeBitch will reap most of the accolades.
I'd rather see it happen without that guy.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1023Executive: Varejao ‘The Top Target’ If Available
Dec 02, 2012 1:01 PM EST
As Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao continues to put up big numbers, his rise has left the organization in a difficult position. The Cavaliers are battling a question: Should we trade him or keep him?
“If he’s available, it goes without saying a lot of teams will want in,” one executive said. “He would be the top target.”
If the Cavaliers decide to trade Varejao, they want young, elite-level talent with high upside in return. Still, given the way the 30-year-old has blossomed over the past two seasons, Cleveland could very well be smart to keep him and his reasonable contract in the fold.
Across the NBA, players and coaches have had high praise for Varejao. Just last week, LeBron James said he’s been impressed with Varejao’s development.
“I think he’s probably more offensive-minded now,” Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. “They play through him a lot more, so he has a lot more opportunities.
Varejao is averaging 15.1 points, 15.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists and is considered an All-Star candidate this season.
Dec 02, 2012 1:01 PM EST
As Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao continues to put up big numbers, his rise has left the organization in a difficult position. The Cavaliers are battling a question: Should we trade him or keep him?
“If he’s available, it goes without saying a lot of teams will want in,” one executive said. “He would be the top target.”
If the Cavaliers decide to trade Varejao, they want young, elite-level talent with high upside in return. Still, given the way the 30-year-old has blossomed over the past two seasons, Cleveland could very well be smart to keep him and his reasonable contract in the fold.
Across the NBA, players and coaches have had high praise for Varejao. Just last week, LeBron James said he’s been impressed with Varejao’s development.
“I think he’s probably more offensive-minded now,” Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. “They play through him a lot more, so he has a lot more opportunities.
Varejao is averaging 15.1 points, 15.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists and is considered an All-Star candidate this season.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1024Jonas Valanciunas could come off the bench on Friday, with Amir Johnson replacing him in the starting rotation.
The Toronto Star's Doug Smith calls it a "tea leaf reading," so it's not a move that is set in stone. Johnson has played 30-plus minutes in two of his last three games, while Valanciunas hasn't surpassed 24 minutes in any of his last three games. There is upside with Valanciunas, but it's going to be an inconsistent season for the rookie.
Source: Toronto Star Dec 6 - 9:47 AM
The Toronto Star's Doug Smith calls it a "tea leaf reading," so it's not a move that is set in stone. Johnson has played 30-plus minutes in two of his last three games, while Valanciunas hasn't surpassed 24 minutes in any of his last three games. There is upside with Valanciunas, but it's going to be an inconsistent season for the rookie.
Source: Toronto Star Dec 6 - 9:47 AM
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1025Most Execs Would Trade 2013 Top Pick, Poll Says
December 6 at 8:59am CST By Chuck Myron
Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com surveyed 35 NBA executives, most of whom said they'd rather trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft than select from a thoroughly disappointing crop of prospects that lacks a franchise-changer like last year's No. 1, Anthony Davis (Twitter link). One GM called the field, "The worst I've ever seen."
"I'd trade the pick for sure," another GM said. "No one wants to pick first this year -- and no one can live up to the No. 1 billing."
Goodman compares the draft class to 2006, when Andrea Bargnani was taken first overall and Adam Morrison, Shelden Williams and Tyrus Thomas were also top-five picks. No prospect among this year's bunch was favored by a majority of the executives Goodman polled, though Indiana center Cody Zeller garnered 31% of the vote. Kentucky's Nerlens Noel was second, with 23%.
Zeller's defensive shortcomings worry the executives, while Noel's offense and skinny frame similarly concern them. UCLA two-guard Shabazz Muhammad, the DraftExpress.com No. 1 prospect, tied for third in Goodman's poll amid doubts about his shooting and athleticism. Maryland center Alex Len, who tallied 11% of the vote just like Muhammad, has shot up draft boards thanks to the weight he added this summer, Goodman writes.
Others garnering votes as the No. 1 pick include Alex Poythress, Rudy Gobert, Tony Mitchell, Archie Goodwin and Anthony Bennett, though many of the executives say they wouldn't be surprised if someone emerges "out of nowhere," much like Andrew Bogut did in 2005.
