Midseason 5 on 5

Cavs fans, here’s five questions for five Cavs the Bloggers. And when you’re done with this, head on over to Red94.net, for a peak at the newly created weekly TrueHoop Network Roundup. We’re really trying hard to create an “ESPN TrueHoop Network Revival.” Please take a minute or ten to check out the great content on our sister sites. In the mean time, here are the questions that have been burning a hole in our brains.

1. How are you feelings about the Wiggins/Love trade now?

Tom: I hadn’t slept in weeks so I decided to check myself into therapy. Now I realize this is all my parents fault. If they hadn’t nurtured me and put up that basketball hoop in my driveway I never would have fallen in love with this God-forsaken sport. [Reaches for pills…hands shaking]

John: Not good. I was against making the trade at the time it happened, because I LOVED Wiggins as a 3-and-D with athleticism guy who could pick up LeBron’s defensive slack, run the floor with him, and finish off of easy set-ups. Then again, the team needed a stretch 4 in the worst way, and Kevin Love is possibly the best stretch four of all time. (Dirk is more of a mid-range shooter with 3-point range.)

So basically, I wanted both guys, because I am greedy, and hoped the Cavs would at least let some time pass and make the Timberwolves sweat before going all-in with a lineup with so many defensive question marks. But when it came down to an unproven rookie who had disappointed in college vs. Kevin freaking Love, it seemed like the Cavs did what they had to do. Now Wiggins is hitting 40% of his threes, has been a house of fire this past month, and looks like a future stud.

Here’s how I rationalize it: Wiggins is, right now, a good stats/horrible team guy. Love was an AMAZING stats/mediocre team guy. Wiggins’ defense would be the big upgrade, and the Wolves are dead-last in defensive efficiency. Gun to your head, who’s more likely to be the 2nd or 3rd best player on a championship team within the next 3 years? I still say Love. So that’s what I cling to. That said, on both ends of the deal, this could not be shaping up worse so far.

Nate: I’ve spent the last two months going through the 10 stages of grief over this trade. I’m past “shock” (after I watched Wiggins play a game). As for “emotional release,” for 20 minutes one night, I screamed on my porch at the sky  when it was like five degrees and the Cavs had just laid an egg. I spent a long time on “depression” and “physical symptoms” in the month of December. I don’t think I really had the 21 day flu, I just had a Wiggins deficiency. “Anxiety, fear, and panic” was a long stage. I felt like the Cavs were existentially doomed. I read a lot of Camus and listened to Autobahn albums. Then I moved on to “hostility and Anger”. I really raged in the comment section. I even dubbed Kevin, Kevinnaw, for a while — as in Kevin, Not Andrew Wiggins.

Guilt: “could I have done more to stop it?” I asked myself . “Not without inducing a restraining order,” was the answer. Then I was on to “hesitancy to renew normal activities.” I don’t think I wrote for like two weeks at one point. Finally, I’m somewhere between “Renewed Hopes and the Healing of Memories,” and “Acceptance of one’s new role and readjusting to reality.”

Wiggins is gone. The fallout will be palpable in the coming years. But if this season had an inflection point, it was Kevin Love taking that charge in L.A., bad back and all. I’ve come to accept and cherish Hoops Hershel Walker, and really hope he is a part of a long and glorious run of basketball success for the Cavs over the next few years. I want the Cavs to fully invest in putting Kevin “Bowie” Love in the best position to succeed (the high post) for the foreseeable future. And no, I haven’t moved to the final stage just  because Wiggins has hit the “Rookie Wall.”

Ben: Roughly the same as before. I was against the trade from the start. I was as high on Wiggins as anyone and still didn’t expect him to be this polished as a rookie. His balance on his jump shot has improved far more quickly than I could have imagined. His upper body form was already fantastic. With good balance, he is lethal from deep. Even if Love were playing at 90% of last year’s production instead of 60%, I wouldn’t be happy. The Cavs must win a championship with Love. Otherwise, it will go down as one of the worst moves in NBA history.

