If you are old enough to remember what the Cleveland Browns franchise was in the 1960’s and early 70’s, watching a game like the 16-0 defeat against the Baltimore Ravens isn’t disgusting, it’s sad.  A team, who the greatest running back ever to play the sport, Jim Brown, now struggles to get first downs. 

 

The team which had one of the greatest wide receivers in pro football history in Paul Warfield, now can’t complete a pass over ten yards.  They couldn’t get past their opponents’ 40-yard line on Monday.

 

A franchise, which counts among its alumni guys like Otto Graham and Bernie Kosar, has reduced its passing attack to arguably the worst the league has seen in the last 20 years. 

 

When you think back to a time when the Browns were the flagship team of the NFL at that time, it makes you long for the days when you expected the brown and orange to win every Sunday.  Now, you just hope they don’t embarrass themselves. 

 

And you get disappointed when they do.

 

Last night, the defense played hard and played well, holding the Ravens to just 274 yards of offense, and limiting them to just ten points, and those were the result of turnovers.  They had one huge breakdown; CB Brandon McDonald whiffed on a tackle turning an 8-yard gain into a 30-yard gain. 

 

You feel for guys like Shaun Rogers, Robaire Smith, and rookie Kaluka Maiava who played hard, leaving everything on the field.  However, the best the defense can hope for is a scoreless tie, because they offense is so inept.

 

The Browns gained 160 yards of total offense, an amateurish performance.  They have scored five offensive touchdowns in the last 15 games, an abysmal rate.  Somehow, Brian Daboll continues to have the authority to call plays, which is mind-boggling. 

 

The offensive line provided no time for Brady Quinn to throw the ball, and when the quarterback did throw, several passes were badly off target.  When Quinn hit the target, the receivers dropped the ball.  The mistakes keep mounting.

 

The play calling on first down is vanilla, most likely a run.  After ripping off a 13-yard on his first carry, Jamal Lewis gained just 23 yards on his other nine carries.  What’s wrong with throwing a five or six yard pass on first down?  We certainly know the team has these plays in their playbook, because they seem to use them on 3^rd and long.

 

What is the offense trying to do?  Are they trying to run the ball?  The play calling is disjointed at best.  Both Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden pointed out that there is no rhythm to the offense, and it has been that way the entire season.  There is one solution that is so obvious, and that is to have someone else call the plays. 

 

If you throw on first down, you might have a chance to get the throw off and go downfield a little bit.  Every pass seems to be a screen pass.  When was the last time you saw a Browns’ receiver run a crossing route?  That seems to be a staple throughout the league. 

 

Right now, no one remembers how good the Cleveland Browns used to be.  Football fans watch a game like last night’s and see an offense that is an embarrassment.  Does the team need more talent?  Of course, it does.  However, there seems to be no plan to make the best use of the players they do have. 

 

That’s what coaching is all about.  You can draw your own conclusion.

 

JD

 

Last week, we wrote about the concern we had about the start the Cleveland Cavaliers had.  They were sitting at 4-3, and with tough games against Orlando, Miami, and Utah, they were staring at going 5-5 through the first ten games.

 

Is it too late to erase those comments?

 

Quite frankly, the wine and gold went down to Florida and took care of business, sweeping all three of the games (including Saturday’s home win against the Jazz), and now sit at 7-3, with wins in seven of their last eight contests.  By the way, the trio of triumphs were also done with Delonte West. 

 

Very, very impressive.

 

In Orlando, Shaquille O’Neal got Dwight Howard in foul trouble early, and Mo Williams played like the all star he was last season in the win.  That was followed up by LeBron James out-dueling Dwyane Wade in Miami.  Yes, Wade had a huge dunk on Anderson Varajao in the first half, but I loved James’ comments at halftime about it.  He basically said, yeah, it was a great dunk, but we’re winning by five on the road.

 

The Cavs finished the three game set off with a win at The Q against Utah.  O’Neal took the night off, but the home team built a 16 point lead that they squandered before LBJ saved them with eight points in the last few minutes.  Suddenly, the Cavs sit at 7-3, just a 1/2 game behind the team said to be their main competition in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, who, by the way, started out 5-0. 

 

It just shows that it’s a long season in the NBA.

 

Coach Mike Brown made some adjustments in his rotation after the loss a little over a week ago against Chicago at home.  We shelved the "twin tower" experiment, put J.J. Hickson into the starting lineup and started giving Jamario Moon more playing time.  These three moves give the Cavs more athleticism, and they used it to score over 100 points in all four contests.

