Going to be interesting this week with trade deadline.
Do the Cavs trade Andy or Deng ?
Can they find takers for Jack, Clark, Gee, or Miles ? Would like to pick up Jarred Dudley with some combination of those players. Cavs may also look to add Jimmer Fredette.
Personally, I like Asik. Houston wants Andy. I can not do that.
If they could acquire Asik (mean, defensive orientated, rim protector), using Deng I am all for that.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1547Cavs’ Kyrie Irving Wins All-Star Game MVP
Kyrie Irving had 31 points and 14 assists, including 15 points in the fourth quarter to become the second-youngest player to ever win the MVP award Sunday in the East’s 163-155 comeback victory.
Now he is second only to LeBron James as the youngest MVP in All-Star history. James was 21 years, 1 month and 20 days when he won his first MVP in 2006; Irving was 21 years, 10 months and 24 days on Sunday.
“Kyrie is special,” James said. “His ability to shoot the ball, get into the lane, make shots around the rim, he has a total package. And I’ve always known that.”
via Jason LLoyd of the Akron Beacon Journal Online
Kyrie Irving had 31 points and 14 assists, including 15 points in the fourth quarter to become the second-youngest player to ever win the MVP award Sunday in the East’s 163-155 comeback victory.
Now he is second only to LeBron James as the youngest MVP in All-Star history. James was 21 years, 1 month and 20 days when he won his first MVP in 2006; Irving was 21 years, 10 months and 24 days on Sunday.
“Kyrie is special,” James said. “His ability to shoot the ball, get into the lane, make shots around the rim, he has a total package. And I’ve always known that.”
via Jason LLoyd of the Akron Beacon Journal Online
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1548All-Star MVP Kyrie Irving key to any chance Cavs have of luring LeBron
February 17, 2014 1:12 am ET
Kyrie Irving holds the key for any prospect of a Cleveland turnaround. (USATSI) Any hope of a turnaround in Cleveland rests solely on the shoulders of Kyrie Irving. (USATSI)
NEW ORLEANS -- With the biggest stars of the sport, some of the biggest in the world, saving All-Star weekend with a dazzling performance on Sunday night, the one who lives in their shadows stole the show.
On a night when Blake Griffin rose above the rim and challenged Wilt Chamberlain's All-Star scoring record, when Carmelo Anthony dropped an All-Star record eight 3-pointers, when Kevin Durant displayed the incredible breadth of his talents, Kyrie Irving was the one who so improbably stood above them all -- raising the MVP trophy in the air.
Only after some prodding from LeBron James and his Eastern Conference teammates, though. At the tender age of 21, in his second All-Star Game and first start, Irving should be forgiven if he didn't quite know what to do.
“I just wanted him to have his moment, and the moment is holding that trophy above your head,” LeBron James said after Irving led the East to a 163-155 victory in the 63rd All-Star Game. “It's one of the few moments in our year when you do that. It seemed like he didn't know exactly what to do and I just wanted to give him a little tip.”
It wasn't the first time on this night when James helped Irving out, or vice versa, as the Cavs' former centerpiece and the current one teamed up for an array of dunks and spectacular layups that conjured images of what their future together night be.
“Kyrie's special,” James said. “It's just that simple. Very special basketball player, very smart basketball player -- his ability to shoot the ball, get into the lane, make shots around the rim. He has the total package. I've always known that, always witnessed that ever since he was in high school. I'm extremely happy for him, extremely proud for him to win this award.”
Zach Harper
Blake Griffin scores 38 points by conforming
Irving finished with 31 points on 14-for-17 shooting, dishing out 14 assists. One of them was a nifty one to LeBron for a layup that put the East up by six points with 43 seconds left. He crossed up Dwight Howard and drove for a layup, and might've made the shot of the night in a game filled with them as he drove and scooped a driving layup off the glass -- a wicked moment, a breathtaking reminder of how lethal he is.
So young. So much future.
“Being as young as he is, his second All-Star appearance and to be able to come out with the MVP just validates and solidifies why he's in this game and why he's one of the best point guards that we have in our league today,” James said.
And amid the misery of a dismal season in Cleveland -- a losing team, a fractured, rudderless organization that never recovered from James' departure four seasons ago -- there rises the faint hope of a reunion. That hope burns hot within the team's owner, Dan Gilbert, who is fiercely determined not to let Irving leave him the way James did in 2010. And the owner's belief remains strong that he'll have a shot to get James back -- either as a free agent this summer or next, if James' championship well runs dry in Miami.
Game recap
East 163, West 155
Whether that notion hanging over Cleveland is healthy for the Cavaliers or not, Irving wouldn't say. But moments after clutching that MVP trophy in his hands, raising it above his head with an assist from LeBron, he admitted that he's well aware of the possibility.
