The real college football bowl season starts in earnest on January 1^st, and culminates with the BCS Championship Game next Monday night between Ohio State and LSU in New Orleans.  Of course, the BCS has made most of the games irrelevant, because they really don’t mean anything.  There’s only one game that matters, the one that determines the BCS Champion.

 

This year’s Buckeyes vs. Tigers match up has also started a feud between the Big 10 and SEC, two of the major college football conferences about the superiority of the SEC.  Certainly, the southeastern portion of the country is the hotbed of the sports, collegiately.  Also, there is no question the SEC is a deeper conference than the Big Ten, with its sixth and seventh best teams being superior to Indiana, Iowa, and Northwestern.  However, is the SEC’s best really better than the Big 10’s best?

 

Yesterday, there were two matchups between the two leagues, Tennessee defeated Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl, and Michigan knocked off Florida in the Florida Citrus Bowl.  So, it was a split.  The rubber match will be the BCS title tilt.  The latter game was particularly interesting in that Ohio State held Michigan to under 100 yards of total offense when they played six weeks ago, yet the Wolverines went up and down the field on the Gators.  Granted, the OSU-Michigan game was played in a driving rainstorm, but it was still an impressive defensive performance.

 

The day after Thanksgiving, I watched an Arkansas team move the ball with relative ease against the same Louisiana State team the Buckeyes will play on Monday night.  Granted, the Razorbacks have the premier runner in the country in Darren McFadden, but they also have a poor passing attack, which means the Tigers could focus on the running game, but still couldn’t stop it.  One conclusion could be that the gaudy offensive numbers put up by SEC teams is a result of poor defenses throughout the conference.

 

The SEC supporters point out their record against other conferences is very good, particularly against the Big Ten.  My argument would be when was the last time an SEC team came north in late October or November to take on Penn State or Wisconsin?  It never happens.  Whenever a northern team takes on an SEC member, it usually is in pristine weather conditions, either at the beginning of the season when the weather is nice, or in a bowl game which is held in beautiful weather or a domed stadium.  I wonder how the spread offense used by Urban Meyer and the Florida Gators would fare on a windy, cold day in the north?

 

The Big Ten for the most part has recruited for size, not speed.  However, Jim Tressel has bucked this trend, and with Illinois’ Ron Zook in the conference, and Michigan’s hire of Rich Rodriguez, the Big Ten is going to get faster.  These three coaches will start a return to power for the Big Ten, but the gap isn’t as large as some may think.  Part of the problem is everything is stacked in favor of the southern schools.  Heck, the BCS title game is virtually a home game for LSU.  Still, don’t be surprised if the Buckeyes become the first team to repeat as BCS champs.

 

MW

 

 

 

 

The Cleveland Browns closed out the regular season with its seventh consecutive home win, a 20-7 triumph over the San Francisco 49ers.  It was a workmanlike performance by the brown and orange, as the game didn’t seem at all in doubt after Derek Anderson’s 45 yard TD pass to Braylon Edwards midway through the second quarter.  It was on that play that Anderson hurt his hand and wrist slightly, giving the crowd an opportunity to see Brady Quinn’s NFL debut.  Unfortunately, the Colts didn’t hold up their end of the bargain losing to Tennessee 16-10, thus eliminating the Brownies from the playoffs.

 

Quinn shook off jitters on his first two passes to lead a drive which resulted in a Phil Dawson field goal to increase the Cleveland lead to 17-7 going into halftime.  He certainly gave the fans an idea of what he can do when he gets a chance.  Of course, after Anderson’s first pass was picked off following his four interception game last week, the crowd wanted Quinn to make his debut the next time the Browns got the football.  DA didn’t play his best game, making several poor throws, including a couple more that could have been picked off.  He finished 11 of 20 for 152 yards, as the Browns played ball control with Jamal Lewis.

