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Alright fellas, draft night is over. How do you think the Cavs are going to build this team going forward and what would you do to make it happen?

It seems that we are looking to be targeting smart, athletic, team first character guys. This seems to be the plan after LeIncident. I think we are trying to build a team that gets up and down the court fast.

With our franchise point guard and future power forward/defender on the roster, the one thing we really need is a scorer from the wings. I think Harrison Barnes is our most likely target for next years draft. He can score, shoot, and is a great guy. Either way we need a scorer from the lotto next year.

Beside developing Thompson and Irving, I think we need to find a way to maximize the value of our other players to build for the future.

Here are players that I find disposable and how I would deal with them:

Sessions - Ideally I would trade him now to a contending team for a 2012 first or a young prospect. If we can't get that type of value I'd stick him on the bench so he can back up Irving after Baron leaves.

Hickson - Start him, make him the focus of the offense, and watch his numbers go up high next year. If he can average 15/10 I think we could trade him for something real nice, either a lotto pick or a nice young player

Jamison - Hes a decent player on an expiring deal. If we could get a first rounder and a worse expiring for him that would be a nice win for us.

Baron - Hopefully he comes out trying and plays well enough for a team to offer something of value long term to us.

Gibson - How much would other teams value him? I'm not sure. If we could get picks for him I'd like it, if not I would play him a lot at SG this year.

I don't think any other teams would value Eyenga/Gee/Samuels/Erden more than we do, and can't really see them getting traded.

Anyhow the vision I think this FO has is one of guys who can run the floor and defend 1-5, and want Irving to run the break for us. We need scorers at the wing and a bigger bodied center.

Wing scorers are fairly plentiful.

Centers are harder to come by. Utah and the Clippers are two rare teams that have extra bigs they have to move.

A good rule of thumb for team building is to draft for talent and sort the roster out afterwards. Drafting for need and getting, say a mediocre center, will force a team to draft for another center down the road in the near future.

Building a team the right way takes time.

Pat Riley tried to take a shortcut last summer and counted on having the MLE and BAE to keep adding pieces. With the new CBA, though, Riley may not have those options available and may be hamstrung in moves to flesh out his roster.

I want to see how everyone plays, then after 20/30 games see who needs to be moved. Right now, only Sessions needs to be moved.

BossHoggin wrote:I want to see how everyone plays, then after 20/30 games see who needs to be moved. Right now, only Sessions needs to be moved.

If we can't get something of positive value for Sessions I would not be opposed to keeping him. Hes young and hes pretty good. I think he would be a great bench player for us.

I agree we gotta see everyone play. Hickson needs to be given heavy minutes next year to maximize his stock. If he can average 20/10 to start the season we could probably get a real nice return for him. I wonder if TT can see playing time at SF.

Piston Boris wrote:Wing scorers are fairly plentiful.

Centers are harder to come by. Utah and the Clippers are two rare teams that have extra bigs they have to move.

A good rule of thumb for team building is to draft for talent and sort the roster out afterwards. Drafting for need and getting, say a mediocre center, will force a team to draft for another center down the road in the near future.

Building a team the right way takes time.

Pat Riley tried to take a shortcut last summer and counted on having the MLE and BAE to keep adding pieces. With the new CBA, though, Riley may not have those options available and may be hamstrung in moves to flesh out his roster.

I do agree that BPA is usually better than drafting for need, especially for rebuilding teams.

But you nailed it - centers are harder to come by. And the one available at #4 this year wasn't just a "mediocre center," fortunately (well, I guess unfortunately bc they ended up passing on him).

It's just going to be really, really difficult for the Cavs to get a quality center through means other than the draft. They don't have the assets to trade for one. They will struggle to sign one, like they will with all other free agents. And they sure don't have one currently on the roster. That's one of the main reasons I wanted to get one now. He plays ata premium position and has even more skills than the player the Cavs actually drafted.

As far as how to build the team, I don't really know. I guess just try to extract the most value possible from guys like JJ, Jamison, AV, Sessions, etc and continue to rebuild through the draft. It'll be a long process and passing on a potential franchise center might've made it even longer.

What they shouldn't do though is overpay for free agents or use the TPE for an overpaid player (unless they come with an asset obv).

Roger Murdock wrote:Alright fellas, draft night is over. How do you think the Cavs are going to build this team going forward and what would you do to make it happen?

It seems that we are looking to be targeting smart, athletic, team first character guys. This seems to be the plan after LeIncident. I think we are trying to build a team that gets up and down the court fast.

With our franchise point guard and future power forward/defender on the roster, the one thing we really need is a scorer from the wings. I think Harrison Barnes is our most likely target for next years draft. He can score, shoot, and is a great guy. Either way we need a scorer from the lotto next year.