“Everyone is going to have their opinion and write different stories,” Irving said. “But for me, my focus level is just on my team and our team that we have now. That's the most important thing at this point for me. All the outside sources, I really don't pay attention to. It's more of an internal confidence thing that I'm trying to raise with the morale of my teammates. That's what it's about.”
Sunday's All-Star Game marked the beginning of a shift in the NBA's tectonic plates of talent. With Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and even James willingly taking a back seat to the tidal wave of young brilliance crashing on the NBA's shores, the dynamics have changed since James created his super team in Miami nearly four years ago.
Whatever the outcome of this year's championship chase, with James seeking his third ring since leaving Cleveland, he knows that he will need an infusion of youth to finish the job. The NBA's arms race never ends, and James knows it is a young man's game.
“To be able to win [MVP] at a young age, it just gives you another boost of confidence,” James said.
If James ever went home again, it wouldn't be about going home. It would be about the same thing it was about when he left – teaming up with the kind of talent that can help him fill his trophy case. He has an early-termination option this summer, and he's obviously learned from his past mistakes. He has managed to make his pending free-agency a non-story. He hasn't fueled it at all. Quite the opposite.
It's feasible, even likely, that James will opt in for next season if Miami's championship fire still has a spark, then do this all over again with a player option in 2015. By then, Irving will have a chance to be a restricted free agent.
Most rival teams think Gilbert's fixation on reclaiming the transcendent talent he lost is little more than fool's gold. But everyone knows this: Whatever chance Gilbert has of pulling this off, however faint the possibility, rests in the fingertips of the 21-year-old force of nature who was holding the All-Star MVP trophy on Sunday night.
“It's a great accomplishment, bringing this back to Cleveland,” Irving said.
As for bringing something else back, that would be the ultimate prize.
February 17, 2014 1:12 am ET
Kyrie Irving holds the key for any prospect of a Cleveland turnaround. (USATSI) Any hope of a turnaround in Cleveland rests solely on the shoulders of Kyrie Irving. (USATSI)
NEW ORLEANS -- With the biggest stars of the sport, some of the biggest in the world, saving All-Star weekend with a dazzling performance on Sunday night, the one who lives in their shadows stole the show.
On a night when Blake Griffin rose above the rim and challenged Wilt Chamberlain's All-Star scoring record, when Carmelo Anthony dropped an All-Star record eight 3-pointers, when Kevin Durant displayed the incredible breadth of his talents, Kyrie Irving was the one who so improbably stood above them all -- raising the MVP trophy in the air.
Only after some prodding from LeBron James and his Eastern Conference teammates, though. At the tender age of 21, in his second All-Star Game and first start, Irving should be forgiven if he didn't quite know what to do.
“I just wanted him to have his moment, and the moment is holding that trophy above your head,” LeBron James said after Irving led the East to a 163-155 victory in the 63rd All-Star Game. “It's one of the few moments in our year when you do that. It seemed like he didn't know exactly what to do and I just wanted to give him a little tip.”
It wasn't the first time on this night when James helped Irving out, or vice versa, as the Cavs' former centerpiece and the current one teamed up for an array of dunks and spectacular layups that conjured images of what their future together night be.
“Kyrie's special,” James said. “It's just that simple. Very special basketball player, very smart basketball player -- his ability to shoot the ball, get into the lane, make shots around the rim. He has the total package. I've always known that, always witnessed that ever since he was in high school. I'm extremely happy for him, extremely proud for him to win this award.”
Zach Harper
Blake Griffin scores 38 points by conforming
Irving finished with 31 points on 14-for-17 shooting, dishing out 14 assists. One of them was a nifty one to LeBron for a layup that put the East up by six points with 43 seconds left. He crossed up Dwight Howard and drove for a layup, and might've made the shot of the night in a game filled with them as he drove and scooped a driving layup off the glass -- a wicked moment, a breathtaking reminder of how lethal he is.
So young. So much future.
“Being as young as he is, his second All-Star appearance and to be able to come out with the MVP just validates and solidifies why he's in this game and why he's one of the best point guards that we have in our league today,” James said.
And amid the misery of a dismal season in Cleveland -- a losing team, a fractured, rudderless organization that never recovered from James' departure four seasons ago -- there rises the faint hope of a reunion. That hope burns hot within the team's owner, Dan Gilbert, who is fiercely determined not to let Irving leave him the way James did in 2010. And the owner's belief remains strong that he'll have a shot to get James back -- either as a free agent this summer or next, if James' championship well runs dry in Miami.
