Perfect working of the system.

MKG - game of Pippen - attitude of Jordan.

civ ollilavad wrote:IT took some really really bad basketball down the stetch to seal the 3rd spot. And an awful lot of game time for NBA Minor Leaguers.

Yep. Well done by the Cavs. They pretty much scratched all the itches this season. Now for a little luck with the ping pong balls.

Any keepers on this team besides Irving and Thompson?

Gee's offense dropped as the season went along. Casspi never showed much. Samuels and Erden did't play much since they didn't help much. How about all Development Leaguers: Harris, Sloan, etc.?

1/2 Gee shot 442; 2nd half 390 1/2 shooting 3's 347, 2nd half 292
1/2 Casspi shot 411, 2nd half 394 1/2 shooting 3's 292 2nd half 342
1/2 Thompson shot 430, FT 438; 2nd half shot FG 444, FT 622
1/2 Irving shot 476, 3s 415, FT 857; A/TO 1.6
2/2 Irving shot 460, 3s 386, FT 893; A/TO 1.8

Gee is a keeper. Andy V is a keeper. Team is at least .500 if Andy and Irving played this entire season.

Going to add at least 2 players in this draft (one elite) and one competent free agent.

Team has been tanking for weeks !

Kevin Pelton, Basketball Prospectus: To borrow a phrase from a former Oregonian writer, Hickson's arrival in Portland was like manna from heaven. In a normal season, he would have been far and away the best waiver claim of the year. (Alas, that honor went to Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak this year.) I find Hickson a bit of an enigma. His performance with the Blazers was consistent with the offensive promise he showed during his first two seasons, so I'm not inclined to find it especially fluky. However, Hickson ranks as the second-worst player in the NBA over the last 10 seasons by regularized adjusted plus-minus, which is a damning indictment of his team defense. Portland should be careful of committing too much to Hickson without strong evidence he's improved in this regard. I wouldn't go too much farther than the qualifying offer myself.

Top 10 NBA prospects by position

May, 8, 2012

By Chad Ford ESPN.com

We're in a little bit of draft limbo at the moment. Draft workouts won't start for another week or so … and most of those will be workouts for second-round prospects. The real action won't heat up until the Chicago pre-draft combine in early June. Until then we're stuck doing what every team out of the playoffs is doing … watching film and trying to create rankings. Here's a look at the draft from a different perspective: the top 10 players by position.

Note: Top 100 ranks are in parentheses.

Point guards

1. Damian Lillard, Jr., Weber State Wildcats (12)
2. Kendall Marshall, So., North Carolina Tar Heels (17)
3. Tony Wroten Jr., Fr., Washington Huskies (21)
4. Marquis Teague, Fr., Kentucky Wildcats (24)
5. Tyshawn Taylor, Sr., Kansas Jayhawks (34)
6. Scott Machado, Sr., Iona Gaels (35)
7. Tu Holloway, Sr., Xavier Musketeers (52)
8. Casper Ware, Sr., Long Beach State 49ers (73)
9. Josep Franch, France (77)
10. Jordan Taylor, Sr., Wisconsin Badgers (78)

Comments: It's a very weak point guard class this year. We don't have any PGs ranked in the top 10 and just one in the lottery. We had to include three players ranked in the 70s just to get an entire top 10.

The class gets a wee bit better if you classify Dion Waiters here, as Fran Fraschilla did on Monday in our draft blog. Waiters would be No. 2 if you classified him as a 1 and could very possibly be the first PG off the board. Wroten and Teague may have the most potential of anyone on the list, but neither player is considered NBA-ready, which will hurt their stock.

Shooting guards

1. Bradley Beal, Fr., Florida Gators (3)
2. Jeremy Lamb, So., Connecticut Huskies (11)
3. Austin Rivers, Fr., Duke Blue Devils (14)
4. Dion Waiters, So., Syracuse Orange (15)
5. Terrence Ross, So., Washington Huskies (18)
6. Doron Lamb, So., Kentucky Wildcats (29)
7. Evan Fournier, France (30)
8. Will Barton, So., Memphis Tigers (31)
9. John Jenkins, Jr., Vanderbilt Commodores (32)
10. Jared Cunningham, Jr., Oregon State Beavers (36)

Comments: This is the second-strongest position in the draft. There are potentially four to five lottery picks here, and even the players ranked at the bottom end of the list have real potential. Beal is clearly the No. 1 SG off the board.

