Great Move by Tribe to Upgrade Bench

Much of the excitement over the fine off-season the Cleveland Indians front office had been based on getting Terry Francona to manage the squad, and the signings of free agents Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds, Michael Bourn, and Brett Myers.

They also remade the bench, and so far those guys have come up huge in the early going for the Tribe.

With the injuries to Bourn and Swisher, and remember Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis missed some time as well, the bench guys have received playing time and have been productive.

Mike Aviles is tied for third in RBIs and Ryan Raburn in sixth on the club despite having played less than many of the players Francona writes in the batting order everyday.

And what may be even bigger, they understand their role.

Gone are the days of having to play Aaron Cunningham, Brett Lillibridge, and Vinny Rottino when a starter can’t go.

GM Chris Antonetti did an excellent job of getting veterans, who understand their job and their role, to come off the bench. These guys don’t need everyday at bats to stay sharp.

On the recent five game winning streak, Aviles had a five RBI game vs. Kansas City, and Raburn reincarnated Babe Ruth slugging a pair of homers in back to back games, and getting 12 hits in 14 at bats.

That’s getting help from the bench.

It helps that both Aviles and Raburn are 32 years old. They’ve been around the game for a while and they aren’t looking for a chance to play every day.

Aviles was the Red Sox’ starting shortstop last season, but his career shows he’s been much better when he doesn’t play everyday. He hit .250 in 2012, but is a career .276 hitter.

Raburn suffered through a terrible season in 2012, batting just .171 with only one home run. However, he averaged 15 dingers a year from 2009-11 with the Tigers and can play both corner outfield spots, as well as 2B and 3B.

Certainly, Aviles and Raburn have been the key contributors, but you can’t overlook the play of reserve catcher Yan Gomes and DH Jason Giambi.

Gomes, who came in the same deal with Toronto as did Aviles, is slowly but surely replacing Lou Marson as the back up catcher, showing more offense in his limited at bats as Marson ever did. The Brazilian native has four extra base hits in 31 at bats, compared to 10 all last year from Marson.

Giambi has two doubles, two homers, and three walks in limited playing time. He’s also well-respected in the clubhouse, a great role model for the young players like Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall.

And Francona has experience in using a veteran bench too. He tries to put all of these guys in positions where they can succeed.

The production from the bench will also keep the regulars fresh over the long haul of baseball’s regular season. Last year, it was evident that Asdrubal Cabrera and Kipnis wore down from playing every day as the Tribe didn’t have a quality reserve that the manager, Manny Acta, could trust.

No one should expect Raburn to continue channel Hank Aaron for the rest of the season, and there will certainly be days and weeks where the reserve players won’t produce.

Still, the Indians filled some holes on the bench which are just as important as the ones they filled in the starting lineup.

Those moves have helped the Indians tread water during the first month of the season.

Why Pan Browns’ Draft Now?

Nothing brings out so called experts like the NFL Draft. Everyone has their “individual draft boards”, which is usually based on what people in the media tell them.

For the most part, these fans haven’t ever seen the players they are rating highly, and even if they have seen them play, they don’t know if the skill set they saw during a college game will translate to the professional level.

In Cleveland, there is an affinity for the famous player or anyone from Ohio State. Either one of these guys will no doubt become a superstar.

You also have the people who will go back and criticize a team for not taking a player in a later round who wound up being a potential Hall of Famer. To be sure, if every team would have known Tom Brady would become one of the all time greats, they would have taken them in the first round, including New England and Bill Belichick.

Sometimes you don’t have a good book on a player until you get the opportunity to work with them on an everyday basis.

Remember, all of these people giving the Browns bad grades are not working in the personnel departments of any NFL teams. Mostly, they are media people with an opinion. And if you don’t agree with their ranking of players, then that team receives a bad grade.

This isn’t to say that Joe Banner and Michael Lombardi had the best draft since the Steelers in 1974 (they drafted Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, and Mike Webster) either. We are simply saying it is way too early to tell.

