Stuck without a center, but the timing is right

Last night came the news that many of us expected/feared... the Shaq thumb injury is indeed a serious one and surgery will be required. The big man will be shelved for the next 6-8 weeks, effectively ending his regular season. On the heels of losing Z in order to obtain Antawn Jamison, the Cavs are now stuck without a true center on their roster. And given the current slim one-game lead over the Lakers for overall homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs, this is probably a good time to panic, right? Maybe not...

As far as the schedule goes, this actually happened at a decent place. Not that I'm thrilled about losing Shaq or the prospect of him being out of action for so long, but the Cavs have reached a point in their schedule where they can afford an injury or two. After the extremely tough stretch of Denver/@Charlotte/@Orlando/New Orleans/@Boston/@Toronto (that's 6 games in 9 days, all against playoff-caliber teams), things lighten up a bit now over the next month. March (can you believe it's already March???) features 15 games, only 6 of which are against teams currently at or above .500.

Now is the time when Danny Ferry's construction of such a deep roster may truly pay off. Anderson Varejao obviously slides into the starting center role for the time being (at least until Z returns on or around March 22). Until then we can expect a big-man rotation of Andy, Jamison, Hickson, and Powe. And depending on matchups, LeBron will surely be playing some minutes at the 4 spot. A week ago I would have been shocked to think that Leon Powe would actually be playing meaningful minutes at this point, but I'm encouraged by what I've seen so far in his limited minutes. And it's nice to see JJ will not be buried on the bench again - his performance in Boston should have all but guaranteed that. Funny that no too long ago I heard some fans complaining about us having too many big men on the roster... I'm not hearing those same complaints now.

Injuries are a part of life in the NBA and we should all be thankful we have a GM that has constructed a team that is built to withstand them. We saw it earlier when Mo and Delonte were down for a while and Boobie stepped up. Now is the time for others to make it tougher on Mike Brown to decide on his playoff rotation. And remember, Shaq was obtained to outmuscle Dwight Howard and the Laker big men deep in the playoffs. The Eastern Conference Finals are still roughly 11 weeks away. Take your time big fella... just stay away from the buffet.

Free agency is about to begin

Here we stand, about 13 hours before NBA free agency is set to begin. This could turn out to be one of the most important nights in Cavalier history, if they decide to go all in right now. The first big development came yesterday when the Bucks declined to give Charlie Villanueva a qualifying offer. So he now becomes an unrestricted free agent, which means he's free to sign wherever he wants. According to Brian Windhorst, he's now firmly in the Cavs' sights.

But Villanueva isn't the only option out there. With the news yesterday about Yao Ming's cloudy future in the NBA (he honestly may never play again, and it certainly looks like he'll miss the entire upcoming season at the very least), Ron Artest may also be available. We already know about Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess. Joe Smith is floating out there. And Portland's Channing Frye also just became an unrestricted free agent. And I'm still hoping for some development with Josh Childress's situation.

It should be a long night following the action tonight, but hopefully a memorable one. Looking forward to updating this space tomorrow with a glowing report of the next piece(s) to our championship puzzle. Go Danny Ferry. Go Dan Gilbert. Go Mo Williams, with your recruiting on Twitter. And go Cavs!

Back from the dead

OK, it was a nice hiatus from Blogland... after the Cavs' season was cut short I couldn't bring myself back here for a while. Just an utterly disappointing end to an otherwise outstanding season. In all honesty, it was quite satisfying to see the Magic get dominated by the Lakers in the Finals... but at the same time bittersweet because I hate Kobe Bryant and it left me wondering why all those shots by the Magic were falling against us. Oh well, as we know in Cleveland THERE'S ALWAYS NEXT YEAR (goddamn I hate saying that after every season).

And next year officially started today with the successful trade for Shaquille O'Neal a.k.a. 'The Big Cuyahoga', 'Witness Protection Program', 'The Shaqalier' or whatever new nickname he settles upon. The Cavs got him for Big Ben, Sasha, their second round pick, and $500K. So we basically gave up nothing, instantly got better in an area where we needed to improve, and we still maintain our cap flexibility for next offseason. I'd say Danny Ferry hit another home run. And he resisted Phoenix's insistence on including Delonte, J.J., or a first rounder. Well done.

The pre-game festivities should be monumental starting this fall

Now, I just finally got the hang of this Twitter thing and I read this today from our beloved Brian Windhorst:

Cavs aren't done. They may still look to move up tonight and next week they will be active in free agency. More coming, D.Gilbert spending

Thank you Dan Gilbert. Thank you Cavs. Without you we'd be forced to have to watch the Tribe and their worst bullpen ever for the rest of the summer. On a side note, I was able to head up to Chicago over the weekend and watch the bullpen implode in the friendly confines of Wrigley. Just a great ballpark and a great city. Here's a picture of my better half and I... of course licensed for sale on www.cubs.com/fanfoto, hence the big "Proof" smeared across the image. Better pics to come when I stop being lazy about pulling them off my camera...

