Not consistent yet but FUN ! One thing I should have anticipated before the season began, but I did not, was the streaky nature of the 2013 Cleveland Indians. I was kind of sucked into the notion that they would be more consistent because of a better mix of veterans. That will eventually be true in my opinion but not yet. What I failed to factor in (and I bet most fans did as well) was the huge culture shift caused by the number of veterans coming from different organizations and different baseball “cultures”. One of the strongest influences on the 90s Indians, aside from their immense talent, was a system-wide belief that they would win and win consistently. The majority of our veteran base came from very different backgrounds but all with a modest or high level of recent success. Bourn came from a broken organization (Astros) into a highly successful organization (Braves) but saw a monumental collapse at the end of last year similar to the Indians. Swisher came from a consistently winning organization but with their own cultural challenges (Yankees). Aviles came from a recently consistent organization who had a horrible 2012 (Red Sox). Stubbs came from a very good and improving organization who has not quite found the way to make it over the hump (Reds). Rayburn came from a recently solid organization with an expectation of winning (Tigers) but was forgotten there. Shaw/Albers came from a solid young organization where they have had decent success (Diamondbacks). Hill was nomadic and almost a AAAA player. Kazmir came from the scrap heap (I say that will all due affection). Jimenez came from an organization who doesn’t seem to have a consistent culture (Rockies). Giambi has not had many consistent ABs over the past few years but has a world of “cred” from winning organizations (Oakland/Yankees). The rest of the team was basically young and from an organization (Indians) that has, frankly, had no consistent culture and is back to trying to find itself again. The fact that the majority of the rest of the roster went through the most painful August collapse in Cleveland history adds to the intrigue of our new cultural development.
As I now look at all of this with a large part of the season gone, I might have anticipated a rocky and less than consistent approach and culture from this team. They have spent all season trying to “find themselves” as a team. Francona has been completely aware of this when he keeps saying “I like my guys”. He is confident, as I think we all should be as fans, that the diverse cultures brought to the 2013 Indians will settle in and develop into a winning attitude and expectation. As usual, I think Terry will be right even though he anticipated the inconsistency better than I ever did. He knew that to develop a culture and to find an identity could not happen overnight with this diverse group. As you watch the clubhouse now and realize what they went through with that horrible stretch of baseball, an identity is developing. And that identity is not one of losing or a lack of confidence. This team is just beginning to believe in themselves as a group and it would be anticipated that this will carry over as the season progresses. No team played much worse than the Indians in their most recent stretch. Conversely, no team has played much better in their two stretches around that horrible baseball.
The Indians organization is in a good position to succeed and will go, as we all have said from the beginning, as far as their pitching will take them. I have no doubt that the team placed on the field every day is vastly superior to the 2012 team as I have said all along. We need to do our part and recognize that some of this inconsistency should have been expected and act accordingly. I am proud to be an Indians fan and expect great things, if not from the 2013 Indians, in the years ahead.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are certainly consistent when it comes to the NBA draft under Chris Grant. A ton of misinformation, proposed trades that have no possibility of completion, silly multiteam scenarios, complaints of Chris Grant being unreasonable and turning off the league’s General Managers. All the while this craziness continues in the media and with the fans, Chris Grant and his crew are steadily digging down into their options about the players they can take.
This focus on the important issue (which is taking players) helps the Cavs to be involved in multiple discussions and options while still taking the player(s) they want. Two things that are much worse than not making the trades that you almost can make are: 1) Letting the media and distractions alter your focus on the important player issues 2) Making a trade that you would prefer not to make because of the pressure to show you can make a trade.
I will take on the latter possibility first. Chris Grant, by all media reports, drives a hard bargain and might even try too hard to “win” a trade convincingly. This approach probably does turn off some General Managers and frustrate those who work with and against him. I am not certain of this but it seems to be so. My response to that criticism, after suffering through years of Cleveland Sports trades where I shake my head and say “What just happened here?”, is GO GET EM CG!!! I really think that, when you have the cap space and assets to hold them over another team’s head, you must do it or be destined to failure.
