|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 49,993 Likes: 364
Legend
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 49,993 Likes: 364 |
The thing that irritates the crap out of me is that, outside of Deng, and despite the high pick and free agent investments made by the team, we have zero leadership on this team. None. The players seem to coast along, and when things turn bad, there is no one to stand up and yell "Enough!".
This team has made investments in high draft picks and supposed leaders from other teams, and they get here and shut up and become passive.
Something has to change. I don't know if we have to make a huge trade to wake these players up or what. All I know is that this isn't working.
I am also starting to question whether or not Irving is a "big" in a "big 3". Don't get me wrong, I think that he's a really good player, but I don't know if he can be a great player. He scores a lot, but at the expense, I think, of his teammates.
I dunno. I'm discouraged. I really thought that this was the time for them to make a run of sorts, and instead they crashed into a brick wall.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 22,538 Likes: 176
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 22,538 Likes: 176 |
I've kind of said this for awhile. Irving while a good player, isn't great or elite. He's got serious deficiencies as a point guard...in fact as a point guard I don't care for him at all. he's a turnover machine and doesn't trust his teammates. He's really a 2 with above average ball handling skills. I hate the way this team is made up...its not a great combination. I'd trade TT and a pick for a true PF that can enforce down low.. TT is a cream puff and his offensive game is hard to watch..we need to get tougher as a team, the whole team is soft and thats a reflection of the coach. More time that goes by the more I'm convinced, Mike brown will never be a HC again. He just doesn't have it.
Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. -John Wayne
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501 |
Quote:
This guy has just wasted 3 years of high draft picks.
To be fair, he did hit on Kyrie Irving. But he also should have taken Jonas Valanciunas over Thompson. I know it is futile but it is still fun (?). Klay Thompson was drafted 11th, Kawhi Leonard was 15th, Nikola Vucevic 16th, Kenneth Faried was 22nd, and Jimmy Butler 30th.
But wait, there's more! In 2012 the Cavs took Waiters over Harrison Barnes and Andre Drummond when they were obviously the better picks!
2013 was a horrible draft and everyone knew it. If we redid the draft right now based on talent and future potential the draft would go 1. Michael Carter-Williams, 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, 3. Victor Oladippo, 4. Trey Burke. I could keep going but it would take awhile to get to Anthony Bennett.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248 |
Quote:
To be fair, he did hit on Kyrie Irving. But he also should have taken Jonas Valanciunas over Thompson.
Irving was the consensus #1 though. The only question was if the Cavs should take Williams or Kanter instead and opt for one of the multiple PGs that would be available at #4.
Quote:
I know it is futile but it is still fun (?). Klay Thompson was drafted 11th, Kawhi Leonard was 15th, Nikola Vucevic 16th, Kenneth Faried was 22nd, and Jimmy Butler 30th.
When the draft happened, I was sort of hoping we'd trade down a few spots and pick up Thompson at #7-10 or so. If pressed to pick at #4, I might have taken Valanciunas or possibly "reached" on Thompson. TT wasn't too bad of a selection considering some of the other names there. But I think it made Grant trust his math WAY too much for the following drafts. I remember I DIDN'T want Leonard, as I had seen him play at SDSU and I didn't see anything amazing out of him. I wonder how he might have panned out had he not gone to San Antonio and had a few years to learn the game with a bunch of future Hall of Famers around him.
Quote:
But wait, there's more! In 2012 the Cavs took Waiters over Harrison Barnes and Andre Drummond when they were obviously the better picks!
Remember this too ... wanted Drummond, despite the "red-flags". He was an athletic big, and somebody you could actually pen into the Center spot. I was tired of always playing Power Forwards there. Barnes I wasn't sold on, but I probably would of taken him over Waiters at draft time. After the draft though, I heard lots of good things about Waiters being a sleeper pick.
Quote:
2013 was a horrible draft and everyone knew it. If we redid the draft right now based on talent and future potential the draft would go 1. Michael Carter-Williams, 2. Giannis Antetokounmpo, 3. Victor Oladippo, 4. Trey Burke. I could keep going but it would take awhile to get to Anthony Bennett.
