Since the Browns returned in 1999 and the playoffs have been a rumor for most of that time, the most popular thing for the fans to look forward to is the NFL Draft.

It’s like the Super Bowl.  It’s an event that’s debated for four months, from immediately after the season ends until the actual day of the draft.  The players in the draft go from being the favorite of the fans to not desired, to back as a popular choice.

That happened last season to Joe Haden, and he turned out quite nicely for the Browns.

Many gurus have Cleveland picking a wide receiver with their first round selection, the 6th overall pick, in this year’s draft.  This is based on the 2010 starting wideouts being Mohammed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie. 

However, it is likely that GM Tom Heckert will follow the same strategy as he did last year and go with defense first in 2011. 

Notice that most of the veterans released last week played on that side of the football.  Therefore, the defense needs to be rebuilt, and what better way to do it than in the draft.

There should be no question that this is biggest area of need, especially on the front seven, which right now probably has three starters:  T Ahtyba Rubin, and LBs Scott Fujita and Chris Gocong.  That leaves four spots open.

There is no question that this franchise needs a game changer on the defensive side of the ball.  Name the last great Browns’ defensive player?  Not an All Pro player, a Hall of Fame defensive player who put fear in opponents. 

It can’t be done.  At least, there is no player who suited up for the Browns in the last 40 years that fits that description.

That’s what this team needs more than anything, especially in the AFC North.  They need a Ray Lewis or Troy Polamalu type.  And picking this high in the draft gives them an opportunity to go out and get one.

One position that is not an area of pressing need is quarterback.  Whether or not you think Colt McCoy is the answer, you have to believe he is an upgrade to the people who have called signals since Derek Anderson’s remarkable 2007 campaign.

Many people are pointing to Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton as the 1st round pick to get a guy to compete with Ben Roethlisberger or Joe Flacco. 

While Newton has all the physical tools to play QB in the NFL, he’s still was a spread option guy in college and therefore is a bit of a risk.  He’s also played just one year of major college football.  He is simply too big of a gamble for the Browns, when they have glaring needs on defense.

It comes down to what is more of a position of need:  Defensive front seven or quarterback?  Even McCoy’s biggest critic would have to admit the Browns need a big time defensive player in order to be a factor in this division.

As for the wide receiver need, the Browns probably feel that with a better offensive system, the guys they have will improve. 

The wild card here is last year’s 6th round pick, WR Carlton Mitchell.  One of the mysteries of last season was that Mitchell couldn’t or wouldn’t be allowed to be on the field.

Also, remember that in a lot of cases, good quarterbacks make good receivers.  McCoy’s continued progress will make the wide outs look better.

Yes, the Browns have offensive needs such as another lineman and another receiver would be helpful.  However, the biggest need on this football team is defense.  That’s where the sixth pick in the draft should be used.

JD

The last week of play tells you all you want to know about the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it has to drive coach Byron Scott crazy.

After Sunday night’s loss to Washington, it would not have been surprising had the coach destroyed the locker room in anger at the effort put out from a team whose record is now 9-46.

Monday night, the wine and gold took on one of the NBA’s better team, the Dallas Mavericks.  They played with passion and hustle, and was tied late in the fourth quarter.  They had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Anthony Parker’s three pointers missed, resulting in the Cavs’ 25th straight loss.

The next game was against Detroit, a team in the lower tier of the league.  However, the Cavaliers came out not ready to play and the Pistons rolled, handing Cleveland their 26th consecutive loss.

The losing streak was broken on Friday with an overtime win against the LA Clippers. 

The Cavs came ready to play, scrambling for loose balls and working hard on defense. 

Apparently, that game satisfied their thirst for victory because they laid an egg against Washington, losing to a team that had not won on the road all season. 

It’s hard to believe that any team with as poor a record as the Cavaliers would take any opponent for granted. 

It also means there is a deeper problem for Scott, GM Chris Grant, and owner Dan Gilbert.

Scott has been trying to go with his veterans as of late, probably to generate some trade interest in guys like Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, Mo Williams, and Jamario Moon.

But the problem is these guys just don’t seem to be interested in doing what is needed to win on a night in night out basis.  Perhaps, LeBron James saw the same thing and that’s why he left.

