What does that get you? Who's going to help you rebuild the team now? I don't even know who steps up in the interim.

 

I hope he has someone lined up.

 

Well, they obviously didn't want Grant making another high draft pick. He was a shrewd negotiator but it certainly seems like he was a terrible team builder.

I suspect that Gilbert wants an objective evaluation of Grant's draft picks (Irving, TT, Waiters, Zeller, Bennett, Karasev, Felix) so critical decisions on this team's future can be made ahead of the fast approaching trade deadline.  That's the only benefit I can see for doing this at the moment.  Does it really make a difference if you throw the chief engineer of a sinking ship overboard?

 

IMHO, if you were going to shake things up, go ahead and shake things up by firing Brown too.  Someone called into WKNR and raised a good point about Brown.  What do Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshal, Damon Jones, Wally Szczerbiak, Shaq, Ben Wallace, Jiri Welsch, Antoine Jamison, Jarret Jack, Earl Clark, Luol Deng (and probably others) have in common?  All of their statistics dropped (significantly in many cases) once being acquired by the Cavs (under Brown) as compared to their most recent stints with other teams.  Mo Williams and Delonte West were the only two I could think of who arguably improved under Brown.  Then there are guys like Shannon Brown and Danny Green who did much better once being let go by the Cavs.  That's not a good resume for player development. 

So it sounds like it's David Griffen (assistant GM) for the time being. I know nothing about him. Anyone have any insight?

Based on what I've read about the destructive locker room dynamics going on, I don't see how firing Chris Grant changes this.

It doesn't.  But at least it gives the appearance that Gilbert is not going to just sit back and watch this disaster continue to unfold without consequences.  He fired the guy who was responsible for assembling that destructive locker room.  Gilbert had given Grant a lot of room/flexibility to improve this team and that did not happen.

 

In a kind of ironic twist of this current losing streak, Bennett is actually starting to play much better.

Then if I'm Mike Brown, I'm looking over my shoulder and checking Twitter frequently to make sure I've still got a job. And perhaps that was Gilbert's intention.

I heard someone comment today that Chris Grant should enjoy his time off because Dan Gilbert will just hire him back in 2 years...funny stuff.

This article (from Grantland of all places!) actually made me feel a little bit better about the Cavs.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/grant-runs-out-of-luck-and-time-in-cleveland/

Mike Brown, too, is probably not long for this city. It's baffling how bad the team has gotten. There are three guys with 16+ PER on the Cavs, and they cannot win a single game.

 

And I'd like to take this opportunity to declare, once and for all time, I told you so, Chris Grant, about Jonas V over Tristan T. Might have been able to salvage that one by taking Nerlens Noel this year, but...alas. Anthony Bennett. Basically all the draft picks have been wrong except for Kyrie Irving and Sergey Karasev, who is a project.

I wouldn't beat Grant up too bad about his drafting.  He was mostly the victim of bad circumstance.  In 2011, Kyrie was obviously the right pick, certainly over the other candidates for #1 overall (Derrick Williams and Enis Kanter).  At #4 that year, I would've taken Jonas (as I believe my posts from back then would confirm).  But we don't know what went on behind the scenes there.  It was clear that there was concern about when/if Jonas would come over.  His agent might've used that leverage to get him to the market/team he desired.  And, if you look at TT's and JV's stats, they are very comparable.  Perhaps you could say with 20/20 hindsight that Klay Thompson would've been a better pick, but nobody was talking about him in the top 10.  There were generally two lines of thought back then.  You could've taken DWilliams and Brandon Knight, or you could've taken Kyrie and TT (or JV).

 

In 2012, there were three coveted players and we picked fourth.  They weren't going to take Lilliard after taking Kyrie the year before.  Harrison Barnes was the popular pick, but he has turned out to be rather 'meh', as I predicted he would be.  Drummond dropped to #8 for a reason.  Again, using hindsight, you take him.  But there was obviously some solid logic behind not risking it.

 

This year's draft may go down as the worst in history.  Definitely not a good draft to have the #1 overall.  At least Bennett has shown some signs of life this past week or so.

