I happen to be a "numbers guy". Perhaps the figures mean nothing, but I when find them interesting will post them in case anyone else does, too.

We're still a long from playoff spot with not too much time left, but improvement is still improvement.

There is definite improvement, but the problem is that Deng and Hawes are a good part of that, and they may (very good chance) walk after the season.

All things being equal (that means I won't know what types of deals the agents for Deng and Hawes will want or if they will want to stay at all) I'd prefer them to keep Hawes. 7 footers with his 3 point, passing, and even penetration skills do not grow on trees.

The spacing he helps the offense achieve, opens things up for Kyrie.

By the way, according to Deng, he is finally feeling better regarding his achilles. Therefore, we may not have seen the real Luol yet.

I hope Deng is traded (sign and trade) for some shooting. Hope Hawes sticks around. Kind of feel like he will because Andy is gone this off season. (I think traded.) Hawes is helping open up everything.

Unfortunately, the playoffs are out of the question.

Cleveland Cavaliers: With Anderson Varejao out, Tyler Zeller sees production rise

By Bob Finnan, The News-Herald & The Morning Journal

Posted: 02/27/14, 5:12 PM EST |

There’s no question the Cleveland Cavaliers have missed center Anderson Varejao’s rebounding, defense, hustle and constant pursuit of 50/50 balls. However, the Cavs are 5-3 since he has been out of the lineup for what the team describes as a sore back/general soreness.

The 6-foot-11, 267-pounder has missed the last eight games. His status for the Utah Jazz game on Feb. 28 at Quicken Loans Arena is not known.

“He’s an unbelievable rebounder,” Cavs center Tyler Zeller said. “He’s an unbelievable talent overall. He’s a much better player than anyone gives him credit for.”

Newcomer Spencer Hawes and Zeller go about their business in a different manner than Varejao.
Hawes is a “stretch 5,” who has quickly become the Cavs’ top 3-point threat. In four games since being acquired from Philadelphia on Feb. 20, he’s averaging 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. He’s shooting a team-high 47.1 percent from behind the arc (8 of 17).
Hawes had 19 points and seven rebounds in the Cavs’ 114-104 upset victory over Oklahoma City on Feb. 26.

The 7-foot-1, 245-pounder has quickly fit into the lineup.

“That is just a testament to (my teammates),” Hawes said. “They’ve really embraced me and helped me out along the way. (They are) trying to make this as seamless as possible, knowing that we have no time to spare. They’ve really helped me out on both ends and just tried to assimilate as quickly as possible.”

Say what you want about Zeller’s lack of aggression or physical play, but his numbers have soared since Varejao has been sidelined. Zeller is averaging 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and is shooting 56 percent from the field (28 of 50) in the last eight games.

“I’m getting more and more comfortable with my teammates,” Zeller said. “I’m trying to get in rhythm. I’m trying to gain confidence in everything I do.”

Included in his solid play was an 18-point, 15-rebound performance against Philadelphia on Feb. 15. He had eight points, three rebounds and two steals in the stunning upset of the Thunder.
“This is the best I’ve played in a long time,” the 7-foot, 253-pound Zeller said. “I hope I can continue it going. I’m trying to make plays and continue to take advantage of the opportunities I get.”
Coach Mike Brown wants him to continue being a physical presence in the post.

“I’m trying,” Zeller said. “When you play the ‘5’ spot, you never know who you’re going to play against. Some of the bigger guys are tough to rebound against. I’m trying to keep them off the boards and get the rebound myself.”

Brown has started to play Zeller and Hawes together on the court.
“I thought those guys played fairly well together,” he said recently. “I thought offensively our spacing was great. We found nice little drop-off passes once we were down there (in the paint).”

Brown freely admits he has not called a play for Zeller all season. Zeller said Brown might “eventually” call a play for him. “I have faith down the road we’ll eventually get to that point,” he said. “I’m still trying to show what I can do. Eventually, I’m sure he’ll call one play.”

Quick shots
-- Cavs guard Matthew Dellavedova has made 1 of 16 from behind the 3-point arc in his last seven games (6 percent).

-- The Cavs shot a season-high 95.8 percent from the foul line against the Thunder (23 of 24). The last time the Cavs shot that well from the line with at least 23 free throws was on April 1, 2007, at Boston (96 percent, 24 of 25). The Cavs are shooting 82.7 percent from the line in their last six games.

“That is just a testament to (my teammates),” Hawes said. “They’ve really embraced me and helped me out along the way. (They are) trying to make this as seamless as possible, knowing that we have no time to spare. They’ve really helped me out on both ends and just tried to assimilate as quickly as possible.”