There is no excuse for not playing hard or not being prepared to play. 

Sunday night, Williams and Parker turned the ball over so much it resembled Christmas Eve with the two Cavaliers in the role of Santa Claus. 

And those are the veterans!

Maybe the coach and GM see the same thing from these players and they are biding their time until they can cleanse the roster.

This team needs someone to step up and show everyone what needs to be done in order to win in the NBA.  Right now, there is no one currently on the roster who shows this type of professionalism.

At least guys like Ramon Sessions, Manny Harris, Samardo Samuels, Daniel Gibson, and the much maligned J.J. Hickson act like they care. 

For those who question the latter’s talent, look at his numbers since Scott benched him for missing practice at the beginning of January.  He is putting up numbers, and even better, putting out an effort every night.

There seems to be people starting to question the coaching of Scott right now based on the club’s record and the lack of effort in these recent games.

How do you motivate the dead?  That’s what Scott has to work with right now.  Many of his veteran players aren’t giving him effort on a regular basis.  That shows a lack of heart on the players part.

The coach cannot want to win more than the players.  If that is truly the case, Byron Scott can’t shoulder the brunt of the blame for the Cavaliers’ record. 

Nothing will change until a talent transfusion is performed by Grant. 

Anyone want to be an NBA coach?

JK

It’s become an annual rite of spring.  Right before spring training starts, the Cleveland Indians sign a veteran free agent that they do not seem to need.

Last year, it was Russell Branyan, who took at bats away from Matt LaPorta early in the season.  He also was a poor defensive player, clogged up the basepaths when he did get on base, and of course, struck out as often as Lindsay Lohan goes to rehab.

This year, the Tribe has signed 36-year-old veteran Orlando Cabrera to compete for the second base position. 

We have mixed feelings here, because on one hand, it shows the Indians are not happy with Jayson Nix at that spot.  Nix is a below average player and Cleveland shouldn’t be handing him a regular spot.

Also, Cabrera winds up in the post-season a lot.  In fact, he’s been on a playoff team six of the last seven seasons.  He’s been on winning teams, and perhaps he can share what it takes with his younger teammates.

Here’s the rub, though.  All indications are that the veteran can’t play very well any more.  He is 36 years old.

Last season, Cabrera hit .263 with 4 HR, 42 RBI and a 657 OPS.  Those aren’t impressive numbers.  But it gets worse.

Cabrera played his home games last season in Cincinnati at The Great American Ballpark, a great place for hitters.  Away from the Queen City, he hit .233 with 1 HR, 16 RBI, and an OPS of 571.  That’s the guy you just signed.

Remember that Progressive Field is a pitcher’s park, and you don’t have to be a genius to see Cabrera is going to be an offensive liability. 

And his defense has slipped as well, mostly because he’s slowed down due to age.

The reality is that Cabrera hasn’t been a good offensive player since 2004 when he played for Boston’s world championship team. 

Plus, his presence is going to retard the progress of some of the young players who should be getting a look this spring with a chance to make the big league roster, Cord Phelps and Jason Kipnis.

Once again, because we’ve been over this before.  Phelps is a hitter.  He hit over .300 at Columbus (AAA) last season in a little less than 300 at bats.  He’s a switch hitter as well. 

The Tribe front office gave him an award in the off-season for most being the most consistent hitter at hitting the ball hard. 

The other big factor for Phelps is that he just turned 24 years old.  The organization needs to find out about him now.  He should be given the opportunity to earn and hold a big league job.

Having Cabrera on the roster hinders the chances of young players, guys being hyped by the organization, getting playing time.

Why talk about how good your farm system is if you never give any of them a chance to play in the majors?

Team president Mark Shapiro and his protegé, GM Chris Antonetti seem to be forever haunted by bringing up Brandon Phillips too soon in 2003, when as a 22-year-old, he hit .208.  Three years later, he was dealt to Cincinnati and is averaging 20 HR per season and hasn’t had a batting average less than .261.

Phillips recovered from his “traumatic” rookie season, but the front office has been very conservative with young players since.  This kind of stance is what losing organizations do. 

Instead of bringing in the Cabreras and Austin Kearns of the world.  Bring in pitching. 

