Cavs / Hawks home and home

[peeker643]

I'm a little jealous of Peek for getting to do the recap tonight. I'm good for about five paragraphs of Delonte man-love right now.

Edited down to one or so. Most of mine are already full of Delonte man-love.

I loved the throw down over Smith, but the weak side rebound he took down while getting fouled may have been the most impressive Delonte moment of the night.

Nah... it was the dunk. Or the three little 15 foot tear-drops....or....

[Cease]

The Cavs can really bring the D. Always poking and scrapping, picking up loose balls for breaks. Love that effort.

Delonte West's importance can't be put into words. I simply love his game.

[JCoz]

When Atl can win a playoff series or two against the likes of Boston, us or Orl then and only then should the words elite be used with them.

Nice team, but way too long to go to know how nice.

I agree that ATL is not Elite, but you might want to rethink your criteria.

When is the last time the Cavs won a playoff series against the likes of Boston or Orlando?

In order to be the man you have to beat the man.

That's exactly what I am saying FUDU....when did we "beat the man"?

But this is way late because I Tivo'd the game and just finished, I'm not trying to rain down on anything tonight.

But your criteria seems to include the Cavs by default rather than earned inclusion.

[hermanfontenot]

We beat Detroit when they were The Man.

We're the only NBA team to advance in the Playoffs every season since 2006.

I'd say those two facts qualify us as elite. We're sure as hell more elite than Atlanta and every bit as elite as Orlando, at any rate.

[JCoz]

I'm a little jealous of Peek for getting to do the recap tonight. I'm good for about five paragraphs of Delonte man-love right now.

I know man....not many things can make me jump up and fist pump in my living room 16 hours into my day, but got-damn that jam was straight gangsta......and the last time I said that was another West Jam, but I think it was the playoffs.....I can't for the life of me remember who it was against but that shit was ruthless. For some reason I am thinking Celts, but I dunno......

[JCoz]

We beat Detroit when they were The Man.

We're the only NBA team to advance in the Playoffs every season since 2006.

I'd say those two facts qualify us as elite. We're sure as hell more elite than Atlanta and every bit as elite as Orlando, at any rate.

Were they? I guess.... but IMMEDIATELY after that and all times I can remember before that we got beat by the man..... but seriously whatever. I'm really not trying to spend my night knocking the team.....for real. Let's please drop it.

I want to enjoy this one for a bit.

[hermanfontenot]

Were they? I guess.... but IMMEDIATELY after that and all times I can remember before that we got beat by the man..... but seriously whatever. I'm really not trying to spend my night knocking the team.....for real. Let's please drop it.

I want to enjoy this one for a bit.

Good by me.

(You know, it says something about the state of this franchise that we can have these types of debates. At the beginning of the decade the debate would have been, "Are we Nuggets/Warriors shitty, or Clippers/Grizzlies shitty?" Good times.)

[FUDU]

We beat Detroit when they were The Man.

We're the only NBA team to advance in the Playoffs every season since 2006.

I'd say those two facts qualify us as elite. We're sure as hell more elite than Atlanta and every bit as elite as Orlando, at any rate.

When you say advance do you mean win at least one round, or do you mean advance further than we did the season before?

Either way as has been stated we're elite.

[diminishingskills]

(You know, it says something about the state of this franchise that we can have these types of debates. At the beginning of the decade the debate would have been, "Are we Nuggets/Warriors shitty, or Clippers/Grizzlies shitty?" Good times.)

Too true. We're almost at the halfway point of the season. That's usually the point at which Browns fans start posting their mock drafts, trying to project who the Browns will pick.

This is a fun ride, and good to see that everybody is enjoying it.

[googleeph2]

Enjoying the heck out of this season. Also enjoying the mini-debate on the elite thing.

From today's Atlanta paper:
Given an opportunity to measure themselves against the NBA's elite, the Hawks buckled. They went scoreless for more than nine minutes in a game-deciding stretch in the third and fourth quarters.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-hawks ... tArticle=y

Loved this:
The drought extended in a number of ways. Swingman Mo Evans' shot was blocked on a fast-break attempt. Guard Jamal Crawford was called for traveling while going to the basket, after which James, of all people, explained to Crawford why it was a travel.

And:
Everything in the Hawks' favor Tuesday -- an off-night for James (6-for-20 shooting with four turnovers, the largest regular-season crowd in Philips Arena history, another solid performance from Crawford (game-high 26 points) and a strong defensive effort by the Hawks -- went for naught.

