[NBA 2K] East Side Boys in the 216 : A Cavaliers Dynasty

[yungroth1]

East Side Boys in the 216



Game: NBA 2k14
Console: Xbox One
Quarter Length: 9 Minutes
Difficulty:Allstar
Sliders: My Own
Draft Class: Forte IV

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Hello Everyone,
After years of being away from the 'chise scene, I have decided to pick the sticks back up on my new Xbox One and ball out on NBA 2K14. An 82 game season with authentic draft classes and engaging storylines will keep you entertained, and with my dedication to realistic outcomes of stuff, you won't see any wild trades from the Cavs.
In other words, get ready for a 'chise worthy of the lofty expectations I have for it.

​

 

[yungroth1]

Cavaliers History:
The Franchise
The Cleveland Cavaliers are an American professional hoops team from Cleveland, OH.

They began playing in the NBA in 1970 as an expansion team. They play their home games at Quicken Loans Arena. They play in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, the only remaining charter member of the division (all the other Central Division teams joined later from the now-defunct Midwest Division).
The team has had moderate success in its history, winning three Central Division Championships (1976, 2009, 2010), an Eastern Conference Championship in 2007, and 18 total playoff seasons. However, the team has also had a number of dubious distinctions, such as former owner Ted Stepien's tenure, which led the NBA to create a rule regulating the trading of draft picks ("The Stepien Rule"), and a 26-game losing streak in 2010–11, which tied the record for the longest losing streak in major American professional sports.

The Cavaliers have featured many NBA stars during its history, including draft picks turned All-Stars Austin Carr, Brad Daugherty, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Mark Price, LeBron James, and Kyrie Irving. Past NBA greats such as Nate Thurmond, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, andShaquille O'Neal also played in Cleveland (albeit near the end of their careers).

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Cavaliers' Coaches:



[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Coach[/TD]
[TD]Years Coached[/TD]
[TD]W[/TD]
[TD]L[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bill Fitch[/TD]
[TD]1970-1979[/TD]
[TD]304[/TD]
[TD]434[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Stan Albeck[/TD]
[TD]1979-1980[/TD]
[TD]35[/TD]
[TD]47[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bill Musselman[/TD]
[TD]1980-1981[/TD]
[TD]25[/TD]
[TD]46[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Don Delany[/TD]
[TD]1981[/TD]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD]19[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bob Kloppenburg[/TD]
[TD]1981[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Chuck Daly[/TD]
[TD]1981-1982[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]32[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Bill Musselman[/TD]
[TD]1982[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tom Nissalke[/TD]
[TD]1982-1984[/TD]
[TD]51[/TD]
[TD]113[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]George Karl[/TD]
[TD]1984-1986[/TD]
[TD]61[/TD]
[TD]88[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Gene Littles[/TD]
[TD]1986[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Lenny Wilkens[/TD]
[TD]1986-1993[/TD]
[TD]316[/TD]
[TD]258[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mike Fratello[/TD]
[TD]1993-1999[/TD]
[TD]248[/TD]
[TD]212[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Randy Wittman[/TD]
[TD]1999-2001[/TD]
[TD]62[/TD]
[TD]102[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]John Lucas[/TD]
[TD]2001-2003[/TD]
[TD]37[/TD]
[TD]87[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Keith Smart[/TD]
[TD]2003[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]31[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Paul Silas[/TD]
[TD]2003-2005[/TD]
[TD]69[/TD]
[TD]77[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Brendan Malone[/TD]
[TD]2005[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mike Brown[/TD]
[TD]2005-2010[/TD]
[TD]272[/TD]
[TD]138[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Byron Scott[/TD]
[TD]2010-2013[/TD]
[TD]64[/TD]
[TD]166[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mike Brown[/TD]
[TD]2013 -[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

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​Retired Numbers


[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Number[/TD]
[TD]Player[/TD]
[TD]Tenure[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD]Bingo Smith[/TD]
[TD]1970-1979[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]Zydrunas Ilgauskus[/TD]
[TD]1997-2010[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]22[/TD]
[TD]Larry Nance[/TD]
[TD]1988-1994[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]25[/TD]
[TD]Mark Price[/TD]
[TD]1986-1995[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]34[/TD]
[TD]Austin Carr[/TD]
[TD]1971-1980[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]42[/TD]
[TD]Nate Thurmond[/TD]
[TD]1975-1977[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]45[/TD]
[TD]Brad Daugherty[/TD]
[TD]1986-1994[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

​

 

[yungroth1]

Dynasty History:

Award History:

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]MVP[/TD]
[TD]Defensive POY[/TD]
[TD]Rookie of the Year[/TD]
[TD]Sixth Man of the Year[/TD]
[TD]Most Improved Player[/TD]
[TD]Coach of the Year[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]------------------
[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]------------[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]


​

---

NBA Champions:


​

[TABLE="class: grid, width: 500, align: center"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Year[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Champion[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Runner Up[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Finals MVP[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

​

 

[yungroth1]

2013-2014 Season Preview:

​

Summer's over, Cleveland fans.

