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Mike Brown says NYDN report about Waiters getting kicked out of practice, general locker room dysfunction is "in-house matter." #Cavs

M.S. Boyer/J. Valade @PDcavsinsider
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Kyrie Irving on latest rumor he wants to fire his agent, "That's 1000% false. I love my agent." #Cavs


7:11 PM - 1 Feb 2014

Jack started at PG tonight. Kyrie started at shooting guard.

IMO, Mike Brown does not make it to season 2.

Probasketballdraft ‏@Probballdraft 11h

According to a source Cavs willing to part w/ Dion Waiters as front office recognizes Kyrie & him having trouble playing together.

Jack started at PG tonight. Kyrie started at shooting guard.

I watched tonite, as I'm sure you did rusty. Now I am SURE Waiters should be traded.

The reason is that with Jarrett Jack handling the point tonight, Kyrie looked very, very content and comfortable. Methinks he LIKES the 2 guard position.

And that, is a problem.

They just don't like each other and it will never work. Last year they played very little together because of injuries. This year I could tell there was a problem from day one. Plus I think Dion is a thug !

What I really want to know or speculate about is what kind of return could waiters bring back ?

Personally, I would like to see a shooting guard. Maybe McLemore with the Kings or somehow work a deal for Asik (be able to defend the rim from guys getting by Kyrie). Have no idea of his worth and hope it does not end up being a guy like Shumpert.

Once again I think Waiters is Just A Guy with a bad attitude.

Jason Lloyd: Quiet grumbling turns into dissension in troubled Cavs locker room

By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published: February 1, 2014 - 10:23 PM


• Rockets 106, Cavs 92: Lineup change has little impact, Cavs suffer fourth consecutive defeat

HOUSTON: The rumbles within the Cavaliers locker room have been growing louder for weeks. Players who initially didn’t want to talk about what is plaguing this team are beginning to open up, and most of the issues are pointing back to guards Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, along with an unhappiness with Mike Brown and his staff.

“He’s acting like he doesn’t care,” one Cavs player said of Irving.

Many players in this story were granted anonymity based on the sensitive nature of the topic.

All of this comes on the heels of a New York Daily News story released Saturday evening reporting that Luol Deng has complained of a locker room out of control.

Players within that locker room are growing louder in their agreement.

“It’s pretty much a mess,” one source close to the team said.

Most of the complaints are focused on Irving and Waiters. One league source, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Waiters was removed from practice recently, per the Daily News report. But Waiters’ minutes weren’t affected by the move, which left at least a handful of players raising their eyebrows — particularly within an organization that has preached accountability since Brown’s arrival.

“That’s Dion. He’s been like that since he got here. He doesn’t think anything is his fault,” one team source said. “He’s actually better about it this year than he was last year.”

In the Daily News report, a source close to Deng said, “The stuff going on in practice would never be tolerated by the coaching staff or the front office back in Chicago. It’s a mess.”

Players have privately complained that Brown’s coaching staff, with at least seven assistants, is too big. An assistant coach will tell a player one thing, then Brown will come back and yell at that player because he wants it done another way.

“We’re getting too many mixed messages,” one player said. “This isn’t very much fun. We were losing last year with Byron, but at least we were having fun.”

Deng said Friday he didn’t believe anyone had given up on Brown as their coach.

“I just think we’re not playing as a unit,” Deng said Friday. “We’re a young team and right now we don’t know how to make each other better.

“When you play as a unit, you cover for a lot of things. When one guy is unhappy with somebody, when you’re out there together as five, no one would talk about this stuff. But right now, since we’re not a unit, you always go for the head of the snake. It’s unfortunate that guys will start talking about the coach and everything. But I’m new here, so they might feel a different way.”

Deng and Waiters were not available before Saturday’s game against the Houston Rockets. Deng typically doesn’t talk before games, and Waiters spent the whole time reporters are allowed in the locker room sitting in the trainer’s room.

Irving denied there are internal problems.

“The chemistry is great,” Irving said before Saturday’s game. “There’s nothing going on within the locker room that needs to be shared with the media.”

Brown shuffled his starting lineup Saturday, inserting Jarrett Jack in place of C.J. Miles with the idea of putting the ball in Jack’s hands more and letting Irving play off the ball.

Asked if that was to prevent Irving from trying to play 1-on-4 so much, one player nodded his head in agreement.

