Cliff's Edge 10.27.15: Cleveland Cavaliers Season Preview #Cavs

By @CLG2282

It is that time of year again folks.  Time to play some basketball.  And if you're a Cavaliers fan, you most likely have some fairly lofty goals.

The end of the 2014-2015 NBA season left most of the Cleveland supporters with a bittersweet taste in their mouths.  Bitter, of course, because the Cavaliers did not win the finals and bring a trophy to Cleveland for the first time in decades.  Sweet, because LeBron is back and Cleveland is a legitimate title contender.  The Cavs at the end of last season were even preseason favorites to win the championship.

Now that we have seen how that ended up, let's take a look at what has changed between now and June.

As the playoffs wrapped up, the Cavs were looking at a roster that, from top to bottom, was absolutely riddled with injuries.  Not just a sprained ankle or a sore wrist, the Cavs faced injuries that could be season-ending, no matter what point they occurred in the season.  So it was clear that from the moment the Finals were over, that the Cavs needed to add depth and rehabilitate.

We did not seem to do much in (regarding the immediate future) the direction of adding to our depth in the draft.  A rather underwhelming draft saw the Cavs select Duke guard Tyus Jones late in the 1st round and Sir'Dominic Pointer from St. John's at the end of the 2nd round.  They would end up trading Jones to the Timberwolves for their 2nd round pick, Rakeem Christmas.

What was the sum of these movements in the draft? It resulted in none of the three players being on the Cavs roster heading into the season opener.  In fact, the Cavs only have 4 new players on the roster this year.  That is almost a complete one-eighty from last season that had more than half of the Cavs roster coming in from different teams.

Two of the new additions were once part of the Cavaliers organization. Mo Williams, who played for the Cavs from 2008-2011 and Sasha Kaun, whose draft rights were traded to the Cavs, but never actually played a game.

Though head coach David Blatt was reluctant to play his older veterans when we needed extra bodies the most, the Cavs picked up long time veteran Richard Jefferson. Most recently a member of the Dallas Mavericks, Jefferson averages just under 6 points per game and will hopefully add needed depth to the small forward position.

With the exception of Mo Williams, the organization's offseason moves have been interesting to say the least. It seems like there was much more talent out there that would have been a lot more helpful.

There were also a few contract discussions that you may have heard about.  After laboring back and forth all summer long, the Cavs and Tristan Thompson finally came to an agreement on a 5-year, $82 million contract.

They definitely used as much time as they could getting that deal done. Thompson missed the entire preseason, as well as the camps and workouts before hand. The result being what most think of as Thompson being over paid. From the looks of things however, if the Cavs did not feel like they needed him, they would not have signed him.

Tristan was key in the Finals for the Cavs filling in for an injured Kevin Love. He was able to rebound and defend well enough to help keep a short handed Cleveland team in the series. Now with Love back to live action basketball activities, the quest for a trophy is well under way.

Despite the returns of Thompson and Love, there was a slight set back to getting the team back to full strength. Kyrie Irving's kneecap injury is going to take a while longer than originally thought.  The new timetable is looking like a mid-January return for the Cavaliers all-star point guard.

Cleveland will also be missing it's best perimeter defender in Iman Shumpert to start the season. Shumpert had surgery on his right wrist which is also his shooting hand. Tagged with an 8-12 week time table, Shumpert will likely be out past Thanksgiving as well.

LeBron James, as of a week and a half ago, also joined the injury squad. He has reportedly been dealing with some back issues and received anti-inflammatory shots. However, there is no long-term time table for LeBron to sit out as he will be ready for the opener. I suspect it's just a routine precaution and body maintenance thing, similar to his two week hiatus around Christmas last season.

So with all the injuries and weird moves and contract disputes, we're here.  It's opening day of the 2015-16 NBA season.  The expectations are now higher than ever.

After losing to Golden State in the Finals with a very shorthanded team, many are eager to get this journey rolling. Those are most likely the people that feel like the Cavs would have won the series if they were at full strength.

What we have to look forward to:

The Cavs have added needed depth to the point guard position behind Kyrie. Mathew Dellavedova did a decent job replacing Kyrie, but simply wasn't enough to help get the team over the hump. With the addition of Mo Williams and the young Jared Cunningham filling the final roster spot in the preseason, there is a lot of offensive and defensive depth at the guard position.

