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Windhorst Radio Show & Updates

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Quick update...

He says the Cavs had interest in Raymond Felton over the summer.

Ray Allen almost signed with the Warriors 3 weeks ago but he wanted them to guarantee that he would close games. Warriors wouldn't do that.

Gilbert closes all deals and negotiates all contracts. Griffin and his team gather information, put together scenarios, and present them to Gilbert.

Windy is guessing that LeBron makes his return Tuesday against Phoenix. His reasoning is that the Cavs lose to the Warriors and Kings this weekend and that will force LeBron to hurry back.

Nothing else brand new on today's show.
 
Hey Windy --- 01.09.15
http://stationcaster.com/stations/w...and_Windhorst_and_Jason_Gibbs_-1420813158.mp3
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01. I think after Charlotte win team decided they would keep David Blatt as coach, not fire him.

02. Griffin's words about Blatt were a message to the players, not the fans. The players must play for this coach, Blatt not being fired.

03. Griffin was on the TV broadcast to defend David Blatt. To give Blatt a vote of confidence.

04. Key for Waiters trade was to get Oklahoma City first round pick.

05. JR Smith was the price Cavs had to pay so they could get Shumpert.

06. Cavs got Shumpert basically for a second round pick 5 years from now.

07. JR Smith likely becomes a trade chip for the Cavs later.

08. Cavs preferred Mozgov over Koufos because Mozgov has 2 years left on his contract.

09. Mozgov is not a great player.

10. Gilbert and Griffin still think they can win the East this year. So made the trades.

11. Two first round picks for Mozgov is really high. Cavs likely get better deal for him later if wait.

12. Mozgov competes hard but is not super talented.

13. Not sure Mozgov is a guy you want on the court at the end of a close playoff game, for spacing and other reasons.

14. I really like David Griffin (as a person, for great quotes).

15. JR Smith will be a conscienceless gunner until he retires.

16. JR Smith won 6th man of the year two years ago.

17. JR Smith shoots just 40%. He is what he is. He will be same player he's always been.

18. The idea that LeBron is the GM of the Cavs is not accurate.

19. Any significant decision made by the Cavs is being made by Dan Gilbert, not David Griffin.

20. Gilbert is fully in control of what happens with the Cavs (not David Griffin).

21. Dan Gilbert is the person who will decide whether David Blatt stays or goes.

22. Cavs needed defensive guy like Shumpert and they need a few others guys like him also.

23. Cavs have to think about defensive match ups in a playoff series (Who guards DeRozan? Who guards Wade?).

24. LeBron's defense has slipped, especially with his current knee issue. His movement worse.

25. Shumpert's shooting percentages have been down since his knee injury.

26. Mozgov will be starting center. Shumpert will be starting shooting guard.

27. No defending that 76ers got 35 points in the 4th quarter. Falls on coach, players.

28. It's inexcusable that Cavs not compete down the stretch of the Rockets game.

29. Cavs must give more effort on the court. It's not happening right now.

30. I'm 100% certain that the Cavs are concerned with how players are not responding to Blatt.

31. Cavs going all out to help Blatt succeed. But players must give more effort as well to help Blatt out.

32. Cavs are mostly a younger team.

33. I wish Cavs had not given up Grizzlies draft pick to get Mozgov.

34. Protection on Grizzlies pick was valuable, it made the pick more valuable.

35. The only thing that Cavs maybe should not have given up in trades was Grizzlies pick.

36. Love should have gotten the ball down the stretch against 76ers, Rockets.

37. Love not having a great year, but team doing nothing for him. That starts with Blatt.

38. Cavs don't have a formula to win a close game currently.

39. When Kyrie goes into scoring mode he often does not create for others. So he's easier to defend then.

40. LeBron is one of the all time greats in terms of 4th quarter scoring and assisting.

41. If you can't get 4th quarter stops, you will have trouble winning close playoff games.

42. All the Cavs ills come back to their defense.

43. If Cavs played slightly better defense, they would be much better as a team.

44. Pistons are on 7 game winning streak because their defense has picked up.

45. I wrote story on LeBron in Miami because LeBron was spotted in Miami. It's a non story.

46. LeBron must do whatever he has to do in order to get to a better place physically.

47. Cavs would love to make another trade for a big. But don't have many assets to do so now.

48. Cavs could sign Dalembert, but he's not a very good player.

49. Delly should not be starting in the NBA, should not be finishing games in the NBA, should not be playing significant minutes in the NBA.