However, Lamb, Rivers, Waiters and Ross are in a real scrum. I think you'll see a number of teams invite all four players to come in and work head-to-head. Lamb has the ideal size and length. Rivers and Waiters are big-time scorers. Ross is the best shooter of the group.

Barton may be the big sleeper here. I've heard a few teams have him much higher on their draft boards.

Small forwards

1. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Fr., Kentucky Wildcats (2)
2. Harrison Barnes, So., North Carolina Tar Heels (6)
3. Quincy Miller, Fr., Baylor Bears (20)
4. Moe Harkless, Fr., St. John's Red Storm (22)
5. Royce White, So, Iowa State Cyclones (25)
6. Jeff Taylor, Sr., Vanderbilt Commodores (26)
7. Draymond Green, Sr., Michigan State Spartans (28)
8. Khris Middleton, Jr. Texas A&M Aggies (37)
9. Tomas Satoransky, Czech Republic (39)
10. Darius Miller, Sr., Kentucky Wildcats (40)

Comments: Everyone talks about the need for centers and big men in the draft, but the biggest drought in the NBA comes at the small forward position. According to John Hollinger's PER stats, only 18 small forwards posted a PER of 15 or higher this season. That was the fewest of any position in the league. This year both Kidd-Gilchrist and Barnes are players who could sneak into that group eventually. Miller and Harkless are both young and underprepared, but have big upsides.

White is the real enigma of the draft. He could be great or he could be a bust. No one is quite sure which he'll be.

Power forwards

1. Anthony Davis, Fr., Kentucky Wildcats (1)
2. Thomas Robinson, Jr., Kansas Jayhawks (4)
3. Perry Jones, So., Baylor Bears (7)
4. Terrence Jones, So., Kentucky Wildcats (8)
5. Jared Sullinger, So., Ohio State Buckeyes (9)
6. John Henson, Jr., North Carolina Tar Heels (13)
7. Arnett Moultrie, Jr., Mississippi State Bulldogs (16)
8. Andrew Nicholson, Sr., St. Bonaventure Bonnies (27)
9. Kevin Jones, Sr., West Virginia Mountaineers (38)
10. Mike Scott, Sr., Virginia Cavaliers (44)

Comments: The strongest position in the draft, by far, is at the power forward position. There are seven potential lottery picks in this group, along with the No. 1 pick in the draft. The interesting thing about this group is that no two players are really alike. They all bring very different strengths to the table and, with the possible exception of Davis, significant weaknesses too.

While Davis and Robinson are very likely to be the first two PFs off the board, there's a pretty huge scrum between Perry and Terrence Jones, Sullinger and Henson. Those four can probably expect to see each other a lot in workouts.

Centers

1. Andre Drummond, Fr., Connecticut Huskies (5)
2. Tyler Zeller, Sr., North Carolina Tar Heels (10)
3. Meyers Leonard, So., Illinois Fighting Illini (19)
4. Fab Melo, So., Syracuse Orange (23)
5. Festus Ezeli, Sr., Vanderbilt Commodores (33)
6. Henry Sims, Sr., Georgetown Hoyas (42)
7. Kyle O'Quinn, Sr., Norfolk State Spartans (43)
8. Justin Hamilton, Jr., LSU Tigers (70)
9. Robert Sacre, Sr., Gonzaga Bulldogs (72)
10. Garrett Stutz, Sr., Wichita State Shockers (76)

Comments: The center position is pretty sketchy. Drummond is the best prospect on the board, but there is significant risk involved. Zeller should be solid. Leonard and Melo both have significant upsides but are far from NBA-ready. The rest of the group are career backups at best. If you don't desperately need a center this year, I'd pass.

Mock Draft, Version 4.0

Originally Published: April 30, 2012 By Chad Ford | ESPN.com

Here's our best stab at a first-round mock draft after taking into account team needs.

