The Raven Report 8.12.16: LeBron James Re-Signs With The Cavs

By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

On Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James eased many concerns around the city of Cleveland and the NBA, in general as LeBron James agreed to a 3-year, $100 million contract.

James, 31, for the first time in his 13 year career will become the highest paid player in the league in the first year of his deal, making $31 million. In 2017-18, LeBron will top out at $33 million, and as much as $35 million in 2018-19, which will once again make him the highest paid player for a single season in NBA league history. It will slightly top the deal that the Chicago Bulls gave to Michael Jordan in the 1997-98 season.

BREAKING NEWS: @KingJames announces on UNINTERRUPTED he will sign a new deal with the @Cavs.https://t.co/CXZ5qFK5o6

— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) August 11, 2016

James' deal will officially be signed next week when he returns home for his annual LeBron James Family Foundation charity event.

ESPN sources have said that the third year of the deal will be a player option. The Cavs payroll for the 2016-17 season should once again be the highest payroll in the league.

The three-year deal actually came as a bit of a shock to many fans and even some media members, who grew used LeBron signing one-year contracts, to gain leverage every offseason. Some even believed, or still believe, that LeBron would continue to do one-year deals to keep the pressure on Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert to keep some sort of grudge going for the infamous letter from 2010.

Grow up. Every else has.

At the end of the above video, posted on Uninterrupted, James pleas for the Cavaliers to get the band back together and get J.R. Smith's contract done. I feel like this will become a fairly quick process, and the family, the band, the TEAM will be whole once again.

As for the future, not having to worry about a LeBron contract situation, or Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love for that matter, is VERY comforting for Cavaliers fans. As the salary cap increases every year, it'll be nice knowing that the key pieces are already locked into a contract, which should make things easier and more comforting for GM David Griffin as he adds and replaces role players year in and year out. LeBron being here, along with Kyrie Irving, SHOULD be very appealing to free agents who want a shot to be on a winning team and getting to the NBA Finals, while learning from one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen in James. I love the idea of Kyrie continuing to be groomed by one of the games best. So when LeBron moves on, Irving will be able to take over and be the focal point, while continuing to grow into one of the most clutch and dominant players in the league, while the Cavaliers front office puts pieces around the core to keep this winning train going.

Things are different now. Things have changed. #NewCleveland

The Raven Report 6.24.16: The NBA Draft & Old Faces In New Places

By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams


Times.... they are changing.

Teams are retooling and rebuilding. Players are sharpening their skills. GM's are starting to reshape their teams and in turn, reshape the league. And of course...

THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS ARE NBA WORLD CHAMPIONS!

But what happens when a new champion is crowned? The twenty-nine other teams try to get better to attempt to compete with, and dethrone the king of the league. It all began Wednesday with two of the biggest markets in the NBA, the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks.

The Bulls traded star point guard Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday and a 2017 2nd-rounder to the Knicks for Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon. Rose, 27, should be able to offer a boost to the 'always' struggling Knicks backcourt, while also providing some offensive punch to help support the Knicks star forward, Carmelo Anthony. After not playing at all in the 2012-13 season, Rose played in only 10 games in 2013-14, but he bounced back in 2014-15 playing 51 games and 66 games in 2015-16.

Another good thing for the Knicks, they reduced salary in dumping Lopez ($13.2M), Jose Calderon ($7.7M) and Jerian Grant ($1.6M) to pick up Rose's contract for 2016-17 at $21.3M.

The good thing? Rose will be a free agent at the end of this upcoming season. So if things do not fit well, the Knicks will not be handcuffed and can once again make a play for a major piece to build around Carmelo Anthony.

In a smaller deal that also went down Wednesday afternoon, the Atlanta Hawks finally parted ways with point guard Jeff Teague, sending him to the Indiana Pacers in a three-way trade. Like Rose, Teague will also be a free agent in 2017, but this season in Indiana could help himself and star Pacers forward Paul George get better and create a solid team-up for the Pacers.

As part of the three-way deal, the Pacers sent guard George Hill to the Utah Jazz, while the Jazz sent the 12th overall pick of the 2016 draft to Atlanta.


And that brings us to Draft Night, where things got CRAZY!

First things first, the draft. As most know, LSU forward Ben Simmons and Duke guard/forward Brandon Ingram went to the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Lakers at 1 and 2, respectively. After that, the Boston Celtics were on the clock for the first of what turned out to be their EIGHT draft picks, selecting small forward Jaylen Brown from California.

