C.J. Miles to meet with Pacers, likely to leave Cavs in free agency
July 1, 2014On Kyrie and Commitment
July 1, 2014Happy Tuesday, WFNY! And Happy July!
Sometimes July can be a bit of a dull sports month for me. I’m not exactly the world’s biggest baseball fan, so sometimes the month can be a bit of a drag for me. But not this July. The World Cup has been the most exciting World Cup in my memory, and it lasts through July 13th. Then we have the NBA’s Summer League. The Cavaliers will once again participate in the Vegas edition of Summer League. It runs from July 11th through the 21st. In fact, the Cavaliers play the Bucks on the first day of Summer League, which means we’ll get to see the first Andrew Wiggins vs Jabari Parker matchup. Finally, the Browns start Training Camp on July 25th, just four days after Summer League wraps up. Not to mention NBA free agency will be ongoing all month.
So there will be no shortage of things to occupy my sports interest this July.
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Kyrie is one loyal Cavalier!
Well, he’s a rich one, anyway. I had pre-written a segment last night about Kyrie for this morning’s WWW. When I woke up and saw the news that he had already agreed to sign, I was naturally ecstatic, but it also meant I had to completely scratch my Kyrie section and write a new one from the start. And you know what? I am perfectly fine with that.
I happened to still be up at midnight for the official start of free agency, and I decided to be smart ass and tweet:
Did Kyrie agree to sign yet?
— Andrew Schnitkey (@RockWFNY) July 1, 2014
I figured there was a very good chance that this would drag out a bit as both sides worked out some details. Boy was I wrong. Just a couple hours later came the tweets from Dan Gilbert, Adrian Wojnarowski, and my favorite one of them all, this tweet from Kyrie Irving:
I'm here for the long haul Cleveland!!! and I'm ecstatic!! Super excited and blessed to be here and apart of something special.#ClevelandKID
— Kyrie Irving (@KyrieIrving) July 1, 2014
Look, far be it from me to try to put a damper on anyone’s jubilation. Nobody is a bigger Kyrie fan than I am, and today is one of the happiest mornings I’ve had as a Cavs fan for a very long time. A 22 year old two-time All Star PG just decided to sign the longest contract possible to stay in Cleveland. The cynics will say “of course he did, it’s just about the money and now that he has the contract done he can try to force a trade out of Cleveland”. I’m cynical about a lot of things, but Kyrie Irving is not one of them. Despite all the external speculation about his relationships with coaches and teammates and his burning desire to get out of Cleveland, the fact is he has always said the right things and, outside his one big mistake on Fan Night a couple years ago, he has done the right things and represented the Cavaliers in a way that we should all be proud of.
There’s a good portion of the fan base that has never warmed up to Kyrie and has chosen to blame him for most of the Cavs problems. Maybe they’re right. Maybe it is mostly his fault. I can’t say anyone is right or wrong, it is only my opinion that the Cavs problems have been much more with the players, front office, and ownership issues than with the one really good basketball player this team has actually had.
I feel like some fans have kept Kyrie at a distance in part because of latent feelings of mistrust and heartbreak over LeBron leaving. It takes time to let someone back in after getting burned like that on national TV. But I hope now that Kyrie has shown he means it when he has always said he wanted to be here long term, some of those fans will start to loosen up and just enjoy Kyrie Irving for what he is rather than judge him for who he is not.
We don’t always get good days being Cleveland sports fans. But today is one of those good days!
And now back to my debbie downer stuff that was written before Kyrie agreed to sign…
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Will the Cavaliers be free agency players this summer?
I want to say yes. I really do. The Cavaliers have plenty of cap space as is, and they can more or less create as much cap space as they need. They have an exciting young core in Kyrie Irving, Andrew Wiggins, Dion Waiters, and Tristan Thompson (I guess). They have an intriguing new coach. They have incredible facilities and an owner who is more than happy to spend. And they have a pretty great fan base, too (if only that was a bigger factor….or even a factor at all). So why shouldn’t they be a free agency player?
The problem is, right now, it’s hard to find any information on any players being linked to the Cavaliers. I searched the web all over for rumors of any player having any interest in Cleveland whatsoever1. I found nothing.
That’s the hardest part of being a Cavaliers fan sometimes. It’s fun to fantasize about big free agency moves the team can make, but the reality is, free agents just aren’t interested in Cleveland unless the team is willing to overpay them to a degree that other teams won’t match. It’s just a brutal and harsh truth to swallow.
