Cleveland Cavaliers (current) off-season rumors
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KR1245
Dont we have enough thread for the people that want to attack Gilbert and the organization? It is possible for Cavs fans to talk about the Cavs without people chiming in with their negative comments. Give it a rest. There are like 5 different threads about the Cavs right now. If you want to bash them do it over there.
Anyways.......AC's blog on Lebron.
Hey, Cavalier fans and CavFanatics. It’s A.C. here – what’s happening?
Was I surprised with his decision? Yes and no. What I found interesting was, during the playoffs, Kevin Garnett made a statement after one of the games. When they asked him about LeBron, he essentially said that sometimes loyalty robs you of your youth. And I know that rung a bell with LeBron – he heard that loud and clear.
LeBron’s always seemed to have an affinity for the big city. He thinks that’s where he needs to be. And now it seems like he couldn’t carry the production as lead man, so now he’s going to be one of its supporting actors.
Three superstars joining forces on a single team isn’t unprecedented. Years ago, the Lakers got Chamberlain, West and Baylor together. They played together three or four years and I think won just one Championship.
But I don’t think this situation is good for the league. There are enough financial problems in the NBA as it is, and to concentrate all those guys together in one place, I don’t think it’s good. By the same token, now you have a team that’s a “target” – the team everyone will bring their A-game for.
The talent level in the league is nowhere near as strong as it needs to be and this doesn’t help. This could create a problem, but we’ll see. I still think the organization with the best “team concept” will win. Each of those guys in Miami will have to subvert their game to make it work. Who’s going to take the final shot? LeBron or Wade?
It’s Wade’s team. He’s won the Championship. Not LeBron or Bosh. It’ll come down to how much each of them is willing to back off.
It’s interesting to see all this happen, because I believe it was definitely orchestrated before Thursday night. Really, there’s no telling how long this has been in the works.
All the cities that were juked into thinking he would come, there will definitely be some backlash against LeBron. There’s definitely going to be some backlash in Akron and Cleveland and it’s already begun. I don’t know if he’ll be able to come back here.
I don’t begrudge him for leaving; that’s his prerogative. But the way he did it was selfish and self-promoting and I didn’t think he had that in him. But he’s not the same person as when I first met him in high school. He’s a lot more aloof and a little bit strong on himself right now.
He’s always had that self-confidence, but at any given moment, something can change your course in life. And he’s got to understand that.
As much as LeBron likes to talk about being a winner and businessman, the two things he’s shown me in this process is that it’s not about winning, and it’s really not about doing good business. It’s about LeBron, and it’s not about anything else. And that’s starting to show through more now.
This move is going to be a test for him. I hope he doesn’t think this is going to be a cakewalk. He’s going to have to back off his game. And this hurts his brand. They’ll promote them as a threesome now and not him, individually. If he thinks this is the way to go, more power to him.
Getting almost as much attention as LeBron’s decision was the Open Letter Dan Gilbert fired off after it.
When I first saw the letter, I could feel the hurt. And a lot of what I read in the letter, to me, was true.
And again, I don’t understand why LeBron would do the ownership that way. They’ve given him everything he’s wanted. They’ve bent over backwards to give him everything he’s wanted. And to not even give the man a phonecall, it’s very tacky. It’s very unprofessional.
Most of the moves that management made was because of LeBron and his timetable. And that’s why I’m surprised he’d leave us in a lurch like that. All of the moves were made to help him in a Championship. So he should have at least given us the respect to make some moves this summer – instead of dragging it on like he did.
That left us in a hole. That tells me the disdain he had for the organization. He knows he shouldn’t have done it this way. For him to do it this way after what the organization has done to try to appease him, to me, it’s just not right. You don’t do people like that. And when you put vibes like that out into the world, they don’t come back to you in a positive way.
Moving forward, however, I think Byron Scott is definitely the right man for the job. And the statement he made – that he’s turned around worse teams than this – he understands he has an owner that’s going to get the pieces and parts to rebuild this into a Championship contender. He knows that.
What we have to do now is refill that talent pool. We definitely have work to do, but I don’t think our management group is above a little work.
LeBron James has always known how to orchestrate. And I think this whole free agency thing that he and his team orchestrated backfired on them. I didn’t think he’d turn out to be the villain. Even Bosh only looks like a follower, not a traitor. And that’s the difference in the perception.
