Links to the Present: March 26, 2012
2012-03-26
“We did a good job on Kyrie [Irving]. The guy ends up with 16 [points], six [rebounds] and four assists and we talk about what a good job we did on him. That’s a testament to the kind of player that he is because that is doing a good job on him. I thought we kept him out of the paint for the most part. That kid is a great player. He’s got a really, really, really bright future ahead of him.” [Alvin Gentry on yesterday’s Suns/Cavs game via WFNY]
“[W]hen opposing teams swing the ball, Cleveland just doesn’t have the athletes to challenge shots on the perimeter. This also pulls the Cavs’ big men away from the paint to help, leading to lots of easy baskets inside. Basically, they’re getting killed when it comes to defending people.” [Sam Amico]
And there’s a debate taking place this morning about whether or not the Cavs should retain Antawn Jamison this offseason:
“It would not be outlandish to see Antawn Jamison return to the Cavaliers next year. First of all, the Cavs couldn’t break the bank paying him, even though they’ll be as much as $20 million under the salary cap. Jamison earned $15.1 million this season. If he would accept a contract in the $5 million or $6 million range, they might oblige. Since Tristan Thompson appears to be in line to start, Jamison might have to come off the bench. He has been a productive starter for most of his career. Even though the Wizards will have cap space, don’t expect them to sign a marquee free agent. They are committed to building the team through the draft. Jamison, 35, is a good mentor for young players like Thompson. It wouldn’t be totally outlandish for him to return.” [CBS Sports]
“Once Jamison’s $15 million contract comes off the books at season’s end, the Cavs will have about $20 million in cap space to work with. Antawn would have to agree to obviously come off the bench behind Tristan Thompson in order for this scenario to work, but I get the impression he’d be willing to do that. Outside of using that cap space to sign the two First Round Draft Picks the Cavaliers will add this June, and maybe one of the two Second Round Selections, I don’t see that money being spent anywhere else either. Byron Scott, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and the rest of next season’s Cavaliers team are already familiar with Jamison too, and that continuity would provide additional value in these early years of the rebuilding process as well.” [Brendan Bowers]
Jamison is, according to Byron Scott, “fine” after suffering a left ankle contusion in yesterday’s Suns/Cavs tilt.
Man, it is nuts to considser Beal a Top 3 pick. Just nuts…
Hopefully the lottery gods (and/or Gilberts son) smile upon us again so we can get in the top 3 and draft Davis/MKG/Beal and we don’t have to worry about low-motor hacks until our 2nd pick which at that point in the draft is a toss-up anyways.
Concerning Barnes, another writer said that with the right team and PG, he could be a Granger or Deng. While Irving isn’t the best passer in the league, I’m sure he’d like to have someone who’s able to make a perimeter shot. Still, with a lot of the lotto talent (Barnes, Drummond, Jones squared, Leonard) having motor issues, it’s up to the front office to dig deep in the interviews to see if any of them are worth taking. And I would be fine with a year of Jamison off the bench. Even if the draft shakes our way, we’ll… Read more »
Honestly, I’d rather keep Jamison for one year than sign Haywood for an extended contract (2-3 years). I’d rather take Jamison than a short term Haywood, actually. Jamison is the only guy who can consistently score right now. Even with the likely addition of a scorer, I still think we’ll need some added shooting. Next year we will actually be competing, and Jamison isn’t the work vet to have coming off the bench. Furthermore, he’s a really good locker room guy – we’re going to need that with at least four new kids likely. Spending 5-6 mil on Jamison for… Read more »
If they get him for 3-4 mil he’s a steal…even though he underachieves he protects the rim pretty well.
Hayood, yeas, not ward
Yes I meant Brendan. Is he worth a lot of green? Nope, but depending on who bids for him he could be had for 3-4 mil a year once he is amnestied, which is a good deal.
I assume he means Brandon Haywood. He’s better than what we have at C but certainly not worth a lot of green.
The whole Barnes thing is a bit scary…a month ago we would have loved to have seen him fall to 8-10, but now if he does will they pull the trigger on him? I prefer Lamb to Barnes regardless of this most recent tournament, and hope they can draft him.
“Cleveland just doesn’t have the athletes to challenge shots on the perimeter.” Uh, is this a dig on Anthony Parker?
Hope Barnes falls like Pierce did, so the Cavs can get him. I think him falling will be the best thing to happen to Harrison. Should motivate him, and help him improve on his weaknesses, and develop his strengths. I think he just stayed one year too long, and there were a lot of distractions this year. I think him going later, falling in with some veterans, and not being the sole focus of the media will help him a ton. I really see him as this year’s Paul Pierce. The question though is he Paul Pierce or Marvin Williams?… Read more »
Jay Caspian Kang had a writeup about Barnes on Grantland today… http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7737280/harrison-barnes-two-years-north-carolina-tar-heels “Here’s the other problem, particularly for whatever NBA team drafts Barnes. It’s possible that the reason why he didn’t improve is that there just isn’t much ceiling left. Barnes has no first step, he doesn’t have a particularly great feel for the game, especially in the half court, and he doesn’t play much defense. I guess he’s technically a good rebounder for his size, but he’s rarely showed sustained effort on the boards. He’ll probably settle somewhere between Arron Afflalo and Jared Dudley, but definitely not much more… Read more »
@ baconbacon: Hayward? Who is Hayward? Who are you talking about?
The only Hayward i know of in the NBA that’s worth a darn is Gordon Hayward. He is definitely not a “big,” and there is no chance in hell of him being available since he is part of the foundation for the Jazz, let alone him being amnestied.
Other than that, though, that makes perfect sense….
Btw, Amico I dead-on about our rotations. Too often in the last two games have I seen TT running at a 3-point shooter, essentially leaving our neat rebounder woefully out of position on the defensive boards. People who harp on TT’s lack of defensive boards need to take this frequent situation into account…
It’s not worth it to retain Jamison at this point. He’s on the downhill of his career just like Anthony Parker.
Kyrie is our leader and it’s time for a new culture to emerge even if it’s a youthful-rollercoaster experience.
Resigning Jamison is pretty much a no-brainer. As in you didn’t use your brain if you resigned him for more than 1 year. He’s almost 36 and his TS% and eFG% have dropped off significantly this year and his rebound % has dropped 4% over the past 4 years. His assist % is up and his t/o % is really low which are nice, and helping to keep his PER respectable but he is at risk of declining rapidly. I’d much rather usethe money on an amnestied big like Elton Brand/Hayward or a young guy with upside still left (OJ… Read more »