Cleveland Cavaliers

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This is an exciting time for Cavs fans! In this episode, the Fear The Sword writers discuss Nerlens Noel, Answer reader questions, settle the GIF pronunciation issue (you're welcome), and play a few games. Fear the Podcast! We are on iTunes and Soundcloud under FearTheSwordSBN, so please subscribe and rate the podcast.

As soon as the Charlotte Bobcats were announced to have the 4th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, possibilities starting running through my head. With the Cleveland Cavalier's card yet to appear, we knew that they had a Top 3 pick and a chance to be even better than that. For those of you who don't know, I have maintained that there are really three players that I thought would be excellent fits on the Cavs: Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter, and Alex Len. With a Top 3 pick in hand, they were guaranteed one of these players. But it got better. The absurdly long ESPN show came back from commercial and they announced that the Washington Wizards had the 3rd overall pick. And then the Orlando Magic had the 2nd overall pick. It took me a second to realize what had happened, but then I was like...AHA! The Cavaliers had won the NBA Draft Lottery and had the 1st overall pick in the upcoming draft. I did a little fist-pump. It was a good night. I have been on the Nerlens Noel bandwagon for a long time. During the middle of the season, I wrote that Noel would be the no-brainer top pick for the Cavs if they had the chance. Well now the Cavs have that chance I think they should, uh, take it. There are plenty of other options. There have been rumors that the Cavs will investigate the trade market to see what the Cavs can get in exchange for the #1 pick. The Cavs could also draft someone other than Noel. Otto Porter, Ben McLemore, and others are highly talented prospects. Furthermore, those guys aren't coming off ACL surgery and would be healthy at the very beginning of the season. But I'm here to tell you that we should ignore those options. Well, not completely ignore those options, but mostly ignore them. I'm sure we'll discuss all of these things in the coming weeks before the NBA Draft on June 27th, but I want to get some preliminary arguments out of the way, if only to let you guys know where I stand on the issue. Trading the #1 pick There's the idea that the Cavaliers will try to trade the pick for an established veteran player. I'll admit, this isn't a terrible idea at first glance. We're all tired of seeing the Cavs lose a ton of games and we're tired of young players making stupid mistakes. Adding an established all-star caliber player instead of another 19 year old rookie is fairly appealing. But in order to follow this option, there has to be an appropriate trade opportunity. In other words, which established veteran star are you trading for? And ultimately, that's not a rhetorical question. I really would like some more ideas about this. But where we stand now, I just don't think there's a reasonable trade to be made. The Cavs have expressed interest in trading for Kevin Love but that's not happening. Love didn't like David Kahn. David Kahn is gone. Love was representing the Minnesota Timberwolves at the NBA Draft Lottery. He talked to reporters and said he was excited about the future of the team. He's not getting traded. The other hot target is LaMarcus Aldridge. I don't think this one is very likely either, although I will admit that trading for Aldridge is probably slightly more likely than trading for Kevin Love. Aldridge would be a great fit next to Kyrie Irving, but that doesn't explain why the Blazers would trade him. Furthermore, the Blazers have been looking for a young center to play next to Aldridge since he would rather be playing power forward. They could certainly get that young center with the first overall pick by selecting Nerlens Noel....but then they wouldn't have LaMarcus Aldridge. That doesn't really work now does it? If the Cavs could work out a trade for Aldridge without giving up much more than the #1 pick, you could probably convince me that it was the best move. But other than that type of deal, I'm not sure what other trade opportunities are on the table. You're not trading the top pick for Eric Gordon and the other young stars, such as Paul George, Greg Monroe, or DeMarcus Cousins, are either t

via fc09.deviantart.net Hello FTS, I have seen the term “Win Now” thrown around far too much on this site for the last 2 days. This term is used incorrectly on almost every account. I will, as usual, be the shining light of knowledge in the shrouded darkness of ignorance that is the internet. Set the fork in your soup aside and we can grow as a community and learn about what that term means for a lottery team. I believe the misuse of this term is due to the “Win Now” mentality expressed by the organization during the final years of the LeBron era. During LeBron’s last two seasons, the Cavs gave away every possible asset in order to try and secure that 1 or 2 last piece that would be needed to push them over the top. Subsequently, when LeBron left, the cupboards were completely bare. We traded draft picks, young players, and severely overpaid role players in a last ditch effort to secure a championship. “Win Now,” as it applied to that team, does not hold the same meaning for the current Cavaliers organization. To fully understand this phenomenon, we need to understand what “Not Winning Now” means. A great illustration for this is the opening day roster for the Cavs this season. The following people were getting paid millions of dollars by the Cavaliers on short term contracts Luke Harangody Jon Leur Jeremy Pargo Luke Walton Daniel Gibson Omri Casspi These players existed as “roster filler” we needed warm bodies, but we did not want to pay any of them any money. None of these players were options as long-term role players. Chris Grant assembled a roster that would lose a lot of games on purpose. I repeat: ON PURPOSE. The roster was designed to allow our young players room to grow, while simultaneously losing as many games as possible to preserve our draft position. In the NBA, being middle of the road is a worst case scenario. You need to be a top playoff team or bust. Anything in between does not work. via maxcdn.thedesigninspiration.com A paradigm shift for the Cavilers trying to “win now” does not mean over paying role players, or trading away assets, it means future rosters will not be designed for the specific intent of losing games. No longer losing on purpose is “Winning Now” for lottery teams. We will sign better role players, use our cap space, and stop signing D league players. Given the talent on this team, this is enough to merit the 8 seed in the East.