 

Although he has a few miles on him, it would be difficult to imagine Phil Savage not working out some kind of new contract with Lewis, who had another 100 yard day, picking up 128 in 26 carries.  It was #31’s fourth game over the century mark in the last six, and the Browns lost the two games in which he did not reach 100 yards.  It has been reported that Savage is trying to work out a new deal with Lewis, who certainly showed he still has plenty of gas in the tank.

 

Defensively, the 49ers were hesitant to throw the ball because they were playing their 4th quarterback of the season in Chris Weinke, the former Heisman Trophy winner.  The Browns held Frank Gore under 100 yards in controlling the ground game, and put pressure on Weinke in recording five sacks.  It would not be a surprise if Willie McGinest was playing his last regular season game, and if he did, he went out in style, recording two sacks.  LB Leon Williams also recorded two sacks, as Todd Grantham’s much maligned crew held its third straight opponent under 20 points.

 

How can you forget the way Josh Cribbs dominated this game if you can do that on special teams.  The Pro Bowler returned two punts more than 50 yards, including a 76 yard return for a TD.  He also took two kickoffs back for an average of 28.5 yards, and had another touchdown if not for a very questionable holding call on Lenny Friedman, who appeared to be simply blocking his man.  He also made a great open field tackle on a punt return.  You really have to wonder why coaches continue to kick the ball anywhere near Cribbs.

 

It was a great turn around for a franchise with one winning season since 1994.  A playoff spot would have been nice, but the Browns really aren’t good enough defensively to be a factor in the post-season.  With an estimated $30 million under the salary cap going into the 2008 season, Savage should be able to upgrade that side of the ball, although he won’t have a first round draft choice.  A tougher schedule is not next year’s slate so improvement will be needed to match this year’s 10-6 record.  If nothing else, this year’s Browns made the team relevant again, not the joke they had been since 1999.

 

JD

 

 

 

 

 

 

As we get ready to put 2007 in the history books, it’s time to reflect on the year in Cleveland sports.  Compared to some of the calendars we have tracked, particularly in the past five or six years, 2007 has been a great year.  No, the championship the city so badly wants was not achieved, but all three of our major sports teams were winners, one even went further than ever before.

 

Even Ohio State, who we have adopted ever since they won the national championship in 2002, went to the college football and basketball title games in 2007.  Actually, the football Buckeyes lost to start the year, and they have a chance to win again in a little over a week against LSU.  The basketball Bucks also lost in their championship game, which was a recurring theme for the sports year. 

 

It was a very good year, but one that came up just a bit short.

 

Cavaliers.  The wine and gold made it to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, hoisting an Eastern Conference Championship banner.  It was a great spring for basketball fans in Cleveland, the highlights being LeBron James’ ridiculous 48-point performance against the Pistons in Game 5, and clinching the conference title by defeating Detroit on the hot shooting of rookie Daniel Gibson.  In his fourth season, James led this formerly moribund franchise to The Finals.  The Cavs came up short against the Spurs, but they reminded everyone what is possible when you have the best player in the game wearing your uniform.

 

Indians.  The Tribe’s season at home began with a snow, and forced them to actually play a three game series against the Angels in Milwaukee.  It ended one game short of the World Series.  In between, baseball fans watched a Cy Young Award winner in C.C. Sabathia, the Manager of the Year in Eric Wedge, and the MLB Executive of the Year in Mark Shapiro.  Fausto Carmona emerged as a #1A starter, winning 19 games, and Asdrubal Cabrera, a 21-year-old second baseman turned out to be a key player.  Even fan favorite Kenny Lofton returned to help the Indians reach the post season.  The highlight of the season had to be eliminating the Yankees at Yankee Stadium; making the entire Big Apple shut its collective mouths.

 

Browns.  No one would have imaged the Browns would hit the last game of the season with a chance to make the playoffs, especially after a 31-7 drubbing by the Steelers in their opener.  But, Charlie Frye was traded, Derek Anderson was given the reins, and the vertical offense orchestrated by offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski took off.  Braylon Edwards made the Pro Bowl, and Kellen Winslow, Eric Steinbach, and rookie Joe Thomas came very close to a trip to Hawaii.  The defense still has issues, and GM Phil Savage will spend the off-season upgrading the front seven in the draft and free agency.  Finally, there is hope for pigskin followers in Cleveland.

