That win was as a Blatt win as any thus far. Highlights include his scheme to slow down and frustrate the Clippers' offense in the third with Hack-A-Jordan. And at the end of the game, LeBron's inbound to Tristan was a brilliant play designed by Blatt. LeBron gave his thumbs-up to Blatt after that play, and all of the Cavs saw LeBron give respect. That can only be healthy in creating team unity.

 

On the downside, the Cavs needed every one of their 126 points to win that game. Maybe someday this team will communicate with each other on defense so they don't have so many breakdowns in transition.

Cavs are starting to resemble contenders in the East. No jinx...it's only the 3rd.

 

Keep playing the tough D guys....

 

MOZGOV!!!!

Great win tonight! The assists by Kyrie, the rebounds by Love, Tristan and Mosgov, plus the defense by Kyrie (wow) and Mosgov vs. Gasol and Rose was the difference....

 

[FINAL]

LeBron James: 26 P, 4 A, 5 R

J.R. Smith: 20 P, 3 R

Kyrie Irving: 18 P, 12 A, 4 R

Kevin Love: 16 P, 12 R

Timofey Mozgov: 15 P, 15 R

 

EDIT: BTW with the win over Bulls tonight, Cavs are 6-3 combined against...

 

Hawks

Bulls

Raptors

Wizards

Not that it's a big deal and it's still good, but we are 6-4. Two Hawks losses, 1 to Washington and 1 to toronto

@ChrisFedor #Cavs David Blatt praises Kyrie Irving for his defensive effort in the last two games against Chris Paul and Derrick Rose.

Watching the game on TNT the announcers were mentioning in an interview with J.R. Smith how he thinks there is nothing to do in Cleveland.  Another national televised game and more Cleveland jokes.

Watching the game on TNT the announcers were mentioning in an interview with J.R. Smith how he thinks there is nothing to do in Cleveland.  Another national televised game and more Cleveland jokes.

 

I saw that.  Regardless the circumstances, Cleveland will get dumped on.

^Just terrible delivery by David Aldridge and grant hill. There's a fine line between clubbing and things to do. There's not a big

Weeknight club scene, but there are endless "things to do" any night of the week. Disappointing, and I'm not really one to ever care what anyone says

Watching the game on TNT the announcers were mentioning in an interview with J.R. Smith how he thinks there is nothing to do in Cleveland.  Another national televised game and more Cleveland jokes.

 

I saw that.  Regardless the circumstances, Cleveland will get dumped on.

 

Did you also notice the old shots of the skyline they were using?  Terminal Tower was still blacked out from its top reconstruction years ago.  It would be nice if people would at least educate themselves on Cleveland before they start making comments.  No city gets dumped on more than Cleveland for what it truly offers and brings to the table.

 

Sorry, rant over, moving on.

^Just terrible delivery by David Aldridge and grant hill. There's a fine line between clubbing and things to do. There's not a big

Weeknight club scene, but there are endless "things to do" any night of the week. Disappointing, and I'm not really one to ever care what anyone says

 

I remember when Gerald Wilkins came to the Cavs. He got to Richfield and asked "what the heck do you guys do around here?" And Brad Daugherty said "I have NASCAR parties at my place, there's fishing and deer hunting right here by the Coliseum and Larry's got a race car."

 

Take that, city slicker!

Cavs are starting to resemble contenders in the East. No jinx...it's only the 3rd.

 

Keep playing the tough D guys....

 

MOZGOV!!!!

 

Watching the game on TNT the announcers were mentioning in an interview with J.R. Smith how he thinks there is nothing to do in Cleveland.  Another national televised game and more Cleveland jokes.

 

I saw that.  Regardless the circumstances, Cleveland will get dumped on.

 

It could be worse....

 

From The Onion:

 

Oklahoma City Thunder wander town aimlessly looking for place to celebrate big win

 

OKLAHOMA CITY—Following their Game 7 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies Sunday, Thunder players spent several hours wandering the streets of Oklahoma City in search of a decent bar or nightclub to celebrate the organization's first Western Conference Finals appearance. "We figured we'd eventually find something, but every place we saw was either closed, pretty empty, or really sad-looking," Thunder guard Russell Westbrook told reporters, adding that Yelp searches on his phone found mostly "nasty cigar lounges and bowling alleys." "You'd think there'd be at least one 24-hour diner or something. You guys just want to go back to the arena and play some more basketball?" After Thunder players spent approximately 45 minutes standing on a street corner asking one another if they were still up for celebrating—and trying to determine if Kevin Durant was serious when he suggested they all drive to Tulsa—the team eventually decided to just go home.