 

Hickson had back-to-back career highs in points with 18 against the Heat, and then 20 against the Jazz.  Yes, he still needs work on defense and rebounding, but it seems the coaching staff knows they will need him to contribute come playoff time.  His defense will get better with more practice time and more game experience, but the second year man is certainly showing some ability.

 

As for Moon, the more I watch him play, the more I like what he gives this team.  He can defend and rebound, and can shoot the ball reasonably well.  Quite frankly, he can jump through the roof.  He does a great job keeping the ball alive for offensive rebounds.  He probably is best used in short spurts, but when he is in the game, good things happen.

 

The state of the Cavaliers is much better than it was a week ago.  They showed a sense of urgency in winning two tough road games, and re-established themselves as a title contender.  Although for some reason, they are flying under the radar from the national media.

 

JK

 

Yesterday, Browns’ running back Jamal Lewis finally had enough.  He decided to voice his opinions about the coaching style of Eric Mangini.  Lewis, who is a captain, doesn’t understand the direction the football team is taking, and feels the work they are putting in at mid-season should have been addressed in training camp.

 

Lewis is emulating former Kansas City running back Larry Johnson, who spouted off about the organization and head coach Todd Haley, and found himself at first suspended, and then released by the Chiefs. 

 

Which is exactly what he wanted.

 

Johnson and Lewis are both frustrated by being on losing football teams, teams that at this point in the season has very little chance of winning on a week-to-week basis.  They are at the end of the line and want to spend what is left of their careers by playing with winning teams.

 

Lewis wants out as well, and used the media to get his way.

 

Prior to his outburst, I thought it would be nice for the Browns to release Lewis and let him catch on with a contender to finish out his career.  He said he was going to retire, and it serves no purpose for the Browns to keep giving him carries with the team vying for the first pick in the draft.

 

The Browns would be better off playing Jerome Harrison and rookie Chris Jennings to find out if they should be part of the future of this football team.  Quite frankly, we advocated drafting a running back in the ’09 draft, knowing Lewis didn’t have much left in the tank.

 

Now, I would just suspend Lewis for the rest of the season.

 

Why the change in heart?

 

First off, Lewis is a captain and supposedly meets on a weekly basis with Mangini.  The running back could have talked to the coach about his feelings on the tough practices in these meetings.  Lewis hinted that he didn’t take this opportunity.  If you are a leader of the team and you are representing your teammates, why wouldn’t you discuss the situation with the coach?

 

Because it doesn’t help Lewis get out of town.

 

Secondly, it is tiring to see athletes use this ploy to get their own way.  Manny Ramirez stopped hustling to get traded by the Red Sox in baseball.  Vince Carter did the same thing in basketball.  This is not to say Jamal Lewis isn’t playing hard, but he signed with the Browns a couple of years ago and presumably he gets paid whether or not the team is winning.

 

If the team isn’t playing well, isn’t it incumbent on the players to play better?

 

Apparently, Lewis subscribes to the adage:  “When the going gets tough, I’m outta here.”

 

There are other Browns who don’t particularly like the coach and are tired of losing, but they keep their mouths shut.  However, the guy they elected as captain airs his grievances to the media.  That’s not thinking of your teammates, that’s thinking about himself.

 

This is certainly not to defend Mangini, who arguably is the worst coach in team history, and likely will not be back next season.  This football team has certainly deteriorated under his watch. 

 

Lewis is retiring after the season, but if I were in charge, he’s already played his last game in the NFL.

 

KM

 

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been off since last Friday night’s win in New York, and hopefully they are getting some good practice time.  They will need it because this is a big week for the wine and gold after starting the season 4-3. 

 

They are on the road tonight and tomorrow against two quality opponents, taking on the Eastern Conference champs, the Orlando Magic tonight and going against Dewayne Wade and the Heat tomorrow.  Both games are on the road.  Then, on Saturday, Utah visits “The Q” for their only appearance in Cleveland.  Three games against three tough foes in a five-day span.  The Cavs need to be ready.

 

Right now, coach Mike Brown is trying to get a feel for what combinations work and who shouldn’t play together.  However, if the Cavs lose the two games on the road, they likely will be just 5-5 after their first ten games.  Nobody expected that slow of a start.

 

It’s time for this team to kick it up a notch.  With the athletes this team picked up in the off-season, there should be more of a commitment to run the floor as much as possible.  Last season, the wine and gold made an improvement in getting as many transition hoops as possible.  This year, it seems like they are satisfied with a half court game.

