Links to the Present: April 30, 2013
2013-04-30
“One name that makes sense is former Cavs guard Eric Snow, who was an assistant under Larry Brown at SMU this past season. He doesn’t have vast coaching experience, but he seems like he’d be a Brown-type guy. He’s disciplined, hard-working and no-nonsense. Snow, a Canton native, played for the Cavs from 2004-08. The Cavs could keep one of the holdovers from Coach Byron Scott’s staff — Jamahl Mosley or Nate Tibbetts — or perhaps Canton Charge coach Alex Jensen. One former player who likely called Brown is ex-Cavs forward Donyell Marshall, who is living in the Cleveland area. He coached in the NBA Development League two years ago.” [Bob Finan – The News Herald]
“It was a stunning admission, even from a man as emotional as Dan Gilbert.” [Marla Ridenour – Akron Beacon Journal]
“The Cavs are interested in Oden, but I’m not sure if that interest is going to translate into a deal _ and certainly not before this summer’s free-agent signing period begins in July. Oden will have other suitors, and he may go to the highest bidder, which probably won’t be the Cavs. A lot will depend on what happens between now and then, especially with regard to the NBA lottery and draft and, perhaps, trades.” [Mary Schmitt Boyer – The Plain Dealer]
“So frustrated did the Cavs owner become that after the Cavs 113-103 loss to visiting Denver on Feb. 9, Gilbert tweeted, “We have made good progress recently but when the Cleveland Cavaliers arrive back to the top tier of the NBA we will be a DEFENSIVE 1st team.” This came during the team’s best month of the season.” [Mary Schmitt Boyer – The Plain Dealer]
“Dan Gilbert explicitly called firing Brown three years ago a mistake, though it seems most people still think he was right to do it back then. My feelings that summer were mostly of despair. I didn’t think LeBron was going to come back, and I doubted any other coach would be as good for the Cavaliers as Mike Brown. I didn’t like the firing then, but I believe I was in the minority.” [David Zavac – Fear The Sword]
“What’s next: His contract is up and if Scott were still the coach, the plan was supposedly to let him test the market. That likely remains the case. But there’s little doubt Livingston is Brown’s kind of guy. Consider it 50-50 that he returns.” [Sam Amico – Fox Sports Ohio]
Of players involved in more than 10% of the Cavaliers possessions, Shaun Livingston fared best in raw plus minus.
Commentariat: choose 1 free agent you would like the Cavs to pursue, and provide your ideal (try to be realistic) contract details. Â I’ll start: DeMarre Carroll: 4 years @ 2 million a year. Â He was given the most opportunity to contribute in February, where he averaged slightly over 20 minutes a night. Â During that stretch he posted an ORTG and DRTG of 109.6 and 95.3, respectively. Â His per-minute numbers stuff looks like a slightly more active version of Alonzo Gee. Â But based on some advanced statistics, Carroll had a superior season. Â He’s also 2 inches taller than Gee and the Cavs are undersized at SG, SF, and PF right now. Â I think he could be an upgrade over Gee in Mike Brown’s system and would command a smaller contract. Â A 4 year contract would bring him to age 31.
Nate Smith ….i do recall rumors of a attemped trade between the cavs and t-wolves before the pepsi comercial ever came out…also e would be the perfect fitt offensivly next to iring and TT that is why so many ppl want him in cleveland and he has talked about how e is not pleased with the frnt office of the t-wolves so why not try to get them when the t-wolves may feel presure to trade him befthe lose him in FA and if you say he would never want to come to clevland all i hve to say is… Read more »
Nate, I love Thaddeus Young, I just focused on free agency rather than trades. I noticed people posted the lineup of Irving, Waiters, Porter, Thompson, and Love. There is no way Love can play center.
“There’s no way the Cavs are trading for Kevin Love”
“No way Lebron comes back”
etc etc
Why is everyone so certain of these things?
