Cavs 114, Celtics 113
–Ever since that spat with the Paul Pierce spit in that preseason game in 2004, LeBron seems to take games against the Celtics personally. This is the ninth straight time he’s scored more than 30 points against them and you could just tell he’s been thinking about it for days. When I talked to him about his ankle after the Seattle game he told me all he cared about was getting back to play Boston. He also doesn’t like how the new Celtics run their mouth so much and put them in the Pistons category. He’s what he said:
“The Celtics and Pistons, they both can get fly with the mouth. It’s in a competitive way, but sometimes it can get annoying. That’s not what I do, that is not what our team is about. You go out there and win ballgames and you can do what you want to.”
–No one could’ve expected this to be such a high-scoring game, it is not the way either team wants to play. Nonetheless, it was an exciting game with 28 lead changes and 23 ties. I maintain this would be a great playoff series.
–You have to give the Cavs credit for the different ways they are winning and with the different lineups. As along as LeBron is playing, of course. For as well as the supporting cast played tonight, it was -11 when LeBron was on the bench.
–Drew Gooden tweaked his right groin muscle. He is prone to pulling upper leg muscles, this is the third straight season he’s had an adductor or groin injury. Usually it causes him to miss a game or two but he said to me after the game he was hoping to play Thursday.
–Not having Garnett seemed to affect the Celtics rebounding more than anything else. They certainly got plenty of offense without him and got into the paint a lot. But the Cavs won the rebounding battle, 39-29 and had 17 offensive rebounds.
–If the Cavs were to play these guys in the playoffs they would really have to work on a better way to deal with Rondo. When he plays well it seems like he can really unlock the Cavs’ defense. Then again, having Anderson Varejao (which they have not had against Boston yet this year) makes a difference on how they can play the pick-and-roll.
–I hope all the Zydrunas Ilgauskas haters are paying attention to how well he’s played over the last month. He had another double-double tonight even though his shot was off. There are a lot of people that complain about Larry Hughes, who is also playing well, not living up to his contract. Well, Ilgauskas is earning his $10 million and re-signing him when he took a $6 million pay cut in 2005 was a very smart move. There may be some regret about giving him a fifth year, but that was the tradeoff to getting him to take the reduction in pay. I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it, someday No. 11 will be in the rafters. Tonight he passed one of the men up there, Larry Nance, in career blocks.
–By the way, LeBron plead no contest to driving 101 miles an hour in court today and was fined $259. Tonight his game check was worth $118,500.00.
Recap:
Pregame
Celtics: Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Brian Scalabrine, Kendrick Perkins
Cavs: Larry Hughes, Ira Newble, LeBron James, Drew Gooden, Zydruans Ilgauskas
–The Celtics are an excellent halfcourt defense team and we know the Cavs are not a good halfcourt offensive team. Thus, pushing the ball will be important tonight. Especially off rebounds, which the Cavs should get more of with Kevin Garnett out.
–The X-factor tonight could be Glen Davis, who is quick and burly. The Cavs don’t have Andy Varejao to counteract him so it may fall to Dwayne Jones to bang with him. But he is very effecitve on pick-and-rolls.
–Biggest key for Cavs maybe keeping Rondo out of driving in the paint. Allen and Perkins get open shots when teams get out of rotation. Rondo has hurt the Cavs with this before. Considering he can’t shoot, the Cavs should give him space.
Halftime — Celtics 66, Cavs 64
–The Cavs have given up 62 percent shooting and are down just two points, which is the good news. The bad news is their defense has been terrible. Their rotations and pick-and-roll coverage have been lax all night. They are going to have to be much more active.
–Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo are a combined 18-of-23 from the floor. Rondo is the real issue because he’s totally got the Cavs on their heels. They’ve followed the scouting report and let him shoot from the outside and he’s made them and now they are struggling dealing with his drives. That includes LeBron. You still have to make him take jumpers, I think, if he makes them he makes them.
–The Cavs have done a great job of pushing the ball, they have 16 fastbreak points, which has kept them in the game with the Celtics scoring so much. LeBron has 21 points, which is tremendous, but he’s also got seven assists already. He wants to win this game badly.
