Tag: Cleveland Cavaliers (Page 28 of 53)

      Daily News writer has the key to LeBron’s brain

      February 21, 2010 /

      No one really knows what LeBron will do this summer, not even LeBron. But Mitch Lawrence of the NY Daily News says you can cross three teams off the list.

      First, the Clippers…

      James isn’t playing second fiddle to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, even if Clippers GM Mike Dunleavy traded off Marcus Camby, Al Thornton, Sebastian Telfair and got rid of Ricky Davis to create a maximum salary slot for the express purpose of landing James.

      Kobe is turning 32 this season and isn’t going to play forever. He has already played 1,158 games and his knees are eventually going to give out, so LeBron wouldn’t be playing “second fiddle” for long, if at all. LeBron might see the taking of L.A. and the resurrecting of a long-maligned franchise as a worthy challenge. Will LeBron sign with the Clippers? Probably not, but not because of Kobe. The Clippers’ best player, Baron Davis, is already 30 and injury-prone, and owner Donald Sterling doesn’t have a very good reputation.

      Next up, the Nets…

      Continue reading »

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Rumors & Gossip

      Jamison’s Cavs debut a dud

      February 19, 2010 /

      Check out this line from Antawn Jamison’s first game in a Cavs uni:

      26 min, 0-12 FG, 0-4 3PT, 2-2 FT, 7 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl, 2 pts

      Wow, that’s ugly. But it’s only one game and we all know Jamison is a better player than that.

      The Cavs lost to the Bobcats, 110-93. Tyrus Thomas debuted for Charlotte. Here’s his line:

      25 min, 3-9 FG, 3-4 FT, 12 reb, 2 ast, 6 blk, 9 pts

      Now that’s more like it.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      LeBron takes too many jumpers in crunch time

      February 19, 2010 /

      Yes, he posted a never-before-seen 43-13-15 last night, but he still jacks way too many jump shots. Case in point: Check out this series of shots by LeBron over the last nine minutes of last night’s 118-116 loss to the Nuggets.

      3:50 94-95 LeBron James makes free throw 1 of 2
      3:50 94-96 LeBron James makes free throw 2 of 2
      3:10 96-96 LeBron James misses 17-foot jumper
      2:39 98-98 LeBron James makes two point shot
      2:39 98-99 LeBron James makes free throw 1 of 1
      1:59 100-102 LeBron James makes driving layup
      1:23 102-102 LeBron James misses 24-foot three point jumper
      1:12 104-103 LeBron James makes free throw 1 of 2
      1:12 104-103 LeBron James misses free throw 2 of 2
      0:48 106-106 LeBron James makes 25-foot three point jumper
      0:00 106-106 LeBron James misses three point jumper (full court shot)

      3:19 109-110 LeBron James makes 12-foot jumper
      2:16 111-110 LeBron James misses 25-foot three point jumper
      1:50 113-110 LeBron James misses free throw 1 of 2
      1:50 113-111 LeBron James makes free throw 2 of 2
      0:48 116-113 LeBron James misses 24-foot three point jumper
      0:36 116-113 LeBron James misses 26-foot three point jumper
      0:23 116-115 LeBron James makes 9-foot running jumper
      0:23 116-116 LeBron James makes free throw 1 of 1
      0:00 118-116 LeBron James misses 28-foot three point jumper

      So, if we don’t count his desperation heave at the end of regulation, LeBron was 1-7 from 17-feet and beyond, and scored in some fashion virtually every time he went to the basket. He was 15-33 on the night and 1-9 from long range, so he was 14-24 on two-pointers and shot 17 free throws. In short, he was very successful when he attacked the rim, so he shouldn’t be settling for jumpers when the game is on the line.

      LeBron has worked hard on his three-point shot and is shooting a career-high 35.3% from deep this season. But he still doesn’t have a pure stroke, and probably never will. His elbow is cocked out and he often fades away. This is not how you shoot consistently from long range. To complicate matters, LeBron often has the ball in his hands so he’s not able to spot up like most pure shooters do. He has to dribble his way into position and take a contested shot — two more reasons why he should attack the basket.

      Just look at his game-by-game stats from the last month and a half. He made 30-49% of his threes just three times in 21 games. He shot 29% or lower twelve times and 50% or better six times. That is the definition of a streaky shooter. When he has it, he really has it, and when he doesn’t have it…well…last night was a great example. When his shot isn’t falling, he has to go to the hole, especially when the game is on the line.

