More of LBJ revealed...

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/2611328-miami-heat-minority-owner-claims-lebron-james-wanted-erik-spoelstra-fired

wow a blowout of the spurs. who could want more than tonights game? very, very enjoyable. uptempo, challenging themselves, spreading the ball around perfectly among the hot hands -- love in the first half, lebron in the 3rd and kyrie in the 4th. and it was hardly just that, jr, tristan, shump, mozgov, etc., in fact everybody than came in contributed in some important way. i hope they can keep this up, and with the way lue was substituting so well they just might. this is exactly what it will take to beat the warriors. for now it was just nice to see the cavs clicking to their best capabilities as a team and the spurs looking lost and frustrated for a change.

 

i was wondering what everybody thought of abc's new 'virtual three' effect? i didn't really notice it to tell the truth, it wasnt distracting or anything.  i dk that it was helpful either. it could stay or go i guess.

Great game last night! I liked the 3D effect, it debuted on Fox Sports earlier this week, err last week.

Awesome game.

 

 

I don't get what the 3D three point line was suppose to show? I get the 1st down line in football but the we've got a two tone court and the arc is already painted on there?

Great game, no doubt. Even without Duncan the Spurs are a quality opponent.

 

I'm still concerned about Mozgov (no longer deserving of all caps). He seems a mess out there, blowing layups left and right. And I'm not sure why Andy is getting zero playing time. Maybe that will change with Lue coaching, but who knows. 

 

It's obvious that if this team wants to win this year, that they need every single player to play at their best, and maybe even beyond that.

^Cavs may be looking to move Andy by the trade deadline, so they may be trying to keep him healthy given his extensive injury history.  I really love Andy and wish we could play him more (I believe he has the highest +/- on the team), but the $10M-per contract isn't worth it even if he came in for just a few minutes; esp since he's behind both Thompson and Mozgov.  Either through an Andy trade or a post-deadline player buyout, I'd love to acquire a stretch 4-5 David West-type guy.

I know Andy wants to be here to experience a championship.  From a previous article...but I also understand business is business:

 

"If I go anywhere else and win a championship, it's not going to be the same," he said. "I want to win a championship in Cleveland. That's where I want to stay. I love Cleveland."

 

…

 

But why rot on the bench if you feel you're capable of producing at a high level?

 

"Because Cleveland's been loyal to me and I've been loyal to the team," he responded. "I had a chance to leave when the team was really bad, going through a rebuilding process when we were losing almost every other game, and it was tough. I said, 'I'm not leaving Cleveland. I want to win a championship in Cleveland' and I know now we have a chance.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25446920/cavs-anderson-varejao-doesnt-want-to-be-traded-i-love-cleveland

 

 

 

I know Andy wants to be here to experience a championship.  From a previous article...but I also understand business is business:

 

Trade or no trade, that man's going to have a warm welcome in Cleveland under any circumstance other than that he gets traded to a team that somehow beats us in the playoffs with his help.

I know Andy wants to be here to experience a championship.  From a previous article...but I also understand business is business:

 

"If I go anywhere else and win a championship, it's not going to be the same," he said. "I want to win a championship in Cleveland. That's where I want to stay. I love Cleveland."

 

…

 

But why rot on the bench if you feel you're capable of producing at a high level?

 

"Because Cleveland's been loyal to me and I've been loyal to the team," he responded. "I had a chance to leave when the team was really bad, going through a rebuilding process when we were losing almost every other game, and it was tough. I said, 'I'm not leaving Cleveland. I want to win a championship in Cleveland' and I know now we have a chance.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25446920/cavs-anderson-varejao-doesnt-want-to-be-traded-i-love-cleveland

 

 

Yeah, I really hate the thought of it.  Andy's the lone survivor from LeBron I and has gone through ups and downs with this team (including 26 straight losses) and a bunch of injuries without complaint: he just brings it every time his number is called.  If we dealt him then ended up winning a championship this year, it would be the ultimate kick in the teeth to a competitor like Andy... But business is business, and the Cavs know they must pull out every stop they can to position the Cavs for a title even if it means dealing Andy... This doesn't say business can't be cruel, though.

