Critics Aside, the Browns Have Improved

The first day of free agency in the NFL has come and gone and the Cleveland Browns made a big splash with three signings.

OLB Paul Kruger, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens, was the first choice of the brown and orange. A pass rushing linebacker who had seven sacks a year ago, Kruger had an impressive post-season with the Ravens last season.

The Browns also signed DE Desmond Bryant, a huge man, and another OLB Quentin Groves, who played for defensive coordinator Ray Horton last season with the Cardinals.

GM Mike Lombardi and president Joe Banner felt the defense needed some help for 2013, with input from Horton, and the Browns went out and signed two likely starters at linebacker, a weak position for Cleveland in 2012, and the type of defensive end you need in the 3-4 defense.

Yet, there are still people upset that the Browns did not address the quarterback position as of yet, and haven’t signed a cornerback to go with Joe Haden either.

It just shows that there are some people who like to complain about everything.

In the NFL, where there are no guaranteed contracts, if you have the room under the salary cap, there isn’t a big penalty if the player doesn’t work out. And as everyone is very aware the Browns have a ton of money available under the cap.

That means that Lombardi and Banner basically picked up three players, all of whom are younger and appear to be talented, for nothing more than cash. They didn’t have to give up any draft picks or players. They just spent money.

How can anyone be upset with that?

This isn’t like baseball or basketball, where a bad contract can hamper an organization for many years, like the Indians with Travis Hafner’s deal. The organization had plenty of money to spend, and they did so.

They filled needs with the two linebackers and getting Bryant replaces Frostee Rucker, who was cut by the new regime since the end of the season.

And most football people felt the Browns had more needs on the defense. They still could use another cornerback and another safety, and they still have the college draft to address those positions.

An added bonus to signing Kruger is that he leaves the Ravens, a divisional foe. Improving your team while hurting a divisional rival is always a win-win.

None of these players are guys who are near the end of their careers either.

Kruger and Bryant are just 27 years old, and Groves is only 28. They have plenty of years left in the NFL lives and fit in perfectly with the rest of the young Browns. They will be able to grow with the young core of veterans with four years or less of experience. Players such as Alex Mack, Joe Haden, Taylor, Greg Little and Jabaal Sheard.

In fact, right now Cleveland has only three players with 10 or more years in the NFL on the roster: Sheldon Brown, Juqua Parker, and Phil Dawson. And it is doubtful that any of them will be back this season, although it would be great if Dawson is still the team’s kicker.

Also, with the expected departures via free agency of TE Benjamin Watson, TE Alex Smith, S Ray Ventrone, and the expected release of P Reggie Hodges, the Browns will not have a player over 30 years old on the roster.

That’s a young football team.

There is no question the Browns are a better team today than they were on Monday. That’s progress, no matter how people want to say differently.

McAllister Looking Like Frontrunner So Far

By the end of last season, the Cleveland Indians best starting pitcher may very well have been rookie right-hander Zach McAllister.

He had the best ERA and WHIP of any starting pitcher who made over 10 starts for the Tribe last season (4.24 ERA and 1.36 WHIP). He was better than Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, the two veterans who appear to have the top two spots in this year’s rotation.

Yet, right now he is in a battle with Scott Kazmir, Carlos Carrasco, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Trevor Bauer, and Corey Kluber for the fourth and fifth starting spots behind the two veterans and newcomer Brett Myers.

McAllister made his fourth appearance of the spring yesterday against the Cubs, throwing four shutout innings. He’s been very good in three of his four outings thus far, and looks like he is on his way to opening the season with the major league team.

He should have been a guy who had to pitch his way off the team in Arizona anyway.

The big righty (6’6″ 240 pounds), who was stolen from the Yankees in 2010 for the ashes that remained in Austin Kearns’ career, had only one poor statistic on his resume last year. He allowed 19 unearned runs in his 22 starts.

When his teammates didn’t support him defensively, he had a problem closing out the inning.

His hits to innings pitched ratio was pretty good (allowing 133 hits in 125-1/3 frames) and his strikeout to walk ratio (110/38) was excellent. He also pitched at least six innings in 14 of his 22 starts.

His solid work means the other five guys are probably looking at the one remaining spot to open the year in Cleveland. That’s a good problem to have for manager Terry Francona.