As the NBA season draws ever closer, we here at the Cleveland Plain Dealer are getting more excited by the day for the Wine and Gold to take the court. Expectations are higher than the last two seasons, and rightfully so -- we have a roster that might actually be able to compete.

With three starters returning this year, the Cavs have a strong young core in Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Dion Waiters. Irving, the former #1 overall pick in the draft, is tabbed with leading the team back to the playoffs. Thompson, who spent all offseason switching his shooting hand, looks to reap the benefits of a new approach to the game. Thompson, already a gifted scorer and defensive presence, looks to be that much more dangerous this season as he attempts to join the elite Power Forwards.

With the two 2011 NBA Draft Lottery selections cemented as starters, we take a look at the other three. CJ Miles gets the nod to come in as the starting two-guard. Miles, who came to Cleveland last season from Utah, had a pretty decent campaign and showed off his shooting stroke -- he will be depended on to be a sharp-shooter and a veteran presence in the lineup. Miles looks forward to running with Irving on fast breaks, so we can expect to see a lot of alley oops, which Clevelanders are accustomed to from our previous high-fliers.

The frontcourt, led by Tristan Thompson, will be rounded out by Luol Deng and Anderson Varejao. Deng, who came over in a trade on the very last day of the offseason from Chicago, will be tasked with being another defensive presence and also to help shoulder some of the scoring burden. Deng, who was one of the finest to lace up for Chicago in the past five years, will undoubtedly miss his former home; however, with Derrick Rose out of the foreseeable future, Cleveland offers Deng a better chance to win (not to mention salary cap space to give him a big payday.)

Anderson Varejao, who missed most of last season, is finally back in #17 and patrolling the middle for the Wine and Gold. Varejao, who averaged a double-double in the games he did play last season, looks to improve upon last season and get a rhythm going. With the numbers he is putting up, a big payday could be in store for the Brazilian big man; however, Anderson is much more interested in winning this season, saying "I know that they (the critics) pan our team and say we don't have a chance ... what do they know? We're here to win, and that's what we're going to do."

Cleveland, while not splashing on big names like Dwight Howard this past offseason, did manage to make a lot of improvement to the bench. While the play of Irving, Miles, Deng, Thompson, and Varejao is crucial to the team's success, a solid bench is the foundation of a good team. Cleveland just might have a more than decent bench coming into the season, and one of the strongest it has had in some time.

Dion Waiters comes back to the team, but will appear in a James Harden-esque role for the team this season. Waiters, the fourth overall pick out of Syracuse in the 2012 NBA Draft, showed flashes of brilliance in his rookie campaign. While this would lead many to believe his status as a cemented starter, this is not the case. In Coach Mike Brown's system, Waiters will benefit by being the leader of the second unit. Jarrett Jack, the high-profile Free Agent acquisition from the Golden State Warriors this past offseason, will be coming off the bench with Waiters at almost every opportunity. Jack, a sharpshooter and consummate professional, will wear #1, an odd sight for Cavs fans, as Boobie Gibson rocked the number for close to nine seasons.

Joining Waiters and Jack are Alonzo Gee and Earl Clark, who are the primary wing players off the bench. Gee, who showed his defensive prowess the past few seasons, has been relegated to bench duty, where he will see 15-24 minutes a night. Clark, an import from the LA Lakers this offseason via Free Agency, was also signed for defensive pressure.

Tyler Zeller, Anthony Bennett, and Matthew Delevedova round out the tail end of the bench. Zeller, a strong player last season, will be the primary backup to Anderson Varejao. Coach Mike Brown, who loves defense, has raved about Zeller's production and evolution this offseason. Look for him to improve on a decent rookie campaign. Matty D comes to the Cavs and joins his fellow statesman Kyrie Irving at the point guard slot. He will play limited, but meaningful, minutes to start the season as Brown decides how to best utilize the young man.

Anthony Bennett, the #1 overall pick this year, is a bit of an enigma; we do not know much about his game. Chris Grant, GM of the Cavaliers, stated "I didn't pick the kid to rot on the bench, and I didn't pick him for my health. I feel he is a contributor and a great asset. Coach Brown has been instructed to give him no less than 26 minutes a night."

Bennett, who had offseason surgery, has not looked in game shape yet. A number one overall pick usually has hype all around him -- Bennett has none. A Canadian who went to UNLV and remained fairly anonymous at the Combine, he is just waiting, ready to prove the doubters wrong, "I know I can ball, and ya'll will see that!"

The reserve list includes Henry Sims, a big man from Georgetown. The other two reserves, Carrick Felix and Sergey Karasev, look to be in the D-League for most of the season.

