Farewell 2011 – Andrew’s Top Five Albums
December 27, 2011Norris Cole Goes Off in Second Career Contest
December 28, 2011While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
I like your optimism, but I don’t think it will play out like this- “2013 – 2014 Cavs: With the Cavs’ first round pick, P.J. Hairston of North Carolina is selected and with their second rounder, Aaron Craft of Ohio State. With the Heat and Magic picks, the Cavs choose another wing and a 5th big man. Casspi is re-signed for 4 years, $16 million and Daniel Gibson is re-signed for 3 years, $7.5 million.
The big, final free agent piece is James Harden. Harden is a restricted free agent and the Cavs can offer him a max contract of 4 years and approximately $66 million. As some background, OKC’s payroll for 6 players in 2013 – 2014 is $38.3 million. This doesn’t sound bad, except none of those players is Russell Westbrook, James Harden, or Serge Ibaka. Given that the Cavs have offered Harden $15+ million per year and Westbrook and Ibaka could cost $30 million a year; that leaves OKC looking at $84 million for 9 players. The luxury tax limit will be approximately $74 million. Are they willing to go $15 – $20 million into the luxury tax given the new CBA’s strict provisions? OKC can do a lot to juggle their roster between now and then; but for the purposes of this extremely hypothetical scenario, an assumption will be made that they won’t spend 70% of the luxury tax threshold on three backcourt players. So the Cavs convince Harden that a max contract and his ability to be a focal point of the offense make Cleveland his best destination.” [Hetrick/Cavs the Blog]
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“Lemon Face: Antawn Jamison. We’re not sure when this happened, but some time along the way, Antawn Jamison turned into the worst. And it hurts quite a bit. Just like you don’t want your role model father to be caught for tax fraud, so does it pain us to watch the “consummate professional” slack on defense and chuck his way towards 6 for 20 nights. Soneone should get this guy to a contender – not because he “deserves” it, as was the case when Cleveland salvaged him from Washington, but because watching him in the lottery stains what’s still left of our good will.” [Schiller/Hardwood Paroxysm]
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“The Buckeyes have gone from the outside looking in on the national recruiting rankings, to now sitting in the top 6 of all three major recruiting networks’ rankings. They currently reside in the Big Ten’s #2 slot, despite besting the #1 ranked Wolverines in average star ranking. Michigan gets the nod due to the total number of commitments at present, but that could change.
With the possible addition of 4-6 more prospects in this year’s class for Ohio State, they will likely continue to climb the charts before signing day gets here, a remarkably astonishing feat considering the slow start and the turmoil surrounding the program for the last 12 months.” [Eleven Warriors]
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“He won’t be taking off his Ohio State jersey, though he easily could be on the other sideline in this matchup of 6-6 teams. A native of Plantation, Fla., Shazier originally gave an oral commitment to Florida when Urban Meyer was the coach there. When Meyer retired a year ago, Shazier reopened his recruiting and chose Ohio State. Now he’s playing for the Buckeyes, in his home state, against the team he nearly played for, while getting ready to play next year for the coach he nearly committed to, Meyer, and the coach who drew him to Ohio State, Luke Fickell. “It’s crazy,” Shazier said. “I’m happy. I’m where I want to be. I’m really happy I got both of them.” [Lesmerises/Cleveland.com]
18 Comments
pro bowl rosters are out!
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/51016/2012-pro-bowl-roster
in 8 years of drafting, and with ~80 picks, there is only one tom heckert pick at the probowl.
Dammit Jim,
you’re ruining the “free donuts in the break room” high I was feeling this morning
Jim,
Julio Jones didn’t make it either. Just sayin’.
Is OSU going to run in to trouble recruiting with the one year bowl ban?
I’m thinking that wouldn’t even affect redshirt freshmen, so probably wouldn’t hurt our recruiting too badly, but I don’t really know how the college system works.
AJ Green of Cincinnati made it, so one rookie wideout made it…
pro bowl rosters are out!
