Heading into September, the Cleveland Indians still had a shot at the AL Central Division title.  They had a bunch of games against the Detroit Tigers remaining, and if they played well against them they had a chance to make the playoffs.

They went into the season’s final month just 5-1/2 games out with six games remaining against the Motor City Kitties.  Taking four of the six would give Manny Acta’s crew a shot.

We all know what happened.  The Indians lost all six, being outscored in the games by a composite 50-19.  They didn’t come close and wound up the season 15 games behind Detroit.

They headed into the off-season with questions in LF, 1B, and the fifth starter.  With less than two weeks to go in spring training, two of those problems still remain. 

Why weren’t they addressed?  Especially with Forbes Magazine’s report that Cleveland made over $30 million in profit last season.

GM Chris Antonetti traded for veteran RHP Derek Lowe to shore up the rotation, but with Roberto Hernandez’ absence from camp due to mistaken identity, one spot still remains open.

Jeanmar Gomez has pitched better than anyone in the competition, but still hasn’t been given the gig, mostly because it says here that the organization would rather have veteran Kevin Slowey win the job. 

Antonetti traded for Slowey after the news about Hernandez, giving up reliever Zach Putnam, who may have been able to help in the bullpen this summer.  Slowey was 0-8 last season in Minnesota, but Antonetti felt the need to give up a decent prospect to get him, even after the Twins had sent him to Colorado earlier in the winter.

As for LF, the front office thought they solved that issue by re-signing CF Grady Sizemore, the oft-injured player, who hasn’t been healthy since 2009.  That would put Michael Brantley in left, although he’s never been a solid offensive option thus far, but he’s only 24 years old.

Most predicted Sizemore couldn’t stay healthy all of the 2012 season, but no one figured he would get hurt before one exhibition game would be played.  But he did, and will likely be out until June or July with a back injury.

Shelley Duncan has emerged as the best option in LF, but management is reluctant to give him the job.  He does have a limited track record, but it’s no more hazy than the others in the competition, like Aaron Cunningham and Ryan Spilborghs. 

Would you believe Duncan’s OPS the last two seasons is better than Brantley’s? 

This is not to say if Dunc played everyday, he would hit .260 with 25 HRs.  Whether he can play everyday and be effective is certainly up for debate, but he should get the opportunity.  At the very least, we know he can hit southpaws, and should be in the lineup somewhere if a lefty starts.

The Indians feel they filled the 1B spot by signing Casey Kotchman, but let’s take a wait and see attitude.  Kotchman’s .306 batting average last season was 38 points higher than his lifetime figure and his career slugging percentage is under .400. 

Prediction:  Acta will be looking for some offense out of first base by the middle of May.

So, what exactly did the front office do doing the off-season?  A team that finished below .500, yet stayed in contention until Labor Day, really did nothing to improve the ballclub even though it has been reported the team made money (and a lot of it!) last year.

If the Tribe doesn’t contend in 2012, then Chris Antonetti should have a lot of explaining to do. 

Of course, with the Cleveland Indians and their we do all the right things mentality, it will be status quo for 2013. 

Remember this Cleveland fans…if the Tribe finishes below .500 this year, that will be nine of the last 11 seasons with losing records.

MW

The ideal spring training record for a baseball team is .500. 

That way, hopes don’t get too high for the fans and the management, but it does keep optimism for a good season alive.

Nor is the fan base depressed because the team can’t even win in exhibition play. 

Yes, winning half your spring training games is the way to go.

Right now, the Cleveland Indians are sitting at 5-10.  Fans are still optimistic because of last year’s tremendous start, but they have to be nervous about the performance of some key players. 

It appears the management may be a little unsettled too.

Manny Acta said over the weekend that it is time for Ubaldo Jimenez to get some hitters out.  The big right-hander has struggled in pretty much every start in Arizona, and as stated previously, he is the biggest key to the Indians’ success.

Without his success, the Tribe’s starting rotation is a little shaky.  Especially with Josh Tomlin currently struggling after finishing last season with a sore elbow.

That means the rotation would only have Justin Masterson, who has one good season under his belt, and veteran Derek Lowe, who is 39 years old and lost 17 games last year.

With the Indians’ lack of pop in the lineup, if the starting pitching isn’t good, it will be a loooong season.