10m is an expensive insurance policy, but it ain't my money. Imagine if Mozgov got hurt. We would be left with Sasha Kaun as our backup big if Andy wasn't here

I know Andy wants to be here to experience a championship.  From a previous article...but I also understand business is business:

 

"If I go anywhere else and win a championship, it's not going to be the same," he said. "I want to win a championship in Cleveland. That's where I want to stay. I love Cleveland."

 

…

 

But why rot on the bench if you feel you're capable of producing at a high level?

 

"Because Cleveland's been loyal to me and I've been loyal to the team," he responded. "I had a chance to leave when the team was really bad, going through a rebuilding process when we were losing almost every other game, and it was tough. I said, 'I'm not leaving Cleveland. I want to win a championship in Cleveland' and I know now we have a chance.

 

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-basketball/25446920/cavs-anderson-varejao-doesnt-want-to-be-traded-i-love-cleveland

 

 

Yeah, I really hate the thought of it.  Andy's the lone survivor from LeBron I and has gone through ups and downs with this team (including 26 straight losses) and a bunch of injuries without complaint: he just brings it every time his number is called.  If we dealt him then ended up winning a championship this year, it would be the ultimate kick in the teeth to a competitor like Andy... But business is business, and the Cavs know they must pull out every stop they can to position the Cavs for a title even if it means dealing Andy... This doesn't say business can't be cruel, though.

 

We'd also all be looking around and wondering what-ifs if we sit tight at the trade deadline and then lose the Finals in 7 to Golden State with Andy a non-factor, and us having to ask what we might have been able to do back at the trade deadline.

They wont trade Andy.  Gilbert wants so bad to create a "family" out of the cavs organization...where guys start and end their career here.  I think Lebron likes Andy as well and I don't think you can do much with his contract.  He will stay and probably sign his next contract here for league minimum as a thank you for all that cash he made in his career.  Hopefully he retires a Cav.

Gilbert, more than anything, wants to win.  The family stuff is secondary.  No question Andy is a beloved figure and nobody wants to part company with him, but if the deal was there to give us a greater assurance at the title, Gilbert/Griffin wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger... Frankly though, the best approach would probably hang on to Andy and try and buy out a contract after the trade deadline.  If Gilbert doesn't mind paying Andy (and heck, with the luxury tax he's already paying why shouldn't he?) we still have Harris' empty roster spot which would allow us to both Keep Andy, as insurance, and add a physical stretch 4 as well.

Most indications are they are looking for another wing defender.  An upgrade over RJeff, I suppose.

 

I'm not really understanding why Shump isn't getting more run. He is our best wing defender, with the exception of when LeBron goes into lock down mode.  He does well at knocking down the open three posters and can create his own shot off the dribble whether taking it all the way to the hole or pulling up from mid range. Maybe they are worried about durability?  Maybe he has some nagging injury which has him on a minutes restriction?  Of course, there is the question of where you find his minutes with Smith and Delly deserving of their own minutes.

Cavs brain cramp their way to a loss vs. Boston tonight.

 

Mozgov gets out-muscled and botches a rebound near the end. Crazy. 

many good things about this blowout win over the kings. the big guys minutes got held down and its nice to see the whole bench get in, except for james jones. shumpert finally got a lot of playing time and 11 rebounds to show for it. best of all i see lue continues to masterful in calling timeouts at just the right time when the cavs start to fall off and the guys are responding.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-cavaliers/post/_/id/2078/cavaliers-show-buy-in-with-attention-to-detail-approach

^I agree.  Eventhough Sac-Town is a struggling team that is firing its coach, we showed a lot of nice aspects last night, notably Kyrie running/leading the break and distributing and, more importantly, shutting town the Kings' bigs: the talented-but-moody Cousins and talented youngster Cauley-Stein... We also held Gay pretty much harmless.

 

Kings did score 100 (which has been an issue with everybody we play lately), but it was a meaningless 100 after a 20-point blowout and total control.  Glad to see Lue using Andy more, even after Love has returned.  Mozgov was, as usual, both exhilarating and enough to yank your hair out... That missed dunk was absurd... Austin Carr is riding Mozzie even when he lays it it... Says he's big and bad enough to be dunking... I agree.

Mozogov was, as usual, both exhilarating and enough to yank your hair out... That missed dunk was absurd... Austin Carr is riding Mozzie even when he lays it it... Says he's big and bad enough to be dunking... I agree.

