It's silly season now so close to the draft.  A lot of bluffing going on.  I still think we stand pat and let MKG fall in our lap.  Charlotte appears to be asking too much.  Plus, their incentive to move down appears to be that they think they can get TRob at 4...... and, suprise, surprise, word has 'leaked' out of Washington (who doesn't want us to leapfrog them for Beal) that the Wizards are fielding calls from teams interested in moving up to #3 to take TRob.

 

As for Ross, I really like him as a prospect.  I have to think we are bringing him in as a fall back plan should Beal and MKG go before us and we don't like our options at 4.  Then, we might be interested in letting Portland jump up to 4 to take TRob and we slide down to 6 and 11.  We would probably have to give up #24 (or one of our future 1st rounders) along with maybe one of our 2nd rounders to get that done. 

 

I don't want MKG.  Sorry, he may be a nice guy, have a good attitude and play nice D, but the consensus is (plus what I saw in last year's NCAAs) is that he can't shoot.  We MUST draft a guy who can put the ball in the friggin hole esp with the No. 4 pick.  We struggled to score last year.  Think what it'll be like this year with Antawn J's 19 ppg gone.  Give me Beal or Barnes -- not sure which one I like more... Even though I still hear some mixed stories about Barnes lack of ability (or desire) to drive in traffic, all agree he can stick a 15/18 ft jumper.  Gotta have this.  Some are comparing Beal to Ray Allen, but that may be a bit much -- Ray's one of the finest pure shooters (with stupid quick release) in the history of the game.  I probably lean a little toward Barnes b/c of his size and the fact that he's a 3 (yeah, it's some LeBron envy, although he certainly ain't no LeBron), but I'd be happy with either him or Beal...

 

We've got a premier point guard in Kyrie, so a mobile shooter can help him spread the floor.

 

To me the worst would be if both are gone by the time we draft at 4, which could happen even though the Wiz are talking about Robinson (which may be a bluff).  Because of this, I wouldn't hate on Grant for throwing in our 24 plus a 2nd rounder to move up; it's that important.  We have no wiggle room, we can't blow this draft...  And that means no Michael Kidd-Gilchrist!!

Would anyone be bummed if we picked Dion Waiters at 4? I would be.

 

i wouldnt worry about that happening...there is a group of 4 or 5 top tier players that will be taken before waiters.

It's silly season now so close to the draft.  A lot of bluffing going on.  I still think we stand pat and let MKG fall in our lap.  Charlotte appears to be asking too much.  Plus, their incentive to move down appears to be that they think they can get TRob at 4...... and, suprise, surprise, word has 'leaked' out of Washington (who doesn't want us to leapfrog them for Beal) that the Wizards are fielding calls from teams interested in moving up to #3 to take TRob.

 

As for Ross, I really like him as a prospect.  I have to think we are bringing him in as a fall back plan should Beal and MKG go before us and we don't like our options at 4.  Then, we might be interested in letting Portland jump up to 4 to take TRob and we slide down to 6 and 11.  We would probably have to give up #24 (or one of our future 1st rounders) along with maybe one of our 2nd rounders to get that done. 

 

I don't want MKG.  Sorry, he may be a nice guy, have a good attitude and play nice D, but the consensus is (plus what I saw in last year's NCAAs) is that he can't shoot.  We MUST draft a guy who can put the ball in the friggin hole esp with the No. 4 pick.  We struggled to score last year.  Think what it'll be like this year with Antawn J's 19 ppg gone.  Give me Beal or Barnes -- not sure which one I like more... Even though I still hear some mixed stories about Barnes lack of ability (or desire) to drive in traffic, all agree he can stick a 15/18 ft jumper.  Gotta have this.  Some are comparing Beal to Ray Allen, but that may be a bit much -- Ray's one of the finest pure shooters (with stupid quick release) in the history of the game.  I probably lean a little toward Barnes b/c of his size and the fact that he's a 3 (yeah, it's some LeBron envy, although he certainly ain't no LeBron), but I'd be happy with either him or Beal...

 

We've got a premier point guard in Kyrie, so a mobile shooter can help him spread the floor.

