May 25, 2013

NBA Trade Rumor: Cavaliers and Grizzlies working on deal for Leuer and Speights

January 22, 2013 by 43 Comments

EDIT: It appears this trade is agreed upon and just waiting for league approval.

According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies are in talks on a deal that would see Jon Leuer sent to Memphis and Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, and Josh Selby coming to Cleveland. Per Windhorst, draft picks would also be included in the deal.

The Grizzlies have been trying to rid themselves of some salary, and this deal would certainly help them with that. Speights is making $4.2 million this year and will make $4.515 million next season. Wayne Ellington is making $2.083 million this year and will be a restricted free agent after this season. Jon Leuer is making $762,195 this season and will have a qualifying offer to become a restricted free agent after this year.

As for the talent impact, well, there’s not much. Speights is a solid offensive big man and a decent enough rebounder, but his defensive woes will fit in a little too nicely on the Cavaliers. He’s averaging 6.6 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in 14 minutes per night. Ellington gives the Cavaliers some outside shooting that they do lack, but has never really developed as Minnesota or Memphis had hoped. He is shooting 42.3% from three point range this season.

[Related: Halfway Home: Cavaliers' Stats and Trends]

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Morosi: Cleveland Indians Scouting Matt Garza

July 6, 2012 by 18 Comments

There’s still time before the Major League Baseball trade deadline comes, but that’s not stopping teams from trying to make impact moves prior to the All-Star Break. While there’s no doubt the Cleveland Indians could really use a right handed bat, they’ve already seen potential targets such as Kevin Youkilis and Carlose Lee traded to contenders. Does this mean the Indians might turn their focus instead to bolstering the pitching staff?

Perhaps. According to Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi, the Indians were among a handful of teams scouting the Chicago Cubs’ Matt Garza during his last start.

Morosi would go on to tweet that the Tigers have also had discussions with the Cubs and that the Cubs have been seen scouting the Tigers’ AA team for prospects.

For the season, Garza is 4-7 with a 4.32 ERA with an 86/29 K/BB ratio.

[Related: Indians 3, Rays 1: Tomlin Steps Up]

 

Filed Under: Headlines Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cavaliers Shouldn’t Alter Rebuilding Path for the Sake of Making the Playoffs

March 14, 2012 by 52 Comments

The Cavaliers still should trade Sessions...for a first round pick

It’s funny to be sitting here a day before the NBA trade deadline and thinking about how a Cleveland trade would impact their own playoff hopes.

It’s true, though. That is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ reality. As of today, Cleveland is 1 game behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference. I don’t think anyone ever thought this would be an issue for Cleveland this soon, yet here we are.

With Anderson Varejao now having been out for a month, how did the Cavaliers get here? It’s really a combination of things. First, getting the 8 seed in the East is nothing special. The Cavaliers are 8 games under .500 and yet are 1 game out of the playoffs. If anything, these playoff aspirations are more about the pathetic nature of the Eastern Conference than about any perceived quality of the Cavaliers.

Were they in the Western Conference, the Cavaliers would be in 14th position, five and a half games behind 8th seed Houston. Rather than talking about how exciting the season is and having all this hyperbole about how incredible it is that Cleveland is in the playoff hunt, the talk instead would be just how far the Cavaliers have to go to be competitive with their Western Conference peers. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Revisiting the Anderson Varejao Trade Discussion

January 30, 2012 by 56 Comments

Anderson Varejao's Value Shining Through This Season

In the midst of watching the Cavaliers’ incredible comeback against the Celtics, I was also keeping one eye on Twitter. (On a side note, I don’t know how those of you who tweet during games do it…I always feel like anytime I try to tweet during games, I feel less connected and distracted from the game. So kudos to those more adept to multi-tasking that I am). I noticed something interesting happening on Twitter during this game.

As Anderson Varejao kept pouring his heart and soul into that game, giving every last ounce of effort and want-to he could possibly find inside his seemingly tireless body, Cavs fans on Twitter were making arguments as to why this should be the showcase for trading Varejao.

The irony of people asking for the Cavaliers to trade Varejao as we were all watching the man give the type of effort without which the Cavs certainly would have lost was absolutely not lost on me. Nor was the fact that Varejao, always considered a fan favorite, seems to be the guy many Cavs fans are most eager to have the team trade away. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Trading Anderson Varejao Is a Tricky Proposal

January 11, 2012 by 46 Comments

Anderson Varejao on Media Day

On Tuesday, rumors began to spreadabout the Cavaliers asking around about trade interest for Anderson Varejao. There’s no indication the Cavaliers have any trade offers, nor is there any indication that they even want to trade Varejao. Just some empty rumors about the Cavaliers keeping their options open.