 

During the game last week Carr said that opposing players don't respect Mozgov. That's troubling.

Well... there is the phrase that "you got Mozgov'd"

Well... there is the phrase that "you got Mozgov'd"

 

Wow. I did not know that.

Is the general consensus that Griffin will or will not make a move, either via trade with the Haywood exception or via a(nother) team's player buyout?  I keep hearing Rudy Gay's name come up.  Gay certainly could help in providing some added firepower off the bench.  I've even heard Blake Griffin's name come up <-- personally, I don't want him.  He's a ball hog who, as bad or worse than Love, tends to tighten up/choke/disappear late in games... Also, Blake may be prone to punching out the Cavs' trainer.  We don't want that.  One Griffin within the Cavs' organization is quite enough imho.

chatsports blog has a little bit about that. cavs looking at kyle korver as atlanta will supposedly clean house and also having no luck in trying to trade mosgov & varejao:

http://www.chatsports.com/nba/a/nba-trade-rumors-cavs-looking-make-moves-hawks-open-dealing-horford-teague-korver-26537

chatsports blog has a little bit about that. cavs looking at kyle korver as atlanta will supposedly clean house and also having no luck in trying to trade mosgov & varejao:

http://www.chatsports.com/nba/a/nba-trade-rumors-cavs-looking-make-moves-hawks-open-dealing-horford-teague-korver-26537

 

An extremely low credibility website that is always click-baiting the Browns group I co-moderate, probably because we have over twice as many members as they have Twitter followers.

 

Most notorious for claiming the Browns were going after Urban Meyer and some borderline-libelous rumors about Joe Haden that I repeatedly had to delete.

^OBR?

Is the general consensus that Griffin will or will not make a move, either via trade with the Haywood exception or via a(nother) team's player buyout?  I keep hearing Rudy Gay's name come up.  Gay certainly could help in providing some added firepower off the bench.  I've even heard Blake Griffin's name come up <-- personally, I don't want him.  He's a ball hog who, as bad or worse than Love, tends to tighten up/choke/disappear late in games... Also, Blake may be prone to punching out the Cavs' trainer.  We don't want that.  One Griffin within the Cavs' organization is quite enough imho.

 

Not that I think it's even remotely possible but I wouldn't pass on Blake. He'd definitely stretch defenses even further. So what if he gets cold. Outside of Curry, I don't know anyone that is always hot. I mean LeBron goes through waves too. LBJ can hide his bad shooting nights by driving to the lane. But even that hasn't been a sure thing lately.

 

Is he a good at the FT line? The Cavs need more consistency there. Every time LeBron walks up to that line I cringe.

 

chatsports blog has a little bit about that. cavs looking at kyle korver as atlanta will supposedly clean house and also having no luck in trying to trade mosgov & varejao:

http://www.chatsports.com/nba/a/nba-trade-rumors-cavs-looking-make-moves-hawks-open-dealing-horford-teague-korver-26537

 

A little irony if the Cavs did pick Korver up considering what happened between Delly and him in last year's playoffs.

Is the general consensus that Griffin will or will not make a move, either via trade with the Haywood exception or via a(nother) team's player buyout?  I keep hearing Rudy Gay's name come up.  Gay certainly could help in providing some added firepower off the bench.  I've even heard Blake Griffin's name come up <-- personally, I don't want him.  He's a ball hog who, as bad or worse than Love, tends to tighten up/choke/disappear late in games... Also, Blake may be prone to punching out the Cavs' trainer.  We don't want that.  One Griffin within the Cavs' organization is quite enough imho.

 

Not that I think it's even remotely possible but I wouldn't pass on Blake. He'd definitely stretch defenses even further. So what if he gets cold. Outside of Curry, I don't know anyone that is always hot. I mean LeBron goes through waves too. LBJ can hide his bad shooting nights by driving to the lane. But even that hasn't been a sure thing lately.

 

Is he a good at the FT line? The Cavs need more consistency there. Every time LeBron walks up to that line I cringe.

