Kentucky's Calipari sees a lot of Stockton in ex-Wildcats' Knight


Published on Jun 10, 2011 08:30AM 7 Comments
Kentucky men's basketball coach John Calipari discusses former Wildcats point guard Brandon Knight.

Calipari on Knight's best attributes: Well, there are a couple of things there. Kevin and the guys there know that he wants to play for an organization like Utah. This kid's a straight-A student. A 4.0 his entire life. Sixty college credits, because he transferred in 23. Sixty college credits after one year, and he wants to come back and finish up — which he will, because I just know how he is. From beginning to end of the year, he just got better and better and better. What's amazing for Utah is, he's a lot like a John Stockton. In that, hey, you may have a guy right now — Stockton didn't start right away. And what you have is a young man who would be with you for a while, you know what I mean? The biggest thing I can tell you, I've never been around — yeah, I've been around some that have worked as hard as him — but none of them have worked harder, and whatever you think he's going to become, he's going to become. A lot of players in the draft you say, 'Potentially, this guy could be this, that and the other, but we have no idea whether he'll be that.' Well, with Brandon, whatever you think he's going to become, he'll become. I just think over three years, you're going to say 'Wow.' Whoever he gets him. Over a three-year period, you'll say 'Wow.' Terrific shooter. And you know shooting makes up for a multitude of sins. He can flat out make shots. He's bigger than you think. He's more athletic. He's got speed — a little bit like Tony Parker speed, where he can take it right at you and speed the game up a little bit. I'm sold on him. I know he's either going to go three, four, five. And whoever gets him is lucky. Utah was built on guys like him; so was San Antonio, you know what I'm saying? The best thing that's happened for the league right now is some of the better players are all — you know, Derrick Rose, even Dirk, they're just nice kids that want to get better and want to win. Even if you look in the championship, and you look at Wade and you look at Bosh and you look at those guys, and you look at LeBron — good guys. You may like them or you may not like them, but they're good people.

Comparing Knight to the best point guards he's coached: He's right there. I've had four of them, and two of them took my teams to Final Fours. One of them's playing in Chicago, and Brandon's the other. And I'll be honest with you, the team I had in Memphis was a better team, a more talented team and a deeper team. We played six guys last year. … But they're all different. You can't say, 'Well, what's he like with Derrick, or what's he like with Tyreke?' They all have different strengths, they all have different weaknesses. John Wall and Tyreke, they're all different. Here's the other thing that sets him apart: He wants to make game-winners. But more importantly, he's not afraid to miss a game-winner. And you know in that league, how many times do you come down to the last two possessions? And then how many guys want the ball, and how many guys don't want it? I was in that league — not everybody wants the ball. Some guys, they're jumping in cracks trying to hide. And then there are others that become the valuable guys, because they do want it late; they want that ball; they want to make that play. Because they're not afraid. He's not afraid to miss that shot.

True point guard or combo guard who shoots very well: They try to say that, is Tyreke a true point? You had John Wall, who they tried to say that about. Derrick early on, they were trying to say, 'Well, I don't know if he's really a point?' We're in the Garden, and that's Dicky V., going crazy on me. And I'm like, 'What?' [Laughs] But he's a terrific player. He's a leader. He's the lead guard who can run your team, can make shots, great in the locker room, really intelligent. You know how they do the meetings and the psychological? After they do that with him, you want him.

Basketball intelligence: Oh yeah. But what he does is, he'll break down what he's doing, and then he changes it to get it right. Aw, man: he'll get it right. And what would happen is, they'd be coming back from a road trip, and the dude would go right back to the practice facility and say, 'I got to get this down,' whatever it may be. He was in the gym at 11 o'clock at night. For my best players, that was the case. I'd be coming off the road, it's 11 o'clock at night, I'd stop in my office, I'd look in the practice facility and all of a sudden I'm seeing a ball bounce. 'Who's that?' Well, that was Derrick Rose, that was Tyreke, that was John Wall, that was Brandon Knight. Those guys were all the same that way.

