Cleveland Sports Forum

chadfordinsider Exactly Bill RT @sportsguy33: Ahhhhhh... now I get it, GSW wants to tank rest of 2012 season b/c Utah gets

their 2012 pick unless it's top-7

ESPN Rumor Central ...

Cavs eye Johnson?

9:51AM ET

Armon Johnson | Trail Blazers

The Portland Trail Blazers waived point guard Armon Johnson in late February to open up a roster spot for center Joel Przybilla.

Johnson has been looking for work and he might get it with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge reported Tuesday that Cleveland has "expressed interest" in the point guard.

According to The Plain Dealer, Johnson's agent declined to reveal if Cleveland is considering signing the point guard.

Cleveland will probably only offer a 10-day contract to the next player they sign.

-- Nick Borges

Lakers in lead for Sessions?

Ramon Sessions | Cavaliers

From Alex Kennedy of HOOPSWORLD: "The Lakers have been linked to Ramon Sessions for weeks and they continue to express significant interest in the Cleveland Cavaliers' point guard. While other teams have called about Sessions, the Lakers are believed to be the frontrunner to acquire his services, if they decide to pull the trigger on a deal."

Kennedy also listed Kyle Lowry -- which may not be as much of an option for the Lakers in the wake of his recent injury -- and Raymond Felton as potential gets at PG for the Lakers.

Kirk Hinrich's name has also come up, but such chatter has died down some.

As such: It could be shaping up as a situation where the Lakers exhaust all option before eventually pulling the trigger on Sessions if it's what exists as their most achievable option.

-- Ryan Corazza

ESPN's John Hollinger

Sessions a good combo of production and salary

"A classic pick-and-roll point guard who has produced consistently in his five-year career, Sessions is still only 25 and carries a very reasonable contract. However, he might opt out of the final season he's owed at $4.5 million and carries considerably less appeal as a rental. Nonetheless, several contending teams need help at point guard, and Sessions' combination of productivity and salary makes him a very tempting target. Now, for the caveats. He's not a good spot-up shooter and needs the ball in his hands, making him a poor fit for the likes of the Lakers. He has improved defensively this season but had been ridiculously bad in previous campaigns, which is one reason his contract dollars are what they are. And, again, if he plays well, he's just going to walk as a free agent. Those are the reasons teams are (currently) balking at the Cleveland Cavaliers' asking price of a first-round pick, but a couple of clubs seem desperate enough for quality point guard help that they ultimately might cough one up."

Cavs trade Sessions and Eyenga to Lakers for 2 awful players and 1st round pick and right next year to switch Heat pick for Laker pick

civ ollilavad wrote:Cavs trade Sessions and Eyenga to Lakers for 2 awful players and 1st round pick and right next year to switch Heat pick for Laker pick

I thought it was just one awful player. Geez, they did better than I thought!

Oh wow, we got Kopono back too!

Really good trade.

Any time you free up cap space for Gilbert I think it's a plus in this league.

And to get a decent draft pick too is a win.

The Cavaliers unlike the other two Cleveland teams are doing things the right way. They are levaraging Dan Gilbert's deep pockets to accelerate a rebuilding program through the draft. The national guys even guys I respect ie Hollinger are panning this trade. They dont understand the organizational philosphy. This team is committed to rebuilding and not just to sneak into the playoffs which could have been possible this year with different trades but to compete for the championship in a relatively short time frame. What a breath of fresh air- A rich passionate owner with a competant analytics based management team.

Would I have liked to pass on Walton, sure. But I would have hated to have kept Ramon and watch him leave, or worse yet help us become the 8th seed and then leave.

We have a buliding block, possibly two. While small, it helps us move forward and should help keep Kyrie happy and with a bunch of young guns to grow with.

Ultimately though, I am growing more concerned about this coming draft. I think it is 10 strong, but after that I thought last year's draft board was good. I can't find any quality Euros to help build up this draft either. Sorry to cheer against the Cavs but every time they lose I smile just a bit.