 

 

Blake Griffin is a supremely gifted athlete and has improved his outside shooting considerably, but I don't want him for a number of reasons: He's way too expensive -- he's max player (in 2012 he inked a 5-year/$95M deal).  Cavs payroll and luxury tax are absurd as it is.  Plus we would have to give up a ton to get him even though Doc and LAC are expressing frustration with him ... I'm guessing Love would be the guy we would move for Griffin since they are both max 4s and Love is still having adjustment issues with Kyrie and LeBron.  But if Love is having adjustment issues with the Cavs, why would LAC be so anxious to acquire him, esp given his well-document less athletic play and poor defense.  As for the Cavs, a team that is having hero-ball/iso-ball issues with Kyrie and LeBron (and even Mo Williams off the bench at times), do we really need a power forward who largely plays in and clogs the lane where LeBron does his work (and where we'd prefer more of LeBron as opposed to jacking 3s) who doesn't like passing the ball?

 

While I don't know that Griffin is adverse to running, I do know that he primarily thrives in half-court sets.  And with the Cavs having just fired one coach, with a new coach fighting to implement his system and a team seriously on the clock to win a championship THIS year, do we really want the major the disruption of trading one of the Big 3 starters 2/3rds into the season?  ... this added to the fact that Griffin, because of his punching incident, is now hurt and will require an adjustment period once he returns, not to mention getting adjusted to a brand-new, very desperate, team if we trade for him.  I just don't like it.

 

 

I have yet to see a rumor with Griffin coming to the Cavs.  I have seen several involving Griffin and the Cavs, but they all involved a 3-team trade with Griffin heading elsewhere.  I'm not putting much stock into the rumor mill this year.  One big driving force for trade deadline deals is teams wanting to clear cap space for next summer.  That would normally make Andy and Mozgov highly sought after commodities given their expiring contracts.  However, very few teams are going to be in a cap crunch this summer with the cap expected to rise in the ballpark of 33%.  Therefore, we will probably see a more quite deadline than in year's past.

A Korver deal, for Mozgov or Andy + Haywood's trade exception, is generating more conversation including from Brian Windhorst who I tend to put more stock in despite Windy's unpopularity with some Clevelanders (following The Decision I).  I've been hearing of a potential 3-team deal with the Cavs, Atlanta and New Orleans, with the Cavs receiving Korver and Omer Asik... some are throwing in the injured Tyreke Evans, which I don't quite understand.  I would be intrigued by such a deal since Asik is an upgrade over Andy or the fumbling Mozzie (as he is now, that is, not last year) and a dead-eye 3-point shooter like Korver would obviously be welcomed here (and most places). 

I would rather have Love because his shooting/rebounding SHOULD be perfect complements to Ky/LBJ, but it should be noted Griffin is the best passing big in the league (unless Lebron is counted as a 4).

Edit: Oooh forgot about Dray

Is the general consensus that Griffin will or will not make a move, either via trade with the Haywood exception or via a(nother) team's player buyout?  I keep hearing Rudy Gay's name come up.  Gay certainly could help in providing some added firepower off the bench.  I've even heard Blake Griffin's name come up <-- personally, I don't want him.  He's a ball hog who, as bad or worse than Love, tends to tighten up/choke/disappear late in games... Also, Blake may be prone to punching out the Cavs' trainer.  We don't want that.  One Griffin within the Cavs' organization is quite enough imho.

 

Not that I think it's even remotely possible but I wouldn't pass on Blake. He'd definitely stretch defenses even further. So what if he gets cold. Outside of Curry, I don't know anyone that is always hot. I mean LeBron goes through waves too. LBJ can hide his bad shooting nights by driving to the lane. But even that hasn't been a sure thing lately.

 

Is he a good at the FT line? The Cavs need more consistency there. Every time LeBron walks up to that line I cringe.

 

 

Blake Griffin is a supremely gifted athlete and has improved his outside shooting considerably, but I don't want him for a number of reasons: He's way too expensive -- he's max player (in 2012 he inked a 5-year/$95M deal).  Cavs payroll and luxury tax are absurd as it is.  Plus we would have to give up a ton to get him even though Doc and LAC are expressing frustration with him ... I'm guessing Love would be the guy we would move for Griffin since they are both max 4s and Love is still having adjustment issues with Kyrie and LeBron.  But if Love is having adjustment issues with the Cavs, why would LAC be so anxious to acquire him, esp given his well-document less athletic play and poor defense.  As for the Cavs, a team that is having hero-ball/iso-ball issues with Kyrie and LeBron (and even Mo Williams off the bench at times), do we really need a power forward who largely plays in and clogs the lane where LeBron does his work (and where we'd prefer more of LeBron as opposed to jacking 3s) who doesn't like passing the ball?

