Although we have been critical of the Indians’ management since last year’s trading deadline, we still have to tip our cap, at least for now, to GM Mark Shapiro.  After saying there wasn’t much of a market for veterans Jhonny Peralta and Austin Kearns, Shapiro found takers for both of them, with a little help to the Tigers’ injury woes.

 

Peralta was sent off for young left-hander Gionvanni Soto, who is 19, and has a 6-6 record with an ERA under 3.00 at the low Class A level, while Kearns was sent to the Yankees for another prospect, one that Shapiro said could play in the majors.

 

Really though, the reason for the deals was to give some young players an opportunity.  Jayson Nix will get the first shot at third base in place of Peralta, and although we question not giving the shot to Jared Goedert, who has 24 HR and 69 RBI in 92 minor league games this season, at least the process is in place to look at others who can play the hot corner.

 

Eventually, Michael Brantley will be brought back to replace Kearns on the roster, playing CF while Trevor Crowe and others play LF.  Hopefully, this time Brantley will not bring the loop in his swing, which causes him to hit everything in the air, a deadly thing for someone which his speed.  He needs to hit the ball on a line or on the ground consistently. 

 

And reportedly, the Indians are involved in conversations with St. Louis for Jake Westbrook.  That deal would open up a starting spot for Carlos Carrasco or possibly Jeanmar Gomez, if Carrasco’s forearm injury lingers. 

 

That’s what this team needs to do, and their model should be the San Diego Padres.  The Padres have been the National League’s best team since the All Star break in 2009, and have done it largely with youth.

 

The Cleveland front office needs to make a commitment to going with young players.  Already, they are starting to put together some building blocks, such as Shin-Soo Choo in RF, Asdrubal Cabrera at SS, Carlos Santana behind the plate, Matt La Porta at 1B, and Jason Donald at 2B.  Is it a coincidence that the team started playing better after these guys started playing every day?

 

In the off season, new GM Chris Antonetti needs to resist the temptation to bring in marginal veterans to compete with the young guys.  They need to bring in a veteran for leadership, but it has to be one that can play everyday.  Signing the Jamey Wrights and Mark Grudzielaneks of the world doesn’t give the team anything, it just retards the development of the young guys. 

 

Some of the surprise contributions on this year’s team are players like Frank Herrmann, Santana, and Donald, all of whom weren’t given a realistic chance to make the ballclub in Arizona.  The Indians can give you any amount of baloney about Santana not being ready defensively and handling pitchers, but it is clear he should have been the starter on Opening Day in Chicago. 

 

The Indians wonder why they continue to get off to slow starts every year, but we have said this before, it’s because they don’t pick the right players to make the big league team, favoring experience over youth, even though the experience is usually poor results. 

 

Let’s find out as much about these guys as we can while this season is lost  That should be the plan for the rest of 2010.

 

MW

 

Every year around this time, Browns’ fans are very optimistic.  Usually without reason.  Last season, the team won their last four games to finish with a 5-11 record.  This year, the franchise has a new president and general manager is Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert.  So, the question is, is there reason for optimism in 2010?

 

When we talk about having a better feeling about this football team, we certainly aren’t talking about a playoff appearance.  That would be too much to ask.  However, is there going to be improvement this season, such as a 7-9 record?  The answer is yes, and because of the following reasons.

 

Better Quarterback Play.  No one is suggesting that the Browns have Peyton Manning or Tom Brady calling signals, but it would be difficult for Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace to play worse than the guys manning the position in 2009.  Cleveland basically won the last four games playing an old single wing style, getting virtually nothing out of the passing game. 

 

They will not be a passing offense this season, either, but figure to have a more efficient passing attack with Delhomme, who needs to stay away from the interceptions that plagued him last season.  Wallace is a capable backup too, with some starting experience.  While not in the league’s elite at this most important position, there is no question the Browns are better.

 

Run, Run, Run.  This year’s Browns will try to stay in games by controlling the ball and the clock, the tried and true method of keeping it close by running the football.  This style of play won them the last four games in ’09.  This year, the team added bruising runner rookie Montario Hardesty to Jerome Harrison, who had over 800 years rushing last season despite not playing much in the first half of the season. 

 

Holmgren and Heckert also strengthened the offensive line with the signing of free agent tackle Tony Pashos and the drafting of rookie Shawn Lauvao.  The Browns had a good left side of the line with Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, and rookie Alex Mack last season, but defenses attacked on the right side.  These acquisitions, plus the continued improvement of Mack, should give the team improved line play.

