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Anthony Tolliver's agent Larry Fox tells HoopsHype he's talking regularly about his client with four teams - Wolves and Cavs included. "Minnesota has made it clear they want Anthony back, but we have to wait until the Batum situation resolves itself today and then also for them to finalize some transactions that have been discussed but not yet formalized," Fox said. "Cleveland also has expressed serious interest, but has to first work through some trade scenarios the next couple of days before we can further our discussions. Several other teams have expressed serious interest and each day recently has brought forth new teams inquiring."

I hope we are able to land Bynum. It would definitely accelerate the winning process. He's one of the top 2 or 3 centers in the league. Could grow up but most kids entering the league needs that. This would be big.

My son, my NBA guru, says the same as Hillbilly. So, I'll take Bynum with a contract extension at the cost of Andy and some draft choices.

From Hoopsworld http://www.hoopsworld.com/nba-am-did-ni ... the-system

If Howard is going to the LA Lakers in trade, do not be surprised if Andrew Bynum ends up somewhere other than Orlando. That could change if Bynum offers to commit to Orlando, but at this point in the process beyond speaking nicely about the history of big men in that market, Bynum is staying mainly non-committal both publically with the Lakers and privately with friends.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are said to be at the table in a three-way deal with the Magic and Lakers, with Bynum possibly landing in Cleveland. However Bynum is being equally non-committal about Cleveland as he’s been about Orlando.

The Houston Rockets have been in the mix for Howard, but have also been linked to Bynum as part of a Howard deal with Orlando and LA as well.

The Magic have options for Howard, that’s been a constant in this process, but as the circus rages on, keep in mind Orlando isn’t as concerned with what comes back in trade this year, its more about what’s going out.

The Magic want to dump some of their unfavorable contracts and want as many first-round draft selections or solid players on rookie deals as they can get.

The deal that delivers that is going to be the deal that gets done.

The Dwightmare is leaving Orlando one way or the other.

It's between Cleveland and Houston as to who gets to be the 3rd party to facilitate the deal.

Cleveland's stance is that they are happy to continue building through the draft so they're not going to get bent over just to make a deal for Bynum. They claim they won't part with any young players but I'd bet they'd part with TT if it was the last piece standing in the way. Early reports had a framework in place where AV went to Orlando, with an assumption that he can be converted into a #1 pick at the trade deadline.

Bottom line is it's still nothing more than smoke and mirrors, and Houston is in a strong position to end up with Bynum instead of Cleveland. I'd be amazed if anything gets done before next week when all the stuff with Asik is completed one way or the other.

Adrian Wojnarowski ‏@WojYahooNBA
Y! Sources: As part of 3-way Dwight Howard deal to Lakers, Cleveland wants assurance Bynum would sign extension.
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The Cleveland Cavaliers are eager partners in the three-way blockbuster trade talks to send Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, but won’t proceed until the Lakers grant the them permission to talk to All-Star Andrew Bynum and his agent about the center’s willingness to sign a contract extension, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

"Cleveland will only do the deal if Bynum extends," a league official directly involved in the talks told Yahoo! Sports.
Los Angeles wants the structure of a three-team deal agreed in principle before letting Cleveland take that next step to communicate with Bynum and his representatives – and that won’t happen until Orlando makes a decision that it wants to also lock-in the framework of a trade, sources told Y!

So far, Orlando has shown a level of indecisiveness in the talks, sources involved in the negotiations said.

Bynum and Howard will be free agents next summer. Once the Brooklyn Nets lost the ability to pursue Howard, the Lakers had complete confidence that Howard would re-sign with them after next season should they trade for him. RealGM.com reported that Howard has indicated a willingness to do so, but few imagined a scenario where Howard be moved to the Lakers and walk away to take less money elsewhere as a free agent. From the Lakers' championship contention to L.A.'s massive market which could swell Howard's new sneaker deal and help him earn more endorsements, the Lakers always believed that they were an easy sell to Howard.