Kluber has struggled this spring and was probably a long shot to make the team coming into camp. Matsuzaka is on a minor league invite, and although his ERA (2.57) is good this spring, he has allowed a lot of hits and has pitched out of trouble in his appearances.

It would be a surprise if either come north with the team in April.

That leaves Kazmir, Carrasco, and Bauer for the last spot.

The front office would like to have Bauer start the season in Columbus to give him more AAA experience, since he’s only made 14 starts at that level. However, if the youngster currently ranked among the top 15 prospects in the game by Baseball America continues to pitch well, he could force his way to Cleveland.

That means it comes down to Carrasco, who is coming off of Tommy John surgery, and Kazmir, a southpaw who is trying to return from baseball’s scrapheap.

The former is facing a six game suspension for a hitting a Royals hitter in one of his last starts in 2011, and coupled with the return from a major arm operation, Francona and GM Chris Antonetti may opt to start the young righty at Columbus to get his bearings at the minor league level rather than facing big league hitters.

That means Kazmir has a leg up if he continues to pitch well. Reportedly, his velocity is in the low 90 mph range at this point, and the Tribe may want to see if they can cash in on their low risk gamble early in the season, knowing they have Carrasco and Bauer just two hours away in reserve.

The key is how both Carrasco and Kazmir pitch from here on out in Arizona.

Carrasco goes today. At this point in spring training, every performance by either guy is huge. Ultimately, those two will make the decision for Francona.

The ball is in their hands, literally.

Should Cavs Shut Down Kyrie?

For a city that hasn’t won a professional sports title in almost 60 years, Cleveland sports fans are a relatively patient group. When their teams are mediocre and floundering, they understand that rebuilding is needed and usually they can accept it.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a good example.

After the shock of losing LeBron James to the Miami Heat, Cavs’ fans realized that it would take more than one year to get back to the playoffs. After watching a team which suffered through a 26 game losing streak the following season, supporters of the wine and gold rejoiced when Cleveland won the draft lottery and picked Kyrie Irving.

Irving was better than expected, winning rookie of the year honors, and the Cavaliers win total jumped from 18 wins in 2010-11 to 21 the next year in a lockout shortened season. They have matched that total so far this season in 61 contests, mostly by winning 12 of their last 21 contests.

Finally, Cavs’ basketball is worth watching again.

Irving is now an all-star, and many experts feel he will be one of the NBA’s ten best players in a year or two.

Then yesterday comes the news that the front office may shut Irving down for the rest of the season because he has a sore knee.

Maybe the former Dukie’s knee may be damaged worse than the public has been led to believe, but watching his performance in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win over Utah, it looks like he’s pretty healthy.

If his knee is bad, he should be held out of games until it is ready to go, but if he can play on it without risking further damage, he should be out on the court and helping this team learn how to win again.

A possible decision to hold the reigning Rookie of the Year out of games smacks of tanking, a tactic other NBA teams, including the Cavs have used in the past.

It’s just not a good decision for the 2012-13 Cavaliers.

First of all, since the Memphis trade which brought Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington to Cleveland, the wine and gold are playing well. They are learning how to win and they shouldn’t be looking to take a step backwards now. Especially because of the next point.

There is no consensus #1 pick in this year’s NBA draft. College basketball expert Jay Bilas, who also works on the draft coverage (talking about wingspan) recently said that Michigan’s Trey Burke is probably the player of the year in college this year, but the first selection in the draft will depend on that particular team’s need.

The point is that GM Chris Grant is going to have one pick in the top ten and another (assuming the Lakers can make the playoffs) in the mid teens, and there isn’t a franchise maker available this season. The Cavs will get good players, but not a slam dunk all-star.

So, it comes down to what is more important to the future of the franchise, winning games now and developing a winning mentality, or moving up a couple of spots in a weaker draft.

With Irving in tow, and Dion Waiters showing improvement every month, the Cavs need to learn how to win, to get used to the feeling. If you don’t think that’s important, then you haven’t been watching this basketball team since Speights and Ellington arrived.

They came from a winning atmosphere in Memphis and it has rubbed off on their new teammates.

