New Orleans refresher course
Posted December 29th, 2007 by Brian Windhorst
Pregame
Starting lineups
Cavs: Larry Hughes, Sasha Pavlovic, LeBron James, Drew Gooden, Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Hornets: Chris Paul, Morris Peterson, Peja Stojakovic, David West, Tyson Chandler
–The Cavs are catching another break, getting the Hornets on a back-to-back. Also, there are lots of Hawaii and Georgia fans at the game tonight, in town for the Sugar Bowl, plus maybe some early Ohio State arrivals. May give it more of a neutral court feel. Of course, the Cavs were all off and able to enjoy Bourbon Street on a wild Friday night so perhaps it is a disadvantage.
–The biggest issue tonight is whether the Cavs will be able to keep Chris Paul out of the lane. He’s one of the best point guards in the league, so he’s going to do damage. But his ability to get free baskets for guys like Chandler and West will be key. The Cavs kept Devin Harris and Jason Terry out of the lane in Dallas, this will be a big task for Hughes.
–Chandler is one of the best offensive rebounders in the league. There will be pressure on Ilgauskas and Gooden to handle him tonight. Also, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mike Brown use Dwayne Jones to battle out there.
–Peja is a very streaky shooter, if he gets going it could be a long night for the Cavs. But if the Cavs contest his shots, it may work out well for them.
–Hornets are good — third best in the West so far — and hot — they’ve won four straight. It will be an excellent test to see how much the Cavs have their stuff together.
Halftime — Hornets 46, Cavs 42
–Cavs are lucky to only be down four and they are because they played much better in second quarter. The shot 35 percent in the first quarter and 55 percent in the second. They also only had one turnover in the second quarter after giving away seven in the first. The major difference was they went to Ilgauskas both in the post and on the outside and he was effective in the halfcourt.
–LeBron is playing passively tonight. There is no way Peja should be able to guard him one-on-one or keep him out of the post. He’s not attacking on picks, he’s inviting the double team way too much. So far, this is one of his bad nights. We’ll see if it changes.
–The Cavs are dealing with Chris Paul’s pick and rolls pretty well considering, but they’ve lost Peja and David West in the halfcourt a few times. The Cavs are also rebounding well, which has helped them stay close.
–The Hornets are a good team and they aren’t showing any signs of being tired from last night. Cavs will have to play at a high level to win tonight.
–Before the game, Donyell Marshall has a routine where he locks arms with all the starters as they go on the court. Well, Drew Gooden wasn’t paying attention and he belted ‘Yell right in the jaw.
Postgame — Hornets 86, Cavs 76
Stars
David West, 27 points, 15 rebounds
Chris Paul, 20 points, nine assists, seven steals
–First off, the Hornets are very good. They are 10 games over .500 and have played four fewer home games than road games. They have excellent promise and this isn’t a bad loss for the Cavs.
–However, this was a game that reminded the Cavs of eveything they don’t have. Such as: guards who can handle or shoot and focus in the third quarter. Defense was reasonably good, especially in the halfcourt. Other than West schooling Gooden, the Cavs allowed just 42 percent shooting and 86 points. That’s four good defensive games in the last five, which is progress.
–Now, on to the rest. It is just out of hand with Pavlovic and Hughes and their shooting, just grossly unacceptable. Mike Brown is starting them because they are long and better on defense than the alternatives. I’d favor seeing Damon Jones a bit, but I suppose Gibson is playing that role better than DJ could. Sasha just isn’t this bad, I don’t think. Larry is this bad on jump shots but when he doesn’t go to the basket or get the foul line his offensive is negative. Tonight when you consider his four turnovers, it’s a negative.
–Watching LeBron come off screens and wait for the double team is 1000 percent what other teams want. I’m not sure whether he’s inviting them or if he’s just so used to getting hit by a second man that it’s ingrained in his head to expect it, but he’s not aggressive coming off screens right now. The Hawks and Kings scouts were here and they saw it and they’ll be doing it, too. Ultimately, that’s why you don’t want LeBron having to handle the ball so much, you want a point guard that can navigate it much better. That is an old conversation, but tonight was a refresher course. Danny Ferry and Mike Brown know this, of course, but nothing is being done about it at the moment.
–The third quarter issue is a complete mystery to me. I guess it is an example of the Cavs’ inconsistent focus. Tonight it was a 12-0 run to start the third, which basically ended the game. Players and coaches have been asked the question for months and nobody has a good answer.
