Cleveland Sports Forum

Thank you guys for The Cavalier's thoughts, news and opinions

I'm just a bandwagon fan, but I care. A lot.


David Letterman just had a joke about Anthony Weiner taking his talents to South Beach.

He'd fit right in with the other narcassistic child that did that.

Part of a chat with Bill Simmons and Chad Ford:

Simmons: "If you're cleveland, why do they have to draft a point guard? You have Baron Davis and Ramon sessions"

Ford: "Because they have Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions"

From Hoopsworld:

calvin in :
what NBA player would you compare derrick williams to?

Luke Byrnes:
Michael Beasley is a pretty good comparison, although I think Derrick Williams is a better ball-handler and shooter than Beasley.

Mark in Cleveland:
What's Irving's ceiling in the form of ranking among the top point guards playing today? I don't see him surpassing Rose, Westbrook, Paul, and Williams in their primes.

Luke Byrnes:
He is a much different player than those that you mentioned. They are all lightning-quick guys who get into the lane and put pressure on defense as a result of that penetration. Irving is a better outside shooter who can create shots for himself and others. I see Irving as a quality starting point guard and helps a team win basketball games. Superstar? Probably not. Really good NBA player. Absolutely.


Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/chat.asp?chat ... z1PwTsreTp

rumor keeps popping up of the Cavs taking Kanter at #4, then flipping him to the Wizards for Jonas V(picked at 7) and the Wizards pick at #18.

Apparently all based on Washington desire for Kantor, JVs contract buyout making him fall to 7( Cavs getting the guy they want) and acquiring another first rounder in the process.

From Hoopsworld:

The #1 Overall: The Cleveland Cavaliers have told the agents of Kyrie Irving, Enes Kanter, Derrick Williams and Brandon Knight that they have not yet reached a decision on the top overall pick and that a team meeting is scheduled for Thursday morning where the Cavs and owner Dan Gilbert will hash out decisions.

The Cavs are denying that anything has been decided on Kyrie Irving, but have made it clear they have zero issues with Irving's toe, which cost him the bulk of the college basketball season and say they are completely satisfied with the medical outlook of the 6'3 point guard.

The Cavaliers also hold the #4 overall pick and are said to be shopping it pretty aggressively. The San Antonio Spurs have been linked to the #3 and the #4 picks offering up Tony Parker as part of a package.

The Cavaliers hold a $14.5 million Traded Player Exception and could absorb Parker's $13.5 million salary, which drops to $12.5 million next year, outright.

Should the Cavaliers opt for someone other than Kyrie Irving with the top pick, the stage could be set for a deal with San Antonio should the right player be available at #4.

League sources point to Jonas Valanciunas as a likely target for the Spurs, mainly because they are looking for a stud big man to eventually replace Tim Duncan who has one more year left on his deal.

Cavs sources were quick to say they had nothing going with the Spurs, but the math is starting to line up for a deal, the question is do the Cavs and Spurs consummate something?



Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?sto ... z1Q0rpCcMa

I liek Nicola Mirotic, a lottery level player who won't play in the US any time soon. Sure wish Gilbert would buy a late first and bury him over seas for awhile like they did with Eyenga. Could be a real nice addition in a few years.

Here's a summary of 12 Mock Drafts; all have Cavs taking Irving 1st; split on Kanter and V.... for #4.

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/features/0 ... ef:nbahpt1

Barring any kind of major trade, I'll be happy with the Cavs drafting Irving and Jonas V. I don't know much about the Lithuanian but lots of knowledgeable basketball people love his skills and upside. Who cares if he matures for another year in the Euro League.

Hoopsworld:

Jonas Valanciunas Not Slipping, After All?

A couple days ago it was reported that the buyout for Jonas Valanciunas was all good to go, and all he needed to do was sign the dotted line. But the catch in all this was that his European team wasn't going to let him play in the NBA for another year. Since he'd already missed the deadline for withdrawal when this little curveball was thrown, Valanciunas had no choice to stay in the draft, even though his stock would take a tumble since high lottery teams want immediate impact players, not guys who are going to come over in a year or two.

In his latest mock draft for Yahoo!, however, DraftExpress guru Jonathan Givony explains that Valanciunas, who many consider the best big man prospect in the class, still hasn't signed that buyout—a savvy move to maybe increase his stock a little. It leaves hope that he can renegotiate something and still make his way to the States next year, and that move was apparently enough for Cleveland to fly him in for a "secret meeting" on Tuesday so they could conduct a medical exam and a last-minute interview.

