Archive for December, 2012

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Cavs Shopping Andy?

Friday, December 14th, 2012

It appears to be well known by now that the Cavs are gauging Anderson Varejao’s trade value around the league, and that he has great value. It seems like this has gone to another level, and that the Timberwolves are seriously interested. How much can Grant get them to offer? Nikola Pekovic, a pick and Derrick Williams would be a hell of a package. Maybe we could add Boobie and grab Luke Ridnour as a backup PG, also. The may seem unlikely, but remember- this is David Khan we’re talking about. I know I’m in the minority on this, but I’m crossing my fingers for a deal to get done.

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Posted in Links To The Present | 25 Comments »

Early season On-court / Off-court

Friday, December 14th, 2012

Who is that masked man? That's Tristan Thompson, the NBA's 83rd best defensive player.

This article is based on the on-court / off-court data for the Cavaliers this season, provided by basketball-reference.com. Several interesting items of note will be mentioned and then discussed.

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Cleveland’s effective field goal percentage when Dion Waiters plays is 48.4%, the highest on the team. Their offensive rating of 109.5 far exceeds all other players, and amounts to nearly 15 points per 100 possesions better than his bench-time.

This could mean two things (or likely, partially both things).  The sample size is small, and the results relatively random.  Or, despite his ineffiency, Dion’s high-usage, dynamic offensive style provides intangible benefits.  A few points in this regards:

  • Ideally, Gee and Thompson are 15% usage players; probably lower for Tristan.  For better or worse, Andy plays at 18% usage.  So unless the plan is for Kyrie to shoot as often as Kobe (maybe this should be), someone needs to take shots to allow the ‘role players’ to function at their most efficient usage.
  • The Cavs offensive rebound rate of 35.9% is highest during his on-court stints.  You thought it was when Varejao played?  Dion’s shooting from deep actually resides around league average.  He has been horrible finishing.  You know what happens though, when he gets to the basket, draws the opposing big, and misses?  Andy or Tristan get an easy tip-in.  This has happened quite a bit this season.
  • Finally, his frequent and relatively effective three point attempts spread the floor.

Of course, I am an obnoxious Dion apologist.

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To balance that, I will note that the offense results in assisted baskets on nearly eight-percent less makes when Dion plays.

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Team defense has been 9 points per 100 possesions better when Tristan suits-up, thanks to a dramatic 5.5% decrease in opponent effective field goal percentage.

Looking at my favorite defensive stat, RAPM, Tristan ranks 83rd of the 300+ players with 500 or more possessions; better than three-quarters of the league.  A solid start from a 21 year old.  Like everyone else, it would be nice to not see all of his shots blocked, but credit must be given where due.

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Defense rates 9 points per 100 worse with Gee on-court, while being 10 points per 100 better with Casspi.  RAPM picks Casspi as among the four Cavs (of 15) to play above average defense this season.

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Cleveland’s rebounding rate is 6.6% higher when Andy plays.  No elaborate discussion needed there.

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The offense is 13 points per 100 possessions worse when Donald Sloan plays.  I would say “ah, the perils of backing up Kyrie”, but the offense does not drop nearly as precipitously with Pargo at the helm.

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At least the offense isn’t 27 points per 100 possessions worse when Mr. Sloan plays.  That honor belongs to Luke Walton.

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Team offense improves by eight points per hundred when Kyrie plays.  It is also much more fun to watch.  According to RAPM, he is the league’s 20th best offensive player.  Not shabby for a 20-year old.

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Of the Cavs with over 200 minutes, only Kyrie and Tristan show better results for both offense and defense when on-court.  That’s right, team defense is slightly better when Kyrie plays.  And the team offense overcomes Tristan’s struggles.  I guess they help offset each other’s deficiencies.  Now, if they can both figure out the other end.

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Only Daniel Gibson and Jeremy Pargo show worse results at both ends.  The team is 14 points worse per hundred during Boobie’s time.  The coaching staff occassionally gives him credit for solid defense, but there is no tangible evidence.  It’s probably veteran leadership that they are referring to.

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Well, I am done.  You have the link; what other ‘fun’ results are there?

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments »

The Other Guys (The Mid Tier Free Agents)

Thursday, December 13th, 2012
Jarrett Jack and Karl Landry

Jack and Landry: Perfect for the Cavs.

