DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs (and NBA) Preseason Thread

I will never understand your liberalism with positive adjectives.

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Starters:
PG: Irving
SG: Miles
C: Varejao
PF: Thompson
SF: Deng

That's a solid starting 5.

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No, it is not.

It's a lottery team that could sneak into the playoffs if they gel as a unit.

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He walked into a horrible situation, and has done a solid job.

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I don't understand how one could look at our ammo, look what it netted and think 'solid job'.

i wish we could've pulled off the gasol deal over Deng.

but deng is still a good player. so lets see what happens.

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No, it is not.

It's a lottery team that could sneak into the playoffs if they gel as a unit.

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Irving is an All Star. He is a 22 PPG, 6 APG guy this year.

Varejoa put up All Star numbers last year before getting hurt. This year he is almost a double double guy. He also has played under 30 MPG as Bynum tried to work his way back into shape. I expect that his role will expand. My biggest question with him is health.

Thompson is a double double guy. He is sitting at 12 PPG and 10 RPG right now, and he is getting better every year.

Deng is an All Star. He is a 19 PPG, 7 RPG, 3 APG guy.

Miles is the weakest link in this lineup, yet he can put up 15 on a good night. He is averaging 9 PPG this year.

This starting lineup, assuming that no one improves or declines as a result of Deng moving to the Cavaliers, is a starting lineup that will score 72 PPG on average. (and yes, I realize that this won't happen all nights, but as the season moves on, the averages settle into become trends)

Deng will help tremendously on the defensive end as well. He is a strong wing defender. I think that he will help the team defense immensely.

I don't see "lottery team" when I look at that starting lineup. Maybe you can explain how/why you do. I think that Deng will be a huge help for this team.

Those Bulls teams never won anything though. They were great in the regular season.

And on top of that, Thibs >>> Mike Brown.

The Bulls media worships the ground Thibs walks on. I wouldn't go that far, but you can easily say he has gotten everything he can out of this group, and with the hand he's been dealt.

I don't feel like Mike Brown has gotten the most out of this group. If they were hovering at .500, that'd be different. I know that's only about 6 games off, but this trend they have been on through 34 games is not good. They have bungled (haha) so many games in the final 2 minutes.

I'm like most and wasn't a big fan of the hire, but I'll put up with it, because there is still so much time to turn things around. All we're asking for is a 7 or 8 seed in the east. That's like asking for glass of water.

I'm asking for a 5 or 6 seed in the East. that way we get a competitive 1st round series rather than the Heat or Pacers. again though, it's not asking all that much.

Cleveland Cavaliers hope to keep Luol Deng part of franchise for a long time: GM Chris Grant | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2014/01/cleveland_cavaliers_hope_to_ke.html

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Cavaliers General Manager Chris Grant would like to keep newly acquired Luol Deng a Cavalier for a long, long time.

"We're bringing him here and we'd like to keep him here long term,'' Grant said of Deng, who may or may not arrive before tonight's game against Philadelphia at The Q but likely will not play. "He's 28 years old. We see him as part of our core and our youth moving forward. We'll get through the season and get into those conversations at the appropriate time.''

Deng, who will make $14.3 million this season, can be a free agent this summer. Under the new collective bargaining rules, the Cavs could only offer him a three-year extension if they tried to do so before July 1, whereas they could offer him a five-year deal once he becomes a free agent. Deng and agent Herb Rudoy turned down a reported three-year, $30 million from the Bulls recently, prompting the Bulls to trade him instead of losing him for nothing next summer.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Deng, upset with the Bulls' treatment and reaction when he developed what he called life-threatening complications after a spinal tap late last season, was seeking something more in line with -- or above -- the $14 million a year Josh Smith received from Detroit last summer.

Grant, who has been a fan of Deng's since he entered the 2004 draft out of Duke, explained why the Cavs coveted him.

"From an organization standpoint, we're bringing in a player who's an All-Star in his prime, who epitomizes all the things that we're trying to build as a foundation with this young group of players, fits a position of need, has a winning background, leadership,'' Grant said on Tuesday at Cleveland Clinic Courts. "Obviously, he comes from a strong defensive system. He has a strong defensive presence himself, leading scorer of his team. So it's an exciting time for us.