And trading the picks wasn’t a bad idea either. Apparently, the Browns didn’t see anyone there who could make an immediate impact with this year’s team, so they dealt them for a better choice in next year’s selection meeting. Why would that be a problem?

Also, ludicrous is the bashing Banner and Lombardi are taking for dealing with the Steelers, especially those saying you can’t deal in your division. If Pittsburgh wanted to deal Ben Roethlisberger, you’d have to be an idiot to turn them down because you don’t want to trade with a team in your division.

Look, we get that Banner and Lombardi aren’t likeable guys, at least in their public persona’s, and it is easy to take issue with their moves. But they have earned a chance, and they should get to fail a couple of times before they are written off as morons.

They are also getting heat for not trading down in the first round and picking up another second round selection. Yet, many of those people saying the Browns should have done just that, still complain about trading down in 2011 and giving up the right to pick Julio Jones.

Will we really hear from any of those people in Barkevious Mingo turns out to be the next defensive impact player in the NFL? Of course not.

The point is, the front office liked Mingo and they took him. He appears to be a superior athlete, but that doesn’t make him a great player, it simply gives him the ability to be one if he has the drive to succeed.

It is sure that the Browns’ executives interviewed the former LSU standout and talked to his coaches about those factors. It is part of the due diligence that organizations have to go through.

We won’t know how the Browns did until at least halfway through the 2013 season. Until then, you can’t condemn anyone for this rookie class. It’s simply way too soon.

Make or Break Time for Ubaldo

In the English language, it is a general rule the every “Q” is followed by the letter “u”.

That is certainly true for the Cleveland Indians. Their biggest question is Ubaldo Jimenez.

He was a concern for the team after last season ended, a year where Jimenez lost 17 games and had an ERA of 5.40. He was second in the American League in walks, and led the league in wild pitches.

New manager Terry Francona visited the big right-hander in the off-season and new pitching coach Mickey Calloway has worked hard to smooth out Jimenez’ bulky mechanics.

So far, the results are mixed.

He did pitch well in his first start against Toronto in the second game of the season, but his next two appearances were terrible, the home opener against the Yankees, and a start vs. Boston that he couldn’t make out of the second inning.

He was okay against Houston, allowing a two run homer in the first, but at one point retired 13 men in a row. Still, he was pulled after throwing just 65 pitches and received a no decision.

It seems that Francona and Calloway are trying to avoid putting Jimenez on the mound, pushing him back in the rotation in each of his last three starts. He was supposed to pitch on Saturday night, but with the rainout Friday in Kansas City, they decided to start him Monday, by passing both games in a doubleheader on Sunday.

The question now seems to be how much longer is the rope for the former Rockie?

He still cannot throw strikes consistently, with 11 in 17 innings of work this season. And he is pitching backwards, throwing 30% split finger fastballs on the first pitch this season, and that pitch is usually used to finish off hitters.

It seems like the Tribe doesn’t have confidence in Jimenez, and worse yet, the pitcher himself has no confidence.

And soon, the Indians will have a decision to make.

Corey Kluber gave his team a very good start Sunday night in Kansas City, going seven innings and allowing just two runs. He’s earned another start.

Justin Masterson has won four games thus far, and Zack McAllister has kept Cleveland in the game in each of his five starts.

Scott Kazmir showed promise in his second start after a rocky outing in his first effort. The lefty is a project, but he has maintained a 90+ MPH fastball that he had when he was a top-notch pitcher with the Rays.

So, right now, by performance and as a result of being moved around in the rotation as needed, Jimenez is the Indians’ fifth starter.

What happens if Trevor Bauer, who will make a spot start on Wednesday against Philadelphia because of Friday’s rainout, pitches well? Or if Carlos Carrasco, who took a line drive off his pitching elbow last week, continues to dominate at AAA?

If things continue, as they are, which of course, is no guarantee, what choice does the Tribe brass have with Jimenez?

He can refuse being sent to the minors, so that’s not really an option.

