They not only knew. They also knew what team he was going to. Lebron's posse sat in Magic Johnson's seats when the Cavs were in LA

TFIR, if you have the time and want to know what went on behind the scenes of the Cavs then listen to this.

https://923thefan.radio.com/articles/ca ... joe-vardon

rusty - I listened to that, thanks for the link.

It does connect a lot of the dots.

BEST OF SB NATION NBA

NBA
3 potential trade packages for Kevin Love, Cleveland’s most valuable asset
79
Time to revisit the Trade Machine again!
By Akash Anavarathan@akashanav Jul 6, 2018, 12:00pm CDT



As Cleveland parts ways with it’s local superstar for the second time in eight years, their owner has a tough pill to swallow: bottoming out in 2019 to build the foundation for long-term success.

Instead of trying to compete for a spot in the playoffs, Cleveland should face the music, trade away as much of their veteran core as possible and start from scratch. It’s what I’d refer to as the “Burn it to the Ground” method of rebuilding.

The Cavaliers have a better rebuild path than they did in 2010, with young players, Collin Sexton and Cedi Osman and a trade chip in Kevin Love.

The first obstacle in their way is that the Hawks own the Cavaliers’ top-10 protected first-round pick in 2019. This should further encourage Cleveland to have a worse season, as it’ll allow them to retain the pick that was traded away for Kyle Korver two seasons ago.

Cleveland should consider moving the most valuable asset in their back pocket — Kevin Love. The longest tenured member of the Big 3, Love deserves to join a winning situation, while also helping the Cavaliers in their quest for the worst record possible.

The 29-year old averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds per game this past season and could easily slot in as the second-best player on a playoff contender or the third wheel on a championship contender. It should be noted that Love’s under contract for another two seasons, although he can opt out his deal after next season. That could impact his value.

Let’s take a look at some logical trade packages that could benefit the Cavaliers and Love for the upcoming season.

1. Portland Trail Blazers
POR receives:
Kevin Love

CLE receives:
Evan Turner, Zach Collins and a 2019 first-round pick

This trade presents the heartwarming story that will allow Kevin Love to go back home to Oregon, play with superstars Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum and be the third piece on a contender.

Cleveland will have to absorb Evan Turner, a poor fit on the court and a rough salary cap hit, but it will net them Collins and a future first-round pick. Collins is only 20-years-old and can grow alongside Sexton and Osman as the young building blocks for the Cavaliers. Most noted that the ex-Gonzaga big man came out a year earlier than he should have, but I’m sure his growth potential is high on a young team.

2. Washington Wizards
WAS receives:
Kevin Love

CLE receives:
Otto Porter Jr. and a 2019 first-round pick

The Wizards have had an interesting offseason, letting go of Marcin Gortat and adding Austin Rivers and Dwight Howard. Washington is soon about to be in salary cap hell, with the contracts of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter Jr. set to kick in. In 2019-20, the three will be making a combined $92.1M against the cap.

I think Cleveland could dangle Kevin Love and entice the Wizards into a new Big 3. On the flip side, the Cavaliers would be getting a 25-year old wing that could play alongside Sexton and be a valuable part of the franchise for years to come. While Gilbert might not want to pay the tax bill for a bad team, it could net him a young, team-controlled quality player in return.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder
OKC receives:
Kevin Love

CLE receives:
Carmelo Anthony, 2019 first-round pick, 2019 second-round pick

I’m sure Cleveland fans are swearing at me through the screen as they read this, but hear me out. This would reunite Kevin Love with his UCLA buddy, Russell Westbrook. Love can help them on both ends of the floor, especially with defensive stalwart Steven Adams in the middle. Offensively, Love doesn’t need the ball in his hands and can help spread the floor in ways that Anthony cannot.

For the Cavaliers, it would simply be their way of buying draft picks from the Oklahoma City Thunder. They would most likely buyout Carmelo Anthony’s contract (though letting him play on an awful team isn’t the worst thing for tanking, see: Knicks, New York). Anthony would also need to approve this deal, as he has a no trade clause.

While the Thunder don’t have any young players that could interest the Cavaliers, the idea of netting two draft picks could be attractive for Koby Altman and the front office.

I know it's just summer league but our new point guard is looking pretty good.

The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly passed on an opportunity to trade up to No. 3 overall during last month's NBA draft.

According to Cleveland.com's Joe Vardon, the Cavaliers "were offered on draft night the chance to trade up to No. 3 with the Hawks in a deal that would've sent Kent Bazemore to Cleveland."

