Some quarters in a college career are useless and some are hard and SOME are both. For one of my roommates this year, Fall Quarter appeared to be both.
Nick became a fan of the Cavs mainly because living with John Glenn and I gave him almost no choice in the matter. After watching them for a few games and with the quarter wearing on him, he made this statement: "I think I'm just going to live vicariously through the Cavs."
My response: "Oh yeah...I already do that."
I'm so into this team that when they lose, I almost always go PLAY basketball to try to atone for everything they did wrong. It's so stupid...but it's not.
This Cavaliers team is so likable. They have the best player and the best leader in basketball although many refuse to acknowledge either. Many of their players are ridiculed regularly (Shaq, Ilgauskas, Mo Williams, Delonte West, Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varejao...) yet all have contributed greatly to this fantastic start to the season, especially against the top teams. This is frankly one of the most under appreciated juggernauts ever. It's perfect.
It's perfect because of this:
Shaq has not said anything noteworthy this season. He really has not done anything spectacular in the arenas of statistics or show-stopping moments. The consensus is that the "Shaq Experiment" is a failure and they are better with him off the court, yet Shaq, one of the proudest men in the NBA, remains silent. We did hear from him Christmas afternoon however, when he shoved it up the Lakers' asses.
I actually watched that game on mute once I saw that Mark Jackson, Mike Breen and Jeff Van Gundy were doing it. I'm sure Kobe got his share of praise after being thrashed on his own home court and jacking up 32 shots in the process but, if it's all the same to you, I don't need to hear about how great it is to do that (I already know how great it is...).
But let me address the Shaq situation for a brief second...
The Cleveland front office are not a bunch of rubes who are oblivious to what is going on in the league, yet they are treated as such by everyone. The consensus on television is that people think the Cavs brought Shaq to be a second banana to LeBron which is false. They brought him in because they had not one player who could guard the giant Centers in the league (Dwight Howard and the Gasol/Bynum monster) and be more man than them. And, so far, he's doing it. He frustrated the shit out of Dwight and the Lakers and Cleveland won both games handily on the road against the teams they simply could not handle last season. The Cavs also lead the league in points in the paint given up where they struggled last season. I'm not saying the Championship is a given by any means or that Shaq won't end up being a failure even by my standards, but as of now, he's been absolutely what the Cavs wanted him to be. I hope this is the last time we'll have to have this discussion.
The Cavs' other lovable giant, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, might be coming upon more hard times. After not getting into the game where he was set to break the Cavs' record for games played, he may yet have to stomach another indignity.
If the Cavs are going to make any trade this season (for the record, I don't believe they have to), it will almost certainly involve Ilgauskas because of his expiring contract. The bright spot in this situation is that a team looking to save money (the only type of team who would want to make this type of trade) would almost certainly offer Ilgauskas a buyout and subsequently make his return to Cleveland. It would however bring another series of blows to his already bruised ego.
After nothing but toughness and loyalty to a Cleveland organization that, until recently, deserved neither, Zydrunas seems to be the whipping boy for the most promising year in Cavs history. He lost his starting job, was benched on his big day, and now will most likely not only be traded, but bought out by a crappy team because they don't need him. If anyone can take it, it is probably Big Z, but if he takes all these bullets for the Cavs and ends up contributing to a title, his number absolutely must be retired and he must be given any and all courtesies by the Cleveland organization.
Now, in a shocking transition, I will explain how Zydrunas Ilgauskas and the Cincinnati Bengals are exactly the same.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas was a first round pick of one of the worst and least relevant NBA franchises around. Listening to someone explain what Zydrunas Ilgauskas plays like and his dimensions and where he comes from...the whole lot of it...would make you think two words: "Obvious bust."
And, in most cases, you'd be right.
There is nothing inherently dominant about his game...nothing about him that entitles him to points (like Shaq, for instance). He has terrible feet and missed seasons literally having doctors build him new ones. But through it all, he stayed tough and stayed loyal and kept making his 15-footers, shots that take practice, concentration and calmness. Big Z was a pick made by an incompetent organization that should have failed, but they lucked out because of the person Z is.
Likewise, the Cincinnati Bengals are a notoriously hideous organization. They drafted a stiff Heisman-winning quarterback who really only had one good season in college (Carson Palmer), vultured the defensive coordinator off of a Super Bowl team (Marvin Lewis) and took a chance on a troubled wideout (Chad Johnson). Do these sound like savvy moves by a bunch of geniuses? These are the moves consistently made by people who have no scouts and are essentially drafting on what they see on TV. The twist is this: Carson Palmer, Chad Johnson and Marvin Lewis all turned out to be good enough (although all of them very obviously flawed) but most importantly, they all seem to share a love for lost causes. It's the only explanation, really. I'll say this one last time before Saturday's game against the Jets...The Bengals are not very good. Like the Cavs win Ilgauskas, Cincy lucked out not just with the caliber of players they drafted, but the type of characters they got and, win or lose, that needs to appreciated.
NFL Playoffs: Wildcard
DALLAS COWBOYS over Philidelphia Eagles
ARIZONA CARDINALS over Green Bay Packers
CINCINNATI BENGALS over NY Jets
Baltimore Ravens over NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Just the way we planned it...
Other than the fact that my internet is going so slow that I'm having a hard time following my beloved Windhorst Beat Blog, the Cavaliers' season has gone just about as well as it could have and a lot of people deserve credit.
After watching Shaq and Varejao start every game together for the first week or so and how nauseating the offense looked, I wrote this email to Brian Windhorst (which he has yet to respond to):
After watching Shaq and Varejao start every game together for the first week or so and how nauseating the offense looked, I wrote this email to Brian Windhorst (which he has yet to respond to):
"Brian, I need some help here.
I believe that last year's starting lineup should remain our lineup this year for the following reasons:
The people in question of whether or not they should start are Parker/West, Hickson/Varejao and, perhaps the most controversial, O'Neal/Ilgauskas.
1. Starting shooting guards in the NBA have made a living destroying guys like Anthony Parker in their careers. Parker is a good player and a better traditional shooting guard than Delonte West (I guess) but that is what the Joe Johnsons of the world are used to and are comfortable beating. Delonte West is so annoying to these guys because his whole goal is to bother them. Delonte doesn't appear to care about his stats (or even really his physical well being) when he plays, he just tries to bother the other team's best scorer. On the flip-side, Anthony Parker is an intelligent player who can probably outsmart most backup shooting guards and could score off the bench which we just didn't do last year when the going got tough in the playoffs.
2. This is obviously not an issue as to who is better because, while Hickson gets the nod in athletic ability, Varejao is very effective whether he comes off the bench or starts and is undoubtedly the better player as we stand today. The only issue here for me is that Andy plays better with Z and it seems like JJ would play better with Shaq. I guess Mike Brown has addressed that issue by starting JJ with Shaq but that is not the direction I would go, but at least that means he is evaluating the situation instead of just blindly starting the "best" players. My opinion on this is more affected by who the starting center is than anything else so I'll just leave it at that.
3. Here's the big one.
The whole off season I kept hearing about how great Zydrunas was going to be against backup Centers and I never bought that. In all honesty, Z isn't really playing against the other teams' centers at all. He's rarely just trying to beat his guy in the post but he is often playing off of LeBron's drives hitting jumpers so I'm really not sure if who is playing center for the other team really matters to him offensively. If anything, starting centers would probably be annoyed that they have to follow this goofball out to 20 or so feet which is always a good thing. On the other side of this coin, Shaq, I believe, would very much benefit from facing backup centers. The backups in this league are often younger guys and therefore, not as physically developed. These guys simply couldn't handle Shaq physically, I don't think. Also, this would give the second team a guy who needs to be double teamed (at least at times) or, if nothing else, a guy who they could go to when they were having trouble getting buckets, which was often the case last year with our bench. I also believe Z's game is much more affected by rhythm than Shaq's which is just another reason I would rather have Z start. He's spent the last however many years learning to play off LeBron and now we're taking that away from him.
I'm sorry for the length of this email, but I still feel like this roster is without question capable of being a great team but we're basically playing with our hands tied behind our backs when we have our three guys in Mo, LeBron and Shaq on the court to start the game, all of whom like to possess the ball, and have a bunch of guys who would really compliment either LeBron or Shaq playing together without either one of them on the floor.
I know that this team failed against the top teams in the NBA, but the starting lineup was almost always good. We routinely had the lead after the first quarter against L.A. and Orlando, but our bench let us down and we couldn't sustain our breakneck pace that was our only advantage against Orlando and we had to just murder LeBron with overuse in order to come close to closing out those games. Wouldn't it be smart to save one of our two guys that we can just go to to initiate to offense for the bench instead of leaving them out to dry like last season as well as stepping on the toes of Mo Williams?
I would like to know your opinion on this and whether or not it is being discussed as an option, although regardless of either, I still think it's what the Cavs should be doing.
Thanks."
Since Brian is apparently too busy to answer such a loyal reader's email, I guess I'll have to do it myself.
Hey, Buddies:
Chill.
You had a few good points there. You definitely noticed early on that Varejao and Shaq should never be on the floor together but you didn't plan on one thing: JJ Hickson is a different player when he gets to play with LeBron James. He's a dunk machine with a jumper. He's like Amar'e Staudemire if his coach ever told him to attempt to play defense. He's honestly one of the the rare supporting players LeBron has had that has legit talent in a traditional sense and he's showing that he can be on the court for an extended period of time without ruining everything. Also, Z seems to be adjusting well to coming off the bench as well as randomly starting when Shaq has phantom injuries. Problem number 1? Solved.
Another thing you were right about was how dumb it is to have lineups without one of these three people on the court: Mo Williams, Shaq'uille O'Neal, or LeBron James. Without one of these three, the team is left with zero primary playmakers on the floor which is a disaster. Mike Brown has since adjusted himself by giving Mo his break late in the first and bringing him back to start the second when LeBron and Shaq hit the bench. Solved.
Another thing Mike Brown deserves credit for his how he has handled Delonte West, and the solution to this problem is perfect for Mike Brown's style because the solution is to basically do nothing. Delonte's mood seems to swing for absolutely no reason; when he's good, he's great and when he's bad, he's useless. And what has Mike Brown done? He hasn't cut him, traded him or written him off on his bad days and he hasn't begun to start him after one good game. He plays him to start the second quarter and if he has it he sticks with him and if he doesn't he goes to Jamario Moon or Boobie Gibson or some combination of both and there's really not a huge problem because the regular season doesn't matter. Let the record show, however, that when right, Delonte West is a superior player to both of those guys, no offense to them.
I would like to thank you for your very well-written and weirdly long ass email.
Brian.
Was that so hard?
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Ready to Lose on Tuesday Night
Can't you just feel it?
This is totally a game the Celtics would win. The old guys don't have the seasonal miles on them yet but the more important thing is this:
Mike Brown.
If any of you didn't know, Mike Brown has these little "minutes sheets" where he has the minutes of his rotational players...I don't think I really need to explain what a minutes sheet would be. Last year, the Cavs started 1-2, mostly because we had a new starting point guard, but also because, before he gets his minutes sheets down and ready, Mike Brown looks somewhat lost in the substitution game.
That along with the fact that we have a new starting center, everyone has been sick all preseason and we don't (probably) have Delonte West are all reasons I'm assuming we are going to lose on opening night.
It did appear, however, that nobody on the Celtics can guard Shaq whether he knows that plays or not so who the hell knows.
Buddies' NBA Power Rankings
We're going to start something new. I'm going to give you my NBA Power Rankings of the top five teams only because why would I list the other ones? Here's what I have to start the season...
1. LA Lakers
I know I'm not the first to say this, but the Lakers are essentially the perfect team. Their only potential issue is the fact that they have a few weirdos in Lamar, Artest and Kobe. Luckily for them, they have ARGUABLY the best and most dependable big man in the game in Pau Gasol and the best coach maybe in history. It's really not fair.