–Drew Gooden may be playing his worst game of the year. He’s been totally out of it. Which hurts doubly when Varejao is out.
Postgame
Stars
LeBron, 33 points, 12 assists, nine rebounds
Ilgauskas, 21 points, 10 rebounds
Hughes, 18 points, six assists
Allen, 24 points, five assists
Pierce, 19 points
Rondo, 20 points, seven rebounds
Quotes:
Mike Brown: “It’s great to have other guys go out there and perform, to keep having bodies go down is tough. I have to give the guys in that locker room credit because they found a way to win and did it with lineups that haven’t been out on the floor together in a long time and did it against a good team.”
Doc Rivers: “We can’t use not having (Garnett) as an excuse. We’re good enough with what we’ve got to win basketball games.”
Gooden: “I’m hoping to be back Thursday. I heal fast, I’m a superhero.”
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Wow, Scalabrini starting?
Z and Drew should have at least 12 rebounds a piece without KG in there.
So much for Rondo not being able to shoot.
I wish the Cavs would have made a trade to draft Big Baby.
refs have been obnoxious tonight both ways. that 5th foul on lebron should have been on boobie or z, he was the third one to hit him. also that last charge call on z giving the call to rondo. how is second year rondo getting calls over lebron and z?
ok another point on the officiating, how in the world of basketball was that a jump ball on the last play of the game? boobie’s late game steals are becoming a bit of a trademark, those plays look a lot like eric snow used to do. great win for the cavs, especially without andy, sasha, or drew in the second half. two wins against a nine loss team. that speaks a lot for this team.
dumb, dumber and drew gooden.
Nah, I can’t see Glen Davis being much of anything. He’s going to spend his entire NBA career being a weight problem waiting to happen. The first time that guy gets hurt and is out for any extended length of time, he is guaranteed to blimp up somewhere between a Sean May and an Oliver Miller.
Can’t wait to see what Ferry has hiding up his pressed sleeves, just a tad more than 15 days left to go. The latest Windy-generated rumor had him looking to pull off a heist of Gordon Giricek. I guess Cavs fans are demanding more Croats with their juice in the morning.
Giricek would be the next Jiri Welsch.
Why is Windy such a Larry Hughes shill? Even if, for the sake of argument, we were all to agree that he is playing slightly better than we realize, does that mean that he should take any less heat? Even if you take is Lebron-era-killing contract out of the equation, I still have every reason to ridicule him. He is always injured and never seems in too much of a hurry to get back. He continues to take HORRIBLE shots early in the shot clock even on nights when he can’t make a thing. His jumper shows ZERO signs of improvement. Even on the nights when a few of them fall, he shoots knuckleballs with no arc. You’re telling me that an NBA player can’t shoot thousands of jumpers in practice and fix that? And, to top it off, not once has he ever indicated to the fans of Cleveland that he is trying to make the situation any better. He goes out, night after night, undermining Lebron with his atrocious shots, and smirks the entire time (See game 5 of the New Jersey series last year for an example). Call a spade a spade Brian. Larry Hughes is killing the Lebron era and deserves NO slack from the fans of Cleveland.
I still don’t get it … somebody please explain to me how Ilgauskas took a “pay cut?” I keep reading Windy saying it over and over and over and over again. His old contract was over. His new contract was his new contract. There were no other bidders. For all intents and purposes, Ferry could have signed him for 30% less than what he got, a salary cap relief they could sure use right about now, and could have told his agent to hit the road with that 15% trade kicker, which now effectively prevents him from ever being traded.
Sorry, I will never understand Windy’s constant beating of the Z bongos and tom-toms. Beat, beat, beat, beat, beat, beat, beat, beat, beat. A decent player whose best years are far behind him, not at all worth that kind of money and years, and is the totally wrong guy for LeBron. Yes, he’s producing more quality than Larry Hughes, but then again, who doesn’t? Hell, I’d rather see a Samuel Dalembert-type out there, and I think Dalembert is pretty overcompensated himself.