50. Delly should not be on the court in critical situations. Shows team talent level is low.

51. It is not acceptable to have Delly/Harris on court at same time when you are trying to win a game at home.

52. Talentwise, Delly is not getting it done at NBA level. Can't be top 7 rotation player for you.

53. Last I heard was that Ray Allen leaning towards not playing.

54. Cavs had some interest in Raymond Felton. But not have assets to get him it seems.

55. I think 15th roster spot filled by waived or buyout guy, not trade.

56. Salary Cap 101 -- TPE & Mozgov. TPE is like a gift certificate. Goes over how Cavs got TPE (Bogans).

57. Money spent on trades means Haywood probably can't be used in a sign and trade move.

58. Non Bold Prediction -- I predict LeBron returns on Tuesday in Phoenix.

59. LeBron is not seriously injured, he's just hurt. He's worn down. Needs to get back into basketball shape.

60. I think Cavs lose to Warriors and may lose to Kings.

61. There is a lot more work for Blatt to do. Mozgov signing is a band aid for him, but gives him a guy he has a relationship with.

62. If Cavs players were as invested in Blatt's success as front office is, team likely in a much better position now.
 
Thanks Frank.

I must be a pessimist, but I have a hard time seeing things turning around here given our schedule and personnel. I just don't see it. You gotta play with heart and fire, and physicality. Not seeing it with this team. Hope they prove me wrong.

People have been bringing up our schedule a lot and how many home games we've had, but it has consistently been one of the hardest in the league by winning percentage, and simply by being in the east it'll get easier. Hollinger had us rated very highly for a while partially because of our schedule and at the time good +/-.

Of course, I remember thinking then that "we haven't even played Detroit or Philadelphia yet, so that's several more easy wins." :banghead:
 
People have been bringing up our schedule a lot and how many home games we've had, but it has consistently been one of the hardest in the league by winning percentage, and simply by being in the east it'll get easier. Hollinger had us rated very highly for a while partially because of our schedule and at the time good +/-.

Of course, I remember thinking then that "we haven't even played Detroit or Philadelphia yet, so that's several more easy wins." :banghead:
Related to your point, I was talking about this on Twitter yesterday:

Last year, the Memphis Grizzlies were really banged up the first half of the year and they started the year 19-19.

They finished the season with 50 wins. In the west.

So it's not exactly impossible for us to finish the year strong. The Grizzlies had the benefit of some pre-built chemistry, but just getting their roster whole was a big issue for them.
 
57. Money spent on trades means Haywood probably can't be used in a sign and trade move.

Why is this? Tax reasons or is there a provision in the CBA that limits the Cavs making a move?
 
Why is this? Tax reasons or is there a provision in the CBA that limits the Cavs making a move?
It depends on whether you are over the apron or not.

There's more detail than that, but basically if you are over the apron you can't do a sign and trade.

A lot of that actually depends on where the cap ends up next summer.
 
Related to your point, I was talking about this on Twitter yesterday:

Last year, the Memphis Grizzlies were really banged up the first half of the year and they started the year 19-19.

They finished the season with 50 wins. In the west.

So it's not exactly impossible for us to finish the year strong. The Grizzlies had the benefit of some pre-built chemistry, but just getting their roster whole was a big issue for them.

I like the comparison. People have been making the Heat 2010-2011 season comparison for obvious reasons, or in a more pejorative way the 2012-2013 Lakers, but this would also be a good outcome (especially since that's at least a few more wins in the East.)

Our ups and downs are a lot like Indiana's last year, too - they bottomed out below-average in the Hollingers in their late-season slump (we are 21st now, ouch) but righted the ship enough to at least win two against the Heat in the playoffs, and go 2-2 against them in the regular season.
 
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Why is this? Tax reasons or is there a provision in the CBA that limits the Cavs making a move?

Not sure. Windy said he would explain it in the future. Maybe like next broadcast.
 
Not sure. Windy said he would explain it in the future. Maybe like next broadcast.
Pretty sure that not only can you not do a sign and trade when over the tax apron, you also can't do S&T that would result in you going over the tax apron.

In other words, the use of being on the receiving end of a S&T or the use of the full MLE locks you into to a hard cap.

So, especially after Kyrie and Andy's extensions, we we never going to be in a position to take on a player via S&T

So the only real limitation that Windy is speaking about is simply Dan Gilbert's checkbook and willingness to pay massive luxury tax.

We can absolutely take back a player, already under contract, of the same or slightly higher salary via the Haywood contract if we choose too and there is nothing in the CBA to prevent that.

We just won't be able to use the full MLE(we'll have the 2.7 M tax payer MLE though) and we won't be able to acquire someone via a S&T

I do believe however that teams over the tax apron can S&T their own player to another team, as long as the players they receive back are under an existing contract.

So as example, if correct, we could S&T Iman or Tristan and receive players already under contract back for them.
 
Why is this? Tax reasons or is there a provision in the CBA that limits the Cavs making a move?

As others have said, it's because the Cavs will likely be over the apron (which is $4M above the tax level), which triggers a number of restrictions on further spending, including the inability to execute sign and trades. (This salary profile is dependent on Love returning, of course.)

