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2013 NBA Draft: Lakers receive 19th pick; will go to Cavs

April 19, 2013 by Jacob Rosen 10 Comments

While the Cleveland Cavaliers received initial good news with the Los Angeles Lakers officially making the playoffs Wednesday night (thus earning the right to swap with Miami’s No. 30 first-round pick), it was previously undetermined what pick that might be in the first round.

Per the NBA draft rules, playoff teams are sorted by regular season record alone. The Lakers, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls were all tied at 45-37 at the end of the season, thus tying for the 18-20 picks in the first.

Finally then, the NBA hosted a tiebreaking coin flip today. Per the Cavs’ Fred McLeod on Twitter:

Coin toss complete..Cavs get19th spot in round 1 to go with lottery pick (their own) plus 31 and 33 in round 2

— Fred McLeod (@CavsFredMcLeod) April 19, 2013

Overall, the Houston Rockets were awarded pick No. 18 and the Bulls will receive No. 20.

Thus, along with the Lakers’ No. 19 pick, the Cavaliers also are in formal possession of the No. 3 lottery slot¹ and two other second-round picks: No. 31 (via Orlando) and No. 33 (CLE’s).

It’s potentially expected that the team might look into packaging multiple picks to move up in the draft, as they did in 2012. In order to acquire the rights to Tyler Zeller (No. 17 pick) from the Dallas Mavericks, the Cavaliers traded away picks No. 24 (Jared Cunningham), No. 33 (Bernard James) and No. 34 (Jae Crowder).

For folks with long enough memories as well, they might also remember that Cleveland was on the winning side of a couple other coin-flip tiebreakers in the 2012 draft as well. “What’s not to like,” eh?

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Here are the exact lottery odds for that slot: 15.6% of No. 1; 15.7% of No. 2; 15.6% of No. 3; 22.6% of No. 4; 26.5% of No. 5; 4.0% of No. 6. [back]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: 2013 NBA Draft, Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Houston Rockets, los angeles lakers, NBA

Lakers make NBA Playoffs; Cavaliers will be able to swap draft picks

April 18, 2013 by Kirk 24 Comments

With the Utah Jazz falling to the Memphis Grizzlies in Memphis earlier this evening 86-70, the Los Angeles Lakers clinched a playoff berth. They went ahead and defeated the Houston Rockets following the Jazz loss anyway 99-95 in overtime, moving them up to the 7th seed to face the San Antonio Spurs rather than the Oklahoma City Thunder.

What this means for the Cavaliers is that they will be able to exercise their right to swap first-round draft picks with the Lakers in the 2013 draft, gained in the Ramon Sessions (and Christian Eyenga) trade last season that also gave the Cavaliers Luke Walton and a second first-round draft pick last season (24th overall) that helped them acquire Tyler Zeller (17th overall pick). With their extra first-round draft pick this season, acquired in the LeBron James trade, the wine and gold will be able to move up from a would-be 30th pick into a pick between 18th and 20th, depending on coin-flip tiebreakers that will be performed tomorrow.

Furthermore, with the Cavaliers’ loss, ending their season at 24-58, they have the third-best odds at winning the NBA Draft Lottery behind Orlando and Charlotte. Their odds at getting each of the top six picks is outlined below.

1st pick – 15.6%
2nd pick – 15.7%
3rd pick – 15.6%
4th pick – 22.6%
5th pick – 26.5%
6th pick – 4.0%

The Cavaliers also will have the 31st and 33rd picks in the second round of this year’s draft.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: cavaliers, los angeles lakers, NBA Draft

WFNY Stats & Info: Mavericks closing in on Lakers in West

March 28, 2013 by Jacob Rosen 2 Comments

The NBA regular season concludes in just 20 days on Wednesday, April 17. Between now and then, boy, there’s going to be a whole lot of exciting back-and-forth action.

Most notably as it relates to the Cavs besides their own draft position, fans should be paying attention to the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference playoff race. Back on March 8, I shared an update about how the Lakers were closing in on Utah. But now, there’s a new competitor: Dallas.

Fitted with some gnarly motivational playoff beards, the Mavericks are on a 10-4 tear in March while the rest of the hopeful playoff teams continue their relatively mediocre play.

