The Cleveland Cavaliers have six games remaining before they start the playoffs for the third consecutive year.  They are pretty much locked into the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings, meaning they will have home court advantage for the first round, but that likely will be it.  It also means they will have a second round match up with the Boston Celtics, if both teams advance.  However, what Mike Brown and the Cavs do in these last six games may determine how far this team can get in the post-season.

 

It’s amazing to think a team can play 76 games without having a set rotation, but with all of the injuries and the trade, the coaching staff is still trying to figure out who should play.  They know have six games to do it.  Mike Brown seems to want to replace Devin Brown in the starting lineup, but it seems he now understands that the latter Brown is the best fit for the team.  Does anyone else think it is odd that Sasha Pavlovic went right from the injured list to the starting lineup, and now has gone from starting to not even getting off the bench? 

 

It seems that now the coach has settled on a starting five of LeBron James, Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Delonte West, and D. Brown.  The bench players he is using are Joe Smith, Anderson Varajao, Wally Szczerbiak, and Daniel Gibson.  However, last night’s loss to the Bulls still shows that something is missing.  Wallace has had back problems, but he is showing why Chicago was anxious to unload him.  Gibson is still recovering from his ankle problem, so he is not as automatic on open looks as he was before he was hurt.  Perhaps that will work itself out before the playoffs start, but maybe not.

 

Again, last night showed the sloppiness the wine and gold play with when they get a lead.  After going up by 17 points in the third quarter, the Cavs appeared to lose their focus.  They threw the ball away, took bad shots, and lost their attention to detail on defense.  The latter is probably most galling to the coach.  Mike Brown has always stressed defense, and quite frankly, this team isn’t playing well on that end of the floor right now.  There seems to be an inordinate amount of uncontested three pointers being made by the opposition.

 

This group of players seems to think they can turn on a switch come playoff time and start playing with defensive intensity.  That will not work.  The players who went to The Finals last year have to understand they reached that level by playing on the defensive end, and that you have to have that intensity every minute of the game.  Offensively, the Cavs have reverted to getting LeBron the ball, and everyone stands around watching.  And when Wallace is on the floor, it instantly gives the defense someone to double team James.

 

It is possible to be a better playoff coach than a regular season coach.  Mike Brown has demonstrated that both years he has been the Cleveland coach.  In the regular season, he has difficulty running an offense, and his defensive schemes are based on his principles.  In the playoffs, when you are playing the same team as many as seven games in a row, he has shown that he can put together a plan to effectively take away what other teams want to do.  That ability will be greatly needed in this playoff season.

 

Right now, it is doubtful the Cleveland Cavaliers will get past the second round of the playoffs, let alone get back to the NBA Finals.  The squad is too disorganized at this point, and that’s not all the fault of the coach, although he is part of the problem.  It might be taking a step back to take a leap forward in 2008-09.  With no holdouts, less injuries, and a year to play together, next season might be a better chance for this franchise.  However, keep one thing in mind.  Every time the Cavs take the court, they have the best player on the court.  It’s just asking too much of LeBron James to take this group back to the conference championship.

 

JK

 

 

After one day of the regular season, the Cleveland Indians are in first place!  They opened up at Progressive Field against the White Sox, and defeated Chicago 10-8 in a wild and wooly game to start the season.  On a day where the pitching struggled a bit, the bottom of the batting order came through as Franklin Gutierrez and Casey Blake each knocked in three runs in the triumph.  There was even controversy as a couple of disputed calls helped the Tribe gain the win.

 

Those calls came with the game tied at 7, and the bases loaded in the top of the eighth inning.  Orlando Cabrera hit a slow chopper to Jhonny Peralta, whose throw to the plate pulled catcher Kelly Shoppach off the dish.  Shoppach swiped at the runner, Joe Crede, coming home, and the plate umpire ruled that he indeed tagged the runner.  Replays were inconclusive; although STO’s Rick Manning’s opinion was that the tag was missed.  Jim Thome followed and hit a broken bat grounder to force Cabrera at second, but when he tried to grab Peralta’s leg, the second base umpire ruled a double play.  Since Cabrera tried to grab the SS, it was the correct call.