Two sources close to the team confirmed that barring a significant turnaround before the trade deadline, this roster will likely face some upheaval. That very well could include Waiters, whose act has worn thin on his teammates and various members of the organization.

Irving’s behavior has also irritated teammates and other members of the organization, but the Cavs are expected to offer him a max contract extension this summer and aren’t believed to be considering trading him. Two general managers told the Beacon Journal this year that Irving is pouting, something he denied to the Beacon Journal after practice Friday.

“I’ve never been known for pouting,” Irving said. “Just because I don’t smile on the court when we’re losing, I don’t think I’m supposed to smile. You smile on the court, that’s a problem, especially when you’re losing like this.”

It was a turbulent week for the Cavaliers and specifically Irving. ESPN reported Wednesday that Irving wants out of Cleveland, something he denied, while the Daily News reported he is close to firing his agent, Jeff Wechsler.

“I can tell you that’s 1,000 percent false,” Irving said Saturday. “I love my agent. He’s made me a lot of money these past few years. I’m 150,000 percent sure on that.”

No one would confirm the Daily News report that a handful of players were out late in New York City on Wednesday, the night before the Cavs’ embarrassing loss to the Knicks. Brown wouldn’t discuss whether he kicked Waiters out of practice, and when asked if he believes he still has a firm grip on this team, Brown said only, “Yes.”

Deng raved about the Cavs’ amenities on Friday, telling the Beacon Journal “these guys have everything. They’re getting taken care of. Sometimes when you’ve only been in one place, you don’t know what it’s like. Honestly, it’s top-notch here. I’m not just saying that to say it. I feel like we’re given the best, we’re taken care of to perform at our best. We have to somehow figure out what our best is. For us right now to win as a young team, more than anything it’s a unity thing. We have to play as one unit. Are we going to get there? I don’t know, but we need to.”

Deng also believes the role of veterans is important and cited P.J. Brown as an example. P.J. Brown was a veteran on the Bulls when Deng was coming into the league, and while he was never a star, he was a tough veteran who cared about winning.

The Cavs have had a few veterans during this rebuilding process, such as Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson, but none of them was considered a strong locker room influence. Then the Cavs began this season with the league’s second-youngest roster.

“What goes on in the locker room and what’s being said, it’s a lot more important than just having a bunch of young guys,” Deng said. “It’s great to have young guys, you need some vets in the locker room and it can’t just be one or two. You need a few to repeat it and guys to look across and see guys that have done it.”

Then Deng, unprovoked, said he believed the Cavs will get back to winning — a surprising comment given how he was portrayed in the Daily News report.

“Cleveland is going to win. I really believe that,” Deng said.

“I’m not surprised they went to the Finals before. It’s going to happen again, I really believe it.”

Jason Lloyd can be reached at jlloyd@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Cavs blog at http://www.ohio.com/cavs. Follow him on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/JasonLloydABJ. Follow ABJ sports on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

Brown shuffled his starting lineup Saturday, inserting Jarrett Jack in place of C.J. Miles with the idea of putting the ball in Jack’s hands more and letting Irving play off the ball.

Asked if that was to prevent Irving from trying to play 1-on-4 so much, one player nodded his head in agreement.

I'll say this again - I believe Kyrie is more suited to shooting guard. I realize that, due to his size, that's a problem. But his mentality is shooting guard. And he was happier there.

So, if Waiters is traded, would love to see a pure point guard brought to the team.

Last night, in Houston, the effort was far better. The Cavs lost, since Houston simply has more talent, but they looked better to me, mentally.

Cleveland Cavaliers Playoff Chances
Lost to Houston 92-106, playoff odds down 0.4 to 1.3%
16-31 .340

http://www.sportsclubstats.com/NBA/East ... eland.html

Might as well play the young guys

Irving & Deng realizing false hopes and unfulfilled promises for Cleveland Cavaliers

By Shlomo Sprung
January 31, 2014 at 2:33 PM

You have to be in a special kind of mess as a franchise to be playing the Knicks and be considered the more dysfunctional team in the matchup. That’s what happened to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. The Cavs may be in the worst situation among any NBA team, a hot mess and a dumpster fire in a frigid North American winter.

There are doubts about whether their franchise cornerstone, Kyrie Irving, wants to stay with the team long term. The coach, Mike Brown, is being asked whether his players still listen to him. The man the heavily scrutinized general manager just traded two first-round picks for questioned the team’s manhood after a lopsided loss to New York. Luol Deng may not stay with the Cavs beyond this season, and Brown and general manager Chris Grant could go out with him this summer.