That isn’t to say Jimenez can’t turn it around when the regular season starts.  In 2009, Cliff Lee got hammered in spring training and in his first regular season start as well (vs. Texas) before having a good year.

That doesn’t mean Acta will be any more relieved unless the pitcher GM Chris Antonetti gave up two prime pitching prospects for, starts showing more in Goodyear.

In the bullpen, there are two open spots, but nobody has taken the bull by the horns.  Dan Wheeler was thought to have a leg up on one spot, but he’s allowed eight earned runs in six innings, allowing 12 hits.  He did throw a scoreless inning Monday against the Dodgers, so perhaps he’s turned the corner. 

Lefty Nick Hagadone could get one spot if he can throw strikes.  He’s only given up one run in seven frames with no walks, but has been behind in the count a lot.  Invitee Jeremy Accardo (5 IP, 1 ER) and rookie righty C.C. Lee (6 IP, 2 ER, 6 SO) have been impressive too.  Veteran Chris Ray has been tattooed and probably pitched himself off the team. 

As for the hitters, invitee Jose Lopez (as predicted) looks like he will make the final 25 man roster with a fine spring going 10 for 24 with 2 HR.  Assuming Shelly Duncan wins the LF job, the extra men on the bench will be Lopez, C Lou Marson, INF/OF Jason Donald, and either Aaron Cunningham, Ryan Spilborghs, or Russ Canzler.

Cunningham and Spilborghs can play CF which is a plus, although the latter has struggled at the plate away from Coors Field, hitting just .129 away from home last year.  Cunningham is younger which should give him an edge, although the Indians seem to love veterans as bench players. 

Canzler may be the best hitter out of the three, but the Tribe seems to value defense more than a right-handed bat which may have some pop. 

This is curious because Cleveland doesn’t appear to be a real good defensive team. 

Manny Acta said that there is no doubt Canzler will rake again if sent back to Columbus, but it’s hard to see him making the team.  Plus, he has options left, so there is no threat of losing him.  Cunningham is out of options, and Spilborghs is a spring invitee.

Still, on a team needing offense, Canzler’s hitting .355 this spring, while the other two are close to the .200 mark in of course, limited at bats.

Those are the players to keep an eye on with just two weeks before the start of the regular season.  No doubt, the front office is hoping some of these players eliminate any doubts they have.

KM

Apparently, the NFL season must be starting on April 1st.

If you listen to all of the Cleveland Browns’ fans peppering the airwaves and internet, it must seem like the regular season is starting very soon, and the Browns haven’t done anything to help a roster that finished 4-12 last season.

Except that it doesn’t start that soon, and in reality, Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert have four months to bolster the team for the 2012 season, including nine draft picks in next month’s draft.

Heckert said Cleveland would not be big players in free agency, and he wasn’t lying.  The Browns did sign DE Frostee Rucker and DE Jaqua Parker to replace Jamie Mitchell and add depth on the defensive line. 

However, the team also lost RB Peyton Hillis, leaving the organization without an experienced runner, and S Mike Adams also went to Denver, thus depleting the depth in the secondary.

Cleveland also released G Eric Steinbach, but he didn’t play last year, so you really can’t count that as a loss for the organization.

How many truly great players signed at the outset of the free agency process?  Think about that.

There were a lot of good players, most notably WRs Pierre Garcon, Eddie Royal, and Vincent Jackson.  But the real prize in the process, DE Mario Williams, is the only perennial All Pro player signed last week.

In fact, many of the national football writers felt the Browns did the correct thing by not overpaying for average to slightly better than average players. 

Look at the teams that were very active in the opening salvo in the process?  The elite of the NFL didn’t exactly light up the newswire with a bunch of signings.  That’s because free agency isn’t the way to build a football team.  You do it through the draft.

You can certainly understand the fans reaction.  They’ve been watching a football team that has gone 18-46 that last four years and they are tired of the losing.  It is funny to hear both media people and Browns’ supporters alike already forecasting another 4-12 season, and some are predicting even worse. 

Do they really think the front office is going to enter training camp with the same roster they have right now?

Although we don’t know for sure, you can take a pretty educated guess that Heckert will address the offense in the draft, getting a running back, perhaps a couple of wide receivers, a tackle,  and hopefully a quarterback in the first few rounds of the selection process.

What the fans have to figure out is free agency is just a way to overpay average players. 