Talk NBA Draft with Dan Labbe and Chris Fedor live at 1:30.

Leading up to the 2013 NBA Draft on June 27, Nick Mancini will be profiling the top 20 players available. The Cleveland Cavaliers currently own pick Nos. 1, 19, 31 and 33. Follow Nick on Twitter @nickmance. No. 20. Tony Mitchell – North Texas, Sophomore SF, 6’-8”, 220 lbs 2013 stats – 13 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.7 BPG As I write this, after the Cavs won the Lottery, I keep thinking; this won’t be as easy as the last two times they won the top pick. But besides that top pick, they are also sitting at 19, where I think they have a great chance to get a guy who could provide an impact in 2013-14. Rounding out the top 20 prospects this year is Tony Mitchell, a small forward from North Texas. Mitchell, who could have declared after his freshman campaign, surprised many by returning for his sophomore season. He didn’t put up the numbers many expected and actually regressed in most statistical categories. But he still remains a solid prospect. Mitchell has great size for a “3” and is an excellent athlete. For a player standing 6'8", he has great speed and quickness with a solid motor. He uses his athleticism to get most of his points and has no problem playing above the rim. He also rebounds the ball extremely well and is a solid shot blocker. Defensively, he can really be a force. He has the size to guard the post and the quickness to guard the perimeter. Add that to his shot blocking ability and there may be something interesting. But, as is the case with many players entering the league, he is very raw offensively. He doesn’t have the best jumper nor does he have great range. Many times this season, he seemed to drift mentally and was content to stand around the perimeter. It also doesn’t help he missed significant time due to academic issues. Teams will definitely look into those issues. Mitchell is truly an interesting prospect. In one aspect, his athleticism is off the charts. But looking at him physically, teams will wonder why he didn’t dominate the Sun Belt Conference. If he performs well in workouts, he should be a fist round pick. With the Cavs sitting at 19, Mitchell will probably be there. I’m not sure he’s the right fit for them at the “3” even though the desperately need one. If they get a small forward in this draft, I would prefer one who is a more consistent scorer who can step out and make a jump shot. We all know, the Cavs need someone who can hit some open shots. I’m not sure that someone is Mitchell.

Note: A fanpost not about the lottery?! What is this black magic!? Hello, my name is GodZeller, and I am a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. 2012/2013 marked my second ever season following the Wine & Gold, and my first as a member of the world's most exclusive gentleman's club, FearTheSword. I thought I'd celebrate this with a little thing I like to run on some other sites called Buy and Sell. Basically, if you agree - buy the statement and argue your case, if you disagree - sell it and give your reasons. Simples. Below are some delightful statements for you to ponder whilst we wait for a 7ft flat topped Adonis to sweep us up in his hunky cartoonish arms.... .... Anyways ... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. After the controversy surrounding Noah's overturned tip in, the NBA goal-tending rules need reassessing in favour of put backs and tip ins. 2. George Hill is the most underrated PG in the NBA 3. The Trailblazers have the worst logo in the entire league 4. Brook Lopez is a better player than Dwight Howard 5. Chris Bosh deserved being picked for the All Star game, but shouldn't have started. 6. The Seattle trauma is the best thing that ever happened to the Sacramento Kings 7. If Chris Paul had moved to the Lakers, they would have won the Championship this year 8. And finally, Kazcmarek or Zavac? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll post my answers below. I plan on doing some more quizzes, competitions and random bits and bobs throughout the offseason, providing people care enough and aren't too busy talking about draft strategies and possible trades. Have fun all, GodZeller Note: A fanpost not about the lottery?! What is this black magic!? Hello, my name is GodZeller, and I am a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. 2012/2013 marked my second ever season following the Wine & Gold, and my first as a member of the world's most exclusive gentleman's club, FearTheSword. I thought I'd celebrate this with a little thing I like to run on some other sites called Buy and Sell. Basically, if you agree - buy the statement and argue your case, if you disagree - sell it and give your reasons. Simples. Below are some delightful statements for you to ponder whilst we wait for a 7ft flat topped Adonis to sweep us up in his hunky cartoonish arms.... .... Anyways ... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. After the controversy surrounding Noah's overturned tip in, the NBA goal-tending rules need reassessing in favour of put backs and tip ins. 2. George Hill is the most underrated PG in the NBA 3. The Trailblazers have the worst logo in the entire league 4. Brook Lopez is a better player than Dwight Howard 5. Chris Bosh deserved being picked for the All Star game, but shouldn't have started. 6. The Seattle trauma is the best thing that ever happened to the Sacramento Kings 7. If Chris Paul had moved to the Lakers, they would have won the Championship this year 8. And finally, Kazcmarek or Zavac? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll post my answers below. I plan on doing some more quizzes, competitions and random bits and bobs throughout the offseason, providing people care enough and aren't too busy talking about draft strategies and possible trades. Have fun all, GodZeller