Struggles going to his left: Well, here's the two things. When I tell you his skill level is just going to get better and better and better. And the one thing I'll tell you, what you find out is, with shooting when I was in the league — well, I'll give you an example: Tracy McGrady. I had him in, he was in high school. I had him in three times — I may have brought him in three times, because I was going to pick him. And he didn't make any shots — he didn't make free throws. By the time he left the league, if he was open, it was a knock-down shot. So shooting, whether it was Bird, whether it was Magic, even Jordan — that kind of stuff, what the hardest thing to judge is heart. The kind of mind he is. What are we adding to our locker room? What are we truly adding to our team, and what are we about? Everything. The biggest thing I can tell you, there are a lot of players out there — well, there's two things. If you're undersized, you're not going to have the same kind of success you think in that league. You can't. So if you're undersized in your position — I don't care what it is. And undersized means, you can only be 6-7, but you play 6-10. OK. There are guys like that. But you're talking about a kid that will play bigger than his size, and you're talking about a kid that the whole organization and everybody in the city will want to be around. You just say, 'Wow.' And again, he'll remind you of a Stockton now. I'm not trying to put pressure on him or anything like that. I'm just telling you he's the same. 'How do I get better?' 'How do I' — I'll tell you a great story about John Stockton. We were up 20 at half. We were playing Utah when I was at New Jersey. And I walk out at halftime and he grabs somebody around the shirt, and I looked at my staff and I said, 'We're in trouble.' And we were, and we lost. That was John. It was more than just making shots. Because when you look at him physically, you're saying, 'How in the world did he play that long? And how in the world did he play that well?' Well, if he was open, the ball went down. And if a guy was open, he got him the ball. He fought like crazy. Forget about his size. Will he fight? Does he player bigger than his size? What's his competitive spirit? That's all that intangible stuff.

Brian T. Smith
Twitter: @tribjazz
facebook.com/tribjazz

So Williams #1, Knight #4?

Cavaliers Pick: Deal It Or Keep It?

By: Stephen Brotherston Last Updated: 6/10/11 5:06 PM ET | 5620 times read


About 11 months ago, the irate owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers Dan Gilbert promised fans his team would win an NBA championship before LeBron James. That famous rant cost Gilbert a $100,000 fine from the league, but for now at least, he hasn't been proven completely wrong.

James made the Cavaliers a contending team, and with the roster Gilbert funded only another player of James caliber would return that team to the finals immediately. As obtaining another James was not on the horizon, Cleveland reluctantly started the rebuilding process.

The Cavaliers do have an advantage over many other teams as they rebuild. Gilbert is not afraid to spend money, and at the trade deadline, Cleveland traded Mo Williams to the Clippers for Baron Davis and the Clippers' unprotected first-round draft pick. By taking on about $12 million in additional salary commitments, the Cavaliers acquired the pick that would become first overall at the NBA draft lottery.

Lottery luck has ensured Cleveland has their choice of Duke's point guard Kyrie Irving or Arizona's forward Derrick Williams. The first overall pick of the 2011 draft will not be traded.

With the second-worst record in the NBA last season, the Cavaliers had their own lottery pick, but that pick dropped to fourth giving the team two picks in the top four of this year's draft, hadn't happened since the Houston Rockets did it in 1983.

Cleveland received a $14.5 million traded player exception when James joined Miami in a sign-and-trade deal and Gilbert has proven his willingness to spend big on his team. Therefore the obvious question becomes, should the Cavaliers use the fourth pick in the draft plus the trade exception to go after an impact player who could accelerate the team's return to contention, or should the team keep the pick and rebuild slowly through the draft?