The Cavs have a decent schedule this season -- not too hard, but not a cakewalk. They encounter trouble from the get-go, but around January the schedule softens a bit. I look for the team to win 34-38 games this season and maybe squeak into the playoffs as an eight seed. With the weak Central Division with the Pacers as the only strong team, and the Pistons who could potentially pose a threat, the Cavs are in good position to try and claw back to prominence.

Let's see if they live up to the hype.

 

[yungroth1]

October 13, 2013
Reported by: Thomas Roth

Cavaliers Growing Tired of Dion Waiters' Attitude?

​

During the preseason, you couldn't find a happier bunch than the Cleveland Cavaliers. After winning four straight games to open the exhibition part of the season, Coach Brown's team had found a rhythm which was thought to be translated to the regular season.

Go inside Cleveland's locker room today, however, and you'd find a different mood.

The Cavaliers have been quiet on the reports, but ESPN's Chad Ford has tweeted about the situation in the Cavs' locker room these past few days; and the tweets aren't exactly about how much everyone loves each other.

"Early word out of Cleveland that Dion Waiters sees Thompson and Irving as buddy ball players and that he should be getting more touches. Confrontation in locker room, not much more info. Cavs tired of attitude."

With the "buddy ball" perception being hammered into this young man's head from what are obviously outside sources and enablers, Cleveland GM Chris Grant had found out about some other choice words that had been said.

"He (Waiters) is of the school of thought that he should be dominating the ball. I've heard from a few people with knowledge of the situation that he wants to go to Philadelphia -- where he believes he will be the best player on the team. I believe that if a player wants to be here, he is going to play well. If he doesn't want to be here, he's going to end up being a distraction. We have the playoffs to make, we have a brand to think about; if he's not with that plan, then there's the door."

Cleveland is believed to be coveting an All-Star level player, particularly at the center position, in return for Waiters. Cleveland would also combine Waiters with an expiring contract or picks to make the deal more enticing -- however, maybe Waiters will not be out the door.

When asked about the situation, star guard Kyrie Irving laughed. "I don't think that it's so much people are telling him it's buddy ball or that it's people enabling Dion right now," said Irving, adding "I think that the culture he's been around for so many years, people enabling him in the past, that is driving that sense of paranoia right now. Dion gon' be fine once the season starts for real and he gets in the flow. I love D-Wait here; I need him to help me get to the playoffs."

Even if it's a half-hearted endorsement, it's still an endorsement. Let's see if Irving's trust is founded in truth.

 

[yungroth1]

Due to the suggestion from not one, but six people in PM's, I simulated the season to the Knicks game on January 30th, 2014. It's not what I had envisioned for the dynasty, but if that's what people would like to see and gets some readers in here and interested, I'm all for it!

New updates coming soon with a Midseason Review. Standings will be posted in a later post, I forgot my little cheat sheet of that. I promise that I will integrate everything as well as I can and make this a great read. Also, it helps that I didn't make any trades during the season, so it only gives me a few weeks to potentially do one instead of what other people do and trade sixteen times before December haha.

 

[yungroth1]

January 28th, 2014
Reported by: Thomas Roth, Plain Dealer

NBA (Almost) MidSeason Report

​

January 28th has come and gone, and with it, another day in NBA Basketball. This sure has been a wild season, filled with some surprises and some disappointments; that's how it goes in the Association, and dammit, do we love it.

Quite possibly the biggest surprise of the NBA comes from the Eastern Conference in the Washington Wizards. Washington sports the second-best record in the East at 26-19, led by their high-scoring point guard John Wall. Wall, who comes into today averaging 22.4 points a game on 49% shooting along with 7 assists a game, might not be an MVP Candidate, but he has definitely enjoyed a breakout year in his young career. Wall has formed a nice tandem with Marcin Gortat and Nene, who have combined for 31 points and 14 boards a game. Gortat, an import from Phoenix, has become a key part of a team who had low expectations for itself coming into the year. The big man is putting up career numbers on a team where he has found his niche.

Miami, of course, is the class of the East. Sporting LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh in the starting lineup for the past few years has allowed the super-team to gel in such a way that they at times appear unbeatable. James, who is averaging 29.5 points a game this season, has shouldered much of the scoring load for Miami as they have lost a few key bench players such as Michael Beasley and Shane Battier to injury. James is averaging 46 minutes a game, good for first in the league; with all the minutes and numbers piling up, could we see LeBron wear down?

Kevin Durant has come on strong this season for the second place Oklahoma City Thunder in the West. The Thunder, who are led by Durant, also have MVP Candidate Russell Westbrook manning the point for them. With the "Dynamic Duo" running things in OKC, they look like the team to beat this season -- Durant, who is leading the league with 30.2 points a game, has led OKC on a three-game win streak over the past week, beating teams by an average of 18 points a night. With the Western Conference so stacked, it is hard to differentiate yourself from the pack -- however, OKC has begun to do that. With Denver out to such a strong start, cementing themselves in first place, the Thunder have quite a bit of work to do in order to catch up.

