Links to the Present: Post-Deadline Edition
2012-03-16
“As another trade deadline came and went, Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant sat before the media collective and discussed his most recent bout with franchise yoga. After weeks of unrolling the team’s proverbial mat, discussions of potential poses and the deflection of all distractions during the methodical inhales and exhales, the team left its second consecutive trade deadline more financially flexible than when it arrived.” [Scott Sargent]
“People will inaccurately assess this trade by looking at how it benefits the Lakers, instead of looking at how the Cavaliers benefit from it. I don’t particularly care if it filled one of the Lakers’ biggest needs — it got the Cavs some valuable assets. All I know is that the Cavs had little to no use for Sessions and were able to get something for him. As a side note, look at the rest of the league at the trade deadline. Did you see any other point guards getting traded? No. Not a single one. There clearly wasn’t a huge market for point guards, so if you think the Cavs could have gotten “significantly” more for Ramon, you’re just wrong. If the deal was out there, they would have done it.” [Conrad Kaczmarek]
“Yes, it was a good trade. Ramon Sessions deserves to be a starting PG in this League, and now he will be. I know he tried that once in Minnesota, after playing for the Bucks in a reserve role behind Mo Williams, and that didn’t go well for him then. But, there’s no denying that he’s improved his game dramatically in the seasons that followed here in Cleveland, and he turned himself into a player you’d trade a first round pick for in the process.” [Brendan Bowers]
“The Cavaliers believe the trade will benefit them long term. But for the next six weeks the Cavaliers must settle on a backup point guard to spell Irving, who’s averaging 30.9 minutes per game. Among rookies only Detroit’s Brandon Knight (32.1 minutes) is earning more playing time. (Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio was drawing 34.2 minutes before suffering his season-ending knee injury.)” [Tom Reed]
Awesome Lehigh win. I’ve known McCollum’s dad for years, can’t believe they pulled that off last night. CJ is a BEAST.
KJ, you are WAY off on Beal. Check his rebounding numbers for his size…DONE. Kid has an NBA body as a frosh and plays his heart out.
Cavs fan here that went to Lehigh. Epic win!! McCollum is legit and would be a great 2nd round pick for us!
Guys like Beal are a dime-a-dozen. I have no idea why people are so high on him…
I’m on the CJ McCollum bandwagon. Seems like a promising combo guard to play both guard positions. Maybe the Cavs can draft Beal in the lottery and McCollum in the 2nd round…is the backcourt set then?
Please let the CJ McCollum campaign start here. From my hometown of Canton, Ohio. Very skilled.
Turn one of those 4 picks into CJ McCollum of Lehigh. Guy’s got the skills to be instant offense off the bench.
The 1st rounder from the lakers auto rolls to 2014 so that they don’t lose the option to swap in 2013 if the lakers miss the playoffs this year.
Zach, the Lakers aren’t going to miss the playoffs, so it won’t even be an issue. Still, I do believe it would rollover to 2013 on the offchance the Lakers forget how to play basketball.
One thing to keep in mind about next year, though: Kobe and Pau will be playing in the Olympics this summer after what is likely to be a fairly long playoff run. Add on top of that Bynum’s streaky health, and they could be a bit worse. Not quite fall out of the playoffs bad, but not #3 in the West.
Bynum also has questionable knees, and Pau is already showing signs of age. Your right, they’ll probably still be picking in the mid twenties, but even that could be a 5 pick improvement, and there is a punchers chance it will be in the teens.
As optimistic as we should try to be, I think we’re forgetting that the Lakers have Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum playing for them too. I don’t see the Lakers missing the playoffs next year. Kobe may suddenly age, but I just can’t see it being that much.
I hope I’m wrong, though.
The ability to swap the 2013 Heat pick with the unprotected Lakers pick was a sly move by Grant. Kobe has to start falling off eventually, and Howard signing with the Lakers is unlikely. It could very well end up being a lottery pick.
If the Lakers collapse and miss the playoffs, what happens to that pick? Do the Cavs just lose it never to return again?