 

In fact, if the Colts win on Sunday, all three professional sports teams in our city will make the post season in the same year for the first time.  We are even seeing a revitalization of the Cleveland State basketball program under Gary Waters.  To those who still complain about the lack of a title, please chill out.  After watching our teams lose and lose and lose, it was good to see each squad be winners, and come close to titles.  It gives us hope for 2008.

 

MW

 

Mike Brown tweaked his starting lineup on Christmas Day, opening up the game with a backcourt of Larry Hughes and Sasha Pavlovic, thus putting Daniel Gibson off the bench.  I agree, as written in this blog, that the wine and gold needed to get back to its defensive roots. and that combination does give Brown a better defensive team at the beginning of games.  However, one game doesn’t mean the team has turned around, it will be interesting to see how the team performs tomorrow night in Dallas and then in New Orleans.  I can still remember how terrible they looked Sunday against Golden State.

 

LeBron James was irritated after that contest, so he joined the other 20,000 who paid to be there in digust after that performance.  After that game, rumors surfaced about Hughes being mentionned in trade talks.  Quite frankly, GM Danny Ferry has to do something to shake up this team.  I’m normally not one to push the panic button, but the Cavaliers are stuck in a malaise they haven’t been able to shake.  The Cavs need consistency around LeBron, and that has been lacking since his return from injury.  Yesterday, Drew Gooden decided to play, getting 18 points and 9 boards, but that has not been the norm as of late.  Since Anderson Varajao has rejoined the team, Gooden has virtually disappered.

 

Hughes could have been put back in the starting lineup as a showcase move, since he hasn’t done anything to merit the move after his 36 point outburst against Indiana a few weeks back.  The free agent disappointment is averaging less than 10 points per game and is shooting less than 33% from the floor this season.  He does play defense, but you have to be able to put the ball in the hoop, or you force your teammates to play four on five.  It would be stunning if Ferry can make a trade in which he gets a useful player in return for Hughes, because of his huge contract and diminished play.

 

Besides Hughes, it’s also time Ferry makes a move with his frontcourt.  Gooden’s up and down play is maddening to me, so I can assume it has to drive his coach nuts.  There is no question this team plays better when Varajao is in the game, so if you can trade the former Jayhawk, whose contract is not untradable, and get another Varajao type player (read: defender and rebounder) in return, it would definitely help the wine and gold.  Gooden is a good offensive player at times, but he is prone to turnovers, mostly because he tries to do too much with his passes, and he doesn’t show up on a night to night basis.

 

Gibson didn’t do anything to be demoted.  He played well yesterday, scoring 14 points off the bench.  Boobie isn’t a good defense player, and takes ill-advised shots at times, but he is just a second year pro.  He has improved greatly since a year ago, and he has a good work ethic, so it is probable he will learn from his mistakes and will continue to get better.  If he can get better handling the ball, and can get the Cavs into their offense, he will be a starter at the NBA level for a very long time.

 

The next three or four weeks are a key for the Cavaliers.  They will determine whether or not this team will be a team that is lucky to make the playoffs, or one that will make another run at the Eastern Conference title.  The biggest factor in determining this is whether or not Danny Ferry can improve his roster.  Based on how the team has performed over the past two weeks, a 7th or 8th seed looms in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ future.

 

JK

 

I knew it wouldn’t be easy for the Cleveland Browns today.  The Bengals are a talented team having a disappointing season.  That is a good sign they will be the type of team that would love to be a spoiler.  I figured they would play with the attitude of "if we can’t make it, let’s stop someone else from making it, too".  Cincinnati did play hard, and the result was a 19-14 defeat of the Browns that leaves the brown and orange looking for help to make the post season.

