Cavaliers Notes: Kirilenko, James, Blatt
In need of an athletic defender on the wing, the Cavaliers are keeping an eye on Andrei Kirilenko‘s situation with the Nets, reports Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group. Kirilenko was rumored this week to be involved in a possible trade to the Sixers, who are expected to waive him if the deal goes through. He is making more than $3.3MM this season and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. Here’s more from Cleveland:
- LeBron James told Joe Vardon of Northeast Ohio Media Group he is accepting blame for the Cavaliers‘ slow start, and that was before Saturday’s 17-point loss to the Raptors. “I can sustain my effort as well, as close to 48 minutes as possible, and the guys that feed off me,” James said. “I’ve been kind of waiting around a little bit to see what may happen, sometimes it’s been good, sometimes it hasn’t been good.” James was expected to make the Cavs instant contenders after he left the Heat to join the team as a free agent during the summer, but Cleveland has struggled to a 5-7 start.
- James also took a hit from Chris Fedor of Northeast Ohio Media Media Group, who said the best player in the NBA hasn’t performed like it during the Cavaliers‘ four-game losing streak. Fedor faults James for poor play and bad body language and says as team leader James needs to set a better example for his impressionable teammates.
- Saturday night’s collapse offered more proof that the Cavaliers are “fragile,” opines Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. That was James’ assessment of the team, and Amico wholeheartedly agrees, pointing out the inexperience of rookie head coach David Blatt, a weak bench that was outscored 51-19 by the Raptors’ reserves and a consistently poor defensive effort.
Eastern Notes: McDaniels, Sixers, Cavs, Pistons
With the Sixers season already taking a turn for the worse, rookie K.J. McDaniels needs to play more, argues Tom Moore of Calkins Media. McDaniels, who signed an unusual deal for a second-round draft pick that keeps him under contract for only one season, is averaging 9.3 points per game while playing only 22.6 minutes per game. If McDaniels continues to show potential, he could end up with a more lucrative deal than most players with his experience and draft status. If that is the case, his success may pave the way for other second-round picks to emulate his strategy of signing just a one-year deal, though that is just my speculation.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- The Sixers do not have a timetable for when the team’s turnaround will begin, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The team began this season with a record of 0-12. Pompey compares the club to the 2007 SuperSonics, who lost their first eight games on their way to 20-62 record. The main difference between the two teams is that the Sonics had Kevin Durant during his rookie season, while the Sixers currently lack so much talent that many suggest the top team in college could beat them.
- Kevin Love hasn’t looked like the superstar who many people hailed him as last summer, writes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. Kawakami also cites the Cavs’ current need for an additional wing defender as further evidence that the team shouldn’t have traded Andrew Wiggins. While Wiggins isn’t totally developed as an NBA player, defense is one of his specialties. Cleveland is reportedly one of the teams looking to add Wolves defensive specialist Corey Brewer to its roster.
- If the Pistons attempt to trade any of their players this season, Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings make the most sense as candidates due to their large contracts, opines David Mayo of MLive.com in his weekly mailbag. Although trading one or both of these players would financially benefit the team long term, Detroit has no financial urgency to move either contract as the team will be comfortably under the NBA’s salary cap this offseason. Mayo suggests that while the team may have the financial flexibility to re-sign Greg Monroe, it is unlikely he stays since he already turned down a substantial offer from the Pistons and is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Cavs Notes: Love, James, Miller, Blatt
Kevin Love has had to sacrifice his game the most out of any player on the Cavs thus far this season, Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer writes. Love is playing the same 36 minutes a game as a year ago, but is taking five fewer shots each contest, notes Pluto. This is something that Chris Bosh, LeBron’s former teammate with the Heat, predicted would happen prior to the season, and it has been a struggle for Love to find his place and playing rhythm as a result, Pluto adds.
Here’s more from Cleveland:
- The Cavs need to get a good look at Mike Miller in order to see if the veteran can still be productive, Pluto opines. Miller is only averaging 1.1 points per game and logging 11.1 minutes per night, which isn’t a smart return for a player the team inked to a two-year, $5.5MM deal this past summer.
- With Cleveland’s defense currently ranked 23rd in the league in points allowed (102 per game), GM David Griffin would prefer to use his $5,285,816 trade exception for a big man, rather than a shooting guard such as the Wolves’ Corey Brewer, Pluto reports.
- Despite the Cavs assembling a superstar laden roster this season, there isn’t the same animosity directed at this Cleveland squad as the vitriol that was thrown towards the Heat’s “Big Three,” Mike Ganter of The Toronto Sun writes. Much of this has to do with LeBron James returning home rather than leaving it, as well as a number of talented players on the Cavs roster being in place before James’ arrival, Ganter adds.