In general, it seems more and more likely that Cleveland will take Enes Kanter with the #4 overall selection to go along with Kyrie Irving. However, with both Minnesota and Utah eyeballing Kanter with the #2 and #3 picks, respectively, they might have to take a different direction at #4. Once again, that puts Valanciunas squarely in the eyes of the Cavs.

There are certainly plenty of teams that hope he does drop. San Antonio reportedly wants to get into the lottery to get an opportunity to grab him, and Houston would love for him to fall their way, too. Milwaukee, who already has a pretty loaded lineup at every direction, might even welcome drafting a high pay-off guy like that since they don't have a lot of minutes to spread around right now, anyway.

One thing everybody does agree on is that when it's all said and done, ten years from now, we may look back at this draft and find that Valanciunas was the best player of the group. The team that takes him might have to wait to reap those rewards, but long-term he could be the best choice. That's why, even at #4, he'd be far from a silly selection.




Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?sto ... z1Q7TF3OpQ

More:

Tristan Thompson's stock is soaring with several hours to go before the 2011 NBA Draft. The Cleveland Cavaliers are considering using the #4 selection on Thompson, the Detroit Pistons are very interested in him at #8 and there are several teams including the Houston Rockets that are trying to trade up in the first round to select him. Many are wondering why Thompson is climbing draft boards all of a sudden, but it makes perfect sense if you delve into the numbers that teams use to project each prospect's potential.

Teams that rely heavily on advanced analytics have Thompson projected as one of the top players in this draft class based on his statistics. As ESPN's John Hollinger recently wrote, the numbers support a Thompson pick. Hollinger has Thompson ranked as the third-best prospect in this class and his statistical rating that takes into account his numbers, efficiency and potential puts him higher than anyone else in the class. Thompson's 16.21 rating puts him ahead of Kyrie Irving (15.14) and Derrick Williams (15.97). The numbers also rank him ahead of some of the best bigs in recent years including Greg Monroe (15.77), Chris Bosh (15.57) and Derrick Favors (15.51).
If Thompson goes fourth overall, it would be a huge jump, but it's not completely out of the question given the stats that prop him up. It also doesn't hurt that Thompson had a "great" workout with the Cavaliers last week, and has one of the most engaging personalities of anyone in this class.

Alex Kennedy - 06/23/2011 12:29pm EST-

The Cleveland Cavaliers have two of the top four picks in tonight's draft, but they're not satisfied just yet. ESPN's Chad Ford is reporting that the Cavaliers are attempting to acquire a third lottery pick, with the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings as the most likely potential partners.

Cleveland has a $14.5 million traded-player exception that they're willing to move in exchange for a bad contract such as Richard Hamilton's $12.5 million deal, which they nearly acquired at the trade deadline last year. It sounds like the Cavaliers will target Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Jonas Valanciunas if they do find a way to obtain a third lottery pick.

Read more NBA news and insight: http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?sto ... z1Q7U5TPJs

To add to your story Rocky...

Sources: Cavs eye Jonas Valanciunas

The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to take Lithuania's Jonas Valanciunas with the No. 4 pick even if Kentucky's Enes Kanter is still available, league sources said Thursday morning.

Cleveland is still expected to take Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick, with Arizona forward Derrick Williams likely to be Minnesota's pick at No. 2.

The Utah Jazz are deciding between Kentucky guard Brandon Knight and Kanter, with Kanter the choice anticipated by several general managers who hold subsequent lottery picks.

The consensus is that Valanciunas will not be able to escape his existing contract with Lietuvos Rytas until January at the earliest, but that does not scare off the Cavaliers, who sources say compare Valanciunas favorably to the Lakers' Pau Gasol.

If the Jazz select Knight and the Cavs take Valanciunas, Kanter could be taken by Toronto as the fifth pick, but certainly wouldn't get past the Wizards at No. 6.

Kanter attended classes at Kentucky but could not play because he was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after playing professionally in Turkey.

Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine.

Watch for a flurry of deals , most post draft.

Ideal would be the Cavs snagging another first rounder.

Cavs on the clock...

And they trade the #1 pick to the Heat for Lebron James!

j/k