I am currently in a facebook argument about this dumb article. I retired from facebook arguments like 3 years ago so I kind of regret getting into it, but I couldn't help it. Nobody has asked David Blatt how he feels about this "emasculation." It was not emasculation, it was adults discussing a decision and disagreement, and handling it like adults.

 

The Evil SPorts Network makes money by manufacturing controversy. LeBron can't win for losing, the guy gets criticized for every single action he takes. If he goes left, they criticize him for not going right. But if he would have went right, they'd say he should've gone left. LeBron leaves Cleveland? What a heartless jerk. LeBron comes back to Cleveland? He's just doing it for good press. If he didn't argue with Blatt about a play he'd be criticized for being too passive.

 

The Michael Jordan comparison is the most maddening. Jordan routinely bullied and belittled his teammates. LeBron is far more well liked by his team and coaches and appears to be a better leader. But we continue to be sold these attacks on LeBron's character and will never compare to the holy and perfect angels of the 80s and 90s. And I'm not saying he's perfect, but I'm tired of hearing these stupid arguments about how at his core he is basically a rotten, immature person, when it obviously isn't true. People like to over-romanticize the past and nobody from the present can ever measure up, especially in the era of 24/7 media.

It was comical yesterday hearing all of the media pundits literally whipping themselves up into a nervous frenzy prior to yesterday's press conference by David & David (obscure 80's band reference to Griffin & Blatt) that they were sure Blatt was going to get fired. Some were saying on air how nervous they were after reading the media sensationalists like Marc Stein's piece and yet there was no hard reporting that Blatt was in danger of being fired. Then the press conference occurred and all of the media pundits went thud. I and others slammed them even before the press conference for getting themselves into a tizzy rather than waiting to see what the actual news was from the actual newsmakers. After the press conference, several pundit apologized for getting carried away. C'mon people. Keep your damn feet on the ground and wait to see what happens before responding to it!

^Or this idiotic report from Bruce Drennan.

 

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/6/18/8809235/cleveland-tv-host-says-david-blatt-will-resign-in-press-conference

He's one of the pundits to which I was referring. Adam The Bull and Dustin Fox were the others.

Free-agent point guard Mo Williams would like to return to Cleveland Cavaliers: Free-agent point gu... http://t.co/AKLZ9Mdqwm #Cavs #NBA

I'm thinking that unless there is a prospect who they really like at #24, the Cavs will trade that pick.  It could be in a deal with the Haywood contract or it could be simply for a future first rounder.  The problem with making the pick is tying up money which can't be used in free agency.

 

On another note, I love the troll job DWade is doing to Miami.  He's not coming here (we can't pay him), but Riley must have really pissed him off.  First his father is photographed wearing a Cavs shirt and then when as soon as a random twitter user posts a mock-up of Wade in a Cavs jersey, Wade himself follows the guy.

I'm thinking that unless there is a prospect who they really like at #24, the Cavs will trade that pick.  It could be in a deal with the Haywood contract or it could be simply for a future first rounder.  The problem with making the pick is tying up money which can't be used in free agency.

 

On another note, I love the troll job DWade is doing to Miami.  He's not coming here (we can't pay him), but Riley must have really pissed him off.  First his father is photographed wearing a Cavs shirt and then when as soon as a random twitter user posts a mock-up of Wade in a Cavs jersey, Wade himself follows the guy.

 

If I'm not mistaken, we have to actually make the pick since we traded next year's pick (good old Ted Stephien rule).  That said, we could trade the player after we pick them I think.  So, we could have a trade in principal and draft whatever player the other team wanted.

^correct

If they draft a European player and let him play overseas for a few years, does that count against the cap? 

If they draft a European player and let him play overseas for a few years, does that count against the cap? 

 

I don't think so

 

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2014/6/25/5820488/nba-draft-2014-international-prospects-dante-exum-dario-saric

 

 

 

When a drafted NBA player goes to or stays in Europe, the team that drafted him retains his NBA rights but does not pay him. The European club does. The NBA team can bring him back at any time by signing the prospect to a rookie deal. If he's a first-round pick, the salary schedule is already set in stone based on what pick was used on him. If he's a second-round pick, there's some room for negotiation. In either case, the player must consent by signing the deal

Cavs first pick has 'beautiful' hair...

i cant believe they didnt go for homer and cavs legacy forward larry nance, jr.

 

or kept the dukie guard.

 

oh well not a bad top pick. we'll see.

They would be obligated to pay first-round money ($5 million) to Tyus Jones. The Cavs would rather spend on keeping their free agents. I'd love to keep the kid, but I'd rather have Love, Tristan and JR. Though I'd rather have Jones than JR. I keep waiting for the big crash of JR, and I don't think his disappearance in the Finals was it.

If we intended to keep the first round pick, and I totally understand why we didn't want to, I would've liked to have picked RJ Hunter.  He is the type of swing for the fences pick you take in the late first round.  Tyus Jones just doesn't seem athletic enough to be a good NBA player.  I'd guess that Jerrod Bayless is his 'ceiling'. 

