| laterzaben: |
man i
hope we can package diop and wagner for something |
| Bob Finnan: |
I think
they'd like to package diop and juanny for someone in a trade. if
they can't do that, they'll use their mid-level |
| MYoung: |
Bob,
what was Hunter's contract terms? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Hunter's
contract - 3 years, 3.2 mil, i think. only first year, 1 mill, is
guaranteed |
| shep: |
who is
left for backup centres |
| CavsFan70: |
Is there
interest in Gadzuric? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Yes, I
think so. But, as you know, he has no offensive game. It's all
predicated on energy. He does run the floor as well as any center in
the league. When he's dunking, everything is fine |
| shep: |
is he
cappable of playing center |
| erockrip: |
Gadzuric
is a beast in transition. Can't play much but he could be good on
the 2nd unit |
| Falb: |
Are the
Cavs really as high on Anderson Varejao as it seems they are? Do you
think he will get regular minutes this season? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Well,
they're signing Varejao to a 3-year, $2.6 million deal. |
| Bob Finnan: |
all of
varejao's contract is guaranteed. so they must like him a lot. he'll
be third string PF |
| SpexZZ: |
What
will Kenny Natt bring to the team? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Natt:
That's hard to say. |
| Bob Finnan: |
I only
met him once. seemed like a good guy. had imput in the sasha deal |
| Bob Finnan: |
I think
silas might start Snow. if he doesn't, ira might start at SF until
Luke is ready |
| Falb: |
yikes |
| King23: |
eeek |
| CavsFan70: |
Will
that bother J-Mac?? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Don't
like Ira? |
| CBBI: |
Luke was
a college senior, how much time does he need to ""get
ready"" |
| Bob Finnan: |
Maybe by
Dec? |
| laterzaben: |
i think
McInnis
will be leaving after next season if
that's
the case |
| Bob Finnan: |
Because
of Snow, you mean? |
| CavsFan70: |
I like
Snow's defense better than
Jeff's. |
| laterzaben: |
yes,
because of snow |
| erockrip: |
have to
start McInnis. He's gonna kick up a storm on the bench |
| laterzaben: |
McInnis
really wants to be a starter, and/or at least get a good share of
minutes |
| CBBI: |
well,
maybe its just me, but Jackson has a pretty good feel for the
fundamentals and should get significant PT |
| Bob Finnan: |
I think
McInnis will be gone after this season |
| erockrip: |
he's
gonna be gone sooner than that if he doesn't start |
| Bob Finnan: |
As soon
as they got snow, i knew something was up |
| Bob Finnan: |
Yes,
Luke is highly skilled |
| Bob Finnan: |
You guys
will like him a lot, i think |
| CavsFan70: |
Is
Newble's back to 100%%? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Newble
is fine |
| shep: |
what
about lukes injury???is he going to be ready |
| Bob Finnan: |
luke is
all right now. they just didn't want him to get hurt in summer
league |
| shep: |
good to
hear |
| CavsFan70: |
Will the
Cavs then go after another pg? |
| Bob Finnan: |
well,
they still have juanny |
| laterzaben: |
bob do
you know of any other trades in the works? are the cavs thinking
about dealing z? there's a z for
Marion
rumor floating around out
there |
| Bob Finnan: |
OK, Z
rumor. No, they are not. now, that could change if he demands a max
deal for about 6 years |
| laterzaben: |
that's
what i figured - i think if he asks for more, we need to make a move |
| Jenny: |
Bob,
Cavs shouldn't give Z a deal for six years ... isn't he 29 years old
? With his history of injuries, he could kill our cap for years if
he breaks his foot again. Remmeber Rik Smits, the older he got, the
more foot probs he got, i fear the same will happen with Z |
| Bob Finnan: |
for Z? |
| shep: |
yes |
| laterzaben: |
i think
its good the cavs are already talking about a new contract with
him.... because honestly, there arenot many free agents next year