Watching the game on TNT the announcers were mentioning in an interview with J.R. Smith how he thinks there is nothing to do in Cleveland.  Another national televised game and more Cleveland jokes.

 

Twitter defended Cleveland. There were several comments like: "Keep playing video games and ordering pizza, JR. And stay away from Manziel and Gordon!"

Cavs are starting to resemble contenders in the East. No jinx...it's only the 3rd.

 

Keep playing the tough D guys....

 

MOZGOV!!!!

 

 

It's TIMO

Those 2 number 1s were a steep price for Mozgov, but if he keeps playing like he's been, it'll be worth it.  Timo totally flummoxed Gasol last night, and Rose had nothing coming in the lane -- the few times he escaped Kyrie, who played good D.  Roses big offensive output were those 3 3s he had in the 3rd, but came when the Cavs were really putting the clamps on the Bulls and pushing the score out of reach... I was surprise to see that Timo also has a nice elbow jumper as well...

 

We may have Shumpert as early as Wed against the Jazz, but I wouldn't rush him into the lineup esp against a bad team we should (this time) beat.  I'd have him ready for OKC next Sunday though... It's quite amazing that JR Smith was even less than a throw-in in the Shumpert deal: the Knicks wouldn't trade us Shumpert unless we took Smith -- his contract and his attitude.  So far, though, it's all been roses.  Despite JR's apparent boredom in Cleveland, he really seems to like playing with the Cavs in his week+ with the team, and he's been an incredible offensive weapon when he's on.  When Smith gets hot: look out! His defense is surprisingly better than I thought as well.  It appears that his long-standing relationship with LeBron is a contributing factor to Smith's positive play and attitude here.

 

Glad to see this team finally starting to play as it was expected to play last summer.  The Griffin moves could make him an Exec. of Year candidate if these guys, plus Shumpert, keep the team rising as it is now.

Keep in mind that those two first round picks are protected picks.  The Memphis pick would've been worth something if they had went in the tank, but there is no sign of that in the coming years, so it will most likely revert to a second round pick.  The OKC pick can be no higher than 15..... and will likely be in the mid to late 20's.  It wasn't that steep of a price for a starting center in today's NBA.

Timofey Mosgov sporting a shiner last night, dishing out more pain in the paint than he gets....

Keep in mind that those two first round picks are protected picks.  The Memphis pick would've been worth something if they had went in the tank, but there is no sign of that in the coming years, so it will most likely revert to a second round pick.  The OKC pick can be no higher than 15..... and will likely be in the mid to late 20's.  It wasn't that steep of a price for a starting center in today's NBA.

 

The Memphis pick doesn't revert to a second rounder. It's unlikely to convey until 2017-18, when it's top 5 protected, or 2019, when it's unprotected. Given the ages of Randolph and Gasol, it could very easily be a lottery pick.

 

http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed

 

You already traded away three top 5 picks in the last 6 months in order to win now.  There is no turning back.  if Mozgov helps you win now, you have to do that trade.  heck with the lottery picks.  The next 5 years are everything for the Cleveland Cavaliers, if they dont cash it in, you dont have to worry about Wiggins and future first round picks, because it was unlikely to ever happen.

 

The best case scenario for this franchise is to win a couple of rings while Lebron, Kyrie and Love are here ( im assuming all three will be here for the mid-term run)...and keep reloading free agents.  Establish a winning culture and excellence within the franchise and allow Lebron to have partial ownership/GM/even head coach!! someday. If he is part of the long-term plans of the franchise, i think they can sustain a winning culture long-term because Lebron will be able to get talent here (he has so many relationships with his youth programs, basketball academies, etc.). 

Keep in mind that those two first round picks are protected picks.  The Memphis pick would've been worth something if they had went in the tank, but there is no sign of that in the coming years, so it will most likely revert to a second round pick.  The OKC pick can be no higher than 15..... and will likely be in the mid to late 20's.  It wasn't that steep of a price for a starting center in today's NBA.

 

The Memphis pick doesn't revert to a second rounder. It's unlikely to convey until 2017-18, when it's top 5 protected, or 2019, when it's unprotected. Given the ages of Randolph and Gasol, it could very easily be a lottery pick.

 

http://basketball.realgm.com/nba/draft/future_drafts/detailed

 

 

Right you are.  For some reason, I had it locked in my head that the pick would become a second round pick if it did not fit within that protection.  But it is the Thunder's pick which becomes a second rounder if not conveyed within the timeframe contemplated.