As to the first possible draft mistake, the Cavalier front office could NEVER be saddled with that criticism. If nothing else, they stay firm to their philosophy of doing it the “Cavs” way. This year’s selections and draft is a clear indication that they have done it this way consistently since LeBron left the team. The reason anyone who follows the Cavs knows this to be true is the way they defy the “mock drafts” and “draftniks” and pick a player that is almost least expected. Of course this doesn’t apply to the Kyrie Irving selection but there were plenty of fans and media asking them to take Derek Williams and Brandon Knight. I think we know how that would have ended. No All Star player, no rookie of the year, no game closer, and no chance of really turning this thing around. That brings me to the part of this blog where we actually begin to analyze the players the Cavs acquired in this draft.
I have no intention of going into the picks with the depth of Draft Express. I feel that site does a premier job of analyzing the players and giving a tremendous video scouting report. In addition, the great local sites such as Waiting For Next Year are great for draft player analysis. Let’s move on to the pics:
Anthony Bennett is a beast of a player and virtually all of his weaknesses can either be corrected or, at the least, addressed by good coaching and exposure to the NBA. The only “weakness” that can not be corrected is his 6’7″ or 6’8″ height (depending on who you believe). That issue is partially, if not completely, addressed by his 7’1″ wing span. As I view tape on Bennett, he seems to play far bigger than 6’7″ would suggest. He holds his own with the college bigs and his solid body and weight for height should allow him to do the same in the NBA. I am not suggesting he could play center, but even that is not impossible for his size and athletic ability. He fits easily as a power forward and has many of the offensive skills consistent with a small forward. Defensively, he needs to add the intensity and nastiness needed in the NBA but I am quite confident that will come naturally to him once he feels the intensity and physicality at the next level. Plus, he will have Mike Brown’s defensive system and philosophy to carry him through. I am not concerned in the least about his defensive ability at the power forward spot once he has about a half season under his belt. Defense of the small forward spot is another matter entirely. Even there, his athletic build and huge wingspan will allow him to create problems for many small forwards in the league. His lateral quickness will be a liability defensing small forwards so I am not certain how that might work out in the future. My belief is that the Cavs will never start him at the SF position but will play him there in stretches on a match-up basis. That is good enough in my view.
Where Bennett really shines is on the offensive end of the floor. When the Cavs fans see him putting the ball on the floor from mid-court and taking it to the hole with a thunderous dunk, I think any disappointment with the pick will melt away. Especially when he then drifts back to beyond the three point line and drains a 3 on the next possession after the dunk. As all rookies, he will also force shots and get them stuffed and lose the ball trying to outmaneuver a quality NBA defender. I will simply smile knowing that is how this highly skilled young man will get better. At first his intensity will vary and he will be embarrassed from time to time, but I am confident that these experiences will only serve to fortify his reserve to excel. The Cavaliers have probably just acquired an eventual multiple year All Star who will quickly make fans forget Noel or Len or Porter (I am not as sure about Oladepo or McLemore).
In Karasev, the Cleveland front office proved that the best trade is sometimes the one you don’t make. It was not a secret that the Cavs coveted Karasev and tried to trade up to assure they could get him. In this case, as often happens for other teams, he fell to them at 19. This is a huge win for the Cavs. That is not to say I do not have serious reservations about Karasev, because I do. But I am happy that the Cavs let him fall to them knowing he was the one they were trying to get all along. I personally felt that Reggie Bullock was the better choice, but I can certainly see what the Cavs see in Karasev and I feel he will be a solid pick and has tremendous upside (as does Bennett). As I blogged before, I was against the Cavs trading up to get Karasev because of his potential defensive liabilities. In this case they didn’t, so I feel that the offensive potential of the pick will outweigh the defensive deficiencies.
