The Lebron Legacy
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@justanotherfan Good analysis. I’ve posted much of the same regarding what Minnesota has to get back, Cleveland needing to pull out all the stops for championships, etc.
I think one thing I might disagree with is the idea that keeping Wiggins and just staying the course equates to “giving away two of the remaining elite Lebron seasons.” We don’t know how this team looks. With LeBron, with Wiggins, with Love. I think most would agree, if looking at the situation objectively, that Love is indeed a better player than Wiggins right now. However, championship teams are not always the best collection of individual players. Often times all-star teams, or “dream” teams, fail. Not because they aren’t talented enough, but because that talent has to mesh to produce the best team. Who knows what the best mesh is for this Cavalier team? We can only project how things will fit. A lot of media people are projecting Love to complement LeBron’s game nicely, because he’s a shooter who can space the floor, because he rebounds, and because he is the Brady Morningstar of outlet passes apparently (sorry, but every time I read some “expert” gushing about Love’s outlet passes it makes me think of people extolling the virtues of BStar’s post entry passes).
What few people are projecting is how well Wiggins might complement LeBron. By keeping Wiggins, LeBron may finally be able to let someone else guard the other team’s best perimeter player. By all accounts, Wiggins should step onto the floor day 1 and be a plus defender. I don’t think this can be undervalued. Letting him catch his breath on the defensive end would definitely be one way to stave off aging decline, whereas conversely if he has to go balls out on the defensive end every game because he has a bunch of stiffs out there it will definitely accelerate the aging process.
I also think that bringing in Love suddenly limits a bit of LeBron’s flexibility. You can’t play small with LBJ at the 4 anymore, as Love is essentially a stretch 4. One of the things that made Miami so successful was their small-ball line-ups that other teams couldn’t match or exploit. Plug in Love, and that option goes away.
Anyway, as I’ve said before, they should let this play out for a bit. Here’s a link to a Grantland article that I’ve mentioned before that talks about some of what I’ve been saying here:
But if after evaluating the team it is determined that they have a better chance, a legitimate chance, of winning a championship with Love, then you make the move everyday. If it results in even one championship and Wiggins goes on to have a successful career, it was still worth it.
P.S. Thanks to @JayHawkFanToo - link successfully posted! Much appreciated!
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Keep in mind that if the Wolves don’t trade Love soon, he plays one season and they get jack…that is 0 cents on the dollar; a small percentage of something is better than 100% of nothing.
Also, although a firm number for the salary cap is just about impossible to pinpoint because of all the exemptions, it looks like after signing Wiggins, the Cavs will be right around the salary cap. Love would come in at over $20M per year which is well over $15M of what Wiggins will be making, so in order to make room, the Cavs will have to shed several players and the team will resemble Miami last season, a team with no bench…did not work too well for Miami either.
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I can’t believe this is July and we are getting such a great quality of posting in here!
Thumbs up, people!
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Look guys it doesn’t matter what Minnesota wants. Of course they want to trade a Kevin Love for a Wiggins. That my friend is a no brainer. There probably isn’t a team in the league that wouldn’t make that trade.
This is about the Cavs bending over backwards to appease the great Lebron. Even if it means pissing away the future in a player like Wiggins. Here you have a player like Lebron who dissed is home town and yet now that same team is willing to piss away the future of the organization so Lebron can run around and say Hey I won a championship for you guys.
I laugh at you that say the Cavs have to make this trade. Let me ask you a question would you trade Jordan for Love? How about Bird, Magic or even Duncan? Yea of course not because you know how these player turned out. Yet you think trading Wiggins is a no brainer. Really so what if the Cavs trade Wiggins for Love, and the Cavs do indeed win that one championship? Yet Wiggins goes on to win 6 or even 7 championships? Still think that was a good trade?
It’s mind boggling to me that these kids are drafted on potential yet it’s a no brainer to trade them for a proven player. Why even draft at all? Just trade the First round pick every year on proven players? Bottom line you know what Love is, he’s hit his peak. You have no ideal what Wiggins can be. No ideal.
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There probably isn’t a team in the league that wouldn’t make that trade.
@DoubleDD Well, we know there’s one team - Cleveland.
