Monthly Archives: August 2014

THE FIRST OHIO STATE DEPTH CHART FOR 2014

Click on the link below to take a look at the first Ohio State depth chart put out by Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer for the 2014 season.

Urban Meyer

Depth Chart – 

Ohio State kicks off it’s season with J.T. Barrett filling in for injured quarterback Braxton Miller this Saturday, August 30th at 12pm against Navy at M & T Bank stadium in Baltimore, Maryland.

LAKE ERIE MONSTERS 2014-15 SCHEDULE

OK all you “Puck Heads”, here’s your 2014-15 Lake Erie Monsters complete schedule.

The complete 2014-15 Lake Erie Monsters schedule can be found here:

http://lakeeriemonsters.com/schedule/gameschedule/?act[v]=list

 A printable version of the 2014-15 Lake Erie Monsters schedule can be found here:

http://lakeeriemonsters.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/LEMC_Schd_print_1415_f.pdf

Dean Chynoweth Photo

Head coach Dean Chynoweth begins his 3rd year on the bench on the road Friday, October 10th in Grand Rapids at 7:30 p.m. It is the first time since 2009-10 and second time in team history that the Monsters will begin a season away from The Q.

As part of the 76-game schedule format, the team will open and close the season on the road. The Monsters will play each of their first eight home games on Fridays and Saturdays.  They will also see four three-in-threes over the course of the season, including the final weekend of the season. The team will also compete in 18 back-to-backs in 2014-15.

The Monsters longest home stand of the season will be eight games, beginning February 20th, 2015 and ending March 8th, 2015.  The Monsters also have a five-game home stand from December 12th, 2014 to December 20th, 2014.  Three different five-game road stretches highlight the road schedule.

 

THE FUTURE SOUNDS GOOD FOR THE CAVS

While they haven’t signed a contract to officially lock in future years, two of the newest Cavaliers have proclaimed their desire to stay in Cleveland.

Both LeBron James and Kevin Love made statements at their introductory press conferences that should be music to Cavs fans ears.

LeBron 1

 

First it was “King James” at his “Welcome Home” party in Akron back on August 8th. I asked him if the fans should be concerned that he didn’t sign long term with the Cavs, that he only agreed to a 1-year deal with the Cavs with a player option. He responded this way…

 

 

 

Yesterday Kevin Love was asked what his long term future looks like after being traded to the Cavs and the fact he can become a free agent at the end of the season, “I’m committed to this team, committed long term to the end goal and that’s to win championships,” Love said.

Kevin Love and David Griffin Jersey Photo

In watching and listening to both players at their press conferences, it sounds like they’re bot here for the long haul and that not signing a max contract extension right night is merely a smart business move based on what salary cap projections can be in the next year or two. Financially both players would benefit greatly if the projected reports on the next NBA TV contract and salary cap are correct. From that standpoint it’s a very smart business move to wait and sign a max deal later.

In the meantime, James, Love and Kyrie Irving, who did sign a max deal this off season, can finally get together on the practice court so Cleveland’s “Big Three” can get a feel for each other and start getting prepared for what will be expected of them in 2014-15, an NBA Championship.

A LOOK AT THE CURRENT CLEVELAND CAVALIERS ROSTER

With the Kevin Love trade finalized, the Cavaliers roster is almost complete. They still are waiting to hear from Ray Allen on whether he’ll retire, or if he’ll return for another year, and if he does, will it be with the Cavs? Sources tell me that “Jesus Shuttlesowrth” will make up his mind after Labor Day and that the Cavaliers are the front runner for his services now that Kevin Love has officially joined LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland.

 

David Griffin,  photo - Copy

 

G.M. David Griffin also needs to add a rim protector to his roster via free agency or trade, and again sources tell me Griff is working hard at trying to accomplish that soon.

