Ira Newble Question...

[Glen Infante]

To me, Luke Jackson tries too much. He is thinking too much out there. He really doesn't know what he's doing. He gets the ball, fakes, stands there, drives to the lane and dishes the ball.

Sometimes, when there is an open man, he will make a really nice pass to a big. Other times, he loses his handle. I would much prefer Luke running w/o the ball and looking for a shot. Luke has some playmaking skills, but they are a bit irratic.

 

[Karma]

Luke is blessed though. He can play through his mistakes.

 

[Glen Infante]

Don't get me wrong. I love Luke just like the next guy. But thats what I see. I think he is much better off being an offensive player rather than a playmaker.

When he drives to the lane, he has no intention on scoring. That is why no one is doubling up on him. That is why he has no passing lane when he has reached near the paint. That is why he either loses the ball or passes it and it gets deflected. Because no one is expecting him to go for the bucket.

 

[Karma]

Thats sums it up quite well Infante. The role we have that Luke, Sasha and Ira battle for on offense is an off the ball role. They need to work to get open, whether be at the perimeter off screens, or cutting to the hoop. Raymond Jackson moves quite well off the ball, but does not look to shoot. This was the major reason I was pimping Sasha, as his game suits that role. For the time being though, we have Raymond getting the minutes. Hopefully he will look to get his reputed jumpshot out there on show.

 

[Glen Infante]

It's a shame that Luke doesn't want to display his shooting skills. I have read past articles that he has worked on his 3 point shooting all summer. There has been many times where he was given the ball at the wing to TAKE THE SHOT, and he passed it up to be "MAGIC JACKSON".

SHOOT THE BALL KID!

 

[West Remy]

Ira better earn every minute he gets and not be given a handout. For a starter, Newble simply has terrible PER and he's not missed right now.

 

[CleveRocks]

Either Ira will get Sasha's time or none..

 

[Karma]

Either Ira will get Sasha's time or none..

You mean Ira will get all 80 seconds!

 

[Pioneer10]

You mean Ira will get all 80 seconds!

I'd be happy with that. "Fundamentals" are being thrown around for a player who has very little basketball skill either on offense or defense.

 

[Wine and Gold]

I think Ira Newble is a player that will be most appreciated by Cavs fans in the rols he will provide this season. And YES ...I expect him to get most of the availaible minutes that are currently going to Jackson and Pavlovic once he gets back to 100% ...why ?
Simply because he's truly the perfect compliment off the bench for Lebron and Hughes. Last year he was being used in the starting lineup more out of desperation, not because the role fits him. He's an energy player that injects defensive intensity, and also is a great run out guy ...very fast getting up and down the court on breaks. He's not the best shooter, but CAN hit the set up three from the corner when left alone, and has a fairly decent mid range jumper. As a role player subbing for Hughes and Lebron, he will be in his perfect environment, on a team that his personal skill set will fit perfectly with the players he will be surrounded by. Longterm, I see either Sasha or Luke filling that role, but they aren't there yet ....and come playoff run time ...you want guys like Newble that have more time and experience under their belt, and also have a defensive mindset. Because that's what wins down the stretch and into the playoffs.

 

[G-MAN]

beyond snow ira and anderson were the best defensive players on the team last year. mr. brown is a defensive coach. i think both will find their minutes when they get back. later in the season, west coast trips, throw in an injury here and there. minutes will show up.

right now i see luke and sasha as insurance policies on lebron or hughes getting hurt and out for an extended period. not much insurance but better than nothing.

 

[aaronr]

I agree with Karma on this one. I think we discussed this somewhere in another thread. If you want to develop players this year, then play Sasha and Luke before Ira; if you want to go deep into the playoffs then play Ira over Sasha and Luke. Assuming Ira recovers, that Luke and Sasha continue to play at their current level, and that the Cavs have a chance to go somewhere in the playoffs, then Newble's the man. He's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, to be sure, but he's better than either of the others.

 

[NarlCavs]

I really can't see Ira Newble being the difference in whether the Cavs go deep in the playoffs or not. Ira is an average role player which is fine. Personally I'd rather see Luke or Sasha get minutes before Ira until they prove they are absolutely not worthy of getting those minutes.
The Cavs are a definite playoff team but I don't see them as a contender yet. I still think they should try to develop their more talented young players. Either or both Luke or Sasha could be a key long term piece for the Cavs. Newble isn't. As long as either or both Luke and Sasha are contributing and not hurting the team then I'd rather see them get the minutes.

I also can't understand how Luke's ability to pass and create offense is a bad thing. I want playmakers on the floor. I don't agree that the role for the Cavs backup wing players should only be to wait around for spot up jump shots and to defer to LeBron, Hughes or other main Cavs players at all times. If a player can create for his teammates then that should be considered a good thing. I like that so far Luke and Sasha, if he got more minutes, seem to be allowed to play through some mistakes under Mike Brown. Silas' method didn't work or help develop certain young players. It's a nice change in philosophy. So far Luke's defense has been as good as Ira's past defensive efforts. Luke also is fitting in during his time on the floor and his talents aren't taking anything away from the other players on the court.

I'm not sure why there's some harsh judgement of Jackson and why the standards for him seem to be higher than some other Cavs players. Jackson is only getting anywhere from 7-15 minutes a night. He's not going to put up huge numbers in that amount of minutes. I agree that I'd like to see him look to shoot and make open looks he gets. That part of his game hasn't been consistent yet. So far Luke has contributed during the minutes he has been given, and has helped and not hurt the team. I think that's a decent, realistic measuring stick to judge a player who's played in about 20 games in his career and is coming back from a rookie season basically lost to injury.

 

[Pioneer10]

To further the Luke Jackson case:

Player On Court (+/-) (Off Court +/-) (Team Net +/-)
Jackson +9.1 +8.4 +0.8
Pavlovic -4.7 +10.5 -15.2

www.82games.com

Jackson in the time he has been has been productive and hasn't hurt the team. Could he be better sure, but he's definitely not done anything to deserve benching

 

[aaronr]

I really can't see Ira Newble being the difference in whether the Cavs go deep in the playoffs or not. Ira is an average role player which is fine. Personally I'd rather see Luke or Sasha get minutes before Ira until they prove they are absolutely not worthy of getting those minutes.

I agree that Ira is an average role player in the NBA, the kind of person you need playing 15-20 minutes off the bench. I also agree that I'd like to see Luke and/or Sasha get minutes before Ira returns to find out whether one or both of them can become "an average role player in the NBA." Right now, neither one is. If the experience playing one or both of them during the period before Ira's return demonstrates that Ira's still better, then Ira should play if the team's goal is to win as many games as possible this year (which I hope is the goal). If the goal is to gather as much information about as many players as possible (which I hope is not the goal), then let Luke and/or Sasha take Ira's minutes.