TT and JV are statistically comparable but JV has not hit his ceiling, while TT is at least close to his - and TT is not a center, JV is, and we needed a center. TT has been ill-served by Mike Brown's scheme but he's not going to ever be a defensive centerpiece. JV could, and he's a true Center, which are increasingly rare. Until Grant was fired, I was never going to let that one go - I'd have gambled 10 times out of 10 on getting Jonas, and I'd do it again even knowing that TT would turn out significantly better than I expected. JV has played very well against veteran centers who are middle of the road type centers, like Robin Lopez, and he doesn't vanish against better guys like Brook Lopez and Demarcus Cousins - it takes a Roy Hibbert to shut down JV. It does not take that sort of talent to give TT a bad game. Again, Mike Brown has some fault there.

 

As you can tell, I am a insane Valanciunas partisan and would even trade for him now if I could possibly acquire him. I believe he is championship caliber, not as a main contributor, but as supporting cast starter. If you gave me Irving, Deng, and Valanciunas, with a better coach...well, I want to believe.

 

I know the drafts have been weak, but Grant started down a path by taking Thompson, and he's basically allowed himself to be guided the wrong way in every case since then, including with Waiters, who is a talented guy but a bad fit - and fit matters more than talent when you already have a star. I agree Irving was the absolute best pick to make and am strongly against trading him or letting him walk. He's a star and will continue to get better, this year not withstanding. But besides Irving and some developmental guys (Dellavedova, Bennett, Karasev) I would gut the roster to a man if I thought I could get a strong complement for Kyrie, and I'd trade Waiters, Clark, and Jack for less than they were worth. I would fire Mike Brown unless there's a dramatic turnaround by the end of the season and try and keep Luol Deng if I can, since we're now out of the LeBron-please-save-us sweepstakes.

I was very partial towards Jonas myself and still am, but I strongly disagree that TT has hit his ceiling.  The guy just switched his shooting hand, which has never been done before.  Since basketball shooting skills are more muscle memory than anything else, it is virtually guaranteed that he continues to improve his shot.  TT might also be the hardest worker on the team and he has a lot of room to grow into his body.  I sure wish he was 2 inches taller, but I really think we are going to look back at him 5 years from now and see a different man.

 

Sounds like Kyrie has a case of the WallBeal flu and won't play tonight.  I think it will clear up in time for the all-star game.

Wow! Longest win streak (4) for the Cavs since Lebron was here. That's sad and overdue. It is also surprising how totally dysfunctional this team was two weeks ago. And its great to players like Kyrie and Dion having fun and celebrating together. Its a game dammit!

I'm going to let myself get sucked in..... again

Four in a row.  Yikes.  Now that I've commented, they probably lose 4 in a row.

Congrats Kyrie on winning the All Star game MVP award! And Dion Waiters was an honorable mention for the MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge.

 

And Mike Brown thought he had two prima donnas on his hands before??

 

This article takes a more optimistic tone....

 

Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters can use All Star Weekend as a springboard for second half

February 17, 2014 by Andrew Schnitkey

http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2014/02/kyrie-irving-and-dion-waiters-can-use-all-star-weekend-as-a-springboard-for-second-half/

 

 

I didn't know that Cleveland lost out on the All Star game to Toronto.

ESPN: Nets have interest in Jarrett Jack

By Reed Wallach  @ReedWallach on Feb 17 2014, 3:18p

 

th the Trade Deadline fast approaching, Thursday at 3 P.M. is the deadline, many rumors are going to start spreading out around the league. The Nets have been fairly quiet in terms of trade chatter this year due to their limited assets, until today.

 

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk reports that the Nets have interest in Cleveland Cavilers' backup guard Jarrett Jack.

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.netsdaily.com/2014/2/17/5420062/espn-nets-have-interest-in-jarrett-jack

Jack has been a disappointment IMO.  It appears his athleticism has dropped.  I say go for it so long as we are not basically giving him away.  It would open up some $$ for the off-season.  Come to think of it.... the Nets were the team that signed Livingston.  I liked him much better.  Is he healthy?  Would they be willing to do a swap?  No thanks on Jason Terry.  We don't need another undersized SG

For god's sake, if anyone has interest in Jack, trade him.

^I'll drive Jarrett to Hopkins...

Jack has been a disappointment IMO.  It appears his athleticism has dropped.  I say go for it so long as we are not basically giving him away.  It would open up some $$ for the off-season.  Come to think of it.... the Nets were the team that signed Livingston.  I liked him much better.  Is he healthy?  Would they be willing to do a swap?  No thanks on Jason Terry.  We don't need another undersized SG

 

I miss Livingston.

Yeah, we definitely could have kept Ellington and Livingston for less than what it took to sign Jack and Clark. Maybe they just didn't want to stay?

