Cleveland Sports Forum

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Luol Deng is a two-time All-Star and the new Cavaliers starting small forward. Well, Deng "most likely" will start Friday's game at Utah, according to coach Mike Brown.

The game is the first of the Cavs' longest trip of the season. They follow Utah with visits to Sacramento (Sunday), the Los Angeles Lakers (Tuesday), Portland (Wednesday) and Denver (Friday, Jan. 17).

So the Deng era in Cleveland starts out West. Here are some other things to know about the Cavs' new No. 9:

-- Deng spent the first nine years of his career in Chicago. He was actually drafted by Phoenix (2004, No. 7 overall) but immediately traded. The Suns are probably regretting that one, because they basically got nothing in return. Anyway, Deng comes to Cleveland with career averages of 16.1 points on 46 percent shooting, and 6.4 rebounds.


-- Deng is widely considered one of the best two-way players in the game. He is very efficient offensively and one of the NBA's best wing defenders. It's like performing well as both a receiver and cornerback in football. It happens, but it's rare.

-- He appeared in 23 games (all starts) for the Bulls this season, compiling a career-high 19.0 points per game on 45 percent shooting. He also grabbed 6.9 rebounds and passed for 3.7 assists. He has scored at least 20 points 10 times this season. His season-high is 37, which he erupted for in triple overtime vs. New Orleans on Dec. 2.

-- A few days before that, Deng tied his career high with 11 assists vs. (you guessed it) the Cavs.

-- He has missed nine games with a sore Achilles. The injury seems to be an on-again-off-again deal that right now is mostly off. In other words, the Achilles may bother Deng, but he's not saying anything about it -- and he played at least 29 minutes in each of the Bulls' previous three games leading into the trade with Cleveland.

-- Deng has worn No. 9 his entire career. It means something to him because he's one of nine children. Cavs rookie guard Matthew Dellavedova wore the number all season. He and Deng discussed it, and Dellavedova willingly and politely surrendered it. Dellavedova will now wear No. 8.

-- Dellavedova on the switch: "After practice, I gave it to him. He said it was up to me. He said he could pick up another number. He was really nice about it. He's a really nice guy. He didn't say it was because of his mom or anything like that. He said he was going to give me something, but I said that was OK (not necessary). I'm just looking forward to playing with him."

-- Deng's contract expires at the end of the season. It was one of the things that led to the Bulls' decision to trade him. So was the fact the Bulls aren't really going anywhere with point guard Derrick Rose out for the season again. Deng was asked if he'll be with the Cavs for the long haul. "I hope so," he said.


-- The Cavs can offer Deng an extension up to three years before the NBA free-agency period begins July 1. They can offer him five years after that. They can pay him more than anybody. But if things go well enough, Deng will be recruited hard. The Cavs actually hope that's the case, because that means he's been great for them.

-- The Cavs already made both trips to Chicago for the season. They play the Bulls just once more -- Jan. 22 at Quicken Loans Arena. Good sign: Deng scored 27 points and passed for those 11 assists in his one visit to The Q this season.

-- Deng on what it will be like to face the Bulls for the first time: "I don't know yet. It's (in Cleveland), so it's definitely different. It'll be the first time playing against my teammates, but also the organization where I've been nine years. I will know when the time comes. Until that day, I'll just focus on what I've got to do each and every day while I'm here. When that day comes, I'll know."

-- Deng was a member of the Great Britain national team in the 2012 Olympics. He is a member of the Dinka tribe, which produces many of the world's tallest people. His father, Aldo, served in the Sudanese parliament and became Sudan's Minister of Transportation before moving to Egypt to avoid Sudan's civil war. Deng's brother, Ajou, played college basketball at Fairfield and Connecticut. His sister, Arek, played at Delaware.

May: Props to Chris Grant — Somebody Who Finally Stood Up to the Lakers

I don’t know what the future holds for the general manager of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chris Grant. He’s on the hook for the selection of Anthony Bennett, who, to this point, has done nothing to merit being the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2013.

He may have to answer for Tristan Thompson, as well, as the No. 4 pick in 2011.

But here’s what he won’t have to do: He won’t have to worry about ever being called a stooge for knuckling under to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Grant did something that a lot of general managers over the years have not done: He stood up to the Lakers and told them, ‘no.’ He wouldn’t send “the contract of Andrew Bynum” (as the Bulls called it in their press release) for Pau Gasol, a move which would have given the Lakers enormous financial relief and future flexibility. He resisted sending a younger asset to the aging Lakers to make the deal.

Instead, he turned Bynum’s contract into the much-more-attractive Luol Deng. The Cavs now have an accomplished small forward for the first time since LeBron James. The Bulls can get on with rebooting/rebuilding. And the Lakers have to be shocked – shocked – that another team could deny them what they want.