December 6 at 8:59am CST By Chuck Myron
Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com surveyed 35 NBA executives, most of whom said they'd rather trade the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 draft than select from a thoroughly disappointing crop of prospects that lacks a franchise-changer like last year's No. 1, Anthony Davis (Twitter link). One GM called the field, "The worst I've ever seen."
"I'd trade the pick for sure," another GM said. "No one wants to pick first this year -- and no one can live up to the No. 1 billing."
Goodman compares the draft class to 2006, when Andrea Bargnani was taken first overall and Adam Morrison, Shelden Williams and Tyrus Thomas were also top-five picks. No prospect among this year's bunch was favored by a majority of the executives Goodman polled, though Indiana center Cody Zeller garnered 31% of the vote. Kentucky's Nerlens Noel was second, with 23%.
Zeller's defensive shortcomings worry the executives, while Noel's offense and skinny frame similarly concern them. UCLA two-guard Shabazz Muhammad, the DraftExpress.com No. 1 prospect, tied for third in Goodman's poll amid doubts about his shooting and athleticism. Maryland center Alex Len, who tallied 11% of the vote just like Muhammad, has shot up draft boards thanks to the weight he added this summer, Goodman writes.
Others garnering votes as the No. 1 pick include Alex Poythress, Rudy Gobert, Tony Mitchell, Archie Goodwin and Anthony Bennett, though many of the executives say they wouldn't be surprised if someone emerges "out of nowhere," much like Andrew Bogut did in 2005.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1026Just got done watching the Cavs - Knicks game. Kyrie Irving had to wear a black "Lone Ranger" mask because he fractured his jaw last night.
All he did was score 41 points. Andy missed a free throw with 1 second left that would have tied the game.
Right now Kyrie is one of the 5 best players in the NBA and I would not trade him for anyone in the NBA.
This kid is the best basketball player to ever put on a Cavs uniform.
Really think the Cavs should just keep Andy. They have 2 draft picks this year and a ton of cap space. Trade or sign 2 decent players along with this draft and the Cavs should be in the playoffs.
All he did was score 41 points. Andy missed a free throw with 1 second left that would have tied the game.
Right now Kyrie is one of the 5 best players in the NBA and I would not trade him for anyone in the NBA.
This kid is the best basketball player to ever put on a Cavs uniform.
Really think the Cavs should just keep Andy. They have 2 draft picks this year and a ton of cap space. Trade or sign 2 decent players along with this draft and the Cavs should be in the playoffs.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1027Rusty I would have agreed with you prior to last night re keeping Andy. However, it is now apparent that AV is stunting TT's growth. He needs to go. Somehow we need him to net another "lotto" pick in this supposedly weak draft which I dont think is so weak. This would likely have to be through a 3 way deal as no team in the lottery is going to give up their pick for Andy although it is "weak." We need to come out of the draft with a rookie big and Shabazz and another wing with the Lakers pick. Then in 2014 we will have our pick maybe the Sac pick and we pick back up Lequit. Championship.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1028My I-Phone was nice enough to ring at 1:30 this morning to notify me that the Cavs have signed a new backup point guard. I thought it was my morning alarm and woke up for the day. I need to tell ESPN.com that I really don't need middle of the night news flashes in audio.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1029Jason Lloyd: Cavs sticking to rebuilding plan, but looming LeBron decision could alter path of franchise
By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published: December 22, 2012 - 11:13 PM | Updated: December 22, 2012 - 11:55 PM
MILWAUKEE: Right about the time the Toronto Raptors were finishing off a gory victory over the gloomy Cavaliers on Tuesday, my email inbox and Twitter mentions began exploding with complaints about the Cavaliers. Four days later, it hadn’t stopped.
Byron Scott needs to be fired. Dan Gilbert is cheap. Chris Grant is ruining the franchise. And on and on and on.
I completely understand why fans are frustrated. The Cavs have already endured losing streaks of six, four, five and six games. Progress has been difficult to see. Tristan Thompson certainly hasn’t improved offensively and appears to be regressing. Kyrie Irving’s turnovers are climbing, and his on-court demeanor appears to be eroding.
The players are frustrated and the coach is frustrated. They entered Saturday’s game at Milwaukee with the second-worst record in the NBA, and they have the league’s worst record over the last three seasons.
But you can stop asking for changes at the top. They aren’t coming.
