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All-Star Break Grades for Each Cavalier

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Stark

The Winds of Winter
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It's the All-Star Break, well, it was the All-Star break. I just never got around to doing this.

I'll be using your typical A-F system, and explaining everything a bit. Some more than others. Feel free to leave your own grades, so I'm not the only one left open for criticism. :chuckles:

Omri Casspi

Season Stats: 4.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.4 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .367 FG%, .357 3P%, .556 FT%, 11.4 MPG in 29 GP.

Casspi has embraced the role of being the first guy off the bench to give high-fives during timeouts since Luke Harangody's departure. Casspi only gets in when we are up or down by thirty plus, and even then I'm sure Scott has misgivings about giving him a shot. Hopefully Casspi will be gone by the trade deadline. I don't even care if we get anything back for him.

Grade: F

Wayne Ellington

Season Stats (with CLE): 9.1 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.0 BPG, .463 FG%, .450 3P%, .846 FT%, 20.3 MPG in 10 GP.

Ellington has given the Cavaliers a true long-range threat off the bench since his arrival. He's one of the best three point shooters in the league, and is also putting up a free throw percentage very close to ninety (including his time with Memphis). Throw in his good defense, and you have a very good role player for the Wine and Gold.

Grade: B

Alonzo Gee

Season Stats: 10.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG, .411 FG%, .303 3P%, .785 FT%, 31.7 MPG in 53 GP.

Gee really has been wearing on me as the season has gone on. He's not meant to be a starter, and he really doesn't offer a whole lot outside of his above-average defense. His three point and free throw shooting really seem to have dropped off. The only thing that kind of jumps out at me on his stat sheet is the steal and a half per game. The sooner he becomes a seventh or eighth man off the bench, the better.

Grade: C+

Daniel Gibson

Season Stats: 6.6 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.8 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.1 BPG, .361 FG%, .386 3P%, .714 FT%, 21.4 MPG in 32 GP.

It has been a major off year for Boobie. His stats are down across the board, and he's been fighting nagging injuries for the majority of the season. Not all of it is his fault really, but I think it may be best for both parties to separate via trade.

Grade: D

Kyrie Irving

Season Stats: 23.5 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.7 SPG, 0.4 BPG, .466 FG%, .425 3P%, .848 FT%, 35.3 MPG in 43 GP.

Gonna do my best to critique Kyrie before I get into the good. His defense has tons of room for improvement, and improve it likely shall given that he still is only twenty years old. He also doesn't seem to have the best attitude, and it looks like he pouts a bit when it's not his night. On to the good: All-Star, dropped thirty-two points in the Rising Stars game, Player of the Week, Three Point Shootout Champion, sixth leading scorer in the league on efficient shooting, and a few game winning shots to his credit. Kyrie doesn't get the A+, but he gets the next best thing.

Grade: A

Kevin Jones

Season Stats: 2.0 PPG, 1.9 RPG, 0.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, .432 FG%, .667 FT%, 9.5 MPG in 17 GP.

Jones really doesn't get much playing time (I didn't even post stats he hasn't registered anything in), although from what we've seen in the D-League and his limited playing time, he is a hustler. I hope he gets a few more minutes down the stretch to try to prove himself.

Grade: Incomplete

Shaun Livingston

Season Stats (with CLE): 5.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 3.4 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 BPG, .484 FG%, .000 3P%, .800 FT%, 19.2 MPG in 21 GP.

Can you say Godsend? Livingston is one of best waiver pickups in recent memory, and is one of the anchors of our bench squad. His post turnaround jumpshot is one of the most beautiful things anybody on this team has to offer. I pray that his health holds up and he spends the next four or five seasons as a Cavalier.

Grade: B+

CJ Miles

Season Stats: 10.9 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .404 FG%, .370 3P%, .925 FT%, 21.6 MPG in 43 GP.

Chuck Jumpers, sorry, CJ has had a very up and down year with the Cavaliers. When he's hot, he looks like an All-Star out there with his shooting. At others, he looks more like Adam Morrison. The sad reality is that he usually looks like the latter. Throw in his non-existent defense, and we've got a player not getting a whole lot of love from the Cleveland fanbase.

Grade: C-

Josh Selby

Season Stats (with CLE): Hasn't debuted yet

Selby has yet to suit up with the Wine and Gold, but reports have shown that we may have the second coming of CJ Miles when we bring him up. That may be a good thing, or a very, very bad thing.