 

We even had our daily Joe Borowski anxious moment.  Handed a three run lead to start the ninth, JoeBo gave up a one out homer to Jermaine Dye, and a two out walk to A. J. Pierzynski to bring the tying run to the plate, before getting Crede to foul out to Blake to end the contest.  Borowski even joked about it after the game, saying he didn’t want to spoil anybody right off the bat by retiring the Sox in order.  At least he understands what he puts us through in watching the games.

 

The pitching was shaky all day, but remember, it’s just one game.  C.C. Sabathia gave up two bombs to old friend Jim Thome, and struggled with other left-handed hitters all day.  He ran out of gas in the sixth inning, walking Dye and Alexei Ramirez, before giving up a cue shot to Pierzynski that eluded Blake for a double.  Jensen Lewis bailed him out with back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame, but gave up consecutive hits to start the seventh.  Rafael Perez retired Thome on a nice play by Jason Michaels, but gave up an opposite field double to Paul Konerko to tie the game. 

 

Rafael Betancourt came in and wasn’t the dominant reliever of a year ago, but he did prove to be Houdini in the top of the eighth.  It points out how volatile the relief corps is on a major league team.  Then again, he escaped without being scored on, while other high profile relief pitchers (Kerry Wood, Eric Gagne, and Tom Gordon) got torched yesterday. 

 

One reason for concern is the hamstring injury suffered by Victor Martinez in the second inning.  The Tribe called it tightness in the muscle, saying Martinez is day to day.  If Martinez is out for any length of time, that takes the team’s most consistent hitter out of the lineup.  It also means he likely would go on the disabled list because they can’t go with only one catcher for any length of time.  The probable call up would be Wyatt Toregas, who is already on the 40-man roster.

 

It was a fun game yesterday, mostly because the Tribe wound up winning.  Had they lost, it would have been a bitter pill blowing a 7-2 lead.  The best news is that baseball is back, and summer is just around the corner.

 

KM

 

Spring officially begins in Cleveland today, despite what the weather tells us.  It’s Opening Day at Progressive Field, and the Tribe takes on the White Sox for what seems like the 23^rd consecutive lid lifter against Chicago.  After winning 96 games a year ago and winning the Central Division title, hopes are high that the Indians can celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the 1948 World Champions by winning another one.  Here are five reasons why the Tribe will get back to the post-season in 2008.

 

The Return of Pronk.  Travis Hafner had a disappointing year in 2007.  Disappointing for him that is.  Pronk still hit 24 HR’s and knocked in over 100 runs last season, a far cry from his performances in 2004-06.  For the most part, baseball players seek their own level.  Guys who have a history of hitting .260 usually find their way back to around that average.  Every once in a while, very good players have mediocre years, and that’s what happened to Hafner last season.  He may not reach his lofty heights of three or four years ago, but he will smash over 30 HR’s and knock in close to 120, while getting on base 40% of the time.  That alone will help the Cleveland attack.

 

New Bullpen Additions.  Many baseball experts agree that the bullpen is the most volatile part of any team.  Last year, the Tribe relief corps was one of the best in the game, led by Rafael Betancourt, who Baseball Prospectus.com said had arguably the best year by a set up man in history.  However, GM Mark Shapiro did not stand pat, and that is a good thing.  He brought in Japanese free agent Masa Kobayashi, who closed overseas, and Jorge Julio, who closed in Baltimore several years ago.  He also changed the club’s situational lefty in Craig Breslow.  These guys will give the Tribe more depth not only with the big club, but also throughout the organization.

 

Twin Aces.  There was a lot of mileage put on the arms of C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona last season, but Eric Wedge and pitching coach Carl Willis will be careful with both pitchers early this season, and the two aces will both have good campaigns.  Already, C.C. will not start on Saturday as he could based on his normal rest, and that will be the norm early on.  Carmona’s stuff looked as good as ever in his last two exhibition starts, and again the skipper will be very judicious with him.  If the Tribe gets big leads in either of their outings early on, look for Wedge to pull them out and go to his deep bullpen.

 

Organization Depth.  The Indians have alternatives if things don’t work out in some areas.  If some relievers aren’t getting the job done, Tom Mastny, Scott Elarton, and later in the year, perhaps Tony Sipp can help out.  If the corner outfielders aren’t hitting, Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo are just a phone call away.  If Paul Byrd or Cliff Lee don’t hold up their end of the bargain in the starting rotation, then Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, and maybe even Adam Miller can come up and help out.  That depth made the difference last season, and may just be it again in 2008.

