Cleveland Sports Forum

Being way optimistic. Cavs want and plan to be in the lottery. Plan on trading Andy and Boobie during this season.

Agreed.

civ ollilavad wrote:Is this a season to maybe reach the playoffs, or another season to secure a lottery pick? They seem to be in danger of improving too much for the lottery or am I being too optimistic?

It would be nice, even though part of me thinks one more season of tanking might be for the best.

On further reflection I think I may have been far too optimistic. Who will take up the offensive role that Jamison provided? Who is the backup point guard? Let alone the obvious that neither Waiters nor Zellers is likely to develop into a quality pro as quickly as an exceptional player like Irving did.

The rotation of

Irving, (Pargo or Sloan), Waiters, Miles (Gibson?), Gee (Casspi?), Thompson, (Leuer or Samuels?) Varajao and Zellers doesn't look like a playoff team in 2012-13. Same guys in 2014-15 could be pretty good.

Young Cleveland Cavaliers won't win many, but are far from a lost cause: Terry Pluto

Published: Saturday, October 27, 2012, 6:53 PM Updated: Saturday, October 27, 2012, 7:00 PM
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer


1



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers will be fortunate to win more than 26 games. If they avoid 50 losses, Byron Scott should be Coach of the Year.
Yes, in Year 3 After LeBron, the Cavs are that bad, although it's not about being void of talent.
Kyrie Irving is headed to the All-Star Game at some point. Tyler Zeller may surprise and soon be ready to start, and I was very upbeat about the center from North Carolina on draft night. If he concentrates, Tristan Thompson can approach the goal of 10 rebounds per game set for him by Scott.
But this team is so, so young. And it could be even younger, if 30-year-old Anderson Varejao is traded ... or injured. The Cavs ranked 25th in scoring last season, and points will be even harder to find with the departure of Antawn Jamison to the Lakers via free agency.
So it's 26-56 and another dive deep into the NBA lottery. And that's by design.
General Manager Chris Grant's strategy is to secure one more high pick in 2013. They also have a 2013 first-rounder that will either belong to the Lakers or Heat, depending upon which is more favorable to the Cavs. They could add yet another middle or late first-rounder if Varejao is traded.
The immediate goal is to avoid being a team that wins 40-some games, creeps into the playoffs and then slinks out in the first round. Cavs fans saw that routine in the late 1990s. From 1994-98, their team finished with records between 42-40 and 47-35. Four times, they made the playoffs. Their postseason record was 2-12 and the Cavs never won more than one game in a series.
They were stuck in the dreaded middle, grabbing a playoff spot late in the year -- and quickly departing once the postseason began.
The current franchise aims to advance from the bottom to battling for the top, without spending much time in that so-so stage. After one more big draft, then they will add veterans via trades and free agency.
But for now, the Cavs will have some nights where they will be agonizing to watch because the ball will refuse to go through the hoop. Opposing defenses will be stacked against Irving, and no one else seems capable of averaging more than a dozen points.
The only way that changes is if rookie Dion Waiters quickly figures out how to play shooting guard, a position at which he's struggled in the preseason. Waiters shot only 35 percent from the field (and on 3-pointers), averaging 8.6 points in 23 minutes a game. The Syracuse product has the strength to drive to the basket and can make some nice passes to big men for layups. But too often, he has settled for long-range jump shots.
He took only 12 free throws in six preseason games. At Syracuse, he averaged only 3.7 per game, too low for a guard who can draw fouls going to the basket. A key to this season is turning Waiters into a viable NBA starting guard, as the Cavs desperately need someone in the backcourt to take pressure off Irving.
At Syracuse, the 6-3 Waiters usually controlled the ball, meaning he was the point guard even if he didn't have that label. He needs to learn how to move without the ball to get open. Scott was very high on Waiters before the draft and after he was selected, so it will be up to the veteran coach to teach the 20-year-old.
The Cavs have some interesting young big men. Thompson and Zeller are projected as starters. If not in the opener, then soon. Samardo Samuels has lost weight and gained some maturity. He can help at power forward.
The only significant veteran added is C.J. Miles, an energetic and optimistic shooter who can play both small forward and shooting guard. He'll boldly put up shots, but some of them will make you grab for the Tylenol. Alonzo Gee and Omri Casspi are the other small forward candidates.
This is a team where possibly four of the top six players are rookies or second-year pros. No doubt, owner Dan Gilbert has had moments when he's wanted cash in some chips and either sign or trade for some veterans to take away the pain.
But the Cavs have decided to wait until next season, hoping this year is one in which the young players can at least prove they belong.
But the bottom line for this season is 26-56.

The Thunder have traded James Harden and three other players to the Rockets for Kevin Martin, rookie Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick.
The Rockets will also receive Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward as part of the blockbuster, which was clearly precipitated by Harden's demand for a max contract, and OKC's reluctance to pay him. Harden is expected to get his max extension in Houston, where he slots into the starting SG spot and provides a dynamic option to complement (and take pressure off) Jeremy Lin. The reigning Sixth-Man of the Year will be a focal point of Houston's offense and he should see a nice increase from last season's 31 minutes per game.

OKC has always had interest in Andy Varejao in the past. OKC now has 3 first round picks next year and 2 first year players in Lamb and Perry Jones to entice the Cavs if they want Andy.

Ibaka, Andy, and Perkins would look pretty good together. Cavs might do it for Toronto's 2013 first round pick alone.

Nice win last night. I was surprised to see Waiters as a starter, but he showed up last night. Andy was Andy last night, almost a triple-double. I hope he stays and ends his career a Cav.

For the Bucks game, the plus/minus figures for the Cavs starters (worst was Gee +11) vs. the Cavs bench (best was Sloan at -14) were about as stark as you'll ever see.

Charlie what do the + & - signs mean?

I think the + and - numbers are the change in score when that player is on the floor.

That is correct.

Not entirely sure why Scott seems to want to play Walton ahead of Jon Leuer. Consensus seems to be that Walton literally can't do anything anymore. Leuer is overmatched physically against most power forwards, but less so than Walton; plus Leuer can at least make an open 20-footer once in a while.

Sea is correct. +/- is how many points your team gained or lost in comparative score while you played. Of course it's not entirely fair, since if you are out there with guys who are stinking it up you suffer a big minus even if you're grabbing rebounds and tossing passes to shooters who miss everything they put up.

Dan Gilbert ‏@cavsdan

Hey @Cavs fans, fell asleep.Just woke up & saw we won! Fantastic.One question: How did our backcourt do tonight? @kyrieirving @dionwaiters3