Tag Archives: Dan Gilbert

LANDING LEBRON

Posted: Jun 19, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 28 Comments

Writers note – This story was written before Joel Embiid suffered a right foot injury and it is being evaluated. If the injury is serious, along with his recent back issues, it could change a lot in my plan to “Land LeBron”!

If the Cavaliers are serious about trying to reunite with LeBron James and get him to return to Cleveland as a free agent this off season, there are a number of things they need to do before free agency starts on July 1st to even have a chance of making this happen. I’m not saying it will, I’m saying it would better their chances.

LeBron James photo small 11-27-13

First off, since they don’t have a Pat Riley or Phil Jackson in the front office they need to hire a coach who’s been a winner on the sidelines, played in the NBA and has some cache and a name. Right now none of their reported candidates have that combination.  Tyronn Lue doesn’t. Neither does Alvin Gentry or David Blatt. While there is no proven, championship winning coach available out there, the closest thing to a coach who’s been successful on the sidelines, has played the game and has some “street cred” to go along with his game smarts is Mark Jackson.

That move I believe would get LeBron’s attention while he is on vacation with his family and thinking about his future.  Problem is, according to a story I read from the News-Herald/Morning Journal’s Bob Finnan today, he had a quote from Jackson in the article saying that reports that the Cavs have contacted him are, “Nothing but rumors and speculation.”  If that indeed is the case, and G.M. David Griffin has said they will leave no stone unturned as they search for their next head coach, you have to ask yourself why haven’t the Cavs contacted Mark Jackson?  What are they waiting for, especially if they are thinking about trying to lure LBJ back to C’Town?

Secondly, if you’re not going to make a major trade for Kevin Love, and the only way I do that if I’m the Cavs is if I get Love to sign a contract extension, then you draft center Joel Embiid. Now granted, you have to feel confident that after putting him through all of your medical tests that his back is fine, but if it is, then you go get the “Big” out of Kansas.

Embiid has a ton of upside, and while right now he’s still a little raw on offense, he reportedly impressed the Cavs in his work out by showing off his great foot work and the ability to shoot the basketball from some distance, along with a nice touch around the rim. While his offense is a work in progress and there is evidence there that it will develop, he can make his presence felt in his rookie season with his defense and rebounding. Right away he gives the Cavs a much needed rim protector in blocking shots and altering others. Plus his rebounding would allow the Cavs to get out and run more and get easy baskets in transition.

So if Jackson ended up being your coach and Embiid was the choice as the first overall pick in the draft, you would have your coach who’s got some swag to go along with his winning record in the NBA as your bench boss and you’d have a young legitimate center with a lot of potential and the ability to patrol the paint. On top of that you’d have a fourth year all-star point guard in Kyrie Irving, a third year shooting guard in Dion Waiters, plus some cap space and maneuverability to fill some other spots on your roster through trade or free agency.

 

There have been some reports out there that LeBron and Kyrie don’t get along that well any more, or that James doesn’t want to play with a ball dominate point guard. I say that’s hogwash. After seeing how a lack of point guard play killed the Heat in the NBA Finals against San Antonio this year, I believe LBJ understands the importance of having a top notch point guard in today’s game and would sacrifice being in control of the offense the majority of the time if it meant more wins and less minutes for him as he gets older.

LeBron and Kyrie shake hands at Z jersey Ceremony 3-8-14

While none of what I just wrote would guarantee that LeBron James will decide to opt out of his contract in Miami and come back to Cleveland this off season as a free agent, I believe if the Cavs are serious about bringing James home again, it has to start there. If LeBron is not in their plans, then they can consider hiring a Tyronn Lue or a David Blatt as their inexperienced head coach and fill the small forward hole on their roster by picking either Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker and continue to build for the future with a young squad growing together over time.

But if the Cavaliers want to try and lure LeBron back and win right away, bold moves and chances have to be taken by Dan Gilbert and David Griffin, and hiring Jackson and drafting Embiid would be the place to start!