Earlier Thursday, it was rumored that the Celtics were very actively trying to shop the 3rd pick to many teams to attempt to bring in a veteran scorer to pair with point guard Isaiah Thomas. By the end of the night, the Celtics didn't pull off any miracle deals, or blockbuster trades. While they did draft some quality talent in Brown, Providence forward Ben Bentil among others, the majority of Celtic fans came away unhappy with GM Danny Ainge's haul for the night, considering all of the assets the team had at its disposal.



Where the Celtics failed to make a splash, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic did not. Just when you thought the core of the Thunder would return to take another shot at advancing to the NBA Finals, OKC GM Sam Presti had different ideas.

The Thunder traded 6 year veteran forward Serge Ibaka to Orlando for guard Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova and the draft rights to Domantas Sabonis, who was selected 11th overall. Ibaka, 26, averaged 12.6 points and 6.8 rebounds last season for the Thunder, and should be able to create a much needed inside presence for the Magic once new Magic coach Frank Vogel gets him in practice. As for the Thunder and Oladipo, this is an obvious upgrade over last season's starting shooting guards, namely Dion Waiters and Andre Roberson, as the OKC shooting guards averaged 6 points and 0.8 assists per game, compared to Oladipo's 16 points and 3.9 assists in 33 minutes of play. This deal should see the end of Waiters time in OKC, as he is a free agent, and could entice superstar forward Kevin Durant to stick around for one more season, if not longer.

Or Durant could disagree with ridding the team of Ibaka who showed his value in the Western Conference Finals with his defending all areas of the court and outside shooting. We shall see when free agency begins next week.

Ibaka will be an unrestricted free agent in 2017. It's said that the Toronto Raptors were also interested in Ibaka.

In other draft night deals, the Brooklyn Nets traded Thaddeus Young to the Pacers for the 20th pick, which turned out to be Michigan guard Caris Levert. Young re-signed with the Nets last season on a four year, $50M deal. The Pacers now project to have a starting five of Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Myles Turner and Young.

Not to be excluded from the draft night fun, the WORLD CHAMPION Cleveland Cavaliers (still feels great to say) made an acquisition. Entering the night without a draft pick, the Cavs bought the 54th overall pick from the Atlanta Hawks for $2.4M, selecting Oakland University point guard Kay Felder. Felder, 5'9", 177 lbs., led all of college basketball with 9.3 assists per game and was fourth in scoring with 24.4 points. That made Felder the only player in the past season to be in the top 5 of both points and assists. The 21 year old Felder was also 2016 Horizon League Player of the Year and was All-Horizon League First Team the past two seasons. Despite being just 5'9", Felder had the second highest max vertical at the NBA Draft Combine with 44 inches. Cavaliers scout and LeBron James friend, Brandon Weems, was an assistant coach at Oakland for two seasons, where he worked with Felder. Personally, I think Felder could make the team if backup point guard Matthew Dellavedova decides to go elsewhere in free agency. He's a good defender who plays well in the pick-and-roll, and has a good jump shot.

In case you'd like to see Kay Felder in action, look below:

ICYMI: Here's a look at Kay Felder's 'Best Dunk Compilation' from this past season #NBACombine #Bounce #OUrstory pic.twitter.com/UKN2vjej3Q

— Drew Dennison (@drue_denni) May 13, 2016

There were other deals like the Hornets acquiring Marco Belinelli from the Sacramento Kings for the draft rights to Syracuse shooting guard Malachi Richardson.

The Kings weren't done though. They sent Washington's Marquese Chriss, whom they selected with the 8th pick, to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for the 13th overall (Greek center Georgics Papagiannis) and 28th overall (Kentucky center Skal Labissiere), a second-round pick in 2020 and the draft rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Labissiere joins star big man DeMarcus Cousins and second year center Willie Cauley-Stein on Sacramento's roster who also went to the University of Kentucky. Labissiere was a potential top 10 pick, but fell due to his 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman for the Wildcats.

In other deals:

- The draft rights to Cheick Diallo was acquired by the New Orleans Pelicans from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for the draft rights to David Michineau and the draft rights to Diamond Stone.
- The draft rights to Daniel Hamilton was acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Denver Nuggets in exchange for cash.
- The draft rights to Isaiah Whitehead was acquired by the Brooklyn Nets from the Utah Jazz in exchange for the draft rights to Marcus Paige and cash.