Those 2 number 1s were a steep price for Mozgov, but if he keeps playing like he's been, it'll be worth it.  Timo totally flummoxed Gasol last night, and Rose had nothing coming in the lane -- the few times he escaped Kyrie, who played good D.  Roses big offensive output were those 3 3s he had in the 3rd, but came when the Cavs were really putting the clamps on the Bulls and pushing the score out of reach... I was surprise to see that Timo also has a nice elbow jumper as well...

 

We may have Shumpert as early as Wed against the Jazz, but I wouldn't rush him into the lineup esp against a bad team we should (this time) beat.  I'd have him ready for OKC next Sunday though... It's quite amazing that JR Smith was even less than a throw-in in the Shumpert deal: the Knicks wouldn't trade us Shumpert unless we took Smith -- his contract and his attitude.  So far, though, it's all been roses.  Despite JR's apparent boredom in Cleveland, he really seems to like playing with the Cavs in his week+ with the team, and he's been an incredible offensive weapon when he's on.  When Smith gets hot: look out! His defense is surprisingly better than I thought as well.  It appears that his long-standing relationship with LeBron is a contributing factor to Smith's positive play and attitude here.

 

Glad to see this team finally starting to play as it was expected to play last summer.  The Griffin moves could make him an Exec. of Year candidate if these guys, plus Shumpert, keep the team rising as it is now.

 

Schumpert gives the team a nice dose of plain old nasty attitude.  Ask Thabo Sefolosha.

Sometimes this Cavs team has been too soft. Mosgov and JR have helped give it some attitude. Schumpert should help in that area as well.

I agree that we needed some attitude.  Ironically, to get it, we had to trade the one guy who probably had the most attitude on this team.  I just think teams were not intimidated at all by us...... not saying that is essential as no one has ever been intimidated by San Antonio and their track record speaks for itself.

Smith seems like an upgrade over Waiters, anything we get out of Shumpert will be gravy.

Keep in mind that those two first round picks are protected picks.  The Memphis pick would've been worth something if they had went in the tank, but there is no sign of that in the coming years, so it will most likely revert to a second round pick.  The OKC pick can be no higher than 15..... and will likely be in the mid to late 20's.  It wasn't that steep of a price for a starting center in today's NBA.

 

It depends on what you get.  I realize those picks are protected, but even if/when they revert to a 2nd round pick, they are valuable.  The Cavs draft pick well is just about empty... but for good reason, because we got a valuable center who will really help us (and has already)... For Kosta Koufus or someone on his level, however, I'm not making that deal.

from after work yesterday - the kids are jumpin on the bandwagon!

 

 

Smith seems like an upgrade over Waiters, anything we get out of Shumpert will be gravy.

 

from what ive seen being forced to watch the knicks all the time we'll get a lot more out of a healthy shump

A motivated JR Smith can be a very dangerous weapon.  He had let NYC get to his head and stopped focusing on basketball.  For those wondering about his Cleveland comments, you have to understand that this is a guy who has a NY tattoo on his neck.  He was all about being a Knick and living in the Big Apple.  Hopefully he realizes that his status in NY or anywhere is bigger when he is part of a winning basketball team, regardless of where they play.

At this early stage, JR is fitting in better with this team than Dion had. And I like JR's defense better, too.

 

Fred McCleod asked a great question of LeBron, if having Mosgov reminds him of Zydrunas. LeBron said yes, that he hasn't played with a 7-footer who can play since Z. He smiled the whole time he talked about The Wizard of Moz.

 

The defense tonight was awesome, as was the best play of the season which came from a stunning defensive play started by Kyrie who broke up a 3-1 break-away by Utah. I rolled back the DVR, recorded it on my cell and posted it on Facebook.....

 

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10202627812851378&l=1599707935233586204

 

EDIT: Damn, Loretto beat me to it!!  :whip:

Fox could decide to push the DMCA takedown button by morning on the video I posted, so all is not lost yet for your efforts.  :-P

entertaining win against a so-so team. at least the highlights were great fun, wish i had watched it. and with lebron and kyrie apparantly sick with the flu too.

 

this was a fantastic stat to see: The Cavaliers are the first team to have all five starters score 15 points in back-to-back games since the Los Angeles Clippers did it in 2008.

 

also, is this the first game where everybody played? true miller/haywood/harris/jones were barely out there, but its the first time i noticed no dnp's.

 

 

Rumor is LeBron spent some time with Ray Allen on his break, and he may come to town after all.

