Finally, the Cleveland Cavaliers are interesting again. Two seasons ago proved brutal, last season presented a team still in flux…now, the franchise provides a product offering real topics to routinely banter about. The team won 11 of their last 25, and their per-game margin is only negative-2 during that time. Over the recent one-third of a season, they compete almost every night. I actually get a little nervous for the games again; will the young guys produce?…can the team avoid a blow-out?…can they beat the bastion of accomplished veterans coming to town tonight?
This was a lot of fun.
The season started miserably, with Cleveland winning only 5 of the first 28 tilts. Kyrie missed eleven games, while Waiters sat eight; three guys wore masks at the same time. Eighteen of the first thirty games were on the road, while Andy went down for the season in the midst of an 8 games in 12 days stretch. The season looked bleak, unless the team’s young nucleus started providing a lot more nightly punch.
And, they did; Tristan Thompson being the most impressive example. Early this season, TT exhibited many similar traits to his rookie year: too many shots getting blocked, sub-50 percent true shooting, miniscule assist rates. His defense was progressing nicely, and his offensive rebounding still thrived, but it was only seven weeks ago that I wrote this. The basic theme being that Tristan plays strong defense and does a lot of things that don’t show up in the box score. Generally speaking, the article was well received. Then…BOOM! Eight of his next eleven games were double-doubles! Over nearly two months, his averages reach 14 points, almost 10 boards on 53% shooting and 70+% from the line!! He nets more assists than turnovers!! Andy got injured, and Tristan became unleashed to flash the post and face-up games he has been working on in the Cavs’ secret underground laboratories. Keep up the strong work, youngster!
Kyrie continues playing as the offensive wunderkind that showed-up fresh-faced last year. He ranks sixth in the league in scoring, and fourteenth in PER. His all-star debut happens this weekend, and he does not turn 21 until next month. His ball-handling and shooting are so sublime as to almost be unreal. His 40 points against Boston, 35 against Oklahoma City, and 33 in Atlanta keyed recent victories against likely playoff teams. And who can forget the 41 in a narrow loss at Madison Square Garden, or the buzzer-beater to beat Toronto last month? But, with great power comes great responsibility. There is little reason to think that Kyrie’s ceiling is not around Chris Paul-level; basically, the third best player in the NBA. To get there though, Kyrie must shore-up his ball distributing and defense. Did you know that Chris Paul twice lead the league in assists, and is a five-time leader in steals? I don’t know if you are following the pre-draft stuff I have going at Hardwood Paroxysm, but Chris Paul’s 2008 – 2009 was a completely dominating effort on both sides of the ball. Kyrie possesses the skills and smarts for similar accomplishments; he needs to hone in on these other aspects of his game and get there. He has only two double-digit assist games this season, contributin to his ranking 26th in the league for dimes.
The other huge event trend-setting the Cavs towards respectability was the Chris Grant robbery of Memphis. Waiver-wire pickup Jon Leuer, sent packing to cost-slashing Memphis for Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby, and a future first-round pick? Did I read that right? In ten games with the Cavs, Speights looks rejuvanted, providing a nearly 20 PER, while averaging 13 & 6 to shore-up a previously horrendous bench. Ellington has exceeded his expectations, tallying 18 made-threes versus 5 turnovers, as his introduction to Cleveland features a soaring 17 PER. Add in the ball-movement of newly acquired Shaun Livingston, and long-time C:tB favorite Luke Walton, and the NBA’s worst bench suddenly looks like one of the more fortified crews. Keep up the strong work, Herculoids!
The 2012 draft class brought much promise, but also the growing pains expected from inexperienced players. Dion Waiters’s December was appalling, including eye-scratching 34 / 21 / 63 shooting. Since the New Year though, he has increased his true shooting to 52%, as he still gets to the rim five times per game, but is now converting at 62% there (58 of his last 94). He recently struggles from distance, shooting 1 of 11 from three in February, but an array of skills is becoming apparent from the young shooting guard.
