Walking The Line
Posted November 28th, 2006 by bwindhorst
Before we get started, LeBron went off today about Ben Wallace and I wrote about it for ESPN.com. Apparently, I have solidarity for both Drew Gooden (bald) and Big Ben (headbanded).
"In basketball, there ain’t no relationship that is going to be a bed of roses." — Paul Silas
There were a few members of the Cavs organization that were a little upset with my weekly column, which ran Monday. They felt I was off base when I implied that LeBron James was helping set policy on playing time, especially in reference to rookies Boobie Gibson and Shannon Brown. I was told that James’ comments about the need for the rookies to play and a lineup switch and the increased playing time for Gibson and the insertion of Brown into the starting lineup were coincidental, the natural progression of things. Frankly, I don’t believe either of us is wrong.
Covering a team for seven months or so, in close contact, is often a delicate balance. Whenever you are going to write something like I did, it doesn’t come from the hip. You know you are going to ruffle some feathers, so you better have some solid footing.
When Gibson and James are on the floor together the veteran All-Star genuinely looks to pass him the ball. I’ve seen LeBron take plenty of bad contested shots when he could’ve passed the ball off to others, perhaps those that aren’t great jump shooters like Eric Snow. Right now, he wants to see what Gibson can do. That is what my story was about, LeBron wanting to see the rookies play and the rookies starting to play. Perhaps that will change, 82 games are a constant ebb and flow. Mike Brown is getting closer to that point, as well.
We in the media are often guilty of wanting to see rookies play, as are fans, when it probably isn’t the best course of action. I try to guard against this as much as I can. But I know that Snow is Snow, he is going to play hard-nosed defense and not turn the ball over on offense. But sometimes he’s a liability because he isn’t a good shooter and his presence makes it easier to double team and neutralize LeBron, especially without Larry Hughes. Mike Brown has given David Wesley two months (he couldn’t produce in the preseason either) and he hasn’t been the answer. Now comes the rookies chance, whether LeBron wills it or not. I get it. But LeBron wills it too and that probably made it happen a little faster. And that — not the implication that LeBron has a bunch of power, which is the issue that irked the Cavs but is true anyway — is my whole point.
By the way, this is the second straight week I’ve been chirped at after my Monday column. Last week I wrote the Cavs don’t match up well with the Wizards and should wish to avoid them if possible. The moment I walked into practice that afternoon LeBron was on me about it, correctly reminding me that all the Cavs did was beat them in a playoff series.
That is indeed true. However, including the preseason, I have personally watched the Cavs play the Wizards 14 times in the last two years and the Wizards are 8-6, 7-5 if you don’t count the preseason. Four of those Cavs wins were by three points or less while most of the Wizards wins were comfortable. In my opinion, they are not a good matchup for the Cavs. They get the Cavs out of their comfort zone, and I’ve seen enough of it to know it. And so I wrote it.
November 28th, 2006 at 9:00 am
sheesh, are the cavs *really* upset about that?? i’d like to hear what others thought but when i read the article, i thought “that’s good that LBJ has input and maybe by lobbying for more PT for the rooks, he can get brown to get past his ‘veterans-only’ security blanket.”
methinks the organization doth protest too much!
November 28th, 2006 at 1:13 pm
A writer actually knowing what he’s talking about in this town is such a rare occurence that the Cavs were caught off guard and needed to ridicule you, Brian. They didn’t know how else to react.
November 28th, 2006 at 5:22 pm
So if the Cavs get this upset… what are the Browns doing right now?
November 28th, 2006 at 7:21 pm
Brian - big fan of your articles, but I read LeBron’s statements regarding “headbandgate” in a different light than you and ESPN.com seem to be portraying them. To me, LBJ’s saying that having a rule against headbands is stupid, which is totally different than siding with Ben. The incident in Chicago is not really about headbands per se, it is about authority and enforcing team rules (no matter how dumb they are). LeBron doesn’t seem to be backing Ben’s insubordinate actions (as is the clear implication on ESPN.com in their advertising the article). He’s simply saying that Chicago’s prohibition on headbands should be changed. It seems to me that those are two very different things.
November 28th, 2006 at 10:40 pm
I like your articles too - very informative especially for those like me who live far far away and so don’t get to see our boys as often on TV or live, BUT: You DID criticize Lebron and Hughes back-to-back weeks prior to this, for pretty inconsequential stuff. ‘Lebron’s acting is going to his head’. ‘I knew Hughes would get hurt’. What is Hughes supposed to do exactly about THAT? It’s just a bad criticism, it certainly doesn’t help anyone or anything. So expect a few ‘chirps’ man.
Way to go Lebron!
PS, Eric Snow is THE problem. He’s OK off the bench. THERE I said SOMETHING nice about him! It’s one thing to have a PG with 4 points and 4 assists (he’s having a GOOD year, I’ll give him that) coming off the bench, but as a starter? C’mon. If he’s so good at defense, why’s he average 1/2 a steal per game? If he’s so smart and such a good leader, why’d he throw the ball down the court in the playoffs with so much time left? He almost joined Chris Webber in the ‘Biggest Gaffes of All-Time’ club with that one, thankfully he got lucky. Quit defending the guy (no pun intended). He wouldn’t start for any other team in the league, he wouldn’t even make most of them.
I will say that about 20 minutes for him is a better strategy. Plus, if he’s the starter he can’t blow the game at the end. LOL
November 29th, 2006 at 1:51 pm
Never mind the stupidity of James sticking his weasel nose into dumb issues of headbands and the Wizards and the Cavs’ lousy guard rotation…Far more importantly, why is a beat writer perpetuating a silly reference to some guy as supposedly having a nickname of “Boobie?” The origin of the nickname is actually a variant of the Yiddish word bubele, meaning “baby.” You’ll hear “boobie” in a lot of Jewish households, and Yiddish extends far outside the lox and bagel community. Yiddish is even more colorful than Mel Gibson at a Klan meeting.
