Links to the Present: Training Camp Edition
2015-10-01
With Media Day in the rearview and the first week of Training Camp in full swing, there’s no shortage of storylines surrounding the Cavs as we all prepare for another wine and gold thrill-ride of a season. Yes, basketball is about to be back in a big way, arriving just in time to take our minds off of the other Cleveland sports teams, and providing renewed optimism about the Cavs’ quest for a championship.
And, fortunately for the Cavs, they practice at the Cleveland Clinic Courts, where medical attention is always on hand in case of injury…
While it seemed like the biggest health related questions would revolve around whether or not Kyrie and Kevin would be good to go after going down in the playoffs last year, the injury bug struck again when we learned that Iman Shumpert would miss the next three months following wrist surgery (and in the process make several of us look silly about predicting him to be the most improved Cav in yesterday’s 5 on 5).
For the Cavs, it’s once again a “next man up” mentality as they prepare for the start of the season. Though no official word has come yet from the Cavs, the Beacon Journal’s Jason Lloyd predicts that J.R. Smith will regain his starting spot in the lineup.
J.R. Smith’s difficult summer began with lingering memories of his miserable Finals performance and were compounded by his contract mix-up which resulted in him taking less money for this season. With all that behind him now, Smith at least has one thing in his favor: He is suddenly the Cavaliers’ starting shooting guard again.
–
Even though Iman won’t be able to practice or play for a while, he’ll have plenty of time to get ready to be a dad. In case you missed it, USA Today’s Nina Mandell reported that Shump and his longtime girlfriend Teyana Taylor will welcome a baby girl in January (right about the time Iman should be back on the court for the Cavs), and will name her Iman Tayla Shumpert, Jr. (wait… what?)
–
At least Shump showed up for Media Day, along with some old faces, some new faces and almost everyone else… almost. The one guy missing was the stylish Canadian with his dynamite smile, who now has just a few more hours to decide his pay scale for the coming season (which, if Rich Paul is true to his warning, may also decide how much longer TT remains in a Cavs jersey).
Nate deconstructed the TT saga extensively well last week, but for further perspective, check out ESPN Cleveland’s Bruce Hooley’s advice for Tristan, in the form of a blackjack analogy…
Someone needs to tell Tristan Thompson this game of high-stakes blackjack he’s been playing with the Cavaliers is over. It’s time to collect his winnings, get up from the table and report for work. To continue to squeeze management with his ridiculous salary demands is akin to Thompson hitting on 20 when he already drew an ace from the dealer after hitting on 19.
–
Speaking of player value, if you’re at all interested in a mathematical way to determine how to build a contender in today’s NBA, Peter Nygaard of Nylon Calculus took a look at the 2014-15 season through the lens of his Value To Contract (VTC) formula to see where teams were able to mine the most bang for their buck.
Never give out max contracts… unless you’re the Cavs, in which case don’t expect too much out of minimum-salary players… unless you’re the Warriors, in which case feel free to ignore the middle class… unless you’re the Hawks, who everyone says is going to need a max player if they ever want to win a title…
–
The state of Kevin Love’s shoulder was not the primary focus of attention on the newly re-signed PF this week. Nor were the comments from LeBron (as reported by Dave McMenamin at ESPN.com) that the Cavs would feature the big man more prominently in the offense this season. No, the most interesting thing about Kevin Love since Media Day, which almost broke Twitter, is his new ‘do (or lack thereof).
Hairy stories are not exactly a new thing during Cav training camps. Just last year all of the follicular attention was on LeBron’s Jekyll and Hyde hairline (turns out he was using a hairpiece enhancement for his role in the movie Trainwreck). But KLove’s shaggy mane set social media ablaze and inspired a tangle of comedic comparisons.
For a full run down of hilarious Tweets and a list of 16 people Kevin’s hair helps him resemble, Jake O’Donnell of SportsGrid has you covered…
–
https://twitter.com/NBA2K/status/646368379515723776
NBA2K16 dropped this past week (to the delight of gamers and ballers alike), complete with the always controversial player rankings (although LBJ at the top does seem appropriate). To get the nitty-gritty on how these rankings are determined, Grantland’s Jason Concepcion did an in-depth Q&A with the guy responsible for coming up with them, 2K Games Producer Mike Stauffer. Turns out, Mike’s a native Clevelander… but lest you think that swayed his process… think again:
I’m actually from Cleveland, and I kind of find myself to be a little more critical. I always try to balance it. It’s tough when you’re the one guy putting in all the attributes. I always try to talk to people that I respect about making decisions through the course of the season when the ratings are going to go up and down based on play. You always want to think about how long someone has to play well before bumping them, how quickly you want to decrease someone’s ratings if they’re playing bad. I try to be unbiased. It’s actually funny because, when these ratings are released, I get a lot of feedback from Cavs fans saying, “Why do you hate the Cavs?”