Game recap
East 163, West 155
Whether that notion hanging over Cleveland is healthy for the Cavaliers or not, Irving wouldn't say. But moments after clutching that MVP trophy in his hands, raising it above his head with an assist from LeBron, he admitted that he's well aware of the possibility.
“Everyone is going to have their opinion and write different stories,” Irving said. “But for me, my focus level is just on my team and our team that we have now. That's the most important thing at this point for me. All the outside sources, I really don't pay attention to. It's more of an internal confidence thing that I'm trying to raise with the morale of my teammates. That's what it's about.”
Sunday's All-Star Game marked the beginning of a shift in the NBA's tectonic plates of talent. With Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and even James willingly taking a back seat to the tidal wave of young brilliance crashing on the NBA's shores, the dynamics have changed since James created his super team in Miami nearly four years ago.
Whatever the outcome of this year's championship chase, with James seeking his third ring since leaving Cleveland, he knows that he will need an infusion of youth to finish the job. The NBA's arms race never ends, and James knows it is a young man's game.
“To be able to win [MVP] at a young age, it just gives you another boost of confidence,” James said.
If James ever went home again, it wouldn't be about going home. It would be about the same thing it was about when he left – teaming up with the kind of talent that can help him fill his trophy case. He has an early-termination option this summer, and he's obviously learned from his past mistakes. He has managed to make his pending free-agency a non-story. He hasn't fueled it at all. Quite the opposite.
It's feasible, even likely, that James will opt in for next season if Miami's championship fire still has a spark, then do this all over again with a player option in 2015. By then, Irving will have a chance to be a restricted free agent.
Most rival teams think Gilbert's fixation on reclaiming the transcendent talent he lost is little more than fool's gold. But everyone knows this: Whatever chance Gilbert has of pulling this off, however faint the possibility, rests in the fingertips of the 21-year-old force of nature who was holding the All-Star MVP trophy on Sunday night.
“It's a great accomplishment, bringing this back to Cleveland,” Irving said.
As for bringing something else back, that would be the ultimate prize.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1549http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... &f=2446513
Jason LLoyd on the Cavs and the All Star game.
Jason LLoyd on the Cavs and the All Star game.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1550Dion Waiters, Tim Hardaway Jr. duel one-on-one during Rising Stars Challenge (VIDEO)
Brett Pollakoff
Feb 15, 2014, 11:00 AM EST
4 Comments
NEW ORLEANS – Andre Drummond may have taken home the (admittedly broken) MVP trophy of All-Star weekend’s Rising Stars Challenge, but the most entertaining parts of the exhibition involved Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dion Waiters.
The pair of guards put on a show that began in the first half and carried on throughout the game, and featured the players going head-to-head and draining long three after long three against each other.
“I knew it was going to happen from in the first half,” Waiters said afterward. “We had a little thing going on, and it died down quick. But the second half, he came down and made a shot; I came down and made a shot. He came down and made a shot; I came down and made a shot. And once the crowd got into it, I knew it was on.”
Waiters said his motivation to go at Hardway stemmed from the end of a game between the two teams back on Jan. 30, one which the Knicks won by 31 points and Hardaway launched (and made) a long three with under a minute remaining to beat the shot clock buzzer.
“I told him I owed him from being at the TNT game, and they were beating us pretty bad,” Waiters said. “There was like 15 seconds left, and he came down and chucked up a three and made it. I told him, I’m going to get you back. I’m going to get you back for that. And I was able to get my chance tonight.”
There were actually 51 seconds remaining, but you get the idea.
“Yeah, he talked to me about it before the game and during the game,” Hardaway said. “The only reason why he said that was because on TNT it was a shot clock was running down so I came down and just shot the three. I just jacked the three, and it went in, and it was towards the end of the game. But we had to take the shot, so I might as well. I said I might as well just shoot it.”
Whatever the reason for it, we’re just glad it took place.
Brett Pollakoff
Feb 15, 2014, 11:00 AM EST
4 Comments
NEW ORLEANS – Andre Drummond may have taken home the (admittedly broken) MVP trophy of All-Star weekend’s Rising Stars Challenge, but the most entertaining parts of the exhibition involved Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dion Waiters.
The pair of guards put on a show that began in the first half and carried on throughout the game, and featured the players going head-to-head and draining long three after long three against each other.
“I knew it was going to happen from in the first half,” Waiters said afterward. “We had a little thing going on, and it died down quick. But the second half, he came down and made a shot; I came down and made a shot. He came down and made a shot; I came down and made a shot. And once the crowd got into it, I knew it was on.”
Waiters said his motivation to go at Hardway stemmed from the end of a game between the two teams back on Jan. 30, one which the Knicks won by 31 points and Hardaway launched (and made) a long three with under a minute remaining to beat the shot clock buzzer.