Now, I don’t know where former Bengals stiff Boobie Clark originally got his nickname, and there indeed have been other Boobies in nickname history outside of sports. But this nickname seems rather forced, and in my own cursory research, I saw no record of past writers using it when referring to Gibson. Please, stop printing it. Tell the same thing to your buddy Finnan. Look, everybody loves a good sports nickname, but this one doesn’t work.
With that said, I’ll extend the latitude of a sportswriter referring to Gibson as “Boobie” if we finally see Ilgauskas being referred to in print as “Ooops.” When you stop and think about it, it’s on target and actually pretty catchy. Ooops Ilgauskas. Even “Z” himself might like it.
November 29th, 2006 at 2:14 pm
Continuing my comment, and actually to be more precise it should be pronounced softer with less of an “ooh”, if the local sports fraternity insists upon using a Yiddish term of endearment for Gibson, then I strongly suggest they go straight to Ocker and ask him for his opinion before publishing it. Anything less is guys just not knowing what they’re talking about. Otherwise, it’s the proverbial corned beef and pastrami on white bread with mayo.
Sorry, but ever since the first day Chris Berman called attention to Chris Berman, the whole sports nickname issue has become a real sore spot for me. Use one that works.
November 30th, 2006 at 3:20 am
By the time mike brown figures out how to be a competent coach, LeBron will be gone.
The Cavs are doomed with an inexperienced coach handling the NBA’s best young player.
Bring back Lenny Wilkens! (if he’s still alive) or Silas, or Fratello. Hell, they should give Wittman another shot. FIREMIKEBROWN
November 30th, 2006 at 9:47 am
ahhh, and to think it was only last week that this blog was filled with insightful and intelligent basketball fans making informed comments. and this week? not so much…
November 30th, 2006 at 10:51 am
It seems to me that the Cavs as a whole are confused. To play motion offense or to not play motion offense? How do you change the tempo of the game? Which combination of players work best together? How to change the combination of players based on the opposing team’s talent? How to have some degree of stability in the team’s rotation. After an extensive training and exhibition season plus going this far in the regular season, there should be some clear patterns of success. The Cavs seem to be all over the place and with what looks like the lack of a plan to straighten things out. I think that the talent is pretty good but are just not put together effectively. I guess that is probably the coach’s fault.
November 30th, 2006 at 11:32 am
The coach’s only fault is in listening to the media, the fans, the players and/or the GM. I was very pleasantly surprised during the first few games of the season when it looked like Brown was insisting on his new offense and ball movement was much better.
The point guard situation was still terrible, of course, but Brown had settled on a pretty good big man rotation that didn’t feature any one player but went with the hot hand.
In fact, excepting LeBron, no player could count on a set number of shots each night. Players had to earn their shots and no one was just hanging out in three point land waiting to hoist one up.
Then, everyone (including Z) started squawking about Z getting the ball more. It looks like Brown listened and now Big Z is getting 30 minutes or so and his numbers are up a little, but LeBron looks like he’d rather be in New York and the team stinks.
November 30th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
larry, again i find myself agreeing with you whole-heartedly. well, at least mostly. i don’t think this team “stinks” but i *do* agree that as soon as we lost one game it was pluto, snyder, and, unfortunately, brian, et al. who began moaning that their pet project Z needed the ball more and it was so unfair that the “smalls” didn’t get him the ball, blah, blah blah.
did anyone notice what the knicks did last night? went small. now, unlike all the doomsayers, i do NOT believe that we played that horribly yesterday and sorry, in the nba when another team hits almost 60% of their 3’s, ya ain’t get beat ‘em. but the point is that teams are gonna try to go small on us and Z and the media and the fans and most esp. coach brown, are gonna have to realize that. when Z has impressed me this year it has been on the boards and on D. there is NO REASON why that cannot be his role! period! we can continue to run our motion offense and just have him play at the TOP of the key area, which would draw his man away from the basket, thusely allowing the motion of the offense to flow AND then Z is free to take that elbow jumper if his man drops off. WHY is that so hard to figure out or implement?
i am open to hear rebuttals on this but it seems pretty obvious to me…
November 30th, 2006 at 2:04 pm
You’re right KJ but apparently Z’s limitations (and potential value) are as hard for the Cavs deep thinkers to understand as the fact that Snow isn’t an NBA starter anymore.
In retrospect, the Cavs probably should have decided to have a complete turnover in the roster within LeBron’s first three or four seasons, even at the cost of lowering the team’s overall talent.
LeBron needs to be the team’s only leader and every player on the roster should be acquired with his game in mind. He can make average talents better if everyone’s on the same page.
Z and Snow may be solid veterans and good citizens(though they seem to whine to the media too much for my tastes) but I’m really starting to suspect that they have a deadening effect on the team as a whole. And not just on the floor.
They’re probably impossible to trade at this point but maybe both should be benched for a few games, then slowly worked back into more realistic roles.
December 1st, 2006 at 12:22 pm
The thing I liked about the Cavs going into the season was their ability to adapt. What I mean by that is that if a team goes small and quick, like the Knicks did, then we can go with a smaller lineup with Andy, LeBron, Jones, Sasha, Brown even Gooden. Then, if we are going up against a team like Miami, who is a slower paced team, we can use Z more often and run a more traditional team on the floor.
However, I do not notive Brown doing this. Whether it be because of pressure from the media or what not, we have the flexibility to match up with anyone and we do not seem to be doing it as best we can.