After a busy Wednesday night in the Association, here’s the most recent look at how the bottom of the West playoff standings play out right now:

Rk	Team	W	L	Pct	GB	Left	SRS	JH Rt	JH Rk	JH Odds
6	GSW	41	32	0.562	+3.5	9	0.75	100.8	12	98.8%
7	HOU	39	32	0.549	+2.5	11	3.90	104.1	7	98.4%
8	LAL	37	35	0.514	–	10	1.14	100.8	13	54.5%
9	UTA	36	36	0.500	-1.0	10	-0.17	99.8	18	26.1%
10	DAL	35	36	0.493	-1.5	11	-0.09	100.5	15	19.2%
11	POR	33	38	0.465	-3.5	11	-1.36	100.1	16	3.0%

Now, with data through Tuesday’s games, here is a look at these teams’ remaining schedules:

Rk	Team	Left	P/L	H/R	P: H/R	L: H/R	W Pct	JH Avg	SRS Avg
6	GSW	9	3/6	6/3	2/1	4/2	0.497	100.4	0.5
7	HOU	11	5/6	5/6	2/3	3/3	0.480	99.2	-0.8
8	LAL	10	6/4	6/4	4/2	2/2	0.539	101.4	1.3
9	UTA	10	5/5	6/4	3/2	3/2	0.527	101.4	1.1
10	DAL	11	6/5	6/5	4/2	2/3	0.506	100.2	0.2
11	POR	11	8/3	7/4	5/3	2/1	0.586	103.0	2.8

Key: JH stands for John Hollinger’s ratings, rankings and playoff odds at ESPN. SRS is a standardized ranking system built around an average of 0.0. P/L is playoffs and lottery teams, while H/R is home and road games.

Both Golden State and Houston appear to be playoff locks with only a few weeks left. Thus, after all the positioning thus far, it appears these next four teams are battling only for the No. 8 spot.

With Wednesday’s win, the Lakers actually jumped from about 42% playoff odds to over 54%. That’s also because every other team besides Utah (win) and Dallas (didn’t play) lost last night. But it shows how the Lakers’ progress had been stagnant over the last few weeks.

In terms of remaining schedules, Dallas and Utah are both at a slight advantage over the Lakers. The Jazz play the fewest remaining playoff teams (5), while the Mavericks have the easiest opponent winning percentage, Hollinger rating and SRS rating by a slight margin.

Portland’s blowout loss Wednesday against Brooklyn (they trailed 46-17 just 14 minutes into the game) probably ended its playoff hopes. The Trail Blazers also have a brutal schedule left — facing eight playoff teams in their 11 remaining games.

Filed Under: Headlines, WFNY Stats & Info Tagged With: 2013 NBA Draft, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, los angeles lakers, NBA, NBA playoffs, Portland Trail Blazers, utah jazz, western conference, WFNY Stats & Info

WFNY Stats & Info: Lakers’ chances of making playoffs

March 8, 2013 by Jacob Rosen 9 Comments

Over the last few days, I’ve seen several fans complaining on Twitter about why some fans are monitoring the Cavs’ draft position constantly. For me, it’s a fun task. I love draft talk. I even wrote a significant amount about the NBA Draft prospects last Saturday.

But here’s another idea: How about we just stick to following the Lakers instead? The Cavs are currently tied for 6th in the lottery standings. At the moment, only 3.5 games separate the 3rd and 11th teams. But most likely, the Cavs will situate themselves somewhere in the 5-8 range. Not a whole lot of room for drastic changes.

Then, there’s Los Angeles. The Lakers are now 14-6 in their last 20 games. They’ve finally roared back to .500 and the playoff picture, especially with their miraculous win Wednesday night over the Pelicans (nee Hornets).

As a friendly reminder, if the Lakers make the playoffs, the Cavaliers will swap their current possession of Miami’s first-round pick (28-30 range) with LA’s (15-16 range). This doesn’t happen if LA ends up in the lottery — Phoenix would then own their pick. So this would be a pretty big bonus for Cleveland if it occurs.

Meanwhile, the Utah Jazz, the new No. 8 team in the West and the most likely contender to slip out if LA slips in¹, are struggling. They collapsed at the last minute against the Cavs on Wednesday night (double whammy of goodness) and are fading to the tune of 1-5 in their last 6 games.

So how do these two teams’ remaining schedules add up? Let’s take a look at some quick peripheral numbers:

Team	Games	H/R	P/L	P: H/R	L: H/R
LAL	20	10/10	9/11	5/4	5/6
UTH	21	11/10	12/9	5/7	6/3

The above table breaks down in general the remaining games for these two teams. P/L shows Playoffs/Lottery, then there’s a Home/Road breakdown of those two splits as well. Obviously, the Lakers have more of their difficult games at home and the Jazz have more of their difficult games on the road. Here are some more advanced stats:

Team	W Pct	H/R Pct	JH Avg	SRS Avg
LAL	0.480	0.489	99.57	-0.509
UTH	0.537	0.532	100.88	1.240

The first column is standard Strength of Schedule: opponent winning percentage. Then, I had a simple H/R win percentage, where I just took the opponent team’s home or road record, depending on the location of the game. John Hollinger ranking average and SRS ranking average are then the final two numbers.