 

A Man Named Grady.  Travis Hafner was the whipping boy for what troubled the Indians’ offense in 2007, but Grady Sizemore didn’t produce the same power numbers he put together in 2006, either.  Although his on-base percentage jumped from .375 to .390, but his extra base hits dropped to 63 from 92 in ’06.  Look for a jump in power now that the Gold Glove centerfielder has a year of being more selective under his belt.  Sizemore will be a front-runner for the MVP award in the American League this season.

 

MW

 

With spring training ready to wrap up, in fact, the Indians are on their way to Atlanta for a pair of games with the Braves on their way to Progressive Field, it wasn’t a real newsworthy camp.  Cliff Lee won the fifth starter job, although he will probably start the series opener in Oakland, so Eric Wedge can split Lee and C.C. Sabathia in the rotation.  And as expected, Andy Marte made the ballclub because he is out of options and cannot be sent back to Buffalo without being exposed to waivers.

 

Jorge Julio was a non-roster invitee, and claimed the last bullpen spot over Tom Mastny, which was a slight surprise.  Aaron Fultz pitched his way off the ballclub with a putrid spring, coupled with a shaky second half of last season, and was replaced by Craig Breslow, picked up off waivers from the Red Sox.  Scott Elarton was a surprise out of the bullpen, but will start the year at Buffalo, and depending how he pitches, might be the first call up if someone currently a part of the relief corps falters or is hurt.

 

One overlooked battle, and one created by Wedge, is who will bat second in the batting order behind Grady Sizemore.  Asdrubal Cabrera finished last year hitting in that spot, and was very effective.  However, the skipper wants to ease the pressure on the youngster, and guard against a sophomore slump, by putting him at the bottom of the order.  Who is best suited to hitting second on the current roster?

 

Let’s go over the people who should not hit in the spot.  One candidate brought up by many is Casey Blake.  His supporters will point out that Blake takes a lot of pitches, and has the ability to take the ball to right field.  However, his lifetime on-base percentage is right around 33%, not good enough to hit there.  He is also prone to slumps and strikes out over 100 times per year.  Remember that Blake hit second the early part of last season, and the offense took off after he was dropped in the batting order.

 

If not Cabrera, I would favor the left field platoon of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels.  Yes, yes, this is a problem spot for the team.  However, let’s see if Dellucci can recover from an off year in 2007.  He has a lifetime OBP against right-handers of .355, and his counterpart, Michaels has a career on base mark of almost .400 against lefties.  In addition, since Dellucci is a left-handed hitter, he is a natural to pull the ball through the hole on the right side if Grady Sizemore is on base.  It’s worth a try to start the season if the manager decides to protect Cabrera.

 

That’s the biggest debate for the Cleveland Indians coming out of spring training.  Who should bat second?  In reality, it’s a solid ballclub, one of the best in the game.  They are deep, especially in the pitching department.  Think about it, the Buffalo pitching staff will include Jeremy Sowers, Aaron Laffey, Scott Elarton, Tom Mastny, and Adam Miller.  There are many major league teams who could use any one of those guys.  The Bisons line up will include Josh Barfield, Ben Francisco, Jordan Brown, and probably Trevor Crowe.  Don’t concern your self with the impending free agency of C.C. Sabathia, or whether or not the Dolan ownership is frugal.  Enjoy a very good summer of baseball, because the Tribe has a chance to end the 60-year drought.

 

MW

 

It seems we are always talking about the big trade when discussing the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The deal beefed up the outside shooting and the interior defense, both important components for teams chasing a title.  However, one weakness still remains for the Cavs, and that is how to defend quick point guards that can penetrate.  It’s the reason the wine and gold lost three out of four to the Milwaukee Bucks this season, and one reason why they were swept by San Antonio in The Finals. 

 

Tony Parker was the MVP of The Finals last season for a reason, the Cavs couldn’t stop him from going to the basket, and when they played off of him, he hit shots from outside.  In the teams’ recent struggles, the same problem has popped up; guys like Devin Harris, Raymond Felton, and Mo Williams have had big games against Cleveland because the Cavs lack the personnel to stop these types of players.

