Cleveland Sports Forum

Civ needs to read the article again.


A YEAR AHEAD

When Grant took over as GM after the 2009-10 season, the Cavs did not have a first-round draft pick in 2010. They had been trading picks for years, trying to add veterans to help James win a title.


“But the Cavs did have a pick this season,” said Griffin. “That’s huge.”

After Kyrie Irving requested a trade in the summer of 2017, the Cavs shipped him to Boston. They still have Ante Zizic and Collin Sexton to show for that deal.

They also used Jay Crowder and Isaiah Thomas as parts of trades bringing Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to the Cavs.

LOOKING BACK

“We really didn’t have young players like that,” said Griffin. “The roster we inherited was old. A lot of guys didn’t want to be there. But that’s not the case for the Cavs right now.”

I read it twice, but the third was the charm. Thanks! Do you guys who know basketball think Zizic has promise?

How about an answer from Terry Pluto !

ABOUT THE CAVS

1. Ante Zizic was given some playing time in January, and he looked like a player. The 22-year-old center averaged 13.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and shot 60 percent from the field. That was in nine games.

2. The 6-foot-10 center is the sort of old-school, post-up center that has been dismissed by the insane 3-point shooting gospel that now dominates in the NBA. That said, having a big guy inside who can score, draw fouls and give an option besides heaving 25-footers at the rim should be of value.

3. Along with Sexton, Zizic is what the Cavs have to show for Kyrie Irving. If you keep connecting the dots, they also added Nance and Clarkson with some of the players originally traded to the Cavs for Irving.

4. I hear there is a market for Rodney Hood. He has missed 10 games this season with injuries to his ankle, back and Achilles. When he has played, he’s averaged 12.2 points, shooting 43 percent and often is passive.

5. Hard to figure for a guy who is headed for free agency at the end of season. On the NBA’s worst team, there are so many chances for anyone with some talent to fire up shots and pile up points.

On 'Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective,' Jackie MacMullan of ESPN said that James’ camp has "made it no secret that they want a new head coach for the Lakers."

In the podcast, MacMullan tells Windhorst: "There’s a lot of tension in that building and I think people are wondering about Luke Walton even though Jeanie Buss came out very strongly and said ‘I want Luke to be here, I back him 100 percent.’" Windhorst replied that it was "a fair thing to say." This is a situation to keep an eye on moving forward.

Wow ! How unusual ! Lebron not liking the coach and sitting out games while he parties with friends !

Geez, that has never happened before !

Ante Zizic hauled in a career-high 14 rebounds during Sunday's win over the Bulls, adding eight points, three assists, one steal and one block through 36 minutes as a starter.

Zizic is still starting despite the return of Larry Nance, and he should continue to see quality minutes while Kevin Love (foot) and Tristan Thompson (foot) are out. Since entering the starting lineup on Jan. 18, Zizic has come through with averages of 14.8 points, 9.3 rebounds and 0.7 swats per game on 56.1% shooting from the field and 71.4% from the stripe. He’s worth a look if you need a big.
Jan 27 - 6:35 PM

Nice to see them get value from that aspect of the TRADE

Rodney Hood trade grades: Who wins the deal?

Kevin Pelton ESPN Staff Writer

The deal

Trail Blazers get: Rodney Hood

Cavaliers get: Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin, second-round picks in 2021 and 2023

Portland Trail Blazers: B-

The Blazers came into this season with a plan: Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum would play together nearly all the time rather than staggering minutes as they had in the past, turning over the second-unit offense to Evan Turner as point forward. For one glorious month, it worked. During October, Portland outscored opponents by 9.7 points per 100 possessions in the 85 minutes Turner played with both Lillard and McCollum on the bench according to NBA Advanced Stats.

Stauskas' strong start was a key part of that success. Starting with a 24-point Blazers debut in a home win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Stauskas averaged 10.1 PPG on 46.4 percent 3-point shooting in October. During November, he was decent, making 36 percent of his 3s. But since then, Stauskas has hit just 26 percent from beyond the arc, losing his rotation spot to the surging Jake Layman. And with Stauskas struggling, so too have Portland's lineups with neither starting guard.

