The Wine and Gold Rush

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.

A Pseudo-Accurate Layman's Guide to the Cavaliers' 2010 Salary Cap Situation

The trade deadline is exactly one week away . . . assuming you are reading this at 3:00 P.M. Eastern on February 11th, 2010.  (If you're not, please adjust accordingly.)

As usual, there are factions developing among fans: 

There are those that would like to make a trade because they see weaknesses on the team, and strength on the current trade landscape.  There are those that don't want to make a trade because they see strength on the team, and weaknesses in the trade landscape. 

There are those that want to make a trade because trades are cool and exciting . . . and there are those who don't know what the hell they think.  (And I'm a proud member of that last group.)

So, without getting into all the positives and negatives of potential deals that may or may not be currently (or have ever been) on the table, I thought I'd take a look at our flexibility for the Summer of 2010 . . . assuming we don't make a trade.

I'm not necessarily advocating that here . . . although one-half of me could . . . I'm just doing this for your information.

And also because it's hard to factor in the addition of Player X, and the loss of Players Y and Z, if you have no idea who Players X, Y and Z are.  My hope would be that Player X is better than Players Y and Z together:  Right now, in the playoffs, and next year . . . because I'm assuming LeBron's staying until I hear otherwise.

[As a quick aside, I'm just a Cavs fan.  I am not an insider (Assistant GM Lance Blanks is not my father), and I am not a salary cap expert (CBA stud Larry Coon is not sitting here, sharing a beer with me while I write this).  So, this is a rough outline.  If you have any information that would be more accurate, feel free to send it over.  I'll send you Necco Wafers as a 'thank you.']

W&GR Cavaliers Stat Check [2/10] . . . The Minus-Mo, Minus-Delonte Edition

The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the New Jersey Nets at The Q on Tuesday night, 104-97.

That was expected . . . although, I was sort of expecting it to be a little easier than it was.

[After all, the Nets have won four games all season.  The Cavs have won four games in the past week.]

But Cleveland's play in the last 10 games, all things considered, has definitely not been expected.

In a good way.

[I'm an optimistic guy, but I dare you to try to convince me that you saw the Cavaliers starting out 10-0 when you first heard Mo was going to be out for four-to-six weeks.]

The Cavs are in the middle of arguably their longest stretch of goodness this season . . . and it's happening without Mo Williams (sprained shoulder), Delonte West (fractured ring finger), and for a while, Jamario Moon (abdominal strain).

Tomorrow night's game at The Q  against the Orlando Magic will be another big test . . . but for now, let's take a step back and appreciate how the Cavs have been getting the job done over the last three-and-a-half weeks. 

Soak in these numbers:

#1.)  The win makes the Cavaliers 42-11, which matches their record after 53 games last year.  Mathematically, the Cavs are on pace to go 65-17.  Last year's team finished 66-16.

#2.)  The win against the Nets pushes the Cavs' (short-handed) win streak to an incredible 12 games.  It's the longest winning streak in the NBA this season, and it's the second longest in Cavalier history, behind only last year's 13-game run.

The Cavs last loss was their heartbreaking fall in Utah all the way back on January 14th.  That was the game that rookie Sundiata Gaines . . . playing in his fifth NBA game . . . nailed his first career 3-pointer at the buzzer to thwart an absolutely brilliant fourth quarter comeback by LeBron James.

How Did the Cleveland Cavaliers Choose Their Jersey Numbers?

On Sunday, I watched the Cavs play the Los Angeles Clippers via the Fox Sports West feed . . . not because I wanted to, of course, but because I live in Southern California.  And that's the option.

But two fun things came out of it.

One, as much as I love Fred McLeod and Austin Carr . . . I don't mind Clippers' play-by-play announcer Ralph Lawler.  He has a slew of A.C.-like catch-phrases, most notably "Bingo!", which he joyously shouts every time a Clipper sinks a 3-pointer.  He even says it, albeit calmer, when an opponent hits.

Naturally, with the insane way the game started, Lawler was droppin' B-bombs so often that it sounded like he was hustlin' old ladies at a community hall.

(The Cavs hit 11 threes in the first quarter.  The Clippers hit three.  Lawler shouted "Bingo!" after 12 of those 14 makes . . . yeah, I actually checked.  That's a 85.7% "Bingo!" rate.  And after the seventh-straight Cavs three, a LeBron dagger from a few feet behind the arc, Lawler exclaimed:  "I don't know what to say.  'Bingo!' wouldn't be enough."  How self-aware!)

Ironically, Lawler's "Bingo!" has a Cavaliers connection.  It's a reference to one-time Clipper and Cleveland Cavaliers legend Bobby "Bingo" Smith, who was notorious for hitting long shots.  [But there wasn't a "three-point" line until his final season in the NBA, and that year he only hit 28.4% of them.  Stage fright, perhaps.]

Anyway, the other nice thing to come out of Fox Sports West's telecast was a nice feature they ran at halftime . . .  where they had most of the Cavaliers explaining why they chose their current jersey numbers.