Here are the full draft results for Thursday's 2016 NBA Draft:

Round 1

1) Philadelphia: Ben Simmons, F (LSU)
2) LA Lakers: Brandon Ingram, F (Duke)
3) Boston: Jaylen Brown, F (California)
4) Phoenix: Dragan Bender, F (Croatia)
5) Minnesota: Kris Dunn, PG (Providence)
6) New Orleans: Buddy Hield, SG (Oklahoma)
7) Denver: Jamal Murray, G (Kentucky)
8) Phoenix: Marquese Chriss, F (Washington)
9) Toronto: Jakob Poeltl, C (Utah)
10) Milwaukee: Thon Maker, PF (Canada)
11) Oklahoma City: Domantas Sabonis, C (Gonzaga)
12) Atlanta: Taurean Prince, SF (Baylor)
13) Sacramento: Georgios Papagiannis, C (Greece)

14) Chicago: Denzel Valentine, SG (Michigan State)
15) Denver: Juan Hernangomez, F (Spain)
16) Boston: Guerschon Yabusele, PF (France)
17) Memphis: Wade Baldwin, G (Vanderbilt)
18) Detroit: Henry Ellenson, PF (Marquette)
19) Denver: Malik Beasley, SG (Florida State)
20) Brooklyn: Caris LeVert, G (Michigan)
21) Atlanta: DeAndre Bembry, F (St. Joseph's)
22) Sacramento: Malachi Richardson, SG (Syracuse)
23) Boston: Ante Zizic, C (Croatia)
24) Philadelphia: Timothé Luwawu, SG (France)
25) LA Clippers: Brice Johnson, F (North Carolina)
26) Philadelphia: Furkan Korkmaz, F (Turkey)
27) Toronto: Pascal Siakam, PF (New Mexico State)
28) Sacramento: Skal Labissiere, PF (Kentucky)
29) San Antonio: Dejounte Murray, PG (Washington)
30) Golden State: Damian Jones, C (Vanderbilt)

Round 2

31) Memphis: Deyonta Davis, C (Michigan State)
32) LA Lakers: Ivica Zubac, C (Croatia)
33) New Orleans: Cheick Diallo, PF (Kansas)
34) Phoenix: Tyler Ulis, PG (Kentucky)
35) Memphis: Rade Zagorac, (Serbia)
36) Milwaukee: Malcolm Brogdon, SG (Virginia)
37) Houston: Chinanu Onuaku, C (Louisville)
38) Golden State: Patrick McCaw, SG (UNLV)
39) LA Clippers: David Michineau, PG (France)
40) LA Clippers: Diamond Stone, C (Maryland)
41) Orlando: Stephen Zimmerman, PF (UNLV)
42) Brooklyn: Isaiah Whitehead, SG (Seton Hall)
43) Houston: Zhou Qi, C (China)
44) Atlanta: Isaia Cordinier, SG (France)
45) Boston: Demetrius Jackson, PG (Notre Dame)
46) Dallas: A.J. Hammons, C (Purdue)
47) Portland: Jake Layman, SF (Maryland)
48) Chicago: Paul Zipser, SF (Germany)
49) Detroit: Michael Gbinije, SF (Syracuse)

50) Indiana: Georges Niang, PF (Iowa State)
51) Boston: Ben Bentil, PF (Providence)
52) Utah: Joel Bolomboy, PF (Weber State)
53) Denver: Petr Cornelie, PF (France)
54) Atlanta: Kay Felder, PG (Oakland)
55) Utah: Marcus Paige, PG (North Carolina)
56) Denver: Daniel Hamilton, SF (Connecticut)
57) Memphis: Wang Shelin, C (China)
58) Boston: Abdel Nader, PF (Iowa State)
59) Sacramento: Isaiah Cousins, SG (Oklahoma)
60) Utah: Tyrone Wallace, PG (California)



Lastly, check us out every Wednesday night, 7pm EST, on NoStaticRadio.com or the Tune-In Radio app on your mobile devices.

Simply search "No Static Radio" or "Triple Threat CLE"

The Raven Report 9.8.15: On #Browns #Buckeyes #Indians

By @nevaRWilliams

The Cleveland Browns have filled out their practice squad over the weekend. In case you missed it, running back Terrance West was traded to the Tennessee Titans for a 2016 7th round draft pick. With the trade of West and the concussion history of Duke Johnson, running back Shaun Draughn earned himself a place on the practice squad.

Wide receiver Darius Jennings also made the team. Jennings caught a touchdown from Johnny Manziel during the preseason, while also showing solid work as a kick returner. He averaged 23.3 yards per return on 9 attempts, including a 54 yard return in the first preseason game.

