I hate the jump shot
Posted January 24th, 2007 by bwindhorst
My formative years in basketball were spent with a calculating coach named Lewis Seikel. He was a cutting, demanding and often fiercely sarcastic man. An accountant during the day, it was generally not a good thing once tax season started. He was my coach in seventh and eighth grades and, whether I knew it or not at the time, he largely shaped the way I look at basketball.
Coach Seikel played a tight 2-1-2 zone defense, we were not to leave the paint. This generally did not favor us when we played good shooting teams, you understand. On offense, any shot attempted outside 15 feet was sure to land you a spot on the bench. A 3-pointer? Ha, surely you jest. When two of our best pivot players didn’t come out in eighth grade — man, we had been a "long" team, jeez we must’ve have five guys 5-foot-10 or taller — let’s just say it hurt. We were terrible, but perhaps that was a personnel issue. Anyway, here’s my point…I hate the jump shot to this day.
This no doubt colors the way I watch and evaluated the game and therefore, cover the Cavs. If any of you can actually be bothered with reading my game stories, you will notice I am constantly mentioning the scoring in the paint and the number of 3-pointers the Cavs attempt. Perhaps this is boring, but I firmly believe it is the proper way to evaluate a team’s offensive efficiency. I eye the points in the paint stat as closely as any other stat during the course of a game.
Don’t think I’m a basketball prude and think you can never take jumpers or craziness like that. I just don’t prefer them. And when they are taken, they should be as a result of the ball coming inside-out, either from a pass from the post or off a drive and kick. Because, as we all know, it is much easier to make a jumper stepping into it after receiving a pass from dead on that dribbling into it or catching from the side off a pick-and-roll.
Which is why I’m constantly rolling my eyes at the Cavs offense. Regardless of the plays being called, I can’t hear them anymore because they’ve moved my seat off the floor, the Cavs end up taking handfuls of these "bad jumpers." There are only three guys on the team that get to catch and shoot on a regular basis: Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall and Eric Snow. Jones is the best jumper shooter and is having a pretty good year, Marshall’s skills have appeared to diminish, and Snow, well, no comment. In addition, when the ball does go into the post to Drew Gooden or Zydrunas Ilgauskas it isn’t coming out, those guys COMBINE to average less than two assists per game. And with teams knowing the Cavs can be suckered into taking bad jumpers, they will just play zone or go under pick-and-rolls and make it all but impossible to drive-and-kick. How many times over the last month have you seen Larry Hughes start to drive and then pull up from 16-20 feet? This is why.
During the preseason I was impressed with the Cavs offense. I remember that night in Manchester, N.H., when they took the wraps off. I watched backdoors and lobs and middle posts for LeBron and my eyes glazed over. Driving, passing to the post, high-percentage shots. Oh, if only Coach Seikel had seen it, too! I waxed about it over and over for that month, even if it did seem so dry to the reader. I thought perhaps this would turn the corner.
Now I see the slow, muddy, bad-jumper mess it has been reduced to and I can only shake my head in print. Lame pick-and-rolls 23 feet from the basket, no inside-out action, standing around, fadeaway jumpers at the shot clock buzzer.
Oh, how I hate the jump shot.
January 24th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Personally, I love the jump shot. I just hate it when the Cavs shoot them. To start the 3rd quarter on Monday against the Magic, the Cavs fired up five 15-20 foot jumpers, four of them by Larry Hughes, and one of those was on a 3-on-2 fast break. If you want to see the Cavs start to look bad, just watch for a period where they shoot jumpers on 4 out of 5 possessions. Heck, watch tonight’s game against the 76ers. It will come, and when it does, that 10 point lead is going to be down to 4 very quickly. If you’ve ever wondered why the Cavs have such awful quarters at times, just check the number of jump shots, and you’ll have your answer.
Even worse, they fell into the jump-shooting trap often against the Western Conference teams like the Suns that like to run. Every jump shot the Cavs put up turned into a long rebound that was run right back down their throats. It was like they weren’t prepared to execute the kind of offense they would need to beat a running team.
