The Ohio LeBlog

All Hail the King

2009-03-27T16:20:00.000-04:00

Will the curse rear its ugly head?

2009-03-22T22:25:00.002-04:00

Cleveland sports are cursed. We all know this. Blame it on Rocky Colavito. Blame it on Michael Jordan. Blame it on Elway and Modell. The cosmos just won't let us succeed. So with the Cavs sporting a magic number of 8 (cavs wins plus boston/magic losses) to clinch the east, a real shot at securing home court in the finals, and a superstar in whom we have no choice but to believe, the real question isn't whether the curse will return. No, I am just curious what is going to happen to ruin this glorious season. Here are ten distinct possibilities from least likely to almost certain. Vegas, take note.

10. The Knicks squeak into the playoffs and Larry Hughes averages a preposterous 40-15-15, leading LeBron's future team to a devastating upset in 6 games.

9. Sasha Pavlovic puts up 19 points in the first half of game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston, causing the entire team to go into shock. They are all rushed to the hospital and Mike Brown considers forfeiting, but reluctantly lets Pavs go 1 on 5. He proceeds to go 3-36 from 3-point range over the next three quarters as the Celtics decide not to play defense and let him lose to game on his own.

8. Eric Snow re-joins the team and Mike Brown decides to start him over Mo Williams. The Cavs lose in the first round.

7. Zydrunas gets deported under some convoluted Stimulus adendum. The entire team moves to Lithuania in protest. President Obama reveals that he has money riding on the Celtics and resigns from office.

6. David Stern and Billy Hunter start bargaining over the 2011 CBA next week. They decide that a lockout in two years is inevitable, so they preempt the turmoil by cancelling the 2009 playoffs.

5. Quicken Loans takes a nosedive on the exchange and Dan Gilbert fires every player due playoff incentives. J.J. Hickson, Tarence Kinsey, Joe Smith, Darnell Jackson, and Wally World make it past the first round, but get swept by the Hawks, who rest Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby for the series.

4. Quicken Loans Arena is condemned when it is revealed that LeBron's chalk routine has caused dangerous structural damage. The Cavs are forced to play all of their games on the road. The Spurs win in 5 in the Finals.

3. Ben Wallace, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Anderson Varejao all test positive for steroids.

2. LeBron tests positive for steroids.

1. The entire team contracts herpes from Delonte West and pursuant to little-known league rule, must be quarantined. The Cavs quickly sign Shawn Kemp, Austin Carr, Mark Price, Romeo Travis, Dru Joyce, Vitaly Potapenko, Damon Jones, Kevin Pittsnogle, Andre the Giant's illegitimate son, and the And-1 caucasion wonder-boy "The Professor" to replace the team. They actually win the East on the back of Damon Jones, who shoots 100% from 3-point land, but lose to the Lakers in seven.

Delonte on meeting nice "christian girls"

2009-03-11T13:50:00.003-04:00

Anyone who needs tips finding ladies, Redz is to the rescue!

Question: Dr. Redbush: I'm going to Europe in a couple weeks with my cousins and I wanted to see if you had any suggestions on how to attract some fine foreign ladies. I can't dance and I'm broke. Please give me your expert advice on this difficult issue.

Answer: Well, it’s never been the money. The money don’t matter. The money don’t make you. You can have all the money in the world, but if you’re lame, you’ll just be lame with money.

As far as the dancing goes – you’re going to have to work on that, brother. Females watch you dance and, subconsciously, they’re thinking about the way you move a little later on that night. So you’ve got to learn the two-step. Learn the two-step and stick with it. You can change it up for every song. You can speed it up or slow it down, but stick with the same two-step. That’s something that translates in any country.

And if you’re broke, one more thing – besides working on your two-step, which is important – you got to work on your game and your “mouthpiece.” If your mouthpiece is strong, she’ll give you some money.

Breaking News!

2009-02-16T21:57:00.002-05:00

Just in case you were wondering, and I know you were, the tattoo on the inside of Delonte West's right wrist reads, "It's the one and only. Anyone else gots to be a phony!" (at the 1:10 mark in the video).

In unrelated and slightly less relevant news, Delonte & Tarence Kinsey are practicing this week and should be playing this week or next.

LeFrustration Sets In

2009-02-11T13:38:00.005-05:00

Dear Delonte - The Cavs are hurting. Take your time, but please hurry back. We need you. In the meantime, thank you for taking ridiculous photographs with your groupies, thank you for providing countless hours of YouTube entertainment, but most of all, thank you for being you, Bugs.

Dear Commissioner Stern - You're an asshole. One that is very good at his job, but you're still an asshole. You ruined the Cavs' "nobody believed in us" season by putting Mo Williams on the All-Star Team, you took away LeBron's historic triple-double, and I will assume that it was you, Mr. Commissioner, that gave Delonte West herpes.

Dear Maurice - I hope you're happy that you made the All-Star game. The last two games have really proven your worth to this team. I think we all know who's the real all-star. I'll give you a hint. He has herpes on his lower lip and he tends to take wrong turns in Albequerque.

Dear Sasha - I'm sorry that you got hurt and that I was initially happy about it. As much as I hate to admit it, this team needs you while Delonte & Kinsey are hurt. I am not sorry for still hating your guts. I am not sorry for thinking you are replaceable. And I am not sorry that Delonte, herpes and all, gets more ladies in a week than you will in your whole life.

Dear Mike Brown - Can you really say that you never complain about refs while you are at that exact moment, complaining about the refs. Not be the grammar police or anything, but isn't that impossible? And haven't you been bitching about LeBron not getting calls all year? Pick your battles. Last night wasn't it. Maybe, instead you should battle your urge to put Sasha back in the lineup when he gets healty, and succomb to your urge to name Delonte West player of the game every single game, even when he doesn't play.

Dear LeBron - Forget the loss. I was mucho impressed when you drained those free throws. I was also mucho impressed that Delonte West started practicing again.

Dear Akron Assassin - The two last second alley-oops last night were either both fouls or both not fouls. There was minimal body contact on both plays. In my opinion, neither was a foul. During both plays, the defender was fronting the offensive player and neither defender's arm made contact with the offensive player's body. There was an acceptable level of body contact on both plays. Sort of like chest-bumping Delonte West, which is an acceptable level of contact with Bugs while still avoiding contracting herpes.

Dear Joey Crawford - Two wrongs don't make a right. Unless they are two wrong statements by Delonte West, in which case, each one independently is right, making two of them a double-right, not to be confused with the opposite of a double-negative, which I don't think exists.

Dear Kobe - Tell me how my ass taste. Probably not as good as Delonte's herpes.* Editor's Note: I just threw up in my mouth a little. Then went to the bathroom and threw up a lot. I'm sorry for writing that, but I feel like hating on Kobe today and that was the first joke relating back to Delonte that I could think of.

Dear Michael Phelps - I'm sure you have seen all of those commercials that say smoking marijuana ruins your life and makes accomplishing anything impossible. Way to prove them wrong, dude. The world isn't pissed that you smoked some weed. It's pissed because a weed-head won eight gold medals last summer. You rule, just like Delonte West, who is also proof that marijuana does not necessarily ruin your life, although he is proof that it makes you hallucinate.

Dear G-d - Thank you for Delonte West.

Lebron Haters and people of Los Angeles: Shut your pie hole

2009-02-07T15:43:00.002-05:00

That's right, Lebron better than Kobe at the end of the game.

Daily Dose of Bugs + LBJ > Kobe

2009-02-04T22:20:00.002-05:00

The Cavs keep winning and Delonte West keeps making us laugh. Delonte on socks (again) and wire hangers:

I am speechless.

As promised, here are Delonte's groupies.

No surprise here. Bugs' groupies are all respectable, attractive, and/or bad ass bulldogs. How can you not like this guy? He's an amateur comedian (intentionally, I think), he parties like a rock star (see glazed eyes above), and he can flat out ball. I can't wait for his return to the Cavs, so Sasha Pavlovic can go back to sitting on the bench, pondering the benefits of socialism.

-----

LeGame - So LeBron came up short by nine points to Kobe's 61-point outburst in Madison Square Garden a few nights ago. And if you think that means Kobe outdid King James, you would be wrong. While Kobe posted only 3 assists and ZERO rebounds to go along with his ridiculous 61 points on 60+% from the field, LeBron scored 52 on 52%, adding 11 assists and 10 boards. For those of you scoring Kobe v. LeBron @ MSG at home, that's LBJ +8 assists, +10 boards, and +1 triple-double. Game. Set. Match.

LeSerbian - Pavlovic missed his second game in a row with the "flu" which is just a euphamism for a disease called "I couldn't guard Gloria James." Wally World has filled in admirably in the absence of Pavs and Kinsey. Unfortunately, Kinsey's recent injury means I cannot continue to lobby for him to play all of Sasha's minutes. I'm currently researching the Cavs new 10-day signee, swing guard Trey Johnson. I am quite certain that my research will show that Johnson > Pavlovic.

Sasha Pavlovic Stat Line
DNP - Out with I couldn't guard Gloria James.
Highlight: His welcomed absence.
Postgame quote: "Doesn't anyone care that I, too, will be an unrestricted free agent in 2010."

LeAll-Star Game Replacement

2009-02-03T13:29:00.004-05:00

Jameer Nelson is likely out for the All-Star Game and possibly for the entire season. So besides the effects on Orlando's championship aspirations, this also has major implications for the All-Star game. Namely, David Stern gets to pick his replacement. Last year, Commish Stern picked Ray Allen to replace the oft-but not as oft as Gilbert Arenas-injured Caron Butler. This year? Stern has his choice between equally-shocking snubbed guards Jesus Shuttlesworth (aka Ray Allen) and the King's Advisor (aka Mo Williams). I know this is the Ohio LeBlog and that here at the LeBlog, we are shameless in our promotion of the Cleveland Cavaliers (except Sasha Pavlovic, who despite his improved offense, proves once again that being tall doesn't automatically make one a good defender). But here's an open letter to Commish Stern, asking... no begging, that he choose Jesus Shuttlesworth for this honor. (I recognize that he could also choose Rajon Rondo, but let's try and keep things simple, OK? OK.)

Dear Commissioner Stern,

Congratulations on your 25th Anniversary as NBA Commissioner. Also, congratulations on covering up the rampant steroid use in the NBA. Amare Stoudamire, Darius Miles, and countless other players who miraculously recovered from injuries that would have killed any non-steroid-using human being are great assets to this league and I commend you for your work. I love the 82-game season and the three month long playoffs that provide us with professional basketball 9.5 months a year. Without steroids, these guys could probably only play 7.5 months a year. So thank you for greasing the palms of Congress to turn the other way so that I can have two more months of the NBA.

On to the issue at hand. You have an important decision to make in the coming weeks. Jameer Nelson was injured recently and likely will not play in the All-Star Game. I am writing to humbly ask that you choose Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics and not Maurice Williams of the Cleveland Cavaliers for the following reasons:

Ray Allen is an incredible actor. He Got Game is my favorite Spike Lee "joint" of all time. I hope that Lee makes a sequal when Ray Ray retires about Jesus Shuttlesworth dealing with his own NBA retirement. Ray's acting abilities will be a great addition to the East All-Star squad. Mo Williams has never acted in his life and his selection would deny fans in Phoenix the opportunity to see a legitimate actor drain threes all night.

Allen's All-Star window is closing, while Mo's is just opening. In a few year, Allen will be a TNT or ESPN analyst. Mo will be vying for this game every year. Show the young guy that he needs to work harder and reward the veteran having a career season.

Allen is an NBA Champion. Mo Williams saved a bunch of money on his car insurance with GEICO when he called while staying at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Allen has never played with LeBron James before. Mo Williams gets to play with him all the time. Give the man a chance.

Mr. Stern, please heed my words. I assure you that I have no ill intentions. I would never wish fatigue on another Celtic going into the second half of the season. I would never assume that a secondary snub would light even more fire under Mo's behind. I would never think that a few extra days of rest could really benefit a guy like Mo who has a few nagging injuries. I would never hope that a week of parties and nightclubs would wear down a 30-something Allen who has 4 or 5 more months of basketball. I am rational and compassionate, so I would never point out that a meaningless, glorified pick-up game is just another chance for injury, and that I would rather Allen take that chance than Mo. And I would never tell Mike Brown to play Garnett, Pierce, and Allen heavy minutes while Mo Williams sits on his couch, sipping on some scotch and icing his knees and back.

No, Commissioner Stern, I'm just looking out for the league.

Very Truly Yours,
LeMarc (I swear that's my real name and not an homage to LeBron James, of whom I am clearly not a fan or I would have recommended Mo Williams, right? Right.)