Offensive linemen Andrew McDonald, Erle Ladson and Darien Miller were also added to the practice squad.

Seventh-round pick Hayes Pullard made the squad after having a strong performance at the end of camp and in preseason games. The 6’1”, 240 lbs. Pullard will likely get the call up to the team if something happens injury-wise with the inside linebackers.

In the secondary, the Browns kept corner Kendall James and safety De’Ante Saunders.

As of right now, preseason fan favorite Josh Lenz is not with the team. 2015 4th round pick Vince Mayle has been signed by the Dallas Cowboys to their practice squad.

Cleveland has also signed defensive lineman Dylan Wynn and center Garth Gerhart to the practice squad. Former Jaguars offensive lineman Austin Pasztor was also claimed off of waivers.

The Browns have signed quarterback Austin Davis to be their 3rd QB on the roster. Davis, 26, is 6’2”, 220 pounds. Last season, he was with the St. Louis Rams and started eight games, putting up 2,001 yards, 12 touchdowns and 9 interceptions, with an 85.1 QB rating. Davis was cut Saturday by the Rams. Hopefully, Davis will have more success with the team than recently cut Thad Lewis, who had a 56.8 rating in the preseason and took SEVEN sacks in the final preseason game against Chicago last Thursday. Johnny Manziel is also on track to be available and ready for the season opener on Sunday versus the New York Jets.

On the rumor side of things, the Browns may look into signing recently cut runnings Jonas Gray, who was with New England, and Montee Ball, who last played with Denver.

Linebacker Nate Orchard, running back Duke Johnson and cornerbacks Pierre Desir, Justin Gilbert and Charles Gaines did not practice on Monday. The team also put Charles Gaines on the IR/Designated Return list with a hamstring injury. Gaines is able to return in Week 8.

Lastly for the Browns, they have suspended offensive line coach Andy Moeller indefinitely. It’s said that the incident is a very serious assault situation. Moeller has a history of drinking-related issues going back to his days with the Baltimore Ravens. In 2011, the Ravens suspended him for two games. Here is the official statement from the Browns:

The Ohio State Buckeyes opened up their season last night in Blacksburg, Virginia, facing off against the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Buckeyes were led by starting QB Cardale Jones who had 186 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, along with 99 yards rushing and a rushing touchdown. On his first touch of the game, Heisman candidate Ezekiel Elliott had an 80 yard touchdown run, and finished with 112 yards rushing. The highlight star of the game was quarterback-turned-receiver Braxton Miller. In his first game at his new position, Miller had 6 rushess for 62 yards with a touchdown, and 2 catches for 78 yards and a touchdown that was topped off with a spectacular spin move that left Hokies players and fans in jaw dropping awe. Receivers Michael Thomas and Curtis Samuel each had touchdowns of their own. Check out the full “On The Mark: Buckeyes Recap” later today here on TripleThreatCLE.com.

In early Labor Day baseball Monday, the Cleveland Indians took a win from the Chicago White Sox, 3-2, at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago. Ryan Raburn and Trevor Bauer led the way for the Tribe. Raburn drove in a pair of solo home runs off of White Sox starter Chris Sale, as Bauer pitched seven innings of two hit baseball in the win that ended the White Sox four game win streak. Bauer earned his 11th win as he allowed just the two runs on two hits, while striking out six and walking five “Pale Hose”. Cody Allen came on in the 9th for his 29th save on the season.

Tonight’s game will see the Indians’ Carlos Carrasco (12-9, 3.53) face Carlos Rodon (6-6, 4.10) of the White Sox. First pitch is at 8pm EST.

The Raven Report 9.6.15: The #Browns & #NFL Cut Day

By @nevaRWilliams

Welcome everyone to The Raven Report for Sunday, September 6, 2015.

As many of you know, Saturday was the final cut down day for the upcoming NFL season. While I’ll get to some notable cuts in a bit, I’d like to go over the cuts made by the Cleveland Browns.

First of all, in case you missed it earlier in the week, the Browns had to cut down from 90 players to 75. The big names of that group were 2011 draft pick but oft injured defensive lineman, Phil Taylor. While Taylor seemed to get mixed reactions about his play from fans and media alike, he seemed to have trouble staying on the field due to injuries suffered every season. Along with that, the selection of Danny Shelton in this past year’s NFL draft made Taylor expendable, since Shelton has shown off his power, drive and fresh legs in the preseason. Other names in the 75 cut, was local Cleveland fan favorite, wide receiver Shane Wynn.

