I will say, the Cavaliers had a very successful draft. Tristan Thompson is slowly shaping out to be a very solid big man, and Kyrie Irving is the can’t-miss point guard that made him to be the first overall pick in this years draft. The Cavaliers took a big step forward this year, as they should have having the first and fourth overall pick in the 2011 draft. Although they sit at 17-26 on the season, they have made steps forward and appear headed in the right direction. With that said, Dan, your franchise may never recover from the loss of LeBron James. And by that, I mean as far into the future as I can see. James left a black eye on that entire franchise, and I don’t think a few good draft picks will help cure that. Don’t get me wrong; I’m all for rebuilding. But I don’t see bright days for the Cavaliers unless they land a huge free agent, and that does not seem apparent anytime soon either.
LeBron leaving didn’t put a curse on the Cavs. All of our teams have been cursed since 1964.
The first year of the rebuilding is looking good and they have to continue to hit on their draft picks and make smart moves. Unfortunately, free agents are only coming to Cleveland if they are way overpaid (Larry Hughes). And superstars aren’t going to collude to come here either. They probably won’t a championship ever, but the Cavs can put together a very competitive team in the next few years.
true that cle is not a free agent destination but there is a little bit of revisionist history in your post too. hughes was, at that time, the top-rated free agent SG on the market. his contract was borderline – some felt it was too much and others felt it was a fair contract. he ultimately VASTLY underperformed, but that happens. back then, joe johnson was a restricted free agent and was moved by sign and trade. cle wasnt an option as he wanted atl. ray allen and michael redd really werent going to leave seattle/mil for less money. at that point, it was hughes or cuttino mobley. wash opted to let hughes walk since they had arenas and jamison still, and then picked up caron butler in a trade. but yeah, cle is not really an NBA free agent destination.
BenF: I’m not sure what is the answer to your question. Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler dropped 23, and 24 respectively in a game against GSW on March 6, 2003. But that’s besides the point.
I know Gilbert is trying to be positive but this tweet bugs the hell out of me. The larger point is this: The Cavs were never able to win a championship with Lebron because their front office showed a staggering lack of patience. It chased after one shiny piece or another until the team was gutted and LJ was ready to leave.
So the Cavs go into the offseason following LJ’s departure and take Thompson, a middling player at best, instead of Valanciunas, who will be a franchise center, because they didn’t want to wait one strike-shortened season for a player to arrive. That’s dumb, and a sign that it still hasn’t learned from its mistakes with LJ.
I’m glad Thompson had a good game. The fourteenth man on almost every team’s roster and many players in the D-League are able to put up those types of numbers once or twice a season. Just tonight John Lucas III scored close to that amount for Chicago, and the Bulls have seen similar production from Mike James, a D-League call up.
You need to expect more. You deserve more.
“take Thompson, a middling player at best, instead of Valanciunas, who will be a franchise center”. just curious – you know this how? are you a scout in the euroleague or something? have you even seen jonas Valanciunas play?? (a few youtube highlights do not count.) and thompson is MUCH better than “middling.”
“The Cavs were never able to win a championship with Lebron because their front office showed a staggering lack of patience. It chased after one shiny piece or another until the team was gutted and LJ was ready to leave.”
thats a HUGE over simplification of the cavs’ situation back then. not to mention, a “gutted” team doesnt win 60+ games in back-to-back seasons along with a finals appearance.
I’m a lover of European ball. I’ve probably seen around 10 Rytas games this season. The internet is an amazing thing. The game caps are out there if you’re interested. I’ve probably seen the same amount of games from Thompson this season. Looks to me like an undersized power forward with good hands, and an above-average nose for the ball — nothing near the impact player you hope for with a number 4 pick. What am I missing?
My comments about LJ are an oversimplification (or perhaps a simplification) but not a “huge oversimplification.” Instead of focussing on internal development and moves with an eye to the distant future the team chased every shiny vet in free agency. Part of this I assume came from a desire to please LJ, but that’s neither here nor there.