And stuff like this happens to every team, especially teams that might be a little prone to laziness. It’s much easier to shoot over the top then to crash into the lane. But Coach Brown seems dead-set against calling time-outs and making substitutions to keep the team focused on getting the ball into the paint. How many offensive possessions did Z or Drew get in the paint on Monday? 10 total? That’s not going to cut it, and it’s going to lead to more jump shots. And yes, Drew and Z do need to do a better job of passing out of the post, but when the ball does go inside, there is absolutely no movement from the rest of the offense. The only pass those guys *could* make would be out to Eric Snow on the wing, and passes to Eric Snow on the wing don’t exactly lead to many assists.
That being said, maybe they’re just tired, and a couple of games against the Sixers will solve just about anything. I hope. And remember, even after this recent string of mediocrity, the Cavs are only percentage points out of first place in the conference. And I don’t see any of the teams ahead of them or below them running off 20 game winning streaks anytime soon, so as disappointing as 48-50 wins might be, I think even continued mediocrity would have the Cavs finishing no lower than 3rd in the East. Am I happy about that? No. But I’m not throwing myself or this team off a cliff about it either.
Go Cavs,
Mike
January 24th, 2007 at 9:04 am
Brian, I agree with you 100%. If you see it and I see it, why doesn’t coach Brown. I think that the player tune him out. In reality, I think they do what LBJ wants to do.
January 24th, 2007 at 9:39 am
I think the fatigue factor is rather large. James is playing an insane amount of minutes (42 in Jan) and when you’re tired, you tend to not drive the ball and work as much and settle for jumpers. This is what the Cavs do.
I agree that Gooden and Z should receive more touches in the post. I really wish that the Cavs would have Hughes or James feed Z and then cut to the hoop rather than Snow (bigger targets, better finishers). The problem is, when you don’t touch the ball on a regular basis, you’re more likely to shoot it no matter what, cause you have no idea when that ball is coming back to you.
Also, if the Cavs would cut and move when Z has the ball down low (and if they hit their jumpers) Z might have a few more assists.
The Cavs should also use James in the post much more regularly, he’d abuse people down there.
January 24th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Brian, I agree - it’s gotten to the point where I dread watching them, if I even do watch them. READ: They’re unwatchable.
It’s a real shame, because they have the weapons to have a really potent offense, and it seems everyone except the organization has been seeing these problems since last summer.
Remember the hopes that Ferry would bring in an offensive minded assistant coach?
Oh, and the part where they don’t try for 75% of most games kinda sucks, too.
January 24th, 2007 at 9:46 am
When a team makes two or three good passes then an open man swishes a 12- or 15-foot jumper, basketball is the prettiest sport there is. That said, Brian Windhorst makes a great point: the Cavs just aren’t that fun to watch these days.
I know their record is the same as last year at this point, and that they’re near the top of the conference. But it grates when people tell me (or the coach says in the paper), “Wait until March and the playoffs, that’s when everything matters.”
What am I supposed to tell my kid? That I just forked over $120 to watch a game that doesn’t matter to the players or coach? Or that we’re there to watch Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards because I really like that team’s energy?
The Cavs are in the entertainment business and considering they have the NBA’s most marketable and talented player, the style of play they’ve chosen is bad business in every way.
There is a void in the NBA because traditional marquee franchises like the Lakers, Knicks and Celtics are average teams or worse. The Cavs should be filling that void and building a national following with an exciting brand of energetic, fast-paced, offensive basketball.
The Suns are doing it out West, but nobody’s close in the East.
With LeBron and the right athletes in a system like the Suns have, the Cavs would win more, the value of the franchise would rise and the owner would become a force in the league’s business.
LeBron would average a triple double and people would be asking if he’s the best ever, instead of saying he’s the third or fourth best at the present time. Isn’t that what most fans had in mind when LeBron was drafted four years ago?
