The Cavalier Train Wreck
- Thread starter The Social Chair
- Start date
Where would LeBron accept a trade to? Cleveland has to be asking that question now and dumping every asset for rebuild.
I'd say "the celtics", but id rather not disenfranchise the true Cavs finals MVP, Kyrie Mf'ing Irving.
I keep going back to Philly.
1. They have the assets: salaries (Amir + JJ), boatload of draft picks, and young players (ie. Fultz, TLC, Korkmuz, Bolton)
2. a strong future + current talent(Embid, Simmons, Covington) to surround Lebron
3. salary cap space to re-sign Lebron and another star this summer
4. Eastern Conference path
5. a Klutch client (Simmons).
Lebron would like the narrative of bringing a title to Philly, a big market starving for a championship (after they lose to the Pats tonight).
6. Gives LeBron ample Kyrie revenge opportunities if he cares about that.
Philly makes a ton of sense if LeBron is open to it but I doubt LeBron would want to be traded in season.
If Lebron wants to go to Philly, he'd be a dope to accept a trade there. They can easily get to the cap space needed to sign him this summer. With Embiids' extension kicking in there's no realistic way for them to sign two stars this summer, assuming you mean max level guys. It'd be foolish to try to get to Philly now and take assets away from his future home. That's a Melo move.
I am still not sold that this is the Cavs team that will show up in the playoffs but I have to admit that the data is getting difficult to ignore. If you buy that this is real, you better hope Danny is in GFIN mode.
As I noted in the trade chatter thread, Toronto is very good but so too are the Celtics. Furthermore, they are a tough match-up for Golden State. I won't go so far as to say that Boston would beat the Warriors in a series but with a bit more help, they can threaten them. I hope Danny shares this view and will act accordingly in the next few days.
As I noted in the trade chatter thread, Toronto is very good but so too are the Celtics. Furthermore, they are a tough match-up for Golden State. I won't go so far as to say that Boston would beat the Warriors in a series but with a bit more help, they can threaten them. I hope Danny shares this view and will act accordingly in the next few days.
Not really. Even assuming Philly dumping the #1 pick in the draft, and getting someone to take Bayless without sending any salary back, it doesn't fit.
The cap is expected around 101M. Embiid, Covington, Simmons and Lebron at a max would be around 77M. Can't possibly fit another star and the rest of your roster under the cap.
Simmons is pretty much our point guard. Bron,Paul and Simmons wont work for long and would hinder Ben's development. I do agree Bayless needs to go but we shouldn't be doing anything big this year unless it's unload some of our shooters...who can't shoot. Which oddly enough is everyone but Reddick.
One of my favorite things about DA is all of his medium to big moves are about multiple years, not just one season. I believe there is a 0.002 chance that he trades a “valuable” asset to compete just this year. While the C’s first this year obviously has value, it’s not really a “valuable” asset to me. Yes as I type it it sounds confusing but I think everyone knows what I mean. I don’t think DA will sacrifice the 3-5 year plan, especially to take a shot at the GSW this season
I am not suggesting he move any of the core players. But if he can acquire a difference maker for one of the rotation guys plus the non-LAL/SAC pick, they need to consider it. They are at a point where they can compete for a championship right now.
The Celtics don't have any bad contracts to upgrade, though. Would a trade like Smart and the Memphis pick for Lou Williams really improve the team enough to be worth the cost?
Since this is the Cavs thread, I would suggest the same for them. If I were Dan Gilbert (perish the thought) I wouldn't be interested in dealing picks. One or two more role players is not going to do anything to affect the balance of power in the East right now.
Since this is the Cavs thread, I would suggest the same for them. If I were Dan Gilbert (perish the thought) I wouldn't be interested in dealing picks. One or two more role players is not going to do anything to affect the balance of power in the East right now.
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The MEM pick is so damn valuable.That team is going to be bad. No chance that pick is even discussed in any deal for someone like Lou Williams.
Question, what do they do about their defense when it currently looks like the following? Defense isn't just about hustle - it's about people knowing the rules; being on the same page; being able to figure out who is supposed to be where and at what time. CLE can intensify their effort but I'm not sure they'll be able to learn to play team defense necessary to make noise in the playoffs.
Wow. Makes the defense in last year's all-star game look like the 1963-65 Celtics (def rating 83.8, 84.2).
Four more breakdowns (no pun intended) from Fratello in this video; I think I started it at the point where the analysis at the correct point but if not, it's from about 2:00 to 3:40. Note the first play is when it was 2-2 so no one can that the lack of effort was because of the blow-out loss.
I thought their defense looked slow first game of the season.. and wondered how those old legs were going to help out as the season progressed. IT coming back was also going to make it much worse. They could possibly outscore teams I thought, but they were always going to have those weaknesses.
Nice to see LeBron throw everyone else under the bus as he claims he's always going at 100% so the problem can't be him..
LeBron is going to jet this team in the offseason and have his buddy from ESPN throw the players, coaches, and GM under the bus, which of course is funny because LeBron set up his contract so as to make himself de facto GM and coach.
In a couple of those clips you could basically say that LeBron's controller may have been disconnected as they say. The way he made no effort to get back on defense right off the bat has to be infuriating to teammates.
