February 2010
51 posts
Where's Z?? #3
Yesterday, as tweeted by Wizards Insider, Michael Lee: Stunner! RT @PDcavsinsider WKNR’s Michael Reghi is reporting Z will re-sign with Cavs.
As we all found out later, Reghi had it wrong, Z’s agent quickly denied this report, said Z hadn’t decided yet. So, it ain’t done till its done — we’ll have to wait and see for sure.
However, I wanted to take this...
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Cavs-Raptors Bazooka Point
Friday night quick hit:
Cavs shot 86.2% FT tonight. They hit six more free throws than the Raptors attempted, and ultimately, that game doesn’t go into overtime otherwise. As Mike noted last night, Shaq’s absence helps the Cavs’ pick and roll defense significantly. But it also helps the Cavs’ efficiency at the line. They’re still not a team of sharpshooters when it...
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Cavs-Celtics Bazooka Point
This is going to be brief because I’m overworked right now and will be out of the office for most of the day tomorrow, but here goes —
In the first half, pretty much everything I predicted could happen to the Cavs did: Mo got destroyed by Rondo and the Celtics were living in the paint. At the same time, the Celtics’ defense - still #1 in the league - was forcing the Cavaliers...
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Yes, I'm Actually Going To Do It ... →
My first Indians post of 2010, in which it’s reported that Russell Branyan will be the starting first baseman, Matt LaPorta will be in left field, and Michael Brantley, well, he may be in the minors.
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2010 Cap Reality Series: New York Knicks
Continuing my series on the sordid realities of the teams vying for LeBron this summer, I want to take a look at the Knicks tonight. As you can probably surmise from the photo I’m pairing with this post, I don’t think much of their chances.
This is actually a much simpler analysis than my opening salvo on the Miami Heat. The reason is that the Knicks, to put it in the simplest...
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Cavs-Hornets Bazooka Point
*Note: Image is of a Bazooka Scuba Subwoofer Tube
The Cavs survive a career performance from rookie Marcus Thornton (15-22 shooting in only 31 minutes and 14 seconds) to beat New Orleans by ten points.
The main product of my consternation tonight wasn’t the further DNP - Coach’s Decision flip-flopping of Jawad Williams and Jamario Moon (it was Williams’s turn), Mo...
Where's Z?? #2
Here’s the second post in my new series, again from the Wizards perspective thanks to Michael Lee, the Wizards Insider. It’s a little dated, since he wrote this yesterday — but, still an interesting look at how he and other’s around the league view the deal.
Of course, we also know by now that the league won’t block Z if he does want to come back to the Cavs. The...
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Z Update: ATL Players Campaign For Him →
Yahoo reports the Hawks will make a push for Z. They have the mid level exception to play with if they want, which is more than the Cavs can offer (who have only the bi annual exception).
The article includes numerous quotes from Hawks players salivating about the idea of playing with Z. Al Horford says he’d even watch Z’s kids for him, hoping it would free him up to move back to the...
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2010 Cap Reality Series: Miami Heat
Now that we’ve all been able to recover from the fury of the trade deadline, I wanted to try to sort through what this summer may look like.
I’m referring, of course, to free agency. Which is not a topic that I normally like to think about. I’m the type of person who can go down the rabbit hole if he starts dealing with a situation where too many unanswerable “what...
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1/2, 3...Magic →
For anyone with a mind for Xs and Os, here’s a post from an Orlando sports blog that breaks down the 1/2 pick & roll that SVG used to temporarily exhume the corpse of Vince Carter yesterday. Apparently it was a throwback to Vince’s days as a Net (in more ways than one, considering he actually sunk some shots).
Thanks to Kevin Pelton (@kpelton on Twitter) for putting it out there...
Where's Z ??
I’m starting this column series now — cause I’ll feel a lot better about this trade if he comes back to the Cavs. There’s all kinds of banter about the league stopping the Cavs from bringing him back — but, the CBA says it can happen 30 days after the trade as long as there was no pre-determined bargain.