"They're hard to find -- guys who can score on one end and defend on the other. He is definitely a two-way player. That's a good way to characterize him and just a fantastic human being. You guys will get to know him but in my short conversation last night with him on the phone you could just tell in 30 seconds that this was a great guy and a class act.''

The Cavs obtained the two-time All-Star from the Chicago Bulls for Andrew Bynum, Cleveland’s rights to the Sacramento Kings' first-round draft pick conveyed in a 2011 deal, the right for Chicago to swap its 2015 first-round draft pick with the Cavs' 2015 pick (if the Cleveland pick is between 15 and 30) and the Portland Trail Blazers' 2015-16 second-round draft picks acquired in a 2013 draft-night trade.

Because of the protections on the Kings' pick the next three seasons, it's possible that the Cavs got Deng for Bynum and three second-round picks. Sacramento has to be one of the league's top 18 teams this season or top 20 teams in 2015 or 2016 in order for that pick to be a first-round pick. If that doesn't happen, it reverts to a second-round pick in 2017. The Kings are currently 10-22, the fourth-worst record in the league.

The key in all that is Bynum's contract. The Cavs knew they were taking a chance on signing the fragile big man last summer, but Grant, with the full support of owner Dan Gilbert, structured the two-year, $24-million deal so that only half of his $12.25-million salary was guaranteed this season, protecting themselves in case things didn't work out and giving themselves an attractive bargaining chip in case they did.

When they suspended Bynum for one game on Dec. 28 after a pattern of disruptive behavior and then excused him from all team activities, they began looking for trading partners who needed salary cap relief. That included Chicago, the Lakers and the Utah Jazz, among others.

The Bulls, struggling since the loss of All-Star Derrick Rose for the second straight season with a knee injury, are expected to waive Bynum by 5 p.m. on Tuesday so he can clear waivers by Friday, when NBA contracts are guaranteed. They will save $15 million in salary and taxes and have acquired much-needed pieces to rebuild.

This season, Deng has appeared in 23 games (all starts) for Chicago, averaging a career-best 19.0 points on .452 shooting, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 37.4 minutes. The 6-9, 220-pound forward has scored at least 20 points 10 times, including a stretch of six straight from Nov. 24-Dec. 5. He missed nine games in December with a sore left Achilles but has played 29 minutes or more in the Bulls' last three games.

A native of The Sudan who grew up in England and played one season at Duke, Deng was originally drafted by Phoenix in the 2004 NBA Draft as the No. 7 selection. He has spent his entire nine-year career with the Bulls and owns career averages of 16.1 points on .460 shooting, 6.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steal in 35.9 minutes over 637 games (591 starts). He has also played in 48 playoff games (42 starts) with averages of 16.7 points on .452 shooting, 7.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.1 steals in 40.3 minutes per game.

Though limited to 20 minutes a game by the Cavs medical staff because of his bad knees, Bynum averaged 8.4 points and 5.3 rebounds in 24 games, shooting 41.9 percent (85 of 203) with 28 blocks and 30 turnovers.

Cavs' trade for Luol Deng makes them a playoff contender | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2014/01/cavs_trade_for_luol_deng_makes.html


CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Cleveland Cavaliers made their intentions at the beginning of the season clear. They no longer wanted their end-of-season party to be held at the draft lottery.

But, with the third-worst record (11-23) in the NBA, two wins on the road all season, eight losses in the last nine games and a habit of throwing games away late, it looked like the playoff plans were going to be put on hold – again.

Until Tuesday. That's when Cavs General Manager Chris Grant, figuratively sporting a ski mask, executed an early-morning heist for small forward Luol Deng that even the Joker from Batman would applaud.

Grant gave Chicago what amounts to nothing – the deadweight contract of Andrew Bynum, who has a history of being a malcontent and was suspended by the team earlier this season, three future draft picks, one that has maddening and confusing protection restrictions, and the right to swap first round picks in 2015 with the Bulls – in return for a two-time All-Star.