As it is, the Cavs are no more exciting to watch as the Milwaukee Bucks. Maybe this team will turn it on in March and make a run, and maybe it won’t. Either way, the season is very disappointing and the owner and GM are blowing an amazing opportunity.
January 24th, 2007 at 10:22 am
larry,
again, this is like wishing your wife would act more like a porno star! mike brown is a DEFENSIVE coach. he came from san antonio and indiana and taught defense. gilbert and ferry knew that. to ask him to COMPLETELY change, with all due respect, is insane!
yes, phoenix looks great and is entertaining BUT last year they went exactly as far as the cavs did in the playoffs.
i know we don’t like it but the playoffs are the thing that matters. i said this months ago, yet i am guilty as anyone with living and dying on each game. then i remember “fan” is short for fanatic…
brian, you gotta get over this jump shot phobia. shall i mention that bird and jordan’s most clutch moments were jump shots? reading your blog entry about your old coach though does remind me that too many coaches in the nba, including brown, i fear, are control freaks. they want to call plays on every possession, etc. red auerbach let his great celtic teams do whatever they wanted on offense as long as they busted it on the defensive end. sounds like a good strategy to me…
btw, bri, any chance we’ll get a column about larry and LBJ’s on-court chemistry problems soon?
January 24th, 2007 at 10:43 am
The reason they shoot too many jumpers is
that Lebron is playing out of position.
He is not Magic Johnson as the Cavs have
fancied. He stands outside while the box and
3 sits in the paint and waits. Either he
uses his enormous speed and strength to go
around all 3 and go to the hole or he jacks
a jumper or passes late in the clock. At
VASJ he could play the point. He definetly
could handle that position against say
Walsh Jesuit. Not against Chauncey and
Tayshaun or Nash and Bell. He could be
grabbing 12-15 boards and blocking 4-6
shots per game. Could be a real intimidator
with his leaping ability and enormous
strength. I have no doubt that he could
hold his own against Rasheed, Haslem, or
even J O Neal. Larrys ball handling and
dishing skills, and outside defense are
much better than LBJs. He and Gibson should
be playing point with Snow for D and DJ for
threes.
January 24th, 2007 at 11:17 am
j moe, you are just wrong here. again, look at just last week. in both comebacks, against denver and golden st., LBJ was the primary ball-handler. i can think of countless other times, like philly and miami last year, new jersey the year before that, where LBJ was the primary ball-handler and scored over 30 and had a triple-double, or close to it in each instance!
the problem with this, of course, is that it fatigues him too much to do this all the time AND the cavs don’t have the correct parts around him to play that way even if they wanted to.
so, yes, unless we get james worthy, byron scott, wilkes, kareem, etc. around LBJ he won’t be magic. that much i’ll agree to. as always, it’s been about about the people AROUND LBJ that is the problem…
January 24th, 2007 at 11:47 am
It seems to me that they abandoned the promising early offense because it resulted in Z’s offensive struggles (whereas they initially instituted it to get Larry off). They had a 7′3″ two-time allstar being wasted. So they changed it so that he got more shots, and his numbers have risen back to about his career norms. Now, as said above, instead of coupling Z’s opportunities in the post with the cuts and motion of the early offense from the preseason, they’ve gone back to the same offensive inefficiency that they had last year. Only this time LeBron’s more tired, and they don’t have Flip Murray. If they were able to compromise and integrate the two offenses, things would work out much better. As it stands, Z and Larry are clashing as complements to Bron. The posting Z needs to be effective means Larry is shooting instead of driving (an injury didn’t help), and the motion Larry needs means Z’s running around and being ineffective. Not good.
January 24th, 2007 at 12:23 pm
KJ, coaches get fired all the time. So do general managers, for that matter. There’s something amiss with this team, attitude wise, and the organization isn’t taking full advantage of LeBron.
He isn’t Magic Johnson but it seems like he used to make more unbelievable passes when he was fresh out of high school than he does these days.
He needs to be in an open court, running and finishing fast breaks. That’s the first, obvious decision the Cavs should have made four years ago, or two years ago when Ferry came on board. Now they’ve gotten ahead of themselves and are turning a thoroughbred into a clydesdale.
