What a difference a Z makes

Wow, one game back and the Cavs look much better. Yes, its the Clippers. But comparing the last two games is instructive:

• Against the Magic, the Cavs really lacked a big body to eat space vs. Dwight Howard. Against the Clippers, Z controlled the paint.
• Against the Magic, we had trouble getting open mid-range jumpers. Against the Clippers, mid-range jumpers were open all night.
• Against the Magic, there was little space for Lebron. Against the Clippers, Lebron made space for everyone.
  

Look, Z is slow, lethargic, and white. But the guy has real skills and is a giant. We need him against the Lakers, Celtics, and Magics of the world. Without him, the offense has reverted way too much to the Lebron-Andy pick-and-roll extravaganza, with a little extra help from Mo creating his own shot.

Other things to note: courtesy of Cavs the Blog, Sasha hit 53% of his 3 pointers in January. I think LeMarc will agree: its not that Sasha can't shoot the rock, its that he falls in love with the shot way too much (I would too if I dribbled as poorly as he does).

Sunday- Cavs/Pistons. The Cavs really need to win a road game against a "top" team. We can debate whether Detroit is a top team or not, but the Celts just went to the Palace and brought home a W. We need to do the same.

Youtube of the day:

All Lebron, all the time

The Akron Assassin is back from traveling/illness to lay down your daily dose of Lebrondom. Today, it is a double dose.

Chris Broussard (yes, former ABJ Cavs beat writer Chris Broussard) does a feature on LeKing Supreme in ESPiN the magazine (you need ESPiN Insider or the mag to read the whole feature; I get the mag so you can hit me up for the whole article). Money quote, for those of you two lazy to read it all:

"While he clearly enjoys the hoopla surrounding his upcoming free agency, LeBron says he's never given Cleveland fans a reason to think he'll leave.

"Ever since I've been asked about the Cavs, I never gave any indication that I was leaving or that I wasn't happy here,'' he said. "I think the franchise has definitely done a great job of giving me a team and putting me in position to win ballgames, so I'm happy here and I look forward to getting better this year and in the years to come.''

In the years to come? Sounds like good news for Cavs fans. Stay tuned."

Not a bad opinion considering it comes from the worldwide leader in creating non-sensical stories.

The Chosen One is also featured in SI. This isn't the article - you will need to buy the mag to read the whole thing - but you should read about Lebron's athleticism. Must be something about that water in Akron...

A Dose of Bugs West

During their four-game west coast trip, the Cavs learned to get by without Delonte "Bugs" West, managing to go 3-1 against three contenders and one ferocious pretender (fueled by the return of one of the NBA's best young point guards). Though the Cavs have scraped by without their best perimeter defender, the absence of the funniest man in the NBA in my own life has not been so easy.

As I have previously mentioned, the classic video "Delonte West Uncut" has been removed from YouTube for an apparent terms of service violation. "Delonte West Uncut," filmed a few years ago while West was playing for the Celtics, provided no less than three revelations regarding the Cavs' gritty and insanely funny combo guard:

1. In twenty years, Delonte plans to be 60 years old (huh?), riding down the Mass Turnpike in a drop-top Mercedes-Benz, butt naked.

2. Delonte's favorite NBA city is Miami because of its "great Christian programs." He really appreciates the fact that he can stay out on the beach all night in Miami and worship the lord.

3. If he could be anyone in the entire world for a day, Delonte would be Bugs Bunny (hence the nickname). Although he cites numerous reasons, he notes that this hypothetical would provide an ideal solution to avoiding heavy traffic on the Mass Turnpike by allowing him to tunnel through a rabbit hole, popping up on some less congested highway, and proclaiming that "This ain't Albuquerque!"

Anyways, not being able to watch this video on a weekly (ok a daily) basis, has left a huge void in my life. I've settled for watching various Delonte West videos on YouTube, all which reveal the delicate soul that is Bugs West, but none of which compare to "Delonte West Uncut." I am embarking on a quest to find this video, but in the meantime, if you're going through the same withdrawal, I will try to fill that void with the Weekly Bugs West Quote of the Century. This week, Bugs tells us how he feels about the NBA's decision to resume use of a leather ball after a two month experiment with composite leather in 2006:

"You know I never really paid that much attention to it, you know what I'm sayin'. I'm just a player. I'm a player, Greg, and I just play with whatever they put... we gonna play with a sock? We gonna play with a sock."

Doesn't that feel much better? Next week, an introduction to the cavsfanatics group that calls itself the "Delonte Groupies."