 

Linebacker Changes.  In order for this ball control style to work, the defense has to be at least serviceable.  To that end, the new front office group brought in LB Scott Fujita from the Saints, and Chris Gocong from the Eagles.  These two, together with last year’s additions in David Bowens and Eric Barton give the Browns an experienced crew behind the defensive line.  And don’t forget late season pick up Matt Roth and holdover D’Qwell Jackson. 

 

Coach Eric Mangini will have plenty of options and the ability to line these guys up in different spots, which he showed he liked to do last season.  Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan likes to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and he has the tools to do so from the linebacking spot.  The pressure is needed to protect a very young secondary.

 

Winners.  Virtually everyone Holmgren and Heckert brought in this year has a winning background.  Fujita placed for last year’s Super Bowl champs.  Pashos played for the Ravens, while Gocong and new cornerback Sheldon Brown made numerous playoff appearances for the Eagles.  The new quarterbacks have both been on Super Bowl teams.

 

They knew they have to change the losing atmosphere around this football team, and bringing in guys who expect to win has got to help. 

 

The Cleveland Browns still have some holes to fill.  The wide receiver corps needs to be upgraded, and so does the defensive line.  The secondary doesn’t have a lot of experience outside of Brown.  Still, this team should be improved.  There is reason to be encouraged going into training camp if you are a Browns’ fan.

 

JD

 

 

 

Imagine you are a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Your star teammate dissed you and the rest of the guys wearing the wine and gold by saying he had a better chance to win with another team. 

 

The media is telling everyone who will listen that the team, as it stands now, isn’t good enough to make the playoffs, and will likely finish under .500 this season.  They are comparing you to the guys who play in rec leagues throughout the country, saying that LeBron James and four bums won 127 regular season games the past two seasons.

 

You know you’re better than that.  You know that you and the rest of the guys contributed a great deal to the success of the team the past couple of years.  You know you can do more, and you played a lesser role than you are capable, deferring to the guy who used to wear #23 for the Cavs.

 

You are Antawn Jamison.  You are now 34 years old, but you’ve averaged 19.8 points and 8 rebounds per game in your NBA career, and haven’t scored less than 18.7 points per night since your one and only season in Dallas, when you came off the bench to get 14.8 points a game. 

 

However, you scored just 15.8 per night after being acquired by Cleveland last season.  Yes, you shot a higher percentage (48.5% compared to your career 45.6%), but the Cavs never really incorporated you into the offense last season.

 

You are Mo Williams.  You are 28 years old and in the prime of your career.  You aren’t a true point guard, but you tried to play that role with the Cavaliers.  You scored 17.3 per night your last two years in Milwaukee, but scored 15.8 a night last season.  Also, your shooting percentage dropped from 48% in 2007-08 with the Bucks to 44% last season. 

 

With the Bucks, you went to the basket more often while the past two seasons; you have been more of a spot up three-point shooter.  Your assists dropped by one a game as well. 

 

You are Anthony Parker and you celebrated your 35^th birthday in June.  You averaged 7.3 points per night last season, your lowest average in four seasons.  The points weren’t the only statistic down for you, so were your assists, rebounds, and free throw attempts. 

 

You probably would be a solid player off the bench, considering your age, but last season you spent much of your time on the floor standing in the corner waiting for passes from a penetrating teammate.  You know you can do other things to contribute.

 

You are 22 year old J.J. Hickson, and you are continuing to work on your shooting, so you can be more than a guy who gets dunks as a result of James’ passes.  You should be a senior at NC State this season, so you have plenty of room for growth.  You scored 8.5 points and grabbed five rebounds per game even though you averaged just 20 minutes per night.

 

You are Anderson Varajao, a veteran of six years in the NBA, and one of the league’s best defenders at power forward.  You scored 8.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game last season in just under 30 minutes per night. 

 

You are Jamario Moon, now 30 years old, and a solid defender in the league.  You are another player whose offense took a hit playing with the Cavs.  After scoring 8.5 points in your rookie year and 7.2 the year after, you scored just 4.9 with Cleveland.  Your rebounds and assists were down as well, as the coach didn’t seem to trust you, as your minutes were down about eight minutes from previous years.