Beside developing Thompson and Irving, I think we need to find a way to maximize the value of our other players to build for the future.

Here are players that I find disposable and how I would deal with them:

Sessions - Ideally I would trade him now to a contending team for a 2012 first or a young prospect. If we can't get that type of value I'd stick him on the bench so he can back up Irving after Baron leaves.

Hickson - Start him, make him the focus of the offense, and watch his numbers go up high next year. If he can average 15/10 I think we could trade him for something real nice, either a lotto pick or a nice young player

Jamison - Hes a decent player on an expiring deal. If we could get a first rounder and a worse expiring for him that would be a nice win for us.

Baron - Hopefully he comes out trying and plays well enough for a team to offer something of value long term to us.

Gibson - How much would other teams value him? I'm not sure. If we could get picks for him I'd like it, if not I would play him a lot at SG this year.

I don't think any other teams would value Eyenga/Gee/Samuels/Erden more than we do, and can't really see them getting traded.

Anyhow the vision I think this FO has is one of guys who can run the floor and defend 1-5, and want Irving to run the break for us. We need scorers at the wing and a bigger bodied center.

Along those lines, anyone willing to take a gamble on a big risk: hige upside player? How about making a play for Greg Oden?

I was thinking about Oden earlier. Hes one hell of a good player, and would probbably be not so hard to acquire. I would take a calculated risk on him as long as we dont offer him a terrible contract. It would be damn near impossible to get a center with his rebounding and defensive skills.

The problem with Oden is that 1) the Cavs have little to no cap space, but more importantly 2) he plays for the wealthiest owner in the league and him not matching the offer Oden receives would be the organization finally waving the white flag on Oden. With their lack of a young center going forward, I really really doubt Portland lets him go unless there was something worthwhile in return.

Basically its a case of the player being worth far more to Team X than he is to any other team in the league. Since the owner of Team X happens to be the wealthiest in the league as I mentioned, that makes them holding onto him all the more likely.

Wait. If Hickson can produce 15 points and 10 rebounds, why trade him away?

Triumph36 wrote:The problem with Oden is that 1) the Cavs have little to no cap space, but more importantly 2) he plays for the wealthiest owner in the league and him not matching the offer Oden receives would be the organization finally waving the white flag on Oden. With their lack of a young center going forward, I really really doubt Portland lets him go unless there was something worthwhile in return.

Basically its a case of the player being worth far more to Team X than he is to any other team in the league. Since the owner of Team X happens to be the wealthiest in the league as I mentioned, that makes them holding onto him all the more likely.

I agree with your characterization of Oden. For us (or anyone really) to have a chance at Oden I'm assuming portland has decided to part ways. I don't know if Gilbert would do it (since i'm assuming even he has a limit to how much he would be spending to win), but I wonder if taking on Roy's salary would convice Portland to trade Oden to us for assetts that aren't part of our future?

I know Roy has a monster contract but we wouldnt really be needing cap room anyway until about the time his deal is up.

Something Like: Oden and Roy for TPE, Miami first and Jamison?

leaves us with:

C: Oden
PF: Thompson
SF: ???
SG: ???
PG: IRving


we will one of the question marks with the 2012 draft (which as the team is constructed should be pretty high), use Hickson + filler to trade for the other and let the team grow together.

Granted, I know this is all predicated on the big "IF" oden can stay healthy, but if he could thats not a ptentially good team.

Giving up cap space for guys with bad wheels is not a wise investment... IMO. Let the Rich owner in Portland pay for Roy's bad contract and the disappoint of Oden whose qualifying offer is in the neighborhood of 8.8 million dollars.

IMO, the CAVs are not in position to take on a longer term contract of a near bust like Oden. The CAVs will be handcuffed with Roy's contract too in a couple of seasons when his knees really start wearing down--- considering that the new CBA will probably be more restrictive on salaries too.

For the draft its always the same. You don't pass on talent, but if you have a group of comparable talent then you pick for need....which is why Thompson shouldn't have been the pick, even though he's a very good prospect.

I don't think you have to move Hickson.
I've heard people say 'but he wants a max-type contract'. Well good, who woudln't? That doesn't mean anyone will give it to him. Whats wrong with paying a guy his actual market value?
I think Hickson and Thompson could play together. Hickson spending some minutes at center, as he's proven capable, and Thompson at small forward. Some will question the latter, but is he really bringing any less scoring than Eyenga, and his perimeter defense can't be worse than Antawn's right?

I think its a year too early to go after a guy like Oden.

I heard Chris Grant specificaly say they are going to pursue Lighty. I think that's a pretty good idea and for this season we should just go with Eyenga, Gee, and Lighty on the wing. We'll be overmatched, but that's not bad. We need a lottery pick. Plus I want to see a conclusion to the Eyenga expiriment - either he's got it, or get him out of here.