 

Derek Anderson did not play well and threw four interceptions, two of them turning a 6-0 potential halftime deficit into a 19-0 one.  The Bengals played a very soft zone defense taking away the deep throws he completes so well, and made the Browns throw underneath.  Anderson’s accuracy could also been affected by the gusty winds at Paul Brown Stadium, as many of his tosses sailed on him.  However, he did get the Browns into a position to win with five minutes remaining in the game, throwing two TD passes to Braylon Edwards to trim the Bengal lead to 19-14. 

 

It was then that the Browns’ weakness on defense reared its ugly head.  The inablility to stop the run.  After Carson Palmer’s second interception to Leigh Bodden put the good guys in a position to get back into the game, coordinator Todd Grantham had to know Cincinnati was not going to take any chances.  However, reverse running back Kenny Watson, subbing for an injured Rudi Johnson, simply ran the ball right down the Browns’ throats.  Cincy did mix in one gadget double reverse, but otherwise it was good old fashioned smash mouth football.  The Bengals moved forty yards on the ground until Watson fumbled on the Cleveland 18 with under two minutes to go. 

 

The Browns had to go 82 yards, but an offensive pass interference call on Edwards nullifying a long game moved them back further.  Anderson’s pass to give the Browns a victory fell incomplete in the Cincinnati end zone, and forced the Browns to wish and hope.  It seemed like Cleveland had the ball the entire game, and they did control the clock holding the ball for 33 minutes compared to 27 for Cincinnati.  The Browns ran 21 more plays than their opponent, but the four turnovers and the inability to stop the running game tilted the contest in our southern neighbors’ favor.

 

Not that it had any effect on the contest, once again, the NFL officiating was not up to par.  What was the official on the goal line looking at in the second quarter when he called a touchdown for Chad Johnson?  Johnson didn’t come close to catching the ball, let alone cross the plane.  The thing that irks me is he was right on the play.  What did he see?  Another mistake was after the Bengals return man called a fair catch on the kickoff on his own 18, yet the officiating crew marked the ball on the 21 yard line.  How can a mistake like that be made?

 

The Browns play another team going nowhere next weekend, but this time at home in the San Francisco 49ers.  A win puts Romeo Crennel’s team at 10-6, the most wins by a Browns team since 1994.  Yet, without help, they will be home for the playoffs.  Tennessee currently has the edge for a playoff spot, and they play Indianapolis on Sunday.  Normally, that would be a good thing, except the Colts have absolutely nothing to play for.  They are the #2 seed, and cannot move up or down.  Therefore, they will probably play a Jim Sorgi led Colt team. 

 

The Browns put themselves in this spot because the weakness of this team since 1999 came back and bit them once again.  If you cannot stop the run, it’s tough to win in the NFL.

 

JD

 

It is amazing what you hear when people talk sports.  There is an old expression that opinions are like noses (or another part of the anatomy) everybody has one.  And everyone thinks they know something about sports.  However, there still are some comments from these uninformed fans that make me shake my head.  Here are a few of them.

 

Brady Quinn is better than Derek Anderson.  This is a ridiculous comment.  How would anybody know this?  Are they basing it on Quinn’s performance against third stringers in exhibition games?  You could say that the rookie has the potential to be better than Anderson, but you can’t say he is better right now.  The Browns’ quarterback has led the team to a 9-5 record, and is an alternate for the Pro Bowl.  According to the players, there are only three signal callers in the AFC better than D.A., and none of them are named Quinn.

 

Here’s another thing.  Do you really think if Brady Quinn were outperforming Anderson everyday at practice, the Browns coaches wouldn’t have created time for him?  They would have gone to him in one of those games where Anderson was struggling in the first half.  I think people should not use the present tense in discussing Brady Quinn.  Remember, he has yet to take a snap in a regular season game. 

 

I can’t root for the Tribe because the Dolan’s are cheap.  Apparently, these idiots would rather see the Indians spend $150 million on players and then finish with a 78-84 record.  Are you kidding?  What does the amount of money spent on the team have to do with your support.  The Tribe won the American League Central Division and missed the World Series by one game.  It’s a team worthy of your support, because they are arguably the second best team in baseball.

