and we're in the final stretch with the regular season tipping off next week. While the press is still all over the dress code, it's time for people to give it up and start focusing on the teams themselves. Lookin around, it actually seems the ESPiN had the most solid analysis of the Cavs...yes, I am endorsing this, but it's damn good. Interesting picks for our starting lineup..Bron, Snow, Hughes, Z & Gooden. Damon and Donyell will probably squeeze their way on at the last min...just a hunch. But overall, their beat writers really think Danny has pulled this team together for a legitimate contender in the East. Psyched...real psyched..
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check out this money tidbit my buddy Aaron shot over:
When Brown addresses the media, he wants to make sure he is getting his point across. After one recent practice, Brown looked at a reporter and said, "You look puzzled." The puzzled-looking reporter said, "I am." With that, Brown took the five assembled reporters onto the practice court, positioned them as if they were the Cavaliers, and took 20 minutes to explain the offensive sets he was teaching the team.
I think the word is confidence..hopefully the press relays the same message.
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In wrapping up rather quickly, I am psyched to see sugknight114 on board to deliver some quality info from the inside of the Q. It seems not only him, but the rest of the media is most impressed with Damon Jones. We finally have our 3-point threat..in fact we have 2 of em. Oh yeah..this season is going to be spectular. I feel this is our time and it is indeed a great time to be a Cavaliers fan.
2 comments:
As to our starting 5: I think ESPiN has to right. Following the team this offseason and preseason there has been a big push on two areas - D and depth off the bench. Taking those two areas into account, Gooden and Snow are better defensive players than Marshall and Jones, and when they're on the floor, their offensive production will be secondary. Snow is an adequate point guard who can distribute the ball and play D, and Gooden is trying to reinvent himself as a D first, shoot later player. The combination of Hughes, LBJ, and Z will provide the offensive points needed from the starting lineup, and then we have the luxury of bringing in two good solid scoring options off the bench with Jones and Marshall. That's not to say you won't see these two on the court with the starters, as I'm sure there will be times they will, and in the NBA, there is also the motto, it's not who starts, it's who finishes the game. I'm more interested to see who plays down the stretch.
I think Snow and Gooden will end up starting. I think that your 3-point threats will be more effective off the bench. But, LeBlogger is right that eventually, either Jones or Marshall is going to squeeze into the starting lineup. They're both defensive liabilities though and who gets into the starting lineup will just depend on the strengths of our opponents. I don't think you're going to start Jones opposite Kidd or AI or Nash, and you're not going to start Marshall opposite Dirk or KG.
As to the lineup down the stretch in tight games, I think Jones and Snow will both end up on the bench. You have three ballhandlers in Bron, Hughes and Jackson who bring more to the floor than either point guard. I'd like to see a stretch lineup of Hughes, Better than Jesus, Jackson/Marshall, Gooden and Z. You're gonna need a 3-point threat down the stretch, but Brown isn't going to sacrafice defense on that unit for an outside threat. Jackson (ok and maybe Sasha) bring that scoring threat, but also play gritty defense. Sasha might get minutes early in the season, so we can shop him for a decent backup C. In the meantime, we'll pray that Martynis doesn't break in half.
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