The Mid Tier Guys:

In Monday’s segment, we covered the premiere free agents available in 2013.  In this installment we cover the guys that will be available for less than $10 million dollars a year, in some cases MUCH less.  These are the guys who should be filling out our bench: spot starters and role playing starters.  They  should provide veteran leadership, identifiable skills, and should be able to help us win ball games.  Either that, or they should be young players who might still have room to develop.  Some of these guys I like a great deal, and some I wouldn’t want wearing a Moondog suit.

(more…)

Posted in Uncategorized | 33 Comments »

Recap: Cavs 81, Pacers 96

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

Will the real CJ Miles please stand up?

I watched this game at a deserted bar with fellow NBA blogger Eric Maroun.  To my recent surprise, Eric is a Clevelander, transplanted to the northside of Indianapolis, who writes for Hardwood Paroxysm.  We met tonight and quaffed a few brews.  So…this recap includes the insights of your favorite, intrepid, half-attentive, dive-bar viewing blogger.

The first half featured an irregular dose of CJ Miles, who tallied 23 points.  Remember how Dion Waiters looked during the Clippers game earlier this season?  That was CJ during the early portion tonight, and it was awesome.  Cleveland forged to a 58 – 43 lead midway through the second quarter.

Unfortunately, over a 3 minute and 39 second stretch spanning the second the third quarters, Indiana punished the Cavs with eighteen unanswered points.  Prorated to forty-eight minutes, that’s a 237 to nothing ballgame, folks.  The Pacers have struggled this year without Danny Granger, but the core of George Hill, Paul George, Roy Hibbert and veteran David West can still resemble the unit that caused Miami playoff struggles last year.

The Pacers lead progressively extended from there, and they won by fifteen.  It was a good night to watch the game at a bar.

A few notes:

I certainly noticed that Varejao and Gee were underperforming, but had no idea that they shot 0 for 16.  That is embarrassing for them, and potentially for me.

I knew CJ Miles was streaky, but has he spent his entire career bouncing between ten game stretches of -6 PER and 30 PER?

Only nine points and four assists from Kyrie, but it is major fun seeing him on-court again.  I am looking forward to Dion returning also, as there is a definite dynamism to each of their playing styles.

Jeremy Pargo only played three minutes tonight, with Sloan otherwise taking his minutes.  His twenty minutes resulted in five points and two assists on 43% true shooting.  Did I miss the back-story behind Pargo’s benching?

Ben Hansborough attempted to rake Tristan’s eyes out.  Tristan defensively swung an elbow in his direction, to which Tyler Hansborough flipped out and did a tough guy, big brother thing.  TT received the T, which from my seat seemed ridiculous.

Samardo Samuels and Luke Walton combined to play 39 minutes.  I can not begin to fathom this.  They both did things that they do; but why couldn’t Jon Leuer get minutes this season?  Luke Walton is nearing 33 and obviously has nothing to do with the Cavs’ future.  Heading into the season, I figured a legal-name-change to “Luke Walton’s retiring contract” was in order.  Samardo has played 105 games…we know what he is now; barely an NBA player.  Jon Leuer, after offering 555 fairly useful minutes to Milwaukee last year, received a three game chance?  I know those were ugly outings, but why were neither Walton or Samuels playing, and then the exact day that Leuer gets sent to Canton, suddenly a plethora of minutes open up for Kevin Jones and the aforementioned duo?  Curious roster decisions…Leuer posted 15 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 steals in his second game with Canton.

Yeah, so it was that type of game; the type where one-third of a recap is spent writing about a role player on the D-League team.  Friday night will be better.

Posted in Recaps | 32 Comments »

Casspi OUT!

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

Yep…according to the Plain Dealer, Casspi’s out for the game tonight.  Who takes his minutes?

Posted in Uncategorized | 8 Comments »

Links to the Kyrie-Inundated, (Hannukah) Present

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012

He’s back! Finally! Let’s go Cavs! Well, here’s some fun Cavs-related stuff to read about as you go about your daily life.

- Kyrie Irving wasn’t the only star young’n to return last night, as Anthony Davis came back as well. I mostly posted this because I was thinking about something: would you trade Kyrie for Davis? In my opinion: too close to call. If it was a pure business decision, I think Grant would have to pull the trigger. (If you want to fight with me, and I hope you do, tweet me up @DanSoch)

- The best play of last night, in my opinion was– never mind, I’m just going to give you the link. Unreal.