 

These guys have pride and they have been on winning teams.  They won’t accept defeat easily, and they know how to make plays. 

 

The other thing is for all of the talk about superstars making their teammates better, there is a lot of evidence to the contrary.  Some of these guys put their personal stats on hold the past year or so.  They will need to re-assert themselves for the Cavaliers this season.

 

JK

 

The NBA is facing a huge problem.

 

It has been reported that Chris Paul is requesting a trade to Orlando, Los Angeles, or New York, so he can join forces with another star player in his pursuit of a championship.  Paul is doing the same thing his good friend LeBron James did in signing with the Miami Heat.

 

This is bad for the league unless they start doing what is done for small children when they participate in sports, that is, give everybody a trophy.  Maybe commissioner David Stern can hand out participation “rings” to all players at the end of the season. 

 

That way, everybody will get what he wants.

 

First of all, since when did winning a championship become a divine right?  It’s a difficult thing to do, and it should be earned, not given to anyone.  The current batch of NBA stars seem to think they should just show up and get a ring, and not work for it.

 

Does anyone wonder how Charles Barkley, Karl Malone, Elgin Baylor, Patrick Ewing and John Stockton feel about this?  These guys left blood and sweat on the floor for many years to try and win a title.

 

These current NBA stars think after they’ve put in six or seven years in the league, they should be playing for a championship.  They don’t take the responsibility of making that happen.  They seem to want it to be handed to them.  They are entitled. 

 

Stern should re-think his strategy of promoting the league’s great players and talking about how many titles they win, because right now, these guys are out of control.

 

The other problem is it makes teams in the Midwest superfluous.  Teams like the Cavaliers, Pistons, Bucks, and even the San Antonio Spurs once Tim Duncan retires, will be relegated to being the Washington Generals to the Lakers, Celtics, Heats’ Globetrotters. 

 

Those franchises will not matter anymore except to be schedule fillers for the big boys.  And that doesn’t bode well for the NBA.

 

The same argument is true for baseball.  No one wants to see the Yankees and Red Sox play 162 games per year.  If those two teams played every day, the games wouldn’t sell out any more.  Baseball needs to have 30 teams, and the elite teams have to know that.

 

Basketball is soon going to have the same thing.  The only games that will matter will be when the Lakers play the Heat, or the Magic plays Boston.  The only games in Cleveland that will draw will be when one of the “super” teams visits The Q. 

 

A game between the Bucks and the Cavs simply won’t matter. 

 

The national media (read:  ESPN) says these super teams are good for the game.  Of course, they feel that way, it would be great if Paul went to New York to team with Amare Stoudemire to make the Knicks relevant again. 

 

However, is it really good for the league to have three or four great teams and 26 arenas that could be ghost towns?  The television ratings will suffer as well because outside of the cities involved, no one will watch a steady diet of the Lakers, Heat, Knicks, Magic, and Celtics.  Seeing them all the time makes it lose its uniqueness.

 

Perhaps that’s irrelevant for the new bosses in the NBA…World Wide Wes and LRMR.

 

JK

 

The Cleveland Indians might just be playing their best baseball of the season.  It’s funny how good an effective bullpen makes a team look.  Anyway, the infusion of young players, who have some athleticism, has helped the team both offensively and defensively.

 

Still, there are more moves that can be made with an eye towards the 2011 season, finding out about more of the young players in the organization.

 

Some moves will have to be made this weekend when Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo are activated from the disabled list, and if Cabrera’s case put back on the 40-man roster.

 

The first is to release, or designate for assignment Jhonny Peralta.  Granted, this is a bold move because Peralta has been a regular since 2005.  However, it is doubtful that the Tribe will be able to find a deal for him at the July 31^st deadline, and if he’s on the roster, Manny Acta will feel obligated to play him.

 

Dumping Peralta and possibly Andy Marte would open up the hot corner for Jared Goedert, who at 25 has had a monster season between Columbus and Akron.  The organization has to find out whether or not he can be a contributor at the major league level.

 

Jayson Nix could get time at third if Goedert doesn’t hit.  This is because with Cabrera back in the lineup, suddenly there is a logjam at 2B.

 

Jason Donald has been playing shortstop in Cabrera’s absence could move to second.  Nix has been playing there while Donald has been at short.  In Columbus, Josh Rodriguez has had a very good year, and so has Cord Phelps, who started the year in Akron and is hitting around .380 in AAA.