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WHAT THE CAVALIERS NEED MOST

Posted: Jun 15, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 28 Comments

The Cavs biggest needs this off season via the draft, free agency or trades are very simple, they need a center and they need multiple wing players.

When you look at their roster they’re overloaded at point guard with Kyrie Irving, Jarrett Jack and Matthew Dellavedova.

While their shooting guards really aren’t shooting guards, they feel they have a young pair in Waiters and Sergey Karasev.  Waiters to me is a point guard, or at least what I call a “Ball Guard”. He needs the ball in his hands in order to be effective and that really doesn’t mesh well when he and Kyrie Irving are on the floor together. The Cavs may be willing to try one more season to see if Irving and Waiters can create chemistry on the floor together, but then again remember; David Griffin didn’t draft either one of them so he may be willing to pull the trigger on a trade of one or the other.  But for now let’s say Waiters stays.

Tristan Thompson and Anthony Bennett are their power forwards, while neither one of those guys excite meet, at least they have what is considered a starter on this team, in Thompson. So again that takes us back to small forward and center positions.

Anderson Varejao could be the team’s starting center if need be, but there’s the possibility they could trade him this off season. But if they do keep him, he’s really not a true center, he’s more of a power forward.  Tyler Zeller is a nice back-up center, but nothing more and Spencer Hawes is a free agent and he’s not your typical center either.  Hawes is a stretch 5, who prefers to play away from the basket and gives you no defensive presence around the rim at all, as well as no toughness.  So depending on what he’s asking for, the Cavs may not resign him.

After watching Luo Deng struggle to stay healthy all season and with all the NBA miles he’s put on his body, I have no desire to bring him back as the starting small forward, especially for what he’s going to be commanding in free agency dollars. Alonzo Gee is nothing more than the 8th, 9th or 10th player on this team.

So as David Griffin and Dan Gilbert prepare for the June 26th NBA Draft, they must decide where they are going to get their center and small forwards(plural) from. That’s what makes this draft so interesting and important. “G and G” have a chance to fill one of those major needs with the first overall pick and possibly another with the 33rd overall pick. If not there, then in free agency or with a major trade.

Joel Embiid would plug the hole at center and be an immediate upgrade defensively, athletically and physically. He’s a little raw on offense, but that’s because he’s only played basketball for about four years and considering his lack of experience, he has shown great improvement in his offensive game. However with Embiid it all comes down to the health of his back. If he cleared all the Cavs medical tests then I believe they should, and will take him number #1 overall. If his back did not pass the medical exams, then it comes down to Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins in the draft.

Parker is the more ready to play right now of the two both physically and mentally. His offensive game is more well-rounded and his outside shot is better at this point than Wiggins. However Wiggins in my opinion, has a higher ceiling and athletically and defensively he blows Parker out of the water. On top of that, Wiggins will still score the basketball from the wing position, just maybe not as consistently as Parker.

But luckily for the Cavs their biggest needs in the draft coincide with the best players in this draft. Meaning they really can’t wrong with whomever they pick. I would have gladly taken anyone of these three before the draft lottery, so they truly are in a win-win-win situation.  Now will one of the top three picks separate himself from the others eventually, probably, but you’re still going to get what many believe is an all-star caliber player no matter who you take.

My order of preference is Embiid first, but only if 100% healthy. Wiggins second because of defense and more upside and Parker third because unlike the other two, he’s more of just an offensive player.

Is it out of the realm of possibility that the Cavs maybe use the number #1 pick and a player to make a trade for an already established all-star caliber player? No it’s not, but I believe it’s unlikely considering the talent and potential that each of the top three picks possess.

So once the Cavs do make their selection with that first overall pick, that should tell us what direction they’re headed in as far as free agency and that’s when things could get even more interesting than the draft, depending on what you know who does in Miami.

