for those who talk about lebron needing help....

[nycballer718]

basically each year cavs get eliminated from the playoffs you have a lot of people say lebron needs help well im just going to say that is b.s..

now it seems to me lebron is in a perfect position to make it look like his teamates are worse then they are. and why? because of the lack of offense..lebron's supporting cast is terrible offensively, no one can create their own shot but for the lakc of scoring they make all of that up easily with defense, rebounding and hustle.

it's pretty evident and easy to notice when you have lebron james going 2-18 in a game and yet somehow the cavs were still one lebron missed layup away from tying the game and games they won lebron shot bad and they still ended up winning.

so when i always see people in their post talk about how lebron needs a player like michael redd, that won't fix a thing, with the offense they would gain they would lose their defense and hustle...it would just something similiar to a nuggets team...that is why teams like the nuggets you look at them and you think that's a greta team cause the scoring option and forget they play no d and you look at a team like the cavs and see how they have no scorers so they suck but they play as a team and most importantly play defense which is why they can push a team like the celtics to 7 games and which is also why lebron can go 9 for 23 from the field and still beat the team with the best record in the regular season.

[Buck You]

Michael Redd for Varajeo/Gibson and salary fillers still looks good. But yeah, I agree with you. Although, LeBron did have 44 5 and 6 today and his team still lost.

[Cybulski37]

Their defense is very good yes, but they need someone else who can fill the bucket consistently, and play solid defense.

[JD225]

LOL dude Wally is starting for the Cavs. You think adding Redd to that roster will make them lose their desire to play D?

[Buck You]

LOL dude Wally is starting for the Cavs. You think adding Redd to that roster will make them lose their desire to play D?

You have no idea.

[Ballings7]

Offensively, Cleveland has to get more versatile... they're a limited, ordinary offensive team. They have had and do have all the role-players already... but one piece is still missing.

They need to get LBJ a legitimate side-kick. And in part to doing that, LeBron has to play off the ball more, so that can also allow for that 2nd guy to play as more than basically just a shooter, cutter, and ball-mover. The role-players are already there to do that. So aside from doing the aformentioned, the #2 option-guy can create for himself and others (depending who it would be). It shouldn't and can't just be others playing off of LeBron (usually). Firstly, that's relying and asking of too much on one guy, and secondly, in the case of having a good #2 man, that role restricts what that player is able to do. Things have to be easier on LeBron, and he can't be so ball dominant in that way.

=================

Redd wouldn't effect their defense because of how they play defense as a team, and Redd when committed, from what I've gathered isn't a bad defender. He'd have less offensive responsibility in Cleveland, so could focus as a whole more on defense, and would buy in.

And Wally from what I remember didn't stick out as being a liability on defense.

[Buck You]

Offensively, Cleveland has to get more versatile... they're a limited, ordinary offensive team. They have had and do have all the role-players already... but one piece is still missing.

They need to get LBJ a legitimate side-kick. And in part to doing that, LeBron has to play off the ball more, so that can also allow for that 2nd guy to play as more than basically just a shooter, cutter, and ball-mover. The role-players are already there to do that. So aside from doing the aformentioned, the #2 option-guy can create for himself and others (depending who it would be). It shouldn't and can't just be others playing off of LeBron (usually). Firstly, that's relying and asking of too much on one guy, and secondly, in the case of having a good #2 man, that role restricts what that player is able to do. Things have to be easier on LeBron, and he can't be so ball dominant in that way.

=================

Redd wouldn't effect their defense because of how they play defense as a team, and Redd when committed, from what I've gathered isn't a bad defender. He'd have less offensive responsibility in Cleveland, so could focus as a whole more on defense, and would buy in.

And Wally from what I remember didn't stick out as being a liability on defense.

With LeBron, I would sure hope Redd would buy in. I'm sure he would though, he's buying into the USA team.

[Benedict_Boozer]

Cavs badly need a another guy who can consistently put up 15-20pts a night...a guy who can create his own offense either on the perimeter or the post.

The roster is flawed but there are some talented role players on the current team. Just need that 2nd option guy.

[Buck You]

Cavs badly need a another guy who can consistently put up 15-20pts a night...a guy who can create his own offense either on the perimeter or the post.

The roster is flawed but there are some talented role players on the current team. Just need that 2nd option guy.

So would you do Varajo/Gibson/Fillers for Redd/Fillers?

[JD225]

-= original quote snipped =-


You have no idea.

If you took Wally out of the Cavs lineup and replaced him with Redd I feel pretty confident that the Cavs would not drop off defensively... at all.