Onto the cuts down to 53. If you watched Thursday’s Browns vs. Bears preseason game, then you know the lackluster performance that quarterback Thad Lewis put on. Lewis, in his second stint with the Browns, finished the game poorly with just 100 yards passing, one interception and took on 7 sacks. Any QB who puts on that showing deserves to be cut, and thats what the Browns did on Saturday afternoon. Other recognizable names cut Saturday afternoon were wide receivers Josh Lenz, Darrius Jennings and Vince Mayle. Mayle was a 4th round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but did not give anything worth noting throughout four preseason games.

Josh Lenz on the other hand proved to many in the Browns organization and fellow teammates that he just might have what it takes to become an NFL wide receiver. But with the Browns keeping four tight ends, Gary Barnidge, Jim Dray, EJ Bibbs and Rob Housler, younger players like Lenz, Jennings and Mayle became expendable. For me, I still feel like there is a chance that Lenz, Jennings or Mayle may still find a spot on the Browns practice squad.

The rest of the Cleveland Browns cuts are as follows:

QB Thad Lewis, OL Karim Barton, QB Pat Devlin, RB Shaun Draughn, DB Landon Feichter, RB Tim Flanders, DB Kendall James, WR Darrius Jennings, OL Erle Ladson, WR Josh Lenz, WR Vince Mayle, DL Jacobbi McDaniel, OL Andrew McDonald, OL Darrian Miller, DB Robert Nelson Jr., OL Vinston Painter, LB Hayes Pullard III, DB Joe Rankin, LB Mike Reilly, DB De'Ante Saunders, DL Dylan Wynn, OL Eric Olsen, DT Phil Taylor, TE Anthony Ezeakunne, WR Shane Wynn, LB Everette Brown, LB Moise Fokou, RB Jalen Parmele and DB Aaron Ross.

With the cutting of so many offensive linemen and both Thad Lewis and Pat Devlin, I fully believe that the Browns will look at the waiver wire to see if they can find a suitable back up quarterback, as well as a few linemen.

In what some believe to be a “stunner cut”, the San Francisco 49ers cut defensive lineman Darnell Dockett after giving him $2 million in guaranteed money in the offseason. It’s believed that Dockett may retire and even begin an on-air broadcasting career.

Elsewhere around the league, the Philadelphia Eagles cut QB Tim Tebow, despite a solid showing in the fourth preseason game. The Eagles also recently traded QB Matt Barkley to the Arizona Cardinals.

Former Colt receiver Reggie Wayne was let go by the New England Patriots. Some industry insiders believe that Wayne could opt for retirement.

Speaking of former Indianapolis Colts, the Tennessee Titans parted with Hakeem Nicks after having just three receptions for 59 yards in his two preseason games with the Titans.

Other notable cuts around the NFL:

DT Devon Still, Bengals
QB Matt Cassel, Bills
RB Jonas Gray, Patriots
WR James Jones, Giants
WR AJ Jenkins, Cowboys
FB Henry Hynoski, Giants
DE Jason Babin, Jets
QB Matt Flynn, Jets
DT Red Bryant, Bills
K Nick Novak, Chargers
LB Jameel McClain, Giants
OL Derek Sherrod, Chiefs

QB Christian Ponder, Raiders
S Taylor Mays, Raiders
P Steve Weatherford, Giants
WR Duron Carter, Colts
DE Da’Quan Bowers, Buccaneers
DE IK Enemkpali, Bills
QB Logan Thomas, Cardinals
DE Quentin Groves, Bills
LB Philip Wheeler, 49ers
QB Matt Simms, Bills
DB Will Blackmon, Seahawks

DB Charles James, Texans
WR EZ Nwachukwu, Texans
LB Kourtnei Browns, Texans
DT Jerel Worthy, Packers
DE Corey Wootton, Packers
LB Jo-Lonn Dunbar, Rams
QB Rex Grossman, Falcons
QB TJ Yates, Falcons
QB Josh Freeman, Dolphins
K Caleb Sturgis, Dolphins

DL Louis Nix, Texans
RB Storm Johnson, Jaguars
DL Josh Chapman, Colts
LB Matt Shaughnessy, Cardinals
QB Ryan Lindley, Patriots
LB James-Michael Johnson, Chiefs
FS Sanders Commings, Chiefs
OL Isaiah Battle, Rams
DB Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Saints

Lastly, be sure to check out the Triple Threat CLE Radio Show on No Static Radio, Friday nights at 9pm EST on NoStaticRadio.com. This coming Friday, September 11, we will break down the Browns schedule for the season and go over the rest of the leagues games and much more.