The point-guard needy Cavaliers may have been tempted to move up to No. 3 since Luka Doncic and Trae Young were both on the board after the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings selected Deandre Ayton and Marvin Bagley III first and second, respectively.

However, climbing five spots wouldn't have come cheap.

The Cavaliers' salary-cap sheet is bloated to begin with, and adding Bazemore would have tacked on an $18.1 million salary this season. Plus, Bazemore owns a $19.3 million player option for the 2019-20 campaign.

Instead of making that fiscally irresponsible move, the Cavs stayed at No. 8 and selected Collin Sexton, who has been stellar to this point in Las Vegas Summer League.

On Wednesday, Sexton piled up 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting, seven assists and four rebounds as the Cavaliers advanced to the second round of elimination play with a 96-84 win over the Sacramento Kings.

Sexton and the Cavs will be back in action Saturday against the Houston Rockets.

Cavaliers-Celtics Kyrie Irving deal continues with Ante Zizic - Terry Pluto

Terry Pluto is talking the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ante Zizic

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer terrypluto2003@yahoo.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- What if Ante Zizic turns out to be a good player?

I have been thinking about that since watching the young Cavaliers center have some very nice (albeit brief) moments in the regular season.

At the age of 21 and a rookie, he played at least 20 minutes in game only three times last season.

He scored 15 points (7-of-9 shooting) and had seven rebounds vs. the Lakers.

He scored 14 points (also 7-of-9 shooting) and had six rebounds vs. the Bulls.

He scored 20 points (also 7-of-9 shooting) with seven rebounds vs. the Knicks.

The 21-year-old Zizic has been the star of the Cavaliers Summer League team, averaging 20.5 points (shooting 63 percent) and 12.5 rebounds in his first two games.

Ante Zizic Full Highlights vs Bulls (2018.07.07) NBA Summer League - 25 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast

You don't need to be Hubie Brown to realize the 6-foot-11, 260-pound Zizic is a polished inside scorer.

But it helps when you ask the Hall of Fame coach about Zizic, and Brown says, "I think that young man can play."

That was part of a conversation I had with Brown before a Cavs game this season.

It was nearly a year ago (July 24, 2017) when reports came out of Kyrie Irving demanding the Cavaliers trade him. Irving didn't want to play with LeBron James, among other issues.

A deal was eventually worked out, sending Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Zizic, a 2018 first-round pick and a 2020 second round pick.


Not long after the trade was made, Cavs General Manager Koby Altman told me, "We really like Zizic."

But the Cavs were in the Win Now Era with James. Rookies from Europe received little playing time.

Coming to Cleveland

Zizic played in 2016-17 for Darussafaka in Turkey, where his coach was David Blatt. That's right, THE David Blatt who coached the Cavs for the first 1 1/2 seasons of James' return.

In 20 Euroleague games for Blatt, Zizic averaged 9.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in 22 minutes a game. He was only 20 years old, one of the youngest players in the Euroleague. That's considered the second-best league in the World behind the NBA.

Zizic was the 23rd pick in the 2016 draft by Boston. He played that 2016-17 season in Turkey. After that, he was shipped to the Cavs.

Zizic played 18 games in the G-League for the Canton Charge last season, averaging 16.3 points and 9.4 rebounds in 25 minutes a night.

When he's played, he's been productive.

During the regular season, Zinc scored 119 points in 214 minutes, shooting .731 from field. He also had 60 rebounds.

It's about a point every two minutes, a rebound every four minutes. With an extremely high shooting percentage.

And remember, he's only 21.


The trade continues

Two of the players from the Irving deal are with the Cavs Summer League team -- Zizic and Collin Sexton.

The Cavs used that draft pick on Sexton, and the Alabama point guard has real promise.

It's easy to project Sexton and Zizic playing significant roles with the rebuilding Cavs this season.

Sexton is only 19. He played one year of college. He is extremely quick and sometimes out-of-control as he roars to the rim as if on jet-skies.

The 6-foot-2 Sexton is averaging 16.5points and 3.0 rebounds in his first two summer league games. He's shooting 44 percent from the field. He's made some superb drives to the rim, then missed easy layups.

Sexton has only five assists in three games. He needs to learn to throw the ball into the low post, where Zizic will catch it and find different ways to score.

But the talent is obvious, Sexton has real promise.

As for the rest of the Irving deal, the Cavs used Thomas and Crowder as parts of other trades bringing Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood to Cleveland.