Karasev is an NBA combo 2/3. He can put the ball on the floor, pass with great skill, and shoot with the best in this draft. His shot is a bit low (like Caspi’s) but his release is so fast that he will not be easy to block. He also seems to have a real sense for the mid-range game even though he plays below the rim. He is athletic enough to run the floor and crafty enough to actually run the offense in a pinch. I like his total package as an offensive player and only hope that his lack of lateral quickness doesn’t bite the Cavs in the butt. I sure hope Mike Brown’s defense will cover up some of the Cavs obvious problems staying in front of their man.
In Felix the Cavs have a defensive specialist who has almost no body fat, is 6’6″, and can guard multiple positions. I can see why they took him even though his talent level seemed to slot him for a much lower second round pick. He is a smart young man (has a master’s degree) and has great character by all reports. He goes 100% at all times in the game and in practice. This is a great person to have on the team and certainly fits a specialists role if not a full time rotational player. It is possible that he does become a full time rotational player because of his defensive ability to guard from the point to the 4 position. Kind of like a “poor man’s” Victor Oladepo. Not nearly the player for sure but a good piece to have on a championship team.
In their first two picks, the Cavs probably went for great offensive potential because they felt Brown could teach and demand defense but couldn’t make a player an offensive threat. By drafting this way, they allow Brown to coach to his strengths without the Cavs worrying who can make the next basket. In Felix, they gave Brown a tool to use in his defensive schemes that the Cavs other players could not easily fill.
I am very disappointed with the Cavs simply giving away the first pick in the second round simply because it exceeded their rookie quota. I respect the decision but, if they draft a player who is ineffective, they could simply cut him and swallow the minor cap inconvenience. Many players fell into the second round that were thought to be first round talent. I am not sure why the Cavs could not have used that to acquire another useful player. I realize I am in the minority on this point. But it is a consistent Cavs approach that I simply disagree with.
With that only minor negative and the whole free agent season ahead of us, I am completely optimistic that the Cavs will take another big step forward. I feel they are confidently moving toward building a quality and sustainable team that will not just compete for the playoffs but a run at an NBA title. There is still a long way to go, but this draft is another solid step in that direction.
The Cavs are probably red hot on the phone The beauty of this blog is that I have absolutely NO inside information and no sources and no special powers. But I probably know as much about what the Cavs are doing right now and going to do as anyone else on the web. So, after reading extensively and analyzing the analysts, I believe as many that the Cavs are trying desperately to move the first pick in this draft probably for a veteran and a pick(s) either in 2013 or more likely 2014. All Cavs fans must realize that this is a monumental task and not likely to be a successful exercise. No one wants to give away 2014 picks and even 2013 picks are not moving as easily as some might have thought.
One thing that does concern me is the Cavs apparent efforts to even move up higher to get Karasev. I think he is a real project because of his lack of athleticism and his poor defensive mobility. Think we would be making a big mistake if we try so hard to get him that we mess up this draft and future drafts. Or trade ANY of our core players doing it. So I disagree strongly with that strategy because I see Karasev as a role player as a spot up shooter and good offensive threat because he is also a good passer. But a HUGE defensive liability and we just can not afford that at the 3 position in the NBA. He will never be a starter in the NBA in my view. If we were doing this to get Clay Thompson in past drafts, then I would have been fine with it. And I advocated that but Cavs really couldn’t pull it off for obvious reasons.
As I said in my Len and McLemore posts, I am actually confident the Cavs can select the right player with pick number one. There is no consensus but the Cavs do their homework. So if we take Len or McLemore or Noel or Oladepo or Porter etc.; I am OK with it. However, be aware that, if we take Noel who has the best analytic ratings and upside, he might be picked to be traded.
I will not be able to post easily tonight but I will be on twitter as @Kirklob or @Cwins_jim. I still can’t get traction on my CWins handle so I have kept @Kirklob for the time being.