LeBron tried it here for seven years as Batman. Now he’s going to try to win it as Robin. -
OhioStatePride2003^^
That, to me, is the way every true Cavs fan feels. Not the fact that he left, but he bent us over and really nailed us. For seven years he gave the perception to the city and it's fans that he was about winning a championship in Cleveland, and in a matter of seconds he showed the world that it was all about him. Pat Riley is going to get a lot of credit for this, but the real credit should go to D Wade. I think this was planned also, and long before Thursday night rolled around. The timing of everything indicates that it was about them three playing together. Wade did the recruiting, Wade picked his team, Wade is ultimately the one who created the "Three Am-Egos". Riley just figured out a way to make it happen. If James really wanted too, he could've picked his team in Cleveland. -
TBone14
A.C.'s blog is great. -
SportsAndLady
jordo212000;417942 wrote:haha come on. 20 wins next year. They have no legitimate #1 scorer.
Well either do a lot of teams that get the 7th and 8th seed of the playoffs lol -
wildcats20
Have to share this facebook status...
Hey I got the new lebron james iPhone. I have to keep it on vibrate though cause it's got no rings! -
devil1197OhioStatePride2003;418285 wrote:It's not going to happen, but it's been confirmed that Cleveand will not do a sign and trade. Not that the Heat won't do it.
http://twitter.com/PDcavsinsider
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/06/cleveland-will-not-do-a-sign-and-trade-to-send-lebron-away-duh.php
http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/?p=30423 - Explains why it would and wouldn't be good for Cleveland.
After the tempers have settled Cleveland will do a S/T. Rebuilding is next and getting trade exceptions, picks etc is vital.
PDcavsinsider
#Cavs appear ready to move on. Sources say there's been progress made in a sign-and-trade with the Heat for LeBron. No deal yet.
Just got back into town and I can't say I am shocked that he left its the way he left. I personally believe that it was a big slap in the face to an organization and city that catered to LeBron, his posse, and his families needs. He didn't even have the guts to call Grant or Gilbert personally to tell them his decision. Whether he knew it all along or not, the way he handled the situation with Cleveland and the rest of the league was an embarassment.
I fully support Gilbert's comments whether it negatively hurts the organization or not. It was real, it was the truth, and it was from the heart. The title before Miami was funny, but I think he was implying that Miami won't win a title. Gilbert had every right to say what was on his mind, he is a guy that knows the full story, a story that we can only guess.
At the end of the day LeBron is gone and we must move on. I'll be a Cleveland fan until I die. We had no titles before LeBron got here and no titles after he left.
If Cleveland doesn't go into full rebuild mode, they could possible make some moves to be a competitive 7/8 seed in the playoffs IMO. We shall see what route we take. -
grodt
Windy:
#Cavs sign-and-trade deal with the Heat for #LeBron has not been finalized but will happen. Sources say Cavs will get 4 picks: 2 1st, 2 2nd -
devil1197Rough guess.
NO 2012 2nd round pick
MIA 2013 1st round pick
MIA 2013 2nd round pick
MIA 2015 1st round pick
$15 million TPE -
IggyPride00
The 29 or 30th pick will surely come in handy those years we get their first rounder. -
devil1197IggyPride00;418667 wrote:The 29 or 30th pick will surely come in handy those years we get their first rounder.
I think the big thing they were after was the $15 TPE imo. Adding four future picks isn't a bad thing, considering if Cleveland goes into full rebuild mode they will have multiple 1st and 2nd round picks in the same drafts in multiple years. -
devil1197PDcavsinsider
Cavs also will receive a trade exception of up to $16 million. Appears they will not renounce FAs to get under cap and will take exception.
The TPE gives them more $$$ than going under the cap. This mean they will probably just trade West instead of waiving him like they were discussing today. -
bo shemmy3337i am really glad to see this and we should not throw Lebron under the bus. He does not have to do this and lets face it, the Cavs really need this to happen.
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devil1197The trade exception will last a year but look for the Cavs to start looking on the trade market for a significant piece, sources say.
