When the defending Eastern Conference champs pulled the trigger just moments before the NBA trade deadline six weeks ago, it was hard to figure which way they were headed.
Watching the Cleveland Cavaliers always is, if only because LeBron James has so much impact on the team and every game, it’s hard to tell whether they’re coming or going. But after blowing a 17-point lead at home to the Bulls with 15 minutes left Thursday night (losing by three), suffice to say they’re going.
Sure, they’ll hold on to the fourth spot in the East, but most of that is because the Sixers didn’t find out they were pretty good until too late in the season, and the Wizards and Raptors have been too beaten up to establish any continuity.
The Cavs have been a mess all season for myriad reasons, but at least they have James to haul the garbage.
It began before the season started with Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao holding out and dropping just enough doses of cyanide into the team chemistry to prevent any sort of flow. And when they finally woke up and signed their contracts, predictably, they both got hurt.
Then after Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden and Ira Newble were dealt, with newbies Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West dressed in their finest duds and watching because all the physicals hadn’t been passed in the three-team deal, they somehow managed to beat the Washington Wizards with only eight players. Two of those players were late call-ups from the D-League never to be heard from again.
That was Feb. 22, and until Thursday night they hadn’t had their full compliment of players. Whether it was Daniel Gibson’s ankle, the aching back of Zydrunas Ilgauskas or, more recently, similar back problems for Wallace, something had always been awry.
After watching Gibson’s wide open 3-point attempt at the buzzer miss badly, obviously something still is. By the end of the game, James’ back had become an issue too – his 0-for-5 shooting in the fourth quarter and 1-for-2 free throws after 32 points in the first three quarters telling that tale.
But the most reflective moment of the game came in the final three minutes when Wallace went up for an uncontested dunk and the rim became an insurmountable obstacle. It was embarrassing. It had everything to do with why the Cavs had just one field goal the final seven minutes of the game and converted just 6-of-23 in the fourth quarter after shooting better than 53 percent left in the first three quarters.
You know that little #### light on your car that tells you the gas tank is almost empty?
It looks like it might be on for the once fierce Ben Wallace ... and maybe the Cavs.
Coach Mike Brown desperately clung to what he believes will be his rotation come playoff time, eschewing the more effective Damon Jones and Devin Brown for the obviously struggling Gibson and still uncomfortable Szczerbiak.
And for the umpteenth time, please, puhleez don’t play Wallace and Varejao together for more than a flashing minute. Just go small instead. One of them with Ilgauskas is fine. As a duo they look as unpolished as a couple of overgrown high school football players on the basketball court just for the sake of knocking people around. Besides, they certainly didn’t keep the Bulls from shooting 63 percent in the second half.
With two weeks left until the playoffs begin, the Cavs will draw the Wizards, Sixers or Raptors, have homecourt advantage and be eminently capable of beating any of them provided James is healthy. He proved that last year. But that was a team that had already established its own chemistry and pecking order – they were predicated on defense, staying close and allowing James to win games.
This year’s version has no idea. Sure, they won at Charlotte on Wednesday night despite James fouling out with just less than four minutes left in the game. It did end their six-game road losing streak, and to be fair, the game and the travel certainly took its toll down the stretch Thursday. Even the most ardent of Cavs fans – if they’re honest – know that it really wasn’t any different than many other losses this season.
They are 10-10 since that first game with Wallace, Szczerbiak and West, and showing no signs of gaining any consistency on either end of the floor. They still haven’t shown any ability to run an offense down the stretch o####ame other than the proverbial “Get out of the way and let LeBron do it.”
On one hand, they have lost five games on a last-second shot. On the other, they have won more games coming from behind in the fourth quarter than anyone in the league. James is just such an amazing talent, maybe Brown figures he’s better off just staying out of his way as a coach down the stretch of games. Nonetheless, the Celtics, Magic and even the aging Pistons, whom the Cavs upset last year to win the East, are all better than they were at this time last year.
The Cavs are not. Right now, they are James and 11 guys who look like they are concerned about crossing a busy intersection. And with just six games left, they’d better figure it out fast. The light is about to change again.