Cleveland has been another big surprise this season. The Cavaliers boast a 25-20 record, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference. This might sound great to Cleveland fans, but one must consider circumstance. The East is weaker than its ever been this season, with sub-.500 teams in contention for the playoffs. Milwaukee and Orlando, two teams which were poised to maybe progress from their previous-season woes, have regressed into the last two spots of the East. Giannis and Oladipo, both pegged as great prospects, have underwhelmed for their respective teams.

Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 25.2 points a game to go along with 7 assists, has been a great leader this season for the Cavs. While scoring is his forte, Irving has been finding his teammates quite often in the past seven games -- in fact, Cleveland has won seven straight games going into the Jan. 30th Knicks game in New York. Irving has dished out 89 dimes over the course of the past 10 games, good for almost 9 a game.

While Kyrie is getting the superstar treatment, Luol Deng and Tristan Thompson have been in there doing the dirty work for the young Cavs. Deng has provided a scoring punch at 17 a game, but has contributed greatly on the defensive end, going for 1 steal and 1 block a night to go along with 7 boards. "He's doing exactly what we'd thought he'd do," said Cavs GM Chris Grant, "and come summer, we might be locking the man up."

Thompson has averaged 9.1 boards a game to go along with 11.1 points. While not the most eye-popping numbers, he has combined with Anderson Varejao to average 20.8 points and 19.1 boards. Varejao has really been consistent this season, a drastic change from the last few, injury-plagued, years. Although there have been murmurs in the front office that they've been dangling his name in trade talk, Andy couldn't be happier in Cleveland, saying "we've really turned it on this year, and I've never been more excited to go into the All Star Break next month."

CJ Miles, the final starter in Cleveland, has really taken minutes away from Dion Waiters as of late; Miles, who came into January averaging 27 minutes a game, is now getting about 33 minutes each night, in large part to the deft shooting touch he possesses. Miles has been putting up 15 points a night along with 4 boards and 4 assists, very good numbers for someone getting his type of minutes and especially for someone who isn't exactly "featured" in the offense.

At the beginning of the year, it was reported Dion Waiters' antics were becoming cumbersome in the 216. While speculation of an imminent trade in November fizzled out quickly, it hasn't been completely ruled out. Since CJ Miles' ascension to low-30's minutes each night, Waiters, in effect, has seen a drastic reduction in minutes from about 28-30 a night to about 22. While Waiters' agent and the player himself did not answer questions as to minutes in a recent interview, Waiters did indicate that the role he is playing is not what he expected this season, stating "Man, I was the fourth overall pick a few years ago. I balled last season, I thought my play would make me a starter if not at the beginning of the year, then at least by now," he said through clenched teeth, "but I guess management has other plans for me besides actually playing basketball, which is what I thought my job description was; not to be a ****ing cheerleader."

The Cavaliers have not signed anyone this season in free agency and haven't made a trade yet this year; however, that could change very soon. Even though the team has won seven in a row, including wins over the Suns by 25 points and the Pelicans by 22, the team is open to the idea of change, especially in the front court. "Our wing position and guard slots have very good players at them; however, only one can play one position at a time," said Chris Grant, "but I would love to add another frontcourt guy to let Andy and Tyler (Zeller) rest every once in awhile."

Who could the Cavaliers target in a trade? Speculation has ran rampant around the league this season that Greg Monroe, the odd man out in Detroit after the Josh Smith acquisition and Drummond emergence, could be shipped to a team in need of a legit center. While the Cavs already have Varejao, who is doing stellar in his starting role, and Zeller who is an amicable backup, Andy only plays 29 minutes a night until Zeller mops up at around 17. Tristan Thompson has been spotting at center for a while, but against stronger teams such as the Pacers who boast a robust frontline the TT13 at center experiment will definitely fail.

This is not to say the Cavs should make a push for Monroe; there are a few other players around the league who would help the Cavs and turn them from a middle of the road team into an above average one. One such player, Larry Sanders, is also in the Central Division. Sanders brings a unique skill set and is currently second in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Dwight Howard, boasting a stat line of 8 points, 13 boards, 2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 2 blocks a game. While thin and young, Sanders brings a toughness to the court each night for the pathetic Bucks, who have only won 8 games (2 of which have been at home, 6 away -- says something about the fan interest in MIL.) Sanders also brings a huge attitude problem, as he almost came to blows with teammate Gary Neal this past month. Trading for Sanders by sending Waiters to Milwaukee wouldn't solve anything -- Dion has an attitude problem, and Larry would only replace that.

The Cavaliers have definitely been a surprise at this point in the NBA season, and with the Knicks coming up tomorrow, the team is gearing up to solidify itself as a playoff team going into the halfway point. While we do not know if this success will be sustained success, we have definitely enjoyed the season and are looking forward to more surprises.

 

[yungroth1]

Date: 1/29/2014
Reported by: Chris Boucher, NBADraft.net

Prospect Profile:

Joel Embiid
Center, Kansas

​

Who remembers a mediocre player in a draft? No one. Who remembers a champion? Everyone.