The idea has been that Haywood's contract could be used in a sign and trade for a free agent like Marc Gasol (other pieces would have had to be added to make the trade math work, assuming Gasol is on a max contract). I think there were problems with this idea anyway, not least the sustainability of having 4 max guys on the roster. In addition to the apron-related cap restriction, the Cavs now have little to offer as as sweetener in a sign and trade deal -- no Dion, no MEM pick. (They could still trade their 2015 pick after they make it and/or they could send back Tristan in the sign and trade.)

My personal opinion is that this is fine and isn't much of a lost opportunity. I don't think it was ever reasonable to think they could use the Haywood contract to get another star. The Cavs now potentially have their center and possibly starting SG for the next year or two, so on paper they have no gaping holes. So it makes more sense to use the Haywood contract to pick up an asset or two.

I'll also add that Windhorst's surprise about what the Cavs gave up for Mozgov is amusing. I agree with him (and Lloyd and others) that they gave up a lot, but what did he think Griffin got the OKC pick for? To hoard it? I thought how that trade went down is not a surprise at all.
 
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As others have said, it's because the Cavs will likely be over the apron (which is $4M above the tax level), which triggers a number of restrictions on further spending, including the inability to execute sign and trades. (This salary profile is dependent on Love returning, of course.)

The idea has been that Haywood's contract could be used in a sign and trade for a free agent like Marc Gasol (other pieces would have had to be added to make the trade math work, assuming Gasol is on a max contract). I think there were problems with this idea anyway, not least the sustainability of having 4 max guys on the roster. In addition to the apron-related cap restriction, the Cavs now have little to offer as as sweetener in a sign and trade deal -- no Dion, no MEM pick. (They could still trade their 2015 pick after they make it and/or they could send back Tristan in the sign and trade.)

My personal opinion is that this is fine and isn't much of a lost opportunity. I don't think it was ever reasonable to think they could use the Haywood contract to get another star. The Cavs now potentially have their center and possibly starting SG for the next year or two, so on paper they have no gaping holes. So it makes more sense to use the Haywood contract to pick up an asset or two.

I'll also add that Windhorst's surprise about what the Cavs gave up for Mozgov is amusing. I agree with him (and Lloyd and others) that they gave up a lot, but what did he think Griffin got the OKC pick for? To hoard it? I thought how that trade went down is not a surprise at all.

So Haywood's contract still has value... they can use it to trade for a guy from a team looking to dump salary. Gasol will most likely be back with Memphis. Also, the salary cap will increase, which means the luxury tax threshold will increase. I think they will still be under that $4 million limit.
 
I was looking more at a guy like DeAndre Jordan or Robin Lopez in a sign and trade. Although at this point, I'm not sure Lopez brings much more than Mozgov if performs the way he should.

If we still are looking to upgrade at center, Roy Hibbert is a guy who would not be a sign and trade that could be a candidate.

If we are pleased with Mozgov's output there though, it might be smarter to lock up some more defensive scoring players on the wing with it.
 
Windy downplaying Mozgov's skills IMO.. when it comes to evaluating anyone's basketball skill Windy is near the bottom of the list on people I'd listen too.. dude really has minimal credibility with me to be honest.. even though I know some on here still like him...the idea that the Cavs kept their HC because of a win vs Charlotte is ridiculous IMO
 
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Sorry if this was posted in another thread. Windhorst lowering the boom on Blatt via ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12165081/nba-reeling-cleveland-cavaliers-way-course

Highlights

- Love was ticked off after the game, and talked with Griffin about it

- Windy rips Blatt for the "max contract" comment on Love

- Lue is calling timeouts behind Blatt's back, literally

- Entire league shocked and stunned at how bad Cleveland looks

- Veteran NBA coach (anonymous; Mark Jackson?) says Cavs using Love all wrong

- Latest in a season a LeBron team has been under .500 since his rookie year


Blatt could be in real trouble, especially if The Bullshit Whisperer is also piling on him. Blatt blew it tonight in my estimation.
 
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Sorry if this was posted in another thread. Windhorst lowering the boom on Blatt via ESPN.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/12165081/nba-reeling-cleveland-cavaliers-way-course

Highlights

- Love was ticked off after the game, and talked with Griffin about it

- Windy rips Blatt for the "max contract" comment on Love

- Lue is calling timeouts behind Blatt's back, literally

- Entire league shocked and stunned at how bad Cleveland looks

- Veteran NBA coach (anonymous; Mark Jackson?) says Cavs using Love all wrong

- Latest in a season a LeBron team has been under .500 since his rookie year


Blatt could be in real trouble, especially if The Bullshit Whisperer is also piling on him. Blatt blew it tonight in my estimation.

Looks like we have a Jason Kidd/Lawrence Frank situation on our hands.
 

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