The Official 2015 NBA Free Agency/Off-Season Thread

[42 Monks]

Spacing was jacked because nobody could hit a 3 to save their lives. No on else could create their own offense either, save Mosgov. I'm not sure how any of that relates to how they defended Steph though. It was pretty effective for the better part of 4 games and the defensive end was never their issue. It is pretty simple when you think about it. The Cavs could compete with the original iteration of GSW. Once they went small the Cavs had no means of countering as size was their only advantage. Having Kyrie out there allows them to go small, allows Bron to take a breather every so often, and keeps Delly in his box where he belongs.

1) Spacing was jacked because you're not beating a top defensive team without a stretch 4 in a seven game series. Even with Kyrie dancing on the perimeter, it wouldn't have meant shyt with two guys that can only score through being spoonfed in the paint. TT and Mozgov played better defense on LBJ than anyone else.
2) Mozgov hasn't created offense a day in his life. Scoring =/= creating offense. Every team in the league is happy to ignore Mozgov. Him getting 22 points in a slow slugfest means that LBJ isn't building momentum and getting guys looks on the perimeter where it hurts. A competent offense will take that trade 10 times out of 10 and it'll always work out.
3) The Cavs could not guard GS. At all. They could contain Curry and that's about it. They drug the pace down to give themselves a sluggers chance in the fourth, that's about it. Any time they tried to run, they got blasted because GS is twice as good at it.
4) Goes back to above - going small didn't have much to do with it. Bogut was worthless because there are zero bigs worth guarding on the Cavs lol. That's simply all it was. There was no point in having a 7 foot post-defense specialist on the court when all you're dealing with is Bert and Ernie.
5) "Having Kyrie allows them to go small" Listen to yourself - a PG's existence is never the make or break of a small lineup. Going small is all about putting abnormal stress on the bigs of the other team defensively. You don't even need to be running SSOL. Without Love, the Cavs literally cannot go small unless they put LBJ at center. And LBJ isn't about that life. Its also why its fukking stupid that they're allowing themselves to get fleeced by the guy. He's a shytty, try-hard version of Faried.

But it was a very, very deep series. Most Finals are pretty much telegraphed imo. I haven't been surprised Detroit beating the shyt out of LA effectively ended my childhood but Blatt is a damned good coach to get as much out of that team as he did.

 

[SchoolboyC]

@VMR @SuperCoolP_Cal @KevJ

So according to Zach Lowe on draft night it was a proposed 3 team deal including Atlanta; Charlotte would've gotten #15, #16, one of the Brooklyn picks and either the MEM or MIN 1st but Jordan was set on picking Kaminsky

I hope for the Hornet fans sake that Kaminsky pans out but I don't think I'm all that upset that Ainge got rejected

 

[42 Monks]

@VMR @SuperCoolP_Cal @KevJ

So according to Zach Lowe on draft night it was a proposed 3 team deal including Atlanta; Charlotte would've gotten #15, #16, one of the Brooklyn picks and either the MEM or MIN 1st but Jordan was set on picking Kaminsky

I hope for the Hornet fans sake that Kaminsky pans out but I don't think I'm all that upset that Ainge got rejected

That's a trash package for a middling team man

All I see is two Gerald Hendersons, a Mario Chalmers, and a Terrence "Nobody with sense is drafting him higher" Williams

 

[SchoolboyC]

That's a trash package for a middling team man

All I see is two Gerald Hendersons, a Mario Chalmers, and a Terrence "Nobody with sense is drafting him higher" Williams

Well when you factor in that Jordan is the one with the final say on who gets picked then maybe you're right

 

[William F. Russell]

@VMR @SuperCoolP_Cal @KevJ

So according to Zach Lowe on draft night it was a proposed 3 team deal including Atlanta; Charlotte would've gotten #15, #16, one of the Brooklyn picks and either the MEM or MIN 1st but Jordan was set on picking Kaminsky

I hope for the Hornet fans sake that Kaminsky pans out but I don't think I'm all that upset that Ainge got rejected

That does make me feel somewhat better about what happened on draft night.

