Windhorst-WKNR

[shoes22]

Dion can easily lead the 2nd unit by Blatt doing exactly what he's been doing thus far - having Dion be the 1st guy out, then subbing back in for Kyrie late 1st/start of the 2nd.

I think that strategy may be intentional...by not giving Dion enough time at the start of the game to get into a rhythm, eventually he'll WANT to come off the bench to start so he can be out there for a longer stretch of time.

 

[Bandwagoner305]

I'm all for that if the Cavs actually had a better replacement to start at the SG, but they don't. Danny Green and Arron Afflalo would be good replacement since they can play the catch and shoot and D role well, but the Cavs can't get those guys without giving up Waiters in return.

Waiters will start, but if he messes up and tries to constantly play hero-ball, then he'll play in limited minutes and eventually will be put in the doghouse. Blatt looks like a no nonsense coach and he's the type of coach that guys like Kyrie and Dion need in order to grow as mature players and make them understand in order to win, it takes more than always putting more effort in scoring the ball.

 

[TyGuy]

I'm all for that if the Cavs actually had a better replacement to start at the SG, but they don't. Danny Green and Arron Afflalo would be good replacement since they can play the catch and shoot and D role well, but the Cavs can't get those guys without giving up Waiters in return.

Waiters will start, but if he messes up and tries to constantly play hero-ball, then he'll play in limited minutes and eventually will be put in the doghouse. Blatt looks like a no nonsense coach and he's the type of coach that guys like Kyrie and Dion need in order to grow as mature players and make them understand in order to win, it takes more than always putting more effort in scoring the ball.

I'm in agreement here, I think it would be optimal to bring Dion off the bench when you consider the strengths of our starting unit. I think he would be more free to do what he does best instead of having to tone his game down to be a better fit. We don't have that luxury though because Miller is too old, and I think it is actually more of a pressing need to find a center that can block shots and guard bigger centers than another wing.

Going forward after this season I think it will be pretty pressing to find a younger wing in the 6'6-6'7" range(Mike Miller and Shawn Marion aren't long term solutions) that will make open shots, move the basketball, and defend. Ginobili played off the bench for a reason all these years; it wasn't necessary to have that many ball handlers on the floor and it balanced the offense.

I am rooting for Dion to be able to pick his spots well and shoot at an efficient clip. I think Blatt has it right by subbing Dion first and then later bringing him in for Kyrie.

 

[QuadrupleDouble]

Why anyone would want to bring Dion off the bench is beyond me.

We have nobody better to defend, to create, to shoot, etc. Maybe on the shooting, but Dion has shown to be more than capable.

You have enough playmakers that one or more of Lebron, Dion, or Kyrie would be on the floor at all times.

The only thing it serves in bringing him off the bench is possibly upsetting the guy.

 

[gratefuldead]

I've talked crap about windhorst but hey windy was really fantastic

some great inside info

loved hearing about how lebron is yelling at dion already lol

 

[QuadrupleDouble]

Why was Lebron yelling at Dion? Is he going to be the new Rio? Has to stare down someone. Used to love it when Lebron would miss an assignment, then you see him giving Chalmers the death stare like it was his fault.

I don't remember him doing that when he was here the first time

 

[bobcat22]

Here's a link to Hey Windy for those wondering:

http://stationcaster.com/stations/w...rian_Windhorst_and_Jason_Gibbs-1414159876.mp3

 

[Captain S]

Why was Lebron yelling at Dion? Is he going to be the new Rio? Has to stare down someone. Used to love it when Lebron would miss an assignment, then you see him giving Chalmers the death stare like it was his fault.

I don't remember him doing that when he was here the first time

Well dion seems like someone who responds well to that kind of thing and will not take offense to it but prove that he can do it.

Chalmers is just delusional

 

[LeShaq]

I think there is a very real chance Waiters will end up coming off the bench, and I'm ok with that. I'm also ok with him as a starter. I like Dion and respect his game.

I can think of 2 reasons why the Cavs might bring Dion off the bench

1 - Have Love more involved on offense
2 - Add more youth and scoring to second unit

The second unit is old. A little bit too old. And it will get worse if Ray Allen comes. With Tristan and Dion on the second unit, things get better.

With Miller on the first unit, you can hide him a bit more and you don't need his offense. And he will keep the floor spaced.

This team needs to be good throughout the lineup, not just the first unit. If we're going to compete for a title this year, the second unit has to be a good lineup also.

We will see what takes place. I don't think Windy is making this up.

As far as "LeBron likes Dion so why would he not want him to start," do you think LeBron likes Tristan?

LeBron wants to win, and he wants to keep Kevin Love beyond this year, I would think. Any one individual such as Dion is probably secondary to those goals for LeBron.

 

[godfather]

How much more floor spacing could Miller provide than Dion? Is his last 5 games Dion is shooting 50% from 3 with a pretty large sample size.

Dion is our best option as the starting SG. I see no reason why he should come off the bench behind the likes of Joe Harris and Mike Miller...

I know you're a Dion fan, but when are you going to realize, he wants to score the basketball!

You can't just turn him into a stand still shooter, and seriously expect him to just be that. That's what we need at his position. He'll get bored. Teams will start closing out on him, forcing him into bad shots.

Mike Miller will just pass the ball. That's the biggest difference between the two.

Dion will not work long-term, as a starter. Not with this team.

