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Heard a rumor that we're looking for a veteran backup PG. A guy like Nate Robinson is the only one I've seen mentioned.

To continue from the previous thread, Mozgov is a monster. The fouls he had were hard fouls, very physical! Without knowing anything about him prior to coming here, he's really impressing me!

Agree. I never saw him play so I assumed he was just a big stiff. But the dude has some moves and a bit of toughness. I'm hoping he gets a mean streak going (same with the whole team).

Good win last night. I know the Bulls have been spirling downward, but to beat the Clips and Bulls in back-to-back games after the rough 2-3 weeks we've had, it's a good sign.

Mozgov and Smith are gonna be the reason we make it out the first round of the playoffs. Already a huge impact from these two. Our offense and defense just looks worlds better with them on the floor.

And he's got a little mid range action to boot.

Pleasantly surprised with Mozgov.

Blatt still needs to make strides with his offensive sets, but it's (prematurely) looking like the team is responding to adversity.

Lol, Mosgov is russian...they aren't bred to be pansies. When Mosgov was a rookie with the knicks he got dunked on pretty bad by Blake Griffin, and Griffin acted like he just won the championship...Mosgov got even

Revenge

which is why i couldn't figure out why Blatt was sitting him for quarters at a time and having to watch TT miss layups and leave the middle completely open..my problem with TT is between the ears..he's not a smart player and very inconsistent. Mosgov is a lot like Klove in that even if he isn't scoring, he's going to work hard and still contribute in some way.. TT disappears alot. JR Smith is lethal...pure ice..He and kyrie are probably the 2 best shooters on the team. JR needs less space than kyrie and can shoot off balance better than most i've seen. He's in a good situation and I think we are getting content JR, and thats a good thing for the cavs. Shumpert will be nice to get back, should stop dribble penetration and help our ability to close out on the perimiter..we absolutely suck at that. And shumpert has a nasty streak too. I just hope he comes back healthy

There's got to be a way Ohio State can get sanctioned for this, right?

That just doesn't seem smart.

I'm not saying he's not allowed to go to Cavs games..

But if you're there with your coach, and the team takes time to introduce you..

I'm going to assume you didn't buy a ticket.

I don't think theres even a issue here..I don't think either benefited monetarily from it. I can't see this even being an issue. When you win a national championship, other sport venues in the state will have you come as guests to help celebrate it with the fans..

I didn't assume selling your own possessions to buy something else would ever be a problem

Farmar has played for Blatt before and I think matches what we would want/need from a backup PG more.

Blatt said that he was able to change up the defense a great deal because of the presence of Mozgov.

Plus, with Smith bringing improved defense to the SG spot, and with Lebron able to effectively play defense on almost anyone, we have gone from having one guy with defensive chops, to 3 ...... and Mozgov shuts off the whole area under the hoop. He fits Blatt's schemes perfectly. I was so glad to see us manage to pry him away from Denver.

He also seems to have given Kyrie the confidence to be able to make mistakes on defense. Kyrie has played much better defense in the past few games, and it seems like a big reason why is because he knows he has big help behind him.

Man, this who series of trades, so far, appear to have suited all of the teams involved really well.

The Knicks dumped salary, and added draft picks. Huge help for them. That is exactly what they wanted.

The Cavaliers added JR Smith and Sumpert in one trade, and Mozgov in another. So far, both Smith and Mozgov look like they will fit in perfectly, and there is no reason to expect that Shumpert won't also. No one can dispute that these trades have significantly upgraded the Cavaliers, both in terms of talent, and attitude.

The Nuggets get to start their good young Center Nurkic. He looks like a player, and has had games where he's had (in a row) 4, 2, 3, and 2 blocks. He looks like he's going to be a nice fit as a starter for that team. They also add 2 1st round draft picks. 1 of those may not find its way to them until 2017, and the other belongs to the Thunder, and that will probably be a lower pick at this point.

OKC got Dion Waiters, and he has been really impressive for them, especially in his last 4 games. In those 4 games he has scored 15, 16, 21, and 16 points. He has shot over 50% in those games. He is able to handle the ball, which is what best suits his game. He seems really happy with his role there, and they seem happy to have him. He has also added 9 steals in the last 4 games. He really seems happy there, and has a role that he enjoys.