 

[FTBS]

1) Spacing was jacked because you're not beating a top defensive team without a stretch 4 in a seven game series. Even with Kyrie dancing on the perimeter, it wouldn't have meant shyt with two guys that can only score through being spoonfed in the paint. TT and Mozgov played better defense on LBJ than anyone else.
2) Mozgov hasn't created offense a day in his life. Scoring =/= creating offense. Every team in the league is happy to ignore Mozgov. Him getting 22 points in a slow slugfest means that LBJ isn't building momentum and getting guys looks on the perimeter where it hurts. A competent offense will take that trade 10 times out of 10 and it'll always work out.
3) The Cavs could not guard GS. At all. They could contain Curry and that's about it. They drug the pace down to give themselves a sluggers chance in the fourth, that's about it. Any time they tried to run, they got blasted because GS is twice as good at it.
4) Goes back to above - going small didn't have much to do with it. Bogut was worthless because there are zero bigs worth guarding on the Cavs lol. That's simply all it was. There was no point in having a 7 foot post-defense specialist on the court when all you're dealing with is Bert and Ernie.
5) "Having Kyrie allows them to go small" Listen to yourself - a PG's existence is never the make or break of a small lineup. Going small is all about putting abnormal stress on the bigs of the other team defensively. You don't even need to be running SSOL. Without Love, the Cavs literally cannot go small unless they put LBJ at center. And LBJ isn't about that life. Its also why its fukking stupid that they're allowing themselves to get fleeced by the guy. He's a shytty, try-hard version of Faried.

But it was a very, very deep series. Most Finals are pretty much telegraphed imo. I haven't been surprised Detroit beating the shyt out of LA effectively ended my childhood but Blatt is a damned good coach to get as much out of that team as he did.

They were a missed jumper away from going up 3-0 on that top defensive team and that was with an absolutely atrocious offense.

I clearly said "create their own" offense. Mosgov was the only other Cav doing anything offensively without being spoonfed.

Cavs couldn't guard GS at all yet GS ppg dropped damn near 10 pts from the previous round and they never reached their season average?

Bogut wasn't giving them anything on defense and he was limiting them offensively. Of course he's not worth it to have out there if Mosgov is still getting his regardless. The Cavs bigs were a key reason why they were up 2-1.

With Kyrie out the Cavs couldn't go small because they had no one in the backcourt that could score, handle the ball, or put any stress on anybody. You got your PF operating as your defacto PG as well. I'm not saying Love wouldn't have helped to, but to act like Kyrie wouldn't have helped is just silly.

 

[Professor K.]

@VMR @SuperCoolP_Cal @KevJ

So according to Zach Lowe on draft night it was a proposed 3 team deal including Atlanta; Charlotte would've gotten #15, #16, one of the Brooklyn picks and either the MEM or MIN 1st but Jordan was set on picking Kaminsky

I hope for the Hornet fans sake that Kaminsky pans out but I don't think I'm all that upset that Ainge got rejected

What would the Hawks have gotten?

 

[SchoolboyC]

What would the Hawks have gotten?

He doesn't say. It's an article about Charlotte so it only mentions what they were going to get.

Good Charlotte? The Hornets and the Sliding Scale of NBA Mediocrity

 

[Professor K.]

He doesn't say. It's an article about Charlotte so it only mentions what they were going to get.

Good Charlotte? The Hornets and the Sliding Scale of NBA Mediocrity

shytty journalism.

 

[42 Monks]

Cavs couldn't guard GS at all yet GS ppg dropped damn near 10 pts from the previous round and they never reached their season average?

Pace =/= defense

and what the fukk

Mozgov wasn't being spoonfed? you trippin

 

[FTBS]

Pace =/= defense

and what the fukk

Mozgov wasn't being spoonfed? you trippin

So Mosgov wasn't doing work on the block? Not saying he was Dream or Duncan or anything but he wasn't Tristan either.Teams don't usually double guys that are getting spoonfed.

Pace does a play a part no doubt. However, there is something to be said for controlling the pace. Getting out and running is a big part of what GSW does offensively and the Cavs effectively limited that the first 3 games or did GSW just intentionally slow down the pace?

You still haven't told me how defending Steph impacted their spacing.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

@VMR @SuperCoolP_Cal @KevJ

So according to Zach Lowe on draft night it was a proposed 3 team deal including Atlanta; Charlotte would've gotten #15, #16, one of the Brooklyn picks and either the MEM or MIN 1st but Jordan was set on picking Kaminsky

I hope for the Hornet fans sake that Kaminsky pans out but I don't think I'm all that upset that Ainge got rejected

yeah i saw that. woat deal with the brooklyn pick and likely what we would have sent to atlanta for 15. dont care about the minny pick though, thats going to be 1 or 2 2nds instead due to protection

 

[SchoolboyC]

yeah i saw that. woat deal with the brooklyn pick and likely what we would have sent to atlanta for 15. dont care about the minny pick though, thats going to be 1 or 2 2nds instead due to protection

Considering Atlanta ended up trading for Tim Hardaway Jr later that night, they probably would've wanted Bradley

 

[42 Monks]

So Mosgov wasn't doing work on the block? Not saying he was Dream or Duncan or anything but he wasn't Tristan either.Teams don't usually double guys that are getting spoonfed.