LeGame - Brian Windhorst on the difficulty of the Cavs' win in Salt Lake City: "Salt Lake City sits quietly in the middle of the Wasatch Mountains. It is sleepy, it's beautiful and it's peaceful. Which is why its geography and the rhythms of the NBA schedule make it a giant trap. Year after year, Eastern Conference teams and even those Mississippi River West teams that make routine three-game trips to the far West, finish off trips in Utah as they head home. Now, the NBA will never schedule regular season games on Sunday in Utah because of the role of the church here and how the Mormons devote Sundays to family. TNT has exclusive rights on Thursdays and the NBA always tries to end long trips on Saturdays or Sundays. So, often teams come in here on back-to-backs, in the altitude usually off a game on the coast where they lose an hour on the trip. It has happened for four teams just this month in Utah. Oh, and the Jazz had the last two days off. What is my point? For a lot of reasons the Cavs scored a great win tonight."

Carlos Loozer - Carlos Boozer is a great talent... Here's hoping he withers away into NBA obscurity, or at least gets a beat down from Prince's entourage.

LeSpoke to Soon? - Kinsey reverted back to his "lacktion" form, recording one steal and two missed field goals in five minutes of playing time. I am now mortified that Sasha will continue to receive playing time, but the guys at Basketbawful were thrilled.

The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line
35 minutes of productivity = gallons of vomit
Highlight: LeMarc fainting in his own vomit when he realized that Pavlovic had the highest +/- of any Cav on Saturday night
Postgame Quote: "Thanks for the motivation, Ohio LeBlog. 'The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line' is no longer funny or relevant."

Terance Kinsey > Sasha Pavlovic, Part I

In light of Tarence (pronounced Torence) Kinsey's breakthrough performance last night and Sasha Pavlovic's botched inbound pass that nearly cost the Cavs a win vs. the Warriors, an objective comparison between the two bench-warmers is clearly warranted. I considered performing a simple statistical survey, but as any NBA fan can tell you, success on the court depends on a lot more than the ability to jump high and bounce a leather ball. A big part of the Cavs success this year is a product of team chimistry, which depends on personality, common interests, and character.

To properly judge whether Kinsey or Pavlovic would make a more effective contribution to team chemistry, I began by conducting some etymological research on the origin and meaning of Kinsey's and Pavlovic's names. As you'll see, there is a lot more to a name than letters. I've also delved into the educational backgrounds of Pavlovic and Kinsey to determine what each player brings in terms of basketball intelligence and decision-making capability. Lastly, upon interviewing several sources close to the team, I'm going to take a quick look at the musical and movie tastes of these potential contributors, to determine each player's potential compatibility with his teammates. As a disclaimer, I would like to clarify that several citations have been omitted and/or never existed.


Etymology:

Aleksander "Sasha" Pavlovic - Aleksander rougly translates from the Greek base "alexo" meaning "defender of men." Ironically, the surname Pavlovic is descendent from World War II Russian Sergeant Yakov Pavlov, who "defended" a run-down apartment building in Stalingrad by gunning down an onslaught of Germans from long range, similar to Sasha Pavlovic's on-court defensive strategy of shooting a lot of long-range jumpers.

Tarence Kinsey - Tarence, a variation in spelling and phoenetic pronounciation of Terence, was used in Ireland as an Anglicized form of Toirdhealbhach, meaning instigator, which is obviously the greatest name I have ever heard. The surname Kinsey can be traced back to sexologist and entomologist Alfred Kinsey, who is credited an one of the earliest American sado-masochists, and to Noel Kinsey, a Welsh soccer player who scored Birmingham's winning goal in the 1956 FA Final Cup.

Instigator of S&M and Soccer Success > Defender of Dead Russian General... Kinsey +1


EDUCATION

Sasha - Pavlovic attended one year of high school in Baltimore, MD. It is not clear whether he graduated. Rather than pursue educational opportunities at the collegiate level, he opted to play professional basketball in Serbia for the YUBA League. Pavlovic has also made known that he has never read a book and prefers not to read newspapers because information makes his head hurt.

Tarence - After graduating from high school in Tampa, FL, Kinsey went on to pursue a bachelor's degree at the University of South Carolina. In addition to a full aceademic courseload, several extra-curricular activites, ongoing volunteer work, and holding down an on-campus job, Kinsey also pursued an amateur basketball. A scheduling error, caused by an inattentive and now unemployed academic services counselor, has delayed the conferral of Kinsey's degree, which should be forthcoming in the near future. Tarence studied 17th century French literature in college and is widely considered the world's foremost scholar on Jean Desmarets, the first chancellor of Cardinal Richilieu's Academie Francoise.

(Near) College Degree + French Literature > Ignorant and Illiterate Serbian... Kinsey +2


Entertainment Choice

Pavlovic - Favorite musical artists include Yani, Michael Bolton, Air Supply, and Latoya Jackson. Favorite movies include Howard the Duck (1986), Dungeons & Dragons (2000), and Gigli (2003). Favorite basketball movie is Eddie, in which Whoopie Goldberg portrayed a fan-turned coach of the New York Knicks. Once overheard in the locker room telling LeBron James that he couldn't beleive that Whoopie has never won an Oscar. Also known to sing children's nursery rhymes in the shower after the game.