So here’s what the Cavaliers roster looks like as of today:

 

 

PG – Kyrie Irving – 22 years old – 21ppg-6apg-3rg

 

SG – Dion Waiters – 22 years old – 16ppg-3apg-3rpg

 

SG – Joe Harris – 22 years old – Rookie

 

PF – Tristan Thompson – 23 years old – 12ppg-9rpg

 

PG – Matthew Dellavedova  – 23 years old – 5ppg-2apg

 

PF – Dwight Powell – 23 years old – Rookie

 

PF – Kevin Love – 25 years old – 26ppg-12rpg-4apg

 

SF – LeBron James – 29 years old – 27ppg-7rpg-6apg

 

C – Anderson Varjao – 31 years old – 8ppg-9rpg

 

SF – James Jones – 33 years old – 5ppg – 50%(3fg)

 

SF – Mike Miller – 34 years old – 7ppg – 47%(3fg)

 

C – Brendan Haywood – 34 years old – DNP Hurt

 

SF – Shawn Marion – 36 years old – 10ppg-6rpg

 

C – Alex Kirk – 22 years old – Undrafted Rookie

 

PF – Erik Murphy – 23 years old – 0.3ppg – 0.3rpg

 

PG – John Lucas III – 31 years old – 3.1ppg – 1.0apg

 

(Average Age of the 16 Players – 27 years old)

 

Strong Possibilities To Be Added To The Roster:

 

SG – Ray Allen – 39 years old – 9ppg – 37%(3fg)

 

C – ????? Rim Protector

 

MIKE PETTINE PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT 8-25-14

Mike Pettine Post-Game Close Up

On where TE Jordan Cameron was today:

“He’s just dealing with an issue. He was excused today from practice.”

On if his shoulder is bothering him:

“He was excused from practice today. I won’t go into any other detail on that.”

On if it’s a one day issue:

“That’s the expectation.”

On if he knows anything about how long WR Josh Gordon will be out:

“No. I mean, we kind of have a feel for the range of it. Still, it’s something that, for as long as it’s been, we really still can’t…I probably shouldn’t have spoken on it yesterday. We’re just impatiently waiting.”

On what is at the top of the ‘must fix it quickly’ list this week:

“I think each position group kind of has its own area. Just overall offensively, we need to get first downs. We need to score points. It’s basic stuff. Defensively, I think the secondary knows they didn’t play very well. I thought we had some decent performances in the front seven when we evaluated the tape, but just too many – and it wasn’t just any one player – it was just too many issues on the back end. That’s where you get beat the quickest. If your front seven is playing well and your back end is not…if it’s flipped you can survive a little bit. If your secondary is not playing well, and we did not play well as a secondary the other night, then you’re going to have issues.

On if he’ll have all the defensive backs back for the opener:

“We’re hopeful. I think it’s looking that way. (DB Pierre) Desir might be the only one who could potentially be out, but we’re hopeful we’ll be back at a full complement at that point.”

On him saying that DB Justin Gilbert didn’t play well:

“He knows it. I don’t think it was anything that was a surprise to him. That’s a good lesson for him to learn. You have to show up each week and be focused and ready to go. He had a good week. He showed it against Washington, against a pretty good group of wide outs, then took a step backwards. That’s something that he’ll…especially when he’s playing opposite of (DB) Joe (Haden), there’s a tendency for more footballs to come his way.”

On if he’s showed that he’s able to have a short memory and not let his confidence get shaken:

“Yeah, he’s bounced back this week. He came out here with a good attitude at practice. He was fine in the meetings. I think the secondary coaches, those guys handled it well. Hopefully, we’ll see a better performance Thursday.”

On if he puts any stock in the fact that he made some plays in the second half:

“He did. He did on the one where he got beat across his face and then he ended up knocking the ball out – one that was a sure touchdown. That was encouraging. Just early on…he needs to test his limits more. I think he kind of played off. That hurt us in some of those third down situations. Of all times, it’s in preseason. Go ahead and challenge and see where you stand with guys.”

On if he’ll play his ones on both sides of the ball against Chicago and how much:

“Yes. Not sure, but I think it’s going to be…we’re hopeful that it’s going to be less than a quarter. It could be in and around that depending on how it plays out.”

