If you're looking for a long shot -- and we concede it's an extreme long shot -- we've got a more genuine nominee than the Clippers (LeBron isn't playing in Kobe Bryant's building or putting any faith in the stewardship of Donald Sterling no matter how good lining up next to Blake Griffin sounds) or the Bulls (since it's equally tough to imagine him driving past His Airness' statue on his way to every home game.)
We repeat: The host city for the 2010 All-Star Game is Long Shot City. That said, Dallas has more in its favor than you think.
Dirk Nowitzki would appear to be the best big man LeBron could conceivably hook up with next summer, which would also mean playing with the Mavs' lead recruiter and James' close friend Jason Kidd.
It doesn't hurt that LeBron is said to be fond of the area and undoubtedly loves the Cowboys as much as or more than he loves the Yankees. Or that Mark Cuban was the NBA's original spare-no-expense owner in the new millennium.
The glaring obstacle here, besides the inevitable suggestions that Big D is neither big enough nor sufficiently glamorous for James, is that the Mavs won't have any cap space to throw at him. Dallas would thus have to propose a sign-and-trade, presumably headlined by Josh Howard and perhaps Erick Dampier's cap-friendly contract for payroll relief, that the Cavs would naturally want no part of.
Thank you Marc Stein, thank you. While Friday's game was just as bad as we all had figured, it's nice to see ESPN making some new stupid arguments.
Obviously, this is dumb. LeBron isn't going to leave the Cavs (a team that won 66 games last season) because he likes some other city's football or baseball team. It's gonna come down to money and winning (in that order?). Personally, I'm thinking he's gonna sign a 3-4 year deal and keep the Cavs on their toes (while still letting him leave as a free agent before he turns 30 if he needs to).
"I'm not really too concerned about it, because I know his heart and his love is here in Cleveland," Williams told me [David Aldridge] last week. "I know that. Just like anybody else, we love the New Yorks, we love the Miamis, we love the L.A.s, we love the Torontos. That's probably the most underrated city. We love those cities. But you can't underrate home."
First, nice win by the Cavaliers. Thank the lord that the Cavs only visit New York once this year. Jesus Christ, that was nauseating. And great Chris Rock interview ESPN. Awesome idea Chris, trading LeBron for Brook Lopez, Devin Harris and 3 picks. Oh could we? Brook Lopez AND Devin Harris? Would the Nets do that?
(There's gonna be a ton of "The Cavs should trade LeBron" stories over the course of this season from both columnists playing devil's advocate and Clevelanders too used to our East Coast farm team. No, you do not trade LeBron-this isn't baseball and they are not the Indians. The Cavaliers differ from the Tribe in two major ways 1) they have a very real chance to win a championship and 2) they can pay LeBron the most money.
The goal is to win the title. If Sabathia leaves via free agency and you aren't going to win the title this season, then of course you trade him. By not letting him leave for nothing, you're helping your chances for future titles down the road. But if the Cavs are in the playoff hunt and if we all can agree that they won't get equal value in any realistic trade scenario, then by trading LeBron, you're hurting your chances to win a title. Trading LeBron hurts your chances to win now. The goal is to win the title.
Also, you can't be the guy who trades away LeBron James. If he leaves, it's has got be his decision. All the Cavs can do is field the best team they can and, oh yea, pay him the most money. Danny Ferry cannot trade LeBron James and certainly not for the likes of Devin Harris and Brook Lopez.
Perhaps it would be a fitting end to a Cavalier career that began as the Next Larry Bird).
Anyways, I liked that Mike Brown started J.J. Hickson. He has a better face up jumper than Varejao (which works nice with Shaq) and he should be on his best behavior (i.e. focused) by playing with LeBron and the starters. Plus, you can sub Z, Varejao and West in together for a more than solid second unit.
Also, great win by the Bucks over Penn State. The Vest looked like he had a solid game plan (and solid mid-game adjustments) and Terrelle Pryor didn't make any mistakes. Did he turn the corner?! Is his career a mirror of Vince Young's?! Obviously, who knows. But it was great to see him win a big game on the road.
And that Buckeye defense. Yikes. Iowa has had 10 or 11 (I'm lazy) turnovers over the last two games and they get to face THAT defense. Good luck with that.
Tough loss. The Cavs looked good for stretches and made some nice plays, but they let Chicago slowly build up a six point lead throughout the fourth and by the time the Cavs decided to show some urgency, they ran out of time. Some Cavs played well (James and Shaq were both pretty good) but no one had a standout game. The Bulls got fine performances from a number of players (Derek Rose, Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Brad Miller and rookie Taj Gibson) and the Cavs only got 12 points from their bench (8 of which were Boobie's).
Some crazy plays at the very end. On the Cavs' last possession, LeBron drove left against Deng, jumped, made contact with Noah and the ball went out of bounds and the refs called it off James. While LeBron (not to mention the crowd) did not agree with the call, I think the refs got it right. Ya, maybe you could've called a foul on Noah's help out, but James lost the ball on the way up when his elbow (which he led with) hit into Noah's chest. Was there body contact? Sure. But if that's Dwyane Wade and Anderson Varejao, I'd be pissed if Wade got that call. Anyways, the Cavs shouldn't of even had the ball to begin with; they forced a turnover on a 24 second violation but it sure looked like Deng's running floater glanced the rim (Brad Miller got the board). It should've been Bulls ball with 3 seconds to go.
But it shouldn't have even come down to that last play. The Cavs didn't show any of the intensity that ended the Wizards game. The defense was a step slow (as were the coaching adjustments), the offense was haphazard and they got no production from their bench (Z was 0-9 and Delonte was 1-4). The Bulls hung around and hung around and eventually took the lead. The Cavs didn't help themselves at the line either, going 12-20 as a team (LeBron went 6-9).
The coaching was not good. Brown insisted on pairing Z with Shaq and it just didn't work. Hell, he had a five in the second half that was West-Gibson-Parker-Z-Shaq. Three guards and a two seven footers. Awesome. Then, for the last two minutes, he goes small and puts LeBron at the four. Which is fine by me but I wanna know why a) you play one way for the whole game and switch at the end and b) why don't they go small more often (especially if it's something you feel comfortable using at crunch time)? The TNT guys ripped the offense during halftime and I can't really blame 'em- the offense looks bad (though I will point out, again, that I'm pretty sure Mike Brown isn't calling for LeBron to go one-on-five and hoist a 20 footer). Their second to last play was a Mo Williams running floater (that did not look good) and their final play consisted of James driving into traffic.
LeBron was good, not great. Well, he finished with 25 points, 7 boards, 6 assists and 2 trips into the stands that resulted in an injury (once tweaking his ankle and another jumped and landing awkwardly on an empty seat). While 25-7-6 is pretty damn good for most guys, James could've done more; he continues to settle for jumpers (though this could stem from not being comfortable with Shaq) and initiate the offense from 23 feet out. This may sound nitpicky (again, 25-7-6) but they aren't going to beat good teams with James going 1-on-5.
The bench was not good. Gibson scored 5 points early but his only other basket came at the buzzer of the third quarter (Boobie only took four shots, making three. I would've liked to see them ride his current hot streak a bit). Meanwhile, Z went 0-9 and West missed all of his jumpers. J.J. Hickson didn't have a good 3 minutes of PT (0-4, 2 boards, 1 TO) but I really don't think he's gonna 'get it' in these little 3 minute spurts. Oddly, in a game where Chicago's length (Deng) and quickness (Rose, Hinrich, Ty Thomas) hurt the Cavs, Jamario Moon never made it off the bench. It's fairly obvious that Brown doesn't have a rotation down quite yet.
