Shawn Marion has officially signed with the #cavs....

 

The Cavs have reportedly purchased the 3D projector used for Big Z's retirement event last year.  Awesome.  Breaking new ground in game presentation.

In the biggest game of his life so far, Kyrie Irving was a baller, scoring 26 points and leading all scorers. USA was trailing by 8 points vs Serbia and the USA went on a tear, led by Kyrie. He was a perfect 6-6 from 3-point land and won MVP honors of the FIBA World Cup Tournament in leading the USA to a gold medal.

 

Critics have said Kyrie has never won in college or the NBA. They said he didn't know how to win. I hope today's win was only his first taste of bigger things to come. He needed to prove himself and he did. All through the game, the ESPN announcers kept saying -- and this guy (Kyrie) is supposedly the third-best player on his team. Cavs coach David Blatt has to be smiling.

 

Oh, and when you start taking the USA's World Cup team for granted, remember this: many prognosticators thought Team USA would win today but it would be a very tight game. In fact, as the USA began pulling away from Serbia, one of the European reporters sitting near Chris Sheridan at the game said "Your team must be from outer space." Team USA won all of its games by more than 20 points, and much of that offense ran through Kyrie.

 

And Kyrie emerged from the World Cup healthy.

Love that Kyrie is gaining valuable experience and doing (extremely) well at the World Cup, but I think your last sentence is most important to Cavs fans.

But think about it: the Cavs third-best player is a 22-year-old All star and FIBA MVP. Let that sink in between now and training camp.

^And Rookie of the Year winner..... and 'Rising Stars' Challenge MVP...... and All-Star game MVP.  The kid plays 'lights out' when the bright lights are on!

 

The best part of Kyrie's performance at the World Cup is that he didn't force anything.  His shooting percentages were through the roof.  Plus, Serbia's PG, who Kyrie used and abused all game, is generally considered one of, if not the best Euro players at that position.

Absolutely. But I think what was important for Kyrie yesterday is that he's never won anything before, let alone never even appearing in a must-win playoff or championship game before. In a must-win game yesterday, he played his best game of the tournament.

^He hasn't won anything since HS.  But, prior to attending Duke for that one season, he was a HS state champ, a Nike Global Challenge winner, and a member of the gold medal winning FIBA U-18 team

At 22, had LeBron won anything yet, either?

At 22, had LeBron won anything yet, either?

 

Yes, an Eastern Conference title. OK, he turned 23 halfway through that fourth season, but it was his second stint in the playoffs.

^But he had also been on a team that finished with the Bronze at the Olympics and in 6th place at the FIBA World Cup.  I have always thought that Kyrie had a better clutch game than LeBron.  He came into the league as a monster in the 4th quarter and had quite a few winning baskets his rookie year.  LeBron did not hit a buzzer beater until his 6th year in the league.

He came into the league as a monster in the 4th quarter and had quite a few winning baskets his rookie year.  LeBron did not hit a buzzer beater until his 6th year in the league.

 

Well, in fairness, if you're winning at the buzzer, you don't need to hit a buzzer-beater.  The critical stat would be how many buzzer-beaters they'd both missed, and out of how many attempts.

I love the fact we're discussing the Cavs in September! Shows how excited we all are for the upcoming season.

 

And among all their offseason moves, we should certainly be most excited about signing LeBron and Love. But I'm almost as excited about Shawn Marion. I can see the Cavs using a three-forward set at times with Marion for his defense. And when they need more , I expect them to replace Marion with Waiters. I'm sure they'll try to get out to early leads with Waiters starting. But if they don't, then they bring in Marion to slow the other team down and use some of Love's long passes to LeBron or Kyrie to bust games open.

He came into the league as a monster in the 4th quarter and had quite a few winning baskets his rookie year.  LeBron did not hit a buzzer beater until his 6th year in the league.

 

Well, in fairness, if you're winning at the buzzer, you don't need to hit a buzzer-beater.  The critical stat would be how many buzzer-beaters they'd both missed, and out of how many attempts.