On what his level of confidence is with OL Mitchell Schwartz right now:

“I thought Mitchell bounced back against St. Louis. We feel good about that offensive line as a whole. He’s not a guy we’re looking to replace. He’s gone out and I thought he’s had a good camp. You look at right tackles in the league. He’s a guy I think a lot of people would agree is solid.”

On his update on WR Nate Burleson:

“He went through some individual work today.”

On how he came out of the individual work:

“I’m not sure. I haven’t talked to the trainer yet. They’re probably in there seeing how he feels coming off the field.”

On if he’s safe for a roster spot if he continues to struggle to get healthy:

“I can’t speak on whether guys have a certain roster spot or not. First of all, it’s not my area. (General Manager) Ray (Farmer) and I will do that together, but that’s his ultimate say. It does hurt your chances not being out there, but it’s something where we’ll consider his entire body of work.”

On how RB Dion Lewis separated from the pack for the third running back spot:

“One of the things is a lot of the time you need that guy to be a third down back. I think that he has just the short area quickness. Even though he’s a small guy, he proved in the game that he’s not afraid to stick his face in there in the pass protection stuff. It’s not much of a separation, but like I said before, if I had to handicap it, I would put him ahead. I think the rep, the way (running backs coach) Wilbert (Montgomery) and (offensive coordinator) Kyle (Shanahan) have played those guys – I think that bares it out too.”

On if LB Chris Kirksey has been his most reliable rookie:

“Yeah, I’d put him up there with (OL Joel) Bitonio though. He’s been very consistent as well, but yes, we’re very pleased with where Chris is. Not to take anything away from (LB) Craig (Robertson), but I think they both played well enough to merit being starters in our different groupings. I think that always ends up being a plus for you on special teams as well because they’re sharing jobs on defense and can play a lot of (special teams coordinator) Chris Tabor.”

On where Craig Robertson has improved the most:

“I think he’s cleaned up some of the little things – his footwork, his awareness. We really preach to our guys to really take that picture of the opponent pre-snap. We’re real big on gathering pre-snap (information). What’s it telling you? What are the line splits telling you? What’s the formation telling you? What’s the alignment of the fullback, the depth of the tailback, the split of the receivers…all those things come into play. I think he’s done a good job of that as far as recognizing, ‘Hey, am I getting a run here? Am I getting a pass? Which way is the run going?’ I think if you’re smart, and it’s not just with Craig, but as an entire defense you can get a pretty good feel for what you’re going to get. I think he’s one of the guys that’s really bought into that and done a nice job with it.”

On how much work he’d like to see QB Johnny Manziel get on Thursday:

“I haven’t sent the rotation yet, but he’ll get some work. I clearly see him finishing the half. I don’t know if he’ll play into the third quarter or not.”

On if DL Armonty Bryant is competing for a starting job:

“I think he would. When ‘Des’ (Desmond Bryant) gets healthy, which we’re hopeful is fairly soon, I can see those two kind of sharing that job, so that way they’re both fresh on third down. I think in an ideal world if you can kind of job share on early downs guy that you expect to be pass rushers, I think it’s very difficult for a pass rusher to play every single snap. If a guy is an elite pass rusher, I would rather work his reps backward to forwards. Work him on third down. Work him on second and long. That way you’re guaranteeing that you have guys that have fresh legs in the third quarter.”

On Armonty Bryant’s run defense

“He’s gotten better. I thought at first that could have been an issue for him, but he’s gotten better with it. I think one of the things he does well is his initial quickness, get off. We can do some things schematically to help him, to kind of put him on the move, and not just having to anchor in and take on a double team – just kind of put him on the move and let him take advantage of his quickness.”

On if he is still confident with where the defense is at:

“Yeah, we do. It’s already answered. We’ll get those guys back. We’ll have (Browns DB) Joe (Haden) back. (Browns DB) Buster should be able to practice this weekend. Then, with (Browns DB Justin) Gilbert getting more live game reps I think that’ll be beneficial for us, expecting (Browns DB Isaiah) Trufant back as well. Getting those guys will definitely help. We’re confident that group knows that they didn’t play to our standards the other night, and they’re looking forward to bouncing back on Thursday.”

