Cleveland Sports Forum

Joe Vardon
@joevardon
Barring a last-minute trade, the Cavs are expected to waive JR Smith today, a league source said.

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Spotrac
@spotrac
Reportedly set to be waived today (before a full salary guarantee kicks in), JR Smith will leave the #Cavaliers having reeled in $57.1M since 2014-15, including $4.37M to depart in 2019-20. He’s averaged 7.8 points per game the past three seasons.

Joe Vardon with a real profound statement for all other NBA teams out there.

Cavs will either trade or waive JR Smith today. Really ? Any other possibilities ? Like he has an option until August 1st. Is that a possibility ?

Obvious they have offered him to different teams including the Warriors.

Smith’s contract wasn’t the asset the team thought it was. Very disappointing. We all thought we would get something for it.

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Cleveland Cavaliers planning to waive JR Smith, sources say

Updated 12:19 PM; Today 11:00 AM

By Chris Fedor, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers are planning to waive exiled shooting guard JR Smith Monday evening, barring an unforeseen trade, league sources tell cleveland.com.

The Cavs have the option to extend the full guarantee date on his contract another two weeks, to Aug. 1, but a source said the team views it as unlikely to trade him at this point in the summer, with many teams already having cleared salary space other ways.

Instead, the Cavs will waive and stretch Smith’s $4.3 million guaranteed over the next three years.

By doing this, Smith will count for $1.4 million against Cleveland’s salary cap for the next three years instead of $4.3 million this year -- a maneuver that keeps the Cavs below the luxury tax.

In numerous trade conversations, the Cavs were seeking a future first-round pick in return for Smith’s partial non-guaranteed deal, even willing to take on two-plus years of bad money to make that happen. But it had to be a valuable pick worth the penalties that come with being a tax team and they didn’t want to force a bad deal for the sake of action.

The Cavs had plenty of suitors and sources say owner Dan Gilbert signed off on those potential deals, continuously pushing the front office to take on that added money, which in various offers would’ve resulted in a cost of more than $50 million when combining the salaries and taxes. While there was no specific mandate to stay below the luxury tax threshold, the Cavs still turned down offers, including a few on draft night.

In the early stages of free agency, the Cavs offered Smith to Golden State for Andre Iguodala, sources say, believing they made a better offer than the one the Warriors took from Memphis. The Cavs even offered lighter protections on a future first-round pick. But the Warriors sent Iguodala into the Grizzlies’ open cap space instead of trying to work cap gymnastics around Smith’s partial guarantee and the move with Memphis allowed Golden State to make other smart signings to fill out its roster.

Once the Cavs exhausted all possibilities and ultimately determined what they would have gotten back in return for Smith didn’t make sense to be a tax team this upcoming season -- the second year of this lengthy rebuild -- they made the decision to move on, choosing not to use one of their most appealing trade chips.

Staying below the luxury tax line has its own value. It allows the Cavs to reset that clock and stay out of the repeater tax until they are once again ready to be competitive. It technically gives them the full mid-level exception, which they are unlikely to use this summer. It also gives them financial flexibility, something they view as important during this rebuild.

The Smith trade conversations began shortly after he was asked to leave the team in November. At that time, the Cavs didn’t want to entertain any buyout discussions, holding onto him as a trade asset. When planning for this summer, Cleveland’s front office projected to have around $15 million in space. That number shrunk significantly following other deals around the deadline.

The Cavs flipped George Hill to Milwaukee for John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova and a future first-round pick. Henson and Dellavedova are on expiring contracts for the 2019-20 season, making them potential trade pieces. They also add plenty of veteran experience, with Dellavedova helping youngster Collin Sexton last season, and reaching out to rookie Dylan Windler during summer league.

Then Cleveland sent veteran Kyle Korver to Utah for Alec Burks, who the Cavs eventually rerouted to Houston for a 2019 first-rounder, Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss. Once those deals were completed, adding three firsts and multiple seconds, the Cavs’ salary cap projections changed and the team knew it would be a mundane summer.

Given the various moves made to add draft capital -- and take on added salary -- this past season, it should be expected that the Cavs make similar attempts at in-season trades once again this year.

When Smith is officially waived, becoming an unrestricted free agent, the Cavs will remain about $22 million over the cap, which is set for $109 million this coming season, but still under the luxury tax line of $132 million.

Smith’s release will also bring Cleveland’s roster to 13 players, one below the number it would like. The max number allowed is 15, but sources say the Cavs plan to enter the season with an open spot.