My man, look I don’t want to be disrespectful, but you keep throwing out these outrageous comparisons. Jordan, Bird, Magic, Duncan. Could Wiggins be that great? It’s possible, but the odds are against it. What you’re talking about when you make those comparisons is keeping Wiggins on the statistical improbability that he turns out to be one of the 10 best players of all time. That’s just an outrageous reason to keep Wiggins, because he might be THAT good. Because he might win 6 or 7 championships (which only a handful of players have done, Jordan & Pippen have 6, Robert Horry, Russell and some of his Celtics teammates have that many…that’s it I believe).
What if I told you that by trading Wiggins for Love that it gave you - as the Cleveland GM - a 25% chance at winning a championship sometime in the next 3 years. Now I tell you that by holding onto Wiggins that chance reduces down to say 10%, but you have a .01% chance that holding onto Wiggins nets you 6 or 7 championships? Those are essentially the odds you are talking about when you make statements like that. You’re saying “what if he goes on to win 6 or 7 championships”…you know, like 1/1,000 of the players in league history have done.
And really, when you get down to it, that’s what trading potential for proven talent is about - weighing the odds. Anthony Bennett was last year’s #1 pick, and probably still has a lot of potential. But would Minnesota consider a deal centered around him? No, because the odds are he isn’t going to progress to an all-star level. Now a player like Andrew Wiggins…there’s a greater chance of him developing. But there’s still a chance that he never lives up to that billing. Shall we go through the history of top 3 picks and find out how many are busts, or at least how many were never “the future of the franchise” that drafted them? And I say top 3 picks, because without the injury to Embiid, Wiggins goes #3. So you can throw out as many hypothetical scenarios - “Really so what if the Cavs trade Wiggins for Love, and the Cavs do indeed win that one championship? Yet Wiggins goes on to win 6 or even 7 championships? Still think that was a good trade?” - like that one, but for every scenario like that, there’s one that says “Really what if the Cavs trade Wiggins for Love, and the Cavs do end the city’s 50 year championship drought and win one title, and Wiggins has a solid, but unspectacular career? Still think that is a good trade Minnesota?”
I think the funny thing to me is that I feel I have a very reasonable approach to the situation - to see how this team looks on the court before making a decision. If it looks like Wiggins will mesh well, then you keep him. If it looks like the one thing holding you back is a jump shooting, glass-vaccing power forward, then you make the trade for Love. What I don’t get is you’re not even there. You’re not even willing to look at it. You’re just anointing Wiggins the future of the franchise and speculating that he wins 6 or 7 rings before seeing him in so much as 1 regular season game. That to me is what’s mind-boggling.
Your last statement (with spelling corrections) is the most accurate thing you’ve said: “You have no idea what Wiggins can be. No idea.” You’re 100% right. Could be he’s a HOFer. Could be he’s just a solid rotation guy. We have no idea. Where we seem to be world’s apart are is the odds. The odds of Wiggins being a future of the franchise type player. It’s possible. I hope he has that kind of career. But even for the kids with the most promise out of high school and college, the odds are against it.
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Good gosh, trading Wiggins and Bennett, and a first round pick, for Kevin Love is an absolute no brainer. I mean do it now. Kevin Love is a superstar right now. Not speculative. Not in the future. Not maybe. Love is a double double machine. He averaged over 26 ppg and 12 board per game – average!
This is not even a debate. It’s not a debate because it’s the classic bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Sure thing vs. maybe thing. If Cleveland wins one title in the next three seasons, and Wiggins because Michael Jordan, it is still a good trade. That is because no one can say that Wiggins will become Jordan. He could just as easily be a flop.
Lebron, Love, Irving is better than any other “big three” around – all due respect the Spurs.
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@HighEliteMajor wouldn’t that be 3 in the bush? One bird is a Jhawk!
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The following excerpt is from a Grantland article where they graded NBA teams in the offseason (btw, if you don’t already you should really spend some time on Grantland. The writing is better, more in-depth, and often times very humorous):
"One of the funny parts about spending way too much time on the Internet is that sometimes you initially agree with a criticism, but then everybody starts talking about it and tweeting about it, one-upping each other with hotter takes, and eventually the opinions get taken so far that you can’t help but double back and start defending what you were initially criticizing.That’s what happened with Daryl Morey this week.