 

To me the worst would be if both are gone by the time we draft at 4, which could happen even though the Wiz are talking about Robinson (which may be a bluff).  Because of this, I wouldn't hate on Grant for throwing in our 24 plus a 2nd rounder to move up; it's that important.  We have no wiggle room, we can't blow this draft...  And that means no Michael Kidd-Gilchrist!!

 

I think you are selling MKG short.  He can get to the rim better than anyone in the draft.  His motor is relentless and his work ethic is one of the best.  He is still 18 years old, youngest guy in the draft...he can figure out how to stick a shot.  We cant waste the pick on someone who is going to camp out around the arc and stick shots.  We need a superior talent.  While shooting is not superior right now, his talent and ceiling is higher than Barnes in my opinion.  MKG dominated Barnes in high school and then again last December AND he had a bum ankle while doing so.

 

Beal is hyped but really looked suspect when i saw him in the NCAA tourney.  I would want MKG over both Beal and Barnes...but i would take either of those two as well.

Would anyone be bummed if we picked Dion Waiters at 4? I would be.

 

i wouldnt worry about that happening...there is a group of 4 or 5 top tier players that will be taken before waiters.

 

It seems there are indeed some legs to this.  I might not have believed it, but now the NBA reporter I respect the most (Wojnarowski from Yahoo) is saying the Cavs' interest is legit.  I would guess that they are thinking about (not necessarily locked in on) Waiters at 4 IF MKG and Beal are gone.  Word is that Jerry West (Golden State) wants him at 7.  I'd say that is a pretty good endorsement.  I recall a time when West traded away the Lakers' starting center for a largely unproven 2 guard who was considered a project and that didn't turn out too bad.  Waiters' issues with the coaches at 'Cuse does concern me.  BScott is a great at getting players with otherwise good attitudes to reach their full potential.  I don't see him as a coach who would mesh well with a pre-madonna.  Hopefully, if we do take him, the issues last year had more to do with the 'Cuse staff than Waiters.

 

Of course, all of this could be a smokescreen to convince the Bobcats that we are content to stay at 4..... supposedly, the hang up in us moving up to 2 (to take Beal) is that Charlotte wants us to take on Tyrus Thomas' contract (3yrs/$26mill)

I don't see him as a coach who would mesh well with a pre-madonna.

 

Is that like a Madonna in training? :P

I don't see him as a coach who would mesh well with a pre-madonna.

 

Is that like a Madonna in training? :P

 

No Jam40Jeff, what he is saying is Byron Scott is NOT living in a material world and would not like a material girl like Waiters.  Coach Scott would NOT "Cherish" the thought of having Waiters here by his side.  And  Waiters would definitely NOT be "like a prayer" for Coach Scott.

 

 

Would anyone be bummed if we picked Dion Waiters at 4? I would be.

 

Bummed. Very.

"Open your heart" to Dion Waters...I think he's going to be "causing a commotion" (in a good way) for the Cavaliers for many years to come.

 

Seriously though, I was kind of upset with the pick at first, but looking at his numbers and thinking about it, I'm really starting to like the pick, especially with Kidd-Gilchrist and Beal already off the board. 

Haha.  And to think that wasn't even one of those phonetics-typing erros.  Swing away fellas...

 

Speaking of 'swinging away'... that is exactly what the Waiters pick is.  Definitely the contingency plan as several today speculated should MKG and Beal be gone.  A much biggger risk, but an arguably higher ceiling than the other top wings left on the board - Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Lamb, Terrence Ross.  Although they had some issues when he first arrived at 'Cuse, Boehiem did call Waiters the most NBA-ready guard he has ever coached.  http://blog.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2012/06/jim_boeheim_dion_waiters_more.html 

 

While I hesitate on endorsing the Waiters pick, trading up to grab Zeller was a good move IMO.  ACC player of the year.  He, not Harrison Barnes or Kendall Marshall, was the leader of that UNC team.  Legit 7 footer and runs hard all game.  We needed a center and he can fill that role, allowing us to move AV back to his natural 6th man position hopefully.

 

Given the approach, I have to think re-signing Gee is a priority.  As of now (and assuming we re-sign Gee and Samuels), our roster looks like this:

 

Irving

Waiters

Gee

Thompson

Zeller

Varejao

Casspi

Sloan

Gibson

Samuels

 

Probably could use another shooter and another big body

 

 

 

What exactly did the Cavaliers give up for the #17? 