As of now the Cavaliers roster has no depth. The over 30-year-olds Baron Davis, Antawn Jamison, and Anthony Parker (free agent) could significantly boost the team's win totals if healthy, but this is fool's gold as none of these players will be around when this team is ready to compete. The 25-year-olds Daniel Gibson and Ramon Sessions would be decent back up guards for Kyrie Irving next season, and the 28-year-old Anderson Varejao is a good energy guy, but after that, the Cavaliers are a team of recent late-first and second-round draft picks plus a collection of undrafted players. This is not a team where one could add a quality starter and leap into contention.

While some of the team's young players may develop into decent backups or even starters, the Cavaliers do not have enough high potential youth to rebuild and need to hang onto their draft picks. If possible, the team should even acquire additional lottery picks for this year and next. The only trade involving the fourth pick should be as part of a deal to acquire the second pick from Minnesota.

Everyone anticipates that the Cavaliers will select Irving first overall. This should leave them with several interesting center and small forward prospects to choose from with the fourth pick.

Jonas Valanciunas, Lithuania, Center

The 6'11", 19-year-old center played at the highest level in Europe last season and is considered to be a good pick-and-roll player, however the rest of Valanciunas' game is still raw at both ends of the floor.

Enes Kanter, (Kentucky) Turkey, Center

The 19-year-old Kanter has center-worthy measurements at 6' 11.25" tall, 259 lbs, and a 7' 1.5" wingspan, however he was ruled ineligible by the NCAA last year and didn't play in any games for Kentucky. Kanter worked out for the Cavaliers this past week.

A very intriguing prospect, Kanter is not a sure thing.

Bismack Biyombo, Congo, Power Forward/Center

Biyombo came out of nowhere when he joined the senior roster of Baloncesto Fuenlabrada in January, averaging 6.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 17 minutes, and has shot up draft boards everywhere.

Still only 18 years old, Biyombo is 6' 9" tall and 243 lbs with an incredible 7' 7" wingspan. This is a guy to watch.

Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State Sophomore, Small Forward

The top-ranked wing player in his draft class not named Derrick Williams, Leonard averaged 15.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.4 steals for the Aztecs last season and projects to be a very good defender at the next level.

Jan Vesely, Czech Republic, Small Forward

NBA teams have been following the 21-year-old Vesely for some time and his play around the rim has drawn (generous?) comparisons to the Clippers Blake Griffin. The athletic 6' 11" small forward's game may be even better suited to the NBA.

It would be understandable if the Cavaliers were underwhelmed by their choices with the fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft. Usually a pick this high would involve a player who would be more of a sure thing and less of a prospect. In this situation, Cleveland should be acquiring the most proven center available with a high upside and that choice will lead them to taking Valanciunas, if he's still on the board.

Since the Cavaliers own the first overall pick, they control the board, and if they are willing to make a bold move in an attempt to maximize the talent from their first and fourth draft picks, the Cavaliers could get all they want from this draft.

There is just enough doubt and discussion for the Cavaliers to select Williams ahead of Irving and put even more pressure Timberwolves to do something with the number two pick. Minnesota has just signed the fifth pick of the 2009 draft Ricky Rubio and still has the sixth pick from that draft Jonny Flynn on their roster. Both of these players are point guards.

If Minnesota selects Irving, the pressure to do a draft day deal will be intense, and Cleveland would be happy to trade them the number four pick. If Minnesota picks a center based on need, then one of Irving or Brandon Knight will fall to the Cavaliers at four.

Bold moves can produce bold results, and when a team is trying to rebuild an entire roster, no move is too bold.

In the event Minnesota takes Irving and will not do a deal with Cleveland, Williams is still a solid first overall pick in this draft, and the Cavaliers can do no worse than obtaining the NCAA champion UConn Huskies' point guard Kemba Walker with the fourth pick.

If Gilbert wants the Cavaliers to be built into contenders again, he is not going to give away his top draft picks. Cleveland needs to acquire as many young players with star potential as possible through the draft this year and next.

