What has Wagner done? Nothing. He shot a lot last season and he averaged 13 points a game but his field goal percentage was only .369 Using Gary Payton in a couple of years is a bad example since he might not even be in the NBA at that point. Let’s use our very own Cuttino Mobley. Cat is not an all-star but in 2 years he will still own Wagner. Lebron might be the next great thing but as a tandem Dujuan Wagner has a very long way to go to hold up his end of the bargain. Personally I would be a hell of a lot more worried with a Ricky Davis / Lebron James combo in a couple of years. Ricky Davis is a hell of a lot better player than Dujuan Wagner is and with him at 6'7" and Lebron at 6'8" they would likely be the tallest guard combo in the league as well as one of the most athletic. And Davis has all the athleticism and speed he needs to keep up with the smaller point guards in the league for defensive purposes. Assuming that Lebron is the next great thing, the keys to the Cavs becoming a great team over the next couple of years are the health Z and the development of Miles. Paul Silas has a history of getting the most out of a players talent so I could definitely see Miles developing into a James Posey type of defensive 3 that can run the floor and finish over the rim for fast break points. With Lebron, Davis, Z, and Boozer I think the Cavs can get away with having Miles as a fifth scoring option. It all looks good on paper but I guess we will see how it really plays out over the next 2 or three years.
As of right now... since it's all about predictions & assumptions(Lebron hasn't even played a single NBA game)... you'll have to put experience into consideration... I'll say the Rockets are about 3 years ahead of the Cavs in terms of overall team quality & maturity... Francis & Mobley are considered as vets right now & Yao already has one year experience under his pocket... Cavs on the other hand certainly got some growing up to do in order to be competitive...
Take away Ziggy and the 3 best Cavs players shoots under 40%. Then you add Lebron and Ricky's ego probs which will destroy their chemistry, I'm not worried.
LeBron is not going to get the ROY next year. I don't even think he's going to finish top 3 at the voting. Francis will eat him if we play the cavs. LeBron may become a great player in several years. But next season? no way.
We may disagree on Wagner, but if he goes back to the form he had last season, I can easily see him and Lebron dominating. Wagner went head-to-head with Iverson. This guy has heart, and everyone's seen that he has talent. When was the last time a rookie eclipsed 20 points a few times in his first 10 games, and was a bust? I just can't see it happening. The thing with this tandem is that, Wagner's a 2-guard and Lebron's a PG. What Wagner would've lost against bigger Guards is eliminated now that Lebron is the point (6'8). Whatever problem Lebron would've had guarding smaller PG's, is eliminated with Wagner's presence. These guys are the perfect match. Ricky Davis, I don't really like him. Too many turnovers, lazy on defense, and has a terrible attitude. I believe they're already trying to move him. They signed Ollie and Newble, and are still after Pike. To me, that's indication that they'll move him for some froncourt help.
this is why stats suck. stats can never show you how well a team plays together. stats can never show you the true impact a player has on the game. stats can never tell you the direction a team is heading.
Smoothie, bro, you can't just compare guys who play the same position. I mean, Ricky Davis was the Cavs #1 option last year, how can you compare him to our #3 guy, Mobley? You can't compare Wagner to Mooch, Wagner was their starting PG, you have to compare him to Francis if you go by position and to Mobley by relevence. Big Z plays in the East btw, but, he still is pretty good, but Yao could become better than him this season. Your logic is flawed.
How much better are we then the Cavs? The Rockets are predicted to be a potential and likely playoff team, the Cavs are still in rebuilding mode. Case closed. Losing out on a few scrubs to a team doesn't mean that team is better. It just means they added a few more scrubs to a bad team. By the way, if you add the stats of that Cavs team to the Suns I bet you get basically the same thing that you got with the Rockets and they made the playoffs. The Cavs can have the stats, I'll take the playoffs, which is where the Rockets will be this season.
the rockets won 43 games last season. they did so in the tough western conference. the cavs won 17 games last season in the eastern conference. SEVENTEEN GAMES IN THE LOUSY EASTERN CONFERENCE! for the sake of arguement, let's say that Lebron has the greatest rookie campaign in the history of the NBA and averages 40 ppg 20 rpg 20 apg 10 spg and what the hell, 8 bpg. THEY STILL WON'T BREAK .500!!!! how has not one single person mentioned we won literally more than twice the games they won in a conference that is twice as hard? I think if the rockets were in the eastern conference we can safely say they'd have won at least 50 games. AT LEAST! SEVENTEEN GAMES! good god. if the rockets were in the eastern conference, their 43 wins would have placed them at the 7th seed, bumping milwaukee down to the 8th seed and bumping orlando entirely out of the playoffs. Yes, that's right. It would have bumped the Orlando team that boasts a veteran T-mac on it's roster right out of the playoffs. I'll be amazed with Lebron if he puts up half the numbers T-mac puts up in his rookie campaign so don't go telling me the cavs and the rockets are pretty close. i know i can be a bit of a homer, but quite frankly, i think this user should get banned from the board for being either the most negative fan i've ever seen or among the stupidest.
Oh and another thing, by all reports, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is considered to be one serious injury away from retiring. Don't count on him in the future. And Sane, you must be going inSane. Lebron and Wagner the best backcourt in the league? I mean maybe potentially the best, but the best? Payton and Bryant? Nash and Finley? Francis and Mobley? no.
We are wayyyyy better than the Cavs. Don't let Lebronpalooza scramble your brain. Lebron may not be the best rookie this season. Don't be surprised if Carmelo outplays him.
