Finally

I've been waiting for years for someone at ESPN to make this exact argument:

If you're looking for a long shot -- and we concede it's an extreme long shot -- we've got a more genuine nominee than the Clippers (LeBron isn't playing in Kobe Bryant's building or putting any faith in the stewardship of Donald Sterling no matter how good lining up next to Blake Griffin sounds) or the Bulls (since it's equally tough to imagine him driving past His Airness' statue on his way to every home game.)

We repeat: The host city for the 2010 All-Star Game is Long Shot City. That said, Dallas has more in its favor than you think.

Dirk Nowitzki would appear to be the best big man LeBron could conceivably hook up with next summer, which would also mean playing with the Mavs' lead recruiter and James' close friend Jason Kidd.

It doesn't hurt that LeBron is said to be fond of the area and undoubtedly loves the Cowboys as much as or more than he loves the Yankees. Or that Mark Cuban was the NBA's original spare-no-expense owner in the new millennium.

The glaring obstacle here, besides the inevitable suggestions that Big D is neither big enough nor sufficiently glamorous for James, is that the Mavs won't have any cap space to throw at him. Dallas would thus have to propose a sign-and-trade, presumably headlined by Josh Howard and perhaps Erick Dampier's cap-friendly contract for payroll relief, that the Cavs would naturally want no part of.

Thank you Marc Stein, thank you. While Friday's game was just as bad as we all had figured, it's nice to see ESPN making some new stupid arguments.

Obviously, this is dumb. LeBron isn't going to leave the Cavs (a team that won 66 games last season) because he likes some other city's football or baseball team. It's gonna come down to money and winning (in that order?). Personally, I'm thinking he's gonna sign a 3-4 year deal and keep the Cavs on their toes (while still letting him leave as a free agent before he turns 30 if he needs to).

For what it's worth, here's Mo Williams:

"I'm not really too concerned about it, because I know his heart and his love is here in Cleveland," Williams told me [David Aldridge] last week. "I know that. Just like anybody else, we love the New Yorks, we love the Miamis, we love the L.A.s, we love the Torontos. That's probably the most underrated city. We love those cities. But you can't underrate home."

Anyways.

One good and one great

First, nice win by the Cavaliers. Thank the lord that the Cavs only visit New York once this year. Jesus Christ, that was nauseating. And great Chris Rock interview ESPN. Awesome idea Chris, trading LeBron for Brook Lopez, Devin Harris and 3 picks. Oh could we? Brook Lopez AND Devin Harris? Would the Nets do that?

(There's gonna be a ton of "The Cavs should trade LeBron" stories over the course of this season from both columnists playing devil's advocate and Clevelanders too used to our East Coast farm team. No, you do not trade LeBron-this isn't baseball and they are not the Indians. The Cavaliers differ from the Tribe in two major ways 1) they have a very real chance to win a championship and 2) they can pay LeBron the most money.

The goal is to win the title. If Sabathia leaves via free agency and you aren't going to win the title this season, then of course you trade him. By not letting him leave for nothing, you're helping your chances for future titles down the road. But if the Cavs are in the playoff hunt and if we all can agree that they won't get equal value in any realistic trade scenario, then by trading LeBron, you're hurting your chances to win a title. Trading LeBron hurts your chances to win now. The goal is to win the title.

Also, you can't be the guy who trades away LeBron James. If he leaves, it's has got be his decision. All the Cavs can do is field the best team they can and, oh yea, pay him the most money. Danny Ferry cannot trade LeBron James and certainly not for the likes of Devin Harris and Brook Lopez.

Perhaps it would be a fitting end to a Cavalier career that began as the Next Larry Bird).

Anyways, I liked that Mike Brown started J.J. Hickson. He has a better face up jumper than Varejao (which works nice with Shaq) and he should be on his best behavior (i.e. focused) by playing with LeBron and the starters. Plus, you can sub Z, Varejao and West in together for a more than solid second unit.

Also, great win by the Bucks over Penn State. The Vest looked like he had a solid game plan (and solid mid-game adjustments) and Terrelle Pryor didn't make any mistakes. Did he turn the corner?! Is his career a mirror of Vince Young's?! Obviously, who knows. But it was great to see him win a big game on the road.

And that Buckeye defense. Yikes. Iowa has had 10 or 11 (I'm lazy) turnovers over the last two games and they get to face THAT defense. Good luck with that.

Chicago 86, Cleveland 85

Tough loss. The Cavs looked good for stretches and made some nice plays, but they let Chicago slowly build up a six point lead throughout the fourth and by the time the Cavs decided to show some urgency, they ran out of time. Some Cavs played well (James and Shaq were both pretty good) but no one had a standout game. The Bulls got fine performances from a number of players (Derek Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Brad Miller and rookie Taj Gibson) and the Cavs only got 12 points from their bench (8 of which were Boobie's).