–Being back here in New Orleans reminds me of the last time I was here and the Jiri Welsch hook in 2005. One of the most memorable shots I’ve ever seen in the NBA, Welsch comes off a screen on the right wing and puts up a wide open 3-pointer…that started about five feet left of the rim and then hooked. This thing missed the basket standard by like four feet and landed out of bounds. I will never forget the look on LeBron’s face as he came back up the court. After that shot, I knew Jiri was done for that season.
–That Welsch shot is only surpassed in my personal experience by David Wesley’s missed layup last year in Dallas, which some Cavs players were talking about the other night at the American Airlines Center. Wesley had an uncontested layup and jumped off the wrong foot and stuffed the ball into the padding under the backboard. Again, the looks on the Cavs bench were memorable. My colleague Bob Finnan later said Wesley should’ve dragged a podium out and retired on the spot.
–As for New Orleans, this is my first visit since the hurricane. I have only seen downtown and the ride in from the airport. I have never really liked it here and I still don’t, but that is a pure personal opinion and not a commentary on the culture (OK, no angry e-mails please). Now, it reminds me a bit of a third world country, everything for the tourists and the businessmen is OK but after that layer it gets ugly quick. Still lots of buildings boarded and ruins right in the middle of downtown, can’t imagine the lower ninth ward. So if you liked New Orleans before, you will probably not see a difference now. Certainly not on Bourbon Street.
Quotes
Mike Brown: “We came out flat but they had something to do with it. I wonder why we are flat coming out in the third quarters, that is something that in the past and tonight it has hurt us.”
LeBron: “They did a good job of doubling me as soon as I caught the ball, they had me on the ropes at times. It is going to happen every single game, I get doubled every time I touch the ball. I’m probably the only person in the NBA that happens to.”
December 29th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
how and why can sasha still be starting!! he is offfically worse than larry hughes. FIX THEM AND THE CAVS GO TO THE FINALS and when I say fix I mean remove!!!
December 29th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Does Bourbon Street still smell like piss? It’s been a few years, but I still remember reading your post about that infamous Windy and Finnan trip into the massage parlors and what not. But you said you didn’t have time to take your boxer shorts off and instead had to make a beeline straight back to the hotel because the surrounding infernal stench was simply killing you. Was Katrina able to rinse the town and make Bourbon Street smell lemony fresh?
December 30th, 2007 at 12:04 am
Nice question to Coach Brown, Brian, in regards to James waiting on the double teams. Brown lied, imo, but his answer had a grain of truth. Most of the time, teams double hard and right away on James, but on more than a few occasions tonight, James waited for the double to come and then passed out of it. There were a handful of times that he had Peja on him deep in or near the post and instead of making a quick move to the hoop and abusing Peja, he waited for the double. That is passive Lebron. That is not the optimum Lebron. However, as usual, our miserable starting guards are mostly to blame for this loss. They’ve become a joke.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:51 am
Perhaps the greatest website in history (of course next to Brian’s blog)….
http://heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com/
Why o why does Larry suck so bad?
December 30th, 2007 at 1:30 am
great site! thanks for the link mike.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:35 am
Here we go again. This team is going nowhere with Hughes and Pavlovic. I heard tonight that the Sixers acquired Giracek from UT for Kyle Korver (F). I am praying this is setting up a deal for Andre Miller with the Cavaliers sending Gooden or whoever else the Sixers want. At this point, the Cavaliers are playing 3 on 5 offensively. If anything, it should be Hughes and Gibson starting in the backcourt. By the way, whatever happened to earning minutes?
December 30th, 2007 at 1:57 am
Hey, a Jiri Welsch reference! Speaking of which, this was just added to YouTube two days ago. That sorry stiff must of channeled the spirit of fellow sorry stiff Shannon Brown, because I don’t ever recall Welsch ever coming close to doing this domestically.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=bXlkVyhcJsE
By the way, don’t the Cavs have a team shrink or somebody else in that fancy schmantzy Independence building the taxpayers built for Gilbert? Hughes is a decent player, certainly nowhere remotely close to as putrid as he has been playing this year, both offensively and defensively. There has just got to be something else going on in his life to affect him the way it has. At this point, any general manager would have to be clinically insane to trade for him, no matter what bags of garbage they might be able to unload in return. This guy must be seriously messed up, and I’d like for Windy to do some investigative reporting as to what is really going on here. Nobody suddenly gets this bad in their late 20s without something else going on. I mean, is he going through a divorce, does he have a Sean Kemp problem, does he have a Roy Tarpley problem, or what? Something ain’t kosher.
December 30th, 2007 at 2:53 am
Love the Larry Hughes website. Extremely funny! Can we start a countdown for how many days before he’s gone? Wishful thinking at least, since no one is dumb enough to absorb his contract.
