The 10-man rotation, starring Anderson Varejao and his future in Cleveland (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Minnesota  No Responses »
Dec 062012
 

A look around the league and the web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C : The Point Forward . Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney break down the respective reasons and possible results in any trade involving potential All-Star Anderson Varejao.
PF : Minn Post . The second part, the first can be found here , of Britt Robson’s great interview with Jim Petersen.
SF : Cowbell Kingdom . Jonathan Santiago breaks down DeMarcus Cousins’ efficient game in a Wednesday win over Toronto.
SG : The Basketball Jones . Jerry Stackhouse is playing darn well because he wants his kids to know they “can never kick my butt.” Fair gauntlet toss, old man.
PG : New York Times . Beckley Mason points us in the direction of the Thunder’s improving offense.

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7 Big Men Who Must Be on Boston Celtics Radar Right Now

 Boston  No Responses »
Dec 032012
 

The Boston Celtics have stumbled out of the starting gate, and it is largely because of their weak interior defense. Not only is the team 9-8 and fourth in the Atlantic Division, but they are the worst rebounding team in the league.

Some help is needed, and fast.

Fortunately for general manager Danny Ainge, there are plenty of big men available who could help the Celtics in a heartbeat. Kenyon Martin has yet to be signed by a team, and leading rebounder Anderson Varejao may be on the block (via probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com).

Both men are great defenders who would provide an equally great inside presence in Beantown.

However, it is still early in the season, and it is understandable why Boston’s front office may be wary of making a move. For all they know, the team could undergo a great turnaround this month and immediately get back on track.

It is still better to be safe than sorry, and Ainge should be reaching out and looking to deal with the teams of the two big men. The Celtics need help in the paint, and they aren’t going to get any unless their GM starts pursuing it.

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Coach Byron Scott perfectly analyzes his Cavaliers’ performance against the Suns (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Phoenix  No Responses »
Nov 282012
 

Sometimes, it’s hard to know just what to say about a team that’s clearly in the midst of an epic struggle. After watching the Cleveland Cavaliers drop a 91-78 decision to the Phoenix Suns on Monday — the Cavs’ fourth straight loss, their fourth in five games since losing star point guard Kyrie Irving to a fractured left index finger and their 10th defeat in their last 11 outings — you’d be forgiven if you found yourself at a loss for (printable) words.
All Cavaliers not named Anderson Varejao (20 points, 18 rebounds, three assists, 10-for-15 shooting, active defense, continuing to perform as perhaps the best big man in the game right now) combined to shoot 20-for-69 (29 percent), turn the ball over 16 times and miss 13 of 15 3-point attempts. Cleveland’s famously heinous bench got run off the floor by Phoenix’s Luis Scola/Jermaine O’Neal/Jared Dudley-led second unit. The Cavs repeatedly seemed at a loss in its efforts to solve a defense that, after Tuesday’s strong statistical performance, still ranks as the league’s fifth-worst in points allowed per 100 possessions, according to NBA.com’s stat tool. The whole mess led to the Cavs falling into a tie with the Toronto Raptors for the league’s second-worst record at 3-12. (Thanks for keeping that basement occupied, Washington Wizards.) I mean, what do you say about that?
We turn — as we always do when in need of guidance — to the opening of Cleveland coach Byron Scott’s postgame remarks, as captured by Jodie Valade of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer :
The Cavaliers were so out of sync and the game so out of reach from the beginning that coach Byron Scott issued a stinging assessment afterward.
“Andy Varejao was fantastic,” Scott said. “Everybody else sucked tonight.”
Yep. That about sums it up. Get well soon, Kyrie. Stay up, Andy. Catch up, everybody else.

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DeAndre Jordan drops Tyler Zeller with inadvertent 4th-quarter elbow in Clips’ loss to Cavs (VIDEO) (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Golden State  No Responses »
Nov 062012
 

After three hit-or-miss games to open his NBA career, Cleveland Cavaliers rookie big man Tyler Zeller finally started to look comfortable in his fourth pro outing, a Monday night matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center. The No. 17 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft came out strong, running the floor, working for position and hitting four of his five first-half attempts, then kept it going after halftime by making a pair in the third quarter as the surprising young Cavs took it to their favored Western Conference hosts.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Cleveland — paced by star point guard Kyrie Irving, rock-solid center Anderson Varejao and some sharp shooting from top 2012 pick Dion Waiters — were not only going toe-to-toe with a playoff team, but were holding onto a six-point lead, and Zeller was a big part of that. The kid must have been feeling good about himself.
Well, Clippers center DeAndre Jordan can take care of that:

Welcome to the NBA, rook.

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Cleveland Cavaliers 2012-2013 Game-by-Game Predictions: One NBA Fan’s Outlook (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 Phoenix  No Responses »
Oct 252012
 

Led by reigning Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a very young team. Cleveland’s roster, aside from Daniel Gibson, C.J. Miles, Anderson Varejao, and Luke Walton, is made up of players with fewer than five years of NBA experience.

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