 

They are hoping to resolve this when Daniel Gibson returns from his ankle injury, hopefully tonight.  Still, will his quickness be compromised by the injury?  If it is, the team could have a problem come playoff time when they play a team with a drive and dish point guard.  It won’t come into play against the Pistons, but a first round match up against Toronto could be a problem because of Jose Calderon and T.J. Ford, and the Celtics have lightning quick Rajon Rondo, who could give the Cleveland guards fits.

 

Coach Mike Brown likes size, especially in the backcourt.  It’s one of the reasons he moved Sasha Pavlovic into the starting lineup last season to pair with Larry Hughes.  It gave the Cavs two starting guards over 6’5” for opponents to contend with.  This year, he has Delonte West, listed at 6’4” with long arms and Pavlovic starting, with Devin Brown coming off the bench.  However, none of this trio can defend someone with a decided quickness advantage against them.  Unless Gibson steps up, and he is not regarding as a great defender, Cleveland will continue to have problems against teams with the Tony Parker type point guard.

 

Danny Ferry and Brown feel the Cavs don’t need a traditional point guard because of the presence of James, who of course, is a marvelous playmaker.  However, from a defensive standpoint, that type of guard is needed because other teams have them.  Another option is to play zone defense against teams that have penetrators, but it seems the coach is loath to do so.  That is a weakness of a young head coach.  Even Bob Knight used zones as he advanced in his coaching career.  The job is to win the game, right?

 

It looks like as much as the Cavs need Gibson’s perimeter shooting (All Star weekend showed he is one of the league’s best pure shooters), they need his defensive ability more.  Quite possibly, he is the only guy on the roster who can possibly stop guys like Calderon and Rondo.  A lot of responsibility for a second year player, no?  However, stopping these types of players might be necessary if the wine and gold want to get back to The Finals.

 

JK

 

 

Ever since the Cavaliers made the colossal 11-player trade at the deadline, the performance of the team has gone up and down like the proverbial roller coaster.  The first game the new players participated in was against Memphis, when the wine and gold got off to a very quick start, leading by as many as 20 points in the first quarter, but the game grew close in the third quarter, but eventually Cleveland pulled away.  In retrospect, that game was the beginning of a trend.

 

Although this weakness is most evident on the road, where the Cavaliers have lost every contest since LeBron James scored 50 points at Madison Square Garden, it also happens at the Quicken Loans Arena.  Cleveland continues to win at home, but they have had consistent problems putting teams away.  Think back to the Saturday afternoon game played in the blizzard against the Pacers, another of the NBA’s struggling teams.  The wine and gold had a big lead in the first half of that game, and needed the fourth quarter heroics of the King to hold on to that one.

 

It seems that the Cavs currently can’t stand prosperity.  This struck me the other night when I was watching the game against the Raptors.  Cleveland played very well in the third quarter, and had a seven or nine point lead toward the end of that stanza.  Toronto took a timeout, and after the stoppage in play, the Cavs proceeded to turn the ball over several times, not because of great defense, but more because of sloppy execution.  It is a basic basketball tenet that you cannot score without shooting the ball.  Any possession where you don’t get a shot off is a waste.  And to do it when you have a chance to put a team away is particularly galling.

 

What happens when personnel is changed apparently is lack of focus and determination.  The new players haven’t succeeded in a tough situation with LeBron, Z, and the rest of the holdovers from opening night.  That could explain why they are struggling on the road, and can’t sustain success at home.  The turnovers that are plaguing the team is result of poor execution, but also poor decision making.  The squad seems to get up by around ten points, and then seems to forget how they got to that point.  They take ill-advised shots; try to make difficult passes, in short, not doing the fundamentals a championship team needs to do.

 

It doesn’t help the situation when Damon Jones is playing the point.  Jones is a shooter, who plays the spot because of his height.  He lacks the instincts a good point guard needs, and when he is on the floor, James has to start the offense and make sure the correct pass is made to the right person.  This puts too much of a burden on #23.  Also, Jones is the type of player who feels the need to do the spectacular when the basic is needed.  Even though he is shooting very well this season, his shot selection makes me wince from time to time.  When you have a lead, the need to take good shots is even more important.