No one is asking Kyrie Irving to play if he is injured, he is too valuable to the franchise for that. But holding him out of games to improve draft position isn’t what the Cleveland Cavaliers need right now if they want to start winning as soon as next season.

How Much is Weeden to Blame?

Now that the NFL draft is less than two months away, it’s time for Cleveland Browns’ fans to start the debate on who the team should take with the sixth pick in this year’s selection process.

And since it is Cleveland, the seemingly endless debate about whether or not the “Consensus Four” of Jimmy Haslam, Joe Banner, Michael Lombardi, and Rob Chudzinski should take another quarterback just a year after the Browns took Brandon Weeden in the opening round of the 2012 draft.

Because Weeden didn’t set the world on fire in his rookie year, like Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III, and Russell Wilson, several people with voice on radio talk shows have given up on the former Oklahoma State signal caller.

Keep in mind, Weeden passed for more yards than Griffin III (by a little less than 200 yards) and Wilson (a little more than 200 yards). However, Weeden had way more interceptions (17, compared to 5 by RGIII and 10 by Wilson) and not as many touchdowns (13 compared to 20 for Griffin and 26 for Wilson).

The question comes down to how much do you blame the Browns rookie for his ineffectiveness?

Weeden isn’t perfect, but then again, most rookie QBs who start in their first years aren’t either. He did have a tendency to lock on receivers, and try to throw through defensive backs.

You know who else used to do that? Watch films of John Elway, Dan Marino, and Brett Favre early in their career. The confidence they had in their arms overrode their coaches telling them not to turn the ball over.

This is not to say that Weeden is in the same class as those three passers, two of whom are in the Hall of Fame, and the other will be soon. It does speak to the way quarterbacks with big arms think.

Before throwing Weeden out with the bath water, remember the circumstances he played under last season.

His coach had a horribly conservative offensive philosophy, and once a turnover occurred he played it more close to the vest.

The Browns best offensive weapon, fellow rookie Trent Richardson, was injured early in the season with bad ribs, and even when he was carrying the ball well, there were times when the coaching staff ignored him.

The Redskins had the league’s best running attack and Seattle was third. Cleveland ranked 24th. This is the same ranking the three teams had in terms of rushing attempts. And the Browns weren’t blown out of many games last season, so there was plenty of opportunity to run the ball, the coaching staff just refused to do it.

The question has to be how much is Weeden to blame for a mediocre rookie performance. If you think he’s a lost cause, then the Browns’ front office should look to replace him. If they think Geno Smith and/or Matt Barkley is the next Elway, then draft one of them.

Just remember that Alex Smith, another darling of the Cleveland media, had a worse season than Weeden in his rookie year (50.9 completion percentage, 1 TD, 11 INT) and under Norv Turner’s tutelage the next year improved to 58% completion rate, 16 TDs and 16 INT as San Francisco went from 4-12 to 7-9.

Also, notice that the front office’s evaluation of the quarterback has seemed to soften at least in public comments after Turner came aboard and presumably has looked at film.

Perhaps Turner, who knows more football than most, has seen something he can build upon with Weeden, despite his advanced age.

Still, the Browns should continue to say they may be interested in Smith or Barkley, but only because the Arizona Cardinals, desperate for a quarterback, pick right behind them. Perhaps Lombardi and Banner can squeeze a draft pick out of the Cards to move up one spot.

It comes down to this…do the Browns need to replace Weeden more than they need a big time pass rusher or another cornerback to team with Joe Haden? That answer is simple, Cleveland needs to get more playmakers on the defensive side of the ball.

Cavs Finding Out Vets Help

We’ve all seen it. You go to an outdoor basketball court or the Y, and some young hot shots are dominating the action. They win game after game, having fun and belittling their opponents.

Then some old guys show up, move the ball around on offense, keep people in front of them on defense, play a little more physical, and they knock the young turks off their pedestal.

Why? Because they know how to play the game. They’ve been around, and know how to take advantage of players who are cocky and overly aggressive.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have two of those guys on their roster and they are contributing on a night in and night out basis. They are Shaun Livingston and Luke Walton.

