May 22, 2013

While We’re Waiting… More Free Agency, OSU Football Captains and Randy Lerner’s House

July 9, 2009 by 7 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.

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Did LeBron bring this on himself? “The Cavs made a splash this summer by trading for Shaq. But from the perspective of keeping James around, it would’ve arguably been more important for Cleveland to sign a free agent like Artest, Ariza, or even Charlie Villanueva. Supposedly, James recruited Artest and Ariza, but confusion arose when the subject came up of whether or not LeBron would be around past 2010. No one’s entirely sure what happened, but for what it’s worth, James’s camp eventually had to come out and deny he’d already decided to stay in Cleveland — without somehow making it sound like he’d decided to leave.” [Bethlehem Shoals/The Baseline]

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NBA Free Agents: Who’s Left For Cleveland?

July 7, 2009 by 21 Comments

LeBron and Anderson VarejaoAs we’ve already discussed, technically no free agents are off the market until they sign contracts starting tomorrow. However, if we make the assumption that players stick to their verbal agreements then who is left for the Cavaliers to get?

We’re going to call the following free agents off the market. Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva (Pistons), Hedo Turkoglu (Raptors), Ron Artest (Lakers), Trevor Ariza (Rockets), Jason Kidd (Mavs), Rasheed Wallace (Celtics), Marcin Gortat (Mavs), Mike Bibby (Hawks). Shawn Marion is reportedly very close to being a Maverick as well. There is a group of players that haven’t agreed to terms with anyone, but are going to be more expensive than the Cavs can afford with the cap. That group includes David Lee, Paul Milsap and Lamar Odom. Could there be a sign and trade with one of those players? Possibly, but not likely. (No chance with Odom.)

So who does that leave? First you have to look at former Cavs looking for contracts.

Anderson Varejao is the big name here. Since opting out of his deal last week, there have been zero reports of anyone contacting or even interested in Andy outside of Cleveland. Varejao turned down $6 million to test the free agent waters, but might be wise to revisit that figure with the Cavaliers. The Cavs have been looking at more athletic PFs in free agency so far, which might suggest that they are willing to let Andy walk away from the team. However, they have yet to sign one of these players. I’m of the opinion that Andy is still a great fit for this team. In fact I believe that opportunities for easy baskets would increase for Andy with Shaq’s presence in the post. Andy is good at moving without the ball and finding the right lane for passers. [Read more...]

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NBA Free Agency: Cleveland’s New C. Frye?

July 7, 2009 by 16 Comments

fryeFor those of you who pine for the days of former University of Akron and Browns “great” QB Charlie Frye strictly because of his name (does this mean I broke the moratorium?), Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry is working on something that may satisfy your free agent appetite.

After literally spending a night in Los Angeles (still for reasons unknown, speculation centers around a meeting with Trevor Ariza) Ferry entertained former Trail Blazers and Knicks Power Forward Channing Frye at the Cleveland Clinic Courts facilities in Independence yesterday. While the PD’s Brian Windhorst’s catch phrase of “stretch power forward” may apply to Rashard Lewis or even Ariza, it does not apply to one Channing Frye.

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Postcards From Danny Ferry and Mike Brown

July 6, 2009 by 19 Comments

Hello Cleveland! This is Cavaliers’ GM Danny Ferry. I’m here in sunny Los Angeles with head coach Mike Brown. We understand that there has been some speculation about what we are doing out here. Well, after our last attempts to sign LA guys kind of fell flat, we decided to see what all the fuss is about this place. Don’t pay any attention to media reports and fake twitter feeds. This trip is pure vacation. No need to get your hopes up!

Coach Mike Brown here. Like Danny said, we’re just out here seeing the sites. Haven’t talked about the team since we’ve been here. In fact here’s some photos of us around the town just to prove that we haven’t even had the time to visit a free agent!

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NBA Free Agency: Mike Brown and Danny Ferry Head to Los Angeles

July 6, 2009 by 26 Comments

danny-ferry-mike-brownFor those of you that follow my Twitter account, you likely saw a blurb that hit early yesterday evening regarding a Mike Brown/Danny Ferry sighting out in Los Angeles.  It definitely pays to have a lot of traveling family members that think of us when they see persons of interest out and about.

A few hours later, this “sighting” was confirmed by Brian Windhorst in what he deemed a “clandestine free agent meeting.”

While the team will not confirm who they are visiting, the first name that should be on the top of everyone’s speculation list is not a free agent at all.  It is Dan Fegan – the agent of forward Anderson Varejao.  Fegan is based in Los Angeles and, as Windhorst mentions, conducts a lot of his negotiations in-house. 