1. Charlotte

Anthony Davis

Position: PF
Height: 6-foot-10
Weight: 220 pounds
Age: 19
School: Kentucky

(The Bobcats have a 25 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: Well, that 23-game losing streak combined with the worst winning percentage in the history of the NBA better pay off. If the Bobcats land Davis, they have their frontcourt of the future and a young point guard, Kemba Walker, to start building around. If they miss out on Davis, the task becomes much more difficult.

2. Washington

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

Position: SF
Height: 6-foot-7
Weight: 210 pounds
Age: 18
School: Kentucky

(The Wizards have a 19.9 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Wizards desperately need Kidd-Gilchrist's leadership, toughness and work ethic. But they could also really use Brad Beal's shooting ability. I think the Beal versus Kidd-Gilchrist scenario is a toss-up right now, but I'd be surprised if there's anyone else seriously in the mix for the Wizards at No. 2.

3. Cleveland

Bradley Beal

Position: SG
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 195 pounds
Age: 18
School: Florida

(The Cavaliers have a 13.8 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: If the Cavs can stay in the top 3, it's a huge outcome for them. The Cavs scored big time when they landed Kyrie Irving last year. They would complete their backcourt overhaul if they could put Beal next to him. That would give them two high-octane scorers who can both handle the ball, get to the rim and shoot it -- an ideal scenario for the Cavs.

4. New Orleans

Thomas Robinson

Position: PF
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 237 pounds
Age: 21
School: Kansas

(The Hornets have a 13.7 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Hornets need both size and a point guard. But since there isn't really a point guard worthy of going this high in the draft, their choices are Robinson or Drummond. While Drummond might be the sexy pick here, Robinson is more of a sure thing and brings a toughness that the Hornets value.

5. Sacramento

Andre Drummond

Position: C
Height: 6-foot-11
Weight: 275 pounds
Age: 18
School: UConn

(The Kings have a 7.6 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: I can't really think of a more ideal pick for the Kings. Every year they tend to get the really huge upside guy who other teams pass on because of major red flags. In Drummond's case, the red flags are production. He has the physical talent to be a dominant pro, but only showed it in flashes as a freshman. If he puts it together, Drummond and DeMarcus Cousins would be a devastating front line.

6. Portland (via Nets)

Harrison Barnes

Position: SF
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 210 pounds
Age: 19
School: North Carolina

(The Blazers have a 7.5 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Blazers grabbed this pick from the Nets as part of the Gerald Wallace trade. It's top 3 protected so if the Nets win one of the top three spots in the lottery, the pick will revert back to Brooklyn.

The Blazers need help at both backcourt positions and at center. Not sure that Barnes really qualifies as a 2-guard and, in some ways, he duplicates what the team has in Nic Batum. But Portland needs shooters and players who can score the basketball and Barnes is terrific at that.

7. Golden State

Perry Jones III

Position: PF
Height: 6-foot-11
Weight: 235 pounds
Age: 20
School: Baylor

(The Warriors have a 3.6 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Warriors dodged a huge bullet on Friday when they won the coin toss and landed the No. 7 pick. Unless a team ranked No. 8 or below leapfrogs them in the lottery (there's roughly a 29 percent chance of that) they won't have to send this pick to the Jazz. I guess tanking pays off sometimes.

Jones has the talent to be a top 3 pick and many scouts believe his best pro position will be at the 3, which is a need for Golden State. If he lives up to his potential, this is a home run of a pick. But the Warriors have had their share of athletic, underperforming tweeners (Anthony Randolph, Brandan Wright) in the past.

8. Toronto

Damian Lillard

Position: PG
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185 pounds
Age: 21
School: Weber State

(The Raptors have a 3.5 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Raptors need help at both the wing and the point. Lillard can play some of both. His versatility and ability to shoot and score the basketball should serve them well.

9. Detroit

John Henson

Position: PF
Height: 6-foot-10
Weight: 210 pounds
Age: 21
School: North Carolina

(The Pistons have a 1.7 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Pistons really need both length and athleticism in their frontcourt. We've had Jared Sullinger in Detroit the past few mock drafts, but I'm getting a sense that a player like Henson, or even Arnett Moultrie or Meyers Leonard, may have a better shot. All three seem like a bit of a reach at No. 9, but long athletes don't grow on trees and the Pistons might have to just take a risk here.

