This Larry Hughes character may not be all bad. Sure, he need 16 shots to score 12 points, but he also had 8 boards and 6 assists. We all know (at least we should all know) that Hughes isn't going to be a high percentage shooter, but when he gives you the other stuff, you don't seem to mind as much. Would I like him to shoot better? Of course. But I'll take 12-8-6 anytime. Oh yea, the Cavs are 3-0 him starting at the point.
Man, I hate the Pistons. I'm not used to this... see, the Cavs hadn't been in the playoffs for awhile, so Cavalier fans haven't had a team to hate. Sure, I still hated the Bulls, but they sucked too (and can a non-Bulls fan really hate Tim Floyd?) But then the playoffs happened. And it was great. Now, Washington bugs me a bit (mostly just Tom Knott of the Washington Times) but it's not a deep hatred. But the Pistons? I hate Detroit basketball. Hates it. I absolutely love to hate them. I've missed this.
LeBron James is back to being LeBron James. Just look at this: 41 points, 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 3 steals and a ridonkulous block on Rip Hamilton. He was also .1 second away from a game winner. He played almost exactly the way you'd want him to; he went inside early, he didn't settle for shots, he played tough defense, he (mostly) hit his free throws. Sure, he missed one of two late free throws in OT, but there's not much else you could criticize about his performance (but I'll nit pick: he allows himself to be pushed off the block too easily and he ends up receiving the ball 'posting up' about 18 feet from the hoop).
So does this mean he was coasting? LeBron has obviously taken his game to another level over the last few games. Was he conserving his energy? Was he coasting? I don't know. All I do know is that if he played with this kind of intensity every night, the Cavs would not lose many games.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a large man. This was probably Z's best game since his return. Sure, he had some points early on, but he also hung around late in the game as well. Z buried three jumpers late in the fourth quarter and in OT that really helped the Cavaliers out. Z hasn't played particularly well in big games this year (though, can you name me a Cavalier who has?) but after the game, Jeff Phelps dropped this quote: "Zydrunas now, in three games against the Pistons this year, averaging 14 points and 14.6 rebounds a game." Is that true? How have I missed this?
This is why Drew Gooden is Drew Gooden. Over the last 5 games, Drew was averaging 5.4 points and 6.8 boards. Not good. So it makes perfect sense that Gooden dropped 22 and 10 on the Pistons. Perfect. Sense. If Gooden played with that kind of passion every ni- No, I'm not going to say it. Let's not lament about consistency (or lack there of), let us bask in Gooden's fantastic game. Well done Drew.
Started things out right. The Cavs probably played their best quarter of the season in the first period. The out scored the Pistons 34-24, they pushed the ball, they shared the ball and they took good shots. My lord, it was amazing. But then the second quarter happened. The Cavs went ice cold from the field (and stopped pushing/going inside as much) and Detroit clawed their way back into it on blood, guts and free throws. The Cavs ended up taking a 2 point lead into halftime.
Starters? Good. Bench? Not so much. All of the starters played well, I've already addressed four of 'em and while Pavlovic didn't have a strong game points-wise (just 6), he did have 5 boards and 4 assists. Pavs did have trouble with Hamilton a bit (29 points), but I thought Sasha did a relatively decent job defensive job. As for the non-starters? Only Varejao was a factor (4 points, 7 boards and a nifty assist) and while I can't exactly say that Snow played poorly... I disliked having to see him out there so much. Also, according to the box score, Shannon Brown and Donyell Marshall both played and missed 2 shots each (again, not really poor play, but nothing to write home about either).
The refs were gawd-awful. By halftime, Detroit had out shot the Cavs at the foul line by a line of 29-10. Now, it started off innocent enough; the Cavs were either A) making their shots or B) settling for jumpers, so you don't expect them to get a lot of freebies. Plus, the Pistons made a concerted effort to get in the lane and get to the line; they weren't shooting as well, so they forced the issue. But by the time the game was close again (late second quarter) the refs were bailing out Detroit with phantom calls. Coach Mike got himself a well deserved (and timed) technical foul (and Damon Jones got off the bench to calm him down. That was the only time he got up). The refs tried to right the ship in the 3rd quarter, giving the Cavs some calls (and the Pistons FREAKED OUT. My lord, they got every call all game and Webber gets called for a charge (after he traveled twice) and they go insane. I hate the Pistons. So much).
There's more. They also broke out the rarely seen and rarely effective double foul. Yes, a double foul. Now, I've heard on double technicals (the Charles Oakley/Dennis Rodman classics), but never double fouls. The play was a block/charge call involving James and Jason Maxiell. Now (forgive me lord for what I'm about to do), it looked like James committed a charge; he bowled over Maxiell. But the refs called it a block. Obviously, I'm OK with this. But once you make the call, stick with it. Or at least if you're going to change the call, call the charge. But a double foul pleases nobody and pisses off everyone (and confused the home viewer). Well done.
Big brass ones. Not only did the Cavs show up and win in a hostile environment and beat a division leading rival but they did it in stunning fashion. The Cavs got a big lead early on (impressive) but then blew it in the second quarter (oops) but managed to take the lead back going into halftime (good). In the third quarter they fought hard, kept it close and basically treaded water (OK). But they started out the fourth tied and proceeded to let the Pistons go on a 11-2 run (oh shit). But the Cavs stuck around (good). They chipped away at the Detroit lead and actually went ahead with 2:31 to go (holy crap). LeBron hit what looked to be the game winning shot as time expired (holy mother of God YES!!!) but it was eventually was waved off and they had to go into overtime (gulp). The Cavs then had to go out and win a game that they thought they had already won (faaaantastic). And they did. Talk about mental toughness, that's about as good of a regular season win as I've seen and it's definitely their biggest win of the season.
Though we've seen this before. The Cavs play poorly, then they play well and it looks like they've "turned the corner" and they proceed to drop a big turd against a team they should be destroying. This has been going on since the first week of the season, do we have any assurances that they won't crap on us again? Nope. But I think it helps that they have a relatively tough schedule coming up (@ Mil, Ind, Sac, @ Mem, UTH) and their only real let down game isn't for another week or so. Plus, we're now into the crunch time of the season and the end is in sight; hopefully they can keep this intensity (and this lineup) throughout the rest of the season and into the playoffs.
and finally...
Suddenly I feel a lot better about things. I no longer want to strangle Larry Hughes, Pavlovic is playing well, the rookies both seem to be contributing (albeit at different times), LeBron is back to doing LeBron type things and somehow Z is averaging 14 and 14 against Detroit. Feels good, doesn't it?
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Random Thoughts from the Weekend (belated. again)
1. Eric Steinbach? I like it.
2. Does this mean the Browns can now use their first day picks on non-linemen? No.
3. I'm still of the position that the Browns take Thomas if he's there and Peterson is he's not.
4. Brady Quinn at 3? No. Brady Quinn mid-first round after a trade? OK (though, I'd still rather use a 3rd or a 4th on Troy Smith while using the top picks on linemen)
5. I'd love for the Browns to trade down. Love it. However, in order to trade down, someone has to want to trade up. The Browns can want to move down all they want but the deal will hinge on whoever wants to move up.
6. However, if Calvin Johnson is sitting there at 3, I'm sure the Browns will get some phone calls. I think Johnson is the Browns' best chance of trading down for multiple picks.
7. The Browns also nabbed Antwan Peek, an outside linebacker from Houston. I can honestly say I have no idea who that guy is.
8. What the hell is Jacksonville thinking? $17 million for Dennis Northcutt?
9. Why the hell would this happen? Don't the Browns have enough back-up quarterbacks?
10. Yes. Yes they do.
11. Terry Pluto says Eric Wedge isn't on the hot seat. I don't believe him. You can't tell me that Mark Shapiro isn't itching to install Casey Blake as player-manager.
12. I'm not a big Wedge guy, but I'm not all that against him either. I wouldn't mind him being on hot seat a little. If they have another lackluster season, I can't imagine him being back next year.
13. I loved the OSU-Michigan basketball game. It went exactly the way I wanted. Michigan's fans were pumped (everyone always says that Michigan doesn't care about the rivalry with OSU. Bullshit I say), the Buckeyes weren't getting the calls and Michigan was looking for an upset. That is the type of game I wanted them to be involved with.
14. While you're watching the game, it looks real bad for OSU but then you'd see the score and you're like "oh, they're only down 3". The game seemed much more lopsided than it actually was.
15. Midway through the first half, Michigan went on a run and got up 8. The next time down the court, Oden demanded the ball in the post, got it and scored while being fouled. Yes.
16. Also, I loved the fact Michigan was called 'Michigan State' at four times. Simmons did it too (though I can't find the link for it).
17. The Kent State-Akron game was one of the best games I've seen all year. Just phenomenal.
18. According to FSN Ohio, LeBron, Marshall, Newble, Wesley and Gooden all took in the Kent State-Akron goodness. Excellent choice boys.
19. Does rock and roll need saving?
20. This attorney controversy stinks to high heaven (start at the bottom and read your way up).
21. Stupid liberal CNN (more here)
22. Guilty. Good call Wolf.
23. I fully expect him to be pardoned.
24. Oh yea, Walter Reed.
25. Incompetence dodge, good call (I agree)
26. So NBC has replaced Studio 60 with The Black Donnellys. As a fan of Aaron Sorkin and a Godless liberal, I'm not pleased with the lack of Studio 60; the ratings aren't so hot and while I know it's not canceled, going on hiatus isn't a good sign. I really think that the show would take off if given a little time (and I think NBC may want to give it another year).
27. As for The Black Donnellys, I'm a bit mixed. The show is well done, but kind of cheesy. They've hit every mobster cliché in the book and I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it's kind of lame, but I'm also waiting for them get past the introductions and setups. Also, it's very very violent (I'm OK with, I'm just surprised that NBC is).
28. The Best Center of all Time?
29. Simmons didn't vote in the center thing and, as a basketball dork, I can't say I disagree (btw, he apologizes for calling Michigan MSU in this as well):
31. Congrats Erik
32. Shannon Brown, WTF?
33. I'm sure some columnist (Bud Shaw) will slam them for this, but some of the Cavs are buying lottery tickets. The guys buying tickets? Ira Newble and Larry Hughes, my two favorite players (who aren't overpaid in any way whatsoever).
34. Saw Brian Regan last week in Lakewood. He was hilarious (shocking!) and he didn't use any of his material from his CD (which I'm pretty sure I have memorized). Regan is probably my favorite stand up comedian out there and I've always been impressed by the fact that he does a family friendly show. Not that I'm against comics swearing (hell, I love Dave Attell), but to be that funny and not use any shocking words is pretty amazing. Here are a couple of Regan's Letterman appearances (though I'm not sure his late night routines do him justice):
Feb 2006:
Oct 2006:
35. However, Robert Randolph and the Family Band have put on some of the best late night talk show performances I have ever seen. These are from Letterman (his Leno appearance from a few years are was just draw dropping, but I can't seem to find it):
I Need More Love
Ain't Nothing Wrong with That
2. Does this mean the Browns can now use their first day picks on non-linemen? No.
3. I'm still of the position that the Browns take Thomas if he's there and Peterson is he's not.
4. Brady Quinn at 3? No. Brady Quinn mid-first round after a trade? OK (though, I'd still rather use a 3rd or a 4th on Troy Smith while using the top picks on linemen)
5. I'd love for the Browns to trade down. Love it. However, in order to trade down, someone has to want to trade up. The Browns can want to move down all they want but the deal will hinge on whoever wants to move up.
6. However, if Calvin Johnson is sitting there at 3, I'm sure the Browns will get some phone calls. I think Johnson is the Browns' best chance of trading down for multiple picks.
7. The Browns also nabbed Antwan Peek, an outside linebacker from Houston. I can honestly say I have no idea who that guy is.
8. What the hell is Jacksonville thinking? $17 million for Dennis Northcutt?
9. Why the hell would this happen? Don't the Browns have enough back-up quarterbacks?
10. Yes. Yes they do.
11. Terry Pluto says Eric Wedge isn't on the hot seat. I don't believe him. You can't tell me that Mark Shapiro isn't itching to install Casey Blake as player-manager.
12. I'm not a big Wedge guy, but I'm not all that against him either. I wouldn't mind him being on hot seat a little. If they have another lackluster season, I can't imagine him being back next year.
13. I loved the OSU-Michigan basketball game. It went exactly the way I wanted. Michigan's fans were pumped (everyone always says that Michigan doesn't care about the rivalry with OSU. Bullshit I say), the Buckeyes weren't getting the calls and Michigan was looking for an upset. That is the type of game I wanted them to be involved with.
14. While you're watching the game, it looks real bad for OSU but then you'd see the score and you're like "oh, they're only down 3". The game seemed much more lopsided than it actually was.
15. Midway through the first half, Michigan went on a run and got up 8. The next time down the court, Oden demanded the ball in the post, got it and scored while being fouled. Yes.
16. Also, I loved the fact Michigan was called 'Michigan State' at four times. Simmons did it too (though I can't find the link for it).
17. The Kent State-Akron game was one of the best games I've seen all year. Just phenomenal.
18. According to FSN Ohio, LeBron, Marshall, Newble, Wesley and Gooden all took in the Kent State-Akron goodness. Excellent choice boys.
19. Does rock and roll need saving?
20. This attorney controversy stinks to high heaven (start at the bottom and read your way up).
21. Stupid liberal CNN (more here)
22. Guilty. Good call Wolf.
23. I fully expect him to be pardoned.
24. Oh yea, Walter Reed.
25. Incompetence dodge, good call (I agree)
26. So NBC has replaced Studio 60 with The Black Donnellys. As a fan of Aaron Sorkin and a Godless liberal, I'm not pleased with the lack of Studio 60; the ratings aren't so hot and while I know it's not canceled, going on hiatus isn't a good sign. I really think that the show would take off if given a little time (and I think NBC may want to give it another year).