 

Also, Goedert has played the spot before at Akron while Lonnie Chisenhall blocked him at third.  By the way, Chisenhall’s presence is another reason to let Peralta go.  He will be the Indians’ third baseman sometime in 2011. 

 

The team also has Jason Kipnis playing the keystone spot at Akron, and he’s one of the organization’s top ten prospects. 

 

Suddenly, the Tribe has second basemen by the bundle.

 

Look, Cleveland is not going to pick up Peralta’s 2011 option at the end of the season anyway, so this would give him an opportunity to catch on somewhere else.  The Indians will say they don’t want to pay Peralta if he’s not on the team, but they need to start finding out who can play 3B next season, and they would be paying him if he were on the team.

 

Another move that should be made is putting Justin Masterson in the bullpen and finding out if Carlos Carrasco can be a major league starter.  Of course, this would be the same course of action if the team can deal Jake Westbrook, and it’s no coincidence that Carrasco pitches in Columbus a day before Westbrook pitches with the big club. 

 

Kerry Wood’s blister on his finger means he likely won’t be moved until the end of August in a waiver deal.  And his absence accomplishes the same thing as a deal, Chris Perez will get an opportunity to be the closer.  Does anyone realize they both have saved eight games this season?

 

One roster move this weekend will be made by going back to a 12 man pitching staff, which means it is likely that Jensen Lewis will go back to Columbus.  Lewis pitched well Saturday night against Detroit, but on Monday he gave up a bomb to Jim Thome and walked a pair.  That’s who he is.  Jess Todd deserves an extended look.

 

However, keep an eye on Bryce Stowell, Vinnie Pestano, and the just promoted Zach Putnam with the Clippers.  They could be a part of the 2011 Tribe bullpen. 

 

That is, unless the Indians sign some mediocre veterans to take their spot in spring training.

 

KM

 

 

 

 

Since the Cleveland Cavaliers lost one of the game’s best players, there is a lot of speculation on what they should do next.  One of the popular theories out there is the team should go into total rebuilding mode, dealing most of its better players in an effort to get back in the lottery and draft the game’s next all star.

 

That is a high risk, low reward plan of attack.

 

When the Cavs won the draft lottery in 2003, they had one of the top picks in one of the greatest drafts in recent history.  Besides LeBron James going first, Carmelo Anthony went third, and James’ new teammates Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were also in the top five picks. 

 

Those kind of players don’t come out every year, so losing and getting one of the top picks doesn’t guarantee success. 

 

In 2004, Orlando won the lottery and picked Dwight Howard, but many thought Emeka Okafor would be a difference maker as the second pick to Charlotte.  He wasn’t and the best player picked that year in the top 10 is probably Andre Iguodala, with Devin Harris, Ben Gordon, and Luol Deng also being lottery picks.  Not a lot of playoff appearances after Howard. 

 

In 2005, Milwaukee chose Andrew Bogut with the first pick, although the best players selected among the lottery picks were guards Deron Williams (3rd overall) and Chris Paul (4th).  The only player to be on an NBA title team in the top 10 is Lakers’ center Andrew Bynum, who was the 10th selection.

 

In 2006, the Toronto Raptors had the first pick and took Andrea Bargnani, who is averaging 13 points and five rebounds in his career.  LaMarcus Aldride and Adam Morrison were the next two picks.  The best player taken in the top ten is Blazers’ guard Brandon Roy, the sixth selection in the draft.

 

2007 saw Ohio State’s Greg Oden taken ahead of Kevin Durant, who has become the best player in that draft, and one of the best players in the NBA.  Al Horford, Jeff Green, and Joakim Noah were other notable top ten picks.

 

So, in the five year span including 2003 through 2007, the first pick in the draft turned out to be a superstar in the league twice, James and Howard in 2003-04.  Derrick Rose was the #1 overall pick in 2008 and he is a tremendous player, so you could raise the proposition that you have a 50-50 shot of getting a franchise player if you get the first pick. 

 

However, there are just two appearances in The Finals for those players, and no titles. 

 

The other three years saw the best player in the draft going later in the first round, ranging from the second pick (Durant) to the sixth pick (Roy).  Therefore, if you are going to lose on purpose, you better be in the right half of the guessing pool.