The Cavaliers should make a bold move and control this draft by taking Williams first overall and then do whatever it takes to use their fourth pick as bait to acquire Irving.


Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?sto ... z1P1xKn2DY

Pluto says:

About the Cavaliers ...

1. There are rumors about Andre Iguodola and the Clippers. There are other rumors about the 6-6 shooting guard going to Golden State or Orlando. What about the Cavs making a bid for the 27-year-old, whose contract ($13.3 million, $14.7 million, and $16 million) over the next three seasons is suddenly too rich for the Sixers? He would fit nicely into the Cavs' need for an athletic wing player and their $14 million trade exception.

2. Iguodola has never developed into the star that the Sixers hoped. Making it worse, he pulled a real disappearing act in the final two playoff games against Miami -- scoring only nine points in 73 minutes. So if the Cavs do deal for him, they must understand that he is an athletic defender, a decent scorer -- but not a franchise player.

3. In his seven seasons, he's averaged 15.5 points and shot 46 percent. This year, it was 14.1 points, 44 percent shooting. The Sixers are looking for some young big men (J.J. Hickson?) and something else. They'd probably love to grab the Cavs' No. 4 pick. I certainly wouldn't trade Hickson and the No. 4 for Iguodola. But the trade exception and other things (Dan Gilbert's willingness to spend) means they could find some common ground.

4. The Cavs are mum about Enes Kanter's workout, but teams that have seen the 6-10, 260 pounder in their gyms say he's extremely strong with a powerful low-post game. He has the physical size and maturity to be able to play in NBA games with some effectiveness immediately. That actually is not true of most young big men.

5. Another European draft prospect is Jonas Valanciunas, who is 6-11 and 240 pounds. He is more athletic than Kanter, but lacks Kanter's skill near the basket. Nor is he close to Kanter's strength. He also has some contract issues in Europe, and may not be able to play in the NBA next season. Kanter seems like a much safer pick, as he is free to sign with any team.

Didn't we select Brandon Knight as a first round draft choice to play point guard once before? Or was the name close but not the same?

LeBron James' fast-fading reputation reaches a crisis point in Game 6: Bill Livingston

Published: Saturday, June 11, 2011, 5:21 PM Updated: Saturday, June 11, 2011, 5:22 PM

By Bill Livingston, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Coddled One already is "spoiling" his new fans in South Beach.
"Three bad games in seven years" was the count to which LeBron James, in a remarkable moment of self-absorption and denial, admitted in his "I spoil people" comment after he quit on the Cavaliers in Game 5 of the 2010 Boston series. Closely on its heels came the admission, "I feel bad for myself."
His self-pity must be living really large these days.

In the NBA Finals, his more talented Miami team now trails tougher and more tenacious Dallas, 3-2. James has had one entire pouty game, the fourth, in which he scored eight points. He has had a whole series of shortfalls in the clutch.

Game 4 probably stemmed from his resentment that Dwyane Wade is now the alpha force, the "closer" in tight games. James is a beta who is heading -- since even Chris Bosh has made a bigger shot, winning Game 3 with a contested jumper -- toward the lesser-known Greek letters in Miami's little fraternity of front-runners. By childishly leaving it up to the alpha player to win the game on his own, James, who went to a stacked Miami team because he thought winning a championship would be easy there, made everyone's task much harder.

But it also might have come from no deeper impulse than James' anger that Wade shouted at him in Game 3 and told him, enough with dumping the ball off to role players like Mario Chalmers; attack the rim already. No one speaks sharply to the self-styled King. His petulance and pettiness are defense mechanisms when threatened with failure.

Surely you remember former Cavs coach Mike Brown repeatedly expressing his gratitude to James "for letting me coach him," until finally Brown couldn't anymore. The ultimate rejection came when James waved Brown back to the bench and refused to extend the last game of his Cavs' career by forcing the Celtics to make free throws in the last minute of Game 6 in 2010. The sooner the exit, the less the pressure to stay and the quicker he could leave for the land of stone crabs and teammates who could carry him.

