Well... Minnesota has just become my 2nd fave NBA team.
Go Canada.
https://twitter.com/ArashMarkazi/sta...78340836483072
http://www.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-...long-term-dealThe Timberwolves agree to trade Kevin Love to the Cavaliers for Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a protected 2015 first-round draft pick.
The Summer of Love might be over soon. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports is reporting the Minnesota Timberwolves have reached an agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers to send Kevin Love to Cleveland in exchange for Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett, and a protected 2015 first round pick. In addition to the agreement in principle, Cleveland has a "firm agreement" that Love will opt out of his contract in 2015 and agree to a five-year, $120 million-plus deal with the Cavs.
From Yahoo:
The Minnesota Timberwolves have reached an agreement in principle to send All-Star forward Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Andrew Wiggins, Anthony Bennett and a protected 2015 first-round draft pick, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
Cleveland is making the deal with Minnesota with a firm agreement Love will opt out of his contract in 2015 and re-sign with the Cavaliers on a five-year, $120 million-plus contract extension, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
This is huge for both franchises. Newly signed Cavalier LeBron James gets one of the 10-12 best players in the NBA next to him for the next six seasons, and the Wolves get to jump start their rebuilding process with the No. 1 pick in one of the most anticipated drafts in years. Wiggins immediately gives the fan base something to be excited for, even after trading away a franchise player.
The Cavaliers and Wolves can't make this trade until August 23 because Wiggins can't be traded until a full month after signing his rookie contract.
For Cleveland, they should become the frontrunners in the Eastern Conference with the Chicago Bulls nipping at their heels, assuming Derrick Rose is healthy. The Cavaliers will have to fill out the roster and figure out some defensive role players to plug in. They also need Anderson Varejao to be healthy this season. But they have a brilliant core of LeBron, Love, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Dion Waiters moving forward.
The Wolves start their rebuilding plan with the previous two No. 1 picks in Wiggins and Bennett. The protected 2015 pick could be the pick Miami owes the Cavaliers (top 10 protected), the pick the Grizzlies owe the Cavs (top 5 and 15-30 protected), or the pick the Cavs owe the Bulls (top 10 protected and Chicago can swap picks with Cleveland). The Wolves have a core of Ricky Rubio, Wiggins, Zach LaVine (No. 13 pick), Gorgui Dieng, Shabazz Muhammad, and Nikola Pekovic.
10 Team, Points Only, Cash League
25 Man Roster (no position), top 20 point getters count at end of month
Keep 20/25 at seasons end, Cut 5 to FA for redrafting
Goalie points W=2pt L=-1pt SHO=2pt
Stamkos, Tavares, Eichel, Mercer, JRobertson, RThomas, Kucherov, Nugent-Hopkins, Tuch, KConnor, Necas, Point, Konecny, SJarvis, Cozenz, Morrissey, Bouchard, Josi, Novak, Tolvanen, Peterka, SBennett
G- Vasilevskiy, Sorokin, Oettinger
"Cleavage is like the sun. You can look, but dont stare.. Unless you're wearing sunglasses."
Well... Minnesota has just become my 2nd fave NBA team.
Go Canada.
Rough go for Wiggins. He had a quote the other day "I just want to play for a team that wants me". The highs and lows of being a professional athlete.
I watched an interview on TSN with Wiggins this week (may have been yesterday) and the guy asked Wiggins "Did you know that NBA.com discontinued selling your jersey online?" He replied with something like "Umm, no, I hadn't heard that. Thanks for letting me know."
I guess others saw this coming as well. It hasn't been an unknown secret that this deal was in the works though.
10 Team, Points Only, Cash League
25 Man Roster (no position), top 20 point getters count at end of month
Keep 20/25 at seasons end, Cut 5 to FA for redrafting
Goalie points W=2pt L=-1pt SHO=2pt
Stamkos, Tavares, Eichel, Mercer, JRobertson, RThomas, Kucherov, Nugent-Hopkins, Tuch, KConnor, Necas, Point, Konecny, SJarvis, Cozenz, Morrissey, Bouchard, Josi, Novak, Tolvanen, Peterka, SBennett
G- Vasilevskiy, Sorokin, Oettinger
"Cleavage is like the sun. You can look, but dont stare.. Unless you're wearing sunglasses."
