Cavs/Bulls/Sonics 3way - Ben, Joe Smith, Wally, West R Cavs

[GJense4181]

I'm sure that the benefit of having a pure-shooter at SG next to Lebron will vastly outweigh the disadvantage of having a poor defender at the position.

[NoDopeOnSundays]

Oh, I didn't realize that Pavlovic is the same size as Szczerbiak. Can either of them guard two guards decently?

Sasha held Vince Carter and Manu Ginobili to 36% shooting respectively in the playoffs last year.

[LiquidFire]

Oh, I didn't realize that Pavlovic is the same size as Szczerbiak. Can either of them guard two guards decently?

didnt you see some of that last year

[B Mac]

Oh, I didn't realize that Pavlovic is the same size as Szczerbiak. Can either of them guard two guards decently?

Pavlovic was our second best defender last year (behind LeBron). Rewatching his defense on Vince Carter is something that still makes me smile. I know Vince is a perennial playoff choker, but the degree to which he was frustrated by Pavs defense is hilarious to me every time. Also if you get a chance watch Pavlovic's defense on Kobe. Some of the best D Ive ever seen against him honestly. It sure does seem like everyone is completely forgetting about him though.

[Dirtgrain]

I don't know why I don't remember his defense last year. I remember Ginobli sucking in the finals (I hate his game--and that he gets to take extra steps to the basket all the time)--in fact, I was rooting against him. But I barely remember Pavlovic. How did he do in keeping up with Hamilton (don't remember that, either), although Hamilton can seemingly out run most defenders, eventually, in the half-court set.

Pavlovic's three point percentage this year is 28.4%. Is injury a factor? It's impressive that at 6'7" and 240 pounds he could keep up with Kobe Bryant. Wow.

[Buckeye-NBAFan]

Throwing Ben Wallace in the starting lineup also creates a 4 on 5 situation making double teaming Lebron a little easier because its not like Bwall is really a threat on the offensive end. I think Joe Smith is an upgrade over Gooden in respect to how he will play against Detroit because Gooden was usually a nonfactor against the Pistons but I think he may be the only positive to this trade in respect to how the Cavs matchup with Detroit.

Ben scored 12 in his first Cavs game. Ben can't do anything but offensive board and dunk/layup. But that's plenty if teams want to double LeBron on the wing, especially given LeBron's passing ability and size to look over top the defense. Just like in Detroit where Ben was paired with a shooting big (Z, Rasheed), except the Cavs have someone who commands a double team every play.

Ben isn't the issue with this trade. The Cavs obviously upgraded the front court. The issue is the back court. Can Gibson and West combine to give the Cavs a decent PG rotation. It will never compare to Tony Parker, but hopefully their back court won't get destroyed like they did vs. the Spurs.

[triplet1984]

The only area where you can leave Ben wallace open is if he has the ball away from the basket. In that case, you can sag off and block passing lanes.

[<3AmirJohnson<3]

I'm not saying Szerbiack is good, but he's he's than Hughes (for the Cavs atleast).
The only shooters on Cleveland were Gibson, and Damon Jones. Damon Jones can't play, so the only real shooter they had was Gibson. Wally gives them another.
I think West could start over Gibson. He can probably guard Chauncey better than most in the league. He's strong, quick and has hops. He can play the 1 and the 2, and can shoot pretty well. He'll be an issue.

I don't know about Ben. It definitely a defensive upgrade, but I remember Gooden killing us with his short jumper, and Marshall spacing the floor for Lebron. And we're not a slashing team, he'll only really effect Stuckey, maybe Maxiell.

I think this trade makes them better (and they still have Lebron, and that will always be an issue)

[GJense4181]

Cleveland SHOULD go:
West/Gibson
Sczerbiak/Pavlovic
James/Brown
Wallace/Varejao
Ilgauskus/Smith

and yes, I understand that Smith is more of a PF and Varejao more a C, and that Pavlovic is a SF and Brown a SG, but this way roles are conserved.
Brown/James, while positionally correct, is somewhat redundant. So are Pavlovic/Szczerbiak, Varejao/Wallace, and Smith/Ilgauskus (to a lesser extent).

[TheOUTLAW]

I agree that West is likely to start but believe that Pavlovic will start once he's healed. Sczcerbiak will come in off the bench as will Gibson. By the way, Smith's jump shot is every bit as good as Goodens was. Heck it might actually be a bit more consistent (Gooden would have games where he was unconscious but also had more than his fair share of just plain bad games). But I see what you are saying, you are pairing up players according to their style of play.