In the end, it was effort. The Bulls wanted this win more. They got the loose balls, they grabbed the offensive boards and made they made the plays down the stretch. The Cavs looked disjointed and slightly disinterested at times. I know it's early and we all assumed (at least I hope we did) that they would struggle out of the gate but already having two losses at The Q (where they were 39-2 last season) doesn't feel right. Coming off a 66 win season, they're gonna get other teams' best shot, they're going to have to find a way to match the oppositions intensity or they'll lose a few more games they should win.
and finally...
Lord knows what to expect tomorrow (from LeBron or the gasbags at ESPN). LeBron James in Madison Square Garden... following a loss. Triple double? 50 points? Both? All I know is, I expect the Cavs to come out and dominate and LeBron to make some stupid crazy plays.
This morning on Mike & Mike, ESPN's Buster Olney was the first pundit to link the Yankees winning the World Series with LeBron playing for the Knicks next season. It's no 'LeBron to the Lakers because the weather is nice' but it's still pretty stupid. Olney actually mused that C.C. Sabathia could use his "winning in New York" experience to lure LeBron to the Knicks. That's right, because C.C. Sabathia won a World Series, LeBron is going to play for the Knicks.
For the last time: no, LeBron is not going to leave his basketball team because another town has a good baseball team. That is dumb. He needs championships. In basketball.
Expect to see a ton of "LeBron to New York" stuff from the World Wide Leader over the next few days, as the Cavs face off against the Knicks on Friday. Thank the Flying Spagetti Monster that this is the only time the Cavaliers visit Madison Square Garden this season. Couple with the World Series victory (expect to see a lot of Yankees in the crowd on Friday) and we're in for a hell of a couple days.
Oh, and before heading to New York, the Cavs face off against the Bulls, a team covered by Sam "LeBron will go to the Lakers" Smith. I'll be shocked if TNT fails to mention that tonight.
Well, at least I’m fairly sure now where LeBron James is going to be playing next season.
Los Angeles, most likely with the Lakers.
Stay with me a bit here, and when the Bulls are in Cleveland Thursday for the TNT national TV game with the Cavs, I doubt LeBron will have much to say on the subject. And this is hardly an overreaction to the Cavs slogging out of the starting gate this season with two losses and looking ready for pasture.
Wow.
Don't worry, his reasoning is solid:
And, really, everyone wants to play in L.A. The weather is fabulous. You can be a star and have privacy because there are so many other stars. And then when you want to be a star you can because it is a city of stars. And basketball is by far No. 1, the only big city in the U.S. where you can say that. Plus, owner Jerry Buss knows stars sell and has been the most successful at recruiting and paying for stars.
[snip]
The Lakers certainly have no salary cap room. They are in no position to pay James, which remains the No. 1 priority for all free agents. James just has to explain to the Cavs he’s leaving. If they don’t accommodate him, he’s going to New York or Miami and they get nothing. But if they do in a sign and trade to save the franchise, they get a young, potential All-Star center in Andrew Bynum. Maybe Lamar Odom as well or Ron Artest. Draft picks, some pieces like Jordan Farmar. The Cavs can compete in the East with a star center and some pieces added to what they have. It’s better than nothing as cap room doesn’t mean anything in Cleveland. No one’s going there.
Sure, they have no money, a shot hogging superstar, but LeBron has GOT TO LEAVE THE CAVS!!! He hates it here. It's awful. They even lost their first two games.
This boggles the mind. At least when Bill Simmons proposes that James heads to the Clippers, he has better reasoning than 'the weather is nice' (nice young talent, take a franchise to new heights, etc). And honestly, I'd rather have LeBron leave than have the Cavs actually deal him for.... Andrew Bynum, Ron Artest, a few 31st overall draftpicks and Jordan Farmar.
And let's remember, 2010 isn't far off any more. For this trade to go down, it'll have to happen this February. Does anyone really that the Cavaliers will be so far out of contention come February that they'd even entertain the idea of trading him? Let alone actually doing it...
This is going to be one long, dumb season. Your move, Adrian Wojnarowski.
Asides from the first period, the Cavs dominated. The offense looked really good; LeBron didn't settle for jumpers (though his shot looks great in this early season), the Cavs dominated the post (both Shaq and LeBron showed off some jump hooks) and the shooters made their shots (Mo and Boobie combined to go 7-9 from behind the arc). The offense flowed, their defense was stifling (the Wizards shot 39% for the game) and they looked comfortable with each other.
About that first quarter. It was ugly. While Washington came out like they gave a damn, the Cavs sleptwalked through that first period. The offense was bad (the Cavs had just 3 points over the final half of the quarter) and the defense was worse (at one point the Wizards made seven straight shots). They were going under screens (leaving Arenas and Butlter free to fire away) and they lost track of Wizard big men, allowing them to get easy dunks and offensive rebounds. The lead was 14 after one period (31-17) and got as high as 18 in the early second (37-19).
Shaq and Boobie got the crowd going. For as much as Gibson frustrates me sometimes, when he plays well, the Cavs and their fans seem to respond really well. Gibson scored 8 second quarter points (two treys and an offensive putback) and he fed Shaq on a break leading to an one-handed dunk (which REALLY got the crowd going). Meanwhile, Shaq, who also had 8 points in the quarter, got Washington's big men in foul trouble (he drew 5 fouls in the period) and made four straight free throws.
Far and away Shaq's best game as a Cavalier thus far. The big fella finished with 21 points, 8 boards, 3 assists and 2 or 3 Shawn Rogers-esque fouls near the rim (including a crowd pleasing throw down of DeShawn Stevenson). O'neal was definitely the most active I've seen him as a Cavalier (especially offensively); he showed off a rolling hook shot and a turnaround jumphook, he spun baseline and pinned a guy on his back, he ran the floor (he really had to stretch to dunk that ball from Boobie) and he drew the double team that allowed Boobie and Williams to get good looks at the basket. Basically, Shaq looked like Shaq.
LeBron had a good game as well. LeBron debuted his jumphook (it went in) and set up in the post throughout the game (though he still found a way to hoist seven 3s). James played powerfoward (both next to Shaq and next to Varejao) for the bulk of his second quater minutes and the Cavs cut Washington's lead to four (54-50) by halftime. LeBron finished with 27 points, 8 boards, 6 assists and 3 steals. I like the fact that LeBron ended up taking 13 free throws (making 11) as it shows that the Cavs took advantage of the Wizards foul trouble (and Washington wrapped him up anything he was near the rim). When LeBron and Shaq combine to make 18 of 23 freebies, the Cavs are in a good spot.
It was a rough night for a few Cavaliers. Z finished 1-6 (with 3 weak fouls), Delonte went 2-7 and Anthony Parker was a rim bending 2-12 (but it was a great moment when he broke through and hit a trey to put the Cavs up 67-62 in the third- all made possible by an Anderson Varejao offensive board). Jamario Moon finished 1-4, but he was chuckin during the late stages of the game.
More J.J. Hickson please. Hickson grabbed two boards in his four minutes of court time. I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't too pleased when Brown brought out the twin towers to start the second quarter; the Cavs had given up easy dunks and offensive boards to the Wizards athletic bigs, I wasn't sure two old, lumbering centers would do the trick (but when Shaq gets them all in foul trouble....). Offensively, Hickson bricked the only jumper he took but he also got the Cavs an extra possession by skying for a board. I'd like to see more of this.
Is there a more fun player to hate than DeShawn Stevenson? First of all, there's no downside. I have no fear that he's gonna torch the Cavs and have a big game in Cleveland. None. Boo away Cleveland fans, we won't be seeing any Reggie Miller-like performances out of this guy. Stevenson finished 0-4 for 3 points, got decked by Shaq and bowled over Boobie for a charge. Missed shots, a dumb ducktail haircut, running into a fan favorite for a charge and getting clobbered by Shaq? Well done DeShawn, we really couldn't ask for anything more.
and finally...