MY BIO AND SCOUTING REPORT ON JABARI PARKER

Posted: Jun 13, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 29 Comments

Jabari Parker

Small Forward – 6’9 – 241lbs – Age – 19 – Duke – FR

Reach – 8’11.5 – Wingspan – 6’11.75 Max Vert – ??

Season Averages: 19.1 PPG – 8.7 RPG – 1.2 APG – 47%FG – 36%(3FG) -75%FT

Draft Projection – Top 3 for sure, could go number #1 overall

Jabari Parker

Strengths

Most advanced offensively and physically of the top three freshmen being considered for the top pick in the draft. He’s a “Pick, Plug and Play” guy right away.

Solid athlete, not great, but is a good effort guy and a high character kid with a high basketball IQ.

Can score it inside and out with an array of moves and also passes the ball well because of his understanding of the game. So he possesses a complete all-around game on offense.

Can shoot it all over the court. Nice jumper with good range.
His rebounding and handle are above average.

Is a small forward but should be able to play some power forward as well depending on match ups and as he gets older and stronger.

Weaknesses

Below average defensive player especially on the perimeter because of slow foot speed. His pick n roll defense needs a ton of work and that’s a big part of the NBA game.

As knowledgeable as he is on offense, his defensive knowledge and understanding of team defense is not good and must improve.

Needs to get in better shape for the NBA game which is more up tempo than he’s used to on both offense and defense. This will also help him with his lift on jumpers and finishing at the rim.

Thinks offense first and at times that can hurt him. Will have to learn that just because he’s open doesn’t mean it’s a good shot in the NBA.

Had problems on offense against long, lengthy and aggressive defenders which he will face more of in the NBA.

Some think he might be a tweener. Too slow to play and guard the 3’s and not big enough to bang with the 4’s.
Roda Thoughts:

If you’re looking for a player to help you right away offensively, to score you point and potential and a higher ceiling aren’t your main concerns, then Parker is your guy over Joel Embiid and Andrew Wiggins. Parker scores in a variety of ways and his body is ready for the day-to-day NBA pounding, although he must watch his weight and get in better shape. If you have a rim protector or your squad plays solid team defense, then you’ll be able to hide Parker, whose biggest weakness is his defense. Parker is a Top 3 pick and if Embiid’s back doesn’t check out to the Cavs liking and owner Dan Gilbert’s patience is wearing thin of not making the playoffs, I could see the Cavs taking Parker over Wiggins because they want to win right away and Parker fills a major offensive void at the small forward position. Parker has been compared to Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony, so below are all three of their numbers from their freshman years in college.

FRESHAMN STATS IN COLLEGE:
Parker –     6’9-240-2014–  19.1ppg – 8.7rpg – 1.2apg – 47.3%fg – 35.8%(3fg) – 74.8%ft

Anthony – 6’8-230-2003–  22.2ppg– 10rpg– 2.2apg – 45.3%fg – 33.7%(3fg)– 70.6%ft

Pierce –    6’6-230-1996-     11.9ppg – 5.3rpg – 1.8apg – 41.9%ft – 30.4%(3fg) – 60.6%ft

TRYING TO UNDERSTAND JOEL EMBIID’S BACK INJURY

Posted: Jun 11, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 30 Comments

Kansas center and potential number #1 pick Joel Embiid was in Cleveland Wednesday to work out for the Cavs and undergo any medical tests the team deemed necessary.

The most important part of Embiid’s visit was to find out if the stress fracture in his lower back had healed completely and if there were any other health or injury concerns with the 7’1 center from Cameroon.

I talked with an orthopedic surgeon today to get a better understanding about Embiid’s back injury and whether or not this is an injury that can linger or become chronic. Keep in mind this surgeon did not examine or have direct contact with Embiid, but has dealt with this same exact injury with other athletes before. Here’s what I learned and I will try to put it in terms that even I understand.

