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do you think between varego and bynum we can keep one healthy for the playoffs?

I'm starting to feel old when I've been following guys like andy their enitre careers. I still cant believe that odd foreigner with the floppy hair worked out.

ps if anyone wants to buy a basketball signed by the cavs when they had shawn kemp and potapenko (97?) shoot me a pm.

Pay me $25 bucks and I'll take it.

I don't want to rip you off. The autographs really ruin the balls handling.


Just realize it may have a danny ferry autograph on there. What a lousy team. My younger cousin got an autographed pair of Z's size 23 shoes that day.

How do you want to manage the center position next year? Regular season I want Bynum playing 23-25 minutes max. Then have Andy play as hard as humanly possible for 15-18 minutes off the bench. I want him being purely a center. Clark, Thompson and Bennet can work out the PF spot just fine. Then we could have Zeller fill in for the rest.

presently, it appears that Clark is going to play at SF (though he may end up pairing with Bennett and taking the harder assignment on defense between 3-4).

that leaves 96 minutes for 5 main players: Thompson, Bennett, Andy, Bynum, Zeller

Thompson - 28min/game
Bennett - 20min/game
Andy - 25min/game
Bynum - 20min/game (later in the year, we can increase. let's not push it here)

That leaves 3 min per game for Zeller. But, in a vast majority of games there are going to be foul troubles for at least one of the players and other things that force Mike Brown to adjust the minutes, so Tyler will usually end up with around 10-15min/game and be a bigger role during any injury replacement time.

Anybody watching the USA Basketball scrimmage? A guy from the Air Force in fatigues and boots just did a sweet windmill dunk during a timeout.

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So I learned last night that Kyrie Irving kid can play basketball.

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That's just a rumor.

How far do the Pacers go with Granger and Scola? Hopefully Granger accepts a role as a 6th man. Him and Scola would give them a nice scoring punch that they need off the bench.

Point guard is still their biggest weakness. Them and Chicago are close for 2nd. Then Brooklyn and New York.

The promise and danger of Kyrie Irving's maturation for the Cavaliers
By Matt Moore | NBA writer
July 28, 2013 5:19 pm CT

Before we get started, Kyrie Irving is going to be a Cavalier for the next six years no matter what, barring something catastrophic. He's on his rookie deal, and players sign extensions coming out of their rookie deals, especially when they'll be as lucrative as Irving's. He has the potential to play with a major star in 2014 and the Cavaliers have absolutely billed him as their future. He's not going anywhere.

This is more about the path Irving is on and whether that path leads to growth with the Cavaliers, or beyond them.

Irving has been turning heads in Vegas at the Team USA Basketball Camp in Las Vegas the past week, and not just with his play. He's shown an attitude adjustment that reveals that the 21-year-old has done some soul searching and is coming into his own.

The Plain Dealer spoke with Irving, who opened up on why he has been more outgoing, and more "engaging" since the end of the season that brought questions about his attitude and leadership. Irving reportedly was unhappy with how last season's disaster unfolded, and walked off the court on Fan Appreciation Night at year's end without thanking the fans or giving away his gear. But he's taking a new approach this summer.

"This is part of the plan that I've kind of planned out for my career and how I want it to go in terms of the third year for different guys in the league,'' Irving said. "They either get worse or they continue to get better. The third year is a big year for a person in my position ... kind of on the cusp, on the fence between being good and great."

So what happened? Did the losses get to him? And why the change in attitude?

"I wouldn't blame it solely on the losing, but just a lot of maturing, things that I had to get rid of," he said. "It's about being OK with being in that position and having all the expectations put on me, taking responsibility for the team, taking control of this team head on. I felt like I shied away from it at times.

"Now I'm ready to take this team full on and be the leader. Like I said, I had a lot of growing up to do."

Irving sounds a lot more introspective than the petulant young star who ran off the court at the end of the finale without sticking around for the traditional jersey and shoe giveaway.

"Obviously, it was a mistake on my end after Fan Appreciation Night," said Irving, who reportedly had a sore heel. "But losing a game that way in front of those fans. ... I'm pretty sure everybody understood, but it still wasn't the right way to leave on Fan Appreciation Night. I apologized for it. It's in the past now.''