That's why it's hard to deliver any type of quick verdict of what the Cavs did with Irving.

But so far, Zizic could be the most pleasant surprise.

Does Terry get paid by the sentence?

Or the paragraph?

Actually the sentence count and the paragraph count is the same.

And not much more than the word count.

Nearly.

Channing Frye is a good signing for the Cavs, but one that raises questions


By David Zavac Jul 14, 2018 4

According​ to multiple​ reports, the​ Cavaliers are signing power​ forward/center Channing Frye​ to a one-year, $2.4​ million​ deal. Frye​ spent the​​ end of last season in Los Angeles as part of the deal that sent Isaiah Thomas there from Cleveland, but was a valuable member of the Cavs’ championship team in 2016. The 35-year-old is perhaps most famous for his ability to stretch the floor as a shooter but is beloved by Cavs fans for being a great locker room presence on a team with mercurial personalities in LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. I’ll never forget asking him a fairly mundane question about perceptions of the team’s lack of chemistry before a first-round playoff game in 2016 and getting this passionate response:

“IT’S A BUNCH OF BULLSHIT. IT WAS OVERBLOWN LIKE CRAZY. THIS IS, PROBABLY, ONE OF THE BEST LOCKER ROOMS I’VE EVER BEEN IN IN MY CAREER. I THINK SO MANY THINGS GET OVERBLOWN. I JUST LITERALLY STOPPED WATCHING ESPN AND ALL THAT OTHER KIND OF STUFF. IT’S LIKE ‘I’M IN THE LOCKER ROOM AND YOU GUYS ARE MAKING UP STUFF THAT DOESN’T EVEN EXIST.’ IT’S KIND OF CRAZY. FOR US, IT JUST MAKES US MELD TOGETHER. WE LAUGH ABOUT IT AT TIMES. IT BRINGS US TOGETHER, MAKES US A BETTER TEAM.”

To the extent this was true, Frye was perhaps as big of a reason why as anyone. His camaraderie with Richard Jefferson on and off the floor was infectious and helped smooth over wounds that many didn’t even know existed. All of this is why having Frye play for your team can almost never be a bad thing. His on-court contributions are arguable — he remains a fantastic shooter but he can’t move in space, which makes him difficult to play anywhere other than the center position — but he’s not going to complain about playing time or make life difficult for the head coach.

Let’s not read into what this means for Love or what the Cavs intend to do in terms of tanking. Love has already taken to Instagram to show excitement over Frye’s arrival, so it makes keeping the All-Star a bit easier if that’s the route the franchise decides to take. But Love will ultimately want to win, and Frye doesn’t move the needle a ton on that front.

That isn’t to say that Frye shouldn’t get playing time, which presents benefits and complications. For guards like Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman and perhaps Rodney Hood, having a true pick-and-pop partner who can open up space for drives will be helpful for their development. You don’t want to repeat the mistakes made early in the career of Irving, who had no help in either facet of the game between Antawn Jamison and Spencer Hawes’ Cavs stints.

But then you remember that Love spent all of last season playing center. And that Tristan Thompson exists. And that Larry Nance Jr. and Ante Zizic need to play and get opportunities. Even if you consider Love a power forward, or even if you trade him, there’s a minutes crunch. Do you trade Thompson? His contract would make that difficult, one would imagine, but perhaps James wants him in L.A.?

It’s possible this is purely a locker room move and a way to bring a fan favorite back. Perhaps Frye isn’t in line for minutes without injuries. That’s all fine, but if Love remains you might still be looking for a way to move Thompson. Whatever happens, you don’t want to waste the opportunity to try to develop Nance’s and Zizic’s games.

The other angle here is that while the Cavs have young talent, there is still a lot of veteran know-how (and maybe some veterans without know-how) on the roster. George Hill, J.R. Smith, Kyle Korver, the aforementioned Thompson and Love and now Frye should probably preclude the team from going after another guy like Jefferson (a front-office role, though, could work) unless some moves are made.

Regardless of where they go over the next two months, the Cavs have a pretty good locker room even if they don’t have a great team. That’s not nothing when you’re trying to instill a culture post-LeBron James. And if the season does turn sour, you’ll be happy to have a guy like Frye.

The team still has the midlevel exception and the ability to match any contract Hood might find in restricted free agency.

Isaiah Thomas has gone from Celtics hero to blockbuster trade chip to veteran hanging on the free-agency market looking for a deal almost two weeks after he was free to sign one.