He's being modest. It's also a testament to the fact that he is a veteran, intelligent, and very unselfish player who has a skill set that simply "fits in" very easily to just about any system. He passes, shoots 3's, and rebounds. What's not to like?

To be sure, he does have his limitations. He's not a gifted athlete, and doesn't have the kind of quickness and athleticism Andy has. But he's a nice fit.

Recent addtion Spencer Hawes brings a lot of talents to Cavs, including short fuse


By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published: February 27, 2014 - 05:43 PM

OKLAHOMA CITY: He has only played four games with his new team, but already the Cavaliers have seen most of what Spencer Hawes can do. He’s a terrific long-range shooter and a gifted passer, particularly for a big man. He can rebound and find the open man … and he has a big mouth.

Hawes was assessed a technical in the Cavs’ loss to the Toronto Raptors on Tuesday. It was his eighth this season, which ties him for the fifth-most in the league.

The Sacramento Kings’ DeMarcus Cousins leads the NBA with 13 technicals, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin has 12 and the Indiana Pacers’ Lance Stephenson has 10.

Not far behind them is Hawes, who conceded after the shocking win Wednesday over the Oklahoma City Thunder that he has a quick trigger.

“It’s usually for profanity,” he said.

He had the Thunder cursing Wednesday after scoring 19 points, grabbing seven rebounds and going 3-for-6 shooting 3-pointers. In four games with the Cavs, Hawes has already worked his way into the starting lineup and is averaging 14.3 points, 9 rebounds and 2.3 assists. He is shooting 44 percent and 47 percent on 3-pointers, and perhaps most important, he has cleared the congestion out of the lane.

Hawes was acquired by acting General Manager David Griffin in large part because of the spacing he could provide. The Cavs are a drive-and-kick team, Griffin reasoned, but the only way to effectively drive and kick is to have room to do so.

Coach Mike Brown moved Hawes into the starting lineup this week because he believes Hawes is a better fit alongside Tristan Thompson. Thompson stays close to the basket, and Hawes has demonstrated he has 3-point range. But when he was coming off the bench, Brown noticed too many times when both Hawes and Anthony Bennett were on the perimeter and no one was left inside.

“At times we’ve got five guys on the perimeter and we’re not quite to the point where we can play like that all the time,” Brown said.

Hawes is averaging 3.2 assists to rank second among centers behind the Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah (4.6). His .405 3-point percentage leads all centers in the NBA.

“You have a guy like that who can space the perimeter, it makes your job a lot easier,” Kyrie Irving said, using pick-and-roll plays as an example. “Spencer is wide open and he’s going to make the right play. That’s what we need him to do on a consistent basis.”

Brown has tinkered with a big lineup that includes Hawes and Tyler Zeller playing together. He used it for the bulk of the fourth quarter of the home loss Tuesday to the Raptors, then tried it again briefly in Wednesday in the win over the Thunder.

One of Zeller’s biggest leaps this season is his confidence in rolling to the basket in pick-and-roll situations. That is allowing Brown to play both bigs, as long as Zeller stays in the game defensively and doesn’t get caught out of position.

With 23 games left, Hawes’ transition into the Cavs lineup has gone about as smooth as possible.

“It’s a testament to the guys,” Hawes said. “They’ve embraced me and really helped me out making it as seamless as possible knowing we have no time to spare. They’ve really helped me out on both ends and trying to assimilate as quickly as possible.”

Whether or not he sticks around beyond this season remains to be seen. He’s only 25, but he’s making $6.5 million in the final year of his contract. It’s fair to say there are larger contract priorities this summer than Hawes, but the Cavs have been pleased with what they’ve seen so far.

“The stuff he’s doing for us now we kind of felt that he was able to do coming in, but you don’t really get the real gist of it until you are able to play with him for a few games,” Brown said. “Spencer’s an intelligent guy. He’s a guy who works hard and he’s got a few skill sets offensively that we didn’t have from a big. We’re getting used to what he can do for us offensively.”

http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/rece...ce=twitterfeed

Hawes is averaging 3.2 assists to rank second among centers behind the Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah (4.6). His .405 3-point percentage leads all centers in the NBA.

“You have a guy like that who can space the perimeter, it makes your job a lot easier,” Kyrie Irving said, using pick-and-roll plays as an example. “Spencer is wide open and he’s going to make the right play. That’s what we need him to do on a consistent basis.”

Says a lot.

It’s fair to say there are larger contract priorities this summer than Hawes

Disagree. Unless he is referring to Kyrie??

Kyrie throws up his first triple double tonight as the Cavs rout Utah.