There are too many unhappy players, too many botched draft picks and too much negativity surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers to simply ignore it.

It starts with their superstar, Irving, voted as an All-Star starter for this month’s game in New Orleans.

ESPN’s Chad Ford started off his weekly web chat by saying that Irving was unhappy in Cleveland and wanted out. A barrage of rumors metaphorically engulfed the Cavaliers locker room after an embarrassing 117-86 loss to the Knicks in which the defense was far worse than the lackluster effort and 35 percent shooting.

After the game, Irving addressed the issue. “It’s not about me and it’s not about this controversy surrounding do I want to privately come out when my contract is up,” he said. ”I’m still in my rookie contract and I’m happy to be here and I’m pretty sure that I’m going to be here for a long time.”

Kyrie Irving 2He did not say that very enthusiastically, almost seeming forced or rehearsed. ”There’s so much negative attention on me. I know we’re struggling but it’s not about me. It’s about our team. It’s about us fighting every day for each other, me fighting for my teammates,” Irving said in a quote pulled right from cliche central casting.

Irving will ultimately prove whether he’s happy in Cleveland with his actions. He’ll likely get offered a five-year max level contract extension this summer. All he has to do is take the money and he’ll prove he’s happy enough to stay. But the root of Irving’s reported unhappiness is likely the talent Grant has placed around him.

It’s not panning out, and it could get even uglier soon.

Acquired from Chicago for Andrew Bynum and draft picks, Deng was supposed to be an ideal, team-first complement to Irving and a strong veteran influence to the team’s younger players. But Deng has unexpectedly struggled with the Cavs compared to how well he was playing with the Bulls.
Deng 13-14 Min FG % 3 FG % Points Reb Assists PER D Rtg O Rtg WS/48
Bulls 37.4 45.2 27.4 19 6.9 3.7 17.3 106 102 0.134
Cavs 32.8 42.6 37.9 15.4 5 2.3 15.5 106 109 0.089

Deng has gone from hitting 49 percent of his two-point shots with the Bulls to just 43.9 with the Cavs, which is the root of his field goal troubles in Cleveland. ”I just haven’t made shots,” Deng said. “I’ve made some threes and I’ve missed some twos.” His defense has likely sagged because the Cavs are such a poor defensive team, but his win share numbers have dropped off quite a bit.

Far worse than Deng’s struggles on the court is his questioning of Cleveland’s toughness and fight, caustically and candidly addressing what his current team is lacking.

“You gotta fight. It’s one thing to play hard and lose and it’s another thing to just let the team do whatever they want,” Deng said. “As a person, as a man you at some point have to stand up and battle your heart out.”

Deng said they wouldn’t have lost that way if the team was at that point.

Deng, a free agent after the season, has to wonder if the team will ever get to that point as currently constructed. When asked by SheridanHoops if Deng thought about his long-term status with the team, he gave reporters a dark mean glare and said “no.”

It would be a severely damaging blow to a franchise that’s had quite the rough season.

Grant built this team to reach the playoffs this year with Eastern teams like Philadelphia, Orlando, Boston, Milwaukee and Charlotte in obvious rebuilding modes, knowing that he would likely be fired this summer if things went wrong.

Things have gone wrong. Spectacularly wrong.

The high-risk Andrew Bynum signing resulted in his trade from the team last month that was essentially a release. Jarrett Jack and Earl Clark have not made the impact management envisioned when they were signed from the Warriors and the Lakers over the summer. And then there are the draft picks.

Tristan Thompson is a solid rebounder, but not much more at this point. He’s a poor defender, having been embarrassed by J.R. Smith of the Knicks on Thursday, whose defensive rating has never been better than 108 for a full season and whose field goal percentage (45.7 percent) is not good for a big man.

Dion Waiters may never be more than a scoring 6th man off the bench, an inefficient offensive player and an even worse defender. ESPN’s Zach Lowe even made up a drinking game to emphasize how frustrating Waiters is as a player.

Anthony Bennett and IAnd then there’s Anthony Bennett. The top overall pick in last June’s draft didn’t hit a single shot from the field until his fifth NBA game, and never reached double figures in scoring until his 15-point “outburst” against New Orleans on Tuesday, his 33rd professional game. Bennett currently sports a minus-36 net rating, which is the difference between his points scored and allowed per 100 possessions. No other top overall pick had a net rating worse than minus-10 in their rookie season since Michael Olowokandi in the 1998-1999 season, making it safe to say (in this respect) that Bennett may have been the worst top pick in 15 years.

