I could see one of those 3 being moved, but I'd like to keep Jack around to see what he could do with Wiggins because Kyrie don't really like passing the rock.
Cheat Code Activated :The 2014-2015 Cleveland Cavaliers Season Thread
- Thread starter jaguar paw
- Start date
He will in Blatt's offense. He really won't have a choice. And if he's smart he will realize the burden does not need to be all on him and the game will be easier for him if he works within the structure.
That heavy iso shyt should not be ran for 4 quarters.
I get it if it's the end of the game and we just need a bucket.
Microfracture
Real G's move in silence
Kyrie's passing ability is unfairly hated on. We needed his scoring last year because there weren't many other options. He's not a ballhog.
"To realize that all your life—you know, all your love, all your hate, all your memory, all your pain—it was all the same thing. It was all the same dream. A dream that you had inside a locked room. A dream about being a person. And like a lot of dreams there's a ........monster at the end of it."
It's gonna be a hot summer brehs....
@QuarterCenturyLegend @Microfracture @KingpinOG @Remy Le Breh @NatiboyB @qaws23 @Dayco23 @Eye Cue 182 @Illeye buckmatic @Leonard Washington @Buckeye Fever @Smackdown625
@Newzz
Time to Build.
Understand I'm only speaking on the times I watched him try to hero ball it when there were open people and we lost because of it.
It's not hating on his passing ability, it's his willingness to pass to see the team get better I'm "hating on".
Microfracture
Real G's move in silence
Yea I wasn't coming at you but thats how it looks on message boards.
Mike Brown can't coach offense or young players so at least thats clear now. I think Blatt can open up things for Kyrie and put him in a position to make the right decisions. Plus if everybody knows what they're doing on offense, it gives the team extra incentive to hustle to get stops and win it back on defense.
Dr. Narcisse
Veteran
Dan Gilbert's sales pitch?
QuarterCenturyLegend
Stoopid Life
Lol and it's just that...if Bennet shows improvement he's gone and Bennet will...unless he signs for 7-9 a year.
qaws23
All Star
Inside the Cleveland Cavaliers' midnight meeting with Kyrie Irving -- Terry Pluto
Kyrie Irving is now committed to the Cavs for the next six seasons. (Thomas Ondrey / The Plain Dealer)
Print
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on July 01, 2014 at 5:05 PM, updated July 01, 2014 at 5:58 PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Exactly how did the Cavaliers find a way to immediately convince Kyrie Irving to agree to a five-year, $90 million contract extension? I knew it could not have happened overnight, despite the fact the deal was sealed in a late-night meeting.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert led a group to meet with Irving and his representatives at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. That was the first moment free agents could be offered a contract. Or in the case of Irving, a contract extension.
The Cavs point guard is already under contract for 2014-15 at $7 million. The maximum contract extension takes him until the summer of 2020 -- meaning he's with the team for six more seasons.
Yes, $90 million is a major bargaining chip. But Irving's quick decision and enthusiasm should be refreshing for fans wondering if the young man with New Jersey roots wanted to stay in Cleveland.
How did all this happen? To find out, I made some calls and talked to some people on background. This not only is the story of the Courtship of Kyrie, it's also how Irving and those close to him checked out the new coaching staff.
The Midnight Hour
The meeting was held in a private room at a New York City restaurant. Irving was there with his father (Drederick Irving) and his agent, Jeff Wechsler. Gilbert led a group that included his partners Jeff Cohen and Nate Forbes. Along with them were General Manager David Griffin, head coach David Blatt and associate head coach Tyronn Lue.
Both sides knew what would be the main meal after the food was served -- the possibility of Irving staying with the Cavs.
By the time they assembled, it seems Irving was reasonably certain he'd sign the maximum deal. The Cavs wanted a five-year extension. Gilbert didn't want a repeat of 2006, when LeBron James agreed only to a three-year extension, the same tactic used by Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Fans now know why -- all three became free agents in 2010 and signed with Miami.