 

While I don't know that Griffin is adverse to running, I do know that he primarily thrives in half-court sets.  And with the Cavs having just fired one coach, with a new coach fighting to implement his system and a team seriously on the clock to win a championship THIS year, do we really want the major the disruption of trading one of the Big 3 starters 2/3rds into the season?  ... this added to the fact that Griffin, because of his punching incident, is now hurt and will require an adjustment period once he returns, not to mention getting adjusted to a brand-new, very desperate, team if we trade for him.  I just don't like it.

 

 

 

I totally agree about the contract. There's a very, very low probability of this happening but it's fun to talk about anyway and I drive a Kia.

 

That being said, Blake is a better talent than Love. Like it was mentioned above he has a great eye in finding the open man on top of his shooting skills. He would stretch defense more than Love as long as LBJ isn't sitting at the top of the arc wasting 15 seconds dribbling. I know it's not Lue's goal for the team but the Cavs would look more like GSW with Blake.

 

He's shooting 72.5% from the line this year. Meh. Like LeBron.

Reports breaking: Cavs trade Andy to Portland for Channing Frye. Also not confirmed Jared Cunningham to Orlando. Cavs would have two open roster spots.

 

Edit-Channing Frye from Orlando in a three team deal.

Thanks Andy!

Meh.  I view this as not much more than insurance should KLove get hurt again.  Frye is a good catch and shoot big man, but doesn't have much value beyond that.

I think Frye will help spread the floor and the Cavs outside shooting hasn't been there this year compared with last year.

I'm not so sure he is going to crack the regular rotation absent one of our bigs going down to injury.  When/if that happens, he will play a vital role, which is why I see him as an insurance policy.  But between the minutes needed for KLove (30-35), TT (25-30), and Timo (20-25), as well as some at the 4 for LBJ and RJeff (10-15 combined), I just don't see where he fits in the rotation.  There are only 96 minutes to be spread between the 4 and 5, and none of KLove, TT, Timo or Frye can play the 3.  Maybe if he was better at defense I'd think he was going to contribute more, but he would have trouble staying in front of a coat rack.

This move doesn't close any gaps between the cavs and the Warriors.  I believe it was a financial move and also to open up another roster spot in case a guy like Joe Johnson gets bought out.  Im pretty upset with the move, you are getting rid of a career Cav (career Cleveland athletes dont exist anymore) and really not improving your team.

I think Frye fills the role of Mike Miller/James Jones last year or Ray Allen's role with LeBron in Miami. And I do agree it may help the Cavs land Joe Johnson. But I don't see the Cavs missing Varajeo on the floor. His absence in the locker room may be another story.

Perhaps, but after the deadline moves (to bring on JR, Shump and Mozzy) Miller and Jones were not really part of the regular rotation.... at least not until KLove got arm-barred against the Celtics.  Again, it is a matter of distributing the minutes.  Where does he fit?  Kyrie and Delly eat up al the PG minutes, and Mo would clean up any scaps there are there.  JR, Shump, and Kyrie/Delly use up all the minutes at the 2.  Not saying Frye could play either of the guard spots, but point being that Coach Lue is not going to create minutes at the 4 or 5 by shifting LeBron down to the 1 or 2 for a few minutes here or there.  I only see two avenues short of injury - (1) Frye takes the scraps RJeff is getting now, but that is not likely due to defensive deficiencies - (2) certain matchups would call for Frye to be used instead of Timo.

 

EDIT:  I suppose 'rest days' are also a possibility down the stretch for guys like LeBron and KLove.

At this point I would expect Mozgov to be used if and only if we would play the Spurs. He is bigger than anyone on Golden State and had a huge game in the finals last year but they succeed with a small line up, so maybe frye successfully makes us smaller

Going smaller doesn't help if you get slower.  Who does Frye guard in that GS "lineup of death"?  Green?  He would get murdered.

 

I actually think the key to beating GS is staying big.  You can't beat them at their own game.  The two games we won in that series were when we bullied them on the inside.

Frye is versatile he might eat up some of Jefferson's minutes. He has been underwhelming in my opinion. And a statue on D.