Also can't rememeber watching the other teams as closely as this year. Think there is a shot to be a top 5, which gives us a rel chance for lightning to srike twice. Anyway, I am expecting Perry Jones or Beal to be our pick, but that could all be affected if the underclassmen don't come upit.

Rusty do you have ESPN insider. If so can you post forde hollinger and Broussard's latest. Much more pleasant to be posting about this team.

Hollinger's grades: Deadline deals

Originally Published: March 15, 2012

By John Hollinger | ESPN.com

Cleveland: D+

If Dan Gilbert is paying attention, he should ask David Stern to void this trade for "basketball reasons."

First, let's follow the dead money. Walton makes $6.1 million next year with his trade kicker; Eyenga makes $1.1 million; neither of them are likely to play much or do anything of consequence if they do. So Cleveland swallows $5 million in dead 2012-13 salary.

For the privilege, they get a first-round pick from L.A. that will likely be in the 20s. The interesting part here is that when teams have done cash-for-late-first-rounder deals, they've typically valued the pick in the $3-4 million range. At best, the Cavs slightly overpaid on this part of the equation. And from L.A.'s side the savings double since they're in the luxury tax; effectively being paid $10 million for a late first-rounder is great business on their part.

But wait ... Cleveland also gave up a really good point guard! The Lakers essentially got Sessions for free; it was a fair deal just to give them a first-rounder to take Walton off their hands.

The Cavs do effectively move up a few spots in the 2013 draft with this deal. The Cavs get the right to swap Miami's first-round pick, which they own, with L.A.'s; most likely, that pushes them from 29th or 30th into more like the low-mid 20s.

L.A. Lakers: A-

The only reason I put a "minus" here is my one misgiving about Sessions' fit into the Lakers' offense. He's a slashing, pick-and-roll point guard who needs the ball in his hands; spacing the floor for Kobe isn't really his thing. He'll likely be at his best when Bryant is off the floor, as the catalyst for the second unit.

With that said, Sessions is such a huge upgrade on the Lakers' current point guard mess it's not even funny, and it will likely take much of the strain off their three stars to play 40 minutes a game and take all the shots.

Defensively, he's kind of a sieve, and so he won't cure the vulnerability to quick point guards that has bedeviled the Lakers for years. But he's a good rebounder and, again, his ability to create off the dribble gives them a dimension that was badly lacking.

Sessions is also a free agent after the season, potentially; he has an opt-out in his contract. The nice thing about being the Lakers, however, is that nobody is a flight risk. If the Lakers want to keep him, they almost certainly can.

Do not have ESPN insider so thanks HB. Hollinger is obviously incorrect on his analysis.

Windhorst says that if Howard was traded to New Jersey that the Cavs would have been part of that trade (Jamison and taking on contracts from New Jersey) for another first round pick. (Probably lottery) Howard staying in Orlando screwed that.

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... 6&f=446561

This is Windhorst interview from today.

Updated: March 16, 2012, 7:03 am ET


Gerald Wallace Acquisition Risky for Nets?
By HOOPSWORLD
Basketball News & NBA Rumors
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Acting swiftly following the Dwight debacle, the Nets put a top-three protection on their 2012 first-round draft pick and dealt it — along with Mehmet Okur and Shawne Williams — to the Blazers for combo forward Gerald Wallace.

Fan outrage ensued on Twitter.

All season long the Nets had stayed the course. The losses and injuries piled up, yet the philosophy never wavered. The Nets had been accumulating assets and cap space in the event that both Williams and Howard did opt out.

But now, instead of staying patient and developing a roster, they traded a valuable commodity — a first-round pick which very well could be Nos. 4 or 5 — for a player like Wallace, who, despite his prowess on both ends of the court, could be on the downside of his career as he approaches his 30th birthday.

Why? To appease Williams? He’s leaving for Dallas anyway, fans said via social media. To try to win now and make a playoff run? They can’t even stay healthy, fans added.

Yet there are so many risks. What happens if D-Will and Wallace both walk after the season? Then what? Then they just lost a possible lottery pick for nothing.

via Mike Mazzeo of ESPN New York

All of Broussard's recent articles were regarding D Howard and nothing else Hollinger wrote last couple days had to do with Cavs.