The Wine and Gold Rush

The Cavs' Stellar Record While *Not* At Full-Strength Is About to Be Tested

You never wish injury on an opponent.

On Thursday night, the Boston Celtics were without Paul Pierce due to a right thumb injury.  Paul, of course, has served as the linchpin of Boston's "Big Three" (copyright 2007, 2008).

You also never wish injury on yourself.

For fans in other cities, that's an obvious joke.

For fans in the success-starved city of Cleveland . . . it's often a temptation, especially when it seems as though an injury is the only way to banish an overpaid, under-performing veteran who was brought in, almost inexplicably, to block the ascent of the younger, potential-filled kid waiting in the wings.

If an injury does not occur, the stubborn Cleveland coaches / front office may never unseat the fading vet to get a good enough look at the prospect.  Then, undoubtedly, that kid leaves or is traded to have an opportunity elsewhere.  And with uncanny frequency, a star is born and Cleveland is burned.

It's the modus operandi of the Cleveland Indians . . . but it's happened to the Cavaliers and the Browns as well.

Relax.

This is not an anti-Shaquille O'Neal / pro-J.J. Hickson (with a slice of Anderson Varejao) article, but if the Cavaliers weren't being run by a smart coach and an elite front office . . . it could've been.

Is LeBron Bummed About Zydrunas Ilgauskas Not Being with the Cavs?

LeBron OK'd the Antawn Jamison move.

Danny Ferry may be a mad GM genius, but he'd just be mad to make a major move without consulting LeBron . . . especially since LeBron is a free agent this summer and no one wants him to be uncool with any moves that were made or not made.

In a recent press conference, Ferry claimed that he did not clear the move with anyone on the team at the deadline . . . since we were going to have to give up at least one player, and you don't really want to put someone on the spot saying 'would you give up this teammate to get that player,' etc.

He says he talked with some of the team's core players before the season started, and asked for their input on a whole slew of players that he thought could be available before the trading deadline . . . just in case the Cavaliers had an opportunity to make a good move.

Maybe that's true . . . or maybe he did float some of the particulars by LeBron privately, and doesn't want to say anything about it to ensure that he doesn't say or do anything that would prohibit the likely buy-out and return of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. 

Even if it's obvious that the Z yo-yo was the Cavs' hope (or even intention) you don't want to make it sound like there was an illegal agreement in place. 

Regardless, at some point, Ferry and LeBron talked about Jamison.  They also talked about Z's expiring contract, and the possibility of trading him to take the opportunity to add a significant talent to the roster.

And since the trade happened, LeBron was cool with it.

But like a lot of fans, there's a chance that LeBron felt heavier about it once it was actually time to say goodbye to Z . . . even if it might only be for 30 days.  

Mike Brown Shrinks the Rotation . . . and the New Cavs Grind Out a Win

If you were Mike Brown, what would be harder:

Taking minutes away from one of your Top Seven guys (LeBron James, Anderson Varejao, Shaquille O'Neal, Antawn Jamison, Mo Williams, Delonte West and Anthony Parker) . . . or allowing your team to play through periods of turbulence and ineffectiveness while the talents of your B-team (Daniel Gibson, J.J. Hickson, Jamario Moon, Jawad Williams, (soon) Leon Powe, and maybe Danny Green) . . . waste away on the bench?

Prior to the playoffs, the challenge might be finding enough minutes for everyone (or the Top 13, at least) to keep them in a rhythm, and to give them an opportunity to build on-court chemistry with each other, so that in the event they are needed in the playoffs, they can be plugged in without appearing disconnected from both their individual and team play.

Once the playoffs hit, Mike Brown's tendency (like a lot of coaches) will be to shrink the rotation down to seven or eight players . . . and barring any injuries or severe lop-sidedness, that's it.  That's the team.

If Zydrunas Ilguaskas comes back, he gets the final spot in that Top Eight.  That sure leaves a lot of talent on the bench.  This deep, deep depth is a good problem to have, but it doesn't exactly output easy answers.  The nagging question will always be:  Are my Top Eight really my Top Eight . . . right now?

Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Hornets was a "must win."

Not in a playoff, do-or-die way, of course.  And actually, not in any sort of real, necessary way either.  But it was nonetheless, and Mike Brown celebrated that fact by using a tight, playoff rotation.

