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Post by Cleveland Cavaliers on Feb 22, 2008 23:12:40 GMT -5
2/20/08When the New Cleveland Cavaliers hired a new General Manager late last week, he inherited a tough decision that would keep even the most experienced of GM's up late at night. Andre Iguodala, a rising NBA All-Star, is one of the centerpieces of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise. Cleveland would like to re-sign Iguodala at the end of the year, but theres one problem, and it's a big one: money. Iguodala is owed close to $3 million this year, but his contract expires after the NBA Finals. A player of his caliber merits big money during the off-season, and Cleveland is not sure that they can re-sign him during Contract Negotiations next year. Last Year, Vince Carter was rewarded a $62 million, 4 year contract, and experts predict that Iguodala will recieve something similar to that. The other AI? Andre Iguodala may have earned the right to be called the AI.There are three potential doors that Cleveland can take for this situation: 1. Try to dump bad contracts, and save money for Iguodala next season.Currently, The Cavs have Eric Snow and Damon Jones under contract. They are both on the injured reserve (though not injured), and are owed 7 million and 4 million next year, respectively. Antoine Walker is owed 9 million next year, and is under contract for two more seasons after that, but it is likely that Cleveland will not pick up his option in 2010. Donyell Marshall and Drew Gooden also have big contracts. Currently, sources say that Philadelphia is interested in Drew Gooden, but no other information can be reached in that area. 2. Ride it out and see what happensThis is a very unlikely scenario. Along with Andre Iguodala, starting SG JR Smith, starting PG Keyon Dooling, and key bench player Chris Duhon contract's expire during the off-season. Even If the Cavs re-sign Andre, there is no possible way that they can sign any of the 3 above players to contract extensions. And there is still the possibility that they cannot reach terms with Iguodala, and they lose the cornerstone of thier team in return for nothing. 3. Trade IguodalaA player of Iguodala's caliber garners great interest from other teams in the NBA. Teams with cap room are very interested, because they can get Iguodala for a discounted price. The only problem with this scenario is that currently Cleveland's record is 19-10, one game behind the lead in the central division. They are a potential playoff team, and they do not want to go into a complete rebuilding mode if they are in contention to be a top seed. Some teams that have shown interest in Iguodala or have been contacted about him are: The Sacramento Kings, Charlotte Bobcats, Memphis Grizzlies, San Antonio Spurs, and the Denver Nuggets. There is however, one thing that remains constant during this whole situation: Elton Brand.
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Post by New Jersey Nets on Feb 22, 2008 23:25:58 GMT -5
gotta say that u are a nice and creative GM
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Post by Cleveland Cavaliers on Apr 26, 2008 22:00:47 GMT -5
4/26/08The trade deadline has passed, and many critics say that the Cleveland Cavaliers had the best trade deadline in the league this year. They made two deals, about an hour before the deadline passed, one with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and one with the Detroit Pistons. Even though the Cavaliers possed a solid 1-2 punch with Elton Brand and Ray Allen, they lacked serious size up front. All-Star Elton Brand was putting up monstrous numbers at the center position, but is better suited as a power foward. Shareef Abdur-Rahim was playing power forward, but was not doing a very good job. JR Smith was thier small forward, but is better suited as a shooting guard. So, The Cavaliers contacted the Timberwolves, and worked out a trade that sent Caron Butler and Eddy Curry packing thier bags for Cleveland, and Ray Allen, JR Smith and Shareef Abdur-Rahim heading to Minnesotta. The Actual Deal: Caron Butler Eddy Curry Troy Hudson Dan Gadzuric for Ray Allen Shareef Abdur-Rahim Keyon Dooling JR Smith A 2009 1st Round Pick Caron Butler and Eddy Curry look to lead Cleveland deep into the playoffs.The second deal they made did not make as big a splash, but it got them a 2008 first round draft pick. Rodney Stuckey, a 2007 1st Round Draft Pick, was not fitting in with the team, and did not like his role in Cleveland. Detroit contacted Cleveland about Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson, and offered this trade: Rodney Stuckey Amir Johnson for Aaron McKie Cedric Simmons 2008 1st Round Draft Pick (Toronto) The pick looks to be mid round, probably around the #14-17 area.