-In case you wanted to get a little more emotionally invested in Byron Scott, here’s a cute story about his experience as a rookie on the Lakers, back in the day.

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Posted in Links To The Present | 21 Comments »

Recap – Cavs: 100, Lakers: 94

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

Mooooooo

PHEW!  What…a…game!  MAN is it good to have Kyrie back!

The Cavs came out FIRING in the first half thanks, in large part, to Kyrie’s 7 assists and a crazy first half from Miles, and lead by 15 going into the 3rd quarter.  After only scoring 14 (to LA’s 23) in the third, the Cavs held off the comeback, winning the game 100-94.

The Good:

Kyrie Irving – THANK YOU BASKETBALL GODS, FOR RETURNING KYRIE!  Kyrie had a ridiculous night – 28 points (on 11-21 shooting, including 4-6 from downtown), 11 Assists, and 6 rebounds, along with a steal.  Not only did he clearly not miss a beat during his four weeks off, he looked invigorated and confident.  What’s more, Kyrie’s D was actually passable in this game – he still got beat once in a while, but instead of just watching, tried to catch his loose man.  Really, Kyrie was playing with more intensity than I’ve ever seen him on the D end.  This was probably his best showing of the season.  Man am I glad he’s back!

Andy – With all due respect to Kyrie and his absurd game, it was Andy who played the clutch role in the fourth quarter, snagging a beautiful rebound, hitting a clutch 12 footer and sinking two HUGE free throws.  He and Kyrie picked up where they left off on the pick and roll and, after a few lackluster games (for him), Andy finally looked back in his comfort zone on O.  As always his D was great, getting into Dwight’s head and disrupting all the action under the rim (even causing a bunch of Dwight turnovers.)  Unfortunately, Andy fell short of a double double, partially due to the fact that Howard had 20(!) rebounds.  Oh yeah, Andy had a RIDICULOUS dunk on Jordan Hill after faking out Dwight Howard.  FUN!

CJ Miles – Despite Kyrie’s return and despite Andy’s phenomenal game, the biggest story of the night is probably the fact that Miles absolutely WENT OFF for 28 points (a team high) on 10-18 shooting (including 5-10 from downtown) and chipped in 5 rebounds to boot.  If Miles keeps playing like this, we might have ourselves something, here.

Tyler Zeller’s D – I KNOW Tom noticed but, did anyone else?  Zeller was disrupting an inordinate number of Dwight Howard shots.  He was physical and fearless in defending someone much bigger and stronger than he.  His long twos weren’t falling, but it didn’t matter, Zeller’s impact on D was enough to make him very valuable in this game.

The Bad:

Alonzo Gee – Yeah, he had 17 points (on 6-14 shooting, which isn’t great) and yeah he was playing a Kobe Bryant who was clearly channeling his younger self, but it’s not supposed to look this bad.  While Kobe’s shooting was absurd, Gee got beat far too many times, missed some key switches (letting Kyrie pick up Kobe far too much) and bit on pretty much all of Kobe’s fakes.  He’s allowed to have off nights, but to the tune of 42 points?  When he’s our best defender?  C’mon!

Jeremy Pargo – OUCH.  Seriously…Ouch.  We may have spoken too soon on the Pargo = backup discussion.  Keep an eye on this in the future.  (Side note: Pargo was the only Cavalier who was – in +/-)

The Cavs Bench in General, Minus Tyler Zeller – I mean…Minus Zeller, they didn’t score a point.

The Rest:

The Lakers Traveling Plans – Apparently extensive.  I definitely saw them walk more than a few times (so did the refs).  What’s up with that?

Andy’s Rebounding – Obviously Dwight played a huge role in Andy’s ability to rebound, but isn’t it amazing how Kryie’s impact on dictating offense leads to better scoring, which, in turn leads to fewer Andy rebounds?  Varejao only had 2 O boards, by far his lowest since we lost Kyrie to injury.  Hmmmm….

Note how I didn’t mention Tristan?  That’s because he was a complete non-factor, minus some very good rebounding numbers.  He looked fine and all, but definitely didn’t wow anyone.  And 1 point?  Really?

Tomorrow the Cavs face off against the Pacers @ Indianapolis.  After tonight, there’s hope again.  As always…GO CAVS!

Posted in Uncategorized | 97 Comments »

Link to the Present: Salary Floor

Tuesday, December 11th, 2012

Nice article today from Jason Lloyd, that clears up a misconception that I have certainly carried.  While there is a salary cap floor, the total of the Cavs’ contracts does not need to equal it.  If the combined salaries do not meet the salary floor, the difference gets paid out to the signed players.