Others have mentioned the bullpen, but teams really don’t use long men any more and he can’t throw strikes, so that’s doesn’t seem to work either.

His contract ends after this season, so the Indians could look at releasing him without being hurt long-term.

Whatever happens, Ubaldo Jimenez is pitching for his career with the Indians over the next few starts. That’s just reality.

Browns Add Defense and Look Ahead to ’14 Draft

Many people thought the Cleveland Browns were going after a quarterback with one of their picks in this year’s NFL draft.

They couldn’t have been more wrong. Not only did they not draft a passer, they only drafted one offensive player, 7th round pick Garrett Gilkey, a tackle.

And they really didn’t draft anyone when you think about it. They traded out of rounds four and five to acquire more picks in next year’s selection process, which appears to be a deeper draft than 2013.

The Browns went for defense, and it looks like Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi, and Rob Chudzinski are trying to create an identity for the Browns, and that would be a team that gets after the quarterback.

Think about that. We’ve been following this football team since the mid-1960’s, and can’t ever think of the Browns having a dominant pass rush.

The selection of LB Barkevious Mingo could give defensive coordinator Ray Horton a triumvirate of outside linebackers who can get after opposing passers in Paul Kruger, Jabaal Sheard, and Mingo.

They added another pass rusher later in the draft, picking up Armonty Bryant in the seventh round with the team’s penultimate choice.

He already has a lot of depth on the defensive line with Phil Taylor, Ahtyba Rubin, Billy Winn, Desmond Bryant, and John Hughes.

They needed another cornerback and selected Leon McFadden in the third round. Mc Fadden is purported to be a great athlete, but many fans were disappointed because he’s on the small size, prompting many to compare him to Buster Skrine.

Of course, that’s unfair, because we’re guessing most fans have never seen McFadden play, and to be fair. Skrine does a decent job when covering slot receivers.

The other glaring weakness coming into the spring was at safety, and Cleveland selected one in Jamoris Slaughter in the sixth round. Slaughter is coming off an Achilles tendon tear in game three last fall, and should be ready for training camp.

Many people feel the Browns front office thinks Tashaun Gipson can be a starter and do a solid job at the position.

And remember, if you can put pressure on the quarterback, your secondary doesn’t have to cover as long.

You also have to mention the addition of WR Davone Bess in a trade with Miami. Bess has five years experience in the NFL and has caught at least 50 balls in each one of those seasons, with a high of 79 in 2010.

He’s a slot receiver, and along with free agent signee David Nelson, who caught 61 throws in 2011, give the offensive coordinator Norv Turner and Chudzinski some much-needed experience at wide receiver.

They don’t have to rely on players such as Jordon Norwood and 2nd year player Travis Benjamin to help starters Josh Gordon and Greg Little.

Most experts did not give the Browns a great grade, but that doesn’t matter. The same experts gave Seattle a poor grade last season and it turned out to be very good.

The only troubling thing is the appearance that the Browns are more interested in the 2014 season than the upcoming one. We hope that is not true, because this franchise needs to improve now. No more 5-11 finishes.

The National Football League is one sport where a new coaching staff can make a huge difference.

The Browns did not have good coaching the past two years. The staff was inflexible and didn’t take advantage of the skill sets of their players. If Chudzinski and his staff can do that, the brown and orange will approach 8-8 or 9-7 this year and will be set up in a great position in next year’s draft.

If that’s the plan, then it seems like Banner and Lombardi did their job the last three days.

Browns Need to Fill Holes, Not Draft a QB

Tonight is the event that comes as close to a Super Bowl type event for Cleveland Browns’ fans, since they’ve never actually been in the championship game since 1965.

Look it up, the Browns played for the NFL title against the Green Bay Packers that season.

It’s NFL draft time, and the Browns have the sixth overall selection this year.

The best case scenario for team CEO Joe Banner, GM Mike Lombardi, and head coach Rob Chudzinski would be the trade down and try to recoup the second round pick they used in the supplemental draft last summer, selecting WR Josh Gordon, who certainly was worth the choice.