I would start JJ and bring Thompson off the bench. I would do the same with Davis and Irving to start the season, but would likely change that up a bit, maybe starting Irving at SG, as the season progresses. I think we will use the 2012 draft to acquire a scoring SG or SF, and hopefully Eyenga will be able to man the other spot by that time. I agree that the center position will be the toughest to fill, but I am interested to see what Erden can give us when healthy and getting extended minutes. I think Varejao, Erden, and a third big such as Hollins or a FA can man the center spot for the next couple of seasons, or until we acquire a starting center.

Jamison needs to be moved, but I can see him getting some minutes at SF when Thompson is playing PF. I hope that we can move Sessions before the season starts, I think he has value, but I think that will drop the longer he is with this team.

I would go for broke in trying to accumulate more draft selections - particularly next year's draft. The Cavs still have the Traded Player Exception to use and a large expiring contract in Jamison. They also have young pieces in Sessions and Hickson. They also have a veteran PF/C in Varejao who could be a nice piece to a contending team.

Here are some things I would consider doing to move forward:

1. Look into Philadelphia's situation. If they are trying to sell the team, they may be interested in moving Elton Brand. This is where Jamison could come in handy. Swapping Jamison for Brand would save the 76ers $20M between Brand's and Jamison's contracts - Brand: (2 yrs; $35.22M) minus Jamison: (1 yr; $15.06M). Gilbert paid $12M for the pick this year during the Mo for Baron swap. Would he pay $20M for an unprotected pick this year in a deeper class?

2. Look into Boston's possible interest in Varejao. I think Varejao would serve as a nice complimentary piece next to Garnett and could serve as a terrific defensive and versatile big man. The center position in Boston is pretty dire at this point. All they have is Jermaine O'Neal. O'Neal for Varejao works straight up. Boston also possesses LAC's first round pick next year (Top 10 protected).

3. Deal Hickson. I do not believe his value will get much higher than it is right now. Prior to the draft, Charlotte, New Jersey, and Phoenix supposedly had interest in him. New Jersey is the only team that did not draft a PF. They also possess Houston's 2012 first (Top 14 protected). That pick plus a second round pick would be enough for me.

4. Deal Sessions. Like Hickson, Sessions' value is only going to diminish. He absolutely needs dealt this summer. Atlanta and Los Angeles were said to have interest in him. LA could absorb him into their TPE or trade us Steve Blake. I'd be okay with a future first pick for him. 2014 and beyond. I'm not sure what Atlanta could do. Maybe get involved with a third team to pick up Marvin Williams?

I'm not sure what happens to the TPE. I think it will end up expiring. The Cavs already possess the following picks:

2012: First Round - CLE / Second Round - CLE, NOH
2013: First Round - CLE, MIA / Second Round - CLE, ORL
2014: First Round - CLE / Second Round - CLE, ORL
2015: First Round - CLE, MIA / Second Round - CLE

I just think it's important to continue to stockpile assets. Even if picks have protection and we aren't able to collect them right away, we can still utilize them in the future. Once the Cavs have a set core, they can package future picks together to land a solid piece. In this way, you continue to recycle and replenish.

I think this team needs to get a stopgap SG. Being a Pistons fan, I would suggest Rip...but i know that won't go well.
The Cavs really need to look at one year rentals. I say Cleveland sends Daniel Gibson and Semir Erden (solely to make the deal work) to Phoenix for Mikael Pietrus.

Basically Phoenix helps their bench (by getting Gibson)/Sheds Pietrus.

Cleveland adds a pricey one year contract, but he could make a solid stopgap...especially considering he'll be playing for a contract.

I think its more important to see what Erden can do.
Plus Boobie has a role as a situation shooter, we need to keep him around.

We can get a one year stop gap in free agency.

Erden and Gibson for Pietrus is an awful idea.

Sit tight, play the kids, deal anyone who's over 26 for as much as you can get, keep fingers crossed for next year's draft. This isn't going to be a great team any time soon, all short term gains should be off the table. Fans should be more interested in checking out the prospects and watching youngins grow than in winning a few extra games in Feb against the likes of the Bucks or the Warriors.

I agree, weird proposal for Pietrus.

HotelVitale wrote:Sit tight, play the kids, deal anyone who's over 26 for as much as you can get, keep fingers crossed for next year's draft. This isn't going to be a great team any time soon, all short term gains should be off the table. Fans should be more interested in checking out the prospects and watching youngins grow than in winning a few extra games in Feb against the likes of the Bucks or the Warriors.

I agree, weird proposal for Pietrus.

I second this.