 

LeBron missed at the buzzer several times before finally nailing one.  He had plenty of 'go-ahead' buckets in the final seconds, but none were buzzer beaters until I believe a Charlotte game towards the end of the 2009 season.  Then, he hit a huge one in the playoff series which we lost to the Magic.  In the 6 or so years before that, he missed I would guess no less than 6 or 7 buzzer beating shots.  Kyrie, on the other hand, had more than one his first season.

@SamAmicoFSO: Column: Kyrie Irving's World Cup MVP proves he's point guard who can flourish with other stars. Like those on Cavs. http://t.co/TfTjiMULCV

A few tidbits:

 

- We have apparently signed Lou Amundson.  He is a hustle guy.... somewhat of a 'middle-class man's' Andy Varejao.  The reality of it is he is 6 fouls on the bench to burn anytime we need it.

 

- The new LeBron billboard has been approved for the Sherwin Williams building.

 

- Not only has LeBron "returned" this summer, apparently so has a good bit of his hairline.

I like the signing of F/C Lou Amundson. Solid pickup for a team in desperate need of a rim protector.

I like it too.  But he is not much of a "rim protector".  He's a 'motor' guy, whose motor has some serious wear and tear on it.  He's an insurance policy in case of injury to one of our big men in the regular rotation.  Honestly, there is no guarantee he even makes the team.

The CPC approved the new Cavs/Lebron sign

Funny thing is he played back-to-back seasons with one team only once -- Phoenix in 08/09 and 09/10. He played for three teams in one season (12-13). Not good considering he's been in the league since 2006. But he averages a block every 15 minutes of playing time. And he looks like Joakim Noah after having a cup of coffee in Chicago at the end of last season.

Is Cleveland Cavaliers' Big 3 Best of the Superteam Era?

By Adam Fromal , National NBA Featured Columnist Sep 19, 2014

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2204223-is-cleveland-cavaliers-big-3-best-of-the-superteam-era

@AlexKennedyNBA: The Cavs are the most popular road team in the NBA this year, per study by TickPick. CLE road tickets cost $411.17, tops in the NBA by $130. 

Here are the 20 players coming to camp on Saturday:

 

LeBron James

Kevin Love

Kyrie Irving

Anderson Varejao

Dion Waiters

Tristan Thompson

Mike Miller

Shawn Marion

James Jones

Matthew Dellavedova

Brendan Haywood

Joe Harris

Dwight Powell

John Lucas III

Malcolm Thomas

Erik Murphy

Alex Kirk

Chris Crawford

Lou Admundson

A. J. Price

^ thats it? ;)

Here are the 20 players coming to camp on Saturday:

 

LeBron James

Kevin Love

Kyrie Irving

Anderson Varejao

Dion Waiters

Tristan Thompson

Mike Miller

Shawn Marion

James Jones

Matthew Dellavedova

Brendan Haywood

Joe Harris

Dwight Powell

John Lucas III

Malcolm Thomas

Erik Murphy

Alex Kirk

Chris Crawford

Lou Admundson

A. J. Price

 

Thus starts preps for the traveling all-star game, all 82 of them! And your prior post shows this isn't too far off the mark.

Seems like Dion took Lebron's "be ready" advice to heart.  He looks to be in the best shape of his career....

 

Looks good, but who's he practicing against?

Dion just needed the right voice in his ear. Always different leaders, nobody really taking charge of the team - not the environment he would succeed in. Of all the players on the pre-2014 roster, Dion will benefit the most from LeBron's presence.

^I think Dion will definitely benefit, but not as much as Kyrie.  Huge weight off Kyrie's shoulder.  Other teams won't be able to focus their gameplan on slowing him down and he doesn't have to assume that role of team leader he either didn't want or wasn't ready for.

 

Looks good, but who's he practicing against?

 

The Morris Twins (Marcus and Markief), John Salmons, Wayne Ellington, Hakim Warrick and some other lesser known NBA players and prospects (D-league guys).

Some Cavs previews....