Earl’s Pearl of the Week
The dream is dead… “Swaggy P” is no more. The Early Lead’s Marissa Payne got the full scoop on Nick Young’s decision to ditch his swaggy nickname in favor of his birth name of Nicholas.
Bottom Line of the Week
It wouldn’t be right to not start the new season off with a shout out to Earl himself. And, though he’s had some classically infamous lines about pipes and shot selection, this line of the week was all in support of his coach…
J.R. Smith on David Blatt: "Coach really cares about me as a person … I’d run through a brick wall for Coach."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) September 30, 2015
Bonus Links!
Watch the Cavs practice stream live on Facebook today from noon-2pm (EST).
The episode of “NBA Real Training Camp,” hosted by Clevelanders Vince Cellini and Mike Fratello of NBA TV, marks the first time Facebook is streaming a live sports event. The show will include interviews with players, coaches and front office personnel.
Viewers can participate in the simulcast by using the hashtag #CavsRTC.
Let’s just hope Hooli isn’t hosting it…
Also, catch Tom Pestak talking Cavs today on Dayton Radio, Wing 1410 or WingAM.com at 4:25 today!
Today on DSS we speak to @tompestak about the latest from the @nba and the @cavs at 4:25p, plus @Bucknuts247 is in studio for the 5p hour
— Mark Neal (@markneal33) October 1, 2015
TT to Cavs: Here’s what I think of your $80 million…
Sign the qualifying offer, you did not…
TT needs to replace Rich Paul with Vizzini…
TT didn’t sign?
At this point, I am almost beyond caring. I like TT, but if the Cavs really offered 5 at 80 (and who knows if they did), that deal is more than fair. It’s likely more than any other team would pay him. Still hopeful that something will get worked out, but I’m done worrying about it.
Aw, c’mon MikeO! Isn’t this fun?
So signing the QO was just a blave…
Courtesy of HoopsRumors:
“Thompson let the deadline pass without signing the qualifying offer, a source tells McMenamin (Twitter link). So, his choices are either to sign a long term deal with the Cavs, sign an offer sheet with another team, or continue to sit out. March 1st would be the last day for him to sign an offer sheet this season, if the saga dragged on that long, and if he held out all season, the Cavs would have the chance to issue another qualifying offer to renew his restricted free agency next July.”
I think the Cavs can trade his rights now too if I’m not mistaken. Not sure what he plans to do. He’s going to lose millions by the game now, and the only way he gets paid what he wants is if the Cavs get desperate. Considering, he put up 8.5/8 last year, they aren’t going to miss him too much, at least in the regular season. Then next year, he’s going to find out quickly that nobody is going to want to give an 8.5/5 guy a max that sat out an entire year, and even if they offer… Read more »
I wonder if anybody who really is looking out for TT has told him the hard truth. Enough already.
Over it. I know he was valuable but it just seems like the opposite of what going ALL IN means. Glad we have other bigs and that we aren’t so limited like last year.
Plus, apparently AV is looking good so far…
http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/cavaliers-notebook-anderson-varejao-surprising-coaches-himself-in-return-from-achilles-injury-1.628801
I agree and his strength was bringing energy as well. I like TT a lot but just cant respect this at all. I am sure somebody soon will tell me I am wrong and Gilbert should pay anything for him. But I am glad we are holding the line, cuz it seems like it is due to agent.
No… probably only Cols and Rich Paul will tell you that…
I think they are probably working on a deal right now.
I wonder… a holdout, especially with other guys out, might be just the kind of thing that RP would go to next…
Meh let him sit. We’re fine without him. See what his value is next year after a year off.
Rich Paul – master negotiator.
Remember when Andy V held out in 2007 until early December? Of course the deal he wound up signing for being a rebounding and defensive specialist with limited offensive skills was two years for $11.1M (with a third year player option for $6.2M) after he got an offer sheet from the Charlotte Bobcats and the Cavs matched it…
What dies this mean?
