Time for roles to find a roll
Posted January 23rd, 2006 by Brian Windhorst
Seven different beds in 12 nights, more than 8,000 miles in the air, and not a single viewed snap of the
AFC or NFC Championships games while flying back from Salt Lake plus a delay in Houston while sitting in a jammed plane amid to a church mission group that had just returned from Mexico sneezing and coughing while talking about how they had to throw their used toilet paper in the trash can. It was a rough journey.
The most disturbing thing, however, was Denver’s "Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey." Yep, that’s little old Whiplash pictured there. He can really ride those dogs and he scares small children, the perfect halftime act! One can only assume he was part of the 100th Annual Western Stock Show and Rodeo going on in Denver while the Cavs were there. Lots of pickup trucks and mud in the hotel parking lot.
Back to the Cavs, who finally got a win in Utah. Yes, LeBron was awesome with his 51 points in tights, but the reason the Cavs won is because the role players like Sasha Pavlovic, Donyell Marshall, and everybody’s favorite shooter Damon Jones came to play. It has already been demonstrated that even with LeBron and Zydrunas Ilgauskas on their games, the Cavs will struggle to win with Larry Hughes out. If they are going to whether this storm, and I’m not yet sure they will, it will be these role and bench players that make it happen. Ira Newble, Sasha, Luke Jackson, Alan Henderson, Jones and Marshall don’t all have to have great games, but they have to consistently help the cause if the Cavs are going to have a chance.
My Sunday Column has an honest and fair look at Drew Gooden’s situation. Some fans have written upset about it. Please note I am not saying Drew should be traded, I am just explaining why it might happen.
Also, read about how the Cavs might open next season in China.
If nothing else, listen to my podcast with Joe Tait, I think you’ll enjoy it. He had no idea what he was recording, I don’t think. Here’s the podcast feed file.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:56 pm
If Whiplash can pass, dribble penetrate, and create his own shots, then sign that boy up and send him to the D-League affiliate for some fine-tuning prior to the All-Star break. When they call him up, he can throw his feces at the opposing players…At long last, tough “D.” Cavaliers free agent crap that’s finally worth the price of admission.
I’m very serious here - - Bill Veeck once signed a midget and sent him out to the plate. So why not sign a monkey and send him out to replace Damon Jones? It’s a win-win.
January 24th, 2006 at 12:34 am
Oh, and on the subject of those “tights,” I have a bit of a problem with those. Don’t you? I mean, let’s call them what they really are - - PANTY HOSE. When Joe Namath wore them for his TV commercial, that was cool. After all, he was Broadway Joe. But Kobe Bryant’s middle name is not Broadway. It’s “Bean.” And then Michael Redd started wearing them, and then some other guys, and now James.
Look, I’m all for fashion statements. Like when Kevin Willis wore elbow pads to show off his big guns. And Ben Wallace, who wears those warrior things on his upper arms to show off his big guns. But those things fit the wearer, don’t they? They don’t look out of place. On the other hand, if Ilgauskas starts wearing facepaint and upper-body armor to call further attention to his two little twigs, I would have a big problem with that. That would be a major Mr. Blackwell faux pas.
Patrick Ewing started that t-shirt under the jersey craze. I still hate it, although far fewer college kids are now doing it. It looks sloppy and unprofessional. They might as well be wearing sweatpants, too. The excuse Ewing gave was that he was allergic to his jersey. Of course, by “allergic,” Ewing meant “I’m ashamed of my wimpy shrimpy college arms and shoulders and I need to hide them from society until I get to the NBA and start lifting weights.”
So, I guess what I’m trying to say here is the following - - Assuming he doesn’t blow out a knee or screw up his back, James has a very long career ahead of him. Headbands are one thing. Or even goggles and facegear. Thirty years from now, Kareem and Worthy and Laimbeer and Hamilton and all the other guys wearing that equipment will be able to look back at photos and video and not be ashamed of themselves. It served a very legitimate purpose. But PANTY HOSE? Please. And don’t give me any silly garbage like “It keeps my legs warm.” Uhh…O.K. And I suppose those tattoos keep your shoulders campfire toasty, too.
What’s next, crotchless shorts? Hey, I’m all for the Cavaliers girls to try some of those out out. Except for the skanky ones, of course. But honestly, that’s the next natural step in James’ court attire. Panty hose and crotchless shorts. Perfect. No wonder his mother drinks.
January 24th, 2006 at 7:23 am
Thanks for doing the podcast with Tait. He is great and we’ve been lucky to have him. I remember “Yes Viginia, there is a Santa Claus…” well.
Does anyone know if we can get his radio broadcasts on the net? I’m able catch the Cavs on national TV all the time, but would love to be able to listen in to him.
