Cleveland Sports Forum

Waiters Takes Partial Blame in Grant Firing

By Basketball Insiders |
Updated: February 10, 2014

#Cavs (Dion) Waiters says he’s partially to blame Chris Grant lost job: “If we’d played the way we have last 2 games he’d probably still be here.

via Sam Amico of Fox Sports on Twitter

Read more at http://www.basketballinsiders.com/waite ... AMmwL1A.99

OK, I'm one person who questioned how replacing the GM would address this team's issues.

So, now they play 2 very good games after the firing. Ummm, ok, I plead clueless.

Players were embarrassed by the national media. Dion Waiters did not get selected in the draft for the Rookie- 2nd year player All Star game. Had to have a blind draw for him to make a team.

They had to face the reality that the NBA feel that they are just a bunch of babies.

Very easy to be clueless about this team's performances this season. There have been a few times when things seemed to be turning around and they fell flat on their faces again.

Kind of the opposite of the 2013 Tribe which periodically seemed to be entering a predictable fatal swoon and then pulled out of it.

Coaching/managing have anything to do with those situations?

Cavs: Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters trying to make it work

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

Posted: 02/10/14, 5:46 PM EST |


Dion Waiters was hand-picked to be Kyrie Irving’s sidekick.
It took Cavaliers coach Mike Brown nine games before he pulled the plug on the combination, and moved Waiters to the bench.
No one is saying Waiters isn’t the team’s best shooting guard. Most NBA observers think he is by a large margin.
Brown said he was just following his coaching instincts.
“I thought this was best for the team,” Brown said after practice Monday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “Dion brings a lot to our second unit. A lot of times, he’ll be on the floor at the end of the game. It doesn’t matter who starts the game. How many minutes are you getting? How effective are you with both lineups?”
Brown said Waiters and Irving aren’t just learning how to play together, they are learning how to play. Waiters is in his second year in the NBA, Irving in his third.
“They’ve had some moments where they’ve played very well together on the floor,” Brown said. “They are two young guys trying to figure out how to play the right way themselves, no matter who else is out on the floor. They are getting better learning how to play with each other.”
Being moved to the bench has fueled rumors the Cavs might entertain offers to deal Waiters at the Feb. 20 trade deadline. They might live to regret that move, especially if Waiters continues to have games like he did on Sunday against Memphis.
Waiters had 18 points, seven rebounds, six assists and two steals in the Cavs’ 91-83 overtime victory over the Grizzlies. The downside was that he shot 7 of 21 from the field, 1 of 5 from behind the arc.
The 6-foot-4, 225-pound Waiters seemed to thrive while on the court with Irving, a two-time All-Star.
“We’ve just got to play off one another,” Waiters said. “If we continue to do that, we’ll be way better.
“Now when we attack, we’re looking for one another. We’re playing off each other and we’re feeding off one another.”
Can this work?
Critics say it won’t work because Irving and Waiters are so similar. They need the ball in their hands to be effective. They are both high-volume scorers.
Irving, who had a game-high 28 points and six assists against the Grizzlies, said they are learning to play together.
“We’re just being honest with each other out there, telling each other what we see out there,” he said. “He’s looking to me for advice. I’m looking to him for advice, different things we see out there. Earlier in the season, we probably wouldn’t have said anything to one another. It’s just continuing to get better and playing off one another.”
The two players supposedly clashed during a players-only meeting in Minnesota on Nov. 13. That’s when Brown yanked Waiters out of the starting lineup. But Irving went so far as to call Waiters “one of his good friends.”
“Going out there and having one of your good friends out there, we can play off one another,” Irving said. “He’s got so much talent. Me just going to the corner and let him go to work. Or me and him playing off one another, coming off the top of the key, playing pick-and-roll, just looking for each another and also trying to make plays for our teammates.”
The Cavs (18-33) have won two in a row heading into their contest against Sacramento at 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Q. The last time they face the Kings, they lost by 44 points.
“You remember,” Cavs forward Luol Deng said. “Right now, it’s about us. We played two good games. We want to keep it rolling. The last two games have brought our confidence back to us.
“Since I’ve been here, that was the best home game we’ve had. That’s the team we want to be.”
Brown said he has yet to discuss the 124-80 loss to the Kings on Jan. 12.
“I may address it with them,” he said. “I might not. If any of our guys don’t remember that ... it was a tough one.”
Injury report
Center Anderson Varejao (back), swingman C.J. Miles (sore right foot), Deng (Achilles) and guard Carrick Felix (knee) were held out of practice on Monday.
“Andy is a little banged up,” Deng said.
Varejao had an MRI on his back and Miles had an X-ray on his foot. Both images were negative.
Deng is longing for the All-Star break, which starts Thursday, to help with his Achilles.
“The All-Star break will be huge for me,” he said. “I’ll be able to give it some rest. I’m hoping to get back to 100 percent or close to it.”

