Cleveland sports chat with Eric Kastner

Jimmy: Hello all and welcome to the Jimbo Says! blog monthly Cavs chat. We have plenty of topics on the horizon today, including a possible trade with the Cavs landing Andrew Bynum. Our guest is Eric Kastner. Just a little background to let the readers know how this works: We're gonna talk back in forth about mostly Cavs information, and we'll post the transcript online here. If you want to get involved and ask us questions for next time, email me at jflint@heidelberg.edu.

Anyway, welcome to the website, Eric. Tell our readers a little about yourself.

Eric: Thanks, Jimmy! I'm a 21 soon to be 22 year old undergraduate student majoring in Communications and living here in Tiffin OH where I grew up my entire life. I'm a huge sports fan when it comes to the NBA, MLB, NFL, and College athletics. However, I do hold a special edge for my Cleveland teams and this trade for Andrew Bynum has me really intrigued tonight

Jimmy: Great, well as a fellow communications student, it's exciting to welcome you to the program today! Eric and I have been talking sports for a long time, and he's one of the more knowledgeable fans in the area. He's made appearances on my various radio shows throughout the years. Let's move on to the topics at hand! First off, tell us what the latest is on this possible Bynum deal tonight!

Eric: The last I heard was from a very reliable Orlando television source that the deal is "imminent". The deal would land Bynum in Cleveland, Howard in LA with the Lakers and Orlando would be asking for cap relief, prospects and of course draft picks. The question is if one of those prospects would be Tristan Thompson. A couple of players to keep an eye on for the Cavs fans are Tristan Thompson and Anderson Varejao. Those two guys are two guys the Orlando front office is likely asking for. As well as Daniel Gibson, Luke Walton, etc for cap relief as the 2013 free agency period would hit us.

Jimmy: You brought up an interesting point earlier though, and that is the fact that the Lakers are the true winners in this trade, since they're picking up Dwight Howard. Maybe this could mean that they end up helping out by sending some younger prospects to Orlando in the three-way deal. We've got a ménage a trois of sorts here in the works! It's got to be difficult for the Cavaliers to give up last year's #4 pick though (albeit in a weak draft), in Tristan Thompson. So it's my belief that the Cavs are doing their best to hold on to TT. What do you envision being the final deal if something gets worked out here, Eric?

                                                                                                                 

Eric: As much as I'd hate to see Tristan Thompson go, I cannot imagine him wearing a Cavalier jersey next year if this deal indeed goes down. The Lakers have some good young pieces in Devin Ebanks and Jordan Hill they could part way with, and that’s the only way I could see Cleveland holding on to Tristan. If Lakers part with some prospects, Cleveland can part with expiring contracts in Luke Walton and Gibson, etc as well as some draft picks. The Cavaliers have a ton of draft picks and I believe that is why they've been mentioned in these three team trades of late, as teams recognize the Cavs have some valuable assets. Anyways, right now I couldn’t tell you ultimately who the Cavs would be giving up, but what I do know is the main pieces would be Howard to the Lakers and Bynum to the Cavs which would give Cleveland a big two in Kyrie and Bynum and possibly the best big man and point guard duo in the league.

Jimmy: It’s certainly exciting to think about, really quickly before we  move on, what’s the % chance on a deal like this going down? There are of course a lot of factors, including the fact that the cavs will not accept this deal unless Bynum agrees to an extension.

Eric: To be honest, I would give this deal a 50% chance of going down. And, here is why: There are so many things you have to weigh in a deal like this. First, will Dwight Howard make such a fuss of a trade to LA that he will hold up the trade by refusing to move across the coast? Then, you have to factor in Chris Grant and his staff in Cleveland and wonder if he will snag the trade like he supposedly did with New Jersey and Orlando. Also, will Bynum sign an extension with Cleveland? The Cavaliers won't make this trade unless Bynum will sign a max contract. Bynum knows he can make the big bucks in Cleveland as they have a ton of cap space. And, he also knows that he wont be a second fiddle in the offense behind Kobe and Gasol. Bynum will be a big focal point with Cleveland as him and Kyrie will make for a dynamic duo. Cleveland has the draft picks and assets to give Orlando, the Lakers obviously have been clamoring for Dwight, so this has all the makings of getting done, however, it could take awhile with all the snags that I just mentioned

Jimmy: A possible starting line-up next year of:

PG: Irving

SG: Waiters

SF: Gee

PF: Thompson

C: Bynum

This sure looks like a playoff team, so Cavs fans are very excited at the prospects of this possible blockbuster!