This type of stress fracture occurs in the back part and in the ring portion of the vertebrae of the lower back usually caused from a repetitive motion over time, with arching of the back type movements or bending backwards activities. It usually goes untreated and that’s when an athlete will feel stiffness and tightness in the lower back and hips. When this occurs and the pain becomes regular or too severe, the player normally will go to the team trainer and doctor and tell them about their discomfort. That’s when an MRI is usually done in place of a normal x-ray to see if there is a stress fracture, because the x-ray alone will not reveal the fracture.

This type of injury is very common among athletes and according to the surgeon I spoke with, a lot of athletes right now are walking around and don’t even know they have a lower back stress fracture. It happens more frequently with basketball players, offensive linemen, defensive linemen and gymnasts because of how often they tend to arch their backs in their sport and do so with a lot of force applied to that area. So it was good that Bill Self and his staff at Kansas found Embiid’s injury when they did and treated it properly. The Kansas head coach shared with me today in a 1 on 1 interview that you can listen to hear – http://www.kennyroda.com/kansas-coach-bill-self-on-joel-embiid-and-andrew-wiggins/ – that he felt Embiid’s back had healed completely.

I asked the orthopedic surgeon if this type of injury could end one’s career in whatever sport they are participating in? The surgeon told me that very rarely will this type of injury end a career or even need surgery. The way you treat and heal this injury is with what is called “Relative Rest” or staying away from things that cause pain in that area and specific rehabilitation in the pain free range. For more severe cases, a back brace may be needed to restrict the back from bending in a backwards motion, but most of the time a strict rehab program over time heals the stress fracture.

I had one more question for the orthopedic surgeon, if because you already had a stress fracture of this nature once in your back, are your more likely to have a chronic problem? The surgeon told me that if treated properly and healed 100%, you are not more likely to have reoccurring problems. However, if you rush back and don’t let it heal completely, then the chances of having a chronic problem increase.

The last thing the orthopedic surgeon told me was, “This is not an injury we doctors get too worked up about.”

If the Cavs end up selecting Joel Embiid number #1 overall, we’ll know that the Cavaliers doctors agree with that statement and his back is fine. However if the Cavs do not draft Embiid, it will tell us one of two things, either GM David Griffin liked another player better, or that Embiid’s back was not completely healed and it was something that got them all worked up and the doctors, Griffin and owner Dan Gilbert did not want to take a risk on it.

RODA REPORT – ANSWERING YOUR TWEETS ABOUT THE CAVS

Posted: Jun 10, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Podcasts | 29 Comments

Thanks to all the Twitches who tweeted questions about Mark Price and the Cavs to me @TheKennyRoda on Twitter. Here is the Podcast answering some of those questions.

Mark Price Video Photo

“RR60″ PODCAST – THE RODA REPORT IN 60 SECONDS

Posted: Jun 9, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Podcasts | 1 Comment

The NBA Draft is a little over two weeks away and the Cavs still don’t have a head coach. Are they getting closer to hiring one? If so, who’s the leader in the clubhouse? Listen here:

tyronn-lue-nba-los-angeles-clippers-phoenix-suns (photo courtesy of fansided.com)

LBJ AND THE CAVS, HOME FIELD ADVANATGE FOR THE TRIBE AND MANZIEL VS GORDON

Posted: Jun 1, 2014 by . Filed under Blog Posts, Feature Articles | 28 Comments

If you’re a LeBron James fan and you’re hoping he might return to Cleveland in the off season, the only chance, and it’s a small one, the Cavs have off possibly getting LBJ to think about leaving Miami this off season and considering the Cavaliers in free agency is, if the Heat lose to the Spurs in the NBA Finals. This would nullify LeBron and the Heat a chance of going for a four-peat next year.  So if you want LeBron back, you’re thinking – Go Spurs Go!

Having said that, I picked the Heat to win the title at the beginning of the season, then again at the start of the playoffs and I’m sticking with them in 6 games over the Spurs. However I will be pulling for Timmy, Manu and Tony to exact their revenge after giving away the title last year.