Gilbert made it clear before the start of the season that he was firmly behind this rebuild. He has complete faith in Grant’s plan and Grant has total faith in Scott — which is why he quickly picked up the option year on Scott’s contract for next season.
I wrote during training camp that this year had the makings to be completely opposite of the last two seasons, when the Cavs got off to decent starts, only to helplessly watch the season crumble around them.
Terrible start
This had all the ingredients for a terrible start — even before the injuries to Irving and Dion Waiters — but the potential for a stronger finish. Ten of their first 14 games were on the road, and so many sets of back-to-backs have left them with only one day of practice every week for about the last month. So little instructional time is debilitating to a young team that needs the extra work. Add in the time missed by Irving and Waiters, and essentially one month of this season was a complete loss.
The bottom half of the Cavs’ roster could be lopped off, and only their families would notice. But when a team is committed to building through the draft, they can only go so fast. The Cavs have added two first-round picks each of the last two years, and they’ll add two more next summer.
They have signed only one unrestricted veteran free agent each of the last three offseasons (Joey Graham, Anthony Parker and C.J. Miles). That was by design. The total spent thus far in free agency is less than $6 million total on all three — couch cushion change compared to today’s NBA standards.
Waiting game
Cleveland fans understandably don’t want to hear about giving any team in town more time. They’ve waited 48 years for a championship and the final grains of patience tumbled through the hourglass about the time LeBron James left for South Beach.
Unfortunately, there is no other alternative, given the path the Cavs have chosen. And they have chosen this path because Grant and Gilbert steadfastly believe it is the only way to truly build a championship contender in this market.
There is a chance it won’t work. In fact, there’s an excellent chance it won’t work. For every success story such as Oklahoma City and Memphis, there are countless other teams such as the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Bobcats and Minnesota Timberwolves who have spent years bouncing around the draft lottery with little hope of truly escaping.
The odds are against this working, but the Cavs see it as their only chance. They could sign a few more free agents, climb to around .500 and even make the playoffs as a No. 7 or No. 8 seed, but that will be their ceiling. It won’t get much better, and it certainly won’t end with a championship.
Grant has tried for years to trade for a star. Not surprisingly, none is available. He tried using the No. 4 pick a couple of years ago to land Al Horford, but the Atlanta Hawks said no, so the Cavs selected Thompson.
Grant has checked on the availability of LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol. He has explored taking Pau Gasol off the Lakers’ hands. And after Kevin Love blasted the Minnesota Timberwolves organization in a recent Yahoo Sports story, Grant checked in to see if they had any interest in moving Love in a package built around Varejao. The answer was no.
At the start of the season, I was convinced this was the year the Cavs would trade Varejao. It still might happen, but barring an unforeseen injury to a contender, it’s looking as if Varejao will end this season in Cleveland. There simply isn’t a deal out there right now that makes sense for both sides. The Cavs want a lot for Varejao and see no reason to drop the asking price.
The most logical fit from their perspective is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a top-three, protected lottery pick from the woeful Toronto Raptors in next summer’s draft, along with young players like Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb.
There’s only one problem: The Thunder have shown little interest in acquiring Varejao, according to two league sources. Thunder General Manager Sam Presti has big concerns over whether Varejao can defend Western Conference centers such as Gasol and Dwight Howard in a seven-game playoff series. Equally important, Lamb has really struggled with the Thunder, and the Cavs weren’t very high on Jones after his freshman season at Baylor.
While their opinion of him certainly could’ve changed over time, the Cavs passed on Jones twice in last year’s draft. So did nearly every other team in the league. Trading an All-Star caliber center now, for a guy they could’ve taken in the draft (twice), doesn’t make much sense.
The LeBron factor
There is a timeline. Scott said last week there will come a time when the Cavaliers have to shift into win-now mode, but he said it might not come this year. It won’t. It will come next year.
The clock is ticking on the Cavaliers to improve, but it isn’t Gilbert standing over the organization impatiently tapping his foot. It’s the calendar and the fast-approaching summer of 2014.
Yes, it’s the sequel to “The Decision,” and it’s coming faster than you think. James is widely expected to opt out of his contract after next season, if for no other reason than to sign another max contract.
And yes, believe it or not, he will give Cleveland a close look. He has a relationship with Irving and Thompson. His new agent, Rich Paul, is a local guy who has long been a close friend. Paul also represents Thompson. A number of pieces are aligning, but the biggest draw is missing.
