Emotion Aside, Here's a Cavs Recap

The Cleveland Cavaliers finished their season a little over a week ago, and now we can analyze their season with a more objectivity. The disappointment has subsided slightly, so it’s time to look at what GM Danny Ferry needs to do going into the 2009-10 season, a campaign that has the potential to be LeBron James last in the wine and gold.

First, let’s get rid of the doom and gloom concerning this team. Had Boston defeated Orlando in the deciding game of the conference semi-finals, the Cavaliers would be playing in The Finals. The Magic was the worst matchup of any team in the playoffs for the Cavs, and they lost. Therefore, they need to make improvements to the squad so they cannot only defend the Celtics or any other traditional NBA team, but they need to guard a hybrid team like Orlando.

The more I think about the series, I really think the long layoff after the sweep of the Hawks really hurt the Cavs, and that may have been the biggest factor for the defeat. Cleveland didn’t play well defensively in the conference finals, but they played similar teams throughout the year, and beat them by outscoring them. The days off affected the shooting eye of all players wearing the wine and gold not named LeBron James.

The Cavs may have been able to outscore the Magic had they been shooting well from outside. The layoff also had something to do with the stamina of some players. They lost their wind during the break. You cannot simulate NBA games on the practice courts.

Anyway, Orlando showed that the Cavaliers need to improve in the off-season. However, the entire roster doesn’t have to be overhauled like some radio talk show hosts have suggested. There is some dead weight that needs to be trimmed from the team.

First, Wally Szczerbiak is a free agent and will not be back. He picked a very bad time to age, which it appeared he did between the Atlanta and Orlando series. Joe Smith would like to come back, and the Cavs may have him stick around depending on what happens with the rest of the frontcourt.

Anderson Varajao is a free agent, and I suppose I would like him back, but I would have to look at the other options out there. Varajao is a plus defender, and works well with #23 to get good looks inside, but he is a limited offensive player. If you could get a power forward who can score, defend, and rebound, you might take a pass on the bushy haired Brazilian.

Sasha Pavlovic and his wildly inconsistent game should be moved if it all possible. Pavlovic isn’t fast, but he is a pretty good athlete. He just isn’t a very good basketball player. Daniel Gibson had a disappointing season shooting the ball, but he has to handle the rock better if he is going to get regular minutes. At 6’2” (or less), he has to be able to run the offense without having the ball taken away.

Mike Brown likes big guards, but he was smart enough to know his best backcourt players this year were Mo Williams and Delonte West. Still, I’m sure Brown would like Ferry to get a guard who has some size, thus moving West to a sixth man role, where he can play a lot of minutes at both the point and the #2 guard spots. The coach likes these guys because they make it tougher defensively for the opposition. That is exactly what they need to battle a team like Orlando.

Ferry also has to address the age on the front line. Ben Wallace, despite what he said after the game, is not going to retire, but his expiring contract is a large trade chip. Zydrunas Ilgauskas would probably be best used as 15-20 minutes per night player, to lessen the wear and tear on his body in what will likely be his last season.

That means the Cavs will be in the market for another big man. It would not be surprising if Darnell Jackson or J.J. Hickson earned a spot in the frontcourt rotation, but I think the team would like a low post offensive threat as a starting power forward.

The perfect guy would be Carlos Boozer, who is a good defender and rebounder, and can score enough near the hoop to occasionally command a double team.

The best news is that the Cavaliers, from owner Dan Gilbert to James understand they need to get better. There will be no complacency in the front office. A club record 66 wins was nice, but until they have a parade down Euclid Avenue, no one at The “Q” will be satisfied.

It seems like a lot is needed, but really a big guard and a physical big man will do the trick for the 2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tribe Stuff

Besides thinking of pulling my hair out while watching the local baseball team, other thoughts go through my head regarding the Cleveland Indians. Most have to do with the way the lineup is made out, or the defensive employment of personnel. The handling of the pitching staff and the overall philosophy of the organization come into question as well. That’s what happens when your team is ten games below .500.

