Cavs 07-08 Season Thread

[osugrad21]

CPD

Cleveland Cavaliers to reflect, assess rest of roster around LeBron James after season-ending loss


Tuesday, May 20, 2008Jodie Valade
Plain Dealer Reporter
The wounds were still stinging the day after the Cavaliers' turbulent season came to a close, reopening each time someone described how it all came to an abrupt end in Sunday's Game 7 loss to the Celtics in Boston. But the star player, the coach and the general manager already were looking forward to how to best patch the pain.
Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry said Monday he will take a couple of weeks to reflect and assess the chaotic season before beginning a "deep dive" into the roster to evaluate what changes need to be made to make the Cavaliers the kind of team LeBron James will want to play on for the remainder of his career, and the kind of team that can win a championship.
"What we have is very good, but we need to continue to get better, we know that," James said after Sunday's Game 7. "If that means some personnel changes that need to happen, then so be it. The teams around us in the league are continuing to get better."




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[osugrad21]

CPD

Clock is ticking for Cleveland Cavaliers veterans, says The Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston


Tuesday, May 20, 2008Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
Every time a season ends short of cham pagne, veterans know they won't get many more chances to drink it, spray it, or use it as shampoo.
Cavaliers forward Joe Smith has played 13 years in the NBA. This season, he played in his first game to close out a team. Scored one point in it, as Washington stole the only game the Cavaliers lost in the playoffs at The Q. But he played big minutes in the Boston series, and he rebounded better than anyone else from Cleveland in Game 7.
Monday he was thinking about the bitter, baffling aspects of a game that can come down to the bounce of a ball. Twice in the fourth quarter Sunday, the Cavs strangled the Celtics and forced air balls, to no avail.




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[osugrad21]

CPD

Plain Dealer columnist Terry Pluto scribbles in his notebook about LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers losing to Boston Celtics


Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Some fans say the Cavs need a point guard. Others insist it's a shooting guard. What the Cavs desperately need is a guard who can create his own shot - a guard who doesn't need two picks to get open, a guard who can do more than stand still and hoist up 3-pointers. They need someone besides LeBron James who can beat his man off the dribble when the 24-second clock is ticking down and the play has broken down. That's part of the reason James ends up with the ball, dribbling, dribbling, dribbling as the clock is ready to expire - no one else can do it.
Larry Hughes was supposed
to be that guy, but he settled into a passive-and-poor jump-shooter. It wasn't just being with the Cavs. When traded to Chicago, where he was given the green light to "play your game," Hughes put up nearly identical numbers with the Bulls (12.0 points, 39 percent shooting) as he did with the Cavs (12.3 points, 38 percent). At the moment, I don't know who the guy is who can serve as Scottie Pippen to the Cavs' No. 23 - but he needs to be an athlete like Pippen who can take some of the ballhandling and creative scoring burden off James.




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[osugrad21]

Canton

Cavaliers must look to the future
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Team cleans out lockers following playoff loss[/FONT]
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
BY Chris Beaven
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

INDEPENDENCE The door swung open to silence at Cleveland Clinic Courts at about noon Monday.

No basketballs bouncing. No coaches shouting instructions. No players taking jump shots or joking with each other.

Just the silence that comes in a large empty gym at the end of a tough season.

"This is not a fun day," Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry said.

Instead of working out and getting ready for the conference finals, the Cavs were cleaning out their lockers.

"I came in, and I was ready to practice today," point guard Delonte West said.

"I think reality set in for everybody around here. We're pretty much done for the year, and it's already (time to) start preparations for next year."

Looking to next season began Sunday in Boston.

The Celtics beat the Cavs, 97-92, in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals to end any hopes the LeBron James-led Cavs had of making their way back to the NBA Finals, leaving the entire franchise disappointed.

"That's the good thing about being here now ? if you don't win a championship it's considered a failure," said center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, one of three Cavs to talk Monday. "Making the playoffs or just winning a series is not good enough for us anymore."