Bailing out the Lakers is something of an NBA generational rite. When the Lakers can’t get something done, they unfailingly (until this past week, anyway) get someone to midwife the deal. Or flat-out capitulate. It’s happened more than a few times, and Grant looked to be the latest Laker enabler until he stood his ground.

Consider some of the past Lakers’ bobos, the most egregious being the fools who ran the Cleveland Cavaliers and the New Orleans Jazz in the 1970s.

The Jazz decided in the summer of 1976 that it would be a really good idea to sign 33-year-old Gail Goodrich, a Lakers’ guard, to a free agent contract.

Back in those days, free agency signings were usually settled by compensation, which often was punitive to the team that signed the free agent. One of the compensatory picks the Lakers received was the Jazz’ No. 1 pick in the 1979 draft. That turned into Magic Johnson. Yes, the stars had to align with the Jazz having the worst record in the Eastern Conference and then the Lakers winning the coin flip. But why on earth would a team sign a 33-year-old free agent, especially one on the downside like Goodrich, when the compensation could be so burdensome?

The Lakers did it again a few years later, this time victimizing the hapless Cavaliers. They sent Don Ford and one of their No. 1 picks to Cleveland for Butch Lee and the Cavs’ No. 1 pick in 1982. Cleveland ended up with Chad Kinch as a draft pick from the deal. The Lakers ended up with the No. 1 overall pick (again winning the coin toss) and got James Worthy. Los Angeles was just coming off its second NBA championship in three years and would win three more with Worthy.

In 1996, the Lakers needed help once again. GM Jerry West was literally losing sleep over the team’s inability to sign free agent Shaquille O’Neal. West pretty much gutted the Lakers’ roster, but still didn’t have enough money to satisfy the ravenous O’Neal.

Enter Stu Jackson, then the general manager of the Vancouver Grizzlies. For reasons still unknown, Jackson bailed out the Lakers, agreeing to take two players of the Lakers’ roster for draft picks. Thus, when West was able to send Anthony Peeler and George Lynch to Vancouver – and not get another player in return – he then had enough money to sign O’Neal.

Just think of what NBA history would be like if Jackson had told West to go pound sand. Really, how much better were the already-bad Grizzlies going to be with modest role players like Peeler and Lynch? They went from 15 wins in their maiden season of 1995-96 to 14 victories after the acquisitions of Peeler and Lynch.

Peeler and Lynch each last two seasons in Vancouver. Shaq won three titles in Los Angeles. We could also note that Charlotte that summer – 1996 – traded the draft rights to Kobe Bryant to the Lakers for Vlade Divac, thereby freeing up the initial salary cap space that allowed West to start his vigorous pursuit of Shaq. Divac played only two seasons in Charlotte.

The last Laker bailout came in the summer of 2012, but it ended up backfiring on Los Angeles. Once again, the Lakers needed help to acquire Dwight Howard, a move that, if it happened, presumably was going to secure the center spot and position the Lakers for a long, successful run even after Bryant retired. Denver stepped in and made it happen, acquiring Andre Iguodala along the way in a complicated four-team deal.

The Sixers and the Magic also were involved, but it was the Nuggets who rescued the deal. As ESPN’s John Hollinger reported at the time, “the only little fly in the ointment is that they helped the Lakers get Howard. Um, that’s gonna be a problem.”

We all thought it was at the time.

Why would Denver knowingly help a Western Conference rival? The Nuggets general manager, Masai Ujiri, must have known what few of us else did – that Howard would hate playing for the Lakers, that Steve Nash would be hurt (OK, that wasn’t a shocker), that Kobe would get hurt and that D12 would do what no other marquee Laker has ever done: leave as a free agent in the prime of his career.

Maybe Ujiri saw all of this coming. After all, he’s done a terrific job in Toronto. But, at the time, he sure looked like the latest in a line of general managers who was helping the Lakers get what they wanted.

You can name other teams – OK, the Celtics – who also have bigfooted or browbeat their brethren into making deals. Kevin McHale caved and sent Kevin Garnett to Boston. Dick Vitale always thought he deserved a championship ring when, as the Pistons’ coach, he pushed for the free-agent acquisition of Bob McAdoo. When he got Big Mac, he had to surrender the draft pick that led to the Kevin McHale/Robert Parish trade.

Grant will always have his doubters – and with good reason. But he gets a high-five for this latest move.

Peter May is the only writer who covered the final NBA games played by Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. He has covered the league for three decades for The Hartford Courant and The Boston Globe and has written three books on the Boston Celtics. His work also appears in The New York Times. You can follow him on Twitter.

He lost me right after the Bennett and Thompson comments.

Thompson averaging 12 points and 10 rebounds a game. Only people who do not watch the games and JayJay disagree with that pick.

