tOfficial 2015 NBA Draft/Free Agency Thread

[TurnUpTheHeat]

On July 25, Irving returned to the basketball court, publicly, for the Kyrie Irving Basketball ProCamp at Mentor High School and was able to participate with the over 500 campers in light drills. No crutches, no cast, no brace.



“It felt good. I only had the cast on for two weeks and then I was in a brace,” Irving said. “So then, when I finally got clearance from our doctors that I could start working out and stuff like that, and actually put pressure on my leg, I relished that. So, I’ve been in Miami working with a great rehab team at Pinecrest Physical Therapy and it’s been awesome.

The 23-year-old moved through the camp, participating in ball-handling drills, with a smile on his face and clearly enjoying the interactions he had with his campers. Irving said he would have made sure he was present, regardless of his health.


Back on the court after about 6 weeks? LOL....

like i said- thank goodness he doesnt have something that perpetually and crhonically effects his game like guys with much more serious injuries like Rondo, Rubio, Rose, Wade, Kobe, Randle, Embiid, Parker, Durant, George, Paul, RW, Wall etc.

Thank goodness.

Kyrie did some "LIGHT DRILLS" with some youth campers...


So, I’ve been in Miami working with a great rehab team at Pinecrest Physical Therapy and it’s been awesome.


No good doctors in Cleveland?
Or, just a matter of who would choose to stay in that shit hole when they can do the same thing in tropical paradise.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Irving will never get any MVP consideration while LeBron is in his prime- but I really think a special season is coming from the kid.

Last year at this time the roster was completely new AND THEN a ton of changes were made- in addition to learning to play with all these guys.

I mean Kyrie has a very very unique skill set when you combine his ball handling and driving ability with his shooting ability. That "pick your poison" proposition really is death to defenders. Its why Kyrie is without a doubt- already at the age of 23- one of the great offensive players in the game. You dont score 55, and then 57 points against the Trailblazers and Spurs by accident.

I expect his efficiency to continue to rise. His playmaking and comfort running the offense to continue to improve, and most importantly- his defense should also continue to improve.

And- its great that LeBron has 2 All Stars that are YOUNGER than he is to help carry the load- instead of 2 aging stars that just kept pushing more and more of the load off onto him.

When you combine Love and Kyrie- with the Cavs approach to keeping James healthy and spry- their is no reason why he cannot age more like Tim Duncan than Kobe Bryant.

Kyrie firmly establishing himself as one of the true elites in the game should go a long way in that. I mean- the kid is just that damn good.

Maybe he should try getting a team he leads into the playoff without James on the roster before we leap to league MVP?

 

[WiggyRuss]

It is still amazing to me that the list of players that made an all star team before their 21st birthday is the following:

Magic
Shaq
Zeke
Big Ticket
Black Mamba
the King
and Kyrie Irving

END OF LIST.

WOW.

not bad company.

Kyrie is 23 and has made 3 all star teams- and is unlikely to miss any going forward for a long time one would think. Let that Big 3 put up a couple (or more) titles the next 5 years- and you can punch his ticket.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

It is still amazing to me that the list of players that made an all star team before their 21st birthday is the following:

Magic
Shaq
Zeke
Big Ticket
Black Mamba
the King
and Kyrie Irving

END OF LIST.

WOW.

not bad company.

Kyrie is 23 and has made 3 all star teams- and is unlikely to miss any going forward for a long time one would think. Let that Big 3 put up a couple (or more) titles the next 5 years- and you can punch his ticket.

Bottom line is yes, he made it, but was never voted in...and I believe how many times was he picked as an injury replacement?


And you are "punching his ticket", but continually ripping Bosh?

You better take a LONG LOOK at his resume...before even coming close to comparing the 2 in the same sentence.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Bottom line is yes, he made it, but was never voted in...and I believe how many times was he picked as an injury replacement?


And you are "punching his ticket", but continually ripping Bosh?

You better take a LONG LOOK at his resume...before even coming close to comparing the 2 in the same sentence.

he was never picked as an injury replacement as far as i know. The first year he made the cut, the 2nd year he was voted in, and this year he made the cut- because Kyle Lowry was voted in by the fans (which turned out to be a joke).

Id imagine Kyrie gets voted in this year- but ya never know. Him and Wall are the 2 best guards in the East. Kyrie is pretty popular too- the Uncle Drew stuff- being on a winner now, how fun it is to watch his game..etc...