 

Even with the Tigers off-season pick-ups, the Indians are still one of the best five teams in the national pastime.  That’s not just my opinion; it’s the opinion of many baseball writers throughout the country.

 

Here’s an old one…the only reason Phil Savage signed Josh Cribbs is he is a local guy.  Infamous talk show caller Hiram said this one after Cribbs signed with the Browns following the 2005 draft.  I guess Savage knew what he was doing, since the former Kent State quarterback is arguably the best special teams player in the NFL, and made the Pro Bowl.

 

Can you imagine how Pete Franklin would have responded to comments like these?  He would have told them it was amazing they were able to dial a phone.  I just laugh, because I guess some fans are incapable of being happy.

 

MW

 

LeBron James and Anderson Varajao are back, and still the Cavaliers are struggling.  They have lost eight of their last ten games, although to be fair, the King missed five of those contests.  After a resounding win over Indiana in his return, the wine and gold lost to the Nets on the road, dropped a home game to the 76ers, and struggled to defeat the Bucks in double overtime at Quicken Loans Arena.  Right now, the Cavs look more like a team trying to reach the playoffs than the defending Eastern Conference Champions.

 

Coach Mike Brown has struggled to find the right combination of players now that he has everybody back.  To help him find that mix, here is a little advice.  You are a defensive coach first and foremost.  You have taken heat for your offensive strategy the past two years, including on this site.  Your team is running more this season, and that is a good thing.  Defensive clubs use their play on that end of the floor to create fast break opportunities.  The Cavs still need work on the half court offense.

 

However, back to his defensive background.  Brown stresses it.  Stop your opponents.  You can’t win titles until you can stop teams, and last year the Cavaliers became a pretty good defensive squad.  Your playing rotation should consist mainly of players will are willing to step up and play tough, aggressive defense.  Monday night was a good start, in that Devin Brown got back in the mix.  D. Brown does the little things.  He guards people, isn’t afraid to go inside and battle for rebounds, and doesn’t shy away from floor burns.  In fact, it was Brown’s offensive rebound and put back that sent the game against the Bucks into double overtime. 

 

Another player who should continue to get time is Eric Snow.  Snow is older and is probably limited to just 10-12 minutes per night, but he provides the hardnosed defense his coach loves.  Ira Newble, although he struggles to stay healthy, is another player who contributes on the defensive end.  Even Dwayne Jones should get some minutes every night since he defends and can run the floor.  With the starting five and Varajao, this gives the coaching staff a ten man rotation.

 

Who does that leave out?  It would appear to leave Larry Hughes out, put I would put Hughes back in the starting lineup in the backcourt with Daniel Gibson.  So that would leave Sasha Pavlovic out.  Hughes hasn’t shot well in the past three games, but if he’s on the floor with James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, it might allow him to comes off more screens as the third option in the offense.  He simply has to start providing some points if this team is going to succeed.  He can’t continue to shoot below 35%. 

 

It also leaves out Damon Jones and Shannon Brown.  Perhaps this added "depth" can allow GM Danny Ferry to go out and swing a deal to make the half court offense better.   Recently, Rick Mahorn said getting Andre Miller from Philadelphia would make the Cavs the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.  Miller, who should have never been dealt away in the first place, would be a perfect fit in that he is patient in a set up offense.  He would allow LeBron to be the finisher instead of the initiater.  Once again, the fourth quarter offense consists of LeBron with the ball and four guys watching.

 

Mike Brown has got to figure out who deserves to play and who doesn’t.  The wine and gold are too talented to be struggling against the Philadelphias and Milwaukees of the league at home.

 

JK

 

 

 

Now that was football.  The kind you watched in the old NFL Films footage from the 50’s and 60’s.  The kind you and your friends went out and played when the first snow of the season covered the ground.  It wasn’t antiseptic, under a dome, or in a warm weather climate.  It was good, old-fashioned football.  What made it even better was the Cleveland Browns moved one step closer to a playoff spot with an 8-0 win over the Buffalo Bills.  The Brownies are now 9-5 for the season, and have just their second winning season since 1999.

