Post by Cleveland Cavaliers on Jul 4, 2009 0:49:59 GMT -5
7/4/09
Let'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 DominatorDom
Larry 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.
Let'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 DominatorDom
Larry 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.