Mike: I like Cole Aldrich as a part of the rotation more than I like Tyler Zeller. He’s been buried at the bottom of team’s benches for most of his career. Definitely think he’s worth a shot at a two year deal. Dorell Wright would be another good player. If the 76ers are trying to bottom out, Thaddeus Young would be the guy I’d chase. I like Turner, but he’s a painfully inconsistent player who will probably end up getting overpaid because he was drafted very high. Chris: There’s no way Nogueira falls to 26. The Cavs would be lucky… Read more »
I’m not sure if it’s realistic that every player on the team be a good defender. But, if Harris is not a good one at PG that would kill a potential deal. Until Kyrie stops being a matador on defense, we probably need a strong backup.
I’m pretty sure Devin Harris is not a good defender and has an attitude, but I get the idea.
What about Devin Harris as our backup PG on a 3 year deal? The guy is a former 20 ppg scorer, who put up averages (PPG/APG) of 15/7, 21/7, 17/7, 15/8, 16/6 during the prime of his career.
I honestly don’t know much about his defense, but I think he could be a very good backup PG for us. Does he want to be a backup? I have no idea. But money talks – and he could be a big time spark off the bench.
@Chris – TT/Dion/AV seems like an awful lot to give up for a player that does not want to be in Minnesota. We’ve seen it before, teams routinely getting swindled in trades and not getting enough for star players simply because the star is forcing their way out. I would not want to give up 3/5 of our starting rotation for an injury-prone center. Yes, Kevin Love is a beast. But I do not think trading Dion/TT/and AV would be a smart move. Dion or TT + AV + pick(s) is one thing, but two top 5 picks, a 15/15… Read more »
Looking at the needs of the Cavaliers as well as the coaching style of Mike Brown, it seems that the Cavaliers will focus on taking players with a solid defensive background. That’s not to say that offense won’t be important, but that players who provide a complimentary style of offense with strong defense will likely be a focus for the Cavs. Assuming theydraft either Nerlens Noel or Otto Porter, the following players provide solid options for the Cavs at what will probably be an affordable rate. Center-Cole Aldrich. He fits the Cavaliers’ age grouping, is a solid defender and rebounder,… Read more »
@Mike – I think you’re right about defensive-minded players. I like your list. I am interested to see if Brown can squeeze some defense out of C.J. Miles. He is long, quick, and very athletic. You might not know it, because he’s not very aggressive on the defensive end. He has the ‘measureables’ though – so I want to see what Brown can do for him. @Chris – I like the swing for the fences mentality, and Kevin Love is a superstar when he’s healthy. I think the whole Andrew Bynum thing has scared me away from trades like that… Read more »
@ Rodney- “I think you guys are all under-rating how much a difference Big Al could be in the east. Offensive Big men that force teams to play big against them have added benefits” Yes….but you can only take advantage of those benefits if said Big Man can recognize that and move the ball around when the spacing is there. Jefferson has shown consistently he can’t (or won’t) do that. For all of his supposed greatness, we’re talking about a guy who has averaged basically 19ppg/10rpg over the last 7 years for three different teams….yet has only reached the playoffs… Read more »
“Continuing to sacrifice wins and therefore fan interest” Ok, so that brings me to the question I already asked. Which moves were made or not made that sacrificed wins? Was there a star player that WOULD have been signed, but the team was waiting for Lebron instead? I see no evidence that any wins have been sacrificed in the future pursuit of Lebron, because there are no free agents we’ve missed out on. Hell, the only big time player that was realistically available last offseason was Andrew Bynum. I would prefer an empty roster spot to a year of that… Read more »
I would not mind bringing back Livingston, though he may get expensive. The second 1st rounder might be good to draft Dennis Schroeder (this was mentioned by a commenter earlier and I liked the idea.) The people that wince at drafting another PG should know that it will only help by giving the injury prone franchise player extended breathers at the least and possibly giving them flexibility and a huge trade chip for the future. I, for one, do not like Waiters. I think he would be an elite 6th man, but he cannot start because of his defensive liabilities… Read more »
Whoever else = Larry Hughes.