Cavs GM Chris Grant seems to be the kind of GM who likes talking to other teams and keeping a firm finger on the pulse of the trade market. As well he should. It’s important to know what kind of interest there is, not just for Varejao and other trade targets such as Sessions and Jamison, but for every player on the roster. The only way to make a fully informed plan on how to best rebuild this franchise is to know the value of the assets you hold.

But the rumor did raise an interesting and very difficult question. If there is strong interest in Varejao, would the Cavaliers be wise to trade him? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Zydrunas Ilgauskas Hopes To Decide Destination By This Weekend

February 24, 2010 by 45 Comments

Zydrunas Ilgauskas PartyFans who were worried about Zydrunas Ilgauskas not being bought out can breathe a little easier today. While the buyout agreement with the Washington Wizards has not been finalized yet, all indications are that the talks are progressing and everyone seems to expect an agreement happening within the next day or so.

This doesn’t mean Ilgauskas hasn’t already been thinking about his future. According to a report David Aldridge filed last night on NBA.com, Ilgauskas’ agent Herb Rudoy has every intention of speaking with as many teams as possible who are interested in acquiring Z. Aldridge writes:   [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Amare Stoudemire To Cleveland Rumor Makes More Sense Now Than Ever

February 13, 2010 by 139 Comments

Amare StoudemireGet ready for one crazy rumor-fueled weekend of NBA Trade Speculation. With All-Star Break here, the NBA will now see most owners, GMs, and agents converging in Dallas for the festivities. With both sides expected to meet to discuss the impending Collective Bargaining negotiations, it creates an atmosphere conducive to GMs and owners to meet face to face and talk about getting certain deals done.

The biggest deal everyone is talking about now, of course, is the Amare Stoudemire rumor. Whether or not Amare is the right fit for Cleveland is a fair question. I’ll touch on that briefly in a minute, but first I wanted to talk a little bit about the timing of this rumor as well as about what the Cavs are really risking in losing JJ Hickson.

Lets start right there with JJ. Some of the comments on this site and other Cleveland sports sites is getting a little out of control here. I understand everyone is excited because JJ is finally beginning to show slight signs of consistency.  This excites me as well, and I would really like to see what kind of player Hickson can develop into. But any notion that Hickson’s ceiling is in Amare’s ballpark is more than just a little bit of a stretch.   [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Possible Felony in Moeller Case, the Rooneys Rule, and Iverson to the Cavs

August 20, 2009 by 37 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 in the sidebar.

Derek AndersonThe lesser of two evils? “Channel 3 and the Browns stepped up to buy the remaining tickets for Saturday’s preseason home opener against Detroit, thereby avoiding the first local television blackout since 1995.  Uh, thanks … we think.

The Green Bay game brought home the essence of the extreme mixed emotions people have about this football team. After that performance, the idea of watching the Browns is apparently surpassed in dread only by the idea of not being able to watch the Browns.” [Bud Shaw/Plain Dealer]

[Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Kidd To Cleveland More Fantasy Than Reality

March 31, 2009 by 13 Comments

LeBron James and Jason Kidd

It seems a little absurd to me to even be considering thinking about the roster next season when the Cavaliers’ hopes in this current season are more than alive and well. I’d much rather look ahead to the playoffs than look ahead to free agency next year. It’s one thing to wonder what will happen to current free agents-to-be Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak, and quite another thing to wonder about outside players who the Cavaliers may be looking to bring in.

However, a bit of that happened this weekend when the Cavaliers played the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. It’s no secret that LeBron James and Jason Kidd have formed a very close friendship, and that LeBron has publicly stated more than once how much he would like to play on the same NBA team with Kidd at some point. So, with Kidd being a free agent this off-season, I suppose it’s only natural that some would ask Kidd about the chances of him signing with the Cavaliers this summer.   [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Happy NBA Trade Deadline Day!

February 19, 2009 by 126 Comments

Cleveland Cavaliers
The NBA Trade Deadline is today at 3:00, and we will be doing our best to provide you with full coverage of everything that will be going on today. We will be giving you details and updates throughout the day, but there will be a live blog over at MVN that I will be participating in from 2:00 to 3:00, and a podcast this evening at 8:00 regardless of whether the Cavaliers do a trade or not, so stay tuned for those details.

Update 1:00 pm – Ok, so by now I see you guys are already talking about the potential Shaq deal. This would be an interesting trade because it begs the question, how do use Shaq and Z in a lineup together? Do you play Shaq at the 4? Do you ask Z to come off the bench? Do you ask Shaq to come off the bench? I would actually lean toward doing this trade if I were Ferry. I worry a little about the loss of Ben’s versatility on defense, but as has been pointed out a lot lately, his defense the past few weeks has been pretty bad anyway. Also, it sounds like some talks have picked up with Richard Jefferson again, but I think that will be a last second deal if it happens because Milwaukee wants a better deal than what Cleveland is offering.