His draft classmate, Tyler Zeller, still often leaves much to be desired; he looks like a rookie, frequently being abused on defense and the boards, and looking a touch tired in his shooting. His playing time saw a significant reduction from January to February from 35 to 25 minutes per night. So far, this appears to benefit his play. If T-Zell can average 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 turnover on 55% true shooting for the rest of the season, as Speights reduces the rookie’s workload, that would be awesome.
Aside from the trade and the youngsters, there have been a few other silver linings of the season. Alonzo Gee rim-rattles frequently with ferocious dunks. Pargo mania was fun for a few weeks; the 28 points he scored against Philly to break-up a prolonged, depressing losing streak will always be cherished (Philly recently signed him to a 10-day contract). C.J. Miles going unconscious in December, scoring 15 per game with 49% three-point shooting was enjoyable.
And of course, there is Andy. This weekend was supposed to be his; 14 points, 14 rebounds…22 PER. His energy and skill level were at all-time highs early this season. An absolute beast through the dark, early days of the season, his 9, 23 & 9 against Washington, the 15 & 22 against Memphis…10 straight games with 15+ rebounds was the longest streak in the NBA since 2003. The Kyrie-to-Andy pick-and-roll became a sight to behold, and his play was infectious. Hopefully you are in Houston, partying like a rock-star this weekend, Andy. Unfortunately for the third straight year, his season was cut down by injury, this time involving an ominous blood clot. Get better, Wild Thing. Next year could be a lot of fun, and you need to be a part of it.
I’m going to end there. Surely I missed several notable events from the first 53 games; this article was penned in about an hour before going to work this morning. Help fill in the blanks in the comments section; what are the most memorable highlights (and lowlights) from this season?
I’d only add C.J. Miles going from atrocious in November to awesome in December (though the team stunk) to bad in January to respectable in February. As a player whose role has changed more than anyone’s throughout the course of the season, I hope he can settle into his role with the Herculoids. His ability to catch fire some nights, as evidenced by his two straight 28 point games in December (one of them led to an actual win) is a nice asset to have off the bench.
Nice article. Except the part on Andy. He’s probably gone whenever he proves he is healthy.
Good article. Can’t wait to see what we can do after the break and heading into next season. Also really looking forward to the rising stars challenge. I was just saying I have no idea how zeller got in that game, then boom, he has his best game against the spurs. Keep proving me wrong youngin’s.
Cols, we get it, you want Andy gone for a bad of peanuts. Posting it on here every time his name is mentioned isn’t going to change the organizations decision making, its just showing disrespect for the longest tenured and most loyal cavalier player we have, who has shown the organization and the fans nothing but respect. Save it for when we are actually talking about roster moves.
Nate -
I agree that CJ Miles’ ability is incredibly useful to have coming off the bench; the only problem is Scott often seems unable to ride a hot player late in the game.
For example, a few games ago Waiters was absolutely ON FIRE. Yet, he was somehow absent for the vast majority of the fourth quarter.
Miles is incredibly streaky – if he starts hot, the coach needs to feel comfortable leaving him in there. Not sure Scott is ready to do that.
I honestly don’t know if Andy is gonna get traded when he gets healthy this offseason. While I was firmly on the Trade Andy by the Deadline bandwagon this season, this offseason is a completely different situation.
There were 2 main reasons to trade Andy during this season: To get good assets for the future and to tank enough to ensure we got a good pick in the draft. After his third straight season ending injury Andy’s trade value is at an all time low and he’s probably worth more now to the Cavs than he is to any other team. We most likely are not going to be able to get equal value for Andy.
More importantly than his trade value being low is the fact that the goals for next season are different than the goals for this season. This season was about developing young players while still losing enough games to secure a high draft pick. Next season is about making the Playoffs. A productive big on a reasonable contract is a much bigger asset to a team trying to make the playoffs than it is to a team trying to pick in the top 5.
The only reason I see to trade Andy now is the concern that there is too much overlap between his a Tristan’s skill sets.