It seemed the Cavs spent the final two seasons (2008-10) wondering if he'd leave Cleveland. That hung over the franchise, and led to the disaster that transpired following his departure.
So in this meeting, a few things were made clear. The Cavs wanted Irving and believed in him. They wanted him for the full five years. They wanted him to also buy into their vision of changing the franchise.
No one said it, but it was possible Irving would be traded if this meeting went the wrong way.
Instead, much of the foundation was in place so that both sides were able to trust each other in these early New York City hours.
Kyrie Irving was raised by his father, Drederick Irving. His mother died when Irving was four.
PD file photo
The people in the room
The Cavs were impressed by Irving and his father, who had done their homework (along with Wechsler, the agent). The Irvings knew what kind of uptempo teams Griffin had helped build while with the Phoenix Suns.
Drederick Irving is a strong presence in the life of his son. Irving's mother, Elizabeth, died when Kyrie was only four and his sister (Asia) was five. Dad worked on Wall Street and raised both children.
Drederick was there to look people in the eye -- people who would have such a major impact on his son's future. He asked tough questions. Gilbert already knew Drederick Irving and had a high opinion of the man, but came away even more impressed. The others in the room also had a tremendous appreciation of Irving's father.
It makes sense that the three owners (Gilbert, Cohen and Forbes) would be present. The same for Griffin and Blatt. The interesting choice was Lue, but the runner-up to Blatt for the top job and new associate coach has already become an important figure despite being with the team for only a week.
Lue is only 37, but already has five years as an NBA assistant. He was on the staff of Clippers coach Doc Rivers, first in Boston and later in Los Angeles.
Lue played point guard in the league for 11 seasons. The Cavs wanted a strong point guard coach on their staff, and Lue is highly-regarded among players. Right after being hired by the Cavs, Lue spoke with Irving. They immediately found a lot in common. As an assistant/scout, Lue had studied the top point guards -- including Irving -- when Lue worked for Rivers.
Irving believes Lue can help him become a better player. Furthermore, the Irving family was impressed that Lue joined the Cavs.
He was offered a chance to replace Alvin Gentry as Rivers' top assistant with the Clippers in 2014-15. Instead, he came to Cleveland, making a four-year commitment (three years guaranteed with a team option in 2017-18). He also became one of the NBA's highest-paid assistant coaches, showing that the Cavs are very serious about upgrading their support staff for the players.
A former NBA point guard, Tyronn Lue joined the Cavs coaching staff and has become close to Kyrie Irving.
AP
Courting Kyrie
Not long after taking over as interim general manager on Feb. 6, Griffin worked to develop strong relationships not only with Irving, but several key players.
The Cavs were 16-33 when former general manager Chris Grant was fired, 17-16 after that. It's far too simplistic to credit Griffin for the improvement. But obviously, it helped -- along with Grant trading for Luol Deng and Griffin acquiring Spencer Hawes.
The point Griffin was able to make after the season was that things did get better -- and it was fun to play on a team that had become a playoff contender.
After the season, Griffin kept Irving and other key players informed about the coaching search. He didn't ask their input. But he wanted them to know what candidates were serious. So he told the players about Blatt, who had just won a Euroleague title for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
One of the first calls made by Blatt after being hired on June 20 was to Irving. They talked some basketball. The Irving family and his agent had already been checking with people who had played for Blatt -- or knew him from coaching overseas.
The reports were strong -- the man knew how to win.
Blatt and Irving had several conversations before the midnight meeting. The same with Irving and Lue. Griffin kept in touch. Same with Gilbert.
Feeling comfortable
By the time Gilbert made his passionate proposal to Irving for the maximum contract, both sides had a pretty good idea that a deal was likely. Irving had been more engaged in the off-season than at any point in his three-year career.
Yes, Blatt would be his third coach in three years, but the Cavs were able to convince Irving that this time would be different, and much, much better.