Bulls on Thursday. I'm interested to see how Thursday's game in Cleveland plays out. The Bulls had a really nice win against the Spurts at home but followed it up by laying an egg in Boston. The Cavs have now won three games in a row by double digits and I'm interested to see how Shaq follows up this performance.
New York Post A-Rod passage of the week: The paper on Saturday wrote that US Weekly found an ex-flame who said Rodriguez had two paintings of himself as a centaur -- man from the waist up, horse from the waist down -- in his bedroom at home.
Wow, two? I mean, having one self portrait as a shirtless centaur in your bedroom is fine. Who hasn't commissioned a shirtless centaur painting? But two? Two is just going overboard.
Just reading an article about how the Browns are all pissed off at their 1-7 start and I come across this:
Running back Jamal Lewis questioned the direction of the team, saying, "Where are we trying to go and what are we trying to accomplish?" The future Hall of Famer said he is so distraught with the way this season has gone south after "everybody bought in" in training camp that this would be his last season of playing.
Um, I know he had some great great years with Baltimore (lord knows he always destroyed the Browns) but he's been extremely mediocre in his time in Cleveland.
As for this being his last season, I'm ok with that. I was surprised that he was brought back as the unquestioned starter to begin with (with only Jerome Harrison as a legit replacement). Even if he doesn't hang it up for good, this should be his last season in a Browns uniform.
It was great to see Delonte West back in uniform (I was at the game, the crowd cheered every he did anything or was showed on the jumbotron) and it was even better to see him and the Cavaliers play so well.
Unfortunately, my computer monitor is on the fritz. If you turn it off and back on, I'll be able to see the screen for somewhere between 1-5 seconds and then it turns to black. So whenever I try to do anything (play a CD, visit a site, do some writing, etc), even if it's quick, I'm turning the monitor on and off like 50 times. It's a bit infuriating, as you can imagine. I'm not entirely sure what I'm gonna do with this, other than try to make due (same thing happened about two weeks ago and one random time I turned it on and it stayed lit. So I dunno).
Anyways. It was great to see the Cavs beat some teams they should beat. The offense looked better (though LeBron is settling for WAY too many jumpers for my tastes. To his credit, the shots are dropping, but I'd rather him move around or post up rather than hoist jumpers. For all the crap we give Mike Brown's offense, I'm fairly certain he isn't telling LeBron hold the ball for 10 seconds and hoist a 22 footer).
I will say it's striking how everything looks with Z on the floor. The offense just flows that much better. I like what Shaq has been giving the Cavs thus far (though they have to figure out what to do with him in pick-and-roll situations on both ends) but the offense simply dies when he's out there.
All in all, it was great to see them get a win while getting Delonte back into things. It's no accident that Mo had 24 points the same night Delonte returned.
The city of Cleveland has experienced one sports victory since the end of September. The Browns, Indians and Cavs are a combined 1-20 in their last 21 games. The city has one win in October in 10 tries between three sports, and amazingly enough, it came from the Browns.
Golden State wants Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Cleveland, but the Cavs aren't willing to give him up because they need him to back up Shaq. The Warriors would like Manu Ginobili from the Spurs, but I can't see the Spurs parting with Manu. I'm told the Warriors' discussions with Denver were brief because Jackson's $7.65 million salary doesn't fit under their $7.4 million trade exception.
Our evening check, via NBA front-office sources, likewise suggested that Golden State is still getting largely unappetizing offers for Jackson. The Warriors are undoubtedly prepared to move Jackson but have said from the start that they won't rush the process just for the sake of making a deal.
Cleveland nonetheless continues to be nominated by executives around the league as the most likely destination for Jackson. Yet we must again pass along the disclaimer that obstacles to a Cavs-Warriors swap remain, even if Cleveland’s 0-2 start has put LeBron James and his overhauled supporting cast on a path toward desperate faster than anyone imagined.
Sources say that both LeBron and Shaq -- although they have no plans to say so publicly – like the idea of acquiring Jackson. But Cleveland’s reluctance to part with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his $11.5 million expiring contract in the exchange, which would make the Cavs smaller as a team and strip them of their O’Neal injury insurance, has been well chronicled.
If the Warriors were willing to package Ronny Turiaf along with Jackson or planning to waive Ilgauskas after they got him – potentially setting up Big Z to rejoin the Cavs after a 30-day wait as seen last season with Antonio McDyess – Cleveland’s perspective would presumably change. Every signal I’m getting, though, suggests that Golden State would be amenable to neither of those scenarios.
So, either another team (or two) must be recruited to help facilitate a Jackson-to-Cleveland swap. Or that deal depends on the early season discomfort in Cleveland or Golden State reaching the point that it causes one of the teams involved to amend their current stance.
I'm not sure how I feel about this. On one hand, I think Stephen Jackson would be an awesome starting 2 guard next to LeBron. On the other hand, his contract stinks and I'm not sure that, if the Cavs are trading Z, that Stephen Jackson is right guy coming back. I also have a really hard time giving up on last years core to make sure Shaq works out. Also, you're gonna have Mike Brown work Shaq and S-Jax into the offense on the fly? Sweet (though to be fair to Brown, Shaq spent the summer filming a reality show and LeBron was on a book/movie tour- it's not like they were logging time on the practice court together working out their kinks).
As I wrote the other the day, the starting 5 from last year's 66 win team is still intact (Delonte pending, but still), they shouldn't need to reinvent the wheel.
The Cavs really only have two options if the Shaquisition doesn't go well: they can cut their losses or double down.
To me, cutting their losses doesn't mean dumping Shaq all together (though that's certainly an option), but it does require then to move Shaq to the bench. Shaq's ego aside, I don't think this should go too badly:
The other thing that starting Z does for the offense is it allows the Cavaliers to separate LeBron and Shaq. As of right now, those 2 are not showing any signs of being able to coexist in this offense. Furthermore, the Cavaliers bench is getting destroyed when LeBron sits. Because Shaq relies on his inside post game, coming off the bench cold isn’t quite as big of an issue. By moving Shaq to the 2nd unit, you can allow the first team offense to run as normal, and then when Shaq comes in you can focus on running the offense through him. It would give the bench unit an offensive presence to lean on, which is something sorely missed right now.
I know this team got exposed against Orlando last year but there's no need to blow this squad up. They needed some perimeter length and some extra size down low, two issues they've addressed this offseason (Parker and Moon for length, Shaq and Powe for size). Trading for yet another starter (or will The Captain be willing to come off the bench?) and getting further and further away from what worked so well a season doesn't seem too bright to me.
Do Mike Brown and Danny Ferry have the testicular fortitude to reinsert Z into the starting lineup (rather, move Shaq to the bench)? I doubt it. But I really really really hope they do (and hell, you could even start Shaq down the road once everyone gets comfortable with each other). Despite how the season ended, the Cavs had a really good basketball team. It'd be a shame to screw that up.
There are a five things we can be certain of at this point:
1. The Cavs are not in sync at the offensive end 2. LeBron James looks dialed in (triple double) 3. We're gonna see a lot of Mike Brown/Eric Wedge jokes over the next few days 4. Last year they started 1-2 5. It's a long season
I'm gonna have more tomorrow (haven't watched any of the game yet, but I did get to hear a disappointed Joe Tait) but this obviously wasn't the start the Cavs were hoping to have. It's a long, long season and it's obvious that every one is still figuring each other out (the flu, injuries and Delonteness made it the Preseason of Coby Karl).
It's a long season and you have to figure that this team will be better in February than they are now and better in May than they were in February. Though I will say, they can only suffer so many losses against potential playoff opponents before it will hurt their head-to-head tiebreakers.
And while this start stinks, it's not going to put them in danger of actually missing the playoffs (a concern a friend of mine actually voiced tonight). No matter how bad the Shaq-periment (gonna be a long year with the Shaq puns, fyi) goes, they aren't going to go from 66 wins to finishing 9th in the East.
