CAVS.SPACE

On Facebook a few minutes ago, I came across an NBA discussion topic: "Who are the top 5 most skilled players of all time?" This is such a tough question. I interpreted it to mean the players with the most overall skills and versatility at each position. Here are my picks:  1st team   PG Oscar Robertson SG Michael Jordan SF LeBron James PF Tim Duncan C Wilt Chamberlain 2nd team   PG Magic Johnson SG Jerry West SF Larry Bird PF Kevin Durant C Arvydas Sabonis 3rd team   PG Russell Westbrook SG Allen Iverson SF Scottie Pippen PF Kevin Garnett C Hakeem Olajuwon With my list of players, everyone included has a strong two-way game (offense and defense) and most can play more than 1 position.  Who would be your top 5 most skilled players in NBA history?

Picture: Front entrance to Quicken Loans Arena on May 30th, 2018. (There were no new decorations yet for the 2018 NBA Finals as the Q renovation project takes place. Decorations were added today.) Cavs rotation Star players who are core players:  F/G LeBron James, F/C Kevin Love Role players who are core players:  G George Hill, G/F J.R. Smith, C/F Tristan Thompson, F Jeff Green, G/F Kyle Korver Role players who are situational players:  G Jordan Clarkson, F/C Larry Nance Jr., G/F Rodney Hood, F/G Cedi Osman, G Jose Calderon Bench players who are secondary backups:  C/F Ante Zizic, C Kendrick Perkins, F Okaro White *Not on playoff roster: Two-way players:  G/F John Holland, G London Perrantes Warriors rotation Star players who are core players:  F Kevin Durant, G Stephen Curry, G Klay Thompson, F/C Draymond Green Role players who are core players:  [G Andre Iguodala], C/F Kevon Looney, G Shaun Livingston, G/F Nick Young, G Quinn ...

Picture: The sun shines on the LeBron James billboard across the street from the Q on Monday, April 17th, 2017. In 11 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron Raymone James Sr. has helped lead his team to a 560-342 regular season record (average of 51-31 per season) and a 95-51 playoff record thus far. Prior to the two LeBron eras in Cleveland, the Cavs had compiled a modest playoff record of 28-49 with two Eastern Conference Finals appearances. It's been quite the ride. However, many analysts, fans, and other NBA conspiracy theorists are calling this weekend the end of the second LeBron-Cleveland era. If this is true, making four Conference Finals in a row, three NBA Finals in a row, and winning one NBA Championship will never be forgotten in Cleveland. No matter how many championships James ends up winning in his career, the 2016 win will always stand out. The Cavs defied all odds by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit to defeat a team with a historic 73-9 regular sea...

Over the past few seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers have become mainstays as NBA championship contenders out of the Eastern Conference. This has included building up a strong roster with several veteran players. This season, the Cavs were forced to make some changes due to various reasons, including Kyrie Irving's request to be traded, Isaiah Thomas not fitting in with the team on the court or in the locker room, and at one point having the oldest roster in the NBA--in which they struggled with the NBA's new rules of having fewer timeouts allowed per game. After starting the season with an up-and-down 31-22 record (.585 winning percentage), the Cavaliers stabilized things through multiple trade deadline deals. In turn, they went 19-10 in their final 29 games (.655 winning percentage) to close out the 2017-2018 campaign.  More so than past years, both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference are up for grabs, with minimal talent differences amongst the teams. The Cav...

Video credit: Fox Sports Ohio - The Cleveland Cavaliers celebrate LeBron James's  game-winner vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves on February 7, 2018.   From the outside looking in, numerous analysts and fans had watched the past month of basketball and made a distinct observation: the 2017-2018 Cleveland Cavaliers ( prior to the trade deadline ) do not like each other. Wednesday night's victory celebration seemed quite fitting as a farewell party to any spoken or unspoken drama in the locker room. As I stated a month ago: With the trade deadline a month away (February 8th), how the team adjusts or doesn't adjust with IT, TT, DRose, and Shumpert back will help determine if anyone needs to be brought in--and if any of these four players or anyone else ends up getting traded. As it turned out, the suspicions many of us had in Believeland were correct: guys needed to get traded in order to adjust the rotation. TT stayed, but IT, DRose, and Shumpert were all traded away....

Thursday night marks the midway point for the Cavs: the nationally televised game against the Raptors is game #41 of 82.  At 26-14, the Cavs have won 65% of their games. They currently hold the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference and the 6th best record in the NBA--behind the Warriors (33-9), Celtics (33-10), Rockets (29-11), Raptors (28-11), and Spurs (28-14). Monday's opponent, the Timberwolves, stand 7th in the NBA at 27-16. The Cavs are 15-4 at home, 11-10 on the road. Last season, the Eastern Conference champions paired a top-flight offense with a lethargic, underperforming defense--nearly setting franchise records on both sides of the court for offensive excellence and defensive futility. Even with some personnel changes this season, the stats and eye test show a team who has some of the same talents and flaws as last year. While ranking 3rd in the NBA in offensive efficiency at 113.3 points per 100 possessions, the Cavs rank 27th in defensive efficiency at 111.2 po...

During the Cavaliers' Summer League victory Monday night, Coach Tyronn Lue took some time to talk with NBA TV commentators Pete Pranica and Isiah Thomas. Among points of discussion were coaching LeBron/star players, developing Kay Felder, and Coach Lue's previous work with Jeff Green when they were with the Boston Celtics. A link to the video is embedded below. ( Video courtesy of NBA TV via Cavs.com.)