As JayJay says though we could have picked Jonas V (#5) 11 points and 8 rebounds a game and then selected Thomas Robinson who has been on 3 teams already and averages 5 points and 3 rebounds a game.

Personally, I would rather have Thompson and Waiters.

Before the draft I did not want either. Guess what ? I was wrong

Cavs are beating Utah pretty easily on the road. 6 Cavs in double figures. Watch out !

Thompson with 18 points and 16 rebounds.

#3 pick of 2011 draft (1 pick before TT) - Enes Kanter has 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Cavs ended up with 7 players in double figures. Andy only had 2 points but 14 rebounds.

I'm with you on TT. He is proving to be a really good quality big man. The draft can be a crapshoot and to get a big man of his quality isn't easy, at any pick in the draft!

IMO the addition of Deng REALLY gives defenses that play the Cavs a huge extra option they have to account for. More space for their other options, including Kyrie.

Kudos to CJ Miles, he has turned the corner this year as well.

Days after the Luol Deng trade, Joakim Noah still hasn’t spoken to the media

By Kelly Dwyer 15 hours ago Ball Don't Lie


Nobody on the Chicago Bulls was happy about the Luol Deng trade. Even the most ardent of Bulls salary capologists couldn’t have easily stomached a deal that sent away a two-time reigning All-Star for no immediate rotation help, no likely first round draft picks (unless you’re really bullish on the future of the Sacramento Kings and Cleveland Cavaliers), and no real solution at the wing Deng used to occupy. The team’s front office isn’t attempting to force their team into losing most of their remaining 49 games, but things will be hard with Deng in Cleveland and the injured Derrick Rose out.

In the press conference explaining the deal, Bulls executive vice president of basketball operations John Paxson listed All-Star center Joakim Noah by name as a reason why he thinks the team Paxson helped put together will remain competitive even while planning for a luxury tax-free future. In the team’s first game since Deng was dealt, a 92-87 home win over the Phoenix Suns, Noah served notice why: Joakim may have missed 10 of 15 shots, but he played excellent defense while hauling in 16 rebounds, and continuing his improved presence as a facilitator by dishing six assists along with 14 points and a block.

Noah didn’t say anything to the media following the game. He didn’t say anything to the media prior to the game, or during that afternoon’s shootaround just before John Paxson’s press conference. Three days later, he’s still not talking to those who were hoping to record his thoughts prior to Friday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

From Teddy Greenstein at the Chicago Tribune:

It was believed that he would address the media – all of four Chicago-based reporters – after the Bulls’ Friday morning shootaround at the Bradley Center. But Noah told a team official that he would remain mute.

It begs the question: Just how angry is Noah? And is his silent act hindering the Bulls in their effort to turn the page on the deal?

Tom Thibodeau was asked when he’ll know that everyone has “gotten over” the deal, and the Bulls coach replied: “All that stuff, that’s’ the nature of the league. You’re always going to be dealing with injuries, and trades are part of it. You have to lock into the guys who are here. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the group we do have? If we do that, we will be fine.”

Noah is obviously ticked, and he has a right to be. He’s not an asset, and he’s not currently a member of the 2014-15 Chicago Bulls – a team that the franchise’s front office wants to field with a healthy Derrick Rose alongside Joakim, a possible free agent, and potentially international superstar Nikola Mirotic. He’s a member of the 2013-14 Chicago Bulls, a squad that has to schlep up to Milwaukee to play the Bucks on a Friday night, a team that still has nearly 50 games and possibly a playoff run yet to work through.

The team’s front office is working on paper, and they’re smart to do that presuming Chicago’s ownership group actually lets the front office do something with the payroll savings they’ll take in as a result of the Deng deal.

The team’s players? They have to sweat from now until spring, and while they’re well compensated for it, this won’t be an easy task with a Bulls rotation that has been decimated by injury, minor league demotions, and now salary concerns. Just a few hundred thousand dollars under the luxury tax, Chicago has yet to sign a free agent on a minimum salary to buffer the team’s bench.

On top of that is the fact that Luol Deng and Joakim Noah have been teammates since 2007, they’re close friends, and wrapping up nearly seven years’ worth of thoughts into a pat pregame interview just isn’t the easiest thing to do. That’s his buddy, and while anger may play a part of it, sometimes you go silent in order to keep from crying.

That said, Noah has been somewhat active on Twitter:

Thanks for the great times Lu. Learned so much from you over the years. appreciate u big bro. #babylon a tink negative #respect @LuolDeng9

— Joakim Noah (@JoakimNoah) January 7, 2014

On the beach in Hawaii @LuolDeng9 @LDengF — Joakim Noah (@JoakimNoah) January 7, 2014

Shout out to the whole zangale crew. @LuolDeng9

— Joakim Noah (@JoakimNoah) January 7, 2014

My g — Joakim Noah (@JoakimNoah) January 10, 2014

So there's that.