This biggest improvement going into this season will be the fact that our big time players will not be new to the big stage. Last year only James, J.R. Smith, James Jones and Timofey Mozgov had previous playoff experience.  James and Jones were the only two to play in the finals, or see significant playoff minutes for that matter.

Kyrie, Tristan and Love now have played serious, meaningful late season basketball games. We have seen players get caught up in the atmosphere of the playoffs and under perform. So it is promising to know that those first time jitters should now be behind the Cavs.

The roster for Cleveland is now two deep at every position. The only position that does not have a solid back up is the small forward. But luckily for Cleveland, that is the position occupied by LeBron James, who does not miss many games.  Having a viable replacement at each position gives depth and allocated minutes that will allow players to rest and be fresh.

For what it's worth, there should not be too much competition to win the Eastern conference. There are a couple good teams and that is absolutely where the conversation stops. No team in the East has the talent that Cleveland has with maybe the exception of the Chicago Bulls. The Atlanta Hawks, whom the Cavs destroyed in last season's playoffs, will be competitive but won't go very far in the playoffs.

The Celtics are a good, young team, but are still building and likely are another season away from being real title contenders. A healthy Miami team could make some noise. With veterans Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh leading the way and Hassan Whiteside's rising stock, they could make a run deep into the playoffs.

Overall, the Cavs should be able to get thru the East and make another finals appearance. That would be where the road gets really tough. Possibly facing a rematch with the Golden State Warriors is not out of the picture. They are still a good team and cleared some cap space to make moves down the road, all while keeping their core guys together. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green are still very young and improving.

Another challenge, and my personal pick to win the West, is the San Antonio Spurs. The system under coach Greg Popovich that has stood the test of time is always dangerous. Couple that with one of the league's rising stars in Kawhi Leonard and the offseason acquisition of star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, the Spurs jump to the very top of the title contenders list. Not to mention the normal gladiator gauntlet that is the Western conference.

Overall, the Cavs looked primed and ready for another title run. They have their same nucleus of talent, shooters, defenders and are one more year matured into coach David Blatt's scheme. Getting all of the "first time jitters" out of the way should allow the team to settle into the season and get down to business. They now know what it is like as a team to be at the big stage. Though Irving and Love didn't play in the Finals, they now know what it's like to be in that atmosphere. For the most part, they should also know what is expected of them.

I'm sure there are a lot of Cavs fans circling the Christmas day game with the Warriors on their calendars. However, it's just another regular season game. What we want to watch for is the further advancement of chemistry and comfort with each other as teammates. We want to see how the players take their first year and build off of the experience and learn from mistakes. Those are the kinds of things you want to see from a team being constructed to win a title.

If last year's work is anything to go off of, it appears that this team is ahead of schedule. We all expected a playoff run but not necessarily a trip to the finals. So heading into the 2015-16 season, the Cavs have all of their major pieces back. If everything goes well medically,  you can expect the Cavaliers to be back in the finals. With a lot more experience and maturity.

We can expect the Cavs to play well at home as usual. I would expect a record of 31-10 at home, a place where they obviously feel very comfortable and feed off of the crowd. Considering the rest of the East and the strong West, I think the Cavaliers finish above .500 at 24-17 on the road. Giving them a 55 win season. Of course, the possibility that they finish better is likely but I want to account for games that may be lost due to guys getting rest or injury. 55-27 sounds like a plausible record for Cleveland in the quest to a championship.


Let the games begin!

Cliff's Edge 5.11.15: ...The Bad, The Ugly #Cavs #CLEvsCHI

By @CLG2282

Yeah so, nothing about this series is pretty. They way this is going, the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to need to open up a medical facility to ease the stress issues of the fans. They are not putting the supporters' minds at ease whatsoever.

I know, I know. The hot button topic is Big Shot Bron (not quite). There's no doubt that he hit what will likely be dubbed the greatest shot of his career to this point. While that's all fair and well, we cannot ignore the storm hovering above the Cavs.

Game 4 may have been the worst game that the Cavs have played in this series. And the sad part is that that's not a run away race. Being objective, the Cavs are not playing well this post season. And that includes when Love played in the Boston series.

I have yet to witness Cleveland put together two consecutive well played games. They have played well for long stretches, even put together some good halves but they are not consistently playing well game in and game out.