Posted in Links To The Present | 10 Comments »

1 through 5

Monday, December 10th, 2012

Five Cavs questions for the writers – all in one place.

What these young bloods have to understand, that this game has always been....and will always be....about STAYING HEALTHY.

Question 1: Have you noticed any silver linings for the Cavs with both Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters injured?


Tom: The silver lining is that the Cavs may get another top-5 draft pick and not necessarily deserve it.  Before the season started I thought there was a very low probability the Cavs could make the playoffs – so many things had to go right on a team with so little experience and depth.  Injuries have already piled up and they’ve lost a lot of close games.  If you’re not going to make the playoffs, ideally, you want to get as many ping pong balls as possible and still have a decent roster.  That’s an entirely possible outcome of this season and probably more ideal in the long run.  I’m not suggesting they punt on the season – plenty of losing is happening organically.

Dani: I’ve been very pleased with Jeremy Pargo’s play. He’s a much better point guard then Donald Sloan, and actually capable of the penetration that this Cleveland offense needs. He’s definitely won the backup PG minutes, and here’s to hoping he can be as successful off the bench. Also: while it saddens me to say this, Pargo was the first starting point guard to try on defense this year.

Kevin: The biggest ‘silver lining’ is the uptick in Tyler Zeller’s production.  In November, he averaged 6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.4 blocks on 45% true shooting.  In December, those have risen to 10 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 49% in similar minutes.  He is acclimating to the NBA well, and this is despite shattering his face during the season’s first week and wearing a mask ever since.  He receives warranted grief for his man-defense, but I think he shows relatively nuanced rotations for a rookie, and his rebounding is improving.  Through December 3rd games, only two centers drew more charges (as per hoopdata).  The Cavs defensive rebounding rate sits at exactly 74.3% when T-Zell is on and off-court, and their defensive rating worsens by less than 1 point per 100 possessions when he plays.  At the least, Cleveland is just a miserable defensive team, and it’s not all Tyler’s fault.

Nate: The silver linings for the Cavs with both Kyrie and Dion?  Um… No.  Maybe there’s one in that Gee can be more aggressive, and that we’re seeing that we obviously need to develop a deeper bench, but these are revelations of long confirmed suspicions, not silver linings.  I am tempted to say that we might be gaining the knowledge that Scott isn’t a great coach before it could really hurt us, but he does seem to get guys to play hard.

Mallory: Two obvious ones: Pargo might actually be an NBA player.  He seems to have SOME game; the question is whether or not he can keep it going consistently from the bench.  Also, Casspi has come alive.  We always knew he could play D, drive to the rim, and shoot the three – it’s just that, for the first time since he joined this team, he’s doing all of that at the same time.  As we’ve all said a million times, he just needed some more consistent playing time.

Question 2: Which Cavalier role player has exceeded expectations the most?


Tom: Jeremy Pargo.  I never would have guessed this output. His college stats projected him to be a 9 to 5er like the rest of us, or at best an export to the trapezoid leagues.  He’s 26 and played poorly last year in his rookie season.  Honestly I’m amazed the Cavs gave him a tryout – even if he displayed some goods in workouts, I would think a younger or bigger guy would get the nod for the upside stuff.  Pargo seemed to have zero upside, and yet, there have been times this season where he’s stood out among all-stars.   He’s working hard at both ends and the crazy thing is that he can’t really shoot at all so defenses are clogging the lanes and he’s still making plays.  He might be the biggest reason the Cavs have 2 wins since Kyrie injured himself.  I’ll wait till after the all-star break to declare him the “backup pg of the future!” but you gotta give the guy credit for taking advantage of this opportunity.  He’s fun to watch too.

Dani: I didn’t expect much out of Omri Casspi this year, given his horrendous play the previous season. But he’s performed fairly well as a 3-and-D guy so far, and seems to be returning to the form of his rookie season.

Kevin: Considering his worse performance across-the-board compared to last year; Alonzo Gee may be a surprising answer.  Fifteen months ago, I did not think he was an NBA player.  Two months ago, after last season’s crazy, condensed schedule, where Gee spent the first two-thirds of the season playing well, and the last-third completely derailing, I was still on the fence about Gee.  After the first twenty games of this season, I am content that AG serves as a completely fine rotation player at a reasonable cost.

