Cleveland Cavs (2016 NBA Champions)

[Brutus1]

I think the Pistons will be improved next season. If they can keep Drummond and Monroe healthy, they should be a playoff team.

 

[ImFrigginFly]

Nets look good.

 

[NFBuck]

Nets look good.

They look like the '04 Lakers...

 

[DaBears]

Anthony Bennett is a tweener - he's too fat and slow to be a 3, but not big enough to be a 4 and the Cavs already have a decent 4 in Thompson. Deshaun Thomas almost didn't get picked at all because he's a tweener and the Cavs pick Bennett number one - makes no sense to me. I've also heard that he is not the hardest of workers - not a good combination.

 

[billmac91]

Anthony Bennett is a tweener - he's too fat and slow to be a 3, but not big enough to be a 4 and the Cavs already have a decent 4 in Thompson. Deshaun Thomas almost didn't get picked at all because he's a tweener and the Cavs pick Bennett number one - makes no sense to me. I've also heard that he is not the hardest of workers - not a good combination.

Cavs have a plan. While Bennett is a bit of a tweener, he's a perfect fit in the event LeBron comes back. Even if LeBron does not come back, it's difficult to have 2 guys on the court in Varejao and Thompson that do not provide any spacing at all.

It will be interesting to see how Mike Brown utilizes minutes, but in an NBA where the center position has become an absolute embarrassment, there may even be opportuntites to play Thompson at center with Bennet at PF.

I'd also keep an eye on Greg Oden. I think he'll be a Cavalier in the next several weeks. All of a sudden you have fantastic front-court depth and a million line-up combinations.

The one thing that worries me is Mike Brown's lack of creativity. He's not really the type of guy who tries to creates match-up issues, and always seemed to react to what other teams did than try and force them out of anything.

Anyways, I like the Bennett pick. Kid is explosive, has a fantastic jump-shot, and plays with a nice feel. He should provide some versatility between the 3 & 4. And he has no choice but to learn how to defend, otherwise he isn't seeing the court. And, Mike Brown is super familiar with him, which means he thinks he can get a lot out of him.

BTW, the other day on the radio Chris Grant said they're still looking at "unique opportunities" and nobody was off-limits. I wouldn't be surprised to see Thompson involved in a deal once the new calendar year for the NBA begins.

 

[BUCK3YE5]

BTW, the other day on the radio Chris Grant said they're still looking at "unique opportunities" and nobody was off-limits. I wouldn't be surprised to see Thompson involved in a deal once the new calendar year for the NBA begins.

Yeah, I would be pretty surprised if we got past the trade deadline with Dion, Tristan and Bennett all still on the team. We shall see.

 

[stowfan]

Yeah, I would be pretty surprised if we got past the trade deadline with Dion, Tristan and Bennett all still on the team. We shall see.

MHO is, the above players will not reach maximum trade value for another year or two. Bilmac mentioned Greg Oden, who has already stated he wants to play in Miami. The only thing I was unhappy about with the draft was not taking Jeff Withey in the second round, seven footers don't grow on trees.

 

[Brutus1]

The only thing I was unhappy about with the draft was not taking Jeff Withey in the second round, seven footers don't grow on trees.

I think Ryan Hollins did.

I think we all wanted Withey and remember how he played against Sullinger. I could care less about his offense. His defense alone was worth the 31st or 33rd pick.

 

[stowfan]

Surprised by this move?:

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...e-but-team-open-to-bringing-him-back-1.409777

 

[BUCK3YE5]

Surprised by this move?:

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...e-but-team-open-to-bringing-him-back-1.409777

Yeah, a little bit. Makes me think they're planning something bigger this summer.

