Summer League Game 4 - Cavs vs. Spurs - Thursday, July 18, 2013, 4:00pm EST

[Lionheart]

TT's T-shirt:

$300. smh

EDIT: Maybe he was sending a message to us about Andy? :chuckles:

 

[Pierre Pan]

Two more questions about TT's shirt:
(1) how could he possibly find one in his size?
(2) who could've possibly known that that was a Givenchy t-shirt? (it's not lie there's anywhere in Cleveland that sells them AND it's from the upcoming fall collection)

Oh.....Zeller stinks .

 

[Cashius X]

Rch I have to say you were so right
Dion is Ben Gordon . Problem is , that is not what we need with Irving!

No.

 

[Randolphkeys]

Okay, I've been overtly pushing Dellavedova for seemingly three weeks. At this point, I've got to give the critics a tip of the cap. If he continues to rarely look to shoot and hit at a very low percentage from the field, he isnt taking it in the NBA this year. The guy I've watched the past few years in the Bay Area controlled a game on offense even if his outside shot wasn't falling. It seems he isn't sure what to do if he misses two shots in a row. That needs to change since he won't be impactful defensively. His strong plus/minus ratio and lack of competition may get him invited to training camp, but it won't make the team.

 

[Lionheart]

Okay, I've been overtly pushing Dellavedova for seemingly three weeks. At this point, I've got to give the critics a tip of the cap. If he continues to rarely look to shoot and hit at a very low percentage from the field, he isnt taking it in the NBA this year. The guy I've watched the past few years in the Bay Area controlled a game on offense even if his outside shot wasn't falling. It seems he isn't sure what to do if he misses two shots in a row. That needs to change since he won't be impactful defensively. His strong plus/minus ratio and lack of competition may get him invited to training camp, but it won't make the team.

I've been meaning to ask Keys, although I'm impressed by small flashes of good basketball he's shown, what I've generally observed is someone who can't get past his defender - he tries driving but gets shutdown rather easily, he seems outmatched in strength and generally might be a little shaky when handling the ball and setting up the half court offense. He gives me the impression that he's always nervous when the ball is in his hands. Has he always been like this?

There are a lot of positives though, he tries on defense and he shows that he is a floor leader.

 

[Karma]

I've been meaning to ask Keys, although I'm impressed by small flashes of good basketball he's shown, what I've generally observed is someone who can't get past his defender - he tries driving but gets shutdown rather easily, he seems outmatched in strength and generally might be a little shaky when handling the ball and setting up the half court offense. He gives me the impression that he's always nervous when the ball is in his hands. Has he always been like this?

There are a lot of positives though, he tries on defense and he shows that he is a floor leader.

I think it is a combination of his lack of explosiveness driving the ball as well as the unfamiliar surroundings that has him struggling penetrating and handling in general. He certainly played with much more confidence with St Mary's and the Australian team, but that comes with being part of a team environment for a period of time.

Certainly are some red flags for Della, but his work ethic should see him stick till camp at least. I am sure we will see improvement as time passes.

 

[Frank Reynolds]

^Agreed.

Isiah Thomas made an interesting point about how when guys like Waiter's shots aren't falling, their head drifts out of the game. Not the case with Matthew Dellavadova, I think he's one of the more engaged players out there, but as you're saying maybe he's physically lacking a bit. I don't see his effort or focus drop too low, he's usually locked into the action.

Carrick Felix is definitely locked into the action. He's almost like Andy in a sense, he's really got a good nose for the ball. Even on plays where he can't get the rebound, he's in the mix somewhere. He's definitely an NBA caliber athlete, and I think he could be a solid rotation player to have in the future.

Mike Brown always wants people to "feel" our defenders. Carrick Felix is a guy you'll feel, because he's always looking to make a hustle play. I have seen him make a lot of winning basketball plays. He's obviously very new to the game, so he makes silly mistakes, but I have high hopes for this guy.

Christian Eyenga had physical gifts I'd give my penis for. He had incredible physical gifts, but no sense of the floor, or the game.

Wanna talk about volleyball players, Christian Eyenga could probably spike volleyballs down on people like nobodys damn business. He'd probably love all the hot ass on the beach too. Well Christian, you can't move like a basketball player, and you love getting laid and you have freakish ungodly hops..... maybe volleyball is the life for you.

No in all honesty, Carrick Felix looks like so much more like a basketball player than Christian Eyenga. With Christian you always got a sense he was just simply a raw athlete. He wasn't really a sports player, or a ball player. With Felix, he's got that nose for the ball, and he seems like a really intelligent guy..... and that's in addition to his constant motor and desire to play defense..... I see a lot of good things there, hopefully he can crack our rotation. He's a guy that will help win you games, but won't have to score the ball or be any type of focal point. Compare his style of game to CJ Miles..... Miles is not a team player and he's a chucker. Felix is like a Shawn Marion, he's competent enough to hit some shots, but his real impact comes from being a good defender, rebounding the basketball and making hustle plays.

 

[wuck]

With Felix, he's got that nose for the ball, and he seems like a really intelligent guy..... and that's in addition to his constant motor and desire to play defense....

Not sure I have seen this expression used before, but sometimes he falls in love with his defense. In simpler terms, sometimes he cheats so much that he can't recover (and no one else can cover for him). It leads to steals, and he is very active in the passing lanes, but I expect the coaches to get on his case in training camp about when (and off of whom) he can cheat. Today again, he sometimes gave up open shots to offensive players who he could easily shut down if that were his primary focus.

I'm not complaining - very good tools on defense and, much of the time, good instincts. But there are times he will need to rein it in. It's not a bad problem to have.