27. As for The Black Donnellys, I'm a bit mixed. The show is well done, but kind of cheesy. They've hit every mobster cliché in the book and I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, it's kind of lame, but I'm also waiting for them get past the introductions and setups. Also, it's very very violent (I'm OK with, I'm just surprised that NBC is).
28. The Best Center of all Time?
29. Simmons didn't vote in the center thing and, as a basketball dork, I can't say I disagree (btw, he apologizes for calling Michigan MSU in this as well):
A question like that can't be answered without specific guidelines -- for instance, are you talking about careers, or the ceiling of every center? Kareem had a better career than Walton, but if you were picking between them for one game and your life depended on it, you'd take Walton. There's no debate. Also, are we talking about the impact of the players when they played, or how they compared to every other great center? Russell and Wilt put up phenomenal numbers in the '60s, but you're telling me that Hakeem wouldn't have averaged a 45-25 in 1962? That's why I had to abstain. There's no real way to answer the question.30. So does this mean that LeBron wasn't coasting? I say: kinda. He's obviously been conserving his energy.
31. Congrats Erik
32. Shannon Brown, WTF?
33. I'm sure some columnist (Bud Shaw) will slam them for this, but some of the Cavs are buying lottery tickets. The guys buying tickets? Ira Newble and Larry Hughes, my two favorite players (who aren't overpaid in any way whatsoever).
34. Saw Brian Regan last week in Lakewood. He was hilarious (shocking!) and he didn't use any of his material from his CD (which I'm pretty sure I have memorized). Regan is probably my favorite stand up comedian out there and I've always been impressed by the fact that he does a family friendly show. Not that I'm against comics swearing (hell, I love Dave Attell), but to be that funny and not use any shocking words is pretty amazing. Here are a couple of Regan's Letterman appearances (though I'm not sure his late night routines do him justice):
Feb 2006:
Oct 2006:
35. However, Robert Randolph and the Family Band have put on some of the best late night talk show performances I have ever seen. These are from Letterman (his Leno appearance from a few years are was just draw dropping, but I can't seem to find it):
I Need More Love
Ain't Nothing Wrong with That
Monday, March 05, 2007
Cleveland 91, Houston 85
Larry Hughes? This point guard stuff may be working out... Hughes scored 22 points, dished out 7 assists and grabbed 8 boards. It should also be noted that he shot 7-15 from the field (2-4 from 3pt range and 6-9 from the line). Sometimes it felt like he was hogging the ball a bit, but hell, the man had 7 assists, what can ya say (he should've passed to Pavlovic on that fast break where he got the charge- OK, I'm nitpicking). This is the first time (in my memory at least) that Hughes has had good games back to back.
LeBron continued his strong play. 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. He went inside early on (a couple 'and1s') and went outside late (a couple ridiculous shots over Battier); he was effective anywhere on the court. Were all the shots great? No, there were a few 'no no no no YES!' moments, but what can ya do? He's LeBron.
The return of Yao. It was obvious that the big fella was rusty; he missed some shots he usually makes and never found a rhythm. McGrady had an off night and the Rockets really needed Yao more than they would've liked in just his first game back.
The return of Z and Gooden. Both guys have been sub par lately and neither was very good in the first half. Gooden came alive first; he got hot in the third quarter and seemed to have found his rhythm. Z was not having a good night; he missed badly on shots and just looked uncomfortable out there. But something happened late: he hit some shots. With 4 minutes left, in the midst of a Rocket run, Z hit a jumper off a pick (assist from Hughes) and blocked Chuck Hayes on Houston's following possession. After McGrady got the Rockets within two (at the 1:30 mark), Z got a put back off a LeBron miss to give the Cavs a little breathing room (and on the next Houston possession, he stole the ball from Yao Ming while following down).
Pavlovic is slumping. 1-8 from the floor- not good. However, he did play great defense (ya, I said great) on Tracy McGrady (who shot 10-32). Sasha was still aggressive on offense, but his shots weren't falling (he seems to still have his confidence and Brown is still giving him playing time). Sasha is just 2-17 in his last two games. Damn.
Shannon Brown is not. Brown scored 5 points, played good defense and has the final nail in David Wesley's coffin. He's playing with confidence and I'm glad that he wasn't thrown into some deadline deal for a C-list point guard.
What's the rotation going to look like when Gibson returns? With the Cavs 2-0 during the Larry Hughes PG experiment and Shannon Brown forcing himself into the rotation, what happens to Gibson's minutes? Or Pavlovic's? Hopefully, nothing. With the emergence of the Pavlovic and the rookies, LeBron's playing time should diminish a little bit. Around 4-5 minutes of extra rest wouldn't be a bad thing (it'd get him under 40 minutes- FYI, he played 42 on Monday).
Free throws. It seems to be feast or famine for LeBron at the stripe; a game after going 15-17, he was just 5-9. The Cavs won despite shooting only 11-18 from the foul line. You can overcome a 61% night here and there, but you sure are making it harder on yourself. 75% is a must, but at this point I'll settle for 70% (they're currently at 68%).
What if this Hughes PG experiment works? Say the Cavs rattle off a nice win streak with Hughes at the point, what happens? I mean, I fully expect the Cavs to try to trade Hughes this offseason (and to pursue a point guard). What if Hughes solves the point guard problem? I'm not ready to believe it just yet, but this could happen, right? He has had two stellar games in a row (and not just points-wise, but rebounds, assists and FG% too) and the Cavs have looked good with him running the show. And I will say this: I like the big lineup with Hughes and Pavs both starting. That is a tall five, but one that can still run if need be.
All wasn't perfect. The Cavs let Houston back into the game in the fourth. They had an 11 point lead with just 6:00 to go and had to gut it out. McGrady finally started hitting some shots, but the Cavs didn't help themselves too much at the offensive end. When the Cavs are pressured (either late in the game or by good teams for an entire game) the offense stagnates. Its like they revert to their most basic functions: stand around and wait for LeBron to do something awesome. Sometimes LeBron does do something awesome (like the NOOCH game or some of the shots he hit over Battier) but that shouldn't be something the Cavs rely on. LeBron hitting long, contested jumpers is great and all, but you'd like them to make the defense work a bit (or at least not give the opposition what they want- they'll love to live and die by LeBron hoisting bombs).
and finally...
The Pistons. In Detroit. I feel good about this. Kinda. The Cavs and (and LeBron and Hughes especially) are playing well, so if there's ever a time to go into Detroit, now is it. I'm very interested to see how this Larry Hughes-led offense will handle the Pistons' D.
LeBron continued his strong play. 32 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists. He went inside early on (a couple 'and1s') and went outside late (a couple ridiculous shots over Battier); he was effective anywhere on the court. Were all the shots great? No, there were a few 'no no no no YES!' moments, but what can ya do? He's LeBron.
The return of Yao. It was obvious that the big fella was rusty; he missed some shots he usually makes and never found a rhythm. McGrady had an off night and the Rockets really needed Yao more than they would've liked in just his first game back.
The return of Z and Gooden. Both guys have been sub par lately and neither was very good in the first half. Gooden came alive first; he got hot in the third quarter and seemed to have found his rhythm. Z was not having a good night; he missed badly on shots and just looked uncomfortable out there. But something happened late: he hit some shots. With 4 minutes left, in the midst of a Rocket run, Z hit a jumper off a pick (assist from Hughes) and blocked Chuck Hayes on Houston's following possession. After McGrady got the Rockets within two (at the 1:30 mark), Z got a put back off a LeBron miss to give the Cavs a little breathing room (and on the next Houston possession, he stole the ball from Yao Ming while following down).
Pavlovic is slumping. 1-8 from the floor- not good. However, he did play great defense (ya, I said great) on Tracy McGrady (who shot 10-32). Sasha was still aggressive on offense, but his shots weren't falling (he seems to still have his confidence and Brown is still giving him playing time). Sasha is just 2-17 in his last two games. Damn.
Shannon Brown is not. Brown scored 5 points, played good defense and has the final nail in David Wesley's coffin. He's playing with confidence and I'm glad that he wasn't thrown into some deadline deal for a C-list point guard.
What's the rotation going to look like when Gibson returns? With the Cavs 2-0 during the Larry Hughes PG experiment and Shannon Brown forcing himself into the rotation, what happens to Gibson's minutes? Or Pavlovic's? Hopefully, nothing. With the emergence of the Pavlovic and the rookies, LeBron's playing time should diminish a little bit. Around 4-5 minutes of extra rest wouldn't be a bad thing (it'd get him under 40 minutes- FYI, he played 42 on Monday).
Free throws. It seems to be feast or famine for LeBron at the stripe; a game after going 15-17, he was just 5-9. The Cavs won despite shooting only 11-18 from the foul line. You can overcome a 61% night here and there, but you sure are making it harder on yourself. 75% is a must, but at this point I'll settle for 70% (they're currently at 68%).
What if this Hughes PG experiment works? Say the Cavs rattle off a nice win streak with Hughes at the point, what happens? I mean, I fully expect the Cavs to try to trade Hughes this offseason (and to pursue a point guard). What if Hughes solves the point guard problem? I'm not ready to believe it just yet, but this could happen, right? He has had two stellar games in a row (and not just points-wise, but rebounds, assists and FG% too) and the Cavs have looked good with him running the show. And I will say this: I like the big lineup with Hughes and Pavs both starting. That is a tall five, but one that can still run if need be.
All wasn't perfect. The Cavs let Houston back into the game in the fourth. They had an 11 point lead with just 6:00 to go and had to gut it out. McGrady finally started hitting some shots, but the Cavs didn't help themselves too much at the offensive end. When the Cavs are pressured (either late in the game or by good teams for an entire game) the offense stagnates. Its like they revert to their most basic functions: stand around and wait for LeBron to do something awesome. Sometimes LeBron does do something awesome (like the NOOCH game or some of the shots he hit over Battier) but that shouldn't be something the Cavs rely on. LeBron hitting long, contested jumpers is great and all, but you'd like them to make the defense work a bit (or at least not give the opposition what they want- they'll love to live and die by LeBron hoisting bombs).
and finally...
The Pistons. In Detroit. I feel good about this. Kinda. The Cavs and (and LeBron and Hughes especially) are playing well, so if there's ever a time to go into Detroit, now is it. I'm very interested to see how this Larry Hughes-led offense will handle the Pistons' D.
Cleveland 120, Toronto 97
Larry Hughes? Hughes started at point guard and responded with one of his best games of the year. The 27 points is good, but the 11-17 shooting is great. If Hughes can play at a level close to this, Cavs fans will be very, very happy. I'd like to point out that Hughes scored in a variety of way that didn't make use of his patented 'contested 20 footer' move. When Hughes shoots mid-range jumpers, goes inside and takes decent shots, he (and the Cavs) are that much better.
LeBron looks like LeBron. Sure, he had 33 points, 6 assists and 5 boards (and those are nice) but his effort and hustle plays (3 blocks!) is what really stood out. When LeBron is diving for loose balls and crashing the offensive boards, the rest of the team can't help but follow suit. Oh ya, LeBron was 15-17 from the foul line- fantastic.
120 points! How the hell did that happen? They had 93 after three periods (and they average 96). Shooting 55% from 3pt range sure helps (as does hitting 82% of the freebies). FYI- the 120th point? An Ira Newble 3-ball. Ya, it was that kind of night.
The bench pitched in. Shannon Brown and Anderson Varejao each had 14 and Donyell Marshall had 12. Varejao and Marshall also contributed 20 rebounds (11 and 9 respectively). They sure look good when they get contributions from Hughes and the bench...
No Gibson, but we did see Shannon Brown. With Gibson out with a toe injury, Brown got some extended minutes and showed some things. Specific things, you ask? Not being David Wesley or Ira Newble. Brown ran the floor, hustled and (most importantly) made baskets. Scoring 14 points in 13 minutes ain't bad.
Good thing the bench showed up, because the rest of the starters sure didn't. Z had 9 boards and 2 blocks, but only 4 points on 2-7 shooting. Gooden had 4 boards and 3 points (1-5 shooting) and Pavlovic shoot a woeful 1-9 and never seemed to get over early foul trouble. They won this game without the help, but you'd like to see one of those three bounce back with a good game against the Rockets.
Blow out win, but it was close for 3 quarters. It was a 10 point game at halftime, but for the bulk of the game, the score between 5-9 points. The Cavs led by nine with 4:30 left in the third (74-65) and ended the quarter with a 93-74 lead. The game was a laugher for most of the fourth.
and finally...
Yo. Yao makes his return to the Rockets Monday night in Cleveland. I'm interested to see the Cavaliers face Houston again; the Rockets whooped the Cavs earlier in the season and it'd be nice to see them get some revenge.
LeBron looks like LeBron. Sure, he had 33 points, 6 assists and 5 boards (and those are nice) but his effort and hustle plays (3 blocks!) is what really stood out. When LeBron is diving for loose balls and crashing the offensive boards, the rest of the team can't help but follow suit. Oh ya, LeBron was 15-17 from the foul line- fantastic.
120 points! How the hell did that happen? They had 93 after three periods (and they average 96). Shooting 55% from 3pt range sure helps (as does hitting 82% of the freebies). FYI- the 120th point? An Ira Newble 3-ball. Ya, it was that kind of night.
The bench pitched in. Shannon Brown and Anderson Varejao each had 14 and Donyell Marshall had 12. Varejao and Marshall also contributed 20 rebounds (11 and 9 respectively). They sure look good when they get contributions from Hughes and the bench...