Given the tension during the negotiations two years ago, there is a good chance that Team Ferry may find it in their best interest to start discussions with Fegan sooner than later; of course, assuming that they do in fact want him to be a part of this team going forward.  [Read more...]

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The Truth About The Cavs and Free Agency

July 3, 2009 by 29 Comments

artestI just finished reading Rock’s piece on watching our beloved Cleveland Cavaliers continue to get passed over by the top free agents this week, while simultaneously rolling out the red carpet for the Big Freeze, Shaquille O’Neal.  As Rock points out GM Danny Ferry was busy at a press conference while Rockets GM Daryl Morey was on a jet to Las Vegas stealing Trevor Ariza for the mid-level exception. Meanwhile, Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak was snagging Ron Artest for the same money. This is not a knock of Ferry, but the facts are the facts. I just get the same sinking feeling; doesn’t this seem like we are replaying the Michael Redd/Ray Allen/Larry Hughes situation all over again?

First off, I never bought into the Ariza rumors. I’m sure the Cavs  had interest in the lanky small forward who burst onto the national scene during the Lakers championship run. But before May, had I told you that the Cavs big free agent acquisition was going to be Trevor Ariza, half of you would have said “who?” and the other half would have looked at his averages of 8.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 31% from three point land and said “to give this guy five years and $33 million is ludicrous.” [Read more...]

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Carnival of the NBA #63: Stress Relief

February 18, 2009 by 4 Comments

Michael ScottOkay, everyone.  I’ve figured it out.  The reason that we are all so stressed about the NBA is because we are too intimidated to say what we really think.  We’re keeping these things inside – and that is causing stress.  So, what is the solution? 

The solution is: honesty, laughter, and comedy.  I’m talking about a roast!  Of the NBA!

Who here has the Comedy Central Roast Channel? 

You’ve seen it.  Everyone gets together and starts hurling insults at the one “guy,” but while laughing and hugging each other.  Anything goes… [In Hispanic accent]  Sí Señor.  See…it’s not offensive if it’s a roast.  Don’t hold back.  It can be about being cheap!  It can be about losing clients!  It can even be about your opponents in your fantasy basketball league, regardless of what place you’re in!  Everything is fair game.   

So get cracking…

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NBA Trade Rumors: Shawn Marion and Jermaine O’Neal, Amare Stoudemire’s Future?

February 14, 2009 by 12 Comments

Shawn MarionIn a four-player deal that went down on Friday, the Miami Heat have sent forward Shawn Marion to Toronto for forward/center Jermaine O’Neal, forward Jamario Moon and guard Marcus Banks.

First things first: Miami was thought to have been one of the main players in the “Amare Stoudemire” sweepstakes.  Now that they have acquired O’Neal et al – though with a trade exception of approximately $4 million – thoughts are that their biggest chip was in fact Marion, so this will no longer be the case.  High-upside guys like Michael Beasley could in fact be moved, but there would have to be some salary work done on Miami’s end as well.

Secondly, [Read more...]

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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...]

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Cavaliers: Mid-Season Target Practice

August 28, 2008 by 14 Comments

(Editor’s Note: Please be sure to check out Cavalier Attitude’s complimentary portion of this two-part series)

By now, we are sure that most of you were able to catch a recent piece by Patrick McManamon of the Akron Beacon-Journal in which he laid out some pretty solid details regarding the future of the Cavaliers; specifically regarding LeBron James and 2010. In fact, it was relevant enough that even someof the biggest LeBron-staying-in-Cleveland doubters took a step back and said, “Hey, these guys may actually have a point!”

And a point it is. As the argument that surrounds a possible exodus to another city of choice is the fact that LeBron’s supporting cast in Cleveland may not exactly be the best. But with the cap space that we have been harping about for months, coupled with the fact that we can offer James more than any other team, McManamon drops the bomb. [Read more...]

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Oh Danny Boy…

July 21, 2008 by 30 Comments

The Cavaliers have been quiet this summer. They drafted J.J. Hickson and made a draft day pick up of Darnell Jackson. They recently re-signed Daniel Gibson. But while fans cried for a Redd trade, or even a Posey signing, no Cleveland transactions came across the wire. The Cavs have reportedly tried to make some moves, but none were to Danny Ferry’s liking. Many have blamed Ferry for not being able to put the right pieces together to put the team over the top. Others have suggested that Ferry is merely being patient.

