May 23, 2013

Dunks do not make a winner. Defense, however…

March 19, 2013 by 14 Comments

201303182046748174644-p2A bizarre thing occurred through the duration of Monday night’s telecast of the Cleveland Cavaliers and their home contest against the Indiana Pacers: The wonderful individuals at FOX Sports Ohio began tabulating how many dunks had been executed by each team. Dunks have become the go-to highlight for NBA fans; above-the-rim play is the reason why driveway-ready basketball hoops come with adjustable heights. But in the same, said shot type is worth two points. Kyrie Irving’s 416 field goals this season carry no less individual weight than any converted by Blake Griffin or LeBron James simply because Irving has only been credited with two dunks on the season.

Yet every time the Clippers come to town, someone — obviously fascinated by ”Lob City” — inquires as to who on the Cavaliers could replicate such a feat. And each time, Byron Scott is forced to say that outside of Alonzo Gee, his team is comprised of face-up players who thrive on ball movement and positioning rather than mid-air theatrics and exclamation point conversions. Nevertheless, as the Pacers recorded dunk after dunk — transition slams, a posterization of Tyler Zeller by All-Star forward Paul George — the ticker kept inching upward as if signaling that one team is better than the other simply because they had made physical contact with the rim more often than their opponent.

[Read more...]

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Cavs can’t find answers, fall to Pacers 99-89

December 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Yuck.

The Cavs just can’t seem to string together four good quarters.  Versus the Bucks a week ago, the Cavs started flat, scoring just 17 points in the first quarter and forced themselves to play catch-up the rest of the night. On Tuesday night against the Raptors, Cleveland gave up 35 points in the fourth quarter, turning a one-point game into a double-digit laugher.

Against the Pacers on Friday night, it was the third quarter that doomed our young Cavaliers.

The wheels actually didn’t fall off until midway through the third period. Six minutes after halftime, the Cavs trailed just 59-54. With four minutes to play in the period, they were down 71-57. Tyler Zeller, starting in place of Anderson Varejao, played a large part in that two minute implosion. Twice Zeller grabbed defensive board and immediately threw the ball away off the outlet pass, leading to two easy baskets by Paul George. Those turnovers just killed the Cavs and destroyed whatever energy was left in the crowd (not that the atrocious offense and the whole giving-up-offensive-boards-off-of-free-throws thing helped either). After heading into halftime with a 45-44 lead, the Cavs were down double-digits after three quarters and never got closer than eight during the fourth.

Despite having six players score in double figures, no one looked good in the wine and gold. Kyrie Irving needed 16 shots to get his 17 points and finished with more turnovers (6) than assists (5).  Dion Waiters was 4-12 for 11 points and CJ Miles backed him up with a 4-11 for 10 points. Alonzo Gee managed to play 32 minutes without grabbing a rebound. And while Tristan Thompson finished with a double-double (12 points, 13 boards), his +/- was a team worst -21.

No doubt about it, this was an ugly game. The offense was disjointed (too many jumpers), the defense came and went (Indiana consistently fed their bigs, overwhelming Cleveland’s inside D) and the body language was… not encouraging. The Cavs lost their sixth in a row and have now lost 17 straight versus the Central Division (you know, that murder’s row of a division with the Bulls, Pistons, Bucks and Pacers… yeesh).

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Box Score: Cavaliers 83, Pacers 102

April 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Cavaliers made a game of this one- for a half anyway. Dominated in the paint, and cold outside shooting were recipes for a loss in this one.

