2015 Browns Position Previews: Defensive Line
July 20, 2015J.R. Smith to meet with Cavaliers this week
July 21, 2015Happy Tuesday, WFNY!
Man, what a crazy year this has been in terms of the weather. I know not everyone who reads this lives in NE Ohio. That’s ok, I don’t live there either. But I always assume the weather in Cleveland is more or less the same as it is here in Columbus. And, as WFNY’s Kirk Lammers will tell you, Columbus is Cleveland. I think that’s how that goes. Right, Kirk?
But I digress. It’s been hot lately. After some pretty warm weather in late May and June, we have gone through over a month of mild temperatures and what seems like rain almost every single day. This weekend, though, the temperatures rose into the 90s and with the extreme humidity, it was downright dangerous outside. You could be sitting outside in the shade and still work up a sweat. It was gross.
It was especially brutal for me because I don’t have air conditioning in my house. “WHAT?” Yeah, I know. Stupid, but true. Here’s what happened. Late last summer (or was it even early fall maybe?), my AC broke down. It was right around the time the weather transitions into that beautiful fall weather where it’s comfortable during the day and you get that slight, crisp, cool air at night. So I decided to punt the decision to repair my AC until the spring. Fast forward to this spring, and one thing leads to another and I don’t get around to fixing the AC. Then I get my first $25 electric bill, and I think to myself “Hmm, you know, I kind of like this cheap power bill. I wonder if I can go all summer with AC?”
It has now become a person test of will for myself. But last weekend? It was brutal. A couple times I thought about giving in and paying for emergency on-call weekend repairs. But I’m stubborn to a fault and now at this point, I don’t want to give in. I want to prove to myself that it’s all state of mind and that I can survive one summer without air conditioning.
Basically, I’m an idiot.
Regardless, that’s how my weekend was. I’m looking forward to the next couple nights where the temps are supposed to fall back into the low 60s/high 50s overnight. It’s like hitting the reset button on the equilibrium temperature inside my house. So with that out of the way, lets start this sweaty, humid edition of WWW.
*****
Mo’s Impact
When Mo Williams agreed to return to the Cavaliers, I wrote in WWW about how happy this made me simply on the personal side of being a fan. I love Mo Williams and I was thrilled to have him back on the team. I’m thrilled to be able to root for him as a Cavalier again. But I expressed some reservation on the performance side of the scale. Mostly, I’m a little worried about having another defensively weak PG.
But I guess that’s not really the important point. That’s not what Mo’s role will be. Mo will be here to provide some occasional hot shooting and to help create offense when Kyrie is on the bench (or hurt). And that’s where some experts think Mo will really shine.
As ESPN.com is going through their free agency rankings, they recently took a look at the best PG signings of the offseason. You’d probably expect Derron Williams to top this list. A couple years ago, Rajon Rondo would have been a shoe-in to be #1. But not this year. Nope. Mo Williams tops the list. Bradford Doolittle writes:
Cleveland could have used Williams’ creative ability in the Finals but is happy enough to have him now. Williams signed a two-year, $4.3 million deal to upgrade Cleveland’s bench, which was no easy task given the Cavaliers’ lack of financial flexibility. When Williams last played alongside LeBron James for the Cavaliers, he started for two years and was the club’s second-leading scorer. He turns 33 in December and won’t be asked to fill such a large role this time around, but Williams was a major acquisition from an impact standpoint — or at least he will be if he proves to be the piece that helps Cleveland win two more games, and a title, next season.
Williams can still get his shot, as he proved last season when he posted a career-high usage rate while playing for two non-playoff squads in Charlotte and Minnesota. Williams’ streaky shooting is prodigious — he erupted for 52 points in a game last season — and he’s just the kind of player who can win a key game or two by getting hot from the field. And since Cleveland has three top offensive options in James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, Williams won’t be required to be hot every night. He’s more of a luxury. On top of all that, Williams showed that he still has some solid playmaking ability, and that may be needed as a hedge against any lingering effects from Irving’s postseason injury woes.
He makes a great point. Going into the offseason, I don’t think there was much hope that the Cavaliers could use free agency to land a true impact player for their bench. But they landed the #1 PG on this list. That’s huge.
*****
What about the rest of the Cavs free agents?
Things have been awfully quiet on that front. It has been weeks now since there has been any real news about Tristan Thompson. It’s a funny thing, because time isn’t going to change anything. The Cavaliers’ financial situation won’t get any better or worse. Other teams aren’t going to start clearing space just to sign Tristan to an offer sheet they know the Cavaliers will match. So what, exactly, is going on in these negotiating sessions? I would give anything to be a fly on that wall.
