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Sixth Man
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There are several threads about the "quality" of the local press, but I feel that Lloyd's articles are always informative, spot-on and I can confess that I always waiting for those "final thoughts" snippets.
I know that many of us quote those articles and put them each time in a different thread, so I thought it can be useful to have those here, in a dedicated thread...
Here is the one from today, after the "thriller" vs the Hornets:
Cavs 129, Hornets 90; Jason Lloyd's 33 final thoughts on historic night, LeBron's vision coming true
By Jason Lloyd Published: January 24, 2015
1. When they sat injured in the locker room during the second half of what became a 109-101 loss at Atlanta late last month, LeBron James and Kevin Love spoke about what they envisioned for this team. It certainly wasn’t six-game losing streaks, dismal defensive efforts and embarrassing losses to teams like the Pistons, Kings and 76ers.
2. Now as Timofey Mozgov stands in the lane catching lob dunks and absorbing space defensively, as Iman Shumpert takes the floor to a roaring ovation and J.R. Smith splashes off-balance 3-pointers, James’ vision is coming into focus.
3. “This is the team that I envisioned,” James said. “This is the style of basketball I envisioned. Obviously the points we put up, I don’t envision that every night. But how we share the ball, how we defend, that should be our staple every night.”
4. Four-game winning streaks sure look better than six-game losing streaks. But no one within the organization is getting carried away with euphoria over the recent play. More turbulence will strike at some point – it’s inevitable. How they respond, and if they keep fighting hard and working through adversity, will determine if this team has truly figured anything out.
5. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” coach David Blatt warned. “We’ve got a long way to go. … We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
6. Here’s a quick rundown of the historical significance of this win, based on research by the Cavs and Elias Sports Bureau: Friday set Quicken Loans Arena records for most points in regulation and the largest margin of victory for a Cavs team. It was their most lopsided win overall since a 43-point win over the 76ers on Jan. 15, 1994. The 75 points in the first half were the most since they scored that many against the Hawks on Dec. 11, 1999. The 35-point halftime lead was the largest in franchise history.
7. Yet despite all that, this wasn’t even the most lopsided win over the Hornets franchise. The Cavs beat them 133-93 on Nov. 4, 1988 – which incidentally was their first game in existence. Kind of sums up how lopsided tonight was: It was one point shy of an expansion team beating.
8. “We’re just playing hard and playing together and playing to win,” Blatt said. “That should be our philosophy. We’ve got a long way to go and haven’t done anything yet. But we do have the right to dream to be really good.”
9. Forget the ridiculous scoring totals, Smith making seven 3-pointers and the Cavs scoring 42 points in the second quarter – or two more than the Hornets managed in the first half.
10. The two most impressive facets for me was the defensive effort and the way the Cavs killed the Hornets’ will. They never let them back in the game. Too many times this season the starters have built a big first-quarter lead, only to watch the bench let the opponent back in the game by the midway mark of the second quarter.
11. It happened against this same Hornets team earlier this season when the Cavs raced out to a 21-0 lead, only to watch the Hornets pull within six halfway through the second. It was a one-possession game late in the first half. This time it was a 39-point lead late in the second quarter.
12. I have to think some of the success is at least partly due to Blatt finally settling on a rotation. Tristan Thompson, Shawn Marion and Shumpert are in, along with a pinch of Matthew Dellavedova. The rest are out. And eventually Shumpert and Smith will flip places.
13. The Cavs are still trying to upgrade their backup point guard spot, but that probably won’t happen until closer to the trade deadline. If they can’t find one in trade, they may have to wait until one they like is bought out or until late March when the Chinese League season ends.
14. There have been whispers throughout the season the Cavs may trade Brendan Haywood’s unique contract before this summer, when it reaches its maximum value. Those whispers are growing louder. In fact, if the Cavs are to upgrade their backup point guard position through trade, they will inevitably have to include Haywood just to make the money match. And from all indications, they’ll have no problem moving Haywood’s contract if the right point guard becomes available. But they won’t know that until closer to the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
15. The Cavs have been privately telling people for months that when they originally acquired Haywood’s contract, worth $10.5 million non-guaranteed next season, they didn’t have any max players on the roster. Now they have three.
16. Assuming Kevin Love is still here, the Cavs will commit at least $58 million next season in salary just to Love, LeBron and Kyrie Irving. Add in Anderson Varejao’s $10 million for next season, new deals for Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert (each of whom will be coming off their rookie deals and seeking at least $10 million) and the Cavs’ payroll next season will explode through the cap (projected now around $66 million) and tax apron. That means Haywood’s contract cannot be used in sign-and-trade deals, which eliminates the Cavs from pursuing any free agents with his contract.
17. Other teams are now highly aware of Haywood’s contract. Since the Cavs are fully committed to win-now mode, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them deal Haywood within the next four weeks for immediate help this season.
