Former Cavs GM Chris Grant has been taking a lot of heat for the state of the franchise. The team has underachieved and not all of his moves worked out, but Grant did a much better job than he’s getting credit for, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Grant walked into one of the worst situations in professional sports, opines Lloyd. Shortly after he was named GM, LeBron James departed and the rest of the roster was in shambles. The team had no pick in that summer’s draft and no players of real value left to trade away and begin the rebuilding process. According to Lloyd, Grant restocked an organization bereft of young talent and future draft picks and he never lost a trade. Grant isn’t employed anymore because the Cavs played terribly for most of this season given the preseason expectations, but those expectations existed thanks to the remarkable work he did for the past three years.
More from around the east:
- The Sixers have been rumored to be actively shopping Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, and Spencer Hawes. The team isn’t expected to retain Turner and Hawes past this summer, and would like to get something in return for them. Tom Moore of The Bucks County Courier Times examines how likely GM Sam Hinkie is to make a trade before Thursday’s deadline.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com has a different opinion on the possibility of the Sixers moving Turner. He tweeted that Turner wasn’t very likely to be moved by the deadline. The team is trying to get a first-round pick for him, and the Sixers are going to have trouble wrangling one in a trade.
- The Magic aren’t expected to be players at the trade deadline, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Kyler says they will listen to offers, but aren’t pushing to make any deals.
- Kyler also tweets that Arron Afflalo isn’t likely to be going anywhere. The Magic view him as a piece that fits their big picture plan, and his age and reasonable contract are a plus. Afflalo is averaging 19.4 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, in 36.5 MPG. Chuck Myron had profiled him as a trade candidate earlier this month.