For the Cavaliers, it’s a different story with Bynum. He's 24 years, and salary-cap space in Dallas and Houston could be intriguing to him. That’s why Cleveland needs the promise of a contract extension to consummate this deal. The Cavaliers believe they can sell Bynum on a partnership with one of the most dynamic young players in the sport – point guard Kyrie Irving – as well as their young core of talent and owner Dan Gilbert’s willingness to commit the resources needed to compete for championships.

Orlando wants to do a total rebuild, and has shown an inclination to make a deal that unloads itself of long-term veteran contracts and brings back young players and draft picks. The Houston Rockets also remain committed to competing with Los Angeles to make a deal for Howard.

MtFan wrote:The Dwightmare is leaving Orlando one way or the other.

It's between Cleveland and Houston as to who gets to be the 3rd party to facilitate the deal.

Cleveland's stance is that they are happy to continue building through the draft so they're not going to get bent over just to make a deal for Bynum. They claim they won't part with any young players but I'd bet they'd part with TT if it was the last piece standing in the way. Early reports had a framework in place where AV went to Orlando, with an assumption that he can be converted into a #1 pick at the trade deadline.

Bottom line is it's still nothing more than smoke and mirrors, and Houston is in a strong position to end up with Bynum instead of Cleveland. I'd be amazed if anything gets done before next week when all the stuff with Asik is completed one way or the other.

Building through the draft is fine, but almost all contenders eventually have to make a big trade or free agent signing along the way--and since free agency is obviously not an option the Cavs can count on, that either leaves a trade, or lucking into the top draft pick in a year with a franchise big man (aka the "Spurs formula").

The thing about Bynum is that he's almost certainly better than any center the Cavs could draft. I can see why he wouldn't want to sign an extension now--he'd make more money by waiting--but no matter where he's playing, L.A., Cleveland, or wherever, he'll make more guaranteed by staying put. And that's why most players at the max contract level don't change teams.

Granted, the Cavs had the biggest exception to that rule. But Bynum doesn't seem hellbent on staying in Los Angeles, and he's already got his rings--that's one place where the comparisons with LeBron wouldn't hold.

Unless Bynum flat out says he wouldn't play in Cleveland willingly, it might be a gamble worth taking even without his assurances he'd stay. (I'm not accounting for the other big gamble with him, which is that his health has been inconsistent. But the organization is used to having a center who was always hurt when young, and then became reasonably durable.)

Charlie T. wrote:

MtFan wrote:The Dwightmare is leaving Orlando one way or the other.

It's between Cleveland and Houston as to who gets to be the 3rd party to facilitate the deal.

Cleveland's stance is that they are happy to continue building through the draft so they're not going to get bent over just to make a deal for Bynum. They claim they won't part with any young players but I'd bet they'd part with TT if it was the last piece standing in the way. Early reports had a framework in place where AV went to Orlando, with an assumption that he can be converted into a #1 pick at the trade deadline.

Bottom line is it's still nothing more than smoke and mirrors, and Houston is in a strong position to end up with Bynum instead of Cleveland. I'd be amazed if anything gets done before next week when all the stuff with Asik is completed one way or the other.

Building through the draft is fine, but almost all contenders eventually have to make a big trade or free agent signing along the way--and since free agency is obviously not an option the Cavs can count on, that either leaves a trade, or lucking into the top draft pick in a year with a franchise big man (aka the "Spurs formula").

The thing about Bynum is that he's almost certainly better than any center the Cavs could draft. I can see why he wouldn't want to sign an extension now--he'd make more money by waiting--but no matter where he's playing, L.A., Cleveland, or wherever, he'll make more guaranteed by staying put. And that's why most players at the max contract level don't change teams.

Granted, the Cavs had the biggest exception to that rule. But Bynum doesn't seem hellbent on staying in Los Angeles, and he's already got his rings--that's one place where the comparisons with LeBron wouldn't hold.

Unless Bynum flat out says he wouldn't play in Cleveland willingly, it might be a gamble worth taking even without his assurances he'd stay. (I'm not accounting for the other big gamble with him, which is that his health has been inconsistent. But the organization is used to having a center who was always hurt when young, and then became reasonably durable.)

