Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen will replace injured Orlando Magic guard Jameer Nelson next week in the NBA All-Star Game.Allen was added to the Eastern Conference team on Thursday by commissioner David Stern after Nelson was forced to pull out because of a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
This is really getting stupid. The Celtics and Magic each have 3 All-Stars and the Cavs still only have one. Awesome.
If you actually watch Cleveland Cavaliers basketball and honestly think that they only deserve one All-Star or that this is a one man team, you're an idiot who has no clue about basketball (or life). Please, just piss this team off more. I'll take that extra motivation.
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As far as trades go, take Elton Brand out of the running:
Elton Brand’s first season in Philadelphia is over.
Brand will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder Monday, reducing the 76ers’ marquee free-agent to only 29 games. Brand was first injured Dec. 17 against Milwaukee and has played in six games since his return.
He signed a five-year deal worth nearly $80 million in July and averaged only 13.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in 29 games. Brand missed all but nine games of last season with a torn Achillies’.
I would've liked Brand, but his injury history scared me. Now that he's out (along with Michael Redd and probably Gerald Wallace) the Cavs can focus on a select few.
Chris Bosh isn't one of those few. Don't expect the Cavs to trade for him. They don't have the parts. Cleveland can offer Wally, JJ, Boobie and picks for Bosh and Kapono, but if Miami is offering Beasley and Marion (and picks), I don't see how the Cavs can compete. And if Portland decides to make a run, it's over. No one can compete with their young talent. (And if I'm the Raptors, I look to trade him this season, at least you could entice a team for two playoff runs. If you try next offseason, teams would just be getting a 1-year rental).
I'd like the Cavs to save their cash and go after Bosh in 2010, but I won't lie, I'm slightly intriuged by this:
Perhaps signaling a willingness to dismantle their roster, the Phoenix Suns have begun exchanging trade proposals with teams for All-Star forward Amare Stoudemire, league executives told Yahoo! Sports on Thursday.
With dysfunction and dissension reigning within the Suns, rival front-office executives believe general manager Steve Kerr is determined to move Stoudemire and others before the Feb. 19 trade deadline.
Ferry and Kerr were teammates... just throwing it out there. But do the Cavs want Amare? I dunno. I've never been a huge Stoudemire guy; I've always thought he was a bit overrated (he's got a great first step, that's about it) and I've never liked his attitude, but the guy is REALLY talented. However, his defense is horrendous. Now, the Cavs have Mike Brown, but I'm not sure how coachable Amare actually is. Plus, would he be content to play second fiddle next to Bron-Bron? I dunno.
At this point, I'm leaning towards not doing anything and hoping Joe Smith gets bought out. This team has held its ground in the face of injuries and flu-like symptoms, they look pretty damn good. Don't get me wrong, I'd like to add a piece, but for what price? If the Cavs can get someone like Mike Miller (who makes $9 mil this year and next) cheaply (aka for Wally), I'll be OK. But unless they're really high on Vince Carter, then I say stand pat.
We have two more weeks....
10 comments:
well, I'm an idiot and I don't mind it - Mo is a borderline All-Star at best, and Allen certainly deserves it over anybody else left off. Iverson is the one guy that doesn't belong, but I have no problems with whom the the coaches and Stern picked once the fans botched the call. I like Mo a whole helluva of a lot but his game is suspect on too many levels to be placed among the game's elite IMO.
As to Amare, in this case I may be a true idiot, because I don't want him. And the idea of Bosh scares me. First, I don't think we can truly acquire either. Secondly, I question relying on a guy like Amare who has already had a.) a major knee injrury and b.) a "cancer" incident in Phoenix....his attitude is disconcerning to say the least.
Along the same lines as Amare, Bosh concerns me because we'd give up so much to get him, and we'd have to drop more to fit Bosh and LeBron into one salary space, as they'd both command max contracts. We'd have nothing to support these guys. I'd rather keep J.J. for the future while not paying shit tons to a guy who basically excels at the mid-range game (sorry, that's what Bosh does by and large...the rest of his game does rise above the rest).
We simply don't have the pieces for either guy, so I'm not worried either way. But the key is to move slow and steady. This team is set to win now and for the years to come, but adding another player will help. The key is not overplay (or underplay) your hand.
Ferry isn't making a blockbuster move. I wrote a column that threw a bunch of names out there, but after the Knicks game, I started to reconsider.
