Cavaliers guard Jarrett Jack was eavesdropping the other day. Or as he calls it, ‘ear hustling.’
He was listening to Cavs guards Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters daydreaming about playing in the postseason. They were talking about attending some NBA playoff games, just to see what all the fuss was about.
‘These guys (are) taking the onus on themselves to go do that and to go get better,’ Jack said. ‘This is getting better without dribbling the ball or stepping between the lines. This is these guys trying to get better on the cerebral side. Things like that go a tremendously long way.’
Jack said if Irving and Waiters pick up some of the nuances displayed by Spurs guards Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, or Heat players Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, maybe the budding Cavs stars can incorporate some of those things into their own games.
‘(Maybe they can) create that type of relationship that people don’t see and people don’t necessarily need to know,’ Jack said. ‘I don’t know if I’m supposed to speak on that. But these are the things that go on behind the scenes that people don’t know.’
Jack said he loves hearing things like this, especially from two very passionate players like Irving and Waiters.
Jack said if they do attend some playoff games, they will realize it’s a totally different animal than the regular season.
‘Playoff basketball is ridiculously different than regular-season basketball, from everything – preparation,’ he said. ‘Obviously, the pressure that’s on.’
Jack said Waiters tried to compare the playoffs to the NCAA tournament.
”Man, the tournament was so fun,” he said. ‘I said, ‘I hear you, but you don’t play a 16th seed and you’re playing against some guys who barely have Division I scholarships in the first round of the playoffs.’ Look at San Antonio, they got Memphis. They’re going against Zach Randolph, Marc Gasol and you’ve got to beat those guys four times.’
Waiters is looking forward to attending a few playoff games.
‘I’ve got to see what it’s like,’ he said. ‘(I want to) see how teams win, teams like San Antonio, teams that stick to their principles and do what they do best. I’d like to get out to a game.’
Cavs coach Mike Brown said attending playoff games could be beneficial to his players.
‘Anytime guys can watch basketball, whether it’s on TV or go someplace to watch a game, they should do it,’ he said. ‘Being in that environment, watching a playoff team, watching the little nuances at both ends of the floor is something not just players but coaches, too (can learn from it).’
Learning from the best
Jack said he tried to demonstrate to Waiters and Irving that they don’t have to go out and get monster points just to dominate the game. He learned that in a conversation with a future Hall of Fame point guard.
‘Jason Kidd told me, ‘I keep my thumb on the game,” Jack said. ”I check the pulse of the game. I could have four points, seven assists, six rebounds, but I controlled everything out there.’ When you look at it from that perspective, those two guys, with as much attention as they receive already, you can have 17 or 16 points, but you incorporated everyone else on the floor and understanding when it’s necessary for me to have those huge nights or whatever the case may be when the team is struggling, I can do that. But it might not be necessary each and every night.
‘I could go get 25, but if I get 15, but I get Anthony Bennett 13, it’s the same 28, but now they have to be honest with two guys instead of just me. You know what I mean? That’s just a maturation process. I think those guys are definitely equipped to handle it.’
Rumor mill
— Waiters said the firing of Cavs General Manager Chris Grant the first week in February really affected him. ‘That’s a guy who took a chance on me, a young kid like myself coming from where I come from,’ he said. ‘He made my dream come true. You never want to see (anybody) get fired. He’s got a family. You’ve got to feed your kids. What could we have done differently? Did it take him getting fired for us to start playing the way we did? You never know. I know I took it hard because if we’d have been taking care of business like we were supposed to the beginning of the season, he would still be here.’
— Salary cap expert Larry Coon said the NBA is going to raise the projected 2014-15 salary cap from $62.9 million to $63.2 million. He also said the luxury tax line has gone up from $75.7 million to $77 million.
— There’s a chance Pacers center Andrew Bynum’s season – and possibly his career – is over. He has been ruled out of Indiana’s playoff series against Atlanta and Bynum’s knee is so bad, he likely won’t play in the postseason, even if the Pacers get to the NBA Finals in early June. One could surmise that his career is in serious jeopardy, despite being just 26 years old.
— Forward/center Pau Gasol might have played his last game with the Lakers. He will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. He didn’t appear to be on the same page with Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni. It has been rumored that he might join Phil Jackson in New York, but he’s certainly not going to play for the $3.2 million mid-level exception. Joining his brother, Marc, in Memphis might make some sense. The Cavs might kick the tires of a Gasol signing.
— The 2014 NBA draft got stronger when Duke forward Jabari Parker decided to enter the draft. He probably won’t last past the third overall pick. The 6-8 small forward could land in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Orlando or Utah. He would be a great fit in Cleveland, especially if free agent Luol Deng signs elsewhere.
— Knicks coach Mike Woodson could be one of several coaching casualties around the league. Television analyst Steve Kerr appears to have genuine interest in the New York job, even though he has never coached.
— In Detroit, the Pistons will be looking for a GM and a coach. Joe Dumars has stepped down as GM, and John Loyer will be out as coach.
Quick shots
— TNT’s colorful sideline reporter Craig Sager will miss the playoffs to get treatment for leukemia. He said he will miss it. ‘My favorite time of year – city to city, round by round, 40 games in 40 nights,’ he said in a prepared statement. ‘A dramatic turn has matched me with acute myeloid leukemia. From the sidelines to being sidelined, 40 veins and 40 electrolytes. Too bad, I had some probing questions for Pop.’
— The Cavs shot 43.7 percent from the field as a team. Amazingly, Miami shot a franchise-record 50.1 percent from the floor. The Heat became the first NBA team to make at least half of their field-goal attempts in a season since the Suns did that in both the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. The Suns were the only other team in the last 17 seasons to crack the 50-percent barrier.
— The Suns finished 48-34 this season, but were left out of the playoffs. Their record would have been tied for third in the East. Phoenix was only the fourth team to win 48 games and not qualify for the playoffs. The Suns won 48 games in 1970-71 and didn’t make the playoffs. They didn’t get into the postseason in 1971-72, despite winning 49 games. Golden State won 48 games in 2007-08 and failed to make the playoffs.