WOOOOOO!  Have you all stopped celebrating yet?  Because I haven’t!  Amazingly enough, as you all know, the Cleveland Cavaliers have again landed the #1 pick (2/3 years!) in the NBA draft. No one really expected the Cavaliers to end up picking first, so with the announcement came a slew of new questions.  Essentially…What next?! Robert, Colin, Nate and I hopped on the line to discuss what having the #1 pick means for this Cavs team.  Is Noel going first?  Is a major trade coming?  Who should be taken with the 19th pick?   Who do the Cavs sign this off-season?  Are they in win-now mode? These questions, and many more (most awkward moment of the lottery?) are answered. As always, we can be found on SoundCloud at: https://soundcloud.com/cavstheblog/0032-nick-gilbert-is-a-lucky And on iTunes at:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/cavs-the-podcast/id528149843?mt=2

via i2.cdn.turner.com In the words of Magic Johnson, "The basketball Gods are smiling down on Cleveland". Yes they are! After suffering through a devastating lose of the best player of this generation in humiliating fashion, the future looked gloomy and filled with mystery. Looking back on that night July 8, I can recall sitting in my brothers basement watching "The Decision" and feeling so lost after hearing Lebron's decision. Thinking to myself "What now?" We had Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, Antawn Jamison, and Andy V as our starters in the next season. We were the laughingstock of the entire NBA/country. Fast forward 3 years and I can say that it sure feels good to be a Wine and Gold fan. By winning the Draft Lottery, the Cavs not only won the first pick in the draft, but they have the chance to improve the roster in so many ways. Drafting Nerlens Noel is the for sure way, but free agency is now a real possibility for the Cavs as well as making a blockbuster trade for a proven star. We can take any one of these directions to improve, and every route will lead to a major piece to our puzzle (if the situation is managed correctly, of course). Lets examine what possibilities lie ahead for the Cavs, and determine which you guys think is the best option. Option: Draft Nerlens Noel, sit him for the year, get one more top pick in 2014 Many of you will not like the idea of picking high again next year. However, lets look closer at the idea of picking again in 2014. Nerlens Noel will not be ready for start of season, and he expects to be back by January next year. So, if the Cavs were to hold him back as long as possible and we finish season with a bottom 5 record, we would be guaranteed at least a top 5 pick. In 2014's draft, getting a top 5 pick is just as good as hitting this years lottery. I will say that the whole "this draft is weak" thing is so overblown. How many times did we hear 2011 draft was weak, then we snagged Kyrie, who along with many others such as Klay, Tristan, Parsons, Faried were all studs. Then, in 2014 you have a young roster of Kyrie, Nerlens (who I think will be one of best shot-blockers off the bat), 2014 lottery pick, possibly Dion if not traded, possibly Tristan, and whatever surrounding pieces. That would be a young contender for years to come. The Cavs really have nothing to lose in this draft as long they are exciting to watch next year while losing Im good with one more losing season if it means we get a top pick next year. Plus, with Nerlens sitting out and other variables, we would have a built-in excuse as to why we didnt make the playoffs. Option: Trade pick for proven star A real possibility is that the Cavaliers will move the pick for a proven star. With so many assets in players, draft picks, and cap space, their seems to be something big coming soon. One name that consistently comes up is Kevin Love, who I love (pun intended). I am extremely saddened that GM David Kahn got fired before this draft because I am convinced by his track record that we could have stolen Kevin Love easily with this pick alone. If we needed to throw in a player, we give them Shaun Livingston (the man seriously has a love for collecting PG'S). On a serious note, I think the Cavs could acquire Kevin Love and Derrick Williams for the #1 pick,#19, Alonzo Gee, and Andy. I do believe that either Dion or Tristan would have to be involved for Minn to accept so if I had to choose one I would say give up Tristan and keep Dion. Kevin Love would fit perfectly next to Kyrie Irving in the P-N-R, allowing Kyrie more space to get into the lane and kick or finish. His assist would go up at least to 8-10 a game, with other capable shooters being added to the mix. Also, maybe Derrick Williams will become a serviceable 3 until we find a better solution. I have heard Demarcus Cousins name floated out there, but the fact that he has such a bad reputation dating back to college is not a good thing

Kentucky coach John Calipari's respect for the Cavaliers front office is one of the reasons he hopes they take Wildcats center Nerlens Noel in the NBA draft.