Turner Lineups Without Lillard/McCollum
MONTH MINUTES NET RATING
October 85 9.7
November 128 -10.5
December 116 -19.4
January 89 -14.0
Source: NBA Advanced Stats

Understandably, the Blazers don't want to cut bait on the idea of playing Lillard and McCollum together, which has yielded dividends. Lillard/McCollum lineups are naturally Portland's best, and not only are they playing more minutes (30.7 per game in the 50 both have played, up from 26.3 in 2017-18), their net rating together has predictably improved with more action against reserves (plus-5.8 per 100 possessions, their best since 2014-15).

So instead the Blazers will try to upgrade their second-unit scoring punch with the addition of Hood, whose 16.0 points per 36 minutes this season would rank fourth on Portland's roster behind Lillard, McCollum and starting center Jusuf Nurkic.

Hood has never been the plus scorer he was once believed to be with the Utah Jazz. Because he rarely gets to the free throw line, Hood has never scored with above-average efficiency in his career, and only in the first half of the 2017-18 season before being traded to Cleveland was Hood really a go-to option. Nonetheless, he's a substantial upgrade over Stauskas who gives Terry Stotts more options with the second unit. Hood could replace Seth Curry, giving Portland a giant perimeter trio with Layman and Turner, or replace Layman if he's needed in the starting lineup due to Maurice Harkless' ongoing battle with knee soreness.

I might have preferred more of a two-way option on the wing, someone better suited to finishing games alongside Lillard and McCollum if Harkless continues to be limited by his knee. Justin Holiday might have fit that bill ideally. However, if the Blazers wanted to make their current plan of playing Lillard and McCollum together as much as possible work, Hood is a solid addition.

By including Baldwin in the trade, Portland ensured that the team's luxury-tax bill won't increase much with Hood's addition. It also clears a roster spot, likely at some point to be used to add another emergency point guard.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B+

Getting a pair of second-round picks for Hood salvages one of last year's deadline mistakes by the Cavaliers. Hood struggled badly in the postseason, posting a .468 true shooting percentage -- actually better than he managed in the 2017 playoffs in Utah, which should temper the Blazers' expectations to some extent -- and ended up taking a one-year qualifying offer as a restricted free agent.

Though Hood is just 26 and started all 45 games he played this season, he never seemed to fit into Cleveland's long-term plans. That's typically the case with players who take the qualifying offer; Spencer Hawes remains the only player coming off a rookie contract to do so and then re-sign with the same team the following summer. So getting anything for Hood, even second-round picks that won't convey for a few seasons, was a win at this point.

Because he's on a one-year contract that would have yielded Bird rights at its conclusion, Hood had to consent to losing those rights to facilitate this trade. (This works as a de facto no-trade clause for such players.) If the Cavaliers weren't interested in re-signing Hood, a likely option with their 2019-20 payroll nearing the luxury-tax line due to dead money, those rights had no value to Hood. Therefore, it's not surprising he signed off.

Acquiring two players for one will force Cleveland to waive guard Kobi Simmons before the conclusion of his 10-day contract. The Cavaliers can always re-sign Simmons after the deadline if they decided to move on from one or both of Baldwin and Stauskas.

In a bit of cap minutiae, ESPN's Bobby Marks notes that Cleveland can use trade exceptions to acquire both Baldwin and Stauskas, allowing them to create a larger exception for the value of Hood's $3.5 million salary.

The Rockets and Cavs remain engaged on a potential deal that would send Alec Burks to Houston in exchange for Brandon Knight and a future first-round pick.

Burks would provide some more scoring to Houston's second unit, but it's unlikely he'd have much fantasy value there. Knight has been hurt for three years running, and would only be included in the trade to make the numbers work, so it's unlikely his non-existent fantasy value will change based on the name across his jersey

Shumpert to Rockets in 3-team trade with Cavs

Adrian Wojnarowski ESPN

The Houston Rockets are acquiring guard Iman Shumpert in a three-way deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings, league sources told ESPN.

