In the midst of a two game winning streak, which a month ago seemed impossible, Browns’ owner Randy Lerner hired former Packers’ and Seahawks’ Mike Holmgren as team president.  It’s a move that is ten years late, but better late than never for Lerner.

 

The Browns needed a football man to run the entire operation, and Holmgren has been involved in the NFL since 1986.  He has been a coach of three teams that went to the Super Bowl, including one winner, and handled the general manager duties with Seattle for several years. 

 

He has never run the whole show, but he knows what is going on in an NFL front office.

 

Holmgren is not a glorified public relations man who has no background in personnel like Carmen Policy.  He’s not an assistant coach with some experience as a college head coach like Butch Davis.  He’s not a scout without any management experience like Phil Savage, nor is he a young coach with one playoff appearance like Eric Mangini. 

 

He’s an NFL lifer, one who has been involved with the building of two teams.  He’s worked with some of the best quarterbacks in league history, like Steve Young and Brett Favre.  He has the best pedigree of any of the men Lerner has entrusted his franchise to. 

 

Finally, a bona fide face of the franchise that has had success in the league is working for the Browns.

 

Now, Holmgren has to assemble the rest of the organization.  He needs to hire a general manager, ideally someone he has worked with before, and let that man hire a new coach, or keep Eric Mangini.  Sort of like a real organization works.

 

With 11 picks in next spring’s NFL Draft, Holmgren needs to get a scouting staff in place because this is where the rebuilding of the Cleveland Browns begins.  They simply must find some impact players in the next draft.  With all of the choices they had last year, only first round pick Alex Mack looks like a future Pro Bowler.

 

There is no guarantee that Holmgren will turn things around and make the Browns a perennial playoff team.  In fact, there’s no guarantee that anyone can do it.

 

However, Mike Holmgren has the best pedigree of anyone that Randy Lerner has hired.  He should have recognized this several years ago, but better late than never. 

 

The new president will start putting his people in place soon after the season is over.  The speculation about who will have what job will make talking football fun again in Cleveland.  After this debacle of a season, that’s a welcome thing.

 

On another Browns’ note…With Brady Quinn out for the rest of the season, why not play Brett Ratliff in the last two contests.  There is nothing to be gained by starting Derek Anderson. 

 

Either Anderson will have a spectacular game against the Raiders, which will cause everyone to get excited about his big arm, or he will be awful thus lowering his already plummeting trade value.

 

Why not give Ratliff a shot?  After all, it’s not like a playoff spot is at stake.

 

JD

 

For those Browns’ fans willing to give Eric Mangini an extra year after beating a mediocre Pittsburgh team last Thursday night must be building statues in the coach’s likeness today after the Browns won their second straight game, beating Kansas City, 41-34 at Arrowhead Stadium.

 

It took a pair of record setting performances by Josh Cribbs and Jerome Harrison to put this one in the win column. 

 

Cribbs ran two kickoffs back for touchdowns in the first half to keep the Browns in the game while the offense sputtered.  The TD’s were the former Kent State quarterbacks seventh and eighth of his career, breaking an NFL career mark of six that Cribbs had tied.  Among those who were tied with Cribbs were Hall of Fame runners Gale Sayers and Ollie Matson. 

 

Harrison broke Jim Brown’s Cleveland record of 237 yards rushing, set in 1961, by running for 286 yards and three touchdowns, including a 28 yard run which put Cleveland ahead to stay.  He also broke a 71-yarder to give the Browns the lead in the third quarter. 

 

Cleveland didn’t play good defense, especially early in the game as the Chiefs second 24 first half points, but enough adjustments were made in the second half, and that, along with KC’s inability to catch the ball, allowed the Browns to win this one. 

 

Really, when you rush for 351 yards as a team, it shouldn’t be much of a game.  However, Kansas City gained 491 yards of total offense compared to the Browns’ 417, because Mangini and Brian Daboll have Brady Quinn simply managing the game and because the defense allowed 323 yards through the air.  Perhaps somebody might tell Cleveland secondary to guard Bedford’s Chris Chambers, who caught 5 balls for 114 yards. 

 

Add secondary help to the list of needs that have to be addressed in the off-season.  If defensive coordinator Rob Ryan can’t get to the quarterback with his variety of blitzes, teams can pass on the Browns all day long.  If not for all the drops, Matt Cassel would have thrown for over 400 yards easily.

