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KeepItRealOrElse
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 Posted: Sun Jan 25, 2015 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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| they're better with Mozgov, no doubt. |
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| Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 8:16 pm Post subject: |
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| State of the Cavaliers: In Trouble |
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LandsbergerRules
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| Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| lakers0505 wrote: | Whatever you do, don't look at Wiggins January numbers, Cavalier fans.  |
Haha, I hope they're kicking themselves for trading him for years to come.
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activeverb
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| Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 12:34 am Post subject: |
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| LandsbergerRules wrote: | | lakers0505 wrote: | | Whatever you do, don't look at Wiggins January numbers, Cavalier fans. |
Haha, I hope they're kicking themselves for trading him for years to come. |
Hard to say. Wiggins is a solid rookie, but his January numbers have been in a swoon since the time the guy before you lauded them. I wouldn't bet the house at this point that Wiggins is going to be better than Love. And I am not convinced, even with Love's somewhat lackluster performance, that the Cavs would take back the trade if they could. They are in win-now mode and Love is still better for that goal that Wiggens would be for them. |
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doughboy90650
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| Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 5:57 pm Post subject: |
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| They're in a fight with the Pistons |
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jodeke
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| Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:32 am Post subject: |
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Kyrie dropped 55. Is this good or bad for the Cavs? Will this cause a clash between him and LBJ? I don't think so. I believe it will cause them to become more of a dynamic duo.
LeBron is the type of player who's more of a willing passer than most with his talent. I surmise it may cause him to defer when he should take over, something that will work itself out.
The team now knows it can win without James and will give them, the team, more confidence.
I stick with them winning the East.
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improper
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| Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:37 am Post subject: |
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| Lakers2001 wrote: | | Uhmm didnt they have spurt like this earlier? I'm still not sold on them until the playoffs. |
They did, but during that streak they were just outscoring teams. During this streak they're playing good to great defense and have been able to scrape out wins despite a couple of poor shooting nights.
What it all comes down to is depth. Prior to the trades they made earlier this month, the Cavs weren't a deep team primarily due to the fact that Mike Miller just hasn't been able to do much for them (although no doubt he'll drain five threes in some random playoff game) and they were dealing with injuries. When you think about it, they effectively swapped Dion Waiters for three NBA quality guys. Mozgov gives them a defensive anchor in the paint and Smith and Shumpert have solidified their wing rotation so that they don't have guys like Dellavedova and Harris playing big minutes.
Quite simply, they just look like a totally different team. They're competing every night now and playing with energy all the time, even when shots aren't falling. If you watched the Cavs earlier this season and watched them now, you wouldn't even think you were watching the same team. Take last night for example. Earlier this year they would have folded against a good team without LeBron. Instead, Kyrie put the team on his back offensively when no one else could get it going and they played well enough on defense to keep the Blazers from ever pulling ahead. That would not have happened a month ago. |
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Aeneas Hunter
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| Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 10:18 am Post subject: |
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| Lebron has also been playing at an MVP level, despite missing the last game. Love has been getting into the flow as the season progresses. The defense looks a lot more sound. Overall, I'd give the Cavs a decent shot at coming out the East. They could hit the Hawks as early as the second round. That would be an interesting series. |
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doughboy90650
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| Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 11:40 pm Post subject: |
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| JR Smif Was a Godsend for them. |
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lakersken80
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:05 am Post subject: |
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| JR Smith going to Cleveland is gonna be like CWebb going to the Kings....both needed to go to a place where they can focus on playing basketball. |
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activeverb
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 12:19 am Post subject: |
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| doughboy90650 wrote: | | JR Smif Was a Godsend for them. |
Smith, Mozgov and Shumpert fit their needs perfectly. And Waiters was addition by subtraction. |
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rwongega
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Murdock
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 5:37 am Post subject: |
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| The Cavs are now near shoe-ins for the finals and a legitimate contender for the championship, as expected. |
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improper
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 6:17 am Post subject: |
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They really need to give Love a few games off either before or after the All-Star break so he gets an extended vacation. You can tell his back is bothering him and he needs a couple of weeks to get it right. Their frontcourt depth would be nonexistent with him out, but once LeBron is back he and Marion can split some minutes at the four and Thompson can play more than the 28 minutes he's averaging right now.
Either way, they need to get Love healthy. I'd shut him down after the Minnesota game this weekend until after the All-Star break if I were the Cavs. Let him play against his former team and then give him some time off. |
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Aeneas Hunter
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 6:36 am Post subject: |
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| Murdock wrote: | | The Cavs are now near shoe-ins for the finals and a legitimate contender for the championship, as expected. |
I don't know about them being shoo-ins, but I definitely feel sorry for folks like the OP right now. It must be painful. |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:05 am Post subject: |
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Cavs are coming together a bit. I'd expect to see another 2 week "vacation" for Lebron before the playoffs too.