 

Shaquille O’Neal is a formidable presence up front, but he is not a particularly good outlet passer to start the fast break.  The coaching staff needs to stress the importance of getting the ball off the glass and get down the floor, especially when LeBron James, Mo Williams, Delonte West, and Jamario Moon are on the floor.  Now that J.J. Hickson is in the starting lineup, he’s a big man who can run the floor as well.

 

It’s up to Williams and James to set the pace.  The coaches have to be preaching to the players to push the ball at all opportunities.  It’s really a mindset.  Even teams without great athletes can be fast break teams if it’s established early on.  The Cavaliers need to buy into that mindset.

 

The “Showtime” Lakers ran up and down the floor with Magic Johnson and James Worthy, but when they had to play a half-court game, they waited for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to get down the floor and settle into the low post.  The Cavaliers could do the same thing with Shaq.  Push the ball as much as possible, and if it not there, dump it in to O’Neal.

 

No one expected the Cavs to be in mid-season form while breaking in several key players in the rotation.  However, they have looked very disjointed thus far, and there hasn’t been steady improvement from game to game.  With three games coming up against likely playoff teams, it’s time to start getting it together.

 

JK

 

 

Baseball’s annual General Manager’s Meeting start this week, and so will the hot stove league.  The groundwork for trades can be laid down at the meeting, and some may even be consumated.  Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti are representing the Indians, who have watched their AL Central brethren already make moves. 

 

The White Sox, Royals, and Twins have already made trades since the World Series ended on Wednesday night.  The Sox traded Mark Teahen to Kansas City for INF Chris Getz and cornerman Josh Fields, while Minnesota picked up former all-star SS J.J. Hardy from the Brewers for OF Carlos Gomez. 

 

Will the Indians do anything this week?  What should they do this off-season?

 

The Tribe doesn’t have a lot of payroll flexibility, so they will have to redistribute the cash in order to be improved going into spring training.  The Sporting News put Cleveland 30th in their post-season power poll, and for those who are mathematically challenged, that ranks them dead last. 

 

Their priority should be starting pitching, as new manager Manny Acta really has no one he can depend on going into camp.  With this in mind, Shapiro is probably looking to move Kerry Wood and his annual $10 million salary, so he can acquire a reliable starter.  The Florida Marlins are send to be interested in Wood. 

 

If Shapiro deals Wood for prospects, he should be interested in righthander Jon Garland, whose option was not picked up by the Dodgers.  Garland shouldn’t be that expensive, and he has pitched in the American League.  He’s also an innings eater, which is something the Tribe desparately needs.  Garland, 30, has won at least 10 games the last eight years, with highs of 18 victories with the White Sox in 2005 and 2006.  He’s also thrown at least 190 frames in each of those eight campaigns. 

 

The Marlins do have some young, hard throwing starters they may be willing to part them in order to get a closer.  Perhaps Shapiro could get a guy like Chris Volstad included in the deal.  Acta talked about the need for hard throwers in order to compete in the American League, and the Marlins have used that philosophy for years.  They would be a perfect trade partner.

 

Teams who almost lose 100 games shouldn’t be spending huge money on a closer.  Acta can try Chris Perez as his closer to start, and he has Rafael Perez in reserve, providing the veteran gets himself straightened out. 

 

Not to sound like a broken record (or skipping CD), but the other player who should be moved in Jhonny Peralta.  His salary is too high compared to the production he has given the Tribe.  The reported $4.5 million he is scheduled to make next season can be put to better use. 

 

To replace him, the Indians have Andy Marte, who can play his natural position, or they could go out and get a free agent.  Melvin Mora’s option was not picked up by the Orioles, and he might be a good fit. 

 

Mora, who will be 38 next season, hit .260 last season, but is a year removed from hitting 23 HR and knocking in 104 runs.  He probably isn’t an everyday player any more, but could be a guy who can play against southpaws, as he has a lifetime .454 slugging percentage against lefties.  He can also play the outfield (LF) in a pinch. 

 

The Indians only need a one year stop gap at the hot corner because either Wes Hodges or more likely Lonnie Chisenhall will be playing the position in 2011.  If Peralta can be moved for more pitching help, it should be strongly considered by Shapiro.

 

When Shapiro took over as GM, he said the Indians would be built on pitching.  These meetings have to signal a move back to that philosophy.  With a limited budget, the Indians need to improve this area, and they can start by re-allocating funds to take care of this problem.