“I told him I owed him from being at the TNT game, and they were beating us pretty bad,” Waiters said. “There was like 15 seconds left, and he came down and chucked up a three and made it. I told him, I’m going to get you back. I’m going to get you back for that. And I was able to get my chance tonight.”
There were actually 51 seconds remaining, but you get the idea.
“Yeah, he talked to me about it before the game and during the game,” Hardaway said. “The only reason why he said that was because on TNT it was a shot clock was running down so I came down and just shot the three. I just jacked the three, and it went in, and it was towards the end of the game. But we had to take the shot, so I might as well. I said I might as well just shoot it.”
Whatever the reason for it, we’re just glad it took place.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1551Check out the video of Waiters and Hardaway Jr !
http://nba.si.com/2014/02/15/dion-waite ... nge-video/
http://nba.si.com/2014/02/15/dion-waite ... nge-video/
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1552Windhorst thinks that Kyrie and LeBron do not want to play together.
Threw a wet blanket on the whole idea.
Threw a wet blanket on the whole idea.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1553Andy's hurting again. Not at a good time to facilitate a deal.Do the Cavs trade Andy or Deng ?
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1554Teams are lined up to make a trade for him. He is not playing tonight but is ready for tomorrow. Did not want him to play in back to back games.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1555Aaron Goldhammer @HammerNation19 52m
Windy: "I've heard that LeBron and Kyrie don't have an interest in playing together." Says Kyrie doesn't want to share spotlight
Windy: "I've heard that LeBron and Kyrie don't have an interest in playing together." Says Kyrie doesn't want to share spotlight
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1556How good must the Cavs be from here? Well, just not bad
Sam Amico
FOX Sports Ohio
FEB 18, 2014
Pregame Notes:
-- The Cavs still think they can make the make playoffs, and they're right. With 29 games to go, they're just three games behind the Bobcats for the eighth and final spot. In the appalling Eastern Conference, anything is possible.
-- How bad is the East? I told an opposing team executive that if the Cavs go 18-11 the rest of the way, they're likely to taste the postseason. I even predicted they could still make it by finishing 17-12. The exec took it a step further. He predicted that 35 wins will get you in the playoffs in the East. That means all the Cavs have to do is go 15-14, or a game over .500, in their final 29.
Sixers inspiring teen
-- That's somewhat ridiculous, yes. But I think the executive may be right. The Bucks were the No. 8 seed last season and won 38 games. The East was better last year. So 35 may do it. The Cavs have the talent of at least a 35-win team. They've won four straight. Everything is set up for them to make it. They just have to do their part.
-- That said, I'd feel better if the Cavs won 20 of their final 29. That would give them 40 wins and, hey, who knows? That could be good enough for the fifth seed this year.
-- I think the Heat, Pacers, Nets, Raptors and Wizards are in. I'm not entirely sold on the Hawks, although they are awfully well-coached and play as a team. I'm still not sure what to make of the Bulls or Bobcats, either. Those teams could slide out. The Cavs, Pistons and Knicks are knocking on the door.
-- The Pistons fired their coach and look like they've hit their ceiling. The Knicks seemingly are trying to trade everyone not named Carmelo Anthony, so we probably won't get a real gauge on them until after Thursday's trade deadline. But at least one team currently in the postseason will slip out. I can just feel it. Read: The Cavs have a real opportunity here.
-- As an aside, I really believe seeds Nos. 5-8 will be determined in the final week of the regular season. Some may be determined on the final day. So while the East stinks, at least there's some good drama.
AMICO: With 29 games to go, Cavs' hereafter has arrived
-- My sources have confirmed an ESPN report that the Cavs and Nets have discussed a trade involving Jack and Nets guard Jason Terry. But the Cavs really have no interest in the 36-year old Terry. A third team would likely need to be involved for this deal to happen. It sounds little more than exploratory at this point.
-- The Kings are also reportedly interested in Jack. They are looking to move third-year guard Jimmer Fredette, so that may be something on which to keep at least one eye.
-- Of the 10 starters in this game, trade rumors are surrounding at least four: Jack for the Cavs, and Hawes, Turner and Young for the Sixers. Most folks I've talked to seem to think of that bunch, Young is the most likely to get moved. Three days before the deadline, Hawes and Turner had not been drawing strong interest, sources said.
-- Every team talks to every team at this time of year, so trades are very difficult to predict. Some seem really close, then die for no rhyme or reason. Some come out of nowhere. Usually, what you read is just a taste of what's really happening. So, try not to get too caught up in the noise. I am extremely content to find out about trades AFTER the deadline. But for whatever reason, rumors in the NBA are like a Harlem Globetrotter spinning the ball on his index finger. We all have a hard time looking away.