It went like this:
• “Wow, the Rockets really looked like idiots in the end this summer.” (Yep.) • “Morey isn’t as invincible as everyone says he is.” (100 percent.) • “What happened this summer was a colossal mistake.” (Umm …) • “Morey’s just a product of incestuous media putting him on a pedestal. He’s never been that great” (OK.) • “Seven years in Houston, and Morey’s made the second round once. Why doesn’t anyone write an article about THAT?” [Backing away slowly] • “FINALLY, the myth of Morey is being exposed.” (Wait, what?) • “Will the Rockets even make the playoffs this year?” (WHAT?)"
I feel this is what has happened to me with the Wiggins trade. Here I am defending the legitimacy of it to DoubleDD, when the fact is I don’t want it to happen, and I’m not even sure it should happen.
All due respect to @HighEliteMajor, but to me it’s not a “no-brainer”, and there is plenty of room for debate. The first thing that I’d say to ANYONE quoting stats is - did you watch him play? If you didn’t, spare me the fantasy basketball line. After that I’d ask anyone that thinks it is a no-brainer if they know how this team looks. Do they know how LeBron & Irving are going to co-exist, how they’re going to space the floor. Do they know the team’s strengths & weaknesses. No? And because we don’t know how this team will look, do we know how Kevin Love will fit in with it? Is he a sure thing with this team? Do we see a stat drop like we saw with Bosh when he left the Raptors for the Heat? Can three guys such as LBJ, Irving, & Love, who all demand the ball and are volume type scorers, play together effectively?
I get that it’s the known commodity vs potential debate (I’ve been essentially extolling the virtues of trading for the known commodity with my most recent post to DoubleDD), so it may seem like I’m flip-flopping, or arguing to argue, or playing devil’s advocate to everyone on the site. But my position has been wait and see. Maybe out of my fear of Wiggins landing in Minnesota. I know sentimentally, I want Wiggins to stay in Cleveland because I think it will be best for his development. Objectively, I think at the end of the day you probably make this trade, but still there’s no harm in waiting other than maybe Wiggins gets hurt and you can’t do the deal. I just think it’s too quick to assume what’s best for a group of players we’ve never seen play together.
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@icthawkfan316 I understand what your saying, in that if you can win a championship by picking up a piece here or there. You do it. However Kevin Love is not just a piece he is a chunk, that demands minutes and the ball in hand. Yes it’s easy (HEM) to look up Kevin Loves numbers and say oh yea this guy is the real deal. Trade half your team for him. However if you watched the guy play. He can’t play defense and a lot of his scoring happens when the game has already been decided.
Icthawkfan316 I guess the thing for me is how do you trade a player like Wiggins without even seeing what the kid can do? I understand the odds of Wiggins becoming the next Jordan, Bird, Magic and so on are slim, but there is a chance. And that is what baffles me. Why you would you just trade the kid without even seeing what he could do with the pieces you already have.
Icthawkfan316 do you really think if the Bulls would’ve traded Jordan and won one championship because of that trade, while Jordan went some where else and won 6 championship and became the greatest player to play the game is a good trade? I know comparing Wiggins to Jordan is kind of funny, but that’s what I’m saying we just don’t know.
I think you’re a lot like me on this, just a little more leveled headed about it. You want to see what Wiggins can do before you pull the trigger on such a trade. (I have checked out that Grantland article) I too understand that if there are pieces out there to make your team better you have to at least entertain such thoughts. I guess what bothers me the most about all this is. I feel that Lebron had his mind made up to move Wiggins before he signed on the dotted line. Whether it’s Kevin Love or not, Wiggins will be traded, and that kind of bothers me. Also the idea of trading Kevin Love for Wiggins is a no brainer. Well that’s just dumb. If it’s such a no brainer then the Cavs should have never drafted Wiggins yet instead just traded the first pick for Love. As it seems by some no matter who is drafted you make that trade?
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To reiterate the hypothesis: Wiggins’ posse and adidas want out of the Cleveland-Lebron-Nike complex and that is why trading for Love resurfaced.
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What is Andrew Wiggins’ ceiling? That’s really a big part of this question when it comes to trading him.
Some say that he could be like Durant or Lebron or Jordan or Kobe or someone along those lines. I for one just don’t see it. He’s not that type of offensive force. He has the tools to be a good offensive player, but I don’t foresee him ever being a 25 ppg guy. I could be wrong. Of course, there’s a lot of disagreement among NBA guys about what his ceiling is.
