Matthew Dellavedova

[Boom Outta Here]

Watching the Summer League game, they said Bradley Beal was quoted as saying Delly is his least favorite guy to go against (or something along those lines.)

SLAM: You also draw the other team’s best defender most nights. Who’s the best one-on-one defender out there?

BEAL: [Thinking] [Matthew] Dellavedova from Cleveland is a great defender. He’s a pest, he annoys you. I give credit where it’s due, man, ’cause he’s definitely one of the toughest that I’ve been against. [Iman] Shumpert from New York, he’s a great defender as well. And of course Tony Allen.

http://www.slamonline.com/nba/qa-bradley-beal/

 

[brandonbpm]

Yeah I had a big smile on my face when he said that Delly was the first guy that came to mind when he was asked which point guards in the entire league D him up the toughest. Pretty big compliment IMO.

 

[Thunder12]

Delly played 36 minutes, I would be interested if any other teams played someone for such a big stretch.
A few observations....
- Dude is very fit. It was 90 degrees in that gym and he played at full capacity the entire game.
- Coach Blatt has obviously taken to him and recognised that in the usually crap and selfish environment of Summer League playing Delly for big minutes is the best way to get other players good looks. He controlled the game really well.
- His handle has improved a lot in 12 months and he is definitely a PG. He will make a sound back-up to Kyrie.
- Cavs have a bargain in Delly. With two players on max contracts and a number of others on good coin, Cavs really need a couple of bargains to balance this out.
- he has to be good for the development of all these high draft picks. Such a remarkable work ethic.

 

[Nathan S]

I'm probably in the minority, but I still think Delly is best at the 2. At point guard, by NBA standards, he's average or mildly below average terms of quickness and passing ability, but at shooting guard he's well above average in those areas, in addition to being a high-IQ off ball player in general. Sure he's slightly undersized at 6'4", but statistically speaking he fared better than the other Cavs guards at defending shooters, and I think he's much more successful overall defensively against bigger opponents because he can get up on them and use his physicality. Just my 2 cents.

 

[Rich]

Want to see more Summer League, but just comparing this game to summer league last year he was much better at dealing with ball pressure. Like Thunder said his handle looked much improved and he was easily able to get into the offense no matter how hard he was being pressed.

 

[Nathan S]

On one had, I'm laughing at the people who acted as if he had reached his ceiling as a rookie last season. On the other hand, I'm wondering how he ended up with 6 turnovers if he was doing so well dealing with ball pressure (was unable to watch the game, so this is just an honest question).

 

[Rich]

On one had, I'm laughing at the people who acted as if he had reached his ceiling as a rookie last season. On the other hand, I'm wondering how he ended up with 6 turnovers if he was doing so well dealing with ball pressure (was unable to watch the game, so this is just an honest question).

Too many failed lob passes. I think he tried about 3 ally-oops and none of them worked.

 

[Cavatt]

Delly made a summer league team look like a team. That was awesome. He does need to get better at lobs in the offense. It doesn't surprise me that he is not great at that. He is not a no look fantastic passer, he is more of a make the right pass kind of guy. His vision is better than his passing to put it another way. I'd say exactly opposite of Kyrie.

He looked really good today, and I would venture to say a little quicker and in better shape. That is great to see.

You also have to figure that Blatt's offense must be easier to understand than Brown's. They looked like a team running it today. Maybe it was all Delly, but many guys passed the ball and that was great.

 

[Adam]

Very impressed by Delly. He ran the team incredibly well, took the right shots found guys who were open. I really hope that he can keep this up because he will be my favourite cavs by the end of the season, guy just knows the game so well

 

[Photon]

Another guy we should keep. This is a Spurs type of talent digging. Excellent value and a must have on a contender.

 

[NeilR]

The video of summer league show a more in control and mature Delly with more confidence too. Need a calm head as a PG as much as athletic ability. Far less hesitation on the jump shot too.

 

[Photon]

The video of summer league show a more in control and mature Delly with more confidence too. Need a calm head as a PG as much as athletic ability. Far less hesitation on the jump shot too.

Very good backup to KI. Pesky defender and solid enough on offense, so we can use him when we need to put on defensive stops. AV, TT, LBJ, Wiggins and Delly. Or even Bron at PF
and Dion at SG. Full court pressure :chuckles:

 

[Simmy]

The video of summer league show a more in control and mature Delly with more confidence too. Need a calm head as a PG as much as athletic ability. Far less hesitation on the jump shot too.

Agree heavily on the jump shot. He seems like he's put in work on his vertical technique in the off season - every shot he's taken so far has looked really good, a definite jump from last season.

I think Delly's true value is leadership and high basketball IQ though. We often hear how highly he's praised by fellow locker room teammates on his ability to run the floor and dictate the offense, as well as his rigorous attention to his defensive assignment.

One of those players that contributes more than basketball in the court.

 

[NeilR]

Not sure I can see an expanded role for Delly in 2015 with the projected roster. Also not sure of the teams balance over a season

 

[beefstew]

Not sure I can see an expanded role for Delly in 2015 with the projected roster. Also not sure of the teams balance over a season

A defensive, always hustling back up point guard on a top contending team? With Jack gone Delly will have an even bigger role on this team than he did last year. He's going to be the guy the whole country falls in love with come playoff time.