2. Orlando Magic
On paper, these guys aren't too far behind the Lakers. As much as I hate them and have belittled them in the past, they are a fearsome team. They don't miss threes, they have a monstrous center and they have athletes. I'm not sure I trust the decision-making of any of their players if things are going wrong, but as long as their threes are falling, it won't matter.
3. Boston Celtics
This will change. Old people aren't old in the first game of the season. I expect them to be fifth by the end of the season.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
I don't believe that there is "turmoil" with a team led by LeBron James, but there have been road bumps in their practice schedule and that is the reason they are so far down. They just haven't practiced enough. Don't let this ranking make you think I'm buying into the idea that Shaq is a bad teammate and can't share the spotlight because I'm not.
5. San Antonio Spurs
You can't lose so easily in the first round and be higher than this the next season. I think that all of their singular players in their "big three" are a little overrated (I don't like to use that word), but when they are all healthy, it doesn't matter how good (or not that good) they are by themselves, they are horrifying when united. Add in Jefferson and McDyess AND DaJuan Blair and age is the only thing wrong with this team, but honestly, that suits them because they are the most intellectual team in the league with Pop at the helm.
This is totally a game the Celtics would win. The old guys don't have the seasonal miles on them yet but the more important thing is this:
Mike Brown.
If any of you didn't know, Mike Brown has these little "minutes sheets" where he has the minutes of his rotational players...I don't think I really need to explain what a minutes sheet would be. Last year, the Cavs started 1-2, mostly because we had a new starting point guard, but also because, before he gets his minutes sheets down and ready, Mike Brown looks somewhat lost in the substitution game.
That along with the fact that we have a new starting center, everyone has been sick all preseason and we don't (probably) have Delonte West are all reasons I'm assuming we are going to lose on opening night.
It did appear, however, that nobody on the Celtics can guard Shaq whether he knows that plays or not so who the hell knows.
Buddies' NBA Power Rankings
We're going to start something new. I'm going to give you my NBA Power Rankings of the top five teams only because why would I list the other ones? Here's what I have to start the season...
1. LA Lakers
I know I'm not the first to say this, but the Lakers are essentially the perfect team. Their only potential issue is the fact that they have a few weirdos in Lamar, Artest and Kobe. Luckily for them, they have ARGUABLY the best and most dependable big man in the game in Pau Gasol and the best coach maybe in history. It's really not fair.
2. Orlando Magic
On paper, these guys aren't too far behind the Lakers. As much as I hate them and have belittled them in the past, they are a fearsome team. They don't miss threes, they have a monstrous center and they have athletes. I'm not sure I trust the decision-making of any of their players if things are going wrong, but as long as their threes are falling, it won't matter.
3. Boston Celtics
This will change. Old people aren't old in the first game of the season. I expect them to be fifth by the end of the season.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers
I don't believe that there is "turmoil" with a team led by LeBron James, but there have been road bumps in their practice schedule and that is the reason they are so far down. They just haven't practiced enough. Don't let this ranking make you think I'm buying into the idea that Shaq is a bad teammate and can't share the spotlight because I'm not.
5. San Antonio Spurs
You can't lose so easily in the first round and be higher than this the next season. I think that all of their singular players in their "big three" are a little overrated (I don't like to use that word), but when they are all healthy, it doesn't matter how good (or not that good) they are by themselves, they are horrifying when united. Add in Jefferson and McDyess AND DaJuan Blair and age is the only thing wrong with this team, but honestly, that suits them because they are the most intellectual team in the league with Pop at the helm.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Football Update and NBA (Cavs) Preview
With my fantasy football team (Buddies' Blankets) with the record I thought the Bengals would have at this point (0-3-1) and the Bengals at a shockingly decent 3-1 record and the lead pipe lock league about to get going once again AAAAND the Cleveland Cavaaaaliiiiiieeeeeeeerrs!!!! about to start their preseason...why not post something?
In case you were wondering, I was unable to find a reason not to so I will now do it. Let's start with the Bengals.
This team will almost surely be 8-8.
I know, I know, they are one fluke play away from being 4-0 (a fluke play from which I have just recently recovered)! But they are also some insanely clutch drives and stupid bungles by their opponents away from being 0-4. Just about every single part of this team I would describe as "decent," which is a departure from the days of having a spectacular offense and a gruesomely bad defense. Nowadays...defense? Decent. Receivers? Decent. Cedric Benson, Coaching staff, pass rush...all decent. I would be willing to say that Carson Palmer is "good," but no more than that. Oh yeah, somehow the entire NFL watching community knows the name of our long-snapper because he is really making me feel like I'm waiting to hear my doctor to tell me whether or not I have cancer every time we kick an extra point.
All the games are close, it's fun to watch, I'm not complaining (except for during the games. I'm complaining a lot then).
Now onto a couple of other issues:
Mannings
They're the best. The two best teams in the league are headed by the Manning Brothers. I need to see this Super Bowl.
By the way, I hope everyone saw Eli's injury last week. It was one of the most hilariously awkward/feminine moves ever. I applaud him for making a pretty decent pass while most people would probably be too busy thinking, "Oh my God, I looked so gay just then!"
Romo
Remember how he is not that good? Well, he continues to not be.
The Steelers
Anyone who is asking, "what is wrong with the Steelers?" I give you this fact.
Other than no Palamalu, this is the same team who won the Super Bowl last year. They were good, but they are not in the top half of the Super-Bowl-Winning-Team-Quality continuum. Honestly, they just got lucky. I know nobody likes to hear this, but that is a lot of how it works in sports. We (myself included) like to think that everything that happens was somehow "destined" to happen but it isn't. Do you think the Magic were a team of destiny last year? That's called a "hot streak," a statistical situation more than a prophetic one.
Favre
He played great last night and all season. He hasn't played vintage Favre great, but he cannot do that anymore. He's played great at times and solid at most times and that is really all the Vikings need to win the Super Bowl. Stay healthy, old man.
Miscellaneous Football Thoughts
There were two (from what I can remember) controversial calls over the weekend.
1. Excessive Celebration
When the refs at the Georgia/LSU game read this rule, they must have missed the word "excessive." CELEBRATION is legal like, for example, jumping up and down and high fiving your teammates. EXCESSIVE celebration is something else like, I don't know....jumping into the opponent's band? Or anything else Golden Tate does? The spirit of this rule seems to be to keep college kids from thinking they are more important than they are and showboating while we're trying to pretend they are students at the school they "attend." Being happy or enjoying a touchdown is just part of the game. They did that shit when football was played in black and white (the world was actually black and white back then). I have said many times that a ref who calls a penalty like that (or roughing the kicker/passer, unnecessary roughness, etc.) in a crucial part of the game when it is not blatant should be fired immediately and I mean that. Your job as a ref is not to ruin the game but that's what you have done. FIRED.
2. Roughing the Passer
First, I don't like people diving at my knees either. If someone did that playing pick up basketball I would say, "Hey, get off the fuckin' floor, this isn't the pros."
The problem with Brady and the ref making that call is that this IS the pros. You get paid because you will be permanently hurt playing this game. It's not a risk in the NFL, you WILL be hurt. The name of the game is hitting and when it's illegal to almost hit certain players it's bad news. It's like if a pitcher got thrown out of the game for throwing a curve ball so good that the batter thought it was going to hit him in the face but it didn't. It's obviously stupid, no more needs to be said.
Cavs
As hopefully you all know, I was elated about getting Shaq. I'm not really that worried about him turning on our coach, being selfish or getting out of shape that much. With that said, he should not start.
Somebody tell me what the starting lineup did to deserve to be split up. Half the games in the regular season were over in the first quarter and against the good teams that we lost to, we still started those games really really well. People say they like big Z against second unit Centers but does it really make a difference who is guarding you when you are a jump-shooting Center? I think it makes more difference who you're on the court with (LeBron or not LeBron). The better match up against second unit talent is obviously Shaq in my opinion. The second unit big men across the league are often young guys who are just physically not able to handle the size of Shaq.
Furthermore, this would make the rest of our rotation make more sense. Anderson Varejao plays great off of Z. Z is so strictly a finesse big man and Varejao is almost the exact opposite. On the flip side, Shaq playing with the young Hickson in the second unit is appealing to me. The Diesel has already reportedly been giving Hickson some advice and whatnot, it seems like it would work for me. Additionally, you can't start Hickson because, while his offensive game seems to have improved, he still very often is lost on defense. I just wish we had the guts to have Shaq come off the bench. If I'm missing something, somebody please tell me.
In case you forgot, part of this original starting lineup from last season includes a man named Delonte West. Delonte is my favorite player on the team. He's the type of guy who is, in a way, injury prone, not because is a frail guy, but because he will sell out for the team and try to block shots that actually might kill him. He's a huge effort guy, a smart player and good shooter. Other than LeBron James, nobody embodies what the Cavs are about than Delonte West and, as much as I am worried about him personally (a lot), I am positive that we cannot win the title without him.
In case you were wondering, I was unable to find a reason not to so I will now do it. Let's start with the Bengals.
This team will almost surely be 8-8.
I know, I know, they are one fluke play away from being 4-0 (a fluke play from which I have just recently recovered)! But they are also some insanely clutch drives and stupid bungles by their opponents away from being 0-4. Just about every single part of this team I would describe as "decent," which is a departure from the days of having a spectacular offense and a gruesomely bad defense. Nowadays...defense? Decent. Receivers? Decent. Cedric Benson, Coaching staff, pass rush...all decent. I would be willing to say that Carson Palmer is "good," but no more than that. Oh yeah, somehow the entire NFL watching community knows the name of our long-snapper because he is really making me feel like I'm waiting to hear my doctor to tell me whether or not I have cancer every time we kick an extra point.
All the games are close, it's fun to watch, I'm not complaining (except for during the games. I'm complaining a lot then).
Now onto a couple of other issues:
Mannings
They're the best. The two best teams in the league are headed by the Manning Brothers. I need to see this Super Bowl.
By the way, I hope everyone saw Eli's injury last week. It was one of the most hilariously awkward/feminine moves ever. I applaud him for making a pretty decent pass while most people would probably be too busy thinking, "Oh my God, I looked so gay just then!"
Romo
Remember how he is not that good? Well, he continues to not be.
The Steelers
Anyone who is asking, "what is wrong with the Steelers?" I give you this fact.
Other than no Palamalu, this is the same team who won the Super Bowl last year. They were good, but they are not in the top half of the Super-Bowl-Winning-Team-Quality continuum. Honestly, they just got lucky. I know nobody likes to hear this, but that is a lot of how it works in sports. We (myself included) like to think that everything that happens was somehow "destined" to happen but it isn't. Do you think the Magic were a team of destiny last year? That's called a "hot streak," a statistical situation more than a prophetic one.
Favre
He played great last night and all season. He hasn't played vintage Favre great, but he cannot do that anymore. He's played great at times and solid at most times and that is really all the Vikings need to win the Super Bowl. Stay healthy, old man.
Miscellaneous Football Thoughts
There were two (from what I can remember) controversial calls over the weekend.
1. Excessive Celebration
When the refs at the Georgia/LSU game read this rule, they must have missed the word "excessive." CELEBRATION is legal like, for example, jumping up and down and high fiving your teammates. EXCESSIVE celebration is something else like, I don't know....jumping into the opponent's band? Or anything else Golden Tate does? The spirit of this rule seems to be to keep college kids from thinking they are more important than they are and showboating while we're trying to pretend they are students at the school they "attend." Being happy or enjoying a touchdown is just part of the game. They did that shit when football was played in black and white (the world was actually black and white back then). I have said many times that a ref who calls a penalty like that (or roughing the kicker/passer, unnecessary roughness, etc.) in a crucial part of the game when it is not blatant should be fired immediately and I mean that. Your job as a ref is not to ruin the game but that's what you have done. FIRED.
2. Roughing the Passer
First, I don't like people diving at my knees either. If someone did that playing pick up basketball I would say, "Hey, get off the fuckin' floor, this isn't the pros."
