The offseason for the Cavaliers hasn’t gone as smoothly as planned with the franchise failing to reach an agreement to retain GM David Griffin as well finding itself unable to add another major piece to a team that lost handily to the Warriors in this year’s NBA Finals. LeBron James is reportedly unhappy with the team’s offseason and speculation of him fleeing for Cleveland next offseason have persisted throughout the summer.
Kyrie Irving, who can become a free agent after the 2018/19 season, was recently asked how the three-time defending Eastern Conference champions could look different in “just a couple years.” His response (via Sports Illustrated’s Chris Chavez):
“Like I said, we’re in a peculiar place. The best thing we can do is handle things with class and professionalism. Obviously we have a great owner that’s willing to spend a little money on guys that he believes in. At this point, we just see what happens throughout the summer.”
The Cavs weren’t able to add another star like Jimmy Butler or Paul George this offseason, though they added a few reinforcements to their bench. Cleveland signed Jose Calderon to man the backup point guard spot and Jeff Green to add depth on the wing. The team also brought in Cedi Osman to round out the bench.
must have been a short conversation.
Haha! Right?! I kept looking for the article with the full transcript.
The NBA salary/revenue structure is so flawed. It’s going to be difficult to sustain a winning team with multiple stars. Amazing that the Spurs have been able to bookend David Robinson to DunGinParker to Leonard/Aldridge without missing a beat.
It’s not flawled. It is designed intentionally for that exact purpose. That’s why organizations with good management (Spurs, Heat) have continued success, while franchises with bad management (Knicks, Kings, Magic) continue to put forth a terrible product
What sustained success have the Heat had? They won the chip in 2006 and then failed to win more than 50 games once before LBJ or after he left.
The only reason why the Spurs were able to do that was because they had unselfish players who were willing to sacrifice salary in order to spend on others and they do a better job at drafting than most teams. Not too many teams are willing to spend the way the Cavs owner has or how the GSW will be forced to do if they want to keep the core together in the next couple of years.
What the Spurs were able to do is more about the players and less about the organizations brilliance. They do, as mentioned, find value in late round picks tho. But I bet Parker and Ginobli never earned more than maybe $13-$14 mil in their careers. I doubt if Duncan has earned $10 mil in the last 5 years. Veteran players are making the sacrifice.
Then on the other side, because of the NBA rule regarding the salary floor it forces bad teams or teams that can’t draw star players via FA to overpay for mediocre players just to make the $89 mil threshold next year. Think about it, the money IS going to NBA players but not enough of it is making it into the hands of the better players and it’s not about GMs who poorly evaluate players, it’s about being forced to spend money on non-elite talent.
The spurs created the atmosphere that led to players wanting to take less money to play for them. Players don’t take less money if they don’t believe in something greater then themselves. The spurs have created that atmosphere by drafting team first guys and reinforcing that. It’s not player driven it’s team designed.
Also how can one be a knicks cavs fan. They are in the same division. It’s like me being a hornets heat fan.
Also at the end of the day what does 10 mil more mean. Will you look back at your career and say I won 5 championships and made 100 million dollars or that I won no championships and made 110 million. What do you do with the extra 10 mil buy a 20000 square foot mansion to replace your 16000 square foot mansion.
Cavs moment in the Sun has passed.
They should still be able to win the East Conf. You never know what can happen over the course of a season.
Other than if LBJ chooses to leave why is everyone overreacting like it’s doomsday? Get to the finals and worry about GSW when you get there. Who knows what player might be available by the trade deadline? Let’s say the Cavs win the East and any of Cousins, Wade, George, Bradley or Jordan become available? This summer isn’t the last chance to make a trade. The Cavs, as they are, can easily when the East. The Celtics got Hayward but lost several key players to make room for his contract.
WC is fo real