Worse case scenario: Shaq (who had a +/- of -25 tonight) and Parker move to the bench, they go with last year's starting five (let's not forget that the only rotation players they lost from their 66 win team were Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic) and we get to watch Mike Brown and Danny Ferry play the role of Steve Kerr.
Wait- check that. The actual worst case scenario: this early trend continues, Brown refuses to move Shaq to bench either due to being intimidated or simple Coach Mike obtuseness and we'll have to suffer terrible offense every day of winter (as opposed to just on Sundays) until Brown gets canned in a mid-year panic move made by a team desperate to accommodate Shaq and/or win a title in what could be LeBron's last year in a Cavalier uniform.
Well, not the best way to start the season. Well, to be fair things started off really great but it didn't last (a little too similar to Game 1 vs Orlando for my tastes). The Cavs jumped out to a 19-5 lead and everyone was happy; each starter had a field goal, Shaq made back-to-back baskets- things were good. With about four minutes to go in the first, LeBron followed a 33 foot bomb with a nifty backdoor layup (assist from Varejao in the high post) and the Cavs held a comfortable 26-14 lead. This was the high point.
Basically, once the Cavs made their first substitutions, everything went downhill. Z came off the bench about 50 seconds before LeBron's 3pt/backdoor layup combo and the Celtics ended the quarter on a 7-2 run (Cleveland lead down to single digits, 28-21, at the quarter break). Boston proceeded to open the second quarter with a 13-6 run to tie the game at 34. Celtics had a 51-45 halftime lead and the Cavs never came close to taking the lead again.
Does everyone remember that Shaq is 37? It's not like he had a terrible first game (10 points, 10 boards, 1 assist) and I really enjoyed his early post game (he started 4-6, ended up 5-11). But at no point would you ever mistake him for someone 'not old'. The Celtics didn't double team him (though Perkins is one of the players better suited to guard Shaq one-on-one) and they exploited him in the pick-and-roll (including a crucial bucket late). At times O'Neal looked good (it's imperative to get him the ball when he establishes good early position) and I don't think he moved poorly on defense (but pick-and-rolls will be an ongoing problem). I gotta admit, I love his shear size; Shaq threw both Rondo and KG tothe floor and it's nice having a guy like that protecting the rim. Obviously it's extremely early, but they have some work to do on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. To be fair, Boston is a tough first game (especially to work in new guys) but Boston is a team they're gonna have to beat to get to the Finals.
LeBron looked crazy good. James finished with 38 points, 8 assists, 4 boards, 4 blocks(!!!) and 2 steals. James was sizzling from downtown (4-9 from long range) and his two-point jumper was money as well. James was 10-13 from the line (77%), but one of those misses was with 5 minutes go and a chance to cut Boston's lead to three. The Le-Iso showed its head at times and while LeBron's shot was falling, initiating the offense 27 feet from the hoop led to some turnovers (which included two turnovers on consecutive possessions in the middle of the fourth).
Fearless prediction #1: this will not be the last time I type these words: 'where was LeBron's post game tonight?' While James was spectacular in many aspects on the offensive end, he rarely posted up and when he did, he allowed himself to get pushed out of the low block. Notice that when the Cavs had Daniel Gibson (who I seem to like less and less each year he's in the league) guarding the bigger Ray Allen, the Celtics went to Allen on the block and he used his size to get a few easy buckets. LeBron could be doing this constantly. Now, I'm sure we'll see him break out the post game against the Bobcats or Pistons of the league; maybe he needs to build up his confidence in this aspect of his game, I dunno. But he's going to need those easy buckets against the good teams in the league. LeBron had more three-point attempts than Mo Williams had total shots- not a way to beat a team like the Celtics (or any good team).
Fearless prediction #2: Kevin Garnett will miss some games this year. It looked to me like he was favoring his knee a little bit. James threw an alley-oop to Moon directly over KG and Garnett jumped but just couldn't reach it and he also biffed a dunk late in the game. Don't get me wrong, Garnett had a decent first game back (he took a pounded from Shaq on a number of occasions) but I would be shocked if he makes it through the year unscathed.
This was a combo of a good defensive team combined with a Cavs squad clearly still getting used to each other. As mentioned earlier, James took more treys than Mo had total shots. Mike Brown paired Z with Shaq for a good chunk of the fourth quarter. Anthony Parker and Anderson Varejao let too many passes bounce off their hands. You can tell there are still kinks to work out (and again, Boston is a really good team, they are tough to beat regardless of the circumstances). It should go without saying, but Delonte was sorely missed (fyi- Boobie is not a point guard at all).
The offense wasn't pretty. Jamario Moon and Parker have to figure out where they're gonna get their shots. I know this is his M.O. but Moon jacked up a couple shots WAY too soon into the possession (though I enjoyed his alley-oop from James. Nice that James can throw lobs to someone, he's never really had that). Mo is going to have to figure out where he's gonna find his shots as well. Williams can't become a spot up shooter waiting for Shaq or LeBron to feed him the ball. That's not his game and they're going to have to figure out how to mesh LBJ, Shaq and Mo. Overall, the Cavs took way to many jumpers and, at times, the offense looked extremely disjointed.
Celtics looked pretty good. They were rusty as well but they didn't seem to shoot themselves in the foot as often as the Cavs did. Rondo was a pest (he killed Mo on the offensive boards), the Celtics shot 9-19 from beyond the arc, Pierce and KG hit some big, big shots down the stretch and the Celtics did just enough to sneak out of Cleveland with a win. Rasheed Wallace (sporting an afro) shot 3-6 from downtown but I don't recall him doing much else. The TNT crew was extremely high on the Sheed and KG combo but I'm just not seeing it; Sheed looks content to hoist jumpers all night (3 boards in 24 minutes) and KG is noticeably slower. Again, it's super early, but I'm not sold on both of these guys for the long haul.
and finally...
No time to dwell on it. The Cavs get to start the season off with a 4-in-5 and they face the Raptors in Toronto on Tuesday night. I'll be honest, this game left me with a sour taste in my mouth (Shaq looking old, LeBron settling for jumpers, the offense looking Browns-esque at times) but ya gotta remember it's only game 1/82. They have some time to correct these things (and get Delonte back). For what it's worth, when I can, I try to tweet live during the games (Browns too), you can follow me @BenCox83. Now, if you excuse me, I have some reading to do.
1. Not worried. I really think Terrelle Pryor will be fine. This is a kid who has never struggled on the field before, it might take some time to figure things out. But then again, I have more patience than most OSU fans.
2. Not quite the same. For all the talk of Pyror and Vince Young, while Young struggled his second season (like Pyror) and eventually turned it around (we'll see with Pryor) he was also a redshirt sophomore (a year older than Pryor). I dunno if that extra year will make that much of a difference, but just note that Young was a year older/wiser than Pyror is now.
5. Not getting any easier. Ohio State faces New Mexico State at home next week and they finish with @PSU, Iowa, @Michigan. Good luck with that. If Pryor can get through the rest of the year unscathed, I would feel very good about next season.
7. The Browns suck. I mean they really really really really suck.
8. Not so fast, I think.Patrick McManamon says that the Browns should admit their mistake with Mangini and start over. I think you gotta give Mangini at least two years. You gotta let him make his 11 draft picks next April.
9. Though I'm not defending his performance by any means. His stubbornness on refusing to play Brady Quinn is borderline insane, the team is routinely getting blown out and the players have been unhappy for awhile. Things aren't good.
10. Things I know. Derek Anderson is not a starting caliber NFL quarterback. Josh Cribbs is not a starting caliber NFL wide receiver.
11. Speaking of Cribbs. If you're gonna use the Wildcat offense, fucking use the Wildcat offense. Running it once or twice a game is beyond stupid. If Cribbs isn't gonna be used on offense, but him at safety. He's too good of an athlete to only impact the game on special teams. If he can't be a playmaker on offense, let him be one on defense.