David: I’m feeling positive because I haven’t invented a time machine and am so rational I won’t judge something I can’t change. Seriously though, I think Kevin has looked better on defense, since Blatt changed to a more conservative scheme. Offensively, Kevin needs proper sets to be effective. Once Blatt runs these for Love, and he fails I’ll be worried. I do think Andrew Wiggins could have been a game changer on the Cavs without great schemes in place, but 90% of that is because of how athletic he is. Is he a smart basketball player who can fit into a scheme yet? I’m doubtful he is, and I think he would have enabled Blatt to avoid implementing his motion offense this season, which needs to be done if the team wants to get out of the East.

2. What grade would you give Griffin on his recent trades for Mozgov, Smith, and Shumpert?

John: A. I’ll go with a freaking “A.” J.R. Smith has always been better than Dion Waiters, and he’s stepped in and been a better version of Waiters on the Cavs since day one. Mozgov is just another example of how good LeBron can make someone who can catch, finish, and be seven feet tall — he’s been a bulkier version of Birdman/Varejao, with a mid-range jumper to boot. And he’s a true five, which lets Love play at the four and LeBron play at the 3, where his weight loss has put him after being a hybrid 3/4 his last two seasons in Miami. And anyone who’s watched LeBron the last two seasons knows the team desperately needed to get him a defensive bodyguard on the wing, which Shumpert will be.

Nate: The Waiters trade in retrospect is an A+. If luxury tax isn’t a concern (and apparently it isn’t), then getting two rotation wings and a first rounder for Dion is a steal. Smith, until this last game was a barnburner, and Shumpert will shine as a stopper. I already saw a fantastic strip on Reggie Jackson yesterday. Dion looks like the same player that he was here: not as good as he thinks he is. I think we all had blinders of affection on for Dion. The Mozgov trade seems like an “A” too. I didn’t like giving up two first rounders for him, but he’s a good young big on a reasonable two year deal, and that Thunder pick may not even end up in New York next year, as the protections on it are pretty strict. OKC keeps it if they don’t make the playoffs (which is looking like a possibility). Oh, and I’ve been blown away so far by the man I call, The Iron Curtain.

David: At first, I was mad about the trade from a salary cap stand point, but I realized, regardless of that trade, the Cavs would have been in a poor cap spot after the season no matter what. I give Griffin an “A.” He traded one athletic guy for three. That’s a come up. Mozgov has also looked like the Berlin Wall around the rim, so that’s made me like the trade a bit more.

Tom: Based on everything I’d known about the players and what Griff gave up, I’d say a “B.” David was bargaining from a position of weakness, but given that, he came out alright. Now if you look at how well Moz and Smith have played you’d give it an A – but I don’t think anyone thought they would be this good. Shumpert was, in some ways, the highlight of this trade for me – and we haven’t really seen what he can do yet. I think he’s a bit overrated, but like the other two – these moves were about fit – and the fit is good.

Ben: B+. Dion and a protected first for the three new guys is not a bad deal. Still, I wish the Cavs had been able to get Moz in the off-season. It probably wasn’t plausible at the time, but the season would have gone quite differently had Mozgov patrolled the paint from the start. I wanted to see a Mozgov/Andy frontcourt. Alas. If Shump plays within himself and J.R. continues to be a surprisingly good locker room guy, I will give it an A.

3. The roster stands at 14 players, who would you add for the final spot?

Ben: Andray Blatche. He is still in China until late Feb at the earliest, but the Cavs could use his mix of size and skill. He is obviously a risky addition. He tends to get Iso happy and has never been particularly concerned with staying in shape. Still, guys frequently grow up a bit when they play abroad. J.R. Smith won Sixth Man of the Year after his Chinese season. Blatche is supremely talented. If he has matured, the Cavs should sign the Syracuse, NY born Filipino.

Tom: I’d look at Ed Davis, the six-foot-ten power forward on the hapless Lakers. The Cavs really only have three big men: Moz, TT, and KLove. K Love is injury prone, and you just can’t play Brendan Haywood in meaningful games. They need some insurance up front.