Jimmy: Okay, well we’ll keep the readers updated with the latest on this trade, but, let’s turn our attention to tomorrow night’s Vegas Summer League opener for our Cleveland Cavaliers.  The joke for me is that the Cavs summer league “dream team” should be ready to roll the competition.  They do however come out with a tough test against Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kemba Walker, former buckeye BJ Mullens, and the Charlotte Bobcats.  The Bobcats came out and solidly beat down the Kings 121-87 on Friday behind 18 from Gilchrist.  Any predictions for the game and what are some of the key things you’ll be looking at from the Cavaliers squad?

Eric: Well one of the things we will get a look at early on, is if the Cavs made the right decision on taking the SG from Syracuse, Dion Waiters. One of the other prospects that Cleveland will be facing is MKG like you said, and it was reported he was in the top 3 of Cleveland's draft choices early this June. However, I will be looking to see what Kyrie and Dion can do in the backcourt. I want to see if they can come right in and mesh with one another. I also want to see if Tyler Zeller our 17th pick can be a formidable center in this league. A starter? I'm not sold but we will see.

Jimmy: That will definitely be interesting to watch! We’ll see right away if we think Waiters has the potential to be on the same level as an MKG type of guy. Damn MJ, stealing MKG away…

Jimmy: So what do you make of the 1-on-1 stuff with Kobe and Kyrie? You think Kyrie could give him a run? Also, what do you think of the chances that the U.S. can take home the gold again at the Olympics this summer?

Eric: Kobe is getting up there in age so I think Kyrie can give him a run for his money. I don't think Kobe could stay in front of Mr. Irving. I also think the USA should win another gold medal. Just think how scary this team would be if they had a healthy Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and now Blake Griffin.  Also, no big news compared to the rumored Andrew Bynum deal. However, Free agent point guard Jonny Flynn is scheduled to work out for the #Cavs on Monday, per a league source with knowledge of the workout

Jimmy: One more question before we go: What do you make of the Browns taking Josh Gordon, WR, Baylor, in the second round of the supplemental draft?

Eric: It is a bit of a risk by using next years second pick, but it has the chance of being a high reward. Gordon was looked at as a top 10 pick this year after transferring from Baylor due to some drug issues, etc. Gordon can be looked at a lot like Greg Little was when Cleveland drafted him last year. Gordon and Little are somewhat similar because they didn't play at all the season prior to being drafted, however, Gordon's situation is a little different as he still practiced with Utah and participated with his new team.

Eric: Gordon is 6'3" 225 and has an NFL body. Speed, Strength, etc. He has showed route running issues but I'm sure Brad Childress and the offensive staff can straighten him out. Finally, I would just like to say I'm very excited about Cleveland sports. We seem to be moving in the right direction with all these young players. I love what the Browns are doing and watching Weeden, Richardson, Gordon, and Greg Little grow is going to be fun. If the Cavs can get Andrew Bynum he will be a 24 soon to be 25 year old Center to go along with one of the best point guards in the league already and the Cleveland Indians are in the run of things in the wildcard and AL Central even though Ubaldo had a terrible performance today.

Jimmy: Don’t get me started on Badbaldo and the Tribe, that’s for another chat, man! Alright Eric, thanks for coming aboard! For everyone else, stay tuned for our game review tomorrow after the Cavaliers summer league opener.  The game will start at 8:30 PM EST, and I’ll have a game review posted afterward at some point! We’ll have Eric on again after the end of the summer league, as well as to talk about some other topics!

Cleveland Cavaliers off-season in review

Gee likely to be back in Wine and Gold

July 2nd, 2012 marked the first moment that NBA teams could contact free agents for the NBA season.  The Cavaliers wasted no time tendering the maximum qualifying offer to SF Alonzo Gee. A move that didn't take anyone by surprise. Gee is coming off of a career year putting up new personal bests in scoring, rebounding, and steals per game. The former D-League star is starting to become quite a good wing and a lot of fans and analysts alike see Gee being a key role player moving forwards for the Cavaliers.  Gee was expecting some offers from numerous teams, including a rumor 4 year/16 million dollar offer from the Suns, but thus far nothing has come to fruition.  Gee is a Restricted Free Agent, meaning if any team offers him a contract, the Cavaliers have the first right to match said contract offer.  The Cavaliers will likely match any reasonable dollar figure.

