Dion Waiters Traded

[Rich]

He's going to be one of those guys people come up to Cavs fans and say "bet you didn't know he was capable of that." I think most of us know he's capable of greatness but we (1) don't have the time (2) can't force him into taking a back seat. He seems like a guy who just wants to get paid and put up crazy stats over winning championships.

You can say a lot of things about Kyrie, but I can tell he's listening to LeBron and the coaches. My favourite moment of this lacklustre season so far has to be him asking whether the Chicago game is what the playoffs feel like.

I just can't stand watching Dion play anymore. The sense of entitlement he projects calling for a foul every time he drives then not getting back on defense. Like he's won championships or something. To me, he's Wade without the foul drawing or finishing ability. Which does not equal a good player. I'd love to trade him to Phoenix for Miles Plumlee and Green.

I wouldnt get greedy. Miles Plumlee and call it day. But there's little chance Phoenix bites on that after just signing Thomas this summer and extending Bledsoe. With Dragic, Waiters would be the 4th best guard on that team.

 

[cavsfanclanman]

What sucks, is we played the wizards better last year. Irving, Thompson and Waiters all have stuff to prove against them. If you start them last night, I think the game is a lot closer. Otherwise they're always going to have our number, Imo.

 

[Kevin Ollie]

I wish Dion was better, but it seems like he needs a lot of things just so in order for him to be successful. All this talk about funky minutes, going to the bench, being in rhythm, playing with the ball in his hands, etc. He's a pretty inefficient scorer (and a terrible, terrible finisher) that only sometimes gives effort in other parts of the game. He's pouty. Is he even worth it? Like, how good will he even be?
It bums me out because I thought he was going to be a guy that played like he has a chip on his shoulder, a real bulldog. Instead he's kind of sulky and just mugs a lot.

 

[chuck0609]

Pound pound pound shoot. Repeat.

 

[Matches]

Dion is pressing, for sure. The move to the bench has been a negative because now the seed's in his brain and the "spark off the bench" mentality is there but the reality is, he's never going to be the #1 option. One of the big three is going to be out there with him at all times and my eyes tell me that the one guy he would mesh the best with (Love) is the one he's been out there the least with.

At this point I see his ceiling being 5-6 years from now, when on his 4th or NBA team and he finally learns to let it all go, uses the experience he's gained and becomes a key cog off the bench for a championship team.

 

[secund2nun]

He needs to be traded for a center.

 

[tn819]

He needs to be traded for a center.

He might net us Ryan Hollins

 

[chrisrich91]

I attribute his inconsistency on offense and tendency to revert to old habits on the fact that our offense is all over the place right now. Look at the effect it's having on Kevin freaking Love. Or pretty much anyone on our team outside of LeBron and Kyrie who always have the ball in their hands.

On defense, he's missing rotations and getting lost from time to time off the ball. But go ahead and name me one guy on the team not going through those exact same struggles. I'll wait. Then go ahead and try to name me one guy playing on-ball defense with as much energy as Waiters.

It's easy to run to the Waiters thread when things are going wrong because he wears his emotions on his sleeve...but he's a perfect microcosm of exactly what everyone is going through right now. Frustrations are building because no one can get in a rhythm on offense and that is affecting their defensive focus/effort level.

With Dion it shows up as those step back jumpers that people love to complain about. Are those any different than the offensive possessions where LeBron pounds the air out of the ball then takes a shit shot or makes a last second pass to a teammate in a bad spot? How about those Tristan drives from the top of the key that result in some of the worst lay up attempts I've ever seen? How about when Kyrie says "fuck it" and decides a fully contested 3 is a better option than running a set? Or when Kevin Love takes an ill-advised shot because he's so shocked he got the damn ball for a change and needs to make the most of it?

Dion very well may never fit with this group. But he very well may become an X factor as well if his play can return to post All Star game form of the past two seasons. It is foolish to call for his head at this point in the season where you could make a case to get rid of anyone on the team, including LeBron goddamn James.

 

[LeShaq]

Dion must go. I hope LeBron understands that. As long as Dion's around, things will not be what they can be. His attitude is poor and he does not play team basketball.

I doubt we can get a big for him, but we should be able to get at least a good perimeter player.

I like Dion, but he's not going to fit with this team. At least not right now. We desperately need more talent that fits, and Dion can help us get that talent.