The Raven Report 2.20.15 #NBATradeDeadline #BigTen #LAStadium

By @nevaRWilliams

- There was an insane amount of movement around the Association Thursday afternoon as the NBA trade deadline approached. Here's a run down of all the action:

3 Team Trade
Miami acquired: PG Goran Dragic, SG Zoran Dragic from PHX

Phoenix acquired: SF Danny Granger, two 1st round picks from MIA, SF John Salmons from NO

New Orleans acquired: PG Norris Cole, C Justin Hamilton, SF Shawne Williams from MIA

3 Team Trade
Phoenix acquired: PG Brandon Knight, PG Kendall Marshall from MIL

Milwaukee acquired: PG Michael Carter-Williams from PHI, C Miles Plumlee, PG Tyler Ennis from PHX

Philadelphia acquired: Draft Picks

3 Team Trade
Detroit acquired: PG Reggie Jackson from OKC

Oklahoma City acquired: C Enes Kanter, SF Steve Novak from UT, PG D.J. Augustin, SF Kyle Singler from DET

Utah acquired: PF Kendrick Perkins, PF Grant Jerrett from OKC and draft picks

3 Team Trade
Boston acquired: PG Isaiah Thomas from PHX, PF Jonas Jerebko, SF Luigi Datome from DET

Phoenix acquired: SG Marcus Thornton from BOS and a 2016 1st round pick

Detroit acquired: SF Tayshaun Prince from BOS
------------

Minnesota acquired PF Kevin Garnett from Brooklyn for PF Thaddeus Young
----

Portland acquired SG Arron Afflalo, SF Alonzo Gee from Denver for PF Thomas Robinson, SG Will Barton, PF Victor Claver, protected 2016 1st round pick
----

Houston acquired PG Pablo Prigioni from New York for G Alexey Shved and two 2nd round picks
----

Houston acquired PG K.J. McDaniels from Philadelphia for PG Isaiah Canaan and a 2nd round pick
----

Sacramento acquired PG Andre Miller from Washington for PG Ramon Sessions
----

Philadelphia acquired C JaVale McGee, (top 18 protected) 2015 1st round pick, rights to F Chukwudiebere Maduabum from Denver for the rights to G/F Cenk Akyol
----

New Orleans acquired G Ish Smith, rights to Latavious Williams, cash & draft considerations from Oklahoma City for draft considerations

Whew…… that's a lot of bodies changing zip codes.

- The Big Ten Conference is considering ruling freshman athletes ineligible so that they could "adjust to college life". Assuming the title of "A Year Of Readiness", they are gauging interest from members and other conferences to find out the benefits regarding the discussion. Maryland president Wallace Loh told the Maryland student newspaper, "If they do well because they spend more time, get more academic advising their freshman year, they're going to graduate". Loh continued with "I think it's worth spending an extra year of financial support to ensure that they graduate".

Personally, this might be one of the DUMBEST ideas that has been floated around college sports in some time.

- The San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Raiders have come up with a plan to build a shared $1.7 billion stadium in Los Angeles area Carson, California. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that both teams are looking for solutions to stay in their current cities while proposing the shared stadium plan.

- Last weekend at the box office saw "Fifty Shades of Grey" coming in at #1 and domestically grossing $81.6 million, despite negative reviews. Spy thriller "Kingsman: The Secret Service" came in at #2 with $35.6 million. Rounding out the top 5 were "The SpongeBob Movie" ($30.5M), "American Sniper" ($16.4M) and "Jupiter Ascending" ($9.4M).

Opening this weekend are comedies "Hot Tub Time Machine 2" and "The DUFF", along with Kevin Costner's latest sports drama "McFarland, USA". Will "Fifty Shades" remain on top? With 2 comedies being released and it not having the draw of the Valentines Day crowd, I believe it will be knocked out of the top spot.

The Raven Report 1.6.15: Cavs Trade Waiters & L.A. Rams

By @nevaRWilliams

- Last night, the Cavaliers suffered an embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, 95-92. Kevin Love's monster game of 28 points and 19 rebounds was squandered away when point guard Matthew Dellavedova took it upon himself to blow three straight possessions to seal the win, including missing two free throws. Joe Harris scored 16 in his first start, while Tristan Thompson added 18 points and 9 rebounds.