No Gibson, but we did see Shannon Brown. With Gibson out with a toe injury, Brown got some extended minutes and showed some things. Specific things, you ask? Not being David Wesley or Ira Newble. Brown ran the floor, hustled and (most importantly) made baskets. Scoring 14 points in 13 minutes ain't bad.
Good thing the bench showed up, because the rest of the starters sure didn't. Z had 9 boards and 2 blocks, but only 4 points on 2-7 shooting. Gooden had 4 boards and 3 points (1-5 shooting) and Pavlovic shoot a woeful 1-9 and never seemed to get over early foul trouble. They won this game without the help, but you'd like to see one of those three bounce back with a good game against the Rockets.
Blow out win, but it was close for 3 quarters. It was a 10 point game at halftime, but for the bulk of the game, the score between 5-9 points. The Cavs led by nine with 4:30 left in the third (74-65) and ended the quarter with a 93-74 lead. The game was a laugher for most of the fourth.
and finally...
Yo. Yao makes his return to the Rockets Monday night in Cleveland. I'm interested to see the Cavaliers face Houston again; the Rockets whooped the Cavs earlier in the season and it'd be nice to see them get some revenge.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Cavs-Toronto?
Was out of town last night... was going to watch the Cavs-Raptors game... however, Kent St.-Akron is on... I'm sure I'll get to it at some point...
Friday, March 02, 2007
Free Throws
Bud Shaw (from the latest 'Hire Mark Price' column)
Fix it.
:So . . . greatest shooter in franchise history meets Team Clang. . . . sounds like an ad for Match.com."I've offered," said Price, who will be honored Saturday with the 1986-87 Cavs. "I'd definitely be open to helping. But a lot of times teams wait for players to initiate it."
They also wait until the off-season. Cavs' GM Danny Ferry, Price's former teammate, doesn't need convincing that free throws are a problem. In fact, the profile of the missed free throw is raised because it's fixable trouble. The Cavs didn't get a point guard at the trade deadline. Their amnesia in the half-court offense won't suddenly remedy itself. Here's an improvement they can make.
Ferry put Price and Cavs assistant Chris Jent in contact a few weeks ago when Price was in town. The Cavs also had Price sit down and watch tape of point guard play with rookie Daniel Gibson.
"I think we're addressing our free-throw situation seriously," said Ferry.
"At the same time we don't want to confuse the issue in the middle of the season."
So the offseason, huh? Part of me agrees with this; you don't want to mess around with a whole lot of things during the season. However, at the same time, the Cavs are last in the NBA in free throw percentage. Who cares if you mess with it during the season? The Cavs are awful, what's the worse case scenario? They get worse? LeBron shoots 50%?
Fix it.
Dallas 95, Cleveland 92
Some good, some bad. Here's the deal: I'm not sure I can really be that upset with a 3 point loss to the Mavericks, in Dallas. Not that bad of a showing (especially considering that they were on national TV). But... it wasn't like they played valiantly and just couldn't get over the top; they got beat on the glass (44-38 and gave up 12 offensive boards), they shot 50% from the foul line and they attempted 18 3s (making just five).
LeBron was both spectacular and mediocre. 38 points, 17-27 shooting, 5 assists and 3 boards in 40 minutes of play. Not a bad line (I could've used more rebounds) and not a bad game at all. But... just 4-8 from the foul line (including 2 in the last minute) isn't going to cut it. Plus, he missed two 3s at the end that would've tied it. Now, he can hit those shots but... but I remarked after the NOOCH game that while it was great that he hit those two long backbreaking 3s at the end, it wouldn't exactly be prudent to rely on those kind of shots. Live by ridonkulous 25 foot 3s, die by ridonkulous 25 foot 3s.
Could he get some help? The Cavaliers' starting front court had 43 points and LeBron had 39. Thanks for showing up boys! Z had an absolutely atrocious game; turnovers, offensive fouls, ticky-tack defensive fouls (a trip? boo), missed free throws and missed point blank shots. Was not a good game. As for Drew Gooden... well, the box score says he had a better game than Z, but you could've fooled me. I can honestly say I don't remember any play he was involved in. That's the starting front court: awful and forgettable.
Sasha started and played relatively well. Hughes was out sick with whatever flu Pavs and Damon had, so Sasha got the start. He finished with 7 points but was plagued by foul trouble in the second half (just around the time he was heating up too).
The refs weren't particularly kind to the Cavaliers... I'm not going to put this loss on the refs, the Cavs did enough to loose this game themselves. But it seemed that every questionable play went the Mavs way. Pavlovic got called on 2 dubious calls (which I would imagine go the other way in a year or so), Z could've gone to the line at least 2 more times, James got knocked around once or twice and Gibson should've gotten a chance for a four point play. Again, did the refs blow this game for the Cavaliers? No. But they could've made it a little easier with a call or two.
Part of Pavlovic's foul trouble goes to Mike Brown. With about 1:40 to go in the third, Brown takes out James and brings Sasha back in with four fouls. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Brown wants to give James a rest (this needs to happen more often). But Pavlovic had just picked up his fourth foul, he's the only other guy worth a damn at the offensive end, can you really risk him getting that fifth foul. Well, Pavs picked it up on a charge call that, if it took place in Cleveland, would've been a 3pt play.
Silver Lining: with Pavs getting his 5 foul in the 3rd, Brown was forced to play Shannon Brown. You read that right. Shannon. Brown. And the crazy thing is? Brown responded. Sure, it was just 7 minutes of PT, but Shannon scored 5 points (he hit a 3) and, for the first time all season, looked like he belonged out there. Hopefully we'll get to see more of this (not the subbing in a guy with four fouls in the 3rd quarter, the Shannon Brown Experience).
David Wesley should never play again. I've said all along that I don't disagree with the Wesley signing; it was a low risk/high reward type deal. If he had anything left in the tank, it'd be good and if not, well, it's a cheap 1-year deal. The problem I do have is the insistence of Coach Mike to feed Wesley minutes when it is obvious that he doesn't deserve them. The dude is done. Hopefully, with the emergence of Brown (and yes, I'm calling 5 points in 7 minutes an 'emergence'), Wesley shouldn't see the court unless there's a point difference of 20 or more.
Speaking of crappy guards who got too much playing time, ladies and gentlemen: Eric Snow. 21 minutes for Snow. Now, I'm usually OK with Snow logging around 20 minutes. But my problem is that Snow played crunch time. I know he's a veteran presence and all that crap, but the Cavs were already down. They were losing, they needed to score and Eric Snow was out there missing layups and dominating the ball. I don't get it. There's not a lot of time left and the Cavs need to make up a significant deficit, why isn't Gibson out there. He can shoot. He can defend. You're not protecting a lead, you're trying to crawl back. Plus, the Mavs went zone and were throwing 589 guys at LeBron every time he touched the ball; it would've been nice to have a top five 3 point shooter out there.
New offensive wrinkle: the high post. The Cavs have gone to the high post here and there this season, but this was the first time I saw them use it for an extended time. They had Z and Gooden receive the ball in the first half and moved LeBron around off of screens and curls. This seemed to go against the Cavaliers' previous offensive philosophy of stand and shoot (BTW- in the pregame interview on TNT, LeBron mentioned how when they play defense, it allows them to take bad shots. Does he actually want to take bad shots? Is he mad when Coach Mike asks him to take good shots? I'm really confused).
I did not miss Larry Hughes at all. Just sayin'
LeBron not clutch? Marv Albert said something to the effect of LeBron " scored 13 points in the fourth quarter but couldn't hit the shots when it counted. He missed two free throws and two 3s that could've tied it and he'll be hearing it" Now, I'm not against all the LeBron calling out that's been going on. He hasn't had the same effort or same energy he's had last season (now, I say he's tired and still young) but to criticize him after this game seems a bit nuts to me. Could he have done more? Sure (he could've hit those shots at the end). But the guy played a hell of a game; there are some games where he has nice numbers, but if you watch the game, you could tell he wasn't all there. Not this time; Angry LeBron was out there all night long.
and finally...
Look at that schedule. Ugh. Toronto and Houston at home then @ Detroit and Milwaukee. Sweet. I'm already excited.
LeBron was both spectacular and mediocre. 38 points, 17-27 shooting, 5 assists and 3 boards in 40 minutes of play. Not a bad line (I could've used more rebounds) and not a bad game at all. But... just 4-8 from the foul line (including 2 in the last minute) isn't going to cut it. Plus, he missed two 3s at the end that would've tied it. Now, he can hit those shots but... but I remarked after the NOOCH game that while it was great that he hit those two long backbreaking 3s at the end, it wouldn't exactly be prudent to rely on those kind of shots. Live by ridonkulous 25 foot 3s, die by ridonkulous 25 foot 3s.
Could he get some help? The Cavaliers' starting front court had 43 points and LeBron had 39. Thanks for showing up boys! Z had an absolutely atrocious game; turnovers, offensive fouls, ticky-tack defensive fouls (a trip? boo), missed free throws and missed point blank shots. Was not a good game. As for Drew Gooden... well, the box score says he had a better game than Z, but you could've fooled me. I can honestly say I don't remember any play he was involved in. That's the starting front court: awful and forgettable.
Sasha started and played relatively well. Hughes was out sick with whatever flu Pavs and Damon had, so Sasha got the start. He finished with 7 points but was plagued by foul trouble in the second half (just around the time he was heating up too).
The refs weren't particularly kind to the Cavaliers... I'm not going to put this loss on the refs, the Cavs did enough to loose this game themselves. But it seemed that every questionable play went the Mavs way. Pavlovic got called on 2 dubious calls (which I would imagine go the other way in a year or so), Z could've gone to the line at least 2 more times, James got knocked around once or twice and Gibson should've gotten a chance for a four point play. Again, did the refs blow this game for the Cavaliers? No. But they could've made it a little easier with a call or two.
Part of Pavlovic's foul trouble goes to Mike Brown. With about 1:40 to go in the third, Brown takes out James and brings Sasha back in with four fouls. Now, don't get me wrong, I like the fact that Brown wants to give James a rest (this needs to happen more often). But Pavlovic had just picked up his fourth foul, he's the only other guy worth a damn at the offensive end, can you really risk him getting that fifth foul. Well, Pavs picked it up on a charge call that, if it took place in Cleveland, would've been a 3pt play.
Silver Lining: with Pavs getting his 5 foul in the 3rd, Brown was forced to play Shannon Brown. You read that right. Shannon. Brown. And the crazy thing is? Brown responded. Sure, it was just 7 minutes of PT, but Shannon scored 5 points (he hit a 3) and, for the first time all season, looked like he belonged out there. Hopefully we'll get to see more of this (not the subbing in a guy with four fouls in the 3rd quarter, the Shannon Brown Experience).
David Wesley should never play again. I've said all along that I don't disagree with the Wesley signing; it was a low risk/high reward type deal. If he had anything left in the tank, it'd be good and if not, well, it's a cheap 1-year deal. The problem I do have is the insistence of Coach Mike to feed Wesley minutes when it is obvious that he doesn't deserve them. The dude is done. Hopefully, with the emergence of Brown (and yes, I'm calling 5 points in 7 minutes an 'emergence'), Wesley shouldn't see the court unless there's a point difference of 20 or more.
Speaking of crappy guards who got too much playing time, ladies and gentlemen: Eric Snow. 21 minutes for Snow. Now, I'm usually OK with Snow logging around 20 minutes. But my problem is that Snow played crunch time. I know he's a veteran presence and all that crap, but the Cavs were already down. They were losing, they needed to score and Eric Snow was out there missing layups and dominating the ball. I don't get it. There's not a lot of time left and the Cavs need to make up a significant deficit, why isn't Gibson out there. He can shoot. He can defend. You're not protecting a lead, you're trying to crawl back. Plus, the Mavs went zone and were throwing 589 guys at LeBron every time he touched the ball; it would've been nice to have a top five 3 point shooter out there.
New offensive wrinkle: the high post. The Cavs have gone to the high post here and there this season, but this was the first time I saw them use it for an extended time. They had Z and Gooden receive the ball in the first half and moved LeBron around off of screens and curls. This seemed to go against the Cavaliers' previous offensive philosophy of stand and shoot (BTW- in the pregame interview on TNT, LeBron mentioned how when they play defense, it allows them to take bad shots. Does he actually want to take bad shots? Is he mad when Coach Mike asks him to take good shots? I'm really confused).
I did not miss Larry Hughes at all. Just sayin'
LeBron not clutch? Marv Albert said something to the effect of LeBron " scored 13 points in the fourth quarter but couldn't hit the shots when it counted. He missed two free throws and two 3s that could've tied it and he'll be hearing it" Now, I'm not against all the LeBron calling out that's been going on. He hasn't had the same effort or same energy he's had last season (now, I say he's tired and still young) but to criticize him after this game seems a bit nuts to me. Could he have done more? Sure (he could've hit those shots at the end). But the guy played a hell of a game; there are some games where he has nice numbers, but if you watch the game, you could tell he wasn't all there. Not this time; Angry LeBron was out there all night long.
and finally...
Look at that schedule. Ugh. Toronto and Houston at home then @ Detroit and Milwaukee. Sweet. I'm already excited.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Some Cavs thoughts
Windhorst has a blog post which I echo completely:
I also completely forgot that Chris Paul burned Gibson last time they played (in my defense, I believe I was in Columbus at the time and didn't watch the game). So good job by Boobie for stepping up the defense.
Moving on... Windhorst says the Cavs could still add more players and here's what Chris Sheridan says about the Cavs and Scottie Pippen (insider):
I would have no problems with him missing the Worlds next offseason, however, if he uses that time to shoot more creepy Sprite commercials, I'll be less than pleased.
(BTW- the other two predictions? Danny Ferry forcing an offensive assistant on Mike Brown and trade of Larry Hughes)
It is hard for me to give much praise to the Cavs tonight. A win is a win and they all equal the same, I suppose. Watching them again chuck jumpers in the fourth quarter left me to consider dragging out my old links again. So on this night they made them, which will probably happen roughly 33 percent of the time.