So far, every team got the best they could have hoped for out of these trades. That is a true rarity.

...still need a backup PG, badly. As No_Logo said, Farmer played for Blatt before and probably fits better than anyone else right now.

I just want to get Delli to the bench where he belongs.

It's too bad we can't convince Ray Allen to sign here and eat up the rest of Marion's minutes too.

yeah i've said since i've heard that farmar would be released he would be a nice pickup..send delli to Dleague where he probably belongs. And Shawn marion flat out sucks. he has nothing left to give at this point..his defense sucks and his offense is a joke.., problem is he's lebrons backup..talk about a drop off.. I will say I like how Blatt finally seems to have his rotation set, though putting TT, marion, delli, miller out there with lebron is kinda dumb...everyone know who's going to get the ball..there is no offense in that rotation, but you do what you have to. I almost wouldn't be opposed to putting Love on the bench with JR when shump comes back..i know that would never happen, and not saying Love is a bench guy, its just our bench sucks so bad we are going to have to find a way to manufacture points.

I don't pay much attention to the NBA other than the world of the Cavaliers, but I can say the trade has worked out well for us (of course, up to this point.) IMO, however Sumpert turns out is just icing on the cake.

JR "Swish" reminds me of Dell Curry (spelling?) when he use to play for the Charlotte Hornets back in the day. Catch the ball and pull the trigger from the 3 point mark! Zero hesitations.

As with Mozgov, I really didn't know much about JR but he has also impressed me. Just keep feeding him the ball and let him do his thing!

Damn Irving looked like a crack head going into withdrawls on that steal! He almost was able to save it! LOVE the effort!

man everything is working. they just throwing up shots and its falling.

utah had the cavs in a 3 on 1 fast break, and irving STILL manage to break up the pass.

man...can yall imagine whats gonna happen when sheppard is playing?

we just got scary good.

Yeah we looked great tonight! Moving the ball around, showing energy on defense. I think even Irving had 2 or 3 steals in the second half alone. Kevin Love looks like he's fitting in much better now. JR Smith is looking like the 2013 version. Lebron is being Lebron.

Mozgov is quickly becoming my favorite player though. I think he's a HUGE reason we've won 4 in a row. He's been the missing cog we've lacked all season. You watch opposing teams drive to the middle now, see Moz there and bail out. Even if he's not blocking shots, he's making people change their shot, he's fouling hard and basically shutting down the middle. It also helps that he has a range greater than 5 feet.

He's completely taken the heat off of K.Love who seems to be a lot happier that he's not relied to play major defense now. He can also focus on getting more rebounds. Even TT looked a lot better playing at the 4 tonight. Everyone else seems to be playing a lot more relaxed. Lebron and Kyrie seem to be much happier having JRS out their looking for a catch and shoot, rather than Dion pounding his hands for the ball so he can go ISO.

Looks like its starting to come together..good for Blatt..I'm glad it happened before he got fired. I guess marion going to retire after the season..lol, Our bench is still bad, they come in and allowed a 28 point lead to get cut to 12 and Blatt had to put his starters back in...and Utah did that with their bench and 1 starter...Delli needs cut, I can't even describe how bad I think he is.. I truly hope we are looking for a backup PG. One thing i'm curious about is when shump comes back if they are going to put JR on the bench...he's really thriving playing with these guys at the 2. Going to be interesting to see. Mosgov starting to play better as he gets more comfortable, I doubt he ever plays 2 firsts good, but he's def. helped the defense inside and with the dribble penetration. The guards can play more aggressive.. Kyrie looks alot better on defense with a legit 5. My issue is still rotation and perimeter defense...i can't count how many times they would get wide open 3's...granted most of them were against dellevedova. But man...close out people. I rather lose friday if that means we win sunday..I want to stomp OKC...honestly friday I'd give lebron kyrie and love the night off. Kyrie and lebron are sick and Love could probably use the rest for his back. Nice 4 days of rest would probably help

Mozgov is playing the Pekovic role for Love

Two first that will be in the 20s.. If Memphis even ever gives that first up..

He's already worth it..

Mozgov has been a Godsend for this team. He has been exactly what this team needed. Strangely enough, and despite the concerns people had when the trade happened, so has JR Smith. He has been very helpful on both sides of the ball.