Some of this stuff is mind boggling…

In a previous life, Eric Wedge must have really wanted to play first base. That would explain why he is intent on having a roster full of guys who play the position. Recently recalled Chris Gimenez, who came up because of Victor Martinez’ bruised knee, made his debut at, you guessed it, 1B. Add him to the list of players who have manned the spot this year: Martinez, Ryan Garko, Mark DeRosa, and Matt LaPorta. Wedge also talked about playing Jhonny Peralta there as well.
Speaking of Peralta, shouldn’t he be on the trade block? Much of the focus on a trade centers on DeRosa, who is a free agent at the end of the year, but Peralta would bring more in return because he’s not. Prior to this year, Peralta was a shortstop who hit like a third baseman. Now, he is a third baseman who hits like a shortstop. Really, can you imagine Peralta as a key player on a perennial contender?
Wedge likes to move around people defensively, but he is pretty rigid with the batting order for certain players. It took an act of Congress to move Asdrubal Cabrera into the leadoff spot.
When Grady Sizemore was rested before he went on the disabled list, Jamey Carroll led off with Ben Francisco hitting second. What changed since Cabrera got hurt? Francisco has picked it up offensively lately, but he’s not a leadoff hitter. Who should lead off?
Why not Shin-Soo Choo, now that Travis Hafner is back. Choo has one of the highest on base percentages in the American League, and would provide some extra base potential as well. He would be the closest thing to Sizemore as a lead off hitter. If not Choo, then leave Carroll in there when he’s in the lineup. He works counts and draws walks.
I understand that Trevor Crowe is here to back up in CF, but he still looks overmatched at the plate. I would rather see Luis Valbuena with a bat in his hands at this point than Crowe, who needs to see more AAA pitching before he is ready to play at the big league level.
It was time to send out Fausto Carmona to get straightened out. In his last start, I’d have had the bullpen warming after he walked the first two Minnesota batters. And there is certainly no way I would have let him face Jason Kubel in the second inning after his homer in the first. As soon as the righty walks someone, he loses all confidence in his ability.
Isn’t it amazing that Carl Pavano might just command the most in a trade if the Indians go in that direction at the deadline. However, how can GM Mark Shapiro trade for prospects when his team is just six games out of first?
What if Wedge were a politician. Would he tell his constituents to "grind it out" in this tough economy? Would the legislature be seeing a bill well after it was proposed? Speaking in cliches is a good thing, if you win!

The Indians Needs to Have a Good Draft

Major League Baseball’s annual amateur draft is being held next week, and the Indians hold the 15^th pick in the first round. The Tribe has not done a good job in recent years of picking talent in this method, which for a mid-market team should be the lifeblood of the organization. This is clearly an area where the Indians need to improve.

The past couple of first round picks have progressed nicely through the organization. The 2007 choice, 1B/DH Beau Mills is playing regularly at Class AA Akron. The only knock on Mills would appear to be he is limited defensively, which means even at his young age, he is only a first baseman at best. Last year’s #1 selection was Lonnie Chisenhall, who is currently playing 3B at Class A Kinston, and is doing very well. Baseball Prospectus quoted an unnamed scout as saying Chisenhall has the best swing he has seen this season. However, until he does it at a higher level, he cannot be considered a great pick.

However, outside of these guys, Cleveland has had a problem identifying talent. Looking at the current major league roster, the only everyday players drafted by the Indians are Ryan Garko, Ben Francisco, Trevor Crowe, and the non-used Chris Gimenez. On the pitching staff, the Tribe picked only David Huff, Jeremy Sowers, Tony Sipp, and Jensen Lewis in the amateur draft. Although, Huff has some potential, there isn’t an impact player among this group.

If it weren’t for trades for other teams’ prospects and the Latin American scouting department, the Cleveland Indians would be in a lot bigger trouble than they are right now.

Since picking CC Sabathia in 1999, the Tribe’s picks have had little or no impact on the big league roster. The only other first round pick that is having some success at the major league level is Jeremy Guthrie, who would look good in the rotation now. The rest of the high picks are guys like Corey Smith, Brad Snyder, etc. This simply has to change for this organization to go forward.

One only has to look at Tampa Bay to see what kind of impact successful drafts can have on an organization. The cornerstones of the defending AL champs were picked in the last ten years. Granted, the Indians haven’t drafted as high as often as the Rays, but they are well below Tampa on the success meter.

