Cavs 08-09 Season - Central Div Champs (official thread)

[billmac91]

Wally has 13 mil expiring contract and Snow has 7 mil expiring contract. And don't tell me that expiring contracts can't get you a good player. Just look the trade for Gasol last year.

Good call on Snow..I had forgotten about him. Expiring contracts are gold in the NBA.

My only concern, then becomes after this year, should we land a big time player is how we fit under the cap.

8 or 9 to Mo Williams
Big contract on incumbant player
Lebron's contract
Ben Wallace

plus, I've heard the plan is for Z to possibly re-sign 1 year deals until he decides to retire. He likes Cleveland and would like to stay.

I just hope there is a massive sense of urgency to pair LeBron with another big-time player because the current roster come 2010 is asking LeBron to leave.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Cavs deal for point guard Three-team trade brings Mo Williams from Bucks into fold
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Thursday, Aug 14, 2008

CLEVELAND: In 2002, the Cavaliers traded away one of the top point guards in the NBA in Andre Miller. In the six seasons since, they have been in a nearly constant, far-ranging search to find a true replacement.
No less than 15 players have started at point guard for the Cavs in the six seasons since, from Milt Palacio to Kevin Ollie to Mateen Cleaves. Darius Miles, Larry Hughes and even LeBron James tried it, playing out of position over the years.
Even as the Cavs surged from the worst in the league to the NBA Finals, the call to upgrade the ball handler and take some offensive pressure from James has been an ongoing issue.
Wednesday, Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry made the most ambitious move yet to fix the issue by executing a three-team trade that brought in Mo Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks. Williams has been one of the NBA's top-scoring point guards for the past several seasons and has become known for his ability to push the basketball and create his own shot.
To get the deal done, the Cavs sent veteran guard Damon Jones to the Bucks and veteran forward Joe Smith to the as-yet-unnamed Oklahoma City franchise. Oklahoma City sent point guard Luke Ridnour and swingman Adrian Griffin to the Bucks, and the Bucks traded forward Desmond Mason to Oklahoma City to complete the deal.
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

Driver gives Jones the news

Thursday, August 14, 2008
Damon Jones made a guest appearance on ESPN's "First Take" on Wednesday morning, when he and host Skip Bayless debated about the fact that the Cavaliers hadn't made any moves this off-season.
A few hours later, as he was getting into a limousine to take him to the airport, the driver told the veteran guard he'd been traded to Milwaukee.
"Everybody has a sense of shock being moved," Jones said in a telephone interview Wednesday night. "But I heard the deal was on the table for a while."

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

For LeBron and Cavs, the Mo the merrier

Thursday, August 14, 2008 Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer Columnist

Crennel's explanation for why Edwards was running in his socks along with teammates wearing spikes showed a lack of concern among other things.
"Kids are kids," Crennel said. "You look at kids. They take their shoes off and run around all the time. . . We'll educate him a little bit more and tell him about keeping his shoes on until he gets inside."
Just for clarification, Edwards is 25.

Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Cavs get 'Mo' to assist LeBron
Jones, Smith sent packing
Thursday, August 14, 2008
BY CHRIS BEAVEN
[email protected]

More offensive help for LeBron James arrived Wednesday to end a quiet summer for the Cavs.

The Cavs acquired Mo Williams from the Bucks in a three-team trade, adding a 6-foot-1 scoring guard "about to hit his prime," according to General Manager Danny Ferry.

"He can be part of the now, the right now, but also with the foundation going forward," Ferry said in a conference call Wednesday night.

Williams provides the Cavs with a much-needed secondary scorer to put alongside James, something the Cavs have pursued for some time. Larry Hughes never became that guy in his two-plus seasons before being traded away last February. Williams arrives after averaging 17.2 points and 6.3 assists in 66 games last season. He shot 48 percent from the floor, 38.5 percent from 3-point range and 86 percent at the foul line.

"We are adding another person who can (make plays) with LeBron or when LeBron is out of the game," Ferry said. "He will help LeBron and other guys to get easier baskets and space the floor. He's shown to be good shooter, mid-range and on 3-pointers."
Cont...

 

[osugrad21]

Canton

Cavs make their big deal, acquiring guard Mo Williams
UPDATE: 8:03 PM, Wednesday, August 13, 2008
BY CHRIS BEAVEN
[email protected]

The wait for the Cavaliers to make a big deal this summer ended today.

The Cavs acquired guard Mo Williams from the Bucks in a three-team trade. The Cavs sent guard Damon Jones to Milwaukee and forward Joe Smith to Oklahoma City (formerly Seattle) in the deal. Also part of the trade are forward Adrian Griffin and Luke Ridnour, who go from Oklahoma City to Milwaukee, and forward Desmond Mason, whom the Bucks will send to Oklahoma City.

"Acquiring Mo strengthens our nucleus of players for both the short and long term," Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry said in a release. "He is entering his prime NBA years and will be part of the foundation of our future success. Mo is a player that excels as a traditional point guard, but also brings an extra dimension with his scoring and versatility. His ability to push the tempo, get inside the lane, shoot from the perimeter and distribute the ball will be very valuable for us."