We know James Jones will be back, JR Smith “sort of” regrets opting out and has expressed a desire to return and the feeling is said to be mutual from the Cavaliers’ point of view. I think Matthew Dellavedova is mostly in a holding pattern until the Cavaliers get everyone else taken care of. But the big piece that needs to fall is the Thompson signing.
I’m by no means worried about this. It’s still July, we have a long way to go. But it is a little strange just how quiet it has been on that front. Neither side is leaking any feelings of hostility or impatience with the other side to the media, and that’s a good thing. I guess we’ll just have to continue to sit tight and wait for what seems like an inevitability.
But really, why is there such a hold up here? There are so many factors at play here, it’s impossible to point to any one thing. But one of the biggest factors is that it’s really, really hard to figure out what Tristan is worth. Kevin Kleps does a nice job illustrating this point in Crain’s:
The truth is, aside from a select few, we have no idea what type of salaries players will command, since a max contract today might look like a bargain in two years, when the cap is expected to rise from its current $70 million to at least $108 million. At $19 million per year, Kyrie Irving’s five-year contract seems like a steal, and it will look even better in 2016-17.
And what about Tristan Thompson, Irving’s classmate in the 2011 lottery who has yet to come to agreement with the Cavs on a long-term contract — despite an early report that the power forward was close to giving the OK to a five-year, $80 million deal?
[…]
Should Thompson get more than the $82 million that went to [Draymond] Green, an elite defender who might have been the Warriors’ second-most-important player?
The easy answer is no.
But when you factor in Thompson’s value to the Cavs during the playoffs (he was their second-best player after Kevin Love was injured), his age (24), his agent (Rich Paul, the same as James) and the fact that he plays for an owner who seems to be more willing to pay a whopping luxury-tax bill than most, and it gets way more complicated.
I might disagree on Tristan being the Cavs’ second best player after Love’s injury. I think even with the injuries Kyrie was the second best player. But other than that, Kleps is right. This is a complicated situation and finding true comparables for Tristan is super duper hard.
*****
New Music of the Week
I’m still adjusting to the new universal record release day change, but this week, we have a surprise winner. One of my absolute favorite things in music right now is when bands release surprise albums out of the blue.
Over the weekend, Wilco (of all bands) did just that, releasing their new album, Star Wars, for free on the internet. The album isn’t necessarily your typical Wilco release. It’s extremely short, clocking in at 11 songs over 33 minutes (their last proper album, 2011’s “The Whole Love”, was a sprawling 16 song, 75 minute affair). And while you wouldn’t think Wilco’s sound would be well suited for this kind of quick and easily digestible format, it actually shines in its own way.
It will never rank high on any list of best Wilco albums. People like their Wilco albums to breathe and be deliberate. This album feels almost improvisational at times. It’s spontaneous. It’s unexpected. And I love everything about it. In 2015, I enjoy having a Wilco album that I can just pop in and mindlessly enjoy when I have a half hour to kill.
If I’m sitting down to really take in the Wilco experience, I’m still putting on Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or Being There. But this album will have it’s role in my musical rolodex for a while. And it’s free. So why not give it a listen?
You can download the album by going to Wilco’s website here or you can stream it on Spotify now.
*****
That’s all I have for you this week. The Browns’ rookies report to camp tomorrow, with the vets checking in a week later. Football is right around the corner, you guys! Have a great rest of your week!
19 Comments
I like the guy, but J.R. turning down 6.4 mil to sign for less just sounds like a thing J.R. would do.
Yep.
Sybil definitely lost this round of contract roulette. I suspect that we’ll see him back once he convinces himself that a chance at a ring is more important that making marginally more money on a lesser team.
Now, Cupcake on the other hand, is high if he ever thinks he’s going to make more than 80/5. And if he thinks he’s going to show us all something special this season….well good luck with that, when your playing time is cut in half by Love. Remember him? The other forward…that can rebound AND score.
Not sure why everyone is getting anxious about Tristan. The Cavs will match anything he’s offered elsewhere, as they’ve practically said. And Rich Paul may therefore be stretching things out as long as possible to see whether he might talk someone else into a max, maybe after an off-season injury. Last year he kept Eric Blesdoe from signing until late September to keep pressure on Phoenix.