 

[Tornicade]

Dions first game he went 1-10 and distributed the ball. his primary focus was on defense and he was alot more active rotating overall.

this time Dion was good on both sides of the court. He is learning to produce on both sides of the court. I think that shows alot of progress.

As far as Zeller he had an awesome summer cap production wise.. really ddnt get him anywhere.

As far as dribbling through traps.. two open guys arent really open if they sitting in a blocked passing lane

 

[Shack]

Okay, I've been overtly pushing Dellavedova for seemingly three weeks. At this point, I've got to give the critics a tip of the cap. If he continues to rarely look to shoot and hit at a very low percentage from the field, he isnt taking it in the NBA this year. The guy I've watched the past few years in the Bay Area controlled a game on offense even if his outside shot wasn't falling. It seems he isn't sure what to do if he misses two shots in a row. That needs to change since he won't be impactful defensively. His strong plus/minus ratio and lack of competition may get him invited to training camp, but it won't make the team.

I like Della. But realistically, just because a guy has the talent to be a 10 year backup PG and 8th, 9th guy, if he does, doesn't mean he's going to get there. We've seen stars who've needed 4,000-6,000 minutes before their real upside came through, but the same may be true for a guy who only has the upside to be an 8th man and backup. Except while the star's cutting teeth phase still has him producing at an NBA rotation, bench/starter level, the 8th man's cutting teeth phase means he's not good enough to play. I think there's been a lot of guys who didn't make it in the NBA for whom if a team gave them their 5,000 minutes like a lottery pick gets, maybe they could've been 10 yr 7th-9th man NBA players. But they didn't make it to 200 MP in the NBA before their chances ran out.

With that said, I'd say if his shooting can come through, with his elite feel as well, Della has a real shot. Forget "3 and D", what really matters is "3s and smart". There will always be a place for guys who nail open 3s and know where to be on the floor and when. One of those guys who feels like he'd be suited for the Rockets or Spurs or something.His issue is that his ability to attack the basket isn't just poor, it's 'worst in the NBA at it' type of tools poor. It's like Bismack Biyombo or Jan Vesely's hands, when a player is asstastic at such a central part of the position, it's like sleeping in and getting a 0 on the the Final exam that's worth 40% of the class grade, meaning to pass the rest has to be flawless. Still, I think he was a very nice pick-up by the Cavs, even if he doesn't make your roster due to a win now motive. I feel like a problem for him is both Kadji and Della wouldn't make the big club I would presume and I'd easily prefer the former if I was the Cavs.

 

[Lionheart]

Thanks Karma, that makes a lot of sense, I'd love for him to stick with the team, he adds legit depth to the roster.

I don't mean to nitpick but anybody else notice the possible pick-and-pop missed opportunities when Dion and Tyler play together? Tyler sets a good pick and Dion draws 2 defenders on him leaving Tyler with a lot of space for a possible jump shot. However, Dion seems locked-in the direction he chose to go after the screen and barely sees Tyler being open because he has his back on him. It kinda wastes opportunities for a beautiful play. The defense re-adjusts and they're back to setting more screens or Dion creates his shots. This happens a few times over the course of a game.

 

[KI4MVP]

when is our next game?

 

[cavvv]

So you wanted the ball in the other guy's hands on the team who can get a shot at the end of the clock? I see. Who would that be, btw?

You're taking my words too seriously. Just relax buddy.

 

[Karma]

I like Della. But realistically, just because a guy has the talent to be a 10 year backup PG and 8th, 9th guy, if he does, doesn't mean he's going to get there. We've seen stars who've needed 4,000-6,000 minutes before their real upside came through, but the same may be true for a guy who only has the upside to be an 8th man and backup. Except while the star's cutting teeth phase still has him producing at an NBA rotation, bench/starter level, the 8th man's cutting teeth phase means he's not good enough to play. I think there's been a lot of guys who didn't make it in the NBA for whom if a team gave them their 5,000 minutes like a lottery pick gets, maybe they could've been 10 yr 7th-9th man NBA players. But they didn't make it to 200 MP in the NBA before their chances ran out.

With that said, I'd say if his shooting can come through, with his elite feel as well, Della has a real shot. Forget "3 and D", what really matters is "3s and smart". There will always be a place for guys who nail open 3s and know where to be on the floor and when. One of those guys who feels like he'd be suited for the Rockets or Spurs or something.His issue is that his ability to attack the basket isn't just poor, it's 'worst in the NBA at it' type of tools poor. It's like Bismack Biyombo or Jan Vesely's hands, when a player is asstastic at such a central part of the position, it's like sleeping in and getting a 0 on the the Final exam that's worth 40% of the class grade, meaning to pass the rest has to be flawless. Still, I think he was a very nice pick-up by the Cavs, even if he doesn't make your roster due to a win now motive. I feel like a problem for him is both Kadji and Della wouldn't make the big club I would presume and I'd easily prefer the former if I was the Cavs.

Very well put. Players on the high of end of talent and athleticism will excel in these glorified pickup games that summer league basically are. Even Coach Brown has mentioned he has taken over practices with conditioning drills leaving little to no time going through their offensive strategy. That is where a player like Dellavedova will struggle to make a big impact. He is heady team player, who as a floor general puts the ball in the right place in the right time. In these games it is basically the odd pick'n'roll game, but generally just a lot of 1 on 1 with 4 players watching on.

It is a matter of whether the Cavalier's brass can see beyond his limitations that inhibit his impact in these games and stick with him through to camp, or whether they are looking for someone with a higher athletic and talent ceiling. I may be a tad biased, but I still like Dellavedova's game as a fit for the tail end of this roster if they don't already have highly talented raw player in mind they wish to develop through Canton.

 

[Huber.]

when is our next game?

Saturday at 4.