In the past few years, only the New Orleans Saints have been very active in this market and been successful.  Most of the other franchises who partake in the process struggle.

Why?  Because they do not build a core or foundation through the draft.

There are no quick fixes in the NFL.  You build through making the correct picks in the draft.

Fans can argue all they want about whether or not the Browns have made the correct picks. 

Certainly, RB Montario Hardesty appears to be a second round bust, but the other players picked in the first three rounds are contributing, although the jury is still out on QB Colt McCoy and S T. J. Ward.

Everybody wants the Browns to win.  However, giving big money to average free agents is more often than not the incorrect way of achieving that goal.

JD

The NBA trading deadline passed on Thursday, and the Cleveland Cavaliers were active once again.

GM Chris Grant dealt reserve point guard Ramon Sessions to the Los Angeles Lakers, along with former first round draft pick Christian Eyenga to Luke Walton, Jason Kapono, and the Lakers’ first round pick in June’s NBA draft.

Eyenga was little used and quite frankly a poor choice by then GM Danny Ferry.  At the time, Cleveland was a title contender and drafting a project over guys like DeJuan Blair and Sam Young was not what the wine and gold needed.

On the other side, Walton and Kapono were not used often by LA coach Mike Brown.

Walton hasn’t appeared in a game since February 29th, and has only been used nine games all season, averaging just 7.2 minutes per contest.  The veteran, who will turn 32 years old at the end of this month, hasn’t been a factor since the 2008-09 season, when he started 34 games.

His contract runs through next year, making this the only bad part of the deal.  He is a great passer from the small forward spot, so if he is physically able to play, that could be his biggest contribution, because none of the Cavs’ wings are really good playmakers.

Kapono was released to make room for Manny Harris, and it is unlikely Walton will be on the Cleveland roster at the beginning of next season.

But the biggest part of the transaction is picking up another first round pick, which together with the Cavs’ own picks and a 2nd rounder picked up from New Orleans, could give Grant four choices in the first 40 selections in the draft.

Giving up Sessions was tough, in that he was one of Cleveland’s best players this season.  However, he likely wasn’t coming back because there is no doubt he can and should start in the league, and that wasn’t going to happen here with Kyrie Irving on the team.

Cleveland signed PG Donald Sloan out of the D-League.  Sloan played in eight games with the Hawks and Hornets earlier this year, and Eric Musselman said he was the best point guard in the league.

Also, here’s hoping Scott gives Harris an opportunity to get on the court because the wine and gold aren’t exactly getting great production out of the #2 guard spot from Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson.

Remember, the Cavs also have two first round picks in the 2013 draft as well, and in the trade they received the right to switch the pick received from Miami for LeBron James with the Lakers choice if it is higher.

Antawn Jamison is still with the team, although he was reportedly involved in talks right up until the deadline.  It would have a big win had Grant been able to move the veteran for even more draft picks/younger players on Thursday. 

While Jamison and Irving supply a bulk of the scoring for the Cavs, he’s a weak defender and gets handled on the boards by most players he matches up against. 

To be sure, Grant and Scott would like to get more scoring out of the wing positions so they can play Anderson Varejao and Tristan Thompson together at power forward and center.  That would be the team’s best option for rebounding and defense.

Although, some downgraded Grant’s move (ESPN’s John Hollinger gave it a D+ because of Walton’s contract), most felt it was the right thing to do.

Grant looks to be following the Oklahoma City plan right now:  Get your franchise player (Irving) and accumulate as many first round picks as you can.  The Thunder currently have one of the NBA’s best teams.

As we’ve said all along, the success of the Cavaliers comes down to Chris Grant’s ability to judge talent, and so far he’s done a good job.  Having more draft picks put more pressure on him going forward.

JK

A couple of weeks ago, after the Cleveland Cavaliers lost four in a row after the all-star break, we wrote that the wine and gold had a nice run, but they the lack of talent caught up with them.

However, six straight losses by the dysfunctional New York Knicks, coupled with a three game Cleveland winning streak, which included road wins at Denver and Oklahoma City, have put Byron Scott’s team right back in the mix for the post-season.

In fact, the Cavs sit just a game behind Milwaukee for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference after last night’s loss to Toronto.

The wine and gold have a chance to tie the Bucks tonight, with Milwaukee in a little state of flux after getting Monta Ellis (who won’t play tonight) from Golden State.

