Pluto's reply to Hollinger: If we paid too much $ for draft choices, that's Gilbert's worry not the coach's or the team's.

Cavs release Jason Kapono, sign Manny Harris

By The Associated Press 1 hour, 1 minute ago

CLEVELAND (AP)—Jason Kapono’s second stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers was brief.

The team waived the veteran forward Saturday, two days after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers. Kapono, who previously played for the Cavs in 2004, came over in the deal that sent Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga to the Lakers for Luke Walton and a first-round draft pick.

Kapono is now a free agent.

Also, the Cavs signed guard Manny Harris for the remainder of the season. Harris signed two 10-day contracts with the club, most recently on March 11. He has appeared in three games.

Before signing with Cleveland, Harris played for the team’s D-League affiliate in Canton.

Gibson will be the backup at the point, then, and Harris should some minutes at 2 guard. Parker and Gibson are the only other guards among the 15 man roster.

Luke W and Luke H should fight for the right to get dressed in shots each gameday, at least until Andy returns.

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏ @WojYahooNBA

JJ Hickson has completed a buyout with the Kings, league source tells Y!

Not a bad trade by the Cavs. Watch for him on the Heat.

J.J. Hickson has completed a buyout with the Kings.

Hickson has an expiring contract and has missed nine of the last 10 games due to a back injury. The Kings tried to trade him at the deadline and found no takers. Hickson certainly has upside as a 23-year-old 6'9/250 power forward and may not make it through waivers. The Celtics and Heat are among teams that could take a flier. However, the fact that the rebuilding Kings wanted nothing to do with a guy they gave up a first-round pick for back in June speaks volumes. We wouldn't expect Hickson to land as a starter anywhere.

Source: Adrian Wojnarowski on Twitter Mar 19 - 4:50 PM

Jason Lloyd

Also In Cleveland Sports

I like JJ. A lot. But his lack of focus drove both Mike Brown and Byron Scott absolutely crazy. I asked Byron late last season if JJ had done enough to secure a spot in this rebuild. His answer? "I'm not sure yet." If Scott wasn't sure after about 76 games, I knew JJ's time in Cleveland was ending.

about 2 hours ago

Brian Windhorst ‏ @WindhorstESPN
If he makes it thru waivers, Heat would likely have interest in Hickson. Tho he's just another PF & they need a C. Very close w/LeBron.


Brian Windhorst ‏ @WindhorstESPN
There are revisionist historians out there but not trading Hickson did not prevent Cavs from getting Amar'e in '10. According to both sides



Brian Windhorst ‏ @WindhorstESPN
Kings announce they've bought out F JJ Hickson. Not a guarantee he'll get thru waivers, low salary + team would get his rights.

Our 2 2011 first rounders had quite a nite, combining for 53 points, 17 rebounds, 8 assists, a steal, and a block.

Recipe for Cavs win.

In today's PD, Scott says that our return for JJ -- Casspi, i.e. -- hasn't yet learned the team playbook. I guess that might explain why he is appxly as useless as Hickson.

Casspi has not gotten over a knee injury he got in the off season.

CLEVELAND -- The Cavaliers have waived backup center Ryan Hollins, one day after rookie Tristan Thompson had his best game as a pro.

Hollins, who came to Cleveland in a 2010 trade with Minnesota, averaged 3.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game. The 7-footer made seven starts and played in 24 games this season.

Hollins' release comes one day after Thompson scored a season-high 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in his second career start at center in a 105-100 win over the New Jersey Nets. Hollins was active but did not play.

Hollins made 16 starts for the Cavs last season. The 27-year-old was drafted in the second round in 2006 by Charlotte. He has also played for Dallas.

The Cavaliers play in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Rookie Watch: Redraft!

Originally Published: March 21, 2012
By David Thorpe | Scouts Inc.



We all know that many variables impact each draft pick. Nonetheless, every organization has to routinely evaluate its decisions, including the ones it makes in June each year. Things happen after the draft that can impact the way a rookie performs -- free-agent signings, trades, an injury to a rotation player that opens up playing time, a coaching change, etc.

Just a few months removed from the start of this season, some good and bad draft choices already jump out. Things could change in time, but for now let's revisit how the top 20 draft picks could have gone down now that we've seen these young men play in the NBA.



No. 1 pick: The Cavaliers select Kyrie Irving
No. 1 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Kyrie Irving
Viewed by most people as the top prospect in this class back in June, Irving has not disappointed. In fact, he's probably been better than anyone expected considering his injury at Duke and the lockout. He's had a terrific rookie season by anyone's standards.