 

[WiggyRuss]

Bottom line is yes, he made it, but was never voted in...and I believe how many times was he picked as an injury replacement?


And you are "punching his ticket", but continually ripping Bosh?

You better take a LONG LOOK at his resume...before even coming close to comparing the 2 in the same sentence.

oh I think Bosh is a hall of famer. I still like Bosh as a player. I just wish he didnt give up on rebounding the ball though. LeBron outrebounded him in Miami. For a 6' 10' PF to play like a shooting guard? cmon now. He has to do better than 7 boards a game. Its not like he was competing for rebounds like the Cavs front ocurt will be doing

I mean- Thompson, Love, Varejao, Mozgov. THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL A DAMN DOMINANT REBOUNDING FORNTLINE. Both defensively- but ESPECIALLY offensively.

Ill tell ya what you can look forward to- a lot of offensive rebounds and passes out to open 3 pt shooters!

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

oh I think Bosh is a hall of famer. I still like Bosh as a player. I just wish he didnt give up on rebounding the ball though. LeBron outrebounded him in Miami. For a 6' 10' PF to play like a shooting guard? cmon now. He has to do better than 7 boards a game. Its not like he was competing for rebounds like the Cavs front ocurt will be doing

I mean- Thompson, Love, Varejao, Mozgov. THAT IS WHAT YOU CALL A DAMN DOMINANT REBOUNDING FORNTLINE. Both defensively- but ESPECIALLY offensively.


Should be if you have 55-60M tied up in that position.

And yes, we often questioned Bosh's rebounding, but if he can get 7/game with Whiteside putting up double doubles by halftime, we should be fine.

 

[WiggyRuss]

just got asked back for the school year. Not that I did not expect it- but it still is a relief/feels good. Especially because my clerkship actually pays very decently when compared with a lot of other ones.

pretty happy about it....

 

[Heatles84]

compared to an acl tear or achillees tear or a broken leg like Paul George? No. Its nothing compared to those things. MOST IMPORTANTLY- unlike an ACL tear or achilees tear- there are no long term effects of a fractured knee cap. THANK GOODNESS for that. You dont want to be like Dwade and have your meniscus removed early in your career and have re-occuring knee problems the rest of your days.

Dwade's a 1st ballot HOF when he retires. More importantly, never missed a Finals game (unlike Irving). You can poke fun at him all you want, but Kyrie hopes that he'll have the career that Wade has.

 

[DJ Fieri]

Using the Showtime Lakers as an example. Tristan Thompson is basically. A.C. Green. He brings defense, rebounding and energy. Not much else. He is very important to the Cavs, but he's not Lebron, Kyrie or Love.

The difference is, A.C. Green never forgot he was A.C. Green and not Magic, Worthy or Kareem. Therefore, he never asked to be paid like Magic, Worthy or Kareem. Tristan Thompson seems to want to be paid like he's Lebron, Kyrie or Love. Problem for him is, he's still Tristan Thompson. Problem for the Cavs is, they pretty much have to pay him anyway.

BOOM!!!

 

[DJ Fieri]

At that time, the Showtime era had ended and the Lakers were looking to re-build. AC was about to turn 30, so the Lakers weren't going to overpay to keep him around.

In other words, it was a completely different scenario than Tristan. What Tristan is doing is the same as if AC was demanding more money while still playing alongside Magic, Kareem and Worthy.

Yep, they went 39-43 his last season in LA.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Article which is pretty much spot on IMO written by long time Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Bill Livingston.



CLEVELAND, Ohio –- The deal Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers' reserve power forward and rebounding machine, is seeking doesn't make sense to me.

It doesn't make cents (or dollars) either, although it would make about $94 million over five years for Thompson, which, as piggy banks go, could bring home a lot of bacon. It would make him as highly paid as point guard Kyrie Irving.

As someone tweeted, just imagine what he would want if he could dribble, pass and shoot.

Even as a valued sidekick to LeBron James, on a fully healthy Cavs team, Thompson is the sixth or seventh wheel as they go truckin' toward the title.

Thompson is a tremendous insurance policy to have, given the injury history of Kevin Love, the starter at power forward. Without Love, Thompson played very well in the playoffs, albeit on a differently configured Cavs team, due to his limitations.

The myth of the transformed Thompson in the playoffs is hard to prove, though. In the regular season, he averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in just over a half of play, 26.8 minutes.