Jiri Welsch: Making Anything Danny Ferry Does Look Awesome, Since 2005

Tomorrow, February 24th, should be Danny Ferry Appreciation Day in Cleveland.

Why?

Because he's awesome.  (As a GM.) 

He just landed Antawn Jamison to cap-off an absolutely wicked two-year roster overhaul . . . beginning roughly six months after the Cavaliers made their first ever appearance in the NBA Finals in 2007.

Not including Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the only remaining Cavs players from that run are:  LeBron James, Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson.  In the two-and-a-half seasons since, Ferry has aggressively and completely transformed the Cavs roster into a legitimate title contender. 

[We detailed Ferry's questionably legal, but unquestionably brilliant, moves here.]

But the Jamison pick-up happened almost a week ago.  February 24th holds a special significance, though.  It also involves a first round pick . . . which may end up being the sole cost of Jamison . . . and it also involves a trade deadline deal.  A much, much worse trade deadline deal.

Five years ago tomorrow . . . on February 24th, 2005 . . . then-GM Jim Paxson traded the Cavs' 2007 first round draft pick to the Boston Celtics for . . . super-flop Jiri Welsch.

I remember being extremely unimpressed at the time . . . as a lot of Cavs fans were, presumably.  Yes, we'd brought in someone new to play with LeBron, but this kid was worse than Ira Newble (who we were starting at that point, as you may recall.)

Thanks to the Internet, Paxson's attempt to sell us all on the trade has been preserved.  Granted this is in retrospect, but even then I think most of us felt he was laying it on pretty thick.  

Antawn Jamison Will Be Fine, and So Will the Cavaliers . . . Eventually

The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business during their ridiculous seven-game, 20-day home-stand earlier this month.  They extended a 13-game winning streak, and won 11 of those without Mo Williams, and nine of them without Mo and Delonte West.

Even though 10 of the games were held at home, more than half (seven) were against teams with winning records . . . and with the loss of two of their top ball-handlers, the Cavaliers seemed primed to pick up a few disappointing losses. 

That didn't happen.

But while the All-Star Break was a fun and exasperating time for fans . . . because of the impending trade deadline, not because of the actual All-Star Game festivities, of course . . . the Cavs had the cards stacked against them on the other side.

And that was before they made a move.  

#1.)  The first condition was clear the moment the schedule was released:  Cleveland was going to go from spending 20 days at home . . . to a tough schedule, with lots of traveling and back-to-backs.

Last weekend featured the home Denver / at Charlotte back-to-back.  Denver is an elite team, and Charlotte presents one of Cleveland's toughest match-ups.  The Cavs had already lost to Denver once and Charlotte twice (before falling to them again last week).

Sunday they had Orlando for the second time in 10 days.  This one was away . . . and it ended in the Cavs' first loss (in three games) to the Magic this season, by a score of 95-101.

That gave Cleveland their first three-game losing streak in almost two full years.  Their last back-to-back-to-back losses came in March of 2008.

An Epic Game Lost at the Line(s)

Allow me to be cute for a moment.

If the Washington Wizards buy out Zydrunas Ilguaskas, the Cleveland Cavaliers picked up Antawn Jamison for free on Wednesday.  On Thursday night, the Cavs weren't getting anything for free.

Yes, this is yet another recap of the Cavaliers' 118-116 overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets that hinges on missed free throws.  If you read a lot of Cavs blogs . . . like you should be doing during a special season like this . . . you've probably heard this before:

This was an epic game . . . and the Cavs could have won it, if they'd hit their free throws.

[If you missed it, first:  Shame on you.  You should at least be DVRing these games.  This is an exciting season, kids.  If you did record the game, but haven't watched it yet:  Oops.  Well, since it's already spoiled, the game came down to Carmelo Anthony nailing a tough shot with one-point-something seconds left in overtime . . . and Cleveland half-court inbounding to James, where he slipped and missed a three.]

But it shouldn't have got to that point.

The Cavs as a whole shot a very Shaq-like 57.5% (23-of-40) from the stripe.  (Actually, Shaq is at 50% for the season.)  And they would have been OK, if Shaq was Shaq-like.

