Let it all out. The Cavaliers Rant Thread

[TitleTown]

There is zero reason to start JR over Wade at this point.

I disagree. Let me explain:

While as a 1 to 1 comparison, you are right, Wade probably deserves to start over JR, I would not make that swap.

First of all, Wade running the bench give us a HUGE advantage over other teams--even the Warriors. Wade vs. Livingston is finally an advantage for the Cavs when we go to our bench. Also, before TT came back and ruined our bench, Wade, Korver, Green, and Frye were just crushing other team's second units.

However, you are right, that JR should not be starting any more.

I would like to give JR a temporary break from the lineup, and try starting Cedi. His defense and speed would match up great with IT, and he does what JR should be doing--catching and shooting 3s.

This should be our rotation if Lue had balls:

IT, Cedi, LBJ, Crowder, Love

Wade, Korver, Green, Frye, and any player from the starting rotation.

We need to go down to 9 guys until the front office makes a trade. It's the only way to start building consistency.

 

[inliner311]

I don't think it takes a brain surgeon to see one obvious that should be made:

There is zero reason to start JR over Wade at this point. As Isaiah rounds into form and gets his stroke going more consistently, we will have enough spacing with IT3, Love, and Crowder to insert Wade back into the starting 5.

Beyond Wade being the better than JR, I think the biggest thing is he still rebounds well for a guard. It's also like having a 3rd PG on the floor which really helps at breaking down the defense and finding paths to the rim, which leads to open shots.

Let JR come back off the bench in the second unit, and get his minutes down to 15-20 a game. There's just such limited value to what he does in the starting 5 right now. Let the future HOF start, and let the team start to gel around it. I'm not saying you consistently play Wade 30 mins a night, but that is what we'll need come the playoffs. I just think it makes a lot of sense to let re-insert Wade now, so the team has it's "best" starting 5, and they can get acclimated going forward.

I said this in another tread but starting Wade puts alot of wear and tear on him. He has to guard the best guard on the floor if he plays with IT, most likely the opposing teams starting PG. You put 3 players you want to keep fresh and healthy the most into the starting lineup, Wade, IT, and LeBron. That's why I think a two way starting SG is the biggest need right now.

If we don't find a better SG at the trade deadline, then maybe you can think about inserting Wade into the starting lineup.

 

[billmac91]

I said this in another tread but starting Wade puts alot of wear and tear on him. He has to guard the best guard on the floor if he plays with IT, most likely the opposing teams starting PG. You put 3 players you want to keep fresh and healthy the most into the starting lineup, Wade, IT, and LeBron. That's why I think a two way starting SG is the biggest need right now.

If we don't find a better SG at the trade deadline, then maybe you can think about inserting Wade into the starting lineup.

I understand the hesitation of taking Wade off the second unit....

My counter would be, the focus should be getting out quick against opponents, which starts with your most efficient/best line-up.

I love the idea of a guy like Wade who is an amazing back cutter, exploiting defenses focused on stopping IT3’s dribble drive game.

Top of key PNR with LeBron setting screens, Love in one corner, Crowder weakside, and Wade in a position to exploit help defense has a lot of upside.

And I guess, if this is going to be your “closing” unit, I’d like to see them start mastering it now, while in the midst of this losing streak. I think it’d also add some badly needed juice to the team outside of JR....

We know Wade would love to start...obviously starting next to Rose killed that bc of spacing. I see no reason you wouldn’t put Wade back out there when u now have a floor spacer in IT3 and a guy who can attack rim and find cutters. It seems natural to play the better 2G and move JR back to bench IMO.

 

[JMoneyYourHoney]

Ideally we trade for a SG who can stay in front of other 2s and 1s, but if our comatose front office isn't going to get with the program then I agree that starting Wade is the way to go.

I know we love how well the 2nd unit has done but I trust Calderon to be able to pick up that responsibility. He could alternate with Rose, who will benefit with all the floor spacers out there...assuming JR gets his head out of his ass and Lue gets his head out of his ass with regards to Frye.

So now we're looking at 30 million dollars tied up in two guys who can barely get off the bench. Need to get these guys off the roster and replace them with a guard and big man already.

 

[Green Lantern]

What the heck is all this crap I'm reading???

http://thebiglead.com/2018/01/16/th...-save-them-and-the-media-shouldnt-play-along/


Out of Cleveland today is a pathetic little story about a group of grown men cynical and savvy enough to use the media for their own purposes, but not courageous enough to talk to their bosses face to face.

Guess what: The Cleveland Cavaliers think they need to make some roster moves if they’re ever going to beat the Golden State Warriors. Lebron wants some help.

Dog Bites Man.

It isn’t pathetic that the Cavs want to see something done at the trade deadline, but the idea that the best way to go about it would be for half the team to hold a tiny exclusive press conference in which they anonymously air their grievances about the rest of the team? That’s the scheme of a clever 8th grader, and those media outlets are under no obligation to play along, although they did.

ESPN, The Athletic and Cleveland.com all have stories about this.

This is from Cleveland.com:

Multiple marquee Cleveland players spoke without attribution to cleveland.com, ESPN, and The Athletic after the loss to the Warriors, and league sources separately spoke to cleveland.com to describe a sullen and dour atmosphere on a team that a few short weeks ago was toasting in Napa, Calif.