Yeah, I didn't get it either. We drafted a PF-tweener, when we already had a roster full of them. Not sure what I might of drafted if we already had Klay Thompson and Drummond on the roster, but we probably wouldn't be drafting this high either! I might have taken a flyer on Nerlens Noel and let him eventually work his way into the PF spot next to Drummond. Otto Porter might have been the other possible pick, but as we've seen he hasn't exactly panned out yet either.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,186
Dawg Talker
|
|
Dawg Talker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,186 |
Theres talent on the team, it just doesnt fit. As the other poster said i would trade Tristan for a real pf. Probably would trade waiters if the value was right. Look we dont need top 5 picks every year to win. You look at indiana, paul is the highest drafted player for their starting 5. The rest were later picks in the first. I think chemistry, coaching, and guys not fitting in is what is killing this team.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 49,993 Likes: 364
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 49,993 Likes: 364 |
I also think that guys either not being given specific roles (which Brown said he was doing from the word go) or not being willing to play those assigned roles hurts as well.
I really think that Brown needs to tell these guys "This is what your role is, now play it", or else sit them down. There always has to be some degree of freedom on the court so guys can display their talent .... but these guys have all of the freedom on the court without having earned it. Their talent has to fit into the team concept, and that's not happening right now. At all.
I hoped that Deng would be that veteran who would help give this team strong leadership, and I think that he has that ability and willingness ..... but these guys have to listen. Further, if you have a leader n the team, who is telling the players basically what the coaches have said, then the coaches better back him up. If that means benching a guy who doesn't want to play within the team concept, so be it. Brown better put his foot down, and soon. He's already at risk of losing this team completely.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,465
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,465 |
I don't think he should get too much credit for taking Irving #1. I don't know what GM wouldn't (Kahn?).
The guy needs to go.
Mike Brown is clueless.
If I were LeBron, I'd sit with Gilbert in the summer and ask for a max deal and 25% of the team. If he said no, I'd read his idiotic letter aloud and leave.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,467 Likes: 70
Hall of Famer
|
|
Hall of Famer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,467 Likes: 70 |
Quote:
If I were LeBron, I'd sit with Gilbert in the summer and ask for a max deal and 25% of the team. If he said no, I'd read his idiotic letter aloud and leave.
I'm almost positive that the bargaining rules wouldn't allow that. Otherwise owners would just go over the cap every year by giving away 0.5% of the team.
~Lyuokdea
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,465
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 11,465 |
Quote:
Quote:
If I were LeBron, I'd sit with Gilbert in the summer and ask for a max deal and 25% of the team. If he said no, I'd read his idiotic letter aloud and leave.
I'm almost positive that the bargaining rules wouldn't allow that. Otherwise owners would just go over the cap every year by giving away 0.5% of the team.
I'm almost positive that the rules don't apply to King James.
The guy completely backdoor-ed Bird Rights, on a team that was stunned he was leaving. I understand that he took less to free up the Heat, but he could've signed a max.
I don't know how that falls in line with the bargaining agreement, but I know it got greenlit because it was the biggest thing to happen to the NBA in a long time.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,467 Likes: 70
Hall of Famer
|
|
Hall of Famer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,467 Likes: 70 |
Huh?
There was nothing illegal about what he did - all three deals fit within the Heat salary cap. They had to all take less money to do it. That's not illegal.
Don't you think if they violated rules, that Gilbert would have thrown a fit/filed a lawsuit?
~Lyuokdea
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850 |
the only thing that LeBron did that was illegal according to the CBA was the tampering that he, Wade, Bosh, and Riley did ahead of time. and, the NBA would have had to prove it (it could have been done based on the rumblings, but ESPN shut the only source being open about it by giving Windhorst a cushy Miami job & Stern/NBA had nothing to gain from pursuing it).