Also, how do Damon Jones and Ira Newble refuse to go into a game? If it weren’t for the Cavaliers, they’d both be riding the bench for Rockford in the CBA. If Ira is so into world politics, I invite him to depart immediately for Pakistan or Darfur and stop taking up roster space. Go save the world. You’re killing our basketball team with your bad attitude and YMCA offense.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:22 am
gibson is much more effective coming off the bench, and he cant play defense to save his life. so unfortunatly, we might be stuck waiting for sasha to come around and earn his minutes, because the team is a lot better when he is playing well. as for larry…hell i dont know. if we somehow get andre miller in a trade, then larry should be relegated to the bench and only play mop up time. i cant believe eric snow doesnt get playing time. he cant shoot, but right now neither can larry or sasha, and at least eric knows he cant shoot so he doesnt force anything. he also is the best guard defender on the team, and is the best at guarding players like baron davis, but he is also effective at guarding players like chris paul. he probably can’t shut down players but he can def do a better job than the players we are using now. he certainly is good enough to earn some minutes, minutes that larry does not. why not give him a chance? he is a good leader, and what we are doing isnt exactly going great
December 30th, 2007 at 4:28 am
larry had a younger brother die a couple of years ago during the playoffs. he had received a heart transplant a few years before that and it ended up rejecting and he died before he could get another one. he was only 20 years old. larry got a couple of tears tattooed under his eye to honor his brother’s memory so yeah i’m sure that’s probably what’s got him all messed up. if that’s the case, take a leave of absence and get yourself some grief counseling, dude. there’s no shame in that. continuing to shoot 1-of-9 or 2-of-11 while pulling down $13 million though, there’s a lot of shame there. stop it.
December 30th, 2007 at 4:43 am
ricky, you said too of the craziest things i’ve ever read on this blog. do you actually *watch* the cavs play or do you just regurgitate the “common wisdom” vomited out by beat writers?
first of all, gibson played the best D on paul tonight. that’s because he is similar in size and speed to paul. where gibby runs into problems is with the bigger guards, but hey, it happens to all small guards.
but for you to think snow could’ve guarded paul tonight is the most laughable thing i’ve read on here since tucker’s “guarantee” a couple of years back that LBJ would be gone from cleveland by now. eric snow would have had no chance against paul tonight!
we’ve watched snow be terrible in a starting role for two years, yet you pine for a return to *that?* jeebus…
do us all a favor and get real and learn something about basketball before ya post again, ok?
December 30th, 2007 at 6:27 am
“Jeebus” kj, get off your pedestal. Who the f**k are you? I read your inane rants/comments all the time but you get your panties in a bunch reading one of mine? Pound salt. ok? “jeebus”
December 30th, 2007 at 8:47 am
Hey Alan, save some of your personal stories about massage parlors for another blog. We don’t need to read stories about your wild youth.
Anyways, i agree that there is no way Sasha should still be starting.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:21 am
“‘They did a good job of doubling me as soon as I caught the ball,” James said. ”They had me on the ropes at times. It is going to happen every single game, I get doubled every time I touch the ball. I’m probably the only person in the NBA that happens to.”
I call BS on James’ quote, here. He waited for the double almost every time he had that slow as molasses Peja had him. Why? I have no idea. But, I do find it odd when professional players try to deceive like this. I realize that he just can’t come out and say, ” Hey, I didn’t feel like playing aggressively tonight” and leave it at that, but to go overboard with complete BS? The only thing he had right in that quote was that he is probably the only player in the NBA to get doubled all the time. He is that damned good. I miss humility in professional athletes. Believe it or not, once upon a time, it was the rule and not the exception.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:22 am
The thing is, JoeHoops, is that Alan doesn’t care about basketball. He only cares about the drama and human interest stories. So of course he’s going to write about his personal stories and spread his venom about other cities rather than actually talk about what’s happening with the team on the court.
After all, the NBA is “about spreading entertainment”. Brilliant.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
I agree with kj and thank him for speaking the Truth to Power.
I read about Gibson’s terrible D. all the time, but he is credible in the games I watch. I also remember him making some outstanding plays against Billups in the Detroit series last year, stripping him a couple possessions in a row during crunch time. I’ve seen more outstanding plays from him this year: against the Mavs, he did well against their quick guards, stole an inbounds and made a basket at a key time, and even fought hard against Nowitzki near the basket on one play, etc., etc.