I look at Andrew Wiggins and I see the potential for a Scottie Pippen type of player - superb defensively, with enough offense to carry a team in short bursts, but not the type of guy that can carry you for months at a time like a Durant, Jordan or Kobe.
For a more contemporary comparison, I actually would look at a player like Indiana’s Paul George. Another tremendous defensive player who has some skills offensively as well. Unfortunately, Paul George is also somewhat limited by the fact that his ball handling is not quite elite enough to make him a great driver in the NBA, which means he doesn’t get to the FT line much (only about 6 times a game this year, which was a career high). That lack of FTs means he has to make a lot of FGs, and as a non post player, that means a lot of contested jumpers have to fall. His FG % has settled in around 42% the last two years as he’s become more of a scorer precisely because some of those jumpers are not going down. I think Wiggins will be similar. When he gets his jumper going, he can go for a ton like he did against West Virginia. On the other hand, he can disappear for long periods if he can’t get those good looks because he can’t get to the paint at will like Jordan or Kobe or Lebron or Durant.
Not to say that he won’t be a good NBA player. I just comp’ed him to one of the 50 best players ever (Pippen) and a two time NBA all star (George). If he lands in that range, he’s definitely a success. I’m just not sure you don’t trade a guy with that ceiling for an in his prime Kevin Love.
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@jaybate 1.0 you know in all the if’s and but’s, proven vs potential, what could be, what couldn’t be and what will never be. You my friend may have hit the nail on head. Here I am making a mountain out of a mole hill. When really it’s about shoe companies duking it out. LMAO.
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@justanotherfan Another really good analysis.
I think a more accurate question here is what is the probability Wiggins reaches his ceiling? Or put another way, how close can he get to his ceiling? Because to me, his ceiling is more or less set. It’s not on a sliding scale. I think his ceiling is that of either a Kobe Bryant, or as you said a Scottie Pippen. The height of one’s ceiling is largely defined by one’s physical gifts, athleticism, & physique. Because for the most part those are the things that can’t be taught or learned. Almost everyone can be taught the mechanics of a good jump shot, or improve their basketball IQ. Andrew has the physical tools that extend his ceiling about as high as anyone short of LeBron. I don’t think that’s really in question. Speed, length, quickness, vertical, etc. He has it all. If you were constructing an ideal NBA 2-guard, physically he’d look an awful lot like Wiggins.
I think Wiggins’ ceiling is probably closer to Pippen than Kobe because of something else that I think defines the height of the ceiling, and that is a killer instinct (for lack of a better term). That was one of the few questions about him at KU, and one of the bigger questions regarding him going into the draft. Does he have that killer instinct, that alpha mentality? I don’t know that he does, and I don’t know that I’ve ever seen someone develop that at the NBA level. He’s competitive, which is part of it, but few players have that utter loathing and hatred towards their opponents like Jordan, Bird, & Kobe did.
So again, the real question to me is how high can he get to his ceiling? Can he improve upon the things that would elevate him from perhaps someone of Paul George’s stature (great comparison by the way), to that of a Pippen or even a Kobe? The two areas that he needs to improve upon the most to approach his ceiling are his ball handling and jump shooting.
Who knows what the best path is for Wiggins to maximize his talents. I’ve been of the belief that playing in Cleveland would be better because he wouldn’t have the pressure of having to be “the man”. But there is no one true path to greatness. Look at Kobe, drafted out of high school and wasn’t a starter until his 3rd year. Averaged only 15 mpg his rookie year. Or look at Jordan and how many years he had to struggle carrying the Bulls to mediocre team success before finally breaking through in '91. Look at Durant’s rookie year in Seattle when he shot 43% from the field and 28.8% from 3.
There’s no one true path to greatness. Here’s to hoping Wiggins can find his, wherever it may be.
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@icthawkfan316 nice write! Killer instinct, so you either have it or not? Keep thinking that Wigs is only 19. Body will fill out, shot will get better, handles will improve. I think w/physical growth, experiences (good or bad) and knowledge, a person can develop a killer instinct. Jmo!
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FWIW, in the lats game he played in Vegas he hit 15-20 free throws, which would appear to indicate he has become a lot more aggressive.
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@JayHawkFanToo I’ve been watching the summer league. I think Wigs is more aggressive, but will develop that killer instinct in time! Trying to figure what’s going on w/EJ. He hasn’t been listed at all the last 2 games. Can’t figure out why TT and Josh can’t even get a shot for summer league. Tarik’s been pretty solid, a few TO’s. Heslips been scoring like he’s playing us!