I am almost scared about how the team chemistry will be impacted when Shumpert returns. Hopefully he'll be an upgrade even over Smith on defense, and Smith can be that super-sub, who can really lead the 2nd unit, and fill up the bucket.

Exactly. He is a proven NBA player at a premium position, who can play defense, rebound, and get points off his own rebounds.

For some reason, some people seem to associate a 1st round pick in the NBA with a 1st round pick in the NFL. They really aren't the same though. A late 1st round pick in the NBA is probably equal to a 3rd or 4th round pick in the NFL. A late 1st round NBA player might help a team but he is unlikely to be a star, and many never even start for their teams.

Man, look at the 2010 drafts forward, picks 20-30. How many stars in that group? Jimmy Butler? Good players?
Maybe Sullinger and Wroten? (and I may have overlooked a player or 2, but the point remains) There just aren't that many good to great players picked from 20 on in the NBA draft. There is the occasional overseas player, who may never play in the US. Teams even sometimes trade out of the late 1st round completely because of the guaranteed contracts.

In essence, for Mozgov, Shumpert, and Smith, we gave up a heavily protected pick from Memphis, that is likely to be a very low pick, and Dion Waiters, Alex Kirk, and Lou Amundson. We might have tossed in a second round pick or 2 as well. So what? We have Mozgov for this year and next, at least. Same for Smith, as long as he picks up his player option. (and even then, he could become a trade asset, at worst) Shumpert is an RFA this off-season.

We also managed to hold on to Haywood, and his $10 million non guaranteed deal next year, which could also be an important asset.

I am extremely impressed with the way that Griffin had managed this team, and the trades he has made to improve the team. I think that he should be the executive of the year, obviously, as long as the team delivers on the court.

These moves could be the equivalent of Miami signing Birdman and Battier.

With Shawn Marion deciding that he will retire after this year, I bet we use our 1st round pick on a athletic defensive wing. I want to sign a vet PG and use Haywoods contract next year on a backup big.

2 first round picks are 2 first round picks...i think you aren't putting enough value on them.. theres less than 10 players in the history of the game that have been traded for 2 firsts but I digress, as long as it works i'm ok with it, but we have zero assets left this year to fix the bench or the backup PG position.

I hope JR can be that scorer off the bench, but I'd almost be afraid to move him there as well as he's been engaged on both ends playing with starters. The backup pg for me right is such a gaping hole..delli is a great guy and tries hard, but he does't have a single NBA skill. There has to be something out there that can get us something atleast capable. Right now our bench isn't good enough to go very deep in the playoffs. Thats why SA is so good, they are crazy deep on their bench.

I guess when lebron was off for 2 weeks he reached out to ray allen again. Its about that time allen said he would decide whether to give it a go or not. I'm also surprised we haven't brought in dalembert...theres such a hole when mosgov goes out and love or thompson have to play the 5.

Funny I was watching last night and there was a play where millsap drove around delli and got right to the hoop and went right through TT, I told my brother that mosgov would have thrown that..later in the game almost exact same play this time is was mosgov and while he didn't throw it, he altered the shot and the ball didn't have any chance of making it to the rim. Thats the importance of that true 5. What I've noticed about Mosgov is that he can still play help defense on the weak side but he's alway cognizant enough to get back and protect the rim...Thompson is clueless about how to do that. I really like the way we are coming together though, winning cures all as they say. But I think we have a couple moves left that will be made before deadline, but I think that will be bench help, I think we have our starting 5

Unless it's a lottery pick, draft picks rarely work out

Thats totally incorrect..lol if anything, lottery picks are hit or miss

it is true that lottery picks are hit or miss, however, once out of the lottery, it is mostly miss.

Here is an expected value chart. While there are some picks in the lottery that are low (for whatever reason #12 is very low), the picks in the 20s are all low and with almost no star potential.

http://www.82games.com/nbadraftpicks.htm

And non-lottery picks are worse than that.

Put it this way ... Here's our last few draft picks outside of the top 15 (lottery picks):

- Sergey Karasev (19th)
- Jared Cunningham (24th)
- J. J. Hickson (19th)
- Shannon Brown (24th)
- Brendan Haywood (20th)

Pick any two ... Are they worth it for Mozgov?