Cont...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

The Grade So Far

By: Wendell Maxey Last Updated: 8/13/08 11:52 PM ET |



Dan Gilbert is a man of his word. One day after the Cleveland Cavaliers bowed out of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Boston , the Cavs majority owner spoke candidly with media about where the franchise goes after another incomplete mission. The loss was still new. Gilbert was still in shock. But the message was clear: there was no need to do anything drastic.
So the Cavs didn't.
They avoided the temptation of chasing a high-priced free agent and stayed pretty much status quo in retaining Daniel Gibson, became more athletic in the frontcourt on draft night, and then there was the answer to General Manager Danny Ferry and head coach Mike Brown's point guard prayer: the trade for Mo Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks.
It pays to be patient.

Players Added In Free Agency

 

[crazybuckfan40]

Also we gave up two guys that weren't going to be huge factors next year...DJ not at all, and Hickson looked to going to be taking over for Smith...

 

[NationM]

I'm not usually into rumors but it seems like Lebron is gone when he has the chance.

 

[billmac91]

I'm not usually into rumors but it seems like Lebron is gone when he has the chance.

I think 50% of it will be who's around him in Cleveland, and the other 50% is money. How much extra money will Nike offer LeBron to move to New York/Brooklyn.

When he makes comments that he'd consider playing in Europe for 50 mil a year, it shows money does play a role in his thinking. It will also be interesting to see who the Nets are capable of pairing LeBron with. The rumor in the off-season was the Nets were trying to acquire Carmelo, and then dump as much salary as possible to be able to offer LeBron. Something like that would be pretty difficult to turn down.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

espn.com

Williams ready to help lessen LeBron's load on offense

ESPN.com news services

Updated: August 14, 2008, 5:09 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- Mo Williams hasn't been a Cavalier for long, but he already knows his role: Take some pressure off LeBron James and help Cleveland win a championship.

Just after James led the U.S. to a spot in the medal round at the Olympics in Beijing, Williams told reporters on a teleconference Thursday that he can help the Cavaliers superstar.
"Watching from afar with LeBron, he handles the ball a lot," Williams said. "I think that I can take a load off of him handling the ball at times. He's a guy that kind of sets his teammates up a lot. I think I can relieve him from that. That will help him as far as being a little fresher at the end of the season."
The Cavaliers acquired Williams from Milwaukee on Wednesday in a three-team trade in which Cleveland sent guard Damon Jones to the Bucks and forward Joe Smith to Oklahoma City.

Continued.........

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Defense? New arrival Mo Williams is hardly defensive about fitting in Cavaliers' scheme

by Mary Schmitt Boyer Thursday August 14, 2008, 8:27 PM





Morry Gash/Associated PressMo Williams has made his NBA reputation as a solid all-around offensive player at point guard, but he quickly accepted defense as a priority in his first interview as a Cavalier on Thursday.

New Cavaliers point guard Mo Williams said all the right things.

In his first conference call with reporters after being obtained from Milwaukee in a six-player, three-team deal on Wednesday, Williams wanted to talk about defense. Though he was brought in to help take some of the offensive burden off LeBron James, Williams already knows defense is what will keep him on the floor in coach Mike Brown's system.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to come in and get back to my defensive plays that I grew up seeing and doing," Williams said. "It has been kind of different the last few years for me in terms of defense.
"I have the gifts to do it. You've got to want to do it. You've got to have the mentality to do it. I think you have to be focused. I got away from that the last few years, for whatever reasons. We could go on and on for the reasons. I'm excited about the opportunity to play here. I can reiterate, as far as defense is concerned, I know what it takes to win. It's no secret. It takes defense to win."

Continued......

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

LeBron gives Cavs 'A' for Williams trade
New guard knows what his role is with Cavs
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sports writer

It's going to be some time before the Cavaliers know whether their latest roster
shake-up will work, but the snap reaction from the franchise's most important voice was warm.
Half a world away, LeBron James expressed plenty of optimism after hearing that General Manager Danny Ferry pulled off a trade Wednesday to bring in point guard Mo Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks. Ferry said he had talked to James and several other Cavs scattered across the country ? and globe ? in the past week while the deal was in the works.
''It can help us. I think Mo is a very good point guard,'' James said today in Beijing after Team USA beat Greece 92-69 in Olympics pool play, a game in which he scored 13 points, grabbed six rebounds, had six assists and blocked three shots.
''He can create for himself and create for others, so it's a great move. I think it's an 'A.' ''

Continued......

 

[stowfan]

I'm delighted with this deal. Shorty after the Cavs traded for Ben, Wally and West, Mo Williams lit West up for 36 points. West, every so often would have a decent game but overall, West at the point was sad. IMHO Larry Hughes did a better job, and that was sad.

Could someone please pull up West's numbers from the Boston playoff series, as well as the player (Roden?) he was matched up against? Once again, just MHO, with Mo Williams, the Cavs beat Boston. I wouldn't count on Mo for better defence, but West lack of points and assists, combined with a boatload of turnovers killed the Cavs.

 

[Bucks21]

I think West is a solid player. Not quite a starter but could be an effective back up point guard for the Cavs.