Unfamiliar place

One of the most interesting features of this off-season thus far has been the shear amount of Free Agents that the Cavaliers have been linked to.  This, is likely in large part due to the fact that the Cavs are one of very few teams to have significant cap space this summer.  Most rumors and sources are saying that the Cavs will save most of that cap space to make a big splash in free agency next summer (2013). Agents of the free agent class for this summer are throwing the Cavs name out there on many players to hopefully get other teams to up their offers.  The Cavaliers have been linked in talks to names like: Alexey Shved, Ersan Ilyasova, Anthony Tolliver, Nicolas Batum, Derek Fisher, Mirza Teletovic, Sonny Weems, Johnny Flynn, and others.  Don't expect them to go after any big name guys though this summer.

Draft day head scratcher

"With the fourth pick of the 2012 NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select, Dion Waiters, guard out of Syracuse University." These were the words uttered by commissioner David Stern on draft day.  Afterward there was a social media stream of the usual Cleveland negativity.  The young guard out of Syracuse was predicted to go 7th overall by draft express and even later in most other mock drafts. However, the Cavaliers and Byron Scott were more than excited about getting their guy. Although Scott and GM Chris Grant are saying they're excited, it's still hard to imagine that Waiters was the the very top of their wish list.  It was common among teams in the lottery that Anthony Davis was the consensus #1 guy out of this draft class, and after that there were about 5-7 guys who made up the "second tier".  Cavs probably would have been happier with Kidd-Gilchrist or Bradley Beal, but they'll take what they got.  The Cavaliers second pick was Senior Center Tyler Zeller, out of North Carolina. They made him the 17th overall pick in the first round as they traded with the Mavs to secure the big man.  Most analysts including John Buccigross of ESPN's sportscenter applauded the pick however, and some even said that Waiters may have been the steal of the draft.  His former coach Jim Boeheim commented on Waiters being similar to Dwyane Wade in a lot of ways, and as the best slasher in the draft, Waiters may be the best 2-guard that Cavs fans have seen in a very long time.  Only time will tell on these picks.

Helping in the Howard trade?

As of this posting, rumors are aplenty about the possible move of Dwight Howard from Orlando to Brooklyn.  The Cavaliers have been active in the trade talks and most reports have them taking on cap space (in the likely form of Kris Humphries) in order to make the deal work out logistically for both squads.  Once again, Dan Gilbert is willing to open up the pocketbook to improve the team.  Other rumors include the Cavaliers possibly gaining offensive dynamo SG Marshon Brooks, who will be entering his sophomore season.  Probably the most common rumor would be the Cavs gaining draft picks in the future. It's always good to stockpile assets and Grant has done a masterful job of that during the rebuild thus far.  We'll keep you posted as this develops, stay tuned!

Team needs

Projected opening day starting line-up:

PG: Kyrie Irving

SG: Dion Waiters

SF: Alonzo Gee

PF: Tristan Thompson

C: Anderson Varejao

Bench: Tyler Zeller

Bench: Boobie Gibson

Bench: Veteran wing, possibly Michael Redd or Sonny Weems

Taking a look at their projected starting line-up going into the season, the Cavaliers have a lot of youth, athleticism, and question marks.  After watching last years playoffs, it's clear to see that having athleticism is a premium in today's NBA, and the Cavaliers do have a solid athleticism throughout their line-up.  Byron Scott loves a fast team that can get out and run, and looking at the Cavs roster, they have 3 mobile big men who are GREAT on the break, this should be a strength of the squad.  The most interesting thing to watch during the season will likely be the growth and play of Dion Waiters as well as Tristan Thompson.  Irving will likely continue to amaze the rest of the league and will likely improve on his historical rookie campaign, but Thompson is more of a question mark.  Many fans and analysts were scratching their heads in the 2011 draft when the Cavs make the Texas forward the 4th overall pick, however, a close look at this athleticism and raw ability justified the selection to some.  Thompson's showed glimpses of serious defensive prowess last season and all reports from the Cavaliers organization seem to agree that Thompson has been the hardest working player so far in the off-season. 

Once again, time will tell!

Thanks for reading, I'm going to try and do a few posts a week for the rest of the summer. Feel free to e-mail me questions for our Friday weekly Mailbox section.  You can e-mail to jflint@heidelberg.edu or contact me on facebook.  I'd be happy to share some opinions with you all.