Pace does a play a part no doubt. However, there is something to be said for controlling the pace. Getting out and running is a big part of what GSW does offensively and the Cavs effectively limited that the first 3 games or did GSW just intentionally slow down the pace?

You still haven't told me how defending Steph impacted their spacing.

Cavs limited the pace by outrebounding GS and taking smarter shots on their end - their defense had shyt to do with the pace of the game

No, Mozgov wasn't doing work. At all. Dude was getting spoonfed and GS was happy to let him post up. Why? Because as I said before, anything is better than LBJ getting guys on the perimeter hot. And in a slowed down game, 3s are big as fukk. Mozgov's non-cohesive BS may as well have been Cleveland coming down the field on 8 minute drives to kick 30yd FGs three times in a row.

And that also ties into Steph. TT was mobile enough to assist on pressuring Steph. Mozgov was not. Mozgov was a benefit on the boards, but as I stated above, that really didn't mean shyt because all of Cleveland's issues remained constant in a slowed down game, just greatly mitigated due to the pace. They could soften all blows GS could deal that way. Mozgov and TT on the court at the same time though meant that LBJ would see a help defender every time he came to the paint OR, and this happened more often imo, the few shooters Cleveland did have would be camped on because there was literally no reason to guard either Mozgov or TT independently. Ever. Neither one of them is worth paying solid attention to. They never encouraged defensive reaction from GS at any point once Bogut stopped be a focus. Neither can step out and hit a shot and neither is going to demand a double-team on the catch, so neither is removing a defender from the lane or forcing a perimeter defender to take note of them. That is two people that GS's #1 defense doesn't have to give a fukk about. That is the end of spacing for Cleveland.

SO

that left Blatt with the decision of containing Curry and betting everything on a puncher's chance late OR trying to maul GS's interior rebounding unit while trying to score with a handicap

 

[FTBS]

Cavs limited the pace by outrebounding GS and taking smarter shots on their end - their defense had shyt to do with the pace of the game

No, Mozgov wasn't doing work. At all. Dude was getting spoonfed and GS was happy to let him post up. Why? Because as I said before, anything is better than LBJ getting guys on the perimeter hot. And in a slowed down game, 3s are big as fukk. Mozgov's non-cohesive BS may as well have been Cleveland coming down the field on 8 minute drives to kick 30yd FGs three times in a row.

And that also ties into Steph. TT was mobile enough to assist on pressuring Steph. Mozgov was not. Mozgov was a benefit on the boards, but as I stated above, that really didn't mean shyt because all of Cleveland's issues remained constant in a slowed down game, just greatly mitigated due to the pace. They could soften all blows GS could deal that way. Mozgov and TT on the court at the same time though meant that LBJ would see a help defender every time he came to the paint OR, and this happened more often imo, the few shooters Cleveland did have would be camped on because there was literally no reason to guard either Mozgov or TT independently. Ever. Neither one of them is worth paying solid attention to. They never encouraged defensive reaction from GS at any point once Bogut stopped be a focus. Neither can step out and hit a shot and neither is going to demand a double-team on the catch, so neither is removing a defender from the lane or forcing a perimeter defender to take note of them. That is two people that GS's #1 defense doesn't have to give a fukk about. That is the end of spacing for Cleveland.

SO

that left Blatt with the decision of containing Curry and betting everything on a puncher's chance late OR trying to maul GS's interior rebounding unit while trying to score with a handicap

So controlling the boards and the pace and thusly eliminating one of the favored offensive weapons of the opponent isn't attributable to defense or the Cavs in general? Gotcha.

GS was so happy to let him post up that they started throwing doubles at him to get the ball out of his hands and changed their lineup in order to try to minimize his impact? Gotcha.

Cleveland didn't have any floor spacers to replace them with that GS would have to give a fukk about therefore it was more so about their depth/level of remaining talent rather than their strategy against Steph.