Perhaps, but after the deadline moves (to bring on JR, Shump and Mozzy) Miller and Jones were not really part of the regular rotation.... at least not until KLove got arm-barred against the Celtics.  Again, it is a matter of distributing the minutes.  Where does he fit?  Kyrie and Delly eat up al the PG minutes, and Mo would clean up any scaps there are there.  JR, Shump, and Kyrie/Delly use up all the minutes at the 2.  Not saying Frye could play either of the guard spots, but point being that Coach Lue is not going to create minutes at the 4 or 5 by shifting LeBron down to the 1 or 2 for a few minutes here or there.  I only see two avenues short of injury - (1) Frye takes the scraps RJeff is getting now, but that is not likely due to defensive deficiencies - (2) certain matchups would call for Frye to be used instead of Timo.

 

EDIT:  I suppose 'rest days' are also a possibility down the stretch for guys like LeBron and KLove.

 

So you're saying we need only a 12-man roster?

I don't understand the question.  I was simply pointing out that there are 240 minutes to be distributed in an NBA game.  Or, more to the point, there are 96 minutes for the 4/5 positions.  TT, KLove, and Timo all play those positions and only those positions, plus LeBron and/or RJeff slides to the 4 when we go small, which is at least 10 minutes a game, so really there are only about 86 minutes to distribute between Love, TT, Timo, and Frye.  I could see Frye, absent injury to one of our Bigs, getting 5-10 minutes in the regular rotation, but not much more than that.  That's not ideal for a shooter who needs to maintain a rhythm to be effective.  All of that leads me to my original theory that he is more an insurance policy than anything else.... and given our style of play which requires at least one big man who can shoot, he is a very good insurance policy.  When we lost KLove last year in the playoffs, our opponents were more free to collapse the driving lanes and clog the paint.

Frye is versatile he might eat up some of Jefferson's minutes. He has been underwhelming in my opinion. And a statue on D.

 

No question, RJ's minutes will be dropping, probably significantly.  Frye is taller (nearly 7'); a 4 (unlike RJ who's a 3), and will draw 4s and 5s away from the rim.  Frye is a little younger and a little more athletic than Jefferson, as well.

 

Right now Frye is slated for the bench, where more offensive punch is badly needed (I don't know what's wrong with Shumpert these days), but in the heat of the playoffs, he could easily shift to a starter, probably for Thompson, when we decide to go small... Frankly, though, I hope we continue to work on gaining our D strength back so we can grind teams down like we did to all the Eastern teams and started to on GSW.  I still believe our best chance against Golden State is to play big, control the tempo and guard the rim (with Mozgov)... I just don't believe any team can beat Golden State at their own game, which is playing small, running and gunning to try and outscore them.  Even with our depleted roster, we wore them down and had them down 2-1 and on the ropes, when 2 things happened: Kerr removed Bogut and featured Iguodala, and we simply ran out of gas (Delly checked into Cleve Clinic for dehydration after Game 3 and we were forced to use (totally wrecked) Mike Miller and spot-shooter, Jones in crunch time)...

 

We have significantly more weapons this time around, but must develop and use them wisely if we're to have a shot at the title.  Golden State is playing with much more confidence, now, but this is still the regular season and the playoffs are a much different animal, particularly with other teams improving (ie LAC acquiring Jeff Green).  We have challenges, but the opportunity to achieve the gold is there ... this year.

Frankly, though, I hope we continue to work on gaining our D strength back so we can grind teams down like we did to all the Eastern teams and started to on GSW.  I still believe our best chance against Golden State is to play big, control the tempo and guard the rim (with Mozgov)... I just don't believe any team can beat Golden State at their own game, which is playing small, running and gunning to try and outscore them.

 

Barkley was saying the same thing last night and I agree with him too.

 

I'm going to date myself here but the Bulls would have eight titles had the late 80s/early 90s Pistons not played a completely different style from the Bulls. It wore down MJ and then Pippen.

 

They're not going to out Golden State, Golden State. I worry that's the plan with this trade. They're going to run, fine, then they're going to need to score. If the Cavs were effective last night, that game would have been over way before halftime. A lot of bad shot selections and offensive sets. If that's Golden State they lose that game. Bulls were throwing up a lot of bricks last night.

 

OKC at OKC will be another great test for this team. Let's hope they play better.