I'm not sure if this ran anywhere else, but I thought it was pretty interesting . . . so I went ahead and transcribed it for you below.  You know, because I'm cool like that.  (?)

Amar'e Stoudemire to Cleveland Speculation Surfaces . . . So Why Can't I Get Excited About the Trade Deadline?

There are 24 days until the NBA trading deadline.

I know this because when I woke up this morning, I opened the #24 window on my NBA Trading Deadline Advent Calendar.

Pretty exciting right?

Well, at least it's supposed to be.  (That's why I have the NBA Trading Deadline Advent Calendar in the first place.  No one enjoys counting down to something inconsequential . . . like Groundhog Day.  Ooooh, snap!  I know, cue the rage.)

Plus, there's a decent to more-than-decent chance that something will happen . . . to some degree . . . because of the "all-in" mode that the Cleveland Cavaliers are in right now.  On top of that, it looks like they're actually in a good position to do a little thievery.

Are the Cavs one puzzle piece away?  Is that puzzle piece out there?  And if the missing piece is discovered (say, in the collection bag of a household vacuum), would the Cavs be able to acquire it with reasonable (or more than reasonable) expense and without creating too much of a dust-up?

(Because the Cavs have company coming, and they need to have the house ready . . . regardless of whether or not the puzzle is finished.)

See?  How can you not be feeling the early pangs of NBA Trading Deadline excitement?

Here's a list of the Cavs liquid assets:

In Zydrunas Ilgauskas, they have a large, $11.5 million expiring contract.  (They also have a bigger one, at $20 million, in Shaquille O'Neal . . . if you're someone who believes they'd be open to trading him.)

In J.J. Hickson, Daniel Gibson and (apparently) Jawad Williams, they have young talent that is ready to make an impact on most teams.

In Darnell Jackson and Danny Green they have intriguing prospects that have already made significant steps toward becoming NBA players.  And speaking of horizon assets, the Cavs also have their full set of future draft picks that they'd be able to trade if necessary.

The State of the Cavaliers - #4 - Two Games Short of Last Year, Not Bad

[This is a regular feature called "The State of the Cavaliers."  In it, we'll rank each player on the roster, based on recent on- and off-the-court production, news, and intangibles related to the Cavs' quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.]

Well, the first month of the season is in the books.

That is, assuming you don't count October.  And I don't.  And neither does Delonte West . . . or the Indians . . . or the Browns.  In fact, the only person that did count October was LeBron James, who is awesome in any month.

Last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers were 14-3 at this point.  This year, they're 12-5.  The difference there, for all you non-math majors, is two games.

At this time last year, the Cavaliers were just shy of the best record in the NBA.  By two games.  This year, the same:  Two games.  Also, last year, the Cavaliers fell short of the Finals.  By two games.

Last year, the Cavs had a perfect record at home, minus two games.  This year at The Q, they've already dropped:  Two games.  What's more than one game but less than three?  Two games.

What does all this mean?  I don't know.  Honestly, I just got caught up in the cadence.

Seriously though, last year at this time I was "excited," and this year, I'm also "excited."  The Cavs have definitely added significant talent since last year, but so have the other elite teams.

It's too early to determine exactly how the Cavs stack up this year versus where they were last year, but we're already getting some returns on the individual players.  And that's what we're going to break down in our fourth State of the Cavaliers rundown.

[Up to date, through Monday, November 30th.]

Here's the complete list.  Each player's previous rank and average rank are in parentheses.  If, for some reason, you want to check out our previous rundown . . . you can find it, here. 

#1.)  LeBron James.  (Prev: #1 / Avg: #1)

Since our last State of the Cavaliers report on November 16th, the Cavs are 5-2.  The King, though, is 7-0.  Even in (arguably) his weakest game of the season, last week's loss in Charlotte, he still scored 25 points (on 10-of-19 shooting) with six rebounds and four assists.  He's simply having a monster season.

In those seven games, he's averaging 31.6 points, 8.6 assists and 6.0 rebounds.  So what do you say to that?  Uh . . . maybe, "LeBron, let's work on getting those rebounding numbers up."  (?)

Oh, and he also picked up an Eastern Conference Player of the Week award.

Gold Nuggets: Shaq's Dings / Brown Sizes Up Danny Green / Cavs Fan

Shaq Has a Few Dings.

Shaquille O'Neal missed his fifth straight game on Saturday night.  As of late Sunday night, his status for Wednesday's game in Detroit was unclear, which isn't exactly surprising;  the Cavs are tight-lipped about how tight their lips are.

Officially, I believe, the Cavs say Shaq has a strained shoulder . . . but late last week, Mike Brown described him as just having a few "dings."  He said:

"We'll keep taking it day-by-day.  I've pulled him out of practices, a couple practices.  It might be because he has a few dings here or there.  'Hey, big fella, sit down.'  He has a ding, yes.  (???)

"It's early in the year.  In my opinion, it's an opportune time to let him get some rest and let him get his body back.  I'm not thinking he has to play X-amount of games.  I'm not thinking he has to practice 75 percent of the time.

"It's nothing scientific.  I'm not that smart."