Holy CRAP! Welcome to the team Anthony Bennett!

Who knew he could drain 3s like that? And a double/double. NOW I see what they saw in him.

Who knew that firing the GM would light such a fire under the team?

You are seeing why many thought he had the potential to be the biggest star in this past draft. Once he learns how to use his huge body and shoulders he will be almost unstoppable as a stretch 4.
A larger Adrian Dantley.

Dan Gilbert

@cavsdan
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Congrats @anthonybennett on the 1st of countless double/doubles you will toll. Proud of you for ignoring the malcontents. Keep grinding!


10:02 PM - 11 Feb 2014

Starting to feel that Andy is going to be traded for Asik and Donatas Motiejunas.

If not Andy then Deng.

Obviously Asik is a wreck right now. But would be a very nice large body in the long run.

I don't see Andy as a fit in Houston though, they really want a stretch guy. Maybe as a bench guy I guess.

Now Deng, he would make Parsons their stretch 4. I could obviously see that one.

PS - would wonder about Terrence Jones in that scenario though. Been playing really well, wouldn't mind him coming north.

What was exciting last night was to see that Bennett looked comfortable moving about in the system.

Add that to the fact that he's in much better shape now and you can see that there is legitimacy to the speculation that the injuries really messed him up earlier on.

If a guy with that body starts hitting 3's like that, and moving without the ball like he did, could be VERY nice.

By the way, Waiters made some unbelievable moves for scores last night as well. OBVIOUSLY the guy's shot selection could still use refinement. But what a talent in an amazing "guard" body!

I'll accept an Adrian Dantley!

More about that:

Final score: Cleveland Cavaliers win 3rd straight, beat Sacramento Kings 109-99

By David Zavac @DavidZavac on Feb 11 2014, 8:45p

Anthony Bennett got off to a historically bad start to the season. It was awful for the fans, it was awful for the Cavs, it was awful for Bennett. I am writing in past tense.

Bennett is figuring some things out. Tonight, he played fantastic. Finishing with 19 points on 9 shots, 10 rebounds, competent defense most of the time, and only 1 turnover that came on a charge (which I will take because it means he was being aggressive) this was by far Bennett's best game as a pro. Even the preseason game against Orlando when Bennett went nova can't compare to this. That game involved Bennett hitting contested midrange shots. He got hot.

That isn't what happened tonight. He had quick spin moves, forced his way to the free throw line, hit some three pointers (which he will need to do) and got easy looks at the rim on cuts. It was really, really promising because if he does what he did tonight, it can be sustainable. Bennett has a long way to go. He gets lost defensively, but that's the sort of thing you expect from any rookie. He seems to be starting to carve out a solid role off the bench. It isn't limiting his minutes; he was effective tonight and played 30. It's working.

Bennett wasn't the only Cavalier who played well, though. Dion Waiters imposed his will on the game. He defended, pushed the ball in transition, kept teammates involved with great passes and got where ever he wanted on the court. He created for himself with cuts off the ball (including what looked to be a trick play with Delly where he pretended to sulk after giving up the ball) and created for teammates and finished at the rim.

It was the most complete game I have ever seen him play, and, just like Bennett, he did it with things that can be sustainable. While he ended with 20 points on 17 shots, at one point he was shooting 5-14 from the field. I didn't care. He can control his effort every game. He can control his defense. There was one stretch in the 2nd quarter that summed up Waiters' game for me. He attacked the basket, got bumped, didn't get the call. He raced back defensively, made a good play on a ball in the restricted area, and got called for a weak foul.

Now, after he got called for the foul, Waiters ran off in frustration. But the original missed call didn't keep him from defending, and I loved it. He was dialed in and made two plays. He reacted after the whistle had blown. He didn't get the right result on this one, but the right results will come. He finished with 8 assists to just 1 turnover. Can't gush any more.

Oh, by the way, Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson were pretty darn good too. Irving played good defense on Isaiah Thomas all night, scored 13 points, and 6 assists to 1 turnover. His body language was great, laughing with Waiters and coach Mike Brown at various points.

Thompson had 16 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist. He spent a lot of time guarding DeMarcus Cousins, a matchup in which he gives up a lot of size. He held his own.

The Kings aren't a good team, but there is a lot to build on here. Luol Deng was great and I haven't even touched on him. If Dion Waiters and Anthony Bennett are good NBA players, the outlook on the Cavs long term is bright.

One last Cavs observation for now.

Tonight, they are in Detroit. This is a total setup for a letdown.

It's the 2nd of a back-to-back, on the road. Detroit did NOT play last night, and they are home. They just won their first game and played well without head coach Mo Cheeks.

If I were a betting man, would NOT be wagering on the Cavs.