The Cleveland Cavaliers made news yesterday, even though they haven’t played a game since the double overtime win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday night. The wine and gold currently sit in the sixth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, and a move up to at least the third spot and a first round home court advantage in the playoffs is still feasible. However, the news did not involve on the court activities.
First, GM Danny Ferry gave coach Mike Brown a contract extension through the 2010-11 season. Although I’ve been critical of Brown from time to time, this is a good move. Brown has a good relationship with LeBron James, which is critical for the team. In basketball, the superstar and the head coach must be on the same page for the team to work towards winning. For example, look at San Antonio (as Ferry usually does) where Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan work very well together.
If you don’t think it’s important, look at the problems that players like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson have had with some of their coaches. If the superstar and the guy in charge are butting heads, winning doesn’t occur.
Look, Brown is far from the perfect coach. His offensive strategy is from the Stone Age. It lacks imagination. All to often, it morphs into James with the ball and everyone else standing around watching. Maybe this extension will give him the confidence to get an assistant with an offensive background. Defensively, Brown has taken a squad that was below average on that end of the floor, and that’s being nice, and made them into one of the NBA’s best. Remember, defense wins in the playoffs.
The other news coming out of the Cavs’ camp was LeBron James’ speeding ticket. The King was clocked at 101 MPH in Brunswick after returning to the area from New Orleans following the loss to the Hornets. Yes, James was wrong, but it isn’t earth-shattering news. I don’t think I’ve ever hit 100, but I’ve driven my car about 95 MPH (thankfully, I did not receive a ticket). And if I had a Mercedes, I probably would have gunned it up to 100.
The biggest thing critics of LeBron have had to complain about was wearing a Yankees’ hat at the Indians playoff game and a speeding ticket. He was not drunk, wasn’t carrying a gun, nor did he have drugs in the car. He made an error in judgment, and he will pay a hefty fine. Hopefully, it will not happen again, but it’s hardly a huge deal.
Tonight, it’s back to the hardwood for the wine and gold. They start a three game road trip tonight in Memphis. Two of the three games are winnable with the sojourn ending in Miami. In between is a rematch of the NBA Finals in San Antonio. The Cavaliers need to start playing more consistent basketball, they can’t rely on LeBron to keep bailing them out every night.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 