Means the qualifying offer is no longer an option. He can now do one of three things…
1) Work out a long term deal with the Cavs
2) Sign an offer sheet with another team (that the Cavs would likely match)
3) Sit out for as long as he wants
However, by not signing the QO, I believe that means that he’d still be a restricted FA
#Holdout?
[crickets]
Awesome…
Probably nothing going to happen with a minute to go…
Can’t believe there hasn’t been a Chris Broussard Tweet yet…
Five minutes and counting…
Guess who is coaching the Warriors. A Herculoid?
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13788228/golden-state-warriors-coach-steve-kerr-taking-leave-absence-following-back-surgery
I think it expires making TT a RFA and then the CAVS and TT work something out eventually.
so there is never really a deadline? I just want this to end and get down to TEAM ball. So fired up.
It’s good for the CAVS if he lets it expire.
Tick Tock TT…
Now the party don’t start till I walk in
I am reading that the Cavs did NOT extend the negotiation deadline.
That seems to be correct information…
Why should they though? They’re calling TT’s bluff.
TT where arrrrrrrreee youuuuuu?
T(ime )T(o)…………fill in the blank
Here we go, TT, here we go! *clap clap*
J.R. Swish is #138 in ESPN’s Player Rankings…
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13734026/nba-nbarank-131-140
He should be higher.
Cols NBA Player Rankings:
1. Lebron
2. Lebron
3. Lebron
4. (tie) Irving, Love
…
17,344. Delladova
In the interest of links… Simmons = shots fired…
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bill-simmons-espn-is-bag-828589?utm_source=twitter
You know, I really usually enjoy Simmons articles and some of his podcasts (although he was so so wrong about everything NBA last year and Lowe had to constantly correct him). So I’m looking forward to him being able to write and pod again. But I am absolutely not looking forward to him ragging on and complaining about and acting like he’s so much smarter than the ESPN website that gave him his platform and gave him seemingly endless amounts of money to put up his own website (that actually loses money). I mean, without ESPN no one outside of… Read more »
Really good post. Completely agree with this…
Same, agreed. For someone who has made a lucrative career in part by mocking athlete’s and celebrity’s lack of self awareness, Simmons has shown a notable lack of it himself in recent years. I expect it to get worse as he slides into his big cheese job at HBO. But I have zero love or regard for ESPN the Corporation, so I’ll be happy to watch him shovel slime on them.
Who cares if ESPN gave Simmons his big break? Between the 30-for-30 series and millions of fans/readers I guarantee you Simmons has earned ESPN much more money than they ever paid him, because that’s how the corporate world works. Simmons was the only ESPN employee to stand up and call out the NFL for their Deflategate coverage, which failed to report a number of stories that went against Goodell and the NFL, and the deplorable manner in which Goodell handled the Ray Rice fiasco. So then ESPN mutes Simmons’ freedom of speech for blasting the blatantly morally corrupt NFL, who… Read more »
Huh? I’m not siding with ESPN or Simmons. I’m saying badmouthing the organization makes Simmons look petty and I don’t need to hear it. For the record I think Goodell sucks. And no, freedom of speech does not mean what you imply. Everyone has the right to say stupid things. There is no right that ESPN has to broadcast the stupid things you say. That is not what the first amendment is about. As for me when it comes to TT vs Gilbert, I side with the player. Millionaires vs Billionaires, I know, but I’d rather the money go into… Read more »
This was my favorite of the comedic Tweets about KLove’s hair…
I’ll be honest, I’m really excited about RJ and Delly in the opposite corners. Delly: 39% from the right corner, Jefferson: 47% from the left corner. J.R. in the left corner is also 47%. K-Love is a solid 38% from the right corner, as well.
You mean Mo and RJ. Mo is going to take most of Delly’s minutes once we get Shumpy back.
You mean after 35 games or so? Talk to me then.
Well I hope the Cavs pick up another guard via exception or the invites. But if not it’s a great chance for Delly to develop even further.
Links now updated with Bonus Link about Facebook’s live streaming of Cavs practice today from 12-2pm (EST)…
After listening to the press sessions of RJ and Mo, I am warming up to those additions. Wasn’t excited about either pick up, but they’ve changed my mind.
RJ is very well-spoken. He’s smart and brings a professional attitude. He’ll definitely be an asset to the younger guys on the team.
Same with Mo. Well-spoken as well. He’s thoughtful and professional as well. He’s the “southern flavor” of RJ HAHA! I think Delly, Kyrie, and Shump will benefit from seeing his professionalism.
