Cleveland Cavaliers 2009-10 Thread

[Lebron23]

shaqs injury is really sad i hope hell be able to play in the playoffs..

Shaq confident of quicker return



Shaquille O'Neal is optimistic that he will be back to help the Cavaliers in the stretch run.

The center, who had thumb surgery on Monday, told ESPN's Jeremy Schaap that he will be back in six weeks instead of the eight that the team said he will miss. That would allow him to return for the start of the playoffs. The Cavs currently own the NBA's best record.

O'Neal has played well for the Cavaliers, averaging 12 points and 6.7 rebounds in 53 games. He injured the thumb Thursday at Boston when his shot was blocked by Glen Davis with just over 7 minutes left in the first half.

Cavs general manager Danny Ferry said O'Neal will wear a splint for the next two weeks, then begin his rehab.

"Our guys have done a very good job of stepping up this season. We are confident they will do the same in this situation," Ferry said. "We are fortunate to have some depth in our frontcourt that can keep us moving forward while Shaq recovers and returns to play for the postseason."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4961000

[Test]

Haha, first Cavs traded Z like piece of trash for whoever cares where But then Shaq got injured they are waiting for Ilgas to come back. Reminds me situation in kindergarten...

I hope Ilgauskas will not act like a #$%@ and leave them alone. Lets Varejao do all the work LOL.

I wish cavs loose in a first round and LeBron will go to New York to meet Jay Z n Friendz Cavs would wait another 50 years for another LeBron. And danny ferry would commit suicide. But that was just best case scenario

[Lebron23]

'Pop' sees plenty of Spurs in Ferry's Cavs

By Justice B. Hill on March 8, 2010 11:19 PM

You pray the house of basketball that general manager Danny Ferry and coach Mike Brown have built here in Cleveland isn't made of balsam. You hope the frame and the foundation are pieced together with mortar and brick and not driftwood and rusty nails.

Plans for building a basketball team from floor to roof aren't as exacting as the architectural renderings for a five-star hotel on Mars. Talent goes a long way in the former, but talent alone isn't always enough, although an NBA team is never hurt when it has a bright light like LeBron James illuminating the project each night.

A team like the Cavs can follow that shining light until the final brick in the NBA championship is laid.

So far, what Ferry and Brown have built is an impressive structure, coach Gregg Popovich said Monday night before his Spurs lost to the Cavaliers, 97-95.

Popovich could look out onto the arena floor and see how strong that house was. "Pop" could see a team with the NBA's best record, a team 12- or 13-men deep in talent, a team with LeBron to rely on in the clutch, a team with the ability to do something extraordinary.

"Great, great opportunity to get it done this year," Pop said.

And Pop should know.

He has a couple of NBA titles on his mantelpiece, plus he mentored the brain trust behind these Cavs. Ferry and Brown have histories tied to Pop and the Spurs, and much of what the two men have learned about the administrative and coaching sides of pro hoops have come from Pop.

What they have built here is a carbon copy of what the Spurs have been. Like Pop's Spurs, Ferry and Brown's Cavaliers are a team that plays stifling defense and unselfish offense. They are like Pop's team in one other respect; they have a star, too.

Here's where they now differ: Pop's team is NBA past.

True enough, his Spurs can serve as a template for the present. What franchise wouldn't want to mimic them and their decade of success? Their days of winning NBA titles, however, vanished two seasons ago but not for any reason other than great teams get old.

In front of people's eyes, the Spurs aged. Star forward Tim Duncan is an old 33; forward Manny Ginobili is an old 32; and point guard Tony Parker is hurt. So the future isn't theirs; the future is here, in Cleveland, with the Cavaliers, a point Pop stressed.

Pop didn't hide his admiration for what this Cavs team has become under the hands of his two mentees. He praised how Ferry and Brown have done it - how they've collaborated with owner Dan Gilbert to build what is now one of the glamour teams in the NBA, a team with global appeal, a team that can rival the recent NBA champs in talent.

"The results are what you see," Pop said.

What people see is a team that Ferry and Brown have hanging on the precipice of greatness. They have issues still that they are looking to sort out, including what to do if center Shaquille O'Neal is unable to return from his thumb injury. They must fret some about what to do if center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, despite what he's telling everybody, decides not to re-sign with the Cavaliers.

Can Ferry and Brown, Pop's pupils, win a championship without a legitimate force in the middle? Can LeBron be enough?

That seems not to matter much in mid-March, the winter thaw in Cleveland not yet complete. Besides, the journey to an NBA title is littered with obstacles, foreseen and unforeseen.

What does matter is that the house is in good order. It's strong and sturdy, made with the best materials, made using a foolproof blueprint that Ferry and Brown borrowed from Pop.

http://www.realclearsports.com/blognetwork/justice_is_served/2010/03/pop-sees-plenty-of-spurs-in-ferrys-cavs.html

[webfrontier]

The Cleveland Cavaliers will not get the title this season if they meet the Magics in the playoffs. That's the only hindrance to their championship run.

[Lebron23]

The Cleveland Cavaliers will not get the title this season if they meet the Magics in the playoffs. That's the only hindrance to their championship run.

Cleveland Cavaliers has already beaten the Orlando Magic twice this season.

The 2009-2010 Cleveland Cavaliers team are a much better team than the Orlando Magic this year.

Shaq, Jamison, and Parker > Wallace, Pavlovic, and Szczerbiak.

[LordOfLeyte]

It would be interesting on how the Cavs plan on using Leon Powe when the latter is activated amidst a crowded PF spot.