Kinsey - Prefers not to limit his musical tastes to any one genre. Said to enjoy classic rock staples, 1970s R&B, and several modern hip-hop artists. Cites James Brown, Bob Dylan, and Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys as major influences in his life and career. Favorite movies include Casablanca, Godfather Part II, Citizen Kane, and Raging Bull. Favorite basketball movie is Hoosiers, but also has a place in his heart for Teen Wolf. Once overheard ripping on LeBron for agreeing to sing Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time in that NBA commercial.

Diverse and informed entertainment choices > Whoopie, Talking Duck, & Michael Bolton. Kinsey +3

Round 1 goes to Kinsey in a landslide. Part II, Community Contributions, to come next week.





Le Game - Brian Windhorst on the Cavs 106-105 victory against the Warriors on the heel of LeBron's last second jumper: "This is not the way the Cavs prefer to win: rely on LeBron James' contested outside jumpers at the buzzer. This is the second time in a week it came down to that and this time, unlike in Chicago, they escaped because LeBron is an immensely talented player. That said, the Cavs would prefer not to play with two starters out so they had to make the best of it. Now 3-2 since the Delonte West injury and 2-1 on this road trip, that's pretty strong. Before the trip anyone probably would've been happy with 2-2 and now they have a chance to go 3-1."

Le Shot - Although I can't confirm it, I believe this is the first time in LeBron's 6 year career than he has made a last second jumper to seal a victory. After the game, a friend expressed concern that this one-time phenomenon may give LeBron a false confidence in his jump shot in late game situations. Let's just hope this isn't the case. LeBron is at his best when he takes the ball to the rim, especially in late game situations. But in two games during the past week, LeBron has settled for last-second fall-away jumpers. This trend cannot continue.

Le Kinsey - Kinsey, who I presume is an avid reader of the Ohio LeBlog, was apparently fed up with my noting of his ineffectiveness so far this season. So when Mike Brown called his number, he responded with tough defense and an efficient performance on the offensive end, tallying 11 points in 15 minutes, shooting 3-5 from the field and 5-7 from the free throw line. He also pulled in 3 rebounds and made Sasha Pavovic look like, well, Sasha Pavlovic.

The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line
Gave up 19 points while guarding Anthony Murrow (who?)
Highlight - Every one of Kinsey's 15 minutes
Postgame Quote - "I recognize that guy Biedrens. Wasn't he in Rocky IV?"

A day late and $4.28 short

LeGame - LeBron beat his dad (aka Greg Oden) and the Blazers in Portland, just an hour north of Silverton, OR, home of the very first cross-dressing mayor, which has nothing to do with the game, but rather, gives me the opportunity to show you this picture of the now retired Alonzo Mourning and Dennis Rodman "sharing a moment." I wish I had more to say about the game, but in all honesty, I fell asleep at the start of the fourth quarter (curse the west coast road trips). Suffice to say that LeBron and Mo Williams both shot the lights out of the ball. So much for forcing King James into jumpers.

LeTarence Kinsey - From Basketbawful: "Tarence Kinsey is to lacktion what King Crab is to scoring - truly elite. And when called upon to do absolutely nothing in the name of bawful, Kinsey delivered this evening at the Rose Garden. He knocked in a 26 second Mario, a fine nonperformance alongside the equally brave effort of fellow Crabolier Darnell Jackson who earned a mention in the lacktion report with two fouls and a brick for +3 in 9:48. This is Kinsey's fourth unproductive game in six days, a very effective way to make a case that he unquestionably should be chosen for the Basketbawful All-Lacktion team. His combined stats in those four appearances? One foul in five minutes and four seconds spread out over 192 minutes of game time. I'm not sure we've ever witnessed a sustained run of pure nothingness like this before, but it is glorious." And I stubbornly submit that TK is more productive than Sasha Pavlovic.

LeMinutes Watch - Since Bugs West was injured, LeBron's minutes have seen a sharp increase. After averaging around 36 mpg for most of the season, he has played more than forty in each of the games Delonte has sat out. I think this is more a product of Mike Brown going with smaller lineups, rather than play Hickson/Jackson/Wright extended minutes. I guess we'll see if Bron's minutes dip back down when Z returns (hopefully next week). Not a huge concern, just a bleep on the radar.

The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line
31 minutes, 0-1 3p, 0-0 Ft
Highlight: 1st Quarter 0:26 - Tarence Kinsey enters game for Sasha Pavlovic for 26 seconds of "lacktion"
Postgame Quote: "Did you see Wally on NBA TV? What a douche."

You might be an MU Ohio grad...