Here are the missed free throw culprits:

Shaquille O'Neal . . . 0-for-6  (0%)

Daniel Gibson . . . 1-for-3  (33%)

Anthony Parker . . . 3-for-5  (60%)

LeBron James . . . 12-for-17  (71%)

Meanwhile, Mo Williams went 2-for-2 and J.J. Hickson went 4-for-5 from the stripe.

The Cavs also had twice as many turnovers as the Nuggets . . . but it was just 10-to-5.  Denver only had five turnovers in an overtime game.  That's pretty impressive.  (The Cavs average 14.5 a game.)

It's Official: LeBron James Has His Sidekick . . . and It Isn't Antawn Jamison

No matter how expected or unexpected it may have been, it still felt a little shocking: 

Yesterday, the Cleveland Cavaliers finally found LeBron's sidekick.  His #2.  His Pippen.  His Robin.  His Doctor Watson.  His Ed McMahon.  His Boo Boo.  His Michael Wilbon.  His Austin Carr.  His Anti-Hughes.

At around 6:30 P.M. Eastern, the "Washington Post" reported that the Cavs had traded for Washington Wizards star forward Antawn Jamison.  It was a three-team deal;  the L.A. Clippers were also involved.

From there, a cavalcade of Twittered reports burst through Cleveland's fervent, but divided and vacillating fan base.  It was a great relief;  things were finally coming to a conclusion.

When it was all said and done, the Cavs landed Jamison for Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a first round draft pick, and the rights to Emir Preldzic, who the Cavs drafted late in the second round of last year's draft. 

[Somewhat ironically, the Cavs purchased that pick from the Phoenix Suns.  Preldzic was born in Slovenia, is currently playing in Turkey, and is now a part of the Wizards' rebuilding project.]

No J.J. Hickson, no Jamario Moon, no strings.

In an odd twist, the Cavs also landed 24-year-old disappointment Sebastian Telfair.  Technically, he's a point guard, but he'll be taking over Coby Karl's end-of-the-bench spot on the roster.  The Cavaliers didn't want him, of course, they had to take him for the Clippers to participate.  [Telfair is out for the next three weeks with a groin injury.]

As has been widely reported, there's a decent chance Z will return to the Cavaliers this season.  If the Wizards buy him out (within the next two weeks) . . . and indications are that they will . . . he would be essentially a free agent.  As per league rules, he could sign with the Cavs after 30 days.

During that time, he can also field offers from other teams, some of which may be able to offer him more money than the Cavs.  Cleveland is over the cap, and their only liquid funds are the $1.9 million Bi-Annual Exception (BAE).  That should do the trick, though.  No frustration over being traded could be bigger than the reception Z is going to get at The Q when he walks back out onto the court.

But more on later, back to LeBron James' new sidekick.

Deadline Update #3: The Cavs Are Still Working on Phoenix and Washington

A long, loud, Internet-crazed week fat with Cleveland Cavaliers speculation . . . and lean on Cleveland Cavaliers information . . . is finally coming to an end.

And now that the trade deadline is only a day away (synchronize your clocks;  time's up Thursday at 3:00 P.M. Eastern) things are starting to come into focus.  At least, for now.

Here are a few things that have become clear:

#1.)  The Cavs' first choice, now, is a trade with the Phoenix Suns for Amar'e Stoudemire . . . but the trade is only their first choice because it is such an insane steal that they can't not want to do it.

I don't have any inside knowledge, but I'd guess that Amar'e turned up when GM Danny Ferry was canvassing the league for possible trade partners weeks ago.  It wouldn't have been a huge surprise that Amar'e was available, but Phoenix's clearance rack price no doubt was.

That's because:

#2.)  The Cavs' first choice is really Antawn Jamison.  He's a more natural fit, and with the imploding state of the Washington Wizards, there was a real belief that he could be taken for Zydrunas Ilgauskas' expiring contract.  And that's the only thing Ferry wanted to spend on this shopping trip.

Negotiations with the Wizards, though, were always expected to be a trip since Washington apparently still has that irritating vendetta with us.  Ferry probably wasn't looking forward to pursuing business with Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld . . . and covertly taking his temperature on a potential Z buy-out.

