TIme for Cavs and Irving to Show Progress

It most certainly has been a disappointing year in sports in Cleveland. All three of our professional sports teams have pretty much stunk in 2012.

One bright spot fans on the north coast thought they had been watching the progress of the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had the NBA’s Rookie of the Year in Kyrie Irving and two other top four picks in second year forward Tristan Thompson and rookie Dion Waiters.

So far, the wine and gold have been a huge disappointment, starting the season at 5-22 and on pace for another season of less than 20 victories.

The biggest problem is not the physical ability to play the game, the Cavs have some talent. Look at the teams they have defeated this year.

The Lakers are struggling, but they have talent. The Clippers have one of the NBA’s best records at 19-6. Philadelphia made the playoffs last season. Atlanta currently has the third best record in the Eastern Conference.

All have lost to the Cavaliers, whose lone win over a bad team was an Opening Night win over the Wizards.

They also have close losses to Miami (16 -6), New York (18-6), and Memphis (16-6).

On the other hand, they’ve lost at home to teams like Toronto (8-19), Detroit (7-21), and Phoenix (10-15).

They seem to play to the level of their competition, which has to frustrate their coach, Byron Scott, to no end.

It is true that the Cavaliers are a young team, but it has to drive Scott crazy to see them play with teams like the Heat and Knicks on the road, and then get whipped at The Q by a team like Toronto.

They need to have that same drive and determination in games they can win, particularly at home, as they do against the big boys in the NBA.

Too often, it looks like they play with the attitude of we’re at home and since he can hang with the Heat, we’ll win tonight. They don’t have a professional attitude on a night-to-night basis.

They’ve lost 16 straight games within the Central Division!

Right now, the Cavaliers don’t have anything they can hang their collective hats on. They should, and it should be on the defensive end.

Cleveland has the worst defensive field goal percentage in the league, allowing opponents to make over 47% of their shots. Much of that problem stems from their best player, Irving, struggling at the defensive end.

There is no question that Irving is the team’s best player, now he needs to become a leader, even if he is just 20 years old. He needs to be the guy who takes Scott’s defensive mantra to the floor and show everyone else on the team that he buys in.

That’s the responsibility of being a great player instead of a very good player.

The young Cavaliers have to learn this is a business rather than a game and they need to win games at home against mediocre teams, which you can read as squads of their ilk.

When we see them beating the likes of the Bobcats, Hornets, Pistons, Bucks, etc. with regularity, then they will be turning the corner toward improvement.

The first step toward respectability and then the playoffs is winning the games you are supposed to win. The Cavs need to do just that and do it soon.

Needing a Veteran Coach/Manager

There is a scene in the baseball movie “Bull Durham” when the manager is perplexed as to what to do with his struggling team, and asks Crash Davis for his thoughts.

Davis tells him “scare them, they’re kids”.

Granted, the movie was set in the minor leagues, but it doesn’t take much to apply it to the professional sports teams in Cleveland, because the Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers are all very young compared to most of the squads in their respective sports.

The Tribe just let go of Manny Acta, a younger manager who didn’t seem to be an “old school” disciplinarian, and now GM Chris Antonetti is in the market for a new skipper, with Sandy Alomar Jr. and former Red Sox manager Terry Francona regarding as the leading candidates.

Pat Shurmur is a first time head coach, and seems to fit the profile of a players’ coach, not a person who is going to be tough on young players, educating them in the ways of being a professional football player.

Only the Cavaliers seems to have the “my way or the highway” leader in veteran NBA coach Byron Scott. Scott has established early and often that he’s the coach, and things will be done the method he prefers. If you don’t like it, you will play elsewhere. Ask J.J. Hickson.

Those coaches usually don’t have a long shelf life, because players get tired of the constant harping, and start to tune them out. Again, Scott is the prime example as although he had success in both New Jersey and New Orleans, he lasted just four years with the Nets and five with the Hornets.

But they are needed to teach and guide young players in the ways of being a professional.

With the Browns, Shurmur seems like a good man, but do the young players wearing the brown and orange fear him? That’s doubtful. Take the case of Greg Little, yes he is disappointed that he drop passes with the frequency other people blink, but when does the coach sit on him on the bench? Sometimes, a player has to understand that he won’t play unless he produces.

With the Tribe, Francona isn’t a Billy Martin type, but he would command respect based on winning two World Series with the Red Sox. He would be the first Indians manager with a resume of success since who knows when.

In fact, since 1960, the only coach/manager hired with a world championship in his background was Lenny Wilkens, who won a title with the Sonics in 1978-79.

Francona has been regarded as a players’ manager with the Sox, but he didn’t put up with Manny Ramirez’ antics when his contract was coming up, so he will put his foot down when he had to. He also developed several young players such as Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, and Jacoby Ellsbury.

Perhaps a skipper who was tougher on players would insist that Asdrubal Cabrera would pay more attention to his craft and stay in better shape in the off-season, and would have consequences for players who seem to be happy to play, but don’t expect to win.

Joe Torre worked with the Yankees, but that group was mostly made up of veteran players, so an easy-going guy works better with players who have been around. He did break in Derek Jeter, but Jeter was very respectful of his manager and the older players probably guided him as well.