Love got snubbed for the All-Star (when he was one in 2014 with T-Wolves). Chris Bosh was right about how Love will have to get used to being the 3rd option.
I can see Love genuinely exploring other options. Not sure he wants to be relegated as 3rd fiddle, non-all star for the duration of his career, even if it's on a winning team.
Would be nice since Cavs are hopelessly over or near the cap next season with or without Love.
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improper
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:34 am Post subject: |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: | Cavs are coming together a bit. I'd expect to see another 2 week "vacation" for Lebron before the playoffs too.
Love got snubbed for the All-Star (when he was one in 2014 with T-Wolves). Chris Bosh was right about how Love will have to get used to being the 3rd option.
I can see Love genuinely exploring other options. Not sure he wants to be relegated as 3rd fiddle, non-all star for the duration of his career, even if it's on a winning team.
Would be nice since Cavs are hopelessly over or near the cap next season with or without Love. |
To be fair, the main reason Love isn't an All-Star isn't his play. He's averaging 17-10. Those are All-Star numbers in the Eastern Conference. Hell, Chris Bosh made the game last year averaging 16-7.
The reason Love didn't make the game was because of the Cavs' slow start. Their record isn't as good as many people expected it to be for a variety of issues, and thus the fans didn't vote in anyone other than LeBron (remember, Kyrie got voted in last year) and the coaches didn't see fit to reward the team with three All-Stars. Given that Kyrie has had the better season and is the reigning All-Star MVP, he got the secondary nod.
If the Cavs come out next year playing like they have been during their current winning streak, Love would absolutely make the All-Star game averaging 17-10. If the Cavs were the best team in the East right now, or even the second seed, he likely would have been voted in. He was just a victim of circumstance, and that likely won't continue now that the Cavs have roster depth and are meshing. |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 7:38 am Post subject: |
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| improper wrote: | | yinoma2001 wrote: | Cavs are coming together a bit. I'd expect to see another 2 week "vacation" for Lebron before the playoffs too.
Love got snubbed for the All-Star (when he was one in 2014 with T-Wolves). Chris Bosh was right about how Love will have to get used to being the 3rd option.
I can see Love genuinely exploring other options. Not sure he wants to be relegated as 3rd fiddle, non-all star for the duration of his career, even if it's on a winning team.
Would be nice since Cavs are hopelessly over or near the cap next season with or without Love. |
To be fair, the main reason Love isn't an All-Star isn't his play. He's averaging 17-10. Those are All-Star numbers in the Eastern Conference. Hell, Chris Bosh made the game last year averaging 16-7.
The reason Love didn't make the game was because of the Cavs' slow start. Their record isn't as good as many people expected it to be for a variety of issues, and thus the fans didn't vote in anyone other than LeBron (remember, Kyrie got voted in last year) and the coaches didn't see fit to reward the team with three All-Stars. Given that Kyrie has had the better season and is the reigning All-Star MVP, he got the secondary nod.
If the Cavs come out next year playing like they have been during their current winning streak, Love would absolutely make the All-Star game averaging 17-10. If the Cavs were the best team in the East right now, or even the second seed, he likely would have been voted in. He was just a victim of circumstance, and that likely won't continue now that the Cavs have roster depth and are meshing. |
My point is that for the foreseeable future, as LBJ/Irving are the clear 1-2 pecking order, Love will be the clear cut #3 option. Hell, JR Smith sometimes gets more shots than Love.
From a branding standpoint, getting rings helps. But he may lose out on All-Star bids with the Cavs, and he may want out to find a place where he can be more prominently featured.
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activeverb
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:09 am Post subject: |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: |
From a branding standpoint, getting rings helps. But he may lose out on All-Star bids with the Cavs, and he may want out to find a place where he can be more prominently featured. |
If, I had my way the two words I'd retire from LG are "branding" and "legacy." They get thrown around a lot but only a very very very small number of players have either in a meaningful way 
Anyway, Love spent his first six years as the star of a team that didn't sniff the playoffs. So I wouldn't pretend to guess what's important to him or what he's going to do. |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 8:36 am Post subject: |
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| activeverb wrote: | | yinoma2001 wrote: |
From a branding standpoint, getting rings helps. But he may lose out on All-Star bids with the Cavs, and he may want out to find a place where he can be more prominently featured. |
If, I had my way the two words I'd retire from LG are "branding" and "legacy." They get thrown around a lot but only a very very very small number of players have either in a meaningful way
Anyway, Love spent his first six years as the star of a team that didn't sniff the playoffs. So I wouldn't pretend to guess what's important to him or what he's going to do. |
Ok. But branding is important to these young players today. I don't like it, but it is what it is.