10. New Orleans
(via Wolves)

Kendall Marshall

Position: PG
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 188 pounds
Age: 20
School: North Carolina

(The Hornets have a 1.1 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: We have the Hornets taking a power forward with their first pick (No. 4). The question here is whether they go for a point guard like Kendall Marshall or whether they add some help in the middle. Marshall is a pass-first point guard who makes everyone around him better.

11. Portland

Tyler Zeller

Position: C
Height: 7-foot
Weight: 235 pounds
Age: 22
School: North Carolina

(The Blazers have a 0.8 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Blazers don't have much of anything in the middle. Although Zeller doesn't project to be a star, he is big, runs the floor well and has a soft touch around the basket.

12. Milwaukee

Jared Sullinger

Position: PF
Height: 6-foot-9
Weight: 280 pounds
Age: 20
School: Ohio State

(The Bucks have a 0.7 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: Ersan Ilyasova had a breakout year for the Bucks at the power forward position this season, but he's a free agent and Milwaukee may not be able to afford to keep him. Sullinger might be a terrific alternative. He's a bit undersized, but his rebounding ability and offensive prowess make him a very attractive option at this point in the draft.

13. Phoenix

Austin Rivers

Position: SG
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 199 pounds
Age: 19
School: Duke

(The Suns have a 0.6 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Suns need a little bit of everything, but what they really need is star power. With Steve Nash possibly on the move this summer, someone has to sell tickets. If Rivers ever lives up to his potential, he could be a great get this low. He's going to have to rein in his game and get comfortable with who he is at the NBA level, but the talent is definitely there.

14. Houston

Terrence Jones

Position: PF
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 244 pounds
Age: 20
School: Kentucky

(The Rockets have a 0.5 percent chance of winning the lottery.)

Analysis: The Rockets drafted in the same spot last year and came away with Marcus Morris. Jones has some similar talents, but with more upside. At this point, the Rockets take the player with the most upside.

.....

24. Cavaliers
(via L.A. Lakers)

Moe Harkless

Position: SF
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 190 pounds
Age: 18
School: St. John's

Analysis: Harkless reminds me a little of Trevor Ariza. He is a terrific scorer and defender who needs to get a more settled jump shot. Put him on the floor with Kyrie Irving, Brad Beal, Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao and the Cavs suddenly have a team that should be fighting for the playoffs again.

Greatly appreciate the Insider article HB.

No prob.

I don't visit the NBA page at ESPN by often so if the is ever an insider article you want to see just give me a heads up, I'll go grab it.

Most important piece of news of the day is it's (Cavs GM) Chris Grant's 40th birthday.

Dan Gilbert says both he and GM Chris Grant are pleased with coach Byron Scott. "We think Byron has been great for this franchise. He brings stability to the team and franchise. He brings credibility. We love having Byron Scott as coach of the Cavaliers."

Gilbert excited about direction of team _ Irving and Thompson _ . "I certainly think it's possible to be in the playoffs next year." "We’re looking forward to the day, as soon as we possibly can, to get back into the playoffs."

Gilbert said he absolutely believes he has the right people in the front office and coaching staff. Willing to be as patient as he has to be to get it turned around. Said it's now a matter of getting the right players here.

"You get one shot at the draft per year. ... We want to focus on draft (first). This is a very important draft for us."

"We're trying to repeat the same route, the same clothes, the same people... We're trying to do everything the exact same way." Gilbert said he's had other people who wanted to come along this year, but told them no. "We're pretty superstitious about this stuff," Gilbert said.

Kyrie Irving will be accompanying the #Cavs contingent to the draft lottery, Gilbert said.

"We'll bring Nick to the lottery. If he doesn't get the first pick, he'll be grounded all summer."

Dan Gilbert said organization's philosophy has changed from building a team "around superstars" to building it now "with superstars": "We want to build the (Cavs) with Kyrie, rather than around Kyrie. It's the 'with' that counts. Otherwise we'd have trophies.

Dan Gilbert said he has not studied or explored the idea if buying the Indians.

Gilbert on LeBron's remarks during the season hinting at a possible return to Cleveland: "Nothing in the NBA surprises me."

Dan Gilbert was asked if he has forgiven LeBron: "The truth of the matter is, July 11, 2010 we started focusing on the future. You try to just look ahead. That's where we're at."