 

Now back to Harrison’s performance.  Instead of putting the coach on a pedestal, let’s wonder why Harrison virtually disappeared following his fine game against Cincinnati in week four, when he totaled over 100 yards rushing.  Yes, the running back is not perfect, for example, he has problems in pass protection, but he is a playmaker.  Yesterday’s game showed that he can make big plays when he has the opportunity.  However, he was among the missing for most of this dreadful season.

 

Also, Cribbs has shown that he deserves a new contract.  He should go to the Pro Bowl as the return man.  No questions asked.  He and Joe Thomas are the best players on this football team.  It was nice to see offensive coordinator Brian Daboll let him throw the ball yesterday.  There really wasn’t a big need for the wildcat formation yesterday because of Harrison’s success, but Daboll showed it occasionally to keep the KC defense off balance.

 

Brady Quinn didn’t have a big passing day, and threw two interceptions, but he managed the game well, and made some big plays with his legs.  He’s not putting up great numbers, but he is moving the ball better than Derek Anderson.  It was an event when the Browns got a first down the past few games Anderson was playing.

 

With the Raiders coming in next week, the Browns have a chance to win three straight.  However, even if they do, remember they are beating other horrible teams, which is nothing to get excited about.

 

JD

 

 

 

 

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going through a period where they aren’t playing very well.  They are sloppy on offense and seem bored and listless on defense until the fourth quarter when the game is on the line.  They certainly don’t seem like the same regular season team that played last season.

 

Yet, they are 19-7 and on a four game winning streak. 

 

That speaks to the talent on the team, and their ability to make plays when it counts.  It also speaks to the fact they have the best player on the planet in LeBron James, who takes over games and prevents defeats.

 

Perhaps this is again another way in which this organization mimics the San Antonio Spurs, who have won four championships since the arrival of Tim Duncan in 1998-99. 

 

The most games San Antonio has won in the regular season is 63, which occurred in 2005-06, a season in which they lost in the Western Conference finals.  In the seasons where they won a championship, the most games they won was 60 in 2002-03. 

 

Coach Gregg Popovich uses the early regular season to develop players and establish rotations.  He is confident in his team’s ability to win on the road, even in the playoffs.  So, he doesn’t put the pedal to the metal early in the season, he takes care of the health of his players, particularly the ones who have some age on them.

 

Granted, the Cavaliers do not have the comfort or experience of having won a title, but it’s hard to believe the wine and gold are playing their best ball right now.

 

The lack of defensive intensity is startling because it is what Mike Brown hangs his hat on.  His Cavaliers are a defensive minded squad because it is a constant.  It should show up every night.

 

Lately though, it hasn’t.  Mediocre teams like the Nets and 76ers are getting too many good looks against the wine and gold.  That is, usually, until the fourth quarter when the Cavs see they are in a game and clamp down and play the solid defense they have been known for.

 

Mo Williams seems to have taken a step back defensively, and obviously the team misses Delonte West’s ability on the defensive end.  Jamario Moon usually does a good job on that end of the floor, but Brown seems reluctant to give him more minutes. 

 

Whatever the solution, Brown has to shore up the perimeter defense.

 

Offensively, it seems like the team misses former assistant coach John Kuester, now the headman with the Pistons.  There are many times that the offense bogs back down into having LeBron dribbling on the perimeter, with everyone else on the team standing still and watching. 

 

By the way, it’s not a very effective attack.

 

When the Cavs move the ball around, it is a thing of beauty watching the defense scramble to find the open man.  And the interior passing is beautiful with J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varajao getting lay up and dunks off of penetration.

 

When James starts pounding the ball on top, the coaching staff has to try something different.  The offense becomes stagnant and the opponents have an easier time defending.

 

The Cavs have a tough road trip coming up and need to start playing better basketball.  They responded to the challenge once before winning against Orlando and Miami last month. 

 

However, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if the wine and gold took a page out of the Spurs’ book and played their best in April, May, and June. 

 

JK 

 

When the Cleveland Indians decided to trade Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez at last season’s trading deadline, GM Mark Shapiro said the ballclub could have kept both players, but he wouldn’t have been able to add any pieces to the 2010 Tribe.

 

The underlying message was that moving both all-stars would enable Shapiro to make some moves during the off-season. 

 

Well, how’s that working out now?

 

Last week, the annual winter meetings took place, and trades were made and free agents were being courted, but the Indians did nothing except draft RHP Hector Ambriz in the Rule 5 draft, and lost southpaw Chuck Lofgren to Milwaukee in the same manner. 