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Crimsonorblue22 and JayHawkFanToo I’m not sure being aggressive and having a killer instinct are two in the same. Having a killer instinct is not something you acquire. It’s kind of like running faster or jumping higher than anyone. It’s like a gift. There are many players that have had the killer instinct but not the tools. It can go both ways.
A player with a killer instinct is never afraid to take the winning shot. In fact they demand to. They have the ability to sense that very moment when the opposing team is about to quiver and give up, and in that moment deliver the final blow.
A player with a killer instinct doesn’t just want to dunk on you, they want to attend your family reunion and dunk on your whole family. Sadly this could be the very thing that’s keeps Wiggins from attaining his ceiling. Yet who knows maybe he has it, just hasn’t had a reason to show it yet?
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@DoubleDD nice point! I agree they are different, but he does want that shot at the end of game, think WV game. I do think w/age, or experience, for sure w/me, you develop an edge. I want him to have that! What jhawk over the last few years, would you say has that killer instinct? Just curious? Tarik is playing now.
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While I generally agree with your characterization, there is a fine line between having a killer instinct and being a selfish player or ball hog. A selfish player will take the last shot, regardless of how easy or difficult it is, while the player with the true killer instinct will find a teammate under the basket and make the pinpoint pass that allows the teammate to score the easy basket and win the game.
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@Crimsonorblue22 And JayhawkFanToo very valid points. If I had to think of a recent KU player that had a killer instinct? Man that is a tough question. We could almost start a new tread on that one. If had to pick one I guess I would say S. Collins. Dude was never afraid to take it to the hoop, and always wanted the ball in is hands. I will say this I think maybe Selden might have that killer instinct too. Good question.
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@DoubleDD TRob for sure! Have to think on this. For sure Collins!
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Why would adidas want their marquis endorsement player playing in Lebron’s Nike shadow? Doesn’t make a lick of sense?
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@jaybate 1.0 as usually you’re the voice of reason. It’s just Minnesota? How can I root for Minnesota? I read a rumor though. The person predicted Lebron would go back to the Cavs, and Carmello would resign with the Knicks. So far so good. His last prediction Phil Jackson would trade Carmello for Wiggins? Is it possible? Can I dream? OH wait tell me the Knicks aren’t a Nike team? Please? Please?
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Interesting stuff. I didn’t even realize Phil was with the Knicks. From Nike’s POV, burying Wigs in Tundraville might make good tactical and strategic sense. And Melo and Lebron would make a much better transcept type team than Love and Lebron would make an in-out type team.
On the other hand, NYC media could be very tough for Wigs to grow up with as an NBA PLAYER. The best trade off of market size and market friendliness would be a Texas franchise.
But there are risks any way. The best thing for Wigs is to get with a great coach/organization ASAP. Wigs’ posse got him to Self. My guess is they will get him to a great NBA COAC/organization setting too. Phil certainly qualifies as a great. The Knicks were great once and could be again.
Good diamonds can’t look their best without good setting!
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@jaybate 1.0 Phil Jackson isn’t coaching the Knicks he’s the president. I totally agree on Wigs to a Texas team, however he is from Canada?
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@HighEliteMajor and has won what?
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The reason LeBron only signed a two year deal is the fact the NBA is signing a new TV deal in two years and he hopes he can get an even larger paycheck at that time. He now will be able to negotiate a better contract in two years and also has the choice to opt out after one season to renegotiate next summer. Player options only can come before the final season of a contract, another reason for the two-year deal. The TV component is important and valuable. The NBA and players share basketball-related income (BRI) at a near 50-50 split, and TV revenue is included in BRI. The higher the BRI, the more money for players. Also don’t be surprised if James negotiates and re-negotiates max deals that are shorter in length for the next few seasons. The players and owners have the option to terminate the current CBA after the 2016-17 season, which could lead to another change in maximum contracts.
Now why would the Wolves agree to the Cavs trade when the Warriors have a much better package??
####Cavs are offering Wiggins, Bennett, Brendan Haywood, and next years first rounder (which would be a late first rounder since Cavs + Love = big things…) So really you’re getting Wiggins (unknown prospect), Bennett (failed his first year, may get better, may not), Haywood (UNC alum that hasn’t amounted to much), and a border line second rounder. Throw in the fact that Wiggins hasn’t signed his contract and it’s not sure if the dollar signs will match up. To make this deal work the Cavs would either have to add Tristan Thompson to the pot or seek out a third team to make the money all equal out.