RJ is definitely a guy who’s matured over the years. I wasn’t a big fan of his in New Jersey, and he stuck out like a sore thumb in San Antonio, but he’s accepted becoming a role player and picked up his shooting a lot. Just seems like he’s learned to be a pro and focus on what the team needs from him at this age.
Couldn’t agree more, Nate. I’ve never been an RJ fan, I just always expected more from his game. I admit I’m biased because his Arizona team was a threat to Duke winning a championship.
And re: your last statement, that’s exactly what I picked up on in his presser.
Eh. TT will get his deal done and we will move on. It’s just a contract negotiation. It’s notihng at all like black jack.
I love the way you say what I want to say with graphics to boot! Thanks. Missing first days of practice is where I lose all patience for bargaining.
Yes but why is it automatically the player’s fault? If he thinks he is worth more then more power to him. I think he signs the long term deal soon.
Because the player, in this case, is greatly over-inflating his value and comes off as greedy… Plus, he’s the one in the public eye, so he’s the easier target…
We live in a world where Enes Kanter just got paid. TT is going to get paid a lot of money. I’d rather the Cavs be the team to hold onto him.
Just because OKC was stupid and overpaid for Kanter, doesn’t mean the Cavs should make the same mistake…
Tom is going to be on http://www.wingam.com at 4:25 this afternoon to talk Cavs. Enjoy!
Here’s the waiting for TT to wise up. I loved the blackjack comparison. Maybe its because I am a poor, Ohio, school teacher, but I cannot possibly fathom risking a deal worth $80 MILLION DOLLARS of GUARANTEED money for an additional $14MM. And he does this after claiming all last year how important winning is and being in a position to win for a long time. Does TT have NO ONE in his life who is willing to sit him down and say “Listen, cut the ****. Sign your contract and move on.”
totally get your point. in columbus there seems to be tiers of wealth depending on the people i see at work or around the city. my wife has a keen bias against entitlement when it comes form the already wealthy. you are right that it is best to have loving people who make sure you are not blind to your own self-righteousness. myself, i want to take the best offer in the moment. he gambled on his contract earlier and won. the probability of that 20+ million move when 53M was the offer was in his favor. the 18 out… Read more »
sorry, it is 14 million he is gambling on.
The blackjack comparison is perfect!
“It’s time Thompson started being about [winning], too. Insisting on a contract far beyond his abilities just because he may have the leverage to gain it disrespects James, the rest of the Cavs and fans…” <–Couldn't agree more.
Sorry, but nothing Thompson is doing is disrespectful to players or fans. The players like it when a player gets paid, and the fans shouldn’t care either way. Either Dan Gilbert gets richer or TT gets richer. Why would I care? It’s not like either one is going to be hurting for money, in fact Gilberrt can pay him and still make tons of money.
This isn’t personal, it’s just a contract. He will sign.
On principal I agree with everything you just said, but in relation to TT’s specific scenario, I just think the circumstances make his demands a bit ridiculous: 1) Rich Paul and TT have given the Cavs an ultimatum. 2) TT is asking for more than his assumed market value. Dan Gilbert does not want to pay TT more than his assumed market value. 3) Keep in mind both points 1 and 2 when considering that TT may bolt next year if his demands are not met. If he does not bolt, there is a very strong chance that he earns… Read more »
It doesn’t matter how much they pay TT. They are going to be well over the tax.
There is no flat rate for being over the tax. HOW MUCH we are over the tax matters.
Should we want to trade TT during his new contract, the more favorable the contract, the more attractive the asset he is .
Also paying player “because, why not?” is a bad way to run a team.
TT is going to get paid, it just depends on whether or not it’s this year by the Cavs or next year by another team. I have no problem locking up a young guy who doesn’t miss games who is a decent defender and a great garbage guy who hustles all over the floor and doesn’t have to get an IV and be useless the rest of the series like a certain other guy. So they either pay TT $80-90 over the next 5 years or someone else will pay him $80-90 over the 5 years after this one. I’d… Read more »
I went back and read that complete argument and I agree 100%. I am sorry Cols but I don’t pick my favorite players based on statistics. When I do pick the people I enjoy watching the most (Kyrie, Love, Delly) I pick them because of their attitude as well as their basketball acumen. I DO think that this says a lot about his character. Again, to a point, yes its just the nature of business. But there also reaches a point where you are over stepping. TT has reached that point. There is a much better case to pay TT… Read more »
Totally agree JMay, well put.
He’ll always be Swaggy P to me.
And to Iggy probably…