 

So, keeping score, the Indians now no longer have Lee and Martinez, and they haven’t done anything as of yet to strengthen the 2010 Tribe. 

 

Have the fans been hoodwinked again?

 

To be fair, the Indians do not open up training camp for two months, and the season doesn’t begin for another six weeks after that.  So, there still is time to make some moves to bolster the roster.

 

And with the non-tendering of Anthony Reyes, Jose Veras, and Adam Miller (both Reyes and Miller have been re-signed to minor league contracts), the 40 man roster now stands at 37, meaning there is room to sign a free agent or two.

 

There have been rumors about interest in Marcus Thames, a right-handed power-hitting outfielder who played for the Tigers last season.  Thames will be 33 next season, doesn’t show a great platoon differential, and is not a great defender.  He might help in a limited role since the Tribe needs some pop from the right side, but he wouldn’t be considered a major upgrade.

 

One of the teams who finished behind the Indians last season, the Tigers, have apparently decided that next season is a rebuilding year after dealing CF Curtis Granderson and starter Edwin Jackson for prospects.  That means the Twins and White Sox would likely be the competition for a playoff spot in the AL Central.

 

You have to remember that the bar is set pretty low in this division.  The Twins won with 86 wins, plus the extra playoff victory.  It’s not like the Indians have to get to 95 wins to advance to the playoffs.  Sure, they only won 65, but they were seven games below what their record should have been based on run differential.  Generally, teams like that have a good bounce back the following year.

 

The offense is probably good enough to win with a healthy Grady Sizemore, but the starting pitching needs an upgrade.  No one can possibly think success is around the corner with a rotation of Jake Westbrook (coming off injury), Justin Masterson, David Huff, Aaron Laffey, and Fausto Carmona.  Wouldn’t a Cliff Lee look great at the front of that rotation?

 

Again, there is time to do something.  Standing pat with this team in this division is a slap in the face to the ballplayers and the fans. 

 

Unless we all misunderstood what the GM was saying after trading two of their best players.

 

MW

 

Many people are speculating that Eric Mangini may have saved his job with last Thursday night’s 13-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Let’s not forget that the defending Super Bowl champs had lost four straight going into the game. 

 

The Browns didn’t do anything that at least two other mediocre teams have done this season in beating Pittsburgh.  No one is confusing the Oakland Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs with the NFL elite teams, yet both of those squads knocked off the Steelers. 

 

It’s nothing to get that excited about.

 

This is where Randy Lerner needs to keep listening to guys like Bernie Kosar, and not get all hyped up about this win.  He needs to stick to the plan he supposedly put in place after the debacles against Chicago and Green Bay.

 

The owner needs to do what he should have done after letting Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel go last season. 

He needs to hire a head of football operations, let that person hire a general manager, and together they should hire the coach.  That’s the way to put together an organization.  Not hire the first person you are impressed with.

 

Lerner also cannot hire someone as his football czar who will accept Mangini as the coach.  He must find the best man for the job, and let him take care of all of the football business.  If that means Mangini needs to be replaced, then so be it.

 

Mangini seems unwilling or unable to deal with talented players.  He also bases his roster decisions too much on the ability to play special teams, rather than making a difference on every down.  His handling of the quarterback situation was an out and out disaster, and his offensive game plan has been horrific from week to week.  

 

After thinking that last season’s 4-12 record was rock bottom, the new coach came in and gutted the roster, which was needed because of the losing that had occurred.  However, for the most part, they were not replaced with an upgrade in ability. 

 

Last year’s draft was a failure, save the first round pick in Alex Mack, who looks like he will be a solid player and wide receiver Mohammad Massaquoi, who starts.  His other two second round picks can’t get on the field. 

 

The new football executive has to be allowed to make the decisions, all of the decisions.  Beating Pittsburgh is nice, but other bad teams did that too.  Let’s not get carried away. 

 

If the Browns lose to KC this Sunday, the people thinking Mangini is the right guy for the job will be singing a different tune come a week from today.

 

JD

 

 

Put the Ndamukong Suh talk on hold.  The Cleveland Browns won a football game.

 

In fact, they dominated the Pittsburgh Steelers on the line of scrimmage and came away with a very unexpected 13-6 victory, ending the 12 game losing streak against the team from the Steel City. 

 

We talk all the time about the importance of running the ball and stopping the run, and for one night, at least, the Browns accomplished both in the same contest.  They ran for 171, paced by Josh Cribbs, who gained 87 yards in eight carries out of the wildcat formation.