Please allow me to point out the following:
--The Cavs have taken zero (0) free throws in the fourth quarter in the past two games yet got up 19 3-pointers.
--Zydrunas Ilgauskas was 5-of-8 from the floor in the first half and was permitted two shots in the second half and none in the fourth.
--In the fourth quarter the Hornets were using Bobby Jackson and Devin Brown to defend LeBron James and he didn't take much advantage at all by working to get low post position, from which he would be unstoppable against those two. Which isn't all that surprising since I watched him not abuse Jason Kapono like I thought he should Sunday in Miami.
--Without LeBron on the court tonight, the Cavs were a -7 in plus/minus. Over the last three games, it is something obscene like a -30. Which just shows how vital bench production is for this team.Overall, that's bad offensive basketball. Sorry for writing about it again. I can't help it.
Amen! I go insane when teams put a Kapono or Jackson on LeBron and he doesn't destroy them and make them wish they were never born. I know people love to compare LeBron's killer instinct to Kobe, but could you imagine if the Heat trotted out Kapono to guard Bryant? A bloodbath would ensue.
I also completely forgot that Chris Paul burned Gibson last time they played (in my defense, I believe I was in Columbus at the time and didn't watch the game). So good job by Boobie for stepping up the defense.
Moving on... Windhorst says the Cavs could still add more players and here's what Chris Sheridan says about the Cavs and Scottie Pippen (insider):
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
I've learned that Cleveland is one of the two teams that contacted Pippen's former agent to find out how to reach him.General manager Danny Ferry is still recovering from the hangover caused by his 72-hour binge session right before the trading deadline in which he tried and tried to find ways to make Drew Gooden's base-year compensation status workable in a multiteam deal that would have landed him Mike Bibby.
"We'll do our due diligence, sort through where we are as a team and go from there," Ferry told me Monday, throwing out the term "due diligence" for the umpteenth time since I saw him outside the competition committee meeting and first broached the subject of whether he'd be interested in playing Pippen alongside LeBron James.
"We're not diving into this deeply," Ferry maintained.
Weather might be a factor, considering that Pippen is hanging out in South Florida right now, and that wouldn't work in the Cavs' favor.
The other teams interested (says Sheridan) are both Los Angeles teams, the Heat, the Suns and Mavs (doubtful) and the Spurs (who were the other team to contact his agent).
I don't know how much weather is going to be a factor here (as Sheridan says it could be for both the Cavs and the Heat). If Dwyane Wade doesn't return, I doubt Pippen will join the Heat. And if he wants to be a factor (if he CAN be a factor) Cleveland would be a pretty good spot (plus, the guy played in Chicago, so it's not like he's never been in a cold city).
The NBA Fanhouse says that this is a bad thing. Not me. The kid needs some time off, he's tired. It's pretty obvious to anyone who's watched him this season. Plus, he's playing 40+ minutes a night and takes a bruising during the games. He needs some rest and some time to refocus his energy on improving his game (if need be, use the big toe as an excuse).LeBron James has not decided whether he will stay home or participate in the FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas late this summer.
James has been busy during the past two seasons. After taking the Cavaliers to the second round of the playoffs, James took a short break and then participated with Team USA last summer.
His pace continued into this season. He's third in the league in minutes per game (40.9)"Anyone needs time off," James said.
The location of the tournament may become a factor in James participating this summer. The games could have been out of the country.
"Being in this country is more persuasive," James said. "Playing in Vegas would be a big reason why I would play, but I still have to think about getting some rest."
The tournament, one of five FIBA Olympic qualifying zone tournaments, will determine the two men's teams from the Americas zone who will earn qualifying berths for the 2008 Olympics.
The 10-team championship is scheduled Aug. 22 through Sept. 2 at the Thomas & Mack Center on the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
I would have no problems with him missing the Worlds next offseason, however, if he uses that time to shoot more creepy Sprite commercials, I'll be less than pleased.
(BTW- the other two predictions? Danny Ferry forcing an offensive assistant on Mike Brown and trade of Larry Hughes)
Cleveland 97, New Orleans/Oklahoma City 89
The offense- some good, some bad and some ugly. In the first half, the Cavaliers ran the offense, LeBron got inside and they had Z involved. Third quarter? LeBron's first three shots were fade-aways and the rest of the team followed suit. The fourth quarter wasn't much prettier; the Cavs blew a 12 point by settling for jumpers.
But LeBron bailed their asses out. LeBron found Gibson for a 3 and hit two backbreakers of his own to seal the game. I'm torn with this... LeBron stepped up, hit some huge shots and he got the Cavs a victory... However... those weren't exactly shots you'd call 'good'. Here's what the Hornets had to say:
Did I mention that they executed in the first half? Z finished with 11 points on 5-10 shooting with 9 boards and a block. All 11 points were scored in the first half (when the Cavs looked inside and LeBron went inside) and he got just one shot in the second. Look, I'm not a basketball expert (obviously) but if your center goes 5-9 from the floor and has 11 points in the first half, you'd think you'd look to him at least a little bit in the second. Guess not...
I love David West. If you've read this blog with any frequency at all, you'll know why I like this guy's game: fundamental post moves, rebounds well and hits the open (spot up) jumper. Is there anything more you want from your power forward? He's not flashy, he's a not freak athlete (he's undersized) but he plays the right way. With Chris Paul having an off night (was in foul trouble all night and just scored 7 points- but did have 5 assists and 5 boards) West kept the Hornets in the game with 25 points (10-21), 10 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block. Pretty good.
I feel this needs to be mentioned. LeBron played 43 minutes. Pavlovic only played 19 minutes. I know Pavs is just coming back from being sick and all, but he couldn't have taken 4-6 of LeBron's minutes? Also, Hughes played 43 minutes as well, but who cares?
Speaking of...the Larry Hughes update: 11 points (good-ish), 5-16 shooting (bad), 0-1 FTA (bad-for the miss and the lack of attempts), 8 rebounds (good) and 5 assists (WTF? He had 5?). If you look past the fact that he needed 16 shots to score 11 points, Hughes had a pretty decent game. It's real nice to see him get 8 boards (guards rebounding = fast break) and I'm actually pretty shocked he got 5 assists (I've never seen Hughes hit the open man after a pick and roll- he either shoots it or attempts to, and by the time he realizes the shot isn't there, the guy who set the pick is no longer open). Hughes did have a decent drive or two (spinning floaters? when did this happen?) but overall the shot selection left a bit to be desired.
Hooray for Boobie! Gibson did a decent job on Chris Paul for the bulk of the evening and he hit a big 3 down the stretch (he was 3-4 from downtown. He's playing with more confidence and taking more shots (though he's needs to improve on shooting off of curls) and getting inside more (for his own shot and for dishing off). We missed Gibson's best play of the night (a 3 pt play off of a steal of an inbounds pass) because of Fox Sports Ohio showing a Cavalier make an unhappy face. Thanks guys. Show the game.
The bench was OK. Pavlovic played well in his given opportunities (3-6 shots in 19 minutes), Varejao played well, but didn't rebound (9 points, 3 assists, a few charges drawn but just 2 boards) and Marshall hit a 3 and got two points in the post, but had 0 rebounds. Fantastic. And let's not forget Eric Snow, who played 14 minutes and recorded 2 assists and a foul. Well done.
I almost saw my dream lineup. Well, it's not that special, but I'd like to see what a five of Gibson, Pavlovic, James, Varejao and Z could do. You have post play, shooters, aggressive defense, guys who crash the offensive boards and LeBron. Best of all, no one named Eric, Larry or David. The lineup wasn't quite there versus NOOCH, as Hughes was out there instead of Gibson (and Gibson subbed in for Pavlovic when the latter rolled his ankle). I will say that there was never a lineup of Z and 4 guys who can't shoot... so that's a good thing (seriously, Snow, Wesley, Hughes, Varejao and Z?? WTF is that? Why would that ever happen?).
and finally...
I'm scared. So not only are the Cavs playing the Mavericks at home on Thursday (where they are 27-3) but they're playing on national TV. Most of the Cavs most horrendous losses have occurred with the nation watching (the Phoenix games, a Chicago game or two, some ugly Heat games and a Detroit game which I've forced myself to forget). Needless to say, this has all the makings of a fantastic evening for Cavs fans.
But LeBron bailed their asses out. LeBron found Gibson for a 3 and hit two backbreakers of his own to seal the game. I'm torn with this... LeBron stepped up, hit some huge shots and he got the Cavs a victory... However... those weren't exactly shots you'd call 'good'. Here's what the Hornets had to say:
The Hornets' defensive strategy down the stretch was to force James to take the toughest shots possible. They were able to do that, but what they didn't bank on was James making them anyway."We got what we wanted," Hornets forward David West said. "He took a 3 with a hand in his face. He just knocked it down. We know he's going to take the shot. You've got to live with him hitting a 27-footer or whatever it was he hit."So, LeBron and the Cavs did exactly what the Hornets wanted them to do, but hit a few ridonkulous shots. I love that he had the killer instinct, I just hate the shot selection. It's great for a night, but I'm not sure you can make this a regular thing.
Did I mention that they executed in the first half? Z finished with 11 points on 5-10 shooting with 9 boards and a block. All 11 points were scored in the first half (when the Cavs looked inside and LeBron went inside) and he got just one shot in the second. Look, I'm not a basketball expert (obviously) but if your center goes 5-9 from the floor and has 11 points in the first half, you'd think you'd look to him at least a little bit in the second. Guess not...
I love David West. If you've read this blog with any frequency at all, you'll know why I like this guy's game: fundamental post moves, rebounds well and hits the open (spot up) jumper. Is there anything more you want from your power forward? He's not flashy, he's a not freak athlete (he's undersized) but he plays the right way. With Chris Paul having an off night (was in foul trouble all night and just scored 7 points- but did have 5 assists and 5 boards) West kept the Hornets in the game with 25 points (10-21), 10 boards, 6 assists, 2 steals and a block. Pretty good.
I feel this needs to be mentioned. LeBron played 43 minutes. Pavlovic only played 19 minutes. I know Pavs is just coming back from being sick and all, but he couldn't have taken 4-6 of LeBron's minutes? Also, Hughes played 43 minutes as well, but who cares?
Speaking of...the Larry Hughes update: 11 points (good-ish), 5-16 shooting (bad), 0-1 FTA (bad-for the miss and the lack of attempts), 8 rebounds (good) and 5 assists (WTF? He had 5?). If you look past the fact that he needed 16 shots to score 11 points, Hughes had a pretty decent game. It's real nice to see him get 8 boards (guards rebounding = fast break) and I'm actually pretty shocked he got 5 assists (I've never seen Hughes hit the open man after a pick and roll- he either shoots it or attempts to, and by the time he realizes the shot isn't there, the guy who set the pick is no longer open). Hughes did have a decent drive or two (spinning floaters? when did this happen?) but overall the shot selection left a bit to be desired.
Hooray for Boobie! Gibson did a decent job on Chris Paul for the bulk of the evening and he hit a big 3 down the stretch (he was 3-4 from downtown. He's playing with more confidence and taking more shots (though he's needs to improve on shooting off of curls) and getting inside more (for his own shot and for dishing off). We missed Gibson's best play of the night (a 3 pt play off of a steal of an inbounds pass) because of Fox Sports Ohio showing a Cavalier make an unhappy face. Thanks guys. Show the game.
The bench was OK. Pavlovic played well in his given opportunities (3-6 shots in 19 minutes), Varejao played well, but didn't rebound (9 points, 3 assists, a few charges drawn but just 2 boards) and Marshall hit a 3 and got two points in the post, but had 0 rebounds. Fantastic. And let's not forget Eric Snow, who played 14 minutes and recorded 2 assists and a foul. Well done.
I almost saw my dream lineup. Well, it's not that special, but I'd like to see what a five of Gibson, Pavlovic, James, Varejao and Z could do. You have post play, shooters, aggressive defense, guys who crash the offensive boards and LeBron. Best of all, no one named Eric, Larry or David. The lineup wasn't quite there versus NOOCH, as Hughes was out there instead of Gibson (and Gibson subbed in for Pavlovic when the latter rolled his ankle). I will say that there was never a lineup of Z and 4 guys who can't shoot... so that's a good thing (seriously, Snow, Wesley, Hughes, Varejao and Z?? WTF is that? Why would that ever happen?).
and finally...
I'm scared. So not only are the Cavs playing the Mavericks at home on Thursday (where they are 27-3) but they're playing on national TV. Most of the Cavs most horrendous losses have occurred with the nation watching (the Phoenix games, a Chicago game or two, some ugly Heat games and a Detroit game which I've forced myself to forget). Needless to say, this has all the makings of a fantastic evening for Cavs fans.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Random Thoughts from the Weekend
1. New York was awesome.
2. It felt a bit like my freshman/sophomore years at OSU- we walked everywhere and my suburban legs were not used to it.
3. Sweet: We caught the Producers. Sweeter: Staring Tony Danza. Fantastic.
4. While walking around NYC, a guy noticed our (mainly Nick's giant red) OSU hats and asked us if we're from Ohio. Turns out this guy was from Macedonia (which is like one town away from Hudson) small effing world.
5. More small world:
Me: "Did you see that guy? Why the hell is he wearing a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey?"
Nick: "Cause they have a large national following"
Me: "Shut up"
Nick: "The real question is: why is someone wearing an NHL jersey?"