Some crazy plays at the very end. On the Cavs' last possession, LeBron drove left against Deng, jumped, made contact with Noah and the ball went out of bounds and the refs called it off James. While LeBron (not to mention the crowd) did not agree with the call, I think the refs got it right. Ya, maybe you could've called a foul on Noah's help out, but James lost the ball on the way up when his elbow (which he led with) hit into Noah's chest. Was there body contact? Sure. But if that's Dwyane Wade and Anderson Varejao, I'd be pissed if Wade got that call. Anyways, the Cavs shouldn't of even had the ball to begin with; they forced a turnover on a 24 second violation but it sure looked like Deng's running floater glanced the rim (Brad Miller got the board). It should've been Bulls ball with 3 seconds to go.

But it shouldn't have even come down to that last play. The Cavs didn't show any of the intensity that ended the Wizards game. The defense was a step slow (as were the coaching adjustments), the offense was haphazard and they got no production from their bench (Z was 0-9 and Delonte was 1-4). The Bulls hung around and hung around and eventually took the lead. The Cavs didn't help themselves at the line either, going 12-20 as a team (LeBron went 6-9).

The coaching was not good. Brown insisted on pairing Z with Shaq and it just didn't work. Hell, he had a five in the second half that was West-Gibson-Parker-Z-Shaq. Three guards and a two seven footers. Awesome. Then, for the last two minutes, he goes small and puts LeBron at the four. Which is fine by me but I wanna know why a) you play one way for the whole game and switch at the end and b) why don't they go small more often (especially if it's something you feel comfortable using at crunch time)? The TNT guys ripped the offense during halftime and I can't really blame 'em- the offense looks bad (though I will point out, again, that I'm pretty sure Mike Brown isn't calling for LeBron to go one-on-five and hoist a 20 footer). Their second to last play was a Mo Williams running floater (that did not look good) and their final play consisted of James driving into traffic.

LeBron was good, not great. Well, he finished with 25 points, 7 boards, 6 assists and 2 trips into the stands that resulted in an injury (once tweaking his ankle and another jumped and landing awkwardly on an empty seat). While 25-7-6 is pretty damn good for most guys, James could've done more; he continues to settle for jumpers (though this could stem from not being comfortable with Shaq) and initiate the offense from 23 feet out. This may sound nitpicky (again, 25-7-6) but they aren't going to beat good teams with James going 1-on-5.

The bench was not good. Gibson scored 5 points early but his only other basket came at the buzzer of the third quarter (Boobie only took four shots, making three. I would've liked to see them ride his current hot streak a bit). Meanwhile, Z went 0-9 and West missed all of his jumpers. J.J. Hickson didn't have a good 3 minutes of PT (0-4, 2 boards, 1 TO) but I really don't think he's gonna 'get it' in these little 3 minute spurts. Oddly, in a game where Chicago's length (Deng) and quickness (Rose, Hinrich, Ty Thomas) hurt the Cavs, Jamario Moon never made it off the bench. It's fairly obvious that Brown doesn't have a rotation down quite yet.

In the end, it was effort. The Bulls wanted this win more. They got the loose balls, they grabbed the offensive boards and made they made the plays down the stretch. The Cavs looked disjointed and slightly disinterested at times. I know it's early and we all assumed (at least I hope we did) that they would struggle out of the gate but already having two losses at The Q (where they were 39-2 last season) doesn't feel right. Coming off a 66 win season, they're gonna get other teams' best shot, they're going to have to find a way to match the oppositions intensity or they'll lose a few more games they should win.

and finally...

Lord knows what to expect tomorrow (from LeBron or the gasbags at ESPN). LeBron James in Madison Square Garden... following a loss. Triple double? 50 points? Both? All I know is, I expect the Cavs to come out and dominate and LeBron to make some stupid crazy plays.

Well done sir

This morning on Mike & Mike, ESPN's Buster Olney was the first pundit to link the Yankees winning the World Series with LeBron playing for the Knicks next season. It's no 'LeBron to the Lakers because the weather is nice' but it's still pretty stupid. Olney actually mused that C.C. Sabathia could use his "winning in New York" experience to lure LeBron to the Knicks. That's right, because C.C. Sabathia won a World Series, LeBron is going to play for the Knicks.

For the last time: no, LeBron is not going to leave his basketball team because another town has a good baseball team. That is dumb. He needs championships. In basketball.

Expect to see a ton of "LeBron to New York" stuff from the World Wide Leader over the next few days, as the Cavs face off against the Knicks on Friday. Thank the Flying Spagetti Monster that this is the only time the Cavaliers visit Madison Square Garden this season. Couple with the World Series victory (expect to see a lot of Yankees in the crowd on Friday) and we're in for a hell of a couple days.