These moments should be brought up, again and again, because they were tantamount to throwing the series. The national media who want to "move on" are trying to erase the memory of as contemptible a competitive effort as I have seen in 38 years of covering the NBA. It won't wash. The ineradicable stain remains. And it is growing in these Finals.

If the word "quit" sticks in the throats of James' many apologists, there are yet a few of them who are finally questioning his heart. I have known of whispers from NBA players to that effect ever since James' passive sixth game in another season-ender in Orlando in 2009.

In the Finals, James has been no factor in the fourth quarter of the five games. Even given his reduced role as a scorer, the disparity of his 11 total points in the fourth quarter, compared to the 52 of Dallas' top gun, Dirk Nowitzki, is simply stunning.

James also never appears in the post-game interview room without Wade alongside him. The Mavericks' grizzled veteran stars, Nowitzki and Jason Kidd, face the post-game inquisition alone, as if to show they need no emotional buttress.

Having Wade there is probably a prudent measure by the Heat. James' psychological fragility can pop up at any time, such as when he ripped his Cavs teammates for "dying down in the moment."
Another big moment arrives Sunday night in Game 6. James has more help than ever before, and he will face more of the scrutiny he invites than ever before. A season dies if the Heat players don't seize the moment. A championship fades away that was prematurely celebrated from the first day, when James, Bosh and Wade came capering through the fog machine's smoke at their introductory appearance in Miami.

Perhaps James will snap out of it. Everyone knows he is good enough to. Perhaps the Heat have only temporarily lost their way.

But in Cleveland, we have seen much of this before.

Can't count on anything too normal tonight.

Stern would love to see Miami pull out the title in a close game 7.

I don't believe that story plays as well with the majority of people interested in the results of this series.

I don't trust Stern.

civ ollilavad wrote:Didn't we select Brandon Knight as a first round draft choice to play point guard once before? Or was the name close but not the same?

Where Are They Now - Terrell Brandon
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Brandon averaged over 17 ppg in his last three years as a Cavalier.
Jonathan Daniel
NBAE/Getty Images
“In the shadows” is usually not the ideal place to begin an NBA career. But that’s where Terrell Brandon began his tour of duty with the Cavaliers as a first-round draft pick (No. 11 overall) in 1991.
During the 1990-91 season, Cavaliers All-NBA point guard, Mark Price had his season cut to 16 games due to a torn ACL. The Cavaliers finished 33-49 that season, going with Darnell Valentine and John Morton at the point. Determined not to risk another collapse, Cleveland tabbed Brandon, a smooth junior guard from Oregon.

That season, Brandon was named to the All-Rookie second team after averaging 7.4 points and 3.9 assists per game. Price regained his All-Star form and he and Brad Daugherty once again represented the Cavaliers in the mid-season classic. Cleveland won 25 more games than the year before and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals for only the second time in the history of the franchise.

By the 1994-95 season, it was a new-look Cavalier club. The team had left the Coliseum for its new home, Gund Arena, the uniforms were different and Mike Fratello was in his second season. Brad Daugherty was out for the year and Larry Nance had retired. By the next year, Price was gone, too. At that point, the Cavaliers were now Terrell Brandon’s team, and he cemented that status by making his first All-Star appearance in the 1996 game in San Antonio. For the year, Brandon led the Cavaliers in scoring (19.3 ppg) and assists (6.5 apg) as the Cavaliers made their fifth straight trip to the playoffs.

In 1997, Brandon once again made the All-Star team and played before the home folks as Cleveland hosted the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Terrell Brandon averaged 19.5 ppg for Cleveland that year, his last in a Cavaliers uniform.

Terrell Brandon was traded to Milwaukee in the off-season where he had two successful seasons before ending his career with a successful four-year run alongside Kevin Garnett in Minnesota. He was especially effective in the playoffs for the Wolves, averaging 18 points per game.