that interest me... so if thats the case, i think a trade would be
best |
| Bob Finnan: |
I was
just kidding on juanny. i think he has great upside, but for some
other team. |
| Bob Finnan: |
sasha is
more of a 2 than a small forward, silas said |
| Paul Clayton: |
how are
you bob...sorry, had to get some food |
| Bob Finnan: |
I'm
doing well, Paul |
| shep: |
jason
kidd a possiblity? |
| Falb: |
Bob from
what my observations were and what many others I talked to were, the
Cavs succeeded last year with an up-tempo brand of basketball. This
same type of ball was being asked of by Philly to Eric Snow, and
that's why he asked for and received a departure from Jim O'Brien
and the 76ers. Does that worry you at all that the Cavs are thinking
the wrong way about this Snow acquisition? |
| Falb: |
When
McInnis was there, they played up-tempo, he pushed it and the Cavs
were successful... |
| Bob Finnan: |
snow
said there's nothing to that. he ran an uptempo offense in seattle
(backing up payton). he said it's no problem at all |
| Bob Finnan: |
Mcinnis
is still the starting PG - for now |
| Falb: |
so you
think it was more of Philly wanting Iverson at PG than Snow wanting
out? |
| Bob Finnan: |
snow
wanted out. i don't know why. i was told willie green will start at
2 and iverson will move back to the point |
| Falb: |
cool
thank you |
| CavsFan70: |
If Snow
is our starter won't Jeff have a problem with that? He was already
make noise when Snow was acquired. Will the deal Jeff and go after a
younger point guard? |
| Bob Finnan: |
I would
like to try to make it work with both mcinnis and snow. no one in
the league has that kind of quality depth at PG |
| MYoung: |
Well you
have the Kings |
| Bob Finnan: |
of
course, no one in the league is paying that much money for their pgs |
| CavsFan70: |
I just
think that there could be
trouble
when that is what we want to
avoid. |
| CursedCLEfan: |
I was
wondering if Ronnie Belliard would be back with the tribe next year,
he's done much better than expected. Is his eligibility for
arbitration going to get in the way of his return? |
| Bob Finnan: |
He is
eligible for arbitration. he's leading the AL in doubles. He's on
pace to hit 54 - third highest in team history |
| Paul Clayton: |
ohh,
need a Hal Lebowitz in for a chat |
| Falb: |
lol |
| Bob Finnan: |
how's
that |
| Paul Clayton: |
anyone
with Cavalier questions? |
| Paul Clayton: |
Here's
one...how do the Cavs view LBJ's playing time on
the Olympic team..or lack thereof so far |
| Bob Finnan: |
I don't
think they mind at all. What, is he averaging, 12 minutes a game?
Hard to get hurt that way. He is contributing, though, and has
played well the last two games |
| Paul Clayton: |
does
LeBron think he's being used enough? |
| Bob Finnan: |
probably
not. he probably expected to start. they're starting
Richard
Jefferson
at SF |
| Bob Finnan: |
it's
hard to argue with that. he's a better defender and better outside
shot |
| Paul Clayton: |
with all
the praise the Brown throws at James you would think he would get
more time |
| Bob Finnan: |
Larry
Brown talked about LeBron like he was his son. that was weird |
| King23: |
LoL |
| MYoung: |
Bob, a
lot of people have asked about Erick Dampier. Is there any talk
about him? |
| Bob Finnan: |
In
Cleveland? No. none. can't pay him what he wants, although he might
have to play for the Mid-level this year |
| MYoung: |
What
would the Cavaliers have to give for Scot Pollard? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Well, he
makes about 6 mill. maybe juanny and diop |
| Bob Finnan: |
I don't
know if I'm real thrilled with pollard |
| CursedCLEfan: |
seems a
lot of money for his production |
| Bob Finnan: |
I might
take a flyer with Prybilla or Tsakalidis |
| MYoung: |
Pollard
was one of the best backup C in Sacramento |
| Bob Finnan: |
pollard
was outstanding with the kings. terrible this year |