Nevermind, I now see that they gave up #24, #33, and #34.  I guess I'm okay with that, though I wish they would have retained one of those picks.  Oh well, Zeller is going to be a very solid starting center for the Cavaliers for a long time. 

^The Cavs also recieved (or had to "absorb") Kelena Azubuike.  Decent role player when healthy, but has only played something like 12 games over the last three years.

 

I'm trying to feel more secure about the Waiters pick.  There's plenty to question and scratch your head about, but there's some good news from John Hollinger.  He is the ESPN guy that uses somewhat complex formulas to produce an overall statistical rating for each player.  He's the one that invented the 'PER'.... for college players, he uses his 'draft rater'.  Leading up to this draft, he wrote about how his draft rater has proved over the last decade to be very accurate for wing players.  During that timeframe, there have been 8 wing players to rate above 13 over.  5 of those 8 have made an all-star game.... one other, Rudy Gay, will do the same in the near future.... another, Khawi Leonard, just had a solid rookie season with the Spurs.... the one miss was Josh Childress.  This year, both Waiters and MKG scored above 13.  At the time, before our interest was known, he predicted Waiters would be a 'steal' at pick 8.

 

 

Chris Grant seems to like to show he's the smartest guy in the room picking the off pick higher than what most people would expect.  We'll see how smart he really is.  Kyrie was the "conventional" pick, and he's exceeded already high expectations.  Tristan Thompson, the reach pick, showed some promise, but has a lot of ? marks.  Personally, I was very disappointed in Waiters.  He has athleticism, can get to the rim, but at 6'4" he's undersized compared to many 2s and  is not known as an outside shooter... I would have taken Harrison Barnes, the safer pick; a long, athletic 3 who has an outside game....

 

Grant has a history of going after unpolished raw athletes: Christian Ayenga, Tristan and maybe Waiters... We see how Ayenga ended up... now a Laker bench rider.... Hopefully better for TT and Waiters.  We'll see; but for now, my draft night excitement has been dashed.... As the departed LeBron enjoys his trophy, the journey to elite status for any of my Cleveland teams seems just as long as ever.  ugh!!

^The trade for Zeller was pretty good; I like it.  But it can't make up for my disappointment in what we did (and didn't do) at No. 4.  I'm also waiting for Grant to pull off that really big deal that really helps us.  Obviously, we caught a huge break with the Mo Wms deal that netted us the #1 lottery pick and Kyrie.  But we keep hearing how Grant gets close but can't pull off that big deal, like moving up to grab Beal, or trading down to get the 6 and 11 which still would have gotten us Waiters (if that's what you want) and a better player than Zeller.

What a shock. Was at the WKNR draft party at ARound the Corner in Lakewood. I must've heard some variation of "Grant's job is on the line with Waiters" about ten times!

 

What's going to be interesting: watching and comparing Barnes and Waiters over the next few years.

^Was reghi there stating how is sources say Varejao is goin to Golden St. for Barnes?  That was his big break.  Reghi had insider info that nobody else had for the first time in the history of cleveland sports...only to...wait for it...get shot down an hour later by MS Boyer from the PD saying there were never even talks!!! HA Reghi is such a hack.

^Was reghi there stating how is sources say Varejao is goin to Golden St. for Barnes?  That was his big break.  Reghi had insider info that nobody else had for the first time in the history of cleveland sports...only to...wait for it...get shot down an hour later by MS Boyer from the PD saying there were never even talks!!! HA Reghi is such a hack.

 

Ha ha you actually couldn't hear the radio broadcast, it was too loud in there. To think about it, I barely saw Reghi, or any of the KNR guys because of the crowded room.

 

Rizzo bringing up an interesting point right now. How did Waiters perform in big games?  Answer: not too good.

Waiters averaged 13 ppg in the NCAA Tournament shooting 43% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc.  He played just over 25 mins/game in the tournament.  In those big games, sure he wasn't great, but he wasn't terrible, either.  I think there is reason to be optimistic about Waiters even though he wasn't touted to go #4 by most of the mock drafts.

This is a great read on ESPN.com by Brian Windhorst (who was actually let back in the Cavs facilities).  Even if you don't fully agree with the pick(s) it's at least interesting to know what was actually happening and why they made the decisions they did.

