Marcus Smart or Markel Brown – Cavs

Oklahoma State did not play well at all against Oregon, but I thought it was important to at least mention their 2 NBA prospects Marcus Smart and Markel Brown.

I guess I don’t see the infatuation with Marcus Smart and him being a top 3 pick in this draft. Again, I did not do a great job of scouting players all year long and as a result may only have a few games, or 1 in this case to pass judgement. So with that, what I deem are his strengths, weaknesses and an overview of his NBA potential and how or if he would fit on the Cavs.

Strengths: Solid ball handling but not an ankle breaker, very good passer but not flashy, great ability to dictate the pace of the game, exceptional size for a PG, physical player, very good defender, excellent rebounder for a guard

Weaknesses: Below average shooter either off the dribble or in catch and shoot situations, not an elite athlete by any means (this includes not being super fast or quick nor a great leaper)

Bottom Line: There is of course no obvious fit for Marcus Smart on the Cavs, at least not right now. You can see by his strengths and weaknesses that he is a solid all around player without any glaring weaknesses and as a result is a safe pick for any team in need of a PG. With his great rebounding and ever developing passing ability (only played true PG spot this year) he has the opportunity to be one of the few players that can put up triple doubles as a PG. As a result, the Jason Kidd comparisons are obvious, but to my knowledge there has only been one Jason Kidd. The only reason this is even a thought is that NBA teams continue to operate an offense with two PGs on the floor at the same time. His size combined with his experience playing the SG position until college make this possible.

NBA Comparison: Jason Kidd/Rajon Rondo hybrid – odds are he will never develop the shooting ability Jason Kidd did but with a similar build and ability to dictate the pace of the game it is a good comparison. Smart will be closer to Rondo than Kidd in terms of driving ability and shooting.

Markel Brown

Real quick on Markel Brown. He obviously has the ability to knock down shots and be a spark of the bench in the NBA. I suppose if he was there for the Cavs 2nd pick in the 2nd round I would consider it. Brown doesn’t lack confidence at all and is fearless from the perimeter. He also has explosive leaping ability which combined with a large wingspan to go along with his 6’3″ size allows him to dunk on larger players. For your enjoyment: Markel Brown dunk. I consider him in the Jordan Crawford mold as a player.

I would stay away from both of these players in general for the Cavs. There are better options out there.

Indians 3/22 night game – some quick hits

Although Masterson’s mechanics do look tighter, his arm was lagging slightly behind his body and the pitches were up for the first 4 innings. This consistently reduces his sink and allows hitters to center up on the ball better. Shoddy defense contributed to the runs allowed but that doesn’t change the obvious difficulties Masterson experienced. Strangely, in his fifth inning of work his arm came through on time and his pitches were much better located and had movement. Not sure why his mechanics improved in his last inning.

Joe Smith and Hagadone both had good performances. Decent command and solid results.

Cabrera had two mental lapses. One in the field trying to make a great play instead of the right play and one on the bases. It is Spring Training so we can let that go but it should be avoided once the season starts.

Aviles made his first appearance since the WBC and it was good to see him in a Tribe uniform.

Santana looked good at the plate and behind the plate.

Reynolds hit one of the most majestic bombs to left I have ever seen. Over the scoreboard and out of the park. Vinnie Pestano tweeted that he will never get tired of watching Reynold’s home runs this year.

Brantley continues to look comfortable at the plate. Great to see. Hitting the ball exceptionally well.

Carrera continues to impress me but I am not sure they can find a spot for him on the bench. I would hate to see them lose both Huff and Carrera this way, but it is very possible.

Leaving tomorrow early AM. Bummer.

Indian posts will keep coming after I return home. May just be more spread out and more commentary similar to my Francona post earlier this week.

Thoughts on Anthony Bennett as a Cavalier

Other than what I have read and different videos (yes I still see value in YouTube videos even though they don’t show the whole picture) I have seen, last night’s UNLV tournament game marked the first time I was able to see Anthony Bennett in a full game. Everyone should keep in mind that this kid just turned 20 this month and is a Freshman looking to be a top 5-8 draft pick, if not higher in 2013.