 

And looking at the top ten of each of these drafts, there are more misses and average NBA players picked in the beginning part of the draft than there are all star type players.  So, general managers and amateur GM should have a better alternative or at least a supplement to getting into the draft lottery, because no team has won a title by using that plan.

 

It seems many of these people are the same folks who look forward to the NFL draft every year.  They are in love with potential and the unknown.  It is tiring to hear people talk about what a great roster the New Jersey Nets have.  They won 12 GAMES in 2009-10!  12!  They certainly have some players who might wind up being good, but right now they are a terrible team. 

 

Others have mentioned Memphis as an up and coming team.  Why?  Because they have Rudy Gay, a very good player, and Zack Randolph, a malcontent in the past; O.J. Mayo, whose position is still up for grabs, and Marc Gasol, who is a good big man.  Still, they haven’t made the playoffs with this group.

 

You have to remember that winning is a learned skill, and the Cavaliers have a bunch of players who won 127 games in the regular season the past two years.  As Byron Scott said, James isn’t the only reason for all those wins.

 

There is no question the Cavaliers need to upgrade their roster, but there are other ways of getting better than destroying the roster and building from scratch.  In fact, the two teams in The Finals used trades to get where they are, the Lakers getting Pau Gasol, and Boston getting Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen.

 

GM Chris Grant and owner Dan Gilbert have to get a plan, but losing should be the last option they try.

 

JK

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dan Gilbert’s letter following LeBron James’ departure may have been a mistake on his part, but it does provide a stark contrast to his neighbors on Gateway Plaza. 

 

You see, the Cavaliers’ owners rant shows passion and a willingness to do whatever it takes to win, something that most Indian fans don’t see from the Dolan family. 

 

You can be sure that the Indians’ front office and ownership want to win, mostly because it means more cash in the Dolan’s pockets.  And even the most hardened Tribe fan will admit that is high on the list of important things to do for the franchise.

 

WKNR’s Greg Brinda says the Indians’ ownership likes to argue with their fans.  They are constantly telling the people who buy tickets why the team can’t compete and that the economic rules of baseball hurt their chances of winning. 

 

Guess what?  The fans don’t care about the whys and wherefores; they just want to see a winning baseball team.  They will point out that Detroit and Minnesota aren’t big markets, yet they have been in contention consistently over the last five years, and in the Twins’ case, even longer. 

 

The Cavs lost their best player, and one of the sports’ best players, and the owner comes out and says he is more committed than ever to bring a winner to Cleveland.  

 

The Indians have traded two of the best pitchers in baseball over the past three years, one of them with a full season remaining on his contract in Cliff Lee.  Then, during the off-season, the ownership tells us that the best they can hope for is to contend every four or five years, when a group of young players grows together and before they will be eligible for free agency.

 

Which team do you think the fans feel better about?

 

No one expects the Indians to have a payroll anywhere near those of the Yankees and Red Sox, but fans do expect the franchise will try to win.  That’s why the backlash of last season’s Lee and Martinez trades still effect attendance.  Not only did the Tribe flush the 2009 season, but this season as well. 

 

George Steinbrenner’s death this week just reminds Cleveland sports supporters of what would have happen if he had bought the Indians in 1972 instead of Nick Mileti.  Steinbrenner wanted to win badly and demanded perfection, he would not have stopped until he delivered a winner here.

 

And he certainly wouldn’t have spent time moaning about the unfairness of baseball’s economic system. 

 

That’s the problem with the Dolan’s, they spend more time bemoaning their fate than doing something about it. 

 

Wouldn’t it be nice if Paul Dolan would issue a statement saying his organization’s talent evaluation in the amateur draft has been horrible and it must change?  Or if he said the so-called “prime” prospects the team received in the deals for C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee have been disappointments thus far? 

 

No one is asking for him to do it all the time.  Much like Steinbrenner’s rants, if you do it too many times they ring hollow.  That’s why Gilbert’s comments were so well received.  It’s not as though he does it all the time. 

 

It would be great for the Indians to show their fans that they do want to win, and it’s okay to tell your fans that.  Instead, we get silence.  Heck, GM and soon to be team president Mark Shapiro doesn’t really make comments any more. 

 

Fans want to hear that owners want to win just as much as they do.  There’s nothing wrong with that.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a problem.  They have pretty much sold out the up coming season because season tickets holders had to renew before the playoffs started. 

