Pregame
Starting lineups:
Cavs: Daniel Gibson, Shannon Brown, Sasha Pavlovic, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilguaskas
Wizards: Antonio Daniels, DeShawn Stevenson, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison, Brendan Haywood
Officials:
Joe DeRosa, Tommy Nunez, Jack Nies
–LeBron James isn’t playing, Gilbert Arenas isn’t playing, it’s a Wednesday in December and it’s snowing here in D.C. Not surprisingly, there’s no one here at the Verizon Center.
–Based on my viewpoint, there are three players in the Wizards starting lineup the Cavs cannot guard right now. That’s Daniels, Butler and Jamison. Could be trouble.
–I spoke with Anderson Varejao on the phone a short time ago. It was good to hear his voice, but he won’t be back until next week probably. More in the newspaper tomorrow.
–Cavs need to remember that Z exists and use him instead of just hoisting jumpers like it’s streetball. But then again, the Wizards play streetball. Ugh, lookout.
Halftime — Wizards 53, Cavs 34
–The Cavs are playing like the New York Knicks right now. They are getting outhustled, they are making silly and unforced mistakes, they are playing one-on-one offense, they are not playing like the care on defense. Sure LeBron, Hughes, and others are out, but this is looking like a summer league game. You can understand getting beat with LeBron out, but they keep getting blown out. Not a good statement on the character of the team right now.
Postgame — Wizards 105, Cavs 86
Stars
Caron Butler, 27 points, seven rebounds
Antawn Jamison, 17 points, 12 boards
Nick Young, 17 points
–Boy, those Cavs really took Mike Brown’s comments about coming out and competing to heart, didn’t they? They were down by 28 points a few minutes into the second half.
–Just as I will disregard anything Eddie Jordan says about his defense playing well tonight, I will disregard the Cavs comeback to get it to nine points. Both are heavily circumstantial.
–The locker room was pissed off after the game, which I honestly have not seen much out of the Cavs. Usually even when they lose they are loose, there were some angry people in there. Especially Drew Gooden. Of course, that doesn’t matter if the team doesn’t show it on the court.
–There are times when I just cannot stand watching Shannon Brown. Yes, he makes a great play every now and then, but when he starts trying to juke a defender and then jacks up a jumper over somebody it is just bad basketball. Same goes for Sasha Pavlovic over the last two games.
–Zydrunas Ilgauskas got seven shots tonight, he made five, three of them came when he got offensive rebounds. Unacceptable. The blame goes a lot of places, but partially at the head coach who has to demand the team use its best weapon of the moment. And if he’s facing double teams or whatever, do something about it.
–Anybody who has been reading this blog over the last four years and knows my philosophy about the game knows how I feel about this stat. Cavs: 20 3-point attempts, 14 free throw attempts. Guess who the only player was who drew more than one shooting foul…Z.
–In summer league, I didn’t think Nick Young could play dead. I mean he was terrible. Now, he looks like he’s going to be a player. He’s certainly going to score and he has no fear. Could be a real nice pickup for the Wiz.
–One of the Cavemen from that TV show was here tonight. I loved the commercials, hated the show. He was sitting on the baseline next to the Cavs’ bench, I wonder if Mike Brown did a double take when looking down the bench thinking of someone to put in the second half.
–By the way, Anderson Varejao was on the active roster tonight.
Quotes
Drew Gooden: “Being the caliber of team we are, even having this many injuries, losing this many games in a row is unacceptable.”
Z: “We’re not cherishing our possessions and we’re playing a lot of one-on-one and it makes it very easy to play us.”
Also, Thanks everyone for the well wishes while I was out sick. I’ve been dealing with illness and been limping around with foot tendinitis recently. So if you see me in the airport, please understand why I’m moving so slowly on the people movers.
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Man..everybody goes right after Boobie..maybe just more than his shooting was displayed last May
I’m trying to be positive right now with Lebron out, but it’s getting kind of ridiculous. How can he not be getting frustrated?
If he were to miss a month or more, I doubt the Cavs could make it up and make the playoffs. But, what’s worse is they look like they could be the very worst team in the league when Lebron doesn’t play.