On that same token, everyone remembers and loves a bust. Players such as Sam Bowie, Dajuan Wagner, Rafael Arujao, Fab Melo, and Darko Milicic come to mind when talking about a draft bust.

Could the Cavaliers have gotten their very own Raffa Araujo in Anthony Bennett?

It's too early to tell in the young season; Bennett is averaging 17 minutes a night with 10 points and 5 boards. The numbers aren't horrific, but they are more reminiscent of Kwame Brown than LeBron James. However, when you combine the deft shooting touch, the defensive potential, and the all around promise the young man shows, Bennett might pan out, but it's doubtful he'll ever live up to his first overall status.

However, the 2014 Draft offers more than its share of potential stars. In what has been called the most stacked draft in years with Andrew Wiggins, Marcus Smart, Dante Exum, Julius Randle, Julius Parker, and Doug McDermott all expected to be lottery picks, there is one player who has superstar potential who no one is talking about. This player, who plays alongside Wiggins at Kansas, might just be better than his Canadian teammate.

Joel Embiid, the defensive stalwart from Kansas University, has averaged 11.4 points, 7.6 boards, and almost three blocks a game on 66% shooting for the highly ranked Jayhawks. Embiid, who has looked tough to beat with his frontcourt buddies of Wiggins and Perry Ellis, is projected as a late lotto pick right now by many, but is also getting flack from pundits across the country saying he should go no sooner than the eighteenth overall pick. If this is true, whomever is at 18 would be getting a gold mine.

If you will, recall Joakim Noah, Al Horford, and Anthony Davis coming out of college. All three young men showed adept defensive prowess with a penchant for blocking shots. However, out of those three, Davis was the only consistent scorer of the bunch; this has transferred to the NBA, where this season he is averaging 16 points a game to go along with his 11 boards and 2 blocks a game. These three centers, all great defensive big men in college, have translated their game to the NBA and become some of the best at their position.

What would you say, then, if you were able to draft a bigger, stronger, tougher Anthony Davis?

This is what Embiid brings to the floor -- a presence inside on offense and defense. Over the course of this season, he averages 3 dunks a game. His 3 blocked shots per game also show that he is perfectly comfortable inside the paint in addition to his ability to step back and knock down a decent jumper. Embiid, who shows offensive promise, is still a little raw in that department; his shot selection is decent at best, but he makes up for it by always having excellent positioning on the block. While he may never be a Shaq or Wilt Chamberlain, it is safe to say he will make some noise from the get go in the League.

Teams in need of a potential elite center, such as the Cleveland Cavaliers, have targeted Embiid and have closely monitored his progress.

"We feel that a man of Joel's caliber could really help our team in such a way that would definitely put us over the top. People need to realize that in a draft you don't always need to get a 30 point a night scorer; instead, you need to find someone who compliments your system. We believe he can potentially do that for our team in the future, should we be lucky enough to net him," said Cleveland coach Mike Brown, who has returned to Cleveland this season after coaching LeBron in the 216 a few years back.

Brown knows his stuff about defense; after all, he consistently fielded one of the best defensive units in the league while in Cleveland. He learned under Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and got his feet wet in Indiana before that. A coach who is so confident about a nineteen year old center sometimes sounds crazy; for Mike Brown, we might have to buy into the hype just so he can't say "told you so."

 

[yungroth1]

Will be posting the Knick game tonight after I get home from work; I type throughout the day and have had a ball writing all this so far. I'm so excited to see where this is going to go!

Go ahead and post it up, guys. You could do some press questions, give me some trade advice, or maybe just give me some input on how you like it so far. God Bless, ya'll.

 

[DJ Rhude]

Looks good so far, I'm on board

 

[yungroth1]

​

 

[yungroth1]

How do I make the images not be in thumbnail size?

 

[yungroth1]

January 30, 2014
Reported by: Thomas Roth, CPD

Dion Waiters to Start Against Knicks Tonight

​

Dion Waiters will start tonight against the New York Knicks, as per Cleveland coach Mike Brown.

Waiters, who has come off the bench in a role reminiscent of James Harden in Oklahoma City, will start tonight as CJ Miles is being disciplined for an undisclosed violation of team rules. He is scoring 10 points, grabbing 4 boards, and dishing out 4 dimes a game in his sixth man role; while the numbers aren't Harden-esque, his impact on matchups and assignments is an invaluable asset he brings to the lineup.

Miles, who is averaging a little over 15 points a night, will be missed by the Cavs in the starting rotation. Miles' sharp shooting and high flying dunks have put a bit of a spark in the lineup, which has been evident in this seven game win streak. In the seven game streak, Miles is averaging 18 points a night to go along with 5 assists and 5 rebounds.