[celticfan42487]

Wally and a CLE 1rst rounder for Redd.

re-sign West. And see where you can go from there.

CLE has a lot of good role players.. but no second all-star. They should be able to steal Redd because he's at the point in his career and MIL is at the poitn with their franchise that Redd's agent would be happy with a move to a playoff team.

Re-sign West and Just see where you go from there.

[KF10]

-= original quote snipped =-


So would you do Varajo/Gibson/Fillers for Redd/Fillers?

Redd's value didnt drop THAT much... Redd is still a good player. He doesnt warrant to be dealt by that package IMO.

[Benedict_Boozer]

-= original quote snipped =-


So would you do Varajo/Gibson/Fillers for Redd/Fillers?

I'd probably do it. The filler coming back to CLE would have to include some type of big man, because without Varejao the Cavs bigs are all old/declining.

[NUNBETTA]

The problem with the way the Cavs are currently composed has to do with the basketball philosophy people want to attatch to any Lebron-led team. Because Lebron draws so much attention, people figure that the easiest way to manufacture points around Lebron is to surround him with players that can hit the open jumpers that Lebron creates. That's cool, the reasoning of that philosophy appears to be sound enough, but I think there are complexities being left unconsidered. I think Lebron is hard to surround with talent because of how good, and specifically, how versatile he is. Undoubtedly, almost irrespective of who you surround him with, Lebron is going to be your best passer, your best finisher, your best athlete, and at worse.. your second best ball handler. That means that no matter who you surround him with, reason tells you that your best opportunity to score is with the ball in Lebron's hands.

I think the best bet for any team is to have a big man who can SCORE, preferably with his back to the basket, and a dead-eye shooter on the wing. The other position, whatever it is, just needs to be adequate enough in all facets of the game, so as to not make him an offensive liability. Lebron dos so many things well that it's hard to know what type of talent would best surround him, because he can lead the league in ppg, but also finish top 5 in assists. I think he is a more natural passer than he is a natural scorer, but there is almost no player in the league who you could justify limiting Lebron's touches for.


of course... all of this would be moot if Boozer had stayed.

[B Mac]

Gibson and LeBron are best friends so for that reason alone that trade wouldnt get done, but Varejao and anyone else on the roster would be fine.

For people worried about Redd's defense on the Cavs... dont be. Mike Brown took one of the absolute worst defensive teams in the league and made them one of the best. He took formerly horrible defenders, Z, Gooden, LeBron, Pavlovic, and even Damon Jones and improved each of them drastically. (except perhaps Gooden) Wally freaking Szczerbiak just started throughout the playoffs for the Cavs and had no problems defensively on Butler or Allen. After seeing all of that Im now convinced that Mike Brown can take anyone and turn them into a solid defender on this Cavs team.

As Brown said himself.. I'd rather teach a shooter how to play defense, than a good defender how to shoot.

[tmac4real]

They acn have the 60's Celtics defense and still lose. Why? Because Lebron "only" averages 30 ppg, they need other guys that can consistently put up the other 60...which tehy don't hae.

[Subliminal Criminal]

I think the biggest thing that people are forgetting about the Cavs is the inconsistency that plagues the role players for stretches. Add that to the fact that some of the parts are misused, and you come to the undeniably correct conclusion that LeBron needs help.

LeBron is the only person on the team that can create his own shot on a regular basis. He has to be ball dominant because it is the only way that the Cavs have any chance to win. Players like Delonte West and Boobie Gibson have nice skillsets, but their production relies so heavily on what LeBron creates for them.

Suffocating defense, tenacious rebounding, and LeBron are the three cornerstones that the Cavs are built on without a doubt. But, there is a point in time that they will need to add a sidekick that can flat-out score to ease the pressure off LeBron or they will never win an NBA title. He is a unique player that will go down as one of the all-time greats, but he can not be expected to do everything by himself.

[Ballings7]

Very well said ^.

[Pancho_Pantera]

He needs help. Their team defense definitely keeps them in ball games, but I'm amaze that they can win so much with all the crappy playmakers, or the lack there of, that he has.

And this is going to be one of those stupid discussions similar to Kobes. When Kobe scored a lot, people said it was because he had no good teammates. Now that he is more efficient than ever, people say he makes his teammates better. Same thing will happen with Lebron. People need to understand that you need a good supportive cast to go places in the NBA.

[MrCheerios]

They could use Boozer. Utah could use some defense, or maybe just start Milsap. Is Boozer on the market yet?