Livingston was a Christmas present from GM Chris Grant to coach Byron Scott, being claimed on waivers that very day. For whatever reason, the Washington Wizards, who were struggling as badly as the Cavs at that time, couldn’t use the veteran who was once the 4th overall pick in the draft in 2004.

Their loss is Cleveland’s gain.

Livingston’s value isn’t found in the stat sheet. He’s averaging just 5. 3 points and 3.4 assists a game in the 25 contests he’s played in the wine and gold. But he is a steady hand and a catalyst for a bench bunch that is one of the most potent in the league after the acquisition of Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington from Memphis a few weeks later.

The Cavs have gone 13-13 since Livingston started playing. They were 7-25 prior to that point.

Livingston overcame a horrible knee injury in 2007 and really didn’t play a full season for three years. He was a heralded high school player, but as Scott said when he arrived, he is an old soul when it comes to hoops, playing the game they way it is meant to be played. He makes the right pass and for the most part keeps himself between his man and the basket on defense.

Walton came to the Cavs as someone who could balance the salary cap in the trade that sent Ramon Sessions to the Lakers at the trade deadline last season. He was a starter for LA in 2006-07 and started half the time the following two campaigns.

However, when Grant obtained him, he had played just nine games for the season due to back woes.

He’s another player that stats don’t tell the real story, averaging just 3.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 16 minutes per game. Early in the year, many fans (including us) were wondering why he was getting time, probably because he struggled playing with young guys who don’t share his IQ for the game.

Since the addition of Speights, Ellington, and Livingston, Walton has made a difference coming off the bench for the young Cavaliers. In that time, he’s averaged just 2.8 points, but has had five games (out of 11) where he has had five or more assists.

And he made a key defensive play late in Tuesday’s win over Chicago, knocking a pass away, and then firing it off a Bulls’ player in the final minute to preserve the lead.

Lost in most fans’ wishes for high draft choices is the fact that young teams need veterans to learn from. With the players acquired from Memphis, plus heady players like Livingston and Walton, Chris Grant has given his young guys some worthy teachers.

Judge QBs in Games, Not in Combine

Now that the NFL Draft Combine has passed, it is time for the annual debate as to who the Cleveland Browns should draft the next month.

And as usual, since many fans are disappointed when the current quarterback doesn’t remind them of Bernie Kosar, supporters start asking themselves which passer the Browns could take in the first round.

Stop the madness, now!

First of all, just because someone is the best college quarterback available, it doesn’t make them worthy of the 6th pick in the draft.

The flavor of this combine was either USC’s Matt Barkley, who has an injured shoulder, or West Virginia’s Geno Smith.

Keep in mind, neither of these players have played a game since the bowl season ended around the first week in January.

Since Barkley didn’t work out because of his injury, Smith was the player who garnered the most attention, showing a good arm and surprising speed for a player at his position.

Once again, keep in mind that no one was playing defense against Smith during his workout.

And remember that Smith’s West Virginia team started 4-0 and finished at 6-6.

Granted, it wasn’t all Smith’s fault. He and his offense put up an awful lot of points in some of those defeats, scoring 38 against TCU, 34 against Oklahoma State, and 49 vs. Oklahoma.

However, in the other three losses, the Mountaineer offense put up just 14 points in losses to Texas Tech, Kansas State, and Syracuse.

Smith put up good numbers in those games, but remember he played in the Big 12 Conference, a league not noted for strong defensive play.

And the same conference that Brandon Weeden played in a year ago.

The point here is that neither Smith nor Barkley are prospects on the level of Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the first two picks in last year’s draft and players who led their respective teams to the playoffs in their rookie year. You can make a very good case that they were the best two players available, regardless of position.

Also, neither player has done anything on the field to merit moving up from the late first round or second round status they were projected at a month ago. It is simply the desire NFL teams have to find the next Tom Brady, the ever elusive franchise QB, that has these two players rising into the early first round.

You can make the same argument against trading for New England back up QB Ryan Mallett, a third round choice in 2011. What makes him better now than he was then? Two years watching Tom Brady play? If he’s so good, why does New England want to trade him?

The draft is arranged the way it is to enable to have the lesser teams get more talent, to equalize the talent pool. Not taking the better player early in the selection process sets franchises back. That’s why the Browns have been in a constant state of mediocrity for all these years. They’ve made poor selections.