The Tribe front office needs to alter its approach.  Nothing will change around Progressive Field until it does.

MW

As the losses mount up for the Cleveland Cavaliers, the whole LeBron James leaving story as re-emerged from the national media. 

With it is the criticism of Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert.  Gilbert deserves some negative press, but blasting him for the way James left and his handling of the former Cavaliers and his support team is unmerited.

Gilbert has taken criticism for the letter he wrote to Cavs’ fans the night James decided to leave the franchise, and that is understandable.  It was written in anger, and in retrospect, should have been crumbled up and put in the garbage.

However, at the time the supporters of his team loved it.  They gave James unconditional love and couldn’t believe that someone from around here wouldn’t want to stay. 

Promising a title before the Heat gets one was over the top and since the Cavaliers best chance to win anything this season comes in the draft lottery, the owner’s statement was silly.

It’s funny that Gilbert is being criticized for how the player was handled when he was wearing the wine and gold.  He did everything he could to make him feel like he was the most important piece of the franchise, and based on how the value of the team dropped without him, it was with good reason.

The critics say Gilbert should have been tougher with James, not an “enabler”.  That’s hindsight, and there is no place for it here.

If the Cavs’ ownership had put their collective foot down and been tougher with James, and then he left, the same people would be saying Dan Gilbert handled it all wrong, he should have coddled the superstar in an effort to keep him.

Other anti-Gilbert people talk about how the Cavs should have put a better roster around James.  They conveniently forget that #23 probably had a lot of imput on major moves affecting the roster. 

They say the worst GM’s are the players themselves and it’s true in this case.  However, assuming James was consulted and signed off on these trades, he had a large hand in not having the proper talent around him.

One guy who flies under the radar and doesn’t get a lot of criticism is former GM Danny Ferry. 

By all accounts, Ferry could have made a deal to get Shaquille O’Neal from Phoenix at the trading deadline in 2009, but declined, not wanting to disturb the chemistry on a team that ended 66-16. 

Perhaps a championship banner would be hanging from the rafters at The Q had the deal been made.  Supposedly, Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract was the centerpiece of such a deal.

Ferry should also get criticism for selecting Christian Eyenga in the first round of the 2009 draft.  Although Eyenga shows promise now with his athleticism, he’s a project. 

With the Cavs ranking among the NBA’s elite at the time, shouldn’t a more ready to play guy should have been picked in that spot, say a player like DeJuan Blair, who is putting up good numbers the Spurs, who happen to have the league’s best record?

LeBron James left the Cavaliers because he wanted to go play with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, and the three of them decided the coolest place to play was in Miami. 

He didn’t have the competitive gene that Michael Jordan had, which was to dominate all in his path.  Jordan wanted to beat everyone, including his friends. 

Just don’t blame Dan Gilbert for the way he treated James and his entourage.  As for the make up of the team, the owner is just a part of that problem.

JK

If you are a baseball fan, there is no question you are feeling some sort of anticipation.  Spring training will start in less than two weeks, and by the end of the month, box scores from exhibition games will start appearing in the newspaper and various web sites.

Hope springs eternal at this time of year, even if you are a fan of the Cleveland Indians.

Most experts have the Tribe finishing fourth in the AL Central Division behind any combination of the Twins, White Sox, and Tigers.  What would have to happen for the Indians to make the climb and finish atop of the division?

1).  The return to health for Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana.  The Indians finished 12th in the AL in runs scored last season, which obviously is not good enough. 

Getting Sizemore back, (that is, the Sizemore who played from 2005-08 when he arguably had MVP type seasons), would give the batting attack a needed jolt.  Figure 25 HR, 80 RBIs, and 30 stolen bases from the leadoff spot.

Santana can be a middle of the order presence which would lengthen the lineup.  Since he still hasn’t played a full big league season, figure the switch hitter for 20 HR and 80 RBI with an OPS of over 800. 

That would add two legitimate very good offensive players to the lineup. 

2).  Carmona pitches like ’10, not ’09.   If the right-hander can put together an ERA of under 4.00 like last season, he could win 15-18 games with an improved offense.