In the playoffs, he averaged 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in 36.4 minutes. You don't have to be a hoops version of Bill James to see the added 10 minutes of play accounted for the slight bump in scoring and rebounding.

Thompson's field goal percentage improved slightly, from 54.7 percent in the regular season to 55.8 when it counted most. He knows his range is slight and he does not take many shots other than put-backs, power stuff on the low block and dunks. There is, after all, a reason the Cavs call no plays for him.

His free throw shooting declined from 64.1 percent to 58.5 in the postseason, which led to such deplorable tactics as the Hack-a-Shaq of Cleveland, the Dis-a-Tris.

The foul shooting is important. Thompson is a liability on the floor at the end of close games because with his scattershot tendencies the free throws can become what amounts to a turnover.

Any gain defensively and in rebounding is offset by the dip in offense, due to the compacted floor with Thompson's lack of range.

On this slim portfolio, Thompson's agent Rich Paul is asking for a five-year deal in the neighborhood of the maximum $94 million, which is a swell neighborhood indeed.

Paul says a one-year deal for $6.9 million as a restricted free agent would mean Thompson would certainly leave when it is over, so as to plunge into the pure, giddily percolating waters of free agency in 2016. Next year, the salary cap pops like a champagne cork in every free agent's mansion, due to increased television revenue.

Thompson was known, if at all, as a disappointing high first-round draft pick until the recent season.

The most interesting thing about him was when he suddenly decided, in a move unprecedented at the highest level of the sport, that he should shoot right-handed, spurning the southpaw stroke of his career up to that point.

Several factors are at work as the Cavs ponder their next move.

• Thompson is a pet of LeBron James, who is also a client of Rich Paul. James said he'd like to see Thompson play his entire career in Cleveland. So is James the de facto general manager, as he often seems to be, or just a very, very important consultant to the guy with the actual title, David Griffin?

• A $90-million-plus Thompson deal would cost them $35 million in luxury taxes. How would that impact the Cavs?

• How would a hard-line stance affect the popularity of team owner Dan Gilbert, whose real role model turns out not to be the Detroit Pistons, but a native Clevelander, the late George Steinbrenner. George bought several World Series championships with the New York Yankees.

• Finally, isn't the lure of playing with James a strong one?

I take the gamble on the one-year deal because if the Cavs win it all, Thompson could get rich elsewhere, but even richer here because the Cavs retain their Larry Bird rights with him. This is a loophole that makes it easier for a team to sign its own free agents.

Paul's comment, indicating that a $6.9 million one-year deal would chase Thompson away, also has a disgusting whiff of Latrell Sprewell/Josh Smith pampered millionaires' moaning to it.

No way I pay that kind of money with all the luxury tax fallout it brings to a player with such a limited skill set and role.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Article which is pretty much spot on IMO written by long time Cleveland Plain Dealer writer Bill Livingston.



CLEVELAND, Ohio –- The deal Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers' reserve power forward and rebounding machine, is seeking doesn't make sense to me.

It doesn't make cents (or dollars) either, although it would make about $94 million over five years for Thompson, which, as piggy banks go, could bring home a lot of bacon. It would make him as highly paid as point guard Kyrie Irving.

As someone tweeted, just imagine what he would want if he could dribble, pass and shoot.

Even as a valued sidekick to LeBron James, on a fully healthy Cavs team, Thompson is the sixth or seventh wheel as they go truckin' toward the title.

Thompson is a tremendous insurance policy to have, given the injury history of Kevin Love, the starter at power forward. Without Love, Thompson played very well in the playoffs, albeit on a differently configured Cavs team, due to his limitations.

The myth of the transformed Thompson in the playoffs is hard to prove, though. In the regular season, he averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in just over a half of play, 26.8 minutes.

In the playoffs, he averaged 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in 36.4 minutes. You don't have to be a hoops version of Bill James to see the added 10 minutes of play accounted for the slight bump in scoring and rebounding.

Thompson's field goal percentage improved slightly, from 54.7 percent in the regular season to 55.8 when it counted most. He knows his range is slight and he does not take many shots other than put-backs, power stuff on the low block and dunks. There is, after all, a reason the Cavs call no plays for him.

His free throw shooting declined from 64.1 percent to 58.5 in the postseason, which led to such deplorable tactics as the Hack-a-Shaq of Cleveland, the Dis-a-Tris.