So quite clearly, the Lakers have the edge in terms of the slightly more favorable closing schedule. Will they pull it off and make up the final 1.5 games? Entering Thursday, Hollinger’s playoff odds had the Jazz at 57.2% odds to make the playoffs, the Lakers at 52.6%², their highest in several weeks at least. So it’s practically a toss-up at this point.

It should be fun to watch. And for fans craving daily draft lottery news — this might be the more fruitful (and less polarizing) chase to follow in the final five weeks of the NBA season.

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Playoff picture: LA is 1.5 games behind Utah and 2.0 games behind No. 7 Houston. But the Rockets are one of the most fun teams in the league, with one of its hottest offenses. They’re 11-7 in their last 18 games. So that’s why they’re being ignored and I’m picking on the Jazz. [back]
Clearly, with simple math, that adds up to 109.8%, not 100%. That just reflects the slight uncertainty that exists with the playoff hopes of Houston and No. 6 Golden State. But more likely than not, it will be Utah and the Lakers down the stretch. [back]

Filed Under: Headlines, WFNY Stats & Info Tagged With: cavaliers, los angeles lakers, NBA, NBA Draft, NBA playoffs, Phoenix Suns, utah jazz

Cool, calm and collected, Luke Walton leads Cavaliers’ crafty reserves

February 28, 2013 by Scott 50 Comments

The court-side seat was vacant, waiting to be used. During the waning seconds of a hard-fought game on the road against the Chicago Bulls, Luke Walton deflected an in-bound pass into the corner where he and Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich would each fight to obtain the loose ball. Walton dove out of bounds, coralled the ball where he would swing it around his body and deflect it off of Hinrich’s leg, and promptly rotating his body clockwise where he would fall perfectly in to a chair placed between two Bulls fans. Walton quickly sprung up with his right arm stretched toward the Cavaliers’ basket, signaling posession. The baseline referree agreed. The Cavaliers bench errupted.

Kyrie Irving, who executed a similar play in a recent win over Boston, had an ear-to-ear smile. Anderson Varejao, who has made a living off of these hustle-based plays, drew a scowl and pumped his fist in Walton’s direction, excitedly approving of the sequence. Walton, after all, had just sealed a victory — one wherein his presence was integral well beyond the box score. It was not just the key assists to Dion Waiters or Wayne Ellington (both leading to no-doubt three-pointers) or the jumper that would put the Cavs up by five, it was the timing and flawless execution of such activities, the cerebral contributions that are often overlooked. Back-of-the-hand high-fives for all.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: cavaliers, los angeles lakers, Luke Walton

While We’re Waiting… Are the Sacramento Kings the new Browns?

January 15, 2013 by Jacob Rosen 19 Comments

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.

This was an enjoyable back-and-forth from two “Cleveland-Raised-Basketball-Writer-in-Exile” on comparing the Kings-Browns situations: “First of all, the fact that the Kings are the only professional sports team in Sacramento makes this slightly different from the Cleveland situation. At the time of the Browns move, the Indians were coming off their first World Series appearance in 41 years a month prior to the announcement so as painful as the Browns move was, Cleveland fans at least had the Tribe to fall back on every April-October. Sacramento has…the San Francisco Giants, I guess? That’s akin to Cleveland fans cheering for Ohio State. As far as the relationship between the fans and owners go, it’s too bad that the SAT did away with the analogies section years ago because Art Modell:Cleveland as The Maloofs:Sacramento would be a perfect fit. Both fan bases are incredibly passionate, and my heart aches for the people of Sacramento who don’t deserve to be jerked around by these idiots.” [Eric Maroun and Amin Vafa/Hardwood Paroxysm]

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A nice BDL article on the LeBron craziness, including a shoutout to our very own Scott: “If James were to opt out, it seems about as sure a bet as could exist in the NBA that a still-healthy, still-productive version of James — who will still be just 29 years old on Opening Day 2014 — would be coveted by any team with enough cap space to offer a full maximum-level contract. The Cavaliers are on target to be one of those chock-full-of-cap-space squads come the summer of 2014; at this point, the only guaranteed ’14-’15 money on the Cavs’ books is about $18 million earmarked for young building blocks Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.” [Dan Devine/Ball Don't Lie]