6. Staying in bars til 4 am is pretty sweet.
7. Outside: cold. Inside our hotel room: burning. I'm not sure we were at a comfortable temperature all weekend.
8. I haven't laughed that hard/much in quite some time.
9. While walking around Times Square, I overheard a family discussing trying a way to get home and their little girl (who was around 4) was adamant about wanting a cab. It just struck me how different growing up in a city is from growing up in a suburb.
10. Can you have too much New York style pizza? No (and we tried pretty hard).
11. One of the pizza shops we frequented was Famous Ray's. According to some newspaper cut outs posted at the restaurant, some kids from London once flew to New York just to buy Famous Ray's pizza (and they bought $400 worth and brought it back to London). I'm not sure if it's that good, but it was damn delicious.
12. On Friday, from my hotel room, I purchased my ticket to Bonnaroo. It shall be glorious (and if you need any convincing, check out Lewis Black's video on the site. I couldn't agree more).
13. So not only did I partially plan my Bonnaroo trip while in New York, but we started preliminary talks on a Europe '08 extravaganza (which basically means I'm eating peanut butter sandwiches until then, but still). That shall also be glorious.
14. last night, around 8 pm:
Nick: "hey man, what's up, you back in Ohio?"
Me: "ya, I've been home for about and hour or so, I ate, had some birthday cake and now I'm about to watch the Cavs-Heat game. You?"
Nick: "no, I'm still in New York, my flight got canceled."
We were scheduled to leave maybe 4o minutes apart (I departed at 4 pm). All I know is, I got a text at 3:30 saying he was in DC. That blows (btw, Nick had the camera, so if you want to see pics, we have to wait for his triumphant return to Columbus).
15. When I got home, I had a choice of watching either the OSU-Wisconsin game or the Cavs-Heat (both were tivo'd). I chose wrong.
16. actual conversation, last night:
Gilmore: "You back in Ohio?
Me: "ya"
Gilmore: "You catch any of the OSU game"
Me: "not yet, I got it tivo'd"
Gilmore: "Cool, I won't spoil it for you"
Me: "sweet, thanks"
Gilmore: "but it was awesome"
thanks buddy
17. "The Gentleman from Hudson, OH" I like it.
18. I do love Simmons's NBA writings, but he's dead wrong about the Cavs. Amar does a good job handling it.
19. I also disagreed with his assessment of the Spurs. Did you know that no Spur plays over 35 minutes a game?
20. Despite all this, I still like his writing. Why? Because he's actually one of the few national voices that actually likes the NBA (which has long been my favorite league). Sure, at this point it seems like he's intentionally trying to piss off Cavs fans, but I still come back for more. If you're passionate about basketball (particularly the NBA), I'm gonna read your stuff, even if I sometimes get confused (FreeDarko) or pissed (Simmons).
21. Speaking of the NBA, this is what was robbed of us on All-Star Saturday night.
22. Windhorst says that Ferry obviously isn't pleased with this roster.
23. I'm not sure if I've written this here or not (I know I've voiced this in person and in message boards), but I would be shocked if Larry Hughes is in training camp in Cleveland next season.
24. The reason Z has been out (though it's been known, if not printed, for some time now) and other tidbits.
25. Erik takes a look at the Cavs recent draft picks and frankly, I'm surprised he didn't kill himself.
26. The reason I think they do better in the 2nd round than in the 1st? In round two they are taking the best player available. In the first round they've been taking players based on need (and height). The Cavs took Luke Jackson because they needed a shooter with LeBron. They reached for Mihm and Diop because you can't teach height. In the second round they can land college players who, for whatever reason, have slipped (Boozer, Kapono, Gibson).
27. Troy Smith has grown so much.
28. What? Kellen Winslow had micro-fracture surgery? WTF?
29. Heh, fun flow chart
30. This is good for democracy.
31. But the press isn't exactly helping (warning: liberal defending Mitt Romney)
32. Conservapedia? Yes, it's as awesome as it sounds.
33. Dems forcing Bush to get tough on terror? More here.
34. Enough links for ya Chris? Enjoy.
35. Music stuff: Paul and Ringo are going to finish the third Lennon song from the Anthology project (also, this book looks awesome). As for new music... I haven't listened to the entire album yet, but I will that I'm really digging this song by Corinne Bailey Ray (I guess I'm a late comer to CBR, oh well):
2. It felt a bit like my freshman/sophomore years at OSU- we walked everywhere and my suburban legs were not used to it.
3. Sweet: We caught the Producers. Sweeter: Staring Tony Danza. Fantastic.
4. While walking around NYC, a guy noticed our (mainly Nick's giant red) OSU hats and asked us if we're from Ohio. Turns out this guy was from Macedonia (which is like one town away from Hudson) small effing world.
5. More small world:
Me: "Did you see that guy? Why the hell is he wearing a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey?"
Nick: "Cause they have a large national following"
Me: "Shut up"
Nick: "The real question is: why is someone wearing an NHL jersey?"
6. Staying in bars til 4 am is pretty sweet.
7. Outside: cold. Inside our hotel room: burning. I'm not sure we were at a comfortable temperature all weekend.
8. I haven't laughed that hard/much in quite some time.
9. While walking around Times Square, I overheard a family discussing trying a way to get home and their little girl (who was around 4) was adamant about wanting a cab. It just struck me how different growing up in a city is from growing up in a suburb.
10. Can you have too much New York style pizza? No (and we tried pretty hard).
11. One of the pizza shops we frequented was Famous Ray's. According to some newspaper cut outs posted at the restaurant, some kids from London once flew to New York just to buy Famous Ray's pizza (and they bought $400 worth and brought it back to London). I'm not sure if it's that good, but it was damn delicious.
12. On Friday, from my hotel room, I purchased my ticket to Bonnaroo. It shall be glorious (and if you need any convincing, check out Lewis Black's video on the site. I couldn't agree more).
13. So not only did I partially plan my Bonnaroo trip while in New York, but we started preliminary talks on a Europe '08 extravaganza (which basically means I'm eating peanut butter sandwiches until then, but still). That shall also be glorious.
14. last night, around 8 pm:
Nick: "hey man, what's up, you back in Ohio?"
Me: "ya, I've been home for about and hour or so, I ate, had some birthday cake and now I'm about to watch the Cavs-Heat game. You?"
Nick: "no, I'm still in New York, my flight got canceled."
We were scheduled to leave maybe 4o minutes apart (I departed at 4 pm). All I know is, I got a text at 3:30 saying he was in DC. That blows (btw, Nick had the camera, so if you want to see pics, we have to wait for his triumphant return to Columbus).
15. When I got home, I had a choice of watching either the OSU-Wisconsin game or the Cavs-Heat (both were tivo'd). I chose wrong.
16. actual conversation, last night:
Gilmore: "You back in Ohio?
Me: "ya"
Gilmore: "You catch any of the OSU game"
Me: "not yet, I got it tivo'd"
Gilmore: "Cool, I won't spoil it for you"
Me: "sweet, thanks"
Gilmore: "but it was awesome"
thanks buddy
17. "The Gentleman from Hudson, OH" I like it.
18. I do love Simmons's NBA writings, but he's dead wrong about the Cavs. Amar does a good job handling it.
19. I also disagreed with his assessment of the Spurs. Did you know that no Spur plays over 35 minutes a game?
20. Despite all this, I still like his writing. Why? Because he's actually one of the few national voices that actually likes the NBA (which has long been my favorite league). Sure, at this point it seems like he's intentionally trying to piss off Cavs fans, but I still come back for more. If you're passionate about basketball (particularly the NBA), I'm gonna read your stuff, even if I sometimes get confused (FreeDarko) or pissed (Simmons).
21. Speaking of the NBA, this is what was robbed of us on All-Star Saturday night.
22. Windhorst says that Ferry obviously isn't pleased with this roster.
23. I'm not sure if I've written this here or not (I know I've voiced this in person and in message boards), but I would be shocked if Larry Hughes is in training camp in Cleveland next season.
24. The reason Z has been out (though it's been known, if not printed, for some time now) and other tidbits.
25. Erik takes a look at the Cavs recent draft picks and frankly, I'm surprised he didn't kill himself.
26. The reason I think they do better in the 2nd round than in the 1st? In round two they are taking the best player available. In the first round they've been taking players based on need (and height). The Cavs took Luke Jackson because they needed a shooter with LeBron. They reached for Mihm and Diop because you can't teach height. In the second round they can land college players who, for whatever reason, have slipped (Boozer, Kapono, Gibson).
27. Troy Smith has grown so much.
28. What? Kellen Winslow had micro-fracture surgery? WTF?
29. Heh, fun flow chart
30. This is good for democracy.
31. But the press isn't exactly helping (warning: liberal defending Mitt Romney)
32. Conservapedia? Yes, it's as awesome as it sounds.
33. Dems forcing Bush to get tough on terror? More here.
34. Enough links for ya Chris? Enjoy.
35. Music stuff: Paul and Ringo are going to finish the third Lennon song from the Anthology project (also, this book looks awesome). As for new music... I haven't listened to the entire album yet, but I will that I'm really digging this song by Corinne Bailey Ray (I guess I'm a late comer to CBR, oh well):
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Miami 86, Cleveland 81
I want my two and a half hours back. That was awful. Would a non-Cleveland/Miami fan actually watch that game? The Pussycat Dolls. Susan Lucci references. Jon Barry and Georgia Tech. The Cavs shooting 36% for the game and still being in it. Free throws... my God the free throws... There was nothing redeeming about that basketball contest. (OK, I lied. Antoine Walker hit his first free throw of 2007. Good for him).
The Cavs offense was terrible. 36% shooting. 10-21 from the line. 37.5% 3pt shooting (It can't be a good thing when you shoot better from 3 than you do normally- and don't hit at least 40% of either). The Cavalier starters shot 13 free throws. LeBron James shot 12. My God that is bad. You're starting back court was 0-1 at the line. Snow and Varejao each shot four apiece (and those sure are the guys you want at the stripe).
Any of this sound familiar. The Cavs didn't move the ball. They took horrible shots. The never went inside.
Give Larry Hughes some credit. It's got to be difficult to score 14 points with out making a free throw, right? 6-17 shooting. 6-17! And these are horrible shots; 19 foot contested jumpers just 4 seconds on the shot clock (with no one down low, so he can't even use this insane excuse). It's almost as if the guy is trying to screw up the offense. At this point Brown should just bench him (and hopefully will once Sasha gets healthy).
Does anyone else hate Alonzo Mourning? I didn't use to feel this way. But over the past season and a half, I've just gotten really annoyed by the guy.
Z's back. And his first game back he gets to guard Shaq (during one of his rare games that he gives a crap). Z didn't particularly have a strong game but he wasn't awful either (8 points, 4-9 shooting, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 6 mostly good fouls).
David Wesley played 5 minutes. It baffles me that he still gets court time. I don't advocate firing Coach Mike, but you could make a case just on the 'Wesley playing time' factor alone.
You're confusing me. At one point in the second quarter the Cavs ran out a lineup of Eric Snow, David Wesley, Larry Hughes, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Go back and read that again. You have your best post player surrounded by players who can't shoot. Seriously, what offense to you run for that group? You can't go inside-outside, because you have no outside game. But at the same time, your only player with any decent offensive skills is your big man... Hughes set the tone and the Cavs shot contested jumpers. Just good, fundamental basketball.
This is yet another game that shows why the Cavaliers are so vexing. By all accounts, the Cavs played awful. They just looked bad. But here's the thing: with 4 minutes to go the Cavs were just down five. They played so terrible, yet they were in it. If the Cavs would've just played poorly (as opposed to the Norbit-level awful they laid out there), they probably would've won. Everyone who follows this team at all know what they have to do; move the ball, shoot good jumpers, go inside and get to the line. Combine that with their regular dose of good defense and they are pretty hard to beat.
We had a Damon Jones sighting. DJ managed to shoot six shots in ten minutes (four 3s). Very impressive.
Could the Cavs get a whistle? Varejao got pushed around a bit, James got nailed a few times and Z got hit in the head, shoved and pushed. I'm not saying the refs blew this game or it was unfair, but come on.
and finally...
The Hornets in Cleveland on Tuesday (hooray!). Cavs in Dallas on Thursday (gulp). Judging by the Cavs performances on national television this season, that Maverick game is going to be brutal.
The Cavs offense was terrible. 36% shooting. 10-21 from the line. 37.5% 3pt shooting (It can't be a good thing when you shoot better from 3 than you do normally- and don't hit at least 40% of either). The Cavalier starters shot 13 free throws. LeBron James shot 12. My God that is bad. You're starting back court was 0-1 at the line. Snow and Varejao each shot four apiece (and those sure are the guys you want at the stripe).
Any of this sound familiar. The Cavs didn't move the ball. They took horrible shots. The never went inside.
Give Larry Hughes some credit. It's got to be difficult to score 14 points with out making a free throw, right? 6-17 shooting. 6-17! And these are horrible shots; 19 foot contested jumpers just 4 seconds on the shot clock (with no one down low, so he can't even use this insane excuse). It's almost as if the guy is trying to screw up the offense. At this point Brown should just bench him (and hopefully will once Sasha gets healthy).
Does anyone else hate Alonzo Mourning? I didn't use to feel this way. But over the past season and a half, I've just gotten really annoyed by the guy.
Z's back. And his first game back he gets to guard Shaq (during one of his rare games that he gives a crap). Z didn't particularly have a strong game but he wasn't awful either (8 points, 4-9 shooting, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks and 6 mostly good fouls).
David Wesley played 5 minutes. It baffles me that he still gets court time. I don't advocate firing Coach Mike, but you could make a case just on the 'Wesley playing time' factor alone.
You're confusing me. At one point in the second quarter the Cavs ran out a lineup of Eric Snow, David Wesley, Larry Hughes, Anderson Varejao and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. Go back and read that again. You have your best post player surrounded by players who can't shoot. Seriously, what offense to you run for that group? You can't go inside-outside, because you have no outside game. But at the same time, your only player with any decent offensive skills is your big man... Hughes set the tone and the Cavs shot contested jumpers. Just good, fundamental basketball.
