Cavs Notes: Free Agency, Irving
The latest news and notes surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday:
- Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer says in a mailbag that it's too early to begin worrying about Kyrie Irving leaving the Cavaliers, saying that if the team surrounds him with the right pieces, there's a good chance he'll stay.
- Reed also believes that Ramon Sessions will be traded before the deadline, but that the Celtics' Rajon Rondo will not.
- Reed does not see the Cavs being in the mix for Wilson Chandler this summer if he hits restricted free agency.
- In another article, Reed examines the Cavs' upcoming cap flexibility, suggesting that Dan Gilbert may take a more conservative approach to free agency than in 2005, the last time the team had significant cap space.
- Reed also notes (via Twitter) tha Irving is close to making a decision as to whether or not to play for the Australian national team at the Summer Olympics in London.
Cavs Notes: Erden, Irving, Parker, Varejao
Three-day rests don't come along often in this lockout-shortened season, so the Cavaliers likely took full advantage of the time off they received this week. As the Cavs prepare to host Indiana tonight in their first game since Saturday, let's round up a few items out of Cleveland…
- Anderson Varejao's injury has given Semih Erden a "golden opportunity" to show what he can do, coach Byron Scott tells Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Erden will be eligible for restricted free agency after the season.
- Scott doesn't understand why people think Cleveland should lose games, writes Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio. The Cavs' coach would prefer to earn a postseason berth, even if it meant a quick first-round exit, because he feels his young players would benefit from the playoff experience.
- Amico fielded Cavs-related questions, including plenty on possible trades, in a chat earlier today.
- Kyrie Irving has been cleared by the team to return to action tonight after missing three games with a concussion, tweets Joe Gabriele of Cavs.com. Anthony Parker is also progressing and could return next week, but there's still no timetable for Varejao (Beacon Journal link).
Assessing Stocks: Cleveland Cavaliers
Portfolio Review: The Cleveland Cavaliers were dealt a blow to their season with news that center Anderson Varejao is out indefinitely with a broken wrist. While the injury probably drops the Cavaliers out of contention for the Eastern Conference’s 8th playoff seed, it likely is in their best long-term interest for that very reason.
The Cavaliers are a rebuilding project. And a much better one than originally thought due to rookie Kyrie Irving outplaying all expectations. But building around a point guard like Irving can be a double-edged sword.
Point guards like Irving (see Paul, Chris) are good enough to get a team into playoff contention fairly quickly because they mask so many deficiencies. However, those deficiencies still exist and pushing forward too fast (see the New Orleans Hornets with Chris Paul) without addressing them can have serious repercussions as the team begins to reach its potential. In a way, this was part of the problem the Cavaliers had when building around LeBron James.
Instead, this team should be stockpiling as many assets as possible while developing young players to try and acquire the type of elite talent that is generally only found with top-ten draft picks.
Prime Assets: Previously the Cavaliers were not attempting to trade Varejao, though his injury might make them more willing. Varejao is the type of player that is desirable for a number of contenders and those sitting in the bottom half of playoff brackets looking to take a step up.
Ideally Varejao would return a younger, legitimate rotation player to grow with Irving and Tristan Thompson–a player who mirrors some of the same strengths and weaknesses of Varejao–or a first round pick in the 15-20 range.
Barring a Varejao trade, point guard Ramon Sessions has been a steady backup point guard for most of his career and remains the only other player on the Cavaliers likely to return a viable rotation player. For a team like the Cavaliers that needs help everywhere, they cannot afford the luxury of redundant skill sets among their best players.
Worthless stock: Tempting as it is to throw Antawn Jamison‘s name into this slot, there is always a team out there somewhere willing to take a shot at a scorer off the bench on an expiring contract. These contracts are ultimately movable, however, generally only bring back other bad or expiring contracts. Still, there is value for moving a contributing veteran to free up developmental minutes for players that might have a future with the team.
The rest: The rest of the teams is young enough to have some redeeming value (i.e. potential), but too young and too unproven to bring back anything in return. This should be an evaluation season for the young guys, and to do so they need as many minutes as possible.
Odds & Ends: Camby, Maggette, Irving, Future Draft Prospects
- Trail Blazers center Marcus Camby suffered a right ankle injury during tonight's game against the Mavericks, as reported by Ben Golliver on BlazersEdge.com.
