The Cavaliers had a pretty good All Star weekend in New Orleans.  On Friday night, Boobie Gibson hit 11 three pointers in the Rookie Challenge, scoring 33 points and winning the game MVP trophy.  Gibson followed that up the next evening by finishing second in the three-point shootout.  And last night, LeBron James won his second game MVP award in three years in the Eastern Conference’s victory.  All in all, it was a good time for the wine and gold in the Big Easy.  Now, it’s back to work.   

James once again showed he is the best player in the NBA by almost getting a triple double in the showcase of stars.  Also, his emphatic dunk over Dirk Nowitzke gave the East the lead they would never relinquish.  The game showed how much better LBJ can look if the talent around him is close to his level.  That’s not a blast at his Cavalier teammates, but the truth of the matter.  Of the current Cavs, only Zydrunas Ilgauskas has been to an All Star game, and although I like Z’s game, it is more because of the position he plays more than his talent level. 

LeBron was interviewed following the Rookie game on Friday night on TNT, and his frustration showed a bit in talking to Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley.  He clearly has seen players like Jason Kidd, Shaquille O’Neal, and now Mike Bibby get traded in the past couple of weeks, yet none of them is coming to his team.  He said he was most surprised by the Lakers getting Pau Gasol for virtually a package of subs and draft picks.  I’m sure he was wondering why his GM couldn’t get anything like that done. 

James knows getting another good player would likely mean another trip to The Finals and possibly a championship ring.  He’s that good.  I also understand Danny Ferry thinking about the future of the franchise.  He will have more salary cap flexibility next season with the contracts of Donyell Marshall, Eric Snow, and Damon Jones coming off the books after the 2008-09 season.  But Ferry has to see the frustration of his superstar player.  Although I can see Ferry’s viewpoint, I definitely see James’ point.  He wants a chance, and so do Cavs fans everywhere.

Other teams are trying to win, why can’t the Cleveland Cavaliers.  The whole Jason Kidd deal was not a good one for the wine and gold because of the point guard’s age.  He will turn 35 in March.  The likelihood is that he will not be playing in three years, and there are those who are already saying he has slipped a bit.  However, younger players are available and Ferry does have some expiring contracts available as well.  Shannon Brown is a first round pick and his contract is up after the season.  Ira Newble, Dwayne Jones, and Devin Brown’s deals end this year as well.  D. Brown is a contributor, but he’s a role player.  Certainly, the Cavs could package some of these players to add an above average talent.

Ferry should consider himself on the spot.  The face of the franchise has basically told him to get him some help.  James is good enough to bring a title to Cleveland if he has some help.  He took this team to the NBA Finals last year.  With what he and his teammates learned during last year’s run, he might be correct.  Look at how the Cavs play on the road this year.  Danny Ferry needs to do what he unable to do as a player; he needs to come through in the clutch.

JK

Now that C.C. Sabathia has tabled contract negotiations until after the end of the season, the sports populace of Cleveland has already started to write farewell stories for the big left-hander.  Fans have started to put on the unrequited lover hat, or they have started to call the front office and ownership cheap.  It’s either one or the other.  However, I like to look at things differently, and I say the situation is not desperate as of yet.  October is a long ways away.

Once again, I will say that Sabathia future in Cleveland is not tied to money; it will be the number of guaranteed years on the contract.  If the lefty and his agents want six or seven years, he will not be wearing an Indians uniform in 2009.  A commitment of less than that, and there is a decent possibility the ’07 Cy Young Award winner will continue to pitch at Progressive Field on a regular basis.  By announcing he would not talk contract this year, the pressure increases on Sabathia.

Unless C.C. wins 20 games or wins his second consecutive Cy Young Award, his value will not be higher than it is right now.  Let’s say he has a solid ’08 season, going 17-10 with a 3.50 ERA, pitching another 200 innings.  It’s a fine season, one that would help the Tribe in their quest to get to the post-season.  However, it doesn’t put him in Johan Santana’s class.  You see, Santana is regarded as the best pitcher in the game, even with his 15-13 record in 2007.  I find it difficult to believe teams will offer Sabathia the same kind of contract the Mets gave the former Twin ace.