3).  Another starter steps up.  Whether it’s Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco (the likely candidate), Josh Tomlin, or even Alex White, the Indians need another guy who can consistently go out and give the team six or seven good innings on a regular basis.

4).  The bullpen holds up.  The collapse of the relief corps has been the reason for many a disappointing season in Cleveland.  Last year, Chris Perez showed he can be a dominant closer.  If guys like Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, Tony Sipp, and Vinnie Pestano can bridge the gap from the starters to C. Perez, it could be a winning season at Progressive Field.

5).  Emergence of young player.  To be contenders, the Indians will need production from someone unexpected, and not someone like Matt LaPorta, who has been here a couple of years.  No, they need a player like Cord Phelps, Jason Kipnis, or even Lonnie Chisenhall to burst on the scene as an everyday player. 

They don’t need anything spectacular, just a solid contribution from one of these guys.  Notice, we picked guys who play 2B and/or 3B, two problem positions for Cleveland.

6).  Cabrera fulfills promise.  In 2009, at age 23, Asdrubal Cabrera had an OPS of 799 and compiled 52 extra base hits while playing shortstop.  He was arguably the best SS in the American League not named Derek Jeter. 

Last year, he dropped to 20 extra base hits and an OPS of 673.  He had his arm broken in a collision with Jhonny Peralta, so he really wasn’t healthy for most of the season.

At age 25, Cabrera needs to get back to where he was two years ago.  If he doesn’t, the Tribe will be looking for a shortstop in 2012.

Some of these scenarios are more likely than others, but most of them need to occur if the Cleveland Indians are going to stay in the race this season.

Still, it’s an awful lot of question marks.  That’s what you get with an unproven roster.  But at this time of year, it’s fun to dream and look at the best case scenario. 

It’s happened before…look at the 1967 Red Sox, the 1991 Braves, and 2006 Tigers.

MW

The Cleveland Cavaliers have done it! 

They set a new NBA record for futility with their 24 straight loss Saturday night by losing to Portland. 

There are signs that the streak will end soon, as the wine and gold have had chances to win each of the last three games.  Wednesday against the Pacers, the Cavs actually led late in the fourth quarter. 

Friday night against Memphis, the Cavaliers outplayed the Grizzlies for three and a half quarters before losing on the road, and against Portland, they were down just two with under two minutes left in the contest. 

With eight straight home games following a visit to Dallas on Monday night, Cleveland will add one to the win column for the first time since the middle of December very soon.

What does the future hold?  There are some players on the roster right now who could be here when the Cavs return to being a good team, and several are very young in terms of age and experience.

Those players are undrafted free agents Manny Harris and Samardo Samuels, as well as former first round pick Christian Eyenga.  Samuels is the oldest of the trio, having just turned 22 years old.  The other pair are 21.

Before espousing the virtues of these three, a point of explanation.  Don’t be frightened by the words “undrafted free agent”.  The NBA draft has become a process of teams making choices on guys based on long range potential, usually with big guys, and particularly later in the draft.  Every GM wants to find an all star player with choices 20-60, instead of finding solid NBA players.

Remember this.  Former Ohio State big men, Kosta Koufos and B.J. Mullens were both taken in the first round of the draft.  Koufos is on his second team (he was drafted by Utah and is now on Minnesota), has started one game this year, his third in the league, and is getting about eight minutes a night, scoring 2.5 points per game.

Mullens is currently in the D-League.

Meanwhile, guys like DeJuan Blair with San Antonio and Sam Young with Memphis were second round picks, and both are contributor on good teams.  Blair averages 8 points and 7 boards a night with the NBA’s best team thus far in the season.  Young is scoring 5.5 points with a Grizzlies team trying the make the playoffs. 

The point is this, Koufos and Mullens were drafted in the first round because they have some athleticism and size.  They just aren’t NBA players at this time.  So, you can get contributors in the second round or in undrafted guys.

Eyenga, who actually was a first round pick, shows tremendous atheticism, and shows promise of being a guy who can play defense in the league.  He did a good job on Danny Granger and Rudy Gay this week, making them work hard for their points. 

Harris is scoring 7.4 points per night in about 20 minutes per game, and had 19 points and 8 rebounds against the Pacers.  He’s a combo guard at 6’5″ and shows good range with his shot, although it is inconsistent.  And he plays hard, which is something you cannot teach. 

