The new Cavaliers made their debut in the wine and gold last night and it was a resounding success.  The Cavs blew it open early, getting off to a 32-13 lead, and coasting to a 109-89 win over the hapless Memphis Grizzlies.  Ben Wallace and Delonte West joined the starting lineup, while Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak came off the bench.  All the newcomers contributed to the victory, although the level of competition will improve with road tilts at Milwaukee tomorrow and Boston, the team with the NBA’s best record on Wednesday.

 

Things may change after more practices, but it appears that Mike Brown decided to balance the defense lost by trading Larry Hughes by starting Devin Brown.  This will help the wine and gold get off to good starts instead of letting opponents’ guards scoring at will in the first quarter.  Coach Brown now has some firepower coming off the bench with Szczerbiak, Damon Jones,  and Joe Smith.  And when Anderson Varajao, Sasha Pavlovic, and Daniel Gibson return from their injuries, the Cavs will then be able to go ten deep.

 

That’s important in the playoffs because of the depth of their chief rival, the Detroit Pistons.  They are getting all kinds of positive press about being able to bring guys like Jarvis Hayes, Lindsay Hunter, Jason Maxiell, Rodney Stuckey, and Amir Johnson off the bench for key minutes, but it is necessary for them because they are an aging team.  The Cavs have added some age as well, but now they can bring Varajao, Szczerbiak, Gibson, Smith, and Pavlovic in as substitutes.  That will help them match the Pistons, and also against a Boston team whose three best players are over 30.

 

Using Wallace at the power forward spot, which is his natural spot, seemed to give him an extra bounce in his step last night.  He also showed he can still finish close to the basket off of the pick and roll.  His minutes will be cut slightly when Varajao returns, which will keep him fresher to create his defensive havoc.  Joe Smith is another key acquistion.  He made open shots last night, and seemed to play with more energy than Drew Gooden had on most nights.  Having four talented big men is something that Mike Brown has dreamt about his Donyell Marshall started his slide last year.

 

West could be the question mark.  He is long, which is something GM Danny Ferry and Brown covet in the backcourt, but his shot has been inconsistent.  Still, last night he did find the open man consistently.  Szczerbiak will likely fill the sniper roll off the bench, and he becomes a precious trade commodity next year when he is in the last year of his deal.  The biggest thing is replacing two inconsistent starters in Hughes and Gooden.  Hughes has played better for the last month, but his shot is like a light switch, and Gooden’s up and down play has been discussed in this blog for a long time.

 

I understand that Memphis is not a quality team, far from it.  However, I liked the energy and style of the newest Cavaliers.  With the depth, especially in the front court, that the deal brings, the wine and gold are better from a playoff basketball standpoint.  If they can gel quickly, there may be a third team to fear coming out of the Eastern Conference.

 

JK 

 

Well, when Danny Ferry does something, he goes all out.  Today’s blockbuster 11 player trade totally revamped the wine and gold roster.  In one fell swoop; the Cavs added another defensive big man, a pure shooter, a young combo guard, and a serviceable veteran big man.  LeBron James has to be smiling today, as his general manager did something.  Whether this move gets the team back to the NBA Finals remains to be seen. 

 

Replacing Drew Gooden with Ben Wallace gives the Cavs exactly what Mike Brown wants out of his power forwards.  When healthy, Anderson Varajao played the majority of time in the fourth quarter.  Why?  Defense and rebounding.  That what the coach loves, and he will get plenty of that from Wallace, a former NBA defensive player of the year.  Plus, adding Joe Smith gives the team a fourth big man who can be effective.  Donyell Marshall couldn’t guard a bigger player anymore, so with four guys up front, Brown can keep all of his big men fresh.

 

Replacing Larry Hughes with Wally Szczerbiak gives the squad a more consistent outside shooting threat, which will open up the lane for James.  It does, however, weaken the defense.  No one has ever mentioned the former Miami (OH) standout with the great defenders of the game.  My guess is that Delonte West will also move into the starting lineup along side Wally.  West is not a pure point guard, but with LBJ really running the show, the Cavs don’t need one.

