Power Rankings Third Edition

Photo from SI.com

One month down, and these Cavs have been about as bipolar as a team could be. There have been two bright spots on the team. I bet you could easily guess who they are, anyways, let's get on with it.

#1 - Anderson Varejao (Up six spots) 
Andy has been a monster to open up the season. He's playing like a top three NBA center right now and come deadline time, teams will be blowing up Cleveland's phones, attempting to obtain the wild thing. The question is, who has the right package to give? Seriously, does anybody? He's peaking at 30, which is rare in it's own right, but the amount of minutes he's played in his career rival that of 5th year players who aren't ever injured. He has productivity still left and it would be a shame to ship him away for next to nothing. He's averaging 14.5 points per game and 14.9 rebounds per game, which by the way is 1.7 more rebounds a game than the next best rebounder at this point. But he's so much more than that, his passing is far underrated, we all know of his hustle and determination, his defense is good and he's even been hitting jumpers with some consistency. Had Kyrie not gotten hurt, this may still be his spot, but Andy has just been playing out of his mind.

#2 - Kyrie Irving (Down one spot)
Kyrie has played in ten games thus far, but will be out about another three weeks. He's still this high on my list because even without playing the five games he's missed, he's still the best this team has, and was arguably the most productive player on the roster when he was healthy. Kyrie is the closer, no doubt about that, he steps his game up to crazy levels when the fourth quarter hits and you have to wonder with all the close games the Cavs have lost in his absence, if the outcome would have been any different. He's averaging 22.9 points a game along with 5.6 assists per game. Kyrie is the most valuable piece this team has and he will probably step back into his number one spot, once he's fully back from his injury.

#3 - Alonzo Gee (Up two spots)
Gee has been solid this year, averaging 11.8 points per game and leads the Cavs in steals at 1.7 per game. Gee has the motor to compete in the NBA, as well as highlight finishes at the rim. But he's a great defender and that's why he's number three in this edition. Add in his decent jumper to go along with his range and he can make you pay. I had said before that I felt like C.J. Miles could take his job at some point this year, the only way that happens is with a Gee injury.

#4 - Boobie Gibson (Up two spots)
Gibson has been the bright spot off the bench, averaging just over 9 points in about 23 minutes a game. He's shooting 43 percent from the floor and 40 percent from deep. Byron Scott even goes so far as to call him the teams best perimeter defender. I don't agree with that, but he's a decent one. The most important thing about Gibson is he is the lone productive member of a bench that has struggled mightily overall in the first month. He's missed a few games too thus far, but he should be good to go from here on, ready to knock down those threes when the Cavs need him to.

#5 - Jeremy Pargo (Up five spots)
Donald Sloan beat out Pargo for the role of back-up point guard when the season started. That clearly didn't work out and Byron Scott made the switch that was necessary. Then Irving went down with a broken finger and Pargo stepped up in a big way. Not only has he been productive with Irving out, but it finally looks as though there is a decent option to back up Kyrie once he gets back. In eight games, five of which he started, Pargo has averaged 10.5 points per game with 3 assists a game. On top of that, his turnover rate is pretty low (2.13) and Pargo plays pretty good defense. It's going to be interesting to see what this team does with Irving back, especially with the second team that will now be run by Pargo.

#6 - Dion Waiters (Up two spots)
Waiters has pretty good stats, but there are things he needs to work on. He's averaging 15 points per game on 37 percent shooting. Dion takes far too many bad shots, possibly just too many shots on top of that. In the four losses without Irving, you can make the argument that Waiters has shot the Cavs out of the games. With the exception of the Suns game, the other three were close losses, where Waiters missed quite a few more shots than he made. Then there is the matter of Waiters complaining about not getting calls. I tend to agree with him on that, however you need to make a name for yourself in the NBA before you start getting those calls. It's just how it is. Is it fair? No, but it's the way t works. Refine your game a little Dion, stop driving so much and throwing up prayers, stop taking contested jumpers and unnecessary step-back jumpers with time remaining. Take your time, move the ball, if you're open, then take the shot. It'll get better for this kid in time.

#7 - Tristan Thompson (Down three spots)
TT is a weird one. Advanced stats suggest that he is a good player, but things like box scores and watching him play suggest otherwise. Overall defense is better with him on the floor and I feel like he's partly responsible for Andy playing like he is. He's averaging 8.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. Those are decent numbers, but you want a little more from a number four overall pick. His work on the offensive boards is commendable. Watching TT play offense is one of the hardest things in the world to do, it's like a car crash, you can't look away. He hasn't shown that he has a jumper (even though he spent a lot of offseason time working on one), His pump fakes are predictable and he gets blocked way too much and his free throw numbers still aren't at a productive level. He's got a ways to go and I hope he figures it all out, because at this point he really doesn't look much like a starter.