[rikhardur]

Cavs signed Ilgauskas until the end of the season.

[Khalid80]

Cavs welcome back Ilgauskas, sign him for season

Posted Mar 23 2010 4:36PM

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Zydrunas Ilgauskas' agent called Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry at 8:30 a.m. Monday, the first day Ilgauskas was eligible to re-sign with Cleveland.

It took a little longer than expected -- the deal wasn't announced until Tuesday afternoon -- but Ilgauskas is back with the only team he has ever known.

"If I would've left and the team won a championship without me," he said, "I don't think I could've ever forgave myself."

Ilgauskas signed to play for the rest of the season in Cleveland and traveled with the Cavaliers to New Orleans on Tuesday. Coach Mike Brown said he will likely play against the Hornets on Wednesday.

To make room on the roster, Cleveland waived second-year forward Darnell Jackson.

"Z has been a good friend of mine and others in the organization," said Ferry, who played with Ilgauskas in Cleveland. "We're excited to have the Ilgauskas family back in Cleveland. This is where they really wanted to be."

It's been a difficult season for the veteran center. He became a bench player for the first time in his career when the team acquired Shaquille O'Neal last summer, then he was upset when Brown didn't play him the night he was expected to break the franchise's record for most games played.

When Ferry traded his former teammate to Washington in the three-team deal that brought Antawn Jamison and Sebastian Telfair to Cleveland, Ilgauskas had to take a few days to calm his emotions and collect his thoughts.

"It's been a strange season," he said.

Washington subsequently bought out his contract before he ever played a game, making him a free agent. While multiple teams around the league showed great interest, Ilgauskas ultimately chose to return to Cleveland. He had to wait 30 days under league rules, but passed the time by working out on his own and getting rare time off with his family.

He returns averaging 7.5 points and 5.3 rebounds this season. Brown hasn't decided whether he'll continue to come off the bench or start while O'Neal is out for the remainder of the regular season after thumb surgery.

Cleveland used its biannual exception to sign him for the rest of the season. The 34-year-old has previously hinted at retirement but has since changed his mind. His agent, Herb Rudoy, said he plans to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

"With a guy that is his size and with his skill level and ability to shoot the ball, he has a lot of years left in him," Brown said. "We only bring positives to the organization and to our team with him in the mix."

Ferry warned Ilgauskas before the season he could be traded because of his expiring contract. That didn't make the emotion of the moment any easier. Ferry said his e-mail and voicemail filled up with messages from fans upset that he traded one of the most popular players in franchise history.

It was those same people who brought Ilgauskas back. He said he was overwhelmed by the support of Cavaliers fans who begged him to return once he became available.

"The way people in Cleveland and the fans have reacted has really humbled me in a positive way," Ilgauskas said. "Their support has been unbelievable. I'm from Lithuania and I'll always be proud of it, but this has become a home to me."

http://www.nba.com/2010/news/03/23/cavs.ilgauskas.ap/index.html?ls=iref:nbahpt2

[spider]

Haha, first Cavs traded Z like piece of trash for whoever cares where But then Shaq got injured they are waiting for Ilgas to come back. Reminds me situation in kindergarten...

I hope Ilgauskas will not act like a #$%@ and leave them alone. Lets Varejao do all the work LOL.

I wish cavs loose in a first round and LeBron will go to New York to meet Jay Z n Friendz Cavs would wait another 50 years for another LeBron. And danny ferry would commit suicide. But that was just best case scenario

actually i hope he stays in cleveland, better for my celtics, i want everythig to be status quo this summer. i dont mind dwade in chicago though, they could win against the cavs in the central division, they won't be good enough for at least next season to beat my celtics, cavs are over the cap and they have the jamison huge contract. i hope jj stays with the hawks too so they could beat orlando in southeast division, the bobcats are stronger and might make the playoffs this year and next year they will be better...so a perfect summer if all stay the same, maybe knicks could get rudy gay(lol),my celtics will still kick knicks and the nets and gay-z asses and the craptors too

[LordOfLeyte]

Upon signing Ilgauskas, Cleveland Cavaliers Management waive Darnell Jackson

[Lebron23]

Future Cleveland Cavaliers starting Center Sasha Kaun is averaging 9.1 ppg on 72 FG%, 4.3 rpg, in the Euroleague.

http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=001228

Sasha Kaun is currently playing for CSKA Moscow.

[rikhardur]

I doubt he has has the qualities to be a starting centre in the NBA, but we'll see...

[mvblair]

I doubt he has has the qualities to be a starting centre in the NBA, but we'll see...

Right now the Cavs are stacked at the center position: Z, Shaq, Hickson, Varejao...those are all big boys. Kaun was great at Kansas and is playing very well in Europe. I wouldn't be surprised to see get a small contract on an NBA team someday, but it won't happen with the Cavs anytime soon, unfortunately. Still, it looks like he's putting on some big muscles, doesn't it?

[Straight forward]

Right now the Cavs are stacked at the center position: Z, Shaq, Hickson, Varejao...those are all big boys. Kaun was great at Kansas and is playing very well in Europe. I wouldn't be surprised to see get a small contract on an NBA team someday, but it won't happen with the Cavs anytime soon, unfortunately. Still, it looks like he's putting on some big muscles, doesn't it?

He's already a solid center of Euroleague in one of the best teams, but if Cavs see Kaun as Ilgauskas No.2 than they are wrong.

[Lebron23]

The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched the best record in the league, and they are gonna have the HC advantage in the playoffs.

60 WINS