Winning time

Hi. How are you? Doing anything tonight? Watching the Cavs? Good. Do me a favor – write up a recap, please.

I can’t watch tonight’s game. As pretty as Lebron is, he doesn’t do all the things for me that my girlfriend does. And with Ori probably sold into some Pacific Rim White Slave Trade by now, we have nobody tuned in to report. If you’d be so kind, dear sir, I’d truly appreciate your guest post. Either drop it in the comments or email it and I’ll see that it finds it’s proper home as a post.

Should be a good one tonight, too. The Cavs, 58 games in, still have not strung together 3 consecutive losses. I think a lot of that has to do with Lebron, but matching up against a team like the 12-44 Minnesota Timberwolves helps.

We’re down 3 backcourt regulars as, in addition to Sasha and Boobie, Wally is out with an inflamed vagina. His wife’s. She’s having a baby.

So once again we get the starting backcourt of Delonte and Devin, with DJ as the only backup. Who do you guess logs the leftover minutes at the 2?Lebron (with Andy at SF chasing Corey Brewer’s yearbook picture?), Billy Thomas (as his 10 days tick to a close), or placeholder Eric Snow.

The Cavs should have the size and fouls to handle Al Jefferson, since he is pretty much the only worthwhile big on the roster (Craig Smith is ok, but why does he play so little?). I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Wolves go pretty small (they already do, with either Gomes or Brewer a “power forward”). They could put up a great ballhandling lineup with Bassy Telfair, Jaric and McCants and try to outrun the Cavs all night, but I think our intensity and execution at home will be enough to get us back in the win column.

Go Cavs!

Is Sam a Celtic yet?

Sam Cassell was bought out by the Clippers today.

I think this clearly makes the Celtics more dangerous in the post season, especially because I’m willing to buy into the fact that a young, inexperienced point guard is a liability under pressure. In his defense, Rajon Rondo has met, if not exceeded, expectations with a large spotlight on him all season, so while adding Cassell might make the Celtics a better playoff team than they would be without him, it doesn’t make them much better than the team we’ve already beaten twice tonight. As I said last night, I’m not worried about them.

Unfortunately, the Cavs don’t control their destiny with the ability to force the Celtics and Pistons to square off in an earlier round. In fact, each of those teams is probably hoping to see the Cavs end up facing the other in the 2nd round. It hurt the Celtics to beat us last night, forcing us further down the standings.

But wait, is it a sure thing that Sam I Am is even headed to Boston?

http://members.cox.net/lmcoon/salarycap.htm#54
Well, if has his way it certainly is, but that’s not quite how the waiver wire works. Any team under the cap and willing to assume the remainder of his salary (maybe $2 mil) can have him. In fact, since trade exceptions are fair game, the number of teams with access to Sam must grow.

According the the ESPN.com trade machine, the Cavs have $3.3 mil in exceptions from David Wesley and Cedric Simmons. I have no idea how the math works, but that $3.3 mil is certainly more than Cassell’s remaining salary. Depending on how everything prorates, it’s possible the Cavs could block Sam’s move to Boston and pick up a veteran PG with championship aspirations in the process.

On the one hand, there is a huge of Cassell being a cancer. It’s become clear that he wants to go to Boston to play with his close friend, Kevin Garnett, for a championship. I could certainly understand if he became a lingering problem if he was picked up by a team with no shot at advancing, but why not the Cavs? Even after the big trade, he could be the hero, the steadying hand. Knowing Lebron’s penchant for passing in big spots, he might even be the guy to hit that game winner. No, there’s no Garnett, but the Cavs have at least as good a chance of getting Cassell that ring. I say if we can, we should.

What do you think? Is there something I’m missing with the numbers? Would Sam be happy? Is it worth the risk?

Regular season champs

If you want to crown them, then crown their ass.

I can’t even see the effort wasn’t there tonight. We just didn’t have it. Lebron was missing layups. Wally Hughes continues to live up to the name. Damon Jones couldn’t buy a shot and Joe Smith couldn’t stay on the floor.

So that’s twice we’ve been to Boston and twice we came away with an ugly loss. I’m not sweating it. The first time was without Lebron and this one came on the back end of a cold back-to-back. Honestly, we might have had a better chance waiting an extra day and going without Lebron.

We looked old. The Celtics came out planning to run us off the floor and that’s what they did. Their outlet passes and ball movement were just too much for us. It’s a good measure of where we’re stand next regular season. What it’s not is an indication of the Celtics superiority. Whoop-di-doo, they beat us by 5 on a night when nobody had it in their tired old legs. I’ve always hated the 2 week break between each playoff game, but maybe not anymore. This won’t be the team the Celtics see next time.