I am torn between going into full rebuild mode or trying to get a some guys for the team this season. I think the fans deserve atleast a playoff team after all of this and its quite possible. -
devil1197bo shemmy3337;418703 wrote:i am really glad to see this and we should not throw Lebron under the bus. He does not have to do this and lets face it, the Cavs really need this to happen.
WHAT?
LeBron didn't do it for Cleveland, he did it for his own selfish reasons of getting the 6 year which EQUALS more money for his sorry ass.
David Aldridge:
Cavs just got in the Al Jefferson sweepstakes. RT @PDcavsinsider Cavs getting trade exception of up to $16M in s/t for LeBron, plus picks..
I'd say make some moves and prove to people that this IS a playoff team without LeBron. Not sure about Jefferson but a similar move/s would be good. -
bo shemmy3337devil1197;418710 wrote:WHAT?
LeBron didn't do it for Cleveland, he did it for his own selfish reasons of getting the 6 year which EQUALS more money for his sorry ass.
He already agreed to take less money so it is not possible for him to sign a max with the Cavs and get traded to the Heat. he has to take less money than what he would have got in Cleveland regardless. he could also say fuck you to Dan Gilbert because he makes over 20 mil a year off the court. -
devil1197bo shemmy3337;418717 wrote:He already agreed to take less money so it is not possible for him to sign a max with the Cavs and get traded to the Heat. he has to take less money than what he would have got in Cleveland regardless. he could also say fuck you to Dan Gilbert because he makes over 20 mil a year off the court.
Agreed and signing deals are separate words. Boozer agreed to re-sign with Cleveland, how did that turn out.
LeBron is getting more years hence more $$$, that's a fact.
This wasn't a gift by LeBron, this gave him more $$$. End of story. -
hoops23
Basically, looks like the Cavs will stay over the cap, receive the 16 million dollar trade exception, hang onto the MLE (5.7 mill) and keep West to use in part of trade (Darren Collison?) plus the 4 draft picks.
This COULD turn into a quick rebuild... Especially with Dan Gilberts willingness to spend. -
hoops23
Looks like Al Jefferson may be had for the TPE..
If that's the case, try to get Darren Collison as well.
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KR1245
hoops23;418841 wrote:Looks like Al Jefferson may be had for the TPE..
If that's the case, try to get Darren Collison as well.
I'd be happy with Jefferson and Collison. Thats a decent young core of guys in JJ, Jefferson and Collison. Cavs are def up against it. I'm anxious to see how the decide to handle this. Couple years of total rebuild mode would suck but it may be the best option. I dont think Gilbert is going to see it that way -
IggyPride00
Without at some point sucking it up, tanking to get a top pick or 2 to get a star in here, its all a big waste.This COULD turn into a quick rebuild... Especially with Dan Gilberts willingness to spend.
The best Cleveland can hope for in the medium term is a Utah Jazz like team where we get to the playoffs as a 4-6 seed and win maybe 48-52 games.
It is going to take stars to go through Miami, not 3rd, and lower second tier guys.
Nobody wants to lose, but I see no other way to get a legit star and difference maker in here. Not some 2nd rate guy paid like a max guy like a Joe Johnson.
Sadly that is exactly the track it sounds like Gilbert plans on taking. -
hoops23
IggyPride00;418868 wrote:Without at some point sucking it up, tanking to get a top pick or 2 to get a star in here, its all a big waste.
The best Cleveland can hope for in the medium term is a Utah Jazz like team where we get to the playoffs as a 4-6 seed and win maybe 48-52 games.
It is going to take stars to go through Miami, not 3rd, and lower second tier guys.
Nobody wants to lose, but I see no other way to get a legit star and difference maker in here. Not some 2nd rate guy paid like a max guy like a Joe Johnson.
Sadly that is exactly the track it sounds like Gilbert plans on taking.
This is still a hefty rebuild, but it's obvious Dan wants to put at least a 'good' product on the court for all the season ticket holders who committed next year.
These moves give us great roster flexibility moving towards the future.
Especially if you can pick up Al Jefferson and Darren Collison.
