Post by ctownnd on Jul 7, 2010 1:10:06 GMT -5
INDEPENDENCE, OHIO- In a rare candid interview with the media following Day 2 of the 2001 TMB Sim Creation Draft, Cleveland Cavaliers GM, Vice President, and Head Coach CTownND expressed cautious optimism in his team's current situation coupled with unbridled optimism for the future.
"I think the pieces are there to compete now and to build on in the future," CTownND stated. "Each member of the starting lineup is young at age 25 or younger, but we feel like we have two cornerstones in Elton and Stephon, and a roster of players that fit into our system."
Elton Brand, the team's first selection at 21 overall, represents the overall strategy that CTownND tried to employ in his first two days as GM. Brand is young but certainly has the potential to be an instant impact player in this league, and can both score (A- inside) and stop his opponents from doing so (A- defense). Marbury, a player targeted by many other GMs, also brings positive attributes to the table in both scoring (B+/B) and defense (B+).
In the third round, CTownND reached for a younger player, C Jason Collins.
"Jason is certainly a player we're really excited about. He's not going to come in and bully around Shaq and Eric Chenowith from day one, we know he's still young but he had solid ratings across the table. There was a mini-run for big young talent right before us with Okur, Griffen, Dalembert, and Miller and we knew we had to act quick to get a piece of that action. Jason won't be one of our three main scoring options right away, but certainly can develop those tendencies in the future at age 22."
In the fourth round, CTownND opted for Ruben Patterson, a SF who had the rare combination for someone outside of the first 2 rounds of grading out as a flat A on defense, while still having an A- inside scoring grade.
"Ruben's probably going to be our third guy. It was a tough decision here, but again, we got a guy who can score and play defense, and if you do those things you're going to win a lot of basketball games."
Rounding out the starting lineup, the Cavs selected SG Raja Bell in the fifth round.
"This isn't a knock on Raja, but we felt our hand was kind of forced with that pick. House, Penny, and Kittles- three guys we wanted at 21- had come off the board and we needed to act and grab a SG quickly. It was probably the toughest time of the two days. This is still an area where we can improve."
CTownND ended the day on a positive note by selecting a veteran SF, Anthony Mason, in round 6.
"Anthony's definitely a guy we think went under the radar here. He's 34 years old, but that's a positive to us- a guy who can come off the bench and round out this unit. Again, he can score (B+ inside), plays great defense (A-) and is a very good rebounder at SF (B+). We're happy to have him as our 6th man, and may experiment with moving Patterson to SG and having him see some starting action, depending on how the season goes."
So where do the Cavs go from here?
"Well, we think the next few picks are crucial- we need more scoring off the bench, we need to shore up the rebounding situation, and we're going to be active in pursuing trades for SGs. Either way, we think we have a shot at the playoffs this year, and with a starting lineup all under 25 we think we're only going to get better.
"It's an exciting time to be a Cavalier."
"I think the pieces are there to compete now and to build on in the future," CTownND stated. "Each member of the starting lineup is young at age 25 or younger, but we feel like we have two cornerstones in Elton and Stephon, and a roster of players that fit into our system."
Elton Brand, the team's first selection at 21 overall, represents the overall strategy that CTownND tried to employ in his first two days as GM. Brand is young but certainly has the potential to be an instant impact player in this league, and can both score (A- inside) and stop his opponents from doing so (A- defense). Marbury, a player targeted by many other GMs, also brings positive attributes to the table in both scoring (B+/B) and defense (B+).
In the third round, CTownND reached for a younger player, C Jason Collins.
"Jason is certainly a player we're really excited about. He's not going to come in and bully around Shaq and Eric Chenowith from day one, we know he's still young but he had solid ratings across the table. There was a mini-run for big young talent right before us with Okur, Griffen, Dalembert, and Miller and we knew we had to act quick to get a piece of that action. Jason won't be one of our three main scoring options right away, but certainly can develop those tendencies in the future at age 22."
In the fourth round, CTownND opted for Ruben Patterson, a SF who had the rare combination for someone outside of the first 2 rounds of grading out as a flat A on defense, while still having an A- inside scoring grade.
"Ruben's probably going to be our third guy. It was a tough decision here, but again, we got a guy who can score and play defense, and if you do those things you're going to win a lot of basketball games."
Rounding out the starting lineup, the Cavs selected SG Raja Bell in the fifth round.
"This isn't a knock on Raja, but we felt our hand was kind of forced with that pick. House, Penny, and Kittles- three guys we wanted at 21- had come off the board and we needed to act and grab a SG quickly. It was probably the toughest time of the two days. This is still an area where we can improve."
CTownND ended the day on a positive note by selecting a veteran SF, Anthony Mason, in round 6.
"Anthony's definitely a guy we think went under the radar here. He's 34 years old, but that's a positive to us- a guy who can come off the bench and round out this unit. Again, he can score (B+ inside), plays great defense (A-) and is a very good rebounder at SF (B+). We're happy to have him as our 6th man, and may experiment with moving Patterson to SG and having him see some starting action, depending on how the season goes."
So where do the Cavs go from here?
"Well, we think the next few picks are crucial- we need more scoring off the bench, we need to shore up the rebounding situation, and we're going to be active in pursuing trades for SGs. Either way, we think we have a shot at the playoffs this year, and with a starting lineup all under 25 we think we're only going to get better.
"It's an exciting time to be a Cavalier."
