I don't think anybody has built a champion through free agency except the first Lakers 3-peat.  Everybody else built through trades.  The Cavs are on equal footing when it comes to the ability to make trades.

We're not on equal footing when it comes to sign and trades though..... like the Garnett to Boston deal.... the LBJ and Bosh to Miami deals (assuming they win at least one).... what we saw with Carmelo to NYK and Paul to the Clippers.... and what we probably will see with DHoward in the not too distant future.

Now list all the players drafted in the top 10 who never played in an All Star game.

Carmelo has been a disaster in NY and Chris Paul wasn't involved in a sign and trade.  The Garnett trade was a once-in-a generation trade, and it wasn't like Garnett went to Boston because he wanted to play at TD BankNorth Garden; he only agreed after Boston was able to turn it's wealth of assets into Ray Allen.

^^Huh?  Surely there are many, but does that somehow refute the point that nearly every great player in the NBA was indeed a top 10 pick.

 

^I agree about Carmelo and Paul was technically a S/T but he did agree to pick up his option (something he would not have done in NO or if NO tried to trade him to some team he didn't want to play for)..... but the point still stands that we never have and never will be a prime destination for the players who in today's NBA seem to have total control over their destinations.  There really are only about 3-5 markets which fit that mold - LAL, Miami, NYK, maybe Dallas and maybe Boston.  Chicago doesn't even fit the mold with their multiple failed attempts to land the superstar free agents.  It's a syndrome in the NBA and it's only getting worse.  Gilbert's "Washington Generals" comment had a lot of truth to it.

Here's a hypothetical fake GM question:  Let's say you're sitting at No. 5 in the upcoming draft.  The Cavs are sitting at number 8 and also have the 20th pick (via Los Angeles via Dallas via Ramon Sessions).  Would you take 8 and 20 for number 5?  If you're the Cavs' GM would you make that trade?

^If I'm sitting at 5 this year, then yes. Normally I wouldn't...but this years draft so damn deep. That's a tough question!

Here's a cool link I just found that illustrates exactly how much of a crap shoot the draft is. http://www.mynbadraft.com/nba-draft-picks/20th-overall/200509/

 

It looks like a #1 overall generally gets you a pretty good player.  After that....yeesh.

I'm officially off the bandwagon for this year's draft.  Outside of Davis, nobody really impresses me all that much.  Sullinger's stock is in the toilet.  Drummond is dropping too.  MKG (my favorite) keeps getting nicked.  Barnes and both of the Jones boys never lived up to the hype.  Rivers isn't lighting the world on fire either. 

 

Conventional wisdom was that this would be a deep draft, but I'm just not seeing it.

 

But, regardless, I don't think you can answer the question at this point because we don't know how things will shake out once everyone has declared.

That's definitely true.  Doesn't it also seem like there's a high number of rookies making an impact this season?  Not a lot of superstars, but some very solid contributors from this supposedly "weak" draft.  Or maybe I'm just paying more attention than usual because of Kyrie and TT.

This years draft will be deeper than last years...that I can guarantee.  Sully's a bad example.  He's better suited to play the 4 in the NBA anyways...Playing the 5 surrounded by NO outside shooting would've been tough for even Shaq to get off. 

that being said I don't want the cavs to draft Sully. 

I'm sooooo glad Sullinger didn't come out for the draft last year.  I think there would have been some pressure on the Cavs to draft him.  Fat 20-year-olds can stay the hell away from my basketball team.

Ha! I think the cavs would've taken him with 4th pick last year....Too early to predict but this is always fun to look at:  http://nbadraft.net/2012mock_draft

I spent most of my work day looking at mock drafts after the lottery last year.

It's hard to argue for tanking when Kyrie has a finish like that.  Scored ten of the last twelve and assisted on the other basket.  Scored the go ahead basket twice within the last minute.  A key contrast between Lebron and Kyrie is that Lebron often settled for jumpers at the end of games whereas Kyrie attacks, attacks, and attacks.  What a game!

Wow, Kyrie ******* Irving, how can you not love this kid (even tho I'm just a lil older lol). I think its safe to say, he will be a superstar in this league sooner then later. In my years of watching basketball, never seen a rookie play like this, EVER. Cavs fans, our future is bright with this kid at the helm and can't wait for many, many years of watching this kid lead our team back to the top. Btw, that dunk by Gee was sick yo, nasty :-D

Yeah, it's hard to say enough good things about Kyrie.

 

Gee is much better and more exciting to watch than I ever thought he would be.

 

They may not be a top team in the league, but at least they're fun to watch (at least when Jamison isn't throwing up sidewinders every time he touches the ball).