18. If they don’t trade for a point guard, keep an eye on Will Bynum and Bobby Brown. Both are playing in China and won’t be available until after the Chinese playoffs in March, but the Cavs are interested in both. Bynum would be a much cleaner add than Brown, who still has two years left on his deal with DongGuan, but they’ll have competition.
19. Bynum, 32, has played seven seasons in the NBA and will have plenty of offers to return. The Cavs will only be able to offer him the pro-rated veteran’s minimum, and of course a chance to win.
20. Brown’s situation is murkier because of the years left on his contract, but overseas basketball expert David Pick wrote in August that Brown has an out-clause in his contract for the NBA. Brown, 30, would certainly be a scoring upgrade over Dellavedova. He’s tied for fourth in the Chinese league in scoring (30.9 points) and once scored 74 points in an overseas game. He went undrafted in 2007 and played for four NBA teams in a two-year span before leaving for overseas. He worked out with the Lakers prior to this season but has never been able to stick in the NBA.
21. Anyway, back to the defense. The Cavs have held their last three opponents to 42 percent shooting or less. Now the Bulls were a wreck when they were here (they have since rallied to score huge back-to-back wins against the Spurs and Mavericks), the Jazz can’t score and the Hornets – despite their recent hot streak – are still lousy offensively.
22. I’m not begrudging what the Cavs have done lately defensively, I’m just trying to reveal the entire picture. Still, the way opposing point guards have struggled against the Cavs recently is noticeable. Eric Bledsoe shot 3-for-8 against the Cavs, Chris Paul shot 4-for-15, Derrick Rose shot 5-for-14, Trey Burke shot 1-for-10 and Kemba Walker shot 3-for-14 Friday. All of that is within the last 10 days.
23. Irving deserves the bulk of the credit for that, although the Cavs’ new pick-and-roll scheme and the presence of Timofey Mozgov helps. But Blatt was careful Friday not to heap all of the credit for the renewed defensive effort solely on Mozgov.
24. “Obviously Timo is having an impact on our defense but I really don’t think it’s only Timo,” Blatt said. “It’s the collective effort of the players and adherence to the principles that we’ve put in. And the fact we have healthy players and healthy bodies.”
25. James said guys are figuring out defending can be fun. Shumpert, who scored eight points in his 10-minute debut, is known best for his defense. He agreed with LeBron, sort of.
26. “The fun part is when you get it going on offense. That’s what makes defense fun. I can get it faster and then we don’t have to play under Coach’s rules,” Shumpert joked. “A lot of times coaches want to run certain things. They want to be patient, they want to use the whole 24 (shot clock). Sometimes you want to get those steals and get out there and do the stuff you do in the (pregame) layup line. That’s the fun part on defense. Don’t let anybody tell you any different. It’s not fun sitting in a stance. But when you get that little finger on the ball and you’ve got another guy who shoots the gap and he taps it out and swings it across the court and you get a 3 or a dunk, that’s fun. That’s the fun part.”
27. Shumpert has never averaged double figures in scoring in any of his four seasons. The luxury for the Cavs is they don’t need him to score here, either. They just need him to defend. His ability to defend the perimeter, in fact, will allow the Cavs to go a little more offensive minded in their search for a backup point guard.
28. “Everybody in this league can score and everybody knows that. But a lot of times you’ve got guys who are damn near unstoppable scoring the ball. They get in zones where they get red-hot,” Shumpert said. “I just take the challenge upon myself to knock guys off their kilter. At times during the playoffs you’re going to need somebody that can knock a guy off their rhythm. I’m willing to sacrifice my points for that. Just sacrifice that energy on offense to make sure I lock them down. That’s what I’m looking to add.”
29. Shumpert, incidentally, was on a strict 10-minute limit tonight. He feels like he could play a full game now, but believes the training/medical staff will incrementally raise his minutes by about 5 per game until his back to his normal level. And ultimately he’ll be the starting shooting guard, although Blatt may be slow to disrupt the current rhythm.
30. The Cavs’ ultimate vision is Shumpert starting and Smith thriving in that sixth man role he has flourished in before. Smith made seven 3-pointers tonight and has 29 in just nine games with the Cavs. Dion Waiters made 22 in 33 games with the Cavs.
31. “It was one of the best games I’ve ever been part of,” Smith said Friday. “This is the most fun I’ve had winning.”
32. Funny moment pregame. I noticed Smith walking out of the shower prior to the game, which struck me as odd and led to this exchange.
Me: “You shower before every game?”
Him: “Yep.”
Me: “Gotta look good at all times, huh?”
Him: “Yep. You never know when your future wife might be in the stands.”
