• Since we moved our URL please clear your browsers history and cookies and try logging in again. Thank you and sorry for any inconvenience
  • Since we moved our URL please clear your browsers history and cookies and try logging in again. Thank you and sorry for any inconvenience

Cleveland Cavaliers 2009-10 Thread

  • Thread starter Thread starter joel232
  • Start date Start date
Shaq inside has made a big difference for Cavs

Posted Feb 4 2010 1:09PM

shaq608.jpg


Looking at their overall statistical profile, this year's Cleveland Cavaliers are very similar to last year's. They play at the sixth slowest pace in the league, they rank in the top five both offensively and defensively, and they're tops in point differential.

But the way the Cavs are scoring and defending is very different this season. While Shaquille O'Neal, with Mo Williams out, is only now starting to put up numbers worthy of a spot on your fantasy team, he's made an impact on the way the Cavs play all season.


With the mid-range game being the most inefficient way to score in the league these days, the most important places on the floor are the paint and the 3-point line. The Cavs have thrived beyond the arc (both offensively and defensively) each of the last two seasons, but the paint is another story.
Look familiar?

Cavaliers by the numbers, last two seasons

Season Pace RK Off. Rat. RK Def. Rat. RK Rat. Diff. RK
2008-09 91.2 25 109.7 4 99.4 3 +10.3 1
2009-10 93.5 25 108.0 5 99.6 3 +8.5 1

Last season, the Cavs scored 36 percent of their points in the paint, a lower percentage than all but three teams in the league. This season, they rank 12th by scoring 43 percent of their points in the paint. Their mid-range points (those not scored in the paint, at the line or beyond the arc) are down to 22 percent (10th in the league) last season to just 16 percent (28th) this season.

The presence of the Diesel has made an impact on the defensive end of the floor as well. Last season, the Cavs' opponents scored 41 percent of their points in the paint. This season, that numbers is down to 37 percent, the lowest in the league. As a result, their opponents' mid-range points are up from 21 percent (15th in the league) last season to 24 percent (third) this season.

So while Shaq isn't the offensive force that he was in the past and he doesn't move too well defensively anymore, he's still a presence in the paint. He hasn't gotten any smaller as the years have gone by. And you can't coach size.

The Cavs have outscored their opponents in the paint in 35 of their 50 games so far this season, and they've won 30 of those. They're just 5-4 when they're outscored in the paint and 4-2 when paint points are even.

Per 100 possessions, the Cavs have a points-in-the-paint differential of +9.4, which is tops in the league. Last season, they ranked 19th with a differential of -1.4.

Who was No. 1 last season? Shaq's Suns, of course.

Points in the paint have been tracked since the 2000-01 season. And in eight of the 10 seasons since, Shaq's team has ranked in the top three in points-in-the-paint differential.

One anomaly was the 2002-03 Lakers, when Kobe Bryant became the team's leading scorer for the first time and shot a lot more threes than he ever had. The other was the season when Shaq was traded from Miami to Phoenix in February and played just 61 games total.



How Shaquille O'Neal's teams have fared

Season Team PIP Diff Rank
2000-01 Lakers +6.7 3
2001-02 Lakers +7.1 2
2002-03 Lakers +3.6 8
2003-04 Lakers +6.6 1
2004-05 Heat +10.5 1
2005-06 Heat +12.0 1
2006-07 Heat +5.5 3
2007-08 Heat (47 G) -5.3 28
2007-08 Suns (34 G) +0.1 17
2008-09 Suns +12.6 1
2009-10 Cavs +9.4 1

PIP Diff = Difference between points-in-paint made
and points allowed in paint

Now, outscoring your opponent in the paint isn't necessarily a formula for success. This season, the 16-31 Pistons rank fifth in the league with a differential of +2.9, while in 2005-06, the 64-18 Pistons were very much a jump-shooting team and ranked last in the league with a differential of -8.6. If you've got four or five guys on the floor who can shoot and you move the ball well, you can still be successful without a post presence.

But the Cavs believe that controlling the paint will be critical for them come May and June. That's why they traded for Shaq last summer and that's why, despite his much larger expiring contract, he won't be the center they trade if they want an upgrade at power forward.

Even though there are some good teams at the bottom of the rankings when it comes to points-in-the-paint differential -- Portland ranks 30th, Toronto ranks 22nd and Dallas ranks 21st -- the teams the Cavs are focused on are all near the top.