I understand that we are missing a key player but that's not an excuse. It's not just the guys that we are not use to seeing, who are playing bad.  The usual suspects for Cleveland are struggling to execute.

I cannot remember the last time I've seen a team with so much talent struggle with simple things so terribly. Things like not being able to control the dribble, off target passes and missing open shots have plagued Cleveland for the entire post season.

The first few minutes of Game 4 tell you all you need to know about how the Cavs have been playing. Four turnovers by LeBron. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was throwing bad passes and missing assignments on defense, yet somehow Cleveland was able to remain in the game. There was aggression by Mozgov and hustle by Thompson. For the most part, the energy from Cleveland was good. The unfortunate part was that they could not execute at all.

I'm not sure what the problem is but there seems to be no sense of urgency. A lot of 'deer in the headlights' type of things are happening on both ends of the court. Man to man the Cavs are being outmatched. That grinds my gears more that most anything in basketball.  Letting the other team 'out man' you is unacceptable.

You know what else is unacceptable? A coach not recognizing that a player is hurting his team but leaving him on the floor. Kyrie has caused more harm than good to the squad but continues to get heavy, heavy minutes.

I mean, we get it, right? Kyrie Irving, young star on a meteoric rise, Robin to LeBron's Batman. Your complementary star who is almost unguardable and leave defenders in as much as as he does fan. We get it, you want him to be there when it counts. You want the young leader and future of the franchise to be on the floor in crunch time. But at what cost?

I'm sure as fans we all appreciate and applaud Irving's effort to gut it out and show heart. I believe that most find comfort in David Blatt trusting and believing in his guys but we have to be sensible. When you not being as effective as you need to be, you have to come to grips.

Seriously, 2-10 from the field?! Kyrie had 12 points and play 40 minutes. I'll say it again, 40 MINUTES. Eight of those 12 points were from the free throw line. Four points from the field in 40 minutes of game time is unbelievably unacceptable. Especially when you take into account that he did not have much impact anywhere else in the game.

It's not just a Game 4 fluke either. Game 3 was very inefficient for Irving and he cost the team critical points late in the game. He was not able to finish and forced shots late in the 4th quarter that resulted in empty possessions. Kyrie clearly has not been the same since rolling his ankle I'm the 1st quarter of Game 2.

What makes things more frustrating is that Dellevadova has been playing really well. The last two games have been pretty solid for Delly. Which makes me wonder, if your start is hurt and hurting the team, why not roll with the back up who is holding his own, coach Blatt?

Delly is not an all-star but at the moment he is getting the job done. I know i have given him a lot of flack in the past but he's knocking down the open shots and for the most part protecting the ball. He's finding guys in rotation on offense and pestering the Chicago guards on defense. I would make the switch.

Now of course I am appreciative of the Cavs' win. A win is a win of course no matter what it took to get there (not applicable to the Pats though). I'm glad we won and don't want you to believe otherwise. Winning, however, does not take away the fact that the Cavs are struggling.

Strictly based on the numbers, LeBron is having really good games but his inefficiency is horrid. 10-30 in Game 4 is absolutely ridiculous.  James' 3-point percentage is even worse. He's lackadaisical with the ball at times and settles for terrible shots.

This is where David Blatt begins to take his lashes. He did a great job adjusting the line up after Love went down and the Game 1 loss. Blatt has to do two things immediately to close out this series.

If Kyrie is going to be bothered by this foot/ankle issue any longer, Blatt has to bring him off of the bench. Irving just cannot play that many minutes and be that ineffective. It will not allow his injury to heal and it will continue to make the team suffer.

The second thing that needs to be done by Blatt is play the brand of basketball that they have worked on and played all year. That means play Cavs basketball. Play the lineups that work for us not the ones that we think will match or counteract what Chicago will do. Cleveland can't continue to spend the game trying to matchup with the Bulls. Blatt has to make Chicago play with us and what we do well.

Coach Blatt did that for a short stretch in Game 4 and it worked. With Gasol being out due to his hamstring,  Blatt played both Thompson and Mozgov when Taj Gibson went to the bench with foul trouble. That made Noah have to deal with both Cavs big men alone and it was effective.  Cleveland went on a 12-0 run.  The strategy didn't stay in place long and Chicago crept back into the game.

Right now there is a lot of blame that needs to be shared. The injuries are going to happen but there is nothing that can be done about that. Cleveland has to step up and rise to the occasion.  Blatt needs to lead the team properly and put his players in a good position to win.