Of course, Collison is all speculation on me, but the Cavs have expressed interest in him. -
hoops23
This was posted by SMOOTH from RCF, pretty good plan, if you ask me...:
I doubt the Cavs go into an all out rebuilding mode, although they should, but if they did this how I think it should be done:
TRADE 1
Denver gets: Jamario Moon, Antawn Jamison, Sebastian Telfair
Cleveland gets: Kenyon Martin, Ty Lawson, Renaldo Balkman
Why for Denver? - They need to take advantage of Martin's expiring, as he might not even play this year, and use it to get a legit big man... The Nuggets will be in a "win-now" mindset with Carmelo, Nene, Afflalo and JR Smith being free agents next year and some of their other main pieces (Billups, Andersen) not being the youngest and spryest either... Even though they love Lawson, that's the price of getting a legit big man in Jamison as well as a good wing backup in Moon... Denver would get Martin back after we waive him...
Billups / Telfair
Afflalo / Smith
Anthony / Moon
Jamison / Martin
Nene / Andersen
Why for Cleveland? - This is similar value that Washington got, and it would be a similar deal, for Jamison... An expiring and a young prospect is about as good as it's going to get for the Cavs... We buy-out Martin as part of the deal, we wouldn't need him anyway, and also throw in Moon for Balkman since Balkman is younger and on a useful contract... Lawson will now be our PG for the future...
TRADE 2
Indiana gets: Mo Williams
Cleveland gets: Brandon Rush, Jeff Foster, 1st round pick
Why for Indiana? - They've needed a point guard all along and they wouldn't be giving up very much for a decent PG in Mo who is still pretty young...
Williams / Ford / Price
George / Jones / Stephenson
Granger / Dunleavy
Murphy / Hansbrough / McRoberts
Hibbert / Jones
Why for Cleveland? - You guys may not like this but they're isn't a whole big market for Williams and is this about as best as the Cavs can do right now with Williams' contract and playoff reputation... While an expiring Rush + 1st might not seem like much, it is pretty good return in my book...
TRADE 3
Philadelphia gets: Anderson Varejao, Anthony Parker
Cleveland gets: Thaddeus Young, Jason Kapono, Jason Smith
Why for Philadelphia? - The Sixers will now have an overload at the SF spot, Young's spot, and also have plenty of players to play the PF spot as well and Young looks like he's the odd-man out... What the Sixers need most is a good defensive big, like Andy, and also get a nice veteran backup in Parker for the time being...
Holiday / Williams / Meeks
Turner / Parker / Green
Iguodala / Nocioni
Brand / Speights
Hawes / Varejao
Why for Cleveland? - While Cavs fans may not want to get rid of Varejao, I really think it's the best thing to do if the Cavs plan on rebuilding... While Varejao is a fairly young player still and can still be productive, he's better off on a team competing for the playoffs and his value will also never be higher coming off an All-Defense 2nd team selection.. In return he Cavs get some cap space, a decent big prospect and the prize of the deal, Thaddeus Young...
FREE AGENCY
Waive Delonte West - the Cavs could use him in a deal but would be better off just waiving him and gaining the extra cap space themselves...
Bring Sasha Kaun over - sign him to a 3yr deal worth around $10 million and see how far he's developed and let him play...
Sign Ian Manhinmi - sign him to a 2yr deal and see if the Cavs can get anything out of this very talented, but underused player from the Spurs..
Sign Acie Law - sign him to a 1yr deal and let him be an insurance policy for the backcourt..
And now your starting lineup:
PG: Ty Lawson -- Daniel Gibson -- Acie Law
SG: Brandon Rush -- Jason Kapono -- Danny Green
SF: Thaddeus Young -- Renaldo Balkman -- Jawad Williams
PF: JJ Hickson -- Leon Powe -- Jason Smith
CT: Jeff Foster -- Sasha Kaun -- Ian Mahinmi
Yes the roster might not look great but there is a lot of good young talent on the team, with a potential high draft pick next year (2 picks with Indy's 1st rounder) and a lot of cap space as well..
This current team would have Lawson, Rush, Hickson, Kaun, Mahinmi, Gibson and Balkman all under contract next year with most of the other players coming off the books... Smith, Young and Green would all be restricted free agents so the Cavs would have a good shot at keeping them... The biggest plus would be the Cavs would nearly have nearly $41 million to re-sign all their free agents and go after other free agents...