However, what if C.C. has a season similar to 2005, when his ERA was around 4.00?  At that point, he is more like Jake Peavy and Carlos Zambrano, the two guys the Indians patterned the contract offer after.  It would definitely control what the big man would get on the open market.  The 2008 season could also show another mediocre year from Barry Zito, who received a seven-year contract from the Giants after the ’06 season.  An average year by Zito just might discourage other teams from going that long on a deal.

One thing I do not understand is Sabathia’s stance of not negotiating in spring training.  I realize he is preparing for the 2008 season, but he really doesn’t spend 20 hours a day doing that.  Also, his agents would be doing most of the work, and they can spend an hour a day updating the hurler on the negotiations.  However, maybe he is that focused on his work that he doesn’t want to deal with it in the spring.  It just seems odd to me.

Remember Travis Hafner’s struggles last season led him to re-open talks with the Indians at the all-star break.  Hafner and Sabathia are represented by the same agency, so the same thing could happen again.  I do believe that the Tribe lefty will not get as much as Santana because the latter is viewed as the best pitcher of this era.  C.C. will have to take less.  If he’s open to four or five years, and he wants to stay, I think the Dolans and Mark Shapiro will work something out.  If not, don’t let his impending free agency stop you from the enjoyment of watching him pitch.  It’s just the way it is these days.

KM

Only in Cleveland is a phrase I cannot stand.  WKNR’s Kenny Roda uses it to represent the “woe is us” mentality that Browns’ GM Phil Savage talked about when he was hired to his current job.  I don’t believe in it.  If you build solid organizations and base the teams are solid fundamentals, eventually you will win.  There is no curse on Cleveland sports, just a history of bad management and bad decisions.  That said, when I hear “Only in Cleveland”, it makes me think about how we react to our teams.  For example…

Derek Anderson.  Only Cleveland fans would criticize a player over his performance in an All Star game.  If LeBron James goes 1 for 12 from the floor this weekend in New Orleans, should the Cavaliers look to deal him?  The game didn’t count, people!  Yes, Anderson’s performance this season went down as more games were played, and he had a terrible game against Cincinnati with the playoffs on the line, but there could be several reasons for that.

One factor could be that Anderson isn’t that good.  However, it could also be that the defense caught up to Rob Chudzinski’s offense.  We wrote after the second Pittsburgh game, that many teams would probably do what the Steelers did in the second half, which was take away the deep ball, and make the Browns move the ball with short passes.  That’s exactly what happened. 

Anderson deserves the opportunity to start the season as the team’s starting quarterback.  He earned that right by throwing 29 touchdown passes and leading the team to 10 wins.  If he struggles during the season, Romeo Crennel can make the change to Brady Quinn.  Even if you can get a first and third round pick for Anderson, there is no guarantee that Quinn would play better in 2008.  And if the front office was wrong on the former Notre Dame QB, the Browns will be right back where they were before the 2007 season.

The NFL Draft.  Lately, it has been said that Browns fans would rather lose games so they can talk about the draft.  How many times have you heard people say the team should make a trade to get back into the first round of this year’s draft?  The Cleveland Browns missed the NFL playoffs due to a tiebreaker this year.  Why would you want to trade one of the young talented players on this team for a first round choice?  Apparently, they don’t remember Gerard Warren, Tim Couch, and Courtney Brown.

If you deal for a first round pick, there is no guarantee that whoever you draft will turn out to be a Pro Bowl player.  Look at the six all stars the team had this year.  Yes, Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow, and Joe Thomas were all top ten picks.  But, Josh Cribbs and Anderson were free agents.  Ryan Pontebriand was a 4^th rounder.  Trading a veteran who will be fading for draft choices is a good idea; you are replacing age for youth.  But trading just to get in the first round is a bad idea.  You know what they say; the draft is the Super Bowl if you are a Browns fan.