But Tristan will be here, and this particular young man will undoubtedly show up in shape and ready to start the grind. No worries.
I was pleasantly surprised to really, really like that Wilco album. Granted, it’s kind of a tease at 30+ minutes, but it sounds like vintage Wilco (moreso than anything in years) and is a real easy-going listen. Love Cold Slope/King of You.
I still don’t trust JR so it will be interesting to see if he does return to the Cavaliers how long a contract it will be. As for Tristan Thompson other then getting a deal done to get it over with there’s no need to rush. The fact that no other team has offered him a deal is all we need to know. He’s going nowhere.
I think people just want a deal done but I agree 1000% he’s going nowhere which is underscored by the fact that no other team has even made him an offer.
Andrew No A/C Schnitkey do you have cable?
Yep, it’s kind of funny that the team he’s worth (by far) the most to is also the team who holds his restricted free agent rights.
As much as I ride No Show Mo, he’s good for moral, and we’ve all seen a happy Sybil is a stable Sybil.
Mix into that, healthier teammates, leading to less dependence on him, I’m willing to role the dice.
I’m not a big Mo Williams fan but the Cavaliers needed a decent backup for KI and Mo showed me something last year when he filled in nicely for Charlotte when Kemba Walker was injured. (Delly is done in my eyes no way should the Cavs pay him anywhere near what he wants) But as far as JR goes I think it’s really up to him at this point. Like you said if playing for a ring carries any kind of value then he should stay in Cleveland. If not well then best of luck elsewhere.
I think when all is said and done Thompson will get every dollar he’s seeking or pretty close. His gamble on himself will have paid off greatly. I also predict he’ll never see another contract 3/4 of the one he’ll be getting from the Cavs this off-season so it makes sense for him to maximize it. I just hope that after he gets paid we continue to see the Thompson we saw in the playoffs because if he doesn’t battle for rebounds and do the dirty work then shame on him.
One thing I wonder about that I haven’t seen mentioned by anyone is what about a sign and trade involving Thompson? I know once upon a time there were rumors that he’d like to play for his hometown Raptors what if the Cavaliers could swing a deal involving him for say DeMar DeRozan? (Just spit balling I don’t know what DeRozan earns) Or maybe another team. I would then assume the Cavs would bring Sasha Kaun back.
It’s an interesting thought, but I think there are two very big blockades to get past.
1) LeBron James – By all accounts, he wants to have TT back on the team and LeBron controls TT’s agent and can probably manipulate David Griffin into agreeing on that big contract.
2) The Raptors may very well be interested in Thompson, but I doubt they value him nearly as much. Would Tristan take significantly less money to play for the Raptors?
I’m not buying into the whole “LeBron controls/wants/determines/requires” story line because we just don’t know. Frankly I think it’s lazy “reporting” when I see people use this as a reason to throw out all kinds of opinions. Granted LBJ did say Tristan Thompson should remain a Cavalier but honestly that could be interpreted in all kinds of ways. But in the end it doesn’t matter because Thompson is a restricted free agent which means as long as the Cavs want to pay him he’s staying.
I agree on the second part like I said I was just spit balling an idea. I didn’t have any “sources” who whispered in my ear who I could report like Chris Broussard or Brian Windhorst. I also agree Thompson’s greatest value happens to be with the Cavaliers which besides being restricted could be another reason you don’t see teams climbing over each other to offer him a contract. I hope Thompson and his representation realize this too.
Nope. Just internet and plenty of streaming services.
It’s weird that the length of the album is the most striking that about it, but that’s the reality of it. It’s so bizarre as a Wilco album for that very reason. But very good never the less. I agree, it’s surprising that this worked.
http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/05004EEDEE496B98
(I started to reply to Andrew, but then remembered that he doesn’t live in Cleveland)
Barbarian!!! 😉
“the temperatures rose into the 90s and with the extreme humidity, it was downright dangerous outside. You could be sitting outside in the shade and still work up a sweat. It was gross.”
That’s an unpleasant weekend for sure, especially sans air. Though you just described March-October or so here in the Tampa Bay Area. I’ll trade you places, straight up!
(By the way, that theory that “the blood thins out” and people can adapt to the heat/humidity? A cruel hoax by the Florida Tourism Board. 12 years here and it’s as miserable as ever for my Ohio blood)
Alas, neither do I. San Diego. Wilco’s in LA in like two weeks, but it’s a Wednesday so I probably can’t go. No San Diego dates right now.