      For all the talk last night about how Carmelo Anthony was guarding LeBron, let’s get real — Carmelo can’t guard LeBron off the dribble. No one can. The only one that can stop LeBron is LeBron.

      I’m not saying he should stop taking threes altogether, but if his shot isn’t falling, he has to attack the rim.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Cavs land Jamison in three-team trade

      February 17, 2010 /

      Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers have swung a three-team trade for Antawn Jamison.

      Cavs get Jamison and Telfair, Clippers get Drew Gooden and Wash gets Illgauskas, Al Thornton and Brian Skinner and Cavs 1st round pick.

      So the Cavs essentially landed Jamison at the cost of Ilgauskas, taking on Telfair’s contract ($2.7 million next season), and their first round pick, which will be very late in the first round. This is an even sweeter deal than the Hickson/Z-for-Jamison swap that has been rumored for weeks. The proposed Amare Stoudemire deal with the Suns either 1) fell through because the Suns wouldn’t pull the trigger quickly enough, or 2) the Wizards willingness to take a pick instead of Hickson convinced the Cavs to trade for Jamison instead. Either way, the Cavs got a good player in the deal. He’s 33 and has a bad contract (2 yrs, $28.4 million), but he’s playing at a high level (21-9, 45% shooting) and gives the Cavs the “stretch 4” they’ve been coveting for months. He’ll be a nice matchup for both Rashard Lewis and Kevin Garnett because he’s comfortable playing defense on the perimeter.

      The Suns were holding out for a better offer, but now the only suitor left standing appears to be the Heat. It’s going to be interesting to see if Stoudemire is moved before the deadline tomorrow. The team has reportedly told Stoudemire to suit up to play tonight, so no deal is imminent.

      The Clippers will save $5.5 million on their 2010-11 payroll, so they’ll project to have more than $16 million* in cap space this summer (or enough to sign a big-name free agent). They are now legit threats to sign a star like Joe Johnson, who would look very nice in a lineup of Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin and Chris Kaman. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s a savvy move by GM Mike Dunleavy.

      And finally, the Wizards will trim $10.6 million from next year’s payroll, giving the team around $9 million* in cap space (with Gilbert Arenas’s deal still on the books). They also get Al Thornton, who has struggled thus far in his career. While he did average almost 17 points last season, his PER has never risen above 13.00, which means he’s not a very efficient player. GM Ernie Grunfeld continues to make perplexing trades. He has moved Caron Butler and Jamison and all he has to show for it are a couple of borderline starters (Josh Howard and Thornton), a late first round draft pick and some cap space.

      * assuming a salary cap of $50 million

      Update: Brian Skinner is not a part of the deal, according to Ric Bucher.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Miami hasn’t offered Beasley…yet

      February 17, 2010 /

      According to Chad Ford’s source in the Suns organization, the Heat aren’t serious in their bid for Amare Stoudemire.

      Still, sources close to the negotiations say that, right now, Cleveland is the front-runner. Why? Because the Heat have yet to offer the Suns a deal that would beat the Cavs’ offer of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson. One source familiar with the negotiations told ESPN.com that the Heat have yet to offer Michael Beasley or either of their two first-round picks.

      “I’m not sure Miami is willing to pay the price for Amare,” a Suns source told ESPN.com. “We have to get something for him. We’re not giving him away. If Miami gets serious, then I think they would get him. But right now, they are not showing they’re serious.”

      Is there a possibility Stoudemire won’t be traded at all?

      “It’s possible,” the Suns source said. “We haven’t been blown away with an offer yet.”

      I’m sure the Heat would like to acquire Stoudemire without including Beasley, but with Stoudemire likely opting out of his deal this summer, there’s no upside for the Suns to just dump his contract. The Heat have two first round picks (their own and Toronto’s) — would the Suns would move Amare for two middling first rounders?

      Another aspect of this Amare love triangle is Miami’s desire to sign LeBron James this offseason. If they let the Cavs acquire Amare, there’s a better chance that LeBron will stay in Cleveland long-term. In other words, if they miss out on Amare, they may very well miss out on LeBron as well.


      Photo from fOTOGLIF

      NBA, Rumors & Gossip

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