Cleveland’s biggest needs going into the draft is on defense, more specifically the secondary, where CB Joe Haden is a very good player and S T.J. Ward is solid, but they need two starters and some depth as well.

They could also use a pass rusher to go along with LB Paul Kruger and LB Jabaal Sheard, who is being moved to the position.

Alabama CB Dee Milliner would seem to be a great fit with the pick, assuming he last’s that long. The mock drafts we have reviewed have him being picked anywhere from 3rd to 10th overall. Milliner would provide with the Browns best set of cornerbacks since the 80’s when they had Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield.

We all remember how those teams did.

If Milliner isn’t there at six, that’s where the trade down talk comes in. The top of the draft is loaded with offensive tackles, a position where the Browns are solid with Joe Thomas and Mitchell Schwartz. A team with that need may be very interested in jumping up to Cleveland’s spot in the first round.

If they can trade down, a good pick may be another Alabama product, G Chance Warmack. Warmack is very highly regarded, and some have said he’s the best guard prospect since Hall of Famer John Hannah.

Although the Browns have a solid offensive line, they could use a guard, and if Warmack is even close to being as good as advertised, he could make a very good line into a dominant unit. The chance to make one area of the team into an elite unit would be very tempting for the front office.

If Milliner isn’t there and the Cleveland moves down, another player to look at would be CB Xavier Rhodes of Florida State. A former receiver who has great cover skills, he could also give new defensive coordinator Ray Horton two solid cover corners, which would enable Horton to dial-up more blitzes to confuse and punish opposing quarterbacks.

Speaking of passers, here’s hoping Banner and Lombardi do not waste the first round choice on a QB. The Browns need their first round pick to play immediately in September, and this year’s crop doesn’t have anyone who can step in right away.

That’s not to say the Browns shouldn’t take one in the later rounds. There is always room for someone to develop.

The only offensive areas, unless they can get an elite player like Warmack, the Browns should target would be another wide receiver and a tight end. After losing Benjamin Watson and Alex Smith in free agency, new offensive coordinator Norv Turner could use a big target at the position. Jordan Cameron has potential, but still hasn’t been as productive as he may become.

This isn’t a bad draft, it’s just one without big time star power. That’s why the Browns need more picks. It’s another opportunity to gain some depth for a young football team that needs it. They started to build some last year, and it would be nice to add more.

Here’s Hoping It’s An Improved Brown for Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers were horrible on defense this season, allowing a league high 47.6% shooting percentage by their opponents. That followed the 4th worst figure in the NBA the previous year, allowing foes to shoot at a 46.7% clip.

The easiest way for the wine and gold to improve in 2013-14 is to get tougher on defense, and have them rank closer to the league average in points per game allowed (98.1) than the worst mark in the NBA (Sacramento at 105.1). Cleveland allowed an average of 101.2 tallies per night.

So, GM Chris Grant and owner Dan Gilbert hired a great defensive mind as Byron Scott’s successor in former Cavs’ coach Mike Brown.

We say the franchise needed to move in a different direction.

It would have been great to get a coach who understands the entire game of basketball, and the organization didn’t need to worry about how former players feel about the hire. They needed to get someone who understood both defense and offense.

And someone who can get the most out of the team’s best player, Kyrie Irving.

Brown certainly is a great defensive mind, but in watching his team play with the ball during his tenure here, it was surprising that he made it to the NBA level of coaching without having a clue as to what to do on offense.

And that isn’t criticizing the give the ball to LeBron James and everyone else get out-of-the-way theory that Brown seemed to espouse. Heck, Scott used the same theory at the end of games with Kyrie Irving, and probably had more success because Irving converted some shots.

The wine and gold offense was very stagnant under Brown’s guidance, and that means a lot of standing around and very little motion within the offense. While most of the NBA depends greatly on the pick-and-roll, you still need some movement by the players to force opponents to be honest on the defensive end.