The foul shooting is important. Thompson is a liability on the floor at the end of close games because with his scattershot tendencies the free throws can become what amounts to a turnover.

Any gain defensively and in rebounding is offset by the dip in offense, due to the compacted floor with Thompson's lack of range.

On this slim portfolio, Thompson's agent Rich Paul is asking for a five-year deal in the neighborhood of the maximum $94 million, which is a swell neighborhood indeed.

Paul says a one-year deal for $6.9 million as a restricted free agent would mean Thompson would certainly leave when it is over, so as to plunge into the pure, giddily percolating waters of free agency in 2016. Next year, the salary cap pops like a champagne cork in every free agent's mansion, due to increased television revenue.

Thompson was known, if at all, as a disappointing high first-round draft pick until the recent season.

The most interesting thing about him was when he suddenly decided, in a move unprecedented at the highest level of the sport, that he should shoot right-handed, spurning the southpaw stroke of his career up to that point.

Several factors are at work as the Cavs ponder their next move.

• Thompson is a pet of LeBron James, who is also a client of Rich Paul. James said he'd like to see Thompson play his entire career in Cleveland. So is James the de facto general manager, as he often seems to be, or just a very, very important consultant to the guy with the actual title, David Griffin?

• A $90-million-plus Thompson deal would cost them $35 million in luxury taxes. How would that impact the Cavs?

• How would a hard-line stance affect the popularity of team owner Dan Gilbert, whose real role model turns out not to be the Detroit Pistons, but a native Clevelander, the late George Steinbrenner. George bought several World Series championships with the New York Yankees.

• Finally, isn't the lure of playing with James a strong one?

I take the gamble on the one-year deal because if the Cavs win it all, Thompson could get rich elsewhere, but even richer here because the Cavs retain their Larry Bird rights with him. This is a loophole that makes it easier for a team to sign its own free agents.

Paul's comment, indicating that a $6.9 million one-year deal would chase Thompson away, also has a disgusting whiff of Latrell Sprewell/Josh Smith pampered millionaires' moaning to it.

No way I pay that kind of money with all the luxury tax fallout it brings to a player with such a limited skill set and role.

I read that article as well and I think Livingston makes some good points.

Before LeBron got here Thompson was pretty incompetent offensively- all of a sudden LeBron comes back, Love gets here- and Thompson enjoys spacing and guys doubling off him like CRAZY. Honestly- is there a better situation in the entire NBA for Thompson to continue to develop offensively? Could you imagine him on a team where HE gets defensive attention emphasized?

16M is EXTREMELY EXTREMELY reasonable and represents a nice premium for Thompson.

The thing where he really has the Cavs is that because they are over the cap they have no way to replace him- and the Cavs NEED a guy like him to do the dirty work that does not need the ball. He is basically if you were looking around the league pretty much the IDEAL guy to play along the Cavs Big 3 - and ABSOLUTELY can be the 4th best player on a championship contender- I mean in the Finals last year I have to believe he was the Cavs 2nd best player after LeBron.

Tough tough situation.

At least when you look at the big picture - if he gets paid all that money that he wants- the team is definitely a lot better with him.

A supporting cast behind Kyrie Love and LeBron of - Thompson, Shumpert, Mozgov, Mo Williams, Andy Varejao, Delly, is a damn good collection of "role" players. If Smith is brought back- that makes the Cavs 10 deep with guys who are all valued rotational players.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

I read that article as well and I think Livingston makes some good points.

Before LeBron got here Thompson was pretty incompetent offensively- all of a sudden LeBron comes back, Love gets here- and Thompson enjoys spacing and guys doubling off him like CRAZY. Honestly- is there a better situation in the entire NBA for Thompson to continue to develop offensively? Could you imagine him on a team where HE gets defensive attention emphasized?

16M is EXTREMELY EXTREMELY reasonable and represents a nice premium for Thompson.

The thing where he really has the Cavs is that because they are over the cap they have no way to replace him- and the Cavs NEED a guy like him to do the dirty work that does not need the ball. He is basically if you were looking around the league pretty much the IDEAL guy to play along the Cavs Big 3 - and ABSOLUTELY can be the 4th best player on a championship contender- I mean in the Finals last year I have to believe he was the Cavs 2nd best player after LeBron.

Tough tough situation.

At least when you look at the big picture - if he gets paid all that money that he wants- the team is definitely a lot better with him.