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Post by Cleveland Cavaliers on Aug 14, 2008 19:56:24 GMT -5
8/14/2008When Cavs GM DominatorDom22 entered NBA Legends he inherited a roster that was decent, but needed a little more star power. Of course he had Elton Brand, and Josh Smith was a decent player, but with a supporting cast the likes of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Keyon Dooling and JR Smith, Cleveland definately needed to revamp thier roster in order to be taken seriously in a stacked Eastern Conference, as well as a stacked Central Division. Cleveland started off by shopping Josh Smith, first bringing in Andre Iguodala, and then later Ray Allen. Ray Allen and Elton Brand was a capable one-two punch, but the Cavaliers needed more depth and quality players. Cleveland contacted the Minnesota Timberwolves about Caron Butler and Eddy Curry, and a couple days later, Butler and Curry were donning that Cavalier red. As of right now, Butler and Curry still are. But tommorow, insider sources say that Caron Butler will be in a different uniform. Sources report that Caron Butler will be dealt to the Charlotte Bobcats, along with Antoine Walker, Sarunas Jasikevicius and Damon Jones, in a trade that will bring Mike James, Derek Anderson, Sammy Meija, Jay Williams and All-Star, NBA Finals MVP Paul Pierce back to Cleveland. The Cleveland Current got a hold of Cavs GM DominatorDom22, and sat down with him for some questions. "Heading in to the offseason, what were some of your main plans and goals?"With a sixth seed and an early first round exit, we knew we had to improve as a team. Part of that was gaining depth, and bringing more star power to Cleveland. We knew we had to keep Elton, as we believe we can win a championship with him in the paint. Also, resigning our starting point guard Beno Udrih was, and still is up high on our priority list. With all the uncertainty in the past couple weeks, the rumored trade with Detroit, can you explain a little what went on while everyone was waiting for the offseason to start?Well, the trade to Detroit was a little iffy from the start. No one wants to trade away thier two best players to thier division rival, as well as the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last year. So, we tentatively agreed on a deal, but while we were waiting for the offseason to start, We just felt it wasn't right for our orginization. Of course Detroit will have alot to say, but in the end, it is what it is. He has alot to deal with this offseason, and we feel we will be gaining substantial ground on him this offseason. "I should of known this was going to happen, I knew he was a GM i couldn't trust. I really think this is going to hurt his rep around the league." - Detroit's GM's words about the deal, any comment?Like i said before, Detroit wasnt going to be happy. I'm just looking out for the best interest of the Cleveland Cavaliers. So, whats the deal with Charlotte?Me and Greatwall go a long way back. We had been talking with him about Paul Pierce, and we feel we finally struck gold in finding another star for Elton. Don't get me wrong, Caron is a great young player, but we felt we needed a capable perimiter go-to guy in those clutch situations. Also, another piece we really like in this deal is Mike James. He is a very capable point guard, and we look forward to having him compete with Udrih for the starting spot. You have Curry, Brand, Pierce and Udrih, any chance on finding a shooting guard?We keep weighing our options, and by no means are the Cavaliers done in this offseason. Even with the cast we have now we feel like we are much improved. We'll see what happens. Right now our main concern is welcoming Paul to the Cleveland franchise and getting him acclimated to the area. "The Truth has now arrived in Cleveland."