I miss Mo Speights. He had 32 the other night off the bench. For a big he can shoot the lights out from anywhere. And he really wanted to stay. With Andy's injury history I am surprised Grant let him go so easy.

As far as the trade deadline, don't touch the core unless someone overwhelms you. I love Andy but he might be very attractive to a playoff contender.

I miss Mo Speights. He had 32 the other night off the bench. For a big he can shoot the lights out from anywhere. And he really wanted to stay. With Andy's injury history I am surprised Grant let him go so easy.

As far as the trade deadline, don't touch the core unless someone overwhelms you. I love Andy but he might be very attractive to a playoff contender.

 

I agree. Remember when they suddenly looked like a real basketball team with these guys coming off the bench? Letting veterans go like Speights is just another tick against Grant.

Rumblings out there that Deng is being shopped, probably due to fear that we lose him in FA this summer.  I think this is a long shot, but Deng for Harrison Barnes makes some sense for both teams assuming Deng gave some assurance that he would re-sign in GS.

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA  13m

Philadelphia has traded Spencer Hawes to Cleveland, league source tells Yahoo Sports.

 

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA  13m

Philadelphia will receive two second round picks from Cavs for Hawes, league source tells Yahoo Sports.

 

EDIT: So what happens to Tyler Zeller?

Maybe this says more about AV?

Maybe this says more about AV?

 

You have to wonder if Andy is hurt more than what the Cavs have led on?

Cleveland.com is reporting that the Cavs are trying to trade Zeller.  Didn't see that one coming. 

Apparently Earl Clark is part of the Spencer Hawes deal. But Philly is denying everything!

Henry Sims too

I went to my first Cavs game ever last night (free tickets).

I've mostly listen to them on the radio and occasionally watch on tv.

Seeing them in person though.... um, yeah. I just don't see it anything remotely called passion by any single player. Nobody seemed to hustle, or care to be there.

 

Oh well.

 

The Rocco Nachos were pretty damned good though

The lack of hustle is sometimes so bad you can actually see it on the radio.

Dellavedova always gives 150%.  Too bad that's still not as good as most players' 50%.

Dellavedova always gives 150%.  Too bad that's still not as good as most players' 50%.

 

Agreed. Having Andy on the bench also doesn't help infuse energy into this team. Get him and Waiters back on the floor, ASAP. The schedule going into March and April is a lot tougher than it was in February. We need all hands on deck.

We've really missed the pressure Dion puts on the opposing defense these past two games.  Lately, he has been successful in keeping the tide in our favor.  The NBA is a game of runs and we have had a few less than our opponents the last two times out.

You guys need to back off Delly.  Love that guy.  Ill take him over Jack any day.  Jack thinks he can make every shot in the world.  Drives me nuts.  Delly shoots sparingly, had a bad shooting night on Sunday night, missing the 4 or 5 shots he took...but all were wide open shots.

You guys need to back off Delly.  Love that guy.  Ill take him over Jack any day.  Jack thinks he can make every shot in the world.  Drives me nuts.  Delly shoots sparingly, had a bad shooting night on Sunday night, missing the 4 or 5 shots he took...but all were wide open shots.

 

Back off? But we were complimenting him. The guys hustles. Others need to follow his lead.

I love Delly too.  But he has had more than "a bad shooting night."  In the entire month of February, he is shooting 27% from the floor (after shooting 31% in January) and 14% from 3.  I don't understand why it seems like he has to put so much effort into shooting a three-pointer.  He brings the ball from his hip and has a really bad hitch.  I used to shoot like that..... in 7th-8th grade.

Any Given Wednesday, I suppose

Hawes was a great pickup... His mobility and outside shooting really opens the floor for Kyrie and our other scorers... We lost Waiters at the absolute worst time, and on a useless show dunk on a hapless Sixers team ... typical Cleveland luck.

I wouldn't consider that to be a "useless show dunk"..... if he didn't "throw the hammer down" his shot would've been blocked (by Hawes, ironically).  Useless show dunks are dunks you do in warm-ups or something extra-extravagent you might do when going to the hoops uncontested.  But I agree it was an awful time to lose him.  We were in the middle of our longest win streak in years and he was playing perhaps the best basketball of his pro career.  You can see how many minutes Kyrie is force to play with Dion out.  None of our other guards can break down a defense the way those two can.

Any Given Wednesday, I suppose

 

It was great timing. The Thunder hasn't yet been able to integrate Westbrook back into the offensive flow when Durant was doing everything before.