When Cleveland did have a top ten pick, they drafted Sowers, who is still struggling considering he was the sixth overall pick.

If you can’t sign premium free agents like the Tribe, you must draft impact players to stay competitive. The Indians have failed in that regard.

Of course, some of the failure has been bad luck. Adam Miller was a first round draft pick and was hailed as a great prospect during his time in the minors, but elbow and finger injuries leave his career in doubt. Michael Aubrey started hitting as soon as he was signed after being picked in the first round, but he spent several years fighting injuries before making it to the bigs last season. He no longer is regarded as a premium prospect.

This is another weakness of the Cleveland Indians organization over the last ten years, and for the Tribe to be a consistent contender for the post-season it has to get better. Player development was said to be a primary goal of the Dolan ownership, but quite frankly, it has been a failure. The Indians need to hit a home run with the 2009 draft. They need to draft and develop not only impact players, but also guys that play in the center of the diamond.

The days of drafting and signing guys like Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Brian Giles, and Sabathia seems like a long time ago.

Tribe Could Get Back In It, But…

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers have been eliminated from the NBA playoffs, there will be more scrutiny on the local baseball team, the Cleveland Indians. The Tribe has been dreadful this season, mired in last place in the AL Central Division, but because they are in that division, their season isn’t over. They sit just 7-1/2 games behind the first place Detroit Tigers.

Since the beginning of the season, the ballclub has made several changes. One that should have been made over the winter was moving Jhonny Peralta to 3B and Asdrubal Cabrera to shortstop. They re-made the bullpen after a shaky start by several relievers, bringing in veterans like Matt Herges, Luis Vizcaino, and Greg Aquino. Herges and Aquino were signed in the off-season by GM Mark Shapiro to provide depth, and that move has paid dividends.

However, if the Indians want to get back in the race, there are several more moves that need to be made.

The starting pitching continues to be a mess. Outside of Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano, none of the starters can be counted on to take the game into the seventh inning. Waiting for Jake Westbrook is not a solution either. Westbrook is coming off arm surgery, and no one knows if he can contribute at all this season. Mark Shapiro needs to turn over every stone to find a serviceable starter.

Jeremy Sowers is not the answer either. He has had too many chances since his initial success in his rookie year for anyone to believe he is the answer. Even last night, he was cruising for five innings, and then just lost his control. I would give the benefit of the doubt, though, to another southpaw, rookie David Huff. He did pitch well in his rain-shortened start last Thursday, and I’m anxious to see him again tonight against the Twins.

There are rumors that the team is shopping Mark DeRosa for major league ready pitching, and with DeRosa now playing leftfield where the Indians have many options, he is indeed expendable, especially since he is a free agent at the end of the year. However, it is difficult to believe another team would deal an established pitcher for DeRosa.

Another problem the Indians need to address is Kelly Shoppach. The catcher is striking out at an alarming rate, and it appears his breakout season of a year ago was indeed an aberration. Shoppach is catching on days when Lee and Pavano pitch, so he is doing a good job in that area, but his offense is a mess. Add to this the fact that the Tribe’s best prospect is C Carlos Santana, currently playing in Akron. If Shapiro can get an established arm for Shoppach, he has to think seriously about making a deal.

If they can’t trade for a starter, they should put right-hander Hector Rondon on the fast track. Rondon pitched very well in spring training, and the Indians need only to look at the first place Tigers to see a young starter who has done well in Rick Porcello. The Indians are afraid of having a young guy emotionally scarred by being brought up too soon, but if this team can get better starting pitching, they can make a move in the standings.

I do not want to hear excuses about the injuries. Sure, Grady Sizemore is on the disabled list, but he hasn’t been close to the player he was last year. His injury may have affected his swing, as his hand comes off the bat on outside pitches, but there are still over 100 games remaining on the schedule, so you have to keep playing. Also, the Indians are scoring enough runs even with Sizemore being a below average hitter because of the elbow.

The Indians can still turn this season around, but it will take some bold moves by a front office that has been loathe to make such moves to get it done. There are some tradable pieces here, but will Mark Shapiro pull the trigger to improve the starting rotation?