#8 - Omri Casspi (Up one spot)
Casspi has had a limited role thus far in the season, playing just 12.5 minutes per game. I am already seeing more production out of him than I saw all of last year. He averages 5.4 ppg on 45 percent shooting and 50 percent from deep. If you adjust those stats to starter minutes, that isn't bad. If he can be that catch-and-shoot small forward off the bench -- which is the reason the Cavs traded for him -- bench production has the potential to increase, as it has recently. Casspi has been a part of that.

#9 - Tyler Zeller (Down six spots)
Zeller is a rookie who is trying to figure out the NBA game and it doesn't help that he has to do so with a protective mask. Still Zeller hasn't been bad, but he's got a bit to go still. I don't think I've seen enough of Zeller to make a definitive statement on him yet, although I mostly like what I have seen.

#10 - Samardo Samuels (No change)
Samuels beats out C.J. Miles, Jon Leuer, Donald Sloan and Luke Walton for the last spot. Unlike Miles, Samuels doesn't shoot the Cavs out of games. Although, I hate that elbow jumper he keeps trying. Unlike Leuer, Samuels doesn't get thrown around in the post too badly. And unlike Sloan and Walton, Samuels isn't completely worthless. That's all I can say about it.

Biggest Winner: Anderson Varejao: Up six spots
Biggest Faller: C.J. Miles: Down nine spots
Cracking the top ten: Jeremy Pargo
Falling out of the top ten: C.J. Miles  

Phoenix 91 - Cleveland 78

The way the Cavs played tonight, you can disregard what was said in the last post. One bright spot is that Anderson Varejao is a monster, 20 points and 18 rebounds tonight. Here are my two schools of thought on the rest of the season:

First, Kyrie comes back and stays healthy. He keeps putting up 23 and 6 every night, along with Varejao's 15 and 15, and they get help from other Cavaliers. If that happens and the team plays like it did in the first four games of Kyrie's absence, no doubt they should be thinking playoffs.

Secondly, and admittedly most interestingly, the season ends with a Cavs lottery pick. I don't need to explain how that will happen, we've seen it two years in a row now. If Cleveland can nab one of the first two picks and take whoever is there, it could be magical going forward. Right now the top two seem as clear as day, in no particular order, UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad and Kentucky's Nerlens Noel. With Muhammad, it would allow Alonzo Gee to come off the bench, and with that be a very productive member of the second team, probably the best the Cavs would have. With Noel, he could start at Power Forward or Center in combination with Varejao, with a secondary unit of Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller. That would be intersting either way.

But here's the thing, The Cavs are too good to have that good of a percentage for the lottery, right? I get that the record is bad, but look at all the close games they've lost, look at the teams they've beaten/almost beat. Maybe if Varejao is traded, then we can start talking top three picks again, but let's face it, he should absolutely not be moved this year. He has proven that he is an absolute beast, there would hardly be anything worth moving him for. Bad teams won't come calling with their high draft picks, fringe playoff teams won't have a package worthy of parting with him and championship contenders, who will need him most, will have absolutely nothing of value to give. Best case scenario is trading him to the Thunder for a package headlined by that Raptors draft pick, but even then I don't like it.

I feel like if this Cavs roster all stayed in place next year, an extra year of maturity for the entire team, we would be talking playoffs, no doubt. That's why this is interesting. The bench struggles, the injuries, the shooting slumps are all keeping the Cavs talking about adding another premiere player to this already ridiculously talented roster. Look out in two or three years when all these youngsters are in their prime, Irving, Thompson, Dion Waiters, Zeller and whatever new players Cleveland adds in the draft. They should be a force, and the best part is, they did it the right way.

(Almost) Opening Day Power Rankings

Photo courtesy of Waitingfornextyear.com

The preseason is now over, roster has been trimmed to 15 and here is Cleveland's power rankings for the start of the season.

#1 - Kyrie Irving (No change)
Not a surprise. He's the man.

#2 - CJ Miles ( Up three spots)
Miles was the Cavs best player in the preseason not named Kyrie. At 11.9 ppg he was the second highest scorer on the team and at this point it looks like he'll be a fairly serviceable player this year.

#3 - Tyler Zeller (Up three spots)
Zeller was very productive in the preseason despite starting only one game. He was at 8.4 ppg, and he did that on an efficient 55% shooting. He's not a bad passing big man either, getting a little over two assists a game. Rebounding will be an area of improvement going forward, but I liked what I saw from Zeller to this point.

#4 - Tristan Thompson (No change)
In just about 20 minutes per game, Thompson put up eight points and six rebounds. He shot 50% from the field and if this carries over to the regular season with his increase in minutes, I'll be very content.

#5 - Alonzo Gee (Down three spots)
It'll be interesting to see what Byron Scott does at small forward. Miles obviously played better in the preseason, but I feel like his scoring off the bench would be more valuable. Gee shot decent from the field and played good, hard defense in the preseason, but that was expected. No doubt am I glad we got him re-signed. He'll be productive in whatever role he gets.

