Goodness, Badness
Posted November 16th, 2006 by Brian Windhorst
UPDATE: Larry Hughes’ injury is more severe than first thought. From what I am hearing, expect him to be out for a while. Probably at least a week and maybe more. Right now, though, all I’m prepared to guarantee is that he won’t play over the weekend.
Last night when Bob Finnan, Branson Wright and I came to him after the game he saw us coming and, with a mouth full of pizza, said: "I’m OK, I’m OK." I don’t think he thought it was going to be an issue. But obviously his ankle is affected. And honestly, something like this at some point was not unexpected.
Back to the main post:
Since I’ve last blogged the Cavs run off four straight wins and have the best record in the East. So everything is hunky dory, right? Well, not exactly. Here’s your inside update:
The Good: After my great disappointment with LeBron following that loss in Charlotte, he has pieced together an outstanding 10 days of basketball. I will not dignify that walking off the court item with a comment, it was as stupid as the Bobby Knight supposed slapping nonsense. He showed tremendous leadership in the win over Boston by continuing to play hard and attack down 25 points. Right now he is balancing aggressiveness and unselfishness perfectly and performing at his usual high level. And I don’t think he’s even gotten hot yet. Right now, my bet is he wins Player of the Month in November for the third straight year.
The Bad: There’s no doubt in my mind Nike and everyone else outside Cleveland wants LeBron in New York, which has been shown by the way Nike is marketing his new shoe there. Yet if New York is the "mecca of basketball" and if "you haven’t made there, it you haven’t made it," what does it say that the Garden didn’t even sell out Monday night. In fact, it didn’t look close. I realize the Knicks are bad, but that isn’t supposed to matter to all those great basketball fans. It doesn’t seem to me like the LeBron sell has totally gone over yet in NYC. Yet.
The Good: The new offense, for the most part, has been getting some more movement and allows other players to get involved besides LeBron.
The Bad: Zydrunas Ilgauskas hates it and is lost and it makes everything he does tentative. He’s out of sync and out of confidence. I don’t personally think Eric Snow likes it either, not that it was designed for him. In fact, I think the offense works better without either of them in there. See, now that’s ultimately going to be an issue because Z is the best offensive big man and Snow is the best point guard on the team.
The Good: The Cavs’ defensive numbers at the outset are a little better than last year. They haven’t totally been consistent. But, in my opinion, the defense won the games against Boston, in San Antonio and against Portland (which has little talent right now outside Zach Randolph).
The Bad: They have no one who can handle a penetrating guard. Snow and Damon Jones are too slow. They’ve been using Larry Hughes, but that isn’t his strongsuit and he doesn’t like doing it. Plus the way the Cavs play defense, keeping a player out of the middle of the lane is the MOST important factor.
The Good: The Cavs bench has shown positive growth. Donyell Marshall shows up every night, Anderson Varejao’s effort is constant, Jones has been solid, and Sasha Pavlovic is currently in production mode.
The Bad: David Wesley has been a failure thus far and everybody, including David knows it. He’s been pouring work in after practice trying to get it back. Not sure it’s going to happen.
The Good: LeBron’s Nike commercials have a nice niche and excellent production. Especially with the vague Back to School reference. They are way better, and way more expensive, than the weak overall efforts of Dwyane Wade’s boring Converse commercials and Kobe Bryant’s lame efforts for Sony with the stupid old guy in the Utah Jazz outfit.
The Bad: Carmelo Anthony’s new Jordan commercial blows them all away in my opinion. But I’m sometimes a sucker for commercials that have little talking so I know that opinion won’t be the popular one.
November 16th, 2006 at 12:08 pm
man, i hate to be mr. negative but the ‘melo commerical better than “the LeBrons?” brian, are you, with all due respect, INSANE?
the anthony spot is nothing really new. but i DEFY anybody to not say that the “LeBrons” isn’t not only the best acted NBA player spot but also the most inventive! and no, larry johnson’s “grammama” is not even close…
and brian, in an effort to continue your “good vs. bad” theme i think you underestimate the cavs D this year and esp. the improvement by our guards. i am amazed how much better jones has gotten. no longer does every guard blow by him and besides our help by the big guys is better than i ever seen it from this team.
and while Z sure is struggling offensively, his D is BETTER than it was last year, imho…
and not to toot the horns of those of us who claimed the loss to the bobcats was no big deal earlier on this here blog and that those type of teams beat great teams all the time, i give you charlotte over SA last night.
November 16th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
I’m no expert, but this team looks way better to me. They are moving the ball and defending. And for the first time that I’ve seen, LeBron is getting to rest a little more and scoring is 100% on his shoulders (although it may be 60% on his shoulders because he’s a star).
I hate to talk about New York again, as I am very annoyed by its constant arrogance, but there was no way in hell LeBron was ever going to go to the Knicks. That team is living off history. The last time they were good was Patrick Ewing days, and he wasn’t a sexy player. The Garden is a hideous arena, as well. And I don’t get why NYC is supposed to be some basketball proving ground. If you look at the best NBA players ever, they are equally spread around the country.
