Cedi Mind Trick
2015-08-20
Yesterday, there was a disturbance in the Force. Though it happened not long ago, in a Euroleague match far, far away, the aftereffects may well reverberate two years hence at The Q in Cleveland.
If you haven’t heard by now, the world (or at least fans in Turkey and Macedonia) supposedly witnessed a flawless shooting night by the 20-year-old, second round draft pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cedi “The Jedi” Osman…
…or did they?
“You don’t need to see the footage… These aren’t the highlights you’re looking for… Move along.”
Back on June 25, when the Cavs spent one of their three second round picks (number 31 to be exact) on a 6’6 padawan small forward out of Turkey, many fans were rendered more dumbfounded than stormtroopers on droid patrol wondering, “who the heck is this guy?” and “how did he trick the Cavs into selecting him?” (A notable exception was our own Jedi scout, Qui Gon Ben Werth, who said of Cedi pre-draft, “If he is anywhere near their pick, the Cavs should grab him.”) Cedi sure was thrilled the Cavs plucked him from the sands of Tattooine Turkey…
Dreams came true! The Cavs for giving me an opportunity! Hope to play for that wonderful city one day. Let's go Cleveland!
— Cedi Osman (@cediosman) June 29, 2015
Still, most rightly assumed this young Cedi was simply a draft and stash, a likely exile to the Euroleague basketball hinterlands, far from the bright center of the NBA universe. There, he’d toil in obscurity next to the likes of Bobby Dixon and our old friend Furkan Aldemir (which might actually be the name of some Sith lord), maybe never to be heard from again.
But after last night’s rumored display, one man finds your lack of faith… disturbing…
No… not that guy. This guy…
Cavs gonna love draftee Cedi Osman. Had 24 points in 24 minutes shooting 100%. Kid is special.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) August 19, 2015
Per multiple reports, during an International Friendly against Macedonia, Osman incredibly knocked down all five of his attempts from beyond the arc, in addition to making all three of his regular two-point shots, to finish the 85-68 victory with a team-high 24 points, as well as a team-high 100% shooting.
So, in other words… he did exactly as Gold Five told him…
What makes this even more impressive is that the knock on Cedi in many of his pre-draft evaluations was that his outside shooting wasn’t particularly good or developed. But, according to an excerpt from an SBNation Liberty Ballers article just prior to the draft, “The Jedi” has apparently worked hard on his shot, even altering his release…
This Isn’t the Form You’re Looking For
He hasn’t always been this successful on his treys though, as he wasn’t putting up NBA Jam-infused Stephen Curry numbers on threes earlier in the season. While he’s streakily made threes before, it looks like Osman has altered his shooting form as this season has progressed, using his guide hand more in a release that appears less one-handed. Here’s a a shot he (#6) makes back in November against Real Madrid that has his previous form:
I like his fiery celebration there, but his form isn’t great despite the make. Here’s his improved shooting stroke that was on display in his 20-point effort against Turk Teledom (in May):
His shot is quicker with a little more fluidity. His size should allow him to get his shot off in the NBA, but a fast release is so integral to a shooter’s effectiveness.
Even though we don’t have actual highlights of his perfect barrage against Macedonia… here are a few choice highlights from the previous dust-up with Lithuania…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3_RTZh2WKc
Granted, it’s waaaaaay too soon to start daydreaming about this kid joining Obi-Bron, DellaveYoda and the gang as they set off to destroy the rest of the NBA, but with shooting performances like this one, it’s no wonder why Osman is already referred to as the “Jedi” by Euroleague fans and media. If you want to get to know him a little better, check out this excellent article in the Daily Sabah that refers to him as “the leader of the next generation.”
Up next for Osman and his Turkish National team is Germany and the “Supercup” preparation tournament. In lieu of highlights, we may just have to settle for being mesmerized by his awesome hair commercials…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTXWhu3zPSc&feature=youtu.be
But stay tuned for The Return of “The Jedi” likely in the summer of 2017!
Mo Williams ranked 15th in assists last year.
JR smith is back
Yes! Here’s hoping everyone is healthy enough that JR can be their sixth man in the finals instead of the No. 2 option.
Yes! The bench is going to be lighting them up this year.
This is going to be some team. I can’t wait! TT, stop messing about and get it done.
It’s the trifecta tonight. Manziel looked pretty good, Tribe win and the Cavs resign JR. Happy days!
Good point! Good night for Cleveland!
Of the top 10 players in catch and shoot attempts (all shot 4.9 or more) only Kyle Korver (50%) and Klay Thompson (46%) shot better than Smith’s (42%).
@ChrisBHaynes: J.R. Smith also has a no-trade clause, I’m told.
@ChrisBHaynes: J.R. Smith, Cavs agree to two-year deal, league source tells @Clevelanddotcom. Will earn $5 million next season and player option on second.
Expensive decision to opt out for JR…
Yes. Welcome back JR Swish.
@MySportsLegion: The Cavs have re-signed JR Smith.
We want the PIPE!