Andysav. That’s exactly it. It’s a good reason to trade him. Also, we seem to be overlooking the fact that Andy hasn’t played much the last 3 seasons. It’s not worth paying a guy that much when he keeps getting injured and you have another guy that started playing much better once Andy was gone.
I think we need to stop projecting him on the team next year.
The reason I keep pointing out that Andy is likely to be traded is because
1. I think he is
2. Even if you don’t think he is, it’s foolish to project a healthy Andy onto next year’s team. He hasn’t been healthy in forever.
Sorry, I don’t want to hijack the thread just wanted to clarify things a bit. Like the midseason review!
If Andy does get traded, it probably won’t be until next seasons trade deadline. The Cavs have enough cap space to keep him and make a significant FA signing. This would allow Andy to play and boost his draft stock. Plus, teams that are looking for the “final piece” might be a little more desperate in February.
Its just a debate of whether you think the guy has a decent chance to stay healthy or not. If healthy, he more than serves his contract, and helps us in our non-tanking year next year to achieve our team goals. Sure, he and Andy overlap some, but I was pretty happy with being the best offensive rebounding team in the league earlier this year, Andy should get reduced minutes going forward because of his injury history, and they can stagger him and TT. He’s way more valueable to us than whatever we get for him in trade, unless he gets hurt.
But this fear is not shared by grant and company alone, anyone offering us anything for him will be equally suspicious of his health. Grant’s not using that money on anything else this offseason, there is a pretty significant (even if you think it unlikely, its closer to 50% than 0) chance that a 31 year old coming off of 3 or 4 unrelated injuries does plays a majority of the season, so I see no reason to sell low. We aren’t getting a top 20 pick for him this offseason, so whats the point of trading him? Or would you, cols, trade him for a 2nd rounder and just don’t care? Gotta take an economics class sometime my friend. Just cause your mad we didn’t trade him when his value was high, doesn’t mean we get rid of him the next chance we get, when his value is much closer to his worst case scenario than his best case scenario.
Cols,
Regarding Andy, he played 89% of the team’s games over a four year stretch (including playoffs) from 2006 to 2010, and I think some of the games he missed were him sitting during a contract dispute. He was playing 27 – 28 minutes a game then. The last couple of years it was 32, then this year, 36.
When I discuss Andy’s role in the future, I envision him returning to 25 minute per game status. I (want to) think he can stay healthy with a reduced role. Surely part of the reason why I advocate for keeping Andy is sentimental, and I really want to see him as the 3rd or 4th big man on this team until he’s 35…through the team’s upcoming playoff runs.
I can totally see them keeping him until the deadline next year. The problem is that he might not be able to stay healthy for that long.
He’s older, he’s been injured the last 3 years, it’s hard to see why you guys are so optimistic that an energy guy like him is just going to come back and be healthy.
I think you guys are really overrating him.
Even if he is likely to get hurt why would we trade him now when his value is low? Do you think we should just trade him for whatever people are willing to offer for him just to get him off the team? I see trading him if we got an offer like the Toronto pick from OKC we were all talking about earlier in the season, but we all know that’s not happening at this point.
Cols,
Andy’s injuries are not chronic injuries as they pertain to basketball. It’s not his knees, ACL, feet or even his back, i.e. nothing weight-bearing. A muscle tear/split, the blood clot, and Drew Gooden smashing his wrist. Only the wrist could have long lasting effects. But he seemed to be over that.
That being said, it’s reasonable to expect Andy to play well next season. Risky, but not unreasonable. Plus, as Andysav said, his trade value is low now.
Mallory:
Part of the fault for not riding hot hands is Kyrie’s and Livingston’s. Kyrie, especially, does a poor job of setting up shots for guys who are hot. How about last week when Alonzo Gee was 8-8 and didn’t get a shot in the fourth quarter?
Cody: I’d definitely want Andy to get into better shape if I were the Cavs front office. He seems seems to have poor muscle tone. As my friend said, “He falls out of bed, probably with three beautiful women, and then goes and plays.”