This is yet another game that shows why the Cavaliers are so vexing. By all accounts, the Cavs played awful. They just looked bad. But here's the thing: with 4 minutes to go the Cavs were just down five. They played so terrible, yet they were in it. If the Cavs would've just played poorly (as opposed to the Norbit-level awful they laid out there), they probably would've won. Everyone who follows this team at all know what they have to do; move the ball, shoot good jumpers, go inside and get to the line. Combine that with their regular dose of good defense and they are pretty hard to beat.
We had a Damon Jones sighting. DJ managed to shoot six shots in ten minutes (four 3s). Very impressive.
Could the Cavs get a whistle? Varejao got pushed around a bit, James got nailed a few times and Z got hit in the head, shoved and pushed. I'm not saying the refs blew this game or it was unfair, but come on.
and finally...
The Hornets in Cleveland on Tuesday (hooray!). Cavs in Dallas on Thursday (gulp). Judging by the Cavs performances on national television this season, that Maverick game is going to be brutal.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
No no no no no
Chris Sheridan:
Chad Ford:• As Kidd suggested, Cleveland was emerging as the likeliest destination for Bibby. I heard from a very reliable source that the Minnesota Timberwolves were involved in three-team talks with the Kings and Cavs, with Mike James looking like the likeliest replacement at point guard for the Kings. Drew Gooden would headline the package the Cavs would surrender.
There was also talk that a fourth team was trying to get involved, and it wouldn't surprise me if it was Phoenix. I'm told the Suns and Cavaliers have discussed a Marcus Banks-Damon Jones trade as a fallback in the event a Bibby deal fell through. There also was a possibility Banks could go to Sacramento in a four-way Cleveland-Sacramento-Phoenix-Minnesota deal, with the Kings getting one of the two spare No. 1 picks the Suns have at their disposal (their own and Cleveland's). The third No. 1 pick Phoenix owns is a pick owed by Atlanta for the Joe Johnson trade. It is top-three protected in 2007 and unprotected in 2008, and is virtually untouchable.
Eric (Phoenix, AZ): What are the odds that Marcus Banks gets traded and are their any PGs out there that the Suns could bring in to back-up Nash?No! Trading for Marcus Banks reeks of making a move simply to make a move.
Chad Ford: (12:26 PM ET ) They are trying to move Banks who's been a MAJOR bust in Phoenix (don't get me started on this ... I'm still stunned they passed on Rajon Rondo to get this guy ... that's almost worse than the contract). I think they are less worried about point guard at this point than the front court. They've been showing a lot of interest in Drew Gooden lately and the Cavs might be willing to do a deal for Banks, Kurt Thomas and a couple of first round picks (Phoenix has three this year, including the Cavs pick). Not sure if Gooden is a great fit in Phoenix ... but they seem to like him.
Banks is owed roughly 17 million over the next for seasons (not including the 06-07 season). He just signed a contract this past offseason (5 years, $20 mil) and the Suns are already trying to unload him. For his career he's a 43% shooter and blazing 31% 3pt bomber.
Is he an upgrade over Eric Snow? Probably. But he's a short term fix for with long term problems. The Cavs have enough long term contract issues the way it is (Hughes, Z, Marshall, Jones, Snow) and they need to sign Varejao and Pavlovic this summer. Trading for Marcus Banks won't help matters.
It's risky enough trading Gooden for Mike Bibby, but for Marcus Banks? No thank you.
Where are the Cavs on the trade front?
Here's what we got so far:
Windhorst says that Ferry is pushing hard to land Mike Bibby
Newsday's Ken Berger says Bibby is being dealt, it's only a matter of 'where'.
Marc Stein says the Bibby deal still isn't close and the Cavs are trying to find a third team
SI.com's Ian Thompson said the Kings already passed on a deal with Cleveland, though there is still hope
Yahoo.com's Adrian Wojnarowski says that the Cavs are desperately trying to get Bibby
FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager says that big names are likely to stay put.
A random poster on RealCavsFans.com said that the Suns play by play guys announced a Bibby deal last night but said it was unconfirmed.
One more note: in all these scenarios, the player that the Cavs part with is Drew Gooden. I'm OK with this.
Windhorst says that Ferry is pushing hard to land Mike Bibby
Newsday's Ken Berger says Bibby is being dealt, it's only a matter of 'where'.
Marc Stein says the Bibby deal still isn't close and the Cavs are trying to find a third team
SI.com's Ian Thompson said the Kings already passed on a deal with Cleveland, though there is still hope
Yahoo.com's Adrian Wojnarowski says that the Cavs are desperately trying to get Bibby
FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager says that big names are likely to stay put.
A random poster on RealCavsFans.com said that the Suns play by play guys announced a Bibby deal last night but said it was unconfirmed.
One more note: in all these scenarios, the player that the Cavs part with is Drew Gooden. I'm OK with this.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Simmons and LeBron: My Thoughts
I was going to address this tomorrow, but since I have some free time on my hands, at the risk of parroting the Cavalier, I'll dive into this tonight.
Let's break it down, shall we?(side note: should anyone really be parsing Simmons's writing this much? Probably not. Hooray for the intertubes!):
The same thing goes for the All-Star game. Hello? That game sucked ass. It was a 20 point game at halftime and a 30 point game after the 3rd. Again, I'm not sure why LeBron gets singled out here. Let's compare LeBron's line with the game MVP, Kobe Bryant:
Could LeBron have played better? Sure (he blew an off-the-backboard dunk and airballed a three) but to knock the guy for a game where he got 28 points, shot 50% or better from the field and three, made both free throws and dished out 6 dimes is pretty stupid. Simmons singled out LeBron because it fit with his theory.
Simmons then drops a giant paragraph:
Look, I'll be the first to admit I'm getting sick of his commercials and his other commitments (like comedy roasts). He needs to focus more on his game and less on the other things.
But it's a little unfair to compare him Lindros and Griffey just yet. I'll be concerned if we're having this discussion around this time next season. After the first adversity of his young career? Please.
Let's not forget that he's a 22 year old kid who's best teammates have been (in order on non-suckiness) Carlos Boozer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Larry Hughes, Ricky Davis and Drew Gooden (and who's been coached by Paul Silas and Mike Brown). Wade and Kobe have been coached by two Hall of Famers (Pat Riley and Phil Jackson respectively) and have been teamed up with great (Shaq), good (Lamar Odom) and former great (Gary Payton) players. LeBron hasn't had anything compared to those two.
But he shouldn't be coasting. And part of me doesn't think he is; I think he's tired and he's too stubborn to say so. Eric Snow likes coming off the bench now because he doesn't have to ration his energy; he's playing less, so he can play harder while he's out there. Same thing is needed with LeBron; the guy has been playing an insane amount of minutes and, coupled with his too hectic off the court schedule, he's tired. Should he be playing harder? Absolutely, but he should also be playing less than 42 minutes a game (FYI, first game back from the break: 37 minutes. Hooray!).
Let's be clear, I'm not saying Simmons is wrong per sey, just that he's way too early on this. I'll be interested to see how LeBron responds the criticism this season (like from D.Wade) and how he carries himself the rest of the year and into the summer. So far I like the early signs (strong Laker game, strong All-Star game, strong Raptor game) plus he's dropped the "wrist kissing" on his free throws (he's 25-29 in his last 3 games, including Vegas).
But what I'm really want is for him to skip next summer's Olympic qualifiers (use the big toe injury) and have him take a break and then work on his game. Cut out the extra crap and rededicate himself to basketball (he's done it before, he improved his jumper tremendously after everyone said that he couldn't shoot).
However, if he decides to pull a Willie Mays Hayes and shoot a movie (say about the LeBrons), Simmons could very well be right.
Let's break it down, shall we?(side note: should anyone really be parsing Simmons's writing this much? Probably not. Hooray for the intertubes!):
Thumbs Down. To LeBron James, who coasted through the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday and played the All-Star Game with the uplifting, charismatic intensity of a female porn star trying to break one of those "most male partners in one afternoon" records.Did Simmons watch the skills challenge? Nobody tried hard. Only Dwyane Wade gave a shit, and that was just in the finals. Sure LeBron jogged through the obstacles, but so did Chris Paul, Kobe and Wade. No one looked good during that thing.
The same thing goes for the All-Star game. Hello? That game sucked ass. It was a 20 point game at halftime and a 30 point game after the 3rd. Again, I'm not sure why LeBron gets singled out here. Let's compare LeBron's line with the game MVP, Kobe Bryant:
LeBron: 32 minutes, 11-20 FG, 4-8 3PT, 2-2 FT, 6 reb, 6 ast, 1 stl and 28 pts.Remarkably similar, no? (By the way, I'm pissed as hell that Washington Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan played LeBron 32 minutes while no one else on the East got more than 24)
Kobe: 28 minutes, 13-24 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT, 5 reb, 6 ast, 6 stls and 31 pts.
Could LeBron have played better? Sure (he blew an off-the-backboard dunk and airballed a three) but to knock the guy for a game where he got 28 points, shot 50% or better from the field and three, made both free throws and dished out 6 dimes is pretty stupid. Simmons singled out LeBron because it fit with his theory.
Could we end up putting him in the "Too Much, Too Soon" Pantheon some day? Will he become the basketball version of Eddie Murphy, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and every other celeb who became famous too quickly and eventually burned out?I'm more concerned with LeBron pulling a Tracy McGrady or Vince Carter and having one good run then become an after thought. LeBron hasn't reached the basketball version of Murphy, Spears or Jackson yet (they were all at the top of their games at one point. I'm not sure if I'm helping or hurting this argument... let's move on)
Simmons then drops a giant paragraph:
Here's what I know. I had four conversations with connected NBA people over the weekend that centered around the same themes: LeBron isn't playing nearly as hard as he did last season; it looks like his only goal right now is to get his coach fired; he's regressing as a basketball player (especially his passing skills and his shot selection); he made a huge mistake firing his agent and turning his career over to his buddies back home (all of whom are in over their heads); he was a much bigger problem during the Olympics than anyone realized; he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself anymore; he has an overrated sense of his own worth and his own impact in the sports world (as witnessed by the ESPN interview last week when he answered the "What are your goals?" question with two words: "Global icon"); he's been protected by magazine fluff pieces and buddy-buddy TV interviews for far too long; he doesn't have the same relentless drive to keep dominating everyone like Wade and Kobe have; and basically, we're much closer to LeBron re-enacting the career arc of Martina Hingis, Eric Lindros and Junior Griffey than anyone realizes. This will evolve into THE dominant NBA story of the next two months. You watch.I'll address it line by line:
LeBron isn't playing nearly as hard as he did last seasonGood call. Cavs fans have been bitching about this for awhile. This is why we've been reading the "Is LeBron tired?" stories for the past few months. I will say this: I don't want to be making excuses for the guy, but Mike Brown NEEDS TO CUT HIS MINUTES. The guy has been logging major minutes (40+) his entire career.
it looks like his only goal right now is to get his coach firedI think he's confusing LeBron with Larry "our identity is not as a defensive team" Hughes.
he's regressing as a basketball player (especially his passing skills and his shot selection)I can't say I'd disagree. To be fair, LeBron has never had the best shot selection out there, so let's say it's gone from a C to a D+ (this needed to be worked on awhile ago). He's always been allowed to jack whatever shot he wants because he's The Chosen One. Also, it's hard to get assists in an offense with poor shooters and no movement (thanks Mike Brown!).
he made a huge mistake firing his agent and turning his career over to his buddies back home (all of whom are in over their heads)He's probably right, but I'm not sure how big a deal this is. I mean, LeBron just signed a deal with Microsoft and he's always going to get the max deal NBA-wise. What more does he need these guys to do?
he was a much bigger problem during the Olympics than anyone realizedThis has been discussed before but I can't imagine Coach K feeding a guy minutes that he didn't earn. Maybe he wasn't perfect, but I can't imagine he was that bad.
he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself anymoreHe's right, LeBron needs to smile more, this is extremely important. I'm not sure I'd be having a lot of fun if my starting back court couldn't shoot, my starting power forward showed to up once a week and my starting center plays lousy in big games.
he has an overrated sense of his own worth and his own impact in the sports world (as witnessed by the ESPN interview last week when he answered the "What are your goals?" question with two words: "Global icon")This just in: professional athletes have huge egos.
he's been protected by magazine fluff pieces and buddy-buddy TV interviews for far too longThe liberal media elites in this country are coddling our 22 year old sport stars! Is he kidding? This is what sports journalism is. Hell, this is what journalism is. Also, he's wrong, check out anything written by Charley Rosen ever.
he doesn't have the same relentless drive to keep dominating everyone like Wade and Kobe haveHe's probably right on this one, but lets not forget that we're just 9 months removed from last season's playoffs. Two game-winning shots over the Wizards and a game 7 loss to the heavily favored Pistons (btw- has any fan based milked a second round loss more than Cavs fans? I say no). Could you have imagined anyone making that argument 9 months ago?
basically, we're much closer to LeBron re-enacting the career arc of Martina Hingis, Eric Lindros and Junior Griffey than anyone realizes.How can anyone call not call the Sports Guy a reactionary? LeBron has had a bad half season and now the sky is falling and he's wondering if LeBron will flame out.
Look, I'll be the first to admit I'm getting sick of his commercials and his other commitments (like comedy roasts). He needs to focus more on his game and less on the other things.
But it's a little unfair to compare him Lindros and Griffey just yet. I'll be concerned if we're having this discussion around this time next season. After the first adversity of his young career? Please.