- Despite the extremely small sample size of 11 games, this year’s Cavs squad doesn’t look like they enjoy playing together, and there appears to be a distinct lack of communication on the team, something that could end up costing head coach David Blatt his job, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group opines.
Eastern Notes: LeBron, Brand, George
Despite the Cavs‘ early struggles LeBron James insists that he isn’t losing patience, and while he doesn’t like losing, he is happy with the effort the team is giving, something Cleveland fans took as signaling this was a rebuilding year for the Cavs, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. James acknowledged that in a way, the franchise was rebuilding, notes Haynes.
“We put a lot of pieces together that weren’t here last year,” James said. “I don’t want to say rebuilding. I think when people think of rebuilding, they think of starting from the ground up. We are a team that wasn’t together last year so [we] have the same struggles as the 76ers or teams like the Miami Heat right now. And us, we have some of the same qualities as far as putting new guys together. Obviously the talent is a little bit different on every team, but coming together and going through a new system [is the same]. We have a new coach, we have a new staff, and we have new players.”
Here’s more from the east:
- Though he’s only made two appearances thus far for Atlanta this season, Elton Brand is happy that he chose to re-sign with the Hawks this past summer, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “It’s kind of what I expected coming here,” Brand said. “I look at the teams that I could have been with. Some are doing well. Dallas said ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to come back?’ Some other teams I could have played a lot of minutes with are doing really bad. So, would I want to be there? I believe in our talent, what we have and I’m glad I’m here.”
- Paul George still believes that he can recover from the broken leg he suffered while playing for Team USA this summer in time to return to the Pacers by April, Michael Marot of The Associated Press writes. “It’s a goal, for sure, to have an opportunity to play this year,” George said. “We have a good team and one of my goals is to come back and try and help this team out any way I can.”
- But Indiana’s head coach Frank Vogel continued to preach caution regarding his star, Marot adds. “It’s up to the doctors to see where he’s at,” Vogel said. “He [George] really hasn’t done much activity other than walking around and shooting around. It’s still very unlikely he’ll play this season.”
Eastern Notes: Anthony, McDermott, Haywood
In an interview with Eli Saslow of ESPN: The Magazine (hat tip to Marc Berman of The New York Post), Carmelo Anthony said that coming to New York to play for the Knicks distorted his reputation and did not enhance it. “I’m more misunderstood than most people,” Anthony said. “As an athlete, you don’t really have a voice. Everything you say or do, people have a million opinions about it, so it doesn’t really get heard the way you want it to get heard. People are putting things on you and shaping your reputation, and you don’t really have control. People say I am all about more money, but it’s not like that. It’s about having the appearance of someone with success. Image and reputation matter to me. If you’re being honest, they matter to everybody. Money is about people thinking of you as someone who does well.”
Here’s more from the east:
- Anthony also added that he isn’t fond of critics opining before each season on whether he will finally prove himself as a winner. “People say every year is the one that will determine if I’m great or terrible, if I’ve met expectations or been a disappointment,” Anthony said. “To be honest with you, I’m tired of it.” With the Knicks‘ record a disappointing 3-10, it doesn’t look like this will be the season ‘Melo silences his critics.
- Despite entering the league with four years of college experience and having won numerous awards during that time, Doug McDermott admitted that it’s not easy being a rookie and that he is still trying to find his way with the Bulls, Jesse Blancarte of Basketball Insiders writes. “I’m still kind of establishing a role to be honest,” McDermott said. “It’s still really early, and I’m just trying to get my feet wet and learn more things defensively and the playbook, and everything’s coming along great. So I’m making steps, but I think it’s still early and I think I can have a really good role on this team, not just as a shooter, but overall just a good role.”
- Brendan Haywood understands that the appeal of his non-guaranteed contract for next season makes him a more valuable trade asset than on-the-court contributor for the Cavs, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. “I don’t worry about it because at the end of the day, I can’t do anything about it,” Haywood said. “If somebody views my contract as an asset or the team feels they can get something in that can help them or shed salary, they’re going to do what they’re going to do because that’s what they have to do.”
Wolves Discussing Corey Brewer Trade
1:58pm: Saunders suggested today that Brewer is too valuable to the Wolves for the team to move him, tweets Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press.
THURSDAY, 10:48am: Houston has become a more likely destination for Brewer than Cleveland, though the situation remains in flux, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Rockets are ready to make a move immediately, Stein adds (Twitter link), echoing a report from Wednesday that the team is anxious to use its Jeremy Lin trade exception. The Cavs are still deciding whether they should make the addition of a rim-protector a higher priority than bringing aboard a wing defender like Brewer, according to Stein.