The problem with Brady and the ref making that call is that this IS the pros. You get paid because you will be permanently hurt playing this game. It's not a risk in the NFL, you WILL be hurt. The name of the game is hitting and when it's illegal to almost hit certain players it's bad news. It's like if a pitcher got thrown out of the game for throwing a curve ball so good that the batter thought it was going to hit him in the face but it didn't. It's obviously stupid, no more needs to be said.
Cavs
As hopefully you all know, I was elated about getting Shaq. I'm not really that worried about him turning on our coach, being selfish or getting out of shape that much. With that said, he should not start.
Somebody tell me what the starting lineup did to deserve to be split up. Half the games in the regular season were over in the first quarter and against the good teams that we lost to, we still started those games really really well. People say they like big Z against second unit Centers but does it really make a difference who is guarding you when you are a jump-shooting Center? I think it makes more difference who you're on the court with (LeBron or not LeBron). The better match up against second unit talent is obviously Shaq in my opinion. The second unit big men across the league are often young guys who are just physically not able to handle the size of Shaq.
Furthermore, this would make the rest of our rotation make more sense. Anderson Varejao plays great off of Z. Z is so strictly a finesse big man and Varejao is almost the exact opposite. On the flip side, Shaq playing with the young Hickson in the second unit is appealing to me. The Diesel has already reportedly been giving Hickson some advice and whatnot, it seems like it would work for me. Additionally, you can't start Hickson because, while his offensive game seems to have improved, he still very often is lost on defense. I just wish we had the guts to have Shaq come off the bench. If I'm missing something, somebody please tell me.
In case you forgot, part of this original starting lineup from last season includes a man named Delonte West. Delonte is my favorite player on the team. He's the type of guy who is, in a way, injury prone, not because is a frail guy, but because he will sell out for the team and try to block shots that actually might kill him. He's a huge effort guy, a smart player and good shooter. Other than LeBron James, nobody embodies what the Cavs are about than Delonte West and, as much as I am worried about him personally (a lot), I am positive that we cannot win the title without him.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Football Thoughts and Preview
There are a few NFL issues that I thought I might as well say something about. I painted my Grandma's house today (actual word) and am tired, so expect a low-effort post here...as I hope you always do.
1. Brett Favre is back for yet another year of ridiculocity (totally a word) and I actually like it this time. Last year, he was ruining the career of a young QB and ruining the season of an up-and-coming team while making his non-decisions and then joined a team he couldn't even help anyway (Chad Pennington had a better season than him last year!!!!).
This time? No real stakes. He's joining a team who is good at everything other than Quarterbacking and Coaching who plays in a dome and will now probably like to go deep a little more with A LOT more success. Also, it's not like he is stunting the growth of two promising QBs in Minnessota. Sage Rosenfels is one of those guys who is capable of winning games but occasionally (a bit TOO occasionally...) collapses into a turnover circus and Tarvaris Jackson is just bad.
Also, in your face, Packers.
Side note: I've always liked and rooted for both the Packers and Brett Favre, but since I've met and conversed with a few Packers fans, I have gotten the feeling that they feel pretty superior and are quite irrational. Why are there Packers fans in Ohio? I'm now, anti-Packers and rooting for the Vikings in those games. Happy?
2. Plaxico Burress is having a bad summer.
The topic of interest seems to be whether this sentence is too long or not. Here is my opinion:
Not only is this sentence too long, I believe it is unquestionably a less egregious moral crime to carry an unlicensed gun and accidentally shooting yourself in the leg than to sentence the man who did that to two years in prison.
Plaxico Burress did the equivalent to drunk driving in my mind. He put himself in a situation where he was more likely to hurt himself or others with no intent to do either and ended up doing the former. The appropriate penalty for this is infinite hours of community service and a 4-game suspension. But now, a good guy and a Super Bowl hero, whose daughter will be born while he is in prison (I heard), is going to jail for 2 years. No matter what card you play to defend yourself Plaxico...race, fame...it's legitimate.
THE THING
If there was any confusion, "THE THING" is the football preview...what else?
By the way, I'm aware I'm writing my NFL Preview the day it begins...I also am aware that I am picking up my HDTV at 4 O'clock on opening day as well. Get off my back.
AFC
AFC North
Going clockwise. Here we go.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
Anything is possible in the NFL (within reason) but the smart money has to be on one of these two teams (Steelers or Ravens). Both of these teams are no fun to play in the playoffs but Pitt has it's offensive shit together better than the Flacco-led Ravens. I am giving them the nod in that match up.
Buddies Blankets: None
2. Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco is fine...BUT...there's a group of quarterbacks who you're watching and you're thinking, "This guy is alright," but deep down you know that you don't trust him throwing anything between 8 yards and 30 yards (anyone can throw a deep ball, some better than others of course). Flacco, as of now, is in that group. Other than that: Good defense, coach, running backs, uniforms, etc.
Blankets: None
3. Cincinnati Bengals
I can talk myself into these guys all I want and I really won't get anywhere. It's full of the same guys who can't figure out how to win. "Hard Knocks" has shown me that Marvin isn't a terrible coach, but he's trying to turn around an Indian Burial Ground team. Everything bad happens to them if at all possible. If you're wondering what an Indian Burial Ground team is, it's the opposite of the Steelers. Get it?
Blankets: J.T. O'Sullivan (embarrassing)
I'm hoping for 7-9.
4. Cleveland Browns
With Brady Quinn at the helm, Cleveland's range of wins has narrowed. There won't be as many deep balls or interceptions thrown. I like the decision because you're not going anywhere with Derek Anderson. He's unstable and weak. At least Brady Quinn shows some discretion with his throws. Oh yeah, this team sucks.
Blankets: Josh Cribbs
AFC EAST
1. New England Patriots
This is already boring. I have put New England and Pittsburgh on top of their divisions. No comment.
Blankets: None
2. Miami Dolphins
I am completely indifferent to the rest of the teams in the division but I'm going with the Dolphins basically because of Bill Parcells.
Blankets: Davone Bess
3. NY Jets
The only reason they aren't last is because I think their coach is decent and I think the Bills are a buncha crap.
If it isn't clear already, there is no analysis in this part, only predictions and stupid stuff. Enjoy it.
Blankets: Jerricho Cotchery, Darrelle Revis
4. Buffalo Bills
T.O. can go straight to hell...or get hurt....would be good.
Blankets: Fred Jackson, Marshawn Lynch
AFC SOUTH
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
I don't love picking this division. This was one of the worst teams in the league last season but stranger things have happened. As I'm typing this, I'm thinking about whether I should put Houston in this first spot or dead last. NO idea...
Blankets: None
2. Tennessee Titans
I don't even know what's happening right now. These teams are all good but not good enough to be in first and all have problems...does somebody have to win? I'm lost.
Blankets: Justin Gage, Michael Griffin, Bo Scaife
3. Houston Texans
Really good offense. Ready to break out. Quarterback gets hurt too much. Can't win away from home. What am I supposed to do with this shit?
Blankets: Kevin Walter
4. Indianapolis Colts
Did I just put the Colts to finish last in their division? Well, whatever.
Blankets: None
AFC WEST
1. San Diego Chargers
This is the worst division. I bet the Chargers drop one to Kansas City for no reason this year but otherwise do OK in this division and otherwise. BOOOOORINNGGG.
Blankets: None
2. Kansas City Chiefs
KC could have a mildly exciting offense but they just don't have any talent. Second place in this division is all about who wants it and I think KC will try.
Blankets: Jamaal Charles
3. Oakland Raiders
Again, this team has no idea what's going on, but they won a few games last season that nobody seemed to notice. If Asamlafuaoguuugahaa comes back, they can win five games or so WHICH WILL DEFINITELY GET THEM OUT OF THE BASEMENT IN THE AFC WEST.
Blankets: None
4. Denver Broncos
This is what they get for the Jay Cutler Fiasco. Lousy.
Blankets: None
NFC NORTH
1. Chicago Bears
Once you my fantasy team, you'll know that I have bought stock in this team.
It has recently come to my attention (from a Packers' fan) that the Bears' defense "isn't that good." Whatever. You're taking a decent team from last year, giving the running back another year and replacing a horrible quarterback with a really good one. I have no problem with this.
Blankets: Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs, Brad Maynard
2. Green Bay Packers
Everyone loves the Packers and Aaron Rodgers and they (both) do seem pretty explosive. I'm just not convinced that either one has any direction or focus or knows how to finish games because they were explosive last year and were 6-10.
Blankets: None
3. Minnesota Vikings
I guess I'm betting against Brett Favre and I KNOW that I'm betting against Brad Childress and I'm nervous about betting against Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen but somethings good teams get third place in a division with three good teams.
Blankets: Chad Greenway
4. Detroit Lions
Bad.
Here are my thoughts about the quarterback situation:
It doesn't matter who you start right now. You will not win more than 2 games in this season (in all likelihood). You can start Culpepper and then bring in Stafford when you're ready or start Stafford, but one thing you cannot do is this: DO NOT START STAFFORD AND THEN PULL HIM AND THEN PULL HIM. That is what doesn't work.
Obviously Stafford will be a disaster but that whole team is a disaster so who cares. If you don't think your quarterback can handle going 2-14 in his first season, then he's not a good quarterback.
Blankets: None
NFC EAST
1. Philadelphia Eagles
This team is always so good, I don't understand why they can't keep it together. I think their WRs are much improved from the shit-show they are used to and they might in in Westbrook's last year with his replacement up and coming. It looks good.
Blankets: Trent Cole
2. Washington Redskins
I can't believe I'm doing this but I feel like they aren't bad and they always do better than they are. I was about to put them third so it makes sense that they would finish second.
Blankets: None
3. New York Giants
No Plax is a problem but they are still quite good. Eli Manning is still Eli Manning even though he won a Super Bowl and that's not horrible, but he's not a Hall of Famer. It is what it is.
Blankets: None
4. Dallas Cowboys
This is shamelessly full of hate. Dallas Cowboys? Fuck 'em.
Blankets: Jason Witten
NFC SOUTH
1. Atlanta Falcons
They seem to have a good coach, quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end...I don't know much about their defense but it all looks right to me.
Blankets: Roddy White
2. Carolina Panthers
I hate these guys because Jake Delhomme is an embarrassment to humanity, but I don't trust the Saints.
Blankets: None
3. New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees' history shows that he is the king of the high stats/low wins quarterbacks. I like him, but come on. Make the friggin' playoffs.
Blankets: None
4. Tampa Bay Bucs
Who is their quarterback? Seriously, I have no idea. Is it Luke McCown? Is he even on their team? Is he even a person?
Blankets: Cadillac Williams
NFC WEST
1. Seattle Seahawks
This is a division where none of the teams are great and that's why they rotate so often. The Seahawks are going to outmatch their schedule this season and win this division.
Blankets: None
2. Arizona Cardinals
Super Bowl losers that were never that good to begin with.
Blankets: Darnell Dockett, Neil Rackers, Chris Wells
3. San Francisco 49ers
I love this coach. I still think Glen Coffee is a fantasy extreme sleeper.
Blankets: Shaun Hill
4. St. Louis Rams
I just don't care anymore.
Blankets: None
I'm gonna go get a TV so I can watch stuff instead of type stuff.
1. Brett Favre is back for yet another year of ridiculocity (totally a word) and I actually like it this time. Last year, he was ruining the career of a young QB and ruining the season of an up-and-coming team while making his non-decisions and then joined a team he couldn't even help anyway (Chad Pennington had a better season than him last year!!!!).
This time? No real stakes. He's joining a team who is good at everything other than Quarterbacking and Coaching who plays in a dome and will now probably like to go deep a little more with A LOT more success. Also, it's not like he is stunting the growth of two promising QBs in Minnessota. Sage Rosenfels is one of those guys who is capable of winning games but occasionally (a bit TOO occasionally...) collapses into a turnover circus and Tarvaris Jackson is just bad.
Also, in your face, Packers.
Side note: I've always liked and rooted for both the Packers and Brett Favre, but since I've met and conversed with a few Packers fans, I have gotten the feeling that they feel pretty superior and are quite irrational. Why are there Packers fans in Ohio? I'm now, anti-Packers and rooting for the Vikings in those games. Happy?