Ilgauskas must treat the local reporters like royalty, because there’s no other rational explanation for it. Granted, I did get a kick when Ilgauskas flipped the camera the bird, but then again, I also got a kick when George Bush flipped the camera the bird. They both seem like guys that are genuine and good for a laugh, but come on, Windy. Get real. On the bright side, at least Bush is in the final year of his contract.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_bylg-Jjz8&feature=related
wow, is gibson horrible. man…
hey biff,
cavs record since hughes moved to PG this season: 15-4
see also: last season.
do ANY of you see anything except the most obvious??
Oh, and not that it really matters, Windy, since nothing is ever going to sway you, but you’re wrong about the Nance stat. Actually, Nance had approximately twice the number of career blocks as Ilgauskas now has. Really. Unless you’re just talking about Cavs career numbers, not just plain old career numbers. If you play enough games for the same team, eventually you’ll move up some franchise’s career lists in something. Like the great Danny Ferry, for example.
If Ilgauskas ever gets his jersey hanging up there, then I demand that the Pacers hang Rik Smits. Well, not actually hang the guy, but the guy’s jersey. I think a 1958 Indiana state law banned lynching the Dutch.
oh and a little something for the idiot who said *i* was an idiot for not fearing the celtics in the summer and that ray allen has serious ankle problems: http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/2008/02/04/rays-ankles-in-worse-shape-than-youd-think/
yeah, i was wayyy off on both counts, right? sheesh…
mmmm Dalembert is a shot blocker, and other than that, Z does everything just as well or better than him – scoring in the post, outside shooting, defensive rebounding, offensive rebounding, passing, free throw shooting – and has also been more durable and not a head case like Dalembert. Z’s older, but I’d just as soon have him. His best years may, in fact, be behind him, but this year has been plenty good. They make about the same amount of cash, but Z’s contract is a year less.
There’s no reason to think we could have signed Z for any less money than we did – repeating it over and over makes you guilty of the same thing you are accusing Windhorst of, and doesn’t make it true. Z is somewhere between the 10th and 15th highest paid center in the NBA (depending on who you count as a center). That’s about right, isn’t it? He certainly isn’t overpaid.
Retiring a number isn’t about being an MVP or anything, right? Look at the players the Cavs have retired. They were players who meant something special to the franchise, not Hall of Famers. If he finishes out his career in Cleveland, Z will be a mulitple time All Star and will own many team records – but what’s more than that is that he will have been an important symbol for the Cavaliers – one of perseverence. He never gave up depsite the serious challenges to him early in his career. He was with the team through the difficult years after Fratello and before Lebron, and has always played with class. Every time I see him fight for an offensive rebound, I think of how it is the perfect metaphor for his entire career – tenacity & perserverence. It would be only fitting to retire number 11.
Someone pls explain what is going on in the nba today>>>>>>>> Shaq for Marion no freakin flippin #@$@! way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This makes the pau deal look like a no brainer for the grizzly’s. Head scratcher to say the least.
Are there a lot of Z ‘haters’? And was he really making $16 million a year before his current contract? I’d stick around for that kind of money too. The perseverance part would be a no-brainer.
But Big Z’s okay–he scores 13 pts. a game, shoots in the .40s and is rebounding better than he ever has. He also seems to disappear in the playoffs, when LeBron’s out or when teams simply decide to defend him aggressively.
Hey KJ, did it ever occur to you that the cavs amazing run last year once hughes switched to the point also coincided with lebron finally giving a damn and trying? try not to see something where there is nothing
Great post Chuck. Couldn’t agree more. Z has played well, earned his contract and represents his team and city well. I’d be proud to see his #11 in the rafters someday.
Chuck, retiring Z’s number would just continue a long trend of retiring Cavs jerseys. The Cavs were an NBA joke after they retired the numbers of career marginal players like Carr, ‘ol Bingo and the 96-year-old version of Thurmond, and then painted their huge numbers on the side of the court like gigantic bear rugs. It was a major self-esteem issue back then, with the post-expansion thing, at all. At least they raised their low standards with their latter retired jerseys.
But Ilgauskas? Come on. You don’t reward a guy for overpaid longevity. If they were 65-17 with Ilgauskas as their centerpiece as opposed to 17-65, then OK, I say hang him from the rafters. He deserves it. But 17-65? Please.