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
D. Sloan G 31:19 5-9 0-1 2-2 -29 1 4 5 4 0 0 0 2 12
A. Parker G 18:12 3-6 1-1 0-0 -16 1 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 7
T. Thompson C 19:25 1-3 0-0 1-2 -22 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 4 3
A. Gee F 26:01 2-12 0-4 0-0 -22 2 4 1 1 1 1 2 1 4
A. Jamison F 24:10 5-12 1-4 1-2 -23 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 4 12
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 28-79 7-21 20-22 12 43 16 18 7 4 6 29 83
Percentages .354 .333 .909 Team Rebounds: 5
S. Samuels 28:35 2-7 0-0 6-6 +3 4 10 2 2 0 2 0 6 10
M. Harris 27:17 0-5 0-0 6-6 -5 1 3 3 2 1 0 1 3 6
L. Walton 23:50 3-7 2-3 0-0 +4 1 3 1 0 2 0 0 5 8
O. Casspi 21:59 5-12 2-5 2-2 +3 1 5 1 1 0 0 1 1 14
L. Hudson 19:12 2-6 1-3 2-2 +12 0 3 1 5 2 0 0 2 7
S. Erden DNP – Right Ankle Sprain
D. Gibson DNP – Torn Tendon, Left Foot/ankle
L. Harangody DNP – Inactive
K. Irving DNP – Contused/sprain Right Shoulder
A. Varejao DNP – Inactive

 

Indiana

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
G. Hill G 26:18 4-11 2-7 5-5 +19 1 4 7 1 0 0 0 2 15
P. George G 21:00 0-6 0-1 0-0 +14 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 3 0
R. Hibbert C 25:16 6-10 0-0 0-0 +24 6 10 2 1 1 2 1 0 12
D. Granger F 26:30 7-15 1-4 3-3 +20 1 4 3 3 2 1 1 2 18
D. West F 22:03 4-7 0-0 2-2 +17 2 6 1 1 1 0 0 3 10
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 37-90 6-20 22-26 16 48 23 14 9 6 4 22 102
Percentages .411 .300 .846 Team Rebounds: 14
L. Barbosa 24:14 5-8 3-3 0-0 +3 0 2 4 2 2 0 0 2 13
T. Hansbrough 23:11 4-10 0-0 8-8 0 1 1 0 2 3 0 0 3 16
A.J. Price 21:42 2-8 0-4 0-0 0 0 4 2 1 0 0 0 0 4
D. Jones 21:30 1-6 0-0 1-2 -1 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 3
L. Amundson 15:45 3-5 0-0 0-0 -7 4 9 0 2 0 1 0 6 6
K. Fesenko 6:59 0-1 0-0 2-4 +2 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 2
J. Pendergraph 2:46 1-1 0-0 1-2 +2 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
L. Stephenson 2:46 0-2 0-1 0-0 +2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
D. Collison DNP – Inactive

 

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Box Score: Cavaliers 98, Pacers 87

February 15, 2012 by 3 Comments

It was an impressive win for the Cavaliers who got a boost from rookie Kyrie Irving’s return and Semih Erden’s career night. Granger’s absence didn’t hurt either.

Cleveland

Team Statistics: Starters for Cleveland Cavaliers
Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
K. Irving(notes) G 37:11 8-12 3-5 3-4 +6 1 3 5 1 0 1 0 2 22
D. Gibson(notes) G 21:20 3-7 2-3 0-0 +14 1 2 3 3 0 1 1 2 8
S. Erden(notes) C 31:59 7-8 0-0 4-7 +1 2 8 1 0 1 0 0 4 18
A. Jamison(notes) F 35:33 6-18 0-6 1-1 +9 1 8 4 0 1 2 0 4 13
O. Casspi(notes) F 27:32 3-10 3-7 1-2 +8 1 9 3 2 0 0 1 3 10
Team Statistics: Bench for Cleveland Cavaliers
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 36-77 10-27 16-23 11 46 24 11 5 4 6 25 98
Percentages .468 .370 .696 Team Rebounds: 9
R. Sessions(notes) 29:38 5-5 2-2 1-1 +6 0 4 4 2 2 0 0 0 13
A. Gee(notes) 28:19 2-11 0-4 4-4 -1 1 5 3 1 1 0 2 2 8
R. Hollins(notes) 15:04 1-3 0-0 2-4 +12 3 4 0 2 0 0 1 4 4
T. Thompson(notes) 12:10 1-3 0-0 0-0 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 1 4 2
L. Harangody(notes) 1:14 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

 