The Rockets will send guard Brandon Knight, forward Marquese Chriss and a 2019 lottery protected first-round pick to the Cavaliers, league sources said.

The Cavaliers will send guard Alec Burks to the Kings, and guards Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin to the Rockets, league sources said. Stauskas and Baldwin were acquired in a deal with Portland on Sunday that send Rodney Hood to the Trail Blazers.

Shumpert, 28, has had a strong season for the resurgent Kings, averaging 8.9 points, three rebounds and two assists. He's expected to play a significant bench role for the Rockets in their Western Conference playoff push.

In Cleveland's fourth in-season trade, it has now gathered two first-round and six second-round picks.

Burks returns to the Western Conference, where spent the first eight years of his career with the Utah Jazz before a trade to the Cavaliers last year

The Trade

Cleveland Cavaliers Receive: Marquese Chriss, Brandon Knight, 2019 first-round pick (lottery protection, via Houston)

Houston Rockets Receive: Wade Baldwin, Iman Shumpert, Nik Stauskas

Sacramento Kings Receive: Alec Burks, second-round pick

Grades

Cavaliers: A-

Really, the Cavaliers could get an "A." I took off a few points because this blowup-fest should've started over the offseason and not included a Kevin Love extension. And no, I'm still not over it.

Anyway, this marks the eighth draft pick the Cavaliers have acquired this season. Eighth! Until now, though, not one of those extra selections projected to convey this year. The Rockets' first-round pick, while likely a bottom-10 joint, is definitely going to end up in Cleveland.

Swallowing Brandon Knight's 2019-20 salary ($15.6 million) is a circumstantial hazard. Absorbing salary isn't as lucrative as it used to be, something the Cavaliers themselves proved when they sponged up Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson without snagging a first-rounder that'll convey before 2021—and probably not before 2022.

If anything, this trade comes as a comfort. The Cavaliers wouldn't be adding Knight's money if they had designs on competing for something special next season. This rebuild thingamajig of theirs seems legitimate.

Knight might even turn out to be useful as an expiring-contract anchor in another trade next season. The Cavs are going to have tons of salary-matching goodies this summer, with Delly, Henson, Jordan Clarkson, JR Smith ($3.9 million guaranteed) and Tristan Thompson all entering contract years.

And should the Cavs decide to keep Knight in service of 2020 cap flexibility, they at least added another tank commander. A rotation relying heavily on him, Clarkson and Collin Sexton has the potential to be the fun kind of positively awful.

...

Who wins the Rockets-Cavs-Kings deal?

Kevin Pelton ESPN Staff Writer

The deal

Rockets get: Iman Shumpert, Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin

Cavaliers get: Brandon Knight, Marquese Chriss and a lottery-protected 2019 first-round pick

Kings get: Alec Burks, second-round pick

Houston Rockets: B+

This deal fits what has become an established template for deadline trades, in which a team both sheds future salary and gets a contributor for the rest of the season. In this case, the balance tends to tilt more toward financial benefit, as the Rockets both substantially cut into their 2018-19 luxury-tax bill and gained more flexibility for next season.

Let's start, however, on the court. A year removed from being salary dumped by the Cavaliers at the deadline, Shumpert has enjoyed an improbable resurgence in Sacramento. Healthy after sitting out the entire second half of last season due to plantar fasciitis and the lingering effects of December meniscus surgery, Shumpert has started 40 of the 42 games he has played for the Kings.

Still a quality defender, Shumpert has shot well enough from beyond the 3-point arc (37 percent) to once again be considered a 3-and-D contributor. He'll join James Ennis III and Austin Rivers in the mix for wing minutes and might become Houston's best defensive option against point guards when Chris Paul is unavailable.

Consider Shumpert's contributions a bonus on top of the Rockets' savings in this trade, which start with cutting their luxury-tax bill this season. Having started with the seemingly immovable $41 million-plus remaining on Ryan Anderson's contract -- oddly, also traded Wednesday, by Phoenix -- Houston used a first-round pick, a second-round pick and the rights to 2018 second-rounder De'Anthony Melton to get down all the way to the $14 million owed Shumpert, Baldwin and Stauskas this season.