-- As for the Cavs, most league insiders feel they'll try to do something small. That doesn't mean acting GM David Griffin will pull off a deal, but he's being active. But the Cavs' best move may be to stand pat.
-- The camp for reserve guard C.J. Miles thinks there's a chance he could get traded. In fact, Miles may breathe a sigh of relief if he's still a Cavalier come Friday. Not necessarily because the Cavs are looking to move him, but Miles' party knows his cheap ($2.2 million) and expiring contract is quite appealing to opposing GMs.
-- As for the actual game, Cavs center Anderson Varejao is out. Cavs coach Mike Brown didn't really specify Varejao's problem Monday, but it sounds like it's still a back/general soreness issue. Varejao missed the previous two games, but I sort of assumed he'd be back after the five days off, created by the All-Star break. I'm not worried, but if he doesn't play the rest of the week, I might be.
Sam Amico
FOX Sports Ohio
FEB 18, 2014
Pregame Notes:
-- The Cavs still think they can make the make playoffs, and they're right. With 29 games to go, they're just three games behind the Bobcats for the eighth and final spot. In the appalling Eastern Conference, anything is possible.
-- How bad is the East? I told an opposing team executive that if the Cavs go 18-11 the rest of the way, they're likely to taste the postseason. I even predicted they could still make it by finishing 17-12. The exec took it a step further. He predicted that 35 wins will get you in the playoffs in the East. That means all the Cavs have to do is go 15-14, or a game over .500, in their final 29.
Sixers inspiring teen
-- That's somewhat ridiculous, yes. But I think the executive may be right. The Bucks were the No. 8 seed last season and won 38 games. The East was better last year. So 35 may do it. The Cavs have the talent of at least a 35-win team. They've won four straight. Everything is set up for them to make it. They just have to do their part.
-- That said, I'd feel better if the Cavs won 20 of their final 29. That would give them 40 wins and, hey, who knows? That could be good enough for the fifth seed this year.
-- I think the Heat, Pacers, Nets, Raptors and Wizards are in. I'm not entirely sold on the Hawks, although they are awfully well-coached and play as a team. I'm still not sure what to make of the Bulls or Bobcats, either. Those teams could slide out. The Cavs, Pistons and Knicks are knocking on the door.
-- The Pistons fired their coach and look like they've hit their ceiling. The Knicks seemingly are trying to trade everyone not named Carmelo Anthony, so we probably won't get a real gauge on them until after Thursday's trade deadline. But at least one team currently in the postseason will slip out. I can just feel it. Read: The Cavs have a real opportunity here.
-- As an aside, I really believe seeds Nos. 5-8 will be determined in the final week of the regular season. Some may be determined on the final day. So while the East stinks, at least there's some good drama.
AMICO: With 29 games to go, Cavs' hereafter has arrived
-- My sources have confirmed an ESPN report that the Cavs and Nets have discussed a trade involving Jack and Nets guard Jason Terry. But the Cavs really have no interest in the 36-year old Terry. A third team would likely need to be involved for this deal to happen. It sounds little more than exploratory at this point.
-- The Kings are also reportedly interested in Jack. They are looking to move third-year guard Jimmer Fredette, so that may be something on which to keep at least one eye.
-- Of the 10 starters in this game, trade rumors are surrounding at least four: Jack for the Cavs, and Hawes, Turner and Young for the Sixers. Most folks I've talked to seem to think of that bunch, Young is the most likely to get moved. Three days before the deadline, Hawes and Turner had not been drawing strong interest, sources said.
-- Every team talks to every team at this time of year, so trades are very difficult to predict. Some seem really close, then die for no rhyme or reason. Some come out of nowhere. Usually, what you read is just a taste of what's really happening. So, try not to get too caught up in the noise. I am extremely content to find out about trades AFTER the deadline. But for whatever reason, rumors in the NBA are like a Harlem Globetrotter spinning the ball on his index finger. We all have a hard time looking away.
-- As for the Cavs, most league insiders feel they'll try to do something small. That doesn't mean acting GM David Griffin will pull off a deal, but he's being active. But the Cavs' best move may be to stand pat.
-- The camp for reserve guard C.J. Miles thinks there's a chance he could get traded. In fact, Miles may breathe a sigh of relief if he's still a Cavalier come Friday. Not necessarily because the Cavs are looking to move him, but Miles' party knows his cheap ($2.2 million) and expiring contract is quite appealing to opposing GMs.