Head coach Mike Brown blames it on Bennett missing the summer with injury, slowing and possibly stunting his development. Yet Brown adamantly told reporters that the team had never considered sending Bennett to the D-League to hone his skills, saying that he was doing well in practice and that the New Orleans game started to scratch the surface of what he could do.

Is this just a random case of misplaced hubris and machismo, or one of the many signs that Grant is misguided in how to run this Cleveland franchise?

Grant whiffed on top-five picks Thompson, Waiters and now Bennett. Will Cleveland call Grant out after his third strike?

Would Deng stay even though the highly touted young talent hasn’t panned out and the team’s losing ways have continued?

There’s likely little to no chance Irving would leave if he was offered a max contract, but it’s easy to imagine how he would be extremely unhappy. He was promised a talented young core to surround him, and those promises have proven empty.

“I enjoy going out there and competing at the highest level for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s what it’s about,” Irving said. “I’m not saying anything to foretell the future, but I’m pretty sure the relationship I have with Dan Gilbert and management extends off the court and I enjoy being here.”

It seems like Irving will stay, but it doesn’t seem like Deng, Grant, Brown and any hope for a bright future for this team will be around at this time next year.

HOUSTON: Thirteen thoughts following a 106-92 loss to the Houston Rockets…

1. I’ve been slowly hearing more and more things about the Cavs’ locker room over the past few weeks, and some of that information escalated following my column on Kyrie Irving last Sunday. Other players, who before would only roll their eyes and shake their head when his name was mentioned, began opening up a little more.

2. When you’re sitting on a story like this, involving the best player on the team, complaints about teammates, coaches, etc… you don’t run right out and fire blindly.

3. The Dion Waiters/practice incident thing got by me. I missed it. It happens. The details surrounding it remain sketchy. It’s not entirely accurate to say he was kicked out of practice, I’ve been told, but something involving Waiters definitely occurred. The details will probably eventually spill out. They usually do.

4. Now for a little background on my sitdown Friday with Kyrie Irving. It was after practice and some guys remained on the court scrimmaging with the support staff and Irving was sitting by himself. So I went over and started talking to him.

5. There was some stuff we both needed to say after last week’s story. We said it and that will remain private. Then I turned the recorder on. The formal interview portion lasted 4 minutes, 55 seconds. Then the guys were leaving the court and headed to the bus, so he had to go. That was the end of it. There were plenty of things I didn’t get to ask him, but that’s life.

6. The Luol Deng portion of the New York Daily News story blindsided me. I was going to write a different story on Deng for Sunday, but the Daily News report made me speed up the timeline on the other stuff.

7. Deng after the game seemed genuinely upset by the Daily News report. Here’s what he said verbatim:

8. “I’m disappointed that there’s an article like that. It doesn’t make sense to me saying, ‘close friends.’ Just name whoever told you that if you do have somebody, but I feel like people are always looking for something to write about. I’m new here, so obviously writing an article like that fits right in saying that’s how I feel. I’ve said it many times. I’m excited for the opportunity. I’m happy to be here. This is a young group of guys, but it’s guys I like and I get along well. I’ve been in that situation where I’m a young player and I had vets talk to me. You’re going to make mistakes, but the way it was written is just to put down everything that’s going on here. We know we’re struggling, we know we’ve got to get better as a team. But writing an article like that is just giving a writer who wants everyone to read whatever he’s writing. I’m really disappointed and it hurt me a little bit because I do care about the guys in the locker room and I’ve never in my career had something like that written about me. I’m disappointed.”

9. When asked if he was frustrated with this team, Deng said “Obviously we’re losing, I’m not happy. But to go as far as to say I’m frustrated with the guys, that to me doesn’t make sense. I do have the jersey on and I play for the Cleveland Cavaliers. I’m coming from a different organization so people want to compare. That’s behind me. I said I’m looking forward to the position I’m in now. I’ve never backed down from anything and there’s going to be ups and downs. I’m looking forward to taking the challenge and doing whatever I can whether it’s being a good leader or just being out there playing as hard as I can. I’ve never been in a situation where I start talking and turn my back on what’s in front of me. It’s not me, it’s not who I am. I’m really upset that’s written about me and I just hope guys within the team understand that. It’s something we don’t need right now.”