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Capturing 4 positives about the Cavs despite Sunday’s 20-point loss to the Lakers: “Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller. Cleveland Cavaliers fans should be repeating those four names over and over again — especially after losses like the 113-93 hammer job delivered Sunday by the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s because Irving, Thompson, Waiters and Zeller are the future. They’re the second- and first-year guys whom the Cavs are counting on heavily today — and likely will still be counting on in two years. Everyone else on the current roster? Well, it’s hard to say.” [Sam Amico/Fox Sports Ohio]

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Are you worried about Dion’s shooting? An old WFNY scribe explains why he isn’t: “The 7-18 shooting display from Waiters, to be fair, was certainly not without it’s cringe-worthy moments. It also marked the 18th time in 31 games that Dion shot less than 40 percent from the field for the night. That level of consistent inefficiency is not good and obviously needs to improve next season. At this point in his NBA development, though, with the Cavaliers currently leading the league in losses, there is no reason Waiters should not take each and every one of the field goals he’s attempting. He might as well keep bombing away until they begin to fall more consistently. Use the entire 2012-13 regular season to find an NBA rhythm if he has to.” [Brendan Bowers/Stepien Rules]

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This isn’t huge news, but still worth sharing about why one Browns GM candidate isn’t in the picture anymore: “In the days after the Browns fired G.M. Tom Heckert, word emerged that the Browns requested permission to interview Vikings assistant G.M. George Paton. But an interview never happened. There are two different versions in league circles as to what happened. One source says that Paton passed. Another source says that the Vikings declined permission.” [Mike Florio/Pro Football Talk]

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Not necessarily an opinion piece, but it was fun to read through the usual run-of-themill reader comments on ESPN about the Browns hire of Rob Chudzinski: “The Cleveland Browns didn’t make the right move in going with Rob Chudzinski as their new head coach, according to last week’s SportsNation poll. Of the 68,062 votes, 62 percent didn’t approve of the hiring of Chudzsinki.” [Jamison Hensley/ESPN AFC North Blog]

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Finally, ending with a look at pitching options for the Tribe: “The 2012 Cleveland Indians had a lot of faults, but none seemed as problematic as the starting rotation. It was statistically the worst in the American League, and one of the worst in all of baseball. The Indians spent the last month or two of the season cycling pitchers into the rotation from Triple-A – names like David Huff, Corey Kluber, and even Chris Seddon took a turn on the mound for the Tribe. Did the Indians do enough this offseason to shore up the rotation? If not, are there any viable options that remain as we are less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting?” [Stephanie Liscio/It's Pronounced 'Lajaway']

Filed Under: General Tagged With: browns, cavaliers, Dion Waiters, George Paton, indians, Kyrie Irving, lebron james, los angeles lakers, Miami Heat, MLB, NBA, nfl, Rob Chudzinski, Sacramento Kings, Tristan Thompson, Tyler Zeller

Video: Cavs’ Alonzo Gee’s put-back dunk against the Lakers

January 14, 2013 by Scott 5 Comments

If you did not stay up to see the Cavaliers take on the Los Angeles Lakers, we have you covered with the lone highlight. Cleveland Cavaliers high-flying forward Alonzo Gee provided Staples Center fans a put-back dunk against the hometown Lakers. Gee finished with 14 points, four rebounds, and three steals, but the Cavaliers would fall to the Lakers by 20 points, 113-93, snapping Los Angeles’ six-game losing streak.

Kudos to the Lakers’ broadcast team for claiming that the dunk occurred because Gee was being guarded by cement-shoed point guard Steve Nash.

On the season, Gee has started all 39 games for the Cavaliers and has averaged 11.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.4 steals. Gee had a bit of a cult following last season around the time that the Slam Dunk Contest rolled around, but failed to get any recognition for his above-the-rim antics.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Alonzo Gee, cavaliers, los angeles lakers, Steve Nash

Box Score: Pistons 104 Cavs 97

December 8, 2012 by Ryan Jones Leave a Comment

After holding a three point lead at half time, the Cavaliers fell behind shortly in the third quarter and could never quite catch up. Cleveland made a strong push in the fourth quarter, getting stop after stop on the defensive end, but continously came up empty on the offensive side of the ball.

The Cavs were led by another strong showing from Jeremy Pargo who finished with 24 points, and Anderson Varejao who recorded his 14th double-double in 15 games.