-- As for the actual game, Cavs center Anderson Varejao is out. Cavs coach Mike Brown didn't really specify Varejao's problem Monday, but it sounds like it's still a back/general soreness issue. Varejao missed the previous two games, but I sort of assumed he'd be back after the five days off, created by the All-Star break. I'm not worried, but if he doesn't play the rest of the week, I might be.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1557Cleveland Cavaliers
Cavs showing interest in D-League guard Pierre Jackson, among others
By Jason Lloyd Published: February 18, 2014
With the NBA’s trade deadline two days away, the Cavaliers have shown interest in acquiring the rights of point guard Pierre Jackson, among other deals, league sources told the Akron Beacon Journal.
Jackson is a 5-foot-10 guard out of Baylor who is now caught in limbo in the Development League. Jackson was drafted in the second round last year by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans never signed him, but still possess his draft rights.
Jackson is averaging 29.1 points and 6.2 assists with the Idaho Stampede. He set a D-League record last month by scoring 58 points in a victory against the Texas Legends.
The Cavs’ interest could be a pre-emptive strike in case Jarrett Jack is traded.
A league source confirmed the Cavs have held talks with the Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets over a possible deal for Jack, who is owed another $12.6 million guaranteed over the next two seasons. ESPN.com first reported the trade negotiations involving Jack, who has been shopped for the last couple of weeks.
The Cavs have discussed acquiring Jason Terry from the Nets and Jason Thompson or Marcus Thornton from the Kings.
Terry is slightly cheaper than Jack and has one year left on his contract worth about $5.4 million. Terry, 36, is playing 16 minutes a game off the bench for the Nets, averaging 4.5 points and shooting 36 percent – all career lows. But he won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks and can provide steady perimeter shooting if he can rediscover his stroke.
Thompson is signed for another three years at a total of $19 million, while Thornton is making $8 million this season and will make about $8.7 million next season in the final year of his deal. Thornton is averaging 8.3 points and shooting a career-worst 38 percent. He averaged 18.7 points two seasons ago for the Kings, but his scoring has declined in each of the last two seasons.
The Cavs previously discussed acquiring Chris Kaman from the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources said, but those talks have stalled.
Cavs showing interest in D-League guard Pierre Jackson, among others
By Jason Lloyd Published: February 18, 2014
With the NBA’s trade deadline two days away, the Cavaliers have shown interest in acquiring the rights of point guard Pierre Jackson, among other deals, league sources told the Akron Beacon Journal.
Jackson is a 5-foot-10 guard out of Baylor who is now caught in limbo in the Development League. Jackson was drafted in the second round last year by the Philadelphia 76ers and traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans never signed him, but still possess his draft rights.
Jackson is averaging 29.1 points and 6.2 assists with the Idaho Stampede. He set a D-League record last month by scoring 58 points in a victory against the Texas Legends.
The Cavs’ interest could be a pre-emptive strike in case Jarrett Jack is traded.
A league source confirmed the Cavs have held talks with the Sacramento Kings and Brooklyn Nets over a possible deal for Jack, who is owed another $12.6 million guaranteed over the next two seasons. ESPN.com first reported the trade negotiations involving Jack, who has been shopped for the last couple of weeks.
The Cavs have discussed acquiring Jason Terry from the Nets and Jason Thompson or Marcus Thornton from the Kings.
Terry is slightly cheaper than Jack and has one year left on his contract worth about $5.4 million. Terry, 36, is playing 16 minutes a game off the bench for the Nets, averaging 4.5 points and shooting 36 percent – all career lows. But he won a championship with the Dallas Mavericks and can provide steady perimeter shooting if he can rediscover his stroke.
Thompson is signed for another three years at a total of $19 million, while Thornton is making $8 million this season and will make about $8.7 million next season in the final year of his deal. Thornton is averaging 8.3 points and shooting a career-worst 38 percent. He averaged 18.7 points two seasons ago for the Kings, but his scoring has declined in each of the last two seasons.
The Cavs previously discussed acquiring Chris Kaman from the Los Angeles Lakers, league sources said, but those talks have stalled.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1558Waiters gets injured seconds after I added him on one of my fantasy teams. Might mess up the trade deadline.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1559NBA Trade Deadline: Can Old-School and New-School GMs Find Common Ground?
By
Ric Bucher , NBA National Columnist
Feb 18, 2014
As if an escalating luxury tax and a heightened interest in building through the draft weren’t enough to dampen enthusiasm for making a deal before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, there’s apparently a third odd cog causing the deal-making machine to seize:
A generation gap.
The recent wave of new owners taking a hands-on approach to their franchises has inspired a second wave of general managers being hired who speak the new owners’ language. It’s not roundball. It’s spreadsheet. In the last two years, more than one-third of the league’s 30 teams hired new faces, and among them, only two actually played in the league; eight never played at any significant level at all. Their strength, by and large, is working in numbers, equating on-the-floor statistics with contractual value.