#gmstrong
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284
Legend
|
|
OP
Legend
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284 |
My God Miami
Durant is supposed to be the 2nd best player in the NBA right?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 17,025 Likes: 1
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 17,025 Likes: 1 |
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
If I were LeBron, I'd sit with Gilbert in the summer and ask for a max deal and 25% of the team. If he said no, I'd read his idiotic letter aloud and leave.
I'm almost positive that the bargaining rules wouldn't allow that. Otherwise owners would just go over the cap every year by giving away 0.5% of the team.
I'm almost positive that the rules don't apply to King James.
The guy completely backdoor-ed Bird Rights, on a team that was stunned he was leaving. I understand that he took less to free up the Heat, but he could've signed a max.
I don't know how that falls in line with the bargaining agreement, but I know it got greenlit because it was the biggest thing to happen to the NBA in a long time.
I think that's why it's 100% guaranteed he's opting out this summer and going for the absolute max. He's not taking less this time around. I think that's why Miami may have issues keeping that group together.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,467 Likes: 70
Hall of Famer
|
|
Hall of Famer
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 3,467 Likes: 70 |
Quote:
the only thing that LeBron did that was illegal according to the CBA was the tampering that he, Wade, Bosh, and Riley did ahead of time. and, the NBA would have had to prove it (it could have been done based on the rumblings, but ESPN shut the only source being open about it by giving Windhorst a cushy Miami job & Stern/NBA had nothing to gain from pursuing it).
Ok, I agree there might have been some tampering before hand - but it was completely unprovable. Not sure that ESPN did much to silence it -- they would have benefited a lot from a huge tampering case to cover.
But legally, rumblings don't mean anything.
~Lyuokdea
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,186
Dawg Talker
|
|
Dawg Talker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,186 |
I think he leaves miami. Wade is on his last leg. At best he has a few good yrs left. On top of that i think bosh will go back home and sign with dallas. I dont think lebron could win a few more championships with this group.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 17,025 Likes: 1
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 17,025 Likes: 1 |
Quote:
I think he leaves miami. Wade is on his last leg. At best he has a few good yrs left. On top of that i think bosh will go back home and sign with dallas. I dont think lebron could win a few more championships with this group.
So where does he go? Someone said on this board earlier that LA can't manage to sign him with Kobe's new deal and some other deals already on their books...
The Cavs are a mess right now, I don't know why he would want to go there. Brooklyn has looked better, but that group has a bunch of guys past their prime...
I mean really, at this point in his career, he could go anywhere, and that team becomes really good.
I still think if you were to set Vegas odds, it still favors staying in Miami. I just think there may be some tough decisions for that organization if they want that to happen.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284
Legend
|
|
OP
Legend
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284 |
I could see him in Dallas. However, knowing the Lakers they'll find some idiotic team to take Nash's contract.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,186
Dawg Talker
|
|
Dawg Talker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,186 |
Wade would have to take a huge paycut, for them to get better. There would be no way they could resign them all, and win championships. Wade isn't the same player he once was.
I think Cleveland will be a player no matter what we do this year. Home his home, and I've read stuff on twitter that he wants to raise his kids in Ohio. Even that goof Stephen A says it's a better than 50/50 shot he comes back home.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248 |
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
Quote:
If I were LeBron, I'd sit with Gilbert in the summer and ask for a max deal and 25% of the team. If he said no, I'd read his idiotic letter aloud and leave.
I'm almost positive that the bargaining rules wouldn't allow that. Otherwise owners would just go over the cap every year by giving away 0.5% of the team.
I'm almost positive that the rules don't apply to King James.
The guy completely backdoor-ed Bird Rights, on a team that was stunned he was leaving. I understand that he took less to free up the Heat, but he could've signed a max.
I don't know how that falls in line with the bargaining agreement, but I know it got greenlit because it was the biggest thing to happen to the NBA in a long time.
I think that's why it's 100% guaranteed he's opting out this summer and going for the absolute max. He's not taking less this time around. I think that's why Miami may have issues keeping that group together.