I’ll say it again, if they retire Ilgauskas’ number, and knowing the Cavs’ PR folks, Windy is absolutely right, I’m sure they will, then I demand that the Pacers retire Smits 7′4″ shirt.
At least ‘ol Z looks better with his head shaved than Smits did. Ilgauskas’ head is kinda oval, but Smit’s skull is squarish and flat. I’m all for team unity, but when the Pacers shaved their heads at the same time, the intentionally bald Smits was one of the worst looks I’ve ever seen on a white guy. Ever.
KJ:
Let me just make sure I understand your logic. Due to the fact that Lebron is essentially the mortal version of Zeus and can single-handedly bring the Cavs from behind in almost every 4th quarter while Hughes is usually on the bench, that makes Hughes a good point guard?
If you believe that then I have a player for you. He’s versatile, athletic, a great teammate, and available on the cheap! That’s right, it’s Ira Newble. The Cavs have a great record with him in the starting lineup so he MUST be good right? Hopefully for your sake, Ferry is working on his five year extension as we speak.
Not hating on Z at all, as I think he’s a nice compliment to James, but comparing anyone to Z is silly If Dalembert got to play along James, and all of James’ double and triple teams, his numbers would go way up. Z is the biggest beneficiary of James’ greatness. Again, I like Z, but if Dalembert, or anyone else for that matter that doesn’t suck, got to play along James, their numbers would be much, much better. It’s comparing two different situations. Apples to oranges.
here’s my logic, when hughes has moved to the point the cavs have the best record in the east the last *two* seasons. is it coincidence? maybe? but you people keep asking why brown sticks with him, etc. he sticks with him cuz they WIN!!
i care about RESULTS. i don’t really care *how* we get the results. so, as long we are 15-4 with hughes at the point, i say “go larry hughes!” what’s so hard to get here???
oh, and that “LBJ has turned it up a notch” bit was true last year, not his year. he’s busted his butt pretty much from day one.
btw, windy was soooo right about gibson being a sub-par defender. just look at last night, for example…
Brown sticks with Hughes because he is our best perimeter defender, he can effectively guard the 1, 2, or 3. If his offensive game comes around, he will be worth every penny.
I don’t think fans appreciate Z nearly enough. He gives so much to this team in the form of big rebounds and easy points. Not only that, but he’s been extremely durable. And he’s not slowing down. He’s just as effective, if not moreso, than a few seasons ago. We will all miss him when he’s gone, whether you know it or not.
Thoughts on the Cavs victory over the Celtics last night:
- The absence of Garnett makes this less of a statement game, but the win last night was yet another example of the Cavs putting the rest of the league on notice. The Cavs scuffled out of the gate due to holdouts and injuries, but over the last month they have taken down the Spurs, the Lakers, the Celtics, the Trailblazers, and the Mavericks, while going 15-4 since Christmas. News of the team’s demise was greatly exaggerated.
- LeBron was fantastic yet again, but he needed help last night to beat the Celtics. Unlike the Lakers, who relied on Kobe to win the game, the Celtics attacked with a variety of players. And on the whole, the other Cavaliers rose to the challenge, particularly Daniel Gibson.
- I don’t care what was said on Christmas Day, Damon Jones and Ira Newble have produced admirably when given this recent opportunity. It is a testament to their talent and their professionalism, both of which have been questioned in their time with the team.
- Rajon Rondo is the kind of player who looks really good if you only watch him once a week.
- You don’t know how any player would play with a different team. It could be that Samuel Dalembert would be a better fit with LeBron than Z. It could also be that Dalembert’s complete lack of range would allow opposing centers to jam the lane and wait for LeBron to drive (like Joel Pryzbilla did when Z was having a bad game).
- Ira Newble is the poor man’s Shawn Marion. Which means we should trade him for the poor man’s Shaq, DeSagana Diop. Which would make a heck of a lot more sense than the Gooden for Ron Artest trade that Michael Reghi was selling last night after the game.
Go Cavs. Time to pay for all those off days recently.
Mike C.
Alan, you’re wrong on all accounts.