January 24th, 2006 at 11:34 am
Phil, ever since I moved out of Cleveland, I had the same problem until recently. I signed on with the NBA’s service that allows people to listen to every game on the radio. When Cleveland plays, you can also listen to the other teams’ announcers if you want. But since Michael Reghi’s carnival barking shill act doesn’t do radio, I listen to Tait. He’s a good announcer, has a lively and sarcastic sense of humor and is a great guy. And I’m not just saying that because he made me, a giant dumbass if there ever was one, his halftime guest on two separate occasions in the mid-70’s. He had to fill up the dead time somehow, and I’m as dead as they come.
After they force Tait into retirement after next season, that’s when I’ll start listening to the opposing teams’ announcers on a full-time basis. But now, I’m enjoying Tait while I still can. Cherishing the remaining opportunities, actually. No other broadcaster could ever get away with publicly mocking Ronnie Duncan on-air and/or calling the Cavs’ play “putrid.” Any other Cavs broadcaster would immediately get a stern lecture and/or be out of a job at the end of the season. That’s not exaggeration.
But getting back to the point, I don’t recall exactly how much I paid, but I think they charge around $20 for the service. Just be aware you won’t be able to listen and watch TV at the same time. There is an approximate 45-50 second delay from real-time, as the analog signal has to be converted into digital. I hate being a shill and a whore for the NBA’s corporate marketing machine, as their ultimate aim is global domination like Nazi Germany, but it’s the only way I know of to get the radio calls. Go to nba.com, give them your credit card#, and you’ll be able to listen to the next game on the radio.
January 24th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
Joe Tait interview!
Yay!
Thanks, Brian!
(Phil: I’ve linked to NBA Audio League Pass in my name below. Alan’s right about the delay; maybe a DVR could shift the TV broadcasts to synchronize . . . ? Good fun even without, though.)
January 24th, 2006 at 2:57 pm
Wow, I just now increased the size of that picture of Whiplash to take a much closer look. Doesn’t Whiplash look like a 2006 mini version of Bill Russell? Seriously. I see why Shaq and Kobe french-kissed and made up. Who can’t resist that little monkey’s face? It’s impossible.
January 24th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
If you’re interested, mlb.com does streaming audio of Indians broadcasts. Also, I’m pretty sure that you can get the Browns on nfl.com.
Both charge 20-30 bucks.
January 25th, 2006 at 7:44 am
It would be nice if the NBA did what MLB has, make a video stream of the games available online. The Mlb.Tv is like 80 bucks for the season or 15/month, and was very helpful during the Indians playoff run this last season for us out of towners. I have the NBA audio pass but I get sometimes bad sound quality and the delay is pretty bad.
January 25th, 2006 at 10:49 am
Serious question: What is Drew Gooden making now? I thought it was around $4.5 million. If so, why don’t the Cavs just let him go and use that money for salary cap relief? Unless they can get a good PG or PF in return, it seems that trading Drew just because we might lose him also costs us salary cap slots.
January 25th, 2006 at 1:29 pm
Given Ferry’s apparent inability to judge the talent that’s out there, let alone his extremely curious decision to assemble a roster that not even remotely meshes with his very own coach’s philosophy, I doubt it makes much difference one way or another. Either way, Gooden won’t be around much longer, and absent blowing the team up in a major way, they’re only going as far as James will take them.
By the way, somebody oughta tell Drew that the partial beard with the shaved head look really ain’t a good look at all. Karl Malone finally realized it. And channeling some semblance of Malone’s game wouldn’t be too bad an idea either.
January 25th, 2006 at 9:22 pm
Mike, I neglected to mention if you go to nba.com, you’ll see they’re already offering video broadcasts online for a fee.
January 26th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
That’s interesting that you brought up Gooden’s new contract and the luxury tax threshold, I was thinking the same thing last summer when the Cavs re-signed Z and brought in three free agents. But hoopshype puts our payroll at $52 million. Only LBJ’s and Drew’s contracts will change in the next year. LeBron will be at $12 million in 2007-08 (an increase of $7.5 mil from this year) and Gooden might me around $7 million that year, which is $3 million more than he has this year. That’s a total increase of $10.5 million for those two alone, not taking into account the accelerators on the other deals and Hughes’ team-performance kicker. You’re probably looking at a payroll of around $65 million in 2007-08 with LBJ’s extension and Drew’s new deal (if he gets it in Cleveland). Not too bad, since it would still put the Cavs nowhere close to the top of the league in terms of total payroll. In fact they’d be slightly over what looks like the league median of $59 million.
January 26th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
Amar,
Intelligent post, which I appreciate. However, remember the Cavs will likely use their mid-level exception of $5 million in the coming years as well.