Thanks to Basketbawful for this shot of Wally World. But only an Ohioan could truly appreciate its significance. See, Wally is sporting the latest in the Miami University of Ohio Douchebag Threads Line. Affliction T-Shirt. Check. Oversized puffy coat. Check. Faux (or possibly real) animal fur hood liner. Check. Perma-spiked hair thanks to overindulgence of styling gel and/or murray's hair creme. Check. Seriously, Wally could play 40 minutes, sweat off 5 lbs. and his hair would still be spiked. Check. Ira Newble, the only black man to ever attend MU Ohio, may have softened the stereotypes, but Wally and Ben Roethlisberger are keeping it alive. Which makes me wonder if Roethlisberger even knows that his team made the Super Bowl. There is no way that his brain is functioning after that hit against the Browns. I don't mean to compliment a Steeler, but Roethlisberger is the second greatest zombie football player of all time (Steve Young has to be #1 and Tim Couch is a distant #428). I digress, though. Wally -- you're the man. You guard guys 6 inches taller than you. You hustle every minute you're on the floor. Your flat-footed jumper is a thing of beauty and grace. Your expiring contract, whether used by the trade deadline or in the offseason, will be directly responsible for keeping LeBron in Cleveland. But you are a douchebag. Lay your Oxford, Ohio sense of style to rest. Lose the affliction t-shirt and puffy coat and wear something respectable next time you represent the Cavs on national television. Douche.

The Great Sasha Debate

I am sorry about the delay between posts and the lack of a review from the Lakers game. I'd like to blame it on a busy inauguration weekend in DC, but in all honesty, I was just really down about the loss, even if we were down two starters and up one Sasha Pavlovic. So, before tonight's game in Portland, I would like to introduce you to a new feature here at LeBlog. Those who know both the Akron Assassin and myself might tell you that we are a bit opinionated. I would say that "opinionated" is just a euphemism for being right all of the time (and I suspect that the Assassin agrees). Anyways, we have decided to let our readers in on a few heated debates between two people who think that they are right all of the time. So, in the wake of Bugs West's recent injury, we toiled over the horror of Mike Brown placing Sasha Pavlovic in the starting lineup. This conversation mostly took place before Pavs shocked the world against the Hornets last Friday and the Lakers game on Monday. Without further ado:

The Great Sasha Debate

LeMarc - Brown can't possibly start Sasha in place of Delonte. I understand the need to keep the rotation in tact, but Sasha will be devastating to the starting lineup. For one, LeBron understandably refuses to pass him the ball. Without Delonte, Lebron will handle the ball a lot more (like he did against the Bulls), which means that when Sasha is out there and LeBron has the ball, we'll be playing 4 on 5. In all seriousness, I prefer that Kinsey gets the starting job.

Akron Assassin - Look, I prefer TK too, but Brown is going to go with Sasha. Why? He has experience starting. He is a known commodity. It preserves his rotation. And Sasha can be a good defender if he puts his mind to it. I think its a no-brainer. Sasha is the guaranteed starter.

LeMarc - Kinsey started 12 games for Memphis in 06-07. Starting Tarence preserves the rotation just as well, if not better than if Sasha started because Sasha would still come off the bench (where he belongs). Sasha is not and has never been a good defender. He just happens to be taller than most two-guards at 6'9". He gets away with slow feet, poor lateral movement, and late rotation because his height forces his man into either driving into our interior defense or adjusting their shot for his height. It's the same effect as me guarding my 10 year-old cousin.

Assassin - So what are you saying? You can't guard your ten year old cousin? Or that you can guard your ten year old cousin even though he is better at basketball than you because Lebron (aka god) blessed you with greater height? My point is this: Who cares why Sasha can guard two guards. If it is because he is taller, than so be it. In any event, starting TK (despite his grand experience with the Grizzles) would not be wise for our team at the present time. We are much better off rolling with Sasha, letting him test the wind, and then bringing in Boobie, TK, Wally, Ben Wallace, and whoever else can play that spot. Don't force a bench player into playing - and guarding- the top players.


Cavs (31-7) 92 - Hornets (23-13) 78

• Pavlovic scores 19 on 7-10 from the floor, 4-4 on threes, adding 6 boards, 1 assist and two steals

• He gives up 15 points to Peja Stojakovich (4-8 on threes) who he guards most of the game

Assassin - Round 1 to The Assasin. Let's hope for the Cavs sake that all the rounds go to me- that will me Sasha plays well.

LeMarc - I hesitate to give you round one outright, just because Sasha had a good shooting night. He guarded Peja for most of the game, and while Peja didn't shoot great inside the arc, he did make 4-8 from 3-point land. Why? Peja didn't play pick and roll much at all, which means that he got some wide open looks. On the other hand, Sasha did score 19 to Peja's 15, so maybe Pavs was right all along... his offense is his defense.

Assasin - Come on. Three balls against the Cavs come from ball rotation. You cant say Peja beat Sasha on each one. And no way Sasha was guarding Peja on all those. The true test will be Monday. Can Sasha slow Kobe enough to keep the Cavs in it?

LeMarc - Ok, I'll give you round one, and I will root for an Akron Assassin victory in the great Sasha debate on Monday. Bring on the Lakers.