• Delonte was money all night, but he’s not a take-over-the-game player. 20 points was a season high (and Joe Tait was shocked his buzzer beater counted).
• Joe Smith was the only other Cav hitting, but he was saddled with 5 fouls in under 15 minutes.
• For the record, even with Wally’s 3rd straight stinker (give him a few days off, let him get his legs, I’m still not worried), the newcomers went 18-37 for 47 points, 20 boards and 5 assists. The rest of the team went 13-44, 24 and 11. Ouch.
• Lebron realized he didn’t have it early and went on the attack. I loved it. At some point the shots need to start falling for it to turn around into a W, but this is the sort of effort that turns a lot of other games around. 4 offensive rebounds is hugely uncommon for him, and he easily could’ve had 8 assists if we shot 45% instead of 38%.
• Z didn’t do much in the first half, but he must’ve taken something in the locker room at halftime. He came out in the 3rd quarter trying to take over. He was putting the ball on the floor, spinning past defenders, killing the offensive glass. It just didn’t result in many shots or much residual energy for the rest of the team.
• Andy had a couple nice dishes underneath. Those passes always lead to dunks, as long as the reciever doesn’t fumble the ball. Still, he didn’t have much energy. I think he’s still working himself back into game shape.
• I mentioned Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins in the preview. Add Leon Powe to that list. Those 3 combined to go 10-12 for 30 points.

Again, I want to stress that we came to play tonight. We turned an early rebounding deficit around mainly by attacking the offensive glass in the 2nd half. We didn’t settle for many long jumpers offensively and defensively we busted our butts, we were just too slow.

The Celtics have another thing coming when we roll into town fresh and rested. In the meantime, we’re slipping further into 5th, as Toronto tallied another win tonight.

Next up are the Wolves, then the big showdown against Chicago. Hughes went for 29, 6 and 3 tonight, while Gooden scored 10 along with 15 boards (8 offensive!). The game will strike a balance between the intensity of coming back to Cleveland and their inconsistent nature. Actually, it’s possible Gooden doesn’t know he was traded and Hughes will kill himself trying too hard.

In the meantime, we have a few off to rest and practice, two things these team seems to direly need.

Go Cavs!

Tonight we dine in hell

Then we take the court against the Celtics. Boston might be my least favorite city in America. Really, aside from it’s contrived rivalry with New York, it has nothing to offer. And if Boston wasn’t around, New York would just rival Philly or DC. Good job being close to a real city, guys, you’re milking it for all it’s worth.

Z’s cold has been upgrade to an upper respiratory infection. While his status for tonight is still unofficial, I’m reading between the lines and saying that we’re starting Andy again.

The Celtics, meanwhile, are back to full strength with Kevin Garnett in his 6th game back from a tummy ache. A number of the Celtics wins come from the surprise performances of the likes of Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis. Plus now they’ve brought PJ Brown into the fold (though he probably won’t play tonight).

In other words, the Cavs thin front line will have its hands full. Fortunately, I don’t expect to see Ray Allen and Paul Pierce breaking any ankles, so our 3 bigs should be able to stay out of foul trouble – as long as we don’t see the same officiating crew as last night.

The real threat, then, as the Celtics review film of last night’s game, might be Rajon Rondo. He’s been a mixed bag against the Cavs this year, once going 1-9, but following up with an 8-13, 20 point performance. He lacks the assertiveness of Mo Williams, and Paul Pierce will likely be calling for the ball all night in his vendetta against Lebron, so my biggest fears are tempered.

It’ll be telling to see how this team comes out so soon after a tough loss and poor defensive performance, especially in such a marquee game on the road.

Go Cavs!

I’d still rather live in Cleveland

Mo Williams is clearly our bane. He and Michael Redd combined for 62, including all the crucial free throws and 30 foot game winner. Bastards.

This blog would’ve been a lot more fun to write if we won. The follow up would have been even better. Ori is halfway around the world and he’s going to recap the game based on the 30 text messages I sent him throughout.

Couple quick notes:

• Z didn’t play. It’s easy to say he would’ve made the difference. Nobody on the Bucks could handle him and Bogut isn’t athletic enough to force him off the floor.
• Some ticky-tack calls went Milwaukee’s way. Can we get the Elias Sports Bureau to check back with us with the record for most And 1s in a game?
• Lebron was 6/8 from inside and 3/5 on mid-range jumpers in the first half.
• Lebron was 6/7 in the lane in the 2nd half, but tried to stretch out those mid-range shots and was only 2/5.
• Plus the box score has him down for 24 shots, so somebody can’t count.
• What I’m getting at, though, is that he could get to the rim at will. 10 perimeter shots are too many, even if they’re falling.
• Then again, at only 2-5 from the line, I can understand why he would shy from contact.
• Still, tonight definitely wasn’t Lebron’s fault. The backcourt defense let us down. Delonte could barely stop Williams and DJ got lit up.
• We rebounded in spurts. For 5 minutes it would seem like every rebound was ours, and we’d go on a run. Then we’d relax, and Milwaukee would jump out.
• Wally Hughes had another off night. He’s a shooter, so I’m not worried, but that moniker is his to discard.
• Things can get ugly in the post without Z (and Gooden). For a spell in the 3rd, we kept throwing it in to Joe Smith, who did his best, but just isn’t a low block player. I swear we even through it in to Wallace on the block once.
• Meh. Frustrating game but no time to dwell on it. We’re already on the plane to Boston.

Go Cavs!

I’m going to have to quit my job…

… Unless Supreme Commissar Bush soon institutes a new day/night system whereby each passing day contains 27 hours rather than 24.

In the meantime there simply isn’t the time to write everything that needs writing about the Cavs. In a sentence: the concern about the Cavs being too deep, that is, of whether Mike Brown can find the minutes to satisfy all 11 productive players, is a valid one, but I believe the Mad Scientist/Potato Head will use it to a greater advantage than similarly deep teams of the past, such as last year’s Mavericks.

Tonight, though, it’s not a concern. In fact, we might be getting 48 minutes out of both Ben Wallace and Joe Smith, as Z is questionable with a cold and Andy will not play until he is 100%. Holding out Andy is certainly for the best, and the same might be true with Z, as a speedy recovery will allow him to go into Boston tomorrow as the freshest starter. We are still without Boobie or Sasha, meaning our rotation could be as thin as 7 players, unless you count Dwayne Jones. I don’t. He’s more placeholder than player, though I do hope to see some bizarre in-game ritual between he and Delonte, harkening back to their undefeated St. Joes days.

Of course, everything in this post until this point is largely irrelevant as it pertains to tonight’s game for this reason: We have Lebron and Milwaukee isn’t very good.

For whatever reason, we struggle a bit with Milwaukee, splitting our first two meeting this season in close contests, ultimately going to the home team.

Our loss came at the hands of Mo Williams and Michael Redd. With Delonte and Devin Brown dutifully chasing them all night I expect we’ll fare better than 11/20, when Boobie, Newble, Devin, Lebron and Gooden all ended up with 4+ fouls.

As is always the case, Lebron should have his way, so with our revitalized offense and some more sturdy defense, the Cavs should be able to come away 2-0 in Season 2.

Go Cavs!

Game 1, Season 2 Recap

The Pistons, Magic and Celtics, like the Cavs, all cracked triple digits in wins over western conference teams today.

The Bulls, with the help of Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden, will not be following suit.

Lebron James, Cavalier. A man barely alive. Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the players. We have the capability to build the world’s first bionic man. Lebron James will be that man. Better than he was before. Better (11 assists), stronger (7 boards), faster (25 points on 17 shots).

Of his 17 shots, Lebron was outside the paint 5 times, hitting a 3 and a long 2. Starting with a fast break lob from his brand new point guard, Lebron was around the hoop all game long. But he wasn’t alone.

Ben Wallace missed a tip-in, but had 5 dunks to make up for it, notching a double double in his Cavs debut. Plus he ignited the crowd in the first quarter hitting his first 2 free throws.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas completed the dream front line, with a casual 22 and 13. Seriously, he dominated and you didn’t even notice him. Just another Wilt-style game for the big man: basketball and volleyball. He was only 2 of 7 on the pick and pop, but thanks to 7 offensive boards, he was 6-10 around the rim.

Joe Smith also warrants mention in discussing the greatest front line in the NBA. If he’s the key to this trade, it’s because he can do exactly what he did today, hitting his open jumpers and pulling in a few timely rebounds. I’ll taken 15 and 15 from the Wallace/Smith tandem, and tonight we got 26 and 16.

But wait, let’s not neglect this team’s new strength, the backcourt:
Delonte West came in and provided a boost in every way over Larry Hughes. He went 2-12 (as opposed to 2-13) and his 6 assists to 2 turnovers were a huge help in keeping the ball moving to create easy offense.

Starting backcourt mate Devin Brown came in with the same, mentality, looking to set up his teammates on a few nice screen and rolls. He contributed 6 assists of his own, sans turnover, plus 9 points on 5 shots. If he keeps playing well, he’ll keep his spot in the rotation – possibly even in the starting lineup once Sasha returns because he’s the only other guy who can take the task of defending big, athletic guards away from Lebron. If he can keep up the solid play like this each game, then turn in a yeoman’s performance on Paul Pierce in Boston Wednesday, he’ll continue to carve out his spot in the playoff rotation.