Lebron Holmes

2009-02-02T17:02:00.000-05:00

Karma

2009-02-02T15:59:00.002-05:00

You cannot do this

And expect no punishment from the Basketball Gods

What a difference a Z makes

2009-01-31T10:04:00.002-05:00

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

2009-01-28T15:58:00.003-05:00

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

2009-01-26T22:11:00.009-05:00

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 "D elonte 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 L ake 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

2009-01-24T14:20:00.016-05:00

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

2009-01-23T10:32:00.004-05:00

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...

2009-01-22T15:50:00.003-05:00

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

2009-01-21T20:45:00.000-05:00

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

2009-01-17T23:43:00.002-05:00

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

2009-01-17T17:23:00.004-05:00

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

2009-01-16T13:12:00.002-05:00

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

2009-01-15T23:09:00.005-05:00

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?

2009-01-15T16:47:00.003-05:00

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...

2009-01-14T11:45:00.003-05:00

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

2009-01-13T22:33:00.003-05:00

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

2009-01-12T23:37:00.006-05:00

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

2009-01-12T14:49:00.005-05:00

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

2009-01-10T12:58:00.006-05:00

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!

2009-01-09T19:12:00.000-05:00

Damn, that's hot!

Dan Gilbert has Cajones

2009-01-09T17:07:00.001-05:00

Take that, Jail-Blazers.

What game?

2009-01-09T11:48:00.002-05:00

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

2009-01-08T21:55:00.002-05:00

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

2009-01-07T23:25:00.010-05:00

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."

Cavs Pre-Game Thoughts

2006-11-15T18:35:00.000-05:00

Below are some solid words from masug24, who is leaving for his first Cavs game of the season in a little bit. Thanks man for helping the struggling LeBlog stay afloat. I appreciate and anyone who wants to contribute is more than willing. Send me what you got..reviews, insights, random crap, whatever.

