MirORich
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Absolutely fantastic article on BleacherReport by Jared Zwerling with tons of quotes from NBA scouts and front office sources. Use the link to read the whole article because I could only quote about half of it due to the 10,000 characters per post limit
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ron-james-cavs-chance-to-redefine-title-style
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The biggest asset in building LeBron James' presence in Cleveland into a title-contending Cavaliers team might not be the playmaking of the King or Kyrie Irving. That honor might actually be the court vision of the final piece of the Big Three, Kevin Love, who is expected to become an official member of the Cavaliers on Aug. 23.
Love is one of the league's most gifted outlet passers. And with the speed, ball-handling and finishing abilities of James and Irving, the impact of Love to quickly translate defense into offense isn't to be underestimated, say a handful ofNBA talent evaluators, who analyzed what the NBA's newest terrifying trio might look like on the court next season with Bleacher Report.
"Some players are rebounding just to get possession of [the ball], but [Love] is rebounding to get it out, which is the difference," a Northwest Division scout said. "He's seeing guys as he's getting that rebound. That's why he gets [the ball] out so quickly. He's got a high basketball IQ and he's physically strong. There are some guys in the NBA who can throw the ball a far distance, but the problem is they don't see their teammates. He's aware of people on the court."
Next season, the Cavaliers could create their own version of the "three-man weave" on breakaways: a Love outlet pass to an Irving dribble attack to a James alley-oop. This kind of sequence could be No. 1 on their opponents' whiteboard to stop. Athletic up-and-comers Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson will also facilitate and finish, respectively, along with mobile veterans Shawn Marion and Anderson Varejao.
These are the tools that new head coach David Blatt, considered by many in basketball as one of the game's most gifted offensive minds, will likely look to leverage from the start. "He's totally committed like a Navy SEAL," an Atlantic Division scout said. Throughout his career, from coaching the Russian national team to Maccabi Tel Aviv last season, he's successfully played to the strengths of his players without preaching a specific system.
"I'm sure that he's going to want to create numbers offensively [in transition]," the Northwest scout said. "I'm sure they're going to be getting up and going, and they're going to want to play full-court attacking."
The Cavaliers could also be masters of the secondary fast break, which fuels off of three-pointers in a quick-hitting pick-and-roll. Irving, for one, fed off of these last season. And Love, who's become one of the NBA's best-conditioned athletes since coming in heavy from college, figures to be a major threat as a trailing big man, playing off of James or Irving in the two-man game. Love shot 37.6 percent from three-point range last season. Then, add in seasoned sharpshooters Mike Miller, James Jones and potentially Ray Allen, who is still undecided about his future, according to a source.
Those are the shooting assets the Cavaliers didn't have last season, when they ranked in the bottom half in three-point percentage (.356).
Once the Cavaliers settle down in a half-court set, it's unlikely that Blatt will call for a clear out to initiate the offense, especially with the diverse talent on the roster.
"[We have] versatility at different positions," Irving said this week after a recent Team USA practice. "There are so many different spots that can be filled, 1 through 5. We have a young core and we have guys coming in that can play the game of basketball and have championship caliber."
Two Eastern Conference scouts think that Blatt will only have around four offensive sets he uses the most, because he'll put trust in James and Irving's playmaking, as well as their experienced teammates, to make reads on their own within the flow of the offense.
"They're not going to be ball-stopping in David Blatt's offense, I can tell you that for sure, especially the way that Miami lost last year and LeBron being the intelligent player he is," the Atlantic scout said. "[Blatt] can flat out coach. The ball is going to move, there's going to be great spacing, that free throw lane area is going to be open and Kevin Love will spread the floor as a stretch-4 and play the 5 in a small lineup with a lot of shooters. It's going to be fun to watch."
So who will be options No. 1, 2 and 3? A Southwest Division scout believes James will want to play position-less basketball based on his Finals experience losing to the Mavericks in 2011 and the Spurs this year.
"He's seen the recipe; we all saw it," the scout said. "In 2011, [Dallas] picked [Miami] apart by swinging the basketball. The ball kept moving, players kept moving. They demolished them that way, and the Spurs made them look like a junior high team. It was wild, so everybody should take a page out of the Spurs' playbook."
But there is still intrigue over how the NBA's newest Big Three will make sacrifices. That consumed some of the league talk this past week in Las Vegas at Tim Grgurich's annual coaches camp, where every NBA team's front office was represented.
"[Irving and Love] are not going to have a problem with LeBron leading the team, but are they going to have problems being a deputy?" an Eastern Conference executive wondered. "If Kyrie is the second leader, how is that going to affect Kevin? Or if Kevin is, how is that going to affect Kyrie? I talked to everybody that was out here—scouts, refs, coaches and GMs—and everybody is curious to see who's going to submit for the good of the team."
"I think winning will take care of everything," the Atlantic scout added. "Kevin Love wants to win. He's now six years without going to the playoffs. Kyrie, the same thing since he's been in the league. You're going to win with LeBron. I think that when you win, that definitely helps things and relationships."