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[osugrad21]

Canton

Cavs' West a restricted free agent
[FONT=Verdana,Times New Roman,arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Point guard, team have good things to say about each other[/FONT]
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
BY Chris Beaven
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

INDEPENDENCE Predicting what the Cavaliers will look like by next season is impossible right now.

Seeing Delonte West still at point guard, though, does not require too much imagination.

"Yeah, I would like to play here in Cleveland," West said. "It definitely fits my style, and I think the type of player I am fits Cleveland's style."

West is a restricted free agent. The Cavs have until June 30 to make him a qualifying offer. Once they do that, they can match any offer West receives from another team.

"We'll explore those things," General Manager Danny Ferry said. "I'm not really supposed to comment on free agency ... at this point."

Ferry and Head Coach Mike Brown both liked what West did in three months with the team. He arrived in the Feb. 21 blockbuster trade.

Brown thought West played "terrific," and Ferry said West "is a player I've always liked."

West averaged 10.3 points, 4.5 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 26 regular-season games as a Cavalier. In 13 playoff games, he averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.3 rebounds.

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[osugrad21]

Canton

Cavaliers notebook
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
BY Chris Beaven
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

MORE FREE AGENT TALK Delonte West is not the team's only restricted free agent. Second-year guard Daniel Gibson, the Cavaliers' top 3-point shooter, also is one. "I like Daniel a lot," General Manager Danny Ferry said. "He's been very good for us over the past couple years. Clearly that's someone we'll talk to once the free agency stuff starts."

RUDE FANS Some Celtic fans broke out in "U-S-A ... U-S-A" chants when Cavs center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a native of Lithuania, shot free throws Sunday in Boston. Ilgauskas said he didn't hear the chants but did notice one thing about the crowd. "There were a lot of young kids," he said. "I've probably been in this country longer than them." Ilgauskas came to Cleveland in 1996 when the team drafted him in the first round.

G-O-O-O-O-A-L The level of defense in the Cavs-Celtics series put scoring at such a premium that games reminded Ilgauskas of another of his favorite sports. "Every time someone scored, it almost seemed like a goal in soccer because it was so ugly," Ilgauskas said. "The ball was bouncing around."


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[exhawg]

I'll trade our first rounder, Wally, and Sasha for a top tier player.

I am excited for the draft, as I think it could bring some interesting scenarios.

Can't trade the first round pick this year. Another reason why it will be hard to work something out this off season. NBA rules state that you have to have a 1st round pick every other year.

 

[aurorabuckeye13]

I just don't see Green as a good fit...I think he would be a good fit for a team that has say a Kobe or someone like that but Green is going to struggle mightly to defend the 3 position in the NBA...Can you see him guarding a guy like Pierce, TMac, LBJ, etc...Or even some younger ones like Jeff Green, Kevin Durant, etc...

I just can't see it...At this point I would have to hear a great workout or something, but I just don't see him fitting here and playing alongside LBJ as he is the main 3, and Green isn't really the creator type...

I don't see him as a worse defender than Wally right now, and I think anyone with his athleticism will be able to come a better defender. Example A is Sasha Pavlovic, who didn't play any defense when he came, and he played good defense during last year's finals run. I do agree he isn't the creator type, but I think Delonte can improve on that over the summer and of course LeBron is a great creator.

 

[ArmyVet83]

beside Arenas and Baron Davis are there any other legit options in the free agent pool this offseason?

Arenas and Davis both have a history of injuries. I would not fork out that kind of money for either based on that fact alone. Great talents when healthy but it's not a safe buy for either. Best bet is via trade or move up in the draft.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Gilbert insists Cavs closer to title Owner disappointed by this year's earlier exit from playoffs, but says additions made team stronger; praises Brown, Ferry
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Dan Gilbert concedes that after three years of being the majority owner of the Cavaliers, he still feels like a rookie at times.
From his standpoint, he believes his team is closer now to winning the desired championship than it was a year ago when it missed out in the NBA Finals. Like all members of the organization, he's still reeling a bit from the Game 7 loss Sunday to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals, but he still feels like strides were made this season even though it ended earlier.
''I believe that it was another year of experience for Mike Brown and LeBron and everybody else on the team,'' Gilbert said in a season-ending teleconference with reporters Tuesday. ''I think we had better team chemistry than (last season). What you had was a different set of circumstances in the Eastern Conference. All things being equal, I think we are closer.''



