Skip to main content

Trades in "the Land" restore order in the East


Now that we've had a few days to marinate on last week's NBA trade deadline let's take a look at the aftermath.

In case you've been living under a rock, ala Patrick Star, here's everything that went down in the NBA on Thursday.

Now that all the paperwork is complete and new jerseys have been printed here's the breakdown of why the Cavs secured the bag even before they beat the brakes off defeated the Celtics on national TV Sunday.

For much of the season, Cleveland looked old, slow and tired despite sitting comfortably as a top-4 seed in the East.

Yet, with a wave of fresh faces, the Cavs are primed to make another Finals run, as opposed to a team who might have lost in the first round.

Cleveland's front office pulled off one of the boldest strategies I've ever seen. Rarely do you see an NBA title contender literally trade away half its players midseason and actually appear to get better right away. It just doesn't happen. I wish Derek Jeter did this with Marlins but that's another article for another day.

Cleveland had plenty to clap about after
Sunday's win in Boston.
Give the Cavs props for swallowing their pride on the Isaiah Thomas trade, cutting a broken Derrick Rose loose, and breaking up the Lebron-Dwyane Wade reunion tour to get the players the team needed.

For Lebron James-led teams to be successful you need to surround him with these things: at least two guys who can get their own shot (Bosh and Wade in Miami), sharpshooters who can hit three pointers (Ray Allen, Mike Miller) and athletic big men who don't get in Lebron's way when he's going to the basket (Bosh, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson).

The obvious No. 2 guy this season Kevin Love is hurt, but ex-Laker guard Jordan Clarkson is a fearless baller with something to prove. Your favorite light-skinned hooper was giving the Lake show 14 points a game coming off the bench and can easily match or exceed that playing in a weak Eastern Conference (See Blake Griffin in Detroit).

Shooters: New guard George Hill is shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc and former Utah guard Rodney Hood is shooting 42 percent.

Why does that matter?

Well, Isaiah Thomas was only shooting 29 percent, on top of being a shell of the player he was in Boston.
Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose both shoot below 30 percent for their careers and have never been great shooters, in fact, I'd probably shoot threes better than them.
Jae Crowder shot a slightly better percentage than Rose and Wade but not good enough to be a role player on Lebron's team. Letting him go opened the door for underrated rookie Cedi Osman to play more minutes.

Athletic big: New pickup Larry Nance Jr. is about athletic as they come. At 6'10, he's long, quick, can grab rebounds and block shots. Most importantly, nobody wants to see Larry coming down the lane. Right KD?



There's renewed energy in "The Land" and even the folks in Vegas have taken notice:
Since the trade, the Cavs' odds to make the Finals jumped from 12-1 to 8-1.

My hot take: Cleveland again is the best team in the East and will beat Boston in five games in the conference finals when Love returns.
Labels:

Comments

  1. eat823February 12, 2018 at 8:43 AM

    good stuff

    ReplyDelete
  2. TraeFebruary 12, 2018 at 9:47 AM

    That was a great trade for the Cavs! What gets me real excited though is that I think it sets up my Lakers well, although I hate to give up Nance. He was one of my favorites on that team.

    Good read!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Georgia vs. Auburn: Behind the deep south's oldest rivalry

ATHENS, Ga. -- What makes SEC football so special? I found out first hand on a freezing cold Saturday night "between the hedges" at Sanford Stadium. The Georgia Bulldogs played host to the Auburn Tigers in what’s billed as “the deep south’s oldest rivalry.” I’ve been to big football games before but I can honestly say I’ve never been to a sporting event with this much passion and intensity.  (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) Growing up in Miami, football games - college or professional - only sold out on rare occasions (Miami vs. FSU).  Here in SEC country, they support their team in droves no matter the record. A crowd of 92,746 packed Georgia’s Sanford Stadium to see the No. 5 Bulldogs play the Tigers and the fans were immersed in the game from start to finish. "The fans are always here for Auburn and Georgia," said Columbus, Ga. native Xavier Palmer. Despite temperatures creeping down to the 30s, virtually every seat was filled at...
2 comments
Read more

It's Time to Respect LeBron James

Fifty-four years of sports heartache and heartbreak gone. The city of Cleveland is on the happy end of one the best sports moments in history thanks to LeBron James and the Cavaliers. LeBron James hoists the Finals MVP trophy Sunday in Oakland. The Cavs became the first team in NBA history to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the Finals as they topped the Golden State Warriors 93-89 in game 7 to win the NBA championship Sunday in Oakland. A week ago, the Warriors were set to win back-to-back titles and cement their place as the best team in NBA history after going 73-9 in the regular season. Yet Sunday, it was the Cavs celebrating on the court inside Oracle Arena. It was a moment so significant several of the Cavs players broke down in tears after the final buzzer sounded. Like him or hate him, Lebron James crying here is raw emotion. He brought a championship to Cleveland. Props https://t.co/f0wL27Cyv2 — Dylan (@DylanTheMan37) June 20, 2016 Here's JR Smith during hi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Must watch: Kobe's last game or Warriors chase for 73?

Kobe Bryant (left) and Stephen Curry will battle for television ratings Wednesday. NBA fans are tasked with a huge dilemma Wednesday for the league's regular season finale. Two of the biggest games of the regular season both tip off at 10:30 p.m. (eastern time). On one hand, you have the chance to watch Stephen Curry and the Warriors win 73 games and break the regular season win total set by the legendary 1995-96 Chicago Bulls. Golden State hosts the Memphis Grizzlies -- the same team the Warriors edged by one point last week . On the other hand, there's the chance to watch a legend and future Hall of Famer play in his final NBA game. Kobe Bryant will don the purple and gold No. 24 for the last time as the L.A. Lakers host the Utah Jazz in their regular season finale. If money could talk, it would say the "Black Mamba's" final game is the hotter ticket. The cheapest ticket available for the game at Staples Center is going for $819, according to tiq...
Post a Comment
Read more