Tyler Zeller had maybe his strongest game as a Cavalier, scoring 13 points, and pulling down 5 offensive rebounds.

Detroit was led by second year point guard Brandon Knight who finished with a game high 29 points.

The Cavs are now 4-17 and get back into action on Tuesday when they host the Lakers.

Detroit

Team Statistics: Starters for Detroit Pistons
Starters	Pos	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
B. Knight	G	38:25	10-20	5-6	5-6	+13	2	7	5	1	1	1	2	3	30
K. Singler	G	35:05	2-4	0-1	5-5	+1	2	2	1	2	1	0	0	4	9
G. Monroe	C	29:05	2-8	0-0	7-9	-1	1	4	3	3	1	0	2	2	11
T. Prince	F	34:23	5-11	0-0	4-4	+3	0	8	1	1	0	0	1	1	14
J. Maxiell	F	30:00	4-7	0-0	2-4	+13	2	4	0	1	0	1	0	4	10

Team Statistics: Bench for Detroit Pistons
Bench	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
Totals		35-75	9-15	25-33		10	35	17	9	5	5	8	22	104
Percentages		.467	.600	.758		Team Rebounds: 11
R. Stuckey	29:08	4-10	2-4	0-0	+11	0	2	6	0	1	1	2	1	10
A. Drummond	21:08	4-6	0-0	1-3	+10	1	3	0	0	1	1	0	4	9
C. Villanueva	15:47	2-5	2-4	0-0	-8	1	3	1	1	0	0	1	1	6
C. Maggette	6:59	2-4	0-0	1-2	-7	1	2	0	0	0	1	0	2	5
W. Bynum	DNP – Coach’s Decision
A. Daye	DNP – Coach’s Decision
K. English	DNP – Coach’s Decision
J. Jerebko	DNP – Coach’s Decision

Cleveland

Team Statistics: Starters for Cleveland Cavaliers
Starters	Pos	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
D. Gibson	G	32:56	2-11	2-9	0-0	-1	0	1	6	3	1	0	0	4	6
J. Pargo	G	27:30	10-18	2-4	2-3	+3	0	2	4	1	0	1	2	3	24
A. Varejao	C	36:14	7-13	0-0	2-3	-2	7	13	5	3	0	2	1	5	16
A. Gee	F	38:05	4-12	1-6	3-3	-6	3	9	0	1	1	1	0	2	12
T. Thompson	F	24:14	4-6	0-0	1-2	+7	4	5	0	0	1	1	0	3	9

Team Statistics: Bench for Cleveland Cavaliers
Bench	Min	FG	3Pt	FT	+/-	Off	Reb	Ast	TO	Stl	BS	BA	PF	Pts
Totals		39-91	6-27	13-17		20	46	19	14	3	8	5	27	97
Percentages		.429	.222	.765		Team Rebounds: 12
T. Zeller	28:54	6-11	0-1	1-2	-9	5	8	0	2	0	3	1	3	13
D. Sloan	20:30	1-6	0-1	0-0	-10	0	4	2	0	0	0	0	2	2
C.J. Miles	15:04	5-11	1-4	4-4	-6	1	2	1	3	0	0	0	3	15
O. Casspi	9:55	0-3	0-2	0-0	-1	0	2	1	1	0	0	1	0	0
K. Jones	6:38	0-0	0-0	0-0	-10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
S. Samuels	DNP – Coach’s Decision
L. Walton	DNP – Coach’s Decision

Arena:: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Anderson Varejao, Box Score, Brandon Knight, Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Dion Waiters, jeremy pargo, Kyrie Irving, los angeles lakers, NBA

Scott hopeful Waiters & Irving will return Tuesday vs. LAL

December 8, 2012 by Ryan Jones Leave a Comment

Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweeted that Cavaliers coach Byron Scott is hopefull both guards Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving will return to action Tuesday against the Lakers.

Waiters has been day to day with ankle injury, missing the Cavs last 3 games.

Irving has been out since November 21 and a Tuesday return would bring the Cavs star back almost two weeks ahead of schedule.

Cavs coach Byron Scott said he is “hopeful” Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving can return Tuesday (vs Lakers). Waiters clearly closer.