I think the close losses they've had since the trade are going to hurt their confidence a bit, but with 2 weeks plus the first playoff round to continue to get healthy, they may round back into something approaching last season's form.
This year will prove how much of a fluke it was last season when the Cavs went to the Finals. They may barely escape the first round but will not make it past the second. PRINCE JAMES will find out what a crappy team he truly has.
Don't be surprised if the PRINCE begins trade demands over the summer.
Last edited by DodgersLakersNiners4Life on April 4th at 10:44 AM.
I have been saying all season that its the injuries,the trade ,and the holdouts early in the season as bein the reasons this team has been so inconsistent...but as a big cavs fan,i cant be in denial anymore,not with how they have been playing the last month or so...even lebron lately has showed hes human...larry hughes had to go,but i didnt really like the deal when it happened,and i hate it now,with wallaces back issues...hopefully dan gilbert will hold danny ferry and mike brown accountable.
Well with king james in the game anything is possible cause of how great he is but it shows he needs more help maybe those trades were not that great wallys playing bad and wallace is horrible and the injuries ain't helping.......
KING JAMES #1 MVP
23
I wrote about this before the season began but it looks like the red carpet has been lifted up from under the Eastern Conference champion again. Don't worry Cavs fans, the same thing happened to the Pistons and Heat the past two seasons.
Rather than realize how fortunate they were to march through the L'Eastern Conference and shore up their weaknesses, those teams decided to stand pat.
Nearly everyone (aside from a few Cavalier fans) saw that last year's NBA Finals appearance was a fluke.
Cleveland has A LOT of work to do if they hope to retain the King in two years.
I'm sure Donnie Walsh will be working just as hard.
What got to me last season was how hard the Cavs worked. They were such a grind it out squad with great defense and solid rebounding. They got as far as they did based off Lebron's talent and pure effort.
From what I've seen of the Cavs lately, they seem like a different team.
I think they can get past the Pistons because Sheed and Co. seem to have a mental block when it comes to the Cavs, but there's no way they can beat the Celtics playing the way they're playing.
Ever since he got to Cleveland Lebron has led the Cavs to improvement with every season right? Looks like that streak is gonna end.
I will say this though. ANYONE who uses this season as some kind of excuse to say Lebron isn't as good as he's hyped to be oughta slap themselves.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Cav's is their potential to be swept first round or make it back to the championship...my guess is that they'll be closer to the first idea...
DodgersLakersNiners4life you are an absolute ####. I never comment on these blogs but this is one of the most idiotic statements I have heard. "fluke". There are no "flukes" you win or you lose. NO EXCUSES! Your the kind of little #### who will come up with any excuse why YOU lost. You make excuses and call it a "fluke" other than blaming it on your *^*&^ performace. Be a man ####. Your depriving a village somewhere of an ####.
I agree with T9069t...there are no flukes...you win or lose ...if them gettin to the finals last year was a fluke,then the rockies gettin to the world series was also a fluke.
Until a guy wins a chip, people feel they have license to say whatever they want about him. That is why people bash Dirk for being "soft," and if I can remind people, is why people USED TO bash KG up until this year (obviously I am not referring to all people in either case, just the detractors of both).
Lebron obviously has the skill to be huge factor on a championship team. But he cannot win it by himself (see last year's sweep). He cannot be the sole identity for this team, which he is. There are some good consistent players on the team, but he is the only one with real responsibility, and even Jordan had a Pippen (not to mention other stars). This unilateral identity obviously did not sit well with Hughes, so he had to go. But rather than bring in someone to diffuse some of Bron's attention and share responsibility (or is capable of doing so), they brought in overpaid role players they thought would make them deeper. Huge mistake.
This team lacks chemistry b/c Mike Brown runs a schoolyard offense that guys other than Lebron can get frozen out of. It varies drastically on a nightly basis. They have tons of talent, but they have not developed winning chemistry b/c they still lack a TEAM IDENTITY. If you want to stop the Cavs, just slow down Lebron. It's not a complex formula, even though sometimes Lebron is going to take you to school regardless. But that does not win chips.
