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I've been thinking, I know don't hurt myself, but is the year to cash in some if not most of these first round picks we've been collecting. The thought behind it is avoid the ever dreaded mediocrity. Not good enough to win the championship, not bad enough to get that game changing pick.

I know everyone has been saying this is a weak draft but that helps my argument. If we get the Lakers pick then that means it would be easier to get back in the top 10 picks being a weak draft.

2014 is the big free agent year and if we want to be players to get a big name then we to be players in the playoff picture next year. A young core is somewhat attractive but a young core that makes/fights to make the playoffs is something a star can hitch his wagon to. If we do not go into tank mode next year and really try to become a team that wins then it devalues all those picks after this year. Because all those picks are not going to be lottery including ours. It's much harder to get into top 10 picks if you're starting at number 20 and still an improving team. More so if teams believe we can lure a "LeBron" type player in 2014.

You can make your own mocks' depending on who you like this draft and who you'd like to target in 2014 but here's one scenario. So say we are targeting Lebron as a 2014 FA. You draft Olidepo with #4 and trade the Lakers pick plus 3 future firsts to move up to #7 and get Zeller. You'd be looking at Kyrie, Waiters, Olidepo at the gaurds and Thompson, Zeller and Zeller as the bigs. I think that is a 40-45 win playoff team core of youth right there and would be very attractive to LeBron. Add LeBron to that and you're looking at a 50-60 win team that is still getting better for a couple of years.

If we don't cash those picks in then you are looking putting a bunch of non lottery picks to a team already filled with youth and in the future there is no way you could resign that many players if they do hit. Plus the fact that you would have to draw a star here based on the chance we may get lucky with non lottery picks to help build the team. I don't think we get a star in 2014 without adding 2 key pieces this year. We just aren't going to be quite good enough next year(if we keep going with youth) to be considered thee up and coming team with only one piece added.

This is the year to make that final core of youth push. All future picks then would be non lottery and relegated to role player searching. If not this year and we do start to try winning next year then all those picks we picked up would be looking for non lottery stars. Which is unlikely.

Just like poker, you have to know when to go all in. That's the way I see the cards anyway.

Hate those picks

BossHoggin wrote:Hate those picks

i love having those picks, would rather have them than not have them.

but I agree, we have to move up.

I hate Zeller though.

You do know that if somehow someone lures LeBron away, that Miami 2015 pick starts looking significantly more attractive. No way would I give up all those other picks just to move up to 7. That's way overpaying.

Cavs need to go for broke in the 2014 offseason - with or without LBJ.

Going into next year the Cavs should have around 11 players signed to the tune of about $41-42 million. This is making the assumption that Speights will opt out and that resign Shaun to a $2mil contract. Also that Otto Porter will make about 4 million next year along with our #15 pick will make about 1.7

We need to:

1. Trade AV for expiring in the offseason.

2014 sets up like this:

Kyrie/Tristan/Gee/Waiters/Zeller/Porter/2013 #15 pick/Livingston/2014 1st would be under contract for about $33 million. Salary Cap would expect to be around 58-60 million......just close enough for 2 max contracts....even if we have to trade the 2014 pick....

BossHoggin wrote:Hate those picks

That's why I said you could mock it yourself based on who you like coming out and who you would target in 2014 FA. I don't watch much college basketball so I can not speak intelligently on who we should target. Only that if we plan on starting to win next year and/or try to get a star to come in after next season, we need to make a significant play to get two highly thought of talents instead of one before our picks devalue.

So you could say, draft Porter and Shabazz then go for Paul George in FA??? You would probably know the who's better than I.

TheOUTLAW wrote:You do know that if somehow someone lures LeBron away, that Miami 2015 pick starts looking significantly more attractive. No way would I give up all those other picks just to move up to 7. That's way overpaying.

From what I heard, the new CBA won't really allow three max contract players on one team. Looking at the Miami three, I don't see any of them as the type to take less money to play together. So I would place the odds of the Heat breaking up much greater than them staying together as of right now.

So in that, I agree that the Miami 2015 pick would be the one I would hold on to hardest. But if we were to get two impact players this draft then the Cle 2014, 2016 and the Sac pick plus the Lakers this year would be the offer from me. Keeping the Memphis and Miami picks which hopefully, like I said if we can get two impact players, would be the highest picks.

And it might not be for the #7 pick, I was just throwing that out there like I threw out LBJ's name and the picks I used. All that is flexible, I just wanted to emphasize the thought process.

IMHO wrote:

BossHoggin wrote:Hate those picks

i love having those picks, would rather have them than not have them.

but I agree, we have to move up.

I hate Zeller though.

jeeph wrote:

BossHoggin wrote:Hate those picks

That's why I said you could mock it yourself based on who you like coming out and who you would target in 2014 FA. I don't watch much college basketball so I can not speak intelligently on who we should target. Only that if we plan on starting to win next year and/or try to get a star to come in after next season, we need to make a significant play to get two highly thought of talents instead of one before our picks devalue.

So you could say, draft Porter and Shabazz then go for Paul George in FA??? You would probably know the who's better than I.

I don't know anything. I just don't want to draft two players who look like a SG and PF. Oladipo is 6'5", Zeller might be able to do center but I would rather have Porter/Muhammad and/or a big defensive center.

Niko23 wrote:Cavs need to go for broke in the 2014 offseason - with or without LBJ.