From his statement it sounds like he took a 1-2 year deal for less than desired.
https://instagram.com/p/6oG0NDNfH-/?taken-by=teamswish
All of the above stats to say, for all the people who wanted the Cavs to pick JV over TT back in the 2011 Draft… Most likely NOBODY wishes that happened more than JV himself. Not getting the chance to play with LBJ, if TT winds up with anywhere close to the deal he wants, cost him roughly $30M…
If TT really wants to play for Toronto, a sign and trade involving JV is not out of the question.
My bet is, however, that TT winds up back with the Cavs, and he and KI might play their entire career in Cleveland.
A sign and trade is, in fact, NOT available due to our complete and utter annihilation of the luxury tax threshold.
We can sign and trade our own players as we wish. What we can’t do is have another team sign a player and trade him to us.
Thanks for all those comparisons, EG. Since its so rare for me to toot my own horn, back in that draft, I was all about one Kawhi Leonard. Now THAT would’ve been awesome.
It’s amazing that Kawhi didn’t go higher… hindsight…
To be fair, Kawhi didn’t look all that amazing in college. I remember he had a few “spotlight” games against BYU and their PG, who’s name escapes me, and Kawhi looked pretty pedestrian. I think going to San Antonio was the best thing to happen to him. He got to learn a system, got tutored from some consume pros, and was never saddled with expectations from the get go. It allowed him to play a couple of years, learn to play the game right, and didn’t develop bad habits or lose confidence. Had he gone anywhere else, he may of… Read more »
JV averaged 12.0 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 1.2 bpg for a 20.60 PER
TT averaged 8.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 0.7 bpg for a 15.83 PER
The one place where TT had the advantage was offensive rpg… 3.3 to 2.7
Glad you posted this, EG… I noticed this too when I was looking @ JV’s stats when he signed his deal. It reinforces my belief that the Cavs would be foolish to pay TT Draymond Green money or more. Overpaying by 20-30 million dollars is simply foolish. I understand LBJ wants to keep TT… but I also think LBJ expects the FO to make good basketball decisions and not drastically overpaying a bench/fringe starter with one “plus” skill (offensive rebounding). Overpaying unworthy players is, in part, what led the Cavs into trouble the first time around with LBJ. While I… Read more »
Conversely… TT had 14 double-doubles…
And before you say “hey, wait! JV is a starter and TT comes off the bench…”
JV averaged 26.2 mpg… TT averaged 26.8
There were 8 games in which TT narrowly missed a double-double by either one point or one board.
But JV had 12 such narrow miss games…
For the record… There still is an option on 4th year, just no incentives or bonuses in contract ($64mm guaranteed), per Woj
He’s also the subject of a Creedence Clearwater Revival song: Cedi (Lodi)
“Oh Lord, stuck on old Cedi agaaaaain”
A “Thrilla in Manilla”
Apparently the Wiz signed Earl Boykins. Where has he been? Isn’t he from Cleveland?
That can’t be right… Earl hasn’t played since 2012. Last I heard, he was coaching HS basketball…
The Wiz signed him in 2009…
http://www.nba.com/wizards/news/boykins_091111.html
Maybe they hired him as a coach?
I don’t know what’s more astonishing that Donald Trump is winning the GOP polls or that a 15-year old called “Deez Nuts” is running for President, and getting national attention for it.
Btw the Cavs preseason schedule came out today.
Vs ATL | Oct. 7 (Cintas Center)
@ Philly | Oct. 8
Vs Memphis | Oct. 12 (Schottenstein Center)
Vs Milwaukee | Oct. 13
Vs Indy | Oct. 15
@ Toronto | Oct. 18
Vs. Dallas | Oct. 19
Cool to see them playing at Cintas and the Shott…
October 7 isn’t all that far away!
We have Star Wars and Star Trek themes going on with our Euro-players. Also Milan Macvan seems like a Star Wars villain.
That’s Admiral Macvan to you…
EG FOR THE WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice job EG!!!!!!!!!!
Not to be a nag as I think we can all agree the development of young talent on capped strapped team is super important for sustained success, but he shot 100% from the field, scored 24 points in 24 minutes and was only +23…I think we’ve delved into the shortcomings of +/- before but doesn’t this at least hint at this guy not being a very good defender? If he was an average defender, shouldn’t his +/- be something absurd like +30?
Good stuff EG. Let him cook over there for a year or 2.
Awesome and unexpected article EG. If Cedi the Jedi can develop into an NBA wing, that would be huge for Cleveland. Development of guys will be big as LeBron ages. If we can hit on a second round pick like that… It’s too early… But I can dream.
What does Cols think about Jedi Cedi?
Well… he’s a Euro player who isn’t an NBA star… so I’m gonna take a wild stab in the dark and say Cols’ response will be:
“He sucks.”
We haven’t heard from Cols in over 24 hours! I wonder if he is in hiding now that the “Ashley Madison” data has come out?
Or perhaps “he’s slow and sucks”… Or even “slow and sucky”