 

Inside the Cleveland Cavaliers' draft

Why Waiters? We were behind the scenes with the Cavs' front office on draft day

 

http://espn.go.com/nba/draft2012/story/_/id/8111377/2012-nba-draft-cleveland-cavaliers-scenes

Will check Windhorst article for sure.

 

By the way, one thing that's worth mentioning is that Dion did seem really really content to be coming to Cleveland. That was nice.

Byron Scott called him the 2nd best player in the draft behind A Davis.  Sorry, Byron, I'm not buying you truly believe that.  As I said yesterday morning, Waiters was their contingency plan if both Beal and MKG were gone.  In their eyes, I truly believe, this was a 3 player draft in which they had the 4th pick

Waiters averaged 13 ppg in the NCAA Tournament shooting 43% from the field and 33% from beyond the arc.  He played just over 25 mins/game in the tournament.  In those big games, sure he wasn't great, but he wasn't terrible, either.  I think there is reason to be optimistic about Waiters even though he wasn't touted to go #4 by most of the mock drafts.

 

I really dont understand judging collegiate athletes in big games.  Unless you are from a small school program like Norris Cole where you will dominate for your team and put up 20-30 per night...we cant judge Waiters on that alone.  He was one a team full of blue chip recruits, all D1 players on the #1 team in the nation for a long period of time.  Putting up 13 per game in the tourney is alright in my book when you have plenty of other scoring options on your team.

Byron Scott called him the 2nd best player in the draft behind A Davis.  Sorry, Byron, I'm not buying you truly believe that.  As I said yesterday morning, Waiters was their contingency plan if both Beal and MKG were gone.  In their eyes, I truly believe, this was a 3 player draft in which they had the 4th pick

I agree.  That's why it's simultaneously difficult to blame the Cavs for the pick or get excited about the result.

Here's the other thing to consider, guys: Almost all of the mock drafts had Tyler Zeller going 10th or 11th.  So the Cavs may have reached three or four spots on Waiters, but they may have also gotten a six or seven pick steal on Zeller.  And for all of that talk about trading down to get the 6th pick and the 11th pick, the Cavs basically ended up with a guy that was slated to go 7th (or 8th) and a guy that was slated to go 10th (or 11th), so they may have essentially gotten the same haul of talent as if they made that proposed move with Portland.

 

Or maybe I'm just trying to hard to justify their moves... ;)

^Not a bad way of making the glass look half-full

 

... We don't know how good Waiters will be in the NBA, but these are the irrefutable facts:

 

he's an undersized (6'4") shooting guard who can't shoot, who didn't start at Syracuse, whose pick, at #4, shocked the basketball world and whom the Cavs drafted sight unseen (no personal workout)... To be sure, these facts alone put Mr. Grant squarely on the defensive...

 

... and if the words "project", or "development" or "down the road" are uttered by him regarding Mr. Waiters, Grant should lose his job.  Such terms are verboten when talking about a top 5 lottery pick... I would rejoice at being wrong about Watiers, but to say I'm bummed is an understatement.

All in all I am OK with the Waiters pick. Once you got past Davis and maybe MKG I don't believe there was a lot of separation between Beal, Waiters, Barnes and Robinson. Given equal minutes over the next few years I see them performing about the same. I think the Cavs drafted more for need than anything else. And Zeller will be more athletic than most think, he does need to get stronger though.

... We don't know how good Waiters will be in the NBA, but these are the irrefutable facts:

 

he's an undersized (6'4") shooting guard who can't shoot, who didn't start at Syracuse, whose pick, at #4, shocked the basketball world and whom the Cavs drafted sight unseen (no personal workout)... To be sure, these facts alone put Mr. Grant squarely on the defensive...

 

... and if the words "project", or "development" or "down the road" are uttered by him regarding Mr. Waiters, Grant should lose his job.  Such terms are verboten when talking about a top 5 lottery pick... I would rejoice at being wrong about Watiers, but to say I'm bummed is an understatement.

 

didnt Boeheim call him the most NBA ready player he has ever coached?  THat includes Carmelo, Hakim Warrick, etc.  I dont know seems like it shocked some, but not all.

All in all I am OK with the Waiters pick. Once you got past Davis and maybe MKG I don't believe there was a lot of separation between Beal, Waiters, Barnes and Robinson. Given equal minutes over the next few years I see them performing about the same. I think the Cavs drafted more for need than anything else. And Zeller will be more athletic than most think, he does need to get stronger though.