Now you might be asking yourself, why would Joe Harris get the start? Well, Dion Waiters was expected to start but was pulled right before the game. Why? Because GM David Griffin had something up his sleeve and the Cavaliers pulled off a three-way trade that involved Waiters, the New York Knicks and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The deal breaks down like this:

Thunder: Dion Waiters

Cavaliers: J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, Protected 1st-Round Draft Pick (OKC)

Knicks: Lou Amundson, Alex Kirk, Lance Thomas, 2019 2nd Round Pick (CLE)


Waiters, 23, while averaging 10.5 points, just never seemed to find his fit on the new Cavaliers. From his reluctance to give up his starter role for a 6th man bench role, or his dicey shot selection and pouty attitude, it was bound to be a break up with the team sooner or later.

Smith, 29, is averaging 10.9 points, while Shumpert, 24, is averaging 9.3 points, along with 3.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists. Shumpert will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2015.

The Thunder's pick sent to the Cavaliers is protected as follows: The Cavs will get the pick if it is outside the top 18 this year or if its outside the top 15 in 2016 or 2017. If it doesn't happen in either of the three years, it becomes two second round picks.

The Knicks also waived center Samuel Dalembert to save them $3.8 million. The Cavs could look into signing the big man as well.

As far as salaries go, J.R. Smith will make $5.9M, and has a player option for $6.3M in 2015-16. Iman Shumpert makes $2.7M and has a qualifying offer $3.8 in 2015-16. Dion Waiters this season will make $4M, then $5.1M in 2015-16 and finally a qualifying offer of $6.7M in 2016-17.

- It seems as thought the St. Louis Rams could be back in Los Angeles as early as 2016.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke has joined with owners of a 60 acre Hollywood Park site, purchased last year, to build an NFL stadium that would be adjacent to the Forum and Hollywood Park.

The planned "City of Champions Revitalization Project" would include an 80,000 seat stadium, a performance venue that seats up to 6,000, 890,000 square feet of retail, 780,000 square feet of office space, 2,500 new residential units, a 300 room hotel and 25 acres of public parks, playgrounds and open space.

The 80,000 seat stadium could also help in Los Angeles' bid to host the 2024 Olympics and possibly bid for a future World Cup.

The Raven Report 10.28: 2014-15 #Cavs Season Preview

The Homecoming. The New Big Three. The New Cleveland
By @neveRWilliams

Everything changed on July 11, 2014. The best player in the world chose us. LeBron James chose to come home to Northeast Ohio and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

But this new Cavs team actually started to take shape before then. Mike Brown was fired as coach on May 12, 2014 after going 33-49. On June 21, it was officially announced that ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel) head coach David Blatt would be taking the reigns here in Cleveland. Blatt, 55, has been widely considered to be one of the best and brightest offensive minded coaches in the world. It was only a matter of time before he came to the NBA and Cleveland landed him with a 3-year deal worth about $10 million, with a 4th year team option. Blatt also guided the 2012 Russian Olympic team to a bronze medal. Coach Blatt was a 6-time Israeli Cup Champion, 2014 Euroleague Champion and the 2014 Euroleague Coach of the Year.

What's more to say that hasn't already been said about the re-arrival of LeBron James? It was literally one of the biggest NEWS stories in the world. A global figure with exquisite basketball skills and a business mind decided to come back to Cleveland, Ohio and the Cavaliers. The impact of having LeBron back in a Cavs uniform still hasn't settled in for some people. It still feels surreal to many. But believe it Cleveland. The king has come home, slimmed down and ready to lead this Cavs team to its first NBA championship.

But LeBron did not come to Cleveland alone. It started with Kyrie Irving re-signing to a 5-year, $90 million deal. But on August 23, the Cavs and GM David Griffin made another BIG TIME move. The Cavs traded rookie Andrew Wiggins and 2nd year player Anthony Bennett to Minnesota for superstar, all-star forward Kevin Love. Love is seen by many to be the best power forward in the NBA, especially after last season when he averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds per game. After being fed up with the Timberwolves constant years of mistakes and bad decisions, Kevin was ready to get out of Minnesota and onto a team that would be a playoff contender. So, why not be apart of the NEW Cleveland Cavaliers.