On if there has been any issue with calling the defense and game management as the head coach:

“It hasn’t, and part of it is we’ve kind of had a couple different methods that we’ve used calling the game so far. (Browns defensive coordinator) Jim O’Neil has called a decent amount of the defense so far. We were just trying to work some different combinations calling third down, calling base, calling the whole thing. That’s something we still haven’t decided yet on how we’re going to do it. It’s something that we might change up week to week just depending on how we feel coming out of that week of game prep.”

On reasons in terminating the contract of WR Anthony Armstrong:

“Yeah, I don’t know. He came in, he worked hard but it was just a move that (GM) Ray (Farmer) and I felt was appropriate at the time given that group and having young guys feel that have a chance to step up and make this roster.”

On QB Rex Grossman possibly playing Thursday night:

“That’s the plan. Again, I haven’t sat down with those guys and seen what they want to do quarterback-wise whether we want to play all four of them in the game so if Johnny (Manziel) does finish the half potentially we’ll see Rex and (QB Connor Shaw) split the second half.”

On whether he’s made a decision to keep more than two quarterbacks on the roster:

“No. I think that’s going to come down to once you get to a certain point you just start saying ‘okay, let’s keep our best football player.’ So that will come down to comparing across the board is the third quarterback worth having, a fifth safety or seventh defensive linemen or all of those decisions come down to wanting to keep your best guys.”

URBAN MEYER PRESS CONFERENCE NEWS AND NOTES 8-25-14

Urban Meyer

Kick off for Ohio State’s 2014 season opener is set for 12:00pm on Saturday, August 30th at M & T Bank Stadium in Baltimore Maryland versus Navy.

The Midshipmen average 325.4 yards rushing per game last season, which ranked second among FBS schools. They are led by quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who rushed for 1,346 yards and 31 TDs last year.

Braxton Miller will have shoulder surgery tomorrow and it will be performed by Dr. Andrews.

Despite the injury and being lost for the season,Miller was named as one of five captains for the 2014 season. Joining Miller is DL- Michael Bennett, LB- Curtis Grant, CB- Doran Grant and TE- Jeff Heuerman.

J.T. Barrett is the starting quarterback but, it’s not a big separation between he and Cardale Jones according to Meyer and the Ohio State head coach said he would not hesitate to put Jones into the game.

However during his press conference on Monday, Meyer did refer to J.T. Barrett again as “Guitonish” and “Business Like” in his approach and style of play.

Joel Hale, Billy Price and Antonio underwood are still battling for the starting LG spot, while Jacoby Boren and Chad Lindsey continue to fight for the starting spot at center.

Urban Meyer also said that he hasn’t picked his starting wide receivers yet either, but not because they aren’t worthy of starting, but because the battles are so close. So anyone of these guys could start at wide out on Saturday versus Navy – Dontre Wilson, Evan Spencer, Devin Smith, Jalin Marshall, Mike Thomas  and Corey Smith.

Gaeron Conley and Eli Apple are battling for the other starting cornerback spot.

Curtis Grant is your starting linebacker, but expect freshman Raekwon McMillian to play.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott coming off hand surgery, is 100% full go and is battling Rod Smith, Curtis Samuel and Bri’onte Dunn for playing time.

Urban Meyer said they will probably release they’re official depth chart some time tomorrow.

 

BROWNS MAKE FIRST ROSTER CUTS

Browns Official Press Release 8-25-14

BEREA, Ohio — Cleveland Browns General Manager Ray Farmer announced the following roster moves this morning:

Waived:

DB Royce Adams
RB Edwin Baker
OL Randall Harris
DB T.J. Heath
DL Cam Henderson
WR Jonathan Krause

OL Ryan Lee
LB Caleb McSurdy
OL Keavon Milton
LB Keith Pough
WR Tim Smith
OL Jeremiah Warren
TE Martell Webb

Contract terminated: WR Anthony Armstrong

The Browns roster is currently at 76 players. All NFL rosters must have a maximum of 75 players by Tuesday at 4 p.m.