LeGame - Sasha Vujacic can tell you everything you need to know. Namely that he is the dirty European that Sasha only wishes he could be.

LeTriangle - For the first time I can remember this year, an opposing coach figured out how to beat our "flash and retreat" defense. LA's ball-handler of the moment would set up well behind the three point line and when our big guy would flash out to the perimeter, he would pass in to the guy in the strong side high post. Most teams don't set up like the Lakers do, so the pass out of the double team is usually around the perimeter, not into the post. That usual perimeter pass allows our big to "retreat" back to the post and deny the inlet pass. The Lakers passed into the post immediately, leaving the Lakers with two guys in the post being guarded by one of our bigs, while our other big was still trying to retreat. Our flash big never retreated in time. I'm not sure how well I explained that, but if you're familiar with the Cavs defense and watched the game on Monday, hopefully you'll see what I mean. In layman's terms, though, the Lakers won because they had a ton of wide open looks at the rim in the second half. I am a big believer in Mike Brown and his defensive prowess, but I also think that a coach has to be willing to abandon his game plan if it's getting beat over and over.

LeTripleTrillion - If you're not familiar with the "Trillion" as a basketball term, take a few minutes and read the first post ever written on Mark Titus's blog, Club Trillion. Mark Titus is a walk-on at Ohio State who only plays garbage time. His goal, in that one minute of garbage time, is to record no statistics so that his stat line reads 1 followed by a bunch of zeros. This has caught on over the past year. The guys at Basketbawful compile stats on trillions and near-trillions on a daily basis as a part of their Worst of the Night feature. Anyways, the Cavs had a triple-trillion against the Lakers, with Darnell Jackson, Tarence Kinsey, and Jawad Williams each recording one minute of playing time and no other stats. See for yourself.

LePavlovic - So the stat line won't be as funny now that Sasha will be getting regular minutes in Bugs West's absence. So I'm going to stick with the highlight and postgame quote, but instead of a full stat line, I'm just going to post one jaw-droppingly awful stat from the game. If you have any better ideas, please share. I'm open to adaptation.

The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line
34 Minutes & ZERO Rebounds
Highlight: 1Q 10:12 Sasha misses 25 ft. 3-point jumper*
Postgame Quote: "Trevor Ariza is a sissy-pants. In Yugoslavia, clotheslines to face is part of game."

*Kobe had just stoved his finger on the ball and was basically standing off-court waiting for the Cavs to score so he could call a time out to get someone to look at his pinky. So the Cavs are playing five on four and Sasha misses a WIDE OPEN three-pointer. Pathetic.

LeCommercial

Well, LeBron was supposed to make a "big announcement" on the day of the Super Bowl, but thanks to viral marketing, we don't have to wait. If the stills weren't enough for you, Henry Abbot over at TrueHoop came through with an actual video of the commerical. I have to give my heartfelt thanks to Illinois-based State Farm Insurance for putting LeBron in a Browns uniform. Watching that commercial was the first time in months that I've seen the orange & brown and not considered gouging my eyes out with a salad fork. But, I don't quite understand why the Browns are playing the Dolphins in every clip. I could have used a dose of watching LeBron beat the Steelers.

Magic would be proud

LeGame - The Cavs won a scrappy game against the Hornets, their last at home before a four game west coast trip, to stay perfect at the arena formerly known as The Gund. With Big Z still nursing his bionic foot, Big Ben still groggy from the flu, and (Big?) Varejao having an off night, LeBron pulled a Magic and played center for most of the fourth quarter. Ok, Posey was still guarding him, so he wasn't being guarded by a center, but he was the tallest guy on the court for the Cavs. So how did he fare as a makeshift center? Try 14 points and four boards (2 offensive). Sick.

LeHighlight - Halfway through the fourth quarter, Boobie Gibson missed a fall-back jumper from a few feet out. Posey didn't bother to box out James, who swopped in for a put-back with a monstrous dunk.

LeDefense - Always the Cavs strong point, last night was no different. Mike Brown is a defensive genius, but until this game, never found an answer for Chris Paul. Tonight, the Cavs switched on every pick, keeping CP3 out of the lane all game. It caused some interesting matchups, like Boobie Gibson in the post with a forearm in David West's back, but it worked. Paul couldn't get to the bucket or get his big men involved. As a team, the Hornets shot 37% from the field and 27% from Lake Erie. The low point-- Sasha Pavlovic, while making 4-4 threes, "guarded" Peja Stojakovich, who made 4-8 threes. On the other hand, Sasha scored 19 to Peja's 15, so maybe Sasha was right all along. His offense is his defense.

The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line
Stats: CENSORED
Highlight: 2Q 7:58 LeBron James enters game for Sasha Pavlovic
Postgame Quote: "Tonight Peja and me, we make Serbia proud, but I make Serbia prouder."