If he wants max money, he'll likely stay with Miami then. They have the Bird Rights and can go over the cap as much as they need to to give him a max deal. To get a slightly less max deal with Cleveland, he would have to do something similar to what he did when he went to Miami: Get Miami to sign him to a max deal (more than Cleveland can give him, but less than a Bird Right's deal), and then trade him to the Cavs for compensation. Cleveland would still have to get that entire salary under their cap, or at least 95% of it, which means they can't sign any of their free agents, pick up any player options or sign any other players ... so likely good-bye to Deng, Andy and a few others. Unless Miami want to take a few players as compensation, then we could free up cap space. But to even make that an option, we'd have to renounce Bird-rights on Deng.
As for the original deal ... nothing was illegal about it. Lebron and the Cavs lost their Bird-rights/Max deal option as soon as he went into free agency. He could still get a larger free-agent contract by staying with the Cavs, but he opted for Miami which could only offer a max deal that would keep them under the cap. If Gilbert wanted to, he could of stuck it to Lebron, and made Lebron stay on that smaller contract. But in the best interest of the team, he agreed sign Lebron to the larger deal that he could get with the Cavs, and then traded him to Miami (which affords them more room to go over the cap) for assets.
At any rate, I'm thinking he could sign for the league minimum and still come out as the highest paid player from endorsements alone. Actually, he might even be better off doing that, as it would give the team $15-20 million in cap flexibility to surround him with players that would help him win more championships ... and print him more endorsement money.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501 |
Why not stay in Miami and use the money they will save not re-signing Wade or Bosh or Wade and Bosh to sign some other players?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248 |
Quote:
Why not stay in Miami and use the money they will save not re-signing Wade or Bosh or Wade and Bosh to sign some other players?
Because, they're on player options. I'm guessing Wade will likely keep his current $20 million paycheck, and Bosh might too. If one of them opts out, they would only be around $10 million under the cap, with Lebron resigning.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501 |
They will all opt out and re-sign new max deals. If you can get guaranteed more money in a new contract you have to do it.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,521
Hall of Famer
|
|
Hall of Famer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,521 |
Do you mean that they'll all re-sign max deals in Miami? Or with different teams? I don't know that Riley would handcuff his team by doing the former. Three max deals for 10+ year vets equals 105% of the salary cap (35% for each guy). Being over the cap with three salaries means you're limited to re-signing your own Bird Rights free agents or acquiring players via exceptions or trades. They had a difficult enough time signing quality players when their salaries combined were well under the cap.
That could mean that Ray Allen will be traded for a player with a similar salary but for more years, if they believe that he's going to retire. Beasley would need to be extended during the season because he's currently on a one-year deal. Chalmers and Battier could be re-signed via Bird, but Battier is old and Chalmers is mediocre and should probably be supplanted by Norris Cole. I'm not sure if Chris Andersen's partial season counts towards having Bird rights or not.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850 |
j/c
my goodness, Jeremy Lamb is becoming one of the best pure shooters in the NBA. just an unbelievable shot.
and Grant should take note: OKC realized that he needed a year of work, so they sent him to the D-League last year. He's come back this year with full confidence and is killing it. Why isn't he utilizing it for Bennett?
#gmstrong
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501 |
Quote:
Do you mean that they'll all re-sign max deals in Miami? Or with different teams?
I am guessing LeBron and Wade re-sign with the Heat while Bosh goes elsewhere. I could see a scenario where all three re-sign but Wade takes a lot less, but I think that is highly unlikely.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284
Legend
|
|
OP
Legend
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284 |
Quote:
j/c
my goodness, Jeremy Lamb is becoming one of the best pure shooters in the NBA. just an unbelievable shot.
and Grant should take note: OKC realized that he needed a year of work, so they sent him to the D-League last year. He's come back this year with full confidence and is killing it. Why isn't he utilizing it for Bennett?
I think Grant knows he's screwed. Go out with what little pride you have left Chris!