The plan would to re-sign Green and Young (say they take up around $11 million together) and then go after some major free agents with around $30 million to spend... The great news is that Greg Oden, Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Nene and Marc Gasol will all be free agents, restricted although (except for Nene) but the Cavs will have a lot of money to throw around for their "future" center and they have their pick of the litter... The Cavs would likely have to overspend but it'd be well worth it on a young center, who'd be the centerpiece... In addition to getting a center, they'd have another $17 million to use to fill in with role players or they wouldn't even have to use it.. But they could potentially end up with something like this:
Ty Lawson - Gibson
Brandon Rush - Green
Harrison Barnes - Young - Balkman
JJ Hickson - Kyle Singler
Marc Gasol - Kaun - Mahinmi
Not too shabby and quite a bit of young talent.. -
KR1245
Cleveland Cavaliers settle down, tentatively settle on LeBron James sign-and-trade deal with Miami Heat
Updated: Friday, July 09, 2010, 11:20 PM
Brian Windhorst, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Still recovering from the blow of losing LeBron James, the Cavaliers are starting the process of picking themselves up and moving on.
Thursday night, fans and members of the organization, especially owner Dan Gilbert, were brimming with anger. Apparently that was replaced with a business mindset on Friday as the team made a difficult but potential fruitful decision for the future.
According to league sources, after being approached by the Miami Heat the Cavs tentatively agreed to send James to his new team in a sign-and-trade deal. The Heat approached the Cavs about the deal, looking to pay James more money and free up some of their own cap space to sign other free agents.
If completed, the trade could put the Cavs in a position to make a significant trade of their own in the near future.
Though it is not finalized and might not be until next week, the Cavs are believed to have picked up two future first-round picks and two future second-round picks from the Heat in the swap.
The first-rounders likely will be in 2013 and 2015, with second-round picks in 2011 and 2012. The Cavs, it is believed, also will have the right to swap first-round picks with the Heat in 2012. In a separate sign-and-trade Friday, the Heat sent two first-round picks to the Toronto Raptors for Chris Bosh.
In addition, the Cavs will pick up a trade exception that could be worth up to $16 million. The way the deal works, the Heat are basically trading their salary-cap space for James, and it creates that exception. The Cavs can use that asset in a trade within the next year.
If the team goes this route, it will not give up the rights to its own free agents such as Shaquille O'Neal, and that will keep it over the salary cap. They will still have their midlevel exception of $5.7 million to use on free agents.
The Cavs were considering renouncing the rights to all their free agents and releasing guard Delonte West to get as much as $13 million in cap space. Instead, they will keep West and likely continue to dangle him in trades while looking for ways to use that $16 million.
It was likely a complex decision by the Cavs to take part in the sign-and-trade deal that will allow James to sign with the Heat for an additional (sixth) season and get higher annual raises that could make him as much as $30 million more over the life of the deal.
After Gilbert issued a fiery and emotional open letter to fans Thursday night, it seemed unlikely he'd take part in a deal that would get James extra money. Getting the Heat to give up four picks in the deal, especially considering the Cavs have had limited picks over the previous four years, apparently made enough business sense for Gilbert take part.
As Cavs General Manager Chris Grant said in a news conference at Cleveland Clinic Courts on Friday before he completed the sign-and-trade with the Heat, the team decided to move on shortly after they were informed James was leaving.
"LeBron is no longer on our team and we're ready to move forward," Grant said. "We're not going to change our thinking -- we want to win."
The Cavs plan is not to launch a complete rebuilding effort, Grant said, and instead attempt to have a seventh consecutive winning season in 2010-11. Getting the picks and the trade exception will give the team a chance to improve in the short term by trade but still assemble options for the future.
Having extra picks, even far into the future, can prove valuable to use in trades for more picks sooner or players. The Cavs, who haven't have a first-round pick in three of the previous six drafts, haven't had those types of options recently.
"If you look at the decisions we've made, they're all based on winning," Grant said. "We have players who are used to winning and we plan to continue to do so." -
hoops23
I seriously would LOVE if we could get Al Jefferson and Darren Collison.
It's probably a pipe dream, but with the TPE and Delonte's contract, it's definitely possible. Not to mention Jamario Moon, Bassie and AP who each have a around a 3 million dollar expiring contract.
A core of Jefferson/JJ/Collison/Andy could be a great core to build around. -
devil1197Cleveland in trade discussions with the Hawks about Mo/Shaq and Williams/Childress/picks.