He wants to score, it's in his DNA. He's not going to be happy with what is asked of him, which isn't very much offensively.

It's very easy to bait Dion into bad shots. And he'll take way too many with this starting lineup.

 

[Tornicade]

so dion played a bit of hero ball as a rookie now two seasons later its a "concern"

I have b

I know you're a Dion fan, but when are you going to realize, he wants to score the basketball!

You can't just turn him into a stand still shooter, and seriously expect him to just be that. That's what we need at his position. He'll get bored. Teams will start closing out on him, forcing him into bad shots.

Mike Miller will just pass the ball. That's the biggest difference between the two.

Dion will not work long-term, as a starter. Not with this team.

He wants to score, it's in his DNA. He's not going to be happy with what is asked of him, which isn't very much offensively.

It's very easy to bait Dion into bad shots. And he'll take way too many with this starting lineup.

in 7 preseason games including a couple bad shooting games. Dion was 45.5% from 3 point land mostly playing within the offense.

His Mid range game is at an elite level. this is important come playoff time as the lane clogs and the perimeter is well rotated.

Dions ability to drive the ball is a plus not a minus. Dion doesnt need to over dribble to drive the ball He demonstrated this last season and he is a willing passer. if anything he gets critisized for not playing with a pg mentality.. this is not his role.

Dion is not without his flaws but he s a positive contirbuter on the floor and has continued to show improvement in his overall game. Alot of big men arent used to a backcourt that has triple threats on the strong and weak side.
the problems the Cavs have with Dion.. are good problems to have .

 

[brownsbuck6]

The more I think about it the more sense it makes to me to bring him off the bench. You don't always start your best 5 players.. Manu has come off the bench for years, for example. It's not a referendum on if Mike Miller is better than Dion as a basketball player. Dion may FEEL that way, and some fans too apparently.. but it's what's best for the team.

And what's best for this team is to have a guy on the second unit that can initiate offense when thing bog down. Dion can be that guy. And it ensures in particular that Love can get his touches, and we need Love getting more touches than Dion Waiters. I'm not sure that'll happen consistently with Dion in the starting lineup. As others have said, Dion isn't a guy that will be content to drift on the wings and just shoot wide open 3's. That isn't his game, but that's exactly what the first unit needs. Enter Mike Miller or Ray Allen.

I hope if and when this happens, Dion can understand just how incredibly important this role would be. It's not a statement about how good he is, at least not in a negative way. It's all about fitting all of these pieces and parts together like a puzzle to turn this team into a champion. Miller/Allen starting at the 2 and Dion being first wing off the bench just makes too perfect of sense to me.

 

[Tornicade]

The more I think about it the more sense it makes to me to bring him off the bench. You don't always start your best 5 players.. Manu has come off the bench for years, for example. It's not a referendum on if Mike Miller is better than Dion as a basketball player. Dion may FEEL that way, and some fans too apparently.. but it's what's best for the team.

And what's best for this team is to have a guy on the second unit that can initiate offense when thing bog down. Dion can be that guy. And it ensures in particular that Love can get his touches, and we need Love getting more touches than Dion Waiters. I'm not sure that'll happen consistently with Dion in the starting lineup. As others have said, Dion isn't a guy that will be content to drift on the wings and just shoot wide open 3's. That isn't his game, but that's exactly what the first unit needs. Enter Mike Miller or Ray Allen.

I hope if and when this happens, Dion can understand just how incredibly important this role would be. It's not a statement about how good he is, at least not in a negative way. It's all about fitting all of these pieces and parts together like a puzzle to turn this team into a champion. Miller/Allen starting at the 2 and Dion being first wing off the bench just makes too perfect of sense to me.

you basing this off what you saw in 7 preseason games. I didnt see any indication that the starting unit was better without waiters. I also didnt see any indication that Blatts rotations were not working. Not sure how you can determine "whats best for the team" in regards to removing a starter for issues that havent manifested themselve on the court.

as far as manu goes. manu started out as a bench player. worked his way to starter and then was moved to the bench for actual basketball reasons related specifically to the spurs roster. this worked and the Spurs for the most part built around this concept.

I saw no evidence last season that the cavs were a better team with Dion coming off the bench. in fact tehe opposite. the Cavs struggled out the gate and beginning of the 3rd quarter more often without having dion there.

 

[brownsbuck6]

you basing this off what you saw in 7 preseason games. I didnt see any indication that the starting unit was better without waiters. I also didnt see any indication that Blatts rotations were not working. Not sure how you can determine "whats best for the team" in regards to removing a starter for issues that havent manifested themselve on the court.

as far as manu goes. manu started out as a bench player. worked his way to starter and then was moved to the bench for actual basketball reasons related specifically to the spurs roster. this worked and the Spurs for the most part built around this concept.

I saw no evidence last season that the cavs were a better team with Dion coming off the bench. in fact tehe opposite. the Cavs struggled out the gate and beginning of the 3rd quarter more often without having dion there.

I don't know what to tell you except that apparently the coaching staff believes the same thing I do. We'll see what happens.

 

[Tornicade]

I don't know what to tell you except that apparently the coaching staff believes the same thing I do. We'll see what happens.

Based on what? what they have actually said ?
more importantly who on the coaching staff.
or you referring to A Windhorst prediction.

Windhorst cut his teeth being a reporter but he is trying to boost his career as a commentator. lets not confuses what is what. windy to his credit does try make sure to distinguish what is reporting and what is speculation