JD

Pitchers and catchers report to Winter Haven for the last time at the end of this week, as the Cleveland Indians will move their home for Spring Training to Arizona in 2009.  It is the first sign that spring, warm weather, and baseball are just around the corner.  Last year, the Tribe came up just short of the World Series, dropping the American League Championship Series in seven games to Boston, despite having a 3-1 series lead.  Can the Indians take the next step?  Here are five question marks heading into the spring…

Will the offense click?  The Tribe ranked 6^th in the AL in runs scored last year but were in the bottom half of the league in the second half.  The key is obviously Travis Hafner.  If he hits like the Pronk of ’04-’06, the attack will get an immediate jolt.  Also, the ballclub must get more offense out of the corner outfield positions, especially left field.  Unless a late spring training deal is made, Cleveland needs David Dellucci to hit like he did prior to last season when he killed right handed pitching.  I believe we will see much better production from Ryan Garko.

The bullpen.  Yes, I realize this was a strength in 2007.  However, most baseball experts will tell you that the relief corps is the most volatile part of a team.  Last year, Rafael Betancourt had arguably the best season a non-closing relief pitcher ever had, at least according to Baseball Prospectus.com.  He likely will not be that good this year.  However, GM Mark Shapiro has brought in reinforcements in Masahide Kobayashi and minor league free agent Jorge Julio.  Also, don’t forget how Jensen Lewis performed down the stretch.  Joe Borowski saved 45 games, but he was like watching a cliffhanger on a nightly basis, and outside of the Yankee series, Rafael Perez struggled late.  The parts are there, but it is still something to keep an eye on.

C.C. and Fausto’s workload.  Terry Pluto and others have touched on this, but it is definitely a concern that both pitched a lot more innings than they ever have in a single season.  I think Eric Wedge has to take it easy on both guys early in the season.  It’s okay to give Sabathia an extra day when the schedule has an off day.  It would be okay to pull either hurler if they have a big lead after six frames.  Error on the side of caution.  The Tribe needs both to make 30-35 effective starts apiece if they are going to play deep into October.   There is no need to push either guy in April and May.

Will the young guys improve?  I love how most people have put the star label on Asdrubal Cabrera after he played a month and a half in the big leagues.  Many people figure Josh Barfield will start the year in Buffalo, but they don’t take into account that Cabrera may struggle.  I’ve already written that I think Ryan Garko will get better, but what about Franklin Gutierrez?  He showed some pop last year with 13 HR’s, but needs to be more consistent.  The front office thinks the second time around is difficult for most players, and both of these guys will be going through that in 2008.  Luckily, the Indians have alternatives in Barfield or Jamey Carroll at 2B, and Ben Francisco/Shin-Soo Choo in RF. 

Andy Marte at 3B.  Certainly Casey Blake and his bloated one-year deal will begin camp as the starter, but the Tribe needs to find out what they have in Marte, particularly because he is out of options.  Marte is suffering through a poor winter season, but he started last year at 3B, and was among the team’s RBI leaders at the time he was injured.  The team needs to find out what they have in the youngster, so he will be given a long look in camp.  I believe he could have a typical Blake year (.260, 20 HR, 70 RBI) if given a chance.  If Shapiro paints himself into a corner with Marte, another Brandon Phillips deal could be in the offing.  The difference would be that Phillips got more of a chance to play than Marte.

MW

The defending Eastern Conference Champions took on one of the teams that would like to wrest that title away from them last night, when the Cavaliers defeated the Boston Celtics, 114-113 at Quicken Loans Arena.  As usual, LeBron James was the star, missing a triple double by one rebound, but the wine and gold had many contributors, even with all the injuries the squad has suffered.

Boston supporters will point out that the green was without its best player, MVP candidate Kevin Garnett.  However, the Cavs were missing their best defensive big man in Anderson Varajao, and lost Drew Gooden in the third quarter with a groin strain.  I understand neither player is the caliber of The Big Ticket, but they forced Mike Brown to find other alternatives on the front line.  Just as Boston got a big game off the bench from Tony Allen, the wine and gold had some others step up last night, most notably Ira Newble.