Time to give thanks

I have a lot of things to be thankful for in my life right now... my wife, my family and friends, my health, my job, my home, just to name a few. But there are also things in Cleveland sports that I'm truly thankful for. And not surprisingly, none of them have to do with the Browns. Here's a quick list on this day before Thanksgiving:

• LeBron James - I've been thankful for LBJ for quite some time now. He is truly a one-in-a-generation athlete and we have him here for this season and next season at the very least. Don't forget that Cleveland, despite whatever you read, see, or hear anywhere else.
• Mo Williams - How great is it to finally have someone on the Cavaliers that can initiate his own offense independently from LeBron? Mo is taking this offense to another level.
• Delonte West - His hideous occasional cornrows aside, what Delonte is doing this year at the starting 2 guard spot is nothing short of brilliant. I love his game.
• A healthy Ben Wallace. Enough said right there. He is an animal.
• Zydrunas Ilgauskas - Basically for just being Z. He is a model of consistency and professionalism. Is he the perfect player? Of course not. But he's pretty damn good at what he does and he is so dependable. Many people forget this is the same player that missed almost three full seasons due to various foot injuries/surgeries/rehab.
• Mike Brown - In a town where it is always fashionable to dislike the head coach/manager, Mike Brown is bucking the trend. He is a players' coach that values defense first and has done quite a job in his first pro gig. A .600 winning percentage is nothing to sneeze at. And it will only get better this season.
• Dan Gilbert - Finally an owner that seems to care about winning as much as us fans. He is willing to do whatever it takes to keep LBJ in a wine and gold uniform and win multiple championships. We are blessed that Mr. Gilbert came along when he did.
• Danny Ferry - Always the hard worker in his playing days, he seems to be putting even more effort into his GM duties. He is methodical and calculating, but also not afraid to make a big splash. I'm very curious to see where the Szczerbiak expiring contract takes us this season.
• Cliff Lee - For the hell of a season turned out by the lefty. Winning the AL Cy Young was just icing on the cake in Cliff's turnaround year. I'm excited to see what he can do as the ace of this staff next year. And if you would have told me last Thanksgiving that I'd be thankful for Lee this year I would have said you were nuts. Bravo Cliff.
• Grady Sizemore - For playing every game like it's his last. There are quite a few athletes on a certain team headquartered in Berea that could take notes on the way Grady leaves it all on the field in every game.

You may have noticed that a certain team dominated the above list. They are currently plowing their way through the Eastern Conference and only seem to be getting better with each game. With their 119-101 dismantling (highlights) of the Knicks last night in New York the Cavaliers improved to 11-3 on the season. And the score wasn't nearly as close as that. The Cavs were up by more than 30 at one point, while the Knicks continued to make a mockery of the game of basketball. Why in the world LeBron would ever consider playing for that joke of a franchise is completely beyond me. But New Yorkers seem to eat it up so whatever. I'll just continue listening to Brian Windhorst on the subject:

Tonight he ruled nothing out and told the Knicks fans "to have an open mind." There is no doubt a basis for all this hype, LeBron has been thinking about his options. One of them is surely to play in New York in the future. But right now -- and everything can and maybe will change -- the needle is firmly pointed toward staying home no matter what anyone says.

I enjoyed this sign in the Garden last night

Of course this saga will continue for another 20 months until a merciful end to all the speculation in July 2010. Until then I'll choose to enjoy LeBron and the Cavs working their way towards a goal that seems to be more attainable than ever for this franchise - an NBA title.

Browns Update: A fitting end to the 2008 Browns season, even with five games remaining. Go Cavs.

Mo to face former mates

The Cavaliers return to the hardwood at the Q tonight to take on the Milwaukee Bucks at 7:00pm. The good news? They won't be facing the guy who seemed to single-handedly destroy them last year. In losing three of four to the Bucks last year, the Cavs watched Mo Williams run wild on them. He averaged 28.7 points on 58% shooting from the field in those three Milwaukee wins. Those performances likely had at least a little bit to do with Danny Ferry orchestrating the trade this summer that put Mo in a wine and gold uniform. So how does he feel about facing his former teammates tonight?

"It's just another game for us. We take it one game at a time. I don't have any bitter feelings against Milwaukee. All my memories there are great. The organization has been nothing but great to me. I have a lot of friends still there. I have a lot of respect for the organization. They gave me my contract. Never bite the hand that feeds you."