A split with Cleveland would be a worthy achievement, but it will have to come the hard way now. The Cavaliers are almost invincible at home, where they are 51-4 since the start of last season.

I was listening to most of the game on radio. Noticed Atlanta booing James. Did that come through on TV? I know Washington boos him- who else does?

[Ea$t $ide]

I was listening to most of the game on radio. Noticed Atlanta booing James. Did that come through on TV? I know Washington boos him- who else does?

Yeah you could hear the boos on T.V. Atlanta fans are great but the scoreless draught took them completely out of the game. I think LeBron gets booed pretty much everywhere but nowhere like Washington. Here's to you Wiz!

[Shadow Scars]

The first 4 or 5 minutes of the 4th quarter were ridiculous.

[Hi Oktane]

The "disturbing" thing to me about the purported "elite" team the Cavs beat last night was its complete lack of any fire...at home...in what was to be a statement game...against the hottest team in the league...the very same one that waxed them in the PS last year...with that team's superstar taking the night off...

And their fans were just as bad. Aside from the boos of Lebron (Seriously?), Philips Arena was a morgue last night. Stiffs couldn't even get off their hands to toss foam fingers onto the court. They obviously believe in their team as much as the players do.

[Ea$t $ide]

The "disturbing" thing to me about the purported "elite" team the Cavs beat last night was its complete lack of any fire...at home...in what was to be a statement game...against the hottest team in the league...the very same one that waxed them in the PS last year...with that team's superstar taking the night off...

And their fans were just as bad. Aside from the boos of Lebron (Seriously?), Philips Arena was a morgue last night. Stiffs couldn't even get off their hands to toss foam fingers onto the court. They obviously believe in their team as much as the players do.

I'm not getting the whole "Atlanta is elite" thing here. I haven't seen any widespread reports of the Hawks being a new elite team anywhere. Some of the honks at ESPN are trying to pump them but not to the point of annoying me. The Hawks are playing good ball. Good for them. I like seeing teams come up and do well.

I was more bothered by the whole "are the Cavs back?" takes after they waxed LA. Did the Cavaliers ever really leave the discussion? If I had to be totally objective and rate the top teams in the NBA right now I would say L.A., Boston and Cleveland are tops with Orlando slightly trailing. The Hawks don't concern me in any way as a Cavs fan. We own them.

[JCoz]

I was more bothered by the whole "are the Cavs back?" takes after they waxed LA. Did the Cavaliers ever really leave the discussion? If I had to be totally objective and rate the top teams in the NBA right now I would say L.A., Boston and Cleveland are tops with Orlando slightly trailing. The Hawks don't concern me in any way as a Cavs fan. We own them.

To be fair, there were a heck of alot of Cavs fans in doubt just a week ago.

I think the "Cavs are back" discussion is warranted, even if it's just showing how volatile that title seems to be in the Assoc.

[Ea$t $ide]

I was more bothered by the whole "are the Cavs back?" takes after they waxed LA. Did the Cavaliers ever really leave the discussion? If I had to be totally objective and rate the top teams in the NBA right now I would say L.A., Boston and Cleveland are tops with Orlando slightly trailing. The Hawks don't concern me in any way as a Cavs fan. We own them.

To be fair, there were a heck of alot of Cavs fans in doubt just a week ago.

I think the "Cavs are back" discussion is warranted, even if it's just showing how volatile that title seems to be in the Assoc.

If locals want to doubt this team then they either aren't paying attention to the standings or they are just having "Cleveland anxiety". Me personally, I think the Cavaliers are just as good as L.A and Boston this year. And unlike last year, better than the Magic.

[JCoz]

I was more bothered by the whole "are the Cavs back?" takes after they waxed LA. Did the Cavaliers ever really leave the discussion? If I had to be totally objective and rate the top teams in the NBA right now I would say L.A., Boston and Cleveland are tops with Orlando slightly trailing. The Hawks don't concern me in any way as a Cavs fan. We own them.

To be fair, there were a heck of alot of Cavs fans in doubt just a week ago.

I think the "Cavs are back" discussion is warranted, even if it's just showing how volatile that title seems to be in the Assoc.

If locals want to doubt this team then they either aren't paying attention to the standings or they are just having "Cleveland anxiety". Me personally, I think the Cavaliers are just as good as L.A and Boston this year. And unlike last year, better than the Magic.

I think this team is a little better than a healthy Magic team. I think the Lakers are a little better when healthy, and I think Boston is the beat team in the Assoc. when they are healthy. That's my pecking order based on what Iv'e seen this season.