The game itself was difficult to watch from a fan’s perspective. I often found myself yelling at the screen to get Bennett the ball while he constantly fought for position and UNLV’s guards chucked up shot after shot on the way to a glorious 32% shooting as a team, or cringing as they blew the game by missing key free throws down the stretch. Apparently the UNLV coach doesn’t understand the concept of beating a zone by high posting your big man who can handle the ball and pass. Anyways, on to Bennett who will now be referred to as AB for the majority of this post :).

Cal did a very nice job defensively on Bennett even though the majority of the time they would have been called for a defensive technical in the NBA, but that is the nature of college basketball. AB did a nice job moving around the floor on the offensive end, shifting from low post position, to the high post, to the 3 point line setting numerous screens for teammates while rarely touching the ball for the first 10 minutes of the game. One thing I did like is that despite his lack of touches, AB didn’t force the action on offense and showed decent effort on the defensive end.

It is tough to picture Bennett playing the SF position in the NBA simply because of how he is forced to play in college. With that said, he has great ball handling for a 4 and probably just good ball handling for a 3. He demonstrated this by taking the ball the length of the floor with very good pace, hesitation and one handed “crossover” to avoid defenders. Sadly he already has a better handle than Alonzo Gee, but that isn’t saying much.

AB did get out of position a bit on the defensive side of the ball, but I didn’t see anything that would say to me he can’t tighten that up at the next level. He guards the 4 and 5 spots and does a pretty decent job of it. For a guy that has the leaping ability he does, you would think he would be more of a shot blocker, but he really isn’t. Again showing his youth, he is a little slow getting back on defense in transition. This could be due to some frustration of not getting the ball on offense, but I am speculating. There is basis for this if you think of how the Pistons and Cavs to a degree would try and get Ben Wallace engaged on defense by getting him easy buckets on offense. There is no such thing as an easy bucket for AB.

Bottom Line: AB is an explosive leaper and dunker, but is only 6’7″ and at 250 pounds will have a tough time translating to anything but PF in the NBA. That may be his best position though, because his shooting form and range is very good which makes him a great stretch 4 option. His wingspan is 7’1″ which makes his height less of an issue, but he has to learn to use his weight to his full advantage. From a Cavs standpoint, he really resembles Maurice Speights to me in that he likes the face up and mid range games as well as the low post game. The biggest difference between the two is that Speights isn’t nearly the leaper/dunker that Anthony Bennett is. With that in mind, if the Cavs do not re-sign Speights, they would have a place for AB, but he did not impress in his tournament game. Victor Oladipo, Otto Porter or maybe even Shabazz Muhammad (will get to him later) could be better options depending on where we pick in this draft.

Indians Spring Training Observations – Mar. 22

As I begin my last day at Cleveland Indians Spring Training in Goodyear, I wanted to share some observations from the last three days both about the players I have watched and the overall camp. Having spent a week at each Spring Training since 1982 with the Tribe, I feel I have some reasonable qualifications to provide insight and comparisons.

This camp has been very well run as far as a fan can observe and it has had some very nice qualities for a fan interested in the future of the Indians as well as the present. Terry Francona and Chris Antonetti have allowed some of our top young prospects to play in the main Spring Training games for at least an inning or two. This has allowed me to see Lindor, Wolters, and Naquin without guessing where they might be and finding them in the minor league camp. In past camps, you would have to fight to even see them in game situations on the practice fields. I believe that this is valuable experience for these high ceiling prospects by allowing them to play in front of larger crowds with the major league team. That allows them to sit on the bench and observe the veterans like Swisher, Bourn, and Cabrera as well as talk and interact with them during a game. I think this is good for the fans and the organization going forward.

Tyler Naquin has stood out among the youngsters simply because of his diminutive size and his “all out” style of play. He is a threat on the bases, with the bat, and with the glove. Probably not destined to be a super star, but it is very hard to picture him not making it to the big leagues at some point and having an impact.

Everyone knows the expectations of Lindor and I am sure he will meet them at some time. It is clear (actually similar to all the three youngsters mentioned) that he is not ready now and will not be ready for a year or so. But his bat stands out and he is smooth in the field. His defense will not make you forget Omar but it will be as solid as we currently see on the major league level and a bit more.

