The Ohio LeBlog

Cavs Pre-Game Thoughts

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 23:35:37 GMT

Below are some solid words from masug24, who is leaving for his first Cavs game of the season in a little bit. Thanks man for helping the struggling LeBlog stay afloat. I appreciate and anyone who wants to contribute is more than willing. Send me what you got..reviews, insights, random crap, whatever.

Like the Cavs motto, all for one.

~~~~~~~~~
I've been waiting all spring, summer and fall for the NBA season to tip off and now that it's here, I'm back in Cavs mode. I watch all three LeBron commercials almost every day, read every word that the great Brian Windhorst writes and even scour the Cavaliers message board to see what morons most Cavs fans are. I remember watching the Cavs at the beginning of last year, thinking to myself, "These guys are definitely playoff contenders." After 7 games this year, I find myself wondering whether we are championship contenders. Well, the jury is still out... I see signs of hope and I see signs of another also-ran.

Sign of Hope #1 - LeReal Answer, LeBrizzle, LeSavior, LeGod
Every single game LeBron James does something that makes my jaw drop. After he dunked over Tim Duncan, he got this look in his eye that said to me that he knows how unstoppable he is. When he stared down Paul Pierce before the and-1 that turned that ugly game around, he had that same look in his eye. Needless to say, at times he plays like he is possessed and if he can stretch that into June, schedule the parade.

Sign of Also-Ran #1 - LeCan't make a free throw
LeBron has two glaring problems that could spell demise. First, leaders of championship teams do not shoot 70% from the free throw line, especially when they lead the league in trips to the line. No further discussion needed, just make your damn free throws. Second, I know he's trying to get better on defense and I see the improvement, but he's not there yet. Already, I've seen LeBron lose his man on defense multiple times every game. I want to see that same look in his eye when he's staring down the other team's scoring threat and I just don't see it right now.

Sign of Hope #2 - Supporting Cast
On any given night, one of LeBron's supporting cast plays possessed. You saw it in Drew Gooden throughout the preseason and the first few games of the year. You've seen it in Sasha Pavlovich, who thankfully has taken all of David Wesley's minutes. You even saw it in Amon Jones of all people... I mean that game against the Knicks was insane. If we could just convince Amon that he's playing in MSG every night or heck, if he could pull out one performance like that every couple weeks, I think he'll finally prove that his contract is worth it. Not to mention, you just know that Donyell and Varejao are due to light it up here in the near future.

Sign of Also-Ran #2 - Non-Supporting Cast
I have always been an Eric Snow supporter. I understand what he brings to this team in terms of leadership and in the locker room. I saw what he brought in the playoffs. But I also see him getting schooled JCC style by every point guard he has faced. I also see him missing layups and wide open 12 foot jumpers. I know Dan Gibson and Shannon Brown aren't ready yet, but could they be any worse than Eric Snow? He is officially a liability out there... put him in a suit and give him a damn clipboard. Shannon had some jitters when he first got out there (reminded me a little bit of Luke scurrying around the court like he had no business), but I think he'll be a contributor down the road. Oh, and please, someone light a fire under Z's ass. Don't give me the line about adjusting to the motion offense, he just can't put the ball in the hoop when he needs to. Let's hope his minutes stay down this year and he comes to play come playoff time.

Sign of Hope #3 - Confidence under pressure
Despite not being able to hold a lead, we have already pulled out some close games, and not entirely thanks to LeBron. I think we've seen some inspired play down the stretch of certain game and getting used to these types of games will pay off down the road.

Sign of Also-Ran #3 - Playing down to opponents.
In the words of Jimmy from South Park, "Come on, I mean reallyguys, come on." The Hawks?!?! The Bobcats?!?! The Celtics?!?!?! The Knicks?!?!?! These teams are all but dreaming of Greg Oden and Joakim Noah two weeks into the season and we've either lost, given up a big lead and just played down to the level of every one of these teams. I'm writing this before I go watch LeBron hopefully tear up the Jailblazers, but if Dan Dickau and DMiles light it up, I will be livid. This team has shown that we can beat the best at home or in hostile territory. How about showing up to play against teams who have no business being on the same court as the Cavs.

I could go on for pages, but for now... I'm off to see the Cavs light up the Blazers like... well you know.

F MICHIGAN

Much Love

Wed, 15 Nov 2006 04:46:39 GMT

So the Cavs are playing better and it's OSU vs Michigan week so that is always exciting. Life is ok unless of course this weekend doesn't turn out alright.

But I actually want to bring up a point that was recently made in the comments below. Basically, what has happened to this blog? It's a great question and it has a lot of truth to it. I think the fact I am now updating this blog after almost a week at 11:45pm tells the story. I would love to keep this thing more updated, but I am realizing that just isn't possible.

But the thing is..I really have no reason or desire to shut it down. I mean it's still an outlet for me to ramble & rage at times so that's good enough for me. So for anyone new or for the old lebloggers crew, you can get a pretty good fill of CLE sports or Buckeye Football in any of the blogs listed to the right. I will do my best to keep this thing updated when I can, but just know the love is always there.