Samuels is scoring 5 points and grabbing 3 boards per night in 14 minutes.  He’s a little undersized at 6’9″ to play up front regularly, but does have some nice post moves, so he could be a rotation guy on a good team. 

Along with the injured Anderson Varajao and third year player J. J. Hickson, the Cavs have five players who could still be getting meaningful minutes in two or three years when the Cavaliers return to respectability.

As for moves with the current roster, don’t judge the lack of action until the trading deadline.  If GM Chris Grant doesn’t make moves with large or expiring contracts, or with the trade exception at that time, then fans have a right to raise an eyebrow or two. 

This has been a long season, one no one thought would be possible when the Cavs were 7-9 after 16 games.  Just remember, it can’t get any worse.

JK

With the Super Bowl being played this weekend, of course there has been talk about how close or how far the Cleveland Browns are from appearing in their first Super Bowl. 

This is the 45th championship game in the Super Bowl era and to fans of the brown and orange, it might as well be a rumor. 

No one remembers that the Browns were once one of the flagship franchises of the NFL.  In fact, during a feature on former Packer coach Vince Lombardi on ESPN, they listed teams with the most wins while Lombardi was in charge of the Pack.

Green Bay ranked first, followed by the Colts and Browns.  And that was a down period for Cleveland as it was in between the great Paul Brown led teams in the early 1950’s and the Blanton Collier teams of the mid to late 60’s, which were consistently in the playoffs.

Yes, people, at one point, many, many years ago, the Cleveland Browns were a powerhouse in the NFL.

But how close are they to getting in the post-season?

First, you have to understand that one season turnarounds happen all the time in the NFL.  This year, it was the Kansas City Chiefs that emerged as a playoff team, going from 4-12 to 10-6. 

The Browns even went from a 4-12 season in 2006 to a 10-6 record in 2007, and then back to 4-12 in ’08.

The first thing the organization has to do is get better within the division.  Cleveland won one game in the AFC North last season, beating Cincinnati in week 4.  They have to get to the point where they can at least split the six divisional games if they want to compete.

If you were a critic of Eric Mangini, you probably think the Browns are close to contention.  You can point to several games down the stretch that the team could have won, but didn’t.

Those games would be losses to Tampa Bay, Kansas City, Jacksonville, Buffalo, and Cincinnati.  Winning just two of those games would have put the Browns at 7-9, and people around the league would have the team poised to make a playoff push in 2011.

Winning three of the five would have put the team at 8-8.

The anti-Mangini people would say poor coaching, mainly offensive play calling and strategy made the Browns 5-11, not a lack of talent. 

They would say the coaching problem has been solved, and look for a big improvement next season. 

This makes more sense than the pro-Mangini forces who would blame everything on not having the right players.

You have to go back to the eye test.  What did you see when you watched those games?

If you are honest with yourself, you would admit all of those games were very winnable, in fact, the Browns led most of them heading into the fourth quarter.

They weren’t overwhelmed in any game this season until the last one, when they were blown out by the Steelers, who by the way are playing in the Super Bowl this weekend.

It follows then, that with another good draft (GM Tom Heckert did well in his first), some tweaking of the offensive philosophy (moving to a west coast offense), and a better head coach, the Browns could get to eight or nine wins this season.

Especially with an easier schedule because they will play the NFC West (Seattle, Arizona, San Francisco, and St. Louis). 

They do need to upgrade the defense, which should still be the focus of this year’s draft along with getting a wide receiver and an offensive lineman, because that wins in this division.

The NFL has shown that it is possible to make a quick rise in the standings.  The Cleveland Browns may not be as far away as it may seem right now.

JD

With winter hammering the North Coast, and people chiseling ice of their windshields and driveways, what a better time to think about baseball.

Pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear two weeks from today, February 17th.  Warmer weather has got to be just around the corner.

It has been reported that the Tribe is interested in signing free agent pitcher Jeremy Bonderman to a minor league contract.  Actually, this would be a very good move.

First of all, Bonderman is just 28 years old even though it seems like he’s been around forever.  He came up at the tender age of 20 in 2003 after being acquired by the Tigers in a trade with Oakland.