Wham with the right hand

• New photos from LeBron's "Big Announcement" aka StateFarm Insurance Commercial (courtesy of TrueHoop).

• Windhorst says Bugs West is out for at least three weeks.

• Delonte on his injury (courtesy of LeBrian) - "I've been punched in the face many times before, I shook that off," West said. "We're on a roll here, we can't have no pity party for me. I'm going to try not to feel sorry for myself, it hurts but I can still wear my pinky ring."

• YouTube removed the "Delonte West Uncut" Interview. If anyone can find these videos, please, please, please send them my way. My favorite quote: Delonte on his favorite NBA city - "Miami... they've got great Christian programs down there. You can stay out on the beach all night and worship the lord."

• Just in case you missed it... "I've been punched in the face many times before."
  

Tough times ahead

Nothing good to say tonight. The Cavs move to 30-7 after dropping one to the Bulls in OT and Delonte "Bugs Bunny" West fractured his wrist and cut up his forehead. Brian Windhorst on the injury:

"It is a non-displaced fracture, which is less severe and may have limited any tendon or ligament damage. He also suffered two cuts, one over his left eye that needed to be closed with two stitches. He also suffered a cut in his mouth and was treated by a denist.

Despite all of that, he actually came out and took part in warmups for the second half to help boost the spirits of his teammates. Though he most certainly is out and probably will be for some time depending on the severity of the break.

But he just told Craig Sager of TNT that the Bulls doctors said he will not need surgery and that he can wear a splint and play in the upcoming West Coast trip. That sounds nuts, but what is what he said. Of course, he hasn't talked to the Cavs doctors yet and may be in a little shock."

-----

"So who knows? Wallace should be back by the Lakers game on Monday, but Z and Delonte probably won't. Now we get to see how resliliant this team can be.

LeGame - Bad fourth quarter. LeBron missed something like 13 shots in a row and the offense looked a lot like the old Mike Brown "Give the ball to LeBron and everyone watch" Offense of years past. REALLY bad overtime. The game was over when the Luol Deng scored two straight wide open threes from the quarter on the same play. Nobody was even close to him. It was just plain ugly.

LeHighlight - Sure as hell wasn't during the game. But at the start of the second quarter, Craig Sager asked Mike Brown how he would deal with replacing Delonte. He said that they had a lot of guards who could play Bugs' minutes, then he mentioned Tarence Kinsey BEFORE Sasha Pavlovic. Unfortunately, he remembered to call Sasha's number in the second half.

Larry Hughes - Only so I can deny him the "Le" prefix because we all know he will never deserve such an honor.

The Super-Terrible Sasha Pavlovic/Larry Hughes Stat Line
18 M/ 3 PTS/ 1-2 FG/ 1-2 3P/ 3 REB/ 1 AST/ 0 BLK/ 0 STL*
Sasha Highlight: OT 0:50 Sasha Pavlovic fouls out
Larry Highlight: The Chipotle Burrito he ate at halftime
Postgame Quotes:

"I will start for Delonte. Then we win many games because my offense is my defense" - Pavlovic

"I'm hoping to get traded back to DC. They stink, so I won't have to worry about actually winning games. I can go back to making terrible shot selections and air-balling 18-footers. Plus, the time I miss every year for injuries won't look so bad playing next to Gilbert." - Larry


* Only represents Pavlovic's stats, because Larry's stat line looked line this:
0000000000DNP00000CD0000000000

um... style part deaux?

A few quick points before the Cavs try to complete a season sweep against Larry Hughes and Co. in Chicago tonight on TNT.

• Unfortunately, we won't see Charles Barkley in studio or on commercial breaks.

• Lebronze Trousers at bonobos.com. Just a pair of nice pants or a clever slight on LeBron's "accomplishments" at the 2004 Olympics.

• D-Miles follow-up: King James agrees with LeBlog that the Blazers handled the Miles situation all wrong.

• Larry Hughes isn't happy in Chicago. What a surprise! At first, Hughes was pretty happy in Chicago, where there wasn't the added pressure of trying to win an NBA Championship. After all, he just wants to go out there and have fun playing basketball. Then he found out that these guys in Chicago cared about winning regular season games, just like the Cavs. The nerve! So his jumper stopped falling... just like in Cleveland. He started sulking... just like in Cleveland. His minutes have suddenly dropped... just like in Cleveland. And now he wants out... just like in Cleveland. Personally, I want to see him on the court tonight, just for a repeat of his 1 for 9 performance against us earlier this month.

• In honor of our last chance to bask in the greatness of Larry Hughes this season, the post-game wrap up will include a combined stat line of Hughes and Pavlovic. I predict lots of zeros.
  

Cause every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man...