I don't think Ferry really wants to trade Wally unless a Stoudemire or Carter or Bosh is to be had. But I find it hard to believe that any of those players will move before the deadline. This summer, maybe another story. And lest we forget, The Cavs will have Ben Wallace's $14+ million to work with as an expiring deal this summer.
I actually think it's going to be a quiet deadline with regard to the contenders. The Lakers would seem to be the team most likely to make a move with the loss of Bynum, but even they seem to be in a wait-and-see mode. The Magic added Tyronn Lue already, and the Celtics and Cavs don't really have a reason to make a move unless something falls into their laps.
My guess is that Wally stays put. He's helping the team with his play and Ferry would much rather have his $13.75 million come off the Cavs' books than some other team's.
If the Cavs make a move, I doubt it will involve a rotation player. It might involve their first-round pick and/or Darnell Jackson in a Flip Murray kind of deal. But I'm about 95 percent sure Wally, Sasha and Hickson are staying put. The other 5 percent is reserved in case Steve Kerry does, in fact, call Ferry and offer up Amare.
Steve Kerr. Not a democratic Freudian slip. I just typed it too fast.
What I keep telling myself is that Z would've made had he been healthy. And I understand that Mo's stats aren't out of this world (and one could argue that Allen should've made it ahead of Pierce).
But that Cavs made a single move this offseason. Trading for Mo. They went from a team that plays .500-550 ball to a team that plays .850 ball. I'm not sure adding a role player does that (or borderline All-Star).
I wouldn't mind them trying to deal for a Raja Bell type or something. Trade Pavs for Bell and then pick up a bought-out Joe Smith. That'll improve the team, without doing anything crazy.
I'd love adding Raja and Joe Smith or someone like him. They'd fit in great here I think, and it wouldn't mess with our future plans. I really hope Joe Smith gets bought out and comes here (and doesn't go to Boston)
Gotta agree with Erik - A couple weeks ago I thought for sure Wally would not be moved but now it does seem like we'll be standing pat, which is crazy (not in a bad, just never thought it would happen). Plus, Wally's is playing really well. I still wonder if they'd like to add a guy like Brad Miller if the Kings would do it straight up for Wally, and then work out a buy out so Wally could come back.
And Orlando losing Nelson has to change the Cavs approach. There were some matchups issues with the Magic that may have forced the Cavs to get a perimeter guy to deal with that lineup, but Nelson provided a lot of penetration that would break down a defense and leave their shooters wide open. I think they're really gonna miss him. Now, the Cavs will focus on beating Boston, which is a different matchup and one I think the Cavs are better suited for.
Ben - I agree on both points regarding Z and Mo. Z woulda been an all-star I think. And you do have to give Mo a lot of credit for the Cavs turn around. He's been very good and his presence alone helps James out. I just can't get upset about him not being in the all-star game though.
No way on Amare. He's awful on defense, and only gets 9 boards a game, which at his talent level is ridiculous.
I'd take him in three years when he realizes winning is as important as scoring.
Brian, I think I agree with you about Amare. I just have a hard time saying no to 26 PF who averages 22 and 8.
But his rebounding is weak and his defense is horrendous. It's probably not worth it, but I'd be quite tempted.
(I don't see how Portland doesn't land either Bosh or Amare, how can they not?)
at this point, i would say the only way they should trade wally-world is only if someone is dumb enough to give us a pau gasol-type salary dump like what memphis did with the lakers last year. if the cavs can get a bosh, amare or an antawn jamison without giving up andy, boobie, jj or anyone else in the regular rotation, well then i'm all for it. otherwise, i say the cavs should just let wally's expiring contract come off their own books and see what's available on the free agent market in the off-season. you don't make trades just to make a trade. you make a trade that makes sense all the way around.
Maybe Amare would be a better defender and rebounder if he were placed in a system that emphasized those things. Mike Brown would hammer defense and rebounding into Amare's head, but he might encounter a good deal of resistance at first, simply because Amare's been programmed to think about scoring and only scoring.
If you put Amare into Mike Brown's system, one of two things would happen: Either Amare would realize that he needs to play defense to win and would become a great all-around player, or he'd become bitter that he's not the focal point of the offense, and Brown would have another Larry Hughes-type malcontent on his hands.
If the outcome is the former, Stoudemire could become an all-time great. If it's the latter, he would go on to cement his reputation as a guy who is only worried about his own stat line -- and a guy who will probably never win a ring.
and the question is, how confident are you that you can sign Bosh in 2010? If you think you have more than a good chance, you can't take that Amare risk. But if you think Bosh is a long shot, then you go after Amare
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