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Post by Cleveland Cavaliers on Jan 7, 2009 21:58:25 GMT -5
1/07/09The Cleveland Cavaliers up to this point in the season have been praised as "the suprise team of the year", and "the most underrated team in the league". Led by perrenial all-star and MVP candidate Elton Brand, the Cavaliers have suprised many, taking the central division by storm, with a 23-10 record, and a substantial division lead. No one expected this from Cleveland, except, Cleveland's GM DominatorDom22 and the rest of the cast in Cleveland. "Oh, not at all" said Brand, when asked if the Cavs fast start was a suprise to him. "We knew what we we're capable of. We might not have the big names, but we really mesh well as a unit. We look out for eachother, and play as the Cavaliers, not for ourselves." Elton Brand is currently ranked second in the Legend's MVP rankings (Although still not at all ranked in Indy's ) He averages 18 points per game, and leads the league with 12.2 rebounds a game. And Elton is only thinking about next season, even with his contract expiring this offseason. "I'm not going to talk about that. When the time comes for me to talk, i'll talk, but right now, i'm concentrating on winning." One of the biggest suprises this year, and a catalyst to Cleveland's success this year has been point guard Beno Udrih, averaging 16.6 ppg, and 5.7 assists. "I'm just trying to do my best for this team, I'm happy with everything so far here in Cleveland. My new contract, my role with the team, and my performance. I'm ecstatic." Even with this success, however, DominatorDom felt the need for change in Cleveland. "We have to put ourselves over the top if we're going to be successful deep into the postseason." The Cavs traded leading scorer Josh Howard, amid controversy in the off-season when Howard was filmed commenting on the Presidential Election. He was dealt to Denver, and brought back former starting Shooting Guard Ray Allen. "We feel that the chemistry between Ray and Elton is still there, and by playing before with eachother, they can hit the ground running and mesh together quickly." Also included in the deal was young rookie power forward Jason Thompson. "We feel that Jason can be a big player for Cleveland in the future. He can develop very nicely, and he has star potential, and hopefully will be a Cavalier for a long time." Cleveland then acquired small forward Adam Morrison from the Bobcats, to be a sixth man. "Adam gives us depth, as well as another player who we feel can be big for us down the road." Preparing for the future, but still very alive in the present. That's how great franchises are made.
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Post by Cleveland Cavaliers on Jul 4, 2009 0:45:22 GMT -5
7/4/09Let's go back a month ago. The Cleveland Cavaliers were struggling mightily after their trade for Ray Allen. They were 36-27. The chemistry seemed to be just a tad bit off. The team was even losing a foothold on their central division lead, and a playoff berth. Something needed to be done to somehow turn the sinking ship around. What they lacked was a scoring punch in the starting lineup. They needed to get some help from the upcoming trade deadline. First, Cleveland was contacted by Minnesota. The Timberwolves were interested in young power forward Jason Thompson, a young rookie with extremely high potential. The Cavs were never sold on parting with this promising rookie, until they found out who they could receive in return. Al Thornton, a extremely versatile young forward, one who has proven himself in the present, as well as showing the potential to become a star down the road. A deal was struck, and Thornton was thrust into the starting lineup, averaging 13.0 ppg and 6.7 rpg. "What Al gave us was another immediate scoring threat. He fit our starting lineup perfectly. He's extremely athletic and versatile with great size. He creates alot of match-up problems for opposing teams as they try to defend his inside-out game." - GM DominatorDomLarry Hughes was also made the starting point guard, a move that may have been considered unorthodox by some. But the move has payed off tremendously. Hughes is averaging 14.8 ppg, and the team has responded by picking up the slack in the assist game, as the team is more pass friendly. "What helps us give the ball up the most is knowing that guys like Ray (Allen), Al (Thornton), Adam (Morrison), and Rashad (McCants) are all there ready to make shots" says backup guard Mike James. Now fast forward a month into the present. The Cavs have just come off a great performance, beating the #1 team in the NBA, the New Orleans Hornets, to extend their winning streak to a league best 11 games. The Cavs now stand at 48-27, trying to increase their seeding in the playoff picture, with great help from their star player, Elton Brand. Elton Brand has been a constant favorite in league MVP talks, averaging 19.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg, and just under 2 blocks a game on .510% shooting. Elton has all been doing this on his contract year, as his $16 million dollar contract expires at the end of this year. "We are in talks to cut salary to re-sign Brand at the end of this year, but right now we are focused on winning." says the Cleveland GM. And focusing on winning seems like a great thing to do, because right now, no one want to play the red-hot Cleveland Cavaliers.
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