Let's not forget that he's a 22 year old kid who's best teammates have been (in order on non-suckiness) Carlos Boozer, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anderson Varejao, Larry Hughes, Ricky Davis and Drew Gooden (and who's been coached by Paul Silas and Mike Brown). Wade and Kobe have been coached by two Hall of Famers (Pat Riley and Phil Jackson respectively) and have been teamed up with great (Shaq), good (Lamar Odom) and former great (Gary Payton) players. LeBron hasn't had anything compared to those two.
But he shouldn't be coasting. And part of me doesn't think he is; I think he's tired and he's too stubborn to say so. Eric Snow likes coming off the bench now because he doesn't have to ration his energy; he's playing less, so he can play harder while he's out there. Same thing is needed with LeBron; the guy has been playing an insane amount of minutes and, coupled with his too hectic off the court schedule, he's tired. Should he be playing harder? Absolutely, but he should also be playing less than 42 minutes a game (FYI, first game back from the break: 37 minutes. Hooray!).
Let's be clear, I'm not saying Simmons is wrong per sey, just that he's way too early on this. I'll be interested to see how LeBron responds the criticism this season (like from D.Wade) and how he carries himself the rest of the year and into the summer. So far I like the early signs (strong Laker game, strong All-Star game, strong Raptor game) plus he's dropped the "wrist kissing" on his free throws (he's 25-29 in his last 3 games, including Vegas).
But what I'm really want is for him to skip next summer's Olympic qualifiers (use the big toe injury) and have him take a break and then work on his game. Cut out the extra crap and rededicate himself to basketball (he's done it before, he improved his jumper tremendously after everyone said that he couldn't shoot).
However, if he decides to pull a Willie Mays Hayes and shoot a movie (say about the LeBrons), Simmons could very well be right.
Cavs-Raptors
So I'm driving home from work with the game on the radio figuring I'll listen to the end and then rewatch the tivo'd game when I get home. One problem: I forgot to tivo the game. Fantastic. I'll have my complete thoughts after I watch the replay on FSNOhio tomorrow afternoon.
But I do have a quick thought or two.
Here's the Cavs last 8 possessions:
3:29 - 80-83 - LeBron makes 9 foot shot (82-83)
2:49 - 82-85 - LeBron makes 9 foot shot (84-85)
2:18 - 84-85 - LeBron misses 19 foot shot (Drew Gooden rebound)
2:04 - 84-85 - Hughes misses 12 foot shot
1:25 - 84-85 - Hughes misses 9 foot shot (TJ Ford fails to save ball, Cavs keep possession)
Time Out Cleveland
1:10 - 84-85 - Hughes misses 13 foot runner
0:39 - 84-85 - LeBron James charging foul (turnover)
0:16 - 84-85 - Pavlovic misses 3 pointer
0:16 - 84-85 - Varejao scores off the rebound (86-85)
There's a lot to like about that sequence and there's a lot to dislike. First of all, notice how the Raptors' score stayed at 85 over the last 3 minutes. This is good.
But... over that same time the Cavs are stuck at 84. Not so good. The Cavs had 6 chances or possessions (I'm counting the offensive rebounds as separate possessions) where they could have taken the lead. They took five shots and had a turnover. Out of those five shots, James took just one and Larry Hughes had three. Now, I didn't see the early part of the game, maybe Hughes was shooting well (though somehow I doubt that, as he finished the game 6-18), but I do know that James had scored on consecutive possessions to keep the Toronto lead at one. I'm not sure why Hughes got the shots down the stretch.
So to recap: down the stretch the Cavs shot the ball 5 times and James just once. I don't get it.
Again, I missed the first 42 minutes of this game, so I'll have deeper thoughts tomorrow. Also, a reminder: I'll be in New York city for the weekend, so I won't have anything in depth tomorrow after the Chicago game.
But I do have a quick thought or two.
Here's the Cavs last 8 possessions:
3:29 - 80-83 - LeBron makes 9 foot shot (82-83)
2:49 - 82-85 - LeBron makes 9 foot shot (84-85)
2:18 - 84-85 - LeBron misses 19 foot shot (Drew Gooden rebound)
2:04 - 84-85 - Hughes misses 12 foot shot
1:25 - 84-85 - Hughes misses 9 foot shot (TJ Ford fails to save ball, Cavs keep possession)
Time Out Cleveland
1:10 - 84-85 - Hughes misses 13 foot runner
0:39 - 84-85 - LeBron James charging foul (turnover)
0:16 - 84-85 - Pavlovic misses 3 pointer
0:16 - 84-85 - Varejao scores off the rebound (86-85)
There's a lot to like about that sequence and there's a lot to dislike. First of all, notice how the Raptors' score stayed at 85 over the last 3 minutes. This is good.
But... over that same time the Cavs are stuck at 84. Not so good. The Cavs had 6 chances or possessions (I'm counting the offensive rebounds as separate possessions) where they could have taken the lead. They took five shots and had a turnover. Out of those five shots, James took just one and Larry Hughes had three. Now, I didn't see the early part of the game, maybe Hughes was shooting well (though somehow I doubt that, as he finished the game 6-18), but I do know that James had scored on consecutive possessions to keep the Toronto lead at one. I'm not sure why Hughes got the shots down the stretch.
So to recap: down the stretch the Cavs shot the ball 5 times and James just once. I don't get it.
Again, I missed the first 42 minutes of this game, so I'll have deeper thoughts tomorrow. Also, a reminder: I'll be in New York city for the weekend, so I won't have anything in depth tomorrow after the Chicago game.
Simmons on LeBron
From the Sports Guy's excellent All-Star weekend recap:
To LeBron James, who coasted through the Skills Challenge on All-Star Saturday and played the All-Star Game with the uplifting, charismatic intensity of a female porn star trying to break one of those "most male partners in one afternoon" records. Could we end up putting him in the "Too Much, Too Soon" Pantheon some day? Will he become the basketball version of Eddie Murphy, Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and every other celeb who became famous too quickly and eventually burned out?I'll have more to say on this later.
Here's what I know. I had four conversations with connected NBA people over the weekend that centered around the same themes: LeBron isn't playing nearly as hard as he did last season; it looks like his only goal right now is to get his coach fired; he's regressing as a basketball player (especially his passing skills and his shot selection); he made a huge mistake firing his agent and turning his career over to his buddies back home (all of whom are in over their heads); he was a much bigger problem during the Olympics than anyone realized; he doesn't seem to be enjoying himself anymore; he has an overrated sense of his own worth and his own impact in the sports world (as witnessed by the ESPN interview last week when he answered the "What are your goals?" question with two words: "Global icon"); he's been protected by magazine fluff pieces and buddy-buddy TV interviews for far too long; he doesn't have the same relentless drive to keep dominating everyone like Wade and Kobe have; and basically, we're much closer to LeBron re-enacting the career arc of Martina Hingis, Eric Lindros and Junior Griffey than anyone realizes. This will evolve into THE dominant NBA story of the next two months. You watch.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Random Thoughts from the Weekend (belated)
1. RE: All-Star Weekend. I guess I enjoyed Saturday a lot more than most. I actually watched the whole thing, even the 2ball/Shooting Stars/WNBA crap (just to see how good Pippen looked).
2. He looked no worse than Eric Snow and David Wesley, I'll tell ya what.
3. The game stunk. There's no way around it; guys didn't care, players were chucking up terrible shots and they acted like they weren't even keeping score.
4. ESPN Classic was showing old All-Star games and I saw the end of the 1993 game. The East's lineup? Isiah Thomas, Mark Price, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Patrick Ewing. The weird thing was that they were running plays and playing defense yet ALSO having fun. What happened to that?
5. Plus Shaq was skinny. Now he's done.
6. Bud Shaw didn't care for the All-Star game either. Not that I'm surprised. Though I will give him props for this line: " Wayne Newton's new face: leather or microfiber composite?"
7. LeBron and Microsoft are teaming up. Meh.
8. It's too bad LeBron is stuck in Cleveland, if only the kid could get an endorsement deal every now and then.
9. Speaking of LeBron's endorsements, Bill Livingston basically wrote a giant Nike ad and placed in the middle of the Plain Dealer's Sunday sports section. Really? The LeBrons? There was nothing else to talk about?
10. Brian Windhorst smacked down my "A" is for Akron idea.
11. That Akron post was linked to by Deadspin yesterday and I am still getting a ton of traffic today. It's nuts. Come back often people.
12. I mentioned Carlos Boozer's acne in my Utah recap last week and the Cavalier has a pic and a steroid theory.
13. Charley Rosen previews the second half of the NBA season and *surprise!* he hates on the Cavs. Rosen has had it out for LeBron and the Cavs ever since he predicted that LeBron would nothing more than an average NBA player.
14. I don't believe people really think that Wayne Embry was a 'bad trader', I just think he robbed me of seeing Ron Harper and the Cavs in the 90s. The Johnson/West for Nance/Sanders deal was pretty sweet. (And his trade for Kemp wasn't too bad either).
15. Watching Jason Kapono win the 3-point shootout reminded me of another player the Cavs let slip away in the expansion draft: Dell Curry.
16. Could you imagine a Cavs roster featuring Mark Price, Ron Harper, Dell Curry, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty with Craig Ehlo, Steve Kerr and Hot Rod Williams coming off the bench? I can. Often.
17. I am loving the Dane Cook backlash.
18. Speaking of things that aren't funny...
19. Atrios discussed religion a lot last week and I found it very interesting. (they're all short posts)
20. I've been debating whether or not to even discuss this, but here we go: I have a few friends go to Iraq, but they've all come back safely. I haven't had any personal loss with the war. But a girl I took to Homecoming my junior (sophomore maybe?) just had her husband die over there. Now, I haven't talked to this girl since high school (the dance didn't exactly go well) but just hearing that news made my heard just drop. I dunno man... I just don't know.
21. In the same vein, reading shit like this and this (and this, all these and this) just makes me want to vomit.
22. Good for Murtha. Pissing people off.
23. I know the quotes are cherry picked, but still. Creepy is right.
24. McCain is done. So is Hilary (obviously not yet, but I can't imagine them winning their respective primaries. I won't exactly shed a tear).
25. The Indians are in Winter Haven, so you know time it is? Time to Fire Wedge Now.
26. All I know is, the Indian's Plan seems to involve too much Casey Blake.
27. I knew the Tribe was in a tough division, but really?
28. Mark Schwab is probably the only WTAM host I can stand (besides Mike Snyder, who does the Cavs halftime and postgame).
29. Latest mock drafts: ESPN's Todd McShay and SI's Don Banks both have the Browns taking Adrian Peterson. I'm okay with that pick, as long they address the line in the first day.
30. Happy birthday to the Ton-o-War (Ben W).
31. Because Ben asked before: re: Church League- we got whooped last night by 40 points (to be fair, it was only 25ish before we decided to go zone on a team of shooters in the last 5 minutes. That didn't work). Personally, I played decently, scoring 11 points on a team that scored 32 or 34.
32. What should we do? Well, first of I'd recommend more Ben Cox post action. But honestly? Our big problem is ball control. When we take care of the ball, spread it around and take good shots, we do alright and get back on D pretty well. But when we take quick shots (and Larry Hughes-esque quick long shots) it leads to breaks and we can turn a 5 point deficit into a 15 point one in 3 minutes. I'm not saying we should play Mike Fratello circa 1995 style but we can't think we're the Suns.
33. I'm going to be in New York City from Thursday through Sunday and there's a 99% chance I won't have a recap for the Cavs-Bulls game on Thursday night, so consider yourself warned (I'm not sure if I'd really want to watch it anyways, I can only take so much orange). Though I should be good to go for Wednesday's game versus Toronto and Sunday's Heat game (Miami again?).
34. Speaking of Sunday, I share a birthday with George Harrison (thus making me awesome). Harrison is probably my favorite Beatle, here's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' off of the new Love album (those strings are gorgeous) and Ringo's tribute to George titled 'Never Without You' (it's full of Beatles quotes).
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (acoustic)
Never Without You
35. As for new music, I'm getting into Badly Drawn Boy's new CD Born in the U.K. I first heard BDB in college and I'd really recommend checking out his first album The Hour of the Bewilderbeast, his soundtrack to About a Boy and Have You Fed the Fish?.
'Once Around the Block' from The Hour of the Bewilderbeast (if you don't find this song at least a little catchy, you officially have no soul)
'Silent Sigh' from the About a Boy soundtrack.
'You Were Right' from Have You Fed the Fish? ("I remember I stayed up to watch the news with everyone")
'Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind' from Born in the U.K. (I love the whole idea of this video. Just awesome).
2. He looked no worse than Eric Snow and David Wesley, I'll tell ya what.
3. The game stunk. There's no way around it; guys didn't care, players were chucking up terrible shots and they acted like they weren't even keeping score.
4. ESPN Classic was showing old All-Star games and I saw the end of the 1993 game. The East's lineup? Isiah Thomas, Mark Price, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Patrick Ewing. The weird thing was that they were running plays and playing defense yet ALSO having fun. What happened to that?
5. Plus Shaq was skinny. Now he's done.
6. Bud Shaw didn't care for the All-Star game either. Not that I'm surprised. Though I will give him props for this line: " Wayne Newton's new face: leather or microfiber composite?"
7. LeBron and Microsoft are teaming up. Meh.
8. It's too bad LeBron is stuck in Cleveland, if only the kid could get an endorsement deal every now and then.
9. Speaking of LeBron's endorsements, Bill Livingston basically wrote a giant Nike ad and placed in the middle of the Plain Dealer's Sunday sports section. Really? The LeBrons? There was nothing else to talk about?
10. Brian Windhorst smacked down my "A" is for Akron idea.
11. That Akron post was linked to by Deadspin yesterday and I am still getting a ton of traffic today. It's nuts. Come back often people.