... We don't know how good Waiters will be in the NBA, but these are the irrefutable facts:

 

he's an undersized (6'4") shooting guard who can't shoot, who didn't start at Syracuse, whose pick, at #4, shocked the basketball world and whom the Cavs drafted sight unseen (no personal workout)... To be sure, these facts alone put Mr. Grant squarely on the defensive...

 

... and if the words "project", or "development" or "down the road" are uttered by him regarding Mr. Waiters, Grant should lose his job.  Such terms are verboten when talking about a top 5 lottery pick... I would rejoice at being wrong about Watiers, but to say I'm bummed is an understatement.

All true, if by "irrefutable" you mean "totally refutable." Waiters shot better from 3 and from the field overall than Beal or Barnes. Also had a much higher PER than either player, and rated higher on Hollinger's draft rater.  And while the Cavs took Waiters early, most mocks had him going 7-10.

^ Most NBA ready "Guard" which would eliminate Carmelo.

 

If you told me that at the end of the night the Cavs would have 2 player that are Top 10 on virtually every draft board, I'd call it a win.  I find it hard to get upset about picking Waiters.  It sounds like MJ and Charlotte wouldn't bite on their trade, so once MKG and Beal were off the board, I was already a bit deflated.  If Grant and Byron had Waiters rated higher, go get him.

 

Cavs had MKG and Waiters pegged for their pick.  I can only imagine the pandemonium of the armchair GMs if they picked Waiters over MKG.

All in all I am OK with the Waiters pick. Once you got past Davis and maybe MKG I don't believe there was a lot of separation between Beal, Waiters, Barnes and Robinson. Given equal minutes over the next few years I see them performing about the same. I think the Cavs drafted more for need than anything else. And Zeller will be more athletic than most think, he does need to get stronger though.

... We don't know how good Waiters will be in the NBA, but these are the irrefutable facts:

 

he's an undersized (6'4") shooting guard who can't shoot, who didn't start at Syracuse, whose pick, at #4, shocked the basketball world and whom the Cavs drafted sight unseen (no personal workout)... To be sure, these facts alone put Mr. Grant squarely on the defensive...

 

... and if the words "project", or "development" or "down the road" are uttered by him regarding Mr. Waiters, Grant should lose his job.  Such terms are verboten when talking about a top 5 lottery pick... I would rejoice at being wrong about Watiers, but to say I'm bummed is an understatement.

All true, if by "irrefutable" you mean "totally refutable." Waiters shot better from 3 and from the field overall than Beal or Barnes. Also had a much higher PER than either player, and rated higher on Hollinger's draft rater.  And while the Cavs took Waiters early, most mocks had him going 7-10.

 

I've never heard that.  All the scouting reports I've read says that Waiters is athletic and explosive to the hoop (which against the larger, faster NBA 2s, could cause him problems), but that he's an inconsistent outside shooter... Look, I know everybody wants to be optimistic; I do too (which is why I sincerely hope that I'm wrong), but most of the draft websites and pundits are saying we blew it.  Not only did we gamble when we should have taken a solid pick like either Barnes (who I wanted) or even Thomas Robinson, we gave away our 2nd round picks to get Zeller who, though very good at UNC, has "... reached his ceiling" in the words of one... Had we stayed put, there were other athletic centers out there, then we could have drafted a couple shooting guards in the 2nd round and have them compete for a slot... Then you'd have had a promising, long, athletic shooting 3, in Barnes, a center, to spell/help Andy and Tristan, and perhaps a promising 2... This draft was not long on elite players, outside of Davis, and maybe Beal, but it was very long on quality, solid players to build around a star player.... a star like, say, a point guard named Kyrie....

 

... I'm sorry, but all indications indicated that Chris Grant choked... I don't really care what Byron Scott or Boeheim or even Kyrie is saying about Waiters, of course their all being polite and diplomatic.  But in reality, the indicators are not good.

 

... but if there's crow to eat, come next season, I'd be more than happy to dine on it.

I wouldn't be too concerned with the fact that Waiters wasn't a starter.  Boeheim is reputedly an old-school guy that likes to do thinks his way.  However Waiters still was top four or five on Syracuse's roster in minutes played, so once he got into the game (which was usually pretty soon after jump ball), he was out there for the long haul.