It still will be a long haul for Cleveland, mostly because the Bucks have the easiest schedule of the group of contenders, which also includes the Detroit Pistons.

With the NBA trade deadline here on Thursday afternoon, GM Chris Grant now has a quandary.  Does he keep the team intact for a run at the playoffs or does he deal some veterans to get younger players and/or more draft picks?

We have never been on the “try to lose” bus that many Cavs’ fans are on, but Grant shouldn’t be keeping anyone to get the 8th seed.

Why?

The first reason is that the real stars of this team are rookie Kyrie Irving, who will most certainly be the NBA rookie of the year, and his coach, Byron Scott. 

You get the feeling that even if Grant dealt Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions, Scott would keep the wine and gold competitive for the rest of the season, putting more on his best player.  Remember, Scott should get Anderson Varejao as a reinforcement in the next couple of weeks to pick up some of the slack.

Besides, neither player is part of the future here.  Jamison’s contract expires at the end of this season, and Sessions has a player option for next year which he certainly won’t pick up.  He’s good enough to be a starter on many teams, but won’t be here because of Irving. 

As a testament to the job Scott has done this year, please compare Cleveland’s roster to that of the Knicks, who have an almost identical record.  New York coach Mike D’Antoni has Carmelo Anthony, A’mare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and the latest “it guy” in the league, Jeremy Lin. 

The Cavs’ top four players are a rookie (Irving), a now injured big man (Varejao), Jamison, and their back up point guard (Sessions).  Isn’t that reason enough to think ahead to bring more talent in for the coach to work with?

Unlike some teams, Grant, Scott, and the rest of the Cavalier organization have brought in players who will and can work together.  They try to see if players can play together, and do what the coach demands, before bringing them in.

If the Cavs want to make the playoffs next year, a lottery pick will certainly help.  But if there is no divine intervention, that choice will be in the 5-10 range.  It’s unlikely they will get one of the top three players this summer.

So, they will fill one of their needs.  They still need more help at the traditional scoring positions, #2 guard and small forward.  They will have to get help there through trades.  A top free agent probably isn’t signing here.

That’s why the Cavs need to make a move.  They simply need more talent.

Imagine what Byron Scott and his rookie point guard can do with some more guys who can score.

JK

Do you want to know Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert is so popular in Cleveland?

He gets it. 

He understands what the sports fans of this area want, and he in uncertain terms, wants the same thing.  He wants to win and he tells everybody exactly that.

Yes, he mixes in a helpful portion of marketing schmaltz, but most fans on the North Coast would agree that Gilbert wants to win. 

Contrast that line of thinking with the other two professional teams in town, the Indians and the Browns.

The Cleveland Browns, the hallmark franchise for this city, a team that has undying support even though success on the field has been a rumor for most of the 12 years since they’ve been back in the NFL, simply have no clue what fans want.

To be sure, team president Mike Holmgren and GM Tom Heckert have a plan to return to return this franchise to the glory days of the 1950’s and 60’s.  They simply do a poor job of communicating it to the fans. 

First of all, calling together a gathering of the media so Heckert can answer questions, but not allowing cameras and/or recording devices in the room is idiotic.  After all, don’t they understand the media’s job is to share the front office’s thoughts with the Browns’ fans, and what better way to do this than to let general manager be seen and heard?

Secondly, instead of dismissing big splashes in free agency, why not tell the supporters of the team that another 4-12 or 5-11 season isn’t acceptable, and the organization will do everything and anything to make this team a contender.  And a contender as soon as next season.

It is understandable that Holmgren and Heckert are sensitive about the past.  After all, they cannot be held responsible for the job done before them by the likes of Carmen Policy, Butch Davis, and Phil Savage. 

Still, Browns’ fans are frustrated and rightfully so.  They witnessed just two winning seasons since 1999, and most of those losing seasons aren’t 7-9 campaigns.  The ledger is filled with 4-12 and 5-11, just like the last four years.

Their frustration wasn’t eased over the weekend when Washington trumped Cleveland, and moved up in the draft to take Baylor QB Robert Griffin III, the hope for many Browns’ fans.

On the other side, the Indians have the PR game figured out, unless someone named Dolan decides to speak to the media.

They are very polished, citing statistics and market trends to support their way of doing business.  It certainly sounds good.