Of course after the game we read about Z holding Dampier down, and little mention of the job done on Harris and Terry. Last night, the starting bigs for NO shot about 70 percent and grabbed about 30 boards. No mention of Z’s defense in that one. It was all Gooden.
I don’t mean to rag on Z, and believe he can be a very useful defender, but when I watch games I sometimes wonder if I’m reading ’sky is green’ coverage after the games I miss.
December 30th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
Oh yeah, I forgot.
I believe James’ comment is aimed at his teammates and the front office. He’s saying no other superstar has such a poor supporting cast.
I also believe he waits for the double team because he wants his teammates to find some open space. The offense will never improve in a meaningful way unless they learn to do that.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
Uhh … kj. Not that truth really matters in these parts, but after James signed that puny extension, I “guaranteed” (your words, not mine) that James is gone after 2010, not that he would have already been gone by now. Not exactly a crazy unique opinion in NBA circles, by the way. James’ original contract made it impossible for him to escape to wherever he’s going until the end of this coming summer at the very earliest, so if you’re going to lie about something I supposedly wrote, at least have the common decency to make it a plausible lie.
larry d., I am not much of a reader outside of sports, so what is this the “Truth to Power” you speak of? Sounds like some pretty persuasive stuff.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Recknut, what does Damon Jones and Ira Newble flipping Mike Brown the bird not have to do with the Cavaliers? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, so why aren’t the readers reading a lot more of what is really going on here? If any normal person flipped their boss the bird, building security would throwing them into a pile of slush in the street. There’s overt mutiny taking place during an actual game at the immediate side of a professional basketball court, and you don’t consider this to be NBA “news?”
Seriously, dude, can’t you put your fandom in safekeeping for five minutes? Please. Just five.
December 30th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
I’m not sure if anyone else noticed during the Mavericks game on Thursday, but what were you and Branson Wright talking about during I believe the third quarter when all we could see was you saying “Nope…Nope…Nope….Nope..” to Branson?
December 30th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Wasn’t talking to you Alan, I was talking to JoeHoops. Move along. It’s impolite to butt into other people’s conversations.
But to answer your question (something you NEVER do), here’s what Jones and Newble not going into the game doesn’t have to do with the Cavaliers……..they don’t play anyway. They’re barely members of the team. The only reason they’re still sitting on the bench is because no other team wants to take on their contracts for what little they can produce on the court, and NBA rules don’t allow the Cavs to just cut them. So it is what it is. Who cares. Move along.
December 30th, 2007 at 4:14 pm
Larry, I agree with you in regards to “why” he waits for the double team. However, he must recognize when he has such a ridiculous mis-match and attack a guy like Peja. Especially in games where points are obviously at such a premium.
December 30th, 2007 at 4:31 pm
very persuasive comeback, ricky. really put me in my place…
to larry d.,
ya know it sounds like to me that you actually WATCH WHAT HAPPENS in a game unlike, say, oh, the majority of people who cover basketball for a living! it also seems to affect some of our less astute blog commenters as well. for example, after watching last night’s game i was impressed that Z shot the ball so well in the first half and then was utterly amazed that he fumbled two passes for sure lay-ups and scored what? 2 or 4 points after the break? oh, and let’s not hear from the “common wisdom” types that he didn’t get enough “touches” in the second half. the problem for him was that he could touch the basketball just fine. it’s catching the damn thing he had a problem with!
oh, and tucker, we’ve all been through your attempts at revisionist histoy before, so just stop it, ok? we’d all stop referencing the damn incident if you’d just man up and admit you made a mistake. it’s not really big deal…
and to the guys blaming LBJ for not attacking more, i refer you to the refs tonight and most nights, for that matter. he was smashed at least 3 different times on drives tonight with no calls made. yet if one dared to get in paul’s way, it was foul. i’ve said it before and unfortunately, i guess i’ll have to keep saying it; LBJ gets less calls than any superstar i’ve ever seen in over 20 years of watching nba basketball.
December 30th, 2007 at 5:44 pm
kj, it would be difficult for me to revise history and admit something that you are making up lock, stock and barrel. But hey, if it will make you feel any better, Al Gore didn’t invent the Internet, I did. You can quote me on that.