Newble, little used for much of the year, was thrust into the starting lineup after the foot injury to Sasha Pavlovic.  He took that spot basically because Mike Brown did not want to upset his bench rotation of Daniel Gibson, Varajao, and Devin Brown.  However, the Miami (OH) alum has made the most of his opportunity.  He made some key plays in the road win at Los Angeles against the Lakers, and last night pitched in with 15 points, including a key dunk down the baseline late in the fourth quarter last night.  A championship contending team needs players like Newble to step up.

Newble’s play has meant less time for Devin Brown, which is curious because he has been a key contributor all season long.  This is the second time this season that Coach Brown has lost track of D. Brown on his bench.  He isn’t flashy, but he is one of those players who do the little things.  He comes up with loose balls, get the key rebound, plays good defense, and does the things that don’t show up in the box score to borrow a cliché.

What does the team do if Gooden can’t go tomorrow night against Houston?  My guess is that Dwayne Jones would get the start, but the coaching staff would go with a small lineup much of the night, using LeBron as the power forward, and giving additional time to Donyell Marshall as well.  Marshall heeded the call last night, grabbing five rebounds in his time on the floor.  That’s what the Cavs need right now from the veteran, not sitting around outside of the three-point arc.

All the injuries aside, the wine and gold are in pretty good shape.  They sit at 27-20, with a two game road trip this week.  After returning from the road, they will have 33 games remaining, of which 19 will be at The “Q”.  They are also eight games ahead of the ninth spot in the Eastern Conference.  After all the hand wringing in November and December, the Cavs will cruise into the playoffs.  And with that many games remaining at home, getting into the top four is a pretty good bet unless the injury bug continues.

JK

Browns fans that watched yesterday’s Super Bowl went back to basics in seeing the Giants upset the Patriots, 17-14.  It’s a basic sports cliché.  Offense sells tickets, defense wins championships.  For all of the historic numbers New England put up with the football, ultimately the New York defense stopped them and won their third Super Bowl.  Commissioner Roger Goodell said it was their third championship, but I remind the czar that pro football didn’t start when the Super Bowl did.  The Giants were an NFL power in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

Unfortunately for Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel, the defense is the weakness of their team.  Of course, going into the 2007 season, everyone thought the offense was in trouble, and we all see how that turned around quickly.  However, since we learned in Super Bowl XLII that stopping teams does lead to titles, this has to be the main focus of the Cleveland off-season.  Savage knows this, and I’m sure he is already brain storming to improve that side of the ball.

The first move in this regard was replacing the defensive coordinator.  Todd Grantham is out, replaced by defensive backs coach Mel Tucker.  Tucker was guiding the best part of the 2007 defense, the secondary.  That group really needs no improvement in the off-season, although I’m sure the GM will be looking at all areas.  However, the brown and orange have a young, improving corps of the cornerbacks and safeties.  Leigh Bodden has had injury issues, but is solid when healthy, and Eric Wright got better with each game of his rookie season.  Another first year guy, Brandon McDonald was forced into action in the middle of the year and came through with flying colors.

Safeties Sean Jones and Brodney Pool started slowly, but also improved as the year went along.  Jones looked to be poised for Pro Bowl consideration before the season, but clearly struggled with his increased responsibilities in calling the cover schemes, a job previously done by veteran Brian Russell.  As he got more comfortable in that role, his performance started to approach that of 2006.  All in all, Crennel and Savage have to be happy with the play in this area.

It’s the front seven that needs a drastic overhaul.  Of the 2007 starters, only nose tackle Shaun Smith, defensive end Robaire Smith, and linebacker Kameron Wimbley are definite starters in ’08.  It would not be a surprise to see new people at three linebacker spots and the other DE position.  There is a lot of age here with Willie McGinest now 36 years old and Orpheous Roye at age 35.  ILB Leon Williams shows promise and might replace Andra Davis as a starter.  D’Quell Jackson has shown improvement, but I would guess Savage is looking to upgrade the middle of his defense.

If the Browns are going to make the playoffs in 2008, they have to get much better on defense.  The only area of need on offense is a third wide receiver, so they can devote a majority of their draft picks and free agent signing to the defensive side of the ball.  The Giants used a ferocious pass rush to bother Tom Brady and the New England offense yesterday.  How many times did an opposing quarterback have all day to throw the football against the Browns.  Upgrading the front seven would go a long way in helping the Browns reach the next level in 2008.