Austin Carr and Bingo Smith played ten years for the Cavs -Smith as an expansion pick and Carr as the franchise’s first franchise draft pick. They were cornerstone players that saw the team go from expansion team (when the team was, in fact, a joke) to respectability and the Miracle of Richfield, the first team that really inspired the Cleveland fanbase. Nate Thurmond is one of the best players of all time, a Hall of Famer from down the road in Akron, who helped play a part in that Miracle of Richfield team at the end of his career. OF COURSE their numbers are retired! The Cavs are no “joke” for doing it – look around the NBA, every team retires numbers for almost exactly the same reasons.
Let’s set a couple other things straight, too.
Regarding Z’s salary and “6,000,000 pay cut,” Z made 14.6M in the final year of the contract extension he signed after his rookie contract – the guaranteed one that set him for life, that he could have cruised through and not fought back through the surgeries and rehab. He re-signed with the Cavs with a starting salary of 8.7M. However you do the math, that’s 6M less for a 29 year old starting center coming off his second All Star year. Since the Cavs had Bird rights on Z, they could re-sign him without regard to the cap to a max contract. Unless if you are someone like Alan t, who somehow “knows” the Cavs “bid against themselves”, you have to think Z could have squeezed the Cavs for a few million more in starting salary. Instead, he took a lower base and an extra year – giving the Cavs more spending flexibility. Many reasonable people could regard this as a positive thing for the franchise, a “hometown discount,” from a player who had played his entire career, good times and bad, in Cleveland, finding a home and love in the town and team that drafted him and believed in him enough to give him that huge extension in the first place. It’s a good story, and one even a slightly cynical fan can appreciate.
Regarding Z being purely a product of Lebron’s playmaking, the truth of the matter is that Ilgauskas made the All Star team the year before King James arrival, and the year after. He’s pretty much been the same player he’s always been, by the numbers. Certainly he benefits popping out off picks and screens for easy jumpers, but it seems that he just takes more of those now than before, when he would work more in the post. Now he’s used to pull defenders out of the paint to create space for James. Certainly players with limited offensive arsenals are helped by Lebron – see Anderson Varejao and Daniel Gibson for proof. But Z never had that problem, and he seems to be a good fit.
Regarding Rik Smits – would anyone really be that stunned if the Pacers retired his number? It’s actually not a bad analogy, a guy that played his entire career with a team, battled injury, got to the finals, ranks high on team career achievement lists, but never the best player on the team.
Just saw Boobie got in the three point shoot out! Sweet.
What’s up with the Shaq for Marion trade? I didn’t see that one coming.
Chuck, according to Ilgauskas’ own agent when it was signed, the deal was worth close to $60 million. Five years of cap space tied up in this guy. Then add that 15% trade kicker making him impossible to ever trade. Not one single valid reason to give him that much money and that many years. Bidding against yourself is the first sign that you may be a pretty lousy negotiator. It’s not just Hughes’ contract that makes “Ferry is working the phones” Windy’s pie in the sky.
Z is like that old Loew’s Cedar Center I worked at 30 years ago. Some fond memories, but come on, I wasn’t a Rockette and that wasn’t Radio City Music Hall.
But I suppose they can retire his number. What the hell. Bill Russell. Willis Reed. Wilt Chamberlain. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Moses Malone. Hakeem Olajuwon. Shaquille O’Neal. Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
If Carr deserved to have his number retired, then I suppose the New Orleans Hornets should also retire Kelly Tripucka’s.
Hey, when is Ferry going to work his phone magic and pick up Kyle Lowry for Shannon Brown’s expiring contract?
Hey Comaguy! Listen jerky, the Cavs just had a big win against a rival, they played great, us fans enjoyed watching the game which was quite entertaining. And here you are being a Debbie Downer talking about the merits of Z’s number being retired and god knows what else about Windhorst, Ferry, etc??? Seriously dude, what kind of fan are you? Oh yah, the kind who runs off to attend to a coma (allegedly) the second the Cavs have a hot streak or when they make the NBA finals.
You only come here to criticize everything still dont ya? What is so bad in your life that your escape is coming to a blog and being an ass about everything the Cavs do or don’t do. And just for the record, no one is comparing Z to those centers you spouted off. Chuck told you exactly why Z’s number would/should be retired – take it or leave it. If you have a problem with it, be a one man army and go picket it that day it happens. I assure you that you would be alone. Go to Indiana and start your movement for Smits to be retired. I’m sure they will enjoy your company for a bit – then again, your idiocy might make the whole city to go into a coma. Hey, isn’t that your calling? Isn’t your next coma emergency due anytime now?