 

MY BROWNS – RAMS OBSERVATIONS

After watching the Cleveland Gladiators get destroyed in Arena Bowl 27 by the Arizona Rattlers 72-32 I was hoping when I left “The Q” I would be getting some good news about the Browns in their third preseason game against the Rams. I was hoping I could go home and pull up on my DVR the Browns looking good in what is considered the dress rehearsal game for the regular season. That was not the case as I checked the internet and saw a 33-14 defeat at the hands of the Rams. So I needed a break from bad football and waited until late Sunday night to watch the Browns game. Here are my observations:

Mike Pettine Post-Game Close Up

For all Browns fans out there, you have to hope that head coach Mike Pettine and his coordinators are holding a lot back. That they don’t want to show their hand as to what they are capable of doing on offense and defense. That “Vanilla” has been the name of all the game plans so far. If not, this could be a long season after what I’ve witnessed not only in the Rams game, but all of the preseason games so far.

Brian Hoyer In Game Close Up

 

The two biggest things I took away from the Rams game – 1) The Browns don’t have a legitimate, playoff caliber quarterback in Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel. 2) By them not playing in the game, it was made abundantly clear that the Browns have two playmakers, Josh Gordon and Joe Haden. Without those two players in the line-up, the negative domino effect was painfully obvious.

 

Rookie Justin Gilbert was picked on and beaten repeatedly by whoever was at quarterback for the Rams. With Haden out there, that won’t happen as he’ll take the opposing teams top receiver.  Joe Haden Mini Camp 2014

Gordon is the only player on offense that opposing defenses fear right now and maybe for the whole season. The Rams had 7 offensive plays of 20 yards or more, the Browns didn’t have any….NONE….not even one against the Rams third team defense!

The Rams with 4 different quarterbacks playing thanks to the injury to starter Sam Bradford, averaged 8.5 yards per pass attempt. Hoyer and Manziel averaged 4.7 yards per pass attempt. Pathetic!

What was supposed to be one of the strengths of this team, the offensive line, looked like a weakness Saturday night. Granted the Rams have a very good defensive line, but to give up 4 sacks and only rack up 32 yards rushing in the contest was alarming. That unit, on this team, including Joe Thomas was one I wasn’t overly concerned with, but I am now.

To be out gained by almost 300 yards, at home, in what is considered the most important preseason game of the preseason, is concerning to say the least. Plus the Rams did it with their back-up quarterback, and his back-up, and then his back-up. That’s their 4th string guy!

There were a few positives in the game, not many, but a few, so let’s give them credit.

Rookie linebacker Christian Kirksey had a solid game with 7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and an interception.

Defensive end Armonty Bryant only had 2 tackles, but he had a number of quarterback pressures (one knocked Sam Bradford out of the game and out for the season with a torn ACL) and he gave great effort whenever he was in the game.

Johnny Manziel In Game Money Sign TD vs RamsGranted it was against a combo of the Rams second and third team defenses, but Johnny Manziel showed off the one thing he can do and that’s scramble and make a play with his legs as he scored on a 7 yard run.

Punter Spencer Lanning was solid with a 40 yard average but more importantly he landed 2 of 5 punts inside the 20 yard line.

The return game was very good on both punts and kick offs. Good to see Travis Benjamin back as he returned a punt 17 yards and showed the speed we’re used to seeing from him. The Browns also averaged nearly 34 yards per kickoff return.

Also let’s credit the coverage teams as they haled the Rams returners in check on both punts and kickoffs.