Regardless of the hierarchy, a Central Division scout noted that opponents can't game-plan against the Cavaliers thinking that way. What could be stressed from the opposing side is getting the ball out of Irving's hands quickly, making sure Love is jumped all the time and playing physical with both of them. That approach could carry some bit considering the injury history of both.
Above all, though, preparation against the Cavaliers will come down to their offensive patterns.
"Once they get into the thick of the season, they're probably going to have three, four sets that they use the most," the Central scout said. "Then you go on player tendencies—what they do when they catch it on this side of the floor or this area on the floor, and all your players have got to know it."
It's a strong possibility that the Cavaliers' half-court offense will start with multiple pick-and-roll options between James, Irving and Love. The most lethal could be a pick-and-pop with James and Love, in order for Love to further spread the court. As the Southwest scout said, "That's pretty damn scary. It's just like, 'What do you do on defense?'"
The Central scout chimed in: "If LeBron is at the 2 or at the 1, with Kevin at the 3, now teams are in trouble. But If LeBron and Kevin are used as the 3 and 4 in the pick-and-pop, that may be a switch opportunity depending on how big your 3 is, and then it's going to end up being a lot of post-up games for LeBron or Kevin."
Last season, James and Love were very effective in the post based on points per play, according to Synergy Sports. Love actually got most of his touches on the block, but he'll likely see a decrease down there in Blatt's spread-out, movement-based offense. The Big Three will need to make adjustments—most likely for Love, whose scoring might dip not only because of Blatt's offense, but also because of the facilitator-scorer roles James and Irving are likely to play—and that could mostly come off the ball.
"[Blatt] is a very creative coach (who played in legendary coach Pete Carril's Princeton offense), and I don't think he's going to stick to one thing," the Central scout said. "He's going to go with what works and he's got a million different things he can do. Maybe he'll get out of Kyrie's hands initially, have him loop through and have him get it on the second or third catch, and then have him run a ball screen."
Not only could Irving run off of screens like a 2-guard—he shot nearly 40 percent from mid-range last season—but James could also be an option on the move, spotting up and receiving feeds inside off of curl cuts. With his improved outside jumper, he could also become a bigger three-point shooter in the corner—where he cleverly established himself last season at 55.6 percent—to boost the team's spacing.
"During Vegas Summer League, [Blatt] just ran some very nice sets—double-screen options for shooters, after-timeout plays," the Atlantic scout said. "Another way that I evaluate coaches is if he's going to run an out-of-bounds play that's not going to make you chuck a shot, but make you take a good shot. He did that in summer league.".........
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ron-james-cavs-chance-to-redefine-title-style
----
The biggest asset in building LeBron James' presence in Cleveland into a title-contending Cavaliers team might not be the playmaking of the King or Kyrie Irving. That honor might actually be the court vision of the final piece of the Big Three, Kevin Love, who is expected to become an official member of the Cavaliers on Aug. 23.
Love is one of the league's most gifted outlet passers. And with the speed, ball-handling and finishing abilities of James and Irving, the impact of Love to quickly translate defense into offense isn't to be underestimated, say a handful ofNBA talent evaluators, who analyzed what the NBA's newest terrifying trio might look like on the court next season with Bleacher Report.
"Some players are rebounding just to get possession of [the ball], but [Love] is rebounding to get it out, which is the difference," a Northwest Division scout said. "He's seeing guys as he's getting that rebound. That's why he gets [the ball] out so quickly. He's got a high basketball IQ and he's physically strong. There are some guys in the NBA who can throw the ball a far distance, but the problem is they don't see their teammates. He's aware of people on the court."
Next season, the Cavaliers could create their own version of the "three-man weave" on breakaways: a Love outlet pass to an Irving dribble attack to a James alley-oop. This kind of sequence could be No. 1 on their opponents' whiteboard to stop. Athletic up-and-comers Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson will also facilitate and finish, respectively, along with mobile veterans Shawn Marion and Anderson Varejao.
These are the tools that new head coach David Blatt, considered by many in basketball as one of the game's most gifted offensive minds, will likely look to leverage from the start. "He's totally committed like a Navy SEAL," an Atlantic Division scout said. Throughout his career, from coaching the Russian national team to Maccabi Tel Aviv last season, he's successfully played to the strengths of his players without preaching a specific system.
"I'm sure that he's going to want to create numbers offensively [in transition]," the Northwest scout said. "I'm sure they're going to be getting up and going, and they're going to want to play full-court attacking."
The Cavaliers could also be masters of the secondary fast break, which fuels off of three-pointers in a quick-hitting pick-and-roll. Irving, for one, fed off of these last season. And Love, who's become one of the NBA's best-conditioned athletes since coming in heavy from college, figures to be a major threat as a trailing big man, playing off of James or Irving in the two-man game. Love shot 37.6 percent from three-point range last season. Then, add in seasoned sharpshooters Mike Miller, James Jones and potentially Ray Allen, who is still undecided about his future, according to a source.