Oh, and before heading to New York, the Cavs face off against the Bulls, a team covered by Sam "LeBron will go to the Lakers" Smith. I'll be shocked if TNT fails to mention that tonight.

It's gonna be a long, long season.

This is Dumb

Sam Smith:

Well, at least I’m fairly sure now where LeBron James is going to be playing next season.

Los Angeles, most likely with the Lakers.

Stay with me a bit here, and when the Bulls are in Cleveland Thursday for the TNT national TV game with the Cavs, I doubt LeBron will have much to say on the subject. And this is hardly an overreaction to the Cavs slogging out of the starting gate this season with two losses and looking ready for pasture.

Wow.

Don't worry, his reasoning is solid:

And, really, everyone wants to play in L.A. The weather is fabulous. You can be a star and have privacy because there are so many other stars. And then when you want to be a star you can because it is a city of stars. And basketball is by far No. 1, the only big city in the U.S. where you can say that. Plus, owner Jerry Buss knows stars sell and has been the most successful at recruiting and paying for stars.

[snip]

The Lakers certainly have no salary cap room. They are in no position to pay James, which remains the No. 1 priority for all free agents. James just has to explain to the Cavs he’s leaving. If they don’t accommodate him, he’s going to New York or Miami and they get nothing. But if they do in a sign and trade to save the franchise, they get a young, potential All-Star center in Andrew Bynum. Maybe Lamar Odom as well or Ron Artest. Draft picks, some pieces like Jordan Farmar. The Cavs can compete in the East with a star center and some pieces added to what they have. It’s better than nothing as cap room doesn’t mean anything in Cleveland. No one’s going there.

Sure, they have no money, a shot hogging superstar, but LeBron has GOT TO LEAVE THE CAVS!!! He hates it here. It's awful. They even lost their first two games.

This boggles the mind. At least when Bill Simmons proposes that James heads to the Clippers, he has better reasoning than 'the weather is nice' (nice young talent, take a franchise to new heights, etc). And honestly, I'd rather have LeBron leave than have the Cavs actually deal him for.... Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest, a few 31st overall draftpicks and Jordan Farmar.

And let's remember, 2010 isn't far off any more. For this trade to go down, it'll have to happen this February. Does anyone really that the Cavaliers will be so far out of contention come February that they'd even entertain the idea of trading him? Let alone actually doing it...

This is going to be one long, dumb season. Your move, Adrian Wojnarowski.

Cleveland 102, Washington 90

Asides from the first period, the Cavs dominated. The offense looked really good; LeBron didn't settle for jumpers (though his shot looks great in this early season), the Cavs dominated the post (both Shaq and LeBron showed off some jump hooks) and the shooters made their shots (Mo and Boobie combined to go 7-9 from behind the arc). The offense flowed, their defense was stifling (the Wizards shot 39% for the game) and they looked comfortable with each other.

About that first quarter. It was ugly. While Washington came out like they gave a damn, the Cavs sleptwalked through that first period. The offense was bad (the Cavs had just 3 points over the final half of the quarter) and the defense was worse (at one point the Wizards made seven straight shots). They were going under screens (leaving Arenas and Butlter free to fire away) and they lost track of Wizard big men, allowing them to get easy dunks and offensive rebounds. The lead was 14 after one period (31-17) and got as high as 18 in the early second (37-19).

Shaq and Boobie got the crowd going. For as much as Gibson frustrates me sometimes, when he plays well, the Cavs and their fans seem to respond really well. Gibson scored 8 second quarter points (two treys and an offensive putback) and he fed Shaq on a break leading to an one-handed dunk (which REALLY got the crowd going). Meanwhile, Shaq, who also had 8 points in the quarter, got Washington's big men in foul trouble (he drew 5 fouls in the period) and made four straight free throws.

Far and away Shaq's best game as a Cavalier thus far. The big fella finished with 21 points, 8 boards, 3 assists and 2 or 3 Shawn Rogers-esque fouls near the rim (including a crowd pleasing throw down of DeShawn Stevenson). O'neal was definitely the most active I've seen him as a Cavalier (especially offensively); he showed off a rolling hook shot and a turnaround jumphook, he spun baseline and pinned a guy on his back, he ran the floor (he really had to stretch to dunk that ball from Boobie) and he drew the double team that allowed Boobie and Williams to get good looks at the basket. Basically, Shaq looked like Shaq.