Like the Cavs motto, all for one.

~~~~~~~~~
I've been waiting all spring, summer and fall for the NBA season totip off and now that it's here, I'm back in Cavs mode. I watch allthree LeBron commercials almost every day, read every word that thegreat Brian Windhorst writes and even scour the Cavaliers message boardto see what morons most Cavs fans are. I remember watching the Cavs atthe beginning of last year, thinking to myself, "These guys aredefinitely playoff contenders." After 7 games this year, I find myselfwondering whether we are championship contenders. Well, the jury isstill out... I see signs of hope and I see signs of another also-ran.

Sign of Hope #1 - LeReal Answer, LeBrizzle, LeSavior, LeGod
Everysingle game LeBron James does something that makes my jaw drop. Afterhe dunked over Tim Duncan, he got this look in his eye that said to methat he knows how unstoppable he is. When he stared down Paul Piercebefore the and-1 that turned that ugly game around, he had that samelook in his eye. Needless to say, at times he plays like he ispossessed and if he can stretch that into June, schedule the parade.

Sign of Also-Ran #1 - LeCan't make a free throw
LeBron hastwo glaring problems that could spell demise. First, leaders ofchampionship teams do not shoot 70% from the free throw line,especially when they lead the league in trips to the line. No furtherdiscussion needed, just make your damn free throws. Second, I knowhe's trying to get better on defense and I see the improvement, buthe's not there yet. Already, I've seen LeBron lose his man on defensemultiple times every game. I want to see that same look in his eyewhen he's staring down the other team's scoring threat and I just don'tsee it right now.

Sign of Hope #2 - Supporting Cast
Onany given night, one of LeBron's supporting cast plays possessed. Yousaw it in Drew Gooden throughout the preseason and the first few gamesof the year. You've seen it in Sasha Pavlovich, who thankfully hastaken all of David Wesley's minutes. You even saw it in Amon Jones ofall people... I mean that game against the Knicks was insane. If wecould just convince Amon that he's playing in MSG every night or heck,if he could pull out one performance like that every couple weeks, Ithink he'll finally prove that his contract is worth it. Not tomention, you just know that Donyell and Varejao are due to light it uphere in the near future.

Sign of Also-Ran #2 - Non-Supporting Cast
I have alwaysbeen an Eric Snow supporter. I understand what he brings to this teamin terms of leadership and in the locker room. I saw what he broughtin the playoffs. But I also see him getting schooled JCC style byevery point guard he has faced. I also see him missing layups and wideopen 12 foot jumpers. I know Dan Gibson and Shannon Brown aren't readyyet, but could they be any worse than Eric Snow? He is officially aliability out there... put him in a suit and give him a damnclipboard. Shannon had some jitters when he first got out there(reminded me a little bit of Luke scurrying around the court like hehad no business), but I think he'll be a contributor down the road. Oh, and please, someone light a fire under Z's ass. Don't give me theline about adjusting to the motion offense, he just can't put the ballin the hoop when he needs to. Let's hope his minutes stay down thisyear and he comes to play come playoff time.

Sign of Hope #3 - Confidence under pressure
Despite notbeing able to hold a lead, we have already pulled out some close games,and not entirely thanks to LeBron. I think we've seen some inspiredplay down the stretch of certain game and getting used to these typesof games will pay off down the road.

Sign of Also-Ran #3 - Playing down to opponents.
Inthe words of Jimmy from South Park, "Come on, I mean reallyguys, comeon." The Hawks?!?! The Bobcats?!?! The Celtics?!?!?! TheKnicks?!?!?! These teams are all but dreaming of Greg Oden and JoakimNoah two weeks into the season and we've either lost, given up a biglead and just played down to the level of every one of these teams. I'm writing this before I go watch LeBron hopefully tear up theJailblazers, but if Dan Dickau and DMiles light it up, I will belivid. This team has shown that we can beat the best at home or inhostile territory. How about showing up to play against teams who haveno business being on the same court as the Cavs.

I could go on for pages, but for now... I'm off to see the Cavs light up the Blazers like... well you know.

F MICHIGAN

Much Love

2006-11-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

So the Cavs are playing better and it's OSU vs Michigan week so that isalways exciting. Life is ok unless of course this weekend doesn't turnout alright.

But I actually want to bring up a point that was recently made in thecomments below. Basically, what has happened to this blog? It's agreat question and it has a lot of truth to it. I think the fact I amnow updating this blog after almost a week at 11:45pm tells the story. I would love to keep this thing more updated, but I am realizing thatjust isn't possible.

But the thing is..I really have no reason or desire to shut itdown. I mean it's still an outlet for me to ramble & rage at timesso that's good enough for me. So for anyone new or for the old lebloggerscrew, you can get a pretty good fill of CLE sports or Buckeye Footballin any of the blogs listed to the right. I will do my best to keep this thing updated when I can, but just know the love is always there.

A Cavalier for life..

Well, Well

2006-11-09T22:51:00.000-05:00

now that was one hell of a victory. team effort all around with Drew freakin Gooden leading the way. This is good stuff. Andy was huge, Bron actually made almost all his free throws, Donyell was hittin his shots, Damon even made a few, and hell Shannon Brown got in the game. Even though it's only one win, I am feeling a ton better about our team and our new offense now.

One note here. Poor Z is really not fittin in with this new offense. He played less mins than everyone except Shannon Brown (who played for the first time tonight) and David Wesley (who really just sucks). Marv Albert mentioned how Z might have to hang tight while we get this offense tweaked and I think the cross-dressing fanatic might be right. I don't see Z playing a lot of mins for some time. Makes me happy we spent so much freakin money on Z, Damon, and Donyell.

And I apparently wasn't checking ESPiN in the past few days, because I was totally unaware of this Bron walking off the court issue. I mean by the sounds of it, this was quite the ordeal. If you ask me I'd say who the hell cares. It was nice to see Steve Kerr joking how Bron should be kicked out of the league. Glad to see someone still has some common sense.

Anyways, Cavs fever is back baby.

Freakin Pathetic

2006-11-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

so I hope I am not the one to point this out but you guys (I mean you Cavaliers) haven't proved anything yet. You are not automatically the Eastern Conference Champs so that means you can't just stop trying or caring now. Freakin A.

The game tonight was kinda pathetic. We get a good run to end the 4th then blow it then freakin back off and let Tyronn Lue get a layup to send it to OT. A layup..I mean at least make him take a shot. It was pretty painful to watch. And OT..well, we didn't even show up to play. Argh.

I am not happy. This is the second loss in a row in which it looked like we just didn't give a crap. I hope our attitude changes fast cause we are going nowhere with this mentality.

Chicago ain't gonna be easy so good luck guys.

Umm..what the hell was that

2006-11-05T13:51:00.000-05:00

Did a wild mustache just tame the King..

So the season started off really well vs the Wiz. well actually..the game was just good enough..how bout that. Game 1 wasn't pretty but we won and you have to expect the season opener to be mechanically unpretty. L. Boogie was on fire, Gooden was amazing, and Bron was Bron. Things were gettin off on the right foot. Game 2..well that made me realize how much I missed the Cavs in the off-season. I was ready for them to take it to the best and we did just that. That was one of the prettiest games from start to finish that I have seen in a long, long time. The posterizing of Duncan and career-highlight layup to end the first half were just some of the many reasons to believe LeBron was actually going to improve his game once again this season. But then last night..

(Sorry to recap the first two games now, but I have been sick all week)

Game 3 was going strong for a while. Built a nice 12-point lead, but then nonsense kicked in. It was just as though we just lost interest. Granted LeBron was off all night, but this was the Bobcats so u have to figure others could step up and keep this one in the bag. Well, as many of you saw last night or in the scoreboard this am, we sucked bad towards the end. LeBron couldn't do a thing and many are saying it was quite possibly his worst game in a Cavs uniform. It was nasty as Brian Windhorst took notice and was freakin pissed.

So with that the momentum was destroyed. I know it's the beginning of the season, but this is not how a potential Eastern Conf champ plays. I still very much believe, but want to see our boys step it up and play the lesser teams with as much heart as the big dogs. So if this weekend any indication, it's going to be a long season. We need to take that next step and I am sure Mike Brown will be making quite the speech before we meet ATL on Tuesday.

But on a brighter note, the ladies of the blog are back, but this time doing what they only know how to do...dress in skimpy clothing. That's right folks, whether you want to believe it or not, the biggest seller in the Cavs team shop is back for the 06-07 season. The swimsuit calendar features all your favorite bloggers: Bethany, Rhema, and Suzanne to name a few.

So yea..that's great news.

Daily Show Love

2006-10-31T16:04:00.000-05:00

For those who are unaware, The Daily Show is filming in Ohio this week for some Midterm Midtacular Madness. Ohio has been quite the controversial state in the past few elections and Jon Stewart is looking to analyze what exactly is going on in this great state. The show last night was filmed on tOSU campus and included some wonderful OH-IO cheers. But the odd part was the special guest wasn't an Ohio politician, but rather King James.

I have to admit I was skeptical about this interview given Stewart's demeanor, but it actually wasn't too bad. LeBron did say he would be at Ohio State if he were in college right now, which made the crowd extremely happy. He also tore up Jon in a little game of scissors, rocks, paper. Not bad..

So since YouTube is no longer the place for all things illegal, you have to head over to Comedy Central to view the clip. Go here and choose segment 3 on 10/30 for Mr. LeBron.

Tonight's episode is live from Akron...

Kickin it 80's style

2006-10-30T13:37:00.000-05:00

Brian Windhorst is known for delivering all things Cavs basketball and never seems to disappoint. But now, when not talking about stratosphere's, Brian is dishing some amazing info on our boy Drew G. Check below in that article under Dribbles..rather let me just post this.

"NBA players routinely pay big money for watches, but not the oneDrew Gooden is now sporting. Gooden is on a big 1980s kick, a currentfad in his hometown of Oakland. The Cavs forward recently plunked down$300 on eBay to get a vintage Casio calculator watch.

He's growing a square patch of hair in the back of his otherwiseshaved head, which he calls a ``ducktail,'' another '80s look. His lefteyebrow also has two lines shaved into it, another forgotten trend fromthe time of the Reagan Administration.

Gooden, however, was a little upset he had to get into a bidding warfor the watch. Apparently he's run into another trend, as fans of NBC'sThe Office are in the market because one is sported by favorite nerdy character Dwight Schrute.

``It was me and another guy and we were bidding back and forth andit kept going up and up,'' Gooden said. ``I was lucky I got it.''

No word yet on his bid for retro leg warmers."

So we got the slickest player (ever), the best head of hair, and now apparently the hippest player in the Association. Damn man..the Cavs are big time.

UPDATE: So I decided to look around on eBay for the watch. So given you can only look up completed auctions that are up to 3 weeks old, if Brian is correct that Drew "recently" bought this, then here is your watch (you need to have an eBay account to view). If he bought it more than 3 weeks ago, then be on the look out for a guy with a square patch on the back of his head and then run up to him and demand Casio satisfaction.

Brilliant

2006-10-27T11:07:00.000-04:00

Top of the morning. I just came across this solid little parody from back in the day featuring some former Cavalier stars. It's brought to you by CarlosLoozer.com, which I was surprised to see is alive and definitely kicking. Enjoy:

Also, there is a new MP3 player out which is in the shape of a little collegiate helmet. Only problem is when you visit the website, tOSU isn't an option. Now, that seemed absurd given the teams on there so I emailed the dude. He mentioned Thee OSU was not down with the idea and they are hoping to gather fan support to send along to the university. I am not sure if we can make a difference or if anyone wants one of these, but I wouldn't mind walking down the street and seeing a Buckeye helmet attached to someone's pocket.

Finally, check the first picture in the Photo Gallery on the Cavs.com. hard core..

Buckeye Movement

2006-10-25T11:54:00.000-04:00

thanks to a few buddies (paulev7 & markymark428) who forwarded along two very interesting articles this AM.

First, Jim Tressel addresses the chances of him coaching in the NFL. This has been tossed for years but we never really took it seriously. But in the article, Mr. Sweater Vest actually didn't rule out the possibility of moving to the awful Pro level. So yea you would think that would piss off most Buckeyes, but actually his response was anything but. The Plain Dealer (the other CLE Sports source) cited a source close to Ohio State that the Browns might be the only NFL job that would interest Tressel. Huh.

Now, this is interesting. While it would be awful for Tressel to leave tOSU, I think I might be ok with this. The Browns are obviously in some pain and fans are really upset. But I think Tresselball might actually translate pretty well into the Pro's. (FYI..I am by no means a Pro Football expert or fan for that rather, so if someone would like to comment or analyze this move, please drop me a line or just comment). Anyways, Tressel is building himself quite the legacy at Ohio State and maybe if we steamroll everyone else this year it might be time for him to go. Very interesting topic.

Ok the next article involved another Buckeye who is lookin for some Heisman love. And no I am not talking about Troy or Teddy (or even Tony for that matter), but this is indeed someone from the great city of Akron looking for some 2007 Heisman hardware. In this article, Antonio Pittman is pretty serious about this for next season, which means he will be back (and hopefully will run to the right). Antonio is def improving by the game and with some big names gone next year, the kid might have a shot. After reading this article I learned that if Pittman stays for his senior year and stays on his current rushing pace, he would need only 693 yards to surpass Eddie George (3,668) and be second behind Griffin (5,589). Damn.

But what article from an Akronite would be complete without some stellar quotes:

About his time at tOSU, Antonio had this to say, "Positive,becausethere’s a lot of things I haven’t accomplishedhere," he said, "like honestly, I want to win a Heisman Trophy. That’sthe ultimate goal, bring one to Akron."

"Everybody back home knows," Pittman said. "I said it right in front ofBuchtel High School, I said, ‘That’s where I’m going to put my trophy,right in the middle of this high school."

Amen brother. What I wouldn't give to see him throw up the Akron sign before they hand him the Heisman trophy.

Ok enough already

2006-10-24T15:59:00.000-04:00

Can we seriously just get this season underway...