Meanwhile, the other odd man out continues to space the floor and make everything. Damon Jones chipped in 11 points on 6 shots, plus 3 assists and 2 boards (plus a ferocious block!) to make the argument that his stroke and spacing should stay right where they are for 20 minutes per game.

The slowest starting player today was the one still stuck in his Sonics green and yellow sneakers: Wally Szczerbiak. He missed a few 3s early on in the 2nd before forcing the issue with a layup and then putting the smaller Juan Carlos Navarro on his back in the post. He came out and hit a few 3s in the second half to get to double digits, with 10 points on 10 shots. Not his best game, but far and away his best with the Cavs so far. Tuesday night, once he has his new shoes broken in, I’m sure the shots will gall in greater supply.

The tone of the night was fluid offense and easy, open shots. It was a perfect recipe for a big win, playing on adrenaline, at home, against a terrible team. The real test will start Tuesday as we head up to frigid Milwaukee, hoping to keep our shooting hot, before turning around for a game in Boston the following night.

The Cavs now have a roster filled with savvy, smart players, so the rotations will be dictated as much by defensive matchups as offensive cohesion. If I’m Mike Brown, I do my best to gauge how we look defensively against the so-called Big 3 in order to figure out who is left by the wayside once we’re back at full strength.

Go Cavs!

(PS – As I write this, Hughes and Gooden have combined for 19, 9 and 2 on 8-17 at the end of the 3rd.)

Delonte West wants to give you a hug

Word out of the Q is that the Cavs are starting half the newbies tonight against Memphis: Delonte at the point and Big Ben at the 4.

Devin gets his second straight start at the 2 and, of course, Z and Lebron fill out the lineup.

With Memphis offering no interior threats, the Cavs can get away without using Dwayne Jones, letting Wally fill in at the 2 and 3 while Lebron slides to the 4 next to Z or Wallace. Joe Smith will get plenty of minutes at PF, and DJ will back it up at the guard spots.

Maybe we see Billy Thomas, but I’d hardly bet on that anymore than I’d bet on burn for Kaniel Dickens or the Snowman.

For the hell of it, let’s fill out 48 minutes at each spot:
PG: West (25), DJ (23)
SG: Brown (25), Wally (20), DJ (3)
SF: Lebron (35), Wally (13)
PF: Wallace (17), Smith (23), Lebron (8)
C: Z (35), Wallace (13)

So by my calculation, we’re looking at 25 minutes for Delonte, a PG just learning the system, 25 for DJ, coming off his hot night, 25 for Devin, filling in as the Ira Newble glue guy at as many as 4 positions, 30+ for Wally, who I think needs as much floor time with Lebron as anybody, 30 for Big Ben, 25 for Joe Smith, 35 for Z and 40+ for Lebron.

We’ll see who plays well. Memphis gives Delonte a chance to show he can stay in front of quick point guards and Wally a chance to chase Rudy Gay as soon as it becomes clear that he can’t chase Juan Carlos Navarro. Lebron can definitely handle Hakim Warrick at the 4, and Ben will get to excite the crowd by ignoring the twin towers or Kwame and Darko for some help side blocks on penetrators.

It’s great for the Cavs to start this new era in front of their fans and against a team like the Grizzlies, where there should be ample opportunity to excite and impress. Tune in at 6 to see it all begin.

Go Cavs!

(Blatently stolen from Cavs.com)

The New Cavs!

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses…

Then give me Lebron, and my 5 will beat yours.

I loved tonight’s game the way I love elimination games in baseball, when everybody is available. If you had legs, you were guarding the post. Snow, Brown, Billy Thomas…

I love that the Cavs, 1-12 (ok, 1-8), played like it was Game 7 all night. We pulled down 90% of the Wizards’s misses and 32% of our own.

I love that Damon Jones isn’t getting lost at the end of the bench any time soon. 27 points on 16 shots! And he was more than happy to bring back the 3 finger salute.

I love that Eric Snow really didn’t want to take another shot, so he could retire on a make. Give him an assist instead on that backboard breaker Z put back!

I love that Devin Brown nearly had a triple double.

I love that Billy Thomas did was he does: shoot. I love that Ferry found that guy who wouldn’t be shy and I love that Mike Brown let him play.

And most of all, more than anything else in the NBA, I love when Lebron decides from minutes 1 that the Cavs are winning.

Since we were out 7 of our 10 rotation guys, there really isn’t anything to take from this game but sheer joy and I’m taking plenty of it.

I absolutely cannot wait for Sunday. I cannot wait for April 18th when the playoffs begin.

Go Cavs!