 

MW

 

 

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers have gotten off to a bit of a slow start, splitting their first six games.  Their coach, Mike Brown, has a lot of new personnel to work with, and he is searching for combinations that work.  That accounts for the .500 record thus far.  There is no question this team will be a lot better in March and April than it is right now.

 

There is one combination that needs to be shelved right now, and that would be playing Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas at the same time.  Having the two big men on the court at the same time makes the Cavs slow and unathletic, the two things that hurt the wine and gold in the playoffs against Orlando a year ago.

 

GM Danny Ferry set out to rectify this situation in the off-season signing Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon.  They would have the Cavaliers both offensively and defensively, Parker being a good catch and shoot guy, and Moon is a slasher, who can also stick the three.  Defensively, both guys are long and athletic enough to the tall wing players who hurt Cleveland last season.

 

While Parker is starting, Moon has seen less than ten minutes of playing time per game over the last three contests.  That is puzzling, particularly since Brown is always emphasizing defense. 

 

There are times when playing the two centers together make sense, such as when they are playing a team like Boston with Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Garnett.  However, when you are playing a team like Chicago, with no true center, the move backfires.  O’Neal and Ilgauskas simply aren’t athletic enough to be on the floor together covering guys like Joakim Noah.

 

Offensively, the Cavs need to establish O’Neal as early in the game as they can.  Going to the big man right away will force the defense to double him, leaving open shooters.  If they choose to guard Shaq straight up, then you keep feeding him because even at 37, there are very few men who can stop him near the basket. 

 

And since O’Neal is an older player, why not play him 26-28 minutes a night, with Ilgauskas getting the rest.  It just makes too much sense. 

 

What the coach needs to do is get more time for Moon and another athletic player in J.J. Hickson.  The Cavaliers are going to need those guys when the playoffs come around.  Mike Brown is trying to see what works, but six games in, I can tell him that having two slow big guys on the floor at the same time isn’t working.

 

JK

 

 

Is it really change when you get rid of someone who really didn’t do anything?  It is if you are the Cleveland Browns, as GM George Kokinis was let go yesterday with the team floundering at 1-7.  Was Kokinis a sacrificial lamb, offered up by Eric Mangini?  

 

Although Kokinis had the title, most people believe that all aspects of the football operations have Mangini’s fingerprints on them.  Can we really blame the general manager for last April’s draft, which right now looks questionable at best?  Or did Kokinis point out some things the coach did that he wasn’t happy with, and he paid for it with his job.

 

There have been reports that the GM and the coach clashed on some issues from the moment Kokinis was hired, so Mangini took this opportunity to get rid of him.

 

If the move came down from owner Randy Lerner, then Mangini cannot feel very secure today.  Obviously, Kokinis’ dismissal is a forerunner to a new head of football operations being hired, a person who will want his own man to be the head coach.

 

This is a similar situation to the Dolphins during the 2007 season.  They hired Bill Parcells to be in charge of football, and he fired Cam Cameron after one year in which Miami finished 1-15.  Parcells brought in Tony Sparano to be the new coach.  The Dolphins went 11-5 last year and are playoff contenders this season.  And they show imagination on offense. 

 

This move shows once again, what a mess this franchise is in.  Apparently, Lerner sees that he made a mistake with the hiring of Mangini.  However, he didn’t seem to do the due diligence involved when he was hired.  Most football people would have hired the guy that Lerner is looking for now, someone to be in charge of the football operations.  Had Lerner done that in January, instead of getting all googly eyed for Mangini, perhaps the team wouldn’t be 1-7 right now.

 

The owner is supposedly seeking the counsel of former Browns’ GM Ernie Accorsi as to what to do with this team.  Apparently, Lerner is now willing to listen to Accorsi, because it has been reported he was against the hiring of Kokinis from the get go.  Reports also have Accorsi grooming former Browns’ quarterback Bernie Kosar to be the man in charge at some point in the near future.

 

Whether or not Kosar is going to be the man, it appears that Lerner is set on putting together an organization with a strong football man at the top.  This means that Mangini will either have to decide he is willing to work with that guy, or be out on the streets looking for work. 

 

Either way, the head coach’s power with the Cleveland Browns will be drastically reduced.  As someone who doesn’t think the coach should be in charge of personnel, this is a good move. 

 

Many people are criticizing the owner for this move, preaching patience.  However, if a disaster is starting to happen, why not make changes sooner rather than later.  The huge step backwards taken this season forced Lerner to rethink his decision.