I love reading about us cutting Stephen Graham and all, but I don't think CLE fans can wait another day for some taste of accomplishment. The Browns have hit all-time rock bottom and I just read our Offensive Coordinator quit on his own. Simply awful. The Tribe are long gone and it's very hard to be optimistic about next year. We need something to hold on to. And that's why next Wed couldn't come any sooner. LeBron is ready and knows his role is more important than ever. People are ready for victory (not saying championship), but looking for some positive CLE Sports momentum.

So let's see what else. Browns suck..check. World Series is meaningless..check. It's cold out..check. Ok then. Nov 1 it is..

..2..

The LeBrons - Year 2

2006-10-17T11:38:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: ahh..GooTube. ahh..copyright infringement. It seems the lawyers at Nike have wasted no time in having these commercials removed. The links below don't work, but promise me they were giggidy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Has it been this long? It seems like only yesterday The LeBrons interactive game was going on. In honor of the season literally right around the corner, The LeBrons commercials are (on their way) back and Mr. Yaysports has just uncovered the unfinished products.

Commercial L:

This one is just ok in my opinion..only redeeming quality is when Wise LeBron says, "Like flies on shut your mouth.."

Commercial B:

This one is freakin awesome. Bron plays down the dunk contest, but then shows everyone whats up when the time was necessary. And actually I could be wrong, but I believe during that is the only commercial where the real LeBron actually talks. Huh.. Anyways, Wise LeBron once again comes back with a monsterous quote - "Ain't been nothing good like that since Sanford n' Son." And Business Bron follows it up with "Dunk contests are bourgeois." Holy wow..

Commercial J:

I am sorry, but another pimp commercial. I am sure ridiculous to some, but overall it's slick. Even a callout to the Detroit series and that old school baller named Michael. The dive is no Mario Lopez, but hey that's basically impossible to top.

Props all around to the director, producer, Bron, and anyone else involved in these spots. Can't wait till they run during the season and hopefully Nike will once again create an interactive The LeBrons experience cause dat was some good fun.

On a Different Note..

2006-10-16T12:54:00.000-04:00

Can't Take the Heat

2006-10-13T14:25:00.000-04:00

As just about everyone on the net has reported, the Gilbert Arenas article in Esquire was freakin weird. It's a good read and the little talk about Bron confirms that Bron is indeed a baller. It also confirms that my "altered" NES controller actually made a difference during game 6. Read below..

NORMAL PERSON: In between those free throws against the Cavs, LeBron came over, pressed his hand against your chest, and said something to you. What did he say?

ODD ONE: He said, "If you miss this shot, you know who's gonna hit the game winner."

NORMAL PERSON: What went through your mind?

ODD ONE: I wasn't even thinking about it. Like, I heard him. But I don't miss free throws. That's the thing: I never miss free throws at the end. And this was a big free throw. The first one, I shot it, and I went, like, What? That wasn't me. It reminded me of this movie I saw where a kid is controlling the ball from the stands. All of my balls hit the front or back of the rim—nothing ever to the left or right.

NORMAL PERSON: In the middle of all that, you're thinking about the mechanics?

ODD ONE: Yeah.

So back to reality..Luke Jackson is gone and no Cavalier fan cares. Welcome aboard Dwayne Jones and look forward to your fouling skills.

Wham with the Right Hand

2006-10-12T10:26:00.000-04:00

Praise anyone you believe in cause Mr. Joe Tait will remain on board for at least three more seasons. As if this is really a shock to any Cavalier fan, the news comes more as a relief. I mean with Reghi getting the boot, you just never knew. So this is great news given he began announcing the Cavs when the team was freakin formed in 1970. Tait had this today in his announcement:

"I am delighted to know that I am continuing my long association with the Cleveland Cavaliers and sincerely hope that the future holds not one, but several NBA Championships," said Tait.

Amen Brother. For more Joe Tait goodness, check out this article from the widely popular ClevelandSeniors.com.

Tait and Carr (man the 70's looked sweet)

Also, our training camp roster is now down to 18 after waiving Eddie Basden. Who will be next..

And So It Begins

2006-10-10T11:46:00.000-04:00

Tonight we will start what hopes to be a very special season. Granted it's not the regular season opener, but the pre-season begins the battle for the prize to play Guard for the Cavs. It's going to be exciting because we have a ton of guards right now fighting for a spot. Brian "Akron" Windhorst has the complete scoop on the nature of this competition. This is gonna be good folks. Fighting your ass off to play guard for the Cavs..I mean when was the last time this happened. I think it might have been when Darnell Valentine was trying to creep up on Price and Ehlo's mins in '89. Well, either way this is only a positive for us.

By the way..the starters for tonight are: LeBron, Hughes, Z, Snow & Gooden.

And in some sad news, the Cavs girls are done with their trip overseas, which means..the blog has been retired. But don't worry, they left some parting words for all of us. Each of the ladies made their own entry, but I thought I would share some deep thoughts from Bethany:

"We are very lucky to be living in America. The land that gives us freedom and rights as simple as being able to walk down the street with a t-shirt on instead of having to be completely covered."

Yes, Bethany..I for one am thankful that you girls don't have to perform your dances fully covered.

I can't wait..

2006-10-04T23:43:00.000-04:00

The free-spirited power forward signed as a free agent to bolster Cleveland's soft inside game. Pollard, who made 32 starts for Indiana last year, joked that he's just happy to be on James' team.

"Am I excited to play with LeBron? It's awesome," said Pollard, sporting a big smile and a spiked hairdo. "I'm a witness. I got the T-shirt and everything."

Tuned to the Mother Funkin Greatest

2006-09-28T15:31:00.000-04:00

sup folks..

not too too much to report, but just thought I would provide a few links floating around in Cavalier land.

Deadspin has begun their NBA preview and today the Cavaliers got featured for Five Tiny Tidbits. They reminded us once again how thuggish the quiet Larry Hughes actually is (yea you remember that strippers t-shirt don't ya). Also, we learned how terribly wrong our old owner, Ted Stepien, used to be. Finally, we know Donyell used to look like Ludacris, but guys Luda cut his braids..get over it.

YaY points out that we also have a new floor. Well would ya look at that...no glare. While his mom said it has a "championship glare," my mom actually noted it looks like a "third-round of the playoffs" glare. I guess we shall see who knows best.

Finally, as many have heard LeBron is droppin his brand new album hitting stores on Nov. 1. Seems the disc will be appropriately titled..'Black Jesus.' Lord hopes this tops his previous effort.

Thanks alot Dave

2006-09-25T10:37:00.000-04:00

LeBron on Letterman..not bad, not bad at all.

Even though LeBron rarely appears on TV, the kid is totally refined. Said all the right things and was very well spoken. The "Black Jesus" comment was priceless and it was really cool to see him in awe of another athlete. I would imagine he felt the same way seeing my buddies and I play in the same gym at the Akron JCC. Also have to give him props for upping his 05-06 Free Throw Percentage by 5%. Hopefully he will actualy shoot that percentage this year.

On the downside, Letterman took a huge dig into the Cavs history. LeBron just laughed it off, and smartly said nothing. Oh Indiana Dave..i know your Pacers are so sweet. But I have to give Dave props for his shooting. He made it interesting and kinda made me nervous Bron might actually lose. Ended up all good though..

Here is the interview in case you missed it (man the Internet is a handy tool):

Oh and the Cavs girls have updated their blog..mmmm

Next Time Powerade

2006-09-22T11:45:00.000-04:00

Welcome everyone to LeBron live on Letterman Day. Should be a pretty cool interview tonight according to that jacket he is wearing. We shall wait and see.

But first here is the eBay item of the day..how bout a 2002 Ohio State National Championship Ring. what the hell Lydell Ross? I mean let's say you get 10 grand and maybe that lasts a month or one night in Vegas..is it really worth it? What a douche.

Secondly..here is a new Powerade video that the Basketball Jones recently found on youtube featuring the one and only King. By the way..I have really started to read his blog recently and it's fantastic. YaY and him are definitely pretty top notch bloggers on top of having quite the fancy for the Akron Assassin. So the video or commercial (I dont know)..it's not even close to the other commercials released. Enjoy (I guess)..

Not Bad Mr. James

2006-09-21T16:51:00.000-04:00

Ahh..to be a man-child from Akron.

So good old LeBron had lunch with Mr. Warren Buffet earlier this week and apparently is looking for some advice on becoming really, really rich. Smart move LeBron. See I am not biased..he really is a smart fella. According to the AP (via ESPN), Buffett wore a Cavaliers' jersey with "Buffett" on the back during there lunch in Omaha, NE. Oh man..that's awesome. I think we will all gladly accept the richest man into our fanbase. C'mon Dan..let Warren buy something in the arena.

And if that wasn't enough..LeBron James recently taped a bit for Letterman in which the two competed in a little game of toss. James shot from the 3 point area while Letterman opted on the free throw line. Then Letterman interviewed him and I am personally excited about watching this on Friday night. Here is a little photo from their interview:

Rough lives huh..

Should be nice to hear Akron mentioned in the PrimeTime and looking forward to a very rare public appearance from the Akron Assassin.

Please Stop Ladies

2006-09-20T10:35:00.000-04:00

Ok so I understand this blogging phenomenon is huge and everyone wants to get in on the act, but I think the Cavs organization has stepped just a tad bit over the line. In efforts to become more 'intimate' with the fans, the Cavalier Girls have started blogging about their current trip to Iraq and China. Now, I mean you would assume one has something interesting to write about while visiting such far off lands and getting to meet tons of people, but then it hit me that these are cheerleaders.

So I took a glace at their blog entries and would like to share some of their thoughts:

"We then had our run-through/sound check before finally getting a couple of hours of personal time before dinner and the show. What did we do? We definitely found the beauty parlor and got some pedicures and massages!!!!

We were so excited to use a "real" dressing room for our performancesthat we skipped dinner and instead had it brought to us! That was HUGE!Considering we haven’t got to use a blow dryer or a legitimatestraightener for the past few days!! (I’m sure as you all could tellfrom the pics!) We were pumped."

My day is complete ladies..thankyou. Oh and I don't really know what to say about this comment. Yea..

We were all super-excited and nervous to ride a Super Stallion, whichis a military helicopter with two gunners on the sides and one in therear. We got to look out where the gunners were positioned includingthe rear where the door was WIDE OPEN!!!

But what is the most sad of all...the fact that I have read all these entries.

A New Era of Akron

2006-09-17T18:14:00.000-04:00

so yes the Browns are just awful, butthat is not the topic for this post. I would like to point outsomething that 'appeared' yesterday during the OSU vs UC game. No, it wasn't a brutal beating of the Nasty Nati nor was it our 4thstring quarterback, but folks I am talking about something much moresignificant.

During the 4th quarter, Antonio "Akron"Pittman just blew by the UC defense for a speedy 48 yard TD. Forthose who saw it, this was a very impressive run, but during that playyou might of missed something that could have more impact on Akronathletes than anything..well ever. Check this:

You know what this is don't ya. Well, just to explain this is the dynasty symbol that Jay-Z throws upto rep his record label. But..this is also the same symbol Bronthrew up during the 2005 & 2006 All Star introductions. So weall know Bron is part of Jay-Z's main crew so it would make sense he isthrowing it up to rep his boy. Ok fine makes sense.

But..when Bron first threw this up Iinitially thought it was an Akron symbol. I mean it looks like an'A' right? So after the 2005 game, I got all psyched until peoplejust said I was foolish and it's just to rep Jay-Z. So the nextyear at the 2006 All Star game, Bron once again threw it up. Mybuddies and I were all still convinced it was for Akron. But now..we see Antonio Pittman, from Akron, throwing up this symbolafter a sweet TD. Huh.. So I might be nuts, but I don'tthink Pittman is a rapper nor is he that good to be one of Jay-Z'sboys. So where does that leave us you ask?

I think we indeed have a new symbol forall Akron athletes. What else could it mean? And maybe Bronwas actually repping his hometown this whole time. I mean on thebottom of Bron's new lowtops is a pic of Ohio with a star representingAkron. Would you really be that shocked if Bron did that? Either way, this could be huge and hopefully means more Akron symbol'spopping up around the wide world of sports.

AK..

LeWow

2006-09-15T13:52:00.000-04:00

From the O-zone (via paulev7):

Shadow Dad? Just Turn on Pay per View: The story that JamesLaurinaitis' father was a professional wrestler has been written todeath since he arrived on campus, but this week Laurinaitis talkedabout what it was like in the house on the days when dad was "at theoffice".

"You have parties where you order pay-per-view and my mom might order afew pizzas and we'd all watch my dad's match, then after that was overwe'd all go do our own little matches here and there," chuckledLaurinaitis.

"Sometimes when I go home I'll still put on his tights and his pads andjoke around with my friends a little bit because they love to see that,but for the most part, that's only once-in-a-while. It's fun. It wasfun going to matches and meeting everyone in the business from HulkHogan to The Rock to anybody you can name," Laurinaitis said.

Laurinaitis said that some of those personalities are now following hiscareer and called his father following his big game vs. Texas.

"There's a guy named Undertaker, he's a huge Texas fan, so he called mydad to say congratulations but it won't happen again," Laurinaitis said.

oh man this is sweet..I am trying to picture the Undertaker as a normal person (which is so weird), but I guess I can envision him in his Texas orange crying after the game.

Go Bucks!

So catching up..

2006-09-14T17:43:00.000-04:00

man I wish I could keep this thing more updated.

So anyways, the Texas game was a pretty nice little victory. Word from Austin is that it was pretty dead post game since all the Texas fans had left and gone home. Ha. I was thinkin back to post OSU vs Miami game, but then I realized it was 90% OSU fans anyways. But I guess it was a smart move by Texas to head home since we just plain embarrassed you. I said it before but I never felt like Texas could compete. I mean Vince Young was the team for the past few years..I mean they ran 5 plays and you expect a frosh QB just to step in..please. Anyways at this rate people are jockin us and we are on the cover of the new SI.

But the real story here..the Browns. My buddies are well aware of my fading fanhood for this storied franchise. The Browns are easily my #1 team and will always be, but as I get older they are starting to mean less and less. I used to be a raging fan before they were moved to Bmore but those years away plus our never ending rebuilding process is killin me.

