Matthew Dellavedova

Re: Matthew Dellavedova (training camp invite)

John Bagley got rotation minutes..

Re: Matthew Dellavedova (training camp invite)

Dellavedova has been writing a weekly column for an Australian paper. Here's the latest one:

http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/1859463/opportunity-knocks/?cs=81
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Opportunity Knocks

HEY everyone!

We had three pre-season games this week, winning one and losing two.

Jarrett Jack, the back-up point guard, has been out this week with a sore knee so I have had the opportunity to play some more minutes.

It has been a great experience so far and I am definitely feeling more comfortable each time I go out there.

I’m learning a lot about what works and what doesn’t work in the NBA.

One of the things I do is watch a lot of game tape because it helps you pick up on things you don’t see in the game and what reads you should be making on ball screens.

Something I’m working on now is not jumping to pass. The problem with jumping to pass is if the passing option is taken away while you are in the air, most times it will equal a turnover.

The first game of the week was against Charlotte. We played it in Canton, which is a town about an hour outside of Cleveland.

The arena held around 4000 people and it was at capacity so it was a good atmosphere.

It reminded me of the gym at Saint Mary’s, McKeon Pavilion.

The biggest roar from the crowd was reserved for Andy Varejao, his nickname is the “Wild Thing”.

We started the game well early, but eventually faded, going down 92-74.

The second game of the week was at home against Detroit.

This was one of the better games we have played, with everyone contributing well. The final score was 96-84.

It was good to match up on Chauncey Billups a few times. He’s a player I have watched a fair bit over the years.

Our third game of the week was also at home against Indiana. They are a good team, who went to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

We played a solid half of basketball, but they jumped us late in the third and continued away with the game in the fourth, beating us 102-79.

After the game I got to catch up with a teammate from the 2007 under-18 Vic Country State team - Hayden Annett - who I hadn’t seen for a couple of years which was cool.

Hayden is in his senior year of college at a school in West Virginia.

We just arrived in Columbus which is the capital of Ohio. When we arrived, a few of the players and coaches went to a local charity to give packages of food and care products to 200 families. It was a pretty cool experience.

As I write this we're scheduled to play Philadelphia tomorrow so I’m looking forward to catching up with my old Boomers coach Brett Brown.

He definitely taught me a lot and it has helped me with my transition to the NBA game.

If anyone they would like to hear about anything or some questions, I’ll answer a couple each week, you can tweet to me @matthewdelly.

Thanks. Have a good week everyone.

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

I like him but his play the last 3 games has been poor in my opinion. I think where he might have seemed like a lock to make the team after the 3rd or 4th pre-season game, now I"m not so sure he deserved it.

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

pl4tinum said:

I like him but his play the last 3 games has been poor in my opinion. I think where he might have seemed like a lock to make the team after the 3rd or 4th pre-season game, now I"m not so sure he deserved it.

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He looked good with the rotation players, looked bad playing with the scrubs who eventually got cut. I think that speaks to his talent set as a pass first point guard. He needs to find the shooting touch he had in college, then he provides better floor spacing along with his ability to create shots.

Defensively he had moments where he was a step late, but he has been more ready to play NBA defense than I expected. He has been physical, which has made up for his footspeed. The drawn charge at Washington along with a few steals were encouraging signs on the aide of the court that were supposed to hold him back.

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

He tries a lot of cross court passes Lebron style, but he doesn't have the height to see over the defense for it. He will have to swing for it instead. These are the "home run" passes Brow was talking about. I think he is ok. Adjusting to the speed is going to be his biggest hurdle I think.

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

Randolphkeys said:

He looked good with the rotation players, looked bad playing with the scrubs who eventually got cut. I think that speaks to his talent set as a pass first point guard. He needs to find the shooting touch he had in college, then he provides better floor spacing along with his ability to create shots.

Defensively he had moments where he was a step late, but he has been more ready to play NBA defense than I expected. He has been physical, which has made up for his footspeed. The drawn charge at Washington along with a few steals were encouraging signs on the aide of the court that were supposed to hold him back.