Indiana

Team Statistics: Starters for Indiana Pacers
Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
D. Collison(notes) G 32:48 7-12 0-1 4-4 -11 1 2 3 2 0 1 0 2 18
P. George(notes) G 24:58 4-14 1-6 2-6 -3 1 8 1 1 0 0 1 4 11
R. Hibbert(notes) C 33:07 7-15 0-0 3-3 -8 7 8 1 0 1 1 0 3 17
D. Jones(notes) F 36:49 1-8 0-0 1-2 -11 0 5 0 2 0 0 0 4 3
D. West(notes) F 26:26 4-15 0-0 2-2 -13 5 10 0 1 0 0 2 1 10
Team Statistics: Bench for Indiana Pacers
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 32-87 5-16 18-27 18 44 9 6 4 6 4 22 87
Percentages .368 .312 .667 Team Rebounds: 13
L. Stephenson(notes) 28:47 4-10 1-4 0-0 -7 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 9
A.J. Price(notes) 20:38 3-5 3-5 2-2 -1 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 1 11
T. Hansbrough(notes) 19:41 0-3 0-0 4-8 -6 2 4 0 0 1 0 0 5 4
L. Amundson(notes) 13:48 2-5 0-0 0-0 0 2 4 1 0 0 3 1 1 4
J. Pendergraph(notes) 2:58 0-0 0-0 0-0 +5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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Well-Rested Cavaliers Face Tired and Beaten-Down Pacers

February 15, 2012 by 10 Comments

Kyrie Irving will look for redemption vs Indiana

The Cleveland Cavaliers (10-16, 10th in the East) will welcome Kyrie Irving back to the lineup Wednesday when they take on the reeling Indiana Pacers (17-11, 6th in the East).

The Pacers come in on a 4 game losing streak, the last loss coming in a complete annihilation at the hands of the Miami Heat, a game in which the Pacers lost Danny Granger to injury. So yeah, they come into Cleveland licking their wounds and looking for a bounce back win.

For Kyrie Irving, this is a shot at redemption, going against the very team which he missed his potential game winning layup. That was our first glimpse of what Irving could be, now he comes into this game a more fully realized version of himself. The question for the Cavalier coaches (and fans) is just how well can Kyrie hold up coming off the scary concussion injury.

The Cavaliers will be without Anderson Varejao and Anthony Parker again. Daniel Gibson will likely get the nod at SG while, I don’t know, probably Semih Erden will get the starting nod at center again (maybe?). Without Varejao to match up with all the size Indiana has, this game is going to be a tough one for the Cavaliers to win. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers To Try To Continue To Grow Against Indiana

December 30, 2011 by 15 Comments

The Cleveland Cavaliers (1-1) head into Indianapolis tonight to take on the Indiana Pacers (2-0). For the Cavaliers, this will be their first test against a very good basketball team. Looking to build their first win streak of the season, the Cavaliers will need to not only match the effort they gave against the Pistons, but they will have to likely play even better.

The Pacers are off to a great start this year, playing pretty solid basketball in wins against the Pistons and Raptors. Head coach Frank Vogel will feature a starting lineup of Darren Collison, Paul George, Danny Granger, David West, and Roy Hibbert. The Pacers have also have quality bench guys like Tyler Hansbrough, George Hill, Dahntay Jones, and Lou Amundson. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting…NFL Lockout Impacts on Browns, LaPorta Competing at 1B, Fired Cleveland Coaches

March 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

While 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.

One man’s opinion of the lockout impact on the Browns: “The Browns are among the most affected teams in this impasse. Cleveland has a rookie head coach (Pat Shurmur), a young quarterback (Colt McCoy) and will switch systems on both offense and defense.  Cleveland hasn’t run a 4-3 defense since 2004. The team also has to make alterations in personnel to fit the scheme. With free agency delayed, the draft becomes even more important for the Browns to fix weaknesses, particularly on the defensive line.  A West Coast offense is all about timing, and McCoy will not get the usual amount of offseason preparation to learn the new playbook and work with his coaches and teammates. Whenever a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, Cleveland needs to make up for lost time ASAP.”  [James Walker/ESPN AFC North Blog]

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Cavs’ Streak Hits 22 in Tough Loss to Pacers

February 3, 2011 by 8 Comments

Following the Cavaliers 117-112 loss to the Indiana Pacers, Byron Scott chose to sum the game up with two words: offensive rebounding.