 

ProBasketballTalk 2014-15 Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers

Brett Pollakoff Sep 25, 2014, 10:07 AM EDT

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/25/probasketballtalk-2014-15-preview-cleveland-cavaliers/

 

Cleveland Cavaliers: 2014-15 Season Preview

by Matt Shantz 6d ago

http://hoopshabit.com/2014/09/19/cleveland-cavaliers-2014-15-season-preview/

 

Cleveland Cavaliers news: Cavs could have four All-Stars with Dion Waiters

by Bryan Rose 1w ago

http://fansided.com/2014/09/17/cleveland-cavaliers-news-cavs-four-stars-dion-waiters/

 

Which Cleveland Cavs Bench Player Will Have Most Important Role This Season?

By Greg Swartz , Featured Columnist Sep 25, 2014

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2209911-which-cleveland-cavs-bench-player-will-have-most-important-role-this-season

 

And if that doesn't get you ready for the upcoming season, maybe this will......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moiYj_gaHTA&feature=youtu.be

 

 

 

And how about these Kyrie all-star highlights? Gee, after watching the two-man action between Kyrie & LeBron, can you imagine if these two guys were on the same team together!!  :-P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wlr0KZ3OWQw

 

 

Dan Gilbert Preview of the new scoreboard. It looks huge.

Thanks KJP!!!

We traded all 3 of the Utah guys plus Dwight Powell plus a few 2nd rounders to Boston for SG Keith Bogans. He played well for the Nets 2 years ago.  Last year in Boston, he got lost in that team's youth movement. A good defender and capable shooter. But the real value in this trade is his contract, which is non-guaranteed at $5.5 million both this season and next. He could be used as bait at the trade deadline but more likely to be part of a package next summer with Haywood, combining with him for $16 million in non guaranteed salary next season. That is the kind of salary cap relief that could be dangled to entice a desperate team to give up a real nice asset in order to dump a bad contract, or we could use it to sign and trade for an established player who wants out of his current situation

Cavs are holding their media day at Cleveland Clinic Courts today....

 

 

Tom Withers ‏@twithersAP 

#Cavs say 300 credentialed media, including crews from Germany, Japan, Brazil and Canada.

 

 

Daryl Ruiter ‏@RuiterWrongFAN 

The scene 30 mins from the start of #CavsMediaDay

 

 

Daryl Ruiter ‏@RuiterWrongFAN 

#Cavs built a media work room outside the facility to handle the crush

 

 

Jason Lloyd ‏@JasonLloydABJ 

David Blatt jokes he couldn't find a parking place today. Neither could I.

 

Tom Withers ‏@twithersAP 

LeBron on wearing #Cavs uniform: "It feels good. It feels right."

 

 

Daryl Ruiter ‏@RuiterWrongFAN 

"I didn't explain it to them....they explained it to me" LeBron on talking to his sons about returning to #Cavs

 

Tom Withers ‏@twithersAP   

LeBron talking with former NBA players Austin Carr, Jim Chones  and Brad Sellers. #Cavs

 

Nice pics, especially the last one.

 

Daryl Ruiter ‏@RuiterWrongFAN 

"I didn't explain it to them....they explained it to me" LeBron on talking to his sons about returning to #Cavs

 

Loved that part of the interview. If anyone hasn't heard it, with LeBron asking his kids if it was OK to move home, you should hear it.

Sometimes it's fun to read out-of-town media coverage of what the Cavs are doing -- like a Boston view of the Cavs' latest trade.......

 

With Bogans Trade, Danny Ainge Has Enhanced The Cavs' Ability to Build A Dynasty

Brian Robb

@CelticsHub

Boston.com Correspondent

SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 12:10 PM

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers already owe Danny Ainge a thank you for helping them create the cap space to sign LeBron James earlier this summer. Back in July, the Celtics used their $10.3 million trade exception to facilitate a three-team trade that cleared Jarrett Jack’s hefty contract from the team’s books, paving the way for James to return to his hometown.

 

The Celtics made out fairly well in that deal, adding Tyler Zeller and a 2015 first round pick for absorbing Marcus Thornton’s sizable deal, but they were also doing Cleveland a favor by making the process of signing LeBron that much easier.