— Sam Amico (@SamAmicoFSO) December 9, 2012

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Byron Scott, cavaliers, Dion Waiters, injury, Kyrie Irving, los angeles lakers, return

Magic: Mike Brown’s lack of in-game adjustments cost Cleveland championship

November 12, 2012 by Scott 18 Comments

We have to go back to history with Mike. Mike didn’t get it done in Cleveland. If he can’t get the championship done in Cleveland, having the game’s best player (LeBron James), how are you going to come to Los Angeles and win it? It’s just too bad. I think he will get another job, but it just wasn’t the right fit for him here in Los Angeles. [...] Mike Brown has one big flaw in his coaching: he does not make adjustments in game. That’s what killed him in Cleveland, and that’s what killed him with the Lakers. If you go back to every series that the Cleveland Cavaliers lost, and every series that the Lakers lost, Mike Brown did not make adjustments within the game. That’s it. Let’s keep it real. If we’re going to be real, then let’s keep it real. That’s his biggest flaw. It’s not preparation. It’s not his defense, before the game and getting a game plan together. It’s within the game. That’s why.

– Legendary point guard Magic Johnson, as told to Sam Amick of the USA Today, in response to Mike Brown being fired by the Los Angeles Lakers five games in to the 2012-13 NBA season.

[Related: NBA Rookie Rankings: Fresh Meat]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Cavaliers, lebron james, los angeles lakers, Mike Brown

The Boots: C.J. Miles, Andrew Bynum Trade, Backup Quarterbacks, Preseason Browns Injuries

August 12, 2012 by Jacob Rosen 6 Comments

As I’ve been doing for years, The Boots are my way to assign Boot Up or Boot Downs to various items in the sports world. As a reminder, I got the nickname “Boot” from my older brothers when I was young, and thus, I continue to use this segment as my personal sports writing payback.

Boot Up: Addition of C.J. Miles — Yes, I like the move, but don’t read too much into it. The 25-year-old Miles has career averages of 8.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 51.2% true shooting in his seven-year career with the Utah Jazz. The free agent signing strikes me as a low-risk, high-reward move that can only help the Cavaliers at their weakest position: small forward. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Browns, Cavaliers Tagged With: Alonzo Gee, Andrew Bynum, Brandon Weeden, browns, C.J. Miles, cavaliers, Colt McCoy, Detroit Lions, Dwight Howard, Kyrie Irving, los angeles lakers, Mohammed Massaquoi, NBA, NBA Eastern Conference, nfl, NFL preseason, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Seneca Wallace, Thaddeus Lewis

NBA Trade Rumors: Cavs Want Assurance from Bynum Prior to Deal

July 19, 2012 by Scott 32 Comments

Prior to agreeing to a deal that would ultimately send Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard to Los Angeles to join Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers demand assurance from Andrew Bynum stating that the 24-year-old center will sign a long-term extension.

Yahoo!’s Adrian Wojnarowski corroborates an earlier report from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal which stated that the two parties, despite days of rumors, have yet to speak. The only part missing, according to Wojnarowski, is the Lakers’ willingness to let Chris Grant and the Cavaliers speak with Bynum’s agent, David Lee. Wojnarowski adds that the hold-up appears to be with regard to the Orlando Magic, a team continuing to show extreme indecisiveness with regard to trading their franchise player.

“Los Angeles wants the structure of a three-team deal agreed in principle before letting Cleveland take that next step to communicate with Bynum and his representatives,” writes Wojnarowski, “and that won’t happen until Orlando makes a decision that it wants to also lock-in the framework of a trade, sources told Y! So far, Orlando has shown a level of indecisiveness in the talks, sources involved in the negotiations said.”

The Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks reportedly remain as intriguing options to the Lakers center, who is set to hit free agency in 2013. It is believed that the Cavaliers are using both Kyrie Irving and team majority owner Dan Gilbert as sales tactics to entice one of the league’s best centers into calling Cleveland home for at least the next five seasons.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Andrew Bynum, Cavaliers, Dwight Howard, Kyrie Irving, los angeles lakers, NBA Trade Rumors

Report: Lakers’ Bynum has had no Discussions with Cavs

July 19, 2012 by Scott 25 Comments

The agent for Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum has said that his player has had zero conversations with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the team’s general manager Chris Grant, referring to the rumored deal which would send Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard to Los Angeles. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal states that Bynum’s agent, David Lee, confirms that his client has also given no indication of a long-term contract with the Cavaliers.

A Yahoo! Sports report recently surfaced which listed the Cavaliers as a preferred long-term destination for Andrew Bynum with the center entering free agency in 2013. Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio added to this news stating that Bynum not only would be open to a long-term deal with the Cavaliers, but has a desire to play for head coach Byron Scott and alongside reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving. ESPN’s Ric Bucher recently reported that the three-team deal would involve Cavaliers’ center Anderson Varejao and multiple draft picks leaving Cleveland as the third team. HOOPSWORLD’s Alex Kennedy adds that the entire deal hinges on the Magic who appear prepared to squeeze every possible ounce of compensation out of the Lakers and, now, the Cavaliers.