Agreed on all counts. If the Cavs can land Bynum they should do it, and it would speed up their rebuild schedule - even if it means rolling the dice on him re-signing.

OTOH Grant seems perfectly content to tank another season and try to end up high in the lottery if Bynum doesn't happen (which is plan A all along it seems).

Bob Finnan's NBA notes: Cavaliers roster taking shape
Published: Sunday, July 29, 2012


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By Bob Finnan
RFinnan@News-Herald.com
@BobCavsinsider



Click to enlarge
There are a few housekeeping chores to be done with the Cavaliers' roster, which is taking shape.

There might be two more moves to make: signing power forward Kevin Jones, and making a determination on small forward Alonzo Gee.

Jones, recovering from a bone bruise in his ankle, is expected to be added to the roster in time for training camp. He's an undrafted rookie from West Virginia.

Gee, a restricted free agent, is waiting for the Cavs to make an offer. If they don't, Gee could sign the qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer.


If the two sides don't reach an agreement, the Cavs could sign unrestricted free agent C.J. Miles, who made an official visit to the team last week. There's a slight chance the Cavs would sign both Gee and Miles.

The Cavs have had a lackluster offseason. Let's take a look:

-- They made a draft-night trade for center Tyler Zeller. The Cavs sent picks Nos. 24, 33 and 34 to Dallas for the rights to Zeller.

-- They offered forward Luke Harangody a $1.2 million qualifying offer, which he immediately accepted. He was facing the prospects of playing overseas or taking a minimum make-good deal from another NBA club.

-- They traded swingman D.J. Kennedy to Memphis for point guard Jeremy Pargo, the Grizzlies' second-round pick in 2014 and cash considerations (it appears as if the Grizzlies will pay Pargo's $1.1 million salary this season). The Grizzlies are trying to slash payroll to stay away from the luxury tax. Kennedy's contract for this season is not guaranteed, which appealed to Memphis.

The following is a look at the Cavs' roster (projected starters mentioned first):
Point guard (3) — Kyrie Irving, Donald Sloan, Pargo. The acquisition of Pargo on Wednesday might end the Cavs' pursuit of Derek Fisher and Jonny Flynn. The Cavs would let Sloan and Pargo duke it out for back-up minutes behind Irving. Irving, recovering from surgery on his right hand, will likely play about 35 minutes a game.

Shooting guard (3) — Dion Waiters, Daniel Gibson, Kelenna Azubuike. The plan is to bring Azubuike to camp and see if he can still play. If he can't, then they'll have to find another shooting guard. He's played 12 games in the last three seasons because of a serious knee injury. Waiters will be given every opportunity to start. He'll be needed to score points because the Cavs haven't adequately replaced Antawn Jamison's 17.2 points per game. Gibson is rehabbing a torn tendon in his foot. If he recovers, he'll likely be the backup at shooting guard. Rookie Justin Holiday showed some promise in summer league in Las Vegas and might warrant another look in training camp.

Center (2) — Anderson Varejao, Tyler Zeller. Varejao is their best big until he's traded. I've been fighting that idea for a long time, but I'm convinced he'll eventually be moved. It might be at the trade deadline or next summer. Zeller was a nice addition via the draft. He can shoot from the perimeter, rebound and run the floor. Don't be surprised if they bring Temple center Michael Eric to training camp. They liked what they saw of him in summer league.

Power forward (5) — Tristan Thompson, Samardo Samuels, Jon Leuer, Luke Harangody, Jones. I'm counting Jones, for now, even though he's not under contract. Samuels and Thompson can give the Cavs minutes at center if you were worried they were a too thin in the middle.