 

In short, it means that as a team, the Cleveland Cavaliers don’t have the mental toughness to succeed on the road, or in the playoffs for that matter.  They have 11 games to get it back.  If you can’t beat the Bucks away from home (although this might have something to do with not being able to stop Mo Williams), how can you beat Detroit or Boston in a key playoff tilt?  LeBron James and Mike Brown have to straighten this out in the next couple of weeks, or it will be a short post-season for the wine and gold.

 

JK

 

 

There is no secret that the Cleveland Cavaliers have not had an especially glittering history.  That is, until the day they picked LeBron James with the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft.  They had never been to the NBA Finals, and had only reached the Eastern Conference finals twice, losing to the Celtics in 1975-76 and to the Bulls in the early nineties.  The franchise had more losing seasons than playoff years, and never had a singular great player.  All that changed when LeBron James put on the wine and gold. 

 

Last night, James became the franchise’s all time leading scorer, passing Brad Daugherty for the record with a layup in the first quarter of the Cavs’ 90-83 win over the Toronto Raptors.  The Chosen One did it in just five seasons, 170 some games less that the former North Carolina great.  James passed the #3 all time scorer, Austin Carr, just a couple of weeks ago.  It is ironic that all three were the first pick in the NBA draft.  Both Daugherty and Carr were hampered by injuries during their time in Cleveland, or #23 would still be short of their totals.

 

Carr was the first pick in the draft after the team’s inaugural season in 1971.  The Notre Dame product still holds the NCAA record for the most points in one game in the NCAA Tournament with 61 against Ohio.  He was an incredible scorer, but almost instantly after being drafted by the Cavs, he started having injury problems.  He missed the start of the season with a broken foot, and then missed more time later in the season with more problems with his foot.  In his second year, however, he averaged almost 22 points per game, and appeared to be destined for greatness.  Early in the 1974-75 season, Carr had pushed his scoring to over 24 points per night when he suffered a knee injury and missed most of the rest of the season.  He returned in 1975-76, but was used as a reserve, albeit a key one, by Bill Fitch.  We never saw how great Carr would have been without the knee problems.

 

Daugherty was made the #1 pick after the Cavs traded for the selection with Philadelphia by dealing Roy Hinson.  Unfortunately, the big man was criticized by the fans for what he wasn’t (a shot blocking, defensive presence), than he was praised for what he was, which was a five time All Star.  He was a key component of a team that was one of the league’s best until the ownership forced the trade of Ron Harper to the Clippers.  Even so, the Cavs were the chief challengers to the Michael Jordan led Chicago Bull teams, at least in the Eastern Conference.  The current NASCAR commentator averaged 19 points and 9.5 rebounds in a career that ended prematurely due to back problems at the age of 29.  It’s interesting to think the big man could have been playing with the Cavs until the turn of the century without the injury.

 

Carr probably would have been a superstar had he not wrecked his knee, but Daugherty was not the poster boy for a franchise.  In fact, more Cavs’ fans probably think more fondly of Mark Price and perhaps Larry Nance from those Cleveland teams, that they do the 7 foot center, who was a solid, fundamentally sound player.  However, the current Cavs not only have that superstar, they have likely the best player in the sport in James.  The NBA writers will probably vote the MVP award to Kobe Bryant, more as a "lifetime achievement award" than for this season.  But think about this, it took a trade for Pau Gasol to lift the Lakers into one of the best teams in the West.  Before the deal, they would have made the playoffs, but were destined for probably no better than a 5th seed.

 

Simply put, LeBron James is the best player in the league, and make no mistake, no one in the Eastern Conference wants to play the Cavaliers in the playoffs because the King could win the entire series by himself.  Do not think for one minute that the Celtics or the Pistons would like to avoid #23 for as long as they can.  LeBron’s combination of scoring, power, and unselfishness is unmatched in the sport, and he is still just 24 years old.  The national guys can talk about Kobe Bryant all they want, and convince themselves Bryant is better, but they are fooling themselves.  James isn’t just the best player in Cavs’ history, he’s the very best in the world.

 

MW 

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have 14 games remaining in the regular season.  Nine of them are in the friendly confines of The Quicken Loans Arena, with the other five on the road.  In the previous 14 games, meaning the games played since the mega-trade at the deadline was made, the wine and gold is 8-6.  Clearly, there was been a learning curve for the new players coming to the Cavs.  Here are some suggestions for Coach Mike Brown going forward in the regular season and heading into the playoffs.