Forwarding on to this year..I was fortunate (I guess) to attend the first half of the opening game vs Reggie Bush and boy was this..awful. I mean some people say that college football is JV ball, but the way we played could be classified as high school football. The calls didn't go our way and our offense just couldn't move the ball. It was nasty. I was hoping for an 8-8 year but I think Browns nation will be extatic now with 8 wins. Speaking to many folks after the game, spirits were low and it just seems like it's going to be another awful year in the books before this team eventually folds..yea I said it.

Like I said before..I just want to see this and on TV..please

Game On..

2006-09-08T16:29:00.000-04:00

so as time is dwindling down to the big game I would imagine the OSU contingent in Austin are partying their heads off. I mean this game is HUGE. Texas has to win given it's their only tough game of the season. But we have to win for many reasons..one of them being revenge (beotches). I believe after getting the kinks out last week, we can pull this off.

So not much more to say except that OSU is getting their own frosty. Gotta love that Wendy's was found in Cbus.

But finally, I will leave you all with this. It was sent by a friend and when asked "how did you get this," the reply was simply..nothing. So yea..here is a pic of Sir Tressel's office. Go Bucks!

Moving On..

2006-09-06T23:21:00.000-04:00

so..we all know the game last Saturday was pretty lackluster. Thefirst quarter was well..LeAwesome. TD's, some TG2, some actualdefensive play. Overall, it was very entertaining to watch. But after the first quarter things got kinda lame and kinda upsettingat times. Garrett Wolfe, who came oh so close to beating the Akron Zipslast year, basically ran all over our inexperienced defense. Imean the kid is very good and truely a great college athlete, probablytoo small for pros but whatever. Overall, the game wasfine. If anything, I am hoping it was a game to clear the cobwebsand get ready for this weekend.

Oh yea..this weekend. I think I have read about this one. Texas vs. OSU you say. Yea..#1 vs #2..first time ever this earlyin the season..Ya know, I have heard about this. I know some ofthe LeBlog contingant is heading down to Austin tomorrow & Fridayto "witness" this spectical. Let's hope it was better than my little road trip last year to C-Bus for the same matchup.

So I am sure most of you have heard by now, but those amazing Buckeyefans will be taking over two Austin landmarks. OSU has rented out Stubbs BBQ (yes, thatStubb's BBQ sauce)Friday & Sat and the Erwin center (basketball arena) for the Sat.pep rally. Uhh..ya. That's pimp and Austin folks are not happy. I mean this is basically the equivalent of the Longhorns renting out the Schott for their Pep Rally.

Besides that it has been an exciting week of incidents involving theusual pot and guns. And of course ESPN worthy news such asTressel's apparent vote for Texas as #1. But anyway, this shouldbe an exciting one. With pro football kicking off tomorrow andcollege football really kicking off this weekend (I am excluding UM vsFSU yes), I think it's time to get geared up for the Fall.

Giggidy, Giggidy...Giggidy, Goo

Nice to have you on board

2006-09-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

Welcome the Wesley clan to Cavalier land. Mr. David Wesley was signed this AM by Danny Ferry and should bring plenty of solid experience to our backcourt. I know acquiring David has been in the talks for a while and glad to see we finally sealed the deal. In case you're wondering, we have a lot of guards right now, but I am sure that will change soon.

There are some crazy amount of David Wesley facts on that link, but two very interesting ones:

1. currently ranks ninth among active players in career three-pointers made (1,114)

2. one of just two undrafted players in league history to score over 11,000 career points (Moses Malone).

very cute David, very cute..

Good pickup in my eyes. And I am sure having a (real) proven three-point shooter is gonna make Damon Jones feel all warm inside (if he makes it to the season opener).

It's happening

2006-09-03T09:51:00.000-04:00

so we can talk about the game later but I just noticed this headline from a recent RealGM article:

LeBronze For The United States

hell yes..

Season Eve

2006-09-01T23:22:00.000-04:00

tomorrow begins the start a very interesting and hopefully excitingseason. This will be the year of Lessert Ball (fyi: Tresselspelled backwards..ya know..playing the offensive game instead ofdefensive..ok i am an idiot). So yea..we are pretty heavilyfavored early on (remember Tribe were pre-season #1) and Troy is gettinjocked as a big time Heisman candidate. Corso picked Mr. Smith tomake the pose, but good old Kirk chose otherwise. I think maybethe Gameplan crew gave Kirk the old biased speech. So..yea lotsof hype and rightfully so.

Final words before the season come from my buddy Paul. He sent this beautiful link about some Troy Smith tidbits. Check this:

2) Troy on Game Week Rituals - Smith wasreminded that former OSU safety Mike Doss at tacos every game weekMonday in OSU's 2002 national championship season. Smith was aware ofthat, and said he has a plan of his own.

"Every Monday I'm going to eat a taco salad with lean turkey meat," said Smith.

uhh..yea that's pretty lame Troy.

yea Troy..hike up the skirt.

So on that note..Go Buckeyes

2 more days

2006-08-31T10:21:00.000-04:00

(thanks to my buddy baumer for the link)

Absurd

2006-08-30T11:22:00.000-04:00

ok so i am glancing over at the always reputable espn.com and noticeone of the top headlines is about good old Ohio State. Given thenews now-a-days, I figured it was the usual feel good OSU story, butwait..no this isn't a rip on OSU and of course it isn't acompliment..this shit is absurd. I mean as a Buckeye I am alittle shocked by this one. I know we are crazy fans and love tobuy anything with scarlet & grey on it, but come on. What thehell am I talking about..cereal folks, cereal.

I mean I love the Buckeyes, but going up against Count Choculais another ballgame. So what is this nonsense all about? The cereal is called Buckeye Heroes and hits shelves this Saturday, theopening day of the season. What does it look like..well they arehoney-nut-flavored toasted oats..uhh. Pretty original guys. Check out this quote:

"We couldn't make them 'block Os,' so we made them Os," saidRick Van Brimmer, director of trademark and licensing services atOhio State.

This isn't the first food item to havesome OSU love slapped on it. There is pasta, chips,salsa, hot dogs, mustard and hot sauces, as well as candyBuckeyes. Tom Schmieder, marketing VP who is making BuckeyeHeroes said, "OSU's fandom is just a different breed."

uhh...yea (and yes I will be buying a box).

Oh Geez

2006-08-29T16:57:00.000-04:00

so yea..to be honest I don't know if Ishould comment on this one. I think a few people out there know afew letters/numbers to describe this, but regardless he is still theKing.

thanks to penya2 on flickr for all the great World Basketball shots.

Oh Come On

2006-08-29T15:37:00.000-04:00

Daniel Gibson, one of the Cavs new draft picks, was recently interviewed on Cavs.com about training camp, the season, etc. Now, we were all very excited topick up Mr. Gibson so late in the draft given he was projected to go1st round. And we were doubly excited since he is a freakinPG. But his answer to the final question might make ya think twice:

cavs.com: Last question: In the Texas-OSU game on September 9th, how many points do you think the Buckeyes will win by?
Gibson: (Pauses, laughs) WOW! No offense to the Ohio fans, because I’m looking for full support this season. But Texas is going to smack ‘em!

Ohhh..snap. So yea he did go to UT and I guess he should root forhis team, but I would hope he gets some real crap when they godown. Maybe having LeBron throw on a white glove and backslappinghim across the face might work. who knows..

So by the way..we are at 4 days till kickoff of the Buckeye'sseason. It's "supposed" to be a good year, but I personally wouldlike to take this game by game. I mean this year we are playing Lessert ball sowho knows.

yea..Lessert Ball..

Coming this Fall..

2006-08-28T12:16:00.000-04:00

Thisis a pretty solid fake movie trailer from the 05-06 year which shows some niceearly clips of the man-child. Regardless of the odd noises andawful quality of youtube, it's still worth a view. Also, notice the sign when he says "uncharted island."

3-3-0

2006-08-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

Holy Freakin Crap..I wake up toread that LeBron..yes that LeBron James, just got 2 moretats. They will be making their world appearance vs. Japan(the country destined to make this Akronite a true internationalsuperstar). So what did he get you ask???

#1 - The Right Calf of Mr. James now reads "Witness" Man that Nike is good at marketing. ok folks ready for the second...

#2 - Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow. On his right arm, below his elbow,is a large "330'' which is a beautiful reference to his hometown's (aka: AKRON) area code. This "330" also has four stars around it. Oh my goodness..

Not sure what else I can say besides, sup now..

Classic LeBron LeShilling

2006-08-23T12:02:00.000-04:00

here is a little info on this bad boy: Made by Lebron Manufacturing in Omaha, Nebraska, its purpose is to improve the airflow into the grille, thus providing the engine with cooler air. According to the ad, from the February 1959 issue of Road & Track, installing this device also eliminates the need to replace the chrome grille.

Isomehow feel like this could actually be turned into a some sort ofmodern ghetto grille for your caddy. who knows.

Things I have missed

2006-08-23T11:44:00.000-04:00

Since at this point no one still checks this blog, I assume that meansthat no one has received news on Ohio Sports in the past 2months. I am deeply sorry, but let me quickly recap what hashappened.

The Indians still suck royally. I mean they are awful. From#1 presason ranking (remember don't jinx the Bucks) to getting rid ofour old, fat closer, it's been a truly awful season. Even with Grady Sizemore still part of the All-Handsome Team, we just can't play pitch or play defense. Crazyness.

The Browns have been plauged with injuries and here is Terry Plutobeing a really old pissed off CLE Sports fan. My buddy went lastFriday night and basically said "It's going to be a longseason." I believe in Frye and hope we can win at least 5games.

And the Cavs..well they had a nice little offseason so far. Afterlocking up Bron for 3 or 4 more years, we obtained a nice set of hairin Scott Pollard. I mean with Andy and Scott, we are easily on our way to becoming thestylish team in the NBA..yea and Bron knows how to dress too. But thisguy will be a great addition and very excited to have another provenbig man on our squad. Still a shame all our big men are white but withtime. Finally, as everyone knows, our schedulewas releasd and we open vs the Wiz. Very psyched about this newrivalry and look forward to another year of almost getting beat up atCavs vs. Wizards games. Oh and there are 33 Cavs games on National TV, which is a franchise-record and the league max.

So yea the Cavs had a nice offeason and the deals are definitely notover. We have a huge roster still and will surely be dropping afew names soon. Exciting stuff.

Finally, I read this beautyfrom Mistake by the Lake Sporting Times which shows Pronk's fair territory inside our great earth. This is absurdly brilliant.

And really finally, it was sad to see LeCharles Bentley going down on literallythe first down of the Browns camp. What'seven worse than this Ohio native gone for the season is that the Le prefix cannot live on in multiple CLE sports. It's quite sad as I wasreally hoping Le would catch on this year amongst everyone. It'sstill destined to happen..don't you worry.

Oh My..

2006-08-23T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure if it was lazyness, maybe it was lack of passion, or itcould simply be the lack of anything solid to come out of Ohio sportsin the past few months. But anyways..after reading the headlinethis morning that LeBron is taking Mandarin Chinese lessons..I gotchills. I got the LeBlog chills. Once again the King hasproven to me and hopefully now the world, that he is willing to takethose extra steps to becoming the greatest (and richest) athleteever.

So onto the loving..Brain Windhorst has this ridiculous article about the extravagence that is LeBron. I mean check this:

"Just inside room 748 atthe Renaissance Hotel, two mannequins guarded the door and marblehallway like Nike sentinels. Dressed head-to-toe in Team USAbasketball garb, on their feet wereLeBron James' two newest shoe designs. The walls were plastered withJames photos, model action shots, studio shots and high-fashion glamourshots. In front of gold curtains and a giant rack of Nike basketballs, the manhimself lounged on a black leather couch, his back resting against athrow pillow with his picture on it."

Umm..that's freakin sweet. Maybe it was LeBron commitment tohis HOME that caused Nike to really commit to marketing him as thegreatest ever...no wait, it was money that drove Nike. Wellanyways, I see no other way to treat a true athlete from Akron (exceptI am wondering about the lack of women with snakes around theirnecks). I hope all his post game interviews areconducted in a throne. I think a petition might be in order forthis treatment if he can bring the city of CLE a championship.

Speaking of CLE pain, I was reading the Browns preview on Deadspin and this guy, James Frey (yes, that James Frey)basically sounds like um..every CLE sports fan over 30 years ofage. I think the 20's are still inspiring, but I can imagineanother 5-10 years of true sports pain could cause a man to have apretty awful outlook on life. Glad I have these things to lookforward too.

But yea..as far as I hear, the Browns are going to have another long season, but tis might not be the case for our boys from Franklin (County). The Bucks were ranked decently high for the pre-season. Who knowsthough. I am finally feeling alive again with football around thecorner and the Cavs season on the horizon. I am sorry I haven'tbeen around for a while, but I think times have changed. A summerof awful Indians baseball just kills yea, but things are looking up forour teams.

Ohio is the State..

Danny is a happy man

2006-06-29T09:37:00.000-04:00

Well wasn't last night a nice surprise. I think Danny is probably a very happy man right now given who we picked up in the draft. I mean we were almost able to pick up the laptop thief. But when Mark Price's number rolled around, we had a very nice selection of Guards to choose from. In fact, when our second round pick came, we also had a nice selection of players. Man that was a weird draft.

So now we have a Big Ten athlete and a Texas baller. It's funny that we still had to focus on guards given we spent so much freakin money on Damon and Donyell. But either way we have some solid guards that we can groom for our future. Man..they have to be pumped to play with LeBron. That's just a rediculous opportunity.

So even ESPN (insider) was giving us some love as we got graded an A. Check out their comments:

Round 1: Shannon Brown, SG, Michigan State (No. 25 overall)

Round 2: Daniel Gibson, PG, Texas (No. 42)

Ejike Ugboaja, F, Nigeria (No. 55)

Analysis: When you pick late in the first round, you're usually looking for someone who has a chance to be a rotation player.

When you pick in the second, you're looking for someone with a pulse.

I think the Cavs exceeded expectations with both picks.

Brown is going to be a dynamite player and a real steal at No. 26. Hehas the strength and athleticism of a lottery pick. He's a littleundersized, but I think he'll be a great sparkplug for the Cavs.

I also like the Gibson pick in Round 2. As a point guard, Gibson is a so-so prospect. But as a scoring two, he could be a Ben Gordon type player.

Grade: A

sup now..alright well a solid draft and now we wait for the King on July 1. 2 more days..

3 days..

2006-06-28T11:04:00.000-04:00

some links for today:

Ohio Sports road trip