10. Waiters sort of shrugged when I told him he was back in the news. “There’s always a report, that ain’t nothing new,” Waiters said, then he denied getting kicked out of practice. Technically, he wasn’t lying. “Dion is always in something,” he said.

11. Hey there was a game tonight, too! Mike Brown said he moved Jarrett Jack into the starting lineup for better ball movement, communication and execution. And he thought he got it.

12. I asked if starting Jack, and moving Irving off the ball a little bit, was a message to him to stop trying to take on entire defenses. "That's something that I'm working with him on anyway," Brown said. "I wasn't trying to send a message by starting Jack."

13. People who think we as journalists enjoy this stuff are crazy. At least I don’t. See you in Dallas.

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland-...sEnabled=false

DALLAS: Ten bonus thoughts on Super Bowl Sunday…

1. I’ve kind of had a knot in my stomach since filing that story last night on the strife in the Cavs’ locker room. I ended last night’s Thoughts by writing this stuff isn’t fun for me and it’s not. You spend enough time around people, get to know them a little bit and you grow to admire and respect them. I’m not talking specifically about the players, but people throughout the organization. One of the hardest things to do, then, is set their building on fire.

2. I experienced it last year, too, with Byron Scott. I really liked, admired and respected Byron. I enjoyed spending three years with him. He was fantastic to deal with every day, he was hilarious (great sense of humor, great timing and very witty) and we built a fair amount of trust with each other. To have to write the column I did toward the end of last season, when I pretty much knew he was getting fired, was one of the most difficult pieces I’ve ever written. But professionally you have to just suck it up and do things you don’t like sometimes. That occurred again last night.

3. I was thinking about my interview with Kyrie Irving during this morning’s flight from Houston to Dallas. Irving has a tough exterior that is usually difficult to break through. He’s very polished, almost robotic at always saying the right things. He rarely ever reveals anything about himself.

4. Friday was the exception. Friday, in that brief conversation I had with him after practice, he was genuine, sincere, even a touch vulnerable. “I just feel like what people fail to realize is I don’t have all the answers all the time,” he said. “I’m still the third-youngest on this team. I’m a 21-year-old kid trying to figure this whole thing out. It’s a daily job and that’s probably why it’s been one of the toughest years for me. Just learning every single day.”

5. More Irving: “I needed this. It was more or less a wake-up call. I got away with so much my first two years. It wasn’t a breeze, but everything came easy. This is the first year where every single night it’s going to be a challenge. That’s one of the things I’m getting used to and I’ve accepted it.”

6. Go back and re-read both of those quotes. That might be more he has truly revealed about himself than his first 2 ½ years here combined. I believe him when he says that stuff, and I’ve been as hard on him as anyone.

7. It was one of those had-to-be-there moments, but his tone, his facial expressions, the way he paused and really thought before answering some questions … it all seemed very genuine.

8. Irving has really come under attack for the last week. From me, from national media and even from some teammates. It has probably been his most difficult week professionally in what he already admitted has been his toughest year.

9. It’s not uncommon for players to get aggravated with young stars. Some of the old Cavs players often complained to coaches/management about a young LeBron James and how difficult it was to play with him. James was young and still trying to figure things out. In that regard, Irving is much the same way.

10. I’ve written many, many times this season that this team isn’t mentally or physically tough enough. They’re soft. But times like this will make them tougher. That includes Irving, too.

Nothing good about Cavs' latest stretch
Sam Amico
FOX Sports Ohio

FEB 02, 2014

Random thoughts on the Cavaliers, who head to Dallas on Monday carrying a four-game losing streak and a whole lot of (at least perceived) issues:

-- A lot has been said and written about the Cavs in the past two weeks, and none of it good. An embarrassing loss at New York was followed by a report that Dion Waiters was tossed from practice. That, of course, was followed by another loss (at Houston).

-- Without all the added drama, Cavs fans probably could've passed off the Rockets game as just an everyday defeat. With Dwight Howard, James Harden and others, the Rockets are a true title contender. Losing in their building isn't the end of the world. The Cavs actually played well and looked like a team in spurts. But again, so much has gone wrong since Martin Luther King Jr, Day, it was just another reason to feel depressed.