I guess it really shows how much the double-teaming of Lebron frees up some of the other guys. Without him in there, they are being played 1-on-1 and they can’t do crap.
The last couple nights I’ve flipped the channel and watched a different NBA game. Last night was Utah, tonight I have been flipping over to watch the Celtics/Sixers and I will probably watch more of that game than the Cavs games. Sad. Last year I NEVER missed a Cavs game, but right now they are unwatchable.
Ah, who cares. They’ll make the playoffs, then all this will be forgotten. James will have his usual unbelievable performances during the season and the playoffs, the local media will pretend that the team is more than just LeBron, and all will be wonderful. As long as James is alive and on the court, I think they could still win the conference. Even if they played the Celtics, James is that good.
I guess it’s just as well that I’ve been forced to watch the Blue Jackets games the past few nights instead of the Cavs games. Is Shannon Brown’s hair still braided?
lebron would have to miss more than a month i think for this team to not make the playoffs. they were playing good basketball for a while against some good teams, and he would will this team all the way to the 7 or 8 seed, worst case scenario
Wow…. this team is atrocious. I’m not sure what I’m watching right now. I suppose this is to be expected when the garbage that dances around LBJ all of a sudden has to dance alone. You mean Drew Gooden can’t carry a team? Well, at least Boatshoes is “good at his job”, according to our esteemed blog host. Hopefully that comment was made while Windhorse was still under the effects of his tylenol cough and cold medicine. Othewise I’d have to think he’d gone out of his mind.
Brian, can the fans expect any changes whatsoever to be made this year? This is just gross.
Brown needs to do a better job, even with what he has to work with.
I never miss Cavs games and I couldn’t watch the second half.
I might be optimistic but I think once LeBron returns (next game?) we will rip off 7 or 8 straight wins…
I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS OFFENSE CONTINUES TO IGNORE THEIR BIGGEST WEAPON ON THE FLOOR CURRENTLY IN Z!!! Is it the coaching staff or is it the lack of execution by the team that’s to blame?
Can someone please explain to me why the Cavs continue to ignore their biggest asset on the floor currently in Z??? Is it the coaching staff or a lack of execution of the game plan?
while i would classify the last few games as gross to watch, i am seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. within a week or two we should have lebron, hughes and varejao back. it will be such a boost and a different team, these games will be discarded and forgotten.
Funny about Brian’s “summer league” comment. I’ve been thinking that the last two games. I watched the Cavalier summer league games on NBATV and that nails it. Undisciplined Shannon Brown running wild with flashes of brilliance; Daniel Gibson trying to refine his point guard skills; Dwayne Jones banging bodies and missing layups. This gang looks every bit as bad as the 2002 Cavaliers with LeBron sitting out. Even Jordan’s Bulls weren’t this pathetic without Jordan. In fact, when Jordan retired (the first time) they still made a nice run into the playoffs behind Scottie Pippen. A stark reminder that we have no Scottie Pippen. And NO it is not Larry Hughes. I’m dreading when he returns to the line-up frankly, because no matter how bad he plays, his paycheck demands big minutes. With Varejao signed to this short stinky contract and no one on this roster stepping up, I smell a trade. Maybe even a bad trade. But we need to shake this uninspired mediocrity up somehow.
Mike Brown is not distinguishing himself with the handling of this situation. Even if it does not result in made baskets, I would have expected some semblance of a basic offensive structure from the remaining Cavs without LBJ. Right now, they are serving up some disgraceful basketball and I am increasingly putting that on Brown’s inability to coach. I find myself reminded of Doug Collins’ less than impressive tenure as the Bulls’ coach in Jordan’s early career. He looked like an idiot out there calling out “2, 3″ or whatever number he assigned to the isolations that led to Jordan’s freelancing for hoops. Collins couldn’t get the Bulls past the Pistons. I have a feeling LBJ needs some kind of Phil Jackson-type of head coach to get over the top in Cleveland as well. Hopefully, Gilbert won’t wait too long to take care of his coaching problem if it stays at the same level of accomplishment…
Are you sure it was one of the Cavemen that you saw sitting on the baseline? I didn’t see the Cavs game, I had to watch the Blue Jackets game on my FSN Ohio station. It may have simply been Gooden’s latest imaginary retro 80s look, the man is a real trendsetter. Back in the day, it was quite hip in Oakland to wear a headband and be hairy.
http://www1.10thnpc.org.cn/english/Life/180579.htm
Good god. This game was uglier than a David Wesley layup attempt.
