The Wine and Gold Rush

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.']

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.

The Annual Annoying Loss in D.C.

On Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a five-game winning streak into Washington . . . against a Wizards team that had a six-game losing streak.

The Wizards slide began two weeks ago in Cleveland, where the Cavs handed them a 102-90 loss.  That game, if you remember, was arguably Shaquille O'Neal's best game as a Cavalier.  He had 21 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) with eight rebounds, three assists and a block.

In that game, the Cavs were down 18 points early in the second quarter.  But then they had a big run, which was fueled by the Cavs operating aggressively in the paint.  Shaq was getting the ball inside, and drawing all kinds of fouls on the Wizards' big men.

This time, the Cavs didn't have Shaq (strained shoulder) or Anderson Varejao (hip contusion) . . . but they did have J.J. Hickson, their emerging stud power forward.  Was it enough?

No.  The Cavs fell 108-91.

It figures.  This game was in D.C., where the Cavs have now lost five straight.  They can't win at the Verizon Center in the regular season.  The playoffs?  That's not a problem.

The first 15 minutes were pretty awesome. 

The Cavs' offense was rocking.  There first 12 baskets were assisted, meaning that the ball movement was superb.  LeBron James had seven assists in the first quarter;  Mo Williams had five.  (Since that's such a sustainable clip, LeBron was on pace to have 28 assists, while Mo was in line for 20.)  (?)

The good play continued into the second. 

Delonte West, who played in his second straight game, was playing tough defense.  He had two blocks on the perimeter, and several knockaways.  On the offensive side, the ball movement continued to be good . . . and the Cavs were able to take advantage of Darnell Jackson's offensive rebounding to get some second chance points.

At one point, the Cavs were up 17.  And then the eroding began.  And then the hole-digging began.  And then they ended up losing by 17.  (It was a perfect pendulum swing, which is definitely cool.  If you're into that sort of thing.)

J.J. Hickson: "The Prince of Fresh Air"

All things considered, it wouldn't have been surprising if the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors by 50 points.  It also wasn't surprising that they ended up winning by six.

Several Cavaliers had great individual nights in Tuesday night's 114-108 win over the Warriors at The Q, but the team as a whole did not have a good night. 

It's difficult to be too hard on the Cavs . . . who just won their fifth game in a row, to push their record to 8-3 on the season . . . so I'm making the executive decision not to.  After all, this is my blog.

Before we talk Cavs, let me just say Golden State me totally nonplussed.

The Warriors dressed (a league-minimum) eight players, and had seven who were actually available to play.  And one of those players, Vladimir Radmanovic, was playing in his first game as a Warrior, after just coming from Charlotte in the infamous Stephen Jackson trade.

However, all seven of those players scored in double-figures against the Cavs . . . and seemingly all of them can run four-second 40s, get a shot off within the first five seconds of the shot clock, and score enough for them to play sub-YMCA level defense.

It's the strangest system in all of basketball . . . if you can actually consider it basketball.  Yes, they have super quick players.  Yes, they have super athletic players.  Yes, they have super lethal shooters. 

But what the hell are they doing?  Are they just hoping to make it to the playoffs by winning 55 trap games against the 29 teams that actually try to play defense?  If so, it hasn't worked so far.  Their three wins (against Memphis, Minnesota, and New York) have come against teams that, like the Warriors, are in last place in their respective divisions.

[Technically, the New York Knicks have the second-worst record, after the New Jersey Nets, in the Atlantic Division.  But since I'm from Cleveland, I consider both New York-area teams to be under the same evil umbrella . . . for acting like their abysmal organizations have a chance to steal our superstar.]

Again, though, their offense is something to watch . . . whatever it is.  

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. (?)  

Can Antonio Daniels See Where He's Going???

Is Antonio Daniels coming to the Cavaliers or not?

Just as everyone seemed to dismiss the possibility of signing 34-year-old point guard Antonio Daniels (who recently agreed to a buyout with the Minnesota Timberwolves) . . . there's a new rumor making the rounds that suggests a deal may be imminent.

Here's the latest, according to a new report on Hoopsworld:

"Antonio Daniels worked out for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday and could reach an agreement with the team in coming days, a source close to the situation tells Hoopsworld. Cleveland has shown interest in Daniels since he was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves several weeks ago.

"Daniels' top choice remains the Cavaliers and he's awaiting an offer from the team before working out for other suitors.  Cleveland has also asked Daniels' camp not to speak with other teams, suggesting that an agreement between the two sides could come shortly."

It's hard to know what to think of this.

Suddenly, it seems like Daniels sees himself in Cleveland . . . and is just waiting for Danny Ferry to hand him a pen.  But . . .

Just last week, Hoopsworld reported that Daniels was close to a decision . . . and insinuated that he'd cooled on Cleveland, because he was concerned about his "minutes and role on the team."

Likewise, Cleveland was probably stepping away from the table because Delonte West had just returned to the team and Mo Williams had regrouped from a slow start and a minor preseason groin injury.

Even though Delonte and Mo haven't played consistently yet this season . . . and even if Daniels relaxes his stance on minutes and a "role" . . . it's hard to see how this makes sense right now.

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?

The State of the Cavaliers - #1 - LeBron Kicks the Flu with a Bang

[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.]

LeBron James bounced back from the flu, which . . . like everything bad that happens to LeBron . . . initially sent a panic through the hearts of Cavs fans.

The progression went something like this:  He's sick-sick!  He's "throw up"-sick!  He has Swine Flu!

But after last Friday's game, he appears to be back in form . . . and he also caps our very first State of the Cavaliers rundown.  Here's the complete list:

#1.)  LeBron James. 

It's tempting to give someone else a shot at #1 since LeBron has only played in four of the six preseason games, but you can't ignore how superhuman James is.  On Friday night, he proved he was over the flu by scoring 22 points and grabbing six rebounds in just 19 minutes.  He's averaging a team-high 15.0 points.

#2.)  J.J. Hickson.

J.J. has also missed a few preseason games . . . but really, who hasn't?  J.J. has been one of the best surprises in camp so far.  He's played four games, and been pretty impressive in all of them.  He's averaging 12.8 points a game on (a team-best) 61% shooting.  He's also averaging 4.3 rebounds a game.  

#3.)  Jamario Moon.

Not sure why Jamario had to have his wisdom teeth out in the middle of his first training camp with the Cavs . . . but regardless, he's exceeded expectations in the four games he has played in.  He's averaging 11.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game, and he's somehow nailing 60% of his 3-pointers.

#4.)  Anthony Parker.

AP is one of the three players on the Cavs 20-man preseason roster (and the only starter) to play in all six preseason games.  He has yet to have a real "breakthrough" moment so far, but he's been both solid and consistent . . . and that's what we're going to need from him, considering the uncertainty surrounding Delonte West.  He's shooting at a 53% clip.