-- As for the New York Daily News column about Waiters getting kicked out of practice, and Luol Deng basically being miserable … well, I was unaware of either of those things. Deng spoke about the Daily News piece in a story by the Akron Beacon Journal (which also described some team dissension). He seemed upset. But after coming from Chicago, and landing in this situation, who could blame him for wondering what the heck is going on?

-- No one from the Cavs denied the Waiters story. I tend to believe it. It's not like it was written by some blogger from Sacramento. Daily News columnist Mitch Lawrence has been among the nation's leading NBA authorities for a long, long time. He doesn't make up stuff for the purpose of website hits.

-- Personally, I don't think getting thrown out of practice is a major ordeal. Those types of things occur in the NBA all the time. Michael Jordan once punched teammate Steve Kerr when the two were members of the championship-winning Bulls. Several years before that, Jordan stormed out of practice when he felt then-coach Doug Collins got the score wrong in a team scrimmage. Granted, there's a big difference between those Bulls and these Cavs (and, of course, Jordan and Waiters), but the point is, guys are competitive. Stuff happens.

-- That's not to indicate everything is being blown out of proportion. As far as pro sports franchises go, the Cavs have serious problems. It's not just the losing, it's the WAY they are losing. Or worse, it's the way they've won. A lot of their wins showed us that they're a better team than this. That means there's a breakdown in communication, in effort, in just about everything.

-- I like Waiters and think he has loads of ability. But the Cavs never interviewed him prior to drafting him No. 4 overall in 2012. I once asked Spurs coach Gregg Popovich about how that organization goes through the pre-draft process. He repeatedly stressed that the Spurs consider one-on-one interviews with prospects a major factor in whom they select. Popovich has won four titles, so his words are worth repeating. "We tend to draft guys who have gotten over themselves," he told me.

-- Compare that to the quote from a Cavs source about Waiters in the Beacon Journal: "That's Dion. He's been like that since he got here. He doesn't think anything is his fault."

-- I don't want to say Mike Brown has lost control of his team. I will say this is the type of commotion that takes place when you keep losing and everything stops making sense. From everything I've been told by sources who are batting 1.000 over a six- or seven-year period, the Cavs have no plans to part ways with Brown. But I'd feel like a big phony if I didn't say I believe Brown and general manager Chris Grant probably need to get this turned around quickly.

-- Finally, Beacon beat writer Jason Lloyd touched on this in his excellent Final Thoughts column, and I wrote the same thing yesterday, but I can't stress it enough: I don't enjoy this. Not one bit. When you cover a team, you develop relationships with people -- people who make important basketball decisions and coach. The Cavs have great people in those positions. I want them to succeed. It's awful for me to report or analyze a situation that is failing.

-- Basically, I'm still passionate about this sport and about this league, and about this franchise. But I'm also passionate about my job, and it is my duty to report and analyze as fairly and honestly as I know how. The Cavs' restless nights often result in restless nights for me, too. This season has been my most difficult assignment.

TFIR wrote:

Brown shuffled his starting lineup Saturday, inserting Jarrett Jack in place of C.J. Miles with the idea of putting the ball in Jack’s hands more and letting Irving play off the ball.

Asked if that was to prevent Irving from trying to play 1-on-4 so much, one player nodded his head in agreement.

I'll say this again - I believe Kyrie is more suited to shooting guard. I realize that, due to his size, that's a problem. But his mentality is shooting guard. And he was happier there.

So, if Waiters is traded, would love to see a pure point guard brought to the team.

Last night, in Houston, the effort was far better. The Cavs lost, since Houston simply has more talent, but they looked better to me, mentally.

Kyrie would be a very good PG if he had anyone around him that he could trust to shoot the ball. Since he does not, there is no floor spacing for him to do what he does best which is penetrate. There is only one offensive player playing with Kyrie that the defensive team has to play honest. (Deng) The defense sags off and clogs the driving lane. Think about it.

Thompson, Andy, Miles, Zeller, Jack, Gee and Bennett (currently) are not players that scare the other team on offense. These are the players that Kyrie is usually on the floor with since Dion is a little thug that can not get along with anyone.

Put a Kyle Korver, Klay Thompson along with Deng that can shoot and spread the offense and Kyrie would flourish.

This is not speculation. Two seasons ago, Irving could not be stopped from the top of the key at the end of games. He was one of the best penetrating guards I had ever seen because he actually could get to the hoop with an open shot. Most great penetrating guards like Wade get fouled on the way to the hoop.