 

Two months later, the Cavs are probably preparing to send Ainge a nice fruit basket after Thursday night’s trade. The team owes Ainge plenty of gratitude for increasing their chances of becoming an even stronger dynasty in the Eastern Conference via an unlikely source: Keith Bogans.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2014/09/with_bogans_trade_danny_ainge_has_helped_the_cavs_ability_to.html

Kyrie is mow the youngest player on the roster.  It shouldn't have, but that surprised me

 

 

 

^ hmm, its rosh hashanah, so i guess the the jewish holidays won't be a problem for the coach. i was wondering about that.

 

 

We traded all 3 of the Utah guys plus Dwight Powell plus a few 2nd rounders to Boston for SG Keith Bogans. He played well for the Nets 2 years ago.  Last year in Boston, he got lost in that team's youth movement. A good defender and capable shooter. But the real value in this trade is his contract, which is non-guaranteed at $5.5 million both this season and next. He could be used as bait at the trade deadline but more likely to be part of a package next summer with Haywood, combining with him for $16 million in non guaranteed salary next season. That is the kind of salary cap relief that could be dangled to entice a desperate team to give up a real nice asset in order to dump a bad contract, or we could use it to sign and trade for an established player who wants out of his current situation

 

care to speculate?

 

this will help get the creative signing juices flowing:

 

http://www.hoopsrumors.com/2013/09/201516-nba-free-agents.html

 

http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/roster

Next summer, the #Cavs could trade 2 unguaranteed deals worth $16M, 2 first-rounders and a youngster for a max player http://t.co/feuqjX4Pto

 

care to speculate?

 

 

I want a rim-protecting, physically dominant center who can also score....

 

Marc Gasol (30)

Roy Hibbert (29) – $15.51MM player option

Al Jefferson (30) – $13.83MM player option

Robin Lopez (27)

 

If Brook Lopez hadn't broken his foot, I'd include him too. Broken foot bones in 7-footers scare me. And Hibbert isn't my favorite either as he seem fragile in a different way -- emotionally. But he's too talented and has too balanced of a game to leave off this list.

Our power forwards.....

 

Figures that Tristan would be part of some shenanigans.

Next summer, the #Cavs could trade 2 unguaranteed deals worth $16M, 2 first-rounders and a youngster for a max player http://t.co/feuqjX4Pto

It's possible, but they will most likely be paying Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters much bigger salaries next year. It may just be a move that prevents the team from pushing their cap numbers into the stratosphere.

The trade exceptions make this max player signing possible. I don't think they allow the Cavs to dump non-guaranteed contracts for bumping up guaranteed contracts of players already on the roster.

 

Besides, Waiters has a club option for 2015-16 which I'm sure the Cavs will pick up since it is only a slightly larger increase over his current contract. Thompson is looking for $11 million, so he and Waiters will be probably get their new contracts funded out of the new TV deal that will also let the team extend LeBron's and Love's contracts into multi-year deals.

Bye Bye Bogan's...

 

CHRIS SHERIDAN

@SHERIDANHOOPS

#Cavs have traded Keith Bogans and a 2nd-round pick to Philadelphia for a protected 2nd-round pick.

The trade exceptions make this max player signing possible. I don't think they allow the Cavs to dump non-guaranteed contracts for bumping up guaranteed contracts of players already on the roster.

 

Besides, Waiters has a club option for 2015-16 which I'm sure the Cavs will pick up since it is only a slightly larger increase over his current contract. Thompson is looking for $11 million, so he and Waiters will be probably get their new contracts funded out of the new TV deal that will also let the team extend LeBron's and Love's contracts into multi-year deals.

 

Waiters will be in the same situation (without the max expectations) that Kyrie was in this year. There's at least a decent chance they'll be offering him an extension.

Lovin' every minute of this...

The second Bogans trade creates even more flexibility.  I was mistaken upthread when I said Bogans and his non-guaranteed deal could potentially be traded at the deadline or next summer.  While that is technically true, in order to maintain the non-guaranteed of his contract for next year, we had to guarantee it this year.  It's a tricky contract.  So we would've essentially had to make the choice now when we would want Bogans' contract to appeal to another team.  The trade exception we got from Philly is the same amount of "invisible money" as Bogans and lasts for a full calendar year.