The Warriors have a deal of ####Barnes, Lee, and Thompson for Love and Kevin Martin which works money wise without much additional wrangling (aside from whether the Wolves would demand the Warriors’ 2015 draft pick). With Barnes, Lee, and Thompson you’re getting three players that you know about. None are prospects. Thompson, Lee, and then Barnes were 2, 3, and 4 in team scoring last year. And Lee was second on the team in rebounds.
Now I know the Wolves have been a very bad organization the past decade or two, but are they so inept that they can not to see that 3 starters (Barnes/Lee/Thompson) out weigh 1, maybe 2 starters (Wiggins/Thompson if he’s included).
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@drgnslayr I will second your wish that Andrew wind up with SA. Don’t know how long Pop will be there, though. Could Self become Spurs coach at that point?
How long could Minnesota control Andrew’s future if he is traded? Could he be a RFA after 3 or 4 years?
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@EdwordL : Rookie contracts are 2 years, with the 3rd and the 4th year being team options.
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@Bwag What has Wiggins won? Wiggins is what is called an “expectancy” … like the money one might get from a grandparent when they pass away. It’s not yours until it is. Wiggins isn’t anything yet. Love is.
What would you call Wiggins if, before age 25, he put up Love like numbers?
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HEM, no question that Love has awesome numbers, but you need to put the numbers in context. Not taking anything away from him, but his stats are partly the result of playing for the Wolves, where he is not “one” of the options, he is “the” option and the alpha dog/woolf, and if you watch him play, you will see him jump over teammates to get rebounds to pad his stats.
Like in real estate, location, location, location; where you play makes a big diference. Remember how many times it has been written in this board that players like Andrew White would be starters with big numbers at other schools, but he could not get meaningful minutes at KU? How about Royce Wooldridge? At KU he got walk-on playing minutes but at Washington State he was second in minutes, averaged almost 10 PPG, including a 36 point outing, and led the team in assists and steals. Look at Chris Bosch’s numbers; he was averaging Love-like numbers in Toronto but his number went markedly down at Miami playing with LeBron and Wade. Again, where you play and who your teammates are makes a huge difference. How good would Karl Malone had been without John Stockton setting him up?
In Cleveland he will be playing with LeBron and Irvin, who much like Love, are not shy about taking shots and they will not defer to Love like his teammates did In Minnesota and he will not be jumping over Varejao and Thompson either. Unlike Ricky Rubio (9.5 PPG, 8.6 APG) at Minnesota, Irving (20.1 PPG, 6.1 APG) is not a pass-first type of point guard and he will take his fair share of shots. What do you think the chances are that Love will maintain those averages if he moves to Cleveland? IMHO, extremely small.
Again, there are two sides to every issue and while Love is a great player, I am not convinced he is the difference maker he is portrayed to be. He might well end up being like Dwight Howard and the Lakers, good individual numbers but a disruptive player that resulted in poor team numbers…or he could be like Shaq and help Cleveland win several rings. It really is a crapshoot.
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@JayHawkFanToo - Part of this is explaining away Love’s dominance by playing on a crappy team. If he is “the” man – “the” option – can’t that also make it hard to produce, thus being “the” focus of the other team? It can go both way.
But I really like your Bosh comparison. That might cause some pause, and supports your theory there. The point guard thing is interesting too.
Coach K said this of Love – “I’ve coached him on two teams, and no pun intended, I love Kevin Love,” he said. “You look at LeBron, and you have the best player in the world. He’s 29, I’m not saying he’s at the end of his career, but he’s in the second-half of his career. And in the first half of his career he was becoming a great player. It took time, just like with Andrew Wiggins, it takes time. LeBron is a great player right now, you do not want to waste any year of a great player’s career. Love is close to being that. He’s not as great a player as LeBron, but he’s there. You know who Love is right now.”
When you say “crapshoot” – to me, it seems like Wiggins, Bennett and a first rounder for Love is worth the gamble given you have Lebron. Best shot, % wise, to win now.
