Tag: kevin johnson

The New Browns’ Front Office Looks Fine. On Paper.

The Cleveland Browns made some big moves on the first day of NFL free agency, inking TE Austin Hooper, RT Jack Conklin, and QB Case Keenum to big deals.

Hooper and Conklin are typical of the way GM Andrew Berry likes to handle free agency, signing proven, solid players coming off their rookie contracts.  Barring injury, those types of players should still be improving.

We think about the year the Browns signed Karlos Dansby and Donte Whitner to big deals, only to have them play well for one season, and then regress in performance.

Berry and his front office and building not only for this season, but the next few years as well, even giving Hooper and Conklin deals weighted for this season, because he knows it will be time to pay Myles Garrett, Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and perhaps Nick Chubb very soon.

The conservative, but aggressive approach continued the rest of the week.  We’ll explain that term.  The Browns are aggressive trying to fill holes,  they’ve signed safeties, linebackers, defensive line depth, and even a kick returner.

However, the conservativeness comes in because they are signing these players to one year contracts.  And we will repeat what we (and others) say all the time…there is no such thing as a bad one year contract.

Think about it.  Even if the player signed is terrible, you can cut him and there are no ramifications beyond this season.  You are done with the player and the contract.  We say the same thing in baseball.

The oldest players Berry inked were 32-year-old S Andrew Sendejo, who was brought in not only for need, but for veteran leadership, and 28-year-old CB Kevin Johnson, a former first round pick in 2015 (16th overall from Wake Forest).

Cleveland also signed another former first rounder in Karl Joseph, the 14th overall pick in 2016 out of West Virginia.

Our opinion is the Browns are going to go heavy on defense in the upcoming NFL Draft, and the players they signed on that side of the football are basically on one year tryouts.

If they succeed, then the team can negotiate an extra year or two to keep them around, but if they aren’t impactful or if the rookie drafted to play the position looks like he’s a player, then they will be allowed to hit free agency in 2021.

When you think about it, that’s a win/win for the Browns.  And that’s where analytics comes in.  It makes you think about the percentages, and whether or not a player at a certain position is worth keeping at big money.

The big test will likely come with Chubb, when he is due to an extension.  The effectiveness of running backs long term isn’t very good, so the Browns will have to ask themselves if they want to give a big extension to Chubb, as good as he has been for the Browns in his first two seasons.

All these moves have been made and the Browns still have almost $50 million under the cap.  Remember, next year they have to pay Garrett, so they should be able to keep all of their key pieces and keep one of the game’s best pass rushers.

For those who were concerned about the “computer guys” running the Browns, the proof will come when they start playing games.  Right now though, it seems like the Paul DePodesta/Andrew Berry combination has done a pretty solid job.

MW

Was Drafting Garland Unfair To Sexton?

Last June, the Cleveland Cavaliers made Darius Garland the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft despite drafting a smaller guard the year before in Collin Sexton.

We’ve heard a few people compare the situation to 1987 when the Cavs traded for Mark Price after he was drafted by Dallas in the second round, and then GM Wayne Embry picked Kevin Johnson, another lead guard in the first round the following draft.

The difference is Price didn’t play a lot as a rookie, averaging just 18 minutes a night, and scored just 6.9 points and three assists, and shot just 41% from the floor behind John Bagley.

The next season, Price averaged 16 points, 6 assists, and shot 50% from the floor, and by mid-season, Johnson was traded to Phoenix in a package that netted the Cavs Larry Nance Sr. and Mike Sanders.

Nance was the missing piece Cleveland needed and they won 57 games the following year, being eliminated in the playoffs by “The Shot”.

With Garland and Sexton both drafted very high, the front office and coaching staff felt they needed to play the two guards together, even though they sacrificed size, with two under 6’2″ players in the backcourt.

John Beilein thought the pair could play together and perhaps they could have in college, but in the pro, it’s tough to play defense with a lack of height, even at guard.

Perhaps the better idea would have been to start Sexton, who improved as his rookie season progressed and pair him with a bigger #2 guard, and bring Garland off the bench, much like Johnson over 30 years ago.

Sexton, who has been widely criticized all season long (including here), seemed unsure of what he was supposed to do, being moved off the ball.

Since the end of January, the second year man from Alabama has averaged 24.2 points and 4.2 assists per game.  Keep in mind, a year ago, Sexton averaged three dimes per contest.

Perhaps it was too much to expect two rookie guards to play effectively at the NBA level this early.  It seems playing with veterans helps Sexton, and maybe not having to guard bigger off-guards all night helps his offense too.

This is not to denigrate Garland, but he’s 19-years-old and only played four games in college a year ago.

When you play with guys who have been around, and know how to move the basketball, like Kevin Love, Larry Nance, and Matthew Dellavedova, it becomes contagious, and you become a better passer too.

Sexton admitted when Beilein stepped down and J.B. Bickerstaff took over, that he looked inward and wondered if he needed to play better and play differently.  He certainly has done just that.

If Sexton continues to play like he has in the last month, GM Koby Altman has a huge decision to make.  Does he turn the keys to the offense over to Sexton and make a move with Garland?

The rookie is averaging 12.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, and he looks like he can play in the NBA.  But Kevin Porter Jr. has scored 10 points and dished out 2.2 assists in seven less minutes per night, and he looks like a keeper too.

Resolving the backcourt may be the single most important decision the Cavs have to make this off-season.  However, they may not get the value they want because of how they handled the 2019-20 season.

MW