Is the speculatoin that Shumpert will start over Smith when he gets healthy?  I have to say, i wouldnt mess with Smith right now.  Let him stay in that role until he shows he shouldnt be there.

I suspect JR Smith may start until Shumpert gets his legs under him. But I agree with what you're saying. They've got a good thing going right now. Blatt may ease Shumpert into the starting lineup over Smith when he plays well enough to deserve it.

I've always known Smith can be explosive, but I didn't expect him to have this positive of impact on the Cavs.  I'm particularly impressed with his defense.  And of course, that over-the-head pass play while going out of bounds, after Kyrie knocked the ball away leading to the Love dunk, is a Cavs' classic... I think we'll need Smith on the bench ultimately, however.  Even though last night our starters were historic with back-to-back games where every guy had at least 15 points, our bench only scored 12 points.  One could say we didn't need the bench.  Then again, when we needed to put the game away late in the 4th to get LeBron a blow, the bench guys didn't come through: the Jazz pulled within 12 and were on a run so LeBron had to play until the last minute of the game...

 

Hopefully we'll do better in dispatching lowly Charlotte on Friday, because OKC and Detroit should both prove to be loads.

I think Shump is a lock to start.  Smith is one of the few players in the league who actually relishes the chance to be that scorer off the bench.  He probably realizes that the biggest award he will ever receive is 6th Man of the Year, which he won two years ago.  And our bench bunch definitely needs a scoring boost.  What Shump does for our starting lineup is give us a guy who can guard either the 1, 2, or 3...... whichever player is giving us the most trouble.  He will take the burden of some really tough matchups so that Kyrie and LeBron don't get run ragged on defense.

 

I'm really impressed with Timo.  If he keeps this up, there is no doubt he was well worth the price tag.  That said, I hope Blatt doesn't play him 40 minutes per night, like he did last night.

I'm loving Timo- what a difference this last trade has been for this team!  Having a good center on the court has made a major impact on the floor, and it was refreshing to watch Timo grab rebounds, block, and play great defense during yesterday's game.

Ya, i cringed when we traded for Smith, but im happy to be really wrong.  I love his demeanor out there, its like he doesnt give a crap emotionally but physically and mentally he is where he needs to be.  He isnt intimidated but can really kill another team, so he offers that.  Im really pumped for this upcoming run.  I have been to three games in the past three years, and Im going to three in the next two weeks(at Detroit, home to Portland and home to Clippers). 

I'm loving Timo- what a difference this last trade has been for this team!  Having a good center on the court has made a major impact on the floor, and it was refreshing to watch Timo grab rebounds, block, and play great defense during yesterday's game.

 

It's awesome seeing quick, opposing guards stopping dead in their tracks on the way to the basket.

 

MOZGOV!

Ya, i cringed when we traded for Smith, but im happy to be really wrong.  I love his demeanor out there, its like he doesnt give a crap emotionally but physically and mentally he is where he needs to be.  He isnt intimidated but can really kill another team, so he offers that. 

 

Right. It's crazy that this is exactly what we all wanted to see from Dion.

To be clear, Dion is a very athletic guy.  But Smith seems to have an edge in that department, especially with his elevation and strength.  Plus, he is a few inches taller.  Dion always seemed to come up short by just a hair.  It certainly didn't help that his game depended on drawing contact and the refs swallowed their whistle every time he took it to the hole.

 

As for a veteran back up PG, I am keeping my eye on Will Bynum, who is currently killing it over in China.  He is a bit short, but strong as an Ox.  Not sure how much of an upgrade he would be over Delly overall, but offensively he would certainly be a notch above.  He is particularly good at throwing the lob pass.

^ The 9 or 10 Cavs fans that bought Andrew Bynum jerseys would be happy.

Ya, i cringed when we traded for Smith, but im happy to be really wrong.  I love his demeanor out there, its like he doesnt give a crap emotionally but physically and mentally he is where he needs to be.  He isnt intimidated but can really kill another team, so he offers that.  Im really pumped for this upcoming run.  I have been to three games in the past three years, and Im going to three in the next two weeks(at Detroit, home to Portland and home to Clippers). 

 

Think about what trading Dion has done for us: we got Shumpert (our main target) with JR as a tag-along. And it also yielded OKC's first rounder which we packaged with the first-rounder we got from Memphis to finally convince Denver to let go of Mozgov. So Dion has netted for us THREE players, two of whom have already helped turn the Cavs around. And the player we originally wanted from the Waiters trade hasn't even played for us yet!