It’s not that the old-school GMs aren’t business-savvy along the same lines, as that is now a prerequisite for anyone who holds the job. It’s that they literally don’t know with whom they’re dealing. As progressive as the league may be on all fronts, business transactions still rely on an age-old denominator: relationships, and the trust borne of long-standing ones.
It’s not by accident that the biggest deal first-year Sacramento Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro has done—acquiring Rudy Gay—was with new Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, his former boss in Denver. (Or that D’Alessandro’s other deal was with another front-office first-timer, Flip Saunders.)
Matt Rourke/Associated Press
The Philadelphia 76ers’ first-year GM, Sam Hinkie, is in a similar predicament. He’s open to making deals, league sources say, but peers deeply familiar with him don’t go much beyond his former boss, Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Hinkie assuredly had conversations with other teams during his time with the Rockets, but not as the one pulling the trigger. Nuggets GM Tim Connelly has spent time in both the Wizards and Pelicans organizations, but he faces the same challenge as not only a first-time major domo, but a young one.
“It’s unsettling to a lot of people,” said one Eastern Conference executive, speaking about the new commanders-in-chief in general. “There are a lot of old-school GMs dealing with new-school GMs and there’s more suspicion than there needs to be. A deal you would normally do without hesitation is being held up because you don’t know who you’re dealing with. Are they going to leak the deal? Use it to leverage another one? Deals that would be getting done aren’t, at least not right now.”
Trace the bloodlines of most major deals and you’ll find that somewhere in the past the decision-makers developed some sort of bond. Sometimes that bond is created by the two sides merely talking about a particular trade over the course of a year, but that’s rare—and even that route is one the newest GMs haven’t had a chance to pave.
All that said, a few trades are almost sure to be made this week and perhaps even some significant ones. For those who feast on the deadline rumor mill, be thankful for the relentlessly restless Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge. The Celtics, league sources say, are mining interest in both Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo, looking for an up-and-coming player and a first-round pick for starters on each. (The hope is to unload Kris Humphries and his $12 million salary in the process.)
Ainge is also unique, other league executives say, in that he won’t allow old-standing grudges to stop him from making a deal. If a Green-for-Pau Gasol-based deal made sense, he wouldn’t allow the Lakers-Celtics rivalry to block it. (The two teams have only made two deals in the last 35 years—Travis Knight for Tony Battie in ’99, and a five-player trade in ’04 that landed the Celtics Rick Fox and the future pick that turned into Rondo.)
Danny Moloshok/Associated Press
In fact, Ainge already proved it, making a three-team deal with the Miami Heat (and former Lakers head coach Pat Riley) and the Golden State Warriors (and former Celtics minority owner Joe Lacob). Most executives can’t imagine Celtics legend Larry Bird, even in his advisory role with the Indiana Pacers, ever stomaching a deal with Riley, much less the Lakers proper.
Ainge, on the other hand, “doesn’t care,” said one team VP.
League sources also have indicated the following:
• The Warriors are still looking to see if they can upgrade their core without laying complete waste to what they’ve already built. Don’t close the door on a possible return of Jarrett Jack, one source said, suggesting that the Cavs would help their campaign to retain Kyrie Irving by acquiring Harrison Barnes, who Irving stumped for before the draft. Knowing the familiarity between Lacob and Ainge, I’d be surprised if a Green-for-Barnes-centered swap wasn’t at least broached as well.
• The Orlando Magic are taking and making calls on shooting guard Arron Afflalo and point guard Jameer Nelson.
• The Denver Nuggets suggesting they’d bring Andre Miller back in the fold is code for, “We haven’t received an offer we like,” but league sources say there are several teams interested, including the Kings and Warriors.
• The odds are greater that Pau Gasol finishes the season in a Lakers uniform than winds up elsewhere, even though both sides know his run in L.A. is over and he intends to keep playing beyond this season somewhere.
• The Charlotte Bobcats, Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks and Rockets are all open for business, looking to bolster their playoff chances right now.
• “Somebody significant will be traded,” predicted one VP of basketball operations. Across the generational, and perhaps philosophical, divide? For now, no one’s predicting that.
Ric Bucher covers the NBA for Bleacher Report.
By
Ric Bucher , NBA National Columnist
Feb 18, 2014
As if an escalating luxury tax and a heightened interest in building through the draft weren’t enough to dampen enthusiasm for making a deal before Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, there’s apparently a third odd cog causing the deal-making machine to seize:
A generation gap.
The recent wave of new owners taking a hands-on approach to their franchises has inspired a second wave of general managers being hired who speak the new owners’ language. It’s not roundball. It’s spreadsheet. In the last two years, more than one-third of the league’s 30 teams hired new faces, and among them, only two actually played in the league; eight never played at any significant level at all. Their strength, by and large, is working in numbers, equating on-the-floor statistics with contractual value.
