Live Thread: Cavs vs Thunder (#25BobbleHeadNight!)
2020-01-04Well, the greatest regular season point guard of our generation comes to town tonight, on the same night that the Cavs honor the greatest point guard in their history, MP25. After wandering the desert for the last two seasons in Houston, CP3 is ticking back upward with 17/7/5 splits while posting a 60 TS%, and leading the NBA in “clutch scoring.” The Tom Thibideau of players is certainly killing it, the Thunder had the best record in the Association in December, and Billy Donovan is the reigning coach of the month in the West. Also, Christ Paul bought his team custom suits for Christmas.
Meanwhile, the player the Cavs considered drafting in 2018 but didn’t, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, is putting up 20/5/3 with a 55 TS%, and is also in the top ten in clutch scoring. Sexton, conversely is notching 18/3/2 with a 53 TS%. The Thunder are a surprising 19-15 and have a history of blowing up the Cavs in winter match-ups.
On the inactive front, OKC is only missing perma-injured Andrew Roberson. For the Cavs, Get ready for a thin bench. KPJ is out with an excused absence for “personal reasons” tonight, while Larry Nance Jr. will be missing one two weeks resting his sore knee. Guess the Cavs had threatened to win too many games lately. To fill in, Dean Wade and newly signed from his two-way contract, Tyler Cook, have been called up for this one.
Don’t look at this as a promotion for Cook, though it may mean a bit more money (I honestly have no idea). It probably means that he’ll be dumped before his contract becomes guaranteed on January 10th, and then possibly signed to a 10-day or two after that. The Cavs probably want to consider signing a different guy to another two way deal. Tonight might be Cook’s one big chance to make an impression, but after averaging 13/6/1 in the G-League in just 20 minutes a night, I wouldn’t count on it.
I fully expect the Cavs to get dissected by Chris Paul in this one, unless someone goes yolo. Maybe Dante Exum has a chance. Maybe Delly breaks out from three or gets under CP3’s skin. Maybe Kevin Love realizes the only way to improve his trade value is to starting giving a *bleep* against the player other teams seem much more interested in, Dino Gallinari (whose contract ends this year instead of 2022). Here’s hoping.
Nomad you gotta be happy, this could be big minutes for Zizic!!
Some pretty ugly hoops so far, unsurprisingly…
No TT either. Or LNJ.
Cedi at PF. Gonna have to see Wade/Cook some. Unless McKennie is the backup PF.
SO KLOVE NOT PLAYING TONIGHT—THAT SHOULD ” FUEL THE FIRE ‘ FOR THE MEDIA PEOPLE ——-MAYBE A TENTATIVE TRADE ALREADY MADE : )
Either that or the team is sitting him for that outburst & do not want to call it that/actually suspend him because that would cost him more $$ & tick him off more.
I just do not see a viable trade for Love at the moment.
I’d be okay with trading Sexton.
SIMMO HOW ARE YOU DOING WITH THE FIRES “DOWN UNDER ” —-HOPE YOU ARE SAFE —PRAYERS / WELL WISHES TO ALL !!!!!!
We fine on the West Coast so far Nomad, thanks for asking. I do have family in the problem areas on the East Coast though, been a harrowing time for everyone.
SAY WHAT YOU WILL ABOUT BEILEIN’S STARTEGY / X’S/O’S / ROTATIONS ETC —–WILL GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR HOW HE DIFFUSES –( AT LEAST IN THE MEDIA )—TENSION / DRAMA —DEFLECTING THE “TARGETS ‘ / NOT THROWING ANYONE UNDER THE BUS ——-POSSIBLY HE MIGHT BE MORE ‘DIRECT ” BEHIND CLOSE DOORS —WHICH I WOULD AGREE IS NEEDED !!
