Quote:
Originally Posted by Rawse
Well, the Cavs looked like they've all been playing together all season.
Granted, it was against one of the worst teams in NBA history (the Grizzlies only have five or six players who belong the NBA, led by a shell-shocked coach), so I'm not sure what kind of a barometer it is, but this team no question has drastically improved itself.
Joe Smith is an excellent role player, and I hope he gets time even when Varejao returns. He went from a No. 1 pick to complete obscurity, and as a result, he's been underrated for years. That midrange jumper is going to be very useful.
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Yeah, I knew Joe Smith was a really good player, but I didn't realize how solid he is in the midrange. I don't expect him to shoot like that every night, but he's got great form and you can tell those shots are the type that he feels comfortable with. I can't believe anyone could have been lamenting us losing Drew Gooden for any of these guys.
I know that the Grizzlies aren't really competitive right now, and they're also missing their best player (I actually think Rudy Gay is the best, but I don't see them enough to know). But regardless, I liked what I saw from the guys last night. We have big men who actually rotate on defense now, and if you had visited the Cavs forum when this trade first went down, you know that we were most excited about that. Gooden is the worst help defender in the league, and just that interior defensive upgrade instantly improves the team.
I like the units of Z/Big Ben and AV/Joe Smith. In both of those units, you have a big who can step out and hit shots and another one to protect the rim. Unlike AV/Ben which would seem redundant, I think those 4 give us a solid big man rotation that will keep up with any frontcourt. Before the trade, we were the 2nd best rebounding team in the league behind Houston. Now we've given up Drew Gooden for Ben Wallace and Joe Smith. I can't see us doing anything but improving in that department.
Teams usually win the first game after a trade because everyone's amped up (I guess Chicago might have been the exception last night, lol). We'll see how we fare once everyone starts to calm down and get into their role. This week's game against Boston should be a good barometer.