They can still create the space via sign & trade, and if they're bringing in James then Covington becomes considerably less valuable. So Fultz/Covington/Bayless for James they should have room to add either CP3 or Paul George (especially the latter as being able to start Simmons/George/James at the 2/3/4 allows you to use a 3&D guy at the PG spot).
Three flawed (perhaps deeply) players for one of the 5 best players ever? I can't imagine Cleveland going for that.
Yeah, I think CLE would ask for every good young player on the Sixers roster not named Simmons or Embiid - i.e., Fultz, Saric, Holmes, and TLC or Korkmaz - AND add the LAL/SAC pick that doesn't convey to the Cs. Only then do you get to salary fillers such as Booker or Covington.
This Cleveland implosion does put a different color on Kyrie's request to be traded. The narrative of what a great teammate Lebron has been over his career might not be bought into by all of his teammates, but very few are in a position to complain.
I think so, at least as a lottery ticket for a team that doesn’t need anything from him right now.
Come July when the option is three flawed players or bupkis? I suspect they'd take whatever they could get at that point. But playing hardball could still work out for Philly if it greased the skids for them to grab George via sign & trade and signing James outright, simultaneously turning the Cavs into an 18 win team with no hope and getting their players out of conference.
As for the jabs at Lebron for being defacto GM: If his buddy Windhorst is to be believed he wanted to do the Kyrie for Bledsoe and George deal and was very against the IT/Crowder deal. If that's true maybe he should be making the calls. Smith and Thompson's contracts are bad, but that's just money and they never had any avenues to get better players at their respective positions anyways.
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OK, what are you getting for a guy that can't shoot and has clear medical and mental issues? I'm guessing that it's less than a piece of a package for LeBron James.
I mean it’s all well and good to discuss theoretical in season trades that won’t happen because James has been clear that he’s not waiving his NTC. The question is about this summer when teams looking to sign two all stars with the cap picture being tight. Then I suspect that Cleveland will be grateful to salvage anything to sell the crowds.
Tom WithersVerified account @twithersAP 23m23 minutes ago
Asked one of the #Cavs how much DeAndre Jordan could help right now and he said “Montell Jordan could help us right now.”
Asked one of the #Cavs how much DeAndre Jordan could help right now and he said “Montell Jordan could help us right now.”
There's some video of LBJ's defense (or lack thereof) these days in this article: http://www.obsev.com/sports/lebron-james-defense-awful.html
Cavs give up 113+ pts when LBJ is on the court; 103 when he's not. Hmm.
Cavs give up 113+ pts when LBJ is on the court; 103 when he's not. Hmm.
But then Shams Charania comes back and says they won't trade LeBron as "he wants to see the season through in Cleveland."
DeAndre Jordan isn't fixing the Cavs. Neither is George Hill. Or Paul George. The Cavs need Jordan, Hill AND George. But even if they miraculously pulled off deals for all three with some combination of Love, IT, Thompson, picks and salary flotsam you'd still have chemistry issues, coaching problems, and flawed defensive schemes. It's a lost season.
Lebron's not sticking around past this season for this mess. Why waste what could be one of your last prime seasons? With the no-trade clause in hand he could easily dictate the terms of the trade. Let's say that's Houston. You don't think both sides would at least consider an Anderson/Gordon/two first round picks for Lebron trade? GFIN.
Lebron's not sticking around past this season for this mess. Why waste what could be one of your last prime seasons? With the no-trade clause in hand he could easily dictate the terms of the trade. Let's say that's Houston. You don't think both sides would at least consider an Anderson/Gordon/two first round picks for Lebron trade? GFIN.
Not just they won't trade him, Lebron won't waive his no trade clause.
I'm loving this.
Yeah, Cavs desperately want to push the reset button with the Nets pick and whatever they could get from a LeBron trade and LeBron is basically telling them to pound sand. This is going to be quite the soap opera the rest of the season. And I absolutely love NBA soap operas.
NBA drama is the best sports drama. So Lebron is leaving at season's end, but he refuses to be traded to leave now, but he also wants Cleveland to trade their only long-term asset - which they acquired in a trade Lebron was against from the start? GJGE Cleveland.
I feel LeBron is so done with Gilbert that even though he's miserable playing with this Cavs team he's sucking it up to stick it to Gilbert so he doesn't get any return for him while allowing his new team to preserve assets.
Somehow they are still favored to win the EC. I'm loving my Raptors +800 bet more and more.
Now if Gilbert could just turn around and move everyone else on the roster with a modicum of value for picks and cap space, forcing Lebron to play out the string with the dregs of the league, it would go down in NBA trade deadline history.
In that world ... Warriors win in 5, then overpay for Barnes and gimpy Ezeli and Bogut; and the Russ-Oladipo-Roberson-Durant-Adams Thunder wreck everyone in 2016-17. No soup for the Cavs!
Sort of amazing that as incredible a career as LeBron has had, he's just...
• One OT win in Game 2 v. Boston in 2012 (Celtics win ECF in five games with a win there)
• One Ray Allen three in 2013
• One Draymond teabag in 2016
from being ringless.