So:

1. Boston
2. Lakers
3. Cavs
4. Magic

Now, it's been my contention since the begining of the season that Boston fans can squeak about thier team all they want and they'd be right most of the time, but flat out, IMO, of Allen, Pierce, Garnett, and Sheed, only 2-3 will be available by the end of the season.

I don't know what teams are going to look like by the end, but to me the heathiest team out of those 4 come playoff time seems like the odds on favorite in my book.

[peeker643]

Atlanta is elite my ass.

They have no one to go to when the crap hits the fan. Joe Johnson is lane averse and Josh Smith is too unstable and not skilled enough to be the guy. Their veteran 'leader' is Bibby and he's on his last legs.

Mercurial. That's how I'd describe them. Maybe Joe Smith exerts some influence and helps them out some but they need a guy on the floor who can lead them out of a momentary funk.

Young and athletic? Yes.
Better than they were last year? Crawford makes that the case.
Elite? GTFO with that. Not yet.

[JCoz]

Atlanta is elite my ass.

They have no one to go to when the crap hits the fan. Joe Johnson is lane averse and Josh Smith is too unstable and not skilled enough to be the guy. Their veteran 'leader' is Bibby and he's on his last legs.

Mercurial. That's how I'd describe them. Maybe Joe Smith exerts some influence and helps them out some but they need a guy on the floor who can lead them out of a momentary funk.

Young and athletic? Yes.
Better than they were last year? Crawford makes that the case.
Elite? GTFO with that. Not yet.

Agreed, but they are definitley good enough to make it a quality road win. And good enough that a sweep here would be a nice additional feather in the Cavs hat regarding this recent stretch of basketball.

[rebelwithoutaclue]

Atlanta is elite my ass.

They have no one to go to when the crap hits the fan. Joe Johnson is lane averse and Josh Smith is too unstable and not skilled enough to be the guy. Their veteran 'leader' is Bibby and he's on his last legs.

Mercurial. That's how I'd describe them. Maybe Joe Smith exerts some influence and helps them out some but they need a guy on the floor who can lead them out of a momentary funk.

Young and athletic? Yes.
Better than they were last year? Crawford makes that the case.
Elite? GTFO with that. Not yet.

AC said it best (for once) last night. They're a team of one-on-one players. No ball movement whatsoever. Whoever gets the ball between Crawford/Johnson just LeIso's it and throws up a prayer.


Also, I'm getting pretty sick of the running out the clock offense at the end of games. We get it, you're up by 10 with 2 minutes to go; how bout running a god damn play other than the famous Lebron-gets doubled-for-a-fadeaway-as-the-shot-clock-expires? Though last night it was worth it just for Z to do the "It's Over" sign. Still, really grinds my gears.

[peeker643]

Atlanta is elite my ass.

They have no one to go to when the crap hits the fan. Joe Johnson is lane averse and Josh Smith is too unstable and not skilled enough to be the guy. Their veteran 'leader' is Bibby and he's on his last legs.

Mercurial. That's how I'd describe them. Maybe Joe Smith exerts some influence and helps them out some but they need a guy on the floor who can lead them out of a momentary funk.

Young and athletic? Yes.
Better than they were last year? Crawford makes that the case.
Elite? GTFO with that. Not yet.

Agreed, but they are definitley good enough to make it a quality road win. And good enough that a sweep here would be a nice additional feather in the Cavs hat regarding this recent stretch of basketball.

No doubt. But if that's the case a team needs to make for 'elite' then add Sacramento to the list. Because that was a quality road win too.

[JCoz]

Agreed, but they are definitley good enough to make it a quality road win. And good enough that a sweep here would be a nice additional feather in the Cavs hat regarding this recent stretch of basketball.

No doubt. But if that's the case a team needs to make for 'elite' then add Sacramento to the list. Because that was a quality road win too.[/quote]

Fair enough on both, not elite for sure, just a club that its OK to feel good about beating.

[Cease]

McPeek's "Not Yet Ready for Prime Time" Raw Steak zone sums up the Hawks we saw last night. I'd be shocked if they came up here tonight and pulled off a win. Even more shocked if they experience the volume of in-season growth needed to advance in the playoffs against a team better than Chicago or Charlotte. The chasm between #4 and #5 in the Eastern standings is starting to expand, so all ATL really has to do is stay close to the pack to secure one home court series.