2. Plaxico Burress is having a bad summer.
The topic of interest seems to be whether this sentence is too long or not. Here is my opinion:
Not only is this sentence too long, I believe it is unquestionably a less egregious moral crime to carry an unlicensed gun and accidentally shooting yourself in the leg than to sentence the man who did that to two years in prison.
Plaxico Burress did the equivalent to drunk driving in my mind. He put himself in a situation where he was more likely to hurt himself or others with no intent to do either and ended up doing the former. The appropriate penalty for this is infinite hours of community service and a 4-game suspension. But now, a good guy and a Super Bowl hero, whose daughter will be born while he is in prison (I heard), is going to jail for 2 years. No matter what card you play to defend yourself Plaxico...race, fame...it's legitimate.
THE THING
If there was any confusion, "THE THING" is the football preview...what else?
By the way, I'm aware I'm writing my NFL Preview the day it begins...I also am aware that I am picking up my HDTV at 4 O'clock on opening day as well. Get off my back.
AFC
AFC North
Going clockwise. Here we go.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers
Anything is possible in the NFL (within reason) but the smart money has to be on one of these two teams (Steelers or Ravens). Both of these teams are no fun to play in the playoffs but Pitt has it's offensive shit together better than the Flacco-led Ravens. I am giving them the nod in that match up.
Buddies Blankets: None
2. Baltimore Ravens
Joe Flacco is fine...BUT...there's a group of quarterbacks who you're watching and you're thinking, "This guy is alright," but deep down you know that you don't trust him throwing anything between 8 yards and 30 yards (anyone can throw a deep ball, some better than others of course). Flacco, as of now, is in that group. Other than that: Good defense, coach, running backs, uniforms, etc.
Blankets: None
3. Cincinnati Bengals
I can talk myself into these guys all I want and I really won't get anywhere. It's full of the same guys who can't figure out how to win. "Hard Knocks" has shown me that Marvin isn't a terrible coach, but he's trying to turn around an Indian Burial Ground team. Everything bad happens to them if at all possible. If you're wondering what an Indian Burial Ground team is, it's the opposite of the Steelers. Get it?
Blankets: J.T. O'Sullivan (embarrassing)
I'm hoping for 7-9.
4. Cleveland Browns
With Brady Quinn at the helm, Cleveland's range of wins has narrowed. There won't be as many deep balls or interceptions thrown. I like the decision because you're not going anywhere with Derek Anderson. He's unstable and weak. At least Brady Quinn shows some discretion with his throws. Oh yeah, this team sucks.
Blankets: Josh Cribbs
AFC EAST
1. New England Patriots
This is already boring. I have put New England and Pittsburgh on top of their divisions. No comment.
Blankets: None
2. Miami Dolphins
I am completely indifferent to the rest of the teams in the division but I'm going with the Dolphins basically because of Bill Parcells.
Blankets: Davone Bess
3. NY Jets
The only reason they aren't last is because I think their coach is decent and I think the Bills are a buncha crap.
If it isn't clear already, there is no analysis in this part, only predictions and stupid stuff. Enjoy it.
Blankets: Jerricho Cotchery, Darrelle Revis
4. Buffalo Bills
T.O. can go straight to hell...or get hurt....would be good.
Blankets: Fred Jackson, Marshawn Lynch
AFC SOUTH
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
I don't love picking this division. This was one of the worst teams in the league last season but stranger things have happened. As I'm typing this, I'm thinking about whether I should put Houston in this first spot or dead last. NO idea...
Blankets: None
2. Tennessee Titans
I don't even know what's happening right now. These teams are all good but not good enough to be in first and all have problems...does somebody have to win? I'm lost.
Blankets: Justin Gage, Michael Griffin, Bo Scaife
3. Houston Texans
Really good offense. Ready to break out. Quarterback gets hurt too much. Can't win away from home. What am I supposed to do with this shit?
Blankets: Kevin Walter
4. Indianapolis Colts
Did I just put the Colts to finish last in their division? Well, whatever.
Blankets: None
AFC WEST
1. San Diego Chargers
This is the worst division. I bet the Chargers drop one to Kansas City for no reason this year but otherwise do OK in this division and otherwise. BOOOOORINNGGG.
Blankets: None
2. Kansas City Chiefs
KC could have a mildly exciting offense but they just don't have any talent. Second place in this division is all about who wants it and I think KC will try.
Blankets: Jamaal Charles
3. Oakland Raiders
Again, this team has no idea what's going on, but they won a few games last season that nobody seemed to notice. If Asamlafuaoguuugahaa comes back, they can win five games or so WHICH WILL DEFINITELY GET THEM OUT OF THE BASEMENT IN THE AFC WEST.
Blankets: None
4. Denver Broncos
This is what they get for the Jay Cutler Fiasco. Lousy.
Blankets: None
NFC NORTH
1. Chicago Bears
Once you my fantasy team, you'll know that I have bought stock in this team.
It has recently come to my attention (from a Packers' fan) that the Bears' defense "isn't that good." Whatever. You're taking a decent team from last year, giving the running back another year and replacing a horrible quarterback with a really good one. I have no problem with this.
Blankets: Jay Cutler, Matt Forte, Lance Briggs, Brad Maynard
2. Green Bay Packers
Everyone loves the Packers and Aaron Rodgers and they (both) do seem pretty explosive. I'm just not convinced that either one has any direction or focus or knows how to finish games because they were explosive last year and were 6-10.
Blankets: None
3. Minnesota Vikings
I guess I'm betting against Brett Favre and I KNOW that I'm betting against Brad Childress and I'm nervous about betting against Adrian Peterson and Jared Allen but somethings good teams get third place in a division with three good teams.
Blankets: Chad Greenway
4. Detroit Lions
Bad.
Here are my thoughts about the quarterback situation:
It doesn't matter who you start right now. You will not win more than 2 games in this season (in all likelihood). You can start Culpepper and then bring in Stafford when you're ready or start Stafford, but one thing you cannot do is this: DO NOT START STAFFORD AND THEN PULL HIM AND THEN PULL HIM. That is what doesn't work.
Obviously Stafford will be a disaster but that whole team is a disaster so who cares. If you don't think your quarterback can handle going 2-14 in his first season, then he's not a good quarterback.
Blankets: None
NFC EAST
1. Philadelphia Eagles
This team is always so good, I don't understand why they can't keep it together. I think their WRs are much improved from the shit-show they are used to and they might in in Westbrook's last year with his replacement up and coming. It looks good.
Blankets: Trent Cole
2. Washington Redskins
I can't believe I'm doing this but I feel like they aren't bad and they always do better than they are. I was about to put them third so it makes sense that they would finish second.
Blankets: None
3. New York Giants
No Plax is a problem but they are still quite good. Eli Manning is still Eli Manning even though he won a Super Bowl and that's not horrible, but he's not a Hall of Famer. It is what it is.
Blankets: None
4. Dallas Cowboys
This is shamelessly full of hate. Dallas Cowboys? Fuck 'em.
Blankets: Jason Witten
NFC SOUTH
1. Atlanta Falcons
They seem to have a good coach, quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end...I don't know much about their defense but it all looks right to me.
Blankets: Roddy White
2. Carolina Panthers
I hate these guys because Jake Delhomme is an embarrassment to humanity, but I don't trust the Saints.
Blankets: None
3. New Orleans Saints
Drew Brees' history shows that he is the king of the high stats/low wins quarterbacks. I like him, but come on. Make the friggin' playoffs.
Blankets: None
4. Tampa Bay Bucs
Who is their quarterback? Seriously, I have no idea. Is it Luke McCown? Is he even on their team? Is he even a person?
Blankets: Cadillac Williams
NFC WEST
1. Seattle Seahawks
This is a division where none of the teams are great and that's why they rotate so often. The Seahawks are going to outmatch their schedule this season and win this division.
Blankets: None
2. Arizona Cardinals
Super Bowl losers that were never that good to begin with.
Blankets: Darnell Dockett, Neil Rackers, Chris Wells
3. San Francisco 49ers
I love this coach. I still think Glen Coffee is a fantasy extreme sleeper.
Blankets: Shaun Hill
4. St. Louis Rams
I just don't care anymore.
Blankets: None
I'm gonna go get a TV so I can watch stuff instead of type stuff.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
A Variety of Things
A few years ago at Subway (famous for it's "fresh-take hot line"), my Grandpa was asked by the "chef" what he would like on his sub. His answer: "Oh...a variety of things." This has nothing to do with anything, I just thought it was funny.
Per Bowl and Rob's clamoring for more posts (and my competition for being the best blog in my fantasy football league) I feel that I have to comment on, well...a variety of things.
1. It's too early for a football preview. I'd actually like to watch some preseason games to see who I think is good and to refresh my memory about why I like and don't like certain teams. My fantasy football league/team preview will come with this.
2. The Cavs signed Leon Powe to a two-year deal for what seems like no money in the Dan Gilbert era. It's funny how with each subsequent signing, your expectations drop so much.
Anthony Parker, while I'm happy with him, seemed like a disappointment because we could have (and should have) gotten Ariza (and I blame Ariza for this, if you were wondering). Jamario Moon was somewhat of a steal for the second signing (you could almost argue it was actually stealing).
And now, with the third signing (for the league minimum), I basically just approve of this deal. If anyone reading this didn't know already, Leon Powe is recovering from his THIRD ACL RECONSTRUCTION SURGERY ON HIS LEFT KNEE AS WELL AS MICRO FRACTURE SURGERY ON THE SAME KNEE AND WON'T BE ABLE TO PLAY UNTIL FEBRUARY AT THE EARLIEST.
That is how high my expectations were. It appears the Cavs are actually interested in one more random forward (my sources, in case anyone didn't know, are Brian Windhorst's Twitter Page and nothing else), it seems to not matter who (I'm sure Rob Kurz is a great guy, but if anyone is telling you they are "interested" in Rob Kurz, they are lying).
3. The Indians.
Excuse me for not being pessimistic, but I'm much more interested in them currently than I was for the first half of the season.
We traded a few guys, like Ryan Garko, Ben Francisco, Mark DeRosa and Carl Pavano that I'm just not going to miss...so whatever. If we get anything at all for those guys, great. It instinctually hurts when you trade basically the only two guys on your team who were having good seasons and probably the only two legitimately good major league players on your roster...but here's the dynamic that make these good trades (regardless of whether we got enough to Cliff Lee or not because we probably didn't but I don't know the Minor Leagues well enough to discuss this is the necessary detail).
To take a step back for a moment, this team we had to start the year...well, it SEEMED good enough to make the playoffs in this division. They started losing and then they continued to lose. They looked around and thought, "Why are we losing?" and, as always, there is no real answer to that question. Talent wins in the playoffs, but to make the playoffs, especially in a crappy division, you just have to figure out how to win faster than the other guys.
With baseball being such a long season where you play almost every day as well as being a sport that is not physically draining, it's just confusing when you're losing. Unlike in football or basketball or most other things, the answer is not more effort or even necessarily more preparation. I don't even know what the answer is. You just have to figure it out. I know that seems like absolutely no analysis, but what am I supposed to say? You have to get clutch hits and make clutch defensive plays and make clutch pitches...but how do people do those things? They just have to find a groove and all get on it. People who have never played baseball say that it's not really a team sport but I totally disagree. It's not as rhythmic as basketball or soccer and you're life isn't in the hands of your teammates as much as it is in football, but if you don't do your job in baseball, your teammates are screwed, and if you don't have any confidence in your teammates to do their jobs, you'll have trouble doing yours. It's subtle, but it's there.
So back to the new-look Tribe.
Frankly, we currently have a disgusting team to look at. I could mention some players I think could stick (Asdrubal Cabrera, Jamey Carroll...that might be it), but we have nobody who has mentionable power, speed or pitching velocity. The Indians have a disturbingly low amount of anything spectacular in any area of the game. Ouch.