As you would expect, the same standard cliches we usually hear from athletes. I'm sure deep down Mo will be giving a little extra out there on the court tonight. And he should try to stick it to his former team and show them what they are missing. This is another Central division game at home that is important for the Cavs to take. Any extra motivation to win a game like this should be welcomed and encouraged. Time to extend the winning streak to five tonight...

We should all be happy that Mo is playing with LeBron tonight

In other Cavs news, it appears Antonio McDyess won't be coming to Cleveland. But not because the Cavaliers wouldn't love to have him, just that he seems set on returning to the Pistons. Both Bob Finnan and George Thomas report today that him joining any other team besides the Pistons is highly unlikely. And that's a shame because as I stated in an earlier entry, I really think the Iverson trade (and more importantly, losing Chauncey Billups) will ultimately be a bad thing for Detroit. If McDyess truly wants to win a ring this year I think either the Cavaliers or Boston (ugh, I hate to even think about that) are his best options. And in joining the Cavs he would have a chance to be with friend and former teammate in Detroit Ben Wallace, not to mention that the Cavs still have nearly their full mid-level exception to pay. I guess we'll have to wait and see how it pans out but I'd love to see him give the Cavs a shot and take on the Joe Smith role here. (And yes, it's easy for me to spend Dan Gilbert's money for him!)

And finally, LeBron James was named Eastern Conference player of the week again. This is already the 14th time in the King's career he has received that honor. And for some strange reason I have a feeling it won't be the last...

K2 out & Cavs season fast approaching

First order of business today - Kellen Winslow was suspended for one game by the Browns yesterday. He will miss the Jacksonville game on Sunday and isn't allowed to re-join the team until Monday. While the suspension is completely justified, I'm actually quite surprised that the Browns did it. This seems a little out of character for them and illustrates just how upset Phil Savage must have been after the reported 'heated exchange' he had with K2 outside of the Browns locker room after Sunday's loss to the Redskins. Here are pieces of what Savage had to say yesterday:

"The Cleveland Browns are committed to winning and taking care of our players. We are also committed to protecting the privacy of our players, particularly with regard to medical issues. To that end, following discussions with Kellen Winslow and his representation, the Browns agreed to make every effort to maintain the confidentiality of his recent medical condition."

"Kellen has expressed his desire to be a productive member of the Cleveland Browns. His comments and behavior on Sunday evening, however, were unwarranted, inappropriate, and unnecessarily disparaging to our organization. His statements brought unjustified negative attention to our organization, and violated the team-first concept of our football squad. Therefore, disciplinary action will be taken in the form of a one-game suspension without pay for conduct detrimental to the club."

And part of Winslow's response:

"I remain loyal to the Browns organization, my teammates, the fans and the city of Cleveland. I remain a hard worker on and off the field in support of my teammates and our goal to have a winning season. I hope to be a Brown for a very long time. I know that the organization and I can move forward and focus on having a successful season, which I believe everybody agrees upon."

I don't envy Phil Savage's job at all. He has been trying to rid this franchise of its downtrodden image ever since he arrived in Cleveland. Now he has this mess to deal with on two levels. The first is figuring out what to do with Winslow. And the second is convincing the players that they are safe from staph infections.

I can go either way with Winslow. On the one hand, I'm a huge fan of the guy's passion and heart. Many people still tend to villanize him for his 'soldja' comments he made years ago. Or his boneheaded decision to recklessly ride his motorcycle which obviously led to some very serious injuries and directly hurt his career. But I look at what he went through to get back onto the field and then how he performed last season when he clearly was not 100% physically. He is a warrior on the field and he wants to win as much as anyone in the NFL. But on the other hand, he needs to realize that the team is bigger than just him. He cannot put Savage or the organization in this position and think there will be no consequences. I'm glad Savage stepped in and acted swiftly, but I wonder where this leads regarding Winslow's future with the Browns. I guess time will tell.

And as far as the staph infection thing goes, I don't know how you handle that one. It really sounds like the Browns have done everything they can to find the source of the problem. And I work for the Cleveland Clinic, so I'm not even gonna touch that one. But I do see other guys in other organizations go through this too (Tom Brady anyone?) so who knows where this is really coming from. I'm definitely not scientifically qualified to speculate, but I would be concerned if I was a player on the Browns or any other NFL team for that matter.

Cavs Update: Only six days away now. The Cavs collected their second win of the preseason last night in Philadelphia with a 91-83 win over the Sixers. LeBron led the way with 20 points in 25 minutes, as all of the starters' playing time increased in preparation for the regular season. Boobie Gibson also chipped in 17 off the bench with a nice 6-of-9 shooting night, including 3-of-5 from long range.