So what do you do after you created a new, league feared "Big 3" in James, Love and Irving? You fill up that roster with men who know how to win in basketball. Joining the Cavs this season are veterans Shawn Marion, Mike Miller, James Jones, Brendon Haywood and Lou Amundson. Add in the young legs of rookie shooter Joe Harris and returning young, key players like the fantastic Dion Waiters, energetic Tristan Thompson, Matthew Dellavedova and the rebounding and defensive machine that is Anderson Verajao, the Cavs seem to have the team that can be the best in the East and contend for the title.

Expectations by many see the Cavs winning between 55-65 games, if not more, which would easily put the Cavaliers into the playoffs. While many on the team may be seeing their first playoff action, the veterans will definitely help in guiding them along the way to success. The key will be the meshing of the best all-around player in the game in LeBron James with the excellent from court play of Kevin and Kyrie Irving running the point. Anderson Verajao and Tristan Thompson doing the dirty work and Dion Waiters trying to take a more prominent role with three all stars in place.

What fans need to remember is that even though it make take time to fully gel this squad together, it will and it will be worth it. These Cavaliers are going to be the favorite to win every night of the season. With that, they know that every team will be gunning to take them out every single night they play.


The season of excitement and dreams of a championship all begins on October 30 when the Cavs host Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks.

#AllForOne #NewCleveland

The Raven Report 10.3.14

By @neveRWilliams

-UPSET CITY! Last night, the Arizona Wildcats went up to Eugene, Oregon and shocked the No. 2 Oregon Ducks, 31-24. The Wildcats were 24-point underdogs. Arizona freshman running back Nick Wilson had 2 touchdowns to go along with 92 yards, while quarterback Anu Solomon went 20/31 for 287 yards and 1 TD. Heisman hopeful and potential top-5 NFL draft pick Marcus Mariota threw for 276 yards and had 2 passing touchdowns. Personally, I don't think the loss will hurt Mariota's draft status at all. The win puts Arizona at 5-0 and 2-0 in the Pac-12. The Ducks are now 4-1 and possibly may have seen their hopes of a National Championship fade away. But there is plenty of games to go, and you never know what kind of craziness the college football season could bring.

-The Green Bay Packers just flat out bullied the Minnesota Vikings 42-10 last night in Green Bay. "Best quarterback in the NFL" Aaron Rodgers had an easy night, going 12 for 17, for 156 yards and 3 touchdowns. Eddie Lacy showed up big with a season high 105 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. Christian Ponder got the start for the Vikings with Teddy Bridgewater being out with a sprained left ankle. Things didn't go well for him at all. Ponder had a 6-yard touchdown run and threw for 222 yards, but had 0 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions and took 6 sacks. The Packers Julius Peppers become the NFL's first player ever to record 100 sacks and 10 interceptions in the game. Next week, the Vikings will host the Detroit Lions while the Packers will head to Miami to play the Dolphins.

-The NFL has announced that the 2015 NFL Draft will be held in Chicago from April 30 to May 2. This will be the first time the draft has been in Chicago since 1964.

-Speaking of records, the Baltimore Orioles laid a beat down on the Detroit Tigers 12-3 in Game 1 of the ALDS. The 12 runs set a postseason team record for the O's. The game was quite close in the top of the 8th inning when Orioles led 4-3, before exploding for 8 runs in the bottom of the 8th. Max Scherzer took the loss for the Tigers after going 7.1 innings with 5 earned runs. Game 2 is this afternoon at 12:07 on TBS.

-The new "America's Team", Kansas City Royals, pulled out another late inning miracle in Game 1 of their ALDS series, besting the LA Angels 3-2 in the 11th. Mike Moustakas sent a high shot into right field in the top of the 11th before reliever Greg Holland came in to get the save. Danny Duffy picked up the win for the Royals after pitching the 10th. Jered Weaver went 7 innings for the Angels giving up 2 earned with 6 strikeouts. It should also be noted that Angels superstars Mike Trout and Albert Pujols both went 0-4 with 1 walk apiece. Game 2 of the series is tonight at 9:30.

-LeBron James will be bring TWO shows to TV this month. "Becoming" debuts on Disney XD October 26 and will chronicle athletes lives before they were the stars people know and love today. The other show "Survivor's Remorse" will debut on STARZ this Saturday. "Survivor's Remorse" focuses on fictional basketball star Cam Calloway and his life with friends and family while handling success and fame. James and his business partner and friend Maverick Carter are producers.

-Opening in theaters today are the horror movie "Annabelle" and Ben Affleck's thriller mystery, "Gone Girl". Will these movies push "The Equalizer", "The Maze Runner" and "The Boxtrolls' down to 3-5? I believe so. Go check out some movies this weekend.