Alex Len brings many positive things Now I certainly do not know if the Cavs will pick Alex Len with the first pick in the NBA draft tomorrow night. In fact, I don’t even know if the Cavs will have the first pick in tomorrow’s draft. But I do know one thing, Chris Grant has shown me a great deal of skill and courage in his last two drafts and I have confidence. Although it is odd to think of anyone at ESPN who would have anything nice to say about anything related to the Cavs, Chad Ford agrees. He has been very clear that he considers Grant a top GM and makes good trades and draft picks. He has done nothing to shake my belief in him during this rebuilding process including hiring Byron Scott and rehiring Mike Brown. So, if the Cavs pick Alex Len with the first pick in this year’s NBA draft, I am just fine. I won’t be screaming at the TV or acting like the world has just ended. I will be content in knowing that the person making that decision has done a ton more research and has a good track record of finding talent. I will be supportive and root for him to succeed.
That all being said, I happen to like Len as the first pick in this draft. The argument against him is his lack of intensity/toughness and his lack of a dynamic skill that transcends. Noel, another very likely first pick, has the dynamic skill of shot blocking and lightning quick hands on defense. If he can get bigger, he should be a defensive force. But Len already has decent size at 7’1″ and a nearly 7’4″ wingspan at 255 pounds. He is still very quick at that weight and could add more without losing quickness based on his broader shoulders. His hands are not as dynamic on the defensive end but they are very soft for catching lobs and passes. Also, I was very impressed by the video I watched showing his foot quickness and lateral movement on defense. He could actually pick up the guard on a pick and roll and stay in front reasonably well.
Len finishes strong despite his knock of not enough toughness. He has an explosive leap and returns the ball in a dunk after a rebound very quickly. An essential trait for an NBA big. Some big men, even 7 footers, play below the rim. Len is not one of them. He plays above the rim and enjoys it up there (also important in the NBA). Like many “Euro” bigs, he has good form on his jump shot and releases from a high point. Not easy to block. His jump shot is not polished at this point, but the fundamentals are there and he can easily develop the ability to receive the pick and pop. He already has the hands and ability to finish the pick and roll.
Playing with his back to the basket is not his strong suit at this point but he will have Potapenko and Ilgauskas to help him with that and the adjustment to the NBA. Another skill that can be improved over time with hard work. He does have the hands and leaping ability to develop some “go to” back to the basket moves such as a jump hook. Right now he almost exclusively goes over his left shoulder and that will need to change. NBA defenders will cover that very easily unless he can go both ways.
His shot blocking ability is already decent, but not elite. That is another knock on him vs Noel who has that elite ability. However, if he is already good at shot blocking and plays above the rim, this is another skill that can be developed. Probably all of these things that need to develop are reasons NBA analysts are not as high on Len as the Cavs might be. However, another good trait is that Len recognizes his need to develop and improve. His interviews have clearly indicated his desire to improve and his recognition that he can get much better. Not to mention his ability to adopt an entirely new language and seemingly master it so quickly.
Because of his skills that can be developed, I feel that he has sufficient upside to be a top NBA pick. In almost any other year, he would not be considered at the top pick. But this is one year where even experts strongly disagree about who the Cavs should take. In fact, I do not remember any recent year where so many different players have been tabbed as the best pick in this draft. If you ask six experts, you might even get six different players. That is why the Cavs have and should consider trading out of the pick but also why it is unlikely they will be able to trade it.
So CG, if you really feel that Alex Len is the best player in this draft, be my guest. I will not even try to object. But the NBA and I will be watching very closely to see if this draft defines you as the top GM I think you are or as just another clown in the circus. As a Cavs fan, I’ll be rooting for ya…..
Although the past two Indian games have not been things of beauty. they have been wins. When you are struggling as much as the Tribe, you will take wins whenever you can get them.
I do like the quality of the at bats now and have more confidence in our hitting. The starting pitching has also been better with cracks remaining in the Cleveland bullpen. The team has remained aggressive and the baserunning better despite some runners being thrown out. So, even though I do not see dramatic improvement leading to the wins, I can see signs of the team beginning to relax and become productive again.
The home stand is critical to see if the Indians can sustain some momentum or begin to falter again. I am cautiously optimistic that this is the beginning of a much better stretch of baseball for the Tribe. What do you think?