JD

As I am writing this, the New York Mets’ trade for Johan Santana is still in negotiations.  The stumbling block is the number of years on the new contract the lefty must sign for the deal to go through.  Santana and his agent want six or seven years, and the Mets are hesitant to make a commitment for that many years.  This brings me to the Tribe and their negotiations with Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia.  If Sabathia’s agent wants a Barry Zito type contract in terms of length, he won’t be signing with the Indians.

The fact that a large market team like the Mets is questioning signing a hurler to a six or seven-year deal brings to mind the poor success rates of these types of deals for pitchers.  Think about Mike Hampton, Kevin Brown, and Zito.  All signed deals for more than five years.  The first two missed significant time during that pact with injuries, and Zito was ineffective in his first year with the Giants.  Most guys who pitch in the big leagues for extended periods have some sort of arm injuries at one point in time.  It’s a huge risk to pay $18 million a year for a player who will not help you in a season.

If Sabathia leaves for a six or seven year deal, I can hear the howling now about the cheapness of the Dolan family.  However, it won’t be the money.  It will be the fear of having a $20 million contract on the books in 2015 and getting nothing in return.  I still maintain the Tribe will be willing to hit the $20 million per year threshold on the big left hander, but it would have to be for four years with a club option for a fifth season.  Anything beyond that will mean Sabathia will be wearing a different uniform in 2009.

What should the Indians do?  Santana’s deal will likely set a framework for Mark Shapiro.  You can bet the Tribe GM is hoping for the Mets to be tough and not give the “former” Twin more than five years.  That would make it easier to him to keep C.C.  If the Mets go to six years, should the Tribe start shopping their ace?  That would depend on the feel Shapiro gets from Sabathia’s agent.  I understand the Tribe thinks they can make the post-season and get to the World Series, but on the other hand, they can’t afford to let the big lefty leave and get nothing in return.

The Indians tried to get Dan Haren from the A’s as a possible ace in waiting should they not be able to sign Sabathia.  Eric Bedard’s name has been bandied about lately in a deal with the Mariners, and if the Tribe could jump in there and get the Orioles’ lefty, he also could replace C.C. in ’09.  The Cleveland pitching cupboard would not be bare if Fausto Carmona is the real deal, but he has had only one good year in the bigs.  Shapiro is always getting pitching, and the impending free agency for Sabathia is one reason why.  However, if the ball club would fall out of the race and talks aren’t progressing, the Tribe could deal C.C. before the July 31^st deadline.

It’s a tough call.  But you can bet Mark Shapiro is looking at the negotiations between the Mets and Johan Santana very, very closely.  The length of that deal will go along way in determining whether or not the Indians can reach a deal with C.C. Sabathia.  If the Mets hold firm, not only are they winners, but it could be a victory for the Tribe as well.

KM

The Cleveland Cavaliers are entering a very tough stretch.  It’s not the schedule, but the way the roster is currently set up.  The wine and gold will be missing one of their five best players, probably until the All Star break, because of Anderson Varajao’s sprained ankle.  How the team compensates for his absence will go a long way to determining the Cavs’ positioning for the playoffs.

Varajao is Cleveland’s best defender on the front line.  He also provides energy and is a relentless rebounder.  The Cavs really do not have another player to replace what the Brazilian mop top provides.  Drew Gooden will get more minutes, but his performance goes up and down like an elevator.  He simply cannot be counted on to play well.  He is a pretty good offensive rebounder, but he is weak defensively, and makes poor decisions with the ball on offense.

The bigger question is who picks up the remaining minutes.  I’m sure Mike Brown will increase Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ minutes as well, probably to about 33-34 per game.  If Gooden plays about the same, without driving Brown nuts, that leaves 28 minutes a night at center/power forward.  Donyell Marshall is ready to play, but he has become a spot up three-point shooter, who doesn’t contribute defensively, and won’t rebound like Varajao.