I wouldn't consider that to be a "useless show dunk"..... if he didn't "throw the hammer down" his shot would've been blocked (by Hawes, ironically).  Useless show dunks are dunks you do in warm-ups or something extra-extravagent you might do when going to the hoops uncontested.  But I agree it was an awful time to lose him.  We were in the middle of our longest win streak in years and he was playing perhaps the best basketball of his pro career.  You can see how many minutes Kyrie is force to play with Dion out.  None of our other guards can break down a defense the way those two can.

 

My intent wasn't to knock Dion or his dunk -- it was wicked and, yes, he posterized both Hawes and Thaddeus Young... Obviously Dion has mad skills and particularly wanted to show in his hometown.  When I used the word "useless" I was just commenting on the game itself -- it was a blowout of a Philly team that has long since mailed it in.  They're now on (I believe) an 11-game losing streak.  You hate to lose a key player in a game and situation like that... Hopefully he'll be back soon, cause we need his bench firepower badly.   

 

Last night's win over OKC was the best of the season.  According to Jason Lloyd (ABJ), Deng and Jack were really pumping the kids up to not get rattled when OKC kept making runs in the 3rd and early 4th quarter.  We showed more pluck in that game then in a long time.  We're now 4 games out (5 in the loss column) of the 8-seed for the playoffs.  Atlanta's been falling like a stone since Al Horford's season-ending injury/surgery and some of the other low seeds are shaky, so we have an outside shot with 23 games left.  Lloyd noted, however, that we're now stuck with the bill for blowing all those earlier games (can you say Lakers?  Bucks?  Pelicans (in New Orleans)?), especially those when Kyrie, Dion and Thompson were all but in a total mutiny state.  Let's hope we can overcome it for I really think this franchise needs to make the playoffs, esp Kyrie.  We need the Indians type of laser focus down the stretch that earned us a wild card slot.

 

I didn't even bother watching the OKC game because I didn't want to see a bloodbath.... And that's why you should never ask me to predict the future. :) That being said, I also don't think we have a chance in hell at getting the eighth playoff spot considering how tough our schedule is down the stretch. So by that prediction, we'll see what actually happens!

Our schedule is indeed brutal in March.  But we are now winning the games we are supposed to win and sneaking in a few upsets along the way.  Considering we are 3.5 games out of the 8th seed, how bad the Hawks are tanking lately (lost 10 of 11), and that the Bobcats are still the Bobcats, I'd put our odds at something higher than not having a "chance in hell"

^I think we've got a shot.  I know in March we play almost exclusively playoff and near playoff teams (I do think the lowly Knicks are thrown in somewhere), but consider the Cavs we are now talking about... We're 8-3 in our last 11 games -- unless my math's off (and I was no math major), that's .727 ball... Or in other words, WE are playoff-level team at this moment.  As my buddy noted last night, had we been playing this way all season, we'd be battling Chicago and Toronto for the no. 3 seed ... And we haven't just beaten patsies during this stretch.  Obviously 3 nights ago we beat the No. 2 team (record wise) in the NBA.  We beat Memphis, who we play tonight (plus Tony Allen and Mike Conley), and the Wizards, who sit in the 5-seed at 2 games over .500.  Atlanta has collapsed after the Al Horford injury, and they hold the 8-seed (and are 1-9 over their last 10 games).  At the moment, Detroit and the Knicks are behind us -- and both of them are struggling, esp the Knicks, which are a walking disaster at this point.  We're 3.5 games out. 

 

Even though it's a different sport, I wouldn't have given the Indians a snowball's chance I hell to make the playoffs even as late as early Sept, and especially after we lost Masterson in the Orioles' game (which I sadly attended)... but then we went on that light's out tear and won our last 17 games and actually earned the home Wild Card... Not saying the Cavs will win their last 22 games, but I think that the level they are playing now can get them into post season: Kyrie Irving, despite a few clunkers against the Wiz and Raptors, has been playing at the superstar level we've all expected (1st triple double last night), and huge Spencer Hawes, with his outside shooting, has given us a dimension we haven't had in a long time, while opening the floor for Kyrie, the guards and Deng ...  I say, WE MAKE IT.

Allow me to use reverse psychology on the sports gods. I didn't think we stood a chance in hell at beating OKC. We beat OKC. So now I don't think we have a chance in hell at getting at least to the 8th seed. Did you hear that, sports gods??