Still, it hasn’t produced success on the field.  No matter how the Tribe tries to paint it for the fans, the truth is eight losing seasons out of the last ten.

The latest Indians story is the two games theory.  If they had won one more game in 2000 and 2005, they would have made the playoffs each of those seasons.

And if my aunt had…

The point is they didn’t. 

It’s like Mark Shapiro and crew are lying to themselves trying to convince themselves they are doing the right thing. 

If saying the right thing was a competition, there would be a world championship trophy at Progressive Field.

Which is more frustrating?  The Browns don’t seem to understand they need fans, and the Indians take too much time trying to explain why they can’t compete.

With the title drought for the city’s football team at 48 years and the Tribe’s last World Series title being 64 years ago, the time for discussion is over.

As Al Davis would say, the best advice for those teams would be to just win, baby!

MW

The news came out of nowhere that the Washington Redskins had agreed to give the St. Louis Rams their first picks in 2012, 2013 and 2014, plus another 2nd rounder in order to move up to the #2 spot in this year’s draft.

Say goodbye to Robert Griffin III, Cleveland Browns’ fans.

The Redskins understand what the front office in Berea apparently doesn’t.  That today’s NFL is a quarterback league and if you don’t have a great one, you simply aren’t going to win.  So, Washington agreed to pay the king’s ransom.

As much as Colt McCoy played well in his brief stint in his rookie year, he still doesn’t look like a guy who can win a Super Bowl, even if he is surrounded by the right players.  Sure, he can probably get you to the playoffs, have an occasional year where the Browns win 9 or 10 games, but in the playoffs you need at least one great performance from your passer to advance.

Getting to the playoffs is nice, but in the past few years, QBs like Tim Tebow, Matt Cassel, Rex Grossman have guided their teams into the post-season.

However, quarterbacks who win the Super Bowl are elite:  The Manning brothers, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger.  You have to go back to Tampa Bay’s title in 2001 to find a non-Hall of Famer (Brad Johnson) who got the job done.

It has been reported that the Browns tried to move up like the Redskins did, and was willing to deal two additional first round picks to move up, but probably wanted those picks to be the #22 pick this year and another first in either ’13 or ’14, and the Rams wanted the picks in three straight years.

So, apparently the team wants to find a franchise QB, but they weren’t quick enough on the trigger.  If the rebuilding plan continues to progress the way Holmgren and Heckert want, they won’t be in a position to pick this high again.  Even a 7-9 finish puts you in the teens.

There likely is some relief in Berea this morning because it is believed that there are some in the organization who weren’t sold on Griffin as either a franchise quarterback or as someone who can run their beloved “system”.  Now, there is no chance they would have to take the Heisman winner, and they can move on.

But don’t they still need a QB?

It would not be surprising if GM Tom Heckert traded down from the 4th pick to get some more extra choices and then look at Texas A & M’s Ryan Tannehill as the future guy at the most important position on the field.

Or they could take Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon at that spot to secure a big time wide receiver, and then trade up from #22 to get Tannehill.

The team to watch is now Miami.  If Peyton Manning doesn’t go there (and we don’t think he will), then that puts Green Bay free agent Matt Flynn in play in south Florida.  Flynn would be reunited with his Packer offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, now the Dolphins head coach. 

If that happens, Seattle would be the only team standing in the Browns’ way of having Tannehill falling to #22.  The only other free agent that should garner significant interest is Jason Campbell, formerly with Oakland and Washington.

Would Seattle be interested in the former Auburn passer? 

It would also not be surprising to see Cleveland draft LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne in order to pair him with Joe Haden to give the Browns’ their best pair of CBs since the days of Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield.  Cleveland had a pretty good defense back then, didn’t they?

So, the days of endless Robert Griffin III debate is over on Cleveland sports talk radio.  Now, the discussion will center on who Heckert will take or whether or not the Browns will trade down.

Here’s hoping the front office has a solid plan B.

JD

While it is certainly a sign of spring to see baseball box scores and watch exhibition games (yes, that’s what baseball calls them) on television, it is funny that after a handful of games, people are making conclusions.

At this point, the only players who should be anxious for good results are those on the bubble for roster spots, and really, these guys can only play themselves out of coming north.

For example, it wasn’t good for Tribe reliever Frank Herrmann to give up four runs in the first exhibition game. 

Although Herrmann will get other opportunities, he better pitch well in his next outing if he wants to make the opening day roster.