Much introspection seems to have followed.

"I had to reevaluate myself and what I really want to become, or what I want to be known for," he said. "I don't want to be known as a guy who gives up games or takes plays off or anything like that. I want to have a consistent effort and be known as a great player. What makes those great players great is consistency every single night. That's what I have to bring.''

via Kyrie Irving has a new approach for the upcoming Cleveland Cavaliers season | cleveland.com.

All of this is good news for Cavs fans, because you never want your star A) to be unhappy or B) to be a malcontent. He wants to lead, and that's good. He apologized for his behavior, and that's good. But Irving's trajectory has been so meteoric, and provided he's healthy, should continue to be, that there comes with that a lot more than just being the best player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Irving is set up to be a true superstar, and that's not entirely by the virtue of his talent. Many players have that kind of ability but never seek out the things that come along with it these days. Trips to China, global brand awareness campaigns, business development, iconic placement in the league, brand development, recognition as something more than just an athlete, but a celebrity concept with basketball as a conduit.

You see this model in Irving's friend and mentor, LeBron James. James has long built himself to be more than just the best player in the league, but to be an all-time great and a cultural entity identifiable for more than his jumpshot. It's an approach shared by some of the league's modern elite, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwight Howard.

The Cavaliers have a tremendous amount of promise next season. Tristan Thompsonquietly continues to develop as a quality big man. Anderson Varejao is set to be an All-Star if he can just avoid a seemingly endless series of freak injuries. Should Andrew Bynumactually be healthy this season, he can tip the scales of a team towards a playoff spot. Dion Waiters has the capacity to take over games on both ends if he can learn to adapt his game off-ball. Jarrett Jack can operate in much the same manner as he did in Golden State to much sucess beside Steph Curry with Irving. The talent is there.

But they key will be Irving, and how he adapts. If he excels, the Cavaliers can take back some respect taken from them after The Decision. It would also mean that Irving has taken another step forward. But there is also a balance that has to be maintained, or at least tread carefully as the momentum carries over.

It's nearly an unavoidable part of the superstar nature of the league. Superstars almost always give their teams more in terms of basketball and marketing value than they get back, on the court or in their bank accounts. If Irving fulfills his incredible promise, he will almost certainly give the Cavaliers more than they can give him. They can't clear the ranks and pull off something like the Heat did. They can't offer the perks and value of a major market like the sponsorships or social lives afforded by New York or Los Angeles.

The most beloved players throughout the course of the league's history have understood that there is inherent value in loyalty, and to building something that is truly your own. No matter how many trophies LeBron James collects in Miami, that team remains Dwyane Wade's in spirit, on account of what he's given the community. It's apparent in his being introduced last, and in the crowd's response.

But there are also players like Kevin Garnett, who understands the draw and the danger of loyalty. Garnett had a message for James in 2010 after the Celtics defeated LeBron's Cavaliers in what became his last game in a Cavs uniform.

"Loyalty is something that hurts you at times, because you can't get youth back," Garnett said Thursday night after the Celtics eliminated the Cavs 94-85 with the help of his 22-point, 12-rebound performance straight out of 1998. "I can honestly say that if I could go back and do my situation over, knowing what I know now with this organization, I'd have done it a little sooner."

Garnett loved Minnesota, but was so damaged from the years of mediocrity that he essentially turned his back on that loyalty and regretted having given his heart and soul to a team that was never able to give back enough, by decision or circumstance depending on your perspective.

So Irving is moving forward, a 21-year-old kid talking about taking leadership of his team. He's set out to move both the team he's been given and his own team forward. He's already built up a cultural identity as a clutch player and the guy from those wacky Pepsi commercials. The future is bright and Irving is going through the process of taking his place among the league's elite.

Does that mean his time in Cleveland has a definitive shelf life shorter than that of his whole career?

Not if he's smart about it.

In this age, market matters less than ever. Whatever way Oklahoma City has held backKevin Durant in terms of off-court opportunities, it has made up for in crafting a likeable idenity as leader of a small-market team. His game has done the rest. There's no lack of commercials for Durant, no exclusive opportunity in the league he can't gain access to. And despite the absence of a ring on his finger, there can be no blame cast at Oklahoma City for not putting enough around him.