Is the coaching bad or are the players just failing to execute? Has Bill Dukes lost the team? Maybe it’s time to send him back to the jungles of southeast Asia, hunting Predators.
By the way, Windhorst, nice recovery. But I have to know: When Larry Hughes saw you back on the job after only a couple days, hobbling around the locker room despite your foot tendinitis, did he openly weep in shame? Or did he leave the room to do it?
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The only thing I have to say…..not getting Z the ball is a coaching mistake. B-Dub is right…..
Seven shots? Come on Coach Brown. Popavich would bench his whole squad if they didn’t throw it into the post. This is making me really mad with Brown. Seven shots.
SOMEONE PLEASE write an article on how Brown is not using Z…BW please ask him that at the next pratice if you can, thanks.
Megadeal in the works? Please, for the love of God, Ferry. Shake up this team. They’re unwatchable. Why cant we trade Mike Brown for Rick Adelman. At least we’d score a few points!!!
Foot tendinitis. Hmmm… Well, I’m no doctor, but I once played one on TV. If I remember correctly, I prescribed RICE. Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation.
But what I really want to know is how a beat writer got himself foot tendinitis. Therein lies the medical mystery. Were Windy and Pluto mobbed by a rabid pack of horny young nubile college girls at a Barnes & Noble book signing, and the two of them had to run for their lives? If Windy ended up with foot tendinitis, then Pluto must be in traction.
Agree with several comments above & Brian’s assertion that it would help if Ilgauskas needs to be involved because of his ability to get and make free throws.
However, this is far from the only solution. Or even the primary one.
During the five-game losing streak, Z has not shot any better than the rest of the Cavs (35% on two-pointers vs. 38% for the rest of the team).
So while his overall points scored per two point shot attempt (1.15) has been superior to the other Cavaliers’ (0.97) in those five games–precisely because of Z’s free throw proficiency–the difference (0.18) is not enough to turn these blowout losses into wins, even if Ilgauskas were getting 10 more shots per game.
Has anyone heard rumors concerning Jason Kidd’s desire to come to Cleveland? Apparently he sat out the last Nets game with a “migraine”, but it was really a trade demand.
If we had a point guard like Jason Kidd…and a healthy Lebron, I think we would be a VERY tough team to beat. We’d be the Utah Jazz of the Eastern Conference…without the constant foul trouble!
Bri, sounds like you need a good physical therapist. Cavs need to run the “O” through “Z”. Period.
Z needs James in the worst possible way. Someone above mentioned the problem of not getting Z the ball (no good entry passers) but also Z’s FG% has plummeted because he is the main beneficiary of James’ drawn double teams. Those wise open shots have dried up because there is no one worth double much less triple teaming. Same goes for Gooden. There are still a few loons out there that doubt how good James really is. This little stretch of basketball against decent teams should serve as a reminder of James ability and worth to this team.
I’d take Jason Kidd OR Andre Miller in a nanosecond. Someone to get guys where they need to be and teach Boobie the ropes. E Snow already sold his house and has one foot in Atlanta by now. Maybe he could come and coach?
Time to get frisky Danny boy. Bring home that bacon.
Sure, Kidd or Miller would be great. But what is there of interest on our roster for either the 76ers or the Nets? If I were either team I would demand both Gibson and Varajeo, maybe more…
The Cavs can’t trade Varejao for 3 months. Kidd makes $19 million, so any trade would HAVE to involve Larry Hughes in order to be a legal NBA trade. It just ain’t gonna happen.