The Cleveland starting rotation will be Kyrie Irving and Waiters at the guard slots with Luol Deng and Tristan Thompson in the frontcourt. Anderson Varejao will start at center tonight but will "play limited minutes" according to GM Chris Grant, who revealed Andy is battling the flu. Expect about 27-31 minutes out of him tonight, with Tyler Zeller getting about 20. We might see Thompson or even Anthony Bennett at the center position if the Knicks want to run.

 

[yungroth1]

January 30. 2014
Reported By: Thomas Roth, CPD

Cavs Fall to Knicks, 110-99
Irving's 34 Not Enough to Slow Down Surging Knickerbockers
​

A seven game win streak has been snapped, and the Knicks feel great about it.

Kyrie Irving scored 34 points and dished out 5 assists for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who got excellent production from their starting five but had utterly no bench support.

Dion Waiters, who normally comes off the bench, was missed by the second unit. Waiters' stat line of 8 points on 1 of 12 shooting, 2 rebounds and 5 assists is an indicator of the night he had. He was never able to find his rhythm, and in effect, could not contribute in the way he wanted to. "Man I was given the chance to start tonight and I blew it. I missed something like 11 shots and just wasn't picking up the schemes that New York was drawing up."

Mike Woodson's Knicks did not have a problem finding scorers -- Carmelo Anthony and Iman Shumpert came up big. Anthony, who is averaging 24.9 points a game coming into the game, scored 13 in the first quarter and never stopped shooting, and why would he; 'Melo dropped 51 points and grabbed eight boards. Shumpert may not have had 51 points, but was just as dynamic as his All-World teammate.

Shumpert, who has been a huge target for teams looking to acquire a talented guard/forward prospect, scored 17 points and grabbed 6 boards. However, his contributions didn't stop with scoring and rebounding; he was able to throw out 9 assists and block three shots. "Iman was a huge part of our success tonight," began coach Woodson in his postgame interview, "without him, I'm almost positive we would have dug ourselves into a hole with being too one-dimensional."

New York's frontline of Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler provided a huge defensive presence tonight, as Chandler was able to block two shots and grab 11 boards. Stoudemire, who is many years removed from his 26/12 games, was able to find some rhythm by scoring 14 points and having 9 rebounds. Stoudemire, who still has a deft touch on the defensive end of the floor, was able to contain Tristan Thompson from breaking loose in the third quarter.

Thompson, who finished the night with 10 points and 11 rebounds, looked to run wild in the third with Stoudemire playing center and Andrea Bargnani at the four. Bargnani was not able to patrol the paint and shut Thompson down; two straight dunks from Thompson made the Garden shake, and Bargnani's confidence did the same. Stoudemire, who was assigned to Tyler Zeller, sagged off and immediately came over to provide the help defense. After that, it was game over for Thompson -- he didn't score the rest of the night, and fell into foul trouble later. He was benched for the whole fourth quarter.

The Knicks, who played quite well tonight, look to continue their winning ways as they continue their homestand. Cleveland, who won seven straight is now looking to rebound from the loss and ground the Rockets in Houston. For all the highlights, be sure to look in the Cleveland Plain Dealer for Thomas Roth's column.

[TABLE="class: outer_border, width: 500, align: center"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Player[/TD]
[TD]Pts.[/TD]
[TD]Rebounds[/TD]
[TD]Assists[/TD]
[TD]Steals[/TD]
[TD]Blocks[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]K. Irving[/TD]
[TD]34[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]D. Waiters[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]L. Deng[/TD]
[TD]17[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]T. Thompson[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]A. Varejao[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]C. Miles[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]J. Jack[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]A. Bennett[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]T. Zeller[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]E. Clark[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]A. Gee[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[TD]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]M. Dellevedova[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]DNP - CD[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[TD]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Totals:[/TD]
[TD]99[/TD]
[TD]55[/TD]
[TD]28[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]


​Bold indicates starting lineup.
​

 

[DJ Rhude]

Damn Melo with 51, not a good defensive effort from the Cavs this game

 

[yungroth1]

Damn Melo with 51, not a good defensive effort from the Cavs this game

Definitely.

Melo was on a roll -- he was posting up, shooting from midrange, and even hit two three pointers. He was really on. With Felton gone, I knew Melo would shoulder most of the scoring load, especially since JR Smith was something like 4 of 16 from the field.

We definitely need to work on our interior defensive presence; Melo should not have been able to drive to the lane so easily.

 

[yungroth1]

2/1/2014
Reported By: Thomas Roth, CPD

Dwight and Company Slay Cavs:
Cleveland Falls to Houston for Second Straight Loss, Waiters Scores 40
​

The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost two games in a row, essentially negating the buzz from the seven game streak they had.

Dwight Howard, the big offseason acquisition for Houston, scored 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in a high-scoring game which featured 5 lead changes in the first three minutes of the third quarter. James Harden, the bearded scoring wizard, dropped 19 points and had seven assists for the Rockets, who have won 5 of their last 6 games.