Not only is he the best player in this group, but he also has the brightest future. That's what a team hopes to get from a No. 1 overall pick -- impact now and more impact later.



No. 2 pick: The Timberwolves select Tristan Thompson
No. 2 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Derrick Williams
This is not a slight on Derrick Williams but rather a dream of featuring powerful bigs Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic with an athletic and long phenom like Thompson. As good as Minnesota's two brutes are, they are still below-the-rim players, which is not an issue for Thompson.

Although Thompson is still a raw player on offense, he would be helped by Rick Adelman's system. He'd be bad today, amazing tomorrow.



No. 3 pick: The Jazz select Enes Kanter
No. 3 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Enes Kanter
Considering the Jazz wanted immediate help and are loaded with power forwards, Kanter still seems like the right choice. The Jazz see a Kanter-Paul Millsap-Derrick Favors rotation down the road.

Kanter's bulk and lack of fluidity concern me in terms of his future, but we need to look only at Pekovic's rise to see how much better Kanter can get quickly. He has the talent and size to be a space-eater around the rim with the hands to make teams pay if they leave him.



No. 4 pick: The Cavaliers select Derrick Williams
No. 4 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Tristan Thompson
Williams, who has the game to be a top-three scorer on a good team, is a lot more like Antawn Jamison than Thompson because of his ability to play out on the perimeter, so he would develop beautifully in Cleveland alongside Irving. The duo would become a devastating pick-and-pop tandem.

This pick would give the Cavs two core players in one draft, which is what they hope will happen with Thompson.



No. 5 pick: The Raptors select Jonas Valanciunas
No. 5 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Jonas Valanciunas
The Raptors need a franchise center, but not right away, so Valanciunas is still the perfect choice. He's developing very well in Europe, especially in learning how to defend with his size and long arms and without fouling. I love how he's learned to keep his arms up on defense, something many NBA bigs still don't do. (I'm talking to you, Samuel Dalembert.)

Valanciunas should make a positive impact next season and improve greatly in a few years. He just turned 20 this month.



No. 6 pick: The Wizards select Kawhi Leonard
No. 6 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Jan Vesely
What teams like the Wizards need more than anything else is stability -- players who can start or play a lot and do so with consistency and reliability. It's a big reason that Washington traded for Nene.

Leonard would give the Wizards their starting small forward for years to come, complementing John Wall on both ends of the court. He plays like a seasoned pro, which is exactly what the Wizards hoped to get when they drafted Jan Vesely and Chris Singleton, but have yet to see. Both of those guys may have more upside than Leonard, but they possess far greater downside, too.



No. 7 pick: The Bobcats select Bismack Biyombo
No. 7 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Bismack Biyombo
The Cats still would get their future Dikembe Mutombo, which was the right call in June and now. Biyombo will be so much better as he matures and learns the NBA game from a macro and micro level. Think of it like this: Imagine Biyombo at UConn. Think he'd be rated higher than Andre Drummond?

Biyombo is not a surefire starter -- not without fine-tuning and better coaching -- but he should always be a rotation guy even if he never gets better (which is highly unlikely).



No. 8 pick: The Pistons select MarShon Brooks
No. 8 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Brandon Knight
With Rodney Stuckey and Ben Gordon on Detroit's roster, any rookie guard would have to share time. I like Knight a lot, but Brooks fills a bigger need and has just as much upside (more downside, too, though).

Brooks has the look of someone who can be a top-two scorer for his team, and he's also a willing rebounder and defender. He'd be a nice fit next to Stuckey.



No. 9 pick: The Bobcats select Nikola Vucevic
No. 9 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Kemba Walker
I know I have the Bobcats taking Biyombo, but getting two solid bigs in one draft is choice stuff. Vucevic can play next to Biyombo; in fact, they'd be ideal together in time. Vucevic loves to face up and is an agile big man who should be able to defend power forwards most nights. He's not a shot-blocker, and he needs to be more physical in the paint, but the two of them would form a future force on defense and the boards.



No. 10 pick: The Kings select Kenneth Faried
No. 10 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Jimmer Fredette
This is one of the easiest picks to make simply because of Faried's talent and the Kings' need for someone like him. Toughness, energy, explosive athleticism and a good feel for the game -- all things every team needs but none more than Sacramento.

A Faried-Cousins front line would be terrific from day one. I'm not sure anyone could have saved Paul Westphal's job, but Faried would have at least helped the Kings to a much better start.