LeBron is not the only big time FA in 2014. Also, saving cap space for 2014 is not just for signing LeBron. To blow our cap space wad this offseason would be a mistake. Regardless of FA signings, we are nowhere close to a championship level team. To spend all of our money prematurely would be a disaster. That’s how teams end up in cap hell and unable to surround star player(s) with help. If we spend too much of our cap money this offseason without knowing exactly what we have on this roster (Is TT going to continue to… Read more »
As to Lucas Nogueira, every article I have ever read on him says he is athletic. I do not believe that he draft profile is accurate on his vertical because in a couple of videos I have seen he jumps higher than 20 inches. I just think he is an intriguing prospect and at 19 would be a solid pick. If he slips to 31 then that would be even better as they could let him stay in Europe for a year or two. I would love to see Pekovic in a Cleveland uniform next year, maybe a 4 year… Read more »
Continuing to sacrifice wins and therefore fan interest for the slim, slim chance that LeBron returns is bad business. HOw will it look in 2014 if, here we are, a loaded with cap space that hasn’t made the playoffs in 4 seasons, and LeBron says no. Then what? Attendance at the games will be lucky to be 7,000.
I want to trade our 1st pick and Andy for Kosta Koufas and Gallinari. If we cant swing it the 1st for Andre Miller and Koufas and a future. Denver is in a bad salary spot.
The only guy who impresses me in the draft is Alex Len. Noel is too skinny and what do we know aout 7 footers and bad knees?
MAclemore isn’t bad but will never be great. I think Otto is a major bust. Victor major ?s. Bennet is good probable all-star but I’drather keep TT and I don’t see them meshing
NOOOO. my comment got eaten
I think you guys are all under-rating how much a difference Big Al could be in the east. Offensive Big men that force teams to play big against them have added benefits.
My main target this offseaon is trading for good young established but still semi-affordable talent. The best place to get that in my opinion is going the Denver Nuggets roster. They already have 70 million guaranteed for next season. Thats while losing Corey Brewer and Mosgov. Honestly any one of there players could be on the trade block so the price might not be as low as it would were only 1 or 2 guys. But I’m thinking they can’t and don’t want to trade Javale Mcgee. They could trade Andre Ig but they wouldn’t get much back for him.… Read more »
I like Smith a lot but I don’t think he will be worth the dollar ammount for us now, and especially not when we are again relevant, I’m content with CJ Miles as our irrational confidence guy for now. Great ones are easy to pick up when needed (Jamal Crawford, Smith, JET)
Pau and J.R. Smith are to say the least interesting
Am I the only one who thinks C.J. Miles isnt a bad NBA player? jw
Somebody brought up Lucas Nogueira, saying he was very athletic… Draft Express lists his Vertical at: 20.9″ ummm, my vertical is better then that, watched some highlights, hes really long… but not much else
Jay Bilas is going to have a wingspangasm during the draft:
Gobert – 7′-9″
Nogueira – 7′-6″
Noel – 7′-4″
Dieng – 7′-4″
Jaiteh – 7′-4″
Would any of you guys consider JR Smith? I know the name is scary, but check out his stats from this year. He gets to the line frequently, plays tough defense and is one of the better 2 guard defenders in the league.
Dani – problem is J.R. Smith is going to want a fat deal after this season.
Adam – haha wingspangasm
I’d take Pau in a heartbeat. For whatever we can get him for. Franchise players determined to prove they still have it is a beautiful thing when they still have it. I want no part of Gartat however. Yes he probably would be good on O but he doesn’t have the type of D we need, at all.
I’m still thoroughly in the Gasol camp if he happens to get amnestied. Either Pau or Kobe is getting it. If D’Antoni really is going to be back in Lakerland Pau probably won’t return.
Gortat is a nice player and was well worth the $35 million deal he got four years ago. It’s the last year of his contract and he’l be 30 around the All-Star break next season. His stats peaked two years ago. How much can Phoenix realistically get for him in a market where Splitter and Pek will be available and with a draft that is fairly deep on centers? Two first rounders to a rebuilding team who is probably going to tank it’s ass off for Wiggins or a consolation prize in the 2014 draft isn’t a lowball offer.