I believe that if Blatt makes these adjustments and the teams plays Cavs' basketball then the rhythm will be found. We can not play to the Bulls or any other team and expect to be successful. Hopefully some momentum and energy was found with LeBron's big shot to end Game 4 and will be carried over into the rest of the postseason. Who knows, maybe being in that position and hitting that shot is what the Cavs needed to get going.

I'm looking forward to see what David Blatt does with his troops. I think LeBron will be a lot better being back at home Tuesday for Game 5 and will step it up. Jr Smith is starting to look like the Jr that we need again. That will be vital if Gasol is to return from his injury.


#GoCavs #CLEOverEverything

Leadoff with Lee 2.12.15

By @cleeverizon

- Browns owner Jimmy Haslam had a press conference yesterday with the Cleveland media. What did we learn from it? Absolutely nothing that I haven't told you already. The only thing I found somewhat interesting is the Browns will hold training camp in Berea this summer and not Columbus. The plan is to expand the Columbus Crew's stadium and add practice fields. Now by my estimation, construction on a indoor practice field, clearing the land for 2-3 outdoor fields would need to be started by this summer. So with that being said we won't hear anything about a possible move until mid-spring or early summer.

-There will be changes in this year's Rising Stars game at All-Star Weekend. The NBA assistant coaches have selected 10 U.S. players and 10 international players for the game, with one ballot for each NBA team. Both 10-man rosters will include 4 guards, 4 front court players and 2 more players regardless of their position. Each team will feature a minimum of 3 first-year players and 3 second-year players among its 10 spots.

The head coaches for both teams will be the lead assistant coaches from the 2015 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs Alvin Gentry (Team USA) and Kenny Atkinson (Team World) Good for the game? I don't know, but it's a good way for us to see some good international talent.

- Due to the injury of Boston's Kelly Olynyk, Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova has been added to the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge game at NBA All-Star Weekend on Friday night.

- Due to the injury of Dwayne Wade, who sat out yesterday's loss to the Cavs, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has picked Atlanta's Kyle Korver as his replacement. This will be the Hawks 4th player to play in this weekend's NBA All-Star Game in New York.
 
- Seattle Seahawks All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman has elected to rest and rehabilitate his left elbow as opposed to having Tommy John surgery.

- Chargers Pro-Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers will not have off-season back surgery. He told 101 KGB FM in San Diego,
"At this point, the back injury is not requiring surgery", "We'll kind of revisit it in a month or so. But everything is improving. I'm back to my regular workouts and running around. Me and my wife played a little tennis the other day. I've hit the golf ball a few times, so I'm actually on the up and up. So I'm pretty excited."

- Free agent Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker is considering retirement after 12 seasons. With all the uncertainty in Denver with Peyton Manning, a new head coach, losing offensive coordinator Adam Gase has a lot to do with his decision. Could Manning and Welker be looking to link up together with a Super Bowl contender next season? I don't know. But as D.J Quik once said "If it don't make dollars, it don't make (cents) sense.      

-  Former Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia will interview for the Rams quarterbacks coach job today. Frank Cignetti Jr. will be promoted to offensive coordinator. Is Jeff still with that Playboy model from North Olmsted? Jeff just tell Cleveland Thank You!

- The Miami Marlins will host the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. This will be the first time that the game is played in South Florida. Cincinnati will host this year's game, while San Diego holds the event in 2016.

- Are you tired of rate increases from your cable or satellite provider? Or increases in ticket prices for you favorite sporting event? Want to know why guys like LeBron James and Kevin Love only signed one year deals? Or even why Tristan Thompson turned down a contract extension. Here's why and it's very simple.

2015 TV deal rights increases:
NBA +186%
NHL +167%
MLB +105%
Premier League +71%
NFL +28%.                                  

- Sad news for the sports world. Hall of Fame basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian has died at 84. He had over 700 wins as a head coach. Born in Euclid, Ohio, "Tark the Shark" first deal with UNLV was in 1973, making $22K/year in salary, $10K for TV show, $25K recruiting budget, $3K wardrobe budget. He coached with Fresno State from from 1968-1973, UNLV 1973-1992 (winning the NCAA Championship in 1990 with Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony as his star players), then back to Fresno State from 1995-2002. His final record was 784-202.