Small forward (3) — Gee (or Miles), Omri Casspi, Luke Walton. I'm assuming the Cavs will have either Gee or Miles in the starting lineup. Both are free agents and neither currently have contracts. Casspi remains on the roster for at least one more year. He started 35 games last year at small forward before being replaced by Gee. Walton has one more year on his deal worth $6.1 million. Reportedly, he's not interested in accepting a buyout. Why would he? This is his last contract in the NBA. He doesn't want to forego any money right now.

The tax man

Seven teams have never paid a cent in luxury tax: Chicago, Charlotte, Golden State, the Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Washington.

The Cavs have paid $43 million in the three years after going to the NBA Finals: 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10, according to a story on ShamSports.com.

The luxury tax has been in existence for 11 years now. During that time, the Cavs are ranked sixth in paying tax.

1. New York Knicks: $195 million
2. Dallas Mavericks: $150 million

3. Portland Trail Blazers: $89 million

4. Los Angeles Lakers: $84 million

5. Boston Celtics: $46 million

6. Cleveland Cavaliers: $43 million

Old friend

IMG Academy has hired former Cavs assistant coach Kenny Natt as its basketball director. IMG Academy is based in Bradenton, Fla., and features college preparatory programs with players from more than 20 countries enrolled.

Two of IMG's recent additions are 16-year-old Meng Xiang-Yu, a 7-foot-2 center from China, and 16-year-old Satnam Singh, a 7-2 center from India.

Natt, an assistant with the Cavs from 2004-07, oversees the development and expansion of the youth basketball programs, as well as the post-graduate and professional-level training programs for current NBA and NBA-bound players.

Natt is currently the head coach of the Indian national team. He was the Sacramento Kings' head coach during the 2008-09 season. He was also an assistant with Utah.
Olympic Games

A record 39 NBA players will be featured on national team rosters at the 2012 Olympic Games, up from 28 in 2008.

The Games will also showcase a record 18 former NBA players, bringing the total of current and former players competing to 57. This year's rosters also represent the most-ever national teams with NBA representation, with 11 of the 12 teams having at least one current NBA player.

Varejao is a member of the Brazilian national team.

Diebler going back overseas

Jon Diebler, the 6-6 guard who shattered the 3-point shooting records at Ohio State, will play in Turkey next season. The Columbus Dispatch reported that he signed with Pinar Karsiyaka in Izmir, Turkey.

"(Rockets general manager) Daryl Morey told me they can see him on their roster in the future, but this year is not the best time," Diebler's agent, Lance Young, told the Dispatch. "Jon said he's going to go back to Europe this year and become a better player, and he'll go to training camp with the Rockets next year and make their roster. If he doesn't, he'll become a free agent."

Information for the NBA notebook was gathered by personal interviews and from other beat writers around the league. Finnan can be reached by email at:

If you noticed… the Cleveland Cavaliers are sitting on roughly $13.38 million in cap space, they are by far the team with the most room remaining. When you wonder why they get mentioned in the Dwight Howard rumors, its because they have the room to eat a bad contract, and they have the room to clean up some of the cap issues that severly over the cap teams face in making a major trade.

The Denver Nuggets don’t have much in terms of cap space, but they are sitting on a $13 million Traded Player Exception from their deadline deal sending out Nene. It’s unlikely that Denver uses it, but it’s still a sizable trade chip.

The Chicago Bulls are also sitting on a $5 million Traded Player Exception from the Kyle Korver deal. They are also unlikely to use all of it, but if an interesting players swings their way they have the option to, but with the Bulls sitting on $74 million in salary commits it’s unlikely that they will.

Has anybody watched J Valanciunas in the Olympics ? Does not look like he will set the NBA on fire.

Sorry Rusty, I have not been able to tune in. I've only been able to watch the replays of events in the evenings. NBC has not shown basketball when I've been watching. I'll take your word for it on JV.

Unrestricted FA C.J. Miles has agreed to terms with the Cavaliers, a league source tells Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune.
It makes sense. The Cavs had cap space to offer Miles a deal above the veteran's minimum, Cleveland is facing an uncertain future with restricted FA Alonzo Gee, and there's no question the club could use additional depth on the wing. Miles also "expects to compete for a starting spot" with the team. He'll reportedly receive a two-year deal, and after the Lakers had been rumored to be hot after him, Los Angeles will have to move on to other options.