And Matt, Windy wasn’t telling Branson Wright “nope, nope, nope,” Windy was telling Wright “grope, grope, grope.” Not only have the beat writers been directed by the Cavs to keep all the unsavory detailed stories about mutiny on the roster “in-house,” but apparently stories about Ferry and interns are off-limits, too. I don’t know why, it’s great publicity, Ferry is a good-looking guy, so write about it, brag about it, and let the guy freely squeeze the melons. The man has earned the right.
http://www.misnylaw.com/
December 30th, 2007 at 5:53 pm
kj, I agree with you that James gets shafted on calls. No doubt about that. It’s really not even debatable. However, that doesn’t change the fact that he should have abused Peja every chance he got. When he had Peja low, in or near the block, he needed to attack the basket instead of waiting for a double team. At least half the time. Am I nitpicking? Yes. But, the fact remains, he should have attacked. With all that being said, I think he’s the best player in the game and carries the most dead weight of anyone in the NBA.
December 30th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
C.Whore: I guess my point was that LeBron may feel his teammates are not going to improve if he’s bulling to the rim every time, no matter the mismatch. It’s a tough thing to do if everyone’s standing around, anyway. Teams are starting to beat on him pretty good.
The Cavs went through this stage last year, too. Everyone wonders what’s wrong with LeBron when they play this way, but if he can get his teammates moving he’ll be driving more than ever.
December 30th, 2007 at 6:26 pm
CW: it’s hard to argue against the points you made but i would just say that the cavs had just won two games where LBJ drove, yes but also had like a combined 18-20 assists in those two wins against the heat and mavs. so, clearly, he’s in the passing mood and thought that with all the double teams, his team-mates would do what they did the last two games and that is make some shots.
the truly bizarre thing to me is that at relatively late stages of their careers, drew and Z are so wildly inconsistent from night to night. yes, i know they nearly avg. a double/double a piece but my point is evident to those that *watch* the games. again, i’ll reference Z’s terrible hands last night. or drew thinking he’s a 6′4″ SG when going to the rim and not even drawing a foul. if it’s frustrating to us, it must be doubly so to LBJ.
it strikes me watching LBJ this year that he has the best rapport with people who have a good basketball IQ and also know their roles. i’m referring, of course, to andy and gibson. clearly to even the most causal ob sever these two players have a rapport with LB on the floor that no other player has. yes, LBJ sets up Z nicely but the basketball IQ is not there for Z in the way it in with, andy, for example.
the fact is that ferry’s *true* challenge will be to find players who have the proper basketball smarts and know and/or learn to accept their role. in someways, LBJ’s a very hard player to play with, at least in the conventional sense. but god knows, he’ll make you look great if you learn your role…
December 30th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Come on, Corporate Whore. How does James get “shafted” on calls? Game after game the guy takes more bunny hops than actual bunnies, and he doesn’t get called for a travel. Sure, sometimes legitimate foul calls are missed, but don’t say that he’s in any way getting singled out in that regard. That’s absurd. You just happen to be honing in on the guy.
Besides, why does he deserve star treatment more than any other star deserves star treatment? Indeed, his pivot foot tango is such an integral part of his game, any supposed missed foul calls are always more than offset by the repeated traveling resulting in the invisible turnovers that never happened.
Maybe if he ceased his constant whining and/or giving refs dirty looks every time a patently obvious correct call is made against him, he’d get a few phantom calls that he should never have gotten in the first place. It’s like parsley on a dinner plate, sometimes it’s all in the presentation.
December 30th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
jeebus, tucker you can’t *really* be that dumb. oh, and you closet racists who love the ‘85 celtics were all saying the same things abut jordan back in the day. “he travels all the time, blah, blah, blah!” grow up, huh?
LBJ got KILLED on 3 separate drives last night that resulted in no calls. now, for contrast, paul CHARGED into guys who had defensive position twice and each time, he was given the calls. anyone who actually watches the games knows that compared to wade, for example ( who *really* knows have to travel for point of fact ) LBJ doesn’t get the same calls.
oh, and only you and that hack from the washington times seem fixated on how LBJ looks during games. yet you accuse others of “honing in” on LBJ? man, do you have issues…
December 30th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result—Albert Einstein referring to Larry Hughes’ jumpshot
December 30th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
LBJ’s legs are tired, it seems. I think that’s why he stayed out 5 games. He played long and hard all summer. He’s had to play so hard for so long when he’s on the court this year. He weighs 250! That’s hard on a man for 82 games. He’ll have to take some nights off to survive the season.
Is it asking too much, though, for the others (no reference to Z, Andy or Boobie) to take some pride in their work and come with it every night?
Would Larry pull a Derek Fisher and ask out of his contract if they buried him at the end of the bench, or better yet deactivated him? I almost think he believes he could turn it around w/different circumstances.