Nate: Tyler Zeller.  With a very smart offensive game, he seems to pass well, finish well with both hands around the basket and flash a jumper that’s rounding into form.  I think he’ll be a fine offensive player.  Now he does need to add about 20 pounds as he gets abused in the post, as has often been said here.  But what’s also been said is that he takes charges, rebounds well in spurts, and will block the occasional shot.  I think he can grow as a player and is professional enough to see the areas he needs to improve and do the work needed to realize those improvements.

Mallory: See above.  Really, expectations were so low for Casspi this year that he’s far exceeding what we all expected from him this year.  His D has been VERY good at times, showing physicality and using his size.  Also, dude can seriously rebound.

Question 3:  During the upcoming off-season, should the Cavaliers sign a household name with a max or near-max offer or take a flier on someone for around the mid-level amount?


Tom: I’ll have a better answer after reading Nate’s next piece, but my suspicion is that this FA class is toxic.  There are a whole bunch of guys that are about to get max or near max deals that would not be the 6th best player in a Heat/Thunder series.  The fact that we seem willing to explore Tyreke Evans kinda sums everything up for me.  I’m envious Danny Ferry nabbed Sweet Lou Williams for such an affordable deal.  I’d like to see Chris Grant get that kind of value.  If they do offer a ton of money to someone I hope it’s Millsap.  Of course if they get Millsap then [Swings hammer at fingers so as not to mention baffling choice of Tr...fk0p[ajds;]

Dani: It depends on whether or not we trade Anderson Varejao. If we keep him, then we have to go after a max contract type of guy; in that scenario, we’re gunning for a decent seed in the playoffs. If we trade him, then our team is much further removed from the playoffs, and I would say we just use the mid-level.

Kevin: This is a loaded question, as Cleveland needs to bring on-board about $20 million of salary next season, and that must constitute a near-max player.  There are enough role players and draft picks around to keep those cupboards full.  The non-Howard / Paul / Bynum, near-max free agents are Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Josh Smith.  For four years and $45 million, Millsap looks appealing.  Of course, he plays the same position as Tristan Thompson.   Ultimately, I really hope that Luke Walton’s expiring contract and maybe a draft pick or two can help facilitate a three team trade and bring Cleveland a strong new piece for 2013 – 2014.  If Utah falls out of playoff contention, maybe a trade for Millsap can be arranged. The second-best bet to spend those dollars may be something like when the Pacers added David West for 2 years and $20 million in 2011.

Nate: See Monday’s article.  With 20 million in cap room, the Cavs should be looking at one max guy, one or two mid tier guys and a vet minimum free agent that can help provide some leadership.  With their cap situation, I’m hoping they can front load the contracts to lessen the impact when Kyrie is due for an extension.

Mallory: Both.  We need to get deeper and older.  More consistency from a guy who has 3-4 good years on his resume is a necessity.  We also need spot-up shooters.  A lot of them.  At this point the Cavs have more than enough cap room to pay someone.  The thing is, we don’t need a home run hitter, just someone who can do their thing at an exceptional level (a great defender, a shooter, etc. etc.)  I haven’t even spent a ton of time looking at the FA list (it’s too early for that) but I know we HAVE to be active, no matter what.

Question 4: Is there another NBA team besides the Cavaliers that you enjoy following?


Tom: [using voice recognition] Who’s playing the Heat tonight?  That team.  Also, with the exception of a few years (mainly 2007) I have always loved the Spurs.  I grew up a David Robinson fan and Manu Ginobili is my favorite player to watch today.  The only thing I love more than Greg Popovich interviews are the way the Spurs play offense.  If it weren’t for the Thunder channeling magic – as in, the 2009-Orlando-variety, the Spurs would have embarrassed the Heatles in the Finals and the ‘LeBron chokes’ narrative would be stronger than ever!  ARGGHHH.

Dani: I love watching the Knicks play basketball, and I have since Carmelo Anthony was traded there. While he’s taken a lot of heat for his play the last year or so, his clock-eating offense has always seemed sort of beautiful to me. The silky midrange jumper, the elegant finishes around the rim…I’ve been quite the ‘Melo apologist over the last 12-15 months, so his role in reviving the Knicks franchise has held my attention- I think I’ve watched 12 out of 19 Knicks games, or something like that.