Source: Brian T. Smith on Sulia Aug 3 - 11:48 AM

ACQUISITION OF CJ MILES INCHES CAVALIERS CLOSER TO POSTSEASON CONTENTION

By Rafael Uehara

The Salt Lake City Tribune’s Brian T. Smith first reported on Friday – August, the 3rd – the Cleveland Cavaliers and free agent wingman Calvin Miles, Jr. agreed to terms on a two-year deal, with the salary figures unknown at this moment. The seventh-year man Miles spent his first six seasons in the NBA, out of high school, with the Utah Jazz, where he posted averages of 15.1 points per 36 minutes played on 41.9% shooting and 32.9% three-point shooting and 4.1 rebounds per 36 minutes played for his career.

The 25 year-old Miles, Jr. arrives to fill a need the Cavaliers had at the wing as the roster only contained Omri Casspi (who had a pretty bad year last season, posting an 11.2 PER and shooting 31.5% from three-point range in his first campaign in Cleveland) and Luke Walton (only there because his $6 million expiring contract resulted in a first-round pick on last June’s draft in the Ramon Sessions trade) at small forward, with Alonzo Gee yet to sign his qualifying offer and the team option on Samardo Samuels yet to be picked up.

Miles, Jr. should bring the team good backdoor cutting behind his extensive experience playing on the flex offense, which shares some similar principles with the Princeton offense, a portion of Cleveland’s attack inserted by head-coach Byron Scott. According to Synergy Sports Technology, Miles, Jr. averaged a point-per-possession and shot 51.9% on those cuts to the basket with the Jazz last season.

Miles, Jr. should also improve the team’s three-point shooting as the Cavaliers shot 34.6% from beyond the arc and ranked 15th in the league last season. Miles, Jr. shot just 30.7% from three-point range but that’s because he was terrible generating his own shot, in isolation, on the pick-and-roll and in transition. Spotting-up, however, which figures to be his role playing alongside such a ball-dominant backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, Miles, Jr. shot at league average, at 34.4% and projections are his looks will be cleaner, considering the upgrade in playmaking going from Devin Harris and Gordon Hayward to Irving and Waiters.

Miles, Jr. will also bring a defensive presence on the perimeter this Cavaliers’ squad definitely needed after ranking 26th in defensive efficiency last season, mostly because it allowed the 23rd most points in isolation, the 29th most in the pick-and-roll and the 30th most on spot-ups. Miles, Jr. allowed just 28.6% in isolation, 33.3% on spot-ups and 39.1% off screens with the Jazz last season. Alongside a big such as Anderson Varejão, he should also provide more flexibility for Scott setting up the team’s high screen coverage because of his combination of size (six-foot-six, 210 pounds) and athleticism.

Despite winning just 21 games, there was a buzz around the Cavaliers last season because of Irving’s rookie of the year campaign, which strengthened the fan-base’s belief in him as a transcending type of franchise building block. And this offseason, Cleveland has managed to upgrade the talent around him significantly, with Miles, Jr. being the latest acquisition, after Waiters and Tyler Zeller, selected third and 17th overall, respectively, on the draft.

The eastern conference got substantially stronger this summer with Brooklyn flat-out buying championship contention, others such as Toronto, Detroit, Washington upgrading the talent around their younger talent and teams like Atlanta and Orlando losing significant pieces such as Joe Johnson and Stan Van Gundy but remaining postseason contenders for now. Cleveland has also put itself in that position to perhaps be one of those up-and-coming teams that will compete for lower postseason berths.

Editor's Note: Rafael Uehara is the managing editor of 'The Basketball Post'. More of his work can be found here and he can be followed on twitter @rafael_uehara or reached via e-mail at rafael_uehara@live.com

Posted by Rafael Uehara at Friday, August 03, 2012 3:28:18 PM
Categories: NBA
Tags: Rafael Uehara

US men's basketball gets test from Lithuania before LeBron James leads win

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON - It's a collection of superstars with MVP trophies, scoring titles and all sorts of impressive statistics. And it wasn't until the U.S. men's basketball team was finally challenged that it found its leader.