2012/13 NBA Unrestricted Free Agents
February 9 at 2:54pm CST By Luke Adams
Hoops Rumors' up-to-date list of 2012/13 unrestricted free agents is below. These are players who are eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2011/12 season. The player's 2012 age is in parentheses. Players who are on the 2011/12 unrestricted free agent list or have contract options for 2012/13 are not listed here.

If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us. For instant free agent updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter @hoopsrumors.

Updated 4-24-12

Point Guards
Gilbert Arenas (30)
Mike Bibby (34)
Chauncey Billups (36)
Earl Boykins (36)
Baron Davis (33)
Keyon Dooling (32)
Goran Dragic (26)
Raymond Felton (28)
Derek Fisher (38)
Jonny Flynn (23)
Kirk Hinrich (31)
Jason Kidd (39)
John Lucas (30)
Andre Miller (36)
Steve Nash (38)
Jannero Pargo (33)
Ronnie Price (29)
Nate Robinson (28)
Delonte West (29)

Shooting Guards
Ray Allen (37)
James Anderson (23)
Leandro Barbosa (30)
Marco Belinelli (26)
Keith Bogans (32)
Shannon Brown (27)
Marquis Daniels (31)
Maurice Evans (34)
Randy Foye (29)
Willie Green (31)
Royal Ivey (31)
Mike James (37)
C.J. Miles (25)
Anthony Parker (37)
Michael Redd (33)
Jerry Stackhouse (38)
DeShawn Stevenson (31)
Jason Terry (35)
Nick Young (27)

Small Forwards
Matt Barnes (32)
Carlos Delfino (30)
Boris Diaw (30)
Gerald Green (26)
Grant Hill (40)
Josh Howard (32)
Damion James (25)
Jared Jeffries (31)
Tracy McGrady (33)
Jamario Moon (32)
Steve Novak (29)
Sasha Pavlovic (29)
Mickael Pietrus (30)
Vladimir Radmanovic (32)
James Singleton (31)
Damien Wilkins (32)

Power Forwards
Louis Amundson (30)
Craig Brackins (25)
Brian Cardinal (35)
Brian Cook (32)
Tim Duncan (36)
Reggie Evans (32)
Kevin Garnett (36)
Jordan Hill (25)
Juwan Howard (39)
Kris Humphries (27)
Ersan Ilyasova (25)
Antawn Jamison (36)
Yi Jianlian (25)
Carl Landry (29)
Kenyon Martin (35)
Dominic McGuire (27)
Troy Murphy (32)
Eduardo Najera (36)
Daniel Orton (22)
Brian Scalabrine (34)
Craig Smith (29)
Anthony Tolliver (27)
Ben Wallace (38)
Sean Williams (26)
Shelden Williams (29)

Centers
Tony Battie (36)
Kwame Brown (30)
Marcus Camby (38)
Jason Collins (34)
Eddy Curry (30)
Kyrylo Fesenko (25)
Dan Gadzuric (34)
Aaron Gray (28)
Hamed Haddadi (27)
Spencer Hawes (24)
Ryan Hollins (28)
Chris Kaman (30)
Jamaal Magloire (34)
Ian Mahinmi (26)
Nazr Mohammed (35)
Mikki Moore (37)
Joel Przybilla (33)
Hasheem Thabeet (25)

Storytellers Contracts was used in the creation of this list.

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... 6&f=527941

Dan Gilbert on the casino and the Cavs !

Hal (Cincinnati,OH)

Chad, Outside of Davis, Who do you feel is the best fit for Cleveland between Beal, Barnes, and Kidd-Gilcrest?
Chad Ford (1:06 PM)

All three would be great fits for the Cavs. I'd probably go with Beal, Kidd-Gilchrist then Barnes in that order for Cleveland. A Beal-Irving backcourt would be very, very strong for Cleveland.

David (Toledo)

Which top 5 lottery team has the best chance of being a good playoff team in the next 2-3 years.
Chad Ford (1:33 PM)

Tough call. I'd say either Cavs or Wizards. But leaning Cavs. Obviously depends a bit on who gets Anthony Davis. He'll make a major impact on whatever team gets him.