 

So, now the organization has to do something before the season starts to keep the people who put up a ton of cash for the 2010-11 season happy.  And it probably isn’t the right thing to do.

 

The most prudent action would be to start dealing off the team’s assets to accumulate young players and draft picks in an effort to get back into the draft lottery in an effort to find a new superstar to build around. 

 

However, all of the tickets sold won’t allow Dan Gilbert to do that.  Instead, he feels the need to make a big splash, even though there doesn’t seem to be one available. 

 

Gilbert’s guarantee that his franchise will win a title before his former superstar wins one was made with bravado and machismo, but it was ill conceived.  It was made five days ago, and now fans are anxious because nothing has been done to improve the team. 

 

And now, Zydrunas Ilgauskas has decided to leave the team and sign with the Heat as well.  This isn’t a huge deal, because the big man doesn’t have much left in the tank, and he has served this franchise well.  But still…

 

By the way, isn’t it odd that all of a sudden, someone has turned into the great recruiter?

 

Gilbert is going to have a very disgruntled fan base soon if new GM Chris Grant can’t make some kind of move soon to energize this basketball team.  He needs to put his money where his mouth is, and the sooner the better.

 

In the past few days, the team has expressed interest in guys like Rockets’ guard Kyle Lowry and former Hawks’ swingman Josh Childress, and signed Lowry to an offer sheet yesterday.  The mention of those guys isn’t making the hair on the back of your neck stand up with anticipation.

 

They are solid players, but they aren’t guys who could make the team return to the playoffs in the upcoming season. 

 

The fans are expecting getting an all-star type player, one who will at least start on the 2010-11 edition of the Cavaliers, and right now there isn’t any hope on the horizon to get that type of player. 

 

Minnesota’s Al Jefferson would have been that type of guy, but Utah completed a deal for him yesterday. 

 

The point is we all appreciated the owner’s passion in making a statement that captured the feelings of the fans, but they ring hollow right now because it doesn’t appear the wine and gold is close to making an impact move.

 

So, Dan Gilbert has put himself and his front office on the clock.  Sometimes, there is activity behind the scenes, and the media doesn’t pick up on them.  A couple of years ago, the Mo Williams trade seemingly came out of nowhere.

 

After the owner’s letter immediately after the ESPN telecast on Thursday, basketball fans in this area were expecting an impact move from the Cavaliers.  Part of that was the position they were put in by someone’s indecision.  Still, season ticket holders can’t be happy by what is happening at The Q.

 

JK

 

It’s time for the Midsummer Classic in baseball, and it’s also time to take stock of our hometown Cleveland Indians.  Fausto Carmona owes Shin-Soo Choo a thank you for his injury right before the all star teams were announced, because the Tribe right fielder should have been going to Anaheim for his first appearance as an all star.

 

Instead, Carmona gets his first nod, and he is a good story too.  After being banished all the way to the Arizona Rookie League last season because he couldn’t throw a strike, Carmona has rebounded with a winning record at 8-7, and an ERA of 3.64. 

 

With the trade deadline coming up at the end of July, which Indians will be dealt before the end of the month?

 

The most marketable commodity is always pitching, so it figures that most conversation will center around Jake Westbrook and Kerry Wood, neither of whom is pitching so well that the Tribe will get a boatload of prospects. 

 

Wood has closer experience, but really hasn’t been effective in the role since joining the Indians, so contenders will be viewing him as help as a set up man.  His salary is also prohibitive, so the return from Wood will be minimal. 

 

The biggest reason to trade the former Cub is to open up the closer spot for Chris Perez, who has just one less save this season than Wood. 

 

Westbrook has been inconsistent as well, in his return from Tommy John surgery, and also has a high salary.  However, he does eat up innings and would be a reliable fourth or fifth starter for a contender. 

 

However, it has been said that GM Mark Shapiro doesn’t want to deal him because he can serve as a mentor to the team’s young starters.  Let’s hope that’s just posturing.

 

Westbrook was overpaid when he signed, and if he wants to come back next season for a lot less cash    (around $3-4 million would be acceptable), then re-sign him then. 

 

The sinkerballer still has the annoying habit of giving up “response” runs consistently.  That is to say, if you get him an early lead, chances are he will cough it up.  Plus, dealing him would give the team a chance to give Carlos Carrasco or Josh Tomlin a long look in the rotation. 