 

Cribbs was the star of the game, setting up Cleveland’s first field goal with a 55-yard punt return to the Pittsburgh 8.  He also caught one pass, and was his usual factor defensively on special teams as well.

 

Pittsburgh could never get their running attack going, either, as they were held to just 75 yards on the ground.  It was telling early in the game that coach Mike Tomlin had little confidence in the running game when the Steelers tried to throw on 3^rd and 1 on their first series, and Ben Roethlisberger was sacked.

 

The co-star of the game was the much-maligned Browns’ secondary whose coverage of the Steeler receivers was responsible for many of the eight sacks provided by the defense.  Perhaps the footing on the turf slowed down the receivers enough that the Cleveland defensive backs were able to stay with the likes of Santonio Holmes and the injured Hines Ward. 

 

Early in the game, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan dialed up a variety of blitzes to keep Roethlisberger off balance and it paid off with five first half sacks.  The defense was particularly effective on third down, forcing eight punts by Pittsburgh, which means eight return opportunities for Cribbs.

 

Heck, even Hank Poteat managed to get a sack yesterday. 

 

Brady Quinn’s number were pedestrian, hitting 6 of 19 passes for 90 yards with no interceptions, but he managed the game and seems to handle the no huddle offense very well.  And it was good to see him going up and down the bench at the end of the game congratulating his teammates on a job well done.

 

But, it was really great to see how offensive coordinator Brian Daboll used Cribbs in the wildcat so effectively.  The games where Cribbs carries one or two times is a waste.  This guy is a weapon, not as a wide receiver, where he was tried early in the year, but in this formation.  Cribbs is averaging over six yards per pop, and should be getting six to ten carries per game.

 

By the way, the front office needs to take care of Cribbs in the off-season, because he is a difference maker and the team’s best player.

 

To damper some of the excitement, the Steelers aren’t a good football team right now, having lost five in a row.  These are not the Super Bowl winners of a year ago.  However, when you haven’t beaten a team in six years, you’ll take it.  It doesn’t mean the team has turned a corner, it just means you can beat a struggling football team.

 

Being 2-11 is not good.  However, being 2-11 and not seeing Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward smiling throughout the game makes you feel good through the weekend.  It’s about time.

 

JD

 

A few weeks ago, we were a little concerned about the Cleveland Cavaliers.  While there are still some things to worry about, the recent play of the team has eased them.  The Cavs have won four out of five, seven of ten, and since a 0-2 start, they have emerged victorious in 15 of their last 19 contests.

 

LeBron James is shooting less, passing more, and is a more efficient player offensively, if you can believe that.  He is shooting over 50% from the floor for the first time in his career, and he is averaging one more assist per game than his previous career best. 

 

This makes sense because he won’t turn 25 years of age until the end of this month. 

 

However, even with the success of the team and its superstar, there still are improvements to be made, and the key is the continued good performance of guard Delonte West.

 

The wine and gold are winning games, but when West is playing well, there are times when the Cavs look unbeatable.  Take Sunday’s game in Milwaukee, for example.  West came off the bench and scored 14 points in a row during a stretch in the 2^nd quarter.  His play was a key to a 29-0 run that basically put the game away before halftime.

 

West isn’t an all-star player, but he does everything well.  He can handle the ball, play solid defense; shoots well from the perimeter, and is even a good post up player.  We all knew how important he was to the team last season, but his absences this year re-emphasizes these points. 

 

Other guys have emerged this season because of West’s problems, and that will help the team in the long run because it improves the depth.

 

Daniel Gibson still isn’t the most reliable ball handler, and Mike Brown hasn’t asked him to do much of that since the beginning of the season.  However, Gibson is playing very well.  His shot has been very effective, and he has started to show the ability to take the ball to the basket and score, which will help him create room for his jumper. 

 

He looks like the Gibson who starred in the playoffs during his rookie season, helping the wine and gold get to the Finals.

 

The other player who has stepped up was Jamario Moon, who is a similar player to West, minus the ball handling skills.  Moon is a good defender, can make shots, and his athleticism is off the charts. 

 

These two guys allow Mike Brown to go ten deep, which he might think is a bad thing, but it is really a plus.  The Miracle of Richfield team had similar depth (and an aging veteran pivot man, too) and it will help in the playoffs because the normal wear and tear of an NBA season will be lessened.