January 24th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
Simple points to reveal the truth:
Out of 30 Teams;
They are 26th in FG% @ 43%
They are 30th in FT%
Only 4 players shoot over 42% on the Cavs and all of them are in the post. (James, Z, Gooden & Varejao)
(With E. Snow being the only other player over 41%)
The tally is simple.
Why they continue with no consequence of their actions is in excusable.
What are the answers?
They’re not sitting on the bench anywhere!
They need a PG who can be a Point Guard (Not a HALF of a guard).
They need a SG who can actually shoot! (Hughes is a career 41% shooter)
They need to play with some pride!
(Yes, we’re close to our record from last year and still in the top three of the East.
So, we should celebrate that everyone else has gotten WORSE!!!)
Face it!
This team today is not any better than last year’s team, if anything worse!
Is that good enough?
January 24th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
dave, you’re wrong in so far as you are ONLY talking offense. their defensive numbers are better than last year’s…
larry, true coaches and gm’s do get fired but we have to lay this, ultimately, at gilbert’s feet. he was the one who hired ferry and brown. and as i recall, many cavs were calling for a defensive-minded coach back then.
what has happened to a degree, i think, is that the cavs might have gotten caught in a fundamental shift in style of play that leads to winning in the nba. maybe the low-scoring, defensive-minded teams winning championships are over?
BUT none of you have yet commented on the fact that phoenix went EXACTLY as far as the cavs did last year in the playoffs AND almost got eliminated by the lakers in the first round! so, until phoenix wins it all, one cannot say that their style is a proven PLAYOFF winner. and, for the hundreth time, that’s all that ultimately matters…
January 24th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
To echo what KJ said, the playoffs is what ultimately matters. Case in point, look at the Miami Heat last year. They stuggled for the last half of the season and were great in the post season. This year, they are following the same philosophy and no one is complaining.
I for one am frustrated as the next with the offense on this team, but last year they struggled early and turned in on down the stretch, which I believe they will do again this year.
Plus, lets see what Ferry can pull of before the trading deadline. He found agem last year so maybe he can do it again.
January 24th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
Okay, I’ll give you that on the offensive end.
Here’s where their defensive has helped.
Opponents FG% has improved from 45% to 44% and their points allowed has improved from 95.4 to 93.4, HOWEVER their game difference has dropped from +2.2 per game to +1.4 per game.
This really nullifies any defensive improvement due to lack of offensive production.
Also, their turnovers have increased from last year, while their steals have decreased with an assist / turnover ratio ranking @ 22nd.
So I don’t see how their defense has IMPROVED the team this year when their offense has fallen off from last year.
The Cavs FG% has dropped from 45.3% to 43.8% and their FT% has also dropped from 72.8% to 68.3%.
They need to a much larger improvement on defense to cover for their lack of offense.
January 24th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Winning a championship is the ultimate goal of any team but why is it that only the playoffs matter? Is NBA basketball not an entertainment product and shouldn’t fans expect to enjoy watching games during the regular season?
Sure Phoenix lost in the second round (and one quarter of all NBA teams made the second round of the playoffs) but they were a fun team to watch all season. They’re exciting and gaining new fans every game. Plus, they’re getting better.
January 24th, 2007 at 4:25 pm
A lot of good detail here in these posts. The most troubling aspect I see here in the big picture is what one poster describes as a lack of effort 75% of the time. Brian mentioned in a previous post that the team was joking around in the locker room after the Seattle loss. Most of the team doesn’t seem to care. There is no energy, no emotion. Z gets hit and sent to the locker room for stitches and there is no retaliation…just stone faces. I see more desire, emotion, (and retaliation shots) at the Y on Saturday mornings. We should at least look like we care.
January 24th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Losing to the Sixers is really bad…I really wonder if Ferry can pull off trades necessary to take this team to the next level:
Find a point guard that can penetrate and dish. Can’t keep having LeBron drive on three guys.