On Yahoo! Sports’s list of the Top Ten NBA Free Agents, not a single one is linked to Cleveland. NJ.com made a list of the Top 25 Free Agents and listed the top three most likely destinations for each of them. The only ones that had Cleveland in the list of three potential destinations are Lance Stephenson and Andray Blatche. ESPN.com did a roundtable discussion of the top free agents, and Cleveland wasn’t mentioned once anywhere. Lance Stephenson was mentioned as one of the most likely to be overpaid, so maybe Cleveland is inherently implied there. Finally, USA Today released their list of Five Teams to Watch When Free Agency Starts. No mention of Cleveland.
We’ll see what happens. I’m sure the Cavaliers will sign someone, but it just might be more of an Earl Clark type signing than a Chandler Parsons type deal. I hope I’m wrong. I hope David Griffin can succeed where Chris Grant failed and really bring in some exciting free agent targets. But history is not on Cleveland’s side.
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But at least the Cavs have Andrew Wiggins!
Last week I had WWW duties on Tuesday before the draft, so I still didn’t know who the Cavaliers were going to take. And while I was heartbroken over Joel Embiid’s injury, I had decided that I just wanted the Cavaliers to do the safe, smart, and relatively boring thing and take Andrew Wiggins. So I was ecstatic when they did just that.
When I say it was the boring move, I mean comparatively. In recent years the Cavs’ drafts have been an adventure. It was so enjoyable to have a nice, calm, relaxing evening knowing the Cavaliers had the player who was the consensus #1 pick for most of the previous year.
I don’t know how good Wiggins will be. Projecting potential is tricky. But I saw a photoshopped image of Wiggins next to 18 year old LeBron. I was struck by how similar their body types were. Not to say Wiggins will be even close to LeBron, but the photo got me thinking, what would have happened to LeBron’s draft stock had he been forced to go to college and then played in a system that maybe wasn’t exactly a perfect fit for him? Would playing in the slow constraints of 35 second shot clocks and deliberate offenses have hurt his stock at all like it did Wiggins? Perhaps.
I mean, there’s no reason to think LeBron wouldn’t have destroyed college players. He’s the best player in the world. But even thinking back to LeBron’s rookie year, as exciting as he was and as bright as you could see his future was, he wasn’t anything close to the dominant player he is today. These things can take time. So I hope fans can be somewhat patient with Wiggins as well. If Wiggins can grow into his body even to a degree half of what LeBron did it will only help his game. Wiggins may never be the physical presence LeBron is, and it’s silly that I keep mentioning their names together. It’s completely unfair to Wiggins. I just wanted to point out that Wiggins is an incredibly exciting prospect and the Cavaliers organization is unbelievably lucky to have won the lottery and have him. Now it’s up to the team to both be patient with him and also develop his skills and put him in the best position to succeed.
Anyway, check out Scott’s incredible Wiggins profile from yesterday. No matter what happens in free agency, this is a time to be excited about the Cavs and to allow ourselves to have a little hope.
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USMNT will win in whatever way is necessary
Today is a big day for another reason. The US team will face Belgium in the first knockout round of the World Cup today at 4:00 pm ET. I’m more nervous and excited for this game than I was for the Ghana game four years ago at this same point in the tournament. I feel like last World Cup the US felt a little lucky to have advanced thanks to Landon Donovan’s incredible late goal. This year, I feel like the team is more on a mission, making a statement by advancing out of the Group of Death.
I really want the team to capitalize on this opportunity to show the world that US soccer is on the rise and that Jürgen Klinsmann is changing the very perception and definition of what “US Soccer” stands for. I’ve made no secret of my personal admiration for Klinsmann and what he is trying to accomplish for the sport inside this country. But he is leaving behind a trail of scorned doubters along the way.
I’ve seen some criticism lately of Klinsmann’s philosophy of going out and recruiting multinationals to play for the US. It’s this idea that Klinsmann’s German heritage is an affront to what being a “real” American is all about. But this was a country founded on principles of inclusion. This country has been and continues to be far from perfect in that goal, but the American Dream stands for something real.
I suppose in a perfect world it would be nice if the USMNT only featured “true blue” Americans. I guess. But where would this team be without those multinationals? It was John Brooks who put in the winner against Ghana. It was Jermaine Jones whose incredible strike turned the tide against Portugal. Fabian Johnson has been one of the most consistent players for the US in the World Cup, flying down the sides and keeping possession for the US in attacks. When Jozy Altidore went down against Ghana, it was Aron Johannsson who stepped in and did the best he could. All of these players have one thing in common….they are all American citizens. They may not live in the US, English may not be their first language, they may not “look like us”. But they all have at least one American parent and they all are citizens of this country.