Lloyd, adding commentary, stated that his feelings were that he did not have the impression of the Lakers center eyeing up Cleveland as a long-term employer. If a deal were in fact close, the Cavaliers — led by Grant and David Griffin — would be allowed to contact Lee to work out any ancillary items. To this point, the two parties have reportedly not talked.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Andrew Bynum, cavaliers, Dwight Howard, los angeles lakers, NBA Free Agency, NBA Trade Rumors

Cleveland Cavs Notes: Kyrie Irving’s Injury, Luis Scola, Andrew Bynum, Start of Summer League

July 15, 2012 by Jacob Rosen 12 Comments

What a hectic week to be a fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers. It seems that almost every single day brings along a new news cycle, and this week has brought along its fair share of hectic news.

From the Kris Humphries-Brooklyn Nets rumors to the possible Luis Scola waiver claim, to the more recent Andrew Bynum murmurs and recent Kyrie Irving injury, there’s been plenty to talk about in Cavs town lately.

Tonight, the Cavaliers begin summer league play in Las Vegas at 8:30 p.m. against the Charlotte Bobcats. With this in mind, I thought this would be a great time to round up some of the recent rumors and my thoughts on the team for this Sunday afternoon. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: Andrew Bynum, cavaliers, Dwight Howard, Houston Rockets, Kobe Bryant, Kyrie Irving, Kyrie Irving injury, Las Vegas, los angeles lakers, Luis Scola, NBA, NBA Rumors, NBA Summer League, NBA Trade Rumors

NBA Trade Rumor: Cavs Discussing Trade to Land Andrew Bynum in Magic-Lakers Deal

July 14, 2012 by Jacob Rosen 75 Comments

HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy dropped a bombshell on Twitter about an hour ago with this nugget of information:

Three-team deal may send Dwight Howard to Lakers, Andrew Bynum to Cavs and picks/prospects/cap relief to Magic. Still trying to get details.

— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) July 14, 2012

Kennedy later expanded on that initial tease, posting an article with more details. In a possible trade that would send Dwight Howard to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cleveland Cavaliers would end up with Andrew Bynum, and the Orlando Magic would receive a number of picks and prospects. There were no further specifics about what the Cavaliers would give up in such a deal.

Kennedy cites sources close to the situation, but also says “while no trade is imminent, the talks are ongoing.” Kennedy is the only individual currently reporting discussions between the three teams.

In other well-circulated Howard-to-LA reports, David Pingalore (a former Cleveland reporter) of WKMG-TV in Orlando also cited sources Friday night that said the All-Star center will likely end up in Los Angeles. Pingalore’s sources appeared to be fairly adamant in saying that just “some crossing of T’s and dotting of I’s is only left” for Howard to land in LA with Kobe Bryant. Pingalore didn’t mention any possible trade partners for the two teams in his article.

7:33 p.m. Updates: Both ProBasketballDraft and Fox Sports Ohio’s Sam Amico have confirmed through sources that trade discussions are taking place between Orlando, Cleveland and the Lakers. Let’s start first with the new information from ProBasketballDraft:

According to multiple sources Magic would likely get Anderson Varejao plus picks and prospects.

— Probasketballdraft (@Probballdraft) July 14, 2012

This account also said the Cavs are looking for some type of confirmation that Bynum would extend. It also said that Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson and LA’s Darius Morris would be two key prospects that could go to Orlando.

Later, Amico confirmed through his sources that a deal is being discussed. These sources also reiterated Cleveland’s emphasis to make sure Bynum would extend with the team. One of Amico’s folks also said that “Cavs, as usual, being a big pain” in their trade dealings, as he reported earlier in the week about the possible Brooklyn Nets situation.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: Andrew Bynum, cavaliers, Dwight Howard, los angeles lakers, NBA, NBA Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors, Orlando Magic

Report: Former Cavalier Ramon Sessions will opt out of Lakers contract

June 19, 2012 by Rick Grayshock 20 Comments

Back in March the Cavaliers traded PG Ramon Sessions to the Lakers for a 2012 first-round draft selection which turned out to be pick number 24. Also included in the deal are Cleveland’s Christian Eyenga and Los Angeles’ Luke Walton and Jason Kapono. Kapono was bought out of his deal. Walton’s contract expires at the end of next season.