Replace Hughes with a starting two guard that is a bullseye shooter. I understand why they signed Hughes (had to prove to LeBron that they would improve the team) but he is not a compliment to LeBron.
Honestly until they find a complimentary secondary star to LeBron this team will always lag behind the true title contenders.
January 24th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
Losing to the Sixers is really bad…I really wonder if Ferry can pull off trades necessary to take this team to the next level:
Find a quick point guard to run the offense and allow LeBron to finish instead of start the play. Really, how many times do we have to watch LeBron get challenged 26 ft from the bucket by two guys and then if he somehow gets buy them, run into a seven footer waiting in the paint?
Replace Hughes with a starting two guard that is a bullseye shooter. I understand why they signed Hughes (had to prove to LeBron that they would improve the team) but he is not a compliment to LeBron.
Honestly until they find a complimentary secondary star to LeBron this team will always lag behind the true title contenders.
January 24th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
LEBRONS WIN!!!
Game recap:
James is excited about his new endorsement deal with Microsoft. He’s hoping his name can enhance the computer software giant’s image. “I’ll see if I can bring some life to it,” he said. “As we grow as a partnership, we can do a lot of great things.” James, a pitchman for Sprite, Nike and others, promised to have a commercial presence during the Super Bowl. “I’ve got a lot of stuff for the Super Bowl, you’ll see my face around.” … Sixers G Willie Green missed his second straight game with a sore right knee, while Philadelphia ended their 5 game road losing streak.
January 24th, 2007 at 9:05 pm
The Cavs aren’t as bad as their record indicates. Coach Brown just needs to begin and end all practices with FT shooting. That lack of focus is what dropped Cleveland into 2nd tonight, and it’s not the first time. I’m surprised teams don’t employ a “HACK-A-CAV” strategy in the 4th qtr of close games. Contenders aren’t the worst at the charity stripe.
As far as trades, who can DFerry trade who’d bring any value? Although Detroit might trade Flip Murray for DJ, or maybe Snow, if he has an expiring contract.
January 25th, 2007 at 12:44 am
um kj i like your work here and on truehoop but you’re just being lazy here - 3 separate times you said the suns went EXACTLY as far as the cavs last year when in actual fact they made it to the conference finals without amare and kurt thomas (their best defender) as well as raja bell for several games.. all this in the WESTERN conference, which is of course significantly better. when you write the word EXACTLY in future perhaps you should make sure you’re EXACTLY right.
January 25th, 2007 at 3:19 am
I have been a Cleveland sports fan for many, many difficult years. We have had some great talent to watch over those years and it strikes me that what we are watching these days are players who want to make a lot of money and devote very little time and effort into doing their jobs better than those people they play against. Watching the play of a man 7′3″ who makes 11 million or more playing the pivot in slow motion, a shooting guard that takes shots which are out of his range and is not improving as the season wears on and gets a 3 million dollar bonus when the team wins 50 games plus the other part of his contract that makes him paid like super star; a point guard that people rave about because of his defense and then he has a difficult time with lay ups and makes 6 million dollars per year;a couple of promising rookies who waste their time on the bench because the coach wants to give players like Wesley and Marshall more time to come in and do little or nothing to make this a better team and who make a lot of money just watching, and finally a super star player with enormous talent just play the regular season to get to the playoffs gives me a really bad taste in my mouth…. I have not missed many games over the last few years, however, I have decided that I would rather spend my time reading a good book than watching this mess continue to unfold and the people involved make excuses like they are so tired and all of that… If they had to work regular jobs and then play basketball I could stretch to the I’m tired idea, but, playing a game is all these guys do. So, I’ll watch them in the payoff and then I can see other good talent as well.
January 25th, 2007 at 5:48 am
I don’t play professional basketball. I occasionally like to play pick up. Still, I know that you have to move on offense.
At this point, Lebron is a great player, but in yesterday’s situation I would rather have D-Wade or Carmelo. Those guy hit game winning jumpers with confidence and don’t have a psychodrama fit shooting free throws at the end of the game.