Those are the shooting assets the Cavaliers didn't have last season, when they ranked in the bottom half in three-point percentage (.356).
Once the Cavaliers settle down in a half-court set, it's unlikely that Blatt will call for a clear out to initiate the offense, especially with the diverse talent on the roster.
"[We have] versatility at different positions," Irving said this week after a recent Team USA practice. "There are so many different spots that can be filled, 1 through 5. We have a young core and we have guys coming in that can play the game of basketball and have championship caliber."
Two Eastern Conference scouts think that Blatt will only have around four offensive sets he uses the most, because he'll put trust in James and Irving's playmaking, as well as their experienced teammates, to make reads on their own within the flow of the offense.
"They're not going to be ball-stopping in David Blatt's offense, I can tell you that for sure, especially the way that Miami lost last year and LeBron being the intelligent player he is," the Atlantic scout said. "[Blatt] can flat out coach. The ball is going to move, there's going to be great spacing, that free throw lane area is going to be open and Kevin Love will spread the floor as a stretch-4 and play the 5 in a small lineup with a lot of shooters. It's going to be fun to watch."
So who will be options No. 1, 2 and 3? A Southwest Division scout believes James will want to play position-less basketball based on his Finals experience losing to the Mavericks in 2011 and the Spurs this year.
"He's seen the recipe; we all saw it," the scout said. "In 2011, [Dallas] picked [Miami] apart by swinging the basketball. The ball kept moving, players kept moving. They demolished them that way, and the Spurs made them look like a junior high team. It was wild, so everybody should take a page out of the Spurs' playbook."
But there is still intrigue over how the NBA's newest Big Three will make sacrifices. That consumed some of the league talk this past week in Las Vegas at Tim Grgurich's annual coaches camp, where every NBA team's front office was represented.
"[Irving and Love] are not going to have a problem with LeBron leading the team, but are they going to have problems being a deputy?" an Eastern Conference executive wondered. "If Kyrie is the second leader, how is that going to affect Kevin? Or if Kevin is, how is that going to affect Kyrie? I talked to everybody that was out here—scouts, refs, coaches and GMs—and everybody is curious to see who's going to submit for the good of the team."
"I think winning will take care of everything," the Atlantic scout added. "Kevin Love wants to win. He's now six years without going to the playoffs. Kyrie, the same thing since he's been in the league. You're going to win with LeBron. I think that when you win, that definitely helps things and relationships."
Regardless of the hierarchy, a Central Division scout noted that opponents can't game-plan against the Cavaliers thinking that way. What could be stressed from the opposing side is getting the ball out of Irving's hands quickly, making sure Love is jumped all the time and playing physical with both of them. That approach could carry some bit considering the injury history of both.
Above all, though, preparation against the Cavaliers will come down to their offensive patterns.
"Once they get into the thick of the season, they're probably going to have three, four sets that they use the most," the Central scout said. "Then you go on player tendencies—what they do when they catch it on this side of the floor or this area on the floor, and all your players have got to know it."
It's a strong possibility that the Cavaliers' half-court offense will start with multiple pick-and-roll options between James, Irving and Love. The most lethal could be a pick-and-pop with James and Love, in order for Love to further spread the court. As the Southwest scout said, "That's pretty damn scary. It's just like, 'What do you do on defense?'"
The Central scout chimed in: "If LeBron is at the 2 or at the 1, with Kevin at the 3, now teams are in trouble. But If LeBron and Kevin are used as the 3 and 4 in the pick-and-pop, that may be a switch opportunity depending on how big your 3 is, and then it's going to end up being a lot of post-up games for LeBron or Kevin."
Last season, James and Love were very effective in the post based on points per play, according to Synergy Sports. Love actually got most of his touches on the block, but he'll likely see a decrease down there in Blatt's spread-out, movement-based offense. The Big Three will need to make adjustments—most likely for Love, whose scoring might dip not only because of Blatt's offense, but also because of the facilitator-scorer roles James and Irving are likely to play—and that could mostly come off the ball.
"[Blatt] is a very creative coach (who played in legendary coach Pete Carril's Princeton offense), and I don't think he's going to stick to one thing," the Central scout said. "He's going to go with what works and he's got a million different things he can do. Maybe he'll get out of Kyrie's hands initially, have him loop through and have him get it on the second or third catch, and then have him run a ball screen."
Not only could Irving run off of screens like a 2-guard—he shot nearly 40 percent from mid-range last season—but James could also be an option on the move, spotting up and receiving feeds inside off of curl cuts. With his improved outside jumper, he could also become a bigger three-point shooter in the corner—where he cleverly established himself last season at 55.6 percent—to boost the team's spacing.
"During Vegas Summer League, [Blatt] just ran some very nice sets—double-screen options for shooters, after-timeout plays," the Atlantic scout said. "Another way that I evaluate coaches is if he's going to run an out-of-bounds play that's not going to make you chuck a shot, but make you take a good shot. He did that in summer league.".........
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