Tag: Cleveland Cavaliers (Page 36 of 53)

      Where will LeBron land?

      August 31, 2009 /

      That’s the biggest question hovering over the NBA this season, at least from a free agency standpoint. ESPN tackled this issue by surveying a group of “52 NBA noggins” to see what the general consensus is.

      The good news for Cleveland fans is that 73% responded that he’s likely to stay put, in no small part to how the economy has affected the NBA salary cap. The bottom line is that, with reduced cap space, other teams are going to have a tough time signing two superstars, so they become less desirable destinations for LeBron.

      New York still lurks as the biggest threat to pry LeBron away from Cleveland, and here’s why…

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      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      LeBron stands by his decision not to shake hands with the Magic

      August 12, 2009 /

      Per ESPN…

      “The media, your … job don’t start until ours’ finish. You guys can’t report and write you guys’ story until we take a shower, until we come out and sit on the podium. That’s the only thing I apologize for. As far as shaking hands, it’s something that is not done in the NBA. If it was something like tennis, after tennis, you play, you win, you lose, you go to the center and shake hands, it happens every game in tennis.”

      “In basketball, you look at 82 regular-season games, it’s easy, guys are gonna shake hands, the fact that [I didn’t] do the media [session], I think that’s why [the story] was all blown up, and I apologize for that, but I will not apologize for shaking nobody’s hand,” he said. “You never accept losing, ever.”

      When the reporter reminded James that most players usually shake hands at the end of a playoff series, James bristled again. “No you don’t, no you don’t,” he responded.

      After a few more seconds of back and forth, James continued to try to explain his position. “Teamwork has nothing to do with shaking hands,” James said. “I’m not a poor sport at all. You can ask anyone that knows me, I’m not a poor sport at all. Who brought up the rule that shaking hands, that’s what you’re supposed to do? No one shakes hands at the end of series all the time. No one does that. No one does that at all.”

      Sigh.

      Related content: What LeBron really meant in his first post-playoff interview

      NBA, News

      Powe close to signing with Cavs?

      August 11, 2009 /

      Per Yahoo! Sports…

      Free-agent forward Leon Powe will sign a two-year contract for the league minimum with the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday if the team’s doctors are satisfied with the progress of his injured left knee, a league source said.

      Powe tore his anterior cruciate ligament and cartilage in his knee during Game 2 of the Boston Celtics’ first-round series against the Chicago Bulls. He had reconstructive surgery on May 5 – his third major knee surgery – and has been rehabilitating in Los Angeles. Powe hopes to be back on the court by this season’s All-Star break, and the Cavaliers are willing to take a low-risk gamble on him pending the results of his physical.

      Over the past two seasons with the Celtics, Powe has been highly productive in the limited minutes he’s received. He had a PER of 21.04 in the 2007-08 season and 17.25 in 2008-09. (15.00 is average.) He’s an energy guy with a great nose for the ball and a limited offensive game. Sound familiar? That’s exactly how I’d describe Anderson Varejao.

      Which brings me back to the problems I have with the Cavs’ offseason. I don’t mind the addition of Shaquille O’Neal, but if he and Varejao (or Powe, if he signs) are on the court at the same time, LeBron is going to find that it’s going to be tougher to get to the hoop. Other than Zydrunas Ilgauskas, none of the Cavs’ bigs can shoot the ball effectively from outside the lane.

      This wouldn’t be much of a concern if Cleveland didn’t depend so much on LeBron’s one-on-one game. If he can’t get to the rim as easily, he’ll be settling for jumpers, and the Cavs’ offensive efficiency will go down.

      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Who will have cap space in 2010?

      August 8, 2009 /

      ESPN’s Chad Ford lists nine teams that will have significant cap space next summer. [Insider subscription required.]

      1. Nets ($25-$27 million)
      2. Knicks ($24 million, assuming they don’t sign anyone for longer than a year)
      3. Heat ($20-$22 million)
      4. Timberwolves ($16-$18 million)
      5. Bulls ($13-$15 million minus whatever they give Tyrus Thomas)
      6. Thunder ($14-$15 million)
      7. Rockets ($12-$14 million minus whatever they give to Carl Landry and Chuck Hayes)
      8. Clippers ($10-$11 million)
      9. Kings ($9-$10 million)

      This assumes a cap of $53.6 million, which is an optimistic view. The cap could drop below $50 million.

      It takes about $14 million of space to sign a max-contract player, so even under these optimistic circumstances, there really are only five teams — the Nets, Knicks, Heat, T-Wolves and Thunder — that will have that kind of space. (The Bulls are likely to keep Thomas and the Rockets are likely to retain Landry and Hayes, though they could make another move here or there to put them in position to add a superstar.)

      Of these five teams, the Heat look to be in the best overall shape. Their projected payroll already includes Dwyane Wade, so they have enough to woo another superstar (LeBron, Bosh, Amare, Boozer?) to Miami. They also have a few good young players (Michael Beasley, Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers) under contract, and the city boasts a great climate and nightlife. But the real draw is playing with Wade, who has already proven that he can win a championship if he has a little help.

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      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

      Getting better or getting worse?

      July 9, 2009 /



      The NBA offseason is about getting better. Players are (or should be) in the gym, working on their games, getting stronger, running faster, whatever. Meanwhile, general managers try to draft well and make some moves in free agency that will help their respective teams make that jump to the next level.

      There’s an old Beatles song, “Getting Better,” that goes…

      I’ve got to admit it’s getting better
      A little better all the time (It can’t get no worse)
      I have to admit it’s getting better
      It’s getting better since you’ve been mine

      Now Paul McCartney and John Lennon were talking about a girl, but those lyrics could easily be applied to an NBA team during the summer. With that in mind, here are three teams that are getting better and three that are getting worse. (And, by the way, just because a team is adding talent, it doesn’t mean that they’re making the right moves.)

      GETTING BETTER

      San Antonio Spurs
      The Spurs’ willingness to take on salary to improve their roster resulted in the acquisition of All-Star-caliber forward Richard Jefferson from the Bucks, who were looking to dump salary. To add Jefferson, they only had to give up Kurt Thomas, Bruce Bowen and Fabricio Oberto. RJ is a good all-around wing that can score and defend. The Spurs also added Antonio McDyess with a three-year, mid-level deal. McDyess is 34, but his PER of 16.63 last season is still well above average. To top it all off, San Antonio benefited from DeJuan Blair’s free fall on draft night. Blair is arguably the best rebounder in this year’s draft class and he’ll provide immediate toughness on the inside. Really, at the cost of a second rounder, do the Spurs care if his knees break down in three or four years? If San Antonio has everyone healthy come playoff time, they have a great shot of upending the Lakers in the West.

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      NBA, News, Rumors & Gossip

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