So what we got in these deals, from what I hear from my sources, is a ton of pitchers, of which many throw in the mid to upper 90s and one of which has already been good in the Majors (Masterson). I guess I'm satisfied. But to answer any one's potential questions as to why the Indians appear to be playing much better with a much worse team, here is the answer:
First, the pressure is off. Easy.
Second, and more noteworthy, these young guys who are not very good are playing better, I believe, mainly because we traded our two best players. It's hard for young players who know they are failing the veterans to play well. I know Victor Martinez was a great guy, but that actually makes it worse. Young guys would want to please Victor so much that I'm thinking it became counterproductive. I'm telling you, baseball is that way. If you hate your teammates or love them too much, as this case seems to be, in football you can just do your job and go about your business. Baseball isn't as much a read and react game. You are forced to put all other aspects of life on the back burner or you actually might get killed. The leisurely aspect of baseball makes it more difficult to play with mental baggage because you can bring it along with you when you play and you probably won't get hurt or embarrassed, you just won't play very well. It seems like the tedium of baseball requires an almost eerily relaxed mind to perform on a consistent basis.
4. RoBry Fantasy Football League.
Go Blankets!!!!
(Note to Maggs: I will not root for your team until you give it a name.)
Per Bowl and Rob's clamoring for more posts (and my competition for being the best blog in my fantasy football league) I feel that I have to comment on, well...a variety of things.
1. It's too early for a football preview. I'd actually like to watch some preseason games to see who I think is good and to refresh my memory about why I like and don't like certain teams. My fantasy football league/team preview will come with this.
2. The Cavs signed Leon Powe to a two-year deal for what seems like no money in the Dan Gilbert era. It's funny how with each subsequent signing, your expectations drop so much.
Anthony Parker, while I'm happy with him, seemed like a disappointment because we could have (and should have) gotten Ariza (and I blame Ariza for this, if you were wondering). Jamario Moon was somewhat of a steal for the second signing (you could almost argue it was actually stealing).
And now, with the third signing (for the league minimum), I basically just approve of this deal. If anyone reading this didn't know already, Leon Powe is recovering from his THIRD ACL RECONSTRUCTION SURGERY ON HIS LEFT KNEE AS WELL AS MICRO FRACTURE SURGERY ON THE SAME KNEE AND WON'T BE ABLE TO PLAY UNTIL FEBRUARY AT THE EARLIEST.
That is how high my expectations were. It appears the Cavs are actually interested in one more random forward (my sources, in case anyone didn't know, are Brian Windhorst's Twitter Page and nothing else), it seems to not matter who (I'm sure Rob Kurz is a great guy, but if anyone is telling you they are "interested" in Rob Kurz, they are lying).
3. The Indians.
Excuse me for not being pessimistic, but I'm much more interested in them currently than I was for the first half of the season.
We traded a few guys, like Ryan Garko, Ben Francisco, Mark DeRosa and Carl Pavano that I'm just not going to miss...so whatever. If we get anything at all for those guys, great. It instinctually hurts when you trade basically the only two guys on your team who were having good seasons and probably the only two legitimately good major league players on your roster...but here's the dynamic that make these good trades (regardless of whether we got enough to Cliff Lee or not because we probably didn't but I don't know the Minor Leagues well enough to discuss this is the necessary detail).
To take a step back for a moment, this team we had to start the year...well, it SEEMED good enough to make the playoffs in this division. They started losing and then they continued to lose. They looked around and thought, "Why are we losing?" and, as always, there is no real answer to that question. Talent wins in the playoffs, but to make the playoffs, especially in a crappy division, you just have to figure out how to win faster than the other guys.
With baseball being such a long season where you play almost every day as well as being a sport that is not physically draining, it's just confusing when you're losing. Unlike in football or basketball or most other things, the answer is not more effort or even necessarily more preparation. I don't even know what the answer is. You just have to figure it out. I know that seems like absolutely no analysis, but what am I supposed to say? You have to get clutch hits and make clutch defensive plays and make clutch pitches...but how do people do those things? They just have to find a groove and all get on it. People who have never played baseball say that it's not really a team sport but I totally disagree. It's not as rhythmic as basketball or soccer and you're life isn't in the hands of your teammates as much as it is in football, but if you don't do your job in baseball, your teammates are screwed, and if you don't have any confidence in your teammates to do their jobs, you'll have trouble doing yours. It's subtle, but it's there.
So back to the new-look Tribe.
Frankly, we currently have a disgusting team to look at. I could mention some players I think could stick (Asdrubal Cabrera, Jamey Carroll...that might be it), but we have nobody who has mentionable power, speed or pitching velocity. The Indians have a disturbingly low amount of anything spectacular in any area of the game. Ouch.
So what we got in these deals, from what I hear from my sources, is a ton of pitchers, of which many throw in the mid to upper 90s and one of which has already been good in the Majors (Masterson). I guess I'm satisfied. But to answer any one's potential questions as to why the Indians appear to be playing much better with a much worse team, here is the answer:
First, the pressure is off. Easy.
Second, and more noteworthy, these young guys who are not very good are playing better, I believe, mainly because we traded our two best players. It's hard for young players who know they are failing the veterans to play well. I know Victor Martinez was a great guy, but that actually makes it worse. Young guys would want to please Victor so much that I'm thinking it became counterproductive. I'm telling you, baseball is that way. If you hate your teammates or love them too much, as this case seems to be, in football you can just do your job and go about your business. Baseball isn't as much a read and react game. You are forced to put all other aspects of life on the back burner or you actually might get killed. The leisurely aspect of baseball makes it more difficult to play with mental baggage because you can bring it along with you when you play and you probably won't get hurt or embarrassed, you just won't play very well. It seems like the tedium of baseball requires an almost eerily relaxed mind to perform on a consistent basis.
4. RoBry Fantasy Football League.
Go Blankets!!!!
(Note to Maggs: I will not root for your team until you give it a name.)
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Danny Ferry the Thief and LeBron's Thin Skin
Danny Ferry, after having to settle for a 34-year-old shooting guard, is back on the free agent horse.
Very secretly, while Miami was indulging their fantasies of bringing back Lamar Odom from L.A. (who can pay him more money and is a better team in a bigger market), the Cavaliers have signed the Heat's Jamario Moon (6-8, 200 lbs., 29 years old) to an offer sheet worth somewhere around $3 million per year for 2 years. How awesome is this? For those of you who don't know what it means to sign a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, here is what it is:
When you are an unrestricted free agent, you can sign with any team you want. Your old team can offer you more money because of something called "Bird rights," but you can still do whatever you want. When you are a RESTRICTED free agent, other teams can sign you to "offer sheets." After that happens, your old/current team has 1 week to match that offer, or you now have a new team. So why is this cool?
Because the Heat are having trouble. Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade have been going back and forth through the media about Wade committing to the Heat so they could get free agents to come to Miami. Now, the Heat have been trying to finagle Carlos Boozer and Lamar Odom as desperation moves to quickly and easily improve the team, while still having young guys like Daequan Cook and, yes, Jamario Moon that they need to re-sign. They are sort of in trouble...so Ferry is trying to pick off one of their quality yet more expendable guys for cheap. It's kind of a dirty move and I love it. It's clearly possible that the Heat will match this offer and, I won't lie, I do have my hopes up. I just like the spirit of this move.
For anyone unfamiliar with Jamario's work, here's a quick taste. He can jump...HIGH. I would like him.
Dunking on LeBron
I would like to say that the national sports media has reached a new low, but this is pretty much par for the course.
After turning LeBron's non hand-shaking policy and his themed shirts he wears on vacation into a reason he is a bad guy, "dunkgate" arrives.
Before I get started, here is this article written by Brian Windhorst, aka, "The Best (as opposed to Jon Scheyer whose nickname is "The Worst"). I'll wait for you to read the whole thing...
......
OK.
Regardless of whether or not these are the real motives behind taking the tapes, has anyone heard this point of view on any ESPN show? Any sports show? I haven't. So what has happened is this: The most likely explanation for such an odd story is not told by anyone other than the Cavs' beat writer. Never is it put forth by the national media as a possibility. The only way we talk about it is assuming the worst and asking, "what this means." We are asking what something that didn't happen means about a person as if we are sure it happened...which it didn't. This false demonstration of ridiculous insecurity is now on LeBron's permanent record. It's like a rumor getting started in school that you're gay or that you like someone when you're 10 years old and the more you deny it, the truer it becomes in the public eye. It's disgraceful. This is what the media is.
This situation infuriates me to no end. I don't want the tapes released. I want LeBron to come up to a podium and say to the media, "I am the best player since Jordan, I'm an unselfish winner, I'm a good role model...and you people feast upon me as if I fight dogs and yet roll out the red carpet for Kobe, who is selfish, not as good a player as me and has been accused of rape. I give an interview before and after every single game and get no love from you people. Fuck you all, I'm leaving."
I don't really want LeBron to say these things...that isn't really much of a high road. These are just the words that the media deserves. Congratulations guys, you earned them.
Very secretly, while Miami was indulging their fantasies of bringing back Lamar Odom from L.A. (who can pay him more money and is a better team in a bigger market), the Cavaliers have signed the Heat's Jamario Moon (6-8, 200 lbs., 29 years old) to an offer sheet worth somewhere around $3 million per year for 2 years. How awesome is this? For those of you who don't know what it means to sign a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, here is what it is:
When you are an unrestricted free agent, you can sign with any team you want. Your old team can offer you more money because of something called "Bird rights," but you can still do whatever you want. When you are a RESTRICTED free agent, other teams can sign you to "offer sheets." After that happens, your old/current team has 1 week to match that offer, or you now have a new team. So why is this cool?
Because the Heat are having trouble. Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade have been going back and forth through the media about Wade committing to the Heat so they could get free agents to come to Miami. Now, the Heat have been trying to finagle Carlos Boozer and Lamar Odom as desperation moves to quickly and easily improve the team, while still having young guys like Daequan Cook and, yes, Jamario Moon that they need to re-sign. They are sort of in trouble...so Ferry is trying to pick off one of their quality yet more expendable guys for cheap. It's kind of a dirty move and I love it. It's clearly possible that the Heat will match this offer and, I won't lie, I do have my hopes up. I just like the spirit of this move.
For anyone unfamiliar with Jamario's work, here's a quick taste. He can jump...HIGH. I would like him.
Dunking on LeBron
I would like to say that the national sports media has reached a new low, but this is pretty much par for the course.
After turning LeBron's non hand-shaking policy and his themed shirts he wears on vacation into a reason he is a bad guy, "dunkgate" arrives.
Before I get started, here is this article written by Brian Windhorst, aka, "The Best (as opposed to Jon Scheyer whose nickname is "The Worst"). I'll wait for you to read the whole thing...
......
OK.
Regardless of whether or not these are the real motives behind taking the tapes, has anyone heard this point of view on any ESPN show? Any sports show? I haven't. So what has happened is this: The most likely explanation for such an odd story is not told by anyone other than the Cavs' beat writer. Never is it put forth by the national media as a possibility. The only way we talk about it is assuming the worst and asking, "what this means." We are asking what something that didn't happen means about a person as if we are sure it happened...which it didn't. This false demonstration of ridiculous insecurity is now on LeBron's permanent record. It's like a rumor getting started in school that you're gay or that you like someone when you're 10 years old and the more you deny it, the truer it becomes in the public eye. It's disgraceful. This is what the media is.
This situation infuriates me to no end. I don't want the tapes released. I want LeBron to come up to a podium and say to the media, "I am the best player since Jordan, I'm an unselfish winner, I'm a good role model...and you people feast upon me as if I fight dogs and yet roll out the red carpet for Kobe, who is selfish, not as good a player as me and has been accused of rape. I give an interview before and after every single game and get no love from you people. Fuck you all, I'm leaving."