Resign, Ellington, and Maybe Livingston if the contract makes sense Draft Porter, and a Developmental Big, Dieng is my Favorite of the options, and a Jitterbug PG **Google Dennis Schreoder** Last we need a temporary defensive Center… of the actually deep group of options… I think I like Jason Collins, and Ryan Hollins the best, cost effective and Durable I would really like to possibly package the 19 pick and some future picks for JaVale McGee, with Brown in his ear he could be one of the Best rim protectors in the league, and hes overqualified and overpaid to be… Read more »
Why would Phoenix take that offer? I fail to see any reason they would want to do that.
It’s not a bad thing to have a shrewd GM. Zeller and the Lakers pick sounds like a reasonable offer for Gortat to me.
Gortat is an interesting option. Phoenix really needs to start an actual rebuild…maybe they would trade him for Zeller and the Lakers pick? Obviously that’s a low-ball offer but Grant is a crafty GM, he won’t be selling the farm for one guy.
Interesting article from Lowe on the value of 3D Sf’s. Otto Porter should hit on his 3 requirements of being able to guard SGs,SFs and hit the long ball.
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/9225802/players-shane-battier-harder-find-conventional-wisdom-suggests
Would love to get Nate Robinson. Keep Livingston he can play in a two PG lineup
Splitter or Pekovic would be terrific improvements at center, but I don’t know if either will be worth what it will take to lure them to Cleveland. I could be wrong, but I still see Grant using a trade rather than free agency for any big ticket purchases this offseason. Perhaps a draft pick for Gortat?
It’s a pretty lack luster restricted free agency class as well.
what the cavs should do is draft otto with their first pick then (this is a fanasty that could really come true) they trade zeller th LA pick the future griz and kings picks (both 1st rounders) and throw in a 2nd rounder or two in return for Kevin love…that so far will give the cavs PG-irving SG-Dion SF-Otto PF-T.T C-Love 1st big Andy 1st small Gee then resign wayne and livingston we still will have CJ then go out sign Splitter and little nate all this could be done with the cap space and the final team would be… Read more »
@ Vesus
Whether or not he comes back, the Cavs will keep cap space available to sign him. You are correct, they will not close the door on that. At any rate, they still should have around 9 mil to sign FAs and maintain space for a max contract next season.
I agree with Nick. I think the Cavs think they can make the playoffs next year w/Brown at the helm. Or at least get close. But they are NOT going to hinder their cap flexibility to get to said playoffs. Not with this sub-par FA class this summer and the amazing one next summer.
Every NBA analyst on the planet agrees that Lebron will either play for Cleveland, Los Angeles or Miami for the 2014-15 season. Why is it “fantasy land” to leave cap flexibility in the event that he wants to return? Is there some other superstar we would have to reject in order to maintain that cap space? I certainly don’t see any other star players beating down the door to sign with the Cavaliers. Seriously…when there is a potential opportunity to add a 4-time MVP to your bottom-dwelling basketball team, you do it. Closing the door to that possibility is, at… Read more »
I’d be fine bringing on some combination of Jarrett Jack, Anthony Morrow, and Al-Faruq Aminu. However, Faruq Aminu is going to be re-signed IMO.
I completely agree on both parts Rich, but could Jack get a starting gig somewhere? Or will he want to finally play for a contender now that he’s in the playoffs?
All plans designed around bringing LeBron back need to be thrown out. It’s not happening. Get out of fantasy land. Furthermore, another season of lottery picks is going to get Chris Grant fired, and the fans pissed at Gilbert. They aren’t going to go for it. And if the plan was to be bad again, why make the coaching change? It obviously signals a team that is trying to change results. If losing was ok, then there was no reason to fire Byron Scott. Now, to answer the question: Jarret Jack. Best back-up PG in the league, by a pretty… Read more »
Vesus: exactly. Enter Tiago Splitter. Other Free agents: Jarret Jack, Brandan Wright, Chase Budinger, Cole Aldrich, Zaza Pachulia, or a lot of the guys i talked about in my December free agent previews. It really hasn’t changed too much since then.