A supporting cast behind Kyrie Love and LeBron of - Thompson, Shumpert, Mozgov, Mo Williams, Andy Varejao, Delly, is a damn good collection of "role" players. If Smith is brought back- that makes the Cavs 10 deep with guys who are all valued rotational players.

I don't disagree with anything you just said ( except the 16M right now-but they have to ).
Still doesn't change what I've said all along though in regard to having to deal with Mozgov next year and as is, not being in a position to add anything much moving forward.

That equates to this season pretty much being a must win because there is no reason to think their chances improve moving forward.

 

[WiggyRuss]

I don't disagree with anything you just said ( except the 16M right now-but they have to ).
Still doesn't change what I've said all along though in regard to having to deal with Mozgov next year and as is, not being in a position to add anything much moving forward.

That equates to this season pretty much being a must win because there is no reason to think their chances improve moving forward.

their chances improve going forward because the players they have will improve- and playing together for a period of time and growing the continuity and chemistry will also substantially improve- I mean this team for all intents and purposes was put together in January. Lets see them have a couple years together rather than a few months and see the HUGE difference that makes. Considering they had the best record in the league after the trade- its scary to think of how good they can be once everyone implicitly knows where the other guys are going to be on the court- both offensively and defensively

plus man- Kyrie Irving is this good at 23. Imagine him after a couple more years of seasoning and playing with LeBron when he TRULY enters his prime around age 25, 26. SCARY GOOD.---- the same goes with guys like Tristan who made huge strides last year and can continue to do so- Shumpert, Delly etc...even Love- their is TONS of room for internal growth to the core of the team while also adding around the periphery guys like Mo Williams- who showed last year he is still a darn good player.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

their chances improve going forward because the players they have will improve- and playing together for a period of time and growing the continuity and chemistry will also substantially improve- I mean this team for all intents and purposes was put together in January. Lets see them have a couple years together rather than a few months and see the HUGE difference that makes. Considering they had the best record in the league after the trade- its scary to think of how good they can be once everyone implicitly knows where the other guys are going to be on the court- both offensively and defensively

plus man- Kyrie Irving is this good at 23. Imagine him after a couple more years of seasoning and playing with LeBron when he TRULY enters his prime around age 25, 26. SCARY GOOD.---- the same goes with guys like Tristan who made huge strides last year and can continue to do so- Shumpert, Delly etc...even Love- their is TONS of room for internal growth to the core of the team while also adding around the periphery guys like Mo Williams- who showed last year he is still a darn good player.

You can believe or spin it anyway you want, and time might prove you to be correct, but I doubt it.


1. I don't have any reason to believe that Kyrie can stay healthy at all, yet for multiple seasons, nor improve enough to ever be the type of difference maker James is even if he does.

2. The ONLY difference right now between the Cavs and several EC teams is James. He will decline. It's a guess as to how much or how fast.

Enough with the couple of years nonsense. Live in denial all you want but your time/best chance is right now.
Your players have all played enough games together to know where the strengths and weaknesses are together on the court.

What's funnier yet, your words, examples, would be much more fitting for the Heat roster who hasn't ever had time to learn to play together yet you use their failure last year as your argument as to why you feel they will fail this year.

 

[trojanfan12]

You can believe or spin it anyway you want, and time might prove you to be correct, but I doubt it.


1. I don't have any reason to believe that Kyrie can stay healthy at all, yet for multiple seasons, nor improve enough to ever be the type of difference maker James is even if he does.

2. The ONLY difference right now between the Cavs and several EC teams is James. He will decline. It's a guess as to how much or how fast.

Enough with the couple of years nonsense. Live in denial all you want but your time/best chance is right now.
Your players have all played enough games together to know where the strengths and weaknesses are together on the court.

What's funnier yet, your words, examples, would be much more fitting for the Heat roster who hasn't ever had time to learn to play together yet you use their failure last year as your argument as to why you feel they will fail this year.

The Cavs are set up very much like the Lakers were coming off of the 2010 Championship. Because of the cap, the salaries they chose to pay to take advantage of their championship window and the age/limitations of some of the role players and their star player, they couldn't really do much to improve the team. Meanwhile, all of the other teams were getting better. They had Kobe, Pau and Bynum all on max or near max deals and a bunch of role players who weren't going to bring back much in return.