12. They gave up. The Browns simply gave up during the fourth period. The Packers marched 99 yards down the field with ease and the Browns didn't look like they gave a shit.
13. Pathetic. Say what you will about the offense keeping the defense on the field, but you can't face Aaron Roger (with his league high 25 sacks) and not get to him once during the game. Bad bad bad bad.
15. Not my money. Sure, Quinn probably isn't playing due to his $11 million/70% of the snaps contract clause (which is really the only sensible reason he's not playing). And that's fine, I guess. But it's gotta be fairly obvious that D.A. isn't the guy. I'd like to see Quinn once the 70% threshold is passed, but I'd even take Ratliff at this point. Anyone but D.A.
16. Kinda a big deal. I'm not really sure why Mangini is getting ripped on nationally like he is. The Browns have had a shitty, fat coach for years, why does Rolling Stone decide to give a shit now?
17. Long nightmare is over.The Cavs start tomorrow. TOMORROW!! I can officially stop caring about the Browns.
19. Nice idea, but no. Windhorst is asked if J.J. Hickson could start... Apparently Coach Brown once thought that since Andy plays so well with Z, that J.J. could start next to Shaq. But he did away with that idea once they saw how well Varejao worked with O'Neal. I think Hickson is poised to have a monster year and I hope Brown gives him regular playing time.
20. Rough start. The Cavs start the season with a 4-in-5, face 7 back-to-backs in the first five weeks and are on the road for most of the first 2 months or so. The Cavs could end up having a worse record than last season, but be more prepared for the playoffs.
21. Thoughts on Shaq. I go back and forth on how I feel about O'Neal. On one hand, the Cavs are adding a veteran HoF big man who can score in the post and protect the rim. Ben likes. On the other hand, I can't simply dismiss criticisms from people like Bill Simmons who point out that Shaq has now left four teams on bad terms and is really old/fat. Ben doesn't disagree. However, whenever thoughts like that get me down, I have to remember that the Cavs only gave up Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. They got Shaq for nothing.
22. That does concern me, the fact that they got him for zilch. We'll see how Shaq looks without the vaunted Phoenix medical staff, it could be ugly. He's 37 years old and a billion pounds, he's not the same guy anymore. As excited as I am for this season (and you really have no idea), there's a very good possibility that this Shaq thing blows up in our collective faces.
23. Though Shaq may not be their best pickup. I really like the signings of both Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. Both swing men should be able to contribute on both ends of the floor. Parker should help in the halfcourt offense and Moon should help enable them to run and go small if need be.
25. Say what you will about the Browns. But at least they control their own destiny. They suck purely due to faults of their own making. Meanwhile, Tribe fans get to watch C.C. Sabathia go against Cliff Lee in the Worlds Series. Mid-market MLB teams are glorified farm teams for the big markets. Both of those guys were traded due to monetary reasons.
26. Speaking of a crappy economy. Who would've thought that the economic down turn would actually help out a Cleveland franchise. With the salary cap dropping and teams losing money, it looks more and more likely that LeBron is gonna re-up with the Cavaliers. Weird.
27. Should I care? The Indians hired a guy who used to coach the Nationals. Awesome. I was hoping for Bobby Valentine, simply because he seemed interesting. I literally have no opinion on Manny Acta.
28. I'm a dork (part 1). A new Wheel of Time book comes out tomorrow (it's a big day for me). This past month, I've been diving headlong into the WoT blogs to catch up. I'm ridiculously pumped.
29. I'm a dork (part 2). We're two episodes into the new season of Venture Bros. and it is freaking epic. I highly recommend this show and you can watch full episodes online.
30. Music time. The new Muse album, The Resistance, is pretty badass. It's over the top, pompous, bombastic, Queen-esque and really freaking good. This is 'United States of Eurasia'
The Cavaliers have been in contact with veteran point guard Antonio Daniels, a league source said.
Daniels, 34, was waived on Friday by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He won't clear waivers until Tuesday.
The Columbus native agreed to a buyout of his $6.6 million contract with the Timberwolves.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder has averaged 7.6 points and 3.4 assists in his 12-year career.
Agent Tony Dutt didn't return a phone message.
A source said Daniels would like to sign for the veteran's minimum of $1,306,455, guaranteed for the year.
Daniels, who attended Bowling Green, can play both guard spots.
Ohio native? Check. Experienced veteran? Check. Can play both guard positions (re: backup PG)? Check.
I'm fairly concerned about the backup point guard role. Thus far we haven't seen Delonte West and despite his hot shooting, I simply don't trust Daniel Gibson to run the offense.
I would absolutely love this move. Daniels has experience with playoff teams (San Antonio and Washington), he's big (6-4) and he can play point. Pairing him with either West or Parker would be fantastic. Signing Daniels would give Coach Mike even more flexibility on both the offensive (allowing Parker to come off the bench, as Daniels will have the ball handling duties) and defensive ends (Daniels' length offers a different look defending small guards).
James said he has been speaking to Pryor on the phone in recent weeks to try to help him deal with celebrity at a young age. James knows something about that, since he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated under the headline "The Chosen One" while he was still in high school in Akron, Ohio.
"Being that No. 1 guy, how do you adjust to it and how do you get through it and still perform at a high level?" James said. "Sometimes it can be very difficult on [a young athlete]. I'm trying to be that guy who can really help him get through a lot of situations which he's never seen before but now he's seeing and understanding."
Pryor has been under fire from Ohio State fans after throwing two interceptions and losing two fumbles in the then-No. 7 ranked Buckeyes' stunning 26-18 loss at Purdue last week. They tumbled to No. 18 this week, and meet Minnesota on Saturday.
Adding to the pressure surrounding Pryor, his high school coach in Jeannette, Pa., said this week that Ohio State's offense is not maximizing Pryor's abilities. In a story which first appeared on ESPN.com, Ray Reitz said his former charge looks like "a robot" in Ohio State's offense.
Now, a cynical jackass like myself might wonder if LeBron has any idea what Pryor is going through. Sure, on the topic of being a young sports celebrity, I'm sure Bron-Bron can help a bunch. But has LeBron ever had the on court/field problems that Pryor is dealing with?
James has been a stud his entire NBA career. Sure, there have been blips here and there (free throw shooting, passing to Donyell Marshall, walking off the court without shaking hands) but for the most part, LeBron hasn't had many terrible games. Even when they lose in the playoffs, no one dares say LeBron was the reason, it's always the crappy teammates not helping him out (never mind that LeBron played off the ball for the entire year UNTIL the Orlando series when he would bring the ball up court every possession. Mo and Delonte weren't spot up shooters all season, but they were vs Orlando. Ya know what, let's move on).
The ongoing saga with Pryor pretty much summarizes why I just can't follow college sports like I do the professional leagues. Has Pryor stunk the past few weeks? Sure he has, no one denies that. But with all of the hype coming out of high school, Ohio State fans seem to view Pryor like an overpaid free agent bust rather than a 20 year old kid (who's dealing with on field adversity for the first time in his life). He's not Larry Hughes.
I just can't get that upset that when an 18-20 year old kid screws up (though it's not like I don't get pissed while watching the games). You couple that with the college football BCS format (where one bad game can ruin your title hopes) and the insane amount of pressure that playing for a big time program like Ohio State entails and I'm not surprised that guys like LeBron are lending a hand to help him out. It can't be easy.
(BTW- the Cavs were charging 50 dollars to see last night's exhibition game versus the Celtics in Columbus. Classy).
The Browns are believed to be unwilling to trade Cribbs before Tuesday's deadline, a source said. They prefer to hang onto him and perhaps work out a deal in the future. Cribbs is the prototypical player for coach Eric Mangini, one who has tremendous passion for the game.