It is official. As Jason Lloyd predicted a few weeks ago.


Tom Withers @twithersAP
2m
#Cavs waive JR Smith, ending his colorful tenure in Cleveland.

J.R. Was a different dude, and he made one of the most boneheaded plays I’ve seen in basketball, but I always liked him and rooted for him. Of course he never threw hot soup at me, but I liked him.

He started up a little business early on with Cavs. His own clothing line. Casual sportswear and fleece and such. When I heard about it I went to his site and looked it over, saw some fleece pants I liked so ordered from him.

Like a month went by and I never received my order or got an email update or anything so become concerned. Shot the web site an email.

A few days later I received my fleece and an autographed game day magazine thingy from a recent Cavs game. And a little note from his wife apologizing for item being on back order.

As I look back it is pretty reminiscent of his Cavs days. Some times you wonder if he’s there. Sometimes he would really concern you. But eventually he’d come through in a pleasing manner.

TRISTAN THOMPSON
C, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Tristan Thompson will not play for the Canadian national team in the FIBA World Cup this summer, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
He has usually been a big part of the Canadian squad, so this is a surprise. Thompson was not able to stay on the floor this season with only a career-low 43 games played with his worst FG% since 2013-14. The Cavs are going through a rebuild and Thompson is on an expiring deal, so perhaps that could be part of the reasoning here.

The Cavs were holding out for 2 first round picks for JR. They thought they could get one to take a player for JR and then get another one when they flipped that player. That is why they offered him for Iguadola. Memphis is trying to do the same.

There is a reason why the Westbrook - Paul trade was not official until the Cavs waived JR Smith.

Miami is asking OKC for 2 picks (Miami's own) to take Chris Paul.

Cavs over played their hand and basically lost.

don't comprehend the complicated finances of NBA, so I can't comprehend how JR could yield two No. 1s. Of course, he didn't so I guess I don't have to get a lesson on this one.

JR couldn't. It was his expiring contract that could. He'd be immediately bought out and/or used as another trade piece to offset/even off the salaries in another deal.

According to Chris Hayes of Yahoo, Kosta Koufos has reached an agreement with CSKA Moscow.

After 10 years in the NBA, Kosta is headed overseas. Per Hayes, the pact will make Koufos the highest-paid American in Europe next season. It's a two-year, $6 million deal that will include an NBA option should he decide to return to the league.

Griffin: I was miserable building around LeBron
play
12:43 PM ET
ESPN


New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin detailed the challenges of his three seasons working with LeBron James as Cleveland Cavaliers general manager, saying the experience was "miserable" and questioning James' winning instinct in Los Angeles.

Griffin told Sports Illustrated for a story published Thursday that the annual challenge of building a title contender around James was too stressful, even if it did result in a championship in 2016.



"Everything we did was so inorganic and unsustainable and, frankly, not fun. I was miserable," Griffin said. "Literally the moment we won the championship I knew I was gonna leave. There was no way I was gonna stay for any amount of money."

Sources close to James told ESPN on Thursday they were "shocked" at Griffin's characterization of the superstar. James seemingly addressed the Griffin story via a tweet on Thursday without mentioning him by name.

Griffin and a person close to James spoke after the SI story was published, sources told ESPN, and Griffin expressed that some context was missing behind his comments. James' camp encouraged Griffin to clear up his stance on the record, sources said.

James' contract structure with the Cavs may have contributed to the "inorganic" roster construction to which Griffin alluded. Upon returning to Cleveland for a second stint with the franchise in 2014, James signed a one-year deal with a player option for the second year. In 2015, he signed a one-year deal with a player option for the following season. And in 2016, rather than pick up the option after winning the championship, he signed a two-year deal with a player option for a third season. When his option year came up on his final contract with the Cavs, James became an unrestricted free agent and signed a three-year deal with the Lakers with a player option for a fourth.

Griffin told SI that he believes James winning a title in his home state also has affected his mindset on the court and wondered whether James is more preoccupied with other priorities.

"There wasn't a lot else for him," Griffin said. "I don't think he's the same animal anymore about winning."

James may have fed into that perception during the 2017 playoffs, telling Cleveland.com he has "nothing left to prove" when reflecting on the 2016 title -- his third, to go along with his four MVP awards. However, if James was content, it hardly showed when he played all 82 games in 2017-18 for the first time in his career and enjoyed one of his finest postseason performances, leading the Cavs back to the Finals before they were swept by the Golden State Warriors.