I can see him leaving what appears as a reasonable spot in Clev. for other places. I could see him opting in, then cashing out in 2016 when the cap rises too. Yes, there are lots of avenues, including the branding angle too.
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improper
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 10:15 am Post subject: |
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| yinoma2001 wrote: | | From a branding standpoint, getting rings helps. But he may lose out on All-Star bids with the Cavs, and he may want out to find a place where he can be more prominently featured. |
My point was that, if the Cavs play like they are capable of going forward, Love won't be missing out on All-Star bids again. He missed out this year because, until they traded for Mozgov, Smith, and Shumpert to address weaknesses and provide depth, the Cavs were a disappointment with a record that didn't really deserve three All-Stars. If the Cavs were a top two team in the East right now, Love would be on that squad with his 17-10.
Again, he was a victim of circumstance.
And let's be real here...Love's best chance for great branding is on a team with the current face of the NBA and best player (LeBron) and the reigning All-Star MVP who has been fantastic at marketing since entering the league (Kyrie), the latter of which Love has already made a wildly successful commercial with. He's not going to have it better somewhere else being the number one option on another lottery team. He's tried that already and hated it. |
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yinoma2001
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| Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2015 10:58 am Post subject: |
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| improper wrote: | | yinoma2001 wrote: | | From a branding standpoint, getting rings helps. But he may lose out on All-Star bids with the Cavs, and he may want out to find a place where he can be more prominently featured. |
My point was that, if the Cavs play like they are capable of going forward, Love won't be missing out on All-Star bids again. He missed out this year because, until they traded for Mozgov, Smith, and Shumpert to address weaknesses and provide depth, the Cavs were a disappointment with a record that didn't really deserve three All-Stars. If the Cavs were a top two team in the East right now, Love would be on that squad with his 17-10.
Again, he was a victim of circumstance.
And let's be real here...Love's best chance for great branding is on a team with the current face of the NBA and best player (LeBron) and the reigning All-Star MVP who has been fantastic at marketing since entering the league (Kyrie), the latter of which Love has already made a wildly successful commercial with. He's not going to have it better somewhere else being the number one option on another lottery team. He's tried that already and hated it. |
You could be right, but look at a guy who was a perennial all star in Dwight Howard. Was a starting center too, but leaves Lakers for Houston. Loses fan's votes and All-Star reserve last season.
Misses the All-Star entirely this year (and yes, his injuries affected it, but he still was voted in while hurt as a Laker).
I think if Love is on the Lakers for example, he still manages to become an all-star this year. In Clev., may be a struggle for him to make the All-Star every year IMO.
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Steve007
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:34 pm Post subject: |
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| Murdock wrote: | | The Cavs are now near shoe-ins for the finals and a legitimate contender for the championship, as expected. |
Why are the Cavs such a sure thing? They are not the Miami Heat of the past four years. They haven't even accomplished as much as the Atlanta Hawks. So why should Atlanta get disrespected while Cleveland gets instant respect? |
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Steve007
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 9:38 pm Post subject: Re: State of the Cavaliers |
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| LakersMDGurl wrote: | | I am loving how the Cavs are imploding!! I was never one of those fans who believed LBJ "went home". I feel it was a calculated move leaving Miami after they got beat by the Spurs. LBJ thought the Cavs were younger, and he could field his own championship team and ride into the sunset of rings!!!! WRONG !!! ! |
Why does it have to be either one or the other? Why can't both be reasons why Lebron returned to Cleveland? Even if the Cavs roster was the main reason he returned, I don't find it hard to believe that the idea of returning home had some appeal to him. |
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Lakers2001
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| Posted: Sat Jan 31, 2015 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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Just because they go on a few mini spurts and damn yall are already giving them the championship  I dont think Blatt can beat the guy in Atlanta or Thibs in a 7 game series. Kyrie is one of those players that score 55 pts and have no impact on the game other than padding his own stats. Same with JR Smith who for whatever reason every team he's on comes up short in the playoffs. Bosh and Wade had more of a impact on games then the cast LBJ has now. Oh how can i forget K Love the guy who spent all those years in MIN and they still havent been in a decade.
Remember our own 2012-2013 squad went 27-10 after the ASB or something like that but still was a hot mess. |
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