Lebron is clutch in many many ways, but he doesn’t have Kobe’s killer instinct. (he thinks he does, but he is too nice).
A terrible terrible loss. The pressure is on Danny Ferry now.
January 25th, 2007 at 5:53 am
“shall i mention that bird and jordan’s most clutch moments were jump shots?”
Yes, but LeBron’s most clutch moments have been going to the hoop, taking the contact, and still managing to get points.
LBJ is deadly when people fear his drive and that opens up some easy jumpers for him and others. If I was guarding him, which I’m not, I would be praying he’d keep settling for the long 2’s and 3’s he’s taking.
The jump shot versus going to the hoop debate is just common sense to me. The shots have always been easier to make the closer you get.
That said, the NBA season is a long grind. I do wish the Cavs would play hard more consistently, but so far they’ve proven they’re a pretty good team when it counts. Obviously, this is why everyone, including myself is frustrated.
I’m a big Suns fan, but their razzle dazzle, exiting style of play hasn’t won them any championships lately either.
However, it worries me that Mike Brown and his team don’t seem to be on the same page. You hear about the team laughing and joking after a loss and getting ripped into by Brown. LBJ’s post game comments versus Brown’s often seem to be talking about two different games. Then after the sixers 2ot loss, you’ve got Hughes saying, “We don’t need our coaches to get on us. We just need to figure ourselves out.” To me, that’s not a good sign, it seems like they don’t follow Brown.
January 25th, 2007 at 7:45 am
matt, it seems you are correct and i apologize for my mistake. sometimes i am an idiot, as i am sure most here would not find surprising!
my point, to some degree, stands and that is phx has not yet even gone to the finals, much less won a championship playing their style. and they did almost lose in the first round, save for another kobe psychodrama. but kobe’s got that “killer instinct,” right? that’s why kobe’s team blew a 3-1 series lead in the playoffs while LBJ, who doesn’t have that “killer instinct” hit 2 game winners in beating the wiz and brought the cavs back from a 2 game hole against the defending champs. i think i’ll take the guy without the “killer instinct” in that case…
and joe, my mentioning of jordan and bird’s jumpers were just in rebuttal to brian’s dislike of them and not about LBJ actually. but i would remind you that LBJ hit 2 game winning JUMPERS last year, so clearly, in the clutch, he can take and make the clutch jumper.
furthermore, the sixers hit 2 JUMPERS in double OT last night to ice the game (not to mention FT shooting, of course). jumpers are part of the game; always will be as long as defenses continue to pack it in to cut off drving lanes. it’s not rocket science…
January 25th, 2007 at 8:27 am
A lot of sub par teams are not so sub par
in the NBA anywore. Part of the issue is
parity. I think that makes the NBA so
entertaining. Its not like baseball where
the revenue all goes to NY and LA. Watching
the Sixers last night lends a lot of credence to the youth movement. That Carney
kid can jump to the moon and shoot the 3.
Where did they get him? And Iguodala cmon.
What an athlete. They are better off with
Miller than Iverson and Dalembert is no
slouch. The Cavs will have to get younger
and faster and they have no 2007 draft choice. Z missed some big shots in the
clutch last night but him and Hughes played
well. Give it some time fans. This team will
be alright as long as they play defense.
Philly was bazing hot last night. What 95%
from the ft line. I dont think they missed a
shot in the last 20 minutes. This is the
reality of the NBA. Any team can beat you
on any geven night.
January 25th, 2007 at 8:28 am
Congrats Brian on your CNBC TELEVISION APPEARANCE yesterday regaring LBJ and Vista! I work in finance, and could not believe my favorite hometown sportswriter was on my favorite cable channel. Maybe LBJ is too tired from shooting all those new commercials. You should try setting up an interview for the food channel to talk about what LBJ likes to eat.
PS next time wear a tie — it makes you look more professional.
January 25th, 2007 at 9:39 am
Mike Fratello’s slowdown Cavs never won a championship. Neither did Riley’s Knicks. That doesn’t mean defense can’t win championships.
