March 2017 Basketball Wiretap

Report: Cavaliers Lost $40M During 15-16 Season

Jan 27, 2017 8:39 PM

The Cleveland Cavaliers had an operating loss of $40 million during the 15-16 season, according to a Forbes report.

The Cavaliers had a payroll of $115 million with a luxury tax bill of $54 million. In addition to benefits, cash involved in trades and the team’s share for total NBA player costs to reach the mandated 51% of leaguewide revenue and the Cavaliers spent roughly $185 million last season on their roster.

Despite the NBA's influx of national television money this season, the Cavaliers are likely headed for another huge operating loss.

All NBA team values are up dramatically thanks to the league's $24 billion TV deal signed in 2014, but the Cavaliers' jump has outpaced the league by 18%. Forbes valued the team No. 19 in the NBA at $515 million before the return of LeBron James and $1.1 billion last year, 12th highest in the league. 

The operating loss by the Cavaliers last season is the fifth biggest since Forbes began tracking NBA team finances with the 1997-98 season.

Dan Gilbert is worth $5.1 billion and Quicken Loans Arena is also receiving a subsidy from taxpayers to pay for half of the $140 million renovation.

The Forbes report follows a week in which James and Gilbert are at odds over the spending on the Cavs' payroll.

Kurt Badenhausen/Forbes

Tags: Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA B-Ball IQ

Discuss
James Harden: I Was Shocked By Mike D'Antoni's Point Guard Idea

Jan 17, 2017 5:18 PM

James Harden knew Mike D'Antoni was innovative but he was surprised by the thought of playing point guard full time.

“I was shocked,” Harden said. “But I’ve always been a really good passer and a playmaker. As training camp came along and I started handling it, it came easier. I’m still learning to do it at a high level every single night. You are in control of the ball 90 percent of the game. But it feels good. Guys are getting shots, guys are happy and that’s what matters."

The Houston Rockets have a 32-11 record to begin the season with Harden playing like an MVP candidate.

D'Antoni saw a way to make Harden even better.

“I watched a lot of tape of him,” D’Antoni said. “His skills are enormous. Point guard made sense. He was that anyway. We just cut the fat off. The way he plays now, he’s making an impact every minute. So we can play him less minutes. And he’s fresher.”

 

Chris Mannix/Sports Illustrated

Tags: James Harden, Houston Rockets, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

Discuss
Draymond Green: Loss Will Help Warriors Fix Fourth Quarter Issues On Offense

Jan 7, 2017 2:49 PM

The Golden State Warriors blew a 24-point lead at home and lost 128-119 to the Memphis Grizzlies in overtime.

Draymond Green was critical of the Warriors' late game offense and became particularly animated when Kevin Durant shot a top of the arc three off the dribble in the final minute of regulation.

"We had Kevin with an iso at the top," Steve Kerr explained. "He had Zach [Randolph] on him and I thought about taking a timeout, but I liked the matchup and so I let the play go through."

"Our fourth-quarter offense has been atrocious, and I don't know if you could see," Green said. "Everyone only notices in losses, but I actually pay attention to things when we win also."

Green said the Warriors' sixth loss of the season will magnify issues they have been experiencing even in wins.

"I'm actually happy we lost today because there's some things that we need to correct in order to win a championship, and that's our goal," he said. "So trying to win every regular-season game really don't matter. I want to see us get better each and every time we step on the floor, and I don't feel like that's been happening for the things we need to get better at. So I'm kind of thrilled that we lost because you usually make corrections when you lose."

Chris Haynes/ESPN

Tags: Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors, NBA, NBA B-Ball IQ

Discuss
Mike Budenholzer: No Assumptions Should Be Made About Hawks Rebuilding

Jan 7, 2017 2:38 PM

Mike Budenholzer dismissed the notion that the Atlanta Hawks' trade of Kyle Korver to a Cleveland Cavaliers' team that has eliminated them from the playoffs in each of the past two seasons necessarily signals a change in the direction of the franchise.

Prior to the trade of Korver, there were reports of the Hawks evaluating the trade market for Paul Millsap.

“My answer to that is I don’t think there should be any assumptions made about anything,” said Budenholzer. “Organizationally, we have to make hard decisions. I think it’s important that each one of them puts us in the best situation, the best place, to be a great organization. In this case, we made a trade that wasn’t easy. It was a hard decision. This is a good team that we have. This is a team that has shown an ability to compete at a high level. Keeping it together is something … I just wouldn’t make any assumptions going forward.”

With the departure of Korver, Budenholzer said he expects a bigger role for Tim Hardaway Jr. and more minutes for rookies Taurean Prince and DeAndre Bembry.

Chris Vivlamore/Atlanta Journal Constitution

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, NBA, NBA Misc Rumor, NBA B-Ball IQ

Discuss