The Celtics rank third with a differential of +5.8, the Lakers rank fourth at +3.4, the Magic rank sixth at +2.5 and the Hawks rank 10th at +1.5. So if you can match their size and take away the paint, you will have an advantage against those teams. It's not a coincidence that the aforementioned Pistons, despite their poor record, are one of only three teams who have beat Atlanta, Boston and Orlando this season.

The Cavs, of course, are 5-1 against the Lakers, Celtics and Hawks, with the only loss coming on opening night against Boston. They've won the points-in-the-paint battle in each of the six games, by an average of 10.3 per contest.

A year ago, the Cavs were 6-7 against those teams in the regular season and famously lost to the Magic, 4-2, in the conference semifinals. In two regular season games against the Lakers, they were outscored 104-52 in the paint. They didn't get outscored in the paint in that Orlando series, but Dwight Howard averaged 30.3 points on 66 percent shooting in Orlando's four wins, and it was his size and quickness on the pick-and-roll that allowed his teammates to shoot 41 percent from 3-point range.

In eight career games against Shaq, Howard has averaged just 13.6 points on 56 percent shooting. In the Cavs' Nov. 11 win in Orlando, Howard had just 11 points and took just three shots from the field.

On the surface, Shaq's impact on the Cavs seems minimal. But in the games that matter most, his presence is critical.
Click to expand...

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/features/john_schuhmann/02/04/numbers.game/

Great Article on NBA.com. Shaq is one of the main reasons why the Cavaliers are the best team in the NBA.
 
With the acquisition of Jamison, Cleveland Cavaliers have soared into the odds-on favorite for the Eastern Conference.
 
LordOfLeyte said:
With the acquisition of Jamison, Cleveland Cavaliers have soared into the odds-on favorite for the Eastern Conference.
Click to expand...
Well, I think they were the odds-on favorite before the trade, too. Jamison is a fantastic player, but so is Z. I think that Z's size made him so important as the Cavs defend players like Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum. I really hope we get Z back.
 
So that's the 'moral basis' of Cleveland and Ilgauskas which was so important when Z wanted to play for Lithuania in Olympics 08. Now Ferry only put few words like "he was a good player, good luck". And for these shitty capitalists Ilgauskas gave up his whole international career and never even played with a decent point guard. Ilgauskas was the biggest NBA "sold out" issue in Lithuanian BB history and I hope that won't happen again ever.
 
The "problem" for Ilgauskas was Shaq getting in the team. He would start and be the main centre no matter what. Even if Ilgauskas had given a title to the team with a last second shot or something. Shaq is unquestionable in the NBA and he makes sure he is. Still, Cavaliers management showed little respect for Ilgauskas, that's for sure.
 
rikhardur said:
Still, Cavaliers management showed little respect for Ilgauskas, that's for sure.
Click to expand...
Rik, if the Cavs get Z back this year, do you think that will still be disrespectful? I'm not sure either way. The truth is Z is one of my favorite players and has been for a long time. I hate to see him traded just for money, even though I think Jamison will be very productive.
 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/17/AR2010021705872.html

Don't show up at Verizon Center looking to see Big Z firing up three-pointers from the right corner. He'll be here about as long as Drew Gooden, who was in the passenger seat Wednesday night when Jamison drove away. Gooden clearly needed a ride to Dulles to catch a flight to Los Angeles, where he'll presumably join the Clippers who were the third party to the Washington-Cleveland deal. Actually, Big Z probably won't show up in Washington at all. The Wizards can buy him out and he can sit out 30 days, then rejoin the Cavaliers for the playoffs. You think the Cavaliers are crazy enough to not have a veteran big man backing up Shaq?
Click to expand...
 
Yeah those 30 day buyouts are common place now, the Cavs will likely get Jamison for just a late first round pick, while Z gets a 30 day paid vacation. Win, Win. Cavs favorites for the Finals in the east, if they get there and are competitive I can't see them losing Lebron.
 
Dtown said:
Yeah those 30 day buyouts are common place now, the Cavs will likely get Jamison for just a late first round pick, while Z gets a 30 day paid vacation. Win, Win. Cavs favorites for the Finals in the east, if they get there and are competitive I can't see them losing Lebron.
Click to expand...
Still with the ring avatar, D? Come on, man. You're living in the past. :D :D

Yeah, I can't see LeBron going anywhere else besides Cleveland. He's in a great situation. It's his hometown team and they've got a great cast of players around him.
 
mvblair said:
Still with the ring avatar, D? Come on, man. You're living in the past. :D :D

Yeah, I can't see LeBron going anywhere else besides Cleveland. He's in a great situation. It's his hometown team and they've got a great cast of players around him.
Click to expand...