| Bob Finnan: |
that's
why he's available |
| MYoung: |
That
blows the myth about big men coming east and getting better out of
the water |
| Paul Clayton: |
remember
anyone that wants to ask a question double click on my name or
MYoung and let us know and we'll get you on |
| MYoung: |
Guest96
wanted to know how Boozer is viewed overall in the Cavaliers
organization |
| Bob Finnan: |
what do
you think? |
| Falb: |
hahaha |
| Bob Finnan: |
absolute
dirt |
| Bob Finnan: |
I have
to admit I have trouble watching him play |
| King23: |
lol |
| MYoung: |
If Snow
starts with McInnis who gets left out between Newble, Jackson and
Pavlovic? |
| Bob Finnan: |
all
three. LBJ would start at 3 in that scenario |
| Bob Finnan: |
newble
should be nothing more than a situational defender. put him on
someone who gets hot and let him try to shut him down. |
| Bob Finnan: |
sasha is
on the team to shoot the 3 |
| Bob Finnan: |
luke
will play a lot |
| MYoung: |
Guest96
wanted to know how you feel about Boozer Bob |
| Bob Finnan: |
how do i
feel about booz? let me see. i think he's a liar |
| CursedCLEfan: |
how so? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Him and
his wife, CeCe, orchestrated the whole thing |
| Paul Clayton: |
is Gund
still pretty confident in being able to sign Z to a reasonable
contract |
| Bob Finnan: |
I sat
with Gordon at Westfield CC about 2 weeks ago. he didn't seem
worried at all. I hit him with about 3 Z questions, and he said
calmly that he wants Z to finish his career in cleveland |
| Falb: |
oustanding |
| Paul Clayton: |
does Z
also have that mindset |
| Bob Finnan: |
yes, but
he wants to be paid like he thinks he deserves. at least 12 or 13
mill |
| Falb: |
UGH |
| MYoung: |
Guest96
wants to know how do you think Gooden will fit in replacing Boozer |
| Bob Finnan: |
well,
they can spin it all they want. he's not as good a player as boozer.
he's a better athlete, but he's not a better player. can he score
and rebound? yes. I think 13 and 8 |
| Paul Clayton: |
you
don't think Gooden can outscore Boozer teamed w/ James and Z |
| Bob Finnan: |
outscore
boozer? no. Boozer is going to average 16-17 a game. |
| Bob Finnan: |
maybe
more. |
| Falb: |
wow |
| Paul Clayton: |
you
think higher of his abilities than I do...I think we'll see more
weakness w/o Z |
| Paul Clayton: |
esp. vs.
the good PF in the west |
| laterzaben: |
if you
look at boozers stats when we played teams from the west, he did
just fine |
| Bob Finnan: |
no
doubt, he'll be going up against top-flight PFs in the west. i think
he's capable of scoring more than the 15.5 last year. |
| MYoung: |
At what
point do the cavaliers
determine
they cannot re-sign Z or will they
wait until after next season? |
| Bob Finnan: |
they can
sign Z all through the season, too. there's no rush. they also have
the ability to match any offer sheet he gets next summer |
| Paul Clayton: |
now that
Sasha has made the Olympics do you think that will elevate his game
to get him more minutes this year |
| Bob Finnan: |
no |
| Paul Clayton: |
what do
you see from him or is he still a couple years off |
| Bob Finnan: |
he's
still very young. he can shoot. pax told me about him after last
year's draft. he liked him a lot and considered moving into the
first round to get him last year. |
| MYoung: |
The
Cavaliers may have as much as 20M in cap
room
next year. If a large
chunk
doesn't
go to Z what would they do with it? |
| Bob Finnan: |
give it
all to diop |
| CursedCLEfan: |
bah |
| Paul Clayton: |
lol |
| Bob Finnan: |
I'm
sorry. |
| Bob Finnan: |
The plan
is to sign a major free agent, a top flight player to a max
contract. |
| Bob Finnan: |
then
they can go over the cap to sign z |
| Paul Clayton: |
any
names floating out there, they have their eye on |
| CursedCLEfan: |
whos out
there next year? |
| Jenny: |
AK 47 ! |
| Bob Finnan: |
Zach
Randolph |
| erockrip: |
wow.