Klinsmann is dreaming big. People may not have liked his comments about it not being realistic to think the US can win the World Cup, but I think they missed the point he was trying to make. He’s trying to grow something special in the US Soccer establishment, and he’s not just trying to win this World Cup. He’s looking even bigger picture than that. And his first step was to raise the talent level of the entire team by looking at all Americans, not just those who are “real” Americans.
By bringing in some multinational Americans to elevate the play of the USMNT, Klinsmann is banking on elevating the national awareness of the sport as well. The US team has now made it to the knockout round in consecutive World Cups for the first time ever. That’s a huge achievement. But they can’t stop there. It’s time to start making some consistent noise in the knockout rounds as well. So today is a huge day for the team and the sport in general in this country. But even if they lose, I don’t think it’s the end. I think it’s only the beginning for future opportunities for this team. Those who only tangentially follow the sport may not care for all of Klinsmann’s antics, but I get what he’s doing and I’m really happy he’s in charge of US Soccer. I just hope he can follow through on his vision, and a big part of that starts today against Belgium.
This piece is a little old, but I loved what Aaron Gordon wrote for Sports on Earth on the topic of Klinsmann and his perceived “American-ness”:
American soccer differentiated itself from the European game only because it had to. Italy could have played an attacking style at any point, but it chose not to until recently. In the 1950s, Brazil adopted an individualistic, talent-driven style, because they had five of the best forwards in the world on the same team. England typically has deployed a rough defensive style, relying on long balls, because it fit their talent pool. Likewise, American soccer has relied on physical prowess and lots of running, because that’s what you do when you don’t have the instincts and skills to be in the right place at the right time. The team developed its identity not to align with American ideals, but because it was not very good at soccer.
But we are getting better, and as a result we are evolving. Largely due to an influx of continental players, the U.S. team has options now and is reaching beyond its previous identity, the way a toddler goes from a crawl to a walk. It’s a natural progression of a growing, improving entity, and here again, it has very little to do with a national identity.
We are not that different from Europe, but we are very different from what we imagine ourselves to be. The German journalist Josef Joffe once said that America is “less a country [than a] canvas, a continent-size Rorschach blot, on which to project their own preoccupations.” His observation holds true for American soccer. We can look at the same manager and come to two diametrically opposed conclusions as to whether he is a representation of American ideals, because America is whatever you want it to be.
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The Leftovers
Time to wrap up WWW with this week’s pop culture segment.
I don’t know if Lost is my absolute favorite drama of all time. But it’s Top Three for sure, right up there with Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. I was on board with Lost from day one through the finale. I loved every second of it (with the exception of some of the middle parts of Season Three before the writers had set an end date for the show). As a result of my love of the show, I’ve been anticipating the new HBO drama The Leftovers for quite some time.
The Leftovers is based on the book by Tom Perrotta, and the show is being run by former Lost show runner Damon Lindleof. The show debuted last Sunday and….well…I don’t know how to feel about what I saw. Keeping this spoiler free, the premise of the show is that suddenly 2% of the world’s population just disappears in an instant. And nobody knows why. Was it the rapture? Was it something scientific? Was it something supernatural or alien? Nobody knows. And the show doesn’t really care, either.
You see, the show starts three years after the disappearances. Rather than focusing on the mystery of what happened, where those people are, and whether or not they’ll ever return, the show instead deals with those still living and how their lives have changed in dealing with the unexpected losses. The world of The Leftovers is dramatically different from the real world, but those still there try to masquerade their world as normal. To varying degrees and using dramatically different methods, everyone is just trying to cope.
And that’s where my issue with the show’s debut was. This was hands down the most wholly depressing pilot I have ever seen. I thought The Walking Dead was bleak, but that show has nothing on the soul-sucking emptiness of hope, happiness, and fulfillment we see in The Leftovers. There are no signs of redemption, no indicators that life is going to get better. In fact, there are clues that things are only going to get worse.
The show was directed by Peter Berg (of Friday Night Lights fame) and Lindleof and Perrotta are working together on the show’s script and direction. So there’s no reason this show shouldn’t be a success with those three guys leading the project. But I don’t know. I just don’t know if I can take a whole season of this show’s emptiness. I want to like this show, I really do. So I’m going to give it the whole season to win me over. But at some point I hope there is something to cling to. Some kind of chance for redemption for these characters. Otherwise, watching these zombie-like shells of human beings just wallowing their way through abject misery just might be a little too much even for me.
But I’d love to hear from you guys. If you watched the premiere, what did you think? Are you excited for more, or are feeling the same apprehension that I am? Let me know in the comments.
That’s it for me this week. I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th of July, and I’ll see you guys here next Tuesday!