Of course I'm living in the past, have you seen the Pistons this year? :p

Also explains my sig
 
Dtown said:
Of course I'm living in the past, have you seen the Pistons this year? :p

Also explains my sig
Click to expand...
Hah, hah, hah!! :D :D :D

Well, I got my first glimpse of Jamison yesterday afternoon. He looked great. He had 19 points on 9-14 and hit his only three point attempt. Unfortunately, Mo Williams missed 8 shots. Orlando shot 50% and won the game pretty handily in the fourth.
 
We might be in trouble...
Denver Post Article -- February 25, 2010, Denver Post, by Benjamin Hochman

The Nuggets are making a strong push to acquire coveted big man Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who likely will soon be bought out by the Washington Wizards.

"There hasn't been a day go by that I haven't heard from Mark (Warkentien, the Nuggets' vice president of basketball operations)," Herb Rudoy, Ilgauskas' agent, said Wednesday. "He had a great relationship with 'Z' (back in Cleveland). Mark has been very aggressive to convince me to convince 'Z.' "

Ilgauskas is currently at his home in New York City, waiting to hear what happens next. He was traded by Cleveland near the trade deadline to the Wizards. And the plan is for the former all-star center to get bought out of his contract so he can sign with a contender.

"He wants to win a championship," Rudoy said.

The 7-foot-3 big man averages 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds this season.

The Nuggets have a coveted facet to this deal too — the biannual exception, which pays a player $1.99 million. That's what Denver would use, if the center agrees to sign with Nuggets, the No. 2 team in the Western Conference.
Click to expand...
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Article -- February 25, 2010, by Michael Cunningham, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

...The feeling in the Hawks locker room is that Ilgauskas would be a good addition.

“We need a guy like that,” said Hawks center Al Horford. “I hope our people can make that happen because he would be a big key for us.”

Ilgauskas would add three elements the Hawks need: size (he’s 7 feet 3, 260 pounds), shooting to stretch the floor and playoff experience (64 games).

“He’s a guy that is good with shooting on the pick-and-pop,” Horford said. “He’s a big body. We already have some of those but you need as many as you can get for the playoffs, especially an experienced guy like that.”
Click to expand...

Adrian Worjankowski wrote an interesting commentary on the 23rd about Big Z's situation. Basically, Worjankowski says that there probably was a "wink, wink," behind-the-scenes deal for Z to go back to Cleveland, even though it's illegal according to NBA rules. He says this kind of stuff goes on all the time, whether it's with these players who have their contracts "bought out" or with potential free-agents. "NBA officials can’t catch teams. Truth be told, they don’t want to catch teams. This is a league full of side deals," Worjankowski writes. I think he's probably right.
 
USA - LeBron to wear number 6 next season

CLEVELAND (2010 FIBA World Championship for Men) - Team USA star LeBron James will have several big decisions to make regarding his future in the coming months, but one thing is certain - he will be wearing a different number once the 2010-2011 NBA season tips off.

James told Cleveland newspaper The Plain Dealer that he has filed the necessary paperwork with the NBA to drop his trademark '23' and instead wear '6' in the autumn.

"I've done it. I already sent it in. I'm going to be number 6," he said.

The 25-year-old has worn number 6 while helping the USA take the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The number is also symbolic as it is part of the birth dates for both his sons - Lebron James Junior, born on 6th October 2004 (06/10/2004) and Bryce Maximus James, born on 14th June 2007 (14/06/2007).

Despite his status as the most sought-after free agent in the class of 2010, James hopes to find the time to wear his number 6 Team USA jersey in Turkey this summer and help the Americans as they bid for their first FIBA World Championship for Men crown since 1994.

The Cleveland Cavaliers star is turning in his number 23 as a tribute to Michael Jordan.

James first came up with the idea last November and called on others who wore the number to give it up so that the NBA could then retire it across the league in the honour of arguably the best basketball player in history.
Click to expand...
http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/38753/arti.html
 
Call me cynical, but I think this is a good way to sell some more jerseys.

LeBron James is an amazing basketball player -- one of the best on the planet -- and he wants to make his money.
 
shaqs injury is really sad i hope hell be able to play in the playoffs..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top