remember to vote for the King for the ESPY's next month

Cavaliers Dance Team Music Video..uhh ya.

and someone is definitely takin care of the Cavs entry in Wikipedia.

until the draft...

4 more days

2006-06-27T17:14:00.000-04:00

ok finally some NBA action. Tomorrow night, the Cavs will hopefully make our first pick in years. Obviously, we need a PG and that's really all that matters this year (unless Danny can make some fancy moves). The realistic options on the table around our pick (#25) look to be either Shannon Brown or Jordan Farmar. Both seem to be solid picks and to be honest I don't care who we draft as long as it's a PG. Windhorst seems pretty indifferent about who we get and I am sure Ferry will attempt to shop some of our stars around for the right player. Now there are rumors of Larry wanting out..geez. Who knows. I just know for me it's exciting to talk Cavs basketball again.

So looking around about info on these two potential picks, I am noticing that Shannon Brown seems to be a pretty hot country singer whose album, Corn Fed, is in stores now. Pretty exciting person to share your name with a farmer of the opposite sex who writes country songs about corn.

And Jordan Farmar...well I learned Jordan is Jewish, which we all know is the perfect pedigree for pro athletes. Jordan was the 2004 Southern CaliforniaJewish Sports Hall of Fame High School Athlete of the Year. Wow..thats quite a title. Either way..if he can ball and especially play PG, bring it on.

so who knows if one of these guys will be sporting a Cavs uniform in the fall, but either way I am just psyched to finally have something to watch Cavs related on TV. It won't be the 03 draft, but hey a King from Akron only comes around once in a long While.

10 days

2006-06-21T16:37:00.000-04:00

so..yea..what's up people. I think today is an appropriate time to write a new entry into this blog. I must admit I had no interest in the NBA after we lostand honestly had no desire to update this blog. But I think todayprovided a little motivation.

Ok so first let me say I probably watched 20 mins..no maybe 30 mins of the NBA Finals. And honestly, I just wanted to see Cuban on TV. I know the Mavs came out strong then just faded bad. I have to admit I felt a little upset to my stomach this morning when I heard the Heat had won it all. This team just doesn't feel like they should be the NBA Champions. I think Bill Simmons said it best (and Mark Cuban agrees) that we just took a step backwards in the progress of the Association. You can read his commentary for yourself, but basically the Heat are not part of the new NBA. The Mavs, Cavs, Suns are the new NBA. Read the first few paragraphs for yourself to get a better idea.

Also, there are some fantastic Bron tidbits in this article. Check out this one:

As a basketball fan, I think this would be terrible [the Heat winning]. A tragedy, even.Nothing against Wade -- after all, it isn't his fault his team sucksand he has to play this way -- but seeing an individual triumph over ateam YET AGAIN would erase every positive outcome from the 2005-06season. Basically, the team with LeBron or Wade will win the next 10-12titles, and it will come down to which guy made more 20-footers withtwo guys on him and which guy got the most cheap calls from the mostspineless referees.

Hmm..I am not sure why this would be a bad thing..giggidy. Also, one more quote:

Believe me, I understand why we reached this point -- in the late-'90s,an entire generation of players weaned on hard fouls (like theMcHale-Rambis clothesline), trash-talking superstars (like Bird and MJ)and constant woofing (from the Fab Five and UNLV in particular) endedup taking all three of those elements to inappropriate levels. Iconcede this point. But haven't we swung too much the other way now? For instance, whenLeBron psyched out Gilbert Arenas at the free-throw line in the finalgame of the Cavs-Wiz series, that was one of my favorite moments of theplayoffs -- not only that LeBron had the confidence to do somethinglike that, but that it reminded me of something that would happen onthe playground, just two ballers talking smack before a big moment.

LeAwesome memories..

ok folks..so the real story here. LeBRON. Le-freakin-Bron. Today the countown begins. 10 more days..yes folks, 10 more days till we can offer Bron THE contract. You know..the contract that will hopefully change the destiny of CLE and our troubled sports city forever. Oh yeah..that contract. Well, apparently Mr. James is confident about signing this piece of paper that will be put in front of him on July 1, 2006.

Man I hope so..

So Life After..

2006-05-25T15:14:00.000-04:00

..is really just not as fun. It was mad fun getting to feel like you were a kid again by watching the Cavs in the playoffs. This time there was no Mark Price or Brad Daugherty, but LeBron filled that void no problem. I believed in our team as did the whole Cavs nation, but in the end we just didn't want it. And by "the end," I am referring to Game 6 and by "didn't want it," I am referring to rebounding the ball.

It was a grand few weeks of playoff action for our Cavaliers as they stole the NBA spotlight. Even if people weren't rooting for us, they knew we had grown up and arrived in the East. It was truly amazing to see all the jocking of LeBron when the Cavs were winning and even more amazing to see the bashing of the Cavs when we lost. Gotta love when ESPiN's only goal is to create drama.

Personally, I had a great time cheering on my team. After seeing Game 6 vs the Wiz in DC, I figured I would ride my good luck so I ended up hopping an early, early flight to CLE for Game 6 vs the Pistons..but we all know that didn't go exactly as planned. Quick note though..it was the biggest sporting ticket in CLE since the 97 World Series (which I won't comment on). Crap tickets were selling for hundreds while tix near the floor were going for $3000-$5000. Damn..

Anyways..the offseason swirl has begun. Z now might be traded, Bron won't leave, and Dan truly appreciates our support. It still sucks we won't see any NBA action for a while, but I am guessing this could be another fun offseason.

Thanks to everyone in the Cavs organization for a great season..

Maaaan..

2006-05-22T14:05:00.000-04:00

Not sure about you, but I am not ready to accept that our season is over just yet..

C'mon Now

2006-05-18T10:58:00.000-04:00

geez..still not a lot of love.

Actually..who cares about this crap. So last night was one again LeSpectacular. This team has heart and the best part is that the pressure is still on the Pistons. I hope we can bring this home on Friday at home. Fans are hungry. I mean look at this history folks...pain, pain I tell ya.

Also, check out fellow NeOH native YaySport's writeup after the game. Well said and I agree this quote will go down in history.

"It's not that they're the Big Bad Wolf and we're the Three Little Pigs,'' LeBron James said.

Not only does the AK Assassin know his nursery rhymes, but the guy is a student of the game. After the game he made reference to the Pistons coming back in a playoff series years ago. I mean the guy just played (another) 48 mins, just had another hugely emotional win, and then he references the Pistons playoff history. Good lord..

You are the King and we are your servants..

Life is Good

2006-05-17T22:22:00.000-04:00

Yea..life is real good.

Ridiculous

2006-05-16T09:55:00.000-04:00

I mean seriously..that game was ridiculous. We played their game..defense. We found their weak point..driving to the hoop. And we played with more heart. It was freakin insane. I am still speechless.

E. Snow..amen brother. That was quite a peformance in the second half. Not sure where those skills have been in the past few years, but glad to see you shine when it matters most. Anderson was redonkulous. Dare I say he has been our Pippen in the past two games. I am loving the LeBron-Andy pick n' roll. And the King played off, but still almost got a Triple-Double. Not many of the Cavaliers had their slickest game, but in the end we scored just enough and played solid D. Man am I happy.

So it's 2-2 folks. I can't believe I am writing that. After a trip this morning to St. Louis to pay respect to Justin Hughes, the Cavs are off to Rock City. Wednesday will be tough as Detroit realizes they can't be cocky one bit. This should be a great matchup. But as usual..if we can head into the final quarter down by less than 10, we have a shot. As Reggie Miller keeps saying, we have one thing Detroit doesn't...a number 23.

I love this game..

Update: I have been searching around the net for some thoughts on the game and found this one very interesting.

Know Your Roots

2006-05-15T11:45:00.000-04:00

Got It

2006-05-15T10:32:00.000-04:00

Oh yea baby..got the W. What a spectacular game on Saturday. I love Bron's strategy..team for first three quarters then he takes over in the money (or Le4th) quarter. That was a HUGE game for us and regardless of what happens for the rest of the series, I think we can look back on Chapter 3 and be happy.

Oh and I believe Anderson proved his worth on Saturday. Like we argued in the previous post's comments..can Anderson start next season if Drew leaves? The answer is yes. All he has to do is get open and make layups. It doesn't matter who plays PF..LeBron & Co will get him the ball. Throw on 10-20lbs to Mr. Varejao and we have a dominant PF. I say let Drew go and focus on a PG.

Either way..go Cavs!

P.S. C'mon Guys

well..

2006-05-10T13:55:00.000-04:00

not really sure what to say. As scoop mentioned, this probably will be a great learning experience for the King, but still..it sux. The Pistons are just way out of our league (at least this season). We just need to take one game which hopefully we can accomplish during the 2 game homestand.

But on a side note, I am curious what people are thinking in terms of off season moves. I think its unanimous that we all would like to see Damon "Game 6" Jones in another uniform. And we might not have a choice with Drew. But what else. Mike Brown..safe..right? Possible trades? What about a new PG..

I imagine Anderson will be starting next year with Hughes, Z, Bron, and a new PG. Hoepfully we can pick up a vet (paulev7 and I discussed Kidd) and have him for a few years. Then we can draft a PG when we actually get a draft pick and have him learn. Who knows..

Either way..just trying to divert attention from the series vs the state up north.

OK then

2006-05-07T19:15:00.000-04:00

well didn't that suck..

I am going to blame it on no rest andno time to learn the Pistons offense. I don't think their shootinghad anything to do with it.

Game 2 it is..

LeMazing

2006-05-07T13:31:00.000-04:00

sorry for the late post in regards to the Cavs victory on Friday night, but honestly I just stopped celebrating..I mean come on, that game was huge. I proudly wore Cavs tshirts and hats all around DC on saturday and def got some awful looks not to mentioned being heckled by a cop. It's all good though..

But the game itself was such a stressful/amazing/non CLE Sports style game. Everyone chipped in. Donyell had one of a hell game..Anderson was monsterous towards the end and of course the King did his part. Best part were his words to Gilbert..."if you miss these free throws, it's over." The King just knew..he just knew. And that's why one day we will take it home. We never had someone with such confidence in not only himself, but his team. He is the King and we are his servants..

For now..Go Cavs and good luck today vs the Pistons. Remember going forward..it's all about the experience.

We are all LeWitnesses

2006-05-04T00:12:00.000-04:00

Young Bron says: Bring on LeGame 6..

UPDATE (The Day After):

Okfolks...that was sick. I mean simply insane. Without being biased,that was one of the best games I have seen in a long time. Neck andneck all game with Bron and Arenas just going off. Granted the Cavsshould have pulled it out at the end of regulation, but we still wonand a W is all that matters. It was a game full of fouls as it was anextremely rough game...playoffs baby. Love it.

But that game was something you just needed to witness. When the King went out early with 4 fouls, our team picked up theslack..in fact we went up by more points when he left. That is thekind of support we need in the playoffs. Snow played hard, Andersonwas an animal, Gooden got his boards, and Flip/Hughes provided themomentum. Well done guys..well done.

Also,forthose of you who were at the game, the announcer proclaimed in the2nd quarter that the NBA should rename a Triple-Double to a 'James.' Imean wow..I couldn't of jocked him any better myself.

Anyways..so pumped for Friday. I will be there and cheering with all I got. This is huge baby..freakin huge..

Good Luck

2006-04-27T15:30:00.000-04:00

As sad as it is for me, I will not be able to attend the next few games in DC as I will be out of town. Paullev7 will be there and will probably be the guy who gets thrown out of the arena if Jamison attempts another 'hard foul' on our King.

Mike Brown knows we need to make adjustments and hopefully we will come out strong tonight. We only lost by a few points last game so we can do this. We have the talent and most importantly the heart..

Go Cavs!

check out anytime you'd like, but you will always be a fan

Obsessed

2006-04-25T17:10:00.000-04:00

ok I doubt I am the only one here who is crazy obsessed with the new LeBron Witness commercial. I mean it paints the picture of present day Northeast Ohio, shows someof the city's pride (yes, I am talking about a sandwich), and shows howmuch we believe in this kid from Akron. Folks..he is ourfuture. I love C.C. and all, but come on. He is it..he isthe Chosen One and we are all Witnesses.

Soabout this insanely pimp commercial..let's break this bad boy downframe by frame cause I am sure most people in the world have no freakinidea what any of that stuff meant. I mean it's seriously aninside commercial. Without further a due I will do my best toidentify each frame..

1st Frame- drumroll begins as we roll down some of the rougher streets ofdowntown Akron. I have actually visited the exact location ofLeBron's birth and it is a nasty, awful area. Notice it's being shot from acar..now I am not sure, but by the looks of the windshield wiper itseems to be shot from LeBron's old Hummer from his St. V days.

2nd Frame- the smoke stacks. ahh..anyone from Northeast Ohio is veryfamiliar with these bad boys. These look to be around thedowntown Akron area near the Goodyear factory. (ok I completelymade that up)

3rd Frame- oh yea baby..77N. the road from Akron to downtown CLE. LeBron lives in Akron and takes this road up to the Q for every singlegame. Pride baby.. Also notethe first few scenes were in Akron and now we have moved towards CLE.

4th Frame - looks to be a nasty, run down YMCA as well as convenient stores in CLE

5th Frame - a quick glimpse looking up into the Columbus Road bridge with a view of downtown CLE

6th Frame- a shot of some basketball courts. Now it would seem this wouldbe in CLE given how we moved from the AK to CLE, but LeBron was wellknown in many of the Akron bball courts in which my buddies and I alsoplayed on. Could be Croghan Park, could be St. V, could beanything. But we all know LeBron has helped out Akron by building more bball courts so I am glad this shot got in there.

7th Frame - ahh..home. The Q. Good work Danny G.

8th Frame - Bron jogging down the court in the wine jersey

9th Frame - Sportsman's Restaurant which is right near the Justice Centerdowntown. There's a counter area if you're eating alone and tables and a backdining area if you're there with friends or coworkers. Has a pimp vintage Sportsmans signout front.

10th Frame- the famous quadruple double corned beef sandwich from Sportsman's. The price isonly $9.23 as the Playoff special. Notice Go Cavs written in thebottom right

11th Frame- LeBron James bobblehead in blue jersey. Most likely the giveaway from the Q, but couldbe from Giant Eagle.

12th Frame - bunch of kids coloring at a school. notice Bron on the tube in the background

13th Frame - one of the fantastic drawings titled 'Slam Dunk' of LeKing

14th Frame - slam dunk in the blue jersey vs the Lakers