Move over King James and Damon Jones. Lorenzan Wright, who got his first start of the season last night, is apparently the Cavs' new fashion expert (thanks LeGoon). He is apparently schoolin' the rookies on and off the court. Here's Lo grading the rooks on style points:

“Jawad (Williams) took to it more than the other young guys. It’s kind of hard for a young guy to want to dress up when they’re seeing everyone else in the latest hip-hop gear. Everyone’s wearing it and it’s the cool thing to do, and it’s tough for them to come out of that and step out on their own. But I’ve talked to them and slowly but surely they’ll come along. D.J. (Darnell Jackson)’s got a few suits. Jawad is looking good. And J.J. (Hickson) hasn’t come around yet.”

Take THAT, Paul Allen

LeGame - Ho hum. The Cavs get another double-digit win and LeBron registers his 22nd career triple-double. Not to mention the Cavs were without Ben Wallace or Big Z.

LeHighlight - Sorry, Cavs fans, but Darius Miles stole the show tonight. Forget that he scored his first points of the NBA season. Forget that those were his first points since April of 2006. Forget that he scored 11 straight points for the Grizzlies, single-handedly (if temporarily) keeping Memphis in the game. Forget that if he plays one more game, the Paul Allen and the Blazers have to take on his remaining salary, putting them over the luxury tax line. No, what really matters here is that after draining a fall away jumper over LeBron in the third quarter, the double fist head bump returned!

LeDarius Miles Part II - In all seriousness, I am happy for Darius. Sure the guy was a Marbury-esque cancer back in the day (I think we were all thrilled when the Cavs traded him away for Jeff McGinnis), but the micro-fracture surgery seems to have given him some perspective. As much as I love the team that they are putting together in Portland, their management team has really dropped the ball on dealing with Miles. It's pretty obvious that they forced him into an injury retirement, as evidenced from his hard work and long struggle to return to the NBA. Then, after playing six pre-season games for the Celtics and two regular season games for the Grizzlies this year, the Blazers tried in vain to keep his salary off their books. For what? To save a little bit of cash... ok millions in cash, but we are talking about Paul Allen here. The kid is 27 and has shown some real character in his recovery. I, for one, am happy that he is getting a second chance.

The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line
2 M/ 2 PTS/ 1-1 FG/ 1-1 3P/ 0 REB/ 0 AST/ 0 BLK/ 0 STL
Highlight (begrudgingly): 4th Q 1:28 Pavlovic makes 27-foot 3 Point Jumper
Postgame Quote: "I close my eyes, I think of Slobodan Milosevic, I shoot, I score."

LeTight End, Part 428

First Jennifer Anniston, now LeKing Supreme.

On the same day Lebron tells the whole world that his love for Cleveland includes the Browns (sorry, Giants/Jets/Cowboys fans), we now learn that Lebron is the sexiest baller on the planet.

Just another notch on the bedpost for Akron...

Update: It is widely known that Lebron realizes that defense is the key to championships and that Lebron wants to win titles. So money quote from the article:

After a stretch of truly embarrassing ugliness, the points start piling up on our side. Turns out LeBron James is a very good passer and sees things on the court that the rest of us don’t see. He threads some very pretty passes to Adam and me, and we manage to hit the layups, and soon we’re up 12–2. “They don’t play no D,” he says. “They don’t play no D. New York Knicks.”

LeTight End

Eat your heart out Jerry Jones. LeBron looks like a beast in orange and brown. UPDATE (thanks to LeGoon) - full photos here.

FYI: This photo shoot was held in the Zips field house (you can see the banner in the second photo), which is just an amazing facility that opened back in the Charlie Frye/Domenik Hixon days. Four years later, InfoCision Statium - Summa Field is under construction. Granted, Akron can't hope to compete with Ohio State in the recruiting race. But I'm certain that the sad, but necessary move from the Rubber Bowl (five miles off campus) to Exchange Street coupled with U Akron's expansion into downtown should help keep even more talent (athletic and academic) in Ohio.

19-0

LeGame - It made me forget that the Browns exist.

LeHighlight - The Celtics unsuccessfully tried to close the gap by employing the infamous Hack-A-Ben strategy midway through the fourth quarter. So LeBron stopped just past halfcourt and tried to time a loooooong three pointer with one of five intentional fouls on Wallace, looking for a rare 4-point play. Of course, James made the 45-footer and of course, the refs said he mis-timed it, discounting the bucket. No matter. Wallace made 5-10 from the line during the stretch, while the Celtics went 1-5 from the field giving the Cavs a +3 advantage in the face of Hack-A-Ben. Wallace "intentionally" air-balled his last free throw, allowing JJ Hickson to enter the game and forcing the Celtics to raise the white flag.

LeCeltics Fans - A Celtics fan at the bar explained that he doesn't enjoy watching the NBA because refs don't call lane violations on free throws. He also said that he misses the good ol' days when pasty white guys in short shorts were allowed to hand-check each other on the perimeter. I much prefer LeBron James dunking from the free throw line.

