That will make for an interesting discussion in the Bacon Thread. It pains me to say this as a Pistons fan (I hate the Cavs), but Cleveland has a VERY promising future. If you take a closer look at that team, you see that... 1. They have the current rookie of the year and a guy who will likely take over CP3's position as top PG in the NBA in a few years. 2. They have a couple of good young role players who will be coming into their own in the next 2 - 3 seasons (Thompson, Gee [need to resign], etc.) 3. They likely have a top-3 pick in the lottery, another 1st rounder (24) and a high 2nd rounder (34). 4. With Antoine Jamison coming off the books, the Cavs are sitting pretty at around $20 million buck under the cap. 5. They have Sideshow Bob locked up for another 3 years at a VERY reasonable rate given his production. 6. They have no bad contracts as Luke Walton'd deal is now an expiring contract next season. 7. Byron Scott is a solid coach.
So true.. as long as in a few years Irving don't make an 1 hour show to decide if he resigns or go to Miami to play along Wade and Lebron. (just a joke, I know he won't because he will be in the same team with good teammates like Thompson and this years draft pick) So sad when we compare Cavs future with ours. We have Monroe and Knight as great things, but then it's all .. I don't know how to put it.. but the rest is not too shiny
I'm not sure I'd trade Monroe and Knight for Irving and Thompson but I'd trade our salary structure and draft situation with the Cavs in a heartbeat. I realize that there are different circumstances that led to both franchises going from Championship contenders to lottery dwellers but the Cavs are 2 - 4 years ahead of the Pistons as far as rebuilding is concerned. Sure they prolly did some tanking to land Irving and this year's top-3 but that's not the difference in my opinion. The difference between the Cavs and Pistons is that Cleveland didn't go out and make a bunch of panic free-agent moves (Gordon, Garbage, Prince, Stuckey). They could have freaked out when LeBron left but they remained calm, sucked for a couple years and now they're back swimming with the current while the Pistons are still treading water.
The crazy thing about Cleveland is it seems like they've been bad forever, but they were good just 2 years ago. They definitely have added talent.
This just makes me admire the Detroit Pistons even more - nothing better than a spirited team built by and composed of great, hardworking citizens and all-around great guys.
The 6,7 and 8 playoff spots are up for grabs in the East and we have just as good a shot as anybody else. We were a .500 team after a 4-20 start. We found solid roles for everybody. Knights learning curve was similar to GM's the year before (made a fool out of me, again!). Knight will be better, Monroe will be more consistent and he's learning to trust his jumper. Tay will be Tay, and that's not a bad thing in the right situation. Gordon is the key, he has to become one of the top 6th men in the league. You guys are talking about Clev, but Tor is getting better too. A playoff birth will yield a nice free agent in the summer of 2013, this season will seal the fate of Gordon and Villanueva.
The 6,7 and 8 playoff spots are up for grabs in the East and we have just as good a shot as anybody else. We were a .500 team after a 4-20 start. We found solid roles for everybody. Knights learning curve was similar to GM's the year before (made a fool out of me, again!). Knight will be better, Monroe will be more consistent and he's learning to trust his jumper. Tay will be Tay, and that's not a bad thing in the right situation. Gordon is the key, he has to become one of the top 6th men in the league. You guys are talking about Clev, but Tor is getting better too. A playoff birth will yield a nice free agent in the summer of 2013, this season will seal the fate of Gordon and Villanueva.