The Cavs have talked with at least four head coaching candidates in Adrian Griffin, Tyronn Lue, Alvin Gentry and Lionel Hollins. Griffin and Lue are the hot, young assistants looking for their first chance to be a head coach in the NBA, while gentry and Hollins are the older, retreads if you will, who have had some success as head coaches in the NBA, but have never made it past the conference finals. It’ll be interesting to see which way new Cavs G.M. David Griffin and owner Dan Gilbert want to go.

Not sure who the clubhouse leader is, but keep this in mind. Gentry was with David Griffin in Phoenix and has some ties to Dan Gilbert when Gentry was with the Pistons.

But I’ve heard that Adrian Griffin had a very good interview and Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau has given him a ringing endorsement. Lue is respected throughout the league and has learned from one of the best head coaches in the league in Doc Rivers over the last 5 years.

My choice is still Fred Hoiberg from Iowa St., but sources tell me “The Mayor” is leaning towards staying in the college game for now, but I’m not ruling him out just yet.

Other names could pop up and we’ve probably missed some names of coaches they have at least made a phone call to. As David Griffin told us at his press conference, they’re in no hurry to name their coach because they want to make sure in their eyes, they get the right coach, not the first coach.

In case you were wondering my top three draft picks are 1-Andrew Wiggins, 2-Joel Embiid and 3-Jabari Parker. I’ve heard the Cavs top three are 1-Joel Embiid, 2-Andrew Wiggins and 3-Jabari Parker. Embiid is number one on the Cavs list pending a team physical and battery of tests on that questionable back of his.

After getting swept in Chicago by the White Sox, the Indians answered with a huge bounce back series sweep this weekend over the Rockies,  capped off by Michael Bourn’s walk-off 2-run homer on Sunday. The Tribe now with an A.L. best (18-11) home record with three more games left at Progressive Field this week against the Red Sox.

As for the Browns, sounds like his trips to Vegas and L.A. haven’t hurt Johnny Manziel’s performance on the practice field. While he hasn’t been perfect, he’s performed well from what I’ve been told. So I’ll say it today, like I did a week or so ago, chill out and judge the kid based on what he does on the field.

If you want to judge a player for his stupidity off the field then judge Josh Gordon. Gordon is just flat out stupid. Do you not want to play in the NFL? You’re waiting on the results of your appeal with the league involving a drug test and then you go and get a ticket for speeding with supposedly, allegedly marijuana in the car belonging to your friends. That’s just flat out STUPID! The Browns have to seriously consider just cutting ties with Gordon regardless of how talented he is on the field!

TALKING NBA DRAFT WITH JEFF PHELPS and LES LEVINE ON 92.3 THE FAN

Posted: May 21, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Podcasts | 30 Comments

In case you missed it, here’s my weekly Wednesday appearance on 92.3 The Fan with Cleveland’s Talking Heads as we talk about the Cavs luck in the lottery and who they should draft #1 overall.

92.3 The Fan Logo David Griffin 2014 NBA Draft Lottery Photo

FORMER CAVALIER SHOOTING GUARD DAMON JONES AND I GO 1 ON 1

Posted: May 15, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Feature Articles, Podcasts | 21 Comments

I had the chance to talk to the man I dubbed “Amon Ones” and asked him how he felt about the nick-name, if he thinks there’s a chance LeBron would ever come back to the Cavs, Donald Sterling, the NBA Playoffs and more.

Damon Jones Photo - Scott Shaw - PD
Photo – Scott Show/Plain Dealer

NEW CAVS GM DAVID GRIFFIN PRESS CONFERENCE 5-13-14

Posted: May 13, 2014 by . Filed under Audio, Current Interviews | 27 Comments

Listen to the entire David Griffin press conference as he talks about taking over as the full-time GM, Mike Brown being fired and building this team.

David Griffin Photo 5-13-14