I don't really want LeBron to say these things...that isn't really much of a high road. These are just the words that the media deserves. Congratulations guys, you earned them.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Major Rationalizations: Anderson Varejao and Anthony Parker
In case it's unclear, I actually do believe the things I'm about to say here. Granted, I am forced to talk myself into basically everything the Cavs do at this point, but regardless, this is how I really feel:
Last night, while normal people slept and I was up reading Brian Windhorst's Twitter page, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Anderson Varejao to a 6 year, $42.5 million contract (with the last year not fully guaranteed and incentives that could net him up to $50 million) and came to an agreement with former Toronto Raptors shooting guard and Euro-League MVP, Anthony Parker.
Let's start with Varejao. The vast majority of fans and media have laughed at this deal, saying that Varejao was drastically overpaid. Bill Simmons' Twitter: "Statement by the Cavs: 'Look, any time you can lock up a role player for $42.5 million+ incentives with the cap going backwards, you have to do it.'"
I love Bill Simmons. He's basically all I read on espn.com now that everything John Hollinger writes is of "Insider" status (what the hell!!?!?!). But it's so easy to hate on the Cavs...hate on Varejao, on Danny Ferry....it's easy to hate on anything. That's basically what I do most of the time...I know. Here, let me show you:
Buddies (theoretical) Twitter: "Statement from Bill Simmons: 'Anytime you can hate on a conference rival without explaining why the contract is bad or mentioning that it's basically an extension to the contract the player already had or that you have written and spoken about how the positive ways Anderson Varejao affects the game cannot be measured by the current stats basically to make yourself look smart, you have to do it.'"
See how easy that is? That was a low blow, Bill...but so was mine, so we're even.
How about this: Anytime you can lock up a versatile big man who always plays hard, rarely gets hurt, plays well off your star player, is WELL LIKED by your star player, you have to do it...no really, I think you do.
I understand that it is instinctively frustrating that a player is so effective with so little basketball skill, but Anderson does it. How many times have basketball people agreed that effort is a skill? That durability is a skill? That chemistry matters? And now we're all criticising this deal that locks up this guy who is key to the identity of a 66-win team. I also happen to believe there is something to be said for not low-balling a key role player who has been with your team from the hard days and now entering some very likely glory days. The contracts that kill you are the ones where you're paying people who aren't playing $10 million or something, not the ones where you might be paying a key piece maybe $1 million too much, especially with Dan Gilbert dishing out money the way he is. I have roughly no problem with this deal. I know the argument, "We could get better players for less!!" I ask you, "How?" We don't have cap space and, more importantly, the players people would list as "better" are not better.
Newsflash: Charlie Villanueva is not better than Anderson Varejao (read above: "effort is a skill").
Anthony Parker.
He's going to be LeBron's Pippen! It's over!!! START ENGRAVING THE NAMES IN THE TROPHY!!!
Sorry about that...calm down Buddies...
OK, so who is this guy?
First of all, the word is that he signed for 2 or 3 years for around $3 million per season. I'm not sure why or how that is the word, but let's pretend it's true.
He's 34, 6-6, and 215 pounds. He is a former Euro-league MVP. He is the brother of Candace Parker.
One thing Anthony Parker is without question is a great shooter. He shot 39% from deep last year (which is very good), but the two years previous he shot 44% from deep (which is very very very good). He has a history of clutch shots as well being the guy on the Raptors who guards Kobe (in case you're wondering, Kobe's 81 points came against the Raptors the season BEFORE Parker came to the Raps). I don't think he is a lock-down defender, but he seems like a smart enough player.
So what do we have now? We have LeBron James, Shaq, and Varejao. We have a bunch (four) super good, super clutch shooters from three and mid-range. We have Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anthony Parker, Boobie Gibson, the young guys (JJ, Darnell, and Danny Green), and hopefully one more stretch Power Forward coming off the bench (possibly starting...Andy and Z play well together...wouldn't Channing Frye play well off of Shaq? I think he might).
The Cavs have, without a doubt, drastically improved from last season. Last 66-win season. We can all cry about how nobody wants to play in Cleveland, but clearly some do. And I think the people who are (mis)fortunate enough to play in Cleveland share a bond because they are all outcasts. I like this team, I think we're the best team, and I think we're going to sign one more player. How's that for optimism?
Last night, while normal people slept and I was up reading Brian Windhorst's Twitter page, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed Anderson Varejao to a 6 year, $42.5 million contract (with the last year not fully guaranteed and incentives that could net him up to $50 million) and came to an agreement with former Toronto Raptors shooting guard and Euro-League MVP, Anthony Parker.
Let's start with Varejao. The vast majority of fans and media have laughed at this deal, saying that Varejao was drastically overpaid. Bill Simmons' Twitter: "Statement by the Cavs: 'Look, any time you can lock up a role player for $42.5 million+ incentives with the cap going backwards, you have to do it.'"
I love Bill Simmons. He's basically all I read on espn.com now that everything John Hollinger writes is of "Insider" status (what the hell!!?!?!). But it's so easy to hate on the Cavs...hate on Varejao, on Danny Ferry....it's easy to hate on anything. That's basically what I do most of the time...I know. Here, let me show you:
Buddies (theoretical) Twitter: "Statement from Bill Simmons: 'Anytime you can hate on a conference rival without explaining why the contract is bad or mentioning that it's basically an extension to the contract the player already had or that you have written and spoken about how the positive ways Anderson Varejao affects the game cannot be measured by the current stats basically to make yourself look smart, you have to do it.'"
See how easy that is? That was a low blow, Bill...but so was mine, so we're even.
How about this: Anytime you can lock up a versatile big man who always plays hard, rarely gets hurt, plays well off your star player, is WELL LIKED by your star player, you have to do it...no really, I think you do.
I understand that it is instinctively frustrating that a player is so effective with so little basketball skill, but Anderson does it. How many times have basketball people agreed that effort is a skill? That durability is a skill? That chemistry matters? And now we're all criticising this deal that locks up this guy who is key to the identity of a 66-win team. I also happen to believe there is something to be said for not low-balling a key role player who has been with your team from the hard days and now entering some very likely glory days. The contracts that kill you are the ones where you're paying people who aren't playing $10 million or something, not the ones where you might be paying a key piece maybe $1 million too much, especially with Dan Gilbert dishing out money the way he is. I have roughly no problem with this deal. I know the argument, "We could get better players for less!!" I ask you, "How?" We don't have cap space and, more importantly, the players people would list as "better" are not better.
Newsflash: Charlie Villanueva is not better than Anderson Varejao (read above: "effort is a skill").
Anthony Parker.
He's going to be LeBron's Pippen! It's over!!! START ENGRAVING THE NAMES IN THE TROPHY!!!
Sorry about that...calm down Buddies...
OK, so who is this guy?
First of all, the word is that he signed for 2 or 3 years for around $3 million per season. I'm not sure why or how that is the word, but let's pretend it's true.
He's 34, 6-6, and 215 pounds. He is a former Euro-league MVP. He is the brother of Candace Parker.
One thing Anthony Parker is without question is a great shooter. He shot 39% from deep last year (which is very good), but the two years previous he shot 44% from deep (which is very very very good). He has a history of clutch shots as well being the guy on the Raptors who guards Kobe (in case you're wondering, Kobe's 81 points came against the Raptors the season BEFORE Parker came to the Raps). I don't think he is a lock-down defender, but he seems like a smart enough player.
So what do we have now? We have LeBron James, Shaq, and Varejao. We have a bunch (four) super good, super clutch shooters from three and mid-range. We have Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Anthony Parker, Boobie Gibson, the young guys (JJ, Darnell, and Danny Green), and hopefully one more stretch Power Forward coming off the bench (possibly starting...Andy and Z play well together...wouldn't Channing Frye play well off of Shaq? I think he might).
The Cavs have, without a doubt, drastically improved from last season. Last 66-win season. We can all cry about how nobody wants to play in Cleveland, but clearly some do. And I think the people who are (mis)fortunate enough to play in Cleveland share a bond because they are all outcasts. I like this team, I think we're the best team, and I think we're going to sign one more player. How's that for optimism?
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Free Agency Status on the Fifth of July
During the insane first few days of NBA free agency, I'd like to take the Independence Day Weekend to take a step back and review what has happened so far (yes, this will include a mild amount of bitterness).
Here's an off-the-top-of-my-head time line of the events so far:
- Carlos Boozer somewhat surprisingly opted INTO his contract, making Charlie Villanueva the most attractive young Power Forward in Free Agency instead of a talented lazy ass who could be had for shockingly cheap...
- The Detroit Pistons immediately lock up Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva by overpaying both of them rather severely. They don't even make a run at Ariza or Turkoglu.
This is not even a creative analogy, it's just exactly what's going on: Free Agency is like a bunch of guys at a bar trying to pick up ladies. Period. It's the exact same thing. And the Pistons, instead of trying to play it cool or go for the really high class ladies, they just snagged two "fives" and said, "See ya later."
To explain further, I was a proponent of bringing Charlie Villanueva into the Cavs' system. He would have been our second leading scorer and would be the second most athletically gifted player on the roster. He is totally lazy on defense (and actually offense) but I thought the pressure of LeBron and Shaq would have been enough to force him into trying. But a bad team with no leaders and no coach? And adding Ben Gordon as well? For more than the Mid-Level Exeption? That's a big pass and a half...on BOTH.
- News spreads that Trevor Ariza is feeling a little dissed by the Lakers for the lack of an offer above the mid-level and is looking around for another team. Let me put this another way: Ariza's boyfriend wasn't being nice enough to him so he started flirting with other teams to make him jealous. Little did he know, the Lakers had a hotter girl lined up right behind him (Ron Artest signs with the Lakers for the mid level) for the same price. Now Ariza is out in the abyss of the bar waiting for teams to start buying him drinks.
The Cavs immediately contact him and put on the "full-court press," as Chris Broussard put it. Ariza even talked directly to Mike Brown. Then, Rockets' GM Daryl Morey flies to wherever Ariza is and later that night, Ariza is a Rocket.
Why did Ariza choose Houston, a team with two broken down stars and roughly no title hopes in the tough Western Conference over Cleveland, the Vegas odds on title favorite as well as the team who is most likely to face Ariza's ex-boyfriend in the Finals? Nobody really knows. The obvious answers are that:
a. Cleveland sucks. I don't like saying that but there are a lot of reasons not to live in Cleveland, it's an unavoidable truth.
b. Is Shaq staying? Is LeBron Staying? Probably not and maybe. That is definitely worrying for a guy thinking about signing a five-year deal when he is 24 years old. But still, it's a two-way street. Think about this:
LeBron won't sign an extension or commit to Cleveland allegedly because he wants more flexibility and wants to keep pressure on the Cavs' organization to build a winner around him, but the assurance that he will be there is making it nearly impossible to convince top-flight free agents to come to Cleveland and therefore, build a winner around LeBron James.
Ariza assumedly wants to play for a winner and wants security that LeBron will stay past this year before he signs, but the only way to get that security is if someone like Ariza would sign long-term...it's more than a little bit frustrating from where I'm sitting.
(These two topics are covered more in depth and much more clearly here and here)
- Hedo Turkoglu semi agrees to an offer with Portland and then actually agrees to a contract with Toronto. I knew he was going to be the one to rock the boat. He's foreign and has always seemed to weirdly oblivious to everything, even while playing. He is clutch because he feels no pressure because he has no concept of where he is. I don't believe he will feel awkward for screwing the Blazers because I don't think he knows that he did it.
Either way, the Raptors are still bad and Portland is still good and at least the Blazers still have options.
- For the rest of the free agents, we can only assume that Rasheed Wallace will be going to Boston so I'm going to put it on the timeline like it happened. He'll fit right in with their core of veteran douche bags (also known as the "Big Three.")
So with the Lakers, Spurs (Richard Jefferson), and Boston improving (I'm not including Orlando on purpose), what is left for Cleveland to do?
