Dion Waiters Traded

[Spencer Hawes]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

From watching the game, it seems like he was holding back when he beat his man/men off the dribble. His body language and seeing him smile a lot makes it appear like he's enjoying the game and not taking it too seriously. I think in real game situations, he'll look more explosive at the rim.

 

[ice cream man]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

His interviews are Jeremy Lambish. Remind me of JJ Hickson's interviews when we drafted him. Can you really be that bad at interviews??

Yeah, he'll get in shape and be a big offensive threat no doubt. Seems intelligent with the ball. But is this a guy that's gonna crash the defensive boards, take a charge, move without the ball, do things that don't show up in the stat book? Doesn't seem like it to me. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[jvpertz]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

The good news about Dion from the summer league:

He can get to the rim at ease. He can DEFINITELY create his own shot. He is the kind of talent that isnt going to be denied opportunities to score because of a lack of athleticism or ability.

The bad news?

1. He didnt convert on very many of his inside OR outside shot chances. I mean there wear so many highlights where he would create spacing off of his dribble drive and simply fail to convert.

The next round of good news?

His weaknesses are very correctable. You cant correct for a player who has no natural ability to try and score at the rim. You also cant fix a guy who has no ability to score off the dribble or create spot up opportunities for himself. Dion DEFINITELY does not have those problems and from the summer league I can definitely see why the Grant and company took him. The kid can flat out do some work as an offensive weapon. Once his shots start falling....LOOK OUT!!!!!

 

[MirORich]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

Man, you are engaging in some epic Armchair Psychology to have come to all those conclusions and basically labeled him as a lazy player.

His interviews are Jeremy Lambish. Remind me of JJ Hickson's interviews when we drafted him. Can you really be that bad at interviews??

Yeah, he'll get in shape and be a big offensive threat no doubt. Seems intelligent with the ball. But is this a guy that's gonna crash the defensive boards, take a charge, move without the ball, do things that don't show up in the stat book? Doesn't seem like it to me. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[EdMonix11]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

From watching the game, it seems like he was holding back when he beat his man/men off the dribble. His body language and seeing him smile a lot makes it appear like he's enjoying the game and not taking it too seriously. I think in real game situations, he'll look more explosive at the rim.

I think what a lot of people aren't understanding is that different teams have completely different mentalities about Summer League. The Cavs were one of the teams that were relaxed, didn't run many set plays, and just let the guys feel themselves out on the court. The Bobcats, on the other hand, ran set plays on offense, ran a full-court press/ half-court trap, and so did the Warriors, Wizards, and a few other teams. Summer League clearly wasn't a priority for the Cavs as it was to some other teams. It's impossible to compare any two players Summer League performances...... Waiters did some very good things on the court, and most of all, he showed a willingness to pass and be unselfish. There will be games where his shot isn't falling but it's nice to know he's still going to be able to impact the game in other ways than just scoring. I'm pleased by the fact that Waiters didn't play alpha dog on a team full of undrafted players just trying to make an impression in front of the NBA personnel in the stands and chuck up 20-25 shots and do little else, like a lot of guys did last week.

 

[CleveRocks]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

I think what a lot of people aren't understanding is that different teams have completely different mentalities about Summer League. The Cavs were one of the teams that were relaxed, didn't run many set plays, and just let the guys feel themselves out on the court. The Bobcats, on the other hand, ran set plays on offense, ran a full-court press/ half-court trap, and so did the Warriors, Wizards, and a few other teams. Summer League clearly wasn't a priority for the Cavs as it was to some other teams. It's impossible to compare any two players Summer League performances...... Waiters did some very good things on the court, and most of all, he showed a willingness to pass and be unselfish. There will be games where his shot isn't falling but it's nice to know he's still going to be able to impact the game in other ways than just scoring. I'm pleased by the fact that Waiters didn't play alpha dog on a team full of undrafted players just trying to make an impression in front of the NBA personnel in the stands and chuck up 20-25 shots and do little else, like a lot of guys did last week.

I thought I read in one post that Scott was running two a day practices on the summer league team, even on game days. In that situation, playing on tired legs would bring on the misses. Once he is in game shape the rim shots will fall.

 

[JimmyJazz]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

If you haven't watched the highlights posted by mao, please do. I see a player that can beat his man off the dribble, but can not finish or at least did not in those games. I like that Waiters can beat his man off the dribble. It looks like Waiters spends a lot of time on the 3 point line waiting for a pass. My biggest concern are the bricks Waiters was throwing up there. I mean those bricks were not even close and when they clanked off the rim it was loud. I don't know if we can write this off due to injury or rust, I mean if he was injured does he beat his man off the dribble? Zeller looked good, I think he will be a solid pro. I am concerned about Waiters for sure.