 

[Zen]

It's easy to run to the Waiters thread when things are going wrong because he wears his emotions on his sleeve...but he's a perfect microcosm of exactly what everyone is going through right now. Frustrations are building because no one can get in a rhythm on offense and that is affecting their defensive focus/effort level.

My problem is that even when things are going well he is complaining and pouting. See the 30 point victory where he was shaking his head in disgust every 2nd trip down the court. Bottom line, he isn't a positive influence on the team. It is painfully obvious.

Polar opposite of a guy like Mike Miller that is constantly supportive.

 

[chuck0609]

Dion is pressing, for sure. The move to the bench has been a negative because now the seed's in his brain and the "spark off the bench" mentality is there but the reality is, he's never going to be the #1 option. One of the big three is going to be out there with him at all times and my eyes tell me that the one guy he would mesh the best with (Love) is the one he's been out there the least with.

At this point I see his ceiling being 5-6 years from now, when on his 4th or NBA team and he finally learns to let it all go, uses the experience he's gained and becomes a key cog off the bench for a championship team.

Of perhaps this board vastly overestimates his actual worth. Marginal defender, average finisher, average jumper. I'd love him to be more, but right now he's simply not.

 

[Cashius X]

Dion must go. I hope LeBron understands that. As long as Dion's around, things will not be what they can be. His attitude is poor and he does not play team basketball.

I doubt we can get a big for him, but we should be able to get at least a good perimeter player.

I like Dion, but he's not going to fit with this team. At least not right now. We desperately need more talent that fits, and Dion can help us get that talent.

Yeah, Dion must go! Even though he's only been seeing around 20 minutes for the past 5 games he needs to be traded! He's obviously the one holding this team back at this point...

Do you realize how ridiculous this sounds? Has Dion been playing well so far? Hell no. Not even close to what he's capable of. But if you think Dion is one of the major problems facing this team right now then you are a fool. This team has much more pressing concerns than "Dion Waiters".

And actually if you noticed, our bench as a whole has played poorly for quite some time now. Not just Dion. Furthermore, Love has played poorly and LeBron has been pouting and complaining and playing very lazy and nonchalant basketball since the season started too. But let's just pile on Dion because....well he's Dion and he's obviously the root of all of our problems.

LeBron definitely called it before the season started. Dion Waiters, the guy only seeing 24 minutes per game, is being made the scapegoat. Ridiculous.

 

[Futuredome]

Of perhaps this board vastly overestimates his actual worth. Marginal defender, average finisher, average jumper. I'd love him to be more, but right now he's simply not.

Waiters is pressing because Blatt is using him as a "bench guy". He is making the same mistake Brown made before January. If you bring him off the bench, you need to view him as a extension of the starting lineup. You bring him in early in the 1st if things are looking bad and you need a offensive spark, or you see a matchup where Dion's greater lateral quickness than Kyrie or Marion/Harris will make a difference.

Rewatching the last 2 games pretty much tells this story. Get Dion involved. If he is your 6th man, use him like that. Might as well return him to the starting lineup if they don't plan to use him as a 6th man and adjust rotations accordingly. The way we are using him now is killing any value he has built up over the 2nd half of last year when the Cavs won some games with him playing larger minutes.

 

[Sir John]

Since his rookie year, I've tried to point out that he's a consistently below average SG on-the-floor, never mind any locker room / off floor issues.

But I've also tried to balance this recitation of fact with hopefulness that he has skills and could still develop.

The truth is, however, that he hasn't grown in three years in the league. That's a clear warning sign.

By both visual scouting and advanced stats (which are unanimous, whether you're into PER, VORP, Win Shares, Adjusted +/1, etc.), his career has gone nowhere.

I guess his supporters will blame everyone but Dion for this: changes in system, coaches, players around him, etc.

I've always believed player development falls squarely on the player, above all else. There should at least be some signs of improvement if it was everyone's fault but Dion's. There's plenty about his own game that he can control.

Problem is that now the Cavs are in a corner: I seriously doubt they could get even a ham sandwich for him.

But they must try.

 

[David.]

dion isnt playing well or many minutes because of himself. he hasnt been playing well or many minutes his entire career, under several coaches. he is the common denominator.

there are other glaring issues on this team, but opportunity cost applies here. If we need a piece and he is the tradeable one, he is the one that gets traded since its obvious he doesnt fit and others do.