 

It would appear the Cavs will finish with the fourth best record in the Eastern Conference, thus getting home court advantage in the first round, and a date with the Celtics in round two, if they advance.  It would take a tremendous collapse by Orlando to move up to the third spot, or a long losing streak by Cleveland to drop down to the fifth seed, currently occupied by Orlando.  So, what’s left for the coaching staff is to use these remaining games to figure out who should be in the rotation once the playoffs start.

 

He currently has a four-man rotation at the power forward and center spots using Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace as the starters, with Anderson Varajao and Joe Smith coming off the bench.  Coach Brown has to be careful to keep one offensive oriented big man (Ilgauskas or Smith) with one defender (Wallace or Varajao) on the floor at all times.  Playing both defenders makes it easier for opponents to double and triple team LeBron James.  I also like limiting these guys’ minutes as it will keep them fresher in the fourth quarter and through the playoffs.  I would like to see more of Smith on the floor, as he has the most versatility in his game, and can be a match up problem for Detroit.

 

James is the small forward, and who ever backs him up is only going to get 8-10 minutes per night, so that really isn’t an issue.  The one thing Brown needs to do is to make sure James’ minutes don’t exceed 40 on a nightly basis.  He has shown fatigue recently, which was obvious with his decision to try and end the Washington game before it got to overtime.  The wine and gold need a fresh King when the playoffs start.

 

Delonte West is getting the majority of the minutes at the point, and I continue to like what I see.  The only improvement that is needed is in the fourth quarter, where West has settled into the team philosophy of getting the ball to #23 and letting him handle everything.  I want West to initiate the offense and let LeBron finish the play.  Damon Jones is his backup, but when Jones is in the game, more often than not, LeBron is the playmaker, and Jones is a perimeter shooter.  When Daniel Gibson gets back from his injury, he will take more time from West.

 

The off guard is Brown’s biggest quandary.  He moved Sasha Pavlovic back into the starting lineup after his injury, moving Devin Brown, who was playing well back to the bench.  Since that move, the Cavaliers have lost three out of four.  Is it an adjustment period or is Sasha a poor fit?  Wally Szczerbiak’s minutes have dwindled since Pavlovic’s return, and I’m not sure this is a good thing.  His recent struggles have colored our view about the former Miami (OH) sharpshooter, but this team needs his outside stroke in the playoffs.  His career shows he is a more reliable option that Pavlovic.

 

The time is now to start getting ready for the post-season, as the Cavs take on two playoff teams this week with the Pistons coming in tonight, and the likely first round opponent, Toronto, is here Friday.  A pair of home court wins would give the wine and gold a much needed shot in the arm.  Accomplishing this while restoring the confidence of Wally Szczerbiak would even be better.

 

JK

 

 

After the Detroit Tigers traded for Edgar Renteria, Miguel Cabrera, and Dontrelle Willis, most of the baseball experts around the country started handing the Central Division title to the Motor City Kitties.  They are being projected to score over a thousand runs on the season, with the most relentless attack outside of New York.  Of course, the last team to score that many runs in a season was the 1999 Cleveland Indians, who lost in the first round of the AL playoffs to the Boston Red Sox.  However, you need to look at the age of the Tigers before you hand them the crown.

 

The Tigers starting lineup has an average age of 31.8, and Indians is 27.7.  In fact, every member of the Detroit starting lineup is on the wrong side of 30, except for Cabrera and Curtis Granderson.  Moreover, they are all 32 years old or older.  Two players, Gary Sheffield (39) and Ivan Rodriguez (36) are closer to 40 years old than they are to 30.  Most stat guys will point out that the peak of most players careers hit from ages 27-29.  Therefore, most of the Tigers’ numbers should decline from what they did in 2007.

 

On the other hand, the only Indians over 30 are DH Travis Hafner, 3B Casey Blake, and the left field platoon of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels.  Also, several Tribesmen are at or younger than the peak years mentioned earlier:  Ryan Garko (27), Asdrubal Cabrera (22), Jhonny Peralta (25), Grady Sizemore (25), and Franklin Gutierrez (25).  All of these guys should improve their numbers from a year ago, with the possible exception of Cabrera, who has very limited experience.   