HAVE TO BELIEVE BELEIN HAS BEEN MANDATED TO START SEXTON——-AM SURE HE WOULD HAVE MADE THE DECISION TO INSTALL / AT LEAST TRY SEXTON IN THE 6TH MAN ROLE ————-IF THAT IS THE CASE —-SHAME ON KOBY
Pretty certain there was conflict between Koby and Lue last year regarding Sexton. Suspect Koby has been pulling some strings for quite sometime. No way they would have started Garland from the beginning if that wasn’t the case.
AND TO THINK THE FIRST WORDS DANTE MENTIONED WAS …………” SUCH A CLOSE KNIT UNIT ” ——-MAYBE WE DIDN’T HEAR CORRECTLY……….” CLOSED KNOT UNIT ” READY FOR A HANGIN : ) ……………….” MORE BEER PLEASE “—————AND WE THOUGHT WE WERE DONE WITH ALL THE DRAMA WHEN LEBRON / KYRIE HAD DEPARTED : (
Not only does Sexton’s play alienate the vets, but I believe its also stunting Garland’s development.
For the most part, the pairing has turned out pretty much exactly how we thought it would turn out. We’re about 40% of the way through the season and the Cavs are on pace for 23.4 wins. Seems about right.
BTW, I do not think Sexton is a winning player, and I doubt he ever becomes one. He never will be if he is not held accountable for hogging the ball.
There was a big deal made of Sexton scoring all those points 3 on 5 in college. It is fair to ask, did he even notice? He never passes anyway.
I also don’t get why people say he hustles. Even if he does it doesn’t translate to anything defensively and I am not even sure it’s true.
If I was coaching, I would bench Love for 1 game and put Sexton with the 2nd unit. ASAP.
Pretty clear that management (koby or Dan) has mandated the kids start. That or Beilein is an idiot. I think I would prefer the former. I don’t think Sexton ever gets benched this season.
Right. Either Koby is an idiot or Beilein is.
Does not bode well for our future.
Look, I hope Sexton turns the corner. That game at the end of the year where he had 10 dimes had me hopeful. I am 180 degrees the other way on him now.
Small, inefficient chuckers who play bad D is the #1 team killer. Can’t play them at point, so another PG is necessary. If that guy is not tall, you have a lollipop guild backcourt which perpetually creates mismatches.
Honestly think Sexton is least of Cavs concerns. Dude is scoring a lot and trying hard even if he doesnt have the BBall IQ to do so. As I wrote on here before, he is basically Clarkson 2.0, which is probably why Cavs traded Clarkson, they didnt need two of the same. The bigger issue is Love pouting like a child and refusing to play hard if things arent going his way. This isnt the first time he has done this not only this year but in his Cavs career. We all have constantly commented how he disappears when he… Read more »
Problem is I don’t think guys want to play with the Sexton. Not just love or TT. Hill, JR, etc. I don’t think you can play winning ball even with better talent (above 500) with Sexton dominating the ball. He isn’t James Harden and never will be. He isn’t even Clarkson because he is 4″ shorter. He is a lesser version of Clarkson and likely will remain so due to physical limitations. Not 2.0, but rather .5. That said, you’re right about love. Damage has been done. No coming back now. They didn’t act soon enough to move Sexton and… Read more »
THERE IS ….” NO LOVE IN THE AIR “……………………WITHOUT ANY “CARING ” LOVE ….SEX (TON ) IS NOT GOOD ….LIKE MANY OF YOU SAID THERE IS PLENTY OF BLAME TO GO AROUND –LOVE / SEXTON / BEILEIN / KOBY / ETC ——-NEEDS TO BE HASHED OUT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS——-DO NOT THINK SEXTON WILL BE THE ONE TRADED / KLOVE WILL …..BUT SEXTON HAS TO BE COACHED / PREACHED TO PLAY THE GAME THE RIGHT WAY / MAKE CHANGES OR HE WILL NOT ONLY BE ALIENATING VETS BUT THE ENTIRE ROSTER
I think we can now officially retire the “Sexton had low assists in college because he had no support” argument now, yes?
It was called by many on the board at the time he was drafted. If a PG can’t even average four assists in college, YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO BE A POINT GUARD.