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Keep in mind that in the NBA is strictly man to man, so unlike college, you can’t really double or triple team a player…if you do, you will be killed by the other players. Remember that every player in the NBA is an elite player compared to the total population, so while some are better that others, even the lesser players are pretty darn good.
The other point is that Love is going to come at the max. salary of about $22M. To accommodate his salary, Cleveland will have to shed at least 4 players including Wiggins and Bennett who are on their rookie contracts and making around $5M. The end result will be like Miami, a team with 3 super stars, a couple of role players, has been (Lewis, Hasslem), bidding time 'til retirement (Allen, Battier), never were (Old man Oden) and former/current druggies/screw-ups (Anderson, Beasley); obviously the lack of bench was exposed in the playoffs and they were taken to school by San Antonio and its deep bench.Miami has gotten some good players to replace LeBron, and it might end up being as good as the previous team, definitely more balanced and maybe even better.
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@JayHawkFanToo : I put this in my above post: There is a fourth player that is being included in the deal at this time and it’s Brendan Haywood. But to make the salaries work they will need to do one of two things. Either add another current Cav player or include a 3rd team. Some have said the Cavs may have to include Tristan Thompson to make the money all equal out. But by adding him in the mix Cleveland is putting up 3 lottery picks and they likely won’t want to do that. So the only option left for the Cavs is to find a third team to include in the trade to make all of the $ work. This is why I think the Golden State trade option would be more appealing if I’m the T-Wolves GM.
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@Kip_McSmithers I’m impressed with your grasp of formatting and I’m jealous. Also you know a lot more about NBA teams than I do. Thanks for posting
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@JayHawkFanToo you my friend are on fire. That post is one of best I’ve read. I wish I could Fav 10 times. Also the elephant in the room everybody seems to forget even the great Coach K is LOVE doesn’t play defense. What good does it do to score 20 or 25 points when you give up 30? Just saying.
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@DoubleDD good one!
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Brendan Haywood is a long shot…or maybe not. He is getting up in age and he did not play last season due to injury; coming back from a season ending injury is tough, particularly for an older player. Also, he is the only other center in the team and his 2014 $2M salary might not be enough; he is also schedule for a $10M salary for 2016 which might have to be paid by the Bobcats, but would not count against their cap if I understand correctly, and the team he is playing in that year could waive him and save $10M form their cap…and that is the attractive part of his contract. It is a very complicated contract and I am not sure I fully understand it. Here is a link that might shed some light…
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Wigs signs with Cavs… earns 30 day reprieve…
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@drgnslayr That article explains again why Wiggins’ signing is not a reprieve. As long as he didn’t sign, the Cavs could never trade him for Love because they only had his rights, and the contract value of his rights in a trade would be 0$.
By signing, Wiggins starts the clock on the 30 day waiting period. If he had waited to sign, he could have started the clock at the last minute and forced the Cavs to watch him be on the same floor with Lebron, at least for awhile. Anyway, too late now.
To me, this means his handlers are OK with him leaving. Can’t figure out why, unless as jaybate surmises their brains stop below their ankles.
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I didn’t really think of it that way… but you are right… the clock starts now!
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Wiggins signing sucks. I really hate the fact that in 30 days he will probably be traded to the T-Wolves and be apart of that piss poor organization for probably 4 years… I guess this way we won’t cheer for the Cavs and hope they win. Instead we can now all hope they lose! I always hated that I felt ok with the Heat winning because they had Mario.
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@Kip_McSmithers ditto!
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@Kip_McSmithers the reality of the matter is the Cavs are desperate right now. They have Lebron and will pull out all the stops to try and win a NBA championship now. Even if that means trading away the future. People can say what they want about the Wolves but their playing this the right way. They don’t won’t anything the Bulls want to trade or anybody else for that matter. They want Wiggs.
This whole Wiggs for Love is really a good representation of our society today. Get what you can get now and don’t worry about the future. No wonder so many people and teams end up with nothing. It’s kind of like a poker game. Somebody gets a couple aces and bets chasing the cum. All the while the guy across the table has a boat (full house) with 2’s and 8’s. They maybe just 2’s and 8’s yet between the two of them there is five of them and they beat a couple of aces. Spurs anybody?
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@ParisHawk I’m not sure if his signing means he or his handlers are OK with him leaving. More likely, they just realize they have very little leverage. What were his options really? He could, as you say, put off signing, but for how long and to what cost? Even if he’d successfully made it to the start of the season, LeBron would probably resent him and quite possibly other teammates (even if they are just blindly following LBJ), it’s quite possible the Cavs wouldn’t even play him for fear of injury nullifying the deal, and if he did play how many passes could he expect to come his way?