Would the Wizards really keep Z just to screw over the Cavaliers?  It seems a little hard to believe . . . until you consider just how much of a favor a buy-out would be.  Sure the Wizards could save some coin, and they may not really want Z as a player . . . but they're going to be a player short (at least on a straight-up / picks trade) and they'd be trading another one of their Big Three, without anything in exchange for the fans that are coming to the Verizon Center to see "the Wizards."  And yeah, they'd also be doing the Cavs a big-time solid by cutting Z loose.

Hey, Cavs Fans: Be Sure to *Not* Let the Trade Deadline Bum You Out

So . . . is anyone sick of the trade deadline hysteria yet?

Every day, there's a whole gamut of:  proposals and denials, excitement and anxiety, ups and downs, twists and turns, and chutes and ladders.  Names of "available players" are flying around like, well, flies. 

And at some point, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been or will be linked to each and every one of them.  Best of all, absolutely no levels of absurdity, pointlessness, impracticality or impossibility are off limits.  It's an exciting free-for-all!

For each name, there seems to be a pattern like:  the suggestion, the anonymous source tease, the "confirmation," the competition (from other teams), the doubt (from the trading partner), the denial (of any of one or more of these things), the re-suggestion (with or without a new wrinkle), rinse and repeat.

In a way, it's sort of like if every Cleveland fan suddenly became obsessed with 24-hour celebrity gossip.  You know, like:  "Do you think Angelina Jolie might adopt a kid from Panama?"  "A so-called 'source' says she will adopt a kid from Panama."  "'Star' magazine has confirmed that Angelina is adopting a kid from Panama!"  "But other 'sources' say she may be adopting from Costa Rica, not Panama."  "'Sources' in Panama say the country prefers to keep all of its orphans."  "Angelina's rep has denied the 'Star' report, and says she has no plans to go to Panama."

And then:  "Do you think Angelina might send someone to Panama to adopt a kid for her?"

[By the way, even though I obviously just made all that up . . . and wrote "I obviously just made all that up" . . . I wouldn't be surprised if some gossip site stumbled on this, and reported it as a new rumor.]

[Case in point:  Apparently, I started a mini freak-out in some Cavs forum because, in a post on this site, I suggested a Daniel Gibson + Delonte West for Corey Maggette trade . . . while poking fun at Chad Ford's Cavs-could-revamp-their-entire-roster article . . . and while I was mocking freak-outs in forums.]

It's all madness.  And it can be too much, at least for me.  It's addicting, it's emotionally-wrenching, it's exciting, it's exhausting, and it's upsetting . . . in alphabetical order.

Hopefully, you know when too much is too much . . . and can step away.

But in case you don't . . . and judging by some of the comments I've seen, some of you may not . . . I put together a fun test that will let you know if the trade deadline has you out of your mind.

Here it is:

Trade Deadline Update #2: Some Random Links on Cleveland and Amar'e

Nothing is official yet (at least, as of early this morning) but it's looking more and more like the Phoenix Suns will trade Amar'e Stoudemire to the Cleveland Cavaliers for . . . whatever it is that they're getting.

(We're assuming that is Zydrunas Ilgauskas, J.J. Hickson and possibly a first round draft pick.)

That would be quite a colossal move by Danny Ferry . . . one that comes with both big-time risks and big-time rewards.  It's the kind of game-changing, over-the-top move that Cleveland is not used to seeing from their GMs when their teams are on the brink of a championship.

But again, since there isn't anything definite to report . . . and we're all a little exasperated with the good-fit / bad-fit speculation . . . here's a rundown of some of the interesting things we found when we tore up Google early this morning.

 

#1.)  ESPN's Chris Broussard says that Phoenix is still holding out hope that the Philadelphia 76ers will offer them a package including Andre Iguodala for Amar'e . . . but Philly isn't too sure they want to trade their best player for Amar'e.

That's definitely understandable.  A lot of Cavaliers fans aren't too thrilled about trading our least important rotation player, J.J. Hickson, for Amar'e.

Sources also tell Broussard that while Amar'e is cool with LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal, he'd prefer to play in Miami where he lives in the offseason . . . but since Phoenix isn't interested in Michael Beasley, the Heat have nothing to build a deal around, at least without another team being involved.

Naturally, it's hard to characterize and contextualize what "sources" say . . . and there's a good chance that they're not accurate anyway . . . but I'd question the mind-set of any player that would turn down the chance to join the Cavaliers right now, in February of 2010.  I mean, seriously.  [Full Story]