- Corey Maggette returned to the Bobcats' starting lineup tonight, just one day after returning to action against the Bulls. He replaces Tyrus Thomas, who had been struggling to find a niche in Paul Silas' rotation after an 18 game stint as a starter.
- Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, who has been out indefinitely due to a concussion, began the process of reinstatement by riding an exercise bike today (according to Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com). While Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer reports that there are several steps to take before Irving can be cleared to play, there is hope that the rookie can return to action soon barring any setbacks.
- Less than a month away from March Madness, there is a buzz surrounding a few heralded high school seniors who have yet to make a decision regarding which college program they will join next year. Adam Zagoria of SheridanHoops.com takes a closer look at a few players who could make waves in the NCAA next year and possibly headline the 2013 NBA draft.
Central Notes: Sessions, Rose, Irving, Pistons
Rookie sensation Kyrie Irving sustained a concussion against Miami on Tuesday, according to Tom Reed of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He is not playing tonight, and there's no timeline for his return. With averages of 18.0 PPG and 5.1 APG, Cleveland's point guard was seen by many as the front runner for Rookie of the Year before suffering this injury.
Here are some more stories from around the Central Division:
- Before tonight's game against the Nets, Detroit head coach Lawrence Frank had nothing but good things to say about guard Walker D. Russell, according to MLive.com's David Mayo. "I think his mindset is that he doesn't want this to be for just one year," he said. "So now he just has to put forth the effort and the film work and the study to stay.” Russell's contract was guaranteed yesterday afternoon.
- The Cleveland Cavaliers reportedly want a first round pick for Ramon Sessions, according to The News-Herald's Bob Finnan. With Irving out from his concussion, and there being no timetable for his return, it's likely that instead of moving him, the Cavs hang on to Sessions for the time being.
- After falling to the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, Derrick Rose sought the advice of former Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas, according to Melissa Isaacson of ESPNChicago.com. Rose has played through pain this season, with notable injuries to his toe and back. The two spoke about what it takes to be the premier player on your team from the point guard position.
Draft Notes: Irving, Harkless, Moser
The Cavs are relying on top-pick Kyrie Irving for heavy minutes, notes Tom Reed of The Cleveland Plain Dealer, and a rotation shortened by injuries is taking its toll on the team, Reed says. The heavy use must not be affecting Irving's play, however. Justin Kubatko notes in The New York Times that Kyrie Irving is quietly on his way to perhaps becoming the first rookie to ever shoot 50% from the floor, 40% from three-point range, and 80% from the free-throw line.
Here are a few notes as teams try to find the next Irving in preparation for June's draft:
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv reports multiple sources have said St. John's freshman Moe Harkless may enter the draft. The 6-foot-8 Harkless is rated as the 36th best prospect by DraftExpress.com. Zagoria quotes a scout who predicts a "great future," but wishes he'd stay another year.
- ESPN projects UNLV sophomore forward Mike Moser, a UCLA transfer, as a late first-round pick (Insider only), but Moser tells Jim Beseda of The Oregonian that he's glad to be a Rebel and isn't planning on leaving for the draft after this year.
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel wonders what would have happened if the Magic hadn't passed over Danny Granger for Fran Vasquez in the 2005 draft.
Odds & Ends: Wizards, Adelman, Irving
Notes from around the league on Monday night:
- Washington's rebuilding efforts must begin with buying out Rashard Lewis and using the amnesty clause on Andray Blatche, writes Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com. Blatche will be out three to five weeks with a strained calf muscle, coach Randy Wittman reported. The Wizards announced they're recalling center Hamady Ndiaye from the Iowa Energy, the team's D-League affiliate.
- Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman, formerly with the Rockets, says there was a lack of communication between himself and Houston owner Leslie Alexander, reports Jonathan Feigan of the Houston Chronicle.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio analyzes the progress of top-pick Kyrie Irving.
- Ben Rohrbach of WEEI's Celtics Blog says Boston's struggles this season can't be pinned on the team's bench play.
- The injury-depleted Nets may be primed to make a move. They figure to have only 10 players available for Tuesday's game with Indiana, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- Teams in need of depth on the wing won't be able to turn to Sonny Weems. His Lithuanian team told Sportando they won't be letting him out of his contract before the team's season is over.