jbk1234 wrote:JonFromVA wrote:Revenged25 wrote:
Don't get me wrong, I actually wanted the Cavs to make a run for LeVert in FA originally before he extended with the Nets, so I like his overall game, I just think that some of the discussion is boosting LeVert in an attempt to tear down Sexton when it's not really being honest about the situation.  Also if we can afford it having Sexton and LeVert would never be a bad thing as it means at least one would be coming off the bench, likely Sexton with Okoro as they play really well together and could help cover for each others weaknesses.
Sure, I made a post the other day that argued LeVert could be a transitional player that helps gets us to the point that guys like Isaac and Collin have gained experience and are ready to contribute at a higher level. I don't do that because I like to argue both sides, but because I see both sides. 
Even JBB has said that he plans to see which lineups work best and play it from there. And hey, like the Pacers, our starting lineup with Isaac was knocking it out of the park and starting out with more of a defensive presence is not a bad idea. So, sounds good?
The thing is when do we want to start worrying about the teams that can force the ball out of DG's hands? Are we going to put that off until we've dug a hole against one of them in a crucial playoff game? 
As for Collin, it's not all about what the Cavs want or would prefer. We have to guess what kind of role Collin would accept.
Collin's college coach Avery Johnson sure seems convinced Collin was going to be traded, and if that's not the case, the Cavs should probably do something to cheer him up ...
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I mean he fired CAA, hired Klutch, and his market didn't change just because he changed agents. I feel badly for him, but we're not at the same place we were when we were talking about numbers before and he likely has to get traded to get paid now. I'm glad he's handled it professionally. It's good that he's saying all the right things, but the Cavs need to do what's best for the organization. That likely does not include offering him a long-term deal that's to his liking this summer.
To be clear, he's not totally blameless here. I don't believe for a second that three/four different coaching staffs all told him not to worry about defense or getting his teammates involved in the offense. He had three full years, a lot of games, and a ton of minutes to work on those skills and show the Cavs anything on that front. It wasn't until the last third of the last season, when Garland started to put it together, that he made an effort to move the ball. This year, before he went down, he was still getting pulled at the end of games because he was a defensive liability. There isn't really a body of evidence that he'll improve in the areas they need him to. It's all hope and attitude. That's not enough to warrant optimistic projections. It would professional malpractice for the Cavs to pay him big money based on nothing more than him saying the right things and wanting to be out there.
 
The Cavs may have less risky options to explore, but I wouldn't call it malpractice. The name of the game with a 22 year is to take in everything you know about the player: their strengths and weaknesses and project that out over however long you expect they may be a member of your team.
If you decide strictly based on where they're at as a 22 year old, you're going to watch a lot of talent walk out the door to go on and do bigger and better things for some other team.
The Cavs know a lot about Collin and they've known a lot about Collin and while the rumors have been flying for a long time that they'd like to move him, they haven't pulled the trigger.  That tells me they believe he has value (ie upside) beyond what the market believes or is at least willing to pay.
But the Cavs went and swung a deal that filled the hole Collin might have filled and now best case he's in a 3-man competition with Isaac and Caris for the starting SG spot and if we re-sign Ricky a 2-man competition for the backup PG spot.  He may be competing with Cedi and Lamar for rotational minutes depending what JBB thinks the team needs.
If he's wired a little different than most pros, he'll welcome the competition and chance to prove himself; but if he's like most other NBA players he will be trying real hard to find a team willing to pay him to be their starting PG and I imagine he has at least a couple of possible options in NY and Detroit. 
So to get this right, not only do we need to be able to predict the future to project how Collin will develop, we need to be mind readers to determine if Collin will buy in to our plan for getting him where think he can get and/or where we need him to get.
A couple phone calls and everyone could be on the same page, but if there's any doubt on either side; the Cavs should just trade him and not let Collin's plans even have a chance to interfere with the team's.
Which all sounds pretty complicated for a young man that wants nothing more than to live & breath basketball 24/7, but he has a lot of free time on his hands and presumably hired Klutch to somehow turn an awful situation in to a golden opportunity.