While the Cavaliers allowed the Pacers to pull down more offensive rebounds (16) than most teams would prefer, the decision to point the finger at this facet of the game is odd for a couple of reasons. 

First, Scott was not nearly as adamant about the offensive glass in the recent loss to Orlando wherein the Magic had an offensive rebound rate near 50 percent and dominated the Cavaliers on the boards for a full 48 minutes.  Secondly, the crunch time execution on both ends of the floor were abysmal at best.  Christian Eyenga hit a tough, long two-pointer from the wing and Ramon Sessions hoisted (and hit) a jumper from just beyond the free throw line – both shots were converted, but both were very low-percentage and were not created as much as they were last-ditch efforts to get a shot off prior to the shot clock expiring. [Read more...]

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Cavs Drop Five of Six, But “Not Close to Rock Bottom”

November 24, 2010 by 7 Comments

The Cavaliers trotted out new starting small forward and a new-look defense, but the result was something that has become more and more similar with each passing game.

With Cleveland’s head coach Byron Scott mixing things up a bit by starting Joey Graham in the place of Jamario Moon at small forward, thinking was (hopes were?) that Graham would provide some life on the scoring front – a desperate one as the Cavaliers starting lineup has been outscored regularly this season – as well as some tough defense as the Pacers have one of the better small forwards in the game in Danny Granger.  The result was an 11-point loss that was not nearly as close as the 100-89 final score would show.

The Cavs would come out clanking, missing their first eight shots and turning the ball over 11 times in the first half alone.  While they would buckle down, primarily via the reserve units in the second and fourth quarters, the Pacers put up a point differential – leading by as many as 34 points midway through the third quarter – that would prove to be insurmountable.

“We have to understand that we have to come out with a sense of urgency and do that for 48 minutes,” said Coach Scott.  ”This isn’t even close to rock bottom. It’s a good test for us. This team and this franchise have not had to play through adversity in the last seven years.”

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Cavaliers Preview Game #13: Cavs at Pacers

November 23, 2010 by 2 Comments

Cleveland Cavaliers (5-7) vs
Indiana Pacers (6-6)
Conseco Field House, Indianapolis, IN
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
7:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

Did you see that Pacers-Heat game last night? Sure, the Heat did a lot of that damage to themselves, but never the less, that was a whooping that turned some heads. So the Indiana Pacers will definitely be riding high with confidence as they get ready to welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers into Conseco Field House tonight. The Cavaliers already got a first hand taste of just how good the Pacers can be when they are clicking a couple Saturdays ago, and the hope tonight will be that a new starting lineup for the Cavaliers plus a letdown type game on the Pacers’ part will lead to another strong road victory. [Read more...]

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The Boots: Short-Handed Cavs Fall, Colt McCoy Clips and More

November 14, 2010 by 1 Comment

The Boots are my form of reporting current information from around the sports world. Boot Ups and Boot Downs are assigned to various events, people or stories as I now use for the University of Dayton’s Flyer News. For possible topics in future articles, e-mail us at Tips@WaitingForNextYear.com.

Boot Down: Home Play – The Cavs fell again at the Q Saturday night, dropping their fourth straight home game by the final count of 99-85 against the Indiana Pacers. Ever since the season-opening victory against the Boston Celtics, Cleveland is winless in the state of Ohio, but has impressively surprised many folks on the road.

On the flip side, not many people expect Cleveland to be competitive without either Mo Williams or Anderson Varejao. The duo missed last night’s game, but shooting struggles and a weak second half plagued the team again. It’s still rough to see the team fall again, and here’s to hoping the losing streak ends Tuesday against Philadelphia. [Read more...]