Good point and gutsy to say Nate. I’m sure you’ll get crtiticized to speaking against the untouchable Irving. BUt he shouldn’t be hands off. He along with the rest of the teams can improve. I think he was doing some lack of a better word “ball hogging” in the Spurs game as well. His hsot weren’t hitting no matter what he did so set up the rest of your team mates especially if they have a hot hand. Trust them.
Anderson is a piece. What exactly will you get out of him? He comes off the bench in the future after LeBron’s return. Trading Varajao would be a big mistake. Any pick outside the lottery is a big gamble for a proven big like Andy. It is the type of gamble that rebuilding teams do. The CAVS HAVE their core players in Irving, Waiters, Thompson, Speights, Varajao, Zeller, and even Ellington (love his defense and the fact he ain’t scared to take a big shot). This is a good mix of young and old talent.
A mid-round pick in next year’s draft or 2014 draft is useless at this point. We need to make this a win-now scenario for LeBron’s return. We are lucky that TT is developing and working hard to get better. He has a good chance to be as good as Serge Ibaka.
Let this core play together for 2 years. I would be very skeptical to tinker with something that is showing some promise. The CAVS are #23 on Hollinger’s power rankings, the highest all year.
Nate:
Agreed, the Gee situation was another one where I was flabbergasted as to how the offense was running. Agreed Kyrie (and Livingston) are equally responsible. But some of that blame falls on Scott.
Brandon -
Amen. Couldn’t have said it better myself.
Mallory- Dion was left out of that game because of his 6 turnovers.
I really don’t like how marginally talented guys like Speights and Mr. V are suddenly irreplaceable parts. They aren’t.
I fully expect neither one to be with the team next year.
Cols no one is saying they are irreplaceable parts that absolutely can’t be moved. They are saying that we shouldn’t sell low on guys just for the sake of trading them. Trading Speights or Andy isn’t necessarily a bad move. Trading Speights or Andy for what their current marker value appears to be just doesn’t make sense.
Well….. Its official. Spoel will probably not have Irving and Lebron play together for 1 second during the ASG.
Starting Bosh over Irving…. HAHA. Hilarious.
Cols,
They are not irreplaceable. But, they are accomplished role players. When everyone knows their role, it makes for great basketball. Rotating role players every season or two is not a good thing IMO. The CAVS have their star in K.I. They have their front court (they could add one more big 3 in LBJ). The 2 guard looks decent in Waiters (he will get better, he is only 20). The bench is what this particular article is raving about. If you add Andy to that bench, this is a very good team with the addition of that big 3 in LeBron James.
The CAVS also have the draft picks they need in 2013 and 2014. No need to go crazy or gamble on something that is not a sure thing like a mid-round pick.
Cols, they aren’t irreplaceable parts, but they are parts. We don’t want to throw them to the wayside just for the sake of doing so. Make a trade scenario that you like, or stop harping on shipping Verajoa. Doing so with no even mention of the value we’d be getting back makes it sounds like you’d get rid of him for a bag of peanuts, which the vast majority of us think is, well, nuts.
If I was coach Spoelstra I’d start Bosh too. Irving isn’t being snubbed, it’s OK. No need to think this is anything more than starting your own guy.
Brandon shut up about LBJ. Cols whats your asking price for Andy this summer is all any of us want to know. We all have one, for some people its absurdly high as in DMC but you seem to be on the absurdly low end of a competent back up pg and a 2nd or something.
For me. Hers my asking price for every player that you could get something for on our team.
Kyrie Irving- MKG and 2 unprotected high first round 2014 picks ala charlotte and Celtics or charlotte and magic’s. Thats probably too low for a lot of you but I’m incredibly concerned with how fragile he appears and that he seems to lack the instincts of a distributor. I would seriously be considering this.
TT- DMC and removal of the protection on the pick they owe us in 2014. Probably alot higher than anyone would pay.