 

[Gimme Some Mo]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

Dion lacked explosion and that is why he was missing around the rim. I know he isn't an elite athlete, but I sure hope he has more hops than he showed in Summer League. Hopefully it was just a case of being fat + some possible injuries.

 

[PosterTime]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

The only conclusion I am going to come to right now is that Dion Waiters is not well spoken like Kyrie Irving or even Tristan Thompson. I'm used to hearing a perfect, well thought out, answers from our recent draft picks. He doesn't always say the best thing and he comes off as a bit arrogant. "Swagger" is good, but one must not think they are better than they are. Not a huge fan of the vibe he gives off right now, but that could certainly change as his personality (what we see in the media) grows on me.

His play? Not impressed, but it was 3 games. He showed ability to get to the rack, but it is pointless unless you're good at finishing. It may have been the injury/out of shape. If not, I'm sure Kyrie can teach him how to finish layups. I never want to have a guy who gets to the rim with ease and proceeds to blow the layup (RAMON FUCKING SESSIONS). Waiters is clearly much better at controlling his body and he is able to change speeds/side step while in the lane. That is his biggest skill that I saw in those few games.

I'm all for giving this kid a fair chance to prove what kind of player he is. Would I have picked him at #4? No, but Chris Grant did and I'm willing to wait and see what exactly it was that Chris Grant saw in Dion. I'm hoping he saw a future star, and I'm hoping he's right. Allow me to be skeptical for now though.

 

[PosterTime]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

Dion lacked explosion and that is why he was missing around the rim. I know he isn't an elite athlete, but I sure hope he has more hops than he showed in Summer League. Hopefully it was just a case of being fat + some possible injuries.

I was expecting some fairly nasty dunks from the young man but it never happened. I hope it's just his weight and maybe a tweaked ankle. He sure as hell used to be able to get up there...

(repost from earlier in the thread)

[video=youtube;pgWOfVpFWDQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgWOfVpFWDQ[/video]

 

[Jon]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

I thought I read in one post that Scott was running two a day practices on the summer league team, even on game days. In that situation, playing on tired legs would bring on the misses. Once he is in game shape the rim shots will fall.

Or they'll get blocked ... young players have to learn how to adapt how they attack. Most of the guys Dion could bowl over on his way to the rim in College ... he's not going to find in the NBA.

 

[chrisrich91]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

Or they'll get blocked ... young players have to learn how to adapt how they attack. Most of the guys Dion could bowl over on his way to the rim in College ... he's not going to find in the NBA.

And herein lies a key difference between Dion and Beal's abilities to attack the rim. While Beal's threatening jumper allows him to put the ball on floor enough to get to the rim, I'm putting my money on Dion to develop into a more consistent, reliable finisher inside because of the body control he displayed in college and also a few times in summer league, even though he was out of shape.

You're probably not going to get much creativity and unique-but-successful body contortions around the basket from Beal, but Dion already has that ability. It just needs to be adjusted for NBA shot blockers over his first few weeks in the league.

 

[weepinwillow]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

shots pretty key to everything he does, because the lane will be nice and clogged with AV and Thompson out there, and Casspi or Gee at the 3. In fact, if the Cavs don't address perimeter shooting from the 3 it could be a brutal season for KI and Dion.

I don't know, I fell in love with his youtube reel, I don't understand advance stats well enough to have an opinion on them, Grant loves those things, and Scott loves Waiters. I hope they are right. His last game in SL he looked like the best player on the floor most possessions, but that was hardly the case his other games.

 

[Splitz]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

Lots of missed shots there but I really liked what I saw. The Wade comparison seems to be on point with regard to the ease at which he gets to the rim. He seems to have good ball handling skills and can easily create something out of nothing. If the perimeter shot gains some consistency, he will be very dangerous. I am also curious to see how he does more off the ball with a good PG by his side. He's going to have a lot to learn but I see enough out of him to know that he will be one of the more talented offensive players in the league whether that translates to star status is going to depend on his work ethic and ability to adapt.

 

[Jon]

Re: Welcome Dion Waiters

You're probably not going to get much creativity and unique-but-successful body contortions around the basket from Beal, but Dion already has that ability. It just needs to be adjusted for NBA shot blockers over his first few weeks in the league.

Or multiple months or even multiple years.... but I suppose we don't want to think about that. Alas, until he shows he can elevate his play to the NBA level, it'll be a question mark. He doesn't appear to have the sort of ridiculous athleticism where we can expect him to just elevate over bigs, and while he has shown creativity in his ability to finish - it's one thing to be able to pull off a move, and it's another to actually be able to score at a decent clip with it against NBA defenders.

So, we'll see how it goes and how he progresses. Waiters needs to be a consistent and reliable finisher.