 

JK

 

In an organization that is buttoned up to the top, Browns’ defensive coordinator Rob Ryan is a breath of fresh air.  He is candid and wears his passion for football on his sleeve.  What did you expect coming from the famous Ryan coaching family?

 

His defense usually plays hard, and he is aggressive by nature, blitzing and putting pressure on the opponents’ offense for the most part, even though he is undermanned.  I wish more of the team’s coached were like him.

 

However, his claims that he and Eric Mangini are the best men for their respective jobs seems a little absurd. 

 

The San Diego Chargers came into Cleveland Browns Stadium yesterday as one of the worst rushing teams in the NFL, ranking 30th in this category.  You would think that Ryan would take advantage of his opponent being one dimensional and clamp down on Philip Rivers and the Charger passing game. 

 

Well, Rivers threw for almost 400 yards in the 30-23 defeat. 

 

Yes, the secondary was short starting safety Brodney Pool, and were forced to use WR Mike Furrey in his spot, but Rivers fired the ball all over the place, particularly in the second half, as the Browns’ defensive backfield was left in tatters, and TE Antonio Gates knew where all the holes were.

 

Gates caught two long passes from Rivers, including one where S Mike Adams and who else, Hank Poteat, watched him catch the ball while they were bracketing him, and Rivers basically threw it up for grabs.  Why is it that every defensive play that makes you shake your head involves Poteat?

 

In all, the Browns’ defense gave up four plays of 30 yards or more in the game, way too many.  The worst of these plays was allowing a screen pass to backup FB Mike Tolbert to go for 66 yards and a touchdown.  No disrespect to Tolbert, but he’s built more like an offensive lineman than a running back.  Plays like that cannot happen to a good defense.

 

Again, the defense has been plagued by injuries.  However, a good defensive coach, which Ryan is, should be able to scheme better against a one dimensional offense.  It speaks to the lack of talent in the Cleveland secondary.

 

Offensively, while everyone will want to talk about the quarterback play, let’s instead focus on two players who emerged from Mangini’s doghouse to play meaningful roles.  Brian Robiskie, buried all year because he doesn’t contribute on special teams (sure!), caught four passes for 69 yards, including a 43 yard pass play.  Also, Jerome Harrison, inactive just two weeks ago, gained 35 yards rushing, and caught seven balls for 62 yards and two touchdowns. 

 

Apparently, both guys can play.  (NOTE:  Former Tribe manager Pat Corrales once said his team wasn’t good enough to have a doghouse, something Mangini should think about).

 

Another Brown that came out of nowhere was TE Evan Moore, who caught (a key word) six passes for 80 yards.  He’s worth watching in the last four games. 

 

So is Brady Quinn, who had his second good game in the last three, throwing for 271 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, although his fumble near the end of the first half was costly.  However, his accuracy at times is questionable.  You wonder if the adjustments made to his grip on the ball when throwing before his rookie year has affected this aspect of his game.  He certainly didn’t appear to have this problem at Notre Dame.

 

It’s funny how the national announcers talk about how hard the Browns play for Mangini, and how he is laying a foundation for the future.  The perception in this city is Mangini walked in and threw a bomb at the structure set up by Phil Savage.  The decision on the head coach will come down to who is hired as the head of football operations.  If that guy wants Mangini, then he will stay.

 

Did anyone think that when the Browns and Steelers played on December 10th, neither team will have won in their last four games?  I didn’t think so.  Pittsburgh has to be thinking there is no one they’d rather play with their season on the brink than the 1-11 Cleveland Browns.  It just keeps getting better and better, eh, Browns fans.

 

JD 

 

 

 

Next week, baseball is conducting their annual winter meetings in Indianapolis.  It’s the highlight of the hot stove season, and gets every baseball fan anxious for the start of the following season. 

 

Back in the day, the interleague trading deadline came at the end of the meetings, meaning there normally were a flurry of trades as the meetings came to a close.  Now, the activity is more groundwork being done on possible free agent signings.

 

It doesn’t appear the Cleveland Indians will be active at the meetings, so maybe they could save money by not sending a contingent.  That seems to be what all moves made by the club seem to be geared to.

 

What is odd to fans is the seemingly defeatist attitude by the organization toward 2010, even though they are in the AL Central, a division where a team can easily move from the bottom to the top with a few key moves. 

 

Instead the ownership and front office seem resigned to a “rebuilding” campaign.

 

If they would make an effort to get some reliable starting pitching (sorry, Jake Westbrook, you don’t fit in that category), they might just be able to contend next year. 