The disturbing trend seems to be this: For two years a large number of veterans have quit on the team because of the management forcing Sexton into the starting lineup and keeping him there this year. Last year we heard guys were disgruntled because he didn’t know how or want to play the game the right way from a team perspective. This year it seems like it is for the same reason. He has a game every now and then where he is efficient scoring, but nowhere near enough to justify him as a number one option. At some point… Read more »
That isn’t to excuse Love. But I don’t think guys like Sexton win in the nba unless they are mega talented, which I don’t think he is.
I agree with Channing. This is what happens when you play guys who should not be out there. Particularly those who do not play the right way.
While I think it should be handled internally, both Kev & TT have openly shown frustration with Sexton. Multiple times.
Plenty of blame to go around. Koby. Beilein. Sexton. Love.
Bottom line, everyone should be accountable for poor or lazy play. When that does not happen, you lose guys.
Hmmm, pre-game IG post by our Kev:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B658g30AUk1/
Are we gonna see the Bledsoe approach – “I don’t want to be here”…?
I get it, but he’s also under contract for more money than any other team would have paid him…sometimes you need to suck it up…
AFTER VIEWING THE ‘LOVE / SEXTON INCIDENT ” —–THE ” LOVE METER ” IS SPIRALING DOWNWARD ——HE IS REALLY “TURNING UP THE HEAT ” ON KOBY TO MAKE A TRADE —-SO SAD TO SEE FOR A PLAYER I HAVE REALLY ADMIRED / SUPPORTED ——–SEXTON —RIGHT OR WRONG ON NOT PASSING–AS A TEAMMATE YOU DON’T ‘ ACT OUT — SHOW YOUR DISGUST ON THE COURT———-WHAT HAPPENED TO THE KLOVE WHO WAS SO HAPPY LAST SUMMER / SIGNING THE CONTRACT AN WANTING TO ” ALWAYS BE IN THE LAND ” ————WE WILL PROBABLY ” JUST GIVE HIM AWAY ” NOW ———-TIME FOR… Read more »
Anyone is going to be happy soon after signing a guaranteed $120M extension…
This seems instructive.
https://twitter.com/channingfrye/status/1213657214914662400?s=20
Aussie understatement!!! ;) LMFAOOOOOO
this is embarrassing: https://twitter.com/EverythingCLE_/status/1213635357868212224?s=20
Welp, I missed some of the game and this moment too. Changes everything. Unprofessional by Love. That’s a tantrum. He fires a bad pass to Cedi, nearly turns it over in the process. He can be fed up with Sexton, fine – discuss it as a group with the coach. So disappointing, and makes clear that the reported tantrum prior to this game is most likely bona fide.
Yup… afraid you’re right Simmo. Probably why they haven’t given into his demands yet LMFAOOO!!. If Love didn’t quit on defense two months ago, I’d be on his side… could say the same for TT, where’s the shot blocking that was there the first ten games??? It’s clear that Love and TT don’t want to help defend Sexton because Sexton doesn’t try nearly hard enough on defense and hijacks shots on offense. Sexton should absolutely be benched for his defense and lack of passing, but Love should be benched for his defense too. The problem is Nance is now hurt,… Read more »
Wow, Beilein taking responsibility for it.
As he should, It was also Sexton’s fault he didn’t recognize the mismatch… and he’s responsible for Sexton playing PG on that play.
Still doesn’t excuse all the things Love did, but he wasn’t the only person to blame.
SEXTON TO 2ND UNIT FOR SCORING ALONE —–EXXUM START/ OR PORTER –WHO WE REALLY MISSED TONIGHT ——-LOVE NOT HELPING HIS TRADE VALUE ——-EXXUM AT LEAST DOESN’T HURT YOU WHEN HE IS PLAYING
Well Dante got 18 min, Delly 8. Writing on the wall.
Yeah, I think Exum is Delly’s replacement…
Yeah, they’re giving more minutes to Sexton at PG i think as well…
Delly’s defense will be missed.