Irving can be the star he wants to be in Cleveland, but it also means a level of leadership few players are willing to take on. It means sacrifice, and leading by example. In the NBA, that often means a willingness to be exploited further by a team that has not, can not, or will not provide enough to warrant that kind of loyalty. But the rewards are inherent. It's about crafting his own identity as someone who leads with commitment and discipline, not by demanding return on his own investment.

The NBA is a business, and looking out for yourself is a part of that. But investing in being the kind of person Irving talked about above, the mature leader he says he wants to be, and not just in pursuit of what he wants, has greater dividends towards what he will mean to fans, and as a byproduct, investors in his future.

Maybe those outside things don't appeal to Irving. Maybe he just wants to play basketball. But if he wants to win a title in Cleveland, on his own terms, he would be wise to understand that takes a commitment as well, and putting aside his own most ambitious self-goals.

Either way, Kyrie Irving is coming of age in a complicated time in the NBA, and the stakes are about to get much, much higher.

Great read. Agree with a lot of it. Funny thing is, Laker fans think he's coming there in 2 years. They obviously don't understand how things work. They just assume he and Lebron are coming in some kind of a dream package deal.

The best part of that article is there wasn't any mention of Anthony Bennett. Guy was picked 1 overall, and weak draft or not, that's still a big deal. Could his situation set up any better for him? Low expectations, and it could be at the perfect time when Kyrie Irving comes around as a person and player, and Mike Brown is there to make sure it goes along smoothly.

I think we are going to see a different Mike Brown too. I think the on the court philosophies will be the same, I'm sure at times, the offense may drive you crazy, but I think he will have an upper hand on his team, knowing he has the owner and GM in his corner. Everyone learned from the past.

I still think we have a long way to go, but I think barring a bunch of injuries (and all you can do there is cross your fingers) this is a playoff team.

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The NBA is a business, and looking out for yourself is a part of that. But investing in being the kind of person Irving talked about above, the mature leader he says he wants to be, and not just in pursuit of what he wants, has greater dividends towards what he will mean to fans, and as a byproduct, investors in his future.

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This part is hilarious. If the NBA has shown anything in recent years it's that players don't really care about what the fans of their teams think, and outside of getting booed when returning to play against your old team, it has zero impact on the player. As far as "investors in his future" go, loyalty and maturity are, at best, a distant third behind talent and success. Shaq will always be best remembered for his three-peat with the Lakers. KG's star was arguably never bigger than when Boston's big three got together. Lebron peed all over loyalty and maturity and I don't see any "investors in his future" shying away from him..

The NBA is full of cautionary tales about what being loyal can get you (or perhaps what it can't get you)...funny that the author brought up Durant, because he may very well be the next one. He was almost universally lauded when he signed that extension, but if OKC starts to get passed up by some of the up-and-comers in the West, people might start to wonder if he shouldn't have left himself an early out.

At the end of the day, Kyrie's talent is great enough that his career moves will be dictated by what give him the best chance to win championships. I certainly hope that that path goes through Cleveland for quite some time, but if Cleveland continues to falter I will understand and will no longer be upset if he goes down a different road. Winning and getting paid are the name of the game, and when you're good enough to get paid the max allowed, the best way to get more is to win.

If people want to know the significance of spacing in basketball, watch the Pistons offense next year compared to San Antonio or Miami. Detroit is going to be AWFUL at shooting.

I guess Dumars didn't learn last time around when he signed Gordon, and Charlie V. Just an awful trade to get Jennings. At best the pistons are still stuck in mediocrity. Only thing that might save them, is if Drummond turns into one of the better centers.

I've never been a big fan of Smith and Jennings. Chuck too many wild shots, and don't play winning basketball for the most part. I do like the pistons front line in Monroe and Drummond. Very bright future there, and Pope was very well thought of in the draft. Our division should be much improved outside of the bucks. I think they're just starting over, and trying to get wiggins. They will be pretty bad, along with the magic and bobcats.

Andre Drummond is gonna put up Dennis Rodman rebounding #s next year with the two shot chuckers on that team.

the strange thing is why the Bucks went after Mayo and Zaza and such if they just wanted to tank. it is really weird because they should be better than the worst teams but still have no chance at the playoffs. what does that get them?