 

As for his height, I understand the issue, but let's also remember that there have been a number of all-world SGs who have been in the 6'4-6'5 range, including one that just won a championship.  Also he's only 19 years old so in theory he could possibly grow another inch or two.  Regardless, I'm not as worried about his height or even his outside shooting as I am about some of the things I've heard about his attitude.  That said I think he'll benefit from Byron Scott's tutelage.

 

What it comes down to is that if the Cavaliers wanted a wing player at #4, it was either Waiters or Barnes, or maybe even Ross or Lamb, all of whom have their own question marks.  It's not like the Cavs passed on a can't-miss player to take Waiters.

Waiters shot for a better percentage than Beal or Barnes in all aspects except FT, where they were all even. Also, his highlight reel had waaaaay better dunks.

Dion Waiters: Questions, Concerns, and His Ideal Role

 

Published: Friday, June 29, 2012, 5:44 PM

Updated: Friday, June 29, 2012, 5:52 PM

By Michael Curry cleveland.com

 

So, the Cavs took Dion Waiters with the #4 overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, and they followed it up by trading for the #17 pick, Tyler Zeller.  After thinking about both picks for a day, now is as good a time as any to talk about it.

 

Why did the Cavs select Dion Waiters at #4?

 

Because he was the highest player on their draft board.  While we can - and will - argue about exactly how Waiters was able to climb up the Cavaliers' list of potential draft picks, Brian Windhorst's report from inside the Cavs war room shows that Waiters was right there with Michael Kidd-Gilchirst at the top of the team's wish list.  There is no doubt that the Cavs really like Waiters as a player, and think that he can be a star in the NBA.

 

 

What makes the Cavs think that Waiters can be that good?

 

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/cavshq/2012/06/dion_waiters_questions_concern.html

Everybody OK with a 1yr rental of Mr. Kardashian?

If we can get a 1st round pick to go with it I am fine with it.  Sounds like we have the cap space.

Why would it only be one year? Isn't he an unrestricted free agent?

Just read on twitter - Mark Spears, Yahoo - says he won't sign a 1 year deal and wants a 4 year deal with us.

Why would it only be one year? Isn't he an unrestricted free agent?

 

He is.... and for a guy who averaged a double-double, it says a lot that he has virtually no interest around the league.  Ever since coming out of high school, he has been view as a selfish player and no team he has ever played on has been any good.

 

The reason for the one year deal is that the Cavs don't really want him.  He's probably seen as a decent big-man filler for the roster, but the Cavs are in the talks for whatever 'sweetener' they can get.  Most likely a first round draft pick.  Problem is that Orlando wants all of the first rounders the Nets can offer.  The idea has been tossed out there that the Nets would send Marshon Brooks either to us in lieu of a draft pick or to another team which would then send us their pick.  Humphries has to be part of the deal so that the salaries match up for Brooklyn.  Due to their current cap inflexibility, they can't absorb Dwight's salary without sending out a combination of salaries within a certain range of Dwight's.

 

Doesn't sound likely at this point, for the reason Smith just pointed out.  Very unlikely the Cavs take on Humphries for 4 years at the money he wants.

In other news, reports have Andrew Bynum listing Cleveland, Dallas, and Houston as his preferred destinations when his contract is up at the end of this year.  Don't read too much into it, as it is probably a strategic "leak" to get the Lakers to pony up the $$.  But, regardless, it's nice to finally be put on one of those exclusive lists :)

Apparently, having a good PG (or QB) makes Cleveland seem like a much cooler destination for pro athletes.

I wish I could understand how a free agent sign and trade to a team that supposedly isn't giving anything up except the cap space on that dude and theoretically is asking for a draft pick for the privilege makes any sense.

^Luke Walton will likely get shipped off to Orlando as part of the deal.  And IF Humphries contract would only be guaranteed for one year, then he becomes a very valuable assett at the trade deadline because it could be treated as an expiring contract.  Throw in the $3mill cash and the Nets' 2013 1st rounder we are supposed to recieve as 'sweeteners' and it makes sense.  It's not a home-run deal, but it makes sense for us.  Other pieces coming our way (just to make the numbers line up per the CBA) may be Quentin Richardson and/or Sundiata Gaines..... neither of these guys would be a major piece for us next season

 

What were you hoping we would do with the cap space anyways?  Some of the contracts being passed out this off-season are baffling.  Ryan Anderson just signed for something around 9mill per year.  Landry Fields got big money from Toronto.  Roy Hibbert got a max contract offer from Portland.  Screw that.  I'd rather use our cap flexibility in trades, accumulating extra draft picks along the way.