Sessions has a player option for next season at $4.5 million, and several were critical of the Cavaliers for making the move.

The Lakers failed to get to the NBA Finals with Sessions, and now it appears they will not have his services next season. According to Sessions’ agent (via Sam Amico), Ramon will test the free agent market-

“Ramon Sessions will opt out of his contract with the Lakers, his agent @Jkarnes1 says via Twitter.”

The Lakers will end up with some luxury tax relief from the deal, but little else to show for it. The Cavaliers on the other hand, have an extra asset in the 24th pick. They can choose a player (like Fab Melo for example) or package the pick for something else. Sounds like advantage Cavaliers to me.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: cavaliers, los angeles lakers, ramon sessions

While We’re Waiting…Grading The Sessions Trade, Tribe Bullpen Battles, Browns Quarterback Questions

March 17, 2012 by Brendan 3 Comments

Grading the Cavaliers’ trade of Ramon Sessions: “I was on the fence about their move of Sessions, because I’m so high on him. Yes, he was expiring and would be leaving. Yes, they only had 20-some-odd games left with him. But couldn’t they get better value than terrible contracts with another year left on them and a 25-plus pick? Then I thought more about it, and saw that the Cavs also got the right to swap their Heat pick obtained in the LeBron James sign-and-trade in 2013 with the Lakers’ pick, which could be substantially worse if the Lakers don’t improve considerably on their older core.

The Cavs now could have four first-round picks in 2012 and more picks in the future. They can package to move up or for a player. If yoiu’re rebuilding, this is the way to go. Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and picks on picks on picks.

It’s a big-picture plan, and a good one.” [Eye On Basketball/Matt Moore]

Sessions Trade the Latest Exercise in Chris Grant’s Regimen

March 16, 2012 by Scott 23 Comments

As another trade deadline came and went, Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant sat before the media collective and discussed his most recent bout with franchise yoga. After weeks of unrolling the team’s proverbial mat, discussions of potential poses and the deflection of all distractions during the methodical inhales and exhales, the team left its second consecutive trade deadline more financially flexible than when it arrived.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: cavaliers, Chris Grant, los angeles lakers, ramon sessions

Trading Ramon Sessions was the right move

March 15, 2012 by Rick Grayshock 38 Comments

The Cavaliers today moved Ramon Sessions and Christian Eyenga to the Los Angeles Lakers for Luke Walton, Jason Kapono and LA’s first round draft pick.

We’ve discussed trading Sessions before, and while everyone agrees that Sessions is the ideal back-up point guard, the fact remains he likely would have opted out of his contract at the end of the year. He can start for a lot of teams, including the Lakers. It is hard to imagine Sessions sitting behind Kyrie for another season.

The Cavaliers will now have two first round picks, their own and wherever the Lakers finish. Currently, those two picks would be #8 and #25 just based on standings- obviously the lottery pick could end up being in the top 3. They also have two second round picks, their own and the Hornets’ second rounder. Those picks would be #33 and #38 right now.

That’s 4 picks in the top 38. And let’s be honest, the Cavs pick will likely improve by moving Sessions. The Cavaliers are a slightly weaker team on the court today than yesterday. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: cavaliers, christian eyenga, Jason Kapono, los angeles lakers, Luke Walton, NBA Trade, ramon sessions

Breaking: Ramon Sessions Traded to Lakers for Future Draft Pick

March 15, 2012 by Scott 71 Comments

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers have agreed to terms to exchange point guard Ramon Sessions for a 2012 first-round draft selection. Also included in the deal are Cleveland’s Christian Eyenga and Los Angeles’ Luke Walton and Jason Kapono, all players being forwards. The pick obtained by the Cavaliers will be protected within the top-14 selections.

Sessions had averaged 10.5 points and 5.2 assists for the Cavs this season. Eyenga had averaged 1.5 points and 2.0 rebounds in six games. Kapono has tallied 2.0 points per game while Walton averaged 1.3 points and 1.6 rebounds in nine games and is slated to make $6.1 million in 2012-13.

As things currently stand, the Cavs will enter the 2012 draft with four selections, two first-rounders (including the Lakers’ pick) as well as their second-rounder and one obtained from the New Orleans Hornets, via Miami, included in the trade for LeBron James. In 2013, the Lakers obtain the right to swap with the Cavaliers’ first-round selection obtained from Miami in the same deal.

This deal is first reported by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: cavaliers, los angeles lakers, NBA Trade News, ramon sessions