Gund is willing to do that and go over the cap? |
| Paul Clayton: |
why?? |
| Bob Finnan: |
I just
made that up. it's way too early to throw out any names. But a
rising star=type guy |
| Paul Clayton: |
thank
god..you worried me |
| Bob Finnan: |
No, I
can't think of anyone right now, Paul. Let me work on that one. |
| MYoung: |
Svargas
wants to know your predictions on the Cavaliers record and whether
they will make the playoffs |
| Bob Finnan: |
OK.
Well, they won't finish higher than third in their division. I can
go way out on a limb with that one. Record? 40-42 |
| Paul Clayton: |
any
predictions on LeBron's performance? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Let's
say, 25, 7 and 7. All-Star team. Second-team All-NBA |
| Paul Clayton: |
I could
live w/ that |
| MYoung: |
Svargas
wants to know if the Cavaliers are any more attractive to free
agents now |
| Bob Finnan: |
so could
i. no, they're not. several agents said cleveland is cleveland.
they'll still have to overpay to get people here. |
| Paul Clayton: |
if they
sign Z to 12-14 and another at max...where does that put them when
LBJ is up for contract |
| Bob Finnan: |
they'll
be over the cap, but remember, you can go over the cap to sign you
own guys. |
| Paul Clayton: |
so they
would have to wait to sign Z |
| Bob Finnan: |
I would
think they wait until they sign a FA first, then Z. |
| MYoung: |
Z would
be a cap hold on the
salary
structure until he is signed or renounced |
| Bob Finnan: |
yes,
you're right. and the cap hold is significant, too |
| Paul Clayton: |
what do
they see in the future for Varejo |
| Bob Finnan: |
not many
minutes early on. pax likes him. he's an energy guy, too. |
| MYoung: |
Was
Traylor all Silas? |
| Bob Finnan: |
yes |
| Bob Finnan: |
if you
remember, pax wasn't a big fan when he was here |
| Paul Clayton: |
will he
honestly be a help to the team like they are saying? |
| Bob Finnan: |
silas
seems to think so. he got good minutes out of him in Charlotte/New
Orleans. |
| MYoung: |
Yeah,
Traylor was put on the IL for gaining weight during the season |
| Bob Finnan: |
wait a
minute. Mr. Young, you're right. I almost forgot about that. that
provided stories for about a week |
| MYoung: |
Svargas
wants to know your honest opinion on Paxson |
| Bob Finnan: |
Paxson:
No one, repeat no one, can dump salary like this man |
| MYoung: |
How is
Paxson viewed among NBA circles in terms of GMs? |
| Bob Finnan: |
You guys
are going to get me in trouble. I like Jim. I talk to him 2-3 times
a week, even in the summer. |
| MYoung: |
What
about KikI Vandeweghe? lol |
| Bob Finnan: |
Oh,
Kiki. His drafts have been shaky at best |
| Bob Finnan: |
Trajan
was Wayne. Wayne told me that. Juanny and Diop were pax. But he
allowed Luke to take who he wanted. Why, i don't know. Mihm was an
average player at best. in the long run, would have rather had jamal
crawford |
| Paul Clayton: |
so did
you get them to send you Athens for the olympics? |
| Paul Clayton: |
the
paper that is |
| Bob Finnan: |
no
athens for this lad. i would have loved to go. |
| MYoung: |
Any
Cavaliers interest in Peja Stojakovic? |
| Bob Finnan: |
yes, but
I would be shocked if Sac-Town trades him |
| Bob Finnan: |
he has
major problems with c-webb |
| MYoung: |
Has
Paxson called Geoff Petrie? |
| Bob Finnan: |
I don't
know. He would not be doing his job if he didn't |
| Paul Clayton: |
again
anyone wanting to add a question PM myself or MYoung by double
clicking on our name |
| MYoung: |
If the
Cavaliers dont re-sign Z
how do the Cavaliers feel about Eddy Curry? |
| Bob Finnan: |
I
personally like curry. he's got a big body. I would be surprised if
the other
Paxson
allowed him to walk |