Rock and I are going to tag team this post. See, the way we see it, the Cavs are probably going to go to camp with the team we have, including re-signing Delonte West. As the season goes along, the expiring contracts of Wally Szczerbiak, Damon Jones, Eric Snow, Anderson Varejao and Joe Smith are going to be burning a hole in Ferry’s pocket, and frankly other teams will start sniffing. So who will be out there? What names might the Cavaliers be targeting in December? Secondly, will those players be worth giving up $35.349 million in expiring contracts? Rock is up first to look at the possible deals to be made-   [Read more...]

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Latest Trade Rumors

February 21, 2008 by Leave a Comment

LeBron and MarionTrade Rumors Supposedly Involve Shawn Marion

Following all this trade talk has been a bit of a whirlwind. As I promised last night, I have been keeping my eyes peeled and my ears open today. First, Brian Windhorst released his latest blog post about the trade rumors, saying,

“Woke up this morning to an explosion of e-mails about the potential trade I reported the Cavs were thinking about last night. It is important to point out that the Cavs and many NBA teams have discussions about big trades all the time. Obviously they intensify around the deadline as teams get serious about shaking up their roster. The Cavs are no different. The rumors that I have heard may only represent 10 percent of what the Cavs are thinking/talking about. I talk to various people from various teams across the league, I don’t have sources in every organization and the information I bring to you is the best and most credible I can find. The overall chances of a “blockbuster deal” — and boy has that term been devalued a little in the NBA over the last couple weeks — are still less than 50/50 in my opinion.” [Read more...]

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Interception! Check out this email exchange…

February 8, 2008 by Leave a Comment

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I have to tip my hat to the IT department here at WaitingForNextYear, they know how to grab a good story! Check out this email from Pat Riley to Steve Kerr…

Steve-

First off, thanks again for handling your end of this trade with class and respect. I hope that Shaq finds the healing waters of some desert oasis and can lead you into the playoffs and beyond. We are thrilled with Marcus and Shawn, as is our fan base, and hopefully they will restore us into contention in the Eastern Conference again soon. (That really shouldn’t be all that difficult huh?)

The reason I’m writing is to ask a favor. See, I sort of forgot about something when we traded Shaq to you. You may remember reading about our December 19th game with Atlanta. With 51.9 seconds left to go in OT, Shaq picked up his 5th foul but the officials claimed he had fouled out and was not permitted to play the remainder of the game. We ended up losing that game, but won a protest and the game is scheduled to be resumed from the time that Shaq was given the foul. It is to be finished prior to our March 8th game against Atlanta. Perhaps you are beginning to understand the situation. [Read more...]

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Wait, Cleveland Could Have Had Marion?

February 7, 2008 by 6 Comments

Shawn MarionA good friend of mine forwarded me a piece from today’s chat with ESPN’s Chad Ford (subscription required).  Within it, Ford was apparently discussing the Cleveland Cavaliers and their current rank amongst the NBA as well as the East.  And then he said this…

The Cavs are doing well in a bad conference. I still think they’re not in the same league as this year’s Celtics or Pistons and I think everyone in Cleveland knows that too. The problem is that they really don’t have the assets they need to pull off a big trade. Their best bet is to try to pawn off their $6.5 million in expiring contracts and perhaps Drew Gooden for a good player. But I’m not sure it will be enough. They need another star.  Too bad they balked at a deal this summer that would’ve sent Gooden, Varejao (in a sign-and-trade) and some of their expiring contracts to Phoenix for Marion.

You read that right.  Marion.  As in Shawn Marion.  The power forward, defensive powerhouse that typically is among league leader in steals and blocks every year, while putting up 20 points and 10 rebounds per night.  That Marion. 

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02/06 Morning Minute: So Much For “Signing” Day

February 6, 2008 by 1 Comment

Terrelle PryorThough we know that the number one recruit in the country has narrowed his choice of school down to three (Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State), it looks like we will be waiting longer than anticipated to find out the “winner” of the Terrelle Pryor lottery.  The Tribune-Review reports early this morning that though today is the first day that soon-to-be freshmen can sign a letter of intent with their University of choice, Pryor will not be doing such.

“I’m 100 percent sure I’m not signing,” Pryor said. “It’s a tough decision and I’m still trying to decide between Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.”

Pryor did say he has eliminated Oregon and told the Oregon coaches the school was too far from home. Pryor said he’ll probably make a visit to Penn State.

Its obvious that Pryor’s big priority is to be at least close to home.  I’m not sure on the milage, but I think Columbus has a slight edge on Ann Arbor in that department.  The Tribune-Review also reports that his father said that Terrelle is not concerned about playing right away – also something else that benefits the Buckeyes.  The ball is well in Pryor’s court, so it is just a matter of when he’s ready to make the move.

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