DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs/NBA Off-Season Discussion

Hmm .... well, it does seem likely that the Cavaliers want to trade Shump, and they could definitely use a presence down low. I don't know that Okafor would add a whole lot defensively, but he could be a young, useful big, and that's definitely something we lacked at the end of the season, when we tied, staples, and soldered Frye to the bench. Would the Sixers go for it? I dunno, but they have tried to trade Okafor, without success, for quite a while. It is an interesting idea, anyway. (and I also do think that we want to bring Osman from overeseas)

Jahlil Okafor Could Help the Cleveland Cavaliers - Scout
http://www.scout.com/cleveland-sports/story/1789840-jahlil-okafor-could-help-the-cavs?s=143

The Cavs can't seem to add any young talent or their primary targets and the Sixers can't seem to get rid of Jahlil Okafor, so maybe they can connect on a trade.

We all know the score: The Cleveland Cavaliers are 1 - 2 against the Golden State Warriors over the last three years in the NBA Finals.

We all know the problem: The Warriors seem unbeatable with their Big 4 and the Cavs have limited ways to improve.

The Cavs, reportedly, were in on trading for Paul George and Jimmy Butler only to fall short.
Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all could be added as aging candidates with their own issues.

(That is an article for later.)

To date, the Cavs have brought back Kyle Korver, signed Jose Calderon and just signed Jeff Green. Richard Jefferson has stated that he will return as well.

Eurostar Cedi Osman is likely to come over but will take a part, maybe a large part, of the Cavs exception they have available to sign players.

Derrick Williams and Deron Williams are likely gone.

At best, it seems like a wash. At worst, the Cavs got older.

So where does improvement come from?

One option is a trade for Sixers center Jahlil Okafor.

The Sixers have been looking to deal the former #3 overall pick since last year. They couldn't find a taker even with very limited trade demands.
Okafor seems to have been left in past with his style of game. He is a low post scorer in a 3 point game. He doesn't have quick feet to play defense in the pick and roll that is the primary offense in today's NBA.
Okafor has averaged 14.7 points, 6 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field, including 62% from inside of 5 feet, yet has little trade value today.
Yet, the big man is considered nothing better than "replacement level player" by many advanced stats:
None of them are. VORP has Jahlil Okafor as being -0.8 last year and being essentially a replacement-level player. This is one of the stats that "trade Jah" folks are leaning on.

Among players with an average of 20+ minutes on the court, Okafor had the 2nd worst Net rating among centers in the league.

Yikes, strong statements.

Yet the same article notes some positives that stats point to Okafor having some defensive qualities, after noting some of his offensive skills:

Jahlil Okafor's defensive stats page says that opponents shoot 6.6% worse against him from inside 6 feet than they do against the rest of the league. They're also 5.2% worse against him from inside 10 feet than against the rest of the league.

How can both of these be true?

Maybe only just over 100 games is not a big enough sample to make a true judgment. Maybe the lack of talent, veterans or desire to win in Philly impacted Okafor's development. Maybe the glut of big men, including Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Dario Saric, made it difficult for Okafor to get into any rhythm.

Given that the Sixers have had trouble dealing the big man, the general consensus that he doesn't fit into today's NBA and the Cavs focus on beating the small ball Warriors, why even bring up the Cavs trading for Okafor?

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Michael Pina ✔ @MichaelVPina
LeBron James was +7 in 46 minutes and his team lost by five. In a game of incredible stats, nothing touches that.
11:54 PM - 7 Jun 2017
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When LeBron is off the floor, the Cavs were terrible against the Warriors. The offense bogs down, looks disjointed and gives the Warriors a jolt of energy. Golden State is one of the most emotional teams in the league and can take off when the Cavs start to struggle.

Okafor could be a solution.

First, Okafor can score the ball from the post. With LBJ off the court, the Cavs can shift gears on offense by dumping the ball down to Okafor and working from him. In his short time in the league, Jah has proven that he can score. The Cavs would have a simple solution on offense and could surround Okafor with shooters if/when the Warriors trap him in the post.

Second, an offense built out of the post can slow down the Warriors. The Cavs can set up their offense while making sure to not allow the Warriors to get out and run easily. Grinding the game to a halt would limit the Warriors ability to score (Think ball control offense in the NFL) by limiting possessions. Okafor's effenciency download combined with limited Warrior possessions could keep non-LBJ floor time closer to zero instead of what we saw in Game 3, and most of the NBA Finals.