5:28pm: Cleveland is “unquestionably” interested in acquiring Brewer, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who hears from a Cavs official who describes the swingman as a perfect fit, in part because he would allow the team to keep Dion Waiters out of the starting lineup. Still, the Rockets have as much chance as the Cavs do to land Brewer, Amico adds, suggesting that the Wolves are indeed in no hurry to trade him.
MONDAY, 3:35pm: Wolves coach/executive Flip Saunders tried to bat down the rumor today, telling reporters that the team won’t rush into a decision, as Andy Greder of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 5:16pm: A key factor for a team acquiring Brewer is getting him to waive him player option for 2015/16, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (on Twitter) hears.
4:32pm: The Wolves are in active trade discussions regarding Corey Brewer, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The two teams mentioned as being most serious contenders interested in acquiring the 28-year-old swingman are the Rockets and the Cavaliers, notes Stein. The Wolves are reportedly seeking future assets in any deal. It is unclear if that means Minnesota is interested in a return of a younger player or draft picks for Brewer, either of which would help hasten the team’s rebuilding process.
Brewer’s primary value is as a defensive stopper on the perimeter, something that Cleveland in particular could use, and Brewer’s defensive skill is at a premium in the league with the increased focus on guard-driven offense. Brewer is also a capable transition scorer, and if he ends up in Cleveland he would reunite with former teammate Kevin Love, whose outlet passes often found Brewer in transition with great success last season, notes Stein. The other appeal that Brewer has to the Cavs is in his ability to play and defend multiple positions. And he also make sense for the Cavs as they look to get stronger at two guard to help keep LeBron James‘ minutes down.
The Rockets have been said to covet Brewer since last season, Stein notes. Houston could use depth at both the small forward and shooting guard spots, and Brewer would help solidify what is already a strong defensive unit, with the Rockets currently second in the league in fewest points allowed at a stingy 91.6 per game. Houston head coach Kevin McHale also has ties to Brewer having drafted him when he was the GM in Minnesota back in 2007.
Both the Rockets and Cavaliers currently have the league-maximum 15 players on their rosters, but each team could fit Brewer’s salary of $4,702,500 into a trade exception, meaning neither would have to send Minnesota a player in return. However, absorbing Brewer’s salary without sending anyone to the Wolves might put the Cavs into tax territory, depending on whom the team would relinquish in a separate transaction to fit Brewer beneath the 15-man roster limit. The Rockets, roughly $10MM clear of the tax threshold, have no such concerns.
Poll: Best Fit For Corey Brewer
Corey Brewer can’t single-handedly change the fortunes of an NBA franchise, but he can be a difference-maker in the title race for a team that already has its stars in place. Brewer’s six-steal performance Wednesday for the Timberwolves in a win against the Knicks is testament to the sort of effect he can have defensively. It’s no doubt with that sort of ability in mind that a pair of elite teams are reportedly in talks with the Wolves to acquire the eighth-year swingman.
Cleveland, one of those teams, is supposed to be atop the league after welcoming LeBron James back and trading for Kevin Love this past summer. Instead, the Cavs are just 5-5, allowing the fifth most points per possession in the league, according to NBA.com. Joe Harris, the 33rd overall pick from this year’s draft, is seeing significant minutes at shooting guard, a development that bodes well for the long-term future but doesn’t speak highly of the team’s perimeter depth for this season.
The Rockets, the other club linked to Brewer, are 9-3 after a 9-1 start. The Rockets have begun the season better than might have been expected after a disappointing offseason, but GM Daryl Morey is apparently anxious to use the trade exception he acquired for Jeremy Lin to fortify a rotation that lost much of its depth over the summer. Houston has the best defense in the league in terms of points allowed per possession, NBA.com shows, but if the Rockets can use their exception to acquire Brewer without giving anyone up in return, they stand a better chance of remaining a defensive force all season and into the playoffs.
The Cavs are probably more talented on the whole than the Rockets are, but that doesn’t mean everything when it comes to the acquisition of a specific player. Let us know whether you think Cleveland or Houston is the better destination for the former University of Florida standout, or if you believe he’d better serve another team. Feel free to elaborate on your choice in the comments.
Which Team Is The Best Fit For Corey Brewer?
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Cleveland Cavaliers 48% (288)
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Houston Rockets 30% (183)
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Another Team 22% (130)
Total votes: 601
Cavs Notes: Varejao, LeBron, Trades, Blatt, Kirk
Anderson Varejao isn’t sure that the Cavs didn’t resist trading him over the past few years in hopes that he might serve a lure to draw friend LeBron James back to Cleveland, but regardless of the Cavs’ intentions, Varejao’s presence paid dividends, reports Ian Thomsen of NBA.com.