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,882
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,882 |
Where has Kyrie Irving's impact gone for the Cleveland Cavaliers?By Zach Harper | NBA writer January 30, 2014 11:17 am ET
Since You Know Who took his talents to a nicer climate and a better team, Kyrie Irving has been the lone bright spot in a rough rebuilding process in Cleveland. The Cleveland Cavaliers landed the first pick in the NBA draft in 2011, took Irving with the top selection despite not possessing a ton of college evidence, and haven't looked back since. Irving has used his impressive handle, slick body control, and deft shooting touch to show all the makings of having their next franchise player moving forward.
He was nearly a unanimous Rookie of the Year selection in 2011-12, an All-Star reserve in his sophomore season, and looked to be poised to give the Cavs a chance at making the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference this season. While the Cavaliers are in the playoff hunt three games behind the 8-seed with a 16-29 record and Irving is averaging 21.5 points and 6.2 assists, his team hasn't been quite the same with him on the court as they are with him off the court.
For the first in Irving's career, the Cavs have technically been better when he's not in the game than when he's on the court. The team has always been bad during this stretch regardless of whether or not Irving has his shooting shirt on or not. However, during his first two seasons the Cavs were significantly better with him on the court (4.6 points per 100 possessions better as a rookie, 2.1 points his second season). That's not the case over the first three months of the 2013-14 season.
Through the first 45 games of this season, the Cavs have a net rating of -4.8 points per 100 possessions in the 726 minutes Irving hasn't been on the court. When he's on the court, that net rating worsens to -6.2 points per 100 possessions in his 1,474 minutes of play.
There are plenty of reasons for why this is the case that are both in his control and out of his control. First and foremost, this is a very bad Cavs team. They're 24th in offensive rating and 17th in defensive rating. The first season remix under Mike Brown has been both frustrating and progressive. While a team of seemingly solid offensive options hasn't been able to produce offensively, the team has sort of grasped the defensive concepts of Brown's philosophy. A team that was the fourth worst defensive team in the NBA last season under Byron Scott has become fairly middle of the road.
The problem has been on offense and offense is where Irving is supposed to make his mark. This has been a down year for Irving offensively. While his scoring average is only slightly down while his assist-to-turnover ratio has improved, his scoring efficiency has taken a dip for the second straight season. As a dynamic and historically efficient rookie, Irving put up shooting percentages of 46.9 percent from the field, 39.9 percent from 3-point range, and 87.2 percent from the free throw line. Those percentages dipped slightly to 45.2/39.1/85.5 last season, but that's nothing terribly significant in terms of a drop.
This season, Irving is down to 42.8/36.5/84.6 and it's had an impact on how the team performs offensively. With him on the floor, the Cavs put up an offensive rating of 100.3, which is down from the 102.6 they put up with him last season. He's seen a drop-off in where he hits shots across the board. His percentage in the restricted area is down slightly, his midrange jumper is hitting about four percent less frequently this season, and both the corner three and the above-the-break three are down for Irving (although he doesn't take a lot of corner threes in general).
Oddly enough, he's been a terrible catch-and-shoot guy this season. The catch-and-shoot makes up about 18 percent of his shot attempts and he's making only 36.4 percent of those shots. On catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, he's making just 32.6 percent of his 2.1 attempts per game.
Is it simply a matter of the defense keying in on Irving's attack and making sure he has a harder time of scoring? Irving is usually a killer in isolation and it's helped make the Cavs' offense more efficient. Last season, 29.1 percent of Irving's offensive possessions that ended in free throw attempts, a shot, or a turnover were isolation. He destroyed defenses with 1.03 points per possession (seventh in the NBA) and shot 46.6 percent from the field (42.5 percent from three).
This season, Irving's isolation possessions and effectiveness have dropped drastically. He's down to just 17.1 percent of his possessions coming in isolation and is scoring 0.85 points per isolation possession. His shooting in these situations has dropped 35.7 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three. Could it simply be a new offensive system has taken the ball out of his hands more and he doesn't have the same rhythm as in previous years?