Still, in February -- midway through his first season with the Lakers -- James again framed his career in a way that would support Griffin's assertion that James' "animal" side might have dissipated.

"It's nothing I need to get in this league that I don't already have," James said at a shootaround in Boston. "So, everything else for me is just like icing on the cake. Even though I love the process of everything that I go through to be able to compete every single night and put teams in position to compete for championships. But there's nothing that I'm chasing or that I feel I need to end my career on."

Griffin told SI that he privately wept the night the Cavaliers won the title, saying he was so obsessed with winning that he "didn't love the game anymore."

Griffin ultimately parted ways with the Cavaliers in June 2017, with his contract set to expire at the end of that month. The Pelicans hired him this April.

Prior to the split, James endorsed Griffin's pursuit of a contract extension, telling ESPN, "It makes no sense why he shouldn't get an extension. He's pulled every move -- he's tried to make every move happen -- to better this team to be able to compete for a championship. So we wouldn't be in this position, obviously, without him and without the guys that are here -- from the coaching staff to the players to Griff. He's been a big piece of it."

The Woj Pod
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski spoke recently with David Griffin about building around LeBron James in Cleveland. Listen now!

Griffin told SI that being in James' orbit created a vacuum when it came to doling out due for what James' teams accomplish.

"LeBron is getting all the credit and none of the blame. And that's not fun for people," Griffin said of the challenge of working with and playing with James. "They don't like being part of that world."

A source familiar with Griffin's thinking said the Pelicans exec's intention was to refer to the media machine surrounding James and simply acknowledge a byproduct of his immense celebrity, rather than blame James for creating the atmosphere.

James and Griffin have maintained a positive relationship since their time together in Cleveland. James went public with his disappointment when the Cavaliers parted ways with Griffin, and as recently as July, James took to Twitter to promote the business of Griffin's wife, Meredith Hale-Griffin, to his more than 43 million followers.


James' teammate Kyle Kuzma told ESPN's Cari Champion on Thursday that James' offseason -- the lengthiest he's enjoyed since the Cavs missed the playoffs his season season in the league -- has given the superstar time to refocus for 2019-20.


"This offseason, you see just, people slandering his name and saying this about him, saying that," Kuzma said. "But you know, he's been super motivated this offseason working, between shooting movies he's in the gym. He's in the gym early, night, whatever. So just being locked in. That's the biggest thing ... being ready for it all."

Griffin has quickly reworked the Pelicans' roster after losing Anthony Davis by building around No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson. Griffin said he will continue adding players if the postseason is within reach this coming season.

"People are gonna be like, 'What the f--- are they doing?'" he said. "We're trying to win basketball games!"

Information from ESPN's Dave McMenamin was used in this report.

Cleveland Cavaliers: The impact of Larry Nance Jr. and breaking down the roster
Today 5:03 AM
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. (R) talks with rookie Darius Garland as they watch the Cleveland Browns training camp. Photo by John Kuntz / cleveland.com
cleveland.com

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. (R) talks with rookie Darius Garland as they watch the Cleveland Browns training camp. Photo by John Kuntz / cleveland.com

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45 shares
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

ABOUT LARRY NANCE JR.

One of the reasons the Cavaliers gave Larry Nance Jr. a 4-year, $45 million contract extension last summer is his leadership ability.

General Manager Koby Altman has been a Nance fan for several years. It’s part of the reason he was willing to include a 2018 first-round pick in a complicated trade with the Lakers that brought Nance and Jordan Clarkson to Cleveland.

The Cavaliers analytics revealed the 6-foot-9 Nance as an above-average defender and passer. He is one of those players who positively impacts the game without being an elite scorer.


Last season, Nance averaged 9.4 points, 8.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 27 minutes a game. He shot 52 percent from the field. It was the best year of his 4-year pro career.

New Coach John Beilein and his staff have been working with Nance on his outside shot. They believe he can become reasonably accurate from 3-point range.

Nance shot .337 on 3-pointers last season, the best of his career. Beilein loves Nance’s passing, work ethic and willingness to make the changes needed to improve his shot.

One of Beilein’s specialities when he coached at Michigan was enhancing the ability of his players to make outside shots. The modern NBA loves big men who make 3-pointers, especially from the corner.

Nance is unselfish, coachable and grew up watching the Cavaliers.