 

From what I've seen of this Osman guy (first name pronounced "Chetti"), he seems like a great prospect.  He's young, long and athletic.  High motor too.  In a few years, he could have a real impact.

 

Our second pick, Christmas, will be very old for a rookie and didn't really do anything at 'Cuse until his senior year.  Still, I saw several mock drafts which had him going in the 1st round.  Ceiling of Taj Gibson in my estimation, although it is unlikely he turns out to be more than an end of the rotation guy. 

 

The third pick, Pointer, probably won't make the team.

 

Most importantly is that second round picks are not guaranteed money.  Keeping our first rounder would have cost Gilbert quite a bit more money than the slotted salary due to us inevitably being in the luxury tax

They would be obligated to pay first-round money ($5 million) to Tyus Jones. The Cavs would rather spend on keeping their free agents. I'd love to keep the kid, but I'd rather have Love, Tristan and JR. Though I'd rather have Jones than JR. I keep waiting for the big crash of JR, and I don't think his disappearance in the Finals was it.

 

My friend from NYC who watched him for years with the Knicks agrees.  Flashes of brilliance, but not when you need them; lackluster or disappearing acts when the chips are down.  I'd actually be fine letting him go to cushion the blow of the luxury tax and/or use that same cushion to keep others who have earned big raises.

They would be obligated to pay first-round money ($5 million) to Tyus Jones.

24th pick makes @1.2 mil

^But with the luxury and (potentially) repeater taxes, it actually would've been closer to $5mill

^But with the luxury and (potentially) repeater taxes, it actually would've been closer to $5mill

Right, but it's going to cost them that much no matter whom they sign. A draft pick would still be cheaper than an FA (Dellavedova, e.g.)

The chances of the #24 pick being better than a proven commodity are fairly slim.  Certainly not out of the question that Jones is better, but I'd rather play it safe and stick with Delly.  The guaranteed money to the first round pick places a cap hold, too, right?

The chances of the #24 pick being better than a proven commodity are fairly slim.  Certainly not out of the question that Jones is better, but I'd rather play it safe and stick with Delly.  The guaranteed money to the first round pick places a cap hold, too, right?

 

A "proven commodity" with a career 9.6 PER? I won't speak to Tyus Jones specifically, but recent history has shown that it's quite possible to find someone who can play at least at the level that Delly has over his short career. At this point it would almost be worth the bust gamble to see if you can find someone that can boom at #24. And in the short term, considering what the #24 pick has made in recent years, it wouldn't cost all that much more than Delly does.

^But with the luxury and (potentially) repeater taxes, it actually would've been closer to $5mill

Right, but it's going to cost them that much no matter whom they sign. A draft pick would still be cheaper than an FA (Dellavedova, e.g.)

Cap hold is definitely a concern. I just wanted to point out that trading the pick had more to do with available talent than money.

The chances of the #24 pick being better than a proven commodity are fairly slim.  Certainly not out of the question that Jones is better, but I'd rather play it safe and stick with Delly.  The guaranteed money to the first round pick places a cap hold, too, right?

 

A "proven commodity" with a career 9.6 PER? I won't speak to Tyus Jones specifically, but recent history has shown that it's quite possible to find someone who can play at least at the level that Delly has over his short career. At this point it would almost be worth the bust gamble to see if you can find someone that can boom at #24. And in the short term, considering what the #24 pick has made in recent years, it wouldn't cost all that much more than Delly does.

 

How does PER measure diving on the floor for loose balls and being a gnat to the point of getting key opposing players kicked out of the game?

The chances of the #24 pick being better than a proven commodity are fairly slim.  Certainly not out of the question that Jones is better, but I'd rather play it safe and stick with Delly.  The guaranteed money to the first round pick places a cap hold, too, right?

 

A "proven commodity" with a career 9.6 PER? I won't speak to Tyus Jones specifically, but recent history has shown that it's quite possible to find someone who can play at least at the level that Delly has over his short career. At this point it would almost be worth the bust gamble to see if you can find someone that can boom at #24. And in the short term, considering what the #24 pick has made in recent years, it wouldn't cost all that much more than Delly does.

 

How does PER measure diving on the floor for loose balls and being a gnat to the point of getting key opposing players kicked out of the game?

 

Ah yes, the old hustle argument. Anderson Varejao has a career PER of 15.8, so it's definitely possible to hustle/be an annoyance to the other team and also put up numbers as a consistent rotation player. I get what he brings to the table, but that alone is not enough for the Cavs to justify paying him more money and/or anointing him backup PG.

He IS the backup PG.  He doesn't need to be anointed to anything.

Delly is awful.  Sure he plays good defense and hustles and whatnot, but he's a complete liability on offense.  He had a couple miracle games and then came right back down to Earth.

I think Delly is the third-string PG (and is a long way from the #2 choice to be bringing the ball up the court or otherwise doing PG duty) when the whole roster is healthy.  But at $1.1m, who cares?  Barely a drop in the bucket for what Gilbert is willing to spend.  There are bigger question marks involving bigger cap hits on this roster.