The source said two teams inquired on Thursday about trading for Cribbs. The Palm Beach, Fla., Post reported that two of the teams interested in Cribbs are Kansas City and Oakland. Indianapolis has also been mentioned.
NFL.com, citing a league source, reported the Jaguars and 49ers are also interested.
But unless they make the Browns an offer they can't refuse, nothing is likely to happen by Tuesday's 4 p.m. deadline.
The Dayton Daily News reported the Miami Dolphins expressed interest.
No. You don't trade Josh Cribbs. He and Joe Thomas are the only things worth a damn on this squad. Cribbs is the sole reason this team gets in the endzone; if he doesn't get it there himself, he give their shitty offense great field position. They lose Cribbs and they may not see the endzone until 2010.
Just pay the guy. Is this really that difficult? Pay the man.
Also, either figure out how to use Cribbs on offense or move him to safety. Hint: use the wildcat more than once a game (and not back to back) and let him throw it every now and then. Another hint: he's not a wideout, his hands aren't good enough and he's not a good route runner. But imagine him on defense... taking out receivers coming over the middle, coming around on a blindside blitz... the man is a beast.
James and two Cleveland teammates have tested positive for Influenza A, and are being treated as if they have the H1N1 virus by the Cavaliers, who are being proactive in dealing with a flu bug that already has sickened six players.
H1N1, also known as swine flu, is a strain of Influenza A, and though the Cavaliers have not gotten back H1N1 test results on James, Darnell Jackson or Coby Karl, the team is treating all its players and the traveling party to Texas with medication to fight the virus.
Quinn, on the other hand, can't get on the field in place of a quarterback who now has one touchdown pass, five interceptions and a league-worst 39.0 rating. Quinn, who started against some of the best teams and defenses in the NFL -- the 5-0 Vikings, 5-0 Broncos and 3-2 Ravens -- has better numbers than Anderson with one touchdown, three interceptions, a 60.8 completion percentage to Anderson's 46.4, and a 62.9 rating
(Let's not forget that in the the Browns wasted a Quinn redzone possession by running the same Josh Cribbs direct snap on 2nd and 3rd down. Romeo-esque).
Ugh. I was actually angry that a lot of my friends had these "yay!!! Browns win!!" as their Facebook status. I dunno about you, but I wasn't happy after that game. I'm absolutely pissed that I not only watched that whole game, but that I DVR'd the game so I wouldn't miss anything. Woo!!
By the way, the Browns didnt' win, the Bills lost. The Browns had no business winning that game, but the Bills definitely deserved to lose. I especially enjoyed the timeout at the end of the 3rd quarter (forcing the Browns to kick into the wind), followed by the return man running backwards 15 yards and concluding with a '3 and out' with a 15 yard penalty tacked on at the end. Well done. As a Cleveland fan, I salute you. I almost missed the Crennelephant for a second.
As for Quinn vs DA, I'd still rather see Quinn take his lumps on a bad team than watch DA. Now, maybe Anderson is better suited for this talentless squad, but I can't help but think that Quinn has gotten a raw deal (however, if he wouldn't have held out, he would've won the job his rookie year, easily). Anderson has moved the ball, sure. But if we're judging him by the same standard we judged Brady, it's time for Brett Ratliff, no?
On one hand, a win is a win. But on the other hand, they scored 6 points and the QB was 2-17... I don't understand feeling good about last week, I just don't. They won because the Bills had 39 false starts and couldn't get out of their own way.
Bottom line: this team isa mess. The defense wasn't awful (in fact, quite good), though I fully expected Buffalo to score on what should've their final drive, but the Browns got bailed by Roscoe Parrish muffing the punt. Once again, the special teams is the best unit on the squad. The new Browns: extra special. Ugh.
On the other hand, the Cavs sure do look good, eh?
Some quick thoughts of the Cavs preseason victory (3-0! whoo!!) over Olympiacos.
- No Delonte (excused absence), no Mo (groin) and no Moon (wisdom teeth), but it didn't matter, Olympiacos was simply over matched. The game wasn't even as close as the 111-94 final.
- I have NOT missed Fred and Austin.
- With Williams missing the game due to a sore groin, Boobie Gibson got to play point guard for the bulk of the game.
- The Cavs need a backup point guard to Mo Williams.
- Gibson wasn't awful, but the guy cannot pass the ball with any degree of accuracy. He can't throw a lob pass, he can't hit the cutter and he can't (for the life of him) throw an entry pass. His shooting was fine (his shot looks smooth and pure) but his ball handling skills are still sub par.
- Anthony Parker brings a different look to the offensive end. He's far and away the best catch and shoot player the Cavs have had in about a decade and he also showed off a couple moves on the block. Parker gives the Cavs a an extra dimension on offensive, being able to come of screens as well as post up smaller guards. He's also very smart, he spaces the floor well, move well with out the ball and makes the right pass more often than not.
- LeBron is good. And got away with a goal tend.
- Shaq looks to be moving well and 'soared' through the air a few times to dunk the ball (LeBron feeds him well).
- Coby Karl is bustin his ass to make this squad. Which would be fun. The Cavs need a token white guard to run around and hit 3s. Karl had 10 points, 3 boards and 3 assists.
- Now Andre Barrett is a Point Guard. It's no accident that he recorded two more assists than Boobie in 10 less minutes on the court. He fed both J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas with beautiful entry passes and he actually puts the ball where the receiving player can do something with it.
I'd like to thank the Browns for doing their part in keeping LeBron away from NYC by trading Mr. Dropsies McMichigan:
In the clearest demonstration yet that it's Eric Mangini's way or the highway, the Cleveland Browns traded receiver Braylon Edwards to the New York Jets today.
Also, many thanks to Eric Mangini for making it OK to hate on Braylon Edwards with no remorse. Edwards always made it hard to get behind him 100% (with his drops, attitude and the 'they hate me because I'm from M*ch*g*n" routine). But now that he's in New York I can hate away.
And finally, I'd like to thank both the Browns and the Tribe for being so horrifically bad that they could end up guilting LeBron into staying, lest he leave Cleveland fans with no competetive franchise.
- LeBron knocked down some open jumpers (one off a curl) and set up in the mid-post a few times. Me gusta. Though, truth be told, it's great and all that LeBron has been working on the block, but if he's going 1-on-5 come playoff time, it's all for naught.
- Anderson Varejao is going to have to keep his eyes peeled whenever Shaq has the ball. He should get a lot of opportunities with LeBron and Shaq on the floor.
- Z is gonna kill backup centers.
- The 2nd unit of Boobie-Green-Moon-Hickson-Z looks like a pre-LeBron Cavaliers first unit.
- J.J. Hickson looked good. I have really high hopes for this kid. He knocked down a faceup from 15 feet and he crashed the boards really well.
- The Cavs are gonna block a ton of shots this year. Newcomers Shaq and Moon will block a ton and if Hickson gets playing time... look out. (Oh ya, LeBron and Z will swat a few as well).
- Repeat after me: Daniel Gibson is not a point guard. Daniel Gibson is not a point guard.
- Danny Green made some nice plays, but he was rushing a bit. Which, I guess, is to be expected from a rookie's first time out on an NBA court.
- When Shaq was on the bench, he was always seated between Varejao and assistant Chris Jent. I don't know if that means anything, but Shaq and Jent had their heads together all game.
- The Cavs will struggle at the line. LeBron and Shaq are going to get a lot of teams in foul trouble. LeBron and Shaq are going to shoot a lot of free throws. LeBron and Shaq are going to miss a lot of free throws. It could get ugly. Especially if Andy gets in on the act. I'd like to see them draw up some plays that will net Mo Williams some freebies.