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I think we need a starter at SF, C, backup PG, and a shooter. SF – Draft, Matt Barnes, Aminu, Allen, Brewer, Metta World Peace. C- Draft, Zaza Pachulia, Chris Kaman, Sam Dalembert, Nik Pekovic, Jefferson, and Thiago Splitter. PG- Livingston, Nate Robinson, Calderon, Jarrett Jack, Beno Udrih, Toney Douglas, Fisher, and Chauncey Billups. Shooter- Ellington, Morrow, Korver, Nick Young. This is initially without looking at what these guys will command or how likely they will be to be retained by their teams but I really like Splitter, he plays with Andy already and has shown vast improvement. Billups is… Read more »
I just don’t see how CAVS can lure any free agent being at the bottom like they are.
TV63 – for aging accomplished veterans, probability of playing time, winning, and maybe ‘exotic locations’ seems to be the main lure. For young guys and up and comers it’s about $.
Count me out for Al Jefferson. We need a defensive center with finishing ability, not a ball-stopping low post scorer.
All the talk of signing all of these sub par players for too much money this year should not and will not happen. The regime is going to draft two rookies this year (Similar to last year) in round one who they hope can be rotation players. They will try and sign anyone else to fill other spots at as low a salary as possible and will be bad for another year. Then hopefully they can trade all the young talent minus Irving and maybe Waiters to go for a superstar and lure lebron back. I would hate to see… Read more »
The Cavs should just focus on some temporary FA pieces for now. I would extend the qualifying offer to Ellington just so that we can have a cheap good body and not have to pay someone else multiple years. I would like to see the Cavs target someone like Corey Brewer. We can give him a 2 year 8 million dollar offer. He’s a very good defender on the wing and can guard multiple positions. I would also like to see the Cavs get a defensive big. I wouldn’t mind them trying to target Jermaine O’neal and offer him the… Read more »
People who are talking about signing Tony Allen – love the idea, but I see a little bit of Tony Allen in that kid Jamaal Franklin from SDSU – crazy athletic, potentially elite perimeter defender, not much of a shooter.
The current crop of free agents isn’t exciting, but if Franklin is there with the Lakers pick, I say snag him. Maybe sign Pekovic if the price is right, say 8-9 mil per, but I doubt he will go that cheaply.
If Livingston is resigned signing Mo would make no sense, a backup PG would still be needed but one that is for the future, a young guy. My bet would be in the second round in the next two drafts. Also, I think Ellington could refill that shooter spot but then again you cannot have too many shooters. Big man depth is huge also, I would like to see a players capable of starting at the 5 to push Andy to the bench. Haven’t researched my specific targets yet unfortunately since its finals week.
The Cavs should definitely resign Livingston.
More than one player, I know, but I see 3 needs that could be filled by a number of different players.
Outside Shooting: Reggie Williams, Daequan Cook, Anthony Morrow, Dorell Wright
Big athletic defensive SF’s: Earl Clark, Al-Farouq Aminu,
Big Man Depth: Brandon Wright, Timofy Mosgov, Cole Aldrich
Maybe a backup PG (Our buddy Mo is available…)
@Matt – I like your list. I am especially enamored with Al-Farouq Aminu. The Cavs need to get longer.
I guess to finish that off, take best available player at 19 and resign Livingston and Ellington and there’s your twelve. Hire Luke Walton as an assistant coach while you’re at it.
Realistic choice 1) overpay for Tony Allen for 2 or 3 years – Less realistic choice 2) Al Jefferson. If you can get both and draft Otto Porter, here’s your 2013-2014 Cavs rotation:
PG – Irving; SG – Saint Weirdo; SF – Porter; PF – TT; C – Al Jefferson; 3rd Big – Andy; 4th Big – Zeller; Wing – Allen; Wing – Gee