 

The Cavs will struggle in the short term because of the adjustment period that goes along with a trade like this, and because of the injuries to Varajao and Daniel Gibson.  Even if the newcomers can play against the Wizards, the bench will still be short because of the injuries.  It wouldn’t be a surprise if Ferry dips into the NBDL to fill out the roster.

 

Giving up Shannon Brown and Cedric Simmons doesn’t really affect anything.  Even if one of them develops into a player, both were out and out disappointments in Cleveland.  Brown has all kinds of physical talent, but doesn’t grasp the game, spending much of his time with the Cavs jacking up as many shots as he could in garbage time.  That doesn’t impress guys like Mike Brown and Ferry.  Simmons just wasn’t healthy enough to contribute here.

 

With the moves made today, Danny Ferry is putting it all on the line.  He made moves he believes will bring the franchise a title.  He did it with out giving up a lot of the cap flexibility he will need in the future.  At least the Cavs weren’t idle.  Surrounding LeBron James with shooters is a good and sound offensive strategy.

 

JK

 

 

The Akron Beacon Journal’s Brian Windhorst is reporting the Cavaliers are talking to the 76ers regarding point guard Andre Miller and to the Grizzlies about shooting guard Mike Miller.  Both are good players who can help the Cavs in their pursuit of a return trip to the NBA Finals.  Which one is the better fit for the wine and gold?  The obvious answer is Miller, but which one?

 

It says here the Memphis guard would be the choice Miller.  The Cavaliers need someone else who can hit outside shots, and although the common talk around town is that the Cavs need a point guard, I think they need a shooter and another serviceable big man more.  Anderson Varajao should return to the Cavs line up in about a week, but the Brazilian’s style fits in better with Mike Brown’s system, and getting another defensive oriented big man would be a nice acquisition.

 

Over the past couple of months, we have seen what occurs when Larry Hughes, Daniel Gibson, and Damon Jones are clicking from the perimeter.  LeBron James can get to the rim easily, and if defended, he will hit his open teammates for wide open looks.  If Mike Miller can get those kind of looks, it says here he will go from a 17 point per game scorer to one who can average 20 per night.  Plus, Miller is still young and has two years remaining on his current deal.

 

He also allows Coach Brown to stay with a big lineup.  With Miller and Hughes starting in the backcourt, the wine and gold still go 6’5” and 6’6” at guard.   The current Grizzly needs to improve his play on that end of the floor, but the Cavs’ coach is a defensive teacher and can probably help in that regard.  Miller would have to want to improve, but I’m guessing going to a team with a chance to win the East would spur on his learning curve.

 

As for Andre Miller, he is on the wrong side of 30, and not a very good defender either.  The pros on him are that he is a pure point guard, one who would definitely make James the finisher of the play, not the initiator.  However, when it comes to crunch time, you want LBJ to have the ball.  It would be hard to imagine that any player would make better decisions with the ball than #23.  His shot is also inconsistent, but he can put the ball in the hole if left open.

 

Don’t get me wrong; either player would help the Cavaliers.   And from judging the rumors out of Memphis, the wine and gold would be giving up very little.  The names of Ira Newble (expiring contract), Donyell Marshall, Dwayne Jones, and Cedric Simmons have been mentioned as going to the Grizzlies.  Also, Memphis would like to unload the bloated contract of Brian Cardinal, a high-energy player who is willing to do the little things.  He likely would be a better player on a good team.

 

My preference would be Mike Miller, that simple.  I think his perimeter shooting and ability to slash to the basket would fit quite nicely with LeBron.  Plus, it would reunite two players who spent the summer with Team USA.  The best thing is that GM Danny Ferry is trying to seize the opportunity to make a return trip to play for a title.

 

JK

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

JK

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

KM

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

JD

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

MW

 

 

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

JK

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

JD