33. Big test Sunday with Kevin Durant (and Waiters) and the Thunder coming to town. Talk to you then.
Source:
http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...ic-night-lebron-s-vision-coming-true-1.561112
I know that many of us quote those articles and put them each time in a different thread, so I thought it can be useful to have those here, in a dedicated thread...
Here is the one from today, after the "thriller" vs the Hornets:
Cavs 129, Hornets 90; Jason Lloyd's 33 final thoughts on historic night, LeBron's vision coming true
By Jason Lloyd Published: January 24, 2015
1. When they sat injured in the locker room during the second half of what became a 109-101 loss at Atlanta late last month, LeBron James and Kevin Love spoke about what they envisioned for this team. It certainly wasn’t six-game losing streaks, dismal defensive efforts and embarrassing losses to teams like the Pistons, Kings and 76ers.
2. Now as Timofey Mozgov stands in the lane catching lob dunks and absorbing space defensively, as Iman Shumpert takes the floor to a roaring ovation and J.R. Smith splashes off-balance 3-pointers, James’ vision is coming into focus.
3. “This is the team that I envisioned,” James said. “This is the style of basketball I envisioned. Obviously the points we put up, I don’t envision that every night. But how we share the ball, how we defend, that should be our staple every night.”
4. Four-game winning streaks sure look better than six-game losing streaks. But no one within the organization is getting carried away with euphoria over the recent play. More turbulence will strike at some point – it’s inevitable. How they respond, and if they keep fighting hard and working through adversity, will determine if this team has truly figured anything out.
5. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” coach David Blatt warned. “We’ve got a long way to go. … We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
6. Here’s a quick rundown of the historical significance of this win, based on research by the Cavs and Elias Sports Bureau: Friday set Quicken Loans Arena records for most points in regulation and the largest margin of victory for a Cavs team. It was their most lopsided win overall since a 43-point win over the 76ers on Jan. 15, 1994. The 75 points in the first half were the most since they scored that many against the Hawks on Dec. 11, 1999. The 35-point halftime lead was the largest in franchise history.
7. Yet despite all that, this wasn’t even the most lopsided win over the Hornets franchise. The Cavs beat them 133-93 on Nov. 4, 1988 – which incidentally was their first game in existence. Kind of sums up how lopsided tonight was: It was one point shy of an expansion team beating.
8. “We’re just playing hard and playing together and playing to win,” Blatt said. “That should be our philosophy. We’ve got a long way to go and haven’t done anything yet. But we do have the right to dream to be really good.”
9. Forget the ridiculous scoring totals, Smith making seven 3-pointers and the Cavs scoring 42 points in the second quarter – or two more than the Hornets managed in the first half.
10. The two most impressive facets for me was the defensive effort and the way the Cavs killed the Hornets’ will. They never let them back in the game. Too many times this season the starters have built a big first-quarter lead, only to watch the bench let the opponent back in the game by the midway mark of the second quarter.
11. It happened against this same Hornets team earlier this season when the Cavs raced out to a 21-0 lead, only to watch the Hornets pull within six halfway through the second. It was a one-possession game late in the first half. This time it was a 39-point lead late in the second quarter.
12. I have to think some of the success is at least partly due to Blatt finally settling on a rotation. Tristan Thompson, Shawn Marion and Shumpert are in, along with a pinch of Matthew Dellavedova. The rest are out. And eventually Shumpert and Smith will flip places.
13. The Cavs are still trying to upgrade their backup point guard spot, but that probably won’t happen until closer to the trade deadline. If they can’t find one in trade, they may have to wait until one they like is bought out or until late March when the Chinese League season ends.
14. There have been whispers throughout the season the Cavs may trade Brendan Haywood’s unique contract before this summer, when it reaches its maximum value. Those whispers are growing louder. In fact, if the Cavs are to upgrade their backup point guard position through trade, they will inevitably have to include Haywood just to make the money match. And from all indications, they’ll have no problem moving Haywood’s contract if the right point guard becomes available. But they won’t know that until closer to the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
15. The Cavs have been privately telling people for months that when they originally acquired Haywood’s contract, worth $10.5 million non-guaranteed next season, they didn’t have any max players on the roster. Now they have three.
16. Assuming Kevin Love is still here, the Cavs will commit at least $58 million next season in salary just to Love, LeBron and Kyrie Irving. Add in Anderson Varejao’s $10 million for next season, new deals for Tristan Thompson and Iman Shumpert (each of whom will be coming off their rookie deals and seeking at least $10 million) and the Cavs’ payroll next season will explode through the cap (projected now around $66 million) and tax apron. That means Haywood’s contract cannot be used in sign-and-trade deals, which eliminates the Cavs from pursuing any free agents with his contract.
17. Other teams are now highly aware of Haywood’s contract. Since the Cavs are fully committed to win-now mode, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them deal Haywood within the next four weeks for immediate help this season.