#6 - Boobie Gibson (Up one spot)
Gibson looked alright in the preseason all things considered. Shot well, moved the ball well and even snagged a few rebounds per game. He's back from the torn ankle tendon he suffered last year, but this season will be interesting for a few Cavs, Boobie being one of them. He could be moved by the deadline.

#7 - Anderson Varejao (Down four spots)
Like Boobie, it's nice to see Varejao back playing after his season-ending injury from last year. His productivity should increase when his minutes do, but otherwise it was the same ole' Varejao. The scrappy big man playing to every whistle, and doing the little things that help Cleveland win games. Here's to hoping he stays healthy this year.

#8 - Dion Waiters (No change)
I'm pretty glad the preseason is over, if for nothing else, because everything is so over analyzed. And in Waiters' case, that was magnified. Yes, he was the number four pick and I think he'll be fine, but through the preseason, he showed no reason that he should have been taken that high. He's a wait-and-see kind of player at this point. In the next power rankings, I won't be surprised if either he moves up in the top five, or drops off this list. My hunch, however, is that Dion will figure it out sooner rather than later.

#9 - Omri Casspi (Up two spots)
When I first did these rankings, I kept Casspi off the list because of how bad he was last year and how little playing time he will probably get with Miles and Gee both ahead of him on the depth chart. But Casspi shot the ball very well not only overall, but from deep which was something he struggled with last year. If he can shoot like that in the regular season, minutes will be there for him, possibly at shooting guard.

#10 - Samardo Samuels (Up one spot)
Samuels slimmed down, looks more athletic and played decent enough in his limited time. He'll be in the mix in the Cavs frontcourt and his expectations, for whatever reason are moderately high. I like Samuels for the record, I think he plays with a lot of energy and passion and hopefully cutting weight can make him a more efficient player.


Biggest Winner: CJ Miles and Tyler Zeller; Up three spots.
Biggest Faller: Anderson Varejao; Down four spots.
Cracking the top ten: Omri Casspi and Samardo Samuels.
Falling out of the top ten: Donald Sloan and Kelenna Azubuike

2012-13 Cleveland Cavaliers Power Rankings. Pre-season.

Photo from Bleacherreport.com

This is an idea that I just came up with that I thought would be a neat little series. The concept is power rankings, but with players on the Cavs instead of teams in the league. Once a month over the course of the NBA season, I will give you the Cavs top ten players. So in the first installment, I give you my Cavaliers pre-season power rankings.

#1 - Kyrie Irving.
 No surprises here, Kyrie is the best player on the Cavs, the leader, the franchise, etc. He is by far the most important player on the Cavaliers roster and I frankly can't wait to see what he does in his sophomore season with the Cavs.

#2 - Alonzo Gee.
Gee gets the nod here over Anderson Varejao because of the injury that sidelined Andy for much of the 2011-12 season. Gee worked hard, and was possibly the NBAs most improved player last year. He plays fantastic defense and has a quick step that allows him to finish at the rim with good success. Gee just inked a three-year deal with Cleveland, so look for him to earn that money this year.

#3 - Anderson Varejao.
Nobody brings more effort and hustle to a team than Andy, when he is healthy. He will fight for rebounds and loose balls, play hard defense and execute the pick-and-roll game masterfully. The keyword here is healthy.

#4 - Tristan Thompson.
Thompson improved in nearly every facet of his game over the course of the 2011-12 season. If he can keep that going into this year, he could become something special.

#5 - C.J. Miles
Miles is a guy that wants to be in Cleveland, he feels it's the perfect situation for him. He's got talent, there's no question about that, hopefully this proves to be the situation that he needs to break out.

#6 - Tyler Zeller.
The rookie looked impressive in the summer league and he has all the tools to be productive in the association. If he plays like he did in the summer league, he'll be climbing up this list in no time.

#7 - Boobie Gibson.
Boobie is the teams best three-point shooter and a valuable asset off the bench, seeing as he can play either guard position. It'll be interesting to see if he can bounce back from last years injury.

#8 - Dion Waiters.
A few months ago, I was shocked when Chris Grant and Co. selected Waiters over Harrison Barnes. I learned to like this pick real quick, the kid can flat out play basketball. He however struggled in the summer league and showed up out of shape. There's no telling how he'll do, but he could shoot way up this list with no problem once the season gets underway.

#9 - Donald Sloan.
Kyrie's back-up looked pretty decent last year when he stepped on the court. The Cavs thought highly enough of him not to pursue a back-up point guard in free agency. As long as he comes off the bench for Kyrie when he needs a rest, Sloan will be just fine.

#10 - Kelenna Azubuike
One of the newest additions to the Cavs, Azubuike is an under the radar type player. He averaged 14.4 ppg in his last full season. Over the last two seasons though, he's played a grand total of nine games. If he stays healthy, he'll be an asset off the bench.