The team felt good about Irving's maturity. Because he's been in the NBA for three seasons, it's easy to forget that he only turned 22 on March 23. A lot came quickly -- the No. 1 pick in 2011 despite playing 11 games at Duke. He made two All-Star teams, and was the 2014 game's MVP. He has the popular Pepsi Uncle Drew commercials, and he's been scoring 20 points a game.
But now, it's time to win. The Cavs need Irving to become an elite point guard to make that happen. They want Irving in the middle of what they believe is a franchise shift and a drive to the 2015 playoffs. Gilbert and his ownership group stressed his willingness to be creative, to spend and to upgrade the talent.
Wrapping up Irving is a major step in that direction, but not even close to the last move. That was stressed to Irving. For his part, Irving not only talked about being "all in," but of the excitement around the drafting of Andrew Wiggins, the new coaching staff and future. Just look at how Charlotte and Washington went from NBA non-entities to making the playoffs.
At 1:48 a.m. on July 1, Gilbert tweeted that he had just shaken hands on a five-year extension with Irving. The point guard followed with his own tweet at 2:02 a.m.
The deal was done.
Kyrie Irving is now committed to the Cavs for the next six seasons. (Thomas Ondrey / The Plain Dealer)
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on July 01, 2014 at 5:05 PM, updated July 01, 2014 at 5:58 PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Exactly how did the Cavaliers find a way to immediately convince Kyrie Irving to agree to a five-year, $90 million contract extension? I knew it could not have happened overnight, despite the fact the deal was sealed in a late-night meeting.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert led a group to meet with Irving and his representatives at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. That was the first moment free agents could be offered a contract. Or in the case of Irving, a contract extension.
The Cavs point guard is already under contract for 2014-15 at $7 million. The maximum contract extension takes him until the summer of 2020 -- meaning he's with the team for six more seasons.
Yes, $90 million is a major bargaining chip. But Irving's quick decision and enthusiasm should be refreshing for fans wondering if the young man with New Jersey roots wanted to stay in Cleveland.
How did all this happen? To find out, I made some calls and talked to some people on background. This not only is the story of the Courtship of Kyrie, it's also how Irving and those close to him checked out the new coaching staff.
The Midnight Hour
The meeting was held in a private room at a New York City restaurant. Irving was there with his father (Drederick Irving) and his agent, Jeff Wechsler. Gilbert led a group that included his partners Jeff Cohen and Nate Forbes. Along with them were General Manager David Griffin, head coach David Blatt and associate head coach Tyronn Lue.
Both sides knew what would be the main meal after the food was served -- the possibility of Irving staying with the Cavs.
By the time they assembled, it seems Irving was reasonably certain he'd sign the maximum deal. The Cavs wanted a five-year extension. Gilbert didn't want a repeat of 2006, when LeBron James agreed only to a three-year extension, the same tactic used by Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Fans now know why -- all three became free agents in 2010 and signed with Miami.
It seemed the Cavs spent the final two seasons (2008-10) wondering if he'd leave Cleveland. That hung over the franchise, and led to the disaster that transpired following his departure.
So in this meeting, a few things were made clear. The Cavs wanted Irving and believed in him. They wanted him for the full five years. They wanted him to also buy into their vision of changing the franchise.
No one said it, but it was possible Irving would be traded if this meeting went the wrong way.
Instead, much of the foundation was in place so that both sides were able to trust each other in these early New York City hours.
PD file photo
The people in the room
The Cavs were impressed by Irving and his father, who had done their homework (along with Wechsler, the agent). The Irvings knew what kind of uptempo teams Griffin had helped build while with the Phoenix Suns.
Drederick Irving is a strong presence in the life of his son. Irving's mother, Elizabeth, died when Kyrie was only four and his sister (Asia) was five. Dad worked on Wall Street and raised both children.
Drederick was there to look people in the eye -- people who would have such a major impact on his son's future. He asked tough questions. Gilbert already knew Drederick Irving and had a high opinion of the man, but came away even more impressed. The others in the room also had a tremendous appreciation of Irving's father.