A Cavalier for life..

Well, Well

Fri, 10 Nov 2006 03:51:09 GMT

now that was one hell of a victory. team effort all around with Drew freakin Gooden leading the way. This is good stuff. Andy was huge, Bron actually made almost all his free throws, Donyell was hittin his shots, Damon even made a few, and hell Shannon Brown got in the game. Even though it's only one win, I am feeling a ton better about our team and our new offense now.

One note here. Poor Z is really not fittin in with this new offense. He played less mins than everyone except Shannon Brown (who played for the first time tonight) and David Wesley (who really just sucks). Marv Albert mentioned how Z might have to hang tight while we get this offense tweaked and I think the cross-dressing fanatic might be right. I don't see Z playing a lot of mins for some time. Makes me happy we spent so much freakin money on Z, Damon, and Donyell.

And I apparently wasn't checking ESPiN in the past few days, because I was totally unaware of this Bron walking off the court issue. I mean by the sounds of it, this was quite the ordeal. If you ask me I'd say who the hell cares. It was nice to see Steve Kerr joking how Bron should be kicked out of the league. Glad to see someone still has some common sense.

Anyways, Cavs fever is back baby.

Freakin Pathetic

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 03:48:24 GMT

so I hope I am not the one to point this out but you guys (I mean you Cavaliers) haven't proved anything yet. You are not automatically the Eastern Conference Champs so that means you can't just stop trying or caring now. Freakin A.

The game tonight was kinda pathetic. We get a good run to end the 4th then blow it then freakin back off and let Tyronn Lue get a layup to send it to OT. A layup..I mean at least make him take a shot. It was pretty painful to watch. And OT..well, we didn't even show up to play. Argh.

I am not happy. This is the second loss in a row in which it looked like we just didn't give a crap. I hope our attitude changes fast cause we are going nowhere with this mentality.

Chicago ain't gonna be easy so good luck guys.

Umm..what the hell was that

Sun, 05 Nov 2006 18:51:50 GMT

Did a wild mustache just tame the King..

So the season started off really well vs the Wiz. well actually..the game was just good enough..how bout that. Game 1 wasn't pretty but we won and you have to expect the season opener to be mechanically unpretty. L. Boogie was on fire, Gooden was amazing, and Bron was Bron. Things were gettin off on the right foot. Game 2..well that made me realize how much I missed the Cavs in the off-season. I was ready for them to take it to the best and we did just that. That was one of the prettiest games from start to finish that I have seen in a long, long time. The posterizing of Duncan and career-highlight layup to end the first half were just some of the many reasons to believe LeBron was actually going to improve his game once again this season. But then last night..

(Sorry to recap the first two games now, but I have been sick all week)

Game 3 was going strong for a while. Built a nice 12-point lead, but then nonsense kicked in. It was just as though we just lost interest. Granted LeBron was off all night, but this was the Bobcats so u have to figure others could step up and keep this one in the bag. Well, as many of you saw last night or in the scoreboard this am, we sucked bad towards the end. LeBron couldn't do a thing and many are saying it was quite possibly his worst game in a Cavs uniform. It was nasty as Brian Windhorst took notice and was freakin pissed.

So with that the momentum was destroyed. I know it's the beginning of the season, but this is not how a potential Eastern Conf champ plays. I still very much believe, but want to see our boys step it up and play the lesser teams with as much heart as the big dogs. So if this weekend any indication, it's going to be a long season. We need to take that next step and I am sure Mike Brown will be making quite the speech before we meet ATL on Tuesday.

But on a brighter note, the ladies of the blog are back, but this time doing what they only know how to do...dress in skimpy clothing. That's right folks, whether you want to believe it or not, the biggest seller in the Cavs team shop is back for the 06-07 season. The swimsuit calendar features all your favorite bloggers: Bethany, Rhema, and Suzanne to name a few.

So yea..that's great news.

Daily Show Love

Tue, 31 Oct 2006 21:04:23 GMT

For those who are unaware, The Daily Show is filming in Ohio this week for some Midterm Midtacular Madness. Ohio has been quite the controversial state in the past few elections and Jon Stewart is looking to analyze what exactly is going on in this great state. The show last night was filmed on tOSU campus and included some wonderful OH-IO cheers. But the odd part was the special guest wasn't an Ohio politician, but rather King James.

I have to admit I was skeptical about this interview given Stewart's demeanor, but it actually wasn't too bad. LeBron did say he would be at Ohio State if he were in college right now, which made the crowd extremely happy. He also tore up Jon in a little game of scissors, rocks, paper. Not bad..

So since YouTube is no longer the place for all things illegal, you have to head over to Comedy Central to view the clip. Go here and choose segment 3 on 10/30 for Mr. LeBron.

Tonight's episode is live from Akron...

Kickin it 80's style

Mon, 30 Oct 2006 18:37:23 GMT

Brian Windhorst is known for delivering all things Cavs basketball and never seems to disappoint. But now, when not talking about stratosphere's, Brian is dishing some amazing info on our boy Drew G. Check below in that article under Dribbles..rather let me just post this.