 

No, I’m not kidding.

 

Why?  First of all, the Indians had a decent offense last season, ranking 8^th in the AL in runs scored.  That was without a healthy Grady Sizemore for most of the season.  You have to believe that a healthy Sizemore would have greatly helped the Tribe attack in 2009. 

 

The reason for the team’s 65-97 record last season was the pitching, which ranked second to last in the league in ERA.  Both the starting (except for Cliff Lee) and the relief pitching were not up to par.  By improving the pitching staff, the Indians have a chance to contend next season.

 

Instead, the ballclub seems intent on the wish and hope method of building a team.  They are hoping guys like David Huff and Justin Masterson continue to make strides, hope Fausto Carmona gets back to 2007 form, or close to it, and hope Westbrook recovers from Tommy John surgery. 

 

That’s a lot of finger crossing.

 

Maybe GM Mark Shapiro will surprise us and come up with a reliable, proven starter for the rotation.  They aren’t going to be a player for the best starter on the market in John Lackey, but there are guys out there how can provide steady work and eat up innings.  Guys who are average major league pitchers. 

 

Right now, I think the Cleveland Indians are satisfied to sit out the 2010 pennant race.  That’s why their fans should be unhappy. 

 

KM

 

In the past two days, mini-controversies had popped up in Cleveland.  LeBron James expressed his displeasure with Mike Brown’s decision not to play Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Grady Sizemore was “showing off” for his girlfriend.

 

The Sizemore thing is no big deal.  If it were not for all the publicity about it, very few people would have seen the Tribe’s centerfielder in various states of undress.  Does it hurt Sizemore?  No way, it’s publicity he would never have received by playing baseball. 

 

Outside of last year’s injury plagued season, Sizemore is a perennial all-star player, but he’s known more both locally and nationally for being a good-looking guy.  If people are learning more about him (no pun intended) because of these photos, and they see he’s a very good ballplayer (again, no pun intended), then good for him.

 

The only negative to the whole situation, beside the invasion of privacy, will be the taunts he will get when playing in places like New York, where they will probably make posters of the pictures and hold them up while he’s at the plate or out in the field.  Otherwise, it’s a non-issue, except for the embarrassment to Sizemore.

 

The Tribe also avoided non-tendering Kelly Shoppach by dealing him to Tampa for…a player to be named later. 

 

This move is one year too late.  After Shoppach’s very good 2008 season, GM Mark Shapiro should have looked to move the catcher because that season was likely as good as it was going to get for Shoppach.  His value never will be higher.  The amount of times he strikes out, and the fact he isn’t an extremely young player (he’ll be 30 in April) played against him.

 

This is a salary dump, plain and simple.  The Tribe didn’t want Shoppach to go to arbitration and possibly make $3 million dollars for 2010.  If they didn’t make this deal, they likely would have non-tendered him, thus making him a free agent. 

 

Based on his production, or lack of it last season, and add in that The Tribe best prospect is also a catcher in Carlos Santana, and it’s a decision the Indians had to make.

 

As for the Cavs, basically, the coach made a mistake.  If this were just another game, it would have been no big deal.  However, Brown decided to make Ilgauskas a DNP-CD on the night he was to break the franchise record for games played.  Since Z has been a class act since his rookie season in Cleveland, 13 years ago, it lacked class.

 

Which is out of character for the coach, so he gets the benefit of the doubt on this one.  

 

Ilgauskas’ difficulties with injuries to his feet over the years are well documented, but it should be said that he could have taken the money and ran.  Instead he worked hard rehabilitating, and has become a durable player, as he got older.  He deserved better from his coach. 

 

It speaks to Z’s character than James felt the need to come out and say Brown made a mistake.  Remember, the first person LBJ ran to on the night the Cavs advanced to The Finals in 2007 was Ilgauskas.  The big man has seen the darkest days of this franchise and deserved to take the floor Saturday night.

 

Besides, he’s still an effective player.  The wine and gold went 5-1 while Ilgauskas was back in the starting lineup while Shaquille O’Neal was nursing an injured shoulder.

 

Brown will make amends when Phoenix comes to town tonight.  Even though the Suns up and down style makes Ilgauskas a poor fit in the lineup, he will get in the game and get the standing ovation he richly deserves.  In fact, it might be louder because of what happened on Saturday. 

 

The surprising thing is that Brown didn’t understand how important an occasion this was for the big man. 

 

MW