Kevin: Not a team; I try to watch one NBA game every day.  I tape a game and fast-forward through free-throws, dead-balls, timeouts, etc.  I like knowing what is going on around the league.

Nate: I enjoy all the other teams when they’re on.  Most of them have something compelling to offer.  I generally stick to the contenders in the East.  But really, it’s anyone playing the Heat: so I enjoy the Knicks, Celtics, Bulls, etc. when they’ve got the axis of ego on the docket.  There’s nothing I enjoy more than LeBron James’ loser face.  Ticked off Kobe comes a close second.  Yep.  Yep.  I’m a H8er 4 Ever.

Mallory: I’ve loved the Blazers for a while – dates back to the early Brandon Roy years.  But they’re still fun to watch.  It’s fun watching the Lakers just to see the circus.  Who doesn’t love watching the Knicks?  They’re unavoidable, especially in NYC.  I’m SURE I’m forgetting teams (Houston, OKC, etc etc) but who has time for that?

Question 5: Has the poor start made you more supportive of keeping or trading Varejao?


Tom: Keeping.  When healthy, the Cavs backcourt isn’t bad, and with Pargo in tow, depth is less of an issue.  The frontcourt is a nightmare.  The Cavs are undersized, have no above-the-rim finishers, paint protectors, or post players.  If Varejao is traded, now you lose the league’s best rebounder (the Cavs only strength as a team right now), the only player on the team that has a prayer against the big bruisers of the league, and one of the game’s best pick and roll bigs.  The Cavs would be an unmitigated disaster.  Anderson Varejao plugs so many holes – and is the main reason the Cavs have been competitive in a lot of these games – he wins possessions.  He should stay unless someone offers the Cavs something they can’t refuse, and if that something isn’t an all-star big, it should probably be refused.

Dani: I’ve taken a lot of flak for this already, and made my position clear in a rather elaborate manner, so I’ll keep it short. The Cavs are nowhere near playoff contention. Anderson Varejao is playing amazingly well, but he can’t keep it up forever. By the time the Cavs should be hitting 3-4 seed territory, he will be 33. Trade him now, and reap the benefits. Especially if those benefits are Kawhi Leonard and Tiago Splitter.

Kevin: For the right deal, anyone is tradeable, but…Keeping, because of Varejao’s strong start.  At the beginning of the season, I ran through his place on Cavalier “All-Time” lists.  Since the season started, he has passed Jim Brewer to move to 7th for defensive rebounds and Terrell Brandon to climb to 7th in Win Shares.  He eclipsed two players to ascend to 9th in blocks, and this past weekend moved to 10th for career steals.  I hope Varejao plays fifteen seasons for the Cavs, makes the playoffs again, and gets his jersey retired (also, next playoff appearance moves him into sole possession of first place all-time for that category).

Nate: The poor start has not changed my stance on Andy.  In fact it’s reinforced the simple fact for me that this team has 2 very good players (Andy and Kyrie), 2 young players with upside (Waiters and Gee), and 3 players who can be good, but who we may have to wait for a while to develop (Zeller, Casspi, and TT).  The rest of the players are end of the bench guys or strictly role players on a good team.  When Kyrie and Waiters went down, the lack of guard play killed the team, and it’s been killing it since.  But I’m confident the depth issues will be fixed next year (though not necessarily the defense).  With my plan for the Cavs to be competitive next year and the colossal number of draft picks we have coming in the next few years, I’m not trading Andy unless we get a proven commodity in return, and I doubt there’s any player in the league with more value than Andy as a proven commodity.

Mallory: Like I said above, we do NOT need youth.  How many draft picks can you use?  Drafting players high up keeps you in perpetual rebuild.  By this time next year we’ll have five guys from the top 20 on this team and potentially four taken in the top 5.  That should be enough to build a young “core.”  Andy is a leader and an all star caliber player.  Getting rid of him, in my mind, would set us back years.  For more on that check the debate that Dani, Nate, and I had.

4-1 looks like I'm staying where I belong. Vote me for All-Star Please.

Posted in Opinion | 33 Comments »

He’s back! Thank the lord, he’s back!

Monday, December 10th, 2012

I'm as happy as you guys are. I'M BACK!

PHEW!  That was a rough couple of weeks there.  but never fear, friends, KYRIE IRVING IS BACK! Expect to see him suited up tomorrow.

I’ve never been happier to be so wrong about return dates.  Now lets get to work and beat LA.

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments »

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