That’s why they can’t take a quarterback with the sixth overall pick in April. They have far too many other holes, in areas where there is talent worthy of top ten selection to reach and take a player ranked in the 20s or 30s overall at their current slot.

Teams in the NFL make a lot of mistakes drafting quarterbacks higher than they should. If the Browns made a mistake last year, then they can’t compound it by doing it again. There isn’t a passer worthy of a top ten pick in April, but someone will take one anyway.

Here’s hoping the Browns aren’t that team.

Could Brantley Be Tribe’s Breakout Player?

There is no question that interest in the Cleveland Indians may be at its highest level since the beginning of the 2008 season, just a few months after the Tribe came within one game of making the World Series, but were beaten out by the Red Sox, managed by a guy named Terry Francona.

Now Francona is here, the ownership and front office went out and signed free agents Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, and Brett Myers, and traded for a potential ace starting pitcher in Trevor Bauer.

Fans can’t wait for the season opener on April 2nd in Toronto.

The improvement on the Cleveland roster can be noted in that out of the players who started for the Tribe last season and left, only Shin-Soo Choo is considered a key component on his new team. Jack Hannahan, Casey Kotchman, and Shelly Duncan are all considered either bench players or are on minor league contracts to start spring training.

The other big addition to this squad is speed and athleticism, something that was lacking in previous seasons, even going back to the Eric Wedge era. It is refreshing to hear Francona talk about his team taking extra bases on hits to the outfield. It doesn’t appear there will be much station to station baseball played by the Indians this season.

Francona compared his team to the Angels in the Mike Scoscia era, but when those teams scored a lot of runs, they depended on a lot of high batting averages. The Indians don’t have many players who have a history of hitting close to .300.

To be sure, there are concerns for the new skipper and his staff. There will be plenty of strikeouts in the starting lineup, meaning the offense could be very streaky at times. When the guys who don’t make contact consistently are in a period of whiffing, scoring runs could be very tough indeed.

As much as Swisher and Bourn will be important to the Indians scoring more runs, the bigger pressure is probably on the young hitters on the team making big leaps, meaning Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Carlos Santana. If all three of those players can start producing the way they did in the minor leagues, (remember Santana has the most service time of the three, just 2-1/2 seasons), the Indians could have a very potent offense.

However, the biggest jump to be made by any Indian this season could be by LF Michael Brantley.

It is easy to overlook Brantley because he has been here longer than any of the other three mentioned players, arriving in 2009 for the first time, and starting as a regular shortly after Santana in ’10. But Brantley is still just 25 years old, turning 26 in May. He won’t reach the magic 27-year-old season until 2014.

He has shown steady improvement over the last three years, with his on base percentage going from .296 in 2010 to .348 last year, and his slugging percentage rising from .327 three seasons ago to .402 in 2012. If he makes the same improvement on his OPS this year as he did from 2011 to 2012, he will be around 800, which would make him a very good offensive player.

“Dr. Smooth” had 47 extra base hits in ’12, 37 of them doubles. As a comparison, Asdrubal Cabrera had 52 extra base knocks in 2009, 42 of them doubles. Two years later, Cabrera got stronger and some of those doubles became home runs, as ACab belted 25 dingers in 2011.

As Brantley gets stronger with age, the same effect could happen to him as well, and some of those doubles could wind up flying over the fence. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Tribe’s new leftfielder wound up with 15 to 20 bombs this summer.

You have to love young players who get better every season and still are in the 25 to 26-year-old range. Michael Brantley is one of those players. His most comparable player through age 25 is OF Terry Moore, who starred for the Cardinals in the 1940’s.

At age 27, Moore hit .295 with 17 home runs and an OPS of 849. The following year, he hit .304 with 17 dingers and an OPS of 831.

If Brantley can follow suit, the Tribe has another very good bat in their lineup.

Based on the improvement he has shown since arriving in the big leagues, don’t bet against Brantley becoming that type of player.

Don’t Get Excited About James’ Return

The rumors have been rumbling since the beginning of this season. “Insiders” are hearing that LeBron James will opt out of his contract following the 2013-14 season, and would consider a return to Cleveland.

Because the Cavs now have another “superstar” in Kyrie Irving, a move back to northeastern Ohio would be appealing to James.