 

BRIAN HOYER AND JOHNNY MANZIEL POST GAME REACTION FOLLOWING 33-14 LOSS TO THE RAMS

Here’s what Browns quarterbacks, starter Brian Hoyer and back-up johnny Manziel had to say after Saturday night’s loss to the St. Louis Rams in the third preseason game –

QB Brian Hoyer

On tonight’s performance:

“I think we did some good things and I think there are some things we obviously need to improve on.  Getting in the end zone… it was good to do that and finish a drive.  We have got to play collectively better as a team.  I made some mistake and other people made some mistakes.  We need to get back to the basics and focus what each individual person has to do on that particular play and take it one play at a time.  We get the ball moving and then we have a setback.  Coach (Pettine) put it the right way: we all have to play better.  Obviously, I have to too.”

On trying to gain consistency with different personnel:

“I think we are all just trying to come along together.  As an offense, you have to be on the same page and there obviously were some plays out there where we weren’t.  It’s going to come.  That’s what the preseason is for, to work out those kinks, and we will get better.  I don’t doubt that.  We show some flashes here and there and then we pull ourselves back.  Pittsburgh isn’t that far away so we need to hone in and fix those things.  We have another short week this week with just two days of practice.  I don’t know how much we will play, but I expect to play.  I think we need to.  We have just got to keep building.  I don’t want people to hit the panic button, I think we do some really good things.  We have just got to continue to do those (good things) and eliminate the mistakes.”

On if he gained any confidence in orchestrating a touchdown drive:

“I think so.  You have always got to build on your positives and learn from your mistakes.  To get it in there and get a good drive… and finish with a touchdown pass is definitely something we can build on.” 

On the starters welcoming extra work by potentially playing in the preseason finale:

“For sure I think we need it.  This is our first time together in this offense and with the competition that was going on, we need to go forward and be unified in one direction.  I think it’s going to come because we show flashes.  We have just got to stop kicking ourselves and finish the drives.  It was good to cap that one off in the end zone (tonight).”

On if penalties or cohesion of blocking schemes hindered offensive progress:

“It’s a combination of everything, it’s not just one person.  The thing about football is that it’s the ultimate team sport.  Ten guys can do the right thing and if one guy doesn’t, it throws things off especially on offense.  On defense things can get hidden a little bit more, but on the offensive side of the football we all have to be on the same page.  It’s a work in progress and we know that.  We have just got to continue to improve, go out and work hard and get better.  That’s what it comes down to.”

 

QB Johnny Manziel

On feeling more comfortable today:

“Absolutely. No doubt about it.”

On feeling more comfortable in any specific aspect of the game:

“I just felt more comfortable. I am just going out and playing ball. I’m just going out, getting better and having fun.”

On the touchdown drive:

“I think it was a little bit of a mess up drive. It was coming off a turnover so we had great field position. It was a great pick by LB (Chris) Kirksey. It was great to get a touchdown, getting it called back and then still being able to get in. It’s hard sometimes to overcome adversity with penalties in the red zone so it was nice to still be able to get in the end zone. Either way, it didn’t matter to me, just as long as we got in the end zone.”

On flashing the money sign after his touchdown:

“The crowd was great tonight. I thought they were extremely electric. That’s for those guys. It’s not for me.”

On where the offense is now, two weeks away from the opener:

“It’s growing. I think we are putting in more and continuing to get better. If you look at whatever group we put in there, I think, week by week, we are continuing to get better and better. That’s an improvement, and we need to continue to get better and better as the weeks go on.”

On the possibility of have a two­­­-quarterback system:

“I feel like any way I can help contribute to this team, whether it’s looking at a certain coverage, looking at something during the game, or getting in the game and having a certain package during the game, just anything that I can do to help this offense to win games that’s the position I’m in and that’s all I really want to do.”

On the quarterback competition being over and now feeling looser and being able to play more Johnny like:

“I don’t think it was to be more ‘Johnny’. I think it was let it loose and forget whatever happens. Throw the ball and be decisive. I thought I did a better job of that tonight. It was better for me.”

On what he saw on his touchdown run:

“We were trying to work the tight end and kind of got smothered up. As I stepped up, I was just trying to dump it off underneath to the route that was coming towards me. As I did that, the backer kind of squeezed and left a big hole. I just had to make a quick decision and go for it and I luckily got in.”