In Brown’s years in Cleveland, the Cavs ranked 15th, 19th, 24th, 13th, and 9th in points scored per game. The dramatic jump came when Brown hired John Kuester to handle the offense. In his lone full year in Los Angeles, the Lakers finished 15th in scoring, despite having Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Andrew Bynum on the roster.

The offensive weakness really showed in the playoffs, when teams would double and triple team James, daring the Cavs to have someone else to step up. Brown never developed an attack that would have helped the other players succeed on offense.

And don’t buy the “no help for LeBron” crap, either? The Cavs’ best chance, with the team that lost to Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals, had Mo Williams, Delonte West, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ben Wallace, and proven veteran scorers in Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak.

If you were drafting one team out of the Cavs and Magic, James and Dwight Howard would have been the top picks. When would the next Orlando player have been picked?

Brown will demand Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters play defense, and that’s a good thing. However, can and will he utilize two players who can be good offensive players and in Irving’s case, one who can be an elite point guard in the NBA.

It appears that Gilbert and Grant overreacted to the wine and gold’s lack of defense to hire a coach who will take care of that, but little else. They had a chance to get someone who could impact both sides of the court, but they missed the mark like a Dwight Howard free throw.

Stubbs’ Struggles are Worrisome

Before the season started, most baseball experts felt the biggest weakness for the Cleveland Indians would be starting pitching.

It has been, with only Justin Masterson and Zack McAllister showing any consistency thus far. The other three spots in the rotation seem to be wish, hope, and pray to this point in the season.

However, the offense has struggled as well, despite last night’s 19-6 beat down in Houston, and we don’t expect that to continue for much longer. Two time all-star SS Asdrubal Cabrera is hitting just .150 with only four extra base hits. As skipper Terry Francona said the other day, Cabrera’s next 50 at bats could be as hot as he is cold right now.

And 2B Jason Kipnis will start to hit too, as will young 3B Lonnie Chisenhall, who is hitting just .224 with only one walk compared to 15 strikeouts to this point.

Also, CF Michael Bourn will return in another week, and he was off to a great start, hitting .333 through the first ten games.

There is one guy to be concerned about however, and that would be OF Drew Stubbs, because his start seems to be a continuation of the downward spiral his career has been taking.

The eighth overall pick in 2006, the outfielder burst on the scene in 2009, hitting .267 with eight home runs in 42 games that season. That promise showed through even more in 2010, when the big right-handed hitter batted .255 with 22 dingers in his first year as a regular.

It’s been downhill from there as Stubbs’ production has waned while his strikeouts have started to pile up. His power numbers dropped in ’11 to 15 home runs and 14 last year, while striking out 205 times in 2011 and 166 times (in 140 fewer plate appearances) last year.

This season, Stubbs has fanned 19 times in 57 times at the plate, while having just three extra base hits, all doubles. He leads the Indians in whiffing, amazing since the Tribe has notorious swing and miss Mark Reynolds on the roster.

Reynolds, though, has been productive when making contact, leading Cleveland with 6 HR and 17 RBI. Stubbs hasn’t hit one out yet this season, and he hadn’t scored a run this season until last night. While that is not totally his fault, it is a telling stat.

With his 3 for 4 evening yesterday, Stubbs is hitting .255 on the season with a 647 OPS. That’s the nature of early season statistics, they can fluctuate greatly with one good game. His batting average was .213 before last night.

To be sure, GM Chris Antonetti and Francona were hoping Stubbs would regain his pop with a different approach and that may still be the case. As we said, it is very early. However, his early difficulties continue the trend from the past three seasons.

It is much like saying it’s only two starts for Ubaldo Jimenez in 2013. You have to remember that this is a continuation of the right-handers struggles since he came to Cleveland in July 2011.

It’s a trend, and when things are going on a downhill plane, the player needs to show improvement right away.

Stubbs needs to produce soon, because when Bourn is back, he may lose playing time by moving Nick Swisher to RF, Reynolds to 1B, and using a combination of Jason Giambi, Mike Aviles, and Carlos Santana at DH.