No. 11 pick: The Warriors select Chandler Parsons
No. 11 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Klay Thompson
Mark Jackson and the management team in Oakland hope to make significant strides on defense, and Parsons is an immediate ticket toward that goal. He's been possibly the best defender on Kevin Durant I've ever seen, with the length, size, mobility and coordination to bother big wings and small power forwards for years to come.



No. 12 pick: The Jazz select Brandon Knight
No. 12 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Alec Burks
The Jazz and their fans love a focused, mature, hardworking player perhaps more than any other NBA city. Knight oozes with potential, lives to get better on the court and is a great fit into how Utah likes to play.



No. 13 pick: The Suns select Kemba Walker
No. 13 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Markieff Morris
The Suns miss Goran Dragic (traded to Houston) and Aaron Brooks (playing in China). Walker can play like those guys for a lot less money over the next four years. He's got a great midrange game, which is perfect for scoring off middle screens and in early offense when the defense collapses to the rim.



No. 14 pick: The Rockets select Jan Vesely
No. 14 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Marcus Morris
The Rockets didn't expect to need to play their No. 14 pick this season (even though they've featured their second-rounder, Parsons, all season). Vesely could have stayed in Europe for one more season, which could have helped him, then come to the NBA more ready to contribute to a good team.



No. 15 pick: The Spurs select Alec Burks
No. 15 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Kawhi Leonard
The Spurs are always in need of athletes with upside, so Burks works perfectly here. He is also unlike any of their other shooting guards and ultimately would become a fine player to replace the minutes Manu Ginobili loses each year to injury.



No. 16 pick: The Sixers select Markieff Morris
No. 16 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Nikola Vucevic
Either Morris twin would work here, simply because Philly needed perimeter shooting heading into the draft. With Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young at the power forward spot, Markieff makes more sense than Marcus. He's an excellent shooter, he's from Philly and he's the kind of guy Doug Collins would love to coach.



No. 17 pick: The Knicks select Isaiah Thomas
No. 17 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Iman Shumpert
Thomas has beaten out Jimmer Fredette in Sacramento, so he beats him out here too. Both guys seem to have a lot of Jeremy Lin in their game, but Thomas is the more electric guy with the better decision-making skills thus far. Even as a backup, he'd help the Knicks a great deal.



No. 18 pick: The Wizards select Marcus Morris
No. 18 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Chris Singleton
Morris hasn't done anything yet as a pro, but the young man is stuck with a coach who does not believe in him. In Washington he'd have been playing from day one and would be the surprise guy of this draft.

In Leonard and Morris, the Wiz would have two solid rotation players with at least one starter.



No. 19 pick: The Bucks select Tobias Harris
No. 19 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Tobias Harris
I still think Harris can be a fine pro, even though he does a lot of things wrong right now. But there's every reason to believe that he'll figure things out in time, and I assume the Bucks expected this of him when they got him on draft night. Guys who put up numbers but have no clue how to play are the ones to watch at this age.



No. 20 pick: The Rockets select Donatas Motiejunas
No. 20 pick in actual 2011 NBA draft: Donatas Motiejunas
The big Lithuanian has made significant progress overseas and looks to be a rotation player, if not a starter, within a season or two in the NBA. He would give the Rockets the size they covet and might be able to play both big positions on each end of the floor.
http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/story...-watch-redraft

Stan Van Gundy praises Kyrie Irving as Cavs matchup nears | Video
Cleveland Cavaliers, Kyrie Irving, Orlando Magic, Stan Van Gundy, Von Wafer — posted by Josh Robbins on March, 23 2012 1:02 PM




The Orlando Magic’s top mission tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers: slowing down rookie point guard Kyrie Irving.

Irving has averaged 23.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 7.6 assists in his last five games, and he’s also shot 40.0 percent from 3-point range during that span.

Stan Van Gundy effusively praised Irving when the teams met Feb. 3, and Van Gundy took the same stance after the Magic completed their shootaround today at Amway Center.

“I said this the last time we played ’em: This guy’s a great player, and what’s amazing is you don’t feel like when you’re watching him that you’re watching a great young player,” Van Gundy said. “It looks like you’re watching a great veteran player: the plays he makes, the demeanor he has on the floor, the way he interacts with his teammates, his decision-making, everything.”

Then, Van Gundy said this: “[When] we play against him, I feel the same way, exactly the same way, I feel as when we’re playing Chris Paul or somebody like that. I don’t feel any less trepidation playing him. This guy’s fantastic.”

All that said, the Cavaliers have lost four of their last five games.

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... 1&f=460691

Chris Grant on the state of the Cavs.

The Cavs are on the NBA channel this evening against the Sixers. Game is about to start.