Best of luck to Cleveland, I hope Lebron stays for you. But Brown needs to go and a real team (with a real PG) needs to be assembled. They got everything else.
I ripped this trade to shreds when it happened, right here on kahns blog months ago. Thing is i was right. The cav's have become the sixer's of a few years ago. One legitimate star player who is responsible for keeping the team from losing. A host of wannabee's, has beens, and never was's, all combining for not enough points, defense or overall talent. For all he wasn't Allen Iverson was the only thing the Sixer's had going, and now Lebron is living that nightmare. So Larry Hughes was highly inconsistent. When he's on he can create his own shot and also flirt with jump shooting. He's defensively not the best, but he gives you a long perimeter defender. Same thing with Drew Gooden, not a prolific scorer by any stretch of the imagination, but he was consistent at providing low post scoring and put backs. Things Big Z just can't give you minute after minute. Ben Wallace led a charmed existence in Detroit, and somehow he managed to fool people into believing that he could translate that experience into a valuable veteran low post presence. He is not. Let's all go back and remember that it was the other Wallace that made that championship happen. Lastly and this is the kicker this horrible trade now leaves the Cav's unable to make any further moves to improve this roster. Wallace's relatively new big number contract is an albatross, Joe Smith is on year one of a new deal, the flexibility they had by eschewing big offseason deals is summarily wasted on zero talent, and no future depth to speak of. oh wait that's Lebron, like i said all alone.
Last edited by SCREWFACE on April 4th at 11:30 AM.
rightly said its how far lebron can teke em this year... and second round amtch up of boston if they win first is gonna be too much for cavs... they split the season series with boston but thats not what playoffs are....beatin boston 4 outa 7 is not a joke.... as they have too many go to guys in the closing moments....and if you shut lebron then there is nothing that cavs could do...lebron might carry cavs in 1 or 2 games against boston but not 4 games unless some one like booby last year emerge for cavs this year
There was no fluke about Cleveland getting to the finals last year. The East was soft, Downy soft. They beat the teams they had to beat, but none of those teams were top 4 or 5 in the league. Detroit last year was probably the 5th or 6th best team in the league, if that.
I am curious if any Cleveland fan has an opinion on this: I don't think you can argue that the ball movement, and thus shot selection, are miserable in Cleveland (or grossly inconsistent to say the least). Does Lebron get any blame for this? The ball is always in his hands. Does anyone in CLE perceive him as selfish b/c other than a couple times a game, he seems to either be looking for his own shot or making an "assist pass" (one that leads to a bucket, not actual ball-movement)? It seems he never initiates offense or gives up the ball unless someone is wide open or he is doubled/tripled. I think guys feel like when he gives it up they have to shoot, otw Bron gets no assist and the ball strangely doesn't come back their way. I would make an analogy of Lebron to Baron Davis in this regard.
As a Cavs fan, I must admit that exept for LeBron....these guys really do suck! However it all began a few years ago, when a desperate to sign anyone, Danny Ferry blew all the cap money on a bunch of losers. Then they hired probably the WORST coach available (does Brown even have a clue?). They were lucky to have LeBron fall into their laps, but inept management and coaching has drained the team. Now the owners (Quicken Loans) are about to go belly up. So what happens? LeBron opts out (but not for NY....that place is even a worse mess) and the team goes back to being "The Cadavers". And the city focuses on Browns and Indians.
But I don't think last year was a fluke. Take away the playoffs and they have beaten the Spurs 6 out of 7. So go figure. Detroit and Boston will play for the title as they deserve and then a Western team should win. Since I do hate every Boston franchise and the Pistons have always made me sick, I'll be hoping for a Cinderalla championship for those folks in New Orleans!
I personally feel Drew Gooden was a very important part of that Cavaliers team. He never did anything to hurt that team and I have seen him absolutely kll teams on many occasions.
I remember last year saying many times I wish this guy was on our team. Since the trade hehas been horrible.
Speaks to the importance of team chemistry, which the Cavs ruined with that "blockbuster" trade.
BLEEDPRPL&GLD,
Perhaps it is time we revisit the early 80's hmmmmm? A Celtics/Lakers finals would really put a spike in the ratings don't you think.