Third, the Warriors don't really have anyone who can guard Okafor and could end up in foul trouble from having to guard him. While Zaza Pachulia is big and starts, he doesn't see the floor much and is foul prone. Javale McGee could leave in free agency which would leave Draymond Green and Kevin Durant types to guard Okafor in the post. Pounding away at smaller players and forcing them to foul could make things easier for the Cavs throughout the Finals.

Fourth, even with LBJ on the floor, Okafor can take pressure of the Cavs ball handling stars. LeBron could become a slasher off of post ups while Kyrie Irving can rest a bit while still being a deadly spot up shooter. Subbing Jah in, at times, for Tristan Thompson would allow the Cavs to have three great shooters and the best slasher in the game around a very good post up player.

Finally, there is very little the Cavs, or any other team in the NBA, has been able to do to slow down the Warriors on the defensive end. This isn't throwing up the white flag but Okafor's poor defense may be less of a problem since the Warriors score so easily. Tristan's ability to switch was hampered in the Finals, possibly due to injury, and led the Cavs to go small even more often. Okafor's issues could be a problem but the variance could be minimal.

So what could a trade look like?

This is where things get a little tougher. While Okafor seemingly has little value, the Sixers have little reason to just give him away. On the other hand, the Cavs have very little assets to give back that would help the Sixers.

Here is one option:



Trading Iman Shumpert has been on the table all off-season and could fit in this situation. Shumpert would fit into a role for the Sixers backcourt after adding offensive minded Markelle Fultz with the #1 overall pick to go alongside Ben Simmons, who they plan to play as a point forward. Shump wouldn't have to start but could give the Sixers a veteran to assist off the bench.

Okafor and Nik Stauskas would be the best the Cavs could ask for, and more, for Shump but just might be the best fit between the two teams. Both players have underachieved for their draft positions but could benefit from a winning environment in Cleveland. Stauskas was expected to be a great shooter that could also defend and dribble. Instead, for his three season, he has shot under 35% from 3 point land.

Would Okafor and Stauskas be the change needed to move the Cavs over the Warriors? Unlikely but they would give the Cavs options they didn't have last year. Trying something different may not hurt.

A game later and he gets a triple double.

Well, cfrs is probably thinking that the second game is very important and is the true indicator of how he'll be in the NBA. For sure.

i have always said, if such an such an athlete is getting X amount, can you imagine what the guy signing the check is getting?

Certainly true that the guy signing the check has a bunch of cash, but what he's getting is TICKET MONEY!

Don't think much comes out of their pockets past the purchase of the team.

Must be nice.

TV Money

That too.

The Knicks are dumb.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/19947...t-office-search

I'm not saying Griffin is the basketball equivalent of Theo Epstein. And that he's ganna go to the Knicks and win a title there too..

But the guys proven he knows what he's doing. At times appearing as a magician in making deals to plan for other deals..

And the people NY refuses to get rid of through multiple FOs have proven what?

Don't forget Radio money, marketing and merchandise money, concessions money, in some cases money from Parking.

There's some rumblings on Twitter right now that the Cavs have signed Cedi Osman to a three year deal. Most of the sources seemed to be based out of Turkish News, so I'm not sure how legit it is ... but this has also been expected.

Cedi has been one of those "Euro Stashes", where you draft a guy in Europe to get his rights, and then let him mature over in their league. He's been tearing it up over there, so they think he's ready. Will be interesting to see what he can provide if he does come here.

I am really interested in seeing him come to the NBA.

Brian Windhorst is saying the deal is complete....


https://twitter.com/WindhorstESPN/status/885138228378046464


https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/885142419435474947

Cedi Osman? Sounds legit, 2018 champs confirmed.

Here is an older scouting report on Cedi:




And here is a more recent video:



He looks fast and athletic to me. Kinda moves like Pistol Pete.

Dang. I thought he was one of those Centers we stashed.

it's worth a shot. I'd rather sign him with a lot of upside than a washed out vet on his last legs

Melo to the Rockets probably doesn't mean much in the grand scheme, but it will definitely make the league more fun and interesting.

I am wondering why in the world would the Rockets even want Carmelo Anthony?

They're pretty much going with Mike D'Antoni's run-and-gun offense. They just hope to outscore everyone, and who cares about defense. I think Melo might actually work for them.

I don't think Melo is a good transitional player. He likes dominating the ball. I am not a fan of his game at all.

Olympic Melo has to reappear with the Rockets. If that happens, then he will be a good player for them. He has always been the best player on his team, so it will be interesting to see if he can take a backseat to Harden and Paul. Also, I heard the Chris Paul is actually the alpha dog of the Banana Boat, so he might be able to rein in Anthony.

It will be fun to watch.