It’s also not in Matt LaPorta’s best interests to struggle right out of the gate.  He’s a guy who needed to show immediately he could help the 2012 Indians.  

Instead, he looks like the guy who played here last season.

On the other hand, let’s hold off on putting Shelley Duncan in LF against Toronto on April 5th.

Certainly, Duncan should be the front-runner to take the spot, based on what he did in limited time last season.  However, he’s a dead fastball hitter, and most pitchers haven’t fine tuned their breaking stuff at this point in camp.

There is no question Duncan should and will open the season in Cleveland.  He earned that right with his season last year. 

Still, we don’t know if the right-handed power hitter can be successful playing every day.  His best role, and his most productive role, may be playing against left-handed pitching at either LF, 1B, or DH.

Since the Tribe has a shortage of right-handed hitters, Duncan would get plenty of at bats in this role.

Fans should not be concerned about the performances of Cleveland’s top two starters:  Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez.

Masterson showed last year he can be a consistent starter, but his delivery can get out of whack, and he may not have discovered his arm slot in his first start.

Jimenez is more of a concern since he struggled after coming over from Colorado last year, but he was throwing hard in his spring debut, and new pitching coach Scott Radinsky is trying to smooth out his mechanics.

If he continues to get hit, it won’t cause any warm and fuzzy feelings in the Tribe front office.

Speaking of the starting rotation, it will be interesting to see if RHP Jeanmar Gomez gets a legitimate shot.

After his return to the Indians in late August last season, Gomez went 4-1 with a 3.63 ERA in six starts.  Those stats include a pasting at the hands of the Tigers in his last appearance (4.2 IP, 10 hits, 8 ER). 

He’s just 24 years old, and has a lifetime 9-8 record with a 4.58 ERA in 21 starts.  He certainly has more upside than Kevin Slowey or David Huff does.

Knowing the Tribe’s preference for veterans, Slowey has the edge.  However, if Gomez can keep putting up zeroes as he did in his first spring training outing (2 IP, 0 R), he could push to open the season in the rotation.

So, as you check the box scores from Arizona, look at the players who are borderline to make the 25 man roster.  See how they are doing. 

Keep an eye on guys like  Aaron Cunningham, Russ Canzler, Ryan Spilborghs, Felix Pie, and Fred Lewis.  In the bullpen, watch Herrmann, Dan Wheeler, Chris Ray, and Jeremy Accardo

The final spots on the roster will come down to these players.  It’s too early to get excited right now.

MW

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

The Cleveland Cavaliers went in to the all-star break just a half game out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but dropping their first four games after the seasonal intermission pretty much eliminates any thought of the wine and gold rising from the ashes of last season and making the post-season the following year.

Anderson Varejao’s broken wrist shortened a roster limited in talent to the point that coach Byron Scott is forced to giving playing time to people who may not be on NBA rosters a year from now.

Scott switched up his starting lineup following Friday night’s blowout loss at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, replacing Omri Casspi and Semih Erdin with Alonzo Gee and Ryan Hollins.

Not the move we would make, but it is understandable why the coach made the move. 

Erdin is certainly no Dwight Howard, but Hollins is a seven footer averaging two rebounds a game in 13 minutes.  He has athleticism, but at this point, can’t play basketball.  He may lead the league in getting his shot blocked.  Other than that, he’s alright.

Certainly, Gee has earned his way into the starting lineup, but why not put him at the #2 guard spot in place of Anthony Parker?

The organization has a weird fascination with Parker, who averages a little less than six points a night!  This is at one of the primary scoring spots for team throughout the league.  Parker is shooting 37% from the floor, 33% from behind the arc. 

Again, this is not to say Casspi is Larry Bird, but he is averaging a point and a half per game more than Parker in less minutes per game.

The only thing that makes sense here is that the trading deadline is less than two weeks away and maybe GM Chris Grant and Scott are trying to drum up some interest in Hollins and Parker.  Coaches and GMs around the league are intrigued by athletic big men, and veterans who can shoot the three ball.

Varejao’s injury has hurt the Cavs’ defense, which is where Scott wants to build this team, and the offense is too dependent on rookie Kyrie Irving and fellow point guard Ramon Sessions, who is also on the trading block. 