David: Is John Henson available? Larry Sanders is out for the Bucks, and he may be bought out. I’d risk the locker room for him and bet on the fact that Cleveland doesn’t have legal weed dispensaries yet or easy drug access like Milwaukee. Otherwise, I want the team to try out a bunch of big D-leaguers.

John: Ray Allen or who cares. I’ve been disappointed in Delly this season, and think Allen would be an upgrade even with his defense being a train wreck, but I’d honestly like Allen more for the locker-room stuff; he really is that good of a guy, and has the kind of work ethic that rubs off on other guys.

Nate: What do Andray Blatch, Ed Davis, John Henson, and Larry Sanders have in common with Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny? All six of them have no shot at playing with the Cavs this year. Agree with Tom that Ed Davis would be nice, but I think L.A. tries to sell him on sticking around next year. Been hearing lots of rumblings that the Cavs want multiple guys, and that Haywood and Harris might be gone too. Bobby Brown from China sounds intriguing. The guy once scored 74 in a game there. Of course, then I watched the footage. It looked like he was beating up on high-schoolers. Honestly there’s no one that thrills me, including Ray Allen. Rotate some D-Leaguers and veterans through some 10 day contracts and see if you find the next Hassan Whiteside.

4. What are your predictions for the second half of the season?

Nate: Cleveland catches Toronto and maybe Washington for the second or third playoff seed. It’s crucial to get past the fourth or fifth seed and to avoid a second round matchup with the Hawks. I want the Cavs to beat up on Milwaukee in the first round, let the Bulls grind down the Hawks in the second, and then take down Atlanta for a Finals spot. Whoever gets out of the West is going to have survived a war.

David: They’ll end the season at 50-32. Blatt is going to get his offensive sets implemented one way or another, and they’ll stumble a little because of that.

John: I’m thinking a finish somewhere in the 48-53 win area, a solid puncher’s chance against any team in the East, because not even the Hawks can stop the Cavs if LeBron goes Deus Ex LeBron, and if Love and Kyrie are hitting on all cylinders at that point, there’s no team that can take 4 of 7 on the Cavs. The West will be a problem. “Puncher’s chance against any team in the playoffs” is going to be the refrain from me from now until the season ends.

Tom: The Cavaliers will not win a single game. They will be the worst team in the league by a wide margin. David Blatt will choke-slam Matthew Dellavedova which will set off an international conflict.

Ben: The Cavs need to play .700 ball for the rest of the season in order to reach 50-plus wins. Mozgov’s presence has drastically altered the mentality of the squad. The effects on the floor are obvious. His effect off the floor might be as important. Griffin went out and got Blatt his Russian bigman. It shows the players that the front office is behind Blatt. It provides a voice in the locker room who knows of the coach’s success. Call me an optimist, but I think they have turned a corner. Wins should follow.

5. What is your go restaurant/bar near the Q before a game?

Tom: I have children – no time for such things. I’ve been to one game in the last four years (only because Mark Price requested to meet me #HUMBLEBRAG). But my pre-game meal consists of Pizza Lunchables and Ecto Cooler.

Ben: Unfortunately, I haven’t been to a game in Cleveland since 2004. Germany is far away.

Nate: Does the Winking Lizard across from Walsh University in Canton count? Probably not. In Cleveland, I like Zocalo (Mexican) on 4th street. Went to Noodlecat the other day too. It was carbalicious — plus they had Brooklyn Sirachi Ace on draft, so win/win.

David: I haven’t been to a Cavs game for a while now. In Chicago, I would go to Billy Goat’s Tavern after Bulls games and shout, “Tornover, Tornover, Tornover,” instead of “Cheezborger, Cheezeborger, Cheezeborger.” In Cleveland, I always go to the Wagon Wheel for games.

John: I live in New Orleans, so nothing is all that near the Q, but I’m a fan of St. Joe’s on Magazine Street. It’s cheap, quiet, and has a nice outdoor-ish area where you can sit at a table and have some relative quiet.