 

I am really interested to see how Shump fits in, but he's been practicing with the team for a while so they've had some time to learn each other's tendencies. And the first test will come against a bad Charlotte team before the bigger test comes Sunday vs OKC and Dionettes.

LeBron: Cavs Now 'Clicking' Due To Timofey Mozgov

JAN 22, 2015 11:08 AM

 

Timofey Mozgov has averaged 10.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in seven games since being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

The Cavaliers lost their first three games with Mozgov, but have since won four in a row and LeBron James believes they're now "clicking."

 

Mozgov's biggest impact is on defense protecting the rim.

 

"It's funny, I was talking to my friend the other day and I said he's probably the best, as far as big, true big," James said. "You know, Chris Bosh is a great big, Kevin Love is a great big. But I'm talking about a true, 7-foot, big guy. He's probably the best one I've played with since Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas).

 

MORE:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/236361/LeBron-Cavs-Now-Clicking-Due-To-Timofey-Mozgov

 

LeBron Meets With Ray Allen About Joining Cavs

JAN 22, 2015 10:10 AM

 

LeBron James recently met with Ray Allen in an attempt to recruit him to sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers this season.

 

Allen hasn't yet decided if he'll play during the 14-15 season.

 

ESPN Radio's Ryen Russillo reported last month that Allen's message to teams inquiring earlier in the season and his message was to check back in January with a decision expected in February.

 

MORE:

http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/236359/LeBron-Meets-With-Ray-Allen-About-Joining-Cavs

As good as Timofey Mozgov and JR Smith have been, it's worth noting that the win streak also coincides with Lebron James returning.

As good as Timofey Mozgov and JR Smith have been, it's worth noting that the win streak also coincides with Lebron James returning.

 

Good point.  I'm thinking, now with the new additions, the team is in a better position to play without LeBron which, of course, is a good thing, if we need to rest him in games down the stretch.  Both Shumpert and Smith give us firepower we didn't have, although I'm not totally dismissing that which we got from Waiters... they also give us stronger D -- superb D by Shumpert and surprisingly good D from Smith ... I really love Mozgov's total rim protection. Nobody gets easy paint points with Timo in there...  I knew he could be a wall because of his height and length, but what I didn't realize is how agile and athletic he is.  He runs the floor and can fluidly receive the dump down pass and score... LeBron loves the guy as he's set him up for several dimes already.  Timo's elbow jumper is gravy.

As good as Timofey Mozgov and JR Smith have been, it's worth noting that the win streak also coincides with Lebron James returning.

 

Both Shumpert and Smith give us firepower we didn't have, although I'm not totally dismissing that which we got from Waiters... they also give us stronger D -- superb D by Shumpert and surprisingly good D from Smith

 

I wonder about Shumpert's supposed defensive prowess. Here's a comparison between him and Kyrie:

 

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=2014&p1=irvinky01&y2=2014&p2=shumpim01&p3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

 

Of course, I had my doubts about Timofey Mozgov too, and his talents have been made evident.

As good as Timofey Mozgov and JR Smith have been, it's worth noting that the win streak also coincides with Lebron James returning.

 

Very true. But something I just realized about last night's jaw-dropping highlight in which Kyrie broke up the third-quarter Utah 3-1 breakaway, that JR kept inbounds and tipped the other way, which Tristan gathered the ball for pickup by Kyrie already streaking toward Utah's basket, that led him to launch the alley-oop to K-Love.... LeBron was an on-court spectator. Not a critique of LeBron. More of a compliment to non-LeBron players who were able to create one of the season's best highlights without The King. I like that. It tells me this team is becoming more well-rounded and able to create offense from defense.

As good as Timofey Mozgov and JR Smith have been, it's worth noting that the win streak also coincides with Lebron James returning.

 

Both Shumpert and Smith give us firepower we didn't have, although I'm not totally dismissing that which we got from Waiters... they also give us stronger D -- superb D by Shumpert and surprisingly good D from Smith

 

I wonder about Shumpert's supposed defensive prowess. Here's a comparison between him and Kyrie:

 

http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/pcm_finder.cgi?request=1&sum=0&y1=2014&p1=irvinky01&y2=2014&p2=shumpim01&p3=&p4=&p5=&p6=

 

Of course, I had my doubts about Timofey Mozgov too, and his talents have been made evident.

 

yes his injury history is worrysome. knees/acl and now the shoulder. a big worry. but i have seen him come to play reliablely every time with the knicks, which stood out from the rest of that team. so fingers crossed he can recover from the shoulder, which frankly sounds worse than they make it out to be for an nba player, and the knees hold out.