Veteran Antawn Jamison is the wine and gold’s second leading scorer at 17.7 per game, but he has taken 20% of the team’s shots from the field, and is making just 42%.  He’s also shooting just 62% from a line, a poor figure for the guy who gets there the most on this squad.

While certainly Irving is holding up his end of the bargain, the likely rookie of the year is scoring 18.5 points per game, while shooting 48%, he hasn’t been helped by others who were supposed to provide some points. 

Other than Irving, Jamison, and Varejao, only Sessions is scoring in double figures, despite shooting just 40%.  He does it by getting to the line as much as Irving, with less minutes on the floor.

Besides the struggles of Parker and Casspi, Boobie Gibson is shooting just 35%, meaning Scott is getting virtually no offense out of his #2 guards.  Casspi is shooting better than both which is why Gee should have replaced Parker in the starting lineup.

The former D-Leaguer would score in double figures with increased playing time (he’s at 9.8 now) and he’s shown to be a solid defender as well. 

It is probable that another switch in the starting lineup with come after the trading deadline and also after the Cavaliers are eliminated from the post-season picture. 

The organization needs to see if Erdin and Samardo Samuels can be contributors in the league, because Hollins has been around the association for a while, and just irritates because his athleticism doesn’t translate into basketball production.  Also, rookie Tristan Thompson’s minutes should increase.  He can be a guy who scores 10 and get 10 boards per night with increased minutes.

There is no question Grant needs to find some players who can put the ball in the basket for Irving to improve.  Having more weapons will just make him even better. 

Right now, his options to pass to are not very attractive.

JK

Well, that didn’t take long did it?

Exhibition games haven’t even started yet in Goodyear, Arizona and already Indians’ outfielder Grady Sizemore is injured yet again, and will likely miss the first two months of the regular season.  At least.

Many have already speculated what the Tribe will do to make up for the loss of the former all-star, but you won’t read that here.  Why?  Because we didn’t figure he would be healthy enough to make much of an impact in 2012.

Quite frankly, Sizemore was a risk, a smaller market team like Cleveland simply couldn’t take, and GM Chris Antonetti deserves the criticism he is taking for giving $5 million to a player who hasn’t been a major factor since 2008. 

It’s not his fault.  Injuries have plagued the man who put up MVP like numbers from 2005-08.  He’s had knee problems, a sports hernia, and now a bad disk in his back. He always played hard and with abandon.  But, it cost him his health.

It is understandable that the Tribe front office feels some loyalty towards a player who looked like he had a great future ahead of him,  He was acquired while he was still in Class A ball and grew up in the Cleveland farm system.  However, after three seasons where he was a shell of himself, Antonetti should have walked away after declining the team option for $10 million after last season.

The risk was too great, especially for a team who contended without Sizemore for much of last season, and had needs to fill in order to take the next step in 2012.

Manny Acta could have used a solid right-handed bat in the worst way, and there were several available through free agency, most notably Josh Willingham (now with Minnesota) and Michael Cuddyer (now with Colorado).  The money given to Sizemore could have been used to sweeten the pot to either player, and the Indians were reportedly in serious negotiations with Willingham.

Instead, the Tribe still is searching for a legitimate hitter from the right side and now they likely will not have Sizemore for the first half of the season.  That’s a tough thing to explain to the fans and your boss. 

Teams that claim to have to have limited payrolls simply cannot give that kind of money on the if come.  The Indians will tell you that Grady could have received that kind of money somewhere else, and he probably could have.  That doesn’t mean Cleveland should have paid it.

It’s simply a bad decision and bad business. 

The signing is symbolic of the Tribe’s off-season.  Instead of trying to ink one solid, impact player, Antonetti used his limited resources to accumulate of bunch of players who help the depth chart, guys like Derek Lowe, Casey Kotchman, and Aaron Cunningham. 

Those players are low risk, high reward because their salaries aren’t very high, but the Indians needed to add a quality player, and they failed in that regard.

Instead they are depending on young players like Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall to play older than they are, and also hope that Travis Hafner can play 130 games this year and be productive.

The biggest beneficiaries from the injury are Cunningham, Ryan Spilborghs, and Russ Canzler, all of whom figure into the picture in LF, with Michael Brantley assuming CF, 

It’s a shame that Grady Sizemore has suffered all of these injuries that have obviously affected his game.  However, the Indians should have made the right business move last year and put that cash to better, and safer, use.

KM