I believe that we will win! Go USA!
- with the exception of a certain someone who I do not believe will really consider coming back [↩]
74 Comments
NBA Live cover athlete? really?
Still updating with a few more ‘non’ basketball items. Just having some fun with Steve’s frustrations to get him to laugh about it and need to make it more obvious with the joke.
http://www.clevescene.com/binary/cfe3/1370958789-kyrie-nba-live-cover.jpg
Beasley on Hazard sounds like a good idea, but it means Cameron at LB or playing Chandler (no thanks).
Well, that’s a convincing argument.
I’m laughing about it as much as one can.
I’m excited to see Irving improve. He needs to. He’s our guy for the next six years, so I’ll still root for him, and be glad for his success, even if it’s something as useless as a NBA Live cover.
But I’m hoping he starts making more of a difference in games that actually count next year.
I know you are. That’s why I went this route. We are all part of Team Kyrie now, so, at least we get scrumptious Coco Pebbles out of it 🙂
Counterpoint: https://waitingfornextyear.com/2014/05/nba-news-rumors-kyrie-irving/
Hah, you beat me to it. I just copied that link and came here to paste it.
Yeah, nothing too surprising. Maybe that Santana was receiving so much interest.
What’s enlightening in the whole thing is that all the crazy trade rumors that make you go “no way that preposterous offer could have been made” are most likely true. Bud Norris for an organization’s top prospect? WTF?
I mean, yes, I’ve read, and commented on that article, which still states “The Cavs should be weighing this decision heavily” which seems to side more with my opinion.
I’m not saying don’t extend Irving. I’m saying this is not a no-doubt-about-it decision.
Actually, it is. It’s already been done. And it was done first thing without haste.
Well, the Cavaliers front office sure has been the pinnacle of talent analysis, so I can’t see any flaws with taking the approach you’re taking.
you cannot get a Colon-level deal if you don’t ask for a Colon-level deal.
I’ve heard a story that Jim Bowden would call other GMs at 3 AM (the allegation that he would do this drunk is still unproven) offering preposterous trades.
Lost was like that for much of the show. Tons of questions and little nuggets of information from time to time. I really enjoyed the first episode, but wasn’t that surprised when all the reviews I saw online were mostly negative. Can’t wait for Sunday.
I dunno. I don’t think there’s a single team that wouldn’t give Kyrie the max if he was their best player. But who knows.
http://cdnl.complex.com/mp/620/400/80/0/bb/1/ffffff/2ddf00343db358027ca9f46bdcf366a8/images_/assets/CHANNEL_IMAGES/MUSIC/2014/07/lead.jpg
I’m very afraid he is Iverson 2.0, but with less D traded for slightly better effective shooting. (But I’m happy he’s signed.)
Dion + Jack ($11.5mil next year total)
for
Henson + Mayo ($10.9mil next year total)
We get a young PF/C prospect we could use and still have a backup SG scorer in Mayo, who can shoot 3pters
Honestly, I think this trade is fair to both sides and I would actually try to soak the newbie Kidd if he does happen to become the GM (or put pressure on them as Kidd reportedly really likes Jack). But, it is the type of trade we should be looking at.
That may certainly be true. Even if you have the same opinion of his abilities than me, it might still be the best move to take a chance that he does figure out how to finally become a difference maker in the next couple years than punt and start over and hope you get a Wiggins. Luckily, this team gets to do both.
Would be ecstatic to get Henson, enough to take on Mayo too. Just keep him under 20 mins a night, and almost never on the court the same time as Irving.
I’d probably do that deal. The writing is on the wall that the Cavs are going to lose Hawes, and with Andy’s age and injury history, the Cavs are looking really thin at C. So yeah, I’d take a shot on a young, developing guy like Henson while also getting rid of Jack’s contract.
My only hesitation is like Steve said above…a situation where Mayo is playing a lot of minutes and becoming a bad influence on Kyrie. But then again, Jack plays a lot of negative minutes as well, so it’s probably a wash.
Exactly. I’m not saying Kyrie is an elite player right now, but the Cavs’ best chance for success in the coming years is for Kyrie to develop into one, or close to one. I just think not giving him the max and watching him walk (or trading him on the cheap) and thus starting the rebuild all over again is a riskier route than just giving him the max today.
I was never on board with letting him walk, and never understood anything suggesting they let that happen. But before they got the #1 pick, I was all for trading him, which I highly doubt would have been on the cheap. His reputation greatly exceeds his abilities, you could have gotten a lot of talent to help build an actual contender, and not a team that still needs some help to challenge the Hawks for the 8th seed and swept spot.