 

[BIATCHabutuka]

not sure if we are going to go after anyone of any significance in free agency, but here is the pool of players available

2013 NBA free agents
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--2013-nba-free-agents-025212223.html

ATLANTA HAWKS
Devin Harris (U)
Ivan Johnson (R)
Dahntay Jones (U)
Kyle Korver (U)
Zaza Pachulia (U)
Johan Petro (U)
Josh Smith (U)
Jeff Teague (R)
Anthony Tolliver (U)

BOSTON CELTICS
Chris Wilcox (U)

BROOKLYN NETS
Andray Blatche (U)
Keith Bogans (U)
Jerry Stackhouse (U)
C.J. Watson (U)

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
DeSagana Diop (U)
Josh McRoberts (U)
Byron Mullens (R)
Jannero Pargo (U)
Gerald Henderson (R)
Reggie Williams (U)

CHICAGO BULLS
Marco Belinelli (U)
Daequan Cook (U)
Nazr Mohammed (U)
Vladimir Radmanovic (U)
Nate Robinson (U)

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
Omri Casspi (R)
Wayne Ellington (R)
Daniel Gibson (U)
Shaun Livingston (U)
Marreese Speights (R)
Luke Walton (U)

DALLAS MAVERICKS
Rodrigue Beaubois (R)
Elton Brand (U)
Darren Collison (R)
Mike James (U)
Chris Kaman (U)
O.J. Mayo (U)
Anthony Morrow (U)
Brandan Wright (U)

DENVER NUGGETS
Corey Brewer (U)
Andre Iguodala (U)
Timofey Mozgov (R)
Julyan Stone (R)

DETROIT PISTONS
Will Bynum (U)
Jose Calderon (U)
Corey Maggette (U)
Jason Maxiell (U)

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Jarrett Jack (U)
Carl Landry (U)

HOUSTON ROCKETS
Francisco Garcia (U)

INDIANA PACERS
D.J. Augustin (U)
Ben Hansbrough (R)
Tyler Hansbrough (R)
Jeff Pendergraph (R)
David West (U)
Sam Young (U)

LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS
Matt Barnes (U)
Chauncey Billups (U)
Ryan Hollins (U)
Lamar Odom (U)
Chris Paul (U)
Ronny Turiaf (U)

LOS ANGELES LAKERS
Robert Sacre (R)
Devin Ebanks (U)
Earl Clark (U)
Andrew Goudelock (U)
Dwight Howard (U)
Antawn Jamison (U)
Darius Morris (U)

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
Tony Allen (U)
Austin Daye (R)
Keyon Dooling (U)
Jon Leuer (R)

MIAMI HEAT
Chris Andersen (U)
Juwan Howard (U)

MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Samuel Dalembert (U)
Marquis Daniels (U)
Mike Dunleavy (U)
Monta Ellis (U)
Brandon Jennings (R)
Joel Przybilla (U)
J.J. Redick (U)

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Chase Budinger (R)
Nikola Pekovic (R)
Andrei Kirilenko (U)

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
Al-Farouq Aminu (U)
Lou Amundson (U)
Xavier Henry (U)
Roger Mason Jr. (U)

NEW YORK KNICKS
Chris Copeland (R)
Earl Barron (U)
Kenyon Martin (U)
Pablo Prigioni (R)
Quentin Richardson (U)
J.R. Smith (U)

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Ronnie Brewer (U)
Derek Fisher (U)
Kevin Martin (U)

ORLANDO MAGIC
DeQuan Jones (R)
Beno Udrih (U)

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Andrew Bynum (U)
Royal Ivey (U)
Charles Jenkins (R)
Damien Wilkins (U)
Dorell Wright (U)
Nick Young (U)

PHOENIX SUNS
Diante Garrett (R)
Wesley Johnson (U)
Jermaine O'Neal (U)

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS
Luke Babbitt (U)
J.J. Hickson (U)
Eric Maynor (R)
Nolan Smith (U)
Elliot Williams (U)

SACRAMENTO KINGS
Cole Aldrich (U)
Toney Douglas (R)
Tyreke Evans (R)
James Johnson (R)

SAN ANTONIO SPURS
DeJuan Blair (U)
Manu Ginobili (U)
Tracy McGrady (U)
Gary Neal (R)
Tiago Splitter (U)

TORONTO RAPTORS
Alan Anderson (U)
Mickael Pietrus (U)
Sebastian Telfair (U)

UTAH JAZZ
DeMarre Carroll (U)
Randy Foye (U)
Al Jefferson (U)
Paul Millsap (U)
Jamaal Tinsley (U)
Earl Watson (U)
Mo Williams (U)

WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Leandro Barbosa (U)
Jason Collins (U)
Cartier Martin (U)
A.J. Price (U)
Garrett Temple (R)
Martell Webster (U)

 

[Bucklion]

Cavs have a plan. While Bennett is a bit of a tweener, he's a perfect fit in the event LeBron comes back. Even if LeBron does not come back, it's difficult to have 2 guys on the court in Varejao and Thompson that do not provide any spacing at all.