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/51016/2012-pro-bowl-roster
In 9 years of drafting Dwight Clark, Butch Davis, Phil Savage and Eric Mangini have combined to draft the same number of players at this years probowl as Tom Heckert.
My suggestion lets bring them all back and form a Voltron GM.
“With the possible addition of 4-6 more prospects in this year’s class for Ohio State, they will likely continue to climb the charts before signing day gets here, a remarkably astonishing feat considering the slow start and the turmoil surrounding the program for the last 12 months.”
That’s what happens when one coaching staff is preparing for a bowl game and an entirely different coaching staff is allowed to direct all their energy to recruiting. Urban should have to prepare for the bowl game if he is going to recruit as the head coach.
Lol @ Jim I didn’t even need to look for any Browns but the Heckert comment is scary, to the future of Cleveland Browns fans.
As for Julio Jones I don’t think many rookie WRs make the Pro Bowl but I’m sure being in the playoffs will lessen his heartache.
I still hold out hope the Cavaliers can pawn Gibson off on someone. The fact he’s still here frustrates me terribly. For a guy who supposedly works on his game in the offseason I sure don’t see it during games. Perhaps it’s because he never had enough talent to start. Btw Norris Cole looked pretty good last night.
The Pro-Bowl is stupid. If you want to judge Heckert on who makes it in a popularity contest that is just stupid.
@9
You make an interesting point about this being a popularity contest. Neither of the league’s two high-profile thugs — Suh and Harrison — made the roster, which I found surprising.
that dumb old pro-bowl. i know it. it’s stupid. 84 players getting picked because theyre popular. of couse.. theyre popular because theyre good at football. but still its stupid.
EIGHTY FOUR PLAYERS are invited. ONE is heckert product.
think of the odds. rick’s dog wouldve gotten more than one in eight years.
How many GMs have multiple picks?
I assumed Thomad made the Pro Bowl because they were trying to get each team represented. Silly me. Looks like he’s starting, and the Rams have no one that is Hawaii bound. Congrats to JT!
Who cares how many pro bowlers Heckert has drafted? Any problems with Ward, Sheard, Haden etc? Guys make the pro bowl once the team is successful. Let’s give him a some more time, not only to let those from our last 2 drafts develop, but to draft more quality players. His record is better than any GM we have had since we returned. (I know, that is not saying much.) I just don’t understand the enmity toward Heckert.
@ jim
How many pro-bowlers has Heckert been a part in drafting? Off the top of my head I know McCoy and Jackson both have gone. This year only one of them made it, but his drafting and trading record in Philly isn’t bad. He became GM for the Eagles in ’06 and for the Browns at the start of ’10. So please show a reference list of GM’s since 2000, in their first four years and how many Pro-Bowlers they generate so we can have an accurate idea of how truly awful Heckert must be. No sense letting facts muddle your opinion I’m guessing.
porkchop and the rest of the deniers:
ive provided a URL to the probowlers of this year above. yesterday i provided a link to heckerts draft picks while at philly. here is a link to a ‘search engine’: http://www.google.com
by using the using the ‘search engine’ perhaps you and anyone else who are stammering with for response to the FACT of tom heckert’s pedestrian draft record, youll be able to do your own research on the draft records of 31 other NFL GMs.
“Who cares how many pro-bowlers Heckert has drafted”
…
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you know what guys, i think that’ll do it for me here for awhile. enjoy your vacation week.
In the interest of fairness, my dog is uber-passive. Not aggressive enough for a sport like football. No way she makes the pro bowl.
jim you chose a single incredibly specific criteria for success (this, and only this years pro-bowl) from one facet of a GM’s job (drafting, not cap management, not free-agents, not trades, not undrafted free agent signings). You then can’t even quantify your argument by providing other examples that show your criteria are a standard for successful GM’s or even if if Heckerts “1” pro-bowler in this absurd singular criteria is atypical.
I hope I’m not stammering when I say that its a good thing that you’re checking out for a few days. Clear your head, get a clue I don’t know just don’t persist down this dreadful path.