That was before late Thursday night, when he agreed to terms with Denver on a veteran-minimun, one-year, $2 million deal, sources confirmed to The Athletic, reuniting him with the coach who helped unleash him as a high-volume bench scorer five years ago.

— The Nuggets have added a veteran point guard, replacing Devin Harris — Denver acquired him at last year’s February trade deadline — with Thomas. The Nuggets still have Monte Morris, the second-year star of the team’s summer league roster, on a two-way contract, but Denver decided it wanted a full-time veteran behind 2016 first-rounder Jamal Murray.

The Nuggets now have a backup point guard who averaged 28.9 points per game during the 2016-17 season before hip injuries limited him to 32 games last year, his age-28 season.

Thomas’ fall from playoff hero to Cleveland castoff to Lakers reserve has come so swiftly that it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly who he is at this stage in his career. In 17 games as a backup in Los Angeles last season following his brief and disastrous stay in Cleveland, Thomas averaged 15.6 points and five assists per game. Those numbers are almost identical to Denver’s top backcourt reserve a season ago, Will Barton, who put up 15.7 points and 4.1 assists per game.

For Thomas, signing with Denver is a chance to rebound. Being traded for Kyrie Irving ahead of last season came with the expectations that he could fill a similar role next to LeBron James.

But Thomas’ health notwithstanding, the fit was never right, and he was gone by the All-Star break. Playing on a veteran minimum deal, Thomas has a chance to reestablish himself as one of the league’s preeminent backcourt reserves. Take his 2014-15 season, when he came off the bench in 66 of the 67 combined games he played with Phoenix and Boston. Thomas averaged 16.4 points and shot 37.3 percent from 3-point range.

Channing Frye is a locker room guy who is a part time assistant coach.

Cavaliers Scribbles: Scouting Collin Sexton, Billy Preston - Terry Pluto

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer terrypluto2003@yahoo.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my notebook while watching some of the Cavaliers summer league games on ESPN:

1. It appears the Cavaliers made the right move by selecting Collin Sexton at No. 8. The Alabama point guard has continued to improve during the two weeks playing in Las Vegas. He has tremendous straight-line speed. He especially drives well with his left hand. That will be an advantage as most defenders are conditioned to guard players against driving to their right side -- because most players are right-handed.

2. Sexton converted only 49 percent of his shots at the rim in his one year at Alabama. He has missed a lot of layups in Las Vegas. I do like how the right-handed Sexton is working on making driving layups with his left hand -- and having some success.

3. But remember Sexton is only 19 years old. He still has so much to learn. But his energy and tenacity are exciting. So is his athleticism. Not only is he fast, he can jump. His outside shooting is iffy, but that will improve. He was 2-of-10 on 3-pointers in Las Vegas heading into Monday's game. Most young players become much better shooters after a few years in the NBA. It's like most young hitters develop more power after a few years in Major League Baseball.


4. Sexton was averaging 18.2 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds. He was shooting 43 percent from the field. He has not been intimidated. Sexton has been a shoot-first point guard. He can learn to become a better passer. I'd like to see him pass off more often when driving to the rim -- teammates will be open for dunks and layups.

5. The NBA has become a league where the top players often turn pro after only one year of college. That's why it's so hard to say Sexton won't become a respectable outside shooter. That comes with time. It doesn't appear his shot is "broken" due to a strange release or shooting form.

6. The same is true of his passing. His nickname is "Young Bull," and that's not a label you give to a passer. It's one for a player who stampedes to the basket. But Sexton's passing should also improve.

7. If you're a Cavs fan, there are many reasons to be encouraged by Sexton. It's also helpful the team still has veteran George Hill to start at point guard so Sexton isn't forced to carry a huge load early in the season. The coaches have loved how Sexton has been studying video and taking preparation seriously. That was his reputation at Alabama.

8. Cedi Osman played a few summer league games, averaging 20 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He'll be a key player for the Cavs this season. Osman can play shooting guard or small forward and he loves to defend. Ante Zizic played only two summer league games and was tremendous, averaging 20.5 points and 12.5 rebounds.


9. Billy Preston signed a two-way contract with the Cavs, meaning he can play a lot with the G-League Canton Charge. The 6-foot-10 Preston was a top 10 recruit who signed with Kansas for the 2017-18 season. He never played due to eligibility issues. Except for a few games in Bosnia, Preston didn't play at all last season.

10, Preston is a fluid, gifted athlete. He's averaged 10.8 points and 5.1 rebounds, but shot only 33 percent in the summer league. He needs to play and get into better physical condition. One Cavs official told me, "He's a perfect two-way guy because he can get a lot of minutes in Canton."