Bottom line if you want to compete you need a wing player that can shoot (hopefully a 2 guard) and it would help to get a strong rim protecting big man. Kyrie is never going to be a good defensive player so PGs are going to be able to penetrate on him so a good defensive big could really help.

Unfortunately, most teams want Andy in a trade. (How valuable is he ? Have you watched the games without him ? He is a one man defensive team.) The Cavs do not want to trade their most disciplined, hardest working player.

At the same time, Grant and Brown's jobs are on the line. Anything is possible. I have not heard one rumor about who the Cavs are trying to get. I have looked at every team and I really see very few current fits.(Unless you include Andy) Usually easy because you have to trade contracts in the NBA.

Things get even more difficult because Dion Waiters is Dan Gilbert's favorite player. Will be interesting.

Irving Isn’t Alone In Cleveland

By Steve Kyler

It’s Not Just Kyrie: By now you have likely heard something about Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving being unhappy. Brian Windhorst of ESPN has written about it. Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal wrote about it. The ground has been covered.


The problem is that the story being cast is that Kyrie Irving is unhappy, as if to suggest that he is the only unhappy camper in Cleveland, when the truth is no one in Cleveland is happy with their 16-31 record and that includes ownership.


The Cavs are in the middle what’s best described as a systemic revolt. Last year the team had Byron Scott as their head coach and the lack of defensive intensity soured the locker room on the coach and a change was made. Out went the “player friendly” Scott and in came the tougher more disciplined Mike Brown. The problem is nothing has really changed in terms of harmony in the locker room.


Young guys that struggled with Scott are struggling with Mike Brown. A team that was all-offensive last year, is trying to be all-defense this year and it’s not working for anyone. Part of that is on the roster. Part of that is on management for bringing in too many duplicated players and that combination has created a selfish, unhappy and almost petulant environment of hot and cold and finger pointing.


Irving is the easy guy to point at because his body language on the court is far from ideal, but second year guard Dion Waiters has had his moments almost as much as anyone else.


First overall pick Anthony Bennett is logging one of the worst performances for a rookie in the modern era and clearly the worst season for a top overall pick.


Everyone involved in the process is trying to say the right things to the media, but the truth is this roster does not work and if change is not made, it is hard to imagine that Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is going to allow another year of frustration to possibly ruin his relationship with his franchise player Kyrie Irving.


The Cavs have several fires brewing on several fronts. They had hoped that acquiring Luol Deng from the Chicago Bulls would calm the situation and introduce some veteran poise to the roster. That’s has not worked as planned and more and more people around the situation believe that unless the Cavaliers just unload with a max level contract offer that Deng’s stay in Cleveland will be short lived and he’ll be gone in July.


The Cavs are not as worried about Irving, despite reports, mainly because the steps he would have to take to hit unrestricted free agency in July of 2016 have never been taken by a player of his caliber. The Cavs will try and extend Irving as soon as they can, but there doesn’t appear a need to make a rash move just to satisfy Irving.


The urgency to make changes are more tied to the hot seat management finds itself on and the pressure ownership is applying.


Sources near the situation said around the draft that ownership gave the front office the green light to draft and sign whatever players they wanted, however making the playoffs was the franchise goal understanding that the only way to get buy-in from the young guys was to let them taste the postseason.


At no point was an “or else” statement made, but everyone involved knew what was on the line.


It’s one of the reasons the Cavs took a shot at the risky Andrew Bynum. It’s one of the reasons they drafted the player most scouts thought was the most NBA ready player in Bennett. It’s one of the reasons the Cavaliers added Jarrett Jack, a proven locker room leader.


None of those things have worked out, in large part because of the dysfunction around the team.


The Cavs are expected to be active over the next 17 days, in the march up to the February 20 NBA Trade Deadline. It’s highly unlikely that the Cavs will explore anything involving Kyrie Irving, but it is clear that almost anyone else on the roster could be had especially if it can infuse the Cavs with the kinds of players that will buy into to the situation.
As bad as it’s been for the Cavs, they are still only four games out of the eight seed, so all is not lost by any leap of the imagination, but change is coming and that’s almost a certainty now that the Cavs locker room laundry has been aired publically.


It’s not just Irving that’s unhappy, it’s safe to say almost anyone wearing a Cavs jersey would like to see things change and it appears the front office is working to accomplish that.

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