Well, they are rumored to be interested in Anthony Parker. As Cleveland proved last summer, there are less impressive signings in the world than a guy like Parker, but the fact remains, nobody is getting excited about a 34-yeard old who has been back and forth between Europe and the NBA his whole career. You can't even, in good conscience, give him the full mid level. Still, he's not bad. He's a great shooter, a good defender, and a smart player (by all accounts). And from what I know, Danny Ferry is cut from the cloth (or the other way around) of Daryl Morey, the MIT stats machine who hits bargains rather routinely. The fact that Ferry is oddly interested in a seemingly ho-hum player gives me hope that he will fit in exceptionally well if we get him. Of course, I have to believe that.
With that said, here is who I would go after if I were in charge.
1. Josh Childress
Once again, I'm extremely unclear as to his situation with his Euro club and the fact that we don't seem to have any interest in him at all leads me to believe he would not consider buying out his Euro deal to play here. He does serve roughly the same purpose as Ariza, in fact, he's probably better than Ariza. Ariza is attractive because of his sacrifice on a Championship Team, but his stats really aren't eye-popping by any means. This seems unlikely for whatever reason.
2. Grant Hill
Again, a much better player than Ariza (I keep coming back to him because he was my documented first choice in free agency) at the present time. He is injury prone and old as hell, but if you can't get Ariza long-term, you might as well go for Grant Hill for one year if he is interested in being the back up small forward on a Championship Team. He may be 36, but he did take a few years off and he certainly doesn't play like he's 36.
3. Marvin Williams
Anthony Parker would actually be in between these two. We're honestly already to the point where I really am not excited about these people at all. However, Marvin Williams is very talented and somewhat admirably toughed out an injury to his shooting wrist in the playoff series against the Cavs. Glenn likes this guy.
4. Brandon Bass
A cheap and athletic Power Forward. He's fine...I'm about to die of yawning. There's also Matt Barnes, but I don't even feel like wasting a number on him.
So that's what we have on our hands. A super mediocre free agent pool and the least attractive city amongst the contenders. But here's the bright side:
I have almost never heard of Ferry going after a guy I didn't like. There were rumors of Cleveland wanting Rasheed Wallace, J.R. Smith, and Shawn Marion...all unfounded. You know why? Because those guys are assholes. When we traded for Mo Williams, who really knew anything about that guy? Well, he worked out perfectly so I have no other choice but to trust Ferry in whatever small or large moves he makes for the rest of the off season. Let's hope it's well founded.
Here's an off-the-top-of-my-head time line of the events so far:
- Carlos Boozer somewhat surprisingly opted INTO his contract, making Charlie Villanueva the most attractive young Power Forward in Free Agency instead of a talented lazy ass who could be had for shockingly cheap...
- The Detroit Pistons immediately lock up Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva by overpaying both of them rather severely. They don't even make a run at Ariza or Turkoglu.
This is not even a creative analogy, it's just exactly what's going on: Free Agency is like a bunch of guys at a bar trying to pick up ladies. Period. It's the exact same thing. And the Pistons, instead of trying to play it cool or go for the really high class ladies, they just snagged two "fives" and said, "See ya later."
To explain further, I was a proponent of bringing Charlie Villanueva into the Cavs' system. He would have been our second leading scorer and would be the second most athletically gifted player on the roster. He is totally lazy on defense (and actually offense) but I thought the pressure of LeBron and Shaq would have been enough to force him into trying. But a bad team with no leaders and no coach? And adding Ben Gordon as well? For more than the Mid-Level Exeption? That's a big pass and a half...on BOTH.
- News spreads that Trevor Ariza is feeling a little dissed by the Lakers for the lack of an offer above the mid-level and is looking around for another team. Let me put this another way: Ariza's boyfriend wasn't being nice enough to him so he started flirting with other teams to make him jealous. Little did he know, the Lakers had a hotter girl lined up right behind him (Ron Artest signs with the Lakers for the mid level) for the same price. Now Ariza is out in the abyss of the bar waiting for teams to start buying him drinks.
The Cavs immediately contact him and put on the "full-court press," as Chris Broussard put it. Ariza even talked directly to Mike Brown. Then, Rockets' GM Daryl Morey flies to wherever Ariza is and later that night, Ariza is a Rocket.
Why did Ariza choose Houston, a team with two broken down stars and roughly no title hopes in the tough Western Conference over Cleveland, the Vegas odds on title favorite as well as the team who is most likely to face Ariza's ex-boyfriend in the Finals? Nobody really knows. The obvious answers are that:
a. Cleveland sucks. I don't like saying that but there are a lot of reasons not to live in Cleveland, it's an unavoidable truth.
b. Is Shaq staying? Is LeBron Staying? Probably not and maybe. That is definitely worrying for a guy thinking about signing a five-year deal when he is 24 years old. But still, it's a two-way street. Think about this:
LeBron won't sign an extension or commit to Cleveland allegedly because he wants more flexibility and wants to keep pressure on the Cavs' organization to build a winner around him, but the assurance that he will be there is making it nearly impossible to convince top-flight free agents to come to Cleveland and therefore, build a winner around LeBron James.
Ariza assumedly wants to play for a winner and wants security that LeBron will stay past this year before he signs, but the only way to get that security is if someone like Ariza would sign long-term...it's more than a little bit frustrating from where I'm sitting.
(These two topics are covered more in depth and much more clearly here and here)
- Hedo Turkoglu semi agrees to an offer with Portland and then actually agrees to a contract with Toronto. I knew he was going to be the one to rock the boat. He's foreign and has always seemed to weirdly oblivious to everything, even while playing. He is clutch because he feels no pressure because he has no concept of where he is. I don't believe he will feel awkward for screwing the Blazers because I don't think he knows that he did it.
Either way, the Raptors are still bad and Portland is still good and at least the Blazers still have options.
- For the rest of the free agents, we can only assume that Rasheed Wallace will be going to Boston so I'm going to put it on the timeline like it happened. He'll fit right in with their core of veteran douche bags (also known as the "Big Three.")
So with the Lakers, Spurs (Richard Jefferson), and Boston improving (I'm not including Orlando on purpose), what is left for Cleveland to do?
Well, they are rumored to be interested in Anthony Parker. As Cleveland proved last summer, there are less impressive signings in the world than a guy like Parker, but the fact remains, nobody is getting excited about a 34-yeard old who has been back and forth between Europe and the NBA his whole career. You can't even, in good conscience, give him the full mid level. Still, he's not bad. He's a great shooter, a good defender, and a smart player (by all accounts). And from what I know, Danny Ferry is cut from the cloth (or the other way around) of Daryl Morey, the MIT stats machine who hits bargains rather routinely. The fact that Ferry is oddly interested in a seemingly ho-hum player gives me hope that he will fit in exceptionally well if we get him. Of course, I have to believe that.
With that said, here is who I would go after if I were in charge.
1. Josh Childress
Once again, I'm extremely unclear as to his situation with his Euro club and the fact that we don't seem to have any interest in him at all leads me to believe he would not consider buying out his Euro deal to play here. He does serve roughly the same purpose as Ariza, in fact, he's probably better than Ariza. Ariza is attractive because of his sacrifice on a Championship Team, but his stats really aren't eye-popping by any means. This seems unlikely for whatever reason.
2. Grant Hill
Again, a much better player than Ariza (I keep coming back to him because he was my documented first choice in free agency) at the present time. He is injury prone and old as hell, but if you can't get Ariza long-term, you might as well go for Grant Hill for one year if he is interested in being the back up small forward on a Championship Team. He may be 36, but he did take a few years off and he certainly doesn't play like he's 36.
3. Marvin Williams
Anthony Parker would actually be in between these two. We're honestly already to the point where I really am not excited about these people at all. However, Marvin Williams is very talented and somewhat admirably toughed out an injury to his shooting wrist in the playoff series against the Cavs. Glenn likes this guy.
4. Brandon Bass
A cheap and athletic Power Forward. He's fine...I'm about to die of yawning. There's also Matt Barnes, but I don't even feel like wasting a number on him.
So that's what we have on our hands. A super mediocre free agent pool and the least attractive city amongst the contenders. But here's the bright side:
I have almost never heard of Ferry going after a guy I didn't like. There were rumors of Cleveland wanting Rasheed Wallace, J.R. Smith, and Shawn Marion...all unfounded. You know why? Because those guys are assholes. When we traded for Mo Williams, who really knew anything about that guy? Well, he worked out perfectly so I have no other choice but to trust Ferry in whatever small or large moves he makes for the rest of the off season. Let's hope it's well founded.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Shaq Trade and Draft Thoughts
...with a potential delayed John Glenn appearance.
One night a little over a year ago, my brother's roommate walked into his apartment drunker than I've ever seen him. He could barely get out a sentence and eventually just ended the "conversation" by saying, "I'm fuckin' done," and went to sleep. But before he left, the one and only sentence he could could clearly get out was this as we watched late night sports center: "I love the Shaq Diesel." Love or hate this deal, that fact still remains.
Per usual, nobody seems to understand this deal correctly. Not to be a pompous gasbag, but I'm going to try to explain a couple misconceptions I feel exist about it.
1. Shaq is "injury prone."
Disagree...
at least as far as giant 7-footers are concerned.
I heard GM Daryl Morey on the BS Report say that Yao is the only proportional 7-6 guy in the world. Again, I disagree. If he was proportional, wouldn't his feet hold together for a whole season? A seven-footer should look like Shaq. This is how I explained it to my sister:
Most seven-foot Centers look like a normal person if you put them on Microsoft Word and stretched them upwards (I hope you know what I'm talking about or this won't make any sense). But, if you put an NFL Tight End or Running Back on Microsoft Word and grabbed the CORNER tool and stretched it would look like Shaq. Point being, of course it is difficult to maintain a giant body over an NBA season (or even at all), but the Shaq Diesel is such a shockingly good athlete, I have no doubts he would play in the NBA (or NFL) if he were a whole foot shorter. The Big Smokestack (throwin' it out there) skips regular season games because they are irrelevant to him and borderline irresponsible for him to play in if they don't matter. When he is motivated, he wins.
Shaq isn't injury prone, he's lazy prone.
2. Shaquille alone isn't going to bring Cleveland a title (and that somehow matters).
Well, of course not.
Every time the Cavaliers make a trade, the world judges the deal in this way: "Is (Insert Name of Guy Just Traded For) going to be LeBron James' sidekick for a title run?"
First of all, let's debunk the myth that the best way to win a Championship is to have two stars and a bunch of role players. I'm not sure that has really ever happened other than with Jordan/Pippen and Kobe/Shaq. Nowadays we are all shocked when a complete team wins a title, and every time a new way to win comes up, we think that is the new way to do it. Now what, you need a "big three" instead of a "Batman and Robin?" There is more than one way to win a Championship so stop trying to figure it out unless you're REALLY trying to figure it out.
But back to the perplexing media.
They even did this with the Wally/Wallace/West/Smith trade. ESPN speculated about whether Ben Wallace was going to be LeBron's "Robin." Are you kidding me?? Ben Wallace???? What a shockingly awesome development that Delonte West has been the most consistently helpful performer in that trade. I love that guy.
Again, back on topic...
They did it with Mo Williams (a great piece and a great trade, but obviously not a Pippen-caliber player or even a Ray Allen caliber player) and now they're doing it with Shaq. They think the Cavs think that Shaq is 30-year old Shaq...and they're wrong. We all watched Shaq last year. He's a fringe All Star and his stats are maybe even a product of his situation. But he's still Shaq, and I mean that in this way and this way only:
I do not mean that, "Hey, maybe he'll just dominate out of nowhere like he used to!" I mean that he is the gregarious no bullshit teammate who loves winning and works hard when it is prudent to do so. He also loves LeBron (who wouldn't? ...and has LeBron ever played with a teammate who really commands any respect at all? Not really) and (I can't believe that Stu Scott is the only one I heard mention this) he is probably the best big man passer in the game still. Given what we gave up, how is this not a great move? GREAT move.
Oh yeah, back on topic...
Shaq is not the beginning and end of this off season (and clearly neither is the draft, which we'll get to). From what inside information I have (which is literally none, this is a total guess), this should be one of the most entertaining off seasons in history for Cleveland anything fans.
Here is a combination of crazy facts:
- The economy sucks.