Quite the road triip going 2-0 against Denver and OKC.  The Thunder had only lost 1 time at home this entire season.  But they've never had to try and contain Mr. 4th Quarter with the game on the line ;)

This team is a lot closer to contending than I thought....get varejao back, draft some size up front and get a legit off guard in FA and we're a consistent 40-50 win team

Quite the road triip going 2-0 against Denver and OKC.  The Thunder had only lost 1 time at home this entire season.  But they've never had to try and contain Mr. 4th Quarter with the game on the line ;)

 

I didn't even bother watching that game because I didn't want to see a bloodbath. But I went channel surfing at one point and saw the score was close at halftime. So I watched the second half and I was glad I did!

 

I totally forgot to watch tonight's game at home against Houston. I wished I had -- a 118-107 win! Where did we find that offense?? Or the three wins in a row, all against teams with winning records!!

Should be an interesting couple of days with the trade deadline approaching.  My money is on them standing pat, not because that is their preference, but I just think it will be a quite trade deadline with no major moves being made.  If Surblando finally decides to part with Dwight, that all changes...

Quite the road triip going 2-0 against Denver and OKC.  The Thunder had only lost 1 time at home this entire season.  But they've never had to try and contain Mr. 4th Quarter with the game on the line ;)

 

I didn't even bother watching that game because I didn't want to see a bloodbath. But I went channel surfing at one point and saw the score was close at halftime. So I watched the second half and I was glad I did!

 

I totally forgot to watch tonight's game at home against Houston. I wished I had -- a 118-107 win! Where did we find that offense?? Or the three wins in a row, all against teams with winning records!!

 

2 things I think.  1. Byron has settled on a lineup at crunch time that can score: Irving, Jamison, Sessions & Gee -- sometimes with Gibson; sometimes with Thompson at the 5.  2. Byron's been really pushing the bigs to get aggressive.  If you don't play hard, you don't play (Exhibit A: Semeh Erden).  He's lit a fire on Hollins and Samuels, and they've responded.  The other thing is we've stepped up our D bigtime.  We hit rock bottom losing to the lowly Wizards last weekend.  We've been on an upward trend.  Hopefully it'll last.... and of course, Kyrie has become lethal in crunch time.  They haven't nicknamed him the closer for nothing.

Should be an interesting couple of days with the trade deadline approaching.  My money is on them standing pat, not because that is their preference, but I just think it will be a quite trade deadline with no major moves being made.  If Surblando finally decides to part with Dwight, that all changes...

 

I hate to see him go, but I don't see how we can keep Sessions, who no doubt wants to start somewhere and who can opt for free agency at season's end -- leaving the Cavs with zilch-o in exchange.  The PD this morning did report that Sessions wants to stay, but that could just be good PR by Sessions/his agent.

Should be an interesting couple of days with the trade deadline approaching.  My money is on them standing pat, not because that is their preference, but I just think it will be a quite trade deadline with no major moves being made.  If Surblando finally decides to part with Dwight, that all changes...

 

I hate to see him go, but I don't see how we can keep Sessions, who no doubt wants to start somewhere and who can opt for free agency at season's end -- leaving the Cavs with zilch-o in exchange.  The PD this morning did report that Sessions wants to stay, but that could just be good PR by Sessions/his agent.

 

I like Sessions, but if they get a good offer for him, they've gotta take it.  Unfortunately that will really hurt this team's chances of making the playoffs.

Looks like it is Sessions and Eyenga to LAL for Luke Walton and LAL's 2012 1st round pick (probably in the mid-20's).  LAL also recieved the right to swap picks next year.......... wait (before you flip out)...... with the Miami pick we recieved in the LBJ deal.  That's what's being reported at least.

 

Not a bad deal.  We were likely to lose Sessions for nothing at the end of the year and Eyenga was a failed experiment in Scott's system.  Probably a win-win for both teams.  Only question I have is what sort of protection is attached to the Lakers pick.  I would imagine top-20. 

 

Eyenga is probably doing backflips (and we know he probably can do just that flat footed).  He certainly thinks he is Hollywood material.

^ Top-14 protected, so as long as the Lakers make the playoffs (currently 3rd in the West) the pick is ours.

This trade just sort of felt inevitable.  I'm not thrilled with having to pick up Walton's salary next year, but we're most likely going to be way under the cap next year anyways.  It gives us another roll of the dice in the draft and lets Kyrie load up on some more minutes for this season.  The Lakers get to rent a point guard for one season and make one more legitimate run at a title.  I'll be cheering for Ramon to do well, and I'm pleased the Cavs added another draft asset.

ESPN says that the Cavs will have the right to swap draft picks (the pick they got from the Heat) with the Lakers in the 2013 draft.  That could be worth 5-10 slots.

That would be encouraging.  I read it was the other way around.