 

GM Phil Savage probably had a day like yesterday in mind when he signed Jamal Lewis to a one year contract last spring.  In fact, he was undoubtedly thinking about the entire months of November and December.  Lewis has been a force the last five games, averaging over 110 yards per contest in that stretch, capping it with a 163-yard performance against the Bills.  The running back ran through and around the Buffalo defense, getting better as the game went on.  He now has gone over 1,000 yards on the season, and has shown he is worthy of a contract extension since he is only on a one-year deal.

 

The Browns dominated the game until the last two minutes when the Bills mounted a drive to tie the game.  It made me wonder why Buffalo had not attacked the defense like that sooner, but they had a first down on the Browns’ 15-yard line with less than a minute to go.  But, on fourth down and five from the ten, they curiously called a screen pass that was snuffed out by Chaun Thompson for virtually no gain, which preserved the victory.  It was a miserable day for offense, but the Cleveland defense did a better job stopping the ground game than their Buffalo counterparts.  Controlling Marshawn Lynch was the key for the defense.

 

Offensively, the Browns set a tone that they were going to be aggressive on the first play when Derek Anderson went deep for Braylon Edwards.  The passing game made just enough big plays, including a 25-yard catch by Joe Jurevicius off a deflection, and a great grab by Edwards to set up the team’s second field goal.  Kellen Winslow couldn’t make connections with his QB in the first half, but wound up grabbing a couple key balls in the second half.  Until the Bills’ last drive, Cleveland’s passing game was better as well.

 

Perhaps the special teams were the biggest reason for the win.  How Phil Dawson made the 49-yard field goal in those conditions was unbelievable.  I couldn’t believe the team was actually going to attempt the kick.  But, kick it he did, and his line drive just cleared the crossbar.  Also, the Bills’ special teams gave the brown and orange a safety when they snapped the ball over punter Brian Moorman’s head.  Even Dave Zastudil got into the act with a 56-yard punt that he landed on the Buffalo one-yard line.

 

With a win next Sunday at Cincinnati, the Browns clinch a playoff spot.  They won’t be backing into the post-season either; winning would mean a 10-win season.  Jamal Lewis battered the Bengals for over 200 yards the last time these two teams met, so look for more of the same punishing running attack from the Browns’ offense.  Defeating a divisional foe on the road is no easy task, however.  Despite Cincy’s 20-13 loss to San Francisco Saturday night, they will be ready for the Browns. 

 

JD

 

Let’s talk real baseball, hot stove baseball.  The Mitchell Report came out yesterday, so most of the conversation on the national pastime has to do with performance enhancing drugs, but there weren’t any real surprises on the list. 

 

One more comment.  It is a joke that Barry Bonds holds the all time home run record.  He can deny taking steroids or HGH all he wants, but he doesn’t pass the eye test.  Our eyes tell us he did something to get that big in his late 30’s.  That said, Roger Clemens is just as bad.  Watch Clemens’ 20-strikeout game against Seattle in the late 1980’s, and compare the guy who pitched that game to the guy who started Game 3 of the ALDS last season.  He fails the same test.

 

Now, onto the game on the field.  It has been rumored that the Indians are in conversations with Oakland for starting pitcher Dan Haren.  Haren has been one of the top starting pitchers in the American League since he was acquired from St. Louis after the 2004 season.  He is under contract for 2008 and 2009, with a club option for 2010 at a relatively low cost.  He would be a tremendous pick up for the Tribe.

 

The Tigers are building with offense, much like the Indians from 1995-2001.  They arguably have the best line up in the game right now after picking up Miguel Cabrera from the Marlins.  Remember, how many world championships those Cleveland teams won?  None.  The way to combat good offense is good pitching.  Getting Haren would give the Indians a true big three of C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, and Haren, backed by Jake Westbrook and Paul Byrd.  That’s a pretty good rotation.  Arguably the best in the game.