It will be interesting to see how Mike Brown utilizes minutes, but in an NBA where the center position has become an absolute embarrassment, there may even be opportuntites to play Thompson at center with Bennet at PF.

I'd also keep an eye on Greg Oden. I think he'll be a Cavalier in the next several weeks. All of a sudden you have fantastic front-court depth and a million line-up combinations.

The one thing that worries me is Mike Brown's lack of creativity. He's not really the type of guy who tries to creates match-up issues, and always seemed to react to what other teams did than try and force them out of anything.

Anyways, I like the Bennett pick. Kid is explosive, has a fantastic jump-shot, and plays with a nice feel. He should provide some versatility between the 3 & 4. And he has no choice but to learn how to defend, otherwise he isn't seeing the court. And, Mike Brown is super familiar with him, which means he thinks he can get a lot out of him.

BTW, the other day on the radio Chris Grant said they're still looking at "unique opportunities" and nobody was off-limits. I wouldn't be surprised to see Thompson involved in a deal once the new calendar year for the NBA begins.

I was gonna ask if people thought this draft combined with the last one indicates the Cavs think they have a shot at bringing LeAss back at the 3, and that they will try like fuck to do it. They have basically refused to do anything at the 3 position while stockpiling guards and role playing 4s and 5s, and they had a golden opportunity to draft Otto Porter this year and passed.

 

[OH10]

I don't think the Cavs are avoiding small forwards with an eye towards Lebron. Bennett can, and probably will, play the 3. He's just a more intriguing talent than Porter, which is to say he's also a bigger risk.

If Andrew Wiggins were in this draft, do you think the Cavs would have passed on him thinking about Lebron? Nope.

 

[exhawg]

I don't think the Cavs are avoiding small forwards with an eye towards Lebron. Bennett can, and probably will, play the 3. He's just a more intriguing talent than Porter, which is to say he's also a bigger risk.

If Andrew Wiggins were in this draft, do you think the Cavs would have passed on him thinking about Lebron? Nope.

From what I've read Bennett is the only player in this draft that projects to be a 20/10 guy. The Cavs need scoring and that's what they got out of the first round of the draft. In the modern NBA Bennett can play the 3 or 4 given the situation. It's up to Mike Brown and the Cavs strength and conditioning program to teach defense and to make sure players that need to lose weight lose it and players that need to add muscle add it. If Bennett is 20-30 lbs overweight right now I see no reason that he can't lose it before the season starts.

 

[billmac91]

I don't think the Cavs are avoiding small forwards with an eye towards Lebron. Bennett can, and probably will, play the 3. He's just a more intriguing talent than Porter, which is to say he's also a bigger risk.

If Andrew Wiggins were in this draft, do you think the Cavs would have passed on him thinking about Lebron? Nope.

They would not have passed on Andrew Wiggins, but taking Bennett is definitely part of a plan to appeal to LeBron.

When you watch the Heat, the thing they've done well is give him floor spacers. The one weakness is a lack of inside scoring. Bennett is a rare blend of outside shooting, something Bosh has, but can score on the block as well. The kid is only 20, but the idea is to provide a floor spacer at the 4 who has the ability to get buckets in the paint. He's explosive at the rim as well which means he'd be a great finisher when LeBron attacks which is something Bosh also struggles with.

I have no idea if LeBron comes back, and quite truthfully, I kinda hope he doesn't. But I think Bennett was taken with LeBron in mind. Now they need a defensive center that can clog the middle and provide rebounding.

I think Tristan will be moved by the trade deadline and maybe as soon as a couple of weeks. He's a good player, but he'll never have a consistent jump shot, and he's the type of guy as he approaches his late 20's/early 30's and loses his explosion, he's pretty much done. Obviously we're a long ways away from that, but his game is limited.