| Bob Finnan: |
they
might ship out chandler, however |
| MYoung: |
I heard
it was the opposite now |
| Bob Finnan: |
really? |
| Bob Finnan: |
The only
thing that would change that is if Curry shows up fat |
| MYoung: |
Curry is
about 25lbs over the weight they want him at while Chandler has been
working out regularly |
| MYoung: |
Chicago
papers said he was somewhere between 307-315 |
| MYoung: |
and
Chicago wants him at 285 |
| Bob Finnan: |
Oh,
geez. well, that could change things. when he's in shape, he's a
good player. |
| Paul Clayton: |
who is
one player that you would tell Paxson to go after if he asked |
| Bob Finnan: |
someone
who could shoot the J |
| Paul Clayton: |
isn't
that what he did w/ Sasha and Luke |
| Bob Finnan: |
Yes and
no. Neither are proven. I would love to have Peja |
| Bob Finnan: |
Just
love watching him shoot |
| MYoung: |
With
Chicago being overloaded with small guards is there still any
interest in Frank Williams esppecially if McInnis isnt brought back |
| Bob Finnan: |
Well,
McInnis will be brought back for now. If things don't work out, then
they might explore moving him. Paxson likes Frank Williams a lot. |
| Bob Finnan: |
the
paxsons go out of their way not to deal with each other |
| MYoung: |
How
strong was Dallas' interest in McInnis? |
| Bob Finnan: |
When? |
| MYoung: |
Marc
Stein reported Dallas called about McInnis after the Cavaliers got
Snow |
| Bob Finnan: |
I hadn't
heard that. I don't think now is the time to deal Jeff. |
| MYoung: |
anyone
with questions can PM me or lumberman and we will relay to Bob |
| MYoung: |
Was it
true that if the Cavaliers knew they were going to lose Boozer they
would have taken All Jefferson? |
| Bob Finnan: |
I think
so. He's going to be an outstanding player |
| MYoung: |
Svargas
wants to know who is your favorite player |
| Bob Finnan: |
Peja |
| MYoung: |
Who has
soured on Diop? Was it Silas or Paxson? |
| Bob Finnan: |
maybe
both. |
| Bob Finnan: |
I've
been very fair with him. but he's almost regressing as a player |
| Bob Finnan: |
terrible
summer league |
| MYoung: |
(Svargas)Who
is your favorite player on the Cavaliers? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Z |
| Bob Finnan: |
he's
getting married on Sept. 4 |
| MYoung: |
What did
John Lucas like about Diop? |
| Bob Finnan: |
His
potential |
| MYoung: |
to be
what? |
| Bob Finnan: |
According
to Luke's plan, Diop should be an all-star this year |
| Bob Finnan: |
they
were infatuated with his size |
| lumberman2: |
Bob,What
former Cavalier was the hardest for you personally to deal with
interview wise? |
| Bob Finnan: |
Z and
Vitaly when they were rookies. very difficult to understand |
| Bob Finnan: |
Juanny
is about the worst interview ever |
| MYoung: |
How is
the relationship between Silas and Paxson? Are they on the same page
more often than not? |
| Bob Finnan: |
They
seem to be doing all right. i don't foresee problems. |
| MYoung: |
Who made
the call on signing Newble and Ollie? Was it endorsed by Silas? |
| Bob Finnan: |
pax all
the way. silas signed off on both moves, however |
| Bob Finnan: |
ira will
be included in a deal at some point |
| Paul Clayton: |
I
thought Ira was a Silas guy |
| Bob Finnan: |
before
or after the blowup in atlanta? |
| Paul Clayton: |
well,
forgot about that one |
| Bob Finnan: |
these
were pax moves |
| Paul Clayton: |
what
were the Nets looking to give up when they were talking sign and
trade w/ Williams |
| Bob Finnan: |
originally,
i think it was kittles |
| MYoung: |
Any
chance left on Aaron Wiliams? |
| Bob Finnan: |
i would
have loved to have Aaron Williams. They don't want to trade him, I'm
told. Good contract. good player |