January 25th, 2007 at 11:48 am
Three quick comments:
1) Defense-minded teams like the Spurs and the Pistons have won 3 of the last 4 NBA titles. And heck, maybe the Cavs will get their championship gift-wrapped like the Heat did last year.
2) The Pistons were 35-6 to start the season last year, a heck of a lot better than the Cavs are this year, and look where it got them. You can’t get too high or too low at this point in the season.
3) Regardless of points 1 and 2, watching any team lose is frustrating.
Go Cavs,
Mike
January 25th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
MANY QUESTIONS TO PONDER
when is lebron going to post up
when is drew gooden going to intimidate
when is damon jones going to play the point
when is z going to make the game winning tip
when is larry going to play a whole season
when is snow going to win the 100 yard dash
when is shannon brown going to put on a uniform
when is coach brown going to diagram a play that works
when is daniel gibson going to play
when is david wesley going to stop laughing
when is andy going to stop hustling
when is newble going to reappear
when is donyell going to do anything
when is pollard ditching the mohawk
when am I going to see the real CAVS
stay tuned
January 25th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Those teams played very well offensively too and of course any championship team has to do both.
And of course I’m not saying the Cavs should play bad defense. I’m saying it’s crazy not to try and play an uptempo, open court style if you’ve got LeBron James on the team. Of course, any kind of consistent fast break game is triggered on the defensive end of the court.
The Cavs have been constructed with a grind-it-out style in mind that doesn’t take best advantage of the best talent to come along in a generation. LeBron will play great in any system, but to shackle him with this one is idiotic.
January 25th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
larry d:
remember when bron and larry used to play
the passing lanes. Off to the races. Last
night 2 fast break points. Hum dee dum dee
dum dum.
January 25th, 2007 at 1:51 pm
It’s been mentioned earlier, opponents have allowed the Cavs to shoot themselves to lose!
Allowing LeBron, Hughes, Gooden, and Jones to shoot jumpers prays on the weakness of the Cavs.
Offensively, what they’re doing with Z is baffling, why they’ve pulled Z off the block to shoot jumpers is beyond comprehension. (I’m guessing to open things up.)
Yes, Z can knock that shot down. However, I’d rather have my 7’3” player in around the basket for many reasons, especially for his Off. Rebound skill. He’s never been quick or explosive but he’s managed to be one of the better post players in the league with good hands.
Why they don’t use that aspect of his game? Ask Coach!
I’m sure the Lakers would love to have him in their triangle offense as would a handful of other teams, but he’s you ONLY true post player!
January 25th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
news flash lebrons big toe
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6407860?MSNHPHMA
January 27th, 2007 at 8:16 pm
“In addition, when the ball does go into the post to Drew Gooden or Zydrunas Ilgauskas it isn’t coming out, those guys COMBINE to average less than two assists per game.”
How does this fact differ from any other season? If not for the additional fact both you and your Beacon Journal brethren have spent literally *years* ignoring it, instead choosing to relentless argue that Ilgauskas is rarely fed the ball, thereby hurting the team, you’d have some foundation as to why you’re even mentioning it.
Playing both sides of the fence is a real journalistic stinkaroo. Either you want Ilgauskas to get fed the the ball and perform the exact same black hole thing he’s been doing for nearly 10 years now, or you don’t. For Pete’s sakes, don’t be an egregious hypocrite. Choose a side, put it into print, and stick with your decision. Which is it?
January 27th, 2007 at 9:02 pm
tucker, it should be “relentlessly” not “relentless” in this instance. however, to your larger point; you are ABSOLUTELY correct!! and, yes, i could hardly forsee myself typing those words…but one must give the devil his due and your analysis here is dead-on. it fits right beside the “snow does things you mere fans cannot even SEE much less GRASP!” meme so often foist upon on us by the media who cover the cavs.