So his other option would be to…go play in Europe or somewhere else for a year? I’m operating under the assumption that he would re-enter the draft the following year. I could be wrong on that, but I’m pretty sure that’s how it would work if he didn’t sign at all. And even if he did that, there’s no assurances he’d be picked by a team he liked. He could end up back in Minnesota. Or some other nowhere destination.
Best to just start the clock on his 3 or 4 year tenure with the Wolves and become a free agent afterwards.
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@icthawkfan316 Good points, though depressing. At least he got the max contract.
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@ParisHawk : He got the max contract because the Cavs know they aren’t going to be paying it (well only 30 days of it…) and to decrease the difference in $$ between the Cavs - Wolves trade.
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@DoubleDD What is the purpose of sports teams? To quote the sometimes insightful Herm Edwards "You play to win the game! Hello!
Cleveland has an opportunity over the next handful of years to win a championship. That’s what sports franchises should do. They should work to win a title and, when those opportunities present themselves, go for it.
San Antonio has done that better than most. They got Tim Duncan to pair with David Robinson. They won two titles that way. Once Robinson retired, they had Parker and Ginobili waiting in the wings. One of the things that gets downplayed quite a bit is that Duncan, Parker and Ginobili have all kept their salaries down to help keep that team together under the salary cap. That’s how the Spurs have been able to be so successful. If they had to pay market value for Duncan and Parker all these years, they probably would not have been able to keep that team together. Once Ginobili retires, they will probably use his salary space to sign Kawhi Leonard to a big deal and let the cycle repeat itself. It’s not like the Spurs beat the Heat with also ran type players. Parker is an all star. Duncan is one of the best 10-15 players EVER. Ginobili is a top 75 player in the NBA. Leonard is one of the best 35 players in the league. They beat Miami because they had a lot of great players, too.
So now Cleveland looks around. They know Love is getting traded and most likely, if he gets dealt, he’s either coming to Cleveland or he’s going to Chicago. If he goes to Chicago, that’s probably strengthening your biggest rival. More than anything, Cleveland has to be in on this to be sure that Chicago, a team that has been decent without Derrick Rose, doesn’t all of a sudden put some distance between themselves and the rest of the East.
There are only a handful of teams each year with a legitimate shot at a title. Right now those teams are San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Cleveland, and Chicago. Depending on what happens with the Donald Sterling situation, you may be able to add the Clippers to that list. Beyond that, I can’t really point to anybody. But the thing is, if you’re on that list, you have to do what you can to finish it off.
That was Miami’s mistake last season. They let a valuable guy like Mike Miller go when they were basically right on the brink of a title. They were on the list and took a step back. Remember, the Spurs were one loose ball and a Ray Allen three from beating Miami last year. Miami helped them close the gap and, while they weren’t looking, the Spurs zoomed right past. Cleveland saw that. Everybody in the NBA saw it. Lots of NBA people talked all season about how not having Miller would hurt Miami in the playoffs. Cleveland knows what happened. They have a shot at a title - maybe multiple titles. They can either finish it off, or they can be the Buffalo Bills of the early 90’s.
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@justanotherfan Very well put. While I am a Wiggins fan, think he is going to be a very good (if not great) player, and really my only interest in the whole situation is wanting him to land in the best situation, I simply can’t understand the logic of not trying to win a championship because of something uncertain in the future.
At the end of the day, it’s about playing the odds. Are the odds ever going to be more in Cleveland’s favor than right now? They have the best player in the league with a few years of his prime still left. They have an all-star point guard. They have veterans taking less money to come play with him and try and help win a championship. The east is weak and vulnerable. And they have a chance to add one of the top 10-15 players in the league to that mix. So now you weigh those odds against the odds that not only will Wiggins progress to become a future star, but also that by keeping him you end up with a better team in the future than you have now, and that the east is as ripe for the taking as it is right now. Sure, sometimes the long-shot pays off. But clearly the odds of winning a championship favor the first scenario.
I’ll listen to and even make the argument that keeping Wiggins might make the Cavs a better team now, but to keep Wiggins because he might make give them a better chance in the future, well to me that’s just not very logical.