Z’s yearly salaries under his current contract:
2005-2006 8.7M
2006-2007 9.4M
2007-2008 10.1M
2008-2009 10.8M
2009-2010 11.5M (player option)
Seriously, Alan, it’s not that hard to look these things up so that you know what you are talking about. Again you claim some knowledge that the Cavs were bidding against themselves when they signed Z to what is in reality a pretty reasonable contract, the market rate for a center of Z’s production.
And Kelly Tripucka? C’Mon, you’ve got to be able to do better than that? How exactly does a Hornets expansion pick that played three years and never went to the playoffs with them compare to someone known as “Mr. Cavalier”’s experience? I can’t bother with the other straw man arguments, but that one made me laugh.
By the way, I like the idea of getting Lowry – you’d have to think he’s available, especially in a package for Miller. I think he’d be a good fit, too, if he lost that headband thing.
Chuck, don’t even bother arguing with alan by providing facts, numbers, and statistics. He just ignores them and keeps making the same baseless claims as always. He’s a lost cause and a complete joke.
Alan can stay, for the comic relief. His witty barbs arent designed to be taken seriously, and anyone who does is simply wasting time and energy. Yes, I’ve been reading Windy for a while now, and the beat hasnt changed. If the Cavs win a title this year, and Z averages 28 pts a game in the Finals, our boy Alan would make a Smits joke and complain that he didnt rebound enough. Time to quit whining about Alan and just accept that he comes with the territory. Enjoy the schtick.
Andre Miller, Kyle Lowry, Ron Artest… basically anything to fill that consistent void on this roster. It’s ok to have a different guy be the supporting cast for Lebron, as long as SOMEONE steps up. That doesnt always happen, and therefore, I think a true 2nd fiddle is long overdue (sorry Larry, that’s not you).
Drew Gooden is another no-show game or dropped pass or blown 5-footer from getting a King-sized, Yankee colored size 14 embedded in his lazy rear end. The one good game a month followed by underwhelming mediocrity and 4th Quarter benchings got old 2 games into last season. Ignore the numbers for a second and be honest, Drew Gooden is trade bait, and hopefully someone is dumb enough to take his goofy arse. Windy’s comment about Drew’s longstanding issues with “upper leg injuries” was absolutely priceless.
We’re one trade away from winning a title, and as the King says, “It’s that simple.”
Nobody is saying that Z isn’t good or isn’t a very good contributer to the team. He is. He is a nice complimentary player to James, because he can knock down wide open shots and get offensive boards and put backs when teams crash on James. However, those all star years are gone. And you can’t just discount how James helps Z. When James is out of the game, this Z, and it is the ONLY Z that counts, is not any where effective. Yes, the younger Z was an all star (twice) but this Z needs James. He’s a complimentary player at this stage in his career, and there is nothing wrong with that.
“is not any where effective”…this should have said, “is not any where NEAR effective”.
# LeBron shocked by Shaq trade, wants own help
Is a headline article on espn.com’s main page right now. When I click on the story, I get an AP report explaining the recent blockbuster trades and then a quote from LeBron that says “it’s unbelievable”
So I head on over to ohio.com and read windhorst’s article and here are LeBron’s quotes:
”It doesn’t matter who you have on your team, it is who can go out there and back it up,” James said Wednesday. ”The team with the best players doesn’t always win. You need to have guys that can make plays. It helps when you have guys who are All-Stars who produce every night. As far as having a few super superstars on the same team, we don’t know we’ll have to wait and see.”
”There’s a risk (with trades), it could mess up chemistry a little bit and take a little longer to come together but it may not. The reward is you get a great player.””As long as I’m healthy, I think I give us a chance to win games, no matter who I am on the court with,” James said. ”Right now, if I can stay healthy and our key guys can stay healthy, we’ll be fine.”
Once again – proving the national media hates Cleveland.