December 30th, 2007 at 10:47 pm
kj, I’ve read some incredibly preposterous stuff in this blog, but your yanking of the race card with respect to Jordan’s traveling tops them all. Truly, to the best of my recollection, absolutely nothing tops it. But now that you’ve gotten so seriously sociological, anthropological and cerebral by raising the issues of race, the Celtics and the 80s, you should know that we also intend to discuss the blasphemy of Magic’s palming and David Stern’s mustache at the next Klan meeting.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Larry D and kj…good points. I just thought that in that particular game, he wasn’t as aggressive as he could have been against a very weak defender.
Alan, which superstar doesn’t get away with traveling in the NBA? It’s a given that James gets away with it too. They should just abolish the rule if they aren’t going to enforce it. However, I watch a lot of the NBA and it is very obvious that James does not get calls for him going to the hoop as much as some of the other superstars. I can understand you saying that I hone in on him and I probably do, but like I mentioned earlier, I watch a lot of basketball and he just doesn’t get the same calls that a Kobe or, especially, a Wade get going to the hoop. He just doesn’t. His size works against him in that one area of the game. The scowls? They’re just silly, but his back has got to be hurting and when the refs aren’t calling a good game, well, I’d scowl, too.
December 30th, 2007 at 11:40 pm
C-Whore, if James drove to the hoop more and cut back on his dirty looks to refs on so many correct calls and correct non-calls, then he’d get more calls. I think he could have a career living at the line like Adrian Dantley, but James is such a mediocre free throw shooter, maybe that’s why he’s reluctant to drive a lot more. The face that he’s been forced to play a five-on-one game doesn’t help matters, either.
But I honestly don’t see any serious evidence supporting what I believe to be a silly theory that other guys get calls, yet James doesn’t. Arguably, from some refs’ perspectives, some of the non-calls on James’ drives could easily be called offensive fouls, as James has a habit of initiating much of the perceived contact. It’s like O’Neal when he was in his prime, with O’Neal bulling his way to the hoop. How do you referee something like that? Was O’Neal getting fouled, or was O’Neal committing fouls himself? It depends upon who you ask. Sometimes the best call is no call at all.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:56 am
Blame Hughes, Z and the refs all you want, but I’ll blame the lack of a point guard. I’ve been saying the same thing for years now. It’s like Danny Ferry just figures he can get by with Hughes playing point even though he doesn’t like it and he’s not a point guard, Damon freakin Jones and Eric Snow. Jones and Snow should just get cut, Jones can go to Elton John’s garage sale and buy some more clothes. He sucks, and the level of that bust makes Hughes look like a grand success. Snow couldn’t shoot with Iverson either, and I think him guarding Tony Parker last year was proof that his D is overrated. I can’t figure out why Earl Boykins isn’t here at the very least. Lebron should be getting his 3rd MVP in a row for carrying these clowns on his shoulders - they couldn’t beat St. Ed’s without him.
December 31st, 2007 at 4:03 am
Oh yeah if Snow guarded Paul he’d have had twice as many points. Snow sucks and is largely the problem here. Noone can win with him, why do you think he’s still here? Danny Ferry wants to sign the next J. Kidd for a bargain price but instead ends up with nothing. The next round of rumors will probably involve Steve Nash or D. Williams. Sickening!
Regarding the refusing to go in thing - Newble is much smarter than loudmouth Jones. Jones has been a distraction for too long.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:08 am
Alan, I agree with you in regards to the dirty looks thing, but again, watch them all, and you will see them all giving dirty looks at perceived snubs or non-calls. So, that’s a wash, imo. I also agree with the Shaq comparison. But, the fact is we have seen Lebron hacked so extremely hard going to the hoop and because he doesn’t fall, he doesn’t get the call. I guess we’ll just agree to disagree that he gets shafted at times on calls.
December 31st, 2007 at 10:25 am
Refs probably hate the Cavs’ style of play as much as most fans do. LeBron will get his share of calls in the playoffs because so many eyes will be watching.
It’s a shame, the philosophy this team is following, when they have the most talented player in the game and the league is getting more exciting.
December 31st, 2007 at 2:49 pm
oh yeah, there’s NEVER any underlying race questions with a game dominated by african-americans and attended by mostly caucasians. jeez, what was i thinking?
for those kids who might not have seen bird and jordan in the 80’s many older, white fans *hated* jordan for his style of game and complained ENDLESSLY that he “traveled” and didn’t deserve to carry larry legend’s jock, etc. so, now you have old, white guys like tucker and that moron for the wash. times complaining about LBJ’s “traveling” and facial expressions! but, clearly, i was off-base in mentioning it, eh?
and again, i gave you evidence, tucker, of the LAST GAME - which i’m quite sure you didn’t watch- of one star getting calls, while one did not. i can’t help it if you ignore the damned evidence just quit claiming no one has offered any for your feeble, little brain…
December 31st, 2007 at 2:56 pm
“However, this was a game that reminded the Cavs of eveything they don’t have. Such as: guards who can handle or shoot and focus in the third quarter”
Hilarious. The Cavs don’t have guards who can shoot or handle? I foresee that being a problem. I mean, if you’re a 2-guard and you play professional basketball in the NBA and you can’t shoot or handle, then you should go to bed every night thanking the Lord that people like Boatshoes Ferry exist to give you large contracts.