My desk, which is made of some fake wood (with a real wood-sounding name), has a few dings, my 2007 BMW 5-Series has a few dings . . . the Libery Bell has a few dings . . . and now Shaq has a few dings.

[And by BMW 5-Series, I mean my 1992 Honda Accord LX.  The "LX" is for luxury.]

This Mike Brown quote is fun, but I'm completely with the Cavs here.  Yeah, it'd be nice to have Shaq in games so we can continue to work on our intra-lineup, on-the-court chemistry. 

But that time will come.  More importantly, we want to make sure that Shaq is healthy and rested for our bigger games later this season . . . and the playoffs, of course.  A little caution in mid-November is fine.

The State of the Cavaliers - #3 - Playin' Like It's November 2008

[This is a regular feature called "The State of the Cavaliers."  In it, we'll rank each player on the roster, based on recent on- and off-the-court production, news, and intangibles related to the Cavs' quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.]

Since our last State of the Cavaliers on November 3rd, the Cleveland Cavaliers have proved that their first two wins (in Minnesota and against Charlotte at home) were not merely the product of a lost team playing lost franchises.

Instead, those wins proved to be a springboard for a team that was re-grouping from a weak 0-2 start.  Over the past two weeks, the Cavs have posted a 5-1 record . . . and are suddenly 7-3, placing them back in the mix atop the Eastern Conference.

It hasn't all been pretty; the offense was extremely flat in the irritating loss to Chicago at home . . . and the defense, especially late in games, leaves a lot to be desired (specifically, good defense).  But the Cavs current work-in-progress-ness is much more reasonable and palatable than it was two weeks ago.

The crowning moment has been how the team was able to capitalize on a four-day break to execute a two-game all-Florida sweep, which produced solid, back-to-back road wins over Orlando and Miami.

This return to form makes it a little easier to get a feel for where the Cavaliers are at this stage . . . and we're going to break that down right now in our third State of the Cavaliers rundown.

[Up to date, through Sunday, November 15th.]

Here's the complete list.  Each player's previous rank and average rank are in parentheses . . . because, as they say, too much information is good information. (?)  

The State of the Cavaliers - #2 - No Panic, Just Up and Down

[This is a regular feature called "The State of the Cavaliers."  In it, we'll rank each player on the roster, based on recent on- and off-the-court production, news, and intangibles related to the Cavs' quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.]

The past two weeks have been decisively up-and-down for the Cleveland Cavaliers. 

They smashed a short-handed Dallas team in the second-to-last preseason game, and then got killed by a short-handed Boston team in their last preseason game.

The season began on a somewhat disturbing note, with a disappointing three-and-a-half-quarter-long collapse against Boston . . . and a complete four-quarter-long meltdown in Toronto, where the Cavs' problems went international.

Then, they put together solid, and more collective efforts against Minnesota and Charlotte, two teams that would probably have trouble playing LeBron James in a playground, 5-on-1 game.

That makes it difficult to sort out what to really think of the Cavs at this stage . . . but (to use an expression that I've never used before) we're going to give it the old college try in our second State of the Cavaliers rundown.

[Up to date, through Monday, November 2nd.]

Here's the complete list.  Their previous rank is in parenthesis . . . if, by chance, that helps make all this even more awesome.  [You can also revisit our last "State of the Cavaliers", here.]

#1.)  LeBron James.  (1)

Through all the "ups and downs," there have been two constants:  One, the Cleveland Cavaliers have remained a professional basketball team within the NBA . . . and Two, LeBron is brilliant.

In real games, which is all we'll concern ourselves with from here on out, LeBron is averaging 24.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.25 steals, and 1.25 blocks per game.  He even had a monster triple-double in the disaster in Toronto last week.  This guy is immune to all sorts of badness.  (Except the flu.)

The over/under for how many triple-doubles he has this season:  25.  Am I insane?

In a Rush: Cavs Cut Three More / Is the Roster Set? / "NBA Live 10"

The Cavs Make Cuts . . . Is the Roster Set?

If you had your heart set on that Darryl Watkins dude making the team this year, you might want to sit down for this.

On Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers made three roster cuts . . . and Watkins, along with Russell Robinson and Andre Barrett, have been waived.

None of these cuts were earth-shattering moves, however Barrett did seem to have a Mike Wilks-like shot at slipping onto the regular season roster.

That's because he's a point guard . . . and with the uncertainty surrounding Delonte West, that leaves Mo Williams as the sole, (at this point) dependable point guard on the team.

But with LeBron James, along with Anthony Parker, Daniel Gibson and Delonte (who could play in the opener), we do have people that are at least capable of running the offense.  So perhaps that allowed the Cavs to go with who they thought was the most talented of the training camp invitees.

Apparently, that would be guard Coby Karl, the son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl.

(Technically, the Cavs had two open roster spots heading into the preseason.  However, forward Jawad Williams, who was with the team on-and-off last season, was always a clear favorite to take one of them.  And he did.)

Those cuts bring our roster down to 15 players, which is the maximum a team can carry.  And since the Cavs have made it clear they will have a full bench this season, that means the roster has been finalized, right?

Well, maybe.