The 5 best remaining free agents for the Cleveland Cavaliers

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

It shouldn’t be a surprise to anybody that the Cleveland Cavaliers were not a major player in the first two weeks of free agency. With a roster in place that has made three straight Finals, the cap space to be a player in the mad dash for free agents just isn’t a reality.

Now that the money is drying up around the league, we can begin to look at what free agents are left that can help the Cavs. These players aren’t the best available players, but they are players that can fit within the team’s system. Ideally they may even be able to help against the Warriors, although few options remain that are more effective than the existing players on the roster.

With that in mind, here are five remaining free agents that can help the Cavs:

Marreese Speights
The last time a former Cavs hero returned it resulted in a title, so why not repeat the process?

Speights doesn’t give the Cavs much on the defensive end. But he can play either at center or power forward and is a reliable rebounder and shooter. While his shooting isn’t as strong as Channing Frye, he is a better defender and rebounder. It isn’t a perfect fit, but it gives the Cavs another reliable center to help keep Tristan Thompson fresh.


Jeff Withey
Whitey is far from a sexy name. The 27-year-old center hasn’t found consistent minutes with the Utah Jazz, given their deep stable of bigs. Withey would give the Cavs a good defensive presence that can lighten the load for Tristan Thompson. Unlike Chris Andersen and Andrew Bogut, he is far less likely to crumble into dust on the court.

For his career, Whitey has averaged 11.5 points, nine rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes. He also has posted solid rim protection stats over the last few years, although they primarily came against second units.

He should be in the Cavs price range and could give the team a more traditional center off the bench.

Thabo Sefolosha
Sefolosha won’t help the Cavs become younger and more athletic, but still can have a positive impact. His three point shooting has declined over the last three seasons, but can still make open shots at a respectable rate.

He should be available to the Cavs at the veteran’s minimum and can help address some of their defensive deficiencies. Given the make-up of the Warriors roster you truly can never have enough wings to help slow them down.

Gerald Henderson
At 29, Henderson still has a lot of life in his legs. While he’s far from a strong shooter, he has shot 35.3 percent from three the last two season. Combine that with the ability to defend multiple wing positions and you have a fantastic fit for the team.

Should the team move Shumpert this summer, Henderson would give the team a far more reliable replacement. He was paid $9 million from the Sixers last season and, at his age, could still receive a decent payday. But if he wants to play with a contender, the Cavs make a lot of sense for him.

Luc Mbah a Moute
Mbah a Moute had possibly the best season of his career last year for the Clippers. He’s a 6’8” elite defender that had a career best year from behind the three point line at 39.1 percent. While the shooting is likely to come back down to Earth, he is the type of player that can change a game with his abilities on defense.

In minutes with the second unit, he could be an absolute terror. With all the shooters the Cavs have, it would be nice to add a reliable defensive presence. Even if his shooting fades, he brings something the Cavs sorely need and lacked last season.


https://www.fearthesword.com/2017/7/12/15957060/5-best-remaining-free-agents-cleveland-cavaliers

Perhaps you are right. I am not certain about any of this. It's just an opinion. Maybe age has changed him.

Whitey would be a perfect choice if we can get him. We desperately need a back-up big who can rebound and protect the rim.......as well as set some picks and accumulate fouls.

My second choice would be Mbah a Moute. I like him defensively and he can occasionally get hot on 3s.

I love that Withey's name is being misspelled "Whitey."

Racist.

Check out Kevin Durant's face after Peyton Manning said: "our women's gymnastics team was so good that Kevin Durant wants to play for them next year."

^ Savage. I hope that wasn't staged.

professor, the savage meter is off the charts!!

Here is the full monologue. The dude killed it!!!!

That was hilarious!

very funny stuff. Manning is a natural comic

Yeah, he is a natural. His delivery, tone of voice, and timing are very good.

Awkward! Kevin Durant fails to see the funny side as Peyton Manning pokes fun at his decision to join the Warriors at the ESPYS

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...vin-Durant.html

Watch the video, pretty funny (unless you're Kevin Durant).

There are some hilarious memes at the bottom of that article.

I went to a coworker's church two or three years ago. He told me to wear what I wanted, that some people dress up, some do not.

I was one of the very few with just jeans and a T-shirt on. I was a little bit embarrassed, but whatever....I hate underdressing.

I think Durant and Westbrook were in on the joke. Durant's mom was laughing and Westbrook's wife was laughing. Both players also cracked tiny smiles.

what does lebron expect us to do with no cap space?

wasn't his camp the one pushing for TT's ridiculous contract, for example?