 

Eric Mangini may not be a bad NFL head coach, but he may have been given a job that he is incapable of in running an entire franchise.  To paraphrase Paul Brown, you can’t blame Mangini, the blame rests with the man who hired him.

 

JD

 

Last season, the Cleveland Browns failed to score an offensive touchdown in their last six games.  However, at that point in the season, they were playing the third and fourth string quarterbacks in Ken Dorsey and Bruce Gradkowski.  What’s their excuse this season?

 

The Browns did score an offensive touchdown today, but the philosophy and results when they have the football continues to be an out and out joke.  Their passing game is a total embarassment for an NFL team as once again, Derek Anderson had a horrible game.  After completing just two passes in the first half, Anderson was not replaced for the third quarter as the coaching staff apparently was watching a different game than the rest of us.

 

Anderson wound up hitting on just 6 of 17 throws for 76 yards and two interceptions before being mercifully removed in the fourth quarter after having his last pass returned for a Chicago touchdown by Charles Tillman. 

 

Yes, there were dropped passes and fumbles, but Anderson’s second throw was a short pass (maybe about 5 yards) that was behind Lawrence Vickers and that set the tone for his day.  His passer rating was 0.0 at halftime and improved to 10.2 by the end of the game.  Is it possible that this guy went to the Pro Bowl just two years ago?  He should have started his last game as quarterback of the Browns barring some sort of injury.

 

It should be noted that the touchdown scored yesterday was put on the board without the aid of the passing game.  They took over the ball on the Bears’ 30-yard line and used all running plays to move it into the end zone. 

 

After the game, owner Randy Lerner said he was dissatisfied with the performance of the team, and hinted changes will be made over the bye week.  The first change should be to have a new person calling the plays two weeks from tonight against the Baltimore Ravens.  Brian Daboll has been terrible in this area, and needs to be replaced. 

 

What will be done?  There have been hints that Lerner would like to bring in someone to run the football operations right away.  Whether that person is Bernie Kosar or someone else, bringing in a football man would seem to mean than Mangini doesn’t have a lot of job security right now.

 

One good thing about the game was the performance of the defense, which was aggressive before running out of gas due to the poor performance of the offense.  They were on the field for over 37 minutes yesterday.  They put pressure on Jay Cutler most of the day giving him different looks, and held the Bears to three field goals despite great field position for Chicago.

 

Rob Ryan’s unit continues to work hard, and his feisty demeanor is refreshing.  He jawed at Cutler when the Bears couldn’t score on a 1st and goal situation from the one in the fourth quarter.  Cutler is one of those guys who isn’t as good as he thinks he is, and Ryan was probably telling him that. 

 

Thankfully, there will be no action on the field next week, and hopefully there will be some action off it.  Jamal Lewis said he’s had enough after the season, which is more problems for the coaching staff since he is a captain.  Perhaps, this dreadful season finally makes the owner admit he needs someone to run the football operations, and let that man hire a coach.  It hasn’t worked with Butch Davis, Romeo Crennel, and Mangini. 

 

Browns fans deserve a good product, and movement forward.  There was no reason to take a step backward after last year’s 4-12 fiasco, but this year looks like it could be a tough time hitting that mark in 2009.

 

JD 

 

As we come to the end of another month, some comments on each of the Cleveland sports teams—

 

CAVALIERS

 

The wine and gold have played just two games this season, and there is every confidence they will be a championship contender, but a few things are irritating after training camp and these first two games. 

 

First, Mike Brown needs to shelve the idea of playing Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas at the same time.  For a coach who made his mark in the NBA coaching defense, he has to see that this is a huge defensive liability.  Toronto outscored the Cavs by a bundle when this duo was on the floor together. 

 

I understand the coach is still trying to find his rotation, but he needs to get J.J. Hickson and Jamario Moon on the floor more often.  Hickson will never learn to subtleties of NBA defense on the bench, and Moon brings the athleticism missing with Delonte West’s absence, particularly on defense. Anthony Parker is not cut out to playing 35-40 minutes per night. 

 

If you are built on defense, then put your best defensive team out there on a more consistent basis.

 

BROWNS

 

Their season is in the toilet, and the coach is talking about special teams.  I don’t claim to know more than an NFL coach, but I thought rookie Coye Francies looked pretty good in the pre-season games.  However, he’s been inactive for the last three games.

 

Why?  Apparently, because he’s not making an impact on special teams. 

 

Meanwhile, the Browns’ secondary is getting beaten like an egg.

 

Why not give Francies a shot at playing defensive back, the position he’s been trained to play?  Heck, right now the team is using a wide receiver as a nickel back. 