15th Frame- girl getting #23 painted on her cheek most likely in Tower City Mallwhich connects to the Q. Notice the kid behind her with Cavs written onthe forehead..he is loving life.

16th Frame - Bron joggin again..in the white jersey (red, blue, white..good work Nike)

17th Frame- after the shady white van passes, there is a shot of a guy on a chopper nextto one of those cheap signs which beautifully reads 'We are allWitnesses.' This is followed by another van passing down CarnegieAve in downtown CLE.

18th Frame - close up of the cheap sign with pimp message

19th Frame- not sure of the building (help anyone?) but draped out of one of thewindows is a bedsheet or cloth which reads 'I am a Witness' Justclarifying things here..these are not fabricated scenes by Nike..thisis all real. There are many many signs in CLE supporting ourKing. Pride..

20th Frame - close up of the pride on a bedsheet

21st Frame - LeBron side-fives someone from his knees vs the Pistons (in a blue jersey)

22nd Frame- the beginnings of a beautiful shirt (and marketing campaign). The Witness T is being screened in wine and gold. ooh..yea

23rd Frame - the phrase of the hour on possibly a sign at the airport or near the arena.

24th Frame - Witness t-shirt complete and getting ready to be shipped to the Q for game 1 of the Playoffs

25th Frame - Man on a bball court holding a ball with the tshirt on. LeAwesome

26th Frame - hard ass in the auto body shop also sportin the tee

27th Frame - more #23's being painted on little kids faces

28thFrame - insane dunk over the Lakers in the blue jersey...bron screams as this one goes down

29th Frame - another driving dunk over half the Bulls squad at the Q in a white jersey

30th Frame - full extension leg kick dunk vs the Spurs in a white jersey

31st Frame - the domination scream vs the Heat..man is this guy awesome

32nd Frame- the music stops abruptly as the 10 story, 212 foot wide billboard ofLeBron appears. This is on the Landmark building in downtownCLE. Also note there is a slight screech of a car/train at thevery end.

As the commercial builds & builds and thegoose bumps set in, all of a sudden the music just stops. Youare left to stare into the greatness of this massive billboard andrealize how much this city & team relies on the AK Assassin. I don't care where you are from, this is an amazing commercial andcongrats Nike. You know what you have in LeBron and you areplaying it perfectly.

Long live LeKing...

Further Jocking..

2006-04-24T16:27:00.000-04:00

..of Brian Windhorst. Our man on the inside is right now hosting an online chat (on espin) and check this out..gold baby:

Travis (Indiana State): What does LeBron do in the off-season as far as workouts go?

Brian Windhorst: (4:23 PM ET ) He actually bikes around Akron a lot. There are some hills in the area where he lives and he and his friends ride around early in the morning. He also holds these super-secret pickup games at various gyms in the middle of the night. Several NBA players fly in and take part like Nene and J.R. Smith. I've heard the call goes out to players and just gives 12 hours notice. (editors note: LeAmazing)

plus...

BJ Carmel NY: Going along with Nicks question, Wouldnt Lebron see his contracts skyrocket in a big market like NY or LA. Not that he needs the money of course.

Brian Windhorst: (4:20 PM ET ) BJ, LeBron is already the highest-earning endorser in the NBA while in Cleveland. The NBA has max salary limits, which is why Tim Duncan is still in San Antonio. LeBron does have some kickers in his contracts that would pay him more to be in NY, LA or Chicago, but they are small and his Nike contract is fully guaranteed.

UPDATE: this just in - ESPiN really really likes Brian Windhorst

I Believe

2006-04-24T15:25:00.000-04:00

For all of us from NE OH..we have always believed. We knew this kid was special. I remember watching the NBA Lottery on TV as time seemed to slow waayy down as that ping pong ball bounced around as the #2 pick was about to be announced. From that point..it was clear the future of CLE sports would change. One ping-pong ball away from continuing the constant pain of an Ohio Sports fan. But just like that stupid commerical with Jordan missing the shot on Ehlo, it didn't happen. The ball landed in our court and we have the King.

And 3 years later, he is still our King and still shocking his fan base. We all know he was going to do it as we put so much pressure on him, but he has never let us down. Never failed..never cracked. The game saturday as everyone by now has noted..was truly special. It was amazing. I watched a re-run of the Cavs vs Bulls from 89 the other day and really analyzed Jordan. While way skinnier at that stage in his career, he was awesome...I mean dominate. But I just think with LeBron's size, vision, and evenly distributed talent..I mean you know what I am getting at. Only time will tell.

But what happened saturday was just another early chapter in the book of King James (hey..see that a reference to religious jersey). And to top it all off, Nike did a great job promoting the shirts, billboard, and commerical. Tingles baby..

And one final note..our man on the inside Brian Windhorst is becoming very famous for basically being the authoritative voice on the King from a hometown perspective. He is all over ESPiN now and thx for this amazing article on all of LeBron's debuts. Brian is showing the rest of the world how awesome this kid has always been while exposing us all to Northeast Ohio athletics and community.

I am a witness...

The Second Season

2006-04-21T14:54:00.000-04:00

Best of luck gentleman. We will all be there with you on Saturday at 3pm.

Absurd

2006-04-20T14:18:00.000-04:00

well...i am not really sure how to tackle this one but thankyou paulev7 for sending over a link to this gem. If your a fan of LeBron plus crazy religious then..actually I am going to stop there.

50 - How you like us now

2006-04-20T09:23:00.000-04:00

sup LeKing/50 Cent mixtape

It hurts..

2006-04-14T09:38:00.000-04:00

..being this smooth. while I wasn't able to watch or lelive blog the game last night, I heard it was a huge win and big confidence booster for our expensive pickup in L Hughes. And by the way, I don't believe I will be live bloggin any games, anytime soon..stressful stuff. Anyways..if someone went to the game or wants to write a review please let me know. I am hoping for a big win on Sunday as we need to defeat the Wiz in prep for our potential playoff matchup. And we also need to see the chosen one out of the yellow vest and into the wine and gold. Go Cavs.

listen donyell - if you don't got 2 karat earings, a yellow vest, and a pad in Akron..you ain't nothin..

Live LeBlogging - CLE Sports

2006-04-12T15:17:00.000-04:00

ok folks..tonight I believe I am about to go where no blogger has gone before. I am aware that some people will not be able to watch the Cavs and Indians game tonight so I am going to attempt to help them out by livebloggin both games at once. I know people liveblog one sport, but two different sports..wow that means I am not only hardcore, but really nerdy.

Anyways..I have many TV's so both games will be on at once. First pitch of the Tribe game is at 7:05 and the Cavs tipoff is at 8:00 on ESPiN.   See you later..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And away we go..

7:05 - First pitch is popped out by Ichiro. Bag of Fritos opened and beer cracked.

7:07 - Ok then..after a few quick hits, Seattle puts on one the board. This is the first time the Tribe has trailed since April 5.

7:08 - Byrd luckily catches a line drive from Beltre and the announcers make very cheesy comments how it almost took his head off..yadda, yadda. On to bottom of the first.

7:09 - I just pulled out a brown frito. While curious I decide to try it only to discover it's completely burnt and tastes terrible.

7:16 - Sizemore battles a lot of pitches but flies out. Michaels also takes a lot of pitches and walks.

7:20 - Jhonny hits for the 8th consecutive game. Runners now on 1nd and 2nd. Also a nice flashback to his HR last night. Just opened up a piece of mail for a free boat. Pronk is up. Also, I decided to pass on the boat.

7:23 - oh my goodness. Michaels get's caught between 2nd and 3rd and thrown out. so obviously..Jhonny decides to try and get to second so he is trapped and thrown out. Worst double play ever. Pronk is left with a full count at the plate. Please note this play was prefaced by a homoerotic comment by Mike Hegan about Mike Hargrove's weight loss.

7:29 - after 2 routine outs, Jeremy Reed gets a triple off the wall. NBA Pregame just came on and they are alreaydtalking about Bron for MVP. Steven A Smith is such an idiot.

7:32 - I just spilled my beer on my laptop. Man.. This live blogging thing is harder than I thought.

7:38 - laptop is now dry. whew.. so recap - pronk walked. Victor hits into fielders choice (hafner out at 2nd) and Ben Broussard singles up the middle. 2 men now on. Belliard gets beaned and bases are loaded. Victor is thrown out at home after fielders choice by Boone.

7:40 - wild pitch!! Broussard comes around to score. score is 1-1

7:42 - Blake gets a single up the middle and scores Belliard & Boone. 3-1 Tribe! A doc on Bron is comin on soon.

7:47 - after grady walks, michaels grounds into a fielder's choice. Bron highlights from this season are on..he is nuts.

7:50 - oh man. they are showing Bron eating the Chicken Finger platter from the concession stand as his pre-game meal. Yes, the same meal you and I eat and it's 15 mins before gametime. LeAwesome. Steven A Smith says he is now not mature enough to win the MVP. I hate ESPiN.

7:52 - Ichiro and Javy Lopez walk. Raul Ibanez singles up the middle and scores Ichiro. 3-2 Tribe. Steven A Douchebag just makes fun of Sasha.

7:58 - Byrd gets a K. then follows it up with another K. Oh yea..ESPiN anchors are hyping up this game like crazy.

8:03 - Holy crap. After Everett walks, Kenji smacks one deep and drives in 3. Son of a. it's now 5-3 Seattle. on a good note, Z is lookin good with a full beard. Steven A now says it will be a good game and Greg Anthony holds him to it. I hate the world.

8:06 - ok inning over after a scarily deep fly ball. thank goodness. ok Cavs tipoff. here we go..

8:08 - I know I am the only one, but I do like Bill Walton. He is jockin the Cavs too. Detroit gets a bucket followed by misses from Snow, Ben Wallace, and Z. 2-0 Pistons.

8:10 - Pronk destroys a ball but its foul. Rip Hamilton gets the worst assist of all time. Bron gets striped and Pistons score. 6-0 Pistons..doh. Pronk flies out and Drew Gooden hits a shot. Ok now this is gettin nuts.

8:11 - Bron makes a sick drive to the hoop for 2. Here comes the AK Assassin love by the announcers. Sheed is embaressing Gooden. Victor flies out to end the inning.

8:12 - Flip with a missed shot and Z with the tip in. OH My goodness. Breakaway from Bron..insane dunk. leblog screams.

8:13 - Z gets a tip in to fall after 3 tries from Goooden and himself. Flip Murray loses the ball on the next possession. Repeat of Bron dunk is insane. Walton says the guys in Berkley at PIxar couldnt create a more beautiful dunk. oh geez..now he is talkin about his visit to Pixar studios with Mickey Hart (of the Dead). Tirico quickly shut him up and laughs about it. Gooden scores. Ichiro up..and I am going nuts.

8:16 - Ichiro with a solid hit. man is he good. Z hits 2 free throw. Cavs up 14-12. Flip misses a smooth move to the rim. Ben Wallace scores on the other end. Ichiro steals. Billips wants Bron to go left so he does and passes it. Missed shot by Gooden.

8:18 - the game is very fast paced. Walton actually just made a comment about the flow. Raul Ibanez rips a ball down the line for a triple. Ichiro scores and it's 6-3. Byrd is done.

8:21 - Bron misses a very long three. Walton is like a little kid. Indians are out of the inning as Graves is in to pitch.

8:24 - Walton basically says Snow is worthless. Bron makes a strong move to the hoop and gets fouled. Indians are coming up to bat. Grabbing food really quick.

8:26 - technical difficulties during the Indians broadcast. Bron makes both free throws. After a Detroit miss, Bron makes an insane drive through half the team. 3 poitn play. Walton just said he made Detroit look like a CYO team. 19-17 Cavs

8:29 - Hughes makes a shot and Rock City answers. Bron drives agin but no good. we arent getting offensive rebounds. Pistons score again. 23-19 Pistons. damn and Bron just threw it away.

8:32 - Cavs all of a sudden playing poorly and Detroit scores again for a 11-0 run. Damn it. And Indians game is still having technical difficulties. Damn package

8:34 - so i just checked ESPiN for updates. Broussard and Belliard singled. Blake gets another single and we bring one home. 6-4 Seattle.

8:36 - Sizemore singled and scores Belliard. 6-5 baby!. Another replay of Bron's dunk. So nuts. Bron avoids a backcourt violation and drives left (after Chauncy keeps temptin him) and scores.

8:38 - Hughes shot scares me..i hate those line drives. After Michaels walks, Jhonny strikes out to end the inning. And Donyell just nailed a 3. Tribe down 1 and Cavs down 8.

8:40 - Donyell needs to shoot something besides a 3 pointer. Timeout Cavs and inning change for tribe. break time..

8:42 - Top of the 5th for Seattle as Graves is still pitching. Anderson just gets hammered and will go to the line. And Walton is talking about life and how to balance it all. Beltre singled.

8:45 - Pistons make the lead 10 points. Damon misses a three. Flip and Larry blow short shots. And there are 0 zero points from our back-court. that's not good.

8:48 - Beltre stole second and Kenji walked. I am exposed to this awful VW commercial for the 3rd time where kids get in a real crash..it's not cool.

8:50 - Indians get out of the inning. LeBron is still sitting and the Cavs are sucking. Gil Meche is pulled in bottom of the 5th.

8:51 - woh. Anderson goes after Rasheed. Hmm..yea this was definetely a harsh fould by the Brazilian. No foul but Cavs are down 14. Holy crap..Anderson ejected. Son of a bitch. Rasheed has this awful smirk. Man i hate Detroit and the state of Michigan.

8:53 - Cavs are playing awful and I am debating on how much longer I shoudl do this. Pronk grounds out. Victor flies out and Broussard strikes out looking.

8:58 - thx to Walton I just found out Rasheed has 244 technicals in the past decade. Also, Since LeBron sat, the Cavs have NO points. 4 mins..no points. uhh..

9:01 - did i just witness a point by the Cavs. and by who, but Bron. This game is awful, but the Tribe are still in it. Tribe down 6-5. ok this Cavs game is sad. Tribe game going to main TV as I hear "Who Let the Dogs Out" to take me away.

9:03 - ok now I am pissed. After a few singles andintential walk to Ibanez, former Indian Richie Sexson justhit a Grand Salami. Seattle is up 10-5. Cavs are down 20. Awful..

9:06 - Cavs almost down 30. Bron isnt playing too hot. Indians broadcast is going in and out. Hmm..well at least it's a wed night.

9:09 - Cavs cut it to 25 and Z just missed an easy shot. Indians go down 1-2-3. Wow..well it's halftime in Detroit with the Pistons up 27. I am not listening to ESPiN at the half. Ok i am grabbin more food.

9:15 - Davis is now pitchin for the Tribe in the 7th. He strikes out Kenji with a mean slider. Reed grounds out and two outs for the Tribe.

9:17 - Benecourt grounds out and inning over. 7th inning stretch. Blogging one sport is much easier.

9:20 - Sizemore gounds out and I just noticed an OSU sweatshirt in the audience. Something fishy is going on with the ball..stay tuned.

9:23 - Ichiro is good. Makes a great running catch on a ball hit by Michaels. Jhonny slams a hit to LF. another multi-hit game. Pront steps to the plate. Come on guys..

9:25 - HELL YES! Pronk slams one deep and high to right. Whew..good news. Go Tribe! 10-7 now.

9:27 - Still talkin about Hafner..he is damn good. 6 homers in the past 6 games. 3rd quarter about to begin in Rock City. Victor walks...

9:29 - so the Pistons are on a 40-10 run. that's pathetic. Benny B grounds out to end the 7th.

9:33 - Sheed is so cocky. I hate the Pistons and just remembered how much I used to hate Laimbeer and company. Bron just threw a sloppy pass to Z who lost it. this is sad. Ichiro slams another hit. Hit to the right this time.