JJ hickson was the only one remotely good.

I'm not sure I'd use our drafting as a argument...cleveland can't draft well in any sport. The nba lottery is a crapshoot at best, lottery pick or no..I'm merely talking in NBA History, the valuation of 2 first rounders has only included a small handful, and all are much much better than mosgov. We paid a premium for him, but as I said..if we win, no one will care, if our lack of a bench causes a first round exit, then that extra pick will come into question. Especially since guys like calderon are sitting out there that probably could have been added if we had something to make a deal with. Having delli out there in the playoffs scares the bejezzus out of me.

Haywood was good for the Wizards in the old Lebron days.

I'm curious, which players? I can't find a list.

And part of the reason for that is you RARELY see a player getting traded straight up for draft picks, because of salary cap considerations. Plenty of players go for one draft pick, and multiple other players. (Dion went for a first rounder, and 2 starter worthy players. I'd argue that's way more than 2 late firsts). The players (that I know of) that did go for two draft picks, also had a bunch of player pieces thrown into the mix, as well as salary relief or other things. Dwight Howard netted the Magic 3 first round picks, and about 7 players.

Go look at the drafts from 2010 to 2013. (4 drafts, not counting this year's) Besides the guys I mentioned, out of those 4 drafts, how many impact player are there who were taken in those drafts in the 20-30 range?

If I am wrong, I am always willing to admit it. Convince me. Show me high quality players taken in that range in those drafts.

I am amazed at this statement:

Our bench, right now, is Haywood, Thompson, Marion, JR Smith, (well, when Shumpert returns anyway) Miller, and probably Delly. We also have James Jones as a useful shooter on the bench as well. We are trying to add Farmar as well. Man, how much more do you want on the bench on a team that includes a strong starting 5 like we have? You don't get an unlimited cap in the NBA. Given where we started out this year, I think that Griffin has done a marvelous job of building while still balancing the overall structure of the team. Did we overpay for Mozgov? Maybe. I don't think so ..... but some might. However, he fits this team perfectly, and is exactly what this team needed ..... plus, and this is just as important, we could get him. The 2nd 1st rounder we gave for Mozgov was essentially a throw in from the Waiters trade. Frankly I was shocked that we were able to get Shumpert and Smith, plus a 1st round pick for Waiters. That 1st rounder is kind of a throw in by the Cavaliers. IIRC, the Cavaliers have only 1 season where they will be without a 1st round pick. So what? This team is going to be set as far as the starting lineup, and we still have assets to use next year. If Smith opts in to next year, as seems almost certain, we could use his expiring deal as a trade chip. We have a huge trade chip with Haywood's expiring deal. Man, we are stacked with talent, and also assets to use to add more talent.



Like what? I think that we will try to convince Farmar to join the team. I think that we can add a minimum contract to the team, but not much more than that. Farmar will receive his money for the deal he was under because he was amnestied, so we can offer him a minimum deal, and he will still get paid. However, we aren't going to be able to trade for much. Who do you give up? How do you create cap space to add a contract? We have used our trade exceptions. What contracts do we have that we can trade this year, for value?

This team is set. Maybe we will be able to add a backup PG, but that's really about all the magic I think Griffin has left in the hat this year.

This team looks like they were just having fun yesterday against Utah. I would have loved to see Jr pull off that 360 dunk!!!

Our defense is feeding off Mozgov. He clearly is the spark we needed to get our defensive game better IMO!

http://www.82games.com/nbadraftpicks.htm

don't just use our history

and, why trade for Calderon when you can potentially sign Farmar for no compensation (other than $$$). I prefer having a PG who can at least play a little defense.

Yep. Mozgov has brought a new attitude to the team about defense. Also JR Smith has done a really nice job on the defensive end as well. If Shumpert is a defensive upgrade over Smith, we will really have a nice defensive core.

Plus, having Smith to then anchor the 2nd team could also be huge.

No doubt, Mr. Cavalier had said virtually the same thing yesterday! Having a strong bench is for sure huge. JR could possibly battle up for the starter rotation even when we get Shumpret suited up for action. Jr had some strong defensive showings yesterday!