It's a sad situation when the Cavaliers are in on a trade involving the best center in the game--a superstar--and we're supposed to be getting excited about coming away with a decent young guard and/or a first-round pick.  I only want the pick if it's Orlando's or some other team that is likely to consistently be in the lottery in the next few years.

 

I had a joke about Chris Grant and what he would do for a first round pick, but it's inappropriate for this message board.

The trade as proposed is a steal for the Cavaliers. We rent out our cap-space short-term, get $3M in cash, and a first-rounder? Oh, and we get rid of Luke Walton? Sign me up.

Hubbard: Best player at Team USA camp, Kyrie Irving, is not on Team USA

 

After beginning training camp with a couple of five-minute scrimmages that were open to the media, U.S. Olympic coach Mike Krzyzewski has pulled the curtain shut.

 

The last four days have featured games divided into four 10-minute quarters between Team USA and the select team, which consists of younger NBA players. Media has not been allowed to watch.

 

Although statistics have not been made available, the message from those who are Coach K-approved is that there has been one player who has consistently excelled – 20-year old Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a member of the select team.

 

*  *  *  *  *

 

“Kyrie Irving is a player that literally you could move from one court to the other court,” Team USA managing director Jerry Colangelo said, referring to shooting drills that have the Olympic team and the select team on adjacent courts.

 

“He’s that far advanced in terms of his talent, it appears. He’s made a good showing here. He had a terrific rookie season in the NBA and certainly he will be one of the leading candidates going forward.”

 

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/07/10/team-usa-camp-kyrie-irving/

 

 

Here's a little video which is linked in the article....

 

http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2012/07/09/sh-blog-kyrie-irving-schools-team-usa-guards/

And so it begins.

 

c/o @WFNYScott

Alan Hahn - NYC local Knicks analyst

 

"With this Jeremy Lin contract ballooning at $14.5M in Year 3, the Knicks would have $76.7M in payroll committed to four players (Melo, Amar’e, Tyson and Lin) in 2014-15. Potential for massive luxury tax payments. HOWEVER. All four would be expiring contracts, plus Melo and Amar'e have Early Termination Options for that season. Doubtful they would opt-out at that point of their careers, of course, but the fact that those are each expiring deals means $76 million comes off the cap for 2015. Basically, 2015 free agency bonanza for New York. Who is scheduled to be a free agent that season? Jersey's own Kyrie Irving, for one."

i thought linsanity just signed with the rockets?

 

edit: he did, its 3yrs $25.1M, but the knicks get a chance to match it. not a bad deal for him for 25 starts!!

Lin is a restricted free agent so that offer isn't final until the Knicks refuse to match the offer sheet which reportedly they haven't received yet. But really I was focusing on the last two sentences.

 

While I'm here might as well mention this hour's Dwight Howard trade rumor.

 

NBA Trade Rumor: Cavs Discussing Trade to Land Andrew Bynum in Magic-Lakers Deal

July 14, 2012 By Jacob Rosen 8 Comments

 

HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy dropped a bombshell on Twitter about an hour ago with this nugget of information:

 

Alex Kennedy

✔

@AlexKennedyNBA

Three-team deal may send Dwight Howard to Lakers, Andrew Bynum to Cavs and picks/prospects/cap relief to Magic. Still trying to get details.

14 Jul 12 ReplyRetweetFavorite

 

Kennedy later expanded on that initial tease, posting an article with more details. In a possible trade that would send Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers would end up with Andrew Bynum, and the Orlando Magic would receive a number of picks and prospects. There were no further specifics about what the Cavaliers would give up in such a deal.

 

...

 

http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2012/07/nba-trade-rumor-cavs-discussing-trade-to-land-andrew-bynum-in-magic-lakers-deal/

Kyrie fractured a bone in his hand today in practice.  Out 6-8 weeks.  No summer league, but should be ready for training camp.