Lithuania was on the verge of an Olympic-sized upset when LeBron James made four big baskets in the final four minutes Saturday, finishing with 20 points in a 99-94 victory that kept the Americans unbeaten but cracked their aura of invincibility.

There's one player who has done everything for the star-studded United States. Not surprisingly, it's the NBA MVP.

Through three games, James did little things that went unnoticed - played center, ignited runs and deferred to his teammates - as the Americans cruised to easy wins. James had more time to rest than shoot.

Eventually a close game came, and James seized it.

"He's more important than me," coach Mike Krzyzewski said recently.

More than any of his teammates, either.

James did it all for the Miami Heat during the playoffs and now is taking on the same responsibility for the Americans.

Guard the opposing center? Fine.

Pass the ball to the open shooters? No problem.

"I'm not sure there's ever been an international player like LeBron," Krzyzewski said. "LeBron can actually play and defend all five positions, he's incredibly unique. It's really a luxury to have him."

Being a willing defender or passer is great, and James is one of the best in the world at both. A team going for a gold medal sometimes needs more, and James couldn't wait to provide it.

"I've been kind of doing everything else, which I'm OK with," James said. "I'm here to do all the little things, do whatever this team needs, especially from Coach K's perspective, but like I told you guys, I can also score. I'm blessed and happy that I was able to make a few buckets down the stretch."

James came in averaging just 6.7 points, content to let Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant handle the scoring load. Besides, he had other things to do, such as occasionally defend post players whenever Tyson Chandler, the only center on the U.S. roster, was out of the game.

James was averaging 5.7 assists, tops on the team. But in jeopardy of losing in the Olympics for the first time in eight years, he kept the ball for himself.

The Americans' lead was one before he made a 3-pointer, then dunked after a turnover for a 92-86 advantage with 3:41 to play. He made two more baskets in the final 2:10, giving him nine of the Americans' final 12 points.

And to think, people question his play in the clutch.

"For those people who say he doesn't produce at the end of ballgames, for us he's produced always at the end of the ballgame," Krzyzewski said. "He was terrific, really made plays that needed to be made both offensively and defensively in the last three minutes and you can't practice those situations. You can put them up on the scoreboard, but it's not the same game pressure and to see him respond like that in this setting, that's one of the great positives from the game."

The U.S. (4-0) had looked nearly unbeatable in thrashing Nigeria 156-73 on Thursday night while breaking several records. But the Americans were reminded that the path to a gold medal is loaded with traps and Lithuania nearly sprang one.

"You want to get tested," James said. "The best teams want to be tested."

James hadn't really done much scoring since the Americans left the United States. In one of the only other times they've been challenged in recent years, they trailed by 10 points against Brazil before James brought them back, scoring 30 points in an 80-69 exhibition victory in Washington.

An international rookie when the U.S. lost to Lithuania eight years ago, James is now the best player in the game, and now an NBA champion with the stature that makes him the guy players will follow. On Saturday, they needed more than leadership - they needed saving.

James knocked down a 3-pointer from the top of the key, and after Chris Paul stole the inbounds pass, James took a feed down the right side and delivered one of his trademark dunks, a basket that brought the American players off the bench and seemed to restore world basketball order.

Lithuania had lost to Nigeria last month in a qualifying tournament, but that hardly mattered once the ball went in the air.

"It's always a great game when we play against Lithuania," Paul said. "We knew this was gonna be a dog fight and those guys played an unbelievable, unbelievable game."

James had been seeking one, never quite comfortable with all those easy blowouts after playing so many games that mattered this spring.

"We love the competition," he said. "I think we've got some of the greatest competitors in our league, in this world, so you want to have a game where you feel like you were tested, and we had that today."

Luckily for the Americans, they know they have James to pull it out.