This deal specifically translates into an additional $6.3 million in luxury-tax savings this season, plus clearing Knight's $15.6 million 2019-20 salary off the books. The Rockets may yet be able to save more if they can find a taker for either Baldwin or Stauskas before the deadline, though they're limited to about the value of their remaining salary in cash to send in a trade this season.

For next season, Houston will now start off below the tax line despite Harden's salary jumping up $8 million as his supermax extension kicks in. Avoiding the tax entirely would be a challenge, but the Rockets should be able to keep it at manageable levels.

If this were strictly a financial trade, giving up a first-round pick most likely to fall around 20th or 21st might be a tough sell in Houston. Add Shumpert, however, and it's a solid move.

Cleveland Cavaliers: B

Operation: Stockpile Draft Picks continues apace for the Cavaliers, who add another first-rounder to the one they got from the Milwaukee Bucks in the George Hill deal plus six second-round picks accumulated during the season.

This is how a team rebuilding after LeBron James' departures should operate, though it's complicated to some extent by Cleveland dealing with its own luxury-tax concerns. The Cavaliers had to send Baldwin and Stauskas, acquired in Sunday's trade with the Portland Trail Blazers, to the Rockets in order to avoid going into the tax this season -- when they have an 11-43 record. And after adding Knight, Cleveland currently projects in the tax in 2019-20, though waiving J.R. Smith (whose salary is guaranteed for just $3.9 million) would get the Cavaliers back below the projected tax line.

Knight's contract lines up with the others Cleveland has taken on this season, which conclude next season. The two veterans signed beyond 2019-20 on the Cavaliers roster are All-Star forward Kevin Love and center Larry Nance Jr. By then, Cleveland's rebuilding project should have taken on greater direction. For now, the Cavaliers' roster is a mishmash of holdovers from the LeBron era and newly acquired veterans.

As for the players in this deal, the Rockets publicly hoped Knight could give them some backup minutes this season. He wasn't able to stay healthy after missing all of 2017-18 with an ACL tear and ended up playing just 118 ineffective minutes there. Knight shot 5-of-32 on 3s in that span. Given Knight's defense was already a liability before the injury, I think it's unlikely he'll ever be a rotation player on a competitive team despite being just 27.

The Rockets gave Chriss a chance to get his career back on track after two disappointing seasons in Phoenix. The No. 8 overall pick of the 2016 draft couldn't take advantage, playing even less than Knight (104 minutes) although Houston was in desperate need of center help with Capela's injury. If Chriss' athleticism was going to translate anywhere, the Rockets' system looked like the right place. So I doubt Chriss factors into Cleveland's plans as anything but an expiring contract.

Sacramento Kings: C

The Kings' portion of this deal is perhaps most interesting because it suggests something else afoot before the deadline. Shumpert started and played nearly 35 minutes as recently as Monday night in an impressive win over the San Antonio Spurs, so I don't think Sacramento would give him up for another expiring contract and a second-round pick without some kind of replacement lined up.

You'll recall that the Kings are the only NBA team with appreciable cap space remaining -- about $10.6 million. They could combine that with any of a number of expiring contracts (Burks' $11.5 million, Zach Randolph's $11.7 million, Kosta Koufos' $8.7 million or Ben McLemore's $5.4 million) to take back a highly-paid player from a team looking to shed salary. Ideally, that player would be a small forward, filling the role Shumpert had played this season but offering more size and long-term potential at the position. We'll see what Sacramento comes up with by Thursday's deadline.

who gave up the 2nd round pick?

Forbes NBA values round up:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/kurtbadenh ... d67424e667

Kevin Love (foot) and J.R. Smith haven't received much interest on the trade market.

The Cavs have said on numerous occasions that they'd prefer Love be a part of their rebuild, and his value is extremely deflated right now as he's spent most of the year recovering from foot surgery. Smith may offer the Cavs more value this summer, as he's only guaranteed $3.7 million of his $15.7 million salary, but trading him for another bad contract could put the Cavs close to the luxury tax next season; an undesirable position for a rebuilding team.