Hoff
when I see BronBron play, it reminds me of an old espn commercial where you had David Carr behind a center and no o-line against a full d-line. the man has no help and instead of bashin him, we should be more like, Wow.
It's pretty sad and you can best believe Jay-Z is in his ear, letting him know that there is no way they would put him in that position. He's out of there, please believe. When you are a great player, and make no mistake about it, he is a great player that hasn't even reached his full potential (SCARY), there is no way you can sit around and just collect a pay check. The great ones and all fans of Kobe, MJ, Shaq, Duncan, Olajuwon...the lists goes on and on will all tell you that a career is defined by one thing and one thing only...CHAMPIONSHIPS... losing is unacceptable. Bye bye Cleveland, hell, I wish my team could get him.
BleedPPG:
Yeah I wouldn't want to be someone who had to own up to KG bashing. One of the rarest combos of talent, drive, heart, work ethic, unselfishness and loyalty. I just remember some people justifying their criticism of him b/c he never won a playoff series... LOL. So unfair, so devoid of context. Once he did and couldn't get back, people then wanted to write him off.
I feel the same way about Dirk now, but obviously that is counter to "conventional wisdom", one of the all-time misnomers (the masses I find are usually wrong). KG is obviously better and more rounded than Dirk though.
My point was really simply that people like to use the "hasn't won a chip" trump card to evaluate/condescend individual players. Sometimes it is fair, other times it is not. The correlation of great players to players who have won chips is far from 1:1, and vice versa.
Last edited by DrNeverWFU on April 4th at 12:26 PM.
Dodgers/Lakers...Quote..."Dont be surprised if the PRINCE begins trade demands over the summer"......
YOU MEAN LIKE THE KOBESTER? Kobe did demand to be traded, and then demanded others to be traded..WTF? How short of a memory you have. TOBE is the whiner here...not JAMES.
Freakin all you Laker chumps have your heads so far up Tobe's az its just not funny. Bunch of CA fa ggots.
Hey buddy
while your bashing my cavaliers
Don't forget to mention how many BACK-TO-BACKS they played this year.
Just like you mentioned they won wednesday night, guess what, last night was.. you guessed it.. another back-to-back.
We do have the most this year.
We will be back at the Eastern Conference Finals THIS year.
The Mavs are done. I mean I like Dirk and Josh Howard, Howard in particular, but the Mavs are so screwed it's not even funny. I don't even know who you can blame for the Mavs, but they're just not a legit contender anymore. Sad too, because Avery strikes me as a good guy...I wonder who he'll be coaching next year.
fryed,
You sound as angry as the loser on your avatar.
Go chomp a bowl of Evander's Earios Iron Mike.
Most of the California fa ggots are in Frisco, you know...your favorite vacation spot?
Sounds like you got your head up LeBron's #### chute. sorry...no MVP or finals for you this year.
Kobe is in the running for both...must really bug you to see him do so well.
Sneakymarc,
Mark.
Nice excuses.
Eastern Conference Finals? You wouldn't even make the playoffs in the West. Enjoy LeBrooklynbound for the next two years, after that...he's throwing up diamonds with Hova. The Calves chances left with Gooden's face jungle. He may have had a horrible barber, but he gave them the spark that they now lack. The only BACK TO BACK you'll be seeing is the Lakeshow's next dynasty run.
Have a nice LeBronniepop protien shake.
:-o::.....
CITY OF ANGELS.
Last edited by BleedPRPL&GLD on April 4th at 1:48 PM.
remember when people were trying to be happy about this #### trade? the cavs were supposed to package gooden and someone else for a legit co-star for bron? and that turned into wally and ben? how did this guy get to be a coach? he needs to play his best five: bron, z, smith and devin brown plus whichever pg sucks the least that day. varejao should play 48 minutes backing up the c and pf spots. no ben, no wally unless absolutely necessary.
I believe that the Jazz have more back to backs than the Cavs. The Jazz more because they don't play home games on Sunday (their owner believes that fans in Utah won't come out to Sunday home games).