"NBA players routinely pay big money for watches, but not the one Drew Gooden is now sporting. Gooden is on a big 1980s kick, a current fad in his hometown of Oakland. The Cavs forward recently plunked down $300 on eBay to get a vintage Casio calculator watch.

He's growing a square patch of hair in the back of his otherwise shaved head, which he calls a ``ducktail,'' another '80s look. His left eyebrow also has two lines shaved into it, another forgotten trend from the time of the Reagan Administration.

Gooden, however, was a little upset he had to get into a bidding war for the watch. Apparently he's run into another trend, as fans of NBC's The Office are in the market because one is sported by favorite nerdy character Dwight Schrute.

``It was me and another guy and we were bidding back and forth and it kept going up and up,'' Gooden said. ``I was lucky I got it.''

No word yet on his bid for retro leg warmers."

So we got the slickest player (ever), the best head of hair, and now apparently the hippest player in the Association. Damn man..the Cavs are big time.

UPDATE: So I decided to look around on eBay for the watch. So given you can only look up completed auctions that are up to 3 weeks old, if Brian is correct that Drew "recently" bought this, then here is your watch (you need to have an eBay account to view). If he bought it more than 3 weeks ago, then be on the look out for a guy with a square patch on the back of his head and then run up to him and demand Casio satisfaction.

Brilliant

Fri, 27 Oct 2006 15:07:32 GMT

Top of the morning. I just came across this solid little parody from back in the day featuring some former Cavalier stars. It's brought to you by CarlosLoozer.com, which I was surprised to see is alive and definitely kicking. Enjoy:

Also, there is a new MP3 player out which is in the shape of a little collegiate helmet. Only problem is when you visit the website, tOSU isn't an option. Now, that seemed absurd given the teams on there so I emailed the dude. He mentioned Thee OSU was not down with the idea and they are hoping to gather fan support to send along to the university. I am not sure if we can make a difference or if anyone wants one of these, but I wouldn't mind walking down the street and seeing a Buckeye helmet attached to someone's pocket.

Finally, check the first picture in the Photo Gallery on the Cavs.com. hard core..

Buckeye Movement

Wed, 25 Oct 2006 15:54:13 GMT

thanks to a few buddies (paulev7 & markymark428) who forwarded along two very interesting articles this AM.

First, Jim Tressel addresses the chances of him coaching in the NFL. This has been tossed for years but we never really took it seriously. But in the article, Mr. Sweater Vest actually didn't rule out the possibility of moving to the awful Pro level. So yea you would think that would piss off most Buckeyes, but actually his response was anything but. The Plain Dealer (the other CLE Sports source) cited a source close to Ohio State that the Browns might be the only NFL job that would interest Tressel. Huh.

Now, this is interesting. While it would be awful for Tressel to leave tOSU, I think I might be ok with this. The Browns are obviously in some pain and fans are really upset. But I think Tresselball might actually translate pretty well into the Pro's. (FYI..I am by no means a Pro Football expert or fan for that rather, so if someone would like to comment or analyze this move, please drop me a line or just comment). Anyways, Tressel is building himself quite the legacy at Ohio State and maybe if we steamroll everyone else this year it might be time for him to go. Very interesting topic.

Ok the next article involved another Buckeye who is lookin for some Heisman love. And no I am not talking about Troy or Teddy (or even Tony for that matter), but this is indeed someone from the great city of Akron looking for some 2007 Heisman hardware. In this article, Antonio Pittman is pretty serious about this for next season, which means he will be back (and hopefully will run to the right). Antonio is def improving by the game and with some big names gone next year, the kid might have a shot. After reading this article I learned that if Pittman stays for his senior year and stays on his current rushing pace, he would need only 693 yards to surpass Eddie George (3,668) and be second behind Griffin (5,589). Damn.

But what article from an Akronite would be complete without some stellar quotes:

About his time at tOSU, Antonio had this to say, "Positive,becausethere’s a lot of things I haven’t accomplished here," he said, "like honestly, I want to win a Heisman Trophy. That’s the ultimate goal, bring one to Akron."

"Everybody back home knows," Pittman said. "I said it right in front of Buchtel High School, I said, ‘That’s where I’m going to put my trophy, right in the middle of this high school."

Amen brother. What I wouldn't give to see him throw up the Akron sign before they hand him the Heisman trophy.

Ok enough already

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:59:35 GMT

Can we seriously just get this season underway...

I love reading about us cutting Stephen Graham and all, but I don't think CLE fans can wait another day for some taste of accomplishment. The Browns have hit all-time rock bottom and I just read our Offensive Coordinator quit on his own. Simply awful. The Tribe are long gone and it's very hard to be optimistic about next year. We need something to hold on to. And that's why next Wed couldn't come any sooner. LeBron is ready and knows his role is more important than ever. People are ready for victory (not saying championship), but looking for some positive CLE Sports momentum.

So let's see what else. Browns suck..check. World Series is meaningless..check. It's cold out..check. Ok then. Nov 1 it is..

..2..