Like his predecessor in Cleveland, recurring knee injuries cut the modest point guard’s career short. He averaged 12.4 ppg in his final year in the league and 13.8 for his career.

Known as one of the NBA’s nicest guys, Brandon, who now resides in his home state of Oregon, took a few minutes to talk with clevelandcavaliers.com and let his fans back in Cleveland know what he’s up to …


Clevelandcavaliers.com: Terrell, what have you been up to since retirement?
Terrell Brandon: After I retired about three years ago, I’ve been back here in the city of Portland. I'm really taking care of my son and my family and staying in the neighborhood.
I grew up in northeast Portland. I have my businesses here. I still have my barbershop and my retail store – TB’s Place – sports apparel, jeans, Timberland boots and things of that nature, and my apartment complex.

CC.com: Have you ever thought about getting back into the league in a coaching or front office capacity?
TB: I’d love to get back into the NBA. I’m just not sure if the coaching aspect would be in my interests, but definitely in some type of executive role. I’d love to get back. I feel like being a point guard taught me so much about running a team. So I feel that I do have a sense of what teams are looking for and what fans are looking for. I feel like I was a part of that for much of my career.

So hopefully in the near future, you’ll see me back on the sidelines or in commentary. I’ll definitely get there. I’m not ready right now to commit myself full-blown to it. But once I get my other ventures more established – maybe a year or two – I’ll definitely be ready.

CC.com: When you came back to the Gund for Hardwood Classic nights last year, you looked like you could still run the point. Do you play any hoops in Portland?
TB: I haven’t played hoops since I hurt my knee in San Antonio when I was playing for the Timberwolves. I think that was 2000. Once I got traded (to Atlanta) they pretty much knew that my career was over. I tried so many times (to test the knee); I wasn’t going to give up. But I just couldn’t do it.

I still stay in shape. I’m playing tennis now. It’s a great way to stay in shape. I don’t have to go ‘up and down’ (laughs), it’s more side-to-side. It’s pretty strenuous, but now that I’ve stayed off of (the knee) for about three or four years, I’m feeling more confident and comfortable that I can move on the thing. And I’m feeling good. I’m looking forward to playing hoops. But I'm nervous about the knee.


Right now, I’m only 35 years old. It's funny, sports-wise, I can’t just go out there and play recreationally, going out there and just playing. My mind and my body won’t let me do that. I’m competitive. Once I’m able to compete without worrying about winning and losing – going out there and playing just to play – that’s the point I’m trying to get to and I haven’t gotten there yet.
I’m just as passionate on the tennis court as I was on the basketball court. And a lot of it is just, you know, balls I just can’t get to, I’m so competitive and hard-headed, that I’m trying to get to them anyway. (laughs) That puts a big strain on my body, so I probably just need to relax a little bit.

CC.com: How did you get into tennis?
TB: I picked it up. I sprained my ankle in ’94 and I wanted to try something that would strengthen my ankle and was something new. I always drove by the tennis courts here in Northeast (Portland) and they were always packed. So one day, I went out there and started looking at their footwork. And I said, ‘Let me try this to see if it works for me.’ And it became more than footwork. I enjoyed tennis and started getting pretty good at it. So it was a combination of the two.

CC.com: Are you still able to follow the Cavaliers?
TB: I am a Cavalier, so I’ll follow the Cavaliers until the day I die.

I was there six years. The Cavaliers are my love and Cleveland is my adopted hometown. So naturally, I was hyped last year when the Cavaliers were up to third or fourth in the Conference and things were going well. And then, when Paul got fired, things kid of went downhill. And, as a former player, even though I wasn’t playing, I felt it. Of course, I still have a strong passion for the Cavaliers.

Now we have a new coach and I think there’s some energy coming back to the Cavaliers. We have that superstar and we have a strong foundation. I’m really looking forward to watching them this year.