Open the floor for Kyrie with shooters and he can play his game.

Bingo!

Think Kyrie might lobby for Gilbert to retain Hawes?

Frustrating. Because you CAN see the difference lately. And I have tons of respect for Jarrett's game...WHEN he's healthy.


Jarrett Jack - G - Cavaliers

Jarrett Jack said that he's been bothered by a sore left knee all season, but the injury "has calmed down a little bit."

"The pain is a little more tolerable than before ... I've been able to be more myself," Jack said. He also suggested that he might head to the bench once C.J. Miles (ankle) and Dion Waiters (knee) return to the lineup, but Waiters was coming off the bench prior to getting injured so that's far from guaranteed.

If I were the Chicago Bulls, I would REALLY be pissed right now.

Look at them, they are the hardest working team in the NBA (maybe Memphis might challenge them). Now they are headed towards a possible 3 seed in the East, and on a hot streak.

Yet the front office traded Deng for next to nothing.

I'm not saying they are a threat to win it all or anything. Just saying that if I were a player on that team, I would be completely frustrated that the front office didn't let them play this thing out at full strength.

LeBron James Expected to Attend Cavaliers Retiring Zydrunas Ilgauskas' Jersey

Miami Heat star forward LeBron James no longer plays for the team that drafted him No. 1 overall in 2003, but he's expected to be in attendance when the Cleveland Cavaliers send Zydrunas Ilgauskas' jersey into the rafters.

Per Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer:

James is expected to be (in Cleveland) this weekend when the Cavaliers retire Ilgauskas' No. 11 jersey on Saturday night. He will not have a speaking role in the ceremony, but wanted to be here for his friend. The Miami Heat do not play on Saturday and are at Chicago on Sunday.

The two were teammates during LBJ's seven seasons in Cleveland and for one more in Miami before "Big Z" retired in 2011.

LeBron still holds his good friend in the highest esteem, per Schmitt Boyer:

I talk to Z very often, probably once or twice a month. He meant everything to me. When you come in as a rookie you try to find a leader, that veteran, that guy who's been around to learn the ropes from. He taught me how to be a professional on and off the floor. That's something you cannot ever take for granted.

He was everything to me.

Andrew Bynum Admits to Disrupting Cavs Practice, Mocking Assistant Coach

"Andrew Bynum" and "maturity issues" have frequently been found in the same sentence during the big man's nine-year NBA career. As details of his short stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers continue bubbling to the surface, not much has changed in terms of his public perception.

According to The Indianapolis Star's Candace Buckner, the 26-year-old center admitted to acting out during Cavaliers practices.

During a practice, Bynum said that he launched a shot from midcourt, clearly out of the rhythm of the offensive play. Another day during a scrimmage, he did not like a call from assistant coach Phil Handy and mocked him as 'a horrible referee.'

"Those are the two things I did," Bynum says. "I did them on purpose because it was over there for me."

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Although Bynum's professionalism seems non-existent as a result of that admission, the bleak situation in Cleveland has even tested a league veteran's resolve.

Former Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng told a close friend earlier this year, "The stuff going on in practice would never be tolerated by the coaching staff or the front office back in Chicago. It’s a mess."

Keep in mind that Deng was dealt to the Cavs in exchange for Bynum, so his experience isn't tied to any antics from the disobedient big man.

Despite goofing off during a team practice in Cleveland and admitting in 2012 that he re-injured his right knee while bowling, the 7-footer maintains that his professional goal is to win a championship—which he hopes to do now that he's a member of the Indiana Pacers.

"My motivation is because I want a championship," Bynum told reporters. "I want to play."

That quote is a stark contrast to a Yahoo! Sports report from Adrian Wojnarowski suggesting that the big man no longer had the desire to play basketball.

About Bynum suspension, league source tells Yahoo: "He doesn't want to play basketball anymore. He never liked it that much in first place."
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) December 28, 2013

Nevertheless, Bynum can be a difference-maker when motivated. He has yet to appear in a game for the Pacers, but does have plenty of playoff experience dating back to his days with the Los Angeles Lakers—where he won back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.

Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird is unlikely to tolerate any nonsense, so this may be Bynum's last chance to prove himself as a worthy NBA professional.

I had sort of given up on the basketball season but then discovered that the Cavs have started winning again with good guard play by Jack and Waiters and decent bench help from Dellapadova. Now Irving is coming back from one of his standard nagging injuries and I wonder if that will upset the rotation that is currently working.
And V once again returns to the bench after an injury that will keep him out "next game and perhaps longer" [Rest of the season?]
Anyway with baseball back Cavs fade away from the Forum's attention and certainly from mine.