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Cavs Offbeat: On Potential Life Without Anderson Varejao and Mo Williams

November 13, 2010 by 2 Comments

The Cavaliers will look to get back on track Saturday night as the Indiana Pacers (3-4) come to town.  And while the days of LeBron James’ battles with Pacers forward Danny Granger are no longer, the Cavaliers may have to attempt to top their central division rival without starters and statistical leaders in Mo Williams (groin) and Anderson Varejao (ribs).

Following Saturday morning’s shootaround, coach Byron Scott stated that the two players have been re-evealuated by the team’s physicians and both are currently listed as gametime decisions.  And despite the unlikelihood of Williams playing, Byron Scott says that he has to prepare as if both players will be missing time.

“I have to take it as worst-case scenario,” said Scott. “If one or both can play, that’s fantastic, but I have to prepare is if both will be out.  We are going to be very cautious with their situations to make sure that they are right when they do come back.”

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2010-11 NBA Blogger Previews – Central Division

October 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Yep, it’s that time of year again already. Once again, CleticsBlog are hosting the annual Blogger Previews for every team in the NBA. How this works is simple, every day a certain NBA team is up and bloggers who write about said team will offer their previews for that team in the upcoming season. Then, once a division is completed, all the bloggers throughout the NBA who are participating will post links for all the previews for that division.

Next up is the Central Division. All the previews are linked below, and I encourage everyone to take a few minutes, click on the links, and check out what writers from across the nation are saying about their own teams.

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Coast To Coast – 07.19.2010

July 19, 2010 by 25 Comments

Coast To Coast is your bi-weekly (or really, as often as I have time to do it) look at the NBA outside of Cleveland through the perspective of the Cavaliers. Because rebuilding happens not just in Cleveland, but everywhere.

Long time readers of this site may remember the Coast To Coast feature I used to do. It’s long been a joy of mine to do this feature, but sometimes real life interferes. As it is, Coast To Coast takes a lot of time to put together and over the last year, I’ve been too busy with other projects in my life to do this. Now, things have quieted down and I’m going to give it another go.

For those of you who are new, this feature is a way to not only bring you news and headlines from around the NBA, but to also try to provide commentary that puts it into context from a Cavaliers’ perspective. So, without further ado, lets get started…

The Celtics Will Be Contenders In 2010-11 If They Stay Healthy. This was the mantra of the Boston Celtics for the 2009-10 season as well. Now, it appears they will press their luck one more season. CleticsBlog’s Jeff Clark discusses this matter: [Read more...]

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Open Thread: Cavs vs. Pacers

April 9, 2010 by 16 Comments

Three games left, this one against the 30-48 Indians Pacers. 

These last few games will be a mixed bag – we are not quite sure what to expect.  Will LeBron play?  Doubtful.  What about Antawn Jamison?  Not likely, given his foot injury last night.  Can Mo Williams keep rolling?  Who will step up in the absence of all of the typical scoring options?

Tune in to Fox Sports Ohio, WTAM 1100/AM at 7:30pm tonight to find out! 

Follow along in the comments, folks.  I’m sure several of us will be on Twitter as well! 

Go Cavs!

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Cavaliers Preview Game #69: Pacers at Cavs

March 17, 2010 by 22 Comments

Indiana Pacers (22-45) vs
Cleveland Cavaliers (53-15)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
7:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

This final stretch of games in March is the last little lull for the Cavaliers this season. With games against Atlanta (twice), Orlando, Boston, and Toronto in April, the rest of this month is the last chance to really play around with lineups, give guys rest, and see further get acquainted to what all you can do with Antawn Jamison in your lineup. Tonight’s game is a home against one of the absolute worst teams in the NBA who happen to be without their best player and superstar (and yes, if you’ve seen Danny Granger play, you know he’s a superstar whether the fans and media realize it or not), so it should be an easy win, right? Well, Indiana did just beat the Bobcats, a team the Cavaliers cannot beat, last night with Granger in for most of the game. So just remember, this is still a game between professionals and anyone can win if you let them hang around long enough.   [Read more...]