The Tribe brass was hoping Drew Stubbs could regain the production of his early career when they dealt for him this winter. Right now, they have to be a little concerned that he won’t.

Like Scott or Not, He Lost the Cavs’ Players

What was considered inevitable over the past few weeks was made official today when the Cleveland Cavaliers fired coach Byron Scott.

Many will say the firing was unjustified because of all of the injuries and young players that Scott had to deal with. All of that is true, but you can’t get past the notion that the Cavs quit on the season several weeks ago, and that falls on the head coach.

Scott’s an old school guy, believing that professional basketball players should show up to work everyday and play hard. That’s the way it was when he played for the Lakers. However, he played with all time greats like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and James Worthy.

Those guys did show up every night. There are a lot of players in today’s NBA that don’t have a professional attitude.

The head coach didn’t adjust.

The biggest statistic used against Scott in his tenure with the wine and gold was the horrible defense. The Cavs allowed opponents to shoot 47% from the floor this season, and it wasn’t always the fault of not having a force inside either.

Cleveland opponents received plenty of open looks from the perimeter as well.

Part of that problem was the inability of his best player, Kyrie Irving, to control the man he was defending. But was there a penalty for Kyrie for not playing defense? It doesn’t appear that there was. Shouldn’t have Scott cut minutes for last year’s Rookie of the Year at some point?

It is a different era in the league these days we understand that. Still, it is incumbent on the coach to tell a player who has all the ability in the world that he needed to excel on both ends on the floor to be considered a great player.

The other thing that haunted Scott was the huge leads his team blew throughout the season. If you are going to defend the coach because he had no talent, he had enough to build several 20-point leads that the Cavs blew.

If they had won those games, and a few others when they had sizeable leads but couldn’t finish the job, Cleveland would have 30 wins this year, and Scott might still have a job.

Also, the Cavs had a stretch in late January/early February, after the trade with Memphis, where the team went 10-9, playing solid basketball.

Granted, the injury bug hit again, as Irving and rookie Dion Waiters got hurt, but the wine and gold finished by losing 15 of their last 17 contests, and looked disinterested in many of them.

Scott didn’t feel it was his job to play hard, and many times after games he would complain that the squad “came out flat”. Isn’t it his job to make sure the team was prepared?

On other nights where they did play well in the first half, they came out after halftime and played a huge egg in the third quarter.

It happened too many times for the coach not to accept any blame.

And after it happened a few times, it is the responsibility of the coach to fix the problem. For whatever reason, Scott couldn’t.

There is no question that this firing now puts the onus clearly on GM Chris Grant. Whoever the new coach is, if the Cavaliers do not show improvement next season, Grant’s behind will be clearly on the hot seat.

They say a GM gets to hire two coaches, and the next Cavs’ coach will be Grant’s second hire. He has to bring in more talent to make sure this team is competitive next season.

After three seasons of mostly horrible basketball, people in northeastern Ohio are expecting a contending team in 2013-14. It is up to Grant and however he chooses as coach to make sure that expectation becomes a reality.

Tribe Organizational Depth in View Early

The baseball season is just 11 games old, and the depth the Cleveland Indians acquired in the off-season has already been put to the test.

First, the starting rotation had a horrible two turns through, with many pitchers not being able to go more than five innings. That took a toll on the bullpen, so Terry Francona and the front office were able to change on the fly and add an extra relief pitcher.

Of course, the two rainouts helped because they were able to skip a start for the fifth guy in the rotation.

Scott Kazmir made a rehab start with Columbus last night and he is on track to make his first start in Houston this weekend, so Francona got away without having to use somebody he didn’t want to use.

With the nagging elbow injury for 2B Jason Kipnis, the skipper has had to use Mike Aviles and Ryan Raburn, both established major league players, to fill in. This is different from having to use players like Aaron Cunningham, Austin Kearns, or Luis Valbuena as substitutes.

Aviles was the starting shortstop for Boston last season, and although the Sox wound up with virtually the same record as the Indians, both teams fell apart in the last two months, so it wasn’t like either team was like the Astros and Marlins of 2013.