[PistonsFanFromNJ]

I think this trade makes the Cavs much better. They gave up Hughes, who wasn't doing anything for them, and Gooden. Joe Smith is just as reliable as Gooden. I think we will see a rejuvanted Ben Wallace in Cleveland. Wally just has to sit @ the 3pt line and drain open threes. West only has to be better than their other options at PG.

Let's just hope Billups shows up this year or hope Cleveland ends up in Boston's bracket so we can match up against the Magic.

[Snakebites]

I think this trade makes the Cavs much better. They gave up Hughes, who wasn't doing anything for them, and Gooden. Joe Smith is just as reliable as Gooden. I think we will see a rejuvanted Ben Wallace in Cleveland. Wally just has to sit @ the 3pt line and drain open threes. West only has to be better than their other options at PG.

Let's just hope Billups shows up this year or hope Cleveland ends up in Boston's bracket so we can match up against the Magic.

Well said.

I dont think anyone would argue that the guys they got are without flaws, but as a whole theres no way around the fact that they make the Cavs better.

Ben wont ever earn his paycheck, not with the Cavs or anyone else, nor will he reach the level he was at in Detroit, but he should benefit some from his current environment. Wally is a one trick pony, but he gives them more of what they need. Smith is a minor downgrade from Gooden at worst, and West (who I dont really like much) does give them some depth.

Its not exactly the move Cleveland has been hoping for ever since they realized Lebron would need more help to get them to the next level, but it makes a difference, no doubt about that.

[heathmalc]

Well Detroit fans...this is the way I see the Eastern Conference shaping-up:

1 Detroit

Your Pistons are better than the Celtics, period. If Cavs-fans can see it, then anyone can

2 Boston

They started out strong, but started against weak competition and it gave them a chance to grow together. Plus, they were PUMPED by their own hype. That has wore off. Boston is lucky that they will get a patsy in the first round.

3 Cleveland

If they had made this trade prior to Christmas, they would be no worse than the #2 seed (behind Detroit)

4 Toronto

The Raptors are a decent team, and can explode on any given night...but I don't think they have nearly enough to get into the conference finals. They will , however, be a thorn in the side of whoever they face in the second round (Detroit)

5 Orlando

Dwight Howard is Awesome. As for the rest of the "team"....Dwight Howard is awesome. Orlando will lose in the 1st round. They began believing their own hype. They lose in 4 to Toronto

6 Washington

Gilbert will "heal" just in time for the playoffs, where he'll get to face the Cavaliers for the third straight year....and lose in the first round for the 3rd straight year

7 Philadelphia

Not nearly a playoff-ready team, but feisty enough to win a game against Boston before exiting the 1st round

8 Atlanta (or possibly Chicago)

Does it really matter which team wins this seed? All they do is get a lower draft pick for their effort. Whoever it is loses to the pistons in 3

Second Round:

Piston vs Raptors:

Detroit wins this series in 5 games, and possibly a sweep.
Toronto is not ready to play a high-quality team. Yeah, they have Bosh...but he isn't nearly on the level of LeBron, so Toronto wont be riding his coat-tail to any upset

Cleveland vs Boston:

The Celtics will have home-court advantage. After that, they won't have many other advantages. Ray Allen will be their main guy for the two wins they'll get in this series. Garnett will contribute, but will tire out because he will have to play so many minutes against a deep Cavalier front-line.

Eastern Conference Finals:

Detroit and Cleveland hook-up for the third straight year, and play-out their rubber match. As good as LeBron is, and as deep as Cleveland is, Detroit matches them with their balance and experience. This will easily be the highest rated series of the eastern-conference finals.

Prediction:

Whoever wins between Cleveland and Detroit will win the NBA championship over the Los Angeles Lakers.

(The West reasoning)

I think that San Antonio and Dallas will beat-up each other in the semi-final and that the Lakers will win in 5 or 6. Lakers will take advantage of their easier schedule and win the west... But they wont win the title.

[nasty daddy]

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=722432

"I was a little shocked," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said of getting the trade done. "It wasn't last minute but it was last-second, that part is true.

"I was in the room, and the NBA was on the line. I heard somebody from the NBA office say, 'Cleveland, you have 20 seconds to get Chicago on the phone.' It was pretty intense. We'll miss the guys who were here.

"But we felt this was something we needed to do to improve our team."