Not a lot of people want to spend money and a lot of people are desperate and free agents will sign for way WAY less than they would have a few years ago. This is what that fact means.
- The Cavs don't care.
Somehow, Cleveland isn't that concerned with this. So, a team that needs a lot of pieces is dealing with teams that need money and don't even want pieces and a free agent market that will be full of guys that are cheaper than normal is what we have. Why are they willing to spend? Because paying tens of millions of dollars in the luxury tax is much much better than losing LeBron ever. Literally anything is better than losing LeBron. If LeBron leaves, I'm not sure the Cavaliers don't get relocated within the hour.
The point of all this is that the Cavs are nowhere near a complete team, and that doesn't mean re-signing Wally Szczerbiak. They will use their Mid-level and Bi-annual exceptions even though they are over the cap and they'll be able to get weirdly good players for those prices because of the economy. At least, I hope so. The one place they seem to be looking to save money is in the draft.
Oh yeah, the draft.
I haven't watched that many drafts that closely, but I've never seen a funnier pick than Cleveland's 30th pick on Thursday Night. David Stern looked rattled. I was rattled. I guess they saved money drafting this kid FROM THE D LEAGUE OF SPAIN but it was still bizarre. I can try to rationalize that pick all I want, but I think that Danny Ferry just isn't very good at drafting. It's funny how GMs can have strengths and weaknesses in their games just like players, but it seems true. I have loved the trades Ferry has made in the past two-and-a-half years and he has been negotiating contracts like this guy, but man, I think he should hand the draft responsibilities to somebody else...I nominate LeBron (seriously). I'm totally fine with the Danny Green pick actually, but Cleveland really just didn't look that interested in this draft, leading me to believe that they have their minds on bigger things (I have to believe that).
I was originally (like two weeks ago) going to write what I thought about EVERY PICK but that seems ridiculous at this point (Glenn might do it). I'm just going to say who I liked and didn't like (like every other writer in the universe).
(Before I do this, I'd like to point out to everyone that ESPN.com has abbreviated "Wimbledon" as "Wimby" on their front page and I think it's hilarious.)
Things I liked:
I really liked what New Jersey did. They drafted a fantastic goofball and a sleeper really really good player. They also traded Goofball Jones, also known as Vince Carter, for Courtney Lee and a bunch of shit. I like it.
I actually hate what San Antonio did, but it's because it's smart and I hate how smart they are so I have to put it here. DeJuan Blair in the second round??? Trading three players who might as well all change their names to "Jack Shit???" Ughh, so smart...yet so simple. It's like they have Obiwan Kenobi as their GM ("You don't want to take DeJuan Blair, he's too fat," "We don't want DeJuan Blair, he's too fat").
I didn't mind the T Wolves' actions on Thursday. They took people they liked...why not? So what if they're all point guards?? Well, they'll probably have to trade almost all of them, but what they'll end up with is whatever they get for Rubio (which could be significant) and maybe what they get for Calathes, and they're left with Johnny Flynn and Wayne Ellington. That's great!! Also, on a side note, I liked Ty Lawson for Denver. Solid.
Now that I think about it, everyone the Wolves took was on my "I like these guys" list. WTF?!?!!!??!
I also don't hate what the Bucks did for some reason. Brandon Jennings amuses the hell out of me and Jodie Meeks is at least interesting. Let's see how those two pan out.
Disappointments:
I really dislike what Memphis did. Thabeet is very likely garbage. I liked Demarre Carroll, but not in the first round! Sheesh. They got decent value for Sam Young in the second round, but I still don't think he's very good. It's very possible that Memphis could walk out of a draft in which they had three picks with zero good players. Nice.
Sacramento and Toronto wasted their picks.
Just for the sake of disagreeing with a future Glenn post, I don't really love what Indiana did. Sure, you know what you're getting with Hansbrough, but what is it? A back up Power Forward? I guess that's fine, but Indiana kind of needed a point guard. I really wouldn't mind being proven wrong about Psycho-T though, I kind of like him.
Alright Glenn, Rob and Bowl, you all better write stuff on this.
(Quote of the year: In Transformers 2, after we find out the creepy slutty girl is a transformer, "That girl's a lot hotter now that she's a big metal weirdass." --Rob)
One night a little over a year ago, my brother's roommate walked into his apartment drunker than I've ever seen him. He could barely get out a sentence and eventually just ended the "conversation" by saying, "I'm fuckin' done," and went to sleep. But before he left, the one and only sentence he could could clearly get out was this as we watched late night sports center: "I love the Shaq Diesel." Love or hate this deal, that fact still remains.
Per usual, nobody seems to understand this deal correctly. Not to be a pompous gasbag, but I'm going to try to explain a couple misconceptions I feel exist about it.
1. Shaq is "injury prone."
Disagree...
at least as far as giant 7-footers are concerned.
I heard GM Daryl Morey on the BS Report say that Yao is the only proportional 7-6 guy in the world. Again, I disagree. If he was proportional, wouldn't his feet hold together for a whole season? A seven-footer should look like Shaq. This is how I explained it to my sister:
Most seven-foot Centers look like a normal person if you put them on Microsoft Word and stretched them upwards (I hope you know what I'm talking about or this won't make any sense). But, if you put an NFL Tight End or Running Back on Microsoft Word and grabbed the CORNER tool and stretched it would look like Shaq. Point being, of course it is difficult to maintain a giant body over an NBA season (or even at all), but the Shaq Diesel is such a shockingly good athlete, I have no doubts he would play in the NBA (or NFL) if he were a whole foot shorter. The Big Smokestack (throwin' it out there) skips regular season games because they are irrelevant to him and borderline irresponsible for him to play in if they don't matter. When he is motivated, he wins.
Shaq isn't injury prone, he's lazy prone.
2. Shaquille alone isn't going to bring Cleveland a title (and that somehow matters).
Well, of course not.
Every time the Cavaliers make a trade, the world judges the deal in this way: "Is (Insert Name of Guy Just Traded For) going to be LeBron James' sidekick for a title run?"
First of all, let's debunk the myth that the best way to win a Championship is to have two stars and a bunch of role players. I'm not sure that has really ever happened other than with Jordan/Pippen and Kobe/Shaq. Nowadays we are all shocked when a complete team wins a title, and every time a new way to win comes up, we think that is the new way to do it. Now what, you need a "big three" instead of a "Batman and Robin?" There is more than one way to win a Championship so stop trying to figure it out unless you're REALLY trying to figure it out.
But back to the perplexing media.
They even did this with the Wally/Wallace/West/Smith trade. ESPN speculated about whether Ben Wallace was going to be LeBron's "Robin." Are you kidding me?? Ben Wallace???? What a shockingly awesome development that Delonte West has been the most consistently helpful performer in that trade. I love that guy.
Again, back on topic...
They did it with Mo Williams (a great piece and a great trade, but obviously not a Pippen-caliber player or even a Ray Allen caliber player) and now they're doing it with Shaq. They think the Cavs think that Shaq is 30-year old Shaq...and they're wrong. We all watched Shaq last year. He's a fringe All Star and his stats are maybe even a product of his situation. But he's still Shaq, and I mean that in this way and this way only:
I do not mean that, "Hey, maybe he'll just dominate out of nowhere like he used to!" I mean that he is the gregarious no bullshit teammate who loves winning and works hard when it is prudent to do so. He also loves LeBron (who wouldn't? ...and has LeBron ever played with a teammate who really commands any respect at all? Not really) and (I can't believe that Stu Scott is the only one I heard mention this) he is probably the best big man passer in the game still. Given what we gave up, how is this not a great move? GREAT move.
Oh yeah, back on topic...
Shaq is not the beginning and end of this off season (and clearly neither is the draft, which we'll get to). From what inside information I have (which is literally none, this is a total guess), this should be one of the most entertaining off seasons in history for Cleveland anything fans.
Here is a combination of crazy facts:
- The economy sucks.
Not a lot of people want to spend money and a lot of people are desperate and free agents will sign for way WAY less than they would have a few years ago. This is what that fact means.
- The Cavs don't care.
Somehow, Cleveland isn't that concerned with this. So, a team that needs a lot of pieces is dealing with teams that need money and don't even want pieces and a free agent market that will be full of guys that are cheaper than normal is what we have. Why are they willing to spend? Because paying tens of millions of dollars in the luxury tax is much much better than losing LeBron ever. Literally anything is better than losing LeBron. If LeBron leaves, I'm not sure the Cavaliers don't get relocated within the hour.
The point of all this is that the Cavs are nowhere near a complete team, and that doesn't mean re-signing Wally Szczerbiak. They will use their Mid-level and Bi-annual exceptions even though they are over the cap and they'll be able to get weirdly good players for those prices because of the economy. At least, I hope so. The one place they seem to be looking to save money is in the draft.
Oh yeah, the draft.
I haven't watched that many drafts that closely, but I've never seen a funnier pick than Cleveland's 30th pick on Thursday Night. David Stern looked rattled. I was rattled. I guess they saved money drafting this kid FROM THE D LEAGUE OF SPAIN but it was still bizarre. I can try to rationalize that pick all I want, but I think that Danny Ferry just isn't very good at drafting. It's funny how GMs can have strengths and weaknesses in their games just like players, but it seems true. I have loved the trades Ferry has made in the past two-and-a-half years and he has been negotiating contracts like this guy, but man, I think he should hand the draft responsibilities to somebody else...I nominate LeBron (seriously). I'm totally fine with the Danny Green pick actually, but Cleveland really just didn't look that interested in this draft, leading me to believe that they have their minds on bigger things (I have to believe that).
I was originally (like two weeks ago) going to write what I thought about EVERY PICK but that seems ridiculous at this point (Glenn might do it). I'm just going to say who I liked and didn't like (like every other writer in the universe).
(Before I do this, I'd like to point out to everyone that ESPN.com has abbreviated "Wimbledon" as "Wimby" on their front page and I think it's hilarious.)
Things I liked:
I really liked what New Jersey did. They drafted a fantastic goofball and a sleeper really really good player. They also traded Goofball Jones, also known as Vince Carter, for Courtney Lee and a bunch of shit. I like it.
I actually hate what San Antonio did, but it's because it's smart and I hate how smart they are so I have to put it here. DeJuan Blair in the second round??? Trading three players who might as well all change their names to "Jack Shit???" Ughh, so smart...yet so simple. It's like they have Obiwan Kenobi as their GM ("You don't want to take DeJuan Blair, he's too fat," "We don't want DeJuan Blair, he's too fat").
I didn't mind the T Wolves' actions on Thursday. They took people they liked...why not? So what if they're all point guards?? Well, they'll probably have to trade almost all of them, but what they'll end up with is whatever they get for Rubio (which could be significant) and maybe what they get for Calathes, and they're left with Johnny Flynn and Wayne Ellington. That's great!! Also, on a side note, I liked Ty Lawson for Denver. Solid.
Now that I think about it, everyone the Wolves took was on my "I like these guys" list. WTF?!?!!!??!
I also don't hate what the Bucks did for some reason. Brandon Jennings amuses the hell out of me and Jodie Meeks is at least interesting. Let's see how those two pan out.
Disappointments:
I really dislike what Memphis did. Thabeet is very likely garbage. I liked Demarre Carroll, but not in the first round! Sheesh. They got decent value for Sam Young in the second round, but I still don't think he's very good. It's very possible that Memphis could walk out of a draft in which they had three picks with zero good players. Nice.
Sacramento and Toronto wasted their picks.
Just for the sake of disagreeing with a future Glenn post, I don't really love what Indiana did. Sure, you know what you're getting with Hansbrough, but what is it? A back up Power Forward? I guess that's fine, but Indiana kind of needed a point guard. I really wouldn't mind being proven wrong about Psycho-T though, I kind of like him.
Alright Glenn, Rob and Bowl, you all better write stuff on this.
(Quote of the year: In Transformers 2, after we find out the creepy slutty girl is a transformer, "That girl's a lot hotter now that she's a big metal weirdass." --Rob)
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