Buried in this Braylon Edwards/nightclub fight article:
The incident nearly turned into a brawl. Givens' friends came to his defense and several Browns players, who were with Edwards, threw punches to defend themselves, a witness said. Police quelled the ruckus after pointing Tasers at the combatants.
A Cavaliers player drove Edwards away from the club, the witness said.
Givens is a close friend of Cavaliers star LeBron James. Edwards bad-mouthed James and some of his friends before tossing the punch, Givens said.
James criticized Edwards Monday and called him childish for striking Givens.
Does Mr. Dropsies McMichigan want to get run out of town? He's already on thin ice with his attitude and his lack of performance on the field, but picking a fight with LeBron's crew? Really dude?
And which Cavalier took Braylon home? Who was he hanging out with?
A day after he claimed he just wanted to focus on basketball following an arrest on gun possession, he couldn't even do that on the first day of training camp. West did not report to practice at the Cleveland Clinic Courts this morning and his absence was unexcused.
This team looks worse than awful. Here's the Browns upcoming schedule, I see no reason why they won't be winless at the Bye Week.
Oct. 4th - Cincinnati Oct. 11th - @ Buffalo Oct. 18th - @ Pittsburgh Oct. 25th - Green Bay Oct. 27th - Cavs season begins (vs Celtics) <------- Nov. 1st - @ Chicago Nov. 8th - BYE WEEK
Ugh. I don't see which game they're gonna win. The best chance for a victory seems to be next week. That's it.
Sans injury, I'm not sure today's game could've been worse. I felt it was a little bit of a quick hook for Quinn (I mean, he gets what, 10 quarters?) but if Anderson had stepped up, it would've been fine. Instead, he threw 3 picks, sacked himself and threw a ball off of a running back's heel.
Even before Delonte West was facing a possible suspension after he was arrested and charged with illegal gun possession last week it was arguable the team could use another ball handler. Mo Williams and West are the only two players on the team that have proven they can play point guard. Daniel Gibson has done it but hasn't proven he can be effective. Last season the Cavs' third-string point guard was Tarence Kinsey, who was released in July.
It is believed the team had some interest in former Cav Flip Murray before Thursday when he agreed to a contract with the Charlotte Bobcats. There are several other veteran guards who are without jobs as the league prepares to open camps Monday.
The list includes players like Chucky Atkins, Juan Dixon, Bobby Jackson, Jerry Stackhouse and Jacque Vaughn. It is also possible the team will look to trade for a guard or simply stand pat.
I figure this has to be in response to West's arrest. Hell, I'm not against making Jackson or Stackhouse the 12th man anyways regardless of West. However, the Cavs haven't had the best of luck signing older vets for the end of the bench role (David Wesley, Scott Pollard). But if the Cavs think Delonte may miss some serious time, this could end up being a rotation player.
Cavaliers guard Delonte West is facing weapons charges after being pulled over on his motorcycle while carrying a small arsenal near his Maryland home late Thursday night.
Prince George's County police said West was carrying two concealed handguns and a shotgun when he was pulled over on Interstate 495 near his offseason home in Brandywine, Md. around 10 p.m. Corporal Clinton Copeland said West was speeding and cut off a police cruiser while riding on his three-wheeled 2009 Can-Am Spyder motorcycle.
After being stopped West informed police he was carrying a gun in his waistband, which was a 9mm Beretta. Police also found a Ruger .357 strapped to his leg and a shotgun inside a guitar case that was slung over his back. West was traveling alone.
A shotgun in a freaking guitar case. On a three wheeled motorcycle. What. The. Fuck. The legend of Delonte West grows and grows.
But in all seriousness, as much as I wanna make Antonio Banderas jokes, you gotta wonder whats going on and hope everything is alright (West has a history with depression). Obviously, I hope everything is on the up and up (I mean, it's not like like these guys aren't targets), but carrying three weapons (and getting arrested for it) will (deservedly) raise a few questions.
Cavalier players have been in the news a lot lately, but not for basketball reasons. LeBron has a book tour and two movies, Cavalier Center Shaquille O'Neal (it still hasn't really sunk in that Shaq is here yet) has his reality show, Mo Williams made a commercial and Delonte released his (in)famous KFC rap video.
Meanwhile, experts are picking the Cavaliers to win the East. I'll wish good luck to reigning NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown. Brown gets the luxury of coaching not only the most talented Cleveland team of my lifetime, but also the one with the most expectations and pressure to win (especially with LeBron's looming free agency).
LeBron James will play himself in another movie called "Fantasy Basketball Camp," a Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment comedy, according to Variety.
Brian Grazer is producing. Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel are writing the script. Shooting for the film is scheduled for next summer.
Fantasy Basketball Camp is a comedy about five guys from different backgrounds who come to Vegas to live out their fantasy by attending the LeBron James Adult Basketball Camp.
Good for LeBron, I guess.
Now, obviously, I'd rather James spend his time working on some post moves than making mediocre movies, but that's me. Now, LeBron could follow in Michael Jordan's footsteps and use the down time on set (which, from my limited experience on WSM?, there's a ton) and get himself in ridiculous shape:
Jordan spent hours away from the set inside a temporary indoor gymnasium Warner Bros. built near the studio especially for Jordan. NBA stars such as Reggie Miller and Magic Johnson stopped by for pickup games, and Jordan worked out with trainer Tim Grover. It was in that mini-gym where Jordan, committed to reshaping his body for basketball after a foray into baseball, would lay the groundwork for the Bulls' 1995-96 championship season.
Pytka called the gym the "Jordan Dome," and the director took great pains to stay on a strict production schedule that called for Jordan to start filming at 9 a.m., work till 1 p.m., break two hours for lunch and a workout, and end the day no later than 6 p.m.
One last thing, the filming is supposed to take place next summer. We're all aware of next summer, right? Summer 2010. Summer of LeBron. So, in addition to teasing every NBA market, he's also going to be filming a crappy movie. Awesome.
1. In case you were wondering. The Cavs face the Celtics in 43 days.
2. Cause I know I was. Cavs face the Celtics in 43 days.
3. Wow. That weekend was filled with shitty offensive football. The offenses for both the Buckeyes and the Browns should shoulder most of the blame for the losses.
4. There's enough blame to go around. Terrelle Pryor says he and the offense should take the heat for their loss to USC. I don't disagree. You can't have four drive start in your opponents territory and only get 2 FGs. Especially against a team like USC.
5. Still not there yet. There are times where Pryor looks great. Then there are times he makes really really bad decisions (like his pick and his one ugly ugly ugly option pitch).
6. Speaking of blame. Jim Tressel. Outcoached? Yes. Wasting Pryor's talent? Meh, I dunno. But after seeing Barkley play so well, you have to wonder.
7. Inevitable.Ya, Denny is right. Was anyone surprised about USC's final drive? This game was too similar to the Texas game for my liking.
8. As for being proud... yes and no. Obviously, the loss sucks. Was I pleased to see Ohio State hang with USC (not getting blown out, showing they can hang with big powers)? Yes. But it's not a good sign when Ohio State fans start talking about a 'good loss'. At some point you gotta beat the other guy.
9. I'm sure the defense just feels sick. They played really well against both Texas and USC. Pryor didn't give them a chance on USC's first TD (though the Trojans consistently won the battle on 4th down).
10. No one in Columbus is scared of Michigan. And I'm sure they aren't better than Ohio State. Did anyone actually, you know, watch the Michigan-Notre Dame game? It was terrible; poor tackling, bad throws, blown coverages- just ugly. Yes, it was close and that made it an exciting game. But close doesn't equal good football.
11. Besides Michigan State, I think the Big Ten held their own. OSU wasn't embarrassed and Wisconsin and Michigan escaped with wins. Hell, Michigan is even back in the Top 25.
13. If you coulda beat out DA early on... One of the stories lost over the whole training camp is the fact that since Quinn and Derek Anderson split time, neither had a lot of reps with the first team. Quinn did not look comfortable with the offense (now the Vikings' D may have had something to do with that as well). They had way too many false start penalties.