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[osugrad21]

CPD

Gilbert is driven to win


Wednesday, May 21, 2008Branson Wright
Plain Dealer Reporter
Many Cavaliers fans have developed a sense of urgency when it comes to an NBA title before LeBron James becomes eligible for free agency in two years.
Owner Dan Gilbert also shares that urgency but winning is not just about James.
"I don't know if [winning] could be any less in this or ganization no matter who is playing on the team," Gilbert said. "There's no one I've ever questioned here who has more of a drive to win more than these guys [players, coaches and front office] that I've seen here."

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[osugrad21]

Canton

Cavs owner: We're going to let a little time go by and regroup
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
BY Chris Beaven
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

Everyone has ideas on how to improve the Cavaliers, including their owner.

But given how fresh the frustration is over their season ending, Dan Gilbert thinks it is wise to wait a bit before settling in on what needs to be done. He doesn't think it's a slam dunk that the Cavs need to add another All-Star to complement LeBron James.

"We're going to all take a step back here for a few days ... let a little time go by and regroup, and look objectively," the Cavaliers majority owner-chairman said Tuesday during a teleconference.

Gilbert was as disappointed as anyone when the season ended Sunday with a 97-92 loss to Boston in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semis.

"The season ends so suddenly," he said. "You don't believe it's going to end, and then all of sudden you wake up the next morning and it's over."

The Cavs faced challenge after challenge this season with holdouts, injuries and a major trade in their quest to return to the NBA Finals.

"Overall, I'm very happy that we don't have guys that give up. No one in the organization gives up," Gilbert said.

James emphasized the "need to get better" a couple of times Sunday.

He has never hidden his desire to see the team add another elite player.

Gilbert didn't rule out that type of addition. But when asked if he thought James needs an All-Star sidekick, Gilbert said he doesn't think it's an absolute must.
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[osugrad21]

CPD

Cleveland Cavaliers' Eric Snow up for head coaching job with Chicago Bulls

Bulls interested in Cavs guard

Thursday, May 22, 2008 Branson Wright

Plain Dealer Reporter
Cavaliers guard Eric Snow is a candidate for the Chicago Bulls' head coaching job, according to Snow's agent, Steve Kauffman.
Getting an interview is the easy part. Getting hired would be a challenge - Snow would have to resolve his contract situation with the Cavs first.
Snow, under contract through next season ($7.3 million), cannot become a coach until the Cavs either buy out his contract or an insurance company grants him a medical exemption because he can no longer play.




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[osugrad21]

CPD

LeBron James may want more than the city of Cleveland can offer, writes The Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston


Thursday, May 22, 2008Bill Livingston
Plain Dealer Columnist
LeBron James' day will come. It just might not dawn here.
It wasn't just the roll call of teams James listed after the Game 7 loss in Boston, noting that they all got dramatically better: Boston, New Orleans, the Lakers, Orlando, Detroit.
It wasn't just the way he was talking about needing only to fine-tune his own game, rather than rebuild it. That, however, meant: I have given my all. It was not enough. What, in all fairness, should I do next? And where?

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[osugrad21]

CPD

Holdouts by Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic cost Cleveland Cavaliers in NBA playoffs


Thursday, May 22, 2008Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer Columnist
Cavaliers owner Daniel Gilbert isn't sold on LeBron James' need for a sidekick.
The owner wondered if San Antonio's Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker were considered sidekicks to Tim Duncan. If by sidekicks, he means great players who complement Duncan . . . is this a trick question?
Let's just say if James had Ginobili and Parker, the Cavs would've defeated the Spurs last year and would still be in the hunt for a second title.

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