The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line
4 M/ 0 PTS/ 0-0 FG/ 0-0 3P/ 0-0 FT/ 0 REB/ 1 AST/ 0 STL /0 BLK
Highlight: 4th Q 3:38 Pavlovic enters game for LeBron James
Postgame Quote: "I have good practice week so I get more minutes than Kinsey."

Bootsy Collins for Cavs!

Damn, that's hot!

Dan Gilbert has Cajones

Take that, Jail-Blazers.

What game?

Who can think about basketball when King James is about to crown a Queen? While it lacks any credibility whatsoever, there are rumblings that LeBron is getting engaged to his baby's mamma Savannah Brinson. Assuming this is true, could an engagement or marriage have any lasting effect on LeBron's game? Remember when Tiger Woods married the ridiculously good-looking Elin Nordegren and didn't win a major for almost two years. I don't think it had anything to do with added pressures at home. But maybe it had something to do with an "altered routine" on the road. With that in mind, can we somehow arrange a meeting between Savannah and Andre Kirilenko's Wife? I just want to make sure LeBron's road regiment stays consistent.

Cavs-Celtics: A preview

So here we are, the most anticipated regular season game the Cavs have played in . . . well, let's just say it wasn't during the Darnell Valentine days. So what should you look for?

1. Defense. The Cavs and the Celtics are the top two in the NBA in points per possession allowed, with the Cavs leading the way. DO NOT expect a high scoring game.

2. Who can win the rebounding war? This year, the Cavs have fallen down in their rebounding percentages, rebounding only 73% of the opponents' misses. The Celtics are doing better, rebounding 75% of the opponents' misses. The Cavs recently were hammered on the boards by the Wizards. If this happens again, the Cavs will lose.

3. Sasha Pavlovic goes nuts and scores 25. No way this happens. I just want to see if you were reading. Actually, Sasha may get some minutes. The Cavs play 3 guards, and two of them are not good defenders - Mo and Boobie. If Sasha can come in and play some defense on Ray-Ray while Delonte can slow down Rondo a bit, that will be a huge contribution from Sasha (let's hope he doesn't give it away on offense).

4. Guarding Rondo. As detailed by Truehoop, Rondo is sweet at the Rim- 61%. Everywhere else? Eh, not so much.

5. Most importantly, dealing with Rondo's ball pressure. Against the Heat and, to a lesser extent, the Wizards, teams pressured the ball coming up court. Mo Williams is a good scoring PG, but he's no ball handling wizard. The answer? Let Delonte bring the ball up court, and force Jesus Shuttlesworth to play some on the defense on the ball.

That's it. If the Cavs can win these battles, I predict a Cavs W.

I leave you with this:

And we're back

With the Cavs biggest game of the season (to date) less than 48 hours away, some fellow Akronites and I decided that this is as appropriate a time as any to revive the greatest blog this side of Swenson's. So forget the introductions. Let's get to the good stuff.

• The Game - The Cavs absolutely demolished the Bobcats last night, 111-81, completing a season sweep of the original #23's poker chips. Over the course of those three wins, the Cavs went from a solid beatdown by 17 on 10/30, to a JCC-style schooling by 20 on 12/6, to a downright humiliating ass-whooping by 30 last night. Sure Adam Morrison's moustache was sagging a bit one night after a big overtime win over the Celtics, but this one was over from the opening buzzer. I credit the new alternate jerseys.
  

• The Highlight - The highlight of the game was almost as unbelievable as voting for Sasha Pavlovic on the All-Star Ballot. OK, it was nowhere close as unbelievable as that. But with about six minutes left in the first half, Daniel Gibson swiped a bad pass from Adam Morrison, got out in transition and... wait for it... slam dunked. If you don't believe me, check it out for yourself here (he gets the steal at about the 0:50 mark in the video). I couldn't resist some quick YouTube research, and it turns out, this has happened before. Freakin' sweet.

• The Rookie - J.J. Hickson turned in his most complete game of the season. He threw down a handful of nasty dunks, including a fast-break alley-oop from Gibson. You can see it right before Gibson's dunk in the highlight video. But more importantly, for the first time this year, he put forth a really nice defensive effort, harassing guards on the perimeter, nailing his rotations, and crashing the boards on both ends. It's good to see him getting these minutes early on. Let's hope it translates into another Boobie-like breakout come playoff time.
  

So make sure you wash your Wine & Golds (or better yet, your Blue & Orange), and get ready for Friday night. The Cavs 18-0 home record, a small cushion for the top-seed, and maybe even the Cavs' pride will all be on the line against Brian Scalabrine & Co. Should be a good one, to say the least.

One more thing before I go, a new feature in case this blog regains its legs. I present:

The Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line

6 MIN / 2 PTS / 1-2 FG / 0-1 3P / 0-0 FT / 0 REB / 0 AST / 0 STL / 0 BLK
Highlight of the Game: 1:04 Sasha Pavlovic misses 25-foot three point jumper

Post-Game Quote: "Tonight I rest my arms. I have much clapping on Friday."