Update: 2:00 pm – Not much happening on the Shaq front at the moment, but for the next hour, I will be live blogging over at MVN. You can follow along if you want at Cavalier Attitude.

_____________________________________

On the Cavaliers front, there’s a lot of noise about nothing right now. The latest is that the Wizards don’t want to trade Jamison and the Clippers want legit players rather than expiring contracts for Camby. The Cavaliers aren’t going to do anything like that for Camby’s services, so that deal sounds dead.   [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ben Wallace Injured: Are You Kidding Me?

February 17, 2009 by 17 Comments

Ben Wallace

Brian Windhorst reported this afternoon that Cavaliers’ forward Ben Wallace is traveling with the team, but is listed as questionable after receiving 14 stitches in his forearm. Wait a minute. The Cavs didn’t play last night, how in the world did Ben Wallace get a cut that bad? Oh, he was “catching a football”. Really? [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , ,

Shanahan To Cleveland?

December 30, 2008 by 24 Comments

Don’t count on it. Besides Cowher, I can’t think of many coaches I would rather see in Cleveland…but it isn’t going to happen. Mike Shanahan has been the Broncos head coach for 14 years. He won two Super Bowl titles there and had the Broncos in the playoffs seemingly every year. He has had a parade of thousand yard rushers and decent defenses. He is exactly the coach the Browns need…and won’t get.

I can’t imagine that Shanahan will be patrolling any sideline in 2009. I figure he will step away from the game for at least a season and weigh his options. He will be in high demand for NFL shows, and jobs will still be open next season if he chooses to coach again. Sorry to throw cold water on the celebration, I’m just trying to be realistic.

Shanahan out in Denver (NFL.com)

Filed Under: Browns Tagged With: , , , ,

Wally For Brad Miller? Another Bizarre Trade Rumor

December 23, 2008 by 29 Comments

Wally SzczerbiakPerhaps I am just overestimating the worth of $13 million of salary cap relief. Especially in this day, when everyone is trying to clear as much space for 2010 as they can, you’d think $13 million was a valuable piece of trade bait. So far, though, the rumors for Wally Szczerbiak and his now famous expiring contract have been pretty underwhelming.

First, there were the rumors of a deal involving Wally and Anderson Varejao going to Miami for Shawn Marion, a trade I wholeheartedly oppose. Now the latest involves another guy who has seemingly has his best days behind him. Bill Ingram for Hoopsworld has the latest. In his evening scoop column last night, he wrote,

“It’s no secret that the Sacramento Kings are in love with Wally Szczerbiak’s ending contract. The Kings are officially rebuilding, and Szczerbiak’s ending deal is exactly the kind of thing the Kings would love to get a hold of. HOOPSWORLD has learned that the Kings would send Brad Miller and a player to the Kings if it would return Szczerbiak and JJ Hickson.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Marion Upgrade? Not So Fast

December 16, 2008 by 20 Comments

Shawn MarionThere’s been plenty of talk in the offseason about the possibility of the Cavaliers trading Wally Szczerbiak and his expiring contract. In all honesty, the topic was brought up the instant the Cavaliers acquired Wally in the big Larry Hughes trade last season. So it should be of little surprise to anyone that trade rumors involving the Cavaliers and Szczerbiak are about to start popping up. The first one of the season came today.

Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports had the details in his column Tuesday morning. He wrote,

“The Cavaliers have had ongoing discussions with the Miami Heat about an Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak for Shawn Marion trade, a league executive familiar with the discussions said.

So, here is what the Cavs are asking themselves now: Do we dare?

Miami has had discussions with several teams lately on Marion, including the Toronto Raptors and Sacramento Kings, sources say, but Cleveland could deliver the most intriguing proposition. Marion has struggled with the Heat – averaging well below his career averages in scoring and rebounding – but several league executives believe he’ll be more motivated and valuable with a championship contender. That’s the reason Cleveland is entertaining the possibility. GM Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown are wondering whether Marion could be the difference in a conference final against the Celtics.”     [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Quick Response…

July 1, 2008 by 15 Comments

lebronusa.jpgWell, that was a fun day. Rock’s excellent piece on LeBron James certainly stirred the pot, as evidenced by the number of comments and visitors to the site. We wanted to acknowledge a couple of things-

First, thank you to our regular readers for your support and outpouring of appreciation on the piece. Next, we wanted to say that we did in fact see Terry Pluto’s article, which came out after Rock put his post. A few people accused him of ripping off our article, but we believe Terry when he says he didn’t read our piece first-

From Terry Pluto:

Dear Fans,

www.waitingfornextyear is an excellent blog.

I did a long interview with Scott Sargent who runs it a while ago. He sends me stories that I should see, and I really appreciate it.

I wrote my LeBron column on the way home from my in-laws in NC, killing time in airports. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Cavaliers Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,