The Cavs realistically must be a playoff team for James to consider them. He will turn 30 during the 2014-15 season. It’s inconceivable he would return to Cleveland for a rebuilding project. That means the Cavs will at least have to make the playoffs next season for them to be viable contenders in a free-agent market that will surely include the Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
That puts the Cavs into a difficult position — again. They absolutely cannot, and will not, make panic decisions on this roster to placate James’ potential desires. They’ve been down that road, and we all know how that turned out. Yet stay on this path as one of the worst teams in the league, and they will most likely disqualify themselves from the bidding.
That’s the real race in Cleveland. While a number of fans still despise James, the Cavs would welcome him back to a rebuilt roster that would instantly make them again one of the best teams in the East. There is plenty of work that needs to be completed before that’s even close to a possibility.
So Grant will continue calling around looking to use the Cavs’ draft picks, young players and Varejao in an effort to hit another home run. He already hit one when he turned Mo Williams into Irving. If he hits another, the direction of the Cavaliers can dramatically change over the next 18 months.
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/cavs.
By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published: December 22, 2012 - 11:13 PM | Updated: December 22, 2012 - 11:55 PM
MILWAUKEE: Right about the time the Toronto Raptors were finishing off a gory victory over the gloomy Cavaliers on Tuesday, my email inbox and Twitter mentions began exploding with complaints about the Cavaliers. Four days later, it hadn’t stopped.
Byron Scott needs to be fired. Dan Gilbert is cheap. Chris Grant is ruining the franchise. And on and on and on.
I completely understand why fans are frustrated. The Cavs have already endured losing streaks of six, four, five and six games. Progress has been difficult to see. Tristan Thompson certainly hasn’t improved offensively and appears to be regressing. Kyrie Irving’s turnovers are climbing, and his on-court demeanor appears to be eroding.
The players are frustrated and the coach is frustrated. They entered Saturday’s game at Milwaukee with the second-worst record in the NBA, and they have the league’s worst record over the last three seasons.
But you can stop asking for changes at the top. They aren’t coming.
Gilbert made it clear before the start of the season that he was firmly behind this rebuild. He has complete faith in Grant’s plan and Grant has total faith in Scott — which is why he quickly picked up the option year on Scott’s contract for next season.
I wrote during training camp that this year had the makings to be completely opposite of the last two seasons, when the Cavs got off to decent starts, only to helplessly watch the season crumble around them.
Terrible start
This had all the ingredients for a terrible start — even before the injuries to Irving and Dion Waiters — but the potential for a stronger finish. Ten of their first 14 games were on the road, and so many sets of back-to-backs have left them with only one day of practice every week for about the last month. So little instructional time is debilitating to a young team that needs the extra work. Add in the time missed by Irving and Waiters, and essentially one month of this season was a complete loss.
The bottom half of the Cavs’ roster could be lopped off, and only their families would notice. But when a team is committed to building through the draft, they can only go so fast. The Cavs have added two first-round picks each of the last two years, and they’ll add two more next summer.
They have signed only one unrestricted veteran free agent each of the last three offseasons (Joey Graham, Anthony Parker and C.J. Miles). That was by design. The total spent thus far in free agency is less than $6 million total on all three — couch cushion change compared to today’s NBA standards.
Waiting game
Cleveland fans understandably don’t want to hear about giving any team in town more time. They’ve waited 48 years for a championship and the final grains of patience tumbled through the hourglass about the time LeBron James left for South Beach.
Unfortunately, there is no other alternative, given the path the Cavs have chosen. And they have chosen this path because Grant and Gilbert steadfastly believe it is the only way to truly build a championship contender in this market.
There is a chance it won’t work. In fact, there’s an excellent chance it won’t work. For every success story such as Oklahoma City and Memphis, there are countless other teams such as the Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards, Golden State Warriors, Charlotte Bobcats and Minnesota Timberwolves who have spent years bouncing around the draft lottery with little hope of truly escaping.
The odds are against this working, but the Cavs see it as their only chance. They could sign a few more free agents, climb to around .500 and even make the playoffs as a No. 7 or No. 8 seed, but that will be their ceiling. It won’t get much better, and it certainly won’t end with a championship.