QWXOTC
that was the dumbest trade i have seen in a while and for Ferry to keep a straight face and say he made the team better means one of two things. either he has the best poker face in the history of poker faces, or, he is the biggest doofus on this side of the Atlantic. Personnally, I'll go with the ladder.
cavs will be a threat in the playoffs no matter what as long as they have lebron, arguably the best player in the league(shut up kobe. i said arguably)
where's lazy big ben wallace at home with house shoes all he worries about is his cornrows and headband get out of the league and make room for players that want to play not collect a check!! RETIRE ALREADY
PRINCE JAMES wants to be like the BLACK MAMBA. Trying to be a perimeter shooter when it's obvious that's not his game. Be the one to hit the game-winning shot. Wasn't the PRINCE who was making demands for personnel trades earlier this season? This is the start of a trend for Lebron. Be prepared to see him play in Miami in a couple of years whereas MAMBA will win more championships with the Lakers.
Fryed, I used the trade thing to prove a point. I don't have a short term memory. I didn't blame Kobe for wanting out considering the #### of a team he had the last two seasons. Whether it was his criticism or personnel moves, the Lakers are on pace to win their 15th NBA championship and more.
As for you, Sneakymarc, it was still a fluke your Cavs went to the Finals last season. That mistake won't happen this season. They'll be destroyed by the Pistons and Celtics.
Don't get me wrong, Lebron is an outstanding player with a great future ahead of him, but he is not the BEST. All you PRINCE JAMES brownnosing jack_ofss have your heads so far up his rear that you don't see the mess you call the Cavs are in. Pray that he gets help next season or he'll leave Cleveland.
Last edited by DodgersLakersNiners4Life on April 4th at 3:20 PM.
That's because he's not the MVP most people think he is.
I guarantee you guys that right now, James is more concerned about his star-studded persona and image than he is about leading his team to a title.
Lebron doesn't believe that his current teammates are the ones that will help him win a title. That's why he kept saying "Jason Kidd this, Jason Kidd that."
His play is reflective of this. All he wants to do is pad his stats, when what he should be doing is leading his team from the defensive standpoint like Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett do for their respective teams.
IN fact, Lebron is fifth place in my MVP ballot behind the Kobester, CP3, T-Dizzle, and KGeezy.
J-Dizzle
in you honest opinion, do you think Kobe could win with the same #### that Lebron plays with. and please, don't speak from a fan of Kobe, speak with a unbiased eye.
the fluke people refer to isn't the number of games they played, it's the teams lebron had to play.
an unlikely chance occurrence: both caron and arenas out for the wizards (given that even without their 2 best players the wizards were still able to keep the games close shows how lucky lebron was)
factor that into the ridiculousness of the east's quality level compared to the west, and it was a shoo in to the finals for lebron. however, i do give credit for lebron AND THE CAVS (not just lebron) for taking down the pistons (although i personally don't think the pistons aren't that great of a team compared to the real powerhouses in the nba. look at what happened to lebron when he met REAL adversity in the finals)
I get really upset when I hear MVP talk for Lebron James.
Lebron plays in the soft eastern conference so his numbers are high
If you look at the standings closely... his team is 10TH in the western conference and nothing guarantees that if his team was in the western conference he would even be in the top ten cause portland is a pretty darn good team.
At the same time I think he avoids big time shots when things get hard, but puts a noble cause on it acting that he is unselfish and is just passing the ball to his teammates... and in the end he is still demanding better players like Kobe when those players miss those shots (which can be debatable...)
If all that is so... why should he even be considered an MVP? I still question his leadership on his own team, his dominance in the eastern conference, and better yet his dominance in the rest of the league... Lebron's stats look good but they're just empty numbers to me...
Last edited by canadianmoose66 on April 4th at 4:26 PM.
Assian85
You're just another ####. Last season, the Cavs went on an unlikely run to the Finals. Sounds like a FLUKE to me. I don't recall them being one of the favorites to reach the Finals last season. What happened last season, cannot be disputed. But for a team with one standout and a load of #### for talent to go to the Finals, it's by definition a FLUKE. Accept the FLUKE, Cavs fans.