OFFICIAL CAVALIERS PRESS RELEASE ON THE KEVIN LOVE TRADE

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers have acquired forward Kevin Love in a three-team trade that sends guard Andrew Wiggins and forward Anthony Bennett to Minnesota and a protected 2015 first round pick (via Miami) to Philadelphia, General Manager David Griffin announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts. As part of the three-team trade, Minnesota will also acquire forward Thaddeus Young from the 76ers, while Philadelphia receives forward Luc Mbah a Moute and guard Alexey Shved from the Timberwolves.

“Kevin joining the Cavaliers represents a very special and unique opportunity for our team. At only 25, Kevin has already firmly established himself as one the NBA’s elite players and his talent, versatility and fit are major parts of our team’s vision for success,” said Griffin. “We want to also wish Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett the best as they will continue the start of their careers in Minnesota. They are both outstanding young men that have great potential on the court and long, very successful careers ahead of them.”

Voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the 2014 NBA All-Star Game, Love appeared in 77 games (all starts) for Minnesota last season and averaged a career-high 26.1 points on .457 shooting, including .376 from beyond the arc and .821 from the foul line, 12.5 rebounds and a career-high 4.4 assists in 36.3 minutes per game. Among NBA leaders, the 6-10, 243-pound forward ranked first in double-doubles (65), first in defensive rebounds per game (9.6), third in total rebounds per game (12.5), fourth in points per game (26.1), tied for fourth in triple-doubles (3) and tied for eighth in three-pointers made (190). In 2013-14, Love became the first player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 900 rebounds and 100 three-pointers in a single season, while also setting Minnesota’s franchise record for three-pointers made in a season, points per game, and free throws made (520) and attempted (633).

Love is the first player to average 26/12/4 over a full season since the NBA/ABA merger as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob McAdoo had most recently accomplished that feat in 1975-76. He also scored in double figures in all 77 games last season, which includes 57 games with at least 20 points, a Wolves’ franchise record 25 30-point games and six 40-point performances. He collected a league-leading 24 contests with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and possessed the third highest PER in the NBA at 26.97, behind only Kevin Durant (29.90) and LeBron James (29.40).

Over his six-year NBA career, Love has played in 364 games (282 starts) for the Timberwolves and owns career averages of 19.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 36.3 minutes per game. He is a three-time NBA All-Star (2011, 2012, 2014), two-time All-NBA Second Team selection (2012, 2014), Olympic gold medalist (2012) and winner of the league’s Most Improved Player award (2011) and Three-Point Shootout (2012). The UCLA product was selected to the All-Rookie Second Team in 2009 after being the 5th overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft by the Memphis Grizzlies. He has averaged at least 14 points and 11 rebounds in five of his six NBA seasons and since entering the league, his 12.2 rebounds per game is the second-highest in the NBA (Dwight Howard, 13.3). Since 1980-81, Love is one of only three players to have at least two seasons with 26.0 points and 12.5 rebounds (2011-12, 2013-14), joining Shaquille O’Neal (4) and Moses Malone (2). Love will wear #0 with the Cavs.

Wiggins was the first overall pick by the Cavaliers in this year’s NBA Draft. An early entry candidate from Kansas University, Wiggins, 19, was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-League in his only year at Kansas.  In 35 contests with the Jayhawks last year, the 6-8, 194-pound guard averaged 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.0 block in 32.8 minutes per game. In four games during the 2014 NBA Summer League, Wiggins averaged 15.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.5 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game.

Bennett was the Cavs’ No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, appearing in 52 games and averaging 4.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game in 2013-14. The 6-8, 243-pound forward out of UNLV also played in four contests for the Cavs’ summer league team with averages of 13.3 points and 7.8 rebounds in 29.8 minutes per game.

The Cavs will send Philadelphia a protected first round pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The pick was originally acquired from the Miami Heat and is pick 1-10 protected in 2015 and 2016. The pick becomes unprotected in 2017.