Is this a good deal for the Cavs? I don't really follow basketball enough to know.
Three first round picks seems like a lot. Ultimately, I really like LeBron and want to see him succeed and win more titles. So if this facilitates that, I like it. That said, wouldn't this trade basically be
Giroux orTavares or Karlsson
for
Yakupov, Mackinnon, and a 2015 First
About that?
Fantrax 18-Team Dynasty, H2H (4C, 8W, 6D, 1G), 25/30
Unlimited call-ups = 134 gms
G, A, GWG, PPP, SHP, SOG, H+B, FOW, W, GAA, S, SV%
C: Stamkos, Stepan, Little, T.J.
W: Kessel, MaGranlund, Simmonds, Landeskog, Hall, Lucic, B.Ritchie, Burakovsky
D: Gogo, Keith, Leddy, Dumba, Barrie, Forbert,
G: Rask/Anderson/Mason
B: Filppula/Hartman/Vrbata/Clendening
Farm: Chartier, Forsbacka Karlsson, Bowers, Chmelevski, Geekie, Gourde, AMorand, MShaw, Haapala, Merkley, Katchouk, Korshkov, Kovacs, Shinkaruk, Lindblom, O'Regan, Bear, Bengtsson, Jokiharju, Kylington, Paigin, Grzelcyk, Stanley, Vaakanainen, Koekkoek, Walman, Fitzpatrick, Berube, Pickard, Zhukov
I was reading an interesting article yesterday about LBJ's new workout regimen and diet. The just of it was speculation that he's slimming down to move back to 3 (small forward) after playing 4 (power forward) in Miami, a positional move that could only be justified by bringing in a solid power forward, aka Kevin Love.
I think this was a huge mistake for the Cavs... I wouldn't have given up Wiggins for Love personally, but giving up TWO #1s?!?!
In hockey terms, this is like giving up Mackinnon, Yakupov (back when the hype around him was still sky high) and a first rounder for a middle aged, one dimensional guy like Patrick Kane.
Insanity...
I don't know if Yakupov and Bennett are necessarily the best comparisons. Bennett was a reach at 1st overall, has big offensive potential but can't play defence to save his life. A lot of people pegged him as a potential bust right out of the gate. Not the type of player I'd want on my team...
Oh wait...
LeBron runs the NBA. I have been turned off hardcore since the lockout and players and coaches dictating where they want to play. Owners haplessly give in and have lost any credence of credibility, good sense and control over their league. The way this went down left sour tastes with me all the way, how public it was and how blown out into the media it all was...
Glad it's over. I think Minnesota won this deal as Kevin Love is good, but definitely does not have his best years ahead of him in that extension. I hope LeBron and his Cavs miss the playoffs. If only that was possible in such a weak EC, but man oh man would I cheer for that.
Blades of Steel
9 Team Full Keeper - Pts Only (G,A,W,SO)
Crosby, Wheeler, Bergeron, Forsberg, Connor, Kopitar, E.Lindholm, Pastrnak, DeBrincat, Fiala
Jones, Klingberg, Hamilton, Theodore, Letang
Saros, Shesterkin
Garland, Vrana, Bjorkstrand, Verhaege, Backstrom, Karlsson, Perunovich, Spurgeon, Pulock, Hellebuyck
I can't stand modern basketball because the East = LeBron. That's just boring.
But I follow it enough.
For the Cavs, smart deal. LeBron is incredible, but he'll still age... even Kobe started to break down.
The Love-addition puts them in the driver's seat in the East for 2, perhaps 3 years.
I'm seeing Philly threatening a few years down the road.
I'm not convinced on Bennett/Wiggins, from what I've seen.
People keep thinking that these types of players can all be Kevin Durant, but if they can't hammer home a mid-range jumper with consistency, they're just #1 draft picks in bad drafts.
Minnesota was smart too.
The West is still too strong... for the next couple years.
But in 3-5 years from now, the West will be ripe for picking and Minnesota will peak at the right time.
A team that actually made a very smart trade, I think.
Thumbs up, both teams.
Pengwin Basketball Post #4.