CC.com: You spent some years with Danny Ferry as a player and now he's the General Manager of the Cavaliers. How do you think he'll do?
TB: You know, I’m biased because Danny was my pick-and-roll partner. (laughs)I was able to talk to him when he got the job and I passed my congratulations along to him. I think he’ll do a fantastic job.

I think he was very underrated in San Antonio, because that team had a lot of talent and he was one of the guys going overseas to scout that talent. He’s the one that scouted behind the scenes and didn't get a lot of the credit. (Spurs' coach Gregg) Popovich, he knows it’s the people not only in the forefront, but behind the scenes that are doing a lot of the work. And (Danny) has the respect from everybody. He’s got a really good business mind. And, of course, coming from Duke, his education is definitely an A+.

I think he’ll do a great job. And he’s got a great passion for the Cavaliers after playing with them for 10 years. It’s a different type of passion that most GMs don’t have.

CC.com: What are some of the lasting memories you have from your time in Cleveland?
TB: I think the first time I arrived in Cleveland – actually Richfield. I had heard the stories about where Richfield was, but to actually drive through it (laughs) was totally different. So just to be in the middle of nowhere and to arrive in this great building and to see Larry Nance and Mark Price and Brad Daugherty and the rest of these great players, I had to wonder, ‘Will I fit in?’ So that’s one of the most memorable moments of my career, coming from Portland to Cleveland, Ohio and I was thrown to the wolves as if to say: ‘What are you going to do?’ And the first place I went was to the Richfield Coliseum and I looked up at the rafters and wondered if my number could be up there one day. I imagine most young players do that.

CC.com: Was it difficult making the transition from a star point guard at Oregon to backing up Mark Price when you first arrived?
TB: No. It was very, very easy. Mark and I got along so well. (I think people wanted to make a controversy over us, but it wasn’t there.) I knew whose team it was. So it was easy to just sit back – even though I had the pressure of starting the first 16 games as a rookie because of Price’s injury – everyone knew it was his position. That’s what a backup’s role is: to assist the team and the starter.


And Lenny (Wilkens) taught me my role and he understood my role and he challenged me and said, “I want you to be the best backup point guard in the league.” And that meant a lot. I didn’t take it as an insult. I took it as being flattered to be in a position like that. And I wound up making the All-Rookie Team coming off the bench. Watching Mark every day – as well as going through picks by Brad and Larry and Hot Rod (Williams) – helped me out a lot.
CC.com: Is there a player in the NBA now that reminds you of the way you played?
TB: A little bit of Mike Bibby, with his mid-range game. I’ve always admired him. And every so often, I’ll get a glimpse of his game and think, ‘Man, I used to do that.’

And then, not LeBron James in the sense of height or build, but if you go back to when I played he was a young boy, so you know he was watching the Cavaliers. And when he goes to the basket, when he switches to his left hand at the last second – I’m not taking credit for it (laughing) – but it just looks like a move I used to do when I played for the Cavaliers.

CC.com: If you could pass some wisdom from your 13-year career on to a young point guard or young player, what would it be?
TB: I would say, first of all, ‘Love the game.’ Spend the time to get better. You have to spend the time getting better because it just doesn’t happen overnight. Be patient, but take full advantage of your time. Because time goes by so fast, it’ll be gone before you know it. If you don’t appreciate what you’ve got when you’re there, you’ll spoil what God has given you.

Stay humble. Get your teammates involved. Especially if you’re a point guard. Get people involved. Be unselfish. Don’t feel that scoring has to be your ticket to popularity or wealth. Being a solid point guard gets you respect and respect sometimes means so much more than anything else.

rocky raccoon wrote:So Williams #1, Knight #4?

No, Irving #1 then what is left from Williams, Kanter, Knight, and V at #4. Then I think the Cavs are going to try and get another pick to draft Marcus Morris or if later in the first round possibly Brooks. Maybe Lighty at the top of the 2nd.