Grade: Incomplete

Mo Speights

Season Stats (with CLE): 13.0 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.4 SPG, 0.7 BPG, .438 FG%, .250 3P%, .861 FT%, 22.2 MPG in 10 GP.

Speights has proven to be a very reliable first big off the bench since his acquisition. Who could forget Speights and Kyrie leading the charge to take down the heavily favored Thunder at home? Speights has already turned in a few double double performances from the bench, and is likely exceeding expectations set when he was traded from Memphis. His per36 numbers put him at 21.1 PPG and 10.4 RPG. Not bad too bad of a haul for Jon Leuer.

Grade: A-

Tristan Thompson

Season Stats: 11.4 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.8 BPG, .499 FG%, .000 3P%, .656 FT%, 31.5 MPG in 53 GP.

Thompson is currently winning the Most Improved Award for the Cavaliers in my eyes. Since Andy went down, his growth has far exceeded any expectation I had set for him at the beginning of the year. He's almost averaging a double-double, and he has brought his free throw percentage up from a terrible 49% last year. Put in his above-average defense and his always-running motor, and we've got a great power forward for the future to grow with Kyrie.

Grade: A

Anderson Varejao

Season Stats: 14.1 PPG, 14.4 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG, .478 FG%, .000 3P%, .755 FT%, 36.0 MPG in 25 GP.

It's an absolute shame that Andy went down. He was having far and away the best season of his career, leading the NBA in both total rebounds and offensive rebounds. His play style is bound to cause injury at some point, and then he had the unfortunate luck to develop the blood clot as well. I wish the best to Wild Thing and hope he has a perfect recovery.

Grade: Incomplete - He would of gotten an A+ if he would of stayed healthy and kept up his level of play.

Dion Waiters

Season Stats: 14.2 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .396 FG%, .309 3P%, .768 FT%, 29.5 MPG in 45 GP.

Waiters has had a better rookie year than I originally thought he would. Over the course of the year, he has started slashing more than shooting pull-up jumpers, which I think is essential to his success. I'd love if he could get his points and efficiency up a bit and finish with a statline looking like: 15-3-4 on 42/31/78. If he can get closer to those numbers, then he gets an A out of me for the year. For now, he's settling with a B.

Grade: B

Luke Walton

Season Stats: 3.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .381 FG%, .220 3P%, .429 FT%, 15.5 MPG in 28 GP.

Luke is not a very good basketball player, but he has played a solid role in helping this team develop this year. His numbers aren't sexy, and neither is his play, but he doesn't the things you really can't measure in stats out there on the court. Still though, Luke, you're not very good.

Grade: C-

Tyler Zeller

Season Stats: 8.0 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.5 APG, 1.0 BPG, .419 FG%, .000 3P%, .767 FT%, 27.6 MPG in 49 GP.

In his defense, Zeller wasn't supposed to be playing starter's minutes this season. The injury to Varejao pretty much threw Zeller to the wolves, and he's less than spectacular so far. He needs to improve his shooting, as 42% is not going to get it done from a big guy. An offseason of bulking up, and an actual center in front of him next year should help Zeller's development.

Grade: C
 
I thought this was going to be grading their performance over the all star break. I was going to give Casspi an A for staying completely out of sight. Getting himself traded would bump that to an A+.
 
I agree with most of this, but I'd lower Speights grade to a B. I think a lot of people here overrate him. He's a serviceable big man off the bench, and had one good week as soon as he was traded that warmed himself up to the fans. After that though, we've seen him regress back to his career norms.
 
Luke Walton

Season Stats: 3.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .381 FG%, .220 3P%, .429 FT%, 15.5 MPG in 28 GP.

Luke is not a very good basketball player, but he has played a solid role in helping this team develop this year. His numbers aren't sexy, and neither is his play, but he doesn't the things you really can't measure in stats out there on the court. Still though, Luke, you're not very good.

Grade: C-


What does he do?
 
Luke Walton

Season Stats: 3.4 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 0.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, .381 FG%, .220 3P%, .429 FT%, 15.5 MPG in 28 GP.

Luke is not a very good basketball player, but he has played a solid role in helping this team develop this year. His numbers aren't sexy, and neither is his play, but he doesn't the things you really can't measure in stats out there on the court. Still though, Luke, you're not very good.

Grade: C-


What does he do?

He's without a doubt one of the best passers/facilitators on the team. He's the kind of guy you hate when he's playing with a bunch of fellow scrubs, but then you realize you don't mind him as a player when he plays with a quality bench lineup.
 

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