Donatas Motiejunas (D-Mo)

[Jstock12]

A Lithuanian homer in me compelled me to create this thread seeing how Motiejunas is flat out balling the last 10-12 games.

He is playing a lock-down defense with the probably one of the best OPP FG% differentials in the entire league:

He also is a top10 in OPP FG% at rim, despite his limited wingspan:

Offensively, he's showing to have an elite post-game (just schooling everyone on the low block), great court-vision/passing and just a general feel for the game and IQ (much better than his countryman Valanciunas in that department). He's averaging 13.1ppg, 7.0rpg, 1.5apg in 30mpg in last 10 games. Currently second most important player after Harden with Dwight out. Just take a look at some of these:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA0sxLqQAuk&


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBG8lbjodSg


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1R3n7ILoWw&


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woVovqgqRBk&


People really like Mozgov but perhaps it would be possible to continue BigZ Lithuanian legacy on the Cavs with DMo?

 

[Jstock12]

He also is a top10 in OPP FG% at rim, despite his limited wingspan:

Actually, scratch that. If you set the filters to at least 20mpg and at least 5 opponent field goal attempts at the rim per game, he's even higher. 8th best rim protector in the entire league (Mozgov - 11th).

 

[Kouki]

remind me again why we didn't try to draft a center over the past few years

 

[el_capitan]

remind me again why we didn't try to draft a center over the past few years

I don't think there were any good Canadian centers that came out the past few years.

 

[Cavatt]

remind me again why we didn't try to draft a center over the past few years

We drafted one, but we got rid of him at the very first opportunity.

Dimo has been really instrumental while Dwight has been out. He has been balling lately. He really has the complete game post ,shooting, passing, and he can drive. The guy is really strong too.

I've been dating a rockets fan, so I have seen a bunch of their games. He's been number 2 to Harden so far.

 

[Man Called X]

We drafted one, but we got rid of him at the very first opportunity.

Dimo has been really instrumental while Dwight has been out. He has been balling lately. He really has the complete game post ,shooting, passing, and he can drive. The guy is really strong too.

I've been dating a rockets fan, so I have seen a bunch of their games. He's been number 2 to Harden so far.

Zeller was hot buttered garbage. And was apparently a bitch in the locker room.

 

[Cavatt]

Zeller was hot buttered garbage. And was apparently a bitch in the locker room.

It was a joke, but not, cause it was weird we only drafted one when there have been a glut ofthem in recent years.

 

[Man Called X]

It was a joke, but not, cause it was weird we only drafted one when there have been a glut ofthem in recent years.

Well, they also know I want a center, and therefore, not allowed to have one.

 

[mAo_mAo]

Chris Grant was allergic to size that even his one center prospect has trex arms.

 

[Douglar]

Let's review.

2011:

• Kanter was never really under consideration and in hind site for good reason.
• Valanciunas looks like a decent player, but is he an All star? Is his career path jetting far above Tristan Thompson right now? That's a subject of ongoing debate.

2012:

• Anthony Davis was not available
• Andre Drummond appears to be the perfect balance of unstoppable force and non-functioning brain.
• Cavs did trade up to pick Tyler Zeller at #17

2013:

• Noel might be good. His knees might also snap in two
• Alex Len might be OK. We might find out some day if he stops breaking bones. Hard to pick him at #1 though and trading down in the draft is often harder than trading up
• Cody Zeller is tall but is he a center?
• It would have been nice if the Cavs were able to trade down to get MCW and Steve Adams, but once again, trading down is hard

2014:

• Cavs would have probably drafted Embiid if he was healthy.

So out of all of those items, I think we only have two areas for discussion. Valanciunas & Drummond.

Valanciunas looks pretty stable, polished and he plays a position of need. Tristan Thompson might have a the higher potential as a player, even if he's still raw in a lot of areas. I don't think this story is over yet on who is better.

Drummond is a slack jawed drooler, but he's a huge & powerful slack jawed drooler with a lot of trade value. Passing on Drummond for the Fussy Philadelphian was the only real mistake on that list in my opinion.

Did I miss anything?

 

[mAo_mAo]

Let's review.

2011:

• Kanter was never really under consideration and in hind site for good reason.
• Valanciunas looks like a decent player, but is he an All star? Is his career path jetting far above Tristan Thompson right now? That's a subject of ongoing debate.