This was Grant's master plan all along. It was tough to see it through the losing streaks, the sloppy basketball, the on-court bickering and whatever else might have been going on behind closed doors. Grant's task was never easy, but his goal was being ready to strike when this kind of deal presented itself. Sure, he's made mistakes, some of which he's still paying for. But without his tireless hours trying to accumulate assets, his shrewd construction of Bynum's contract -- which turned him into a trade chip -- and cap flexibility, this kind of robbery would not have been possible. For that, he deserves praise.

It started with rumors of Richard Jefferson and Pau Gasol, but ended with Deng. Better than I could have anticipated. He's the kind of player the Cavs have been searching for since the summer of 2010 when LeBron James took his talents to South Beach and left the franchise reeling.

Deng is an enormous upgrade at the team's worst position, small forward. The Cavs no longer have to start Earl Clark, who hasn't taken to the position switch as well as the team had hoped, or Alonzo Gee, who belongs near the end of the bench as a defensive specialist. With Deng in the starting lineup alongside Kyrie Irving, C.J. Miles, Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao, the Cavs have a formidable five.

Add in Dion Waiters' offensive punch off the bench, Jarrett Jack's ball-handling and savvy, Matthew Dellavedova's hustle and intensity and Tyler Zeller's size, and it adds up to a playoff-worthy roster, easily the best since James bolted for Miami.

Deng's a veteran; he's a team-first guy who comes from a winning organization. His presence will be great for a locker room full of youngsters still trying to find their way on and off the court. He's a strong defender, always welcoming the challenge of guarding the best players at the position on the perimeter and in the post.

Not overly athletic, his game has been built through hard work and dedication. He relies on strength and intelligence, a welcome addition to a team that has made crumbling in the closing seconds a bad habit.

Offensively, he has a variety of arrows in his quiver with which to attack the defense. He can knock down threes, post up, slash to the basket and finish at the rim and possesses a solid mid-range game. Deng moves well without the ball and is a willing and capable passer, which should help Mike Brown's stagnant offense. Despite playing with a nagging Achilles injury that has cost him nine games, Deng is currently averaging a career-best 19.0 points on 45 percent shooting. The previous duo at small forward, Clark and Gee, average less than 10 points combined.

Deng is also one of the better rebounders at his position, corralling 6.9 per game, which puts him fourth among small forwards and ahead of the league's MVP, James.

Like so many deals, this one also comes with a bit of risk. It starts with his health. Aside from an Achilles injury, Deng underwent a spinal tap during the Bulls playoff series against Miami, which led to him being hospitalized because of complications.

Then there's the contract, which expires at the end of the year. Set to hit free agency and already having reportedly turned down a contract offer of $30 million over three years from Chicago, Deng could be looking for a big payday. The Cavs already had a hard time keeping one talented, All-Star caliber small forward in the city. Although the organization wants to keep Deng long-term and now has an inside track because they can offer him more money than any other team, it might not be enough.

Deng's future in Cleveland is anyone's guess. He may depart in the summer. But the Cavs' goal of making the playoffs has been clear since the start of the season and this trade gets them closer. The days of playing for ping-pong balls, hoping the right combination comes up, are in the rearview mirror. The Cavs' young core -- led by Irving, Waiters and Thompson -- which often looks lost, has a new running mate to guide it to where it needs to be: the postseason.

They're 6 1/2 games out of the 3 spot and they just upgraded their worst position with an All-Star caliber player. I don't think that's a stretch as a possibility.

exactly, the East (outside Indiana and Miami) is just that bad this year.

If a .500 record gets us the 3rd seed we still have to go 30-18 from here on out.

Deng to Chicago fans:

"You will hear a lot of can't and a lot of won't, but you give it everything you can because you believe in yourself and your teammates. You push yourself with your heart, mind and soul, and smile every night knowing you put love and passion into it. Thank you, Chicago," Deng wrote.

http://espn.go.com/chicago/nba/story/_/i...luol-deng-trade

Excellent move by the Cavs.

You get something for a guy who had no future on your team. Deng is a very good defender, runs the floor, and fills a need.

This is a far superior trade to the Gasol rumors.

Well done.

I'm going to lock this thread, anyone can feel free to start a new one. When we decided to go with unlimited pages we were not aware of how this would effect people accessing the board on phones, etc. It's not working for those folks at all.

We will now be locking threads at 10 pages, and as always, posters can start a new thread if there is still interest in discussing the topic.