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This is not meant as a back-handed compliment (although it probably is), but some of Dellavedova's best showings in pre-season were in short stints (for example, the last 6 minutes of the Orlando game--in that case mainly with reserves, but not with bottom-of-the-barrel reserves). If things go right for the Cavs, having him out there for short bursts with decent players during the regular season may also hide some of his deficiencies and allow him just to fit in.

I thought he was better on defense in the preseason than expected, that his shot looked promising at times (and awkward at others), that he could get physically overmatched at times. Brown complimented him a few times as being a defender who already knew the system well. The thing that bothered me most was decision-making on passes that may have worked against lesser competition but could not work for him in the NBA. He mentioned that kind of thing himself in the articles he's published for the Australian paper. I want him to make those kinds of adjustments so he can eliminate unforced errors, and now that he has made the team, I wonder if we'll get the bonus of better shooting considering he'll be left open and won't be playing heavy minutes. If he can lower the unnecessary turnovers, make the simple passes (to big men in the post?), and hit some occasional shots, he'll be a fan favorite.

Just not impressed. He misses many easy passes such as when a post player pins his man. He had trouble with pressure and had trouble finishing inside so you don't have to rotate hard on the pick and roll against him

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Re: Matthew Dellavedova

Pioneer10 said:

Just not impressed. He misses many easy passes such as when a post player pins his man. He had trouble with pressure and had trouble finishing inside so you don't have to rotate hard on the pick and roll against him

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So he is playing like a mid-second round rookie who hasn't played a minute of regular season NBA. Here's how I'm looking at it:

Let's say the Cavaliers don't trade their high second rounder for two future seconds. Instead they draft a guy like Nate Wolters, who I was also high on as a pass first backup point prospect.

Now they go into free agency two deep at point guard: Kyrie, who is the future of the league at the position, and a kid who everyone agrees can have a place in the league for the next ten years.

Do they still need a veteran like Jack to teach these kids how to lead an offense? Yes. Does a guy like that see a longterm future with the franchise? Probably not. He probably goes to a more attractive situation.

So if Delly looks like a fringe player, a 15th man, with contract flexibility... perhaps that is best for the longterm plan.

Keys with that logic why it is not on point to point out he's not very good? Most second round picks have mediocre to poor NBA careers and he certainly seems on that path to me. Definitely doesn't look like Karasev who looks better then his draft position.

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Re: Matthew Dellavedova

Pioneer10 said:

Keys with that logic why it is not on point to point out he's not very good? Most second round picks have mediocre to poor NBA careers and he certainly seems on that path to me. Definitely doesn't look like Karasev who looks better then his draft position.

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There is no doubt Karasev has a higher ceiling because he is proving that he was a top ten talent in this draft. If a poster jumped all over him in a post about mistakes he's making, there would be five posts following that point out how early it is to make definitive statements this early in his career.

I don't think Dellavedova has reached his ceiling either. I equally think its too early to say he isn't going to have an NBA career. I'm especially questioning the posters who thought Jermaine Taylor, who had proven for four years he isn't an NBA player and in my opinion had one good game, was a better fit.

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

Jesus Keys.

What a bizarre player to choose to defend non-stop. He's a 13th man.

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

............ said:

Jesus Keys.

What a bizarre player to choose to defend non-stop. He's a 13th man.

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Bizarre that nobody is arguing that point well. It seems people want to bash a Cavs player to bash... something. Why is the focus on me in a Matthew Dellavedova thread?

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

Randolphkeys said:

Bizarre that nobody is arguing that point well. It seems people want to bash a Cavs player to bash... something. Why is the focus on me in a Matthew Dellavedova thread?

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Because you're defending him like he's a late 90s Jason Kidd. I just thought he was mediocre at best when he played and not someone I really cared about either way.

Luv u tho.

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

Pfffft... you should have seen what I had to say about 90s Jason Kidd.

Re: Matthew Dellavedova

Well don't leave me hangin now...

Fake quote yourself on him.