Raburn is also experienced, having appeared in over 100 games three times with the Tigers and hitting double digits in home runs in three different seasons.

Tito has had to alter his catchers early this season too. Carlos Santana hurt his thumb/wrist during the home opener, and Lou Marson hurt his neck in a home plate collision, so Yan Gomes was called up from Columbus, and has done a good job handling the pitchers and also hit a home run on Saturday.

Now, CF Michael Bourn is going to miss perhaps of week’s worth of games with stitches in his finger. No problem. Francona will move Drew Stubbs to center, and he can play Raburn in right, or he can put Nick Swisher in right, use Mark Reynolds at first base and give Jason Giambi some at bats as the DH.

Giambi may be 42 years old, and won the American League MVP in 2000, but he has made his living in recent years by being a productive bat off the bench in Colorado.

Besides Gomes, the added depth also extends to the minor leagues. For example, with Bourn down and Kipnis out, the Tribe called up Cord Phelps, who had an excellent spring and has a very good history of hitting in the minors, to the 25-man roster.

They no longer have to use a player who has no business being in the big leagues.

At other times, they stayed longer with a struggling player because they didn’t have a better option available. This was the case with Johnny Damon last season.

And that bodes very well for the success of this ballclub. You have to have options because things never work out the way it is planned in the off-season. In the past few years, this organization had few alternatives.

This year, the depth they’ve accumulated is being put to the test before the first month of the season plays out.

This Year’s Rookies Hope to Follow Lead of Irving, Thompson

For most players in the NBA, the biggest improvement in their career is from their rookie season to their second year. Cavaliers’ GM Chris Grant has to hope that’s the case for rookies Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.

It certainly has been the case for the reigning league rookie of the year Kyrie Irving and F Tristan Thompson, both of whom have shown great improvement from their first year in the NBA.

First, let’s look at Irving, who has missed his share of games this season, playing in just 56 out of a possible 79 thus far. With just three games remaining, it appears he will miss 23 contests this year.

Irving’s numbers are up for the most part, with the exception of his field goal percentage and free throw percentage. This is unusual because the former first pick in the draft is known for his shooting. He dropped from 47% from the field and 87% from the line as a rookie to 46% from the floor and 85% from the line in 2012-13.

His three-point shooting has improved by a percent this year.

However, his other numbers are up. He’s averaging four more points a game than last season (18.5 to 22.7) and he’s also dishing out a half an assist more per night. Of course, he is getting more minutes too, an average of four and a half more than last year. He’s also getting more steals a game too.

All of this while being the focus of opposing defenses when he is on the floor. Last year, Irving was highly regarded, but this year, every coach knows he is the best player wearing a Cavs’ jersey, and he made his first all-star team. Despite that, Irving has made a quantum leap in his second year.

He still needs to be more durable, and he must improve his defense if he wants to be in the conversation as one of the best point guards in the league. He is talented enough to be the complete package at the point, and with improvements in these areas, he could be an elite player in a couple of years.

Although Thompson still has critics, his improvement is even more dramatic. His playing has increased by almost eight minutes per game, and with more time, the second year man from Texas has made a great leap from his rookie season.

Obviously, the most important numbers are points and rebounds, and Thompson is scoring three and a half points a night (8.2 to 11.7) and his board work is also up by just about three a game (6.5 to 9.3).

However, his is shooting a much better percentage, up five percentage points from the field (43.9% to 49%) and he is now a 62% shooter from the line, up from 55% as a rook.

He is also showing leadership, as he was the most vocal regarding Byron Scott’s job security. And he went out the first game since the rumors started and put up 29 points and 17 rebounds against the Celtics.

If Waiters and Zellers can improve at the same rate next season, perhaps the Cavs outlook isn’t as gloomy as some think, although outside of Irving, it doesn’t appear any of the three can become all-stars.

However, as good as Irving was in winning rookie of the year honors last season, it still shows a great deal of improvement comes over the summer after your first season in the NBA.