The Larry Sanders show deserves so much better.

I don't hate what the Bucks have done. Knight, Mayo, Sanders and even Henson plus addition by subtraction with M. Ellis.

If there was any doubt Lebron and Durant are on a different planet:



Shocker, Westbrook is a shot chucker.

Not exactly sure how Usage works. Can anyone explain it? Doesn't assists play into that as well? It does look like the further right you go, the bigger the "ballhog" ... but Usage is one of those numbers in a blender stats that includes things like shots, assists, "pace" and some other stuff.

At any rate, where do you really want to "be" on this graph? You've got some pretty good players on all corners of this chart.

Greg Oden taking his injury history to South Beach.

Former Ohio State star Greg Oden taking his injury history to South Beach | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/osu/index.ssf/2013/08/former_ohio_state_star_greg_od.html

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Former Ohio State star Greg Oden, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, is getting together with another former basketball star from Ohio.

Yep. Oden is taking his injury history to South Beach.

The former Buckeye on Friday broke the news to friend and former OSU teammate Mark Titus, the benchwarmer-turned-writer, that he'll sign with the Miami Heat and play with LeBron James.

In 2007, Oden and James both led Ohio teams into basketball finals. Oden and the Buckeyes lost to Florida in the NCAA title game, and James and the Cavs were swept by San Antonio in the NBA Finals. Now Oden will join James as the Heat go for three straight titles.

Titus wrote at Grantland.com that Oden went back and forth in the last year about where to restart his basketball life after a raft of injuries derailed his career with the Portland Trail Blazers, the team that picked Oden ahead of Kevin Durant six years ago.

About a year ago, Greg Oden told me that his plan was to rejoin his high school and college teammate Mike Conley Jr. in Memphis at the start of the 2013-14 season. Three months ago, he told me he wanted to play for Cleveland because he likes living in Ohio. Last month, he said his trip to Miami during the NBA Finals won him over and the Heat were the front-runners to land him.

Oden won't be under pressure to lift a new team to new heights by signing with the two-time defending champs. He has enough to worry about with hoping that his knees hold up. He may never be the same player he once was. But for anyone who saw him during his one year in Columbus, any chance to see Oden on the court again is worth watching.

Schedule release is tonight at 6.

not sure I'd want to open against the Nets, but it is what it is.

The Blake and CP3 Footlocker commercial made me chuckle a little:

http://youtu.be/PWbqSWLXlnQ

Kinda interesting about Tristan working to learn to shoot right handed. I don't know if shooting right handed would be a huge advantage ..... but being able to shoot with either hand sure would be.

Tristan Thompson's switch to right-handed shooting is a first (we think) | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2013/08/tristan_thompsons_switch_to_ri.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio – It’s probably for the best that no one bothered to look up the historical significance.

When Tristan Thompson came to the Cavaliers at the end of last season and said he wanted to make the switch from shooting primarily with his left hand to primarily with his right, no one really bothered to investigate whether anyone else had ever accomplished such a feat in the NBA.

Because the answer is that no one can remember it happening. Ever.

Harvey Pollack is the director of statistical information for the Philadelphia 76ers and has been with the NBA since its inception in 1946. He was the game statistician for Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game, and he saw the frequently free-throw challenged player shoot those shots with his right hand, left hand and under-handed simply to find something that worked.

But someone switching shooting everything from free throws to jumpers with the opposite hand?

“If anyone ever did this, I’m not aware of it,” said the 91-year-old Pollack in an email reply.

Thompson, for his part, claims it’s no big deal. He’s always thrown a baseball and a football right-handed. He just also always happened to golf and eat left-handed. And shoot a basketball left-handed.

He has the blessing of the Cavaliers, however, who supported Thompson when he suggested the switch at the end of the season. A shooting coach was brought in to work with Thompson, and he debuted his new stroke with Team Canada last week.

“We didn’t look around for precedence, necessarily,” Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant said. “Because of who Tristan is, as diligent a worker as he is, we knew he’d work at it. He’s such a great kid.”

Thompson said he goes with what works in “the flow of the game,” when determining which hand to use when shooting.

“If the opportunity arises, I’ll use it,” Thompson said in a phone interview while practicing with Team Canada this week.