It makes sense that the three owners (Gilbert, Cohen and Forbes) would be present. The same for Griffin and Blatt. The interesting choice was Lue, but the runner-up to Blatt for the top job and new associate coach has already become an important figure despite being with the team for only a week.
Lue is only 37, but already has five years as an NBA assistant. He was on the staff of Clippers coach Doc Rivers, first in Boston and later in Los Angeles.
Lue played point guard in the league for 11 seasons. The Cavs wanted a strong point guard coach on their staff, and Lue is highly-regarded among players. Right after being hired by the Cavs, Lue spoke with Irving. They immediately found a lot in common. As an assistant/scout, Lue had studied the top point guards -- including Irving -- when Lue worked for Rivers.
Irving believes Lue can help him become a better player. Furthermore, the Irving family was impressed that Lue joined the Cavs.
He was offered a chance to replace Alvin Gentry as Rivers' top assistant with the Clippers in 2014-15. Instead, he came to Cleveland, making a four-year commitment (three years guaranteed with a team option in 2017-18). He also became one of the NBA's highest-paid assistant coaches, showing that the Cavs are very serious about upgrading their support staff for the players.
AP
Courting Kyrie
Not long after taking over as interim general manager on Feb. 6, Griffin worked to develop strong relationships not only with Irving, but several key players.
The Cavs were 16-33 when former general manager Chris Grant was fired, 17-16 after that. It's far too simplistic to credit Griffin for the improvement. But obviously, it helped -- along with Grant trading for Luol Deng and Griffin acquiring Spencer Hawes.
The point Griffin was able to make after the season was that things did get better -- and it was fun to play on a team that had become a playoff contender.
After the season, Griffin kept Irving and other key players informed about the coaching search. He didn't ask their input. But he wanted them to know what candidates were serious. So he told the players about Blatt, who had just won a Euroleague title for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
One of the first calls made by Blatt after being hired on June 20 was to Irving. They talked some basketball. The Irving family and his agent had already been checking with people who had played for Blatt -- or knew him from coaching overseas.
The reports were strong -- the man knew how to win.
Blatt and Irving had several conversations before the midnight meeting. The same with Irving and Lue. Griffin kept in touch. Same with Gilbert.
Feeling comfortable
By the time Gilbert made his passionate proposal to Irving for the maximum contract, both sides had a pretty good idea that a deal was likely. Irving had been more engaged in the off-season than at any point in his three-year career.
Yes, Blatt would be his third coach in three years, but the Cavs were able to convince Irving that this time would be different, and much, much better.
The team felt good about Irving's maturity. Because he's been in the NBA for three seasons, it's easy to forget that he only turned 22 on March 23. A lot came quickly -- the No. 1 pick in 2011 despite playing 11 games at Duke. He made two All-Star teams, and was the 2014 game's MVP. He has the popular Pepsi Uncle Drew commercials, and he's been scoring 20 points a game.
But now, it's time to win. The Cavs need Irving to become an elite point guard to make that happen. They want Irving in the middle of what they believe is a franchise shift and a drive to the 2015 playoffs. Gilbert and his ownership group stressed his willingness to be creative, to spend and to upgrade the talent.
Wrapping up Irving is a major step in that direction, but not even close to the last move. That was stressed to Irving. For his part, Irving not only talked about being "all in," but of the excitement around the drafting of Andrew Wiggins, the new coaching staff and future. Just look at how Charlotte and Washington went from NBA non-entities to making the playoffs.
At 1:48 a.m. on July 1, Gilbert tweeted that he had just shaken hands on a five-year extension with Irving. The point guard followed with his own tweet at 2:02 a.m.
The deal was done.
Bennett, Harris, and Wiggins doing work.
AB looks strong as shyt in his upper body and light and quick on his feet.
Summer League starts on July 11.
Remy LeBreh
Linconia
They just added Chris Grant to the NBA TV team
I hope they don't let this a$$hole speak on the Cavs, he was leaking all the bad press last season
I hope they don't let this a$$hole speak on the Cavs, he was leaking all the bad press last season