Whatever the reason is, Irving is having a down season and it's greatly affected his team's ability to be as competitive in a weak conference as they should be. There are more problems than just that with the Cavs but considering he's the new franchise player for Cleveland, it's something that's potentially alarming.
The good news is we have seen a bit of a change with the Cavs and Irving's impact on the court in the month of January. December was the low point in which the Cavs were actually a positive with him out of the game and a big negative with him in the game. While the month of January still has them as a losing team with him on the court, we've seen a big swing in how the team plays compared to the first two months.
There are four reasons that jump right out at you immediately when you look at their January.
1. Andrew Bynum is gone
The risk of bringing Bynum's career back from the ICU was low but it also didn't come to fruition at all. They're no longer wasting 20 minutes per game on Bynum, in which they were typically really bad with him on the floor. I have no idea if he was a drain on the team and locker room off the court but he certainly was on the court (-3.9 off, -11.8 on).
2. Less Earl Clark... much less
As Mike Brown has played Earl Clark fewer and fewer minutes with each passing month, the Cavs have seemed to improve. Being a pseudo stretch-4 that couldn't stretch a rubber band hasn't been a plus for Clark's impact on the Cavs and they're much better this season when he sits (-3.8) than when he plays (-10.3).
3. C.J. Miles is playing more
C.J. Miles is the only player on the Cavs this season with a positive net rating. At a +2.2 per 100, Miles has been the guy making secondary plays and knocking down shots from the outside to help provide some stretchiness to the offense. His minutes have increased every month and he's up to 24.0 minutes per game in January. He's responded with 12.9 points per game and is shooting 47.0 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from downtown.
4. Kyrie Irving's usage has gone down
Irving has struggled to make shots this season so giving him less to do has helped salvage a couple more possessions. Once he dipped below 30.0 percent usage (29.6 in December, 25.9 in January) on the season, his scoring efficiency increased. It doesn't mean this is a good long-term plan for the Cavs but it's allowed Irving to reset his game a little bit and look for his groove again.
Ultimately, Irving will be fine. He's incredibly talented and has a bright future as a big-time player in this league. It's just a little disappointing that we didn't get another leap out of him in his third season and instead saw a bit of a regression. It's not totally alarming but it is confusing as to how all of a sudden the team was technically better without him for the first two seasons of a big season for this franchise. The two graphs are on the link, open to see them. Just thought this would be a good read for those that cared.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/Punchsmack/punch.gif) “...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 42,413 Likes: 501 |
Quote:
Is Kyrie Irving trying to get out of Cleveland already?
The Cavs season hasn't exactly gone as planned, and could be getting worse. In his weekly chat, ESPN.com's Chad Ford mentioned that Irving has been telling people he wants out:
Virtually every GM in the league believes that Grant will be gone this summer if things don't get turned around this season. He doesn't have much time. The thinking is that there's no way Dan Gilbert is going to let him make another lottery pick if that's the direction the Cavs end up heading. Grant's goal (via his owner) is to get this team competitive and into the playoffs. The Deng move was supposed to help. But so far ... nothing. Chemistry is a major issue there and some of that is on Mike Brown. But more of it is on the collection of players in Cleveland at the moment. Something has to happen quick. Kyrie Irving has been telling people privately he wants out. Cleveland can't afford to lose him and LeBron. They know the urgency. I expect them to be major players at the deadline.
This was in response to a question about the current job security of Mike Brown and Chris Grant.
Does this mean much? Who knows. Kyrie is clearly a star and clearly the Cavs best player. But has struggled with injuries and has been on losing teams for the first two and a half years of his career.
Remember, Irving cannot be an unrestricted free agent until 2016, and has to go through a lot of risk to get there. Chances are incredibly skim he turns down that 5 year max. Later in the chat, Ford responded to a question (sort of) from our very own David Zavac. Ford attempted to soften his initial statement about Kyrie and reiterates how difficult it would be for him to leave the Cavs.
