DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs and NBA discussion continued...

How quickly my interest in the Draft Lottery disappeared...

As I fan of no one in the NBA, it is still very compelling to me.

I wish they'd implement "The Wheel" draft strategy.. Seemed interesting..

Thibs would be great for the Magic, a young team that will be best if it plays great defense.

I'm hoping Alvin Gentry or Mark D'Antoni get a look in New Orleans. Davis in that up tempo offense would be great fun.

Houston needs Dwight to play like he did in Orlando. Like the 2009-2010 version.

Like he did last series.

I see what you're saying about LBJ having to carrying the team in the playoffs but I think that's just as much on LBJ insisting on carrying the team rather than getting everyone else into the flow...which is where he has matured the most since then.

The running joke after the 09 playoffs is that God took a nap during the first two rounds (Cleveland swept both) and then after probably the best first half of Basketball by one team I've ever seen.. That ended with a Mo Williams half court buzzer beater.. The noise emanating from Cleveland woke him from his nap.. And he realized Cleveland was happy.. "I better put a stop to that!"

Back to the Cavaliers, and David Blatt.... I was thinking about something .....

This team, even with a guy like Lebrong James, is the kind of team David Blatt has won unlikely championships overseas with. His teams have rarely been the most talented, but they have always played incredibly hard, and have been solid defensive teams ..... usually becoming exceptional in the post-season. In his history, he has used a lot of role players to win.

This is largely what we see happening now. Love gets hurt, move in Thompson and adjust and adapt. Smith gets his 2 game suspension, adjust and adapt. Shumpert gets hurt, adjust and adapt. Kyrie gets hurt, adjust and adapt. Lebron has a really off night, adjust and adapt.

I remember an infamous game against Boston several years ago, when Lebron had stats ..... a triple double IIRC, but the rest of the team could not do enough to overcome his shortcomings in that game. In that game, Lebron had 19 rebounds and 10 assists. He had 27 points, but shot only 8-21. We scored 85 points in that game, and Lebron had a hand in at least 47 of them. However, Lebron could not carry the team, and the rest of the team did little to help us win.

I remember that famous team.

Of course, we had Lebron.
We had Mo Williams, a guy who seemed to love Cleveland, but a fair talent at best. He probably shot better than anyone in that game, going 8-18.

These 2 guys played 46 minutes each.

We had Antawn Jamison, at the end of his career. He shot 2-10 in that fateful game.

We had Anthony Parker, and Shaq, and neither was of much value to the team.

We also had Andy and Z .... who was getting over having been traded and coming back.

We has Delonte West and Jamario Moon.

In retrospect, no wonder Lebron left.

Anyway, these guys were mainly poor fits for a Lebron team. It wasn't all the fault of the GM at the time, because you can only get what you can get ...... and guys didn't want to come to Cleveland at the time, and the team had few resources to add any kind of game changer to pair with Lebron.

I almost think that Lebron told Gilbert, Hey, I am going to leave for a few years, while you rebuild this roster with some high draft picks. I'll come back in 4 years when the talent on this team is at a Much higher level, because I don't see how we improve the team otherwise.

Anyway, that team was flat out awful. Without Lebron, that is a 20 win team, at best. It was old, and could not keep up with Lebron, who could run like no other 265# guy I have ever seen. Our offense was "stand around and watch Lebron". We really didn't have guys who could even fill roles.

Our role players were Z, a year short of "ride the bench in Miami for a year, then retire" ..... Jamario Moon ...... Andy ..... Delonte West ....... Ugh, I am getting sick just thinking about it.

Anyway, that team had no real scorers, outside of Lebron, obviously, and no one to step up when/if Lebron struggled. (at least not with any consistency)

Let's compare the 2 teams: (even missing Love)

Lebron: Lebron
Williams: Kyrie
Shaq: Mozgov
Parker: Shumpert/Smith
Jamison: Thompson

Even without Love, and even with Lebron being 4 years older, the starters are a runaway for the current team. There is not one starter from that team, if they could be brought forward directly to this year, who would have started for this team, and who knows if they may have made the team at all.

Let's look at the backups.

Andy: Jones
Z: Perkins
West: Delly
Moon: Shumpert/Smith

Andy is a nice player, and would have been on this team alongside Jones. Perkins brings a mindset that Z did not, but neither guy brings much to the court beyond their presence at their respective points in their careers. Moon or Shumpert/Smith? Please.

Anyway, I think that Blatt knows who he is, and how he wants his team to play. He knows his style of play, and what he needs to succeed. He and Griffin have done a really great job of meshing, and seeing as if from the same set of eyes when it comes to looking for players. I really think that Blatt is underestimated as far as his role in fitting 3 players into his team in the middle of the season. His ability to adapt was put to the test right then and there ...... and he did so, leading this revised team to what .... 12 wins in a row. The team has improved defensively as the year has progressed. Blatt does make mistakes, like starting Miller at the 4 in the 1st game against the Celtics, but he doesn't stay with his mistakes. He knows when to be patient, and he knows when to make a change. He tried to call a TO he didn't have, probably due to the pressure of the moment, but think about a coach who had never played,or coached in the NBA, and who had never coached in college at all, making his way to the NBA. I am quite sure that the pressure of overseas play is a little more intense than the pressure of the NBA.

Anyway, I am impressed with this team, the coaches, and their resiliency. They had trouble with Atlanta in the regular season ..... so they can't be a shoe in to beat the Hawks .... and they certainly can't be a favorite to beat the Warriors ... but I certainly am not betting against them.

I remember Sperg saying more than once that had Mo Williams not hit that half court shot, it wouldn't have lulled the Cavs into sleep for the 2nd half. Who knows? It was only Game 1, they could have come back if they were truly the better team (like they did with the Bulls this year).

Oh well.

Does anyone else not want the Hawks series to start? I kind of like not knowing the ending (and worrying about it).

I still in the back of my mind, have this feeling.. that even if we win it all this year..

It somehow won't mean as much as it would of had we won it in 08-10..

I assume it was watching that team grow from 35 wins to a Championship contender over 4-6 years..As opposed to this off-season.. boom.. we have a contender..

Wow ... T-Wolves won the draft. With Wiggins and Bennett, they'll have the #1 picks from the last three drafts.

Wow ... T-Wolves won the draft. With Wiggins and Bennett, they'll have the #1 picks from the last three drafts.

I have no doubt that the Knicks would rather trade the pick for a veteran than draft someone..