Dion dominates Rookie-Sophomore Challenge
2014-02-15
Dion Waiters played on Team Hill last night, winning the Rising Stars challenge on Night One of All-Star weekend. Dion lead Team Hill with 31 points on 10 of 14 shooting (4 of 6 from deep, 7 of 8 from the line), 7 assists and 3 steals. Andre Drummond edged Dion for MVP though, with 30 points and 25 rebounds; that is a travesty.
ESPN awarded Dion an “A”, saying among other things “The most entertaining stretch of the game came in the second half, when Waiters and Hardaway Jr. engaged in a prolific shootout.”
The esteemed John Krolik wrote about the game for NBC Sports Pro Basketball Talk, with the story of the game being the Waiters versus Hardaway matchup, of which “Ultimately, Waiters got the better of (Hardaway)…”
There is never a ton of defense in these game, but Waiters was the story of the game and represented the Cavs amazingly. Awesome stuff, Dion!
I hope Dion has a good game on this trip back to his hometown. If anyone is in Philly for the game, be sure to get a “whiz wit'” at Steve’s Prince of Steaks. I don’t care what anyone says, they’re the best in town.
I just ate ” crow pie “—I have said for 2 yrs now I would have taken barnes over dion —-I couldn’t have been more wrong—–if bennet pans out ” ol c.g. ” looks a lot smarter doesn’t he
Nate. No kidding. I would not be surprised to see DG pay him some extra cash to stick around as a consultant.
Poor Grant? If the Cavs keep playing well, he’ll make even more money at his next stop, and he won’t be out of a job long.
I like Dion and have never understood the hate, especially for such a young guy with such obvious potential. He seems like the kind of player we’ve wanted to target after the Lebron debacle – kinda boring, not thinking he needs to be in NY or LA to satisfy his ego. Shot selection has improved a lot. He needs to be better without the ball in his hands and get a lot better finishing at the rim but there is no reason to think he can’t work on this. Unless there is some unsolvable problem with him and Kyrie, let’s… Read more »
Can we have an indepth analysis about how much better the Moondog is than the Pelican?
Not even a half way thru the season Podcast?
I need my fix!!!
Dion slow dribbles you before going into his move. It annoys a lot of people, including me at times, and it gives the impression that he doesn’t care. But it is the change of pace and sudden explosion that makes it impossible for people to stay in front of him. Seriously, how often has one guy stopped his left hand drive to the cup? Drummond won the award in the first 10 minutes. He had a double double before the first quarter(if there were quarters) was out. Since the MVP was vote based, it gave Drummond a huge head start… Read more »
Imagine if he stays that hot for another few weeks and Kyrie stays that excited. Our next 5 is easy and then we’ll see the Thunder. We’ve beaten them before, so it’s not impossible. Then 2 winnables and the Spurs. 10 game winning streak isn’t out of the question. Remember in the Summer league we were upset because he was ‘tweaking’ his shot? I see why he’s done that. Unless you’re born with it, shots off the dribble aren’t gonna come easy. If you’re born with the talent to make some, and then you put all that time in even… Read more »
“Was Dion any good last year?” Ummm…how about 10 for 11 in last year’s game? Good? ;) The best part of this is that we have proof again how much Dion GETS IT. He took it at Hardaway cuz he and Kincks embarrassed Dion and the Cavs on TNT. To paraphrase the Dude, Dion would not let that aggression stand! Even in an all-star game, Dion acts like a winner. Love him. Btw, the last 2 Rising Star games, the MVP were big guys who will not be remembered nearly as much as the 2 Cavs guards who should won… Read more »
Rodney, Yeah people always doubted Burke but he is tearing it up and will probably win rook of the year especially had he not been out for a while with his broken finger. Hard away has enough confidence to be a good player in the league. He kind of reminds me of Danny Green but can get to hole a bit better. Both games were better suited for the NBA. I understand 25 rebounds is ridiculous but I’m surprised Dion didn’t get MVP. Dude is a baller and put on last night. Cavs has been tearing up te Rising Stars… Read more »
I was actually surprised that Burke went before hardaway. Whenever I watched Mighigan I thought that Hardaway would make a nice in the pros
I’m not giving up on Karasev by any means but it was shocking to me that he made it past the 20th pick in today’s NBA that puts such a premium on shooting and size.
Also, is Hardaway for real? Haven’t seen him play this year. Looks like a baller though.
Quite a show by Dion/Hardaway. Just saw the highlights. Can’t remember last year’s game. Was Dion any good last year? How did Dion not get MVP?
dion was nice last night. i like how he led his team in assists. he actually shared the ball really well.
i may be overly sensitive, but it strikes me that the national media views dion as a selfish, problem guy. maybe he really is a pain behind the scenes, but i love the dude. always strikes me as a good kid when he talks…. hope he and kyrie can figure it out because the sky is the limit for both.
The Waiters/Hardaway battle was a lot of fun. Webber made a disparaging comment about Waiters weight. I’ve never liked Chris Webber as an entertainer/analyst.
I love Waiters. That interview was great. He has the bravado of a prize fighter, but a sense of humor that speaks to an underlying humility. I’d love to keep him a Cavalier for years.
Fred McCleod interviews Dion after the game. What a character –
http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/video/2014/02/14/140214dionpostgamemov-3149080