The Cavs have Lebron who will turn 31 (Kobe was 32), Love and Kyrie all with max deals and it looks like they will be paying a max or near max deal to Thompson. With the exception of Lebron, they are all long term deals as well. Their role players won't bring back much, if anything, in trades. That's eerily similar to the Lakers and speaks to the Cavs window being last year, this year and probably next year. After that, it's unlikely they will even be able to get out of the east, let alone win a championship. They won't have the cap space, draft picks or tradeable assets to improve the team.

 

[WiggyRuss]

You can believe or spin it anyway you want, and time might prove you to be correct, but I doubt it.


1. I don't have any reason to believe that Kyrie can stay healthy at all, yet for multiple seasons, nor improve enough to ever be the type of difference maker James is even if he does.

2. The ONLY difference right now between the Cavs and several EC teams is James. He will decline. It's a guess as to how much or how fast.

Enough with the couple of years nonsense. Live in denial all you want but your time/best chance is right now.
Your players have all played enough games together to know where the strengths and weaknesses are together on the court.

What's funnier yet, your words, examples, would be much more fitting for the Heat roster who hasn't ever had time to learn to play together yet you use their failure last year as your argument as to why you feel they will fail this year.

Funnier yet? BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING 6 GAMES UNDER .500 AND GOING TO GAME 6 OF THE NBA FINALS. Of course the Heat will get better with years instead of months continuity- just like the Cavs will- but the Cavs had the talent to overcome that barrier while the Heat fell flat on their face.

If you SERIOUSLY think the Cavs will not seriously improve by playing together for years instead of mere months- and go from being a great team to a truly elite team that can play without having to think through everything like the Spurs have done- then WOW you are just 100% totally wrong.

I am sure the Heat will improve with continuity JUST as the Cavs will- it just so happens the Cavs- DESPITE the roster upheavel and injuries overcame those things last year- while the Heat cracked and wilted under the circumstances.

Russell Westbrook- my favorite player in the league other than Kyrie is a GREAT example of a super talented guy that had some issues in his early years but has now entered his prime and is one of the top 5 guys in the league. Kyrie is on that same exact track.

 

[TurnUpTheHeat]

Funnier yet? BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING 6 GAMES UNDER .500 AND GOING TO GAME 6 OF THE NBA FINALS. Of course the Heat will get better with years instead of months continuity- just like the Cavs will- but the Cavs had the talent to overcome that barrier while the Heat fell flat on their face.

If you SERIOUSLY think the Cavs will not seriously improve by playing together for years instead of mere months- and go from being a great team to a truly elite team that can play without having to think through everything like the Spurs have done- then WOW you are just 100% totally wrong.

I am sure the Heat will improve with continuity JUST as the Cavs will- it just so happens the Cavs- DESPITE the roster upheavel and injuries overcame those things last year- while the Heat cracked and wilted under the circumstances.

Russell Westbrook- my favorite player in the league other than Kyrie is a GREAT example of a super talented guy that had some issues in his early years but has now entered his prime and is one of the top 5 guys in the league. Kyrie is on that same exact track.

Why are you comparing their seasons?

Cavs had James/Love/Kyrie all season and training camp. The players you added all just needed to fill a defined role.
Heat added a true PG/C DURING the season that had to try to find their way playing with a bunch of different lineups while missing their max player as well as McBob which limited their outside shooting by a ton.


The Heat grew from year 1 to year 2 (what the Cavs are now entering), but after that kind of flat lined.
I expect to see much of the same with you guys, but we shall see.

 

[WiggyRuss]

Why are you comparing their seasons?

Cavs had James/Love/Kyrie all season and training camp. The players you added all just needed to fill a defined role.
Heat added a true PG/C DURING the season that had to try to find their way playing with a bunch of different lineups while missing their max player as well as McBob which limited their outside shooting by a ton.


The Heat grew from year 1 to year 2 (what the Cavs are now entering), but after that kind of flat lined.
I expect to see much of the same with you guys, but we shall see.

of course you flatlined! you had no young talent on the roster- all you had was a bunch of old guys that had no improvement left.

YA THINK THERE is a difference in having a guy like Battier who is only getting worse with age and a guy like Shumpert who is only improving as he enters his prime?!!! OF COURSE there is. Thats where the Cavs have an advantage- Thompson, Shumpert, Delly, Irving, even LOVE- these guys skills arent diminishing as they continue to play together- they are only improving!