 

Frankly, though, I hope we continue to work on gaining our D strength back so we can grind teams down like we did to all the Eastern teams and started to on GSW.  I still believe our best chance against Golden State is to play big, control the tempo and guard the rim (with Mozgov)... I just don't believe any team can beat Golden State at their own game, which is playing small, running and gunning to try and outscore them.

 

Barkley was saying the same thing last night and I agree with him too.

 

I'm going to date myself here but the Bulls would have eight titles had the late 80s/early 90s Pistons not played a completely different style from the Bulls. It wore down MJ and then Pippen.

 

They're not going to out Golden State, Golden State. I worry that's the plan with this trade. They're going to run, fine, then they're going to need to score. If the Cavs were effective last night, that game would have been over way before halftime. A lot of bad shot selections and offensive sets. If that's Golden State they lose that game. Bulls were throwing up a lot of bricks last night.

 

OKC at OKC will be another great test for this team. Let's hope they play better.

 

 

You're right about last night.  Even though Rose looked like the old Rose in the 1st half, he had way too much load to carry with the absence of Butler, Mirotic and Noah, not to mention the fact that Dunleavy obviously neither has his legs nor timing back yet -- have you ever seen Dunleavy shoot that poorly? ... With all that, we still struggled much of the game to put away the Bulls, now 1 game over .500.  We walked the ball up too much and played a lot of the dreaded iso ball last night, with Kyrie dribbling way too much at times and sometimes getting in trouble as a result.  It will be interesting, Sunday, to see what effect Frye will have on the Cavs vs. OKC.   

Frankly, though, I hope we continue to work on gaining our D strength back so we can grind teams down like we did to all the Eastern teams and started to on GSW.  I still believe our best chance against Golden State is to play big, control the tempo and guard the rim (with Mozgov)... I just don't believe any team can beat Golden State at their own game, which is playing small, running and gunning to try and outscore them.

 

Barkley was saying the same thing last night and I agree with him too.

 

I'm going to date myself here but the Bulls would have eight titles had the late 80s/early 90s Pistons not played a completely different style from the Bulls. It wore down MJ and then Pippen.

 

They're not going to out Golden State, Golden State. I worry that's the plan with this trade. They're going to run, fine, then they're going to need to score. If the Cavs were effective last night, that game would have been over way before halftime. A lot of bad shot selections and offensive sets. If that's Golden State they lose that game. Bulls were throwing up a lot of bricks last night.

 

OKC at OKC will be another great test for this team. Let's hope they play better.

 

 

You're right about last night.  Even though Rose looked like the old Rose in the 1st half, he had way too much load to carry with the absence of Butler, Mirotic and Noah, not to mention the fact that Dunleavy obviously neither has his legs nor timing back yet -- have you ever seen Dunleavy shoot that poorly? ... With all that, we still struggled much of the game to put away the Bulls, now 1 game over .500.  We walked the ball up too much and played a lot of the dreaded iso ball last night, with Kyrie dribbling way too much at times and sometimes getting in trouble as a result.  It will be interesting, Sunday, to see what effect Frye will have on the Cavs vs. OKC.   

 

Bulls were atrocious from the FT line as well. I agree about Irving. He's becoming a turnover machine. JR was "bad" JR last night. Mozgov looked like he had confidence and TT, Love and Mozgov did a great job under the rim. They need to grab rebounds, control possessions and get second, third and fourth shots. "Run, run, run" is fine, but if the Cavs continue to shoot poorly, offensive rebounds will be the only way to get past teams like SA and GSW, IMHO.

I don't understand the question.

 

Tongue in cheek way of asking how a talented team shares minutes. Wasn't expecting an answer, let alone a serious one. Sorry.

did anybody see this? good god somebody help him out:

 

http://nypost.com/2016/02/21/someone-needs-to-help-delonte-west/

 

Well, at least we know that Lue can coach and the team can play against the Spurs and Thunder now.  The mugging by GSW in January is still smarting, but the switches seem to be getting things done, and that was without Frye cleared to play and with Kyrie out quickly with flu-like symptoms.

 

On the flip side, did I seriously just see that Andy got picked up by Golden State, of all the places in the league he could have landed off waivers?  If he hits the winning shot against us in Game 7 of the Finals, it will be the most Cleveland moment in the history of Cleveland sports.  Well, OK, that's a competitive pedestal, but it would be up there.