Cavs: The Podcast 0035 – DRAFT FRENZY! Part 2 – RAAB
2013-07-01
You’ve heard the C:tB crew’s take on the draft. pondered, analyzed, and given your two cents on how things unfolded and what the repercussions are of the picking the players the were drafted.
Now hear Scott Raab’s take.
As I mentioned in the C:tBer’s ‘cast, I had a busy draft night myself. Before chatting with my fellow bloggers, I hopped on the line with the distinguished Clevelander to discuss his thoughts on the drafting of Bennett, Karasev, and the second round picks, the future of the team, and Chris Grant’s tenure.
As always, we can be found on SoundCloud at: https://soundcloud.com/cavstheblog/0035-draft-frenzy-part-2-raab
And on iTunes at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cavs-the-podcast/id528149843?mt=2
I like Scott Raab. I really do. “The Whore of Akron” healed my heart. Raab doesn’t watch the team though so his critique of them is pointless. He’s out of his element. He’s like a child who wanders into the middle of a movie and wants…Raab abandoned the Cavs after it was no longer convenient. Rather than stick by his team and enjoy the process of the rebuild he moved on and took his interests elsewhere. He might as well wear a Yankee’s cap to an Indians game.
There’s nothing wrong with being critical or cynical of Cleveland sports. We’ve been conditioned for it. I do think it’s premature to be too negative about the team considering free agency just started. We know nothing of the inner workings of Grant’s plan because the media (obviously) has no inside information. Amico, Sheridan, MSB, Pluto, etc had no clue what the Cavs were doing with the draft. I like Scott Raab. I really do. “The Whore of Akron” healed my heart. Raab doesn’t watch the team though so his critique of them is pointless. He’s out of his element. He’s… Read more »
@DaveR
Nobody said Raab needs to watch every Cavs game in person or on television. But if we are supposed to value his opinion of the team, shouldn’t he be expected to WATCH at least some of the games?
In an earlier podcast, they were discussing the sudden development “spurt” of Tristan Thompson during that stretch where the Cavs played near .500 for about a month. Raab admitted he hadn’t watched any of the games this past season. Sorry, but you can’t offer useful insight into the present and future of a team without actually watching a few games.
please unban me too
It seems that Mallory and Raab are both blinded by impatience and negativity. In Raab’s negative world, the Cavs over value TT and Dion, that no one else in the league is high on them, and Zeller isn’t going to get any better. In the real world, TT finished on the all-rookie 2nd team and by all accounts showed remarkable progress from year 1 to year 2. TZ was a rookie(!!!), also finished on the all-rookie 2nd team, why not believe that he will be stronger and more used to the NBA game this year? Dion finished on the all-rookie… Read more »
The whole problem with this podcast is that it was conveniently ignoring the fact that the Cavs were fine with losing. It’s basically impossible to assess Grant’s ability or inability to pursue free agents when the team haven’t been pursuing free agents because they want to hold on to the cap room. So given that, and then you go with Raab’s opinion that you can’t assess Waiters or Thompson yet so you can’t assess Grant as a drafter (I personally feel he’s done ok, but in Cleveland ok might not be good enough given we aren’t a prime destination for… Read more »
Since when does not viewing all Cavs games in person or on television make a person’s opinion of them invalid? This is the 21st century right?
I don’t agree with some of what was said in the podcasts but I think they make two things clear. There is no clear path developing here for the Cavs. They botched the 2nd round of the 2013 draft.
I’m not yet going to pour hate on Grant because we have a whole FA period to go.
I get that Scott Raab is an accomplished writer and journalist and I respect him in that facet, but when it comes to the Cavaliers he has a static viewpoint that is derived from his own vitriol over the Lebron debacle, the man is bitter to say the least. Raab has openly admitted to not even watching the current incarnation of the team, yet he is continually used as a resource for his “valid” opinion of the team. I find it extremely difficult to take any stock in his analysis of the current Cavs’ team and organization. I don’t understand… Read more »
The Leuer trade was a fleecing. Grant turned a 12th man into two decent rotation players and a first round pick. I realize that Grant can be frustrating (I’m still stewing over them not taking Franklin at 33) but to say the Memphis trade was only “good” is totally unfair. And yes, the trade was all about money for MEM, but Grant stil got it done.
I think that kind of lopsided deal is the reason why Grant insists on fleecing teams with every trade.
Isn’t this the same guy who admitted in an earlier podcast that he hadn’t even been WATCHING the Cavs games this past season? Who cares what this guy thinks about the team or the draft?
How long will Raab be allowed to make the rounds and spew his nonsense? He finally tuckered himself out from his hate-mongering, used just to make a buck and sell his book, and yet he still gets a voice in Cleveland sports. He is embarrassing as a representation of Cleveland fans, and at this point has nothing of value to add to the conversation (and I’m not sure he ever did). When you need a biased, childish, hit piece on Lebron, there’s your man, but if you want anything that is even somewhat rational and coherent, look elsewhere.
I disagree with Mallory and Scott’s assertion that the draft is about building a team according to some model. It is overwhelmingly about finding talent wherever you can. True impact players are rare enough that teams don’t have the luxury of simply choosing which sure-fire player fits their team best. Instead, they choose the player that they think will become the best talent (with a few notable exceptions, like the Cavs not drafting Lillard last year, but that’s a scenario that also would have hampered Lillard’s development due to lack of minutes, which I don’t think will be a problem… Read more »
Please let Kevin, Tom and Robert write every article and do every podcast. I don’t always agree with them, but they always make very good, logical arguments. They don’t think every move they don’t agree with is stupid and the end of the Cavs chances of a successful rebuild.
The rest of the writers and podcasters are painful, seriously painful, to read and listen to when things don’t go how they, in their infinite wisdom, think it should have gone.
Fantastic quote by Raab on Cleveland teams and Cleveland media. “In a more global sense, these teams — these organizations, these businesses, who never tire of talking about, ‘how great the fans are — best fans in the world.’ They treat us like children, and they couldn’t do that it if the media didn’t go along with it, and I’m sick of it.” Loved the whole podcast. It got me fired up. After watching the draft, the free agency plans, and the general paralysis of the Cavs, I’ve come to the conclusion, in the words the groundskeepers in Major League,… Read more »
Please unban me.