Thompson is extremely long (he has a 7′ 1″ wingspan) and extremely quick around the basket. With more playing time he will undoubtedly be one of the better shot blockers as well. He has shown a knack for rebounding. He is very raw like most very young big men, but he is well know to have a very strong work ethic and he a very good motor on the floor. All the things you look for with young big men with his talent.
Thanks for the response BenF.
7’1” is what I consider absolutely average for an NBA power forward. The good power forward shot blockers/rim defenders are all in that 7’4” and up range (Gibson 7’4”, Ibaka 7’6”, Brand 7′ 5.5″, Ekpe Udoh 7’4.5”, Pau Gasol 7’5”). Josh Smith is the lone exception at 7’0” but he is an otherworldly athlete, and if we were completely honest, Smith is more of a gambler than a true rim defender.
My issue is that I don’t consider Thompson a big man. Size makes all the difference for post players and with his length he’s never going to be good defender/post scorer. It was just a strange pick.
ive seen Jonas play many times myself. if you have too, thats great. (most havent you have to admit). i think both jonas and tristan can be impact NBA players but in totally different ways. characterizing tristan as “middling” is ridiculous. the cavs obviously valued what Tristran brings to the table more than Jonas, but time will tell in the long run. i dont think the reason they passed on jonas was because they had to wait an extra year.
as for the cavs prior building philosophy, there were definitely mistakes made. but your analysis IS a huge oversimplification. most of it started with the prior front office/ownership who screwed things up and traded away multiple first round picks. those picks didnt come into play until dan gilbert’s group bought the team and there was a new front office. at that point, lebron’s group was holding his first free agency (and then his most recent free agency) over their heads and was basically telling them to spend now. it was one of those “prove to me you want to win now by spending or im walking” types of threats. even if they wanted to build through the draft at that point, they couldnt since the prior group traded away so many draft picks. they were stuck between a rock and a hard place, and lebron’s group didnt make it any easier for them. he refused to do his part to recruit players, then faulted the team for not getting the players he wanted. anyways, thats history. the cavs are back on the right path.
Hmmm…So the only a way a team can build is through a huge free agent signing? So is that what Oklahoma City has done?
The Cavaliers are not the Thunder. It can be done, absolutely. But the Cavaliers to me feel like a team that’s going to have this whole LeBron James thing hanging over their heads for awhile. The Thunder have a great home arena, and Durant and Westbrook are shaping out to be some of the best young players in the league. It is not often two stars like that bud on the same team. I’m just saying, they are not a winning franchise, and I don’t see that changing in the near future.
When is the last time you can remember two 19 year old rookies on the same team scoring 25+ points in a game?
Also keep in mind they have 8 first round draft picks in the next 4 years…The chances of them hitting on a few great players with those picks is pretty good.
You raise a very valid point. And I agree, the possibility of them nailing their draft picks and becoming a great team is very plausible. But don’t anoint Thompson and Irving to the elite in a game vs. the Nets. They stink. To win in the NBA, it takes chemistry, experience, talent, and a player (such as Kobe, Jordan, even Dirk) that takes the team on their back when the game is on the line. An opinion is an opinion; I just don’t see them as a deep playoff team anytime soon.
Ok, enlighten me. How many games did the Thunder win in Durant’s rookie year? For that matter his 2nd year? Look at Irving’s stats very closely and I think you’d be very surprised what you see. For example per 48 minutes he is 8th in the league in scoring. He is also one of the leading scores in the 4th quarter. Not saying he is at an elite level yet, but given that he is playing like he is as a 19 year old I’d expect him to be at an MVP level in 3-4 years. He is honestly having one of the better rookie years in the last ten years.
Cleveland sports fans are very resilient obviously. Irving continue this trajectory and the fans will buy in and forget Lebron very quickly.
Ha, way to spin that positively. Yikes.
Eh, sports aren’t always flowers and unicorns. I hate to be harsh, but I’m on the side in which believes the loss of LeBron will curse the franchise for the next decade.