18. If they don’t trade for a point guard, keep an eye on Will Bynum and Bobby Brown. Both are playing in China and won’t be available until after the Chinese playoffs in March, but the Cavs are interested in both. Bynum would be a much cleaner add than Brown, who still has two years left on his deal with DongGuan, but they’ll have competition.
19. Bynum, 32, has played seven seasons in the NBA and will have plenty of offers to return. The Cavs will only be able to offer him the pro-rated veteran’s minimum, and of course a chance to win.
20. Brown’s situation is murkier because of the years left on his contract, but overseas basketball expert David Pick wrote in August that Brown has an out-clause in his contract for the NBA. Brown, 30, would certainly be a scoring upgrade over Dellavedova. He’s tied for fourth in the Chinese league in scoring (30.9 points) and once scored 74 points in an overseas game. He went undrafted in 2007 and played for four NBA teams in a two-year span before leaving for overseas. He worked out with the Lakers prior to this season but has never been able to stick in the NBA.
21. Anyway, back to the defense. The Cavs have held their last three opponents to 42 percent shooting or less. Now the Bulls were a wreck when they were here (they have since rallied to score huge back-to-back wins against the Spurs and Mavericks), the Jazz can’t score and the Hornets – despite their recent hot streak – are still lousy offensively.
22. I’m not begrudging what the Cavs have done lately defensively, I’m just trying to reveal the entire picture. Still, the way opposing point guards have struggled against the Cavs recently is noticeable. Eric Bledsoe shot 3-for-8 against the Cavs, Chris Paul shot 4-for-15, Derrick Rose shot 5-for-14, Trey Burke shot 1-for-10 and Kemba Walker shot 3-for-14 Friday. All of that is within the last 10 days.
23. Irving deserves the bulk of the credit for that, although the Cavs’ new pick-and-roll scheme and the presence of Timofey Mozgov helps. But Blatt was careful Friday not to heap all of the credit for the renewed defensive effort solely on Mozgov.
24. “Obviously Timo is having an impact on our defense but I really don’t think it’s only Timo,” Blatt said. “It’s the collective effort of the players and adherence to the principles that we’ve put in. And the fact we have healthy players and healthy bodies.”
25. James said guys are figuring out defending can be fun. Shumpert, who scored eight points in his 10-minute debut, is known best for his defense. He agreed with LeBron, sort of.
26. “The fun part is when you get it going on offense. That’s what makes defense fun. I can get it faster and then we don’t have to play under Coach’s rules,” Shumpert joked. “A lot of times coaches want to run certain things. They want to be patient, they want to use the whole 24 (shot clock). Sometimes you want to get those steals and get out there and do the stuff you do in the (pregame) layup line. That’s the fun part on defense. Don’t let anybody tell you any different. It’s not fun sitting in a stance. But when you get that little finger on the ball and you’ve got another guy who shoots the gap and he taps it out and swings it across the court and you get a 3 or a dunk, that’s fun. That’s the fun part.”
27. Shumpert has never averaged double figures in scoring in any of his four seasons. The luxury for the Cavs is they don’t need him to score here, either. They just need him to defend. His ability to defend the perimeter, in fact, will allow the Cavs to go a little more offensive minded in their search for a backup point guard.
28. “Everybody in this league can score and everybody knows that. But a lot of times you’ve got guys who are damn near unstoppable scoring the ball. They get in zones where they get red-hot,” Shumpert said. “I just take the challenge upon myself to knock guys off their kilter. At times during the playoffs you’re going to need somebody that can knock a guy off their rhythm. I’m willing to sacrifice my points for that. Just sacrifice that energy on offense to make sure I lock them down. That’s what I’m looking to add.”
29. Shumpert, incidentally, was on a strict 10-minute limit tonight. He feels like he could play a full game now, but believes the training/medical staff will incrementally raise his minutes by about 5 per game until his back to his normal level. And ultimately he’ll be the starting shooting guard, although Blatt may be slow to disrupt the current rhythm.
30. The Cavs’ ultimate vision is Shumpert starting and Smith thriving in that sixth man role he has flourished in before. Smith made seven 3-pointers tonight and has 29 in just nine games with the Cavs. Dion Waiters made 22 in 33 games with the Cavs.
31. “It was one of the best games I’ve ever been part of,” Smith said Friday. “This is the most fun I’ve had winning.”
32. Funny moment pregame. I noticed Smith walking out of the shower prior to the game, which struck me as odd and led to this exchange.
Me: “You shower before every game?”
Him: “Yep.”
Me: “Gotta look good at all times, huh?”
Him: “Yep. You never know when your future wife might be in the stands.”
33. Big test Sunday with Kevin Durant (and Waiters) and the Thunder coming to town. Talk to you then.
Source:
http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland...ic-night-lebron-s-vision-coming-true-1.561112
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