The Cavs are borderline unwatchable right now, agreed? Even the Dallas win was brutal. That might have been the worst display of basketball I’ve seen in ten years. The announcers were almost embarrassed for both squads.
The signs of dissension can’t be ignored: Newble/Jones refusing to play, James storming out of the Q after the GState game without talking to the media, etc. Mike Brown is in full panic mode. Yes, panic. That’s how I’d describe a coach who tries 57 different starting lineups and player rotations during the first half of the season.
December 31st, 2007 at 4:42 pm
It’s good to see kj enlightening us with his expert insights again. Remember this brilliant prediction from July?
“oh my gosh! i almost forgot the celtics! they got a 32-year old jump shooter who just got BOTH ankles surgically repaired! curses! the celtics dynasty is sure to rise again now! oh, the horror for us lowly clevelanders! fate has struck us the cruelest of blows again!”
Nice call, kj. The celts are awful this year.
December 31st, 2007 at 5:01 pm
umm, yeah, how many titles have the celtics won as presently constructed? please, speak up! and i’m sorry, does ray allen NOT have two ankles that required surgery?
and dummy, where do i actually say the celts are going to be awful in that quote? hmm?
my point was/is no one wins in the off-season or the mid-season. they win only in the post-season. so, when the celts win a title, *then* you can rag me to your hearts content and i will gladly eat crow then.
i guess geniuses like you don’t recall the team with the best record has LOST before reaching the finals the last two years. but yeah, *i’m* the idiot! sheesh….
December 31st, 2007 at 5:31 pm
Loved that Larry Hughes Web Site - especially the editor’s note about His Mom thinking he was being to hard on Larry.
Good Stuff!
December 31st, 2007 at 5:41 pm
here go some refreshing news, a chicago beat reporter is suggesting a hinrich and wallace trade for gooden and hughes, he says the bulls need a big sg like hughes and that larry contracts match wallace, boy that would be a blessing, but im sure it would never happen, hey we could dream, blondie did say “dreaming was free”. grace and peace.
December 31st, 2007 at 5:46 pm
by the way if u have not seen this yet, check this out, it is funny as heck. http://heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com maybe yall seen it already but if u have not check it out. grace and peace.. do not forget if u live it the hood hit the floor at 23:45 that is when the shooting starts.
December 31st, 2007 at 5:51 pm
http://heylarryhughespleasestoptakingsomanybadshots.com
December 31st, 2007 at 10:59 pm
I am on vacation and I just read about Jones and Newble refusing to come into the Heat game. I am furious about these losers including Hughes. Brian you are doing a desiervice by not having Ferry kick them all out ofv town.We are letting the best basketball player in the world rot away with these disgusting morons. Typical cleveland mismanagement. I hope Toucker rips them all a new one .
January 1st, 2008 at 1:37 am
Yes, kj, that is why white people thought Jordan got away with traveling throughout his great career. It was because Jordan was a darky. On the other hand, Tom Chambers never traveled. At least that’s what the Grand Wizard tells Terry Pluto and me at our weekly Klan meetings at the Sheraton. We come for the meetings, we stay for the snacks.
Jeepers creepers, kj. Seriously, it may behoove you to eliminate the eggnog from your diet.
With respect to another matter, I looked on Barnes & Noble’s website, and I was absolutely fascinated to discover that in the “Customers who bought this also bought” part of the webpage that the Pluto/Windy book was also purchased by the exact same customer that purchased a 2008 wall calendar featuring Bichon Frise dogs. I am not making this up. I am not sure what the correlation is, but word on the street is that Ferry has been doing some online shopping for books and calendars at Barnes & Noble. http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&rlz=1T4GFRD_en__217__218&q=bichon+frise+&btnG=Search+Images
January 1st, 2008 at 4:28 pm
kj, why don’t you just man up and admit when you’re wrong? in your rant about the celtics you were making the point that the cavs didn’t need to improve themselves in the off-season. and when someone else pointed out how every other team in the east took steps to improve themselves, you made fun of them.
you were saying the bobcats and celtics and etc were not going to be better than the cavs. that the cavs would be better because boobie and sasha and shannon brown would grow up and become more skilled. so the cavs didn’t need to make any moves.
but now you have to admit sasha and shannon arent improved and the cavs have lost to all those teams including the knicks. why can’t people like you just admit when you were flat out wrong? why do you have to attack everyone that even disagrees with you?
go back and read all your posts. its clear you were wrong and that idiot terry pluto hair was right.
sheesh.