Chuck, I tend to believe Ilgauskas’ own agent as to the terms of his deal more than I tend to believe some stuff I read on Internet sites named bobbingballs.com, or something like that. He said “between $55 million and $60 million” at the time. Nobody considers a non-bidding “hometown discount” which comes close to $60 million for five years a “discount.” It’s ridiculous. Worst case scenario, if Ilgauskas’ agent didn’t want to accept what Z was really worth, then they could have used the interim without Ilgauskas to use a forward at center, and saved the cash and the years for a rainy day. Many teams now use forwards as centers now, anyway, and they seem to do pretty good for themselves. But it’s a moot point, Ferry was giving money away at the time, so I don’t think making prudent deals and looking towards the future was #1 on his priority list. Or even #35, for that matter.
As I said, he’s a decent player, but combined with Hughes, that Ilgauskas contract has been a cap-killer helping to prevent real deals from being made. The years of non-stop Windy assertions to justify it will never fly, and I do not understand why he is always bringing it up. It is what it is, Windy, please stop trying to rationalize it.
And Rageaholic Rick, as usual, thank you for your kind words (I admit I do have a certain fondness for your numerous posts calling me the pejorative “jerky”), but on Z Number Retirement Night, I have already accepted a prior engagement for Chris Mills Number Retirement Night. My airline and hotel deal comes complete with cash flying out of a Kentucky package.
Knew it all along…you definitely strike me as the kind who would go for cash flying out of a “package”. Good for you! And was Mills the best random name you could come up with at the time. Come on comaguy, you can do better than that.
Disney sucks… LA, NY, and Boston are and always will be the wealthy villains of the sports world, and even when the salary cap and other financial limitations level the playing field, the media is so blatantly biased toward those teams that it helps them out anyway. Either that, or a Hall of Famer like Kevin Mchale takes over a small market franchise with a Hall of Fame bound superstar in the prime of his career and trades said superstar to his old team (the Celtics) for Al Jefferson and a steaming pile of cow manure. No one questions this??
ESPN might as well have a weekly talk show hosted by a young Italian man from New York, in which a panel of 4 sportswriters from large markets like New York, LA, Chicago, and Boston discuss all things sports and take underhanded shots at small market teams. OHHHH, nevermind…
Tom, I saw the exact same thing on ESPN.com. They basically had the same things written in BW’s article, however they spun it with article titles and subheadings like “LeBron wants own help” and “LeBron seeks to improve Cavs.” There was nothing in the article where LeBron said anything like that, it’s just how the national media and tucker-types like to spin everything related to James getting out of Cleveland.
Tom- I saw that headline too and clicked on it expecting read about how angry Lebron was because he plays with a bunch of stiffs while other teams make deals. I kept reading and reading and…. nothing of the sort. He basically said he was “surprised” and it didn’t matter because as long as the King is healthy, the cavs will have a shot.
But as of now, the Cavs are a long shot. You can’t expect Lebron to single handedly take down Orlando, Boston, Detroit, and whoever comes out of the west in four straight seven game series. Stop kidding yourself. He needs help.
What’s the deal with Bongyell? He actually made an on-court appearance the other night (with jersey). I was surprised how well he was able to move around, given that giant fork sticking out of his back.
KJ…
No one was calling you an idiot for asserting that Ray Allen has creaky ankles. Congratulations on being right about that. Your NBA knowledge and powers of prognostication continue to astound us.
What you fail to remember is that I was making the point that every team in the East at least made some attempt to improve itself in the offseason, with the exception of our beloved Lebronaliers. (Remember Ferry’s rationalization: “We feel like a healthy Shannon Brown is the same as having a draft pick this year.”? Nice call, Ferry.)
When I pointed out the Celtics were able to pull off 2 big trades, you mocked these moves and suggested it wouldn’t help Boston. You have to admit your comments were way off-base. Boston has cruised the first half of this season. In addition, the Cavs just BARELY beat them the other night, even though Boston’s best player was injured.
I’m not saying Boston will make the Finals. But they are VASTLY improved over last year, thanks to Danny Ainge’s trades. Boston’s continued success will only continue to make a mockery of your, uh, mockery.
Or something.
cav will still survive as long as the king will play. basketball is a team game and with the sophistication of the game right now, teams with all stars does not work anymore