As Altman has said several times, “Larry is a local guy and he wants to be here.”

Nance is the son of former Cavalier star Larry Nance. He grew up in Bath Township in Summit County and played at Revere High school. So did his sister, Casey, and younger brother, Pete.

When Nance Sr. was with the Cavaliers, he often hosted players such John “Hot Rod” Williams, Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Danny Ferry and Craig Ehlo in Bath.


Nance Jr. has been doing the same with his teammates, especially rookies Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler. They went to a Browns practice together. They have an outing planned to attend a Tribe game.

They are working out together at the team’s Cleveland Clinic Courts practice facility. Collin Sexton also joins them.

Jaynee and Larry Nance Sr. have been terrific role models for years, and their son is carrying on that tradition with the Cavaliers.

Kevin Love and Nance are planning a voluntary mini-camp for players in a few weeks.

The Cavs know this is going to be a difficult year in terms of wins and losses. It’s critical that they develop team chemistry. Nance and Love are two very important keys to doing that.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS

1. I forgot the Cavaliers had John Henson, a 6-foot-11 shot-blocker they picked up from Milwaukee in one of their mid-season deals. He played only 14 games (none with Cavs) because of hand surgery last season. In 2017-18, Henson averaged 8.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 26 minutes a game.

2. The Cavs believe Henson can help their interior defense. No one else on the roster is a shot blocker. The 28-year-old Henson has one year and $9.7 million left on his contract. He is a player who could be traded at mid-season. But I was told the new coaching staff is intrigued by him.


3. The Cavs have a lot of power forwards/centers: Tristan Thompson, Ante Zizic, Love, Nance and Henson. Like Henson, Thompson is in the last year of his contract. Thompson could be attractive to a contender who needs a rebounder and defender.

4. In workouts, the Cavs have been very impressed with Garland’s shooting range. One official called it “almost endless.” The Cavs are working on Garland’s ball-handling and passing skills, especially in pick-and-roll situations.

5. The Cavs believe Garland can take on a lot of the point guard ball-handling duties even as a 19-year-old rookie. That would free up Sexton to do what he does best – score.

6. Just as the Cavs have a lot of big men, they have too many small guards: Matthew Dellavedova, Brandon Knight, Sexton and Garland. Dellavedova and Knight are in the final year of their contracts.

7. Dellavedova ended last season missing the final 20 games because of a serious concussion. He is healthy now and playing for the Australian National Team. Projected starting forward Cedi Osman is playing for Turkey this summer.

8. I really like Clarkson. He is in the final year of his contract and signed with Klutch Sports (Rich Paul & Mark Termini) a few months ago. The 26-year-old is an elite scorer off the bench (16.8 points in 27 minutes last season). He’s durable, missing only five games in the last four years.


9. If the Cavs were to consider offering a contract to another player, Clarkson should be a candidate. But I expect the Cavs will wait on Clarkson through the mid-season trading deadline. He could bring back a draft pick in a deal.

10. Osman is expected to start at small forward. They will look at rookies Windler and Porter in that spot. The two youngsters also can be shooting guards. No matter who plays, the Cavs will have major defensive issues in the backcourt – especially if Garland and Sexton start. Most young players are chewed up on the defensive end in the NBA.

11. A problem for the Cavs is with so many guards/small forwards, how do they develop some of the younger players. Porter could play quite a bit for the Canton Charge in the D-League.

12. The Cavs are excited about Porter, who averaged 9.5 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22 minutes as a freshman for USC. He has strange shooting stats: .411 on 3-pointers (impressive) and .522 at the foul line (awful). He has some step-back James Harden moves. But let’s not go there when it comes to comparisons, although Porter has fans who see a lot of Harden in him.

13. The 6-foot-5 Porter is very athletic. He was the Washington State High School Player of the Year and a top 50 recruit in 2018 according to several scouting services. But had maturity problems in college. He missed 11 games between his suspension and a quad injury.


14. Porter is going to have to play a lot – somewhere. Same with Windler, the sharp-shooter from Belmont. The Cavs need to use Canton to develop these young players.

Sheesh, I forgot Tristan Thompson and his ridiculous contract were still with the team. Still paying the piper for those championship runs.

Oh my, Fred McCleod has died. Been the Cavs play by play guy for a bit now. What a shame.

He was 67

https://twitter.com/i/status/1177607229714903041

TFIR, I would appreciate if you can watch this video and tell me what you think of it.