January 1st, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Instead of going after Tony Parker, Baron Davis, J-Kidd, and Chris Paul, I think Fairy should propose: Snow and Jones for Odom, then they can convert Odom to point and see how that goes. A website called HeyLamarodompleasegivemehalloween candynextyear.cav can pop up and a bunch of rich 12 year olds can go on and dis Hughes and Odom.
Oh wait, no one wants Snow or Jones. Damn! Maybe we can throw in Shannon Brown, after all he had a decent game like a year and a half ago.
January 1st, 2008 at 5:19 pm
billy where did you see taht wallace for gooden trade?
January 1st, 2008 at 8:36 pm
Majerle, it was printed in one of Sam Smith’s rumor-mongering Chicago Tribune columns. In Smith’s case, the words “rumor-mongering” and “column” normally are redundant. He actually wrote that he read it in an e-mail from somebody, but he has been unable to confirm even a word of it, but then went on devote a few paragraphs of “hey, what ifs.” Kind of like Ferry is barricaded in his office and working the phones, and amongst other possibilities, ‘ol Ferry was *this close* to acquiring Kevin Garnett.
Wallace and Hinrich for Hughes and Gooden was a Windy City reporter’s version of made-up silliness. No pun intended.
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:02 am
Most of you guys are afraid to put some of the blame on LBJ. When he says that he’s probably the only guy that gets doubled every night..come on with that Bullsst****statement. You can’nt shoot, you throw a lot of bad passes. You are slow off the pick and roll. The NBA has hyped him like he is a God. In fairness though he has not had a coach that could really teach him the came. Its been ojt. But hell stop those fckd up fall aways and take your big a** to the hole. Also learn to move more without the ball
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:25 am
We’ve lost many games because lbj can’t shoot foul shoots. If you are going to be a leader then there are prerequisites to stardom. Like having a killer instinct as a personality, not just some major games or some highlight passes. Koby, MJ, Reggie Miller, Baron Davis, Steve Nash and others have that killer instinct game after game, night after night. Passivity during quarters is not leadership. Yeah LBJ has great skills, but they are severly untouched and unrefined.No more those stupid long fade aways when you are double teamed. Learn to make a foul shoot.
January 2nd, 2008 at 11:09 am
Classic over analysis by PapaMoe. Dude, Kobe takes bad shots. Jordan took bad shots. All great scorers take bad shots from time to time. Severely untouched? My God, you think he is the most talented player ever to play in the NBA. That’s high praise indeed. He may be. I’m not so sure about that. You nailed the making FT’s, though. All the great wing players could make them at at least an 80% clip. Of course he’s much bigger than most wing players. But, not an excuse. 80% is needed.
He can shoot. Not as well as any of us would like. As far as throwing a lot of bad passes, this is classic over analysis. For how much he has the ball, his TO rate isn’t that high. Lower than many PG’s. And ALL those players, with the possible exception of Kobe last year, had a ton more talent around them than James, so that statement was just silly. BTW, you obviously didn’t watch Kobe much last year. He took whole games off.
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:27 pm
jeez, you guys. i go on a little vacation, and i come back to find that things have gotten quite ugly here in my absence. people calling each other racists? really? and now there’s some guy on here calling himself papamoe??? people, please. in my day, people would make their gripe and/or ridiculous trade proposal (larry hughes for fuddruckers gift card, anybody???), take their snarky little dig at alan t, and be on their way. my how times have changed…
the cavs are playing ugly, soft ball right now and they look like they just don’t care. they have major chemistry issues, and no prospects to make any significant moves. i think that if they all get together and watched remember the titans or some inspriational sports movie, they would totally get it together. if this season were a movie, this would be the part where they come together as a team, and then there’s a montage (cue the music) of them kicking everyone’s butt. I think what this team needs is a life sized cardboard cutout of danny ferry, and everytime the cavs get a win, they take a little piece of his clothing off. if anyone has a better idea, i’m all ears.
January 2nd, 2008 at 8:50 pm
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January 19th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
http://kobestinksatshooting.blogspot.com