Houston was expected to make a lot of noise this season with the signing of Howard. Omri Casspi was offered a deal to come over to Houston, and the former Cavalier made some key defensive stops for his new team to preserve the lead in the waning minutes of the game; the Rockets held on for a 110-108 victory after Casspi blocked a Dion Waiters three which would have won the game for the Cavaliers.

"Omri came in during the final four minutes of the game to compensate for the ankle sprain to Terrance Jones," began coach Kevin McHale, "with (Chandler) Parsons at the four and Dwight at the pivot, we needed a defensive presence to stop the constant barrage of points from Waiters. We weren't able to do that with some of our key defensive guys out, so Omri was the best option at the time."

Best option? More like best player on the floor for the last four minutes.

While Howard and Harden may get all the accolades, it's dirty work which yields the most results; and, isn't it such a piss that those guys never get any credit? With Casspi, he never looks for the applause -- he looks for wins.

"While I didn't go out and drop 25 or grab 10 boards, I still was able to stop Dion," began the international journeyman, "I guess it's me trying to show my old team that they made a mistake letting me go."

The big scorer of the night was Dion Waiters, who started his second straight game after being the sixth man for the entirety of the season. Waiters scored a career high 40 points on 15 for 33 shooting, hitting seven straight shots in the second quarter from midrange.

"(I) was seeing the court real slowed down tonight, man," said Waiters, "and it's nights like these that prove why I was the fourth overall pick a few years ago."

No one has ever doubted his scoring or his ability to be a basketball player; it was quite evident his rookie year that he is a talented young man. His main issue is maturity. Waiters was the star for the Cavs tonight, eclipsing even Kyrie Irving's stat line. However, his antics after the game of celebrating as though they won give an insight into how he perceives the game. Childish behavior does not result in wins -- tonight proved it.

Cleveland looked like it was going to pull ahead early in the fourth, as the Cavs went on a 13-3 run to open the final quarter. The young men from Cleveland pushed the ball up the court, increasing the tempo from earlier in the game. One reason for the increased tempo was the absence of big man Anderson Varejao in the starting lineup. Varejao has the flu and has been limited in practice due to the increased strain it has put on him with all the traveling and movement.

Tyler Zeller had a decent night filling in for the Brazilian center, scoring seven points and grabbing seven boards, four of which were on the offensive end. Zeller, who is known for being a shot creator, scored on beautiful pump fakes and artistic strides to the paint. While Tyler has not gotten the hype his younger brother, Cody of the Bobcats has, he is every bit the player the younger Zeller is. We can expect good production out of him for some time.

"First and foremost, our team is predicated on defensive intensity," began coach Mike Brown, "but our guys are also excellent when they are pushing the tempo and scoring at a fast clip. We need to develop our offensive identity more -- these past two games have proven that much.

Cleveland is going to stay in Texas for the next few days, as they travel to Dallas next to take on the Mavericks. Monta Ellis is number two in the NBA in scoring at 26.9 points a game, leading Dallas to the fourth overall spot in the West. If the season were to end today, Dallas would not only be ahead of San Antonio, but they would also be ahead of the Clippers and Trail Blazers; no one thought in the preseason that Dallas would be making the strides they are making.

Tune in next time for Cavalier basketball.

[TABLE="class: outer_border, width: 500, align: center"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Player[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Pts.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Rebs.[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Assists[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Steals[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]Blocks[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]K. Irving[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]22[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]D. Waiters[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]40[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]L. Deng[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]14[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]T. Thompson[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]9[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]T. Zeller[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]7[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]J. Jack[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]11[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]A. Bennett[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]E. Clark[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]1[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]A. Gee[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]3[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]A. Varejao[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]5[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]0[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]2[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]C. Miles[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]DNP -- CD[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]M. Dellevedova[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]DNP -- CD[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD="align: center"]Totals[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]108[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]56[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]4[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]6[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

Bold Indicates Starter
​

 

[yungroth1]

2/2/2014
Reported By: Thomas Roth, C

Dion Waiters Formally Requests Trade

​

One night after scoring a career high 40 points, Dion Waiters has effectively checked out of Cleveland.

Waiters, who started two straight games for the Cavaliers (losing both), cited lack of cohesion and a "toxic" locker room.

"It's crazy in there, man," said Waiters from his apartment in downtown Cleveland, "guys playin' buddy ball; if you ain't in the clique, you ain't succeeding."

The comments are a bit strange coming from the former fourth overall pick. After all, he did just score forty points last night and was given the go-ahead from coach Mike Brown to "shoot at will," as the coach himself put it. While Waiters might not have been the star, he was never ostracized by teammates and Brown.

Waiters has requested that the Cavs look at the 76ers, Celtics, and Clippers as possible destinations for him. His hometown of Philadelphia is attractive for the Cavaliers because they have both Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young, who have both reportedly looked at ways to exit Philly. Waiters is also of the belief that if he were indeed to go to Philadelphia that he would be the best player on the team.