 

The other Indians who are candidates to be moved are 3B Jhonny Peralta and OF Austin Kearns, but neither has a lot of market value.  There aren’t many contenders looking for someone to play the hot corner, and Peralta is not exactly an attractive candidate, with an OPS of just over 700 (709), and he’s not exactly Brooks Robinson defensively.

 

Dumping Peralta would allow the Tribe to play Jayson Nix at third when Asdrubal Cabrera comes off the disabled list, there by opening up 2B for Jason Donald.  And don’t forget, Jared Goedert at Columbus, who has banged 15 HR’s in AAA, and 22 overall in the minors.

 

The problem with Kearns is since May 1^st, he’s hitting just .239 with an OPS of under 700.  Those aren’t numbers that will have contenders chomping at the bit to get the veteran outfielder.  Plus, there really isn’t a ready replacement for Kearns until Choo is back from his injury.

 

Unless Shapiro is interested in just dumping players, there may not be as much activity in the trade market as you might think.  However, getting rid of these players would be beneficial to the team for next year and beyond.

 

KM

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Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert is taking some heat, no pun intended, for his letter to the team’s fans and his comments in an interview with the Associated Press.

 

Although he shouldn’t have brought up the opinion that LeBron James quit in both this past season’s series against Boston, but also in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals against Orlando the year prior, there is no problem here with his other comments.

 

Gilbert was speaking for all Cavalier fans in his statement on Thursday night.  He was hurt and disappointed, especially since he did everything he could to deliver a title for James.  His comments will only make him more popular with the city of Cleveland populous.

 

Besides, it’s not as though James can leave again, and it’s not as though there’s a chance he’s coming back in a year or two.

 

A number of the ESPN commentators, (by the way, are there more self-serving idiots than some of these guys?) said Gilbert’s tirade would make it impossible to attract players to the franchise.

 

That’s lunacy.  The Cavs had one of the best players in the league and couldn’t attract big time free agents.  Heck, Chris Bosh refused a sign and trade to team with James before the owner went off.  If Gilbert is willing and able to dole out a boatload of money, players will come.  Otherwise, the organization will have to make trade to get quality players.

 

There is also is no problem with Gilbert going back on his earlier decision not to do a sign and trade.   Once James made the decision, it was the prudent thing to do to get something back.  The four draft choices were nice, but not a huge deal immediately because the Heat figure to be title contenders.  However, who knows what might happen in 2015.  Remember, everybody shows age.

 

The bigger chip will be the $14.5 trade exemption, which should allow the team to deal for a very good player without having to give up a lot.

 

One more thing on the owner’s comments, he said what a lot of owners would like to say.  Mark Cuban tweeted "Way to go, Dan" on Friday.

 

The next order of business for GM Chris Grant should be to deal players who made their living off of playing with James.  Guys like Boobie Gibson and perhaps even Anderson Varajao could be on the block, although the latter’s defensive skills had nothing to do with James, and that’s his real value to the team. 

 

We’ve said before that Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon have more skills than were shown in the wine and gold’s offense this past season.  Let’s see if new coach Byron Scott will get more out of them.

 

Will Grant and Scott go after free agent Richard Jefferson as the new small forward?  Jefferson played for Scott in New Jersey and is a solid player who would give the new Cavs three very good players in addition to Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams. 

 

One last comment about the circus that occurred in Miami on Friday night, besides the nausea it caused.

 

Apparently, someone woke up Pat Riley this off-season, and now he’s a genius again.  Riley has won just one title since Magic Johnson ceased being his point guard, and that title was because he gravy trained it by booting Stan Van Gundy out the door. 

 

Riley was excellent orchestrating with Johnson the "Showtime" Lakers that the new Cavs coach played on, but he also took the game to a low with the thug style of play he coached with the Knicks in the 90’s.  You know it’s just of matter of time before he’s roaming the sidelines again.

 

Also loved James’ comments that he and his buddies want to return the Heat to the top.  Return?  They were there just one season.  In fact, since 2000, the Miami Heat have had just two 50 win seasons (2003-04 and the title year of 2004-05).  FYI, the Cavs have had four seasons with that total in the same span.  It’s not like they are playing for a traditional NBA power like the Celtics and the Lakers, or even the Bulls.  Miami is hardly one of the league’s hallmark franchises, and they were in the middle of the pack in attendance this season despite having Dwyane Wade.

 

That city is certainly deserving of a winner.

 

JK