Joakim Noah will be fine. He busies himself in the game and in competition, and in teammates like Taj Gibson, Jimmy Butler and Kirk Hinrich (alongside coach Tom Thibodeau), he has like-minded competitors that will band together to overcome. Discredit Chicago’s front office all you like, but in their defense they have cobbled together a roster that can just about take anything on. If not any team.

Even if Noah drops another stellar game against Milwaukee, we wouldn’t expect him to take the press on anytime soon. This isn’t something that’s easily gotten over, in public no less.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

Just noted Ben McLemore, one of the other guys we could have picked instead of Bennett, is shooting 36.2%. Otto Porter was Pluto's choice I think; he's shooting 34.1. Remember the great point guard of the future Ricky Rubio? He's at 34.6. Bennett is worse than everyone else but they are stink.

What's happened to everyone? Is the basket smaller than it used to be? Are defenses terrific?

Vic P. wrote:One of the articles posted awhile back talked about how week the last three drafts have been and how it has somewhat stalled the Cav's rebuild.

People tend to forget that college players drafted now are 19-20 years old with 1-2 years college experience.

The days of 23 year old (think the old UNLV type of player) men with one year of CC and 3-4 years in a major college program with quality coaching are basically gone. All these draft picks need 2-3 years to finish growing, to learn how to play defense and compete every night at a high level. Just the travel and length of season would be a lot for most 20 year olds.

How often do kids this young (1 year out of HS) make an impact in baseball, football, hockey or soccer? It is very rare - for the handful of straight from HS basketball players that had long careers - there are many more that flamed out.

CIV: I think Vic P. has a point.

There's no question that this season has been very tough on the vast majority of rookies.

Certainly (Michael Carter Williams and Trey Burke come to mind) there are guys who are making very nice contributions. But overall fewer than usual.

Really both of those players have no competition at their positions so they get a lot of minutes.

Neither would play 20 minutes a night on the Cavs if Kyrie remained healthy.

So you have to be in the right position, on the right team to be able to play through your rookie mistakes.

I think the Cavs were prepared to start playing better with or without Deng. (Obviously better with Deng.)

The whole first part of the season was about getting the ball inside to Bynum and he would shoot. The rest of the team watched and fell asleep. You play defense, you get the ball, you throw it inside, it never comes back out, and you turn around to play defense again. Bynum could only play so many minutes so when he went out the offense changed completely because they had no one to feed down low.

The team started playing better as soon as Bynum was suspended but did not win because Kyrie got hurt.

If this team (big if) stays healthy they are going to get into the 6th or 5th seed in the east.

rusty - to be fair I am sure you realize that Utah has played much better since Trey Burke came off his injury to start the season.

And Michael Carter Williams is a freakish physical talent.

They are both going to be good (at the least) NBA players. Definite potential there - but hard to say that about many rookies this year.

To be fair both of their stats are inflated because they were handed starting jobs on terrible teams.

MCW is a freakish athlete. Burke not so sure about. Good fantasy player. I actually had him when he was just getting back from his injury.

Cavs get blown out tonight. Looked like they totally quit in the 2nd half.

Not exactly fighting over Bynum's services...



Andrew Bynum Rumors: Monday
January 13 at 8:42am CST By Chuck Myron

At this time a week ago, Andrew Bynum was still a member of the Cavaliers, though it was clear he’d never play another game for that team. Since then, he’s been traded and released, and since he cleared waivers, there’s been plenty of chatter about his free agency. His next step won’t come quite as quickly as his previous few have, as a couple of weekend reports demonstrate. Here are the latest details:

The Heat aren’t expected to pursue Bynum, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, who includes the tidbit in this morning’s power rankings. The team’s full roster and Greg Oden‘s presence are the reasons why, the source said.

Earlier updates:

The Knicks are among the teams with interest in Bynum, but most clubs are taking a cautious approach with the former All-Star, and the race for his services is more marathon than sprint, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. New York, like many of the teams in the running for Bynum, can offer only the minimum salary, and he’s seeking more than that, Stein says.
The Clippers, at one point considered co-favorites with the Heat to sign Bynum, are leaning against doing so, Stein writes in the same piece, adding that the Thunder are similarly disinterested.
Count Portland out, too, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com reports the Trail Blazers haven’t inquired about the client of agent David Lee. Portland is wary of Bynum’s health as well as how he might affect a seamless locker room culture. Plus, the team already has 15 fully guaranteed contracts, as Haynes points out.

Nice half a game the Cavs played last night. I guess then the pacific time zone caught up with them and they went to bed.

Nice night by Bennett, though. He made a basket.