Let’s just say if it happens, then it will be time to get excited about it. Until then, remember LBJ has a player who stabbed this franchise and this city right in the heart.

Therefore, there should be no big celebration when the Miami Heat come to Quicken Loans Arena to play the Cavaliers in March. James should be treated as the reason basketball fans have suffered through three terrible seasons in a row.

If Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert wants him back and the two parties make amends, then fine. When he wears the wine and gold jersey again, then he deserves our support.

The whole “back to Cleveland” scenario sounds like a ploy by James’ people to garner support for him, therefore not getting a chorus of boos when he plays at “The Q” as a visiting player.

Also, James’ marketing people are from around here and supposedly aren’t happy that they don’t have the run of the house in Miami that they did when LeBron was here. And for the most part, they are the ones floating the idea of coming back to the north coast.

From a basketball standpoint, think about this scenario: The Heat go one to win another title this season and then complete a “three peat” by winning again next season. Do you really think James is leaving a squad that has won three consecutive championships?

Of course he isn’t.

Don’t like that one? Here’s another: Kobe Bryant retires after the 2013-14 campaign and the Lakers are looking for another superstar to solidify their status as one of the sports’ preeminent franchises. Does James succumb to the Laker mystique and signs with Los Angeles? It would be very tempting.

The Cavaliers have to be in a position to contend for a title for James to even consider coming back. And right now, it will be tough for the wine and gold to win 25 games this season, meaning a leap to the .500 mark next season will mean an additional 15 victories. Yes, there will be plenty of players hitting their second and third years in the NBA, but that is a rather large jump in the victory column in one year.

GM Chris Grant should continue to build the Cavs like he has, accumulating draft picks and keeping plenty of cap room so his team can be a player if an all-star type player comes available because his current team needs payroll relief.

Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt to strike draft gold in this summer’s draft either. Cleveland means another difference maker on the team. Perhaps Dion Waiters can be that guy, but it looks like he’ll be a good player, not an all-star, at this point.

This isn’t to say LeBron James won’t come back to the Cavaliers after the 2014 season. He may, perhaps he does miss northern Ohio more than we think.

However, he’s the one who kicked us below the belt. To beg for him to return to the wine and gold just makes Cleveland sports fans appear totally weak.

Scott’s Record Shows He Knows Defense.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers lose more games to inferior foes like they did a week ago against Minnesota, hoop fans start to talk about the future of coach Byron Scott.

Most of the problem when the Cavs lose these games in their quality of defense. Owner Dan Gilbert even commented last week that when the wine and gold return to prominence, it will be because of their work when their opponents have the ball.

But is Scott the guy to teach defense?

His past coaching record says he is.

In his first year as a head coach, the 2000-01 season with the Nets, his squad finished 22nd in points allowed and 24th in field goal percentage against.

However, the following season (2001-02), in which the Nets made the NBA Finals, those marks improved to 5th in points allowed and 6th in defensive field goal percentage.

The next season (2002-03), another Finals appearance, had New Jersey 2nd in the NBA in points allowed and tied for 2nd in field goal percentage against.

Scott didn’t make it through the following season, but resurfaced as coach of the New Orleans Hornets in 2004-05, and his team finished 10th in the NBA in points allowed and 17th in defensive field goal percentage.

The other four years in New Orleans had Scott’s crew improving from 11th in points given up in 2005-06 to 10th, 5th, and 5th in subsequent seasons. The field goal percentage allowed went from 21st in ’05-’06 to tied for 12th, 16th, and 7th.

The point is if you want to point the finger at Scott for the Cavs’ horrible defensive rating, look somewhere else. He has demonstrated that he can put together a good defensive scheme, ranking in the top half of the league every year but his first as a head coach in points allowed, and his teams have been better than average in shooting percentage by opponents five times.

That is until he became the head coach in Cleveland.

Granted the franchise and the roster were a mess his first year at the helm, so we will excuse both the players and the coaching staff. However, we don’t think Scott has forgotten all he learned on the defensive end since he took over in Cleveland, so something is wrong.