Whatever the Cavs end up doing, they must hit a home run with one of the picks.

rusty2 wrote:

rocky raccoon wrote:So Williams #1, Knight #4?

No, Irving #1 then what is left from Williams, Kanter, Knight, and V at #4. Then I think the Cavs are going to try and get another pick to draft Marcus Morris or if later in the first round possibly Brooks. Maybe Lighty at the top of the 2nd.

You could also see Irving #1, Knight #4,(assuming Williams, and Kanter are gone) and then V (because of his buyout) or Morris possibly at #8

So that would be the backcourt along with Baron, or you then flip Walker?

I think you meant Knight. They may flip him. I would keep him because he can play the 2 guard in the future.

To me, the only 2 "for sure" future star players are Irving and Knight.

Increasingly, there are two NBAs: the LeBron-CAA NBA, and everyone else.

James has been a part of recruiting everyone else over to his side – Wade, Chris Bosh(notes), Carmelo Anthony(notes), Chris Paul(notes). And now, the New Jersey Nets’ Deron Williams(notes) is strongly considering joining up with CAA after firing his longtime agent. Within the NBA, this surprised people because Williams had always been so fiercely independent. He never star-gazed James like most of his young teammates, and never seemed inclined to follow.

“LeBron has almost become a movement within the league,” says a league executive who’ll recruit these players in 2012. “With Worldwide Wes [CAA agent William Wesley] and him, you’re making a decision as a player to be packaged the way they packaged him. They follow him.”

James and Wade are taking this league over, and they’ll dominate the next several seasons. Their agents are determined to leverage that into complete control of the league’s elite, and LeBron’s figured out a way to profit, too.

The Washington’s Post Mike Wise reported on a James’ text message to an NBA player in free agency that said simply, “Yo, this is King James.” This is precisely how he has done it with the college players that he’s recruited for CAA and his marketing company, LRMR. This was a true a year ago when Y! Sports reported on it, and it’s still true now.


Dwyane Wade helped bail out James in the final minutes of the 2008 Olympic gold-medal game. He wasn't able to do so in Games 4 and 5 of the NBA Finals.
(Getty Images)
Two years ago, an All-American college player told his coach that James called him and the young player didn’t recognize the number.

“This is the King,” the voice said.

The kid was like, “Huh?”

“This is the King.”

Uh, who?

“King James.”

Oh, right.

Yes, LeBron’s taking over and all, but Dirk Nowitzki(notes) isn’t one of his acolytes, nor one of his fans. There’s a thirtysomething core of champions – Kobe Bryant(notes), Tim Duncan(notes), Kevin Garnett(notes), and so on – who don’t swoon in the King’s presence. They don’t want his marketing company, his agents, his style.

For now, Dirk wants to beat James and Wade, wants an NBA championship, and that’s part of the reason why the Heat’s stars are so openly willing to mock him.

Modern NBA history doesn’t offer many examples of the more talented team losing in the Finals, but it could happen this year. This should’ve been on Wade’s mind when he started playing the clown for cameras the afternoon of Game 5, dragging a willing James into a sideshow that he didn’t need now.

Three years ago, Wade bailed out James in a title game in Beijing, but this is different. When LeBron James stares into space, bites his nails and disengages late in another championship game, Wade won’t have Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard(notes) to help. And this isn’t Spain they’re trying to beat, but the tough, willful Mavericks of Dirk Nowitzki.

Feel free to mock Nowitzki, but when the fourth quarter comes on Sunday night, Dwyane Wade knows the superstars who can be counted upon, and knows the ones who’ve faked their way through this in the past.

Adrian Wojnarowski is the NBA columnist for Yahoo! Sports. Follow him on Twitter. Send Adrian a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

My error on Knight.

If those 2 guys are going to be the stars, that's the way to fly.