 

These rumors have speculated that Shapiro would have to give up Adam Miller in the deal to acquire Haren.  There is no question that Miller is the Tribe’s best mound prospect.  However, he has also had injury problems in two of the last three years.  The front office will tell you Bartolo Colon had some arm problems when he was young, but became very durable after he turned 22 years old.  I don’t know if lightning will strike twice this time.  To get a 27-year-old starter of this caliber, one who is under contract for three more years, I think I would include Miller in the deal.

 

Shapiro is said to be balking at including Asdrubal Cabrera in the deal, and I would agree with the GM on this front.  Cabrera figures to start at 2B for the Indians in 2008, and if he is dealt, it means the ball club is back to Josh Barfield.  The organization wants Barfield to start the year in Buffalo to correct the offensive problems he had last season.  There is little depth on this front, in fact, the Indians traded for utility infielder Jamey Carroll from Colorado to fortify the middle infield.  Carroll is a veteran, but a slap hitter with the bat.  He does draw some walks, but has very little power.

 

Getting Haren would also fortify the organization if Sabathia would leave via the free agent route following this season.  The ball club would still have two solid starters at the top of the rotation.  Keep in mind, with Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers, both of whom have already pitched in the majors, and Chuck Lofgren and David Huff, who likely will be at Buffalo and Akron respectively, the team has some depth among starting pitchers.  It would also be a nice Christmas present for Indians’ fans to find three aces under the tree from Mr. Shapiro.

 

KM

 

 

LeBron James never ceases to amaze me, which is why he is most definitely The King.  James returned to the Cavaliers’ lineup after missing five games with a sprained index finger.  He asked Mike Brown to not start him, but rather to bring him into the game with holdout Anderson Varajao to minimize any booing the Brazilian might receive.  I think we all knew what a great player LeBron James is, but we forget that he is a great teammate as well.

 

James played and the wine and gold put together a 118-105 win over the Pacers at The Q last night, as the boys were finally back in town.  It was the first time since the NBA Finals that the Cavs had all of the pieces to the puzzle together, and the result was quite impressive.  Granted, nobody is comparing Indiana to the San Antonio Spurs, but after a six game losing streak, it looked like a work of art.

 

Varajao’s return was an initial success, as he scored six points and had nine rebounds in his season debut.  The bigger story was the much maligned Larry Hughes.  Hughes scored 36 points in his second straight good game.  He looked like the man who teamed with Gilbert Arenas for a potent backcourt with the Washington Wizards before signing with Cleveland.  He hit shots from outside, he went to the basket, and he hit the open man.  Maybe Hughes is finally healthy, and perhaps he will show why Danny Ferry gave him the big cash three years ago.  It is only two games, but it is something to build on.

 

All of the injuries and holdouts have one positive; they have given Brown a deeper roster.  Dwayne Jones showed he could be effective in spots.  Devin Brown does a solid job off the bench at the big guard and small forward.  Even Shannon Brown did well with some extended minutes.  Last night, Daniel Gibson didn’t even play after having his wisdom teeth removed on Monday.  The added depth will mean players will be fresher as the regular season winds down, provided the coaching staff uses all of the squad’s pieces.

 

Keep in mind, there is still four months to play in the NBA regular season.  The Cavaliers have played three more road games than home games, and they are in a part of the schedule where they are starting to play some of the lower ranked teams in the association.  There is plenty of time to ascend to the top of the Eastern Conference standings, or at least in the top four so they can secure home court advantage in the first round.  With all of its parts intact, this is a good basketball team.

 

With LeBron back in the lineup, the Cavs can make up ground quick.  Also, his return also meant the play where the ball goes to Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the post has returned.  For his next unselfish act, perhaps James can teach his mates how to get the ball in the low post.  The boys are back in town.  Let’s see how the real Cavs play for a while.  Remember, before James was injured, this team beat the Celtics the night before. 

 

JK