On the “bubble” side of the roster, I do not see David Huff remaining with the Tribe. He has been given numerous chances and still might prove to be a serviceable major league pitcher but not with Cleveland. I am purposely not reading the papers so I am sorry if this or other observations might be old news.

Trevor Bauer looks solid for the future and the future might be later this year. He did a decent job in the outing I watched despite giving up quite a few runs. He has major league stuff but needs to be sharp with his command to have a chance to be dominant. I think he was squeezed on some of his calls in the outing and was around the plate for the most part. That all being said, he is not ready now and might not be this year. But I have no doubt he will break into the starting rotation in the not too distant future.

Cord Phelps has made strides even since I arrived and is hitting and fielding with more confidence. I have felt for a long time that his greatest weakness is letting his emotions get the better of him when trying to play for the major league club, even in spring training. I am not sure he can do much now to salvage a roster spot, but I would love to keep him in the organization at least one more year. Not sure if that is possible.

Vinnie Pestano, probably the most loved pitcher in our pen, showed the same kinks in his armor in his first outing of the Spring (lack of command). In his second outing he had good velocity, decent command, and hitters looked more uncomfortable hitting against him. Although almost no one is concerned about Pestano, I will be much happier once he has some success this season. I have concerns but believe Vinnie will prove me wrong.

Matt Albers and Brian Shaw have settled in nicely and I think will be solid additions to the pen. I think getting them as a part of the Reds / Diamondbacks trade is huge for this year. They are not dominant but good major league pitchers.

Carrasco has had a couple of outings since I arrived and I am convinced he will help this year. But don’t expect him to break camp with the big club. I think he needs a little more time. That being said, with the way pitchers go down, he will be a major factor in how the Tribe does this year.

This is one year when I am not sure who will be the bench players at the start of the season. Maybe Francona has decided so I am sorry if this is old news but there will be an internal struggle whether to keep veterans (Giambi, Rayburn, Gomes or Marson) or the younger players (Phelps, etc.). The only bench spot assured in my mind is Mike Aviles who is a fantastic addition to the Tribe this year. Maybe the DL will swallow up a couple of those guys but hard to tell.

The last possible bullpen spot might also cut off one of the position players if they keep 13 pitchers to start the season. Hagadone and Huff are still in the running but Hagadone is much more likely.

Quick hits:

Don’t worry about Michael Bourne’s spring. Meaningless.

Brantley and Chisenhall are ready to contribute at a high level this year.

Still worry about Jimenez. And keep worrying.

Masterson should be better than last year but not up to 2011 standards.

That’s all for now.

Stay tuned for more observations going forward.

Glenn Robinson III a good fit for the Cavs

I hate having to talk about players from the cesspool that is Michigan, but they really have some high level NBA talent I wouldn’t mind the Cavs drafting. Glenn Robinson III is one of those players.

It has been a very tough season to judge what type of player Glenn Robinson III will become. He was arguably the most talented player going into the season on a team that already had an experienced and aggressive shooter in Tim Hardaway Jr. and ended up with the Big Ten player of the year in Trey Burke. As a result, Robinson was efficient but extremely passive and seemed to disappear for long periods of time during games.

Strengths: Dynamic leaper/dunker, great length for a SF, high basketball IQ, smooth dribbler, great form on shot either off the bounce and in catch and shoot situations, above average passer, great transition player, young, NBA pedigree, extremely unselfish

Weaknesses: Needs to add strength, at 6’6″ he would be slightly undersized for the top SF in the NBA, extremely unselfish, range could be better

Bottom Line: Extremely unselfish is in both his strengths and weaknesses for this reason: For a team looking for a star, that quality is bad. For a team like the Cavs who have a star at PG in Kyrie Irving and an aggressive shooter/scorer in Dion Waiters, unselfish play and the willingness to be the “glue” guy on a team is perfect. This is probably only possible if the Cavs trade down (depending on where they end up) or the Lakers make the playoffs, but with 4 young starters seemingly in place everywhere but SF, GR3 could be the missing piece we are looking for.

Stats: 33.2 MPG, 10.7 PPG, 55.3 FG%, 62.9% 2pt FG%, 32.3 3p%, 5.3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 1 SPG, .3 BPG, .8 TOs