Collin Sexton has shown flashes in Las Vegas
On a day when former franchise-everything LeBron James was in the house supporting his new team, the Cleveland Cavaliers continued their transition to the future at the Las Vegas Summer League. The Cavs' summer league team defeated the Toronto Raptors 82-68 to move into the tournament semifinals on Monday night, and No. 8 overall pick Collin Sexton had another strong game with 18 points, 6 assists and 3 rebounds. But will his Vegas display translate to the regular season against NBA competition?

Sexton has spent the summer league as primarily a volume scorer from the lead guard spot, averaging 17.8 points on 43.3 percent from the floor through six games. However, Sexton is doing most of his damage inside the arc, as he's shooting 46.3 percent (37-of-80) on 2-point shots but only 20 percent (2-of-10) from downtown. The lack of a consistent 3-pointer could be a problem at the next level, as he'll need that shot to be a consistently effective scorer at his size.

Sexton likes to attack the rim off the dribble from the 3-point line, sometimes utilizing screens but often creating on his own to get into the lane. He has a quick enough first step that he often has been able to create a bit of space, but isn't very large so is not adept at using his body to seal off the defender. Instead, Sexton often relies on quickness to get to the rim jumper. On Sunday, there were six dribble-drives in the first half that culminated in either trying to finish at the rim or turning the ball over, the most memorable of which coming when he accelerated but missed a one-handed dunk over an interior defender.

While these drives in Vegas generally led to either made layups or drawn fouls (Sexton has averaged 6.7 free throw attempts), it's unclear if he'll have the size and explosiveness to finish with as much success at the rim at the next level. But Sexton also demonstrated the ability to either pull up off the dribble or to find teammates with kick passes off the drive. Sexton took at least four jump shots off the dribble on Sunday, which resulted in three made midrange jumpers. This is a shot that should be a weapon for him in the NBA.

play
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Sexton drills contested stepback jumperCollin Sexton hits a tough step-back jumper for the Cavs' first points in Sunday's game against the Raptors.
The aggressive drive and kick should also be effective at the next level, especially when he's surrounded by more talented shooters. While Sexton had six assists on Sunday, there were at least six other assist opportunities where the teammate either missed the shot or turned the ball over.

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It was heartening to see Sexton set up teammates for so many shots on Sunday, because that has been a question mark during his Vegas stint. Sexton has had three summer league games with three assists or fewer -- including a goose egg in his debut against the Washington Wizards -- and it remains to be seen if he has the court vision to be a full-time floor general. However, if he can be disruptive and leverage his own scoring to create assist opportunities, Sexton can at least be effective in a combo role, perhaps splitting time with George Hill or Jordan Clarkson.

That leads to questions over Sexton's size, as he measured only 6-foot-1½ with shoes and 183 pounds at the combine. But he did show a willingness to mix it up in Vegas with his 6-foot-7¼ wingspan. On Sunday, especially in the second half, he was routinely getting switched onto larger players such as Malachi Richardson, Alfonzo McKinnie and Rawle Alkins and held his own. Sexton was rarely overpowered to disadvantage and used guile to pull the chair on McKinnie though he was still called for a reaching foul. And, in one of my favorite plays of his against the Wizards last week, Sexton set a physical back-pick at the free throw line that freed up a teammate for a wide-open reverse alley-oop dunk.

The Cavaliers are hoping that Sexton will be one of their primary building blocks in the post-LeBron era, relying upon his ability to create for himself and the team as a focal point for their future offense. He showed some useful skills in Vegas, both as a scorer and as a creator, but needs to work on his long-range shooting and passing ability to achieve his maximum impact at the pro level.

The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly pursuing a trade for Cleveland Cavaliers sharpshooter Kyle Korver.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey, the Sixers "have had discussions" with the Cavaliers about a trade centered around Korver and shooting guard Jerryd Bayless.

Bayless, who is due $8.6 million next season, has been considered a prime buyout candidate since falling out of the Sixers rotation last season.

Given Bayless' declining value, it stands to reason the Sixers would have to add sweetener in the form of a young prospect or draft picks to complete a deal for a shooter of Korver's caliber.

Last season, the 37-year-old averaged 9.2 points per game and shot 43.6 percent from distance for a Cavaliers team that won a fourth straight Eastern Conference title.

I assumed that Korver wouldn't fit the New Cavs. I guess draft picks are the most valuable commodity for them now?