If we ran a traditional PG oriented offense, I might agree.  But we don't.  With LBJ on your team, it changes the dynamic of a traditional roster and Delly is a good fit as a, better put, 4th guard.  With everyone healthy, I don't know that Delly plays significant minutes in the Finals.  But on the other hand, it was hard to argue the success the Cavs had on the floor with him out there.  I believe there were more than a few playoff games where he had very good +/- numbers.

 

I'd admit he can be a liability on offense at times, but..... again, given our make-up, we can afford a liability on offense more than we can afford a liability on defense.  Suppose we kept Jones and got rid of Delly...... who are we gonna throw out there when an opposing PG is giving us fits?  Maybe Shump, but even he was getting abused at times and is prone to injury to boot.

My point is that the Cavaliers need to upgrade their overall rotation and that even with a few injuries they should not be planning on counting on big contributions from Dellavadova. Tyus Jones would have been an upgrade, but if you want to argue that they can probably do better than that, I'd agree.

I am not opposed to an upgrade.  I just don't think Tyus would've been an upgrade.  I have some serious doubts about his ability to play at a high level in the NBA and think he will particularly struggle on the defensive end.  Also, keep in mind that we are in 'win now' mode and this is a kid who just finished his freshman year of college.

Some rumblings about the Cavs trading Brendan Haywood for JJ Redick. After the Clippers release Haywood, it would give them cap relief to better compete to retain DeAndre Jordan or, better yet, be able to go after DeMarcus Cousins or Marc Gasol. If this works out, the Cavs would get a backup shooting guard from Duke anyway -- except about 12 years older than Tyus Jones.

I would rather have Wesley Matthews or Wilson Chandler. Better defenders

I would rather have Wesley Matthews or Wilson Chandler. Better defenders

I agree. For all of the talk of the league going small, it seems to me that having size, speed, depth, and shooting on the wing is paramount.

I would rather have Wesley Matthews or Wilson Chandler. Better defenders

 

Unfortunately there's no buzz out there about it. I would think Chandler would want out of Denver based on some of the comments he's made (ie: "lack of grownups" on the team, etc).

Just saw this....

 

Probasketballdraft ‏@Probballdraft  3m3 minutes ago

J.R. Smith looking for a 3 year deal starting around $8M per year according to a league source. #Cavs

^^depends on what you qualify as buzz, but I've seen those two names mentioned as potential targets for Haywood's contract, but this morning was the first mention I've heard of Reddick. I like JJ, but a backcourt of him and Kyrie would be worrisome on the defensive end

I'm a big fan of Wesley Matthews, but Reddick is still shooting lights out from beyond the arc and that would fit in well with what we need. P

 

Also, new reports today are that Love does want to stay in Cleveland, at least for the upcoming year.

 

That would be great if we could get Matthews. Some other news....

 

CLEsportsTalk.net ‏@CLEsportsTalk  17h17 hours ago

Cavaliers will reportedly offer Kevin Love a 5 year $110M contract

 

Photo making the rounds on twitter, reportedly of Kevin Love and LeBron James at a poolside cabana...

 

Jensen KarpVerified account

‏@JensenClan88

Listen, I'm no @WojYahooNBA, but pretty sure I just stumbled on a Lebron / Kevin Love meeting.

Nah I think Love was just bringing Lebron's posse another chair. "Anything else I can do for you Mr. James"? Anybody need a refill?

I seriously think they're planning who to make a pitch to in coming to Cleveland with the Haywood exception. That's the last big piece the Cavs can use to bring some big time talent here until 2019 when they can start drafting again.

Or they were just hanging out and all this 'buzz' about them not being friends is a bunch of BS.  Trying to figure out who is with them is an interesting game.  I think I see Mike Mancia and Damon Jones, but no idea who the rest of the cabana crowd is....

LOL freethink.

 

I agree with KJP.  I think this has NOTHING to do with free agency and everything to do with next year.  I don't think Lebron and Love are close, but I think Lebron is so obsessed with winning it all that he is rallying the fellas early and getting the mindsets going into next year. I find this encouraging.  Also, LeBron already said he wasn't going to make a pitch to love.  so if he isn't making a pitch to love, hes probably planning with him.

Watch... ESPN will now start spinning the narrative "Where's Kyrie?? Is he on the outs with LeBron and Love??"  :roll:

Cavs max offer would be taxpayer MLE ($3.376M). Bulls likely won't be in tax, could offer full MLE ($5.464M). https://t.co/0KO42qEQR2

 

"@ESPNSteinLine: But all the latest signals continue to stress that both Jimmy Butler and Mike Dunleavy are HIGHLY likely to be back with the Bulls"

#Cleveland @Cavs' forward Mike Miller avoids free-agency, opts in for next season http://t.co/OZPMeSRF9Z

Possibility in the #Spurs #Cavs Haywood trade, would be Patty Mills & Boris Diaw.

I'm okay with Mills and Diaw, but I think if it's either that or Reddick, I'd go with the latter.

There is strong mutual interest between Mo Williams and the Cavs.  I wouldn't mind having him back.

I wouldn't want Mo Williams if he played for free. Undersized and played no D. His disappearing act in the playoffs is a clincher.

No interest in Mo Williams, either.

Can we have Mo Williams play all time offense and Delly play all time defense if neither crosses half court?