“Rotations are awful. IT (Isaiah Thomas) is so much worse than Kyrie defensively it’s insane,” said a league source. “There is not a great feeling anywhere. They need to limp into the All-Star break and get away from each other.”

Concerns range from a roster (the league’s oldest) that appears ill fit to match up in a seven-game series with the mighty Warriors, who have beaten the Cavs in two of the last three Finals, in seven of the last eight games overall, and are again the NBA’s best team at 36-9.

It’s easy for me to sit here and say these media outlets should have told the Cavs to pound sand, but … these media outlets should have told the Cavs to pound sand. This is not Watergate. If you’ve got a complaint about your basketball team, say it and put your name to it, or else kindly slink back behind your Instagram account and send another meme while the adults talk.

Clearly, ESPN, The Athletic and Cleveland.com have the respect and trust of the Cavaliers, and those things are not earned without great effort and care. Presumably, they learned a lot more about the Cavs in that meeting than they’ve reported, and reporters (for good reason) aren’t in the habit of turning down exclusive access to key sources.

Except the access wasn’t totally exclusive, and it depended on dopey conditions that made the whole thing look like schoolkids passing notes back and forth in class.

Do you like Dan? Circle “Yes” or “No.”

That the Cavs chose to handle this situation in this manner is newsworthy in itself (look at me, writing about it), and their airing of these grievances to more than one reporter created a game of reverse chicken that virtually guaranteed the content of that meeting would be published. I can’t really blame any of these outlets for running these stories. They sorta had to.

Still, it’s no way to live.

 

[Flight479]

Offense comes so much easier for GS than the Cavs.

Surprise

 

[tonyn]

I would say I want the cavs to storm the GS locker room but they would probably get beat up

 

[Fileman3]

Guys need to just realize, that the team's championship window is closed

 

[bee-eazy13]

Guys need to just realize, that the team's championship window is closed

People complain about the coaching, the players etc...but the truth is we’re just outgunned by the GOAT team, as is the rest of the league.

Nothing short of a blockbuster trade where other multiple mvp caliber players join up on a team with a good supporting cast can beat the Warriors.

It is what it is. We beat them to win a Championship, which is more than the rest of the league can say during the Warriors era.

 

[Fileman3]

People complain about the coaching, the players etc...but the truth is we’re just outgunned by the GOAT team, as is the rest of the league.

Nothing short of a blockbuster trade where other multiple mvp caliber players join up on a team with a good supporting cast can beat the Warriors.

It is what it is. We beat them to win a Championship, which is more than the rest of the league can say during the Warriors era.

Yup it is what it is at this point, a freaking 73 win team added a top 3 player in the world whose also a former MVP, its asking too much to make up that gap, so like i said, it is what it is for the cavs and the rest of the league.


One thing tho, we beat the pre KD warriors, the current version is a completely different animal,

 

[thunder_down_under]

Given the roster we have, the bad contracts, the age of the players and the lack of defensive minded payers, I have reached the conclusion that the only team that is going to beat GWS in the next few years, is whichever team that Bron moves to in the summer...probably Houston, San Anton, or Philly.

 

[bee-eazy13]

Given the roster we have, the bad contracts, the age of the players and the lack of defensive minded payers, I have reached the conclusion that the only team that is going to beat GWS in the next few years, is whichever team that Bron moves to in the summer...probably Houston, San Anton, or Philly.

Idk how the salary cap situation would be but imagine...Lebron, Harden, Cp3, Capela, Ariza/Tucker/Gordon would have a great chance to knock them off. Too bad that same roster couldn’t be formed here

 

[Jake]

What's up with Rose? Was the injury that severe or has he checked out? I haven't heard nothing. Can he play the 2, even a bit when JR isn't working? Sure it should be Cedi, but with Lue you know how it is.

 

[JMoneyYourHoney]

Idk how the salary cap situation would be but imagine...Lebron, Harden, Cp3, Capela, Ariza/Tucker/Gordon would have a great chance to knock them off. Too bad that same roster couldn’t be formed here

I don't think there's any way they can make it work. They'd have to find a team to take Anderson, which they haven't been able to do, trade Gordon, renounce Capela's cap hold, and persuade both CP3 and LeBron to take MUCH less money than the max, which they won't do.

Add to that CP3's propensity for getting injured and Harden's habitual playoff choking and I just don't see it happening.

LeBron should just accept that he's never going to be the guy to win the most rings and care more about personal accolades from here on out. The Cleveland title capped off what will be a legendary career and if he manages to surpass Kareem's scoring record while getting 10k assists and 10k rebounds he'll have a herculean argument for the GOAT.

Of course more rings will be nice but this is the state of things with that pusillanimous twat tucking tail and running to the Bay, and the league condoning it.

 

[rabman_gold]

I think I have a way to describe my Cavs fan-hood after the GSW game:

Enter: The Stages of Grief

1. Denial: "I refuse to accept this atrocity of a team! They're better than this!"
2. Anger: "If they don't win the next game, I'll twitter-bomb the team!"
3. Bargaining: "God, if you let our team win the championship, I won't ever say anything bad about the NBA, the referees, and Adam Silver!"
4. Depression: "Great... and there's still 40 more regular season games... how many losses do I have to suffer through...?"
5. Acceptance: "They can't beat the Warriors. Thank you for the last 4 years, guys... It's been fun."

Disclaimer: This is all in good fun, and not intended to insult people who have real grief. I apologize to those I have offended with this post.