It’s not that the old-school GMs aren’t business-savvy along the same lines, as that is now a prerequisite for anyone who holds the job. It’s that they literally don’t know with whom they’re dealing. As progressive as the league may be on all fronts, business transactions still rely on an age-old denominator: relationships, and the trust borne of long-standing ones.
It’s not by accident that the biggest deal first-year Sacramento Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro has done—acquiring Rudy Gay—was with new Toronto Raptors GM Masai Ujiri, his former boss in Denver. (Or that D’Alessandro’s other deal was with another front-office first-timer, Flip Saunders.)
Matt Rourke/Associated Press
The Philadelphia 76ers’ first-year GM, Sam Hinkie, is in a similar predicament. He’s open to making deals, league sources say, but peers deeply familiar with him don’t go much beyond his former boss, Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey. Hinkie assuredly had conversations with other teams during his time with the Rockets, but not as the one pulling the trigger. Nuggets GM Tim Connelly has spent time in both the Wizards and Pelicans organizations, but he faces the same challenge as not only a first-time major domo, but a young one.
“It’s unsettling to a lot of people,” said one Eastern Conference executive, speaking about the new commanders-in-chief in general. “There are a lot of old-school GMs dealing with new-school GMs and there’s more suspicion than there needs to be. A deal you would normally do without hesitation is being held up because you don’t know who you’re dealing with. Are they going to leak the deal? Use it to leverage another one? Deals that would be getting done aren’t, at least not right now.”
Trace the bloodlines of most major deals and you’ll find that somewhere in the past the decision-makers developed some sort of bond. Sometimes that bond is created by the two sides merely talking about a particular trade over the course of a year, but that’s rare—and even that route is one the newest GMs haven’t had a chance to pave.
All that said, a few trades are almost sure to be made this week and perhaps even some significant ones. For those who feast on the deadline rumor mill, be thankful for the relentlessly restless Boston Celtics GM Danny Ainge. The Celtics, league sources say, are mining interest in both Jeff Green and Rajon Rondo, looking for an up-and-coming player and a first-round pick for starters on each. (The hope is to unload Kris Humphries and his $12 million salary in the process.)
Ainge is also unique, other league executives say, in that he won’t allow old-standing grudges to stop him from making a deal. If a Green-for-Pau Gasol-based deal made sense, he wouldn’t allow the Lakers-Celtics rivalry to block it. (The two teams have only made two deals in the last 35 years—Travis Knight for Tony Battie in ’99, and a five-player trade in ’04 that landed the Celtics Rick Fox and the future pick that turned into Rondo.)
Danny Moloshok/Associated Press
In fact, Ainge already proved it, making a three-team deal with the Miami Heat (and former Lakers head coach Pat Riley) and the Golden State Warriors (and former Celtics minority owner Joe Lacob). Most executives can’t imagine Celtics legend Larry Bird, even in his advisory role with the Indiana Pacers, ever stomaching a deal with Riley, much less the Lakers proper.
Ainge, on the other hand, “doesn’t care,” said one team VP.
League sources also have indicated the following:
• The Warriors are still looking to see if they can upgrade their core without laying complete waste to what they’ve already built. Don’t close the door on a possible return of Jarrett Jack, one source said, suggesting that the Cavs would help their campaign to retain Kyrie Irving by acquiring Harrison Barnes, who Irving stumped for before the draft. Knowing the familiarity between Lacob and Ainge, I’d be surprised if a Green-for-Barnes-centered swap wasn’t at least broached as well.
• The Orlando Magic are taking and making calls on shooting guard Arron Afflalo and point guard Jameer Nelson.
• The Denver Nuggets suggesting they’d bring Andre Miller back in the fold is code for, “We haven’t received an offer we like,” but league sources say there are several teams interested, including the Kings and Warriors.
• The odds are greater that Pau Gasol finishes the season in a Lakers uniform than winds up elsewhere, even though both sides know his run in L.A. is over and he intends to keep playing beyond this season somewhere.
• The Charlotte Bobcats, Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Washington Wizards, Memphis Grizzlies, New York Knicks and Rockets are all open for business, looking to bolster their playoff chances right now.
• “Somebody significant will be traded,” predicted one VP of basketball operations. Across the generational, and perhaps philosophical, divide? For now, no one’s predicting that.
Ric Bucher covers the NBA for Bleacher Report.
Re: Cleveland Cavaliers
1560Crossing my fingers for Harrison Barnes and Asik. Trading Jack, Deng, 2nd rd picks, and other pieces.
Don't expect much to happen.
Don't expect much to happen.