 

The guys on special teams are players who are back ups, because a coach doesn’t want to risk his starters on punt and kickoff teams.  Isn’t it more important to have guys play on every down, and play well?  If the rookie can perform better at CB than Brandon McDonald, then he should be on the field even if he’s not a good special teamer.

 

The Browns have a very good special teams unit.  However, they seem to have trouble stopping the pass and tackling.  Francies seemed like a guy willing to stick his nose in and hit someone. 

 

Mangini should worry more about receivers gashing his secondary than keeping a guy on the active roster who can cover kicks.

 

It’s another case of misplaced priorities for the Browns’ coaching staff.

 

INDIANS

 

Still recovering from watching Cliff Lee dominate the Yankees in game 1 of the World Series, it reminded me that Lee should still be pitching for the Tribe next season.  The Phillies will undoubtedly exercise the option on the southpaw’s deal for 2010, something the Indians could have done as well.

 

GM Mark Shapiro’s biggest need for next season is starting pitching, yet he traded one of the game’s best for a group of players who will not have nearly the same impact on the ’10 Tribe as Lee would have. 

 

Lou Marson might be the Indians’ starting catcher next season, and INF Jason Donald may be a platoon player at 2B with Luis Valbuena, but Shapiro could have easily have found people to take their places.  Behind the plate, you could keep Kelly Shoppach (yeck!) or promote Carlos Santana, and at the keystone spot you could keep Jamey Carroll, or sign another utility infielder.

 

Carlos Carrasco might be in next season’s rotation, but he also may have to start the year in Columbus based on his performance in September.  Jason Knapp, the so-called “key to the deal” had shoulder surgery a couple of months ago, and was in Class A ball anyway.  He is years away from appearing in the big leagues.

 

It would be one thing if Shapiro had received players who would impact the big league roster in 2010 for Lee.  He didn’t, and by the way, he still needs a starting pitcher…like Cliff Lee.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers opened the 2009-10 season last night with high expectations…and a loss to the Boston Celtics.  While a victory would be have been nice, and needed with the success of our football and baseball teams, no one should be hanging their heads in shame over this loss.

 

Remember, the Cavs started last season 1-2, and finished 66-16.

 

The wine and gold looked like a team that was trying to figure out a way to play with each other.  You have to realize they changed 40% of their starting lineup with Shaquille O’Neal at center and Anthony Parker playing the #2 guard spot in place of Delonte West.

 

There was no rhythm to the offense with the guards ever mindful of O’Neal’s presence in the middle, as it seemed they were trying to force the ball inside instead of looking for shots.  Mo Williams took just eight field goal attempts, only one in the fourth quarter.  He needs to be getting 12-15 shots per night.

 

The Cavs shot just 41% for the night, and if you remove LeBron James’s 12 for 22 effort from that total, the rest of the guys wearing wine and gold shot 29%.  That’s not going to win a lot of games. 

 

The attack was stagnant, with the offense regressing into James handling the ball outside the three-point arc and initiating the play rather than getting the ball below the foul line and finishing.  LBJ had eight assists, but he would better served attacking the rim that playing out on the perimeter.

 

There is no question the team needs Delonte West healthy.  West provides an alternative at the point guard spot, and can share the ball handling responsibilities with Williams when both are in the game.  He’s also a very good defender.  That’s why the team is interested in Antonio Daniels, because Daniel Gibson simply cannot handle the ball well or start the offense.  Gibson had no assists in 13 minutes last night.  But keep in mind, Daniels is not a replacement for West.

 

Working new guys into the mix is not an excuse.  The Cavs have to be mentally tougher when things aren’t going well, and I think for the most part they are and they will be.  The coaching staff also has to recognize when the offense is back to the “everyone watches LeBron dribble”, and get back into a normal flow.

 

Also, Mike Brown played James too much, putting too much emphasis on this opening game.  In fact, when LBJ is pounding the ball outside, perhaps the coach should take him out and force other guys to get involved in the offense. 

 

Still, it’s just one game, and it was a game played against one of the NBA’s elite teams.  When you are playing these teams, you have to bring your “A” game, and the Cavs didn’t do that last night.  However, as they become more accustomed to playing together, they will get better as a team. 

 

Of course, the national “experts” have probably eliminated the Cavaliers from title contention.  Let them.  This team has talent, and will play better, probably starting tonight against Toronto.  Don’t worry, this season shapes up as one to enjoy.

 

JK