| Lottery Summit: Cleveland Cavaliers Authored by Andrew Perna & The RGM Cavs Forum - June 16, 2008 - 8:50 am
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The Cleveland Cavaliers:
2007-08 Record: 45-37
Difference From 2006-07: Five Fewer Wins
Playoff Result: Lost In Seven To Boston (Semifinals)
Restricted Free Agents: Daniel Gibson, Dwayne Jones, Delonte West
Unrestricted Free Agents: Devin Brown
The Verdicts
1. What could the team have done differently to advance in the playoffs?
TheOUTLAW: Daniel Gibson not getting injured would have helped. The other guys lack of shooting touch hurt as well.
Smooth32: A better offensive philosophy, but most of all a second option.
heathmalc: Not much. The Cavaliers just didn't have the personnel to take their game to another level. They would have needed some luck.
A.J.: Get more help for LeBron James.
Icness: If they had better health, cohesion with the newcomers and a better offensive gameplan.
2. Where were the team’s biggest strengths?
TheOUTLAW: Defense and LeBron.
Smooth32: Defense, rebounding and shot-blocking.
heathmalc: The Cavaliers' biggest strengths were LeBron, defense, rebounding and when they played well – they intimidated other teams.
A.J.: LeBron, defense and playoff experience.
Icness: Rebounding (especially offensively), fourth quarter defense and LeBron being simply awesome.
3. Who had a surprisingly effective season?
TheOUTLAW: Nobody.
Smooth32: I was very surprised with how talented Delonte West was and how well he performed, especially with this being the first "legit" team he's been on. He also played well in the playoffs. I just hope we can re-sign him to a reasonable deal.
heathmalc: West was a surprise towards the end, but the biggest revelation was the play of Devin Brown, who played well all year.
A.J.: West. He was the key to our playoff success.
Icness: Joe Smith provided more than I expected in his brief tenure.
4. Who had a surprisingly ineffective season?
TheOUTLAW: Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao, which just shows that you need to be in camp with the team on time.
Smooth32: There is no hesitation in my mind and it's not even close, Wally Szczerbiak.
heathmalc: Szczerbiak comes to mind, as he shot poorly after the trade, but Varejao and Sasha were bigger disappointments.
A.J.: Ben Wallace. I was looking for more rebounds from him.
Icness: Varejao did not improve one iota.
5. How confident are you in the front office heading into the offseason?
TheOUTLAW: I’m fairly confident that they won't do anything rash, but not as confident that they will get something done to improve the team.
Smooth32: 50/50. I think they realize that they need to make a move and explore things, but I really question how aggressive they will be and whether or not they will be able to translate their tradable assets into the players we need. We know Danny Ferry is able to pull off the small moves (i.e., trading for Flip Murray, drafting Daniel Gibson, signing Devin Brown, etc.), but it's the big moves (i.e., drafting Shannon Brown, his first free agent class, making the necessary trades, etc.) that I really question his ability to accomplish. I hope he can get the number two option we desperately we need.
heathmalc: Ferry has not instilled confidence in the fans. I believe he can make a deal to get what we need, but will he make the right deal? I can only hope for the best.
A.J.: I am confident Ferry will get LeBron a sidekick and improve our team.
Icness: I'm more confident than most people in Ferry, but Mike Brown needs help.
6. What are the team’s biggest needs in the draft?
TheOUTLAW: Get someone that can score at either the power forward or shooting guard positions. These spots need to be upgraded badly.
Smooth32: Definitely in the paint where we are very old and non-athletic. Smith, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Wallace are on the decline and Varejao is likely to opt out of his contract next year. Next would be the wing spot, where we need a solid all-around player.
heathmalc: Due to age considerations, a big man is the most pressing need. But, if one of the top shooting guards is available, then they should be given due consideration.
A.J.: A scoring two guard to help out LeBron.
Icness: A solid overall talent, not a niche player. Just someone with a solid all-around game like a Josh Howard or Matt Harpring, not a flashy athlete/scorer or project big man.
7. Who would you like your team to select?
TheOUTLAW: Nicolas Batum, if he's there.
Smooth32: I would love for us to somehow acquire O.J. Mayo, but if we stay at nineteen I'd select a big man like JaVale McGee from Nevada or Marreese Speights from Florida (preferably Speights). If neither of them are available, another big like Kosta Koufos from Ohio State could be an option, as well as guys like Chris Douglas-Roberts, Brandon Rush, Donte Greene or Batum.
heathmalc: This is the hardest question because the player I want will be gone, and we only have one pick so we can't mess up this year. I suppose that I'd like for the Cavaliers to trade up and get Mayo. Somehow!
A.J.: Koufos.
Icness: I don't watch enough college hoops to know, but Eric Gordon would be great if he fell.
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Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. If you’re a fan of one of the many teams that we have yet to feature, surf over to our forums and weigh in on what is happening within the organization. If you’d like to contact Andrew, shoot him an e-mail at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