When new coaches are hired in Cleveland, the type of team they will be inheriting should be kept in mind by the front office.

Maybe it’s not scaring players, but it’s difficult for the person being the boss for the first time to be able to guide young players on how to be a pro.

Is Cleveland Media Too Soft?

There is no question that the relationship between professional sports teams and the media has changed.

Older writers talk about how former Browns’ coach Blanton Collier would sit down with them and explain the Xs and Os to the scribes who covered the team.

Can’t imagine Pat Shurmur doing that this week.

With the proliferation of cable television and 24 hours per day radio sports talk, management of sports teams have become very sensitive toward the folks who cover the game.

This is particularly true in football because there is a week between games to second, third, and fourth guess the coaching staff.

However, those coaches are also making a lot of money to put up with this “aggravation”.

Some cities are known for tough reporters who ask difficult questions. Most of those towns are located on the east coast.

Cleveland media people seem to have a good relationship with the Indians, Browns, and Cavaliers. The question is, should they?

If reporters are indeed finding out information for readers/viewers, in other words, the fans, are they doing their job?

Several circumstances recently beg for a tough question to be asked, especially when the front offices are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the people who buy tickets.

With the Indians, it doesn’t seem that anyone ever asks why the team has had nine losing seasons in 11 years.

For example in yesterday’s Plain Dealer, Paul Hoynes answered a reader’s question on why the Indians did not call up OF Tim Fedroff by saying the Tribe wanted to give some at bats to Thomas Neal, who was also just called up from the minors.

Neal has 10 at bats right now, fewer than several veterans who will not be with the Indians after this season ends.

So, either the front office is full of crap, or someone else isn’t following through on the plan.

Many times the Indians management justify their moves with ridiculous arguments, but no one seems to question them, or at least it isn’t reported.

It is understandable that the beat writer doesn’t ask those questions, but that doesn’t get them off the hook. Are the guys coaching and managing in Cleveland so far above reproach that they can’t be quizzed?

The Browns and Indians each have a distinct style in dealing with the media.

The football team acts like it’s a chore to have to explain themselves, and Shurmur acts like a guy about to get an enema at a press conference.

Why? If you are secure in your convictions, then why not take the time to educate everyone on what is going on with the Browns.

The Indians are very open and friendly, but take the politician approach, answering questions with corporate phrasing and canning responses, never really answering what was asked.

The point is this: Reporters are allowed to ask tough questions, that’s their job. Players and management should answer tough questions, it’s their responsibility.

What has happened in recent years is that the participants have decided they don’t want to be bothered to answer to the public and so they growl at the media for asking.

It’s one thing if the question is personal or inflammatory. Those questions have no place in press conferences. However, inquiries about the game or strategy need to be answered.

Now, Cleveland just needs someone to ask them. When they aren’t answered, the respondent just looks foolish for avoiding the issue.

Wonder How Long Haslam Has Been Involved?

It was a shock to all sports fans in Cleveland today to find out the Browns are in the process of being sold to minority Steelers’ owner James Haslam III, the CEO of Pilot Corporation.

So, one of the three professional sports teams will have new ownership. Unfortunately, it’s not the team most fans wish, as many would prefer the Indians be sold.

It likely will mean the departure of Mike Holmgren as team president because he was brought in to run the team on a daily basis, mostly because Randy Lerner didn’t want to do the job.

The rumors are that former Eagles president Joe Banner will become involved with the Browns as part of the Haslam ownership. That would seem to make Holmgren superfluous.

GM Tom Heckert and coach Pat Shurmur have worked for Banner before, so they should remain safe, at least for now.

One thing to ponder is how long have these negotiations been going on because there is no way this deal happened in the last couple of days. In fact, a little over a month ago, Philadelphia radio personality Howard Eskin reported the Browns were for sale, which of course Berea denied immediately.

If Haslam and Lerner were talking since the end of the season, for example, it’s likely that the new owner signed off on the drafting of Trent Richardson, the trade up in the draft move to get QB Brandon Weeden, and using a supplemental second round pick to get WR Josh Gordon.

It also may answer the question as to why the Browns were not very active in free agency. The Steelers are rarely involved in the process either, and perhaps the new owner feels if it’s good enough for Pittsburgh, it will work here as well.

It may be that the good feelings that have revolved around Cleveland’s football team this off-season started when Lerner made a decision to get out of the NFL business. We know he didn’t like it because he sent Holmgren to most of the league’s ownership meetings.

If Haslam has been the driving force behind the scenes of the team he is hoping to purchase, then he should be off to a good start with the fans. Playing time will tell, but it appears for the first time in a long time, the Browns have some playmakers on offense and the makings of a solid offensive line as well.

If Haslam was not involved in these moves, let’s hope he lets things play out this year, before making any decisions on front office personnel. If the team shows some improvement this year, it would not be good to start all over once again.

Browns’ fans are all too familiar with the constant rebuilding process that has cursed the franchise since 1999. Now that it seems like things are looking rosier, it would be a shame to halt the momentum.

For fans hoping for a more active owner, they have their wish. For those who said Lerner didn’t care about the Browns, they no longer have that to complain about.

Now if only someone would pop out of the woodwork to buy the Indians.