Hey Reckut..what do u think of Alan T.?
anyway…
hey, b-dub, how would AV benefit from NOT being able to be traded this year?
also, would Fegan hold AV contract negotiations up to prevent AV from being traded this year when i became appearent that neither side would compromise ever?
maybe, Fegan was afraid that AV wouldnt look that good and would lose value while playingin Sac-town or Philly for the next year and a half.
maybe he realized that the best chance to gain a big deal was to stay by LB and let LB make AV look good?
these past five games have definately shown how much LB boosts every other Cavs player’s performance
Huh? What do I think of Alan T? I think he’s a bitter man who gets his jollies by ripping on the Cleveland Cavaliers. I don’t know why, and I don’t really care why. But I do care about calling him out on his blind and one-sided opinion. Even on the rare occasion where he actually makes a good and valid point, nobody takes him seriously because they assume it’s just more of his garbage.
Hope that answers your question David.
To try to actually discuss a relevant topic, though, like the rest of your post, I honestly don’t think Fegan cares all that much about AV. Fegan was trying to break down and smash the current CBA arrangement. He was more interested in pushing policy than helping AV get what he was worth. If he cared about Varejao, he probably would have had his boy in Charlotte sign AV a long time ago so Varejao wouldn’t have lost all this time with the Cavaliers.
will the cavs actually tough it out for the next 2 years until they are able to unload some dead weight contracts or will they literally go for “broke” and “break” Gilbert’s bank and bring in a couple of aging superstars and add more dead weight contract to this team to appease the fan, i personally want them to wait. Heck we are us to this type of playing do not for get richfield.
Hey Alan, your boyfriend Bill Simmons took Ferry’s side on the Varejao signing. Thoughts?
“I agree with Johnny Ludden from Yahoo: Kudos to Cavs GM Danny Ferry (now there’s something I never thought I’d write) for refusing to pay Anderson Varejao and getting him at a below-market price for two years. Are the NBA GMs slowly getting wiser, or is it just me? Five years ago, somebody would have stupidly given Varejao $50 million. Now he’s basically getting $17 million for two years. This is progress, I think.”
I don’t think Mike Brown can put together an offensive game plan that features the skill sets of the players on the floor. It seems like the only player who can get Z the ball in the right spots on the floor is LB. The Cavs have needed a TRUE PG ever since we traded Andre for Miles. You won’t win the title in the current nba without a true PG running your team. Did we learn nothing from watching Tony Parker push the broom on us? Deron Wiliams run the court for a game winning shot only a foul would’ve stopped?
After reading LB’s current Fortune article(real interesting read), I think one of the only ways to keep LB around long-term in Cleveland is to make a Kidd & Darren Collsion Plan happen in the off-season. You don’t do that by surrounding him with numbers of superstars but just the right few players that can help LB WIN games. Gilbert Arenas had a great observation that our current half court offense is tailored for when LB plays his game for it to look more dominant than it’s supposed to look. When you read how drastically LB’s 48 special game against the Pistons increased Nike’s marketing effort behind him, it makes complete sense. If a pg can get LB good looks then you won’t need to tailor an offense to make him dominant, he will just dominate.
Three factors could make an off-season trade with the Nets for Kidd more realistic, Gibson would be a good sign & trade candidate, $13.2 M of expring ‘08/’09 contracts, & Varejao can’t be traded until after March 15. As long as Dallas doesn’t give up Harris or Howard & insist the Nets take Dampier for Kidd this season, the Cavs could become frontrunner for Kidd. I think Terry’s remaining contract would be prohibitive for New Jersey to add, but they signed Carter to a worse deal so who knows? I think the off-season Kobe drama has scared Kidd completely away from LA.
If you put Hughes out on the wing & stop trying to make a sg into a pg(ie take him off the ball asap), then Hughes could become a trade commodity. If he played on a team with an offensive philosophy like Golden State he would put up good numbers. It is the mentality of a miserable Cleveland sports fan to believe the nba awards first team defense to players who ’sit’ in passing lanes. Maybe if the front office & coaches work hard to get two-three good months out of Hughes, we could dream big & get Kidd here by March in a multi-team trade. Then we wouldn’t have to wait for the offseason to add the missing piece.
Comaguy, when you played doctor on tv as you say, what was the proper prescription for someone in a coma?