15. The defense wasn't too bad. Hell, they held a 13-10 lead at halftime (second half, ugh). They at least got some pressure on Brett Favre (oh, BTW- Brian Billick did his best John Madden impression. It was sickening. I'm pretty sure they almost passed out when Favre threw that TD). They ran out of gas (and ran into Adrian Peterson) in the second half, but the offense's mistakes didn't do the defense any favors.
16. I kept waiting for Favre to make a mistake.But he never did.
17. Josh Cribbs was once again the best part of the game.Cribbs took a punt to the house but was barely a factor on offense. For some reason the Browns lined him up under center for both second-and-goal AND third-and-goal. Not only did it not work, but it shows how little confidence Mangini has in his starting QB.
18. Great, not good. Adrian Peterson is pretty damn good. I know they stopped him in the first half, but is anyone REALLY surprised that he ended up wit 180 yards and 3 TDs?
19. Jay Cutler did not help my fantasy team. 4 INTs? Seriously?!
20. And the 15th man is... Rob Kurz! Maybe! Or Jawad Williams.
21. She might have some inside info.Gloria James says LeBron's a "hometown boy". Good, that's what this season needed, more tea leaf readings.
22. Remember, he needs that big market. LeBron's in London, doing some more movie promotions.
Refer to the very important decision he made in 2003, when he potentially left millions on the table from Reebok because he ultimately wanted to be a Nike man. Also refer to the decision he made in 2002 to stay at St. Vincent-St. Mary instead of transferring Oak Hill Academy as was offered.
29. Twitter is gonna get people in trouble.Twitter: the First Draft of History. I like it. For those wondering, you can follow my tweets or whatever at BenCox83.
30. One of my favs. Sondre Lerche is playing the Beachland Ballroom this Friday. His new album, Heartbeat Radio is getting good reviews (I quite enjoy it). Tickets are $13.
Maybe it's sour grapes, but I thought Michael Jordan came off as a dick. (disclosure: I actively rooted against MJ throughout my childhood. I HATED those Bulls teams and thought NBC favored them over every team in the league).
I wasn't the only one who thought Jordan came off poorly, here's (gulp)Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski:
This wasn’t a Hall of Fame induction speech, but a bully tripping nerds with lunch trays in the school cafeteria. He had a responsibility to his standing in history, to players past and present, and he let everyone down. This was a night to leave behind the petty grievances and past slights – real and imagined. This was a night to be gracious, to be generous with praise and credit.
[snip]
Jordan didn’t hurt his image with the NBA community, as much as he reminded them of it. “That’s who Michael is,” one high-ranking team executive said. “It wasn’t like he was out of character. There’s no one else who could’ve gotten away with what he did tonight. But it was Michael, and everyone just goes along.”
Jordan wandered through an unfocused and uninspired speech at Symphony Hall, disparaging people who had little to do with his career, like Jeff Van Gundy and Bryon Russell. He ignored people who had so much to do with it, like his personal trainer, Tim Grover. This had been a moving and inspirational night for the NBA – one of its best ceremonies ever – and five minutes into Jordan’s speech it began to spiral into something else. Something unworthy of Jordan’s stature, something beneath him.
Jordan spent more time pointlessly admonishing Van Gundy and Russell for crossing him with taunts a dozen years ago than he did singling out his three children. When he finally acknowledged his family, Jordan blurted, in part, to them, “I wouldn’t want to be you guys.”
[snip]
From the speeches of David Robinson to John Stockton, Jerry Sloan to Vivian Stringer, there was an unmistakable thread of peace of mind and purpose. At times, they were self-deprecating and deflective of praise. Jordan hasn’t mastered that art, and it reveals him to be oddly insecure. When Jordan should’ve thanked the Bulls ex-GM, Jerry Krause, for surrounding him with championship coaches and talent, he ridiculed him. It was me, Jordan was saying. Not him. “The organization didn’t play with the flu in Utah,” Jordan grumbled.
Ya, I guess I had hoped that Jordan's speech would've been more like David Robinson's or John Stockton's. They seemed generally humbled by the entire experience. (Stockton's in particular was really good, this was the first I've ever heard him speak for an extended length). But Jordan was just crackin on the likes of Jon Starks and Byron Russell. Awesome.
Does anyone out there have a good feeling about the Ohio State-USC game on Saturday?
I'm not in panic mode just yet. USC's big first win doesn't really scare me. And I don't think Ohio States "close call" against Navy is all that much to worry about either (mostly because Navy has that weird offense and a couple fluky/big plays happened real close together).
But I'm not anywhere near what you would call 'confidant'. I mean, can any "real" (re: non-moronic) Ohio State fan be anywhere North of "cautiously optimistic"? I have friends who are absolutely terrified of Saturday's game.
This is a big game for Ohio State and coach Jim Tressel. They've blown some games (and gotten blown out) against top ranked out of conference schools (Florida, LSU, USC) and another loss could really hurt the school (and the Big Ten).
I guess you could mark me down for cautiously optimistic. USC is starting a true freshman against Ohio States defense. That has to count for something, right? (nevermind that USC may not even need to throw the ball- their running game DOES scare me). Pryor looks like he's the real deal (despite his Mike Vick love).
The big thing for the Buckeyes will be to get off to a good start. Don't get down 7-0 (or 10/14-0) and take the crowd out of it. If the crowd can keep the pressure on the Trojans and Pryor can make a play or two, Ohio State has a shot.
Has a shot.
That's not good sign, eh? If x, y and z happen, OSU has a got a chance. Awesome.
Anyone out there wanna tell me why Ohio State will beat USC? Anybody?
In an interesting article from SI about LeBron's movie, book and future, I find this:
The LeBron-Shaq marriage has just begun and already some are predicting a break-up.
James and O'Neal have known each other for eight years, but other than an All-Star game, they've never been teammates. That changed when the Cavaliers traded for Shaq in June, uniting two of the game's dominant players -- and larger-than-life personalities.
What's not to love?
"I'm so excited about Shaq," James said. "Something I haven't had in my career is a dominant force in the paint, a guy I can go to and he's going to get us something good. He's the most dominant force to ever play the game, and to have him on my team, I'm humbled."
Their pairing seems ideal, but it will be a test.
While O'Neal has shared the spotlight with Tracy McGrady, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, James' kingdom has never been shared like it's about to be.
Um, when was Shaq on T-Mac's team? Did I miss something? They meant Penny Hardaway, no?
John Lucas was brought in to do one thing, and one thing well. Lose. Blow the whole season. Deal with awful uniforms, Dajuan Wagner as your lottery pick, Ricky Davis, Darius Miles, Smush Parker and all the ping-pong balls you can handle by May. This was one messed-up team.
Heh. I'm perversely proud to say that I saw one of that squad's 17 wins in person (vs Golden State). I still remember the ride home, for some reason Ron Harper was in town and was on WTAM's post game show chatting it up with Mike Snyder. Snyder asked Ron to show him one of his championship rings (Ron obliged) and then they lamented that Harper never had the chance to win one while in Cleveland (as the strong urge to vomit nearly makes me crash the car).
Good times, good times.
(that was also the game I got weird looks for yelling at Ricky Davis for getting either a half court or inbounds violation. I was quite loud and angry and I swear half the arena looked at me like I was crazy. You can't imagine how quite the Gund used to be).
The Los Angeles Dodgers have seen the Rockies and Giants getting bigger in their rearview mirror, so they added some power to try to pull away.
The Dodgers acquired slugger Jim Thome from the White Sox and right-hander Jon Garland from the Diamondbacks on Monday after both players cleared waivers.
Add Thome to Casey Blake and Ronnie Belliard and the Dodgers look more and more like the Indians NL.