November 16th, 2006 at 10:23 pm
Geez, first you harsh on Lebron, and now Larry H has to hear it because he got injured? The guy plays hard, injuries are inevitable for those that hustle & give the effort. Who peed in your Wheaties?
Actually, I like reading the criticisms, but too many obviously go ignored, like a certain starting point guard from Michigan State who doesn’t score or get assists at all. One hears nothing but praise for him, but c’mon.
I believe your hat is getting tight man.
November 16th, 2006 at 10:34 pm
Brian, you need to get back in here and ANSWER people posting comments!
I personally don’t even think LeBron has had a GREAT game yet (by his standards). He has played above average in most games, and poorly in a few. The fact that the Cavs are 6-2 in spite of that is promising.
November 17th, 2006 at 10:27 am
Sure sign of the holiday season…Larry Hughes injured. His “out for the weekend” will turn into 4 - 6 weeks. Mark my words.
November 17th, 2006 at 1:09 pm
i definitely trust brian’s source on hughes’ injury but just for the sake of hope, the PD article this morning wasn’t quite so pessimistic on the ankle…but no right-thinking person cannot help *but* feel pessimistic considering hughes’ history…damn…
November 18th, 2006 at 6:25 am
It’s time to stop worrying about Z being the best offensive big man, or Snow being the best “pure” point guard, on the team.
At times the Cavs offense looks night-and-day better than it ever did with Z as its focal point, or with Snow running the show. Those two are just going to have to adjust.
I think Z may be finding his niche in any case. When he plays with energy for 20 minutes, he is real disruptive on defense and on the boards.
November 18th, 2006 at 7:46 am
I agree completely.
November 18th, 2006 at 8:52 am
A 20-minute-a-game role player, a mere $6 billion and four years remaining on the contract. If the Cavs have a heart this holiday season, they’ll put his kettlebells up for auction on eBay, and then donate the proceeds to NBA Cares.
And Jim, please…yes, the ankle thing could have happened to anybody, but I’m seriously waiting for Hughes to rupture an Achilles while mowing his lawn. Outside it’s all tattoos, but inside, it’s all graham crackers and marshmallows. It’s been nine consecutive years of the same ‘ol DNP stuff with this guy. Seems to be a bit of a pattern, wouldn’t ya say? Plenty of guys in the NBA play hard, but Hughes seems to be one of the few with a handicapped parking permit sticker hanging from the top right-hand corner of his Porsche’s windshield.
November 18th, 2006 at 10:56 am
Alan Tucker is back in the house. The blog is saved.
November 18th, 2006 at 12:53 pm
oh yeah, tucker’s back. of course, he only comes back when something bad happens to a cavs player. oh, please, tucker tell us how horrible everything is for the team with the best record in the east and with a road win over SA. please tell us how damon jones is worthless, that marshall can’t do anything, blah, blah, blah…
one can critize the cavs and their players intelligently; for example, the pollard signing was almost useless. but all you do is recycle the same old, not-funny-jokes and the same tired “points.” yes, we ALL know you think ferry made bad signings with Z and hughes, and jones, etc. is is too damn much to ask that you actually contribute something new or fresh? look at andress or larry d. larry d. is ACTUALLY funny AND makes solid, interesting points pertaining to the team. might i be the first to suggest you see whether larry d. offers a correspondence course in blog commenting? who knows, he may be running a holiday-season discount…
November 20th, 2006 at 10:36 am
Hughes will be out forty to fifty games, and then return to stink it up in the playoffs.
November 21st, 2006 at 11:32 pm
Thank goodness Damon Jones is stepping up. How come every team in the league seems to have a better point guard than Eric Snow? Even AI couldn’t win with the guy in his prime, what is the deal here? I’m tired of hearing about his defense. Point guards score and pass - that’s their role. Snow’s role is going 0-7 and such in playoff games. Ai, Baron Davis, Tony Parker, Kidd, Nelson, Bibby, Cassell, Miller, Arenas, Barbosa, D. Williams. The list is too long. Geez, every team has a better starting point guard. Why don’t we hear more about it? Hopefully D-Jones can step up, enough about Snow. The guy drags down the best - he’s a liability.
November 22nd, 2006 at 8:34 am
DUDE!! Grandmama is the best ever … little penny comes in second …. Bron’s sprite version sucked. However I feel as if the Lebron’s will cement a solid third, and maybe move on to second.
Everyone knew Larry would get hurt, it was a matter of time … glad it happened early.
Z is slow we all knew that … I still think he’s important.
Can I say I am very impressed with jones this year? … ok .. I won’t then never mind.
November 24th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
I’m going to kill myself.
Cavs Stats, 2nd Half vs. Indiana
FG / FGA: 7/31
TO: 7
Fouls: 14
The most uninspiring thing I have ever seen…I have lost all faith…LeBron is sulking…what is going on? Bench Snow, Wesley, and Z permanently.
November 25th, 2006 at 5:20 am
Hear, Hear, Tom!
This team needs to get rid of the veterans and let the young guys develop a new dynamic, athletic team personality.
With Snow and Z leading the way, the Cavs have always been a team that hits doldrums at times and looks hangdog when things aren’t going well. Wesley seems to fit right in.
Let Gibson and Brown play now and they’ll have 70 games to learn before the playoffs start.