12. I mentioned Carlos Boozer's acne in my Utah recap last week and the Cavalier has a pic and a steroid theory.
13. Charley Rosen previews the second half of the NBA season and *surprise!* he hates on the Cavs. Rosen has had it out for LeBron and the Cavs ever since he predicted that LeBron would nothing more than an average NBA player.
14. I don't believe people really think that Wayne Embry was a 'bad trader', I just think he robbed me of seeing Ron Harper and the Cavs in the 90s. The Johnson/West for Nance/Sanders deal was pretty sweet. (And his trade for Kemp wasn't too bad either).
15. Watching Jason Kapono win the 3-point shootout reminded me of another player the Cavs let slip away in the expansion draft: Dell Curry.
16. Could you imagine a Cavs roster featuring Mark Price, Ron Harper, Dell Curry, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty with Craig Ehlo, Steve Kerr and Hot Rod Williams coming off the bench? I can. Often.
17. I am loving the Dane Cook backlash.
18. Speaking of things that aren't funny...
19. Atrios discussed religion a lot last week and I found it very interesting. (they're all short posts)
20. I've been debating whether or not to even discuss this, but here we go: I have a few friends go to Iraq, but they've all come back safely. I haven't had any personal loss with the war. But a girl I took to Homecoming my junior (sophomore maybe?) just had her husband die over there. Now, I haven't talked to this girl since high school (the dance didn't exactly go well) but just hearing that news made my heard just drop. I dunno man... I just don't know.
21. In the same vein, reading shit like this and this (and this, all these and this) just makes me want to vomit.
22. Good for Murtha. Pissing people off.
23. I know the quotes are cherry picked, but still. Creepy is right.
24. McCain is done. So is Hilary (obviously not yet, but I can't imagine them winning their respective primaries. I won't exactly shed a tear).
25. The Indians are in Winter Haven, so you know time it is? Time to Fire Wedge Now.
26. All I know is, the Indian's Plan seems to involve too much Casey Blake.
27. I knew the Tribe was in a tough division, but really?
28. Mark Schwab is probably the only WTAM host I can stand (besides Mike Snyder, who does the Cavs halftime and postgame).
29. Latest mock drafts: ESPN's Todd McShay and SI's Don Banks both have the Browns taking Adrian Peterson. I'm okay with that pick, as long they address the line in the first day.
30. Happy birthday to the Ton-o-War (Ben W).
31. Because Ben asked before: re: Church League- we got whooped last night by 40 points (to be fair, it was only 25ish before we decided to go zone on a team of shooters in the last 5 minutes. That didn't work). Personally, I played decently, scoring 11 points on a team that scored 32 or 34.
32. What should we do? Well, first of I'd recommend more Ben Cox post action. But honestly? Our big problem is ball control. When we take care of the ball, spread it around and take good shots, we do alright and get back on D pretty well. But when we take quick shots (and Larry Hughes-esque quick long shots) it leads to breaks and we can turn a 5 point deficit into a 15 point one in 3 minutes. I'm not saying we should play Mike Fratello circa 1995 style but we can't think we're the Suns.
33. I'm going to be in New York City from Thursday through Sunday and there's a 99% chance I won't have a recap for the Cavs-Bulls game on Thursday night, so consider yourself warned (I'm not sure if I'd really want to watch it anyways, I can only take so much orange). Though I should be good to go for Wednesday's game versus Toronto and Sunday's Heat game (Miami again?).
34. Speaking of Sunday, I share a birthday with George Harrison (thus making me awesome). Harrison is probably my favorite Beatle, here's 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' off of the new Love album (those strings are gorgeous) and Ringo's tribute to George titled 'Never Without You' (it's full of Beatles quotes).
While My Guitar Gently Weeps (acoustic)
Never Without You
35. As for new music, I'm getting into Badly Drawn Boy's new CD Born in the U.K. I first heard BDB in college and I'd really recommend checking out his first album The Hour of the Bewilderbeast, his soundtrack to About a Boy and Have You Fed the Fish?.
'Once Around the Block' from The Hour of the Bewilderbeast (if you don't find this song at least a little catchy, you officially have no soul)
'Silent Sigh' from the About a Boy soundtrack.
'You Were Right' from Have You Fed the Fish? ("I remember I stayed up to watch the news with everyone")
'Nothing's Gonna Change Your Mind' from Born in the U.K. (I love the whole idea of this video. Just awesome).
Should the Cavs make a move?
Both local papers address the prospect of the Cavs making a trade for a point guard.
Branson Wright:
Obviously, Jason Kidd and Mike Bibby are the big names out there, but I doubt the Cavs have the parts that it would take to get them. They don't have a lot of big expiring contracts (Pollard, Wesley, Duane Jones, Varejao and Pavlovic), their better players are all overpaid (Zydrunas, Hughes, and I guess throw Damon Jones and Snow in there) and they have no draft picks (thanks Jim Paxson!). The Cavs are in obvious need of a point guard and teams will try to get them to overpay in a deal, but the thing is, I'm not sure the Cavs could overpay even if they wanted to.
And the lesser names on the list? I'll pass on Jaric and Banks for contract reasons alone (don't make a long term problem for a short term fix), Soudamire and Knight are intriguing but old and I have no idea how Stevie Franchise would even begin to mesh on the Cavalier roster. (Say the Knicks buy him out and he signs with Cleveland, could you imagine a backcourt of Larry Hughes and Francis? Their shot selection alone would be enough to drive me insane).
As for the rest, I can't imagine Cavs fans being that pleased with a deadline deal for Jason Hart. Not when Kidd and Bibby are out there (nevermind the fact that Cavs fans are idiots and the Cavs don't have the parts to trade. Fans will still be pissed at GM Danny Ferry).
Of course, there's still that other possibility...
Or am I getting my hopes up?
Branson Wright:
Brian Windhorst:A trade would provide relief, and the Cavs have inquired with several teams about possible deals that include everyone on the roster, with the exception of LeBron James. Several teams have expressed an interest in Anderson Varejao, but management is reluctant to make that deal.
The Cavs made several moves in the first half that contributed to their recent success. One in particular is point guard Daniel "Boobie" Gibson. But Gibson is not ready to lead the team during the postseason. That would mean making a deal for a veteran point guard, especially since the team has given up on Eric Snow as a starter.
There are plenty of quality point guards available. The Nets have shopped Jason Kidd, Sacramento's Mike Bibby can opt out of his deal at the end of the season and if the Knicks don't buy out Steve Francis, he could be available. The Cavs have lukewarm interest in Memphis' Damon Stoudamire, Charlotte's Brevin Knight and Phoenix's Marcus Banks. The NBA trading deadline is 3 p.m. Thursday.
Look at those sexy names. Marko Jaric, Jason Hart, Travis Diener and Marcus Banks. Wow.According to league sources, the Cavs have made everyone on their roster available, with the exception of LeBron James.
But unless they feel it is a slam-dunk move, they won't want to disturb their core.
Especially considering the team played well before the All-Star break, winning six of its last nine games.
Here's a look at point guards who may be on the market and what the Cavs have to offer:
Potential targets
Mike Bibby, Kings -- The Cavs have been in on-and-off talks with the Kings about their point guard for a long time. It is believed the Kings would move Bibby for the right deal but the Cavs don't have the parts needed. A third team needs to get involved and both sides have been looking.
Juan Dixon, Trail Blazers -- He's not a pure point guard. He's more of a combo guard and may be too much like Daniel Gibson for the Cavs to consider. But he can handle the ball, he's available and he could help.
Beno Udrih, Spurs -- He's lost his playing time again and is constantly in and out of coach Gregg Popovich's doghouse. Ferry was a part of the team that drafted Udrih three years ago and he likes the lefty's game. It is questionable whether the Spurs would let him go, though.
Travis Diener, Magic -- The Magic have been shopping their quick guard, according to reports. But potential playoff opponents aren't usually trading partners.
Marko Jaric, Timberwolves -- He's been in rumors for months now, ever since he voiced some displeasure earlier in the season. The Cavs looked at him in the summer of 2005, when he was a free agent, but the hefty contract he eventually signed makes him prohibitive. He's very unlikely to be going anywhere.
Jason Hart, Kings -- Never plays, isn't happy, wants to be traded. He's the type of player the Cavs could get cheap and he could be a change-of-pace ballhandler for the stretch run.
Obviously, Jason Kidd and Mike Bibby are the big names out there, but I doubt the Cavs have the parts that it would take to get them. They don't have a lot of big expiring contracts (Pollard, Wesley, Duane Jones, Varejao and Pavlovic), their better players are all overpaid (Zydrunas, Hughes, and I guess throw Damon Jones and Snow in there) and they have no draft picks (thanks Jim Paxson!). The Cavs are in obvious need of a point guard and teams will try to get them to overpay in a deal, but the thing is, I'm not sure the Cavs could overpay even if they wanted to.
And the lesser names on the list? I'll pass on Jaric and Banks for contract reasons alone (don't make a long term problem for a short term fix), Soudamire and Knight are intriguing but old and I have no idea how Stevie Franchise would even begin to mesh on the Cavalier roster. (Say the Knicks buy him out and he signs with Cleveland, could you imagine a backcourt of Larry Hughes and Francis? Their shot selection alone would be enough to drive me insane).
As for the rest, I can't imagine Cavs fans being that pleased with a deadline deal for Jason Hart. Not when Kidd and Bibby are out there (nevermind the fact that Cavs fans are idiots and the Cavs don't have the parts to trade. Fans will still be pissed at GM Danny Ferry).
Of course, there's still that other possibility...
Pippen as a player-coach? Hell, why not? Maybe coach Pippen can install an offense that doesn't involve 4 guys standing around watching LeBron stand around.The Cavs are expected to take a hard look and even perhaps make a hard sell on Scottie Pippen, who wants to make a comeback.
Pippen has said he prefers a warm-weather town, especially Miami, but playing for a contender is most important.
He's watched the Cavs play and believes he can help handling the ball.
One thing the Cavs might be able to offer him to sweeten the pot is a player/coach role, which would enable him to share his experience and give him a place to go without losing face if the comeback doesn't go well.
Or am I getting my hopes up?
Monday, February 19, 2007
"A" is for Akron?
What was LeBron doing?
I'm devoting some time in an attempt to answer the most important of question coming out of last night's All-Star game:
What was LeBron doing with his hands during the All-Star game introductions? (God invented blogs in order to answer these types of questions.)
Henry at True Hoop says that the sign James held up during the All-Star introductions was:
This is just more propaganda by the ESPN-istas pushing LeBron out of Cleveland and to New York or the Nets (where Jay-Z is a part owner). James has been rumored to be leaving the Cavaliers since he was drafted in 2003 and as a Cavalier fan, I've been getting kind of sick of it. We never hear national pundits say that other players "need" to be in a big market; not KG, not 'Melo- just LeBron.
Am I overly touchy about the subject? Probably, but as a Cleveland fan, that's my job. Our teams never win and we don't even get credit for not winning like other cities (I don't want to hear it Cubs fans, your city had Michael Jeffery Jordan). Cavs fans finally have a guy (and team) that actually gets highlights in the first half of SportsCenter and what happens? Constant speculation that the hometown kid is going to leave. Fantastic.
Alright, back to LeBron and the dynasty sign. Now, I may be naive, but I always thought that sign was an "A". A as in Akron. The reason I think this? Well, I'm not sure if you've heard, but LeBron is from Akron. He also has a 330 (the area code) tattoo (this is why Cavsstooge homer unbiased announcer Fred McLeod says "from 3! 3-Oh!" whenever LeBron drills a trey).
But that could just be wishful thinking on my part. Again, I could just be naive to the hip-hop culture (Will Smith is still cool, right?) and LeBron could be flashing the dynasty sign.
The thing is, I've seen Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman flash that same sign. And Antonio Pittman is from Akron. Check out the 2:44 mark (or 1:05, depending on how the clip plays back) in this highlight clip (btw- I'd imagine this clip was made before the Florida game):
I'm devoting some time in an attempt to answer the most important of question coming out of last night's All-Star game:
What was LeBron doing with his hands during the All-Star game introductions? (God invented blogs in order to answer these types of questions.)
Henry at True Hoop says that the sign James held up during the All-Star introductions was:
the dynasty sign, associated with Jay-Z and his Rocafella empire.Needless to say, I disagree.
This is just more propaganda by the ESPN-istas pushing LeBron out of Cleveland and to New York or the Nets (where Jay-Z is a part owner). James has been rumored to be leaving the Cavaliers since he was drafted in 2003 and as a Cavalier fan, I've been getting kind of sick of it. We never hear national pundits say that other players "need" to be in a big market; not KG, not 'Melo- just LeBron.
Am I overly touchy about the subject? Probably, but as a Cleveland fan, that's my job. Our teams never win and we don't even get credit for not winning like other cities (I don't want to hear it Cubs fans, your city had Michael Jeffery Jordan). Cavs fans finally have a guy (and team) that actually gets highlights in the first half of SportsCenter and what happens? Constant speculation that the hometown kid is going to leave. Fantastic.
Alright, back to LeBron and the dynasty sign. Now, I may be naive, but I always thought that sign was an "A". A as in Akron. The reason I think this? Well, I'm not sure if you've heard, but LeBron is from Akron. He also has a 330 (the area code) tattoo (this is why Cavs
But that could just be wishful thinking on my part. Again, I could just be naive to the hip-hop culture (Will Smith is still cool, right?) and LeBron could be flashing the dynasty sign.
The thing is, I've seen Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman flash that same sign. And Antonio Pittman is from Akron. Check out the 2:44 mark (or 1:05, depending on how the clip plays back) in this highlight clip (btw- I'd imagine this clip was made before the Florida game):
Sunday, February 18, 2007
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