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NBA Trade Rumors: Comparing Jamison, Murphy, Stoudemire, Z and Hickson

February 16, 2010 by 120 Comments

Numbers.001With rumors all around, it is time to stop the conspiracy theories and start to analyze what the different options bring to the table. Certainly there are various financial reasons to make particular moves or another, but this article will focus on what the most commonly mentioned trade pieces bring to the court. The individuals under examination in this article are Washington’s Antawn Jamison, Indiana’s Troy Murphy and Phoenix’s Amare Stoudemire.

In order to grasp what these players would really bring to a title contender in Cleveland, it is also necessary to see how their style of play contrasts that provided currently by Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson. These two individuals are the main pieces of any package in a trade offered by Cleveland, with Z expected to return back to the team in a buyout. So how much better are these players than what the Cavs have right now? What are these differences and what do all of the statistics show us in the end?
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NBA Trade Rumors: Crazy Night Brings Amar’e Stoudemire Closer to Cleveland

February 16, 2010 by 58 Comments

Amare StoudemireMonday night February 15th was quite the evening for everyone to give their take on the NBA trade front. I honestly do not know how much more trade talk I can take. From the Corey Maggette conversation yesterday to the supposed deal with the Pacers for Troy Murphy and now back to Amar’e Stoudemire, the talks are as chaotic as ever right now.

For our loyal readers and everyone else out there, this post will serve as a recap of where we are right now and what we learned last night. We had well-regarded journalists directly contradicting their peers, fishy as well as phenomenal usage of the Twitter medium and finally, overall confusion for everyone. Without any more introductory prose, here is what happened specifically last night in chronological order: [Read more...]

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NBA Trade Rumors: The Troy Murphy Back-Up Plan

February 15, 2010 by 127 Comments

troy MurphyThe Los Angeles Times is currently reporting that the Cavaliers have a backup agreement for Indiana’s Troy Murphy. Thanks to commenter PayDaMan for pointing this out earlier in the day and it now looks like the proposed deal for Murphy is identical to the one mentioned for either Amare Stoudemire or Antawn Jamison.

The trade deadline is now officially less than three days away and with the games about set to resume following the All-Star Break, rumors will be flying all over the place. The 29-year-old Murphy, who is currently averaging 14.0 points and 9.9 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game this season, does have a better contract than the older Jamison. His contract pays him about $11 million this season and then just under $12.0 million in the final year of his deal next season. He is commonly criticized for his defensive struggles around the rim.

Ben Bolch of the LA Times provides this dandy of a paragraph towards the beginning of his article today about trade rumors and the current state of the Lakers (after the jump):
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NBA Trade Rumors: Cavs Reject Pacers’ Price for Murphy

February 2, 2010 by 39 Comments

troy MurphyAs the Cavaliers look to add the highly-coveted “stretch 4″ to their offensive arsenal, many have inquired as to what it would actually take for Danny Ferry to make a deal.  As of this morning, we officially have a gauge as the team has reportedly rejected the Indiana Pacers due to their asking price for forward/center Troy Murphy.

Mike Wells’ Pacers Insider reports that Indiana offered Murphy to Cleveland for forward JJ Hickson, center Zydrunas Ilgauskas and “multiple” draft picks.  The title of Wells’ report is “Pacers asking too much for Murphy,” and thinking here is that most would agree.  The Cavaliers had an up close and personal look at Murphy’s game when the Cavaliers dominated the Pacers on the road late last week.  While his ability to shoot from the outside is a huge plus, Murphy’s current contract and severe lack of defense weighs heavily when it comes to his value. 

While we cannot speak for Danny Ferry, one would have to assume – given current record and chemistry – that a package of JJ, Ilgauskas and multiple picks would only be reserved for a top flight player.  And no offense to Troy Murphy, but he is not said level of player, regardless of fit.

For now, Murphy should be placed as a last resort if the Cavaliers feel that they must make a move.  It is also assumed that the asking price for Murphy – a player who the Pacers are looking to move – will come down as we draw closer to the February 19th trade deadline.

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