 

The spot the made me smile was centerfield.  The new flavor of many baseball people is Granderson, who emerged last season with a huge year.  On the other hand, Sizemore has been a star at the big league level since his first year as a regular in 2005.  However, check their ages.  Sizemore is a year younger than the Tigers’ CF, and Grady didn’t have as good a season as he did in 2006, so I look for a bounce back season coming up this summer.  If that’s the case, we are talking about a possible MVP season for the man named Grady.

 

The ages of the pitching staffs are about the same.  The Kitties have three young starters in Justin Verlander, Willis, and Jeremy Bonderman, although the latter two have had issues with performance recently.  It will be interesting to see how the lefthander acquired from the Marlins does in the AL after his struggles in the senior circuit the last two years.  Those three are roughly the same age as the Tribe’s C.C. Sabathia (27), Fausto Carmona (24), and Cliff Lee (29).  Both squads have veterans in Kenny Rogers (43) for Detroit and Paul Byrd (37) for the Indians.  A pair of 30 year olds round out the rotations in Jake Westbrook and Nate Robertson.

 

One of the reasons the Indians prevailed last season was the farm system.  The Tribe got contributions from several players down the stretch, people they weren’t counting on when the season opened.  The Tigers didn’t get that from their system, and they gutted that part of the organization further during the off-season.  I’m not saying the Cleveland Indians are a shoo in this season, but I’m also not ready to coronate the Tigers.  Just don’t be surprised in Magglio Ordonez doesn’t hit .360 again in 2008.

 

KM

 

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a tough week.  After winning at home on Monday against Portland, they hit the road and absorbed a pair of close losses, first to New Jersey, and then to Washington, two teams they needed to beat if they hoped to move up to the third spot in the Eastern Conference standings.  Coach Mike Brown was upset about the defense his team played in the two road games, but he didn’t have the best of weeks from a strategic standpoint.

 

In the game against the Nets, the coach was upset about New Jersey scoring almost 40 points in the first quarter.  However, part of the reason for that performance was that Brown removed defensive stalwart Devin Brown from the starting lineup in favor of Sasha Pavlovic, who hadn’t played in about seven weeks.  You can’t preach defense, and then remove a good defender in favor of a guy who doesn’t have the quickness to stay with a guy like Vince Carter.  Why Brown didn’t break Sasha back into the rotation slowly is beyond me.  He did have a good game last night, but Devin Brown played very well as a starter after the trade, and didn’t deserve to lose his spot.

 

Last night, it was the end of the game that left me shaking my head.  With the Cavs trailing by two and a little over six seconds left, the offensive strategy was wanting.  Instead of running a play, or having someone go to the basket for a drive and dish, Brown allowed LeBron James to talk him into just giving the ball to him and letting him try a game winning three.  Although James has been on a roll with his shooting lately, it was a bad play.  Even with all their injuries, the wine and gold are a deeper team and forcing overtime would have given them a good chance to win.  Instead, they settled for a shot that you or I could have drawn up.

 

I understand that Mike Brown is feeling his way through all of the injuries and new players acquired in trades.  He is trying to find combinations that play winning basketball.  However, he has to remember his defensive roots.  If he wants to stop teams to start games, he has to play the personnel to accomplish this.  I also understand he can’t put five guys out there that cannot score, but the difference on offense between Devin Brown and Pavlovic, last night not withstanding, isn’t that great. 

 

I also understand that LeBron wants responsibility at the end of games, but the coaching staff has to let him know when to play for a win, and when to get to overtime.  James going to the basket cannot be stopped.  If anybody were defending against him, they would give up the outside shot.  If he is hitting it, so be it.  With a player like The King, you have to give up something.  He is playing into their hands to take a shot like that at the end of the game.  I’m sure it is a very cool thing to hit a game winning three pointer, but the object in that situation is to continue the game.

 

Maybe the wine and gold are satisfied with the 4^th seed in the East.  After all, that would mean Boston in the second round (assuming they can get past Toronto), and I’m guessing the Cavs would rather take on the Celts in round two than the Pistons.  They are going to have to beat both teams to get back to The Finals, and they may be thinking playing Detroit first wouldn’t leave them with much against Boston.  They certainly played and coached this week like that was in the back of their minds.

 

JK