2012:

• Anthony Davis was not available
• Andre Drummond appears to be the perfect balance of unstoppable force and non-functioning brain.
• Cavs did trade up to pick Tyler Zeller at #17

2013:

• Noel might be good. His knees might also snap in two
• Alex Len might be OK. We might find out some day if he stops breaking bones. Hard to pick him at #1 though and trading down in the draft is often harder than trading up
• Cody Zeller is tall but is he a center?
• It would have been nice if the Cavs were able to trade down to get MCW and Steve Adams, but once again, trading down is hard

2014:

• Cavs would have probably drafted Embiid if he was healthy.

So out of all of those items, I think we only have two areas for discussion. Valanciunas & Drummond.

Valanciunas looks pretty stable, polished and he plays a position of need. Tristan Thompson might have a the higher potential as a player, even if he's still raw in a lot of areas. I don't think this story is over yet on who is better.

Drummond is a slack jawed drooler, but he's a huge & powerful slack jawed drooler with a lot of trade value. Passing on Drummond for the Fussy Philadelphian was the only real mistake on that list in my opinion.

Did I miss anything?

I think you missed the Miles brothers,Gorgui Dieng, Rudy Gobert, Festus Ezeli and even Jeff Withey. Those guys are realistic options too at where we were picking.

Basically we had the chance to pick a decent center prospect from Val/Drummond/Ezeli/Mason and Miles Plumlee/Dieng/Adams/ Gobert/Withey. That is 9 prospects.

 

[Cavatt]

We supposedly had the Adams and Lamb trade for the number one(Bennett). I would have taken adams 1 too, but it wasn't realistic at the time. When they said there wasn't a starter I thought just take the best center then.

We could have taken Dieng instead of Karasev which I wanted. Mason Plumlee and Gobert were available then too. I questioned taking a wing at the time if he wasn't ready to start at the 3.

I think they were eyeing brook Lopez using Karasev or something.

I actively hate the what if game, but there were options, and trading big for small is easier.

 

[Douglar]

I think you missed the Miles brothers,Gorgui Dieng, Rudy Gobert, Festus Ezeli and even Jeff Withey. Those guys are realistic options too at where we were picking.

I was looking at lottery picks.

Missing on the late first round/early second round picks is a more complicated issue. Most of the players that get picked in that range don't amount to anything and it is really easy to cherry pick successes and ignore all the guys that disappeared. But the Cavs did have a need, they were still a developing team, and they would have had minutes available. Cavs had needs on the wing too, so the Karasev / Felix picks sort of seemed OK at the time if they thought Zeller was going to pan out.

I'll give you the point. Cavs could have tried harder to find a good center big man in the draft.

 

[Pioneer10]

I was looking at lottery picks.

Missing on the late first round/early second round picks is a more complicated issue. Most of the players that get picked in that range don't amount to anything and it is really easy to cherry pick successes and ignore all the guys that disappeared. But the Cavs did have a need, they were still a developing team, and they would have had minutes available. Cavs had needs on the wing too, so the Karasev / Felix picks sort of seemed OK at the time if they thought Zeller was going to pan out.

I'll give you the point. Cavs could have tried harder to find a good center big man in the draft.

I maintain not picking up Dieng was a huge mistake. I looked back of my posting from the draft thread that year (which were basically screeds asking us to draft a C particularly with the second pick) and my opinion today is the same so I can't be accused of suffering from hindsight bias with this one. While I like Tyler: he projected to be more of a backup C who could play some PF against the right lineup. We needed a true defensive big who could protect the rim and we already knew Zeller was going to be that and TT was shotblocking was regressing. I hope no one thought Bennett was going to be a defensive force. AV was AV but he is old and injury prone and if one thought Bennett was going to be a star: you definitely want a defensive big next to him to cover him on defense (very similar to what we're seeing with Love)

On the wing we had just drafted Dion the year before and also picked up Jack in FA so the need to draft SG/SF was less.

Finally, on a side note, the TT vs JV debate is closer to being done IMO then what you're making it out to be. JV this year after a few subpar games still has a PER close to 20. Young centers with PER's of 20 and who aren't complete boneheads like Drummond are more valuable then backup PF's with no range

 

[Jstock12]

Not a fan of what path this thread went, LOL.