It’s time for the head coach to take the gloves off and start demanding better defense by his troops, even if that guy in all-star Kyrie Irving. Irving is too talented a player not to be a good defender, and as the leader and best player, he would set the tone for the rest of the guys in wine and gold by playing better when the other team has the ball.

Too often, the Cavs are lackadaisical against lesser teams because they don’t put forth a good effort on “D”, and usually it starts with Irving.

He’s not the only one, though. A lack of effort on defense should start earning players a seat on the bench, and that goes for everyone.

The Cavs need to start winning now. The rest of this season should be about setting a tone for the 2013-14 season, when the wine and gold must start contending for a playoff spot.

Byron Scott is not the reason the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t a good defensive team. His track record proves otherwise. It’s time for the players to start buying in to stopping the opponent, and to stop trying to outscore everyone.

When that happens, we will see if this team is putting together enough talent to become a playoff squad.

Tribe Starting Pitchers Full of ?????

Earlier this week, the Cleveland Indians signed free agent CF Michael Bourn and fans were thrilled by another top free agent signing. It provided another hitter to help a team that finished 13th in the American League in runs scored.

However, that is only one part of the game because the Tribe finished last season dead last in the AL in ERA, and so far have added some relievers and one starting pitcher, Brett Myers, who spent last season pitching out of the bullpen, to improve the staff.

Is that enough?

This is not to criticize Myers, who has been an effective starter for many years in the big leagues, throwing over 180 innings six times in his career, every year but two that he has been in the rotation in the majors. Not only is he durable, he’s also been effective , with a lifetime 4.29 ERA as a starting pitcher.

Right now, any hope for improvement besides Myers rests on potential and the bounce back of several pitchers. That’s a cause for concern.

Justin Masterson may be the Opening Day starter, but he has been a regular starter with Cleveland for three years, of which one (2011–12-10 with a 3.21 ERA) was good, and the other two decidedly mediocre and inconsistent (17-28, 4.82 ERA).

Ubaldo Jimenez has been a huge mess since being acquired from Colorado at the ’11 trade deadline.

His mechanical issues are well documented, but his performance since becoming an Indian does nothing to inspire confidence that he will turn it around. His record with the Tribe is 13-21 with a 5.32 ERA. That should make him more of a candidate for the waiver wire than the cornerstone of a starting rotation.

There is no doubt he is the biggest key for Terry Francona’s team in 2013.

Carlos Carrasco provides hope because he showed some promise in 2011, his first full season in the big leagues. But he is recovering from Tommy John surgery, so he cannot be counted on to lead the rotation of a winning team.

Zack McAllister made 22 starts for Cleveland a year ago, and did a decent enough job, going 6-8 with a 4.24 ERA. The problem for him is the first stat listed, he’s only made 26 starts in his big league career.

Trevor Bauer is one of the game’s top prospects and dominated AAA last season, but he’s made just four major league starting appearances.

The Tribe also brought in some experienced major league arms in Daisuke Matsuzaka and Scott Kazmir, both fine pitchers at some point in the last five or six seasons. The former hasn’t had an ERA under 4.50 since 2008 when he enjoyed his best season in American baseball, going 18-3. 2.90.

That’s also the last good season for Kazmir, who pitched in an independent league last year. He was 12-8 with a 3.49 that year, but hasn’t been below4.89 in any season since.

That’s an awful large amount of ifs and maybes for a team that did a lot to strengthen his offense this winter.

GM Chris Antonetti did bolster the bullpen by obtaining Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw in the Shin-Soo Choo trade, inking Blake Wood, another pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery, and getting Matt Capps, a former closer with the Pirates, Nationals, and Twins.

While many consider the bullpen the bulwark of the team, it was only the pitchers Manny Acta used when the team had the lead: Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano, and Chris Perez. The rest of the relief corp struggled to keep close games close. Too often, a starter left trailing 3-1, and soon it was 6-1.

Good teams play in the top half of their league in both runs scored and ERA. Last year, the Tribe finished second last and last in those categories.

They’ve improved the hitting attack this off-season, but the pitching is still shaky to say the least. If Carrasco comes back, McAllister picks up where he left off, and Bauer shows he is as good as his reputation, the Tribe can be formidable in 2013.

However, that’s an awful lot to have to go right. And right now, it’s too many question marks.