1. CLEVELANDand (during a football column)
The big problem: Hey, speaking of GMs who screwed up the decade for their teams ... it's Danny Ferry! When you're trying to make the Finals with Eric Snow and David Wesley on pace for a combined 2,500 minutes, you know you've really accomplished something substantially crappy. What a shame. It's like the NBA decided to give LeBron a degree of difficulty to become the greatest player of all time. Here's how bad the situation is: Unless Larry Hughes can stay healthy (apparently an impossibility at this point), the Cavs' best five is Damon Jones, LeBron, Sasha Pavlovic, Anderson Varejao and Drew Gooden. Does that sound like the starting lineup of an NBA Finals team to you? Didn't think so.
29. ClevelandFirst of all, if he thinks Sasha Pavlovic and Drew Gooden are part of the Cavs 'best five' then he hasn't watched a whole lot of Cavaliers game. Maybe he just saw that Boston game and he thinks Pavs plays like that all the time.
I'd feel a lot better about these guys if Danny Ferry hadn't crippled them with so many horrible signings and draft picks. Wait, which Cleveland team is this again?
Anyways, whats with the the Danny Ferry hate? So far, I think he's had a good draft (I mean, who doesn't like the Brown and Gibson combo?) and I can't really quibble with his FA signings, even though some of them haven't worked out as planned.
I've said this before and I'll say it again, Ferry couldn't have gotten Ray Allen, Michael Redd or Joe Johnson. The Cavs couldn't have offered Allen and Redd the money that the Sonics and Bucks could (something like a $30 million dollar difference) and Joe Johnson wanted to be the number one option; he wanted to be the guy. If Johnson couldn't play second fiddle to Steve Nash (arugably the most selfless player in the NBA), what makes you think he'd do it for LeBron? Also, it was thought that the Suns would match any offer for Johnson. The reason they didn't was that Boris Diaw guy (the Cavs couldn't offer the Suns what the Hawks did).
So Hughes was really the Cavs only option.
Now if you want to say Ferry didn't do enough last offseason, I'm fine with that. But there wasn't exactly a glut of point guards on the market and it looks like he found that "mythical point guard of the future" in the draft.
David Wesley isn't great (actually, he sucks and is over the hill) but he's cheap and it's only a 1-year deal. He's already lost his minutes to Pavlovic, Brown and Gibson; he's not going to play and he's not costing the Cavs anything.
I think Ferry has done a decent job (even a good job) but I really don't think he's "screwed up the decade".
4 comments:
I guess since Danny Ainge is doing such a great job with the Celtics he has to find someone to bash. According to Simmons all the Celtics need is a new coach. I usually enjoy reading his columns, but I am tired of the Cleveland bashing. (deserved or not) I wonder how long it will take him to start his "LeBron wants out" rant?
He went off this past summer on LeBron wanting to leave. Just way overboard. And then when he stayed, Simmons (deservedly) got a lot of angry emails.
I enjoy his columns a lot, but I think he's a stereotypical 'coast' guy, especially when it comes to Cleveland sports.
Bill Simmons has funny stuff here and there, but he is overall a blowhard who rarely has any objective analysis. He cant write a column without some stupid Berman-like reference to his home teams. Did I mention he has Clips tickets, because he talks about that shit all the time. There are a slew of "sportswriters" at espn that are absolutely terrible. Bemani Jones, DJ Gallo, and Simmons to name a few. Lets not even get into Plaschke, Mariotti, or Gene Wojiekowski. Give me Buccigross, Melrose, Peter King, Len Pasquereli, and Peter Gammons thank you.
I think, being from Boston and faced with the truth that Boston sports is more important than God, Family and Country, those Cleveland GMs just tend to run together for guys like Simmons.
"Was it Jim Ferry? Danny Paxson? Wayne Campbell? Garth Embry? Ah, who cares. It's Cleveland. They all suck. And LeBron is a dumbass for wanting to stay there."
And you think I'm exaggerating about Simmons' placing Boston sports on a station of the cross? This is a man who refers to Larry Bird as "Basketball Jesus" and believes that God personally touched the Red Sox in 2004. I think he honestly believes you go to heaven by being a Boston sports fan.
When Simmons dies, if he gets to the pearly gates and St. Peter is wearing a Yankees cap, Simmons is screwed.
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