“That’s a big part of the reason why I came back: It was because he was still here,” James said. “A lot of people told him he should talk about getting traded or force his way out of here, and he just stuck around, man. And I’m happy that he’s still here. He’s a big cornerstone of this franchise being here for over 10 years, and it wouldn’t be the same without him.”
Varejao will be around for a while longer after signing a three-year $30MM extension last month, and presumably he’ll continue to serve as enticement for James, who possesses a player option for next season, to stay. Here’s more from Cleveland:
- GM David Griffin acknowledges the team’s defensive shortcomings, and he’s not holding back when it comes to finding a solution, as he tells Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group. “No one is untouchable, and you’re never done building a team, so we’re always paying attention to what opportunities are out there,” Griffin said. “My tendency is always trying to do what we can do to improve the roster. But I’m not looking to create one so much as paying attention to what I’m hearing.” Still, the GM cautioned that he wouldn’t put much stock in any player movement rumors involving his team for the time being.
- The Cavs took a chance on David Blatt this summer, and despite a 5-4 start, Griffin remains confident in the first-year head coach, as Haynes relays in the same piece. “I think David has done a tremendous job,” he said. “I think his task is very large. I feel bad in a lot of ways because people have a tendency to want everything to happen right now and when it doesn’t, it has to be someone’s fault when in reality, this adversity is very organic and good for us. He’s renowned for his ability to innovate and make adjustments. I’m glad he’s our partner in this.”
- Rookie Alex Kirk is headed back on D-League assignment, the team announced. The center just returned to the big club Monday from three days with the Canton Charge, as our log of D-League assignments and recalls shows.
And-Ones: West, Draft, Butler, Jackson
Delonte West has been released by the Shanghai Sharks after making only four appearances for the team, Sam Amick of USA Today writes. West had played for the Clippers‘ summer league squad this year but was unable to secure a training camp invite. The 31-year-old guard had hoped to play his way back into the NBA but this latest setback in his career doesn’t bode well for that possibility, Amick notes. West last played in the NBA during the 2011/12 season when he made 44 appearances for the Mavericks.
Here’s more from around the league:
- With the college season underway we are getting our first good look at a number of prospects who are expected to fill out next year’s NBA draft lottery. Basketball Insiders’ Yannis Koutroupis has released his first mock draft of the season and it is headlined by the Sixers selecting Emmanuel Mudiay, who is currently displaying his wares for Guangdong of the Chinese Basketball Association, first overall.
- It originally appeared that University of Kentucky would keep NBA personnel out of their practices for much of the season after the Wildcats held an unusual October combine, but the school has let NBA teams know they’re welcome again, a source tells Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress (Twitter link).
- Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders runs down the 10 biggest surprises in the NBA so far this season, which include the stellar play of the Bulls‘ Jimmy Butler, the Cavs’ defensive woes, and Reggie Jackson putting up career-best numbers for the Thunder. Both Butler and Jackson are set to become restricted free agents next summer and the competition for their services should be increased if they can continue their early-season performances, notes Kennedy.
- Robert Covington‘s four-year, $4.2MM deal with the Sixers will pay him $1MM for the first year which includes a partial guarantee of $400K, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). Covington’s second year is also slated to pay him $1MM but is non-guaranteed, and the last two seasons are for the league minimum and include no guaranteed money, notes Pincus.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
D-League Moves: Suns, Cavs, Celtics
The D-League began its season this past weekend, and no one’s off to a hotter start than Wolves camp invitee Brady Heslip, who’s playing for the affiliate of the Kings. He’s scoring a league-leading 39.0 points per game after two contests, and while it’s early, he’s making a case to appear on an NBA roster before too long. In the meantime, several players who are already on NBA contracts spent the weekend on D-League assignment, and we’ll round up their latest comings and goings here:
- A pair of 2014 first-round picks are back with Phoenix, as the Suns have recalled No. 14 selection T.J. Warren and No. 18 pick Tyler Ennis from the D-League, the team announced. Warren put up a sizzling 36 PPG in two appearances for the Bakersfield Jam this weekend, while Ennis averaged 22.0 PPG and 7.5 assists per contest. The Suns assigned the pair to Bakersfield on Thursday.
- The Cavs have recalled Alex Kirk from the D-League, the team announced. Kirk didn’t appear in the only game the Canton Charge played during his three-day assignment, a three-overtime loss to the Sixers affiliate.
- Rookies James Young and Dwight Powell are back with Boston after a two-day D-League assignment, the Celtics announced (Twitter link). The duo scored 21 points a piece and Powell came down with 17 rebounds in a win Sunday for the Maine Red Claws.