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Tag Archives: Flip Saunders
CAVS TIP INS
As I’ve been saying for a while now, it’s not a matter of if Kevin Love will be traded to the Cavs, it’s a matter of when and for who. It’s funny how when some local media members report this, it doesn’t carry much weight, but when some national media members report it, after being late to the party again, it’s gospel. Just remember a lot of those same national media members with the exception of Chris Sheridan, didn’t think LeBron James was coming back to Cleveland when a number of us local media members had it on good authority that “The King” would return.
My sources tell me that Cavs G.M. David Griffin is still trying to do everything he can to not include Andrew Wiggins in the Kevin Love deal. However, the Cavs understand that it may end up costing them this year’s number #1 overall pick, as well as last year’s first overall choice, Anthony Bennett along with at least one first round pick in 2015 to get Flip Saunders of the T-Wolves to channel his inner Monte Hall and say, “Let’s make that deal!” As I’ve been saying for weeks now, don’t be surprised if the 76ers and the name Thadeus Young surface should the Love trade need to involve a third team.
Saunders, who is Minnesota’s “Mr. Basketball” now – part owner, president of basketball ops and head coach, realizes he must replace a franchise type player in Love with another franchise type player in Wiggins. None of the other deals from Chicago or Golden St. include a player who has the potential to be a franchise caliber player like Wiggins, who they can control for a while with a player friendly contract. Remember the earliest a deal could happen involving Wiggins because of the 30 day NBA rule involving rookie players who have signed their contracts is August 23rd.
The Cavs are trying to convince the Timberwolves that Dion Waiters is also a franchise type player and they’re hoping his play during the Team USA select squad practices will back up their argument. So here’s hoping Waiters is performing well in “Sin City”.
Speaking of Waiters, while I wasn’t a proponent of taking him with the 4th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, I have to give the Cavs shooting guard credit for what I’ve seen and heard from him this off season. Waiters has lost weight and looks ripped. He is part of Team USA’s young select squad that is practicing against Team USA’s varsity squad if you will in Las Vegas, and at least sounds like he understands he’ll have to change and improve his game somewhat in certain areas to become a better player. The latter is based on these comments he made recently in Vegas –
“I have to make adjustments. I like to have the ball, and we have Kyrie, and he likes to have the ball. So I have to find ways to impact the game without having the ball. I’m planning to go watch tape to see what D-Wade did when he played with LeBron. I need to learn how to be effective out there with him.”
This is the same Waiters though who recently told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com that, “I want to start and I believe that I should at the two.” I don’t have a problem with that comment because almost every player in the NBA wants to start and believes they should. Plus if Andrew Wiggins has to be included in the Kevin Love deal, Waiters would be the Cavaliers best option to start at the two, even though I think his best role is coming off the bench as the 6th man.
If Kyrie Irving doesn’t make Team USA’s basketball squad, might that benefit him more in the long run because it should humble him and motivate him to work even harder on his all-around game? Uncle Drew is reportedly in a tough battle with Derrick Rose, John Wall and Damian Lillard for the two pure point guard spots that Team USA director Jerry Colangelo wants to fill on the squad. However, don’t discount the fact that his former college coach Mike Krzyzewski, remains as Team USA’s head coach, and that may carry some serious weight in the decision making process.
New Cavs head coach David Blatt spent some time recently talking about his new job with the gang from NBA-TV in Las Vegas at a Team USA practice. Watch Here – – http://www.nba.com/video/channels/aiming_for_gold/2014/07/29/20140729-usab-camp-blatt.nba/#$/video/channels/aiming_for_gold/2014/07/29/20140729-usab-camp-blatt.nba/index.html …
YOU CAN’T HURRY LOVE
Phil Collins said it best in song, “I need love, love, ooh to ease my mind.” And, “ You can’t hurry love. No, you’ll just have to wait. Love don’t come easy, but it’s a game of give and take.”
Isn’t that the truth for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
After signing Andrew Wiggins, the number #1 overall pick in this year’s NBA draft yesterday, the Cavs will have to wait until August 23rd at the earliest, in order to add Love, as in Kevin Love, to their roster and maybe ease the mind of LeBron James.
Due to NBA rules, the Cavs cannot trade Wiggins for 30 days after the signing of his rookie contract. So LeBron, Cavs G.M. David Griffin, T-Wolves head honcho Flip Saunders and NBA fans everywhere will have to wait and see if the most talked about trade this off season will come to fruition. If it does happen, will it be with the Cavs and will Wiggins will be in the deal? If not the Cavs, then does Love go to Chicago or Golden State and for whom?
Let’s say the Cavaliers end up winning the Kevin Love sweepstakes and it costs them Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and at least one first round draft pick along with other players/contracts(that’s the rumored deal that’s out there now). With Love on the roster it would make the Cavaliers starting line-up arguably one of the best, if not the best starting line-up in the NBA. But what would it do to the Cavaliers depth this season and in the future?
Here are the potential Cavs line-ups and depth charts with Love and without Love. You decide which roster you’d prefer to have.
With Kevin Love:
PG- Kyrie Irving, Matthew Dellavedova
SG- Dion Waiters, Joe Harris
SF- LeBron James, Mike Miller, James Jones
PF- Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Dwight Powell,
C- Andy Varejao, Brendan Haywood
Without Kevin Love:
PG- Kyrie Irving, Matthew Dellavedova
SG- Andrew Wiggins, Dion Waiters, Joe Harris
SF- LeBron James, Mike Miller, James Jones
PF- Tristan Thompson, Anthony Bennett, Dwight Powell
C- Andy Varejao, Brendan Haywood
Take your time in making your decision on which roster you would prefer because David Griffin and the Cavs can’t do anything for another month. As much as they would like to hurry Love to Cleveland, there’s still a lot of give and take that has to happen.
ANDREW WIGGINS SIGNS WITH CAVS, BUT WILL HE STAY WITH CAVS?
The Cleveland Cavaliers made it official today, signing Andrew Wiggins, the first overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
The 6’8, 200 pound swingman was chosen by Cavs G.M. David Griffin over Jabari Parker and his Jayhawhks teammate Joel Embiid.
Wiggins left after his freshman year at Kansas where he averaged 17.1ppg and 5.9rpg. In 4 games for the Cavs in the Las Vegas Summer League, Wiggins averaged 15.5ppg.
By signing Wiggins today the Cavaliers are unable to trade the talented rookie for 30 days, as they continue to explore the possibility of dealing for Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love.
Minnesota part owner, president and head coach Flip Saunders has made it clear that if the Cavs want Love, Wiggins must be the centerpiece of the deal.
There have been varying reports on whether or not the Cavaliers are willing to part with Wiggins. If they do, his salary of $5.5 million for his rookie season will now count as part of the deal since he has officially signed his contract, but any trade involving Wiggins can’t officially happen now for 30 days. The Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors are also reportedly interested in trading for Kevin Love.
Per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst the Cavs have also signed 2nd round pick, shooting guard Joe Harris out of Virginia to a 3-year, $2.75 million dollar contract.