Grant has tried for years to trade for a star. Not surprisingly, none is available. He tried using the No. 4 pick a couple of years ago to land Al Horford, but the Atlanta Hawks said no, so the Cavs selected Thompson.
Grant has checked on the availability of LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol. He has explored taking Pau Gasol off the Lakers’ hands. And after Kevin Love blasted the Minnesota Timberwolves organization in a recent Yahoo Sports story, Grant checked in to see if they had any interest in moving Love in a package built around Varejao. The answer was no.
At the start of the season, I was convinced this was the year the Cavs would trade Varejao. It still might happen, but barring an unforeseen injury to a contender, it’s looking as if Varejao will end this season in Cleveland. There simply isn’t a deal out there right now that makes sense for both sides. The Cavs want a lot for Varejao and see no reason to drop the asking price.
The most logical fit from their perspective is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a top-three, protected lottery pick from the woeful Toronto Raptors in next summer’s draft, along with young players like Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb.
There’s only one problem: The Thunder have shown little interest in acquiring Varejao, according to two league sources. Thunder General Manager Sam Presti has big concerns over whether Varejao can defend Western Conference centers such as Gasol and Dwight Howard in a seven-game playoff series. Equally important, Lamb has really struggled with the Thunder, and the Cavs weren’t very high on Jones after his freshman season at Baylor.
While their opinion of him certainly could’ve changed over time, the Cavs passed on Jones twice in last year’s draft. So did nearly every other team in the league. Trading an All-Star caliber center now, for a guy they could’ve taken in the draft (twice), doesn’t make much sense.
The LeBron factor
There is a timeline. Scott said last week there will come a time when the Cavaliers have to shift into win-now mode, but he said it might not come this year. It won’t. It will come next year.
The clock is ticking on the Cavaliers to improve, but it isn’t Gilbert standing over the organization impatiently tapping his foot. It’s the calendar and the fast-approaching summer of 2014.
Yes, it’s the sequel to “The Decision,” and it’s coming faster than you think. James is widely expected to opt out of his contract after next season, if for no other reason than to sign another max contract.
And yes, believe it or not, he will give Cleveland a close look. He has a relationship with Irving and Thompson. His new agent, Rich Paul, is a local guy who has long been a close friend. Paul also represents Thompson. A number of pieces are aligning, but the biggest draw is missing.
The Cavs realistically must be a playoff team for James to consider them. He will turn 30 during the 2014-15 season. It’s inconceivable he would return to Cleveland for a rebuilding project. That means the Cavs will at least have to make the playoffs next season for them to be viable contenders in a free-agent market that will surely include the Heat and Los Angeles Lakers.
That puts the Cavs into a difficult position — again. They absolutely cannot, and will not, make panic decisions on this roster to placate James’ potential desires. They’ve been down that road, and we all know how that turned out. Yet stay on this path as one of the worst teams in the league, and they will most likely disqualify themselves from the bidding.
That’s the real race in Cleveland. While a number of fans still despise James, the Cavs would welcome him back to a rebuilt roster that would instantly make them again one of the best teams in the East. There is plenty of work that needs to be completed before that’s even close to a possibility.
So Grant will continue calling around looking to use the Cavs’ draft picks, young players and Varejao in an effort to hit another home run. He already hit one when he turned Mo Williams into Irving. If he hits another, the direction of the Cavaliers can dramatically change over the next 18 months.
Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/cavs.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1031There is a setting in there somewhere so you don't get alerts between certain hours.....or like if you are in a meeting or something. Can't remember exactly how I did it but I used to hate that.civ ollilavad wrote:My I-Phone was nice enough to ring at 1:30 this morning to notify me that the Cavs have signed a new backup point guard. I thought it was my morning alarm and woke up for the day. I need to tell ESPN.com that I really don't need middle of the night news flashes in audio.
Mine just told me that the Brooklyn Nets fired their coach after going 14-14.
Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1032I told mine to shut off all alerts from espn. If the Indians make a big signing, I'll find out soon enough.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1033Cav's being very careful with a nicked up AV. He almost sure to be traded at the deadline and HAS to prove he's healthy....
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1034He's missed an awful lot of games over the past 2 seasons plus this one. That's got to affect his trade value.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1035The NBA has to clean up the thuggery going on in today's game. Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Amir Johnson, Carmelo Anthony....hey maybe the fans like it...no NHL to watch the fights.