We all know how smart Danny Ferry is — I can’t...
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Cavs-Magic Bazooka Point
A Sunday afternoon game that showcased the importance of match ups and coaching strategy … and the Cavs lose by 6.
Okay, okay, so it wasn’t all about the different line-ups Coldstone and Stan Van Gundy ran out on the floor. The Cavs got almost nothing from their guards (Mo, Delonte, Boobie, Jawad, and Parker were a combined 5-26 ), LeBron had problems attacking the rim all game...
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Cavs / Bobcats Bazooka Point
Antawn Jamison’s inaugural Cavs stat line: 26 min, 0/12 FG (blocked 5 times, 2 airballs), 1 AST, 1 STL, 0 TO, 3 PF.
The only upside was 7 boards in 26 minutes, the highest Defensive Rebounding Rate on the team (35.9%) and the second-highest Total Rebounding Rate on the team (15.2%).
Since I can’t recall if we’ve discussed it on this site before, Rebounding Rate is the truest...
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Summer of 2010 Cap Space Rundown →
For archive / research purposes.
ABJJ - The Prologue
We all know the winner to the ABJJ contest is Antawn Jamison — and more specifically, the Cavs, I hope. None to soon, I might add.
After watching Glitch work his magic last night, I can’t believe that Jamison won’t be taking a lot of his minutes very quickly. JJ’s stats weren’t good and my eyes told me that he was erratic, clumsy, and not paying attention. (How...
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Cavs-Nuggets Bazooka Point
The big note from tonight’s game is on the subtler impact of the Cavs not having Zydrunas Ilgauskas for the next thirty days or more. We can’t just think about what Z does that the team will miss - we have to think about what Z’s replacements will do.
Watching tonight’s game, we saw three major issues.
1) Glitch will likely get more minutes. 2) Shaq has to try and save...
Cavs Aren't Acting Like Z is Coming Back...
All part of the facade, or…
The Clippers and Cap Space in 2010 →
Eric Pincus of Hoops World with the breakdown. I tweeted Pincus last night to remind him that Dan Gilbert »»»»> Donald Sterling x4000, and he replied by offering his opinion - which is consistent with the national opinion - that LeBron will leave if the Cavs don’t win a championship.
Given how difficult it is to win a championship, knowing LeBron’s business...
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Jamison: the Good News / Bad News Post
Well, the orthodox Cavs fans got what they wanted. Antawn Jamison is officially a Cleveland Cavalier.
If you’re a regular reader, you shouldn’t be surprised to hear that I have very mixed feelings about this one. Admittedly, part of this has little to do with Jamison and much more to do with how the non-acquisition of Stoudemire affects the rest of the NBA landscape.
For now,...
Jamison Update
This suggests a different scenario than the one we’ve been hearing, that the Cavs are waiting on Phoenix.
But I still think they’re waiting on Phoenix.
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The Doomsday Scenario
Me being me, I will always stress calm until the last possible moment. And, in truth, the final moment - the moment when fear and anxiety move out of your imagination and become reality - may be the most freeing.
At that point, it’s all over. There’s nothing else to do but accept it.
For the NBA, the Cavaliers, and Cavaliers’ fans, that moment arrives on Thursday at 3 PM...
PTI - For A Pompous NY Writer
I know you want to here more about trades, but I have to interrupt all this trade talk for a moment, to complain about another pompous New York writer making ridculous comments that would be hilarious — if I didn’t think he was serious. But, sad to say, I think he is serious, which proves he’s also an idiot too.
Here’s what has me upset - some guy at the NY Times by the...
Cavs & Wiz
Makes sense on multiple fronts. I remain unenthused by Jamison, but competition affects talks with Phoenix - and the Phoenix deal still being in play affects talks with Washington. Cavs need multiple options in order to get the best deal with any team.
HoopData on Cap Space: The Heat →
As this article explains, the Heat is the only team with enough cap space right at this very moment to sign two max players in the offseason.