Going into next year the Cavs should have around 11 players signed to the tune of about $41-42 million. This is making the assumption that Speights will opt out and that resign Shaun to a $2mil contract. Also that Otto Porter will make about 4 million next year along with our #15 pick will make about 1.7

We need to:

1. Trade AV for expiring in the offseason.

2014 sets up like this:

Kyrie/Tristan/Gee/Waiters/Zeller/Porter/2013 #15 pick/Livingston/2014 1st would be under contract for about $33 million. Salary Cap would expect to be around 58-60 million......just close enough for 2 max contracts....even if we have to trade the 2014 pick....

I believe that if you wait for 2014 it will be too late to attract a max contract player. There will be a lot of teams that align their salary cap to attract one or two max contract players. We need to have more incentive to come here more than the others. We need to be that up and coming team going into the 2014 off-season, not vying for FA's to come out of the 2014 off-season as the up and coming team. What top FA wants to come to a team that is really dependent on them to be a title contender if they can go to another that already is/or going to be contender without them already?

And I don't think Gee is with the team next year. He is going to want too much money for us to give him and still maintain cap flexibility for the 2014 off-season. But other than that, take your list of Kyrie/Tristan/Waiters/Zeller/Porter/Livingston/ but instead put a, say, 2013 #6 pick there. That is six deep of young talent with potential. Add one star, Livingston and a role player or two and there is your playoff roster.

The question becomes would want the 2013 #15 pick and the 2014 #18 pick on your team to try and get a star here or cash in and have a 2013 #6 pick here? Another Tristan Thompson or Shannon Brown and Danny Green? Top end talent is what the NBA is about, we have all these picks and a small window to make a big jump.

I would rather gamble with as much top end talent as I could get and show case it next year and become the it team rather than try to hit on one with a bunch of mid first round picks over the next few years while trying to convince a star that you are going to hit on one.

Gee's signed for next 2 years.

also, not every pick has to pan out

IMHO wrote:Gee's signed for next 2 years.

also, not every pick has to pan out

Is he now? I thought he was a RFA last year and only signed the one year tender. I like Gee as a player but only because he is the only player on the team that matches up with the linebacker 3's in the NBA. Other than that he reminds me of Gooden. Some games he looks like he has it and others he's a ghost. But that does not change the thought of cashing in.

I've never done the statistics but it seems that the vast majority of impact players come from the top of the draft. So in essence 6 mid first round picks combined has a less percentage of finding that star than one high pick. Odds are those mid rounds if they don't bust are going to be role players at most. You may get lucky but do you want to bank the next years and try to get a star here in 2014 based on we might get lucky?

High numbers of mid picks are good if want to retool your team. I think we Kyrie and Thompson as hits right now and Waiters as a probable with Zeller being good bench big or capable starter. Add our top pick we have this year which we hopefully get a hit there and we have 5 deep already. Playoff rosters are generally only 7 or 8 deep. If we can get a star in 2014 then that is 6. Do want to fill the rest of those 1 or 2 slots with 6 role players hoping you get lucky on one over the next three years? Or try really hard and get that one more guy this year and increase your chance of getting that star FA here in 2014?

You can get role players anywhere. CJ Miles, Gee, Ellington, Speights we already have plenty of those and they do not make us a playoff threat. It does make us better in the season because our second team is better than other teams seconds. Role players are for the season, the playoffs are about impact players.

Take our list of role players we have now. During the season I would take them but come playoff time I'll take one Bob Horry(sp?) over all of them put together. Role players can be impact players but the vast majority are JAG's (just another guy).

Now sure you bust on high picks too and trading out the stock we built up to get a bust would really hurt. Do you want to gamble on greatness or bank on mediocrity and hope for greatness?

I agree about 2014 being too late - however I do not believe we will sacrifice our cap space in 2014. So we need to target expirings this offseason if we want to show potential free agents we can win - which again I do agree we need to do if we are going to lure anyone here.....

I know I will be shot but I agree with some on the trade board that we should target Deng and or Gasol. Both expire in the 2014 offseason and those two - when healthy - make us a top 4 team in the east.

Niko23 wrote:I agree about 2014 being too late - however I do not believe we will sacrifice our cap space in 2014. So we need to target expirings this offseason if we want to show potential free agents we can win - which again I do agree we need to do if we are going to lure anyone here.....

I know I will be shot but I agree with some on the trade board that we should target Deng and or Gasol. Both expire in the 2014 offseason and those two - when healthy - make us a top 4 team in the east.

What assets would you plan on giving up for those one year rentals? I don't think they would effect FA's coming here cause those guys would be on the way out. Add to that what kind of draw would it be to have guys on their downside of their career that could be resigned. The only thing that would really prove is we have the cap space to get to the playoffs and we have Kyrie along with other young pieces. I think we should use every asset to get players the will remain on the team with that 2014 FA and get better the next few years, not worse.

Now if they want give us Deng or Gasol for some JAG's and some 2nd rounders then I say go for it but I think it would take more than that. I'd rather have them use their assets to go for more youth oriented and get a 7th or 8th seed than go for rentals and be 4th seed. I think that would be more attractive for FA's and better for the long term of the team if you get or don't get that FA you want.

To those who dislike our later picks, 2 words.

Chandler Parsons

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=1240561

I wouldn't doubt we end up doing a S&T to get a great player, so we might have to give up some of that young core to get one.

I wouldn't be against going for Dwight this offseason, I know for sure he wouldn't come here, but it would be a nice gesture to the fans

the 2015 miami pick has the following protections-

top 10 protected in 2015 and 2016, unprotected in 2017

I guess maybe Miami could fall apart or something, but I doubt it will happen.