McKinnie got some hops….
the only starters that didn’t embarrass themselves were Cedi and Garland. Love with 3 rebounds and 3 turnovers? TT is 1-7 from the field??? Sexton without a steal or block, and 2 assists ?
Sexton with mostly garbage buckets tonight…
OKC seemed content to let him score easy 2s most of the night.
Sexton with 28 without seeming to have a large impact…
was just thinking that…. the most worthless 28 i’ve ever seen… it’s because his defense is non-existent.
Yezus. Adams just owning TT this game.
Pretty much always does, doesn’t he?
Missed the last 10 min. Looks like we are at least keeping them honest, sounds like a few TOs keeping us from making it closer?
OSMAN 3!!! LOVE HOW HE LOOKING FOR HIS SHOT!
Refs calling weak shizz in the Cavs
Osmaniac
Garland caught frozen at the top of the drive.. terrible defense.
Henson is a fantastic passer for a big… i really think they’re gonna try and keep him for the rebuild.
I agree he’s good, which is why he will probably be traded…
nah, i think they can re-sign him at a cheaper number than TT. That alone makes me think he’s staying if only because it’ll save a lot of money.
He has no history with the Cavs, and TT does…we’ll see what happens…I think he’s one of the most enticing Cavs trade pieces…
Agreed he’s definitely a guy I’d think would help the Celtics for instance.
I think he’s a Beilein type of player… i think the whole 2nd unit + Garland and Cedi are Beilein players.
Brutal turnover.
Collin a little too floater happy
yup missed two in a row
Tough Sexton floater, even better the post pass to Cedi for the foul.
Oh McKinnie
That screen call was ass
Worst part of Cedi’s game is rebounding… just got owned there.
LMFAOOO just keep shooting Cedi!!!
Cedi bank triple!
Schroeder is like the gunner version of Rondo…
Garland too sloppy, but glad it’s a dead ball TO.
that was good defense, OKC just made shot.
WHAT DID I SAY!!! CEDI TAKEOVER!!!
Cedi awesome this game.
Wow, Cedi…
GARLAND TO CEDI FOR THREE!
Cedi! Sweet And1!
Cedi!
OMG… Garland nice drive, but bad decision on the shot… i think the dump off was there to a big.
Nice close.
EXUM FOR THREE!!! CEDI/GARLAND SWING!
OMG, McKinnie steal and couldn’t finish.
More great defense from Cedi BTW… Garland and Cedi have come to play.
STEAL AND FOUL GARLAND!
Garland and Cedi need to realize they make all the plays… especially Cedi, he needs to take over now.
Cedi should’ve shot the 3, it was there… he hesitated and got bailed out by a foul.
Cedi has to look for his shot on that possesssion…. shouldn’t have kicked it out.
nobody wants to play defense.
More McKinnie please. He is bringing 100% effort and plenty of speed.
yup, one of the few not embarrassing themselves.
Agreed.
Sexton blew that defensive coverage…. that’s effing awful.
It’s funny looking at that Noel ankle…I played a TON of basketball back when I was a kid through my 20s, and I never sprained an ankle, even though I rolled ankles a lot…you wonder if it’s some weird genetic thing…stubbed fingers all the time…
Great read KLOVE, TT with a lazy cut to the rim causes a turnover.
Chris Paul with a lot of “look at my sweet dribble while my team wait for me” tonight.
THANKS SIMMO FOR THE “ENCOURAGING ” LOVE REPORT —-GOOD TO HEAR / SEE
Sexton no pass possession with a missed shot.
GARLAND IS REALLY COMING ON —————GIVE THIS KID A YEAR OR TWO—GET STRONGER / QUICKER / EXPERIENCE / ETC —-BELIEVE CAVS DRAFTED THE RIGHT GUY / GOING TO BE A GOOD NBA PLAYER
that was ugly offense…
“There no reason not to get back” – say commentary team. Well, actually there is – if you don’t want to win the game….
CEDI 3!!! nice swing.