Dion- Not really sure because unless I’m trading Kyrie I want a good asset right now. D wade right now maybe. Brook Lopez maybe his contract makes that a pretty even trade IMO. Dion for Gordon Hayward and a pick. I don’t see anyone getting Dion off me.
Andy- In the Summer I would only trade him for a starting caliber 3 or 5, ala JaVale Mcgee, Tyson Chandler, or Tiago Splitter. As the season wears on I could see that dropping if we aren’t winning. Stock higher than anyone would pay.
Zeller- Gerald Wallace (who’s terrible contract brings his value way down). Marcin Gortat, That might be doable actually. The suns need to tank and I think he’s got a big contract.
Spieghts- highest 1st I could get, preferably not this draft.
Walton- I don’t think this is fair to do I irrationably like walton. Maybe if they agree to buy him out and we could resign him before the end of the year, I’d trade him for almost anything.
Ellington- Any 1st. I’d like to keep him though.
Livingston- 2 second round picks though i’d like to keep him
Gibson, C.J, Gee anything pretty much they are all paid more than they are worth
Omri if I can’t force Scott to play I’d release so he could sign with the spurs and become a star (joke…kinda)
Varejao aside, I wonder if the Cavs can get anything for expiring contracts (Boobie, Walton, Casspi) in a straight up deal, part of a larger deal or as a facilitator in a 3 team trade or something.
When I say LBJ, I am saying the CAVS really only need another star player. The draft is hit or miss most of the time with Durant and James being the only two shoe-ins to be stars that I can recall. Everyone else was hit or miss.
There are no shoe-ins next year.
K.I. is the best scoring PG of your lifetime and he is clutch. This has to be intriguing for LBJ or anyone else.
I really think we should look at saving a struggling team a lot of money next year with our expiring contracts. Hedo Turkoglu and an unprotected first for Luke Walton and Daniel Gibson? If we can get that, I say we do it.
As far as dealing Varejao or Speights…definitely no on Varejao. No one will give us anything worth much for him. A second round pick doesn’t justify sending away the potential. Sure, we may be paying a guy $8 million to rehab…but we also might be paying him $8 million to be one of the best big men in the league. He was arguably playing as a top 5 center when he got hurt this year, and his injuries, as have been pointed out, aren’t chronic. They’re one off injuries to things that aren’t likely to affect his play. That’s a gamble worth taking, and the kind that leads to championships. “Playing it safe” by getting rid of him won’t help us at all.
As for Speights…I’m torn. On one hand, he’s a valuable piece and has potential to be a good fourth big for us. Imagine the minutes Walton has now going to Speights instead. People irrationally think Walton can play basketball again (he can’t, he just has good court vision, sucks at everything else still), but even so, is there any doubt that Speights is an upgrade over Walton?
On the other hand, he might just up and leave at midseason, so we should get something for him while we can. The only thing is, if he leaves, we all but guarantee he won’t sign with us next season. But if we keep him and show that we want him to be a solid piece of a young and promising team? He might be willing to sign, and at a reasonable price.
Overall, I’m for keeping both and seeing what happens. If nothing else, having Speights for the rest of this year at least will make it more entertaining to watch, and isn’t that the goal of sport?
When someone gets injured three years in a row and is an energy guy without a lot of other skills, then it’s time to trade him.
The Cavs already missed their shot at trading Andy at the peak of his value. Whatever Grants asking price was it wasn’t met. I don’t see Grant trading Andy just to do it. It’s possible he could be included in a bigger deal over the summer because he’ll be a potential expiring contract after next season (team option for 2014).
Speights….Speights…Speights. What could you really get for the guy? If another team really valued him, they would have traded for him already. I wouldn’t turn down a future first for him. You can never have too many future draft picks for trades. I just doubt that the Cavs would get offered a first for a guy who was traded basically for free. The best course of action with Speights is probably to wait until the summer and see what his market value really is.
Saying it over and over again doesn’t make it make any more sense.