Link
If Kyrie actually wants to put his money where his mouth is he should sign the one year qualifying offer instead of a long term extension.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,521
Hall of Famer
|
|
Hall of Famer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,521 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 8,767
Hall of Famer
|
|
Hall of Famer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 8,767 |
Grant and Brown need to go.
There's some decent pieces here if a solid basketball guy can be hired. Add a coach who either connects with Kyrie or or sell him as high as possible.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 17,025 Likes: 1
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 17,025 Likes: 1 |
I wouldn't be surprised if Kyrie signed long term with the Cavs and then Carmelo Anthony'd his way out of Cleveland...
Why not? You think he'll come out looking bad? No he wont. ESPN will play it up as Cleveland not doing enough for him (even though this year he has been as bad as others, and his defense is shameful) and make us look like the bad guy. That's how it works.
I have much more fun watching the NBA when it's not my own team. The Cavs are frustrating. I love the NBA playoffs. I can watch almost any matchup. I just like the pressure of it.
I have never felt that way about the Browns. I still love watching them. Yeah, the last few weeks are always a little tough to watch, but I get excited every year. The Cavs now are just not fun to watch.
Use whatever cliché you think works best. Pulling teeth. One step forward, two steps back, etc... It's not fun.
I do think it's funny that this Kyrie news comes out the day the Cavs are set to play in NY. Takes me back to Lebron's last 2 years in Cleveland when they did the EXACT SAME THING. I'm not saying it's not true what Chad Ford tweeted earlier, I'm just saying the timing is hilarious.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850 |
Quote:
So sick of this guy.
agreed. I hate Chad Ford.
#gmstrong
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,521
Hall of Famer
|
|
Hall of Famer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 5,521 |
Haha
So does Carmelo go off for 40 tonight? 50? 60?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 17,850 |
Quote:
Haha
So does Carmelo go off for 40 tonight? 50? 60?
Carmelo doesn't play PG. he won't need to score that many tonight with Felton scoring 30pts or so.
#gmstrong
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284
Legend
|
|
OP
Legend
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284 |
Chris Grant is the worst GM in the history of professional sports. You were given two #1 picks. Then a #6 and #4. THIS IS THE BEST YOU COULD COME UP WITH?!?! This dude doesn't deserve a job flipping burgers with his level of incompetence.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,186
Dawg Talker
|
|
Dawg Talker
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,186 |
Mike Brown is more of the problem than anything. Scott got more of less with last years group. We played very good at times. This year, it's been a load of crap. Gilbert has to fire both of these guys. Go get George Karl or Hollins.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284
Legend
|
|
OP
Legend
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284 |
I'm kind of cynical but love this. Haslam had an egg thrown at his ego with coaches turning down the Browns job. Same is happening to Dan Gilbert right now.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 14,248 |
Quote:
I'm kind of cynical but love this. Haslam had an egg thrown at his ego with coaches turning down the Browns job. Same is happening to Dan Gilbert right now.
Other than guys who've stayed retired, who's turned down the Cavs job?
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284
Legend
|
|
OP
Legend
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 17,284 |
Quote:
Quote:
I'm kind of cynical but love this. Haslam had an egg thrown at his ego with coaches turning down the Browns job. Same is happening to Dan Gilbert right now.
Other than guys who've stayed retired, who's turned down the Cavs job?
Gilbert is having an egg thrown on his face with the team being embarrassed
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 12,065 Likes: 1
Legend
|
|
Legend
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 12,065 Likes: 1 |
Down almost 30 at the half to the Knicks.
6 in the 3rd against the Suns.
Horrible.
Browns getting fired again. Lebrons not coming back. Be lucky to keep Kyrie.
Kyrie, Oladipo, Barnes, Verajao, Jonas would be a nice lineup to have.
This makes the 09-10 seasons that much worse. Easily should of won titles those years. Now probably won't make the Finals ever again.
Am I the only one that pronounces hyperbole "Hyper-bowl" instead of "hy-per-bo-le"?
|
|
|
DawgTalkers.net
Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs and NBA Thread
|
|
