We are Cleveland sports fans. So naturally, there are always things that concern us about each of our major league sports teams. Here is what worries us about each team…
Cavaliers.
No, we aren’t worried about the losing momentum going into the playoffs on a four game losing streak. Heck, it’s not as though the wine and gold made a wholehearted effort to win those games.
However, what is a concern is the drop off of the team’s defense as the season progressed. Maybe it was the absence of Shaquille O’Neal, whose presence dissuaded people from driving to the basket, but the Cavs aren’t the same defensive team they have been in the past.
The first thing that needs to occur starting tomorrow afternoon against the Bulls is that the point guards need to stop Derrick Rose from going to the basket at will. Penetration has been the biggest single reason for the decline in stopping opponents, so look for Anthony Parker and Delonte West to draw the responsibility for handling Rose.
The hallmark of the team under Mike Brown has been defense. If the Cavaliers are going to win their first title this spring, the defense has to get back to where it has been.
JK
Indians.
Besides the bullpen, you have to be a little concerned about the Tribe offense, which has only scored five or more in a game three times in their first eight games.
This is the American League, and if you can’t put five runs up on the board most nights, you are going to have a very difficult time winning.
Our thoughts about Michael Brantley over the winter look to be true. He can’t drive the ball, as of yet, so he isn’t ready for an every day job at the big league level. The same thing can be said of Lou Marson.
And the strikeouts are once again a huge problem.
When a journeyman like Colby Lewis starts and strikes out 10 guys in 5-1/3 innings, you have problems with your hitting. Right now, outside of Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo, no one is hitting with any consistency. And if this team can’t hit, it’s going to be a long, long year.
KM
Browns.
The NFL draft is coming up next week, so any concerns about the Browns have to be there, especially based on their lack of success in the past.
There continue to be rumblings that Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert are interested in moving up to get QB Sam Bradford. Hopefully, this is just a smoke screen.
This football needs someone who is going to step in, play, and make an impact right away. This will not happen if they draft a quarterback. In fact, the Browns probably need to draft two players next week that can start when the season opens in September.
They also need to get some difference makers on the defensive side of the football. That’s the formula for winning in the AFC North, a division inhabited by the Steelers and Ravens.
The Browns need to get a young quarterback; they just don’t need to take him with their first round draft pick.
JD
Cleveland Sports Perspective 