LeBron had a good game as well. LeBron debuted his jumphook (it went in) and set up in the post throughout the game (though he still found a way to hoist seven 3s). James played powerfoward (both next to Shaq and next to Varejao) for the bulk of his second quater minutes and the Cavs cut Washington's lead to four (54-50) by halftime. LeBron finished with 27 points, 8 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. I like the fact that LeBron ended up taking 13 free throws (making 11) as it shows that the Cavs took advantage of the Wizards foul trouble (and Washington wrapped him up anything he was near the rim). When LeBron and Shaq combine to make 18 of 23 freebies, the Cavs are in a good spot.

It was a rough night for a few Cavaliers. Z finished 1-6 (with 3 weak fouls), Delonte went 2-7 and Anthony Parker was a rim bending 2-12 (but it was a great moment when he broke through and hit a trey to put the Cavs up 67-62 in the third- all made possible by an Anderson Varejao offensive board). Jamario Moon finished 1-4, but he was chuckin during the late stages of the game.

More J.J. Hickson please. Hickson grabbed two boards in his four minutes of court time. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't too pleased when Brown brought out the twin towers to start the second quarter; the Cavs had given up easy dunks and offensive boards to the Wizards athletic bigs, I wasn't sure two old, lumbering centers would do the trick (but when Shaq gets them all in foul trouble....). Offensively, Hickson bricked the only jumper he took but he also got the Cavs an extra possession by skying for a board. I'd like to see more of this.

Is there a more fun player to hate than DeShawn Stevenson? First of all, there's no downside. I have no fear that he's gonna torch the Cavs and have a big game in Cleveland. None. Boo away Cleveland fans, we won't be seeing any Reggie Miller-like performances out of this guy. Stevenson finished 0-4 for 3 points, got decked by Shaq and bowled over Boobie for a charge. Missed shots, a dumb ducktail haircut, running into a fan favorite for a charge and getting clobbered by Shaq? Well done DeShawn, we really couldn't ask for anything more.

and finally...

Bulls on Thursday. I'm interested to see how Thursday's game in Cleveland plays out. The Bulls had a really nice win against the Spurts at home but followed it up by laying an egg in Boston. The Cavs have now won three games in a row by double digits and I'm interested to see how Shaq follows up this performance.

Wait, what? (Part II)

MMQB:

New York Post A-Rod passage of the week: The paper on Saturday wrote that US Weekly found an ex-flame who said Rodriguez had two paintings of himself as a centaur -- man from the waist up, horse from the waist down -- in his bedroom at home.

Wow, two? I mean, having one self portrait as a shirtless centaur in your bedroom is fine. Who hasn't commissioned a shirtless centaur painting? But two? Two is just going overboard.

Wait, what?

Just reading an article about how the Browns are all pissed off at their 1-7 start and I come across this:

Running back Jamal Lewis questioned the direction of the team, saying, "Where are we trying to go and what are we trying to accomplish?" The future Hall of Famer said he is so distraught with the way this season has gone south after "everybody bought in" in training camp that this would be his last season of playing.

Um, I know he had some great great years with Baltimore (lord knows he always destroyed the Browns) but he's been extremely mediocre in his time in Cleveland.

As for this being his last season, I'm ok with that. I was surprised that he was brought back as the unquestioned starter to begin with (with only Jerome Harrison as a legit replacement). Even if he doesn't hang it up for good, this should be his last season in a Browns uniform.

Delonte is back and I'm having CPU troubles

It was great to see Delonte West back in uniform (I was at the game, the crowd cheered every he did anything or was showed on the jumbotron) and it was even better to see him and the Cavaliers play so well.

Unfortunately, my computer monitor is on the fritz. If you turn it off and back on, I'll be able to see the screen for somewhere between 1-5 seconds and then it turns to black. So whenever I try to do anything (play a CD, visit a site, do some writing, etc), even if it's quick, I'm turning the monitor on and off like 50 times. It's a bit infuriating, as you can imagine. I'm not entirely sure what I'm gonna do with this, other than try to make due (same thing happened about two weeks ago and one random time I turned it on and it stayed lit. So I dunno).

Anyways. It was great to see the Cavs beat some teams they should beat. The offense looked better (though LeBron is settling for WAY too many jumpers for my tastes. To his credit, the shots are dropping, but I'd rather him move around or post up rather than hoist jumpers. For all the crap we give Mike Brown's offense, I'm fairly certain he isn't telling LeBron hold the ball for 10 seconds and hoist a 22 footer).

I will say it's striking how everything looks with Z on the floor. The offense just flows that much better. I like what Shaq has been giving the Cavs thus far (though they have to figure out what to do with him in pick-and-roll situations on both ends) but the offense simply dies when he's out there.

All in all, it was great to see them get a win while getting Delonte back into things. It's no accident that Mo had 24 points the same night Delonte returned.

Season Preview/Browns Review Podcast

Is here now! We recorded this on Monday before the first Cavs game. I think it holds up in the face of their 0-2 start.