 

Re the LAL pick this year.... I think its value may be best used moving up a few spots in the lottery if there is a guy we really want.  The chances of hitting it big in the 20's are not very good.  But we could package that pick with our lottery pick (assuming we don't make the playoffs) and get a little higher.

Windohorst corrected his article from earlier.  It is the Cavs who have the right to swap next year.  As far as moving up, I posed that question earlier this week. As a GM, would you take a pick in the 20s to move down 2-3 spots at the top ten of the draft?  I don't think that happens in the NBA. 

There probably isn't a lot of precedent for it.  Sacramento moved back 3 spots in the draft last year because they knew they wanted Jimmer and felt confident they could get him a little lower. 

 

They certainly could just stay where they are and pick BPA each time.  We have our (likely) lottery pick, LAL's 1st, NOLA's 2nd, and our 2nd.  That NOLA pick should be in the low 30's.  If this draft really is as deep as the analysts say it is, it should be a fun night.

6-point lead in overtime and we lose. EPIC FAIL!!

Tonight's game upset my tummy.  Cavs threw away 2 golden opps to win, one in regulation and one in OT, both orchestrated by Kyrie Irving heroics once again, but his teamates... I really like Antawn Jamison in many respects, and he is the only legit reliable scorer outside Kyrie, but his D lapses and often poor shot selection kill us often, as they did tonight... That overtime sequence when, with a 3-point lead, following (perennial Cavs killer) Joe Johnson's 3, really hurt us: AJ heaves up a totally ill-advised, off balance shot early in the shot clock which ignited a Hawks' fast break culminating in a a Josh Smith and-1 layup after being fouled by, ... who?

 

And let's not even discuss Gee's blown easy put-back potential game winner at the OT buzzer... suffice it to say, Alonzo needed the Heimlich maneuver after that one.

Still a very fun game to watch.  And encouraging considering that Hawks had trounced us the last two times we played them.

 

29 pts, 9 ast, and 9 reb for KI.  The kid is ridiculously good.

Since the Hawks' game, we seem on the downward trend, again.  Samardo, against the Magic, had a near perfect stat sheet: zeros all the way across, spoiled by 1 steal...

 

... It has been a fun season, and these guys are generally fun to watch; the future looks great.  But really, the organization realizes that there are only 4 guys on which to build a playoff regime: Kyrie, Thompson, Andy and Gee.  Everybody else ... journeymen/filler.

I went to the Cavs game last night against the Spurs. We left at halftime. Good call. Another 35-point loss at home.

 

Ever notice the Cavs are playing D-league players? C'mon, Andy can't still be hurt. I don't believe players will tank games because it's not in their competitive DNA. But I do think the front office is forcing roster decisions on Byron Scott that is putting the team at a competitive disadvantage to lose games to elevate their draft status.

Since when did Cleveland get a D league team?  I can't imagine Canton is happy about that development...

Hey, our D-League team finally got over on the Raptors. I didn't even watch last night's game because the Raptors had had our number this season. And I'm sure I would have shut it off when we went down by 13 points in the second half (I saw the highlights though).

Speaking of D-league, it looks like they have found a solid bench player in Lester Hudson. I am judging this off of what I have read, I still haven't seen him play.

Speaking of D-league, it looks like they have found a solid bench player in Lester Hudson. I am judging this off of what I have read, I still haven't seen him play.

 

He sure played well last night. I hope he can do it consistently.

Aren't they done playing for the season yet?

Lottery Time!

Aren't they done playing for the season yet?

 

I'm so embarrassed.  I have to listen to Knicks shit.  We may be down, but I still talk my smack.

Speaking of D-league, it looks like they have found a solid bench player in Lester Hudson. I am judging this off of what I have read, I still haven't seen him play.

 

He sure played well last night. I hope he can do it consistently.

 

I haven't read much into it but I can't believe they let him get away.  Apparently from the little blurbs I read, he took the same amount of money we offered to go to Memphis (his hometown).  Although I can't get down on the guy for going home, I guess with a 10 day contract they become an unrestricted free agent.  Does anyone know if that is true?

 

The cavs released him after his second 10 day contract was up.  Good luck to him...He played his heart out during the short time he was here. 

Going home and also gets to go to the playoffs.

 

Great first half tonight.  I'll try and keep this memory for the rest of Tankapalooza 2012

He is not playoff eligible for Memphis

I heard otherwise due to some NBA rules nonsense I don't pretend or try to understand.  But being ineligible would make sense to me.

Awesome game tonight.

 

EDIT: MTS, tell your a-hole co-workers that the Knicks are 0-10 against the Cavs in Cleveland in the last 10 games. Then tell them to get back to work or you're gonna go Meryl Streep on dey ass!