HoopData on Cap Space: The Knicks (Revised) →
When/if the Knicks and Rockets make a deal for Tracy McGrady that includes Jared Jeffries, a lot of stories will be written about the Knicks’ cap space in the summer. Please refer to this HoopData post for the truth.
Bottomline: Knicks would have enough cash to sign Bron/Wade and Bosh if they can agree to a suitable buyout with Eddy Curry.
Second Edit: HoopData has revised its piece and...
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Fortitude South Revisited
Part of me feels like it’s redundant to write another column on the Cavs’ trade options. We know nothing more right now than what we did at this time yesterday, other than that Miami’s Gordon Gekko is frantically searching for a third team to help him sweeten his best pitch to Phoenix to try to trump the Cavs’ offer for Amar’e. We’ve already discussed the...
Pluto And The Goon Squad on Stoudemire →
If anyone wants to know why we started this blog, read Pluto’s article on Stoudemire and then start getting into the comments on Cleveland.com
The amount of misinformation is spectacular.
As numerous people have already stated, PHX did not struggle on offense last year with Stoudemire and Shaq. They led the league in offensive efficiency. Yes, their defense was not good, but neither is...
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The Cavs Via PER
I’ve written recently about how, overall, the advanced stats suggest the Cavs - especially in terms of the starters - have been a whole lot of LeBron and not much else.
But then a quote from the head coach of the Eastern Conference All Stars, Stan Van Gundy, got me thinking. Once it was confirmed that Allen Iverson wouldn’t attend the All Star game because of personal reasons, Van...
What Are The Four Options?
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For Non-Twitter Peeps
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also writes that the Cavs’ front office is questioning how quickly the team can make the Amar’e - Shaq pairing work, weighing that against what they see as the long-term benefits of a Bron - Amar’e core.
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Jamison Vs. Amar'e: Another Opinion →
Tom Haberstroh of Hoop Data (our source for advanced stat box scores) breaks down some offensive stats on the two 4s that have taken center stage in the Cavs’ trade talks. The flashing neon points from the article boil down to this: Jamison isn’t nearly the shooter he’s billed to be; comparatively, Amar’e obliterates Jamison from everywhere inside the arc; but we also...
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A Note On Jason Richardson
The Suns may be trying to force the team that ends up trading for Amar’e Stoudemire to take on Jason Richardson’s contract, as well. In this case, we should note a few relevant stats on J.R.
WP48 through 41: .163 (.100 is average; AP was .089 through 41; Moon .191; Delonte .131) RAPM: -1.614 PER: 15.2 (15.0 is average)
Also, Richardson is owed $14.4M next season, in the final year of...
Tweet
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Trade Deadline, Quick Post
Woj tweeted the above about 10:00pm PDT. A rather ominous tweet, to say the least. Let’s break this down…
*The Cavs smell blood. They see getting Stoudemire as a big chip in keeping LeBron, followed by a chance at multiple championships.
*Yes, Stoudemire is better than JJ on the offensive end of the floor - he can do everything JJ does but more intelligently, and he can pick and...
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Cavs / Magic Bazooka Point
Since Shaq is doing his best to make this game about him vs. Da-wight Howard, I thought it might be interesting to try to see how consequential the Diesel’s presence has been on Da-wight’s performance. To do that, let’s compare Da-wight’s play against the Cavs this year to what he did in the pre-Shaq era, specifically the Eastern Conference Finals.
DA-WIGHT STATS:...
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I Feel Like Ripping Donnie Walsh
Tim, DAD, and I had an email exchange earlier today in which we discussed the rumors that the Knicks were looking to acquire Tracy McGrady from Houston in a three-way-deal that would also Caron Butler to Houston and Al Harrington to New York.
While I understand why Houston would want Butler and why the Wizards would take Harrington, this deal makes no sense to me from the Knicks’...
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Wally "Hot Potato" Szczerbiak Sign and Trade
Highly informative blog post from Larry Coon at the NY Times which lists the players who could be signed and traded before the deadline. Szczerbiak is the featured player.
The details are in Coon’s post, but the basic concept is this: Wally could be signed to a pro-rated deal worth up to $16.4M.
