Re: Welcome Marreese Speights
I have no problem if the Cavs preserve 2014 options by trading Speights (or making other moves from now until then). I would hate to think that the Cavs are making moves specifically geared toward "their plans of resigning LeBron". I would rather think at least that they have "plans to make a splash on the 2014 trade/FA market"--however that turns out.
So, anyway, I understand point 3, but not convinced by the explanatory text there.
What are you going to do if trading Speights lands young talent (rather than a pick) and some ugly contract that will expire by 2014? Those guys may end up helping the team win in the short-term, too. :chuckles:
It's not guaranteed he will land a pick as much as we would like it. Not everyone can be Jon Leuer.
Yes, I am including other plans other than signing LeBron in 2014 as possibilities such as general FA signings and trades. :chuckles:
Anyhow, to answer your question on whether or not I would be ok with accepting back a young player and ugly contract that doesn't affect our 2014 plans for Speights, it depends on what we get back. I doubt whatever we get back will make as big of an impact of Speights (23.1 PER), who is playing for a big payday. I wouldn't be against taking a young player back, but I am betting it will more likely than not be a pick. My ideal Speights-involved trade is a trade of Speights for a bad contract player (2014 expiring or earlier) who has little impact on a team and a pick(s).
Do you have a particular example of a trade of Speights for a young player plus a bad contract that I could decipher for you?
A late first round draft pick this year is useless, the quality of college basketball is at an all-time low this season as scoring is way down... If we trade this guy for an end of the bench 2013 first round pick, I don't see it as progress...
I'd still do it because we get at least SOMETHING for what will almost undoubtedly be nothing (see Ben's post), and our own draft pick would be better this season. Also, how do you not know that the reason for lower scoring is because of better defense?
I can understand tanking if there is a franchise player in the draft but why the heck would we "tank" the rest of the season for a shot at Cody Freakin' Zeller? Nerlens Noel? There are no franchise players in this year's draft and very little difference this year between the 1st pick and the 8th pick. This is arguably the weakest draft in the past decade and you guys want to tank for a shot at the top pick? I'd be just as happy with GRob III or SM as with any of the supposedly "great big men" available in this lousy upcoming draft....
Everyone said the same thing about the 2011 draft in that it's weak, the worst draft of the past decade. Now look. We got a superstar from that draft. Stop parroting off what you hear from others. How good a draft this will be has yet to be determined. There may end up not being a ton of good guys in the 2013 draft, but I'll be damned if we miss out on one for Speights, who will not be here past this season. Past the first pick in the 2011 draft, there was a huge drop off in talent. The higher we pick, the higher of a chance we have at getting a player before the talent level drops off.
Few things... we've been reprimanded by the Cavs on a few occasions for some of the threads on here. Yes, they do read these boards. The older guys know that the beat writers do read the forums from time to time, even post once in a while.
Speights just isn't going to take less money to stay in Cleveland. You might love the city and the teammates but at that age you have to worry about yourself and that's been proven over and over in the NBA.
Ben, what kind of payday do you think Speights will command? And do you think the Cavs will pay it?
If the Cavs have already come up with these answers for themselves and have decided that they're not going to resign him, you have got to to think that they're heavily shopping him to squeeze whatever they can out of him in trades because he does have value. Otherwise, it's just a wasted asset.