9:35 - I feel as though the Cavs have really stopped trying. Our defense is not there. Oh man..they have switched the game. Ok I guess the producers agree it's that bad. Ok then...so Tribe. Davis just made a kick save. Damn that was smooth. Ichiro to 3rd with 2 outs.

9:37 - The game they just switched it too is awful too. Now we are watching the Wizards/Bucks game. Wow..and Raul Ibanez just slammed a single down the line to score Ichiro. 11-7 Mariners.

9:39 - Inning over and Tribe is coming up. Also, I have no idea what is going on with the Cavs now.

9:42 - ok the Cavs game is back on. The Cavs cut it to under 30 so I guess that constitutes coverage. after a Belliard single, Blake cranked a double deep and scores Belliard. Woo hoo..down by 3 now.

9:45 - Hughes just threw up an airball. uh..ya. Timeout. Tribe has Blake on at 2nd and
Sizemore just barely missed a HR down the line. Passed ball and Blake to third. Crowd is in it now..

9:49 - just got a text from a Pistons fan that ESPiN just called the rest of the Cavs the 'lebronettes.' fyi..my sound is off of the Cavs game. Michaels falls do the ground and the 8th inning is over.

9:51 - oh my goodness. Bron is on the ground and not getting up. Akward landing on the left ankle. So not cool..so not cool.

9:52 - ok he gets up..thank goodness. Let him shoot the free throws and take him out. not worth the risk. anyways..we are in the 9th for the Tribe game. Sauerbeck is in to pitch. Everett grounded out and Sauerback makes the second out on a hit back to the pitcher.

9:54 - LeBron limps to the locker room, but on his own accord. It doesn't appear to be awful, but we shall see. Reed flies out and we head to the bottom of the 9th.

9:56 - Heart of the order is up. Come on Tribe.

9:58 - Peralta lines out to 3rd. 1 out. Start of the 4th quarter for the Cavs game with the now LeBron-less Cavs down 24.

10:00 - They are taking an x-ray on Bron and thinking it might be a mild sprain. Henderson is going to the locker room too..oy. Pronk just nailed a base hit. 1 man on. Victor up.

10:02 - ESPiN just took away coverage of the Cavs game (again). Victor just nailed a deep ball to right center. that didnt look like it would go that far, but hey. Pronk on 3rd and Victor on 1st. 1 out.

10:04 - whew..Broussard just got real lucky as Sexson couldn't catch the foul ball. OH MY...strong hit to 2nd base and it's an error...Pronk scores! Belliard is up with runners on first and second.

10:07 - And Belliard keeps fouling away. I just saw LeBron limping..crap. Morefoul balls for Belliard.

10:10 - son of a freakin bitch. Belliard strikes out. Boone steps to the plate. And Larry Hughes is not looking great. And they just showed Flip pouting.

10:12 - CRAP..its' over. Boone popped out. Tribe loses and Cavs are about to lose and..LeBron is injured. And they just pulled the Cavs coverage again. Screw it..I am done for the night before Hughes breaks his finger again.

Ahh..Ohio Sports..

Ahh..

2006-04-12T10:01:00.000-04:00

Gotta love it. Debates on tradition intertwined with capitalism to whether we want Bron to get MVP honors. Not bad folks.

First on OSU..we all know most teams change jerseys often and while OSU is not Oregon *cough* Nike, we do like to change up our style. I mean OSU fans have always spent on their team partly cause of mad love, but also cause college football is a religion in Cbus. Remember when the NCAA realized this during the 02-1/3/03 season. 90% OSU fans and 10% Hurricrap fans in Tempe. Not sure the stats but we recorded some off the charts sales that year. Moving on..

I was listening to the Tribe game last night on the radio and man was that awesome. Tom Hamilton sounded as excited as I'd ever heard him. He was jocking Lee (as he should) with every K he racked up. One note here..I was watching Baseball tonight a few nights ago and they said Lee is the best Left Handed Pitcher in the game. I mean..he is good don't get me wrong, but best in the game. Harold Reynolds stepped in to proclaim Randy Johnson as the best, but they all came back to Lee. Interesting. Anyways..back to back last night from Jhonny and Pronk. Insane. Hamilton was about to piss himself. LeAwesome. One woman proclaimed last night on 1100am radio we should give out shirts which say "You've been Pronked" when you enter the Jake. Not sure if that's funny or sad, but I liked it.

Finally, LeBron is King. His second last min shot in recent memory and this time vs. a legitimate team. Thx to sugknight114 for the insane stats:

James has made 19 of 29field-goal attempts this season in the last two minutes of aone-possession game (66 percent). No other player with at least 25attempts has made more than half of them. Derek Fisher ranks second at50 percent (13-for-26).

So onto his interesting debate..Do we want Bron to win MVP honors? Ya know we all do, but I do see his point of not getting it in order to just ignite LeBron that much more for next season...geez can you imagine that. I mean we are all truely in love with the guy now, but I can't imagine..actually it's really scary to think how good this guy from Akron could be. It's also insane to me that he is from Akron and we basically played on all the same courts as him. Well..we can share those stories for a later date.

Anyways..should Bron get MVP now or maybe wait till next year..huh. Either way..Go Cavs vs the Pistons..

Is this mic on?

2006-04-10T18:07:00.000-04:00

Am I alive?

I am indeed so let's recap the past week. The Indians are awesome, the Cavs are on a roll, LeBron is redonkulous, and OSU got new jerseys. Ok..not bad.

I guess the first order of business is the new jerseys. There is a lot of crazyness going on over at Buckeye Commentary regarding our decision to look like the team in which Bobby Carpertner tried to kill. People are upset, but it's hard to stop a atheltic powerhouse from introducing a new revene stream. I guess a ticket hike in price wasn't cuttin it. Anyways..

The Cavs..are hot. Hotness. I mean so hot the LeBron Meter is looking fantabulous in our favor. The team is playing like a team. Hughes is back and startin to feel the groove. And we are feelin it. LeBron has been out of control (especially vs NJ). I am sorry Jaz-Z, but our boy put a hurtin on your winning streak and your team. LeBron got high above the rim...I mean real high. Personally, I was even more amazed at his drive to the hoop with three guys touching the ball and somehow it drops. He is nuts and movin up the respect column for the MVP.

The Tribe is feelin it. 5 in a row. Pronk es en fuego. Plus he has a new candy bar out. No luck on finding a pic of so hopefully someone can come through. Wickman is the league leader in saves and isn't lookin back. Coco Crisp is injured..umm. Jason Johnson looked good in his debut. Not bad at all. Plus..I ordered the MLB package so it's going to be a fun season.

That's it. It's a good time to be a fan.

True Playa

2006-04-03T22:46:00.000-04:00

this just in..LeBron is a pimp. I repeat the AK Assassin is the man.

Not sure if the world is aware..oh wait they know that LeBron won Player of the Month for March. After snagging Player of the Weekfor the THIRD time in a freakin row, he has now become the only player in the NBA to win Player ofthe Month twice.

He’s won Player of the Week more than any other player.

(pause for greatness)..

thx to masug24 for the following stats..

In March:

Mar. 5 @ Chicago: Scored 33points and added 11 rebounds, eight assists and one block in a 92-91 victoryover the Bulls.
Mar. 12 @ Miami:Posted 47 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one block in a 98-92 loss tothe Heat.
Mar. 22 vs Charlotte: Recorded his career-high, fifth triple-double with 37points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds and one block in a 120-118 overtime win,defeating the Bobcats.
Mar. 29 vs. Dallas:Tallied 46 points while adding five rebounds, four assists and three steals ina 107-94 win over the Mavericks.

Last Week:

March 29 vs. Dallas: Had 46points on 16-of-23 shooting, five rebounds, four assists and three steals tobeat the Mavericks 107-94.
April 1 vs. Miami:Posted a triple-double of 47 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 106-99 winover the Heat.
April 2 at Charlotte:Tallied 35 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and two blocks in a 101-97 winover the Bobcats.

Here’s who has one Player of the Week more than oncethis year...

LeBron James (5)

Kobe bryant (4)

Gilbert Arenas (3)

Elton Brand (3)

Allen Iverson (3)

Pau Gasol (2)

Yao Ming (2)

Steve Nash (2)

Dwayne Wade (2)

..oh by the way..the game on Saturday was honestly one of the best games I have seen in a long time. In fact, friends (who have no devotion to our Cavs) said it was the best NBA matchup they've seen in years. The matchup of Wade vs Bron is dangerous. I mean I gained a whole lotta respect for Mr. Wade. I knew he was good, but unaware of that domination. I will no longer laugh at the comparisons, but I mean come on. Wade can score, but LeBron can do it all. And he enjoys a Galley Boy.

LeAwesome. LePlayoffs. LeBron.

Thankyou Danny

2006-03-30T17:37:00.000-05:00

So here I am checking my mail as such and bam..all of a sudden I notice an email from Danny Ferry (sent to LeBlog James). Personally, I feel honored Danny took the time out of his day (prob still hungover from all the champagne last night) to write me a letter. Ok well..first off I am not funny and second the letter was sent to some generic Cavs insider sign-up on the team's website. But for those of you who aren't subscribed, here it is. It isn't insightful by any means, but I like how he mentioned this playoff birth is not a big deal at all. Plus he goes on to jock the King. Enjoy..

Dear Cavaliers Partner,

Ithought now would be a great time to share some thoughts with you aboutthe Cavaliers and the position we are in. Clinching a playoff birth iscertainly a step we can all be happy in taking. While it is animportant, positive step forward, it is only the first step and onewhich we expect to take many times again. More appropriately, it shouldserve as a reminder of where we ultimately are headed. We can't andwon't be satisfied with simply making the playoffs. Our goals and yourexpectations are, and should be, much higher.

DanGilbert and our ownership team are committed to developing achampionship-caliber culture with the Cavaliers franchise. Hopefully,you can sense this by now. Dan has been completely supportive in allthe right ways. Investments in our players, investments in ourfacilities and investments in the community with new jobs. Mostimportantly though, Dan is passionate about winning championships. Ourgoal will be nothing short of that.

Thefoundation has been set this season. LeBron continues to improve andhas elevated his game to an MVP level. Zydrunas continues to be one ofthe premier centers in the league. Larry is just starting what we thinkwill be a long, successful career at the core or our championshipaspirations. We have grown as a team and continue to develop on thecourt and off. From Dan Gilbert to myself and our basketball frontoffice to Mike Brown and our coaching staff to our veteran players toour younger guys, we believe we are well positioned for the future.

I believe it is also important to note what LeBron is doing for OUR team and for his hometown fans and community. This is what helps punctuate the position we are now in. Dating back to his high school years and then the 2003 NBA Draft Lottery, LeBron has raised the spirit of this community in ways that are remarkable. Yes, he is a game changer on the court every night, but he has proven himself to be an all-star off the court as well with numerous points of giving in our community. LeBron is not just playing a big role in changing the way people think about the Cavaliers. He is changing the way people think about Cleveland and all of northeast Ohio in a way that no one else can.

Therecontinues to be a lot of hard work ahead of us, but we believe we'reentering an era where it is truly possible to dream big. This year'steam and those to follow are going to need your energy in the arenaevery night to help make the championship a reality. It does make adifference. We'll do everything we can to do our part.

Thanks for your continued support of OUR team.

Most sincerely,

Danny Ferry
General Manager
Cleveland Cavaliers

Bout Time..

2006-03-30T10:26:00.000-05:00

Whew..it took about 8 years to happen, but it happened. And that's all any of us care about. Even Terry Pluto is overjoyed and showing his true man-crush.

As for the game, my buddy tko9er had this to write:

Playoffs BABY! Last nights game was awesome and probaby the best gameI saw all year. It was my last regular season game and it rocked. TheQ was packed and the fans were into the game from the opening tip. Youcould feel the energy and excitement in the arena and if you listen toLBJ or Coach they said the guys felt it too. The Q is going to be ahard place for the opposing team to win in the playoffs. Clevelandfans have been waiting a long time (since '98) and we are ready. Thechants of MVP were echoing throughout The Q last night. It wasLeAwesome. There are only 4 players in the League who mean everythingto their teams (Nash, AI, Kobe and LBJ). All are great players and allare having great seasons, but only Nash and LBJ have their teams sealedin the playoffs today. I think it comes down to Nash and LBJ becauseno other players mean more to their teams or put up the numbers theseguys do. Another reason these are the only two guys I think deserveMVP recognition is the team records against the leagues best (Dallas,San Antonio, Miami, Detroit and each other). Both the Cavs and Sunsare 5 - 7 against those teams this year. It is neck and neck, butnobody means more to his team or the NBA than the King... LBJ.

And as for LeBron's play, he did this alot to the Mavericks (notice the face of the defender - that's a flagrant foul face)..

"to the line, to the lane, up and goooooooood!" - Joe Tait

Update Action

2006-03-29T13:41:00.000-05:00

ok folks..i am alive. Contrary to popular belief I was not trampled to death at the George Mason / UConn game. While the guy sitting next to us almost fell off the top balcony, me and my buddies made it out alive. In fact if you want to see what we saw, look at this video. This was taken by the guy next to us and it's making the rounds on the world wide of webs. So the Mason game was..nice. Yea it was nice...I mean i cant offer a review here given the subject matter. Even though I reviewed the U of AK bowl game, that is different cause it's Akron. Anyways, if you want a good review, check out Jamie's account of the game as a blogger with credentials. But in summary, it was insane, amazing, and LeBron worthy. Not sure if a proper name can be used as a descriptor, but whatever. So that is that. Go Mason..yes Go Mason in the FF. I mean I do live a mile from campus so I can cheer.

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So our Cavs..news is that Larry Hughes is on schedule to return. So what to do with Flip once Larry returns..it seems the Cavs will have to rely on one of the two salary-cap exceptions - mid-level & bi-annual. Sounds good to me, but Brian Windhorst doesn't think it will be so easy.

And our magic number is 1. Tonight baby..clintch it. And I mean if we don't make the playoffs then I guess that would fit in perfectly with the history of CLE sports. But this is happening.

On the topic of CLE Sports and Flip might leaving, I received an email from a fellow CLE sports nut who recently put up a site which is very intriguing, but also very scary. He talks about the one thing this blog will not acknowledge, because well someone has to believe 'it' won't happen. Anyways, this guy runs a site called the SportsTalkNetwork and they recently launched a website which 'attempts' to predict if the AK Assassin will stay or go. And by go I mean kill Cavs basketball. What is the site you ask? It's called The LeBron Meter. The meter gauges the effects of past and present events on Lebron's willingness to commit to the Cavs for the long-term. Huh.. Well, as painful as it is to think about, I will probably keep an eye on this.

That's it for now and I hope to make some more updates sooner. Go Cavs!