This is a massive asset for Danny Ferry - and the possibility of a pretty big windfall for...
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Cavs / Nets Bazooka Point
Not a lot to latch onto in this one. The Cavs coasted to what I can only refer to as a non-blow-out against the Nets tonight. Calling it a close game would be an overstatement, since after the Cavs reclaimed the lead in the 2nd quarter, they never gave it back, and I don’t believe the Nets ever got closer than 5 points, with that deficit coming in the 3rd quarter. But it wasn’t...
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To Glitch or Not to Glitch: That is the Question →
Since the see-saw performance of JJ Hickson has been a running theme throughout this season, I’m linking to a pretty even-handed article from John Krolik of ESPN’s “Cavs: The Blog” about this same topic. Krolik breaks down JJ’s dramatically improved performance starting with the home win against the Lakers last month and weighs this against his previous status as a...
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What's The Psychology of Danny Ferry Going Into...
If we haven’t said the words out loud, most of us have thought about it: Do the Cavs need to make a trade in order to win the championship?
I’ve offered implicit clues as to what my opinion on this subject is since the season started in October.
To recap:
The Cavs are the #1 seed in the entire NBA and have the best point differential of anyone in the league (+7.38). This means...
Big Z Puppet
I kinda despise the Kobe-Bron puppet commercials because neither puppet looks or sounds like Bron or Kobe.
But this one is the cake.
BIG Z
If It Can Happen in NOLA... →
I read this “man-on-the-street” recap from John Hollinger of what the French Quarter was like after the Saints closed down Super Bowl 44, and I couldn’t help but imagine what the scene in Cleveland will look like when the first title since ‘64 comes to town. A nice reminder, as well, that everything turns around eventually.
Also, extra credit to the guy who went dressed...
Jamison to Miami??
For reasons I can’t really explain, since my earliest days on Twitter, I’ve been following a guy named Michael Lee, the Wizards insider (their version of JMID fav Windy). As you can imagine, he’s had a tough season trying to explain the failures of that team.
So, I thought it was interesting to read how the other side feels about a possible trade with the Cavs. I’ve...
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Cavs-Knicks Bazooka Point
Typical Saturday night Brief Bazooka point. Tonight’s focus will be on David Lee.
Lee has very excellent individual stats. Last season his WP48 was .240 and he was responsible for about 14.1 of the Knicks 32 wins. This year, at the halfway point, Lee had a WP48 of .247 with 7.8 total wins produced.
As a barometer, .100 is average.
Lee’s PER was 19.0 last year and is 22.0 this...
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The NBA Attempts To Increase Glitch's Trade Value
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Cavs / Heat Bazooka Point
Aren’t you glad our team’s superstar isn’t talking like this at this point in the season?
“This team is just better than us. You have to be realistic. I understand this team has NBA championship aspirations. We don’t have that. We’re focusing on trying to get to the playoffs and this team is trying to get to the championship. It’s totally...
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Clippers Fire Dunleavy: Camby Now Likely On The... →
Marcus Camby is now almost definitely on the trading block, given the fact that the Clips are 7 games out of a playoff spot. Of course, for the Cavs, it may be one year too late…
Schumann On The Cavs Points In The Paint... →
AKA the Shaq effect.
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Do The Cavs Play Better Without Mo Williams?
Here’s a follow-up to my post on Monday about the value of Mo Williams. Consider this “Part II” in which we look at the impact Mo has had on the team since he got to Cleveland for the ‘08-‘09 season.
Today, in his podcast (which is excellent by the way), Windhorst said that any talk of the Cavs being better without Mo Williams is “nonsense.”
...
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Cavs / Grizzlies Bazooka Point
Cavs dominated the surging Grizzlies tonight, specifically by slapping Memphis around in their areas of strength. The Grizzlies were the #1 team in the league in paint scoring coming into tonight’s game, whereas the Cavs came in as #1 in paint defense. In this case, defense trumped offense. Memphis went quietly into that good night with a total of 34 points in “the painted...