The Cavs are in the middle of a very long and tedious process of rebuilding the team in wake of the departure of LeBron James.  The team has been collecting assets big and small.  This past draft has shown that the Cavs can use late draft picks to move up and select what they hope is an impact player in Tyler Zeller.  This is exactly why Chris Grant traded DJ Kennedy to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jeremy Pargo and a second round pick.  Odds are heavily in favor of the pick not resulting in a rotation player for the Cavs, but every little asset helps the process move along further.

Anderson Varejao is the by far the best asset that the Cavs have.  His age and his injury history are the reasons that it is projected by many that he will not finish his career in Cleveland.  Varejao is a very productive big man who can either be a spark off the bench or start, makes a very reasonable salary and is the type of player that every single team in the NBA would love to have.  It does not make sense to trade Varejao despite what a great asset he is and how his time with the team is winding down.

The biggest factor is his contract.  Varejao is set to make approximately $27 million in the last three years of his current deal with the Cavs.  The last year and $9.7 million are not fully guaranteed.  In other words, the Cavs can pay Varejao an average of $9 million in the next three years if they choose to.  If Varejao's career takes a turn for the worse and they choose to not retain him in 2014-2015, they can keep him for the next two seasons at an average of $8.7 million per year.  $27 million may sound like a lot for a player who is not likely to be named to an all star team, but the going rate for big men is much higher than what he currently makes.  What was once considered a bad contract in 2009 is ironically currently one of the better values in the entire NBA.  To put it in perspective, DeSagana Diop and Tyrus Thomas are both going to be paid $15.4 million next season.  Brendan Haywood was set to make $8.4 million in Dallas before the team used the amnesty provision on him.  Charlie Villanueva is going to make $8 million in Detroit.  The Golden State Warriors are going to pay Andris Biedrins $9 million in 2012-2013.

Read more...

The Summer League rendition of the Cleveland Cavaliers is overall performing at a disappointing level.  Wins and losses do not matter.  The issue lies in the fact that none of the individual players are performing at a high level.  At the conclusion of the game against the Timberwolves on Thursday night, there is only one Cavalier in the top 50 in points per game in the Summer League.  That player is Samardo Samuels and he is 47th with 13 points per game.  The rebounding stats are a little better.  Tyler Zeller (17th) and Samardo Samuels (50th) are in the top 50 with 7.8 and 5.3 rebounds per game. 

Because of how limited the sample size is, it would be nice to be able to see the Cavs play at full strength.  Once again, a marquee player for the Cavs was held out of the game.  Fourth overall pick Dion Waiters did not play and sat on the bench with a brace on his left knee.  Evidently he sustained an injury against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.  Jumping to conclusions is not prudent, but Cavs fans are left with no option but to question if his injury is a result of his poor conditioning. 

Read more...

Summer League basketball is what it is.  Fans spend a lot of time thinking about different prospects leading up to the draft.  We think about which player(s) fit the team's biggest before, during and after the draft.  There is a seemingly infinite amount of time between the draft and the beginning of the NBA season.  Because of this, fans tend to put a little too much credence in Summer League games.  These games are the first chance fans have to see the new pieces to their favorite team.  Almost everybody is aware that these games should be taken with a grain of salt, but these games should not be completely ignored.

Basically, these games are the only thing we have to talk about so they are probably over-scrutinized.  Many fans were ready to declare that Dion Waiters is a bust after he shot 28% in his first two games.  The fact of the matter is that he has been disappointing thus far, but that does not mean he will not live up to his potential.  Some people are being overly dismissive of his bad showing and other people are taking the other extreme.  What we can do right now is discuss how he looks at this current juncture. 

We're all very impressed with Tyler Zeller.  Most of us aren't that thrilled with Dion Waiters.  Conclusions should not be drawn on either of the Cavalier rookies after three games.  Nothing really changes If Zeller has a poor showing or Waiters scores a lot of points on high efficiency on Thursday.

Now that I got that out of my system, the Cavs played their third game in three nights against the Phoenix Suns.  Most Summer League games do not matter, but this one is even less important.  Many of the participants have played their third game in three nights and are not in playing shape due to the four month layoff since the NCAA tournament or three months since the end of the NBA regular season.  Tristan Thompson (50%), Michael Eric (60%) and T.J. Campbell were the only members of the Cavaliers that shot over 40% from the field.  The team shot 37.5% overall compared to the Suns' 38.8%.  The fact that Cleveland had 80 possessions compared to the 67 for Phoenix is the biggest statistical factor that could explain the 15 point margin of victory for the Cavs. 

Read more...

The good news is that the Las Vegas Summer League does not matter in the grand scheme of things.  The bad news is that Dion Waiters does not currently look like an NBA level athlete.  NBA careers are not defined by how a player does in his first two Summer League matches, but players with star potential should be able to score at will against other rookies getting their first taste of professional basketball and various undrafted free agents. 

Waiters struggled once again.  He finished with 11 points, 3 assists and 1 rebound.  Waiters took 14 shots and only made 4 of them against what should be considered inferior competition.  The optimist in me explains Waiter's struggles by pointing to the nature of the Summer League.  Coaching is minimal, chemistry with teammates doesn't exist and it closer resembles a glorified pickup basketball game than a real NBA game.  But at the same time, Waiters should be playing much better than he is.  Every single player in the Summer League has to face these challenges and many deliver better.  The rookie guard is shooting only 28% from the field in his first two games as a professional.

All is not bleak in Cleveland.  Tyler Zeller had another solid offensive showing.  He scored 19 points on only 8 shots, pulled down 7 rebounds and made 9 free throws in 10 attempts.  The young center could use some work on the defensive end of the court, but he looks very polished.  The competition will be much tougher in the NBA, but Zeller strikes me as someone that you can plug into the lineup and have a good idea of what kind of output he will have for your team.  The fact that he is 7 feet tall and is fundamentally sound should be a welcome change from centers of Cleveland Cavalier past. 

Read more...