Mo also added 13 for the wine and gold

The Cavs will head to Detroit tonight to take on the Pistons in their second-to-last preseason game and this one will finally be on Fox Sports Ohio. And speaking of Fox Sports Ohio, there were some excellent Cavs-related programs on last night, particularly 'Cavs Spotlight: Joe Tait' and 'Cavs Spotlight: Daniel Gilbert'. Here is the broadcast schedule that show's all the dates and times they will be re-run. Excellent viewing to get you ready for the season.

Happy to have a night off

I'm happy the Tribe played a day game yesterday. I'm even happier they have the night off tonight. My wife and I had to catch up on five episodes of "Lost" we missed during the end of the NBA season and the playoffs. And our DVR has been at about 99% capacity for the last week. So we got in three episodes last night and will probably get the other two tonight. That has to be more entertaining than watching the '08 Indians invent new ways to lose every game.

Yesterday's loss was really a backbreaker in a couple ways. First, the Tribe is now 5.5 games behind the White Sox, instead of 3.5 had they won. But more crushing was how they lost this game. They took an early 2-0 lead in the first, of course still leaving runs on the board when they couldn't score again with no outs and men on first and third (shaking my head as I type this). Then after falling behind 3-2, Jhonny Peralta hit a big HR to put the Tribe back on top 5-3 in the sixth. In comes Rafael Betancourt in the top of the 7th to promptly give up the lead and the game.

More of the same at the Prog on Wednesday afternoon

Betancourt, who was so dependable last year, is now sporting an ERA of 5.56. And Eric Wedge is not happy about his performance yesterday. Even more troubling to me is the fact that the Tribe has now not scored a run in the 7th inning or later in 10 straight games. Just stop and think about that for a second and it becomes clear why they are 2-8 in those ten games. They get back on the horse tomorrow night in Kansas City and it looks like Pronk will give it a go with his bum shoulder, even if he is afraid of needles. Personally, I'd rather see him go on the DL and get himself straightened out. It's not like we'd miss his hitting (or lack thereof).

Cavs Update:
Terry Pluto has put together a fictional conversation between Danny Ferry, Dan Gilbert and Mike Brown that is mildly entertaining. This obviously will be a huge off-season for the wine and gold and the clamoring has already started to put Michael Redd in a Cavalier uniform. It will be interesting to see what Mr. Ferry can pull off this summer with all these expiring contracts (Wally Szczerbiak $13M, Eric Snow $7.3M, Joe Smith $4.8M, Damon Jones $4.4M, not to mention Andy Varejao's one year left with a player option in 09-10, Sasha Pavlovic's non-guaranteed contract after this year, and deciding what to do with Boobie Gibson and Delonte West). It should be an interesting summer.

Browns Update:
I caught an interesting interview with Phil Savage on the drive home from work yesterday. Every time I hear this guy talk I like him more. Check it out if you haven't heard this two-part interview from WKNR: part one & part two.

Bats missing again in the Second City

After taking Monday off to grieve for the Cavaliers and hopefully regroup for an Indian Summer, I was excited to watch the Tribe last night in Chicago. Then late in the work day yesterday, my buddy Nicko reminded me that we have only two guys in our entire lineup hitting over .241. Yikes.

So it was more of the same for the anemic offense last night. CC pitched 7 solid innings, giving up two runs on two solo homers (or course one by Jim Thome, who has done that about 200 times to us since joining the White Sox). But the bats could only muster one run against Jose Contreras and the Tribe fell to its fourth straight loss. (Ryan Garko did manage to get a hit last night to raise his average to .243, so we now have a whopping 3 guys hitting over .241. Yipee!) And this is on the heels of them reaching their high-water mark of the season at 3 games over .500. Baseball is a funny game, but honestly, I'm really not laughing right now. Something has to change soon. The team's batting average is now down to an eye-popping .234!

More of the same from the Tribe on Tuesday - bad hitting and ex-Indians beating them

Browns Update: I wish I had good news to report to Berea, but over the weekend I saw that Ryan Tucker broke his hip. Reports are that he will be back in about three months, but still not real good news. At least Phil Savage is smart enough to stockpile bodies on the o-line, so we'll see what Rex Hadnot can do for us. Bad things always happen in threes I'm told. So with the Cavs losing to Boston, the Tribe in a tailspin, and Tucker's hip, let's hope things start looking up soon.

Cavaliers Update: I want to take a break from this team but I can't, mainly due to my addiction to the RealCavsFans forums. Here's an interesting read on Dan Gilbert's thoughts of the state of the team.