January 27th, 2007 at 9:43 pm
kj, it was a typo, but thank you for the English lesson…
But as you say, more to my larger point, somebody buy the Beacon Journal a gigantic case of Woolite. No, make that two giant cases. Jeez, talk about sprinting straight to the head of the class of wishy-washy sportswriting. The last time there was anything that outrageously contraditory, the ancient French Vikings were inventing the term “jumbo shrimp.”
January 28th, 2007 at 3:24 am
Give BW a break, he’s coming along on Snow and Z and sports writers should be able to change their minds after watching games and seasons unfold. If that weren’t the case, we’d still be reading about what a great head coach Chris Palmer was.
But Pluto is again beating the old horse in today’s column, claiming Z needs more touches. Pluto outlines how Z’s numbers have risen each month this season, forgetting to mention that the Cavs have gotten worse as Z’s numbers have improved.
The Cavs offense looked pretty good the first few games this season, when Z was playing about 20 minutes a game and feeling left out. He can be valuable as a role player but he’s just terrible as a go-to guy.
January 28th, 2007 at 5:28 am
Yeah, Terry Pluto’s neverending love affair with Ilgauskas remains extraordinarily puzzling. I’d hazard a guess that it actually has underlying reasons having far more to do with Ilgauskas’ foot operations and a guy actually re-upping with Cleveland than his actual skills. Terry has always admired guys that overcome real adversity and guys that are purportedly “loyal” to hard-luck Northeast Ohio. (Of course, Ferry was merely bidding against himself, and Ilgauskas actually had no other realistic choice that summer but to re-up with Cleveland, but that’s neither here nor there.)
But getting back to the point, a flat-out concise statement saying “I now admit I was wrong about Ilgauskas” would be refreshing, if indeed that is what is attempting to be said. Frankly, I don’t know. I can’t tell. Because unless I’ve missed something, as it now stands, we’re talking of a sportswriting viewpoint that says “heads I win, tails you lose.”
January 28th, 2007 at 6:54 am
There are definitely some sacred cows–Z needs more touches; Snow is a top defender and great team leader; Ferry made good moves two summers ago (or he didn’t have any choice anyway).
It borders on bizarre how every local sportswriter seems to completely agree with every one of these highly debatable notions. I can’t remember one article, column or blurb that really questions any of them.
January 28th, 2007 at 7:57 am
man, larry, you are on fire! i agree with you on everything, except perhaps the ferry summer signings. i still think he HAD make those moves but..
your point about pluto and Z is dead-on as well. we HAVE gotten worse as he’s gotten “better.” oh, and take another look at thise stats and notice that he’s STILL shooting UNDER 50%!!! he’s 7′3″! now, maybe he loses a few percentage points with all those tip-in attempts but i’m pretty sure he shot over 50% a few years ago.
i think tucker is right vis-a-vis pluto liking Z because of the foot and remaining loyal. i never thought i’d say this but i wish we had a sam smith-type who would tell it like it about the hometown team.
i have mentioned in other forums how with the internet and espn, that rather than many different voices being heard, what has actually happened is that a monolithic “groupthink” has emerged on so many sport topics by those who cover them. and there is no clearer example of that then with the cavs media.
sheesh, next thing ya know i’ll be longing for gib and pete franklin!
oh, and didn’t it look nice the other day against the sixers when we had a POINT GUARD who drove and dished the ball and hit open shots? but as pluto says, gibson’s not ready to start. so that’s that!
January 28th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Great comments today guys. Pluto embarasses himself weekly. He ought to stick to the cheesy religious pieces exclusively. Nobody, except for occasionally bill livingston, has the guts to call the cleveland sports scene what it is; an unmitigated disaster.
The suns toyed with them today. And Brown was all excited at the half because the Suns only had 5 fast break points. What a clueless fool. They had 58 points and shot 55%! Force of nature at the 3, slasher type shooting guard, athletic rangy 4, and Varejao playing most of the meaningful minutes at the 5. Seems like the perfect personnel to run a slow down clutch and grab offense. Unbelievable. Fire him now. Let him hone his craft in the MAC or OVC. I can’t take it anymore.