A possible trade could include packaging swingman Alonzo Gee along with Waiters to acquire someone like Young, who commands a higher salary than Waiters and Gee put together. However, the one hangup with this deal would be that it could turn out to be redundant; Cleveland has Tristan Thompson and Luol Deng at both forward spots, and Young has been a starter most of his career -- there could be a lack of minutes to get him on the floor.

Boston is another interesting possibility because of their plethora of big men. Boston just drafted Kelly Olynyk, acquired Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace in the Garnett/Pierce/Terry blockbuster, and drafted Jared Sullinger two years ago. With so many guys patrolling the paint and a lack of options outside of Rajon Rondo and Avery Bradley for scoring, Boston could make a huge run at the product from Syracuse. The question is what the Cavs would ask for -- could they ask for Kris Humphries, who would provide immediate support to Anderson Varejao and Tyler Zeller? There's not really a match of talent to acquire Dion.

The Clippers would be an intriguing possibility because it has recently been reported that the Clips are interested in making a run at LeBron this offseason. While Cleveland certainly wants to be in the running to bring their prodigal son back home, they could definitely explore some ideas with their LA brethren. DeAndre Jordan, who commands one of the highest salaries for the Clippers could be moved -- Cleveland has long admired his rebounding and physical play. Pairing Jordan with Tristan Thompson would make the Cavs front line much more athletic than it is, and would promote that running offense.

A darkhorse candidate to look out for is the Dallas Mavericks, who have been discussing unloading Monta Ellis' contract on a team with cap room. Ellis, who was acquired in the offseason to provide a scoring punch in light of Dirk Nowitzki's rapid aging, has not gelled with teammates and was even benched for the entire second half of the most recent game for not adjusting on defense. A change of scenery might be just what Ellis needs to get him back to his days in Golden State, where he was averaging over 21 points a night.

Whatever the Cavaliers do, they need to make a smart, calculated choice; even though they sit at 25-22 right now, they still have a lot of ground to make up if they want to make the playoffs with homecourt advantage. Not only that, but any time you trade a former top-four pick, you have to try and get equal talent in return. The talent is there, but the body of work is not; wherever Dion Waiters lands, lets hope he lands on his feet -- talent is a terrible thing to waste.

 

[yungroth1]

Updates coming, I have had internet issues the past few days.

 

[yungroth1]

2/3/2014
Reported By: Chad Ford, ESPN

Trade News:
Dion Waiters Headed to Phoenix in Multi-Player Deal
​

The Cavs said they were tired of Dion Waiters' attitude.

No one thought they would get rid of him for pennies on the dollar, though.

Cleveland pulled the trigger on a multi-player trade early this morning, around 1:30 EST. The Cavs, who had been looking to unload the former fourth overall pick's emotional baggage and temper, found a willing partner in the Phoenix Suns, who are under performing a bit this season, but could make a late season playoff push with this acquisition.

Cleveland packaged Waiters along with Anderson Varejao and a second round pick, sending the young scorer packing with the former fan-favorite with curly locks. The second round pick was just filler.

Cleveland acquires Channing Frye and Alex Len from the Suns. Frye is in the last year of a ridiculous deal which will yield even more cap room for the Cavs, who could look to bring back Varejao in Free Agency this summer.

Len, a former lottery pick for the Suns, had averaged 1.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 13 minutes a game this season. Len, who was thought to be a surefire prospect at the center position out of Maryland University, never found his groove in first year coach Jeff Hornachek's system. Len has been brought in to be developed under former Cav Zydrunas Ilgauskus, who has a front-office role at this time.

"We're thrilled with the acquisition of Channing and Alex," said Cleveland GM Chris Grant, who had been on the hotseat earlier in the season due to the Cavs' poor attendance and under-performing roster. After acquiring Deng in the offseason and now shedding cap space and gaining a high upside player along with a first round pick, Grant's job might be safe. "I think that even though we lost Dion, we have guys who are going to step up and fill in for him -- we won't miss him or the drama."

Cleveland, who needed to bolster the front line after trading Varejao, will look to Len to get about 13 minutes a night, about the same as in Phoenix. Frye has an injured knee and will be unavailable for full-time game action for a week. The Cavs feel confident in the rotation of Thompson, Zeller, and Bennett; adding Len to the mix is icing on the cake. However, the Cavs realized the importance of the paint right after acquiring the young center and the journeyman stretch forward, so they went out and made one final move.

The Cavs dropped Henry Sims from the active roster down to the D-League; this move opened up a roster spot to bring back former Cavalier Drew Gooden. Gooden, who was with the Cavs when LeBron was on the team, is being brought in for a veteran presence and defensive anchor. Gooden will wear 35 for the Cavs, while Len will suit up in 21. Frye has not received his jersey yet, but it is believed to be 47.

The pick the Cavs acquired in the deal will be anywhere from 10-22 in the draft, depending on their progression later in the season. Maybe with this pick, the Cavs could right the ship and find the right running mate for Kyrie Irving this time.