And he’ll continue to work at it this off-season – with the blessing of the Cavaliers.

“I think Tristan understands that it's a process,” Grant said. “There's going to be some really good days and some days that aren't as good. That goes with shooting, in general.”

But so far? It looks good. And it very well could be a first.

Little more about Thompson and his right handed shooting ...... and his time playing for Canada so far.

Cleveland Cavaliers young core also part of Team Canada's young nucleus | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2013/08/cavaliers_young_core_also_part.html

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Back in the old days, if you came from Canada and you played basketball, you had two questions to answer:

1. Do you know Steve Nash? and

2. Can you prove you can really play?

Our Neighbors to the North haven’t exactly been known for producing the biggest, baddest hoops players known to the NBA. Well, until recently, when a crop of young, promising players has suddenly appeared in the spotlight, forsaking Canada’s most popular sport for the one not played on ice.

Two of those products play for the Cavaliers – third-year forward Tristan Thompson and the 2013 No. 1 draft pick, Anthony Bennett. Thompson, along with NBA players such as Cory Joseph, Andrew Nicholson and Joel Anthony, currently are playing for Team Canada as it seeks to qualify for the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Last week, Canada twice defeated Jamaica, with Thompson scoring 20 points on 8-for-20 shooting while debuting a new right-handed stroke as his dominant shooting hand. The former left-handed shooter has focused on making the switch to shooting everything from jumpers to free throws with his right hand in this off-season.

Bennett remains sidelined from shoulder surgery earlier this year, and is not participating in Team Canada camp. But he and Thompson are part of a new wave of Canadian basketball players that are transforming the way the country’s product is viewed around the world.

“At one time it was something to prove,” said Michael Mennenga, a former Canadian youth basketball coach, now an assistant at Canisius College. “When you thought about Canada basketball you thought about Steve Nash. It's a totally different impression now. Kids coming up are playing with that confidence and chip on the shoulder that they can be the best in the game.”

Nash still leads the charge when it comes to Canadian basketball, and this year accepted the general manager position for his country’s squad.

“With Steve being involved, that says a lot about where we're going as a country, and the love of his heart for this sport and this country,” Thompson said. “He wants us to be successful and he's done a lot of things behind the scenes to make things happen for us on the court and off the court.”

But Nash can only work with the talent that is there, and that talent is one that has been cultivated at the youth levels more diligently in recent years.

An increased focus on developing players through AAU teams, a more unified system of Canada’s national team working with other levels of the sport and simply exposing Canadian athletes to the NBA through the Toronto Raptors has yielded a system that not only is working, but producing top-level players.

“They find you, now, if you can play, no matter if you're in Toronto or Saskatchewan, you're going to be exposed if you've got the ability to play at that level,” Mennenga said.

Bennett, for instance, didn’t begin playing basketball in earnest until he was a teenager. But Mennenga and his CIA Bounce youth basketball program helped teach and develop him to the point where he attended UNLV and was the No. 1 selection in the draft after one season in college.

“It just shows that our country is growing and basketball is taking note,” Thompson said. “It's big for Canada, but it's even bigger for Toronto. The majority of the pros in the NBA from Canada are from Toronto. It's big for our city. Only 5 million people, but we have so many pros.”

Although both grew up in Toronto, Thompson and Bennett were just far enough apart in age that between different AAU teams and high school in the United States for both of them, they didn’t play together.

“I’m going to make him my new best friend,” Bennett joked at his introductory press conference.

Thompson already has invited his new BFF to dinner, and will next work on how to integrate his game with that of his fellow power forward’s.

“I definitely want to connect with him because we missed the opportunity growing up,” Thompson said. “Especially two guys from the same area, we weren't able to connect like that. We want to take that time right now to build a relationship.”

That should come more easily with both not only playing for the Cavaliers, but both as core members of a young Team Canada that needs to finish in the top four at the FIBA Americas Championship in Venezuela this summer to qualify for the World Cup.

“I think we're starting to get that respect internationally,” Thompson said. “Now we just have to show it's not potential, it's a product. … I think we’re one of those up-and-coming teams. I think the Cavaliers and Canada basketball are kind of the same thing.”

It will be nice to have an amphibious player for once.