Last season was his first complete season since 2007 and he threw 171 innings for Detroit, compiling an 8-10 record with a 5.53 ERA. 

He missed most of the 2008 and 2009 seasons with a blood clot in his shoulder, which no doubt is serious, but he didn’t have any muscle tears.

Opposing hitters batted .277 against right-hander (Justin Masterson’s average against was .278), which isn’t a ridiculously high figure, and his strikeout to walk ratio wasn’t bad either (112 K’s to 60 walks).

The negatives would be that his second half was much worse than his first half, but that could be due to fatigue after not pitching much during the previous two years.

Bonderman is not an aging veteran with a track record of failure.  This means he is not the usual guy the Tribe front office takes a flyer on.  He’s been an inning eater who has pitched over 170 frames five times in his career, and has won 14 games in a season twice (’05 and ’06).

Bonderman is still relatively young and has upside.  It’s not a stretch to think he could go back to being the guy who pitched 180 innings with an ERA of around 4.00.  That’s a middle of the rotation starter. 

Now the Tribe has to use the same type of thinking with their lineup.  Last week, it was reported that the team had some interest in 1B Casey Kotchman, who wound up signing with Tampa Bay.

Kotchman, 28, was being looked at as a possible platoon partner at first base with Matt LaPorta.  Why?  He hit .217 with the Mariners last season, and is a lifetime .259 hitter and has a slugging percentage under .400 (.392) for his career.

He’s a singles hitter who plays a power position.  Why would want to take time away from a young player (La Porta) who you need to see play everyday? 

LaPorta is now 26 years old and it’s time for the organization to find out if he can be a regular.  He is potentially (hate that word!) a power hitting right-handed bat on a team that desperately needs one.

If Kotchman were brought in, Manny Acta would give him at bats against some right-handers, and let’s say he gets a few hits.  So, he starts getting more time in the lineup. 

However, ultimately he will go back to being Casey Kotchman, which is to say, not good enough to be an everyday player. 

The result is lost at bats for LaPorta.  That’s something this organization can’t afford.

It’s what happened with Jayson Nix.  He came in after being picked up on waivers, he a few dingers, and soon some people in the Indians’ front office think he’s a player.

The problem is, he’s still Jayson Nix and the Tribe should be finding out if Cord Phelps, Jason Donald, or Jason Kipnis are better than him.

You can always find someone like Kotchman or Nix if you need to have one in an emergency. 

Pick your spots on bringing in guys to rehabilitate their careers.  Jeremy Bonderman is a good gamble because he’s young and a starting pitcher.  T

Take a pass on mediocre hitters.

KM

You have to feel for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  They have now lost 20 games in a row, and play in Miami against the Heat tonight.

It’s another road game, and the wine and gold have lost 23 in a row away from Quicken Loans Arena.

What’s worse is now that the losing streak has reached this magnitude, they are getting every opponents best game now, as no team wants to be the one who loses to the lowly Cavs.

Since they are playing in Miami, much attention will be paid to the fact LeBron James left the franchise and the aftermath of his departure has left the Cavaliers in shambles.  However, that’s only the half of it.

This team has lost so much more. 

First, it’s starting center and backup center for much of the year are also gone.  And both are starting for two of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, Shaquille O’Neal with the Celtics (though he’s been hurt recently) and Zydrunas Ilgauskas with the Heat. 

Their sixth man, Delonte West is also gone, departing in the trade with Minnesota that brought Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins to the wine and gold.  West was bought out by the Timberwolves and is now with Boston as well. 

Add in the injuries to Anderson Varajao and Mo Williams, and the only members of the starting five that ended last season in the conference semi-finals are veterans Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker. 

And since the first big guys off the bench were Ilgauskas and Varajao and West was the first guard to come in the game, out of the top eight players for last year’s team, only two have played the majority of the games for this year’s team. 

That’s how you fall from 62 wins a year ago to a 20 game losing streak the next.  It wasn’t just one guy leaving, it was most of the main contributors to that team. 

So, are there any bright spots to this year’s Cavalier team?