That brings us to the two kids, Dwayne Jones and Cedric Simmons.  Both players are more like Varajao than Marshall in terms of style of play, so they might just be better fits.  The problem is both have very little experience.  Jones has played more and does work hard on the boards and on defense, but he is slight of build and seems to get pushed around inside.  Simmons hasn’t played much here, but has a reputation as a shot blocker, and was a first round draft pick a year ago.  The Cavs need one of these guys to step up in a big way.

Without someone to pick up the defense and rebounding Varajao supplies, the wine and gold could struggle in the fourth quarter.  In the early part of the season, before Varajao ended his holdout, Gooden was playing much better.  I’m going to guess he’s not going to snap out of his funk because Andy is hurt.  And if he does, that signals a much larger problem for the former Jayhawk.

As far as the Jason Kidd rumors go, don’t count on Danny Ferry acquiring him in a deal.  First, it would be very difficult for the Cavs to match Kidd’s enormous salary in a trade.  The Nets would have to take Larry Hughes, and I don’t see that happening.  Second, it is said that the Nets do not want to trade the future Hall of Famer within the Eastern Conference.  I’m sure LeBron James would like Kidd in the wine and gold, and I would agree with LBJ’s assessment that the Cavs would win a title with Kidd running the point.

As great as having Kidd would be, it might just be more important to get another big man to provide rebounding and defense in Anderson Varajao’s absence.  Mike Brown will have to find out quickly if he has the people to replace one of his best players for a few weeks, or home court advantage in the playoffs might just slide away.

JK

Yesterday, the Los Angeles Lakers played on ABC.  The network did the usual fawning over Kobe Bryant and proclaimed him “the best player in the world”.  Unfortunately for ABC, he wasn’t even the best player on the floor.  You see, the Lakers played the Cleveland Cavaliers, whose star player is LeBron James.  Once again, James outplayed Bryant as the Cavs beat the Lakers for the fifth straight time.

If you don’t think Bryant understands that LeBron is the better player, look at how he played yesterday.  He spent the early part of the game being unselfish, looking to set up his teammates.  Why?  Because that’s what James is praised for by the basketball insiders.  The Chosen One is the do-it-all guy, he scores, rebounds, and passes.  Kobe Bryant had to show that he could do all of those things better than the King.  At the end of the first quarter, the graphic showed how James shot more times than Bryant in the first quarter.  Certainly, Kobe Bryant is no unselfish gunner.

As the game went on, Kobe then decided to test the officials.  He blatantly fouled James at the top of the key in the second quarter without drawing a whistle.  In the third quarter, he pulled screamed at the top of his lungs to draw a foul from LeBron, causing analyst Jeff Van Gundy to call it a “verbal flop”.  Later, he pulled James on top of him to draw a double foul.  He then received a technical foul for rebuking an official following a missed shot in which he thought he was fouled.  He continued chirping throughout the rest of the quarter and into the fourth.  He definitely was more petulant than James.

After the Lakers took an eight-point lead early in the fourth quarter, the King went to work.  He drove to the hoop, rebounded the ball, and even started defending Bryant.  Suddenly, the Lakers’ offense went south and the Cavs took the lead.  James had help, as Larry Hughes played very well down the stretch, hitting a couple of shots, and making a great pass to Ira Newble for a dunk.  Bryant did hit a jumper with less than two minutes left to close the gap to one point, but it was his last hoop.  Hughes blocked a lay up attempt, and with time running out, Kobe couldn’t even get a game tying three pointer off before the buzzer sounded.

Yesterday’s win makes it five in a row for the wine and gold against Big Chief Triangle and the Lakers.  Kobe Bryant is a gifted player, capable of dominating a game, but he doesn’t know how to win unless he is doing it himself.  That’s why LeBron James is the better player, and that’s why he has consistently gotten the better of the Laker superstar.  There isn’t a doubt in my mind that when Team USA gets together for the Olympics this summer, James looks at himself as the main man, not Bryant.

As for Mark Jackson and the rest of the announcers at ABC, they witnessed first hand yesterday what I’ve known for the last year and a half.  The best player in the NBA wears wine and gold.  He’s not the darling of the west coast movie stars, he’s a hard working gifted guy from Akron, Ohio and does what it takes to win.

JK