Last edited by DodgersLakersNiners4Life on April 4th at 4:30 PM.
none of the cleveland teams get any respect(like rodney dangerfield) so it is no surprise to read this jerks comments-he will be eating crow soon-when all the players are healthy such as wallace and booby they will be just fine
RAMOGRIFF: In my honest unhomeristic opinion, I believe if Kobe had the supporting cast that Lebron has right now, the Lakers would make the playoffs as a seventh or eighth seed in the West. While Lebron's current team doesn't even make it in the West.
Why?
Because Kobe's killer instinct (that Lebron himself has gone on record as saying he doesn't yet possess) is not only infectious but may also be responsible for winning a few games a year all by himself.
Kobe's work ethic rubs off on his teammates. Hence the improved play of Farmar, Vujacic, Turiaf, and Bynum this year.
But one reason that Lebron also suffers (and why it's difficult to put it all on James) is that Mike Brown, I believe, is not the right coach for Lebron.
Brown is used to a center-centric system (San Antonio) that preaches team defense above all else. Lebron is not that type of player.
And this is another reason why Kobe could fit in with a Mike Brown type of system. Because Kobe is a defensive force and his vast knowledge of the game would complement what Brown had to offer, even if Kobe's not a center. Kobe flourished in the triangle with and without Shaq.
That means Kobe is a player who knows how to adjust. That comes from an immense knowledge of the game itself and the opponents you play against. Lebron doesn't STUDY THE GAME the way Kobe does. That's the bottom line.
Lebron is not there yet. He's got a long way to go.
Right now, Lebron is Dominique Wilkins to Kobe's Jordan.
I posed a question earlier about if Kobe could have done better than Bron with that suck #### team he has. I would like to hear that opinion from Canada and DodgersLakers. Personnally, i think KB is the man but truth be told, if they switched teammates, I would guarantee you it would be the other way around and by the way, Bron has won quite a few games this year on last second shots. he had about 3 in a 10 day peeriod earlier in the year. if you prefer Kobe, and at this time, I do as well, then thats fine. But, you can't honestly take away from what will probably be this generations greatest player.
why are we always talking about potential and highlighting the FEW THINGS Lebron has done and bashing kobe and highlighting the FEW THINGS he can't do?
They want us to talk about the beast of the east vs. the beast of the west... LeBron vs. Kobe... fine then lets look at it...
1) Now just look at the teams involved in the east and the teams involved in the west
2) Now look at where the Cavs are ranked in the east: 4th
3) Now look at where the Laker are ranked in the west: 3rd
If LeBron was really that close to Kobe in ability he should be 1st in the east, putting up triple doubles up almost every night ("like Magic" as they claim he's most like...), and dominating the rest of the league in wins like the Celtics (due to the soft schedule)
So lets talks less about LeBron and give more credit to Kobe... or even Garnett for all I care cause they do have the best record overall....
ramogriff
If Kobe and Lebron were to switch last season's teams, Kobe would lead the Cavs to the Finals for the reason that he's in the East. Fluke? Very likely. Now, if it's this season, I think Lebron would have the edge with the Lakers but as a lower seeded West team. Kobe will still manage to get the Cavs to the playoffs and beyond because of the weak East.
There is something about Kobe that is not in Lebron. Jerry West, who has said he likes watching Lebron play, saw something in Kobe that he traded for him 12 years ago. That something is not necessarly basketball IQ. It's the intangibles he has that makes him the most dangerous player. Lebron will have his time, but at present time, Kobe is the MAN.
Last edited by DodgersLakersNiners4Life on April 4th at 5:01 PM.
DodgersLakers
there is no doubt that Kobe is the man, but everyone needs to realize that at this point in time, Kobe is almost 30. Bron is a fresh 23. that counts for something. No, he doesn't have that killer mentallity but it will come.
You, the media and fans, can hype all you can about LeBron James. He is still a Tracy McGrady -- very good but still an non-achiever. He nbot even in the ranks of Charles Barkey, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone -- because he hasn't proven himself over time. Cut the hype and just watch your aspiring King James.