One player who has emerged is guard Daniel Gibson, who is the team’s second leading scorer at 13.6 per game and is hitting 45% of his three-point attempts.  Unfortunately, Gibson’s biggest issue is staying on the floor, which may lead to GM Chris Grant exploring the trade market for the five-year veteran at the deadline.

Gibson has only played more than 60 games once in his first four seasons, most due to a variety of leg injuries, mostly having to do with his ankles, but he’s also had a problem with a thigh injury lately. 

When an injury happens once, it’s not concerning, but when it occurs on a yearly basis, it calls into question the reliability of the player for the long haul.  The better players in the NBA are available to their teams regularly.  Coaches can’t count on guys who have a history of bumps, bruises, and sprains which keep them out of the lineup.

Some possibly nice role players have emerged with the playing time they have received with all the injuries and departures. 

Undrafted rookie Manny Harris looks like he belongs in the league, and so does big man Samardo Samuels.  Neither one will ever be a star in the NBA, but they could be guys who could play on a winning team. 

Cleveland will try to move the other veterans on the roster besides Jamison and Williams.  Parker is said to be coveted by several contenders.  They will try to deal Jamario Moon for a second round pick, although with his performance thus far this season, that might be a struggle.

That leaves J.J. Hickson and Sessions as useful pieces for the future.  What role they will play is probably up to them.  At times, Hickson looks like a starter, but other times, not so much.

Sessions would make for a good back up.

In tonight’s game, someone will probably say that it is a measure of James’ talent that the Cavs have fallen so far without him. 

While he is one of the best players in the NBA, this Cavalier team is a shell of last year’s squad.  They’ve lost more than just LBJ.

JK

Just when baseball fans started looking forward to spring training, which is less than a month away, Cleveland Indians’ fans had another wet blanket thrown on any optimism they may have had.

It was reported that the Washington Nationals have inquired about dealing for CF Grady Sizemore and P Fausto Carmona of the Indians.

Now, it is true that the Tribe front office can’t do anything about rumors, and the report didn’t say if GM Chris Antonetti hung up on Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo.  People who cover the Indians say there is absolutely no truth to these reports, and thank goodness for that.

Coming off back-to-back 90 loss seasons, it would be a slap in the face to any remaining fans the ballclub has to trade it’s best starting pitcher, and a guy, who although hampered by injuries the last two years, is one of the lone power threats on a team without a lot of pop.

There should be no more trades for prospects.  If a trade is going to be made, it should yield somebody who can help the major league roster today. 

The last two seasons have to be the bottom if there is a future for the current regime.  The general apathy in Cleveland surrounding the Indians will only expand if they end the 2011 season with 70 victories once again.

There is no doubt this is an important campaign for the Dolan family, Mark Shapiro, Antonetti, and the rest of the front office.

Speaking of Sizemore, in his absence last season, the Indians had the least productive offense from its centerfielders (mostly Michael Brantley and Trevor Crowe) than any other team in the major leagues.

Yes, Sizemore is being paid a lot of money this season, and no one can be sure if he will revert to the player he was in 2005-08, when he was arguably the best young player in the game, but if you’ve made your mind up to deal him, wouldn’t you want to see if he can come back?

If the management had any foresight at all, they would approach Sizemore about a contract extension based on incentives.  His value may never be lower, and he might be interested in some guaranteed money.

Instead, they will wait, watch him have a good season, and then not be able to sign him after the 2012 season when he’s eligible for free agency because he will demand too much money.

If the team really believes it is going to contend in 2012, isn’t a healthy Sizemore a necessity?  And if he isn’t healthy, he doesn’t have a lot of trade value anyway.  So, there is no logical reason to deal him at this time.

We have written before that if the Tribe wants to shed some salary, they need to assume some of Travis Hafner’s salary in order to move him, particularly for an experienced starting pitcher.  The reason behind such a move would be Hafner is not performing up to his contract.

Unfortunately, most of the AL teams have signed DH’s for 2011, so it appears that window would be closed.

Trading productive players because of their salary makes the organization look stupid.  Trading players who are at a low in terms of market value is poor business. 

Putting a losing team on the field is also a bad way to promote your product.

The Cleveland Indians need to improve in 2011.  Trading established players for more prospects wouldn’t be prudent for them.

KM