A touch OT, but I was listening to Joe Tait on my way to play hoops last night. I was laughing out loud as he ridiculed the 7:00-7:15 pre-game delay for introductions, lack of lighting in his booth, the PA announcer, fist pounds and man love before the tip. It went from a slow boil annoyance to "Get off my lawn" status over the course of 15 minutes of Tait monolog. Paraphrasing: "When I said it's basketball time, I spoke too soon." "We can't start this game until Al Horford and Mo Williams pound fists." 10-12 classic grumpy lines. The guy is untouchable and he knows it. I'll miss him sorely when he unplugs the headset.

[hermanfontenot]

The "disturbing" thing to me about the purported "elite" team the Cavs beat last night was its complete lack of any fire...at home...in what was to be a statement game...against the hottest team in the league...the very same one that waxed them in the PS last year...with that team's superstar taking the night off...

I think it's less fire and more the match-up. We're just a godawful match-up for Atlanta with our size.

And their fans were just as bad. Aside from the boos of Lebron (Seriously?), Philips Arena was a morgue last night. Stiffs couldn't even get off their hands to toss foam fingers onto the court. They obviously believe in their team as much as the players do.

That's Atlanta. I don't think there's a worse sports town in America.

[CharacterIV]

Z passes Daugherty for #2 on the Cavs' all time scoring list last night, too. Don't know if anyone posted that, it obviously didn't garner as much attention as Z's earlier games played mark (and the controversy surrounding it) but it seems to confirm that Z will be the last Cav to wear #11. All-time Games played leader and #2 scorer? Put that jersey in the rafters. LeBron will crush the games played record someday and already is the top scorer, but I think even the King would agree that Ilgauskas' number needs retired. Honestly, almost as big a concern for me when it comes to winning it all this year is not just keeping LeBron by proving we're a champion franchise, but letting Z finally retire with a ring. He's got fake feet, he obviously is gutting it out because this team is so damn fun and he wants that ring. Let Z get that one big final accomplishment and, in classy Z style, quietly retire having reached the top of the heap.

[aoxo1]

Also, I'm getting pretty sick of the running out the clock offense at the end of games. We get it, you're up by 10 with 2 minutes to go; how bout running a god damn play other than the famous Lebron-gets doubled-for-a-fadeaway-as-the-shot-clock-expires? Though last night it was worth it just for Z to do the "It's Over" sign. Still, really grinds my gears.

I have no problem with it when they are up 10 with 2 minutes left. There's a reason teams don't run a lot of "plays" at the end of games, and it's because it let's them eat up a ton of clock (don't underestimate how much that extra 10 seconds means) and prevents turnovers, which is really how you lose a game in that situation (besides poor FT shooting).


Also, about the ATL home crowd... last night was actually impressive for them. Just an awful, awful sports city.

[JCoz]

That's Atlanta. I don't think there's a worse sports town in America.

Tampa bay maybe?

[Anglefan]

Miami is slightly worse than Atlanta. Tampa is ahead of both.

[peeker643]

That's Atlanta. I don't think there's a worse sports town in America.

The city of Jacksonville would like a word with you.

[JCoz]

That's Atlanta. I don't think there's a worse sports town in America.

The city of Jacksonville would like a word with you.

Common denominator anyone?

[Juannieboy]

As I recall, the take here last year was that the Cavs were a "Great Team" but not a "Dominating Team". I don't want to get out in front of this too soon but it's beginning to look like we took a real step forward to dominate status with our new additions of Oneal, Parker, Moon, etc. Hell, Roker says they are just starting to play good D as of late.

One could argue that we have seen some dominating performances of late , no?

[rebelwithoutaclue]

Also, I'm getting pretty sick of the running out the clock offense at the end of games. We get it, you're up by 10 with 2 minutes to go; how bout running a god damn play other than the famous Lebron-gets doubled-for-a-fadeaway-as-the-shot-clock-expires? Though last night it was worth it just for Z to do the "It's Over" sign. Still, really grinds my gears.

I have no problem with it when they are up 10 with 2 minutes left. There's a reason teams don't run a lot of "plays" at the end of games, and it's because it let's them eat up a ton of clock (don't underestimate how much that extra 10 seconds means) and prevents turnovers, which is really how you lose a game in that situation (besides poor FT shooting).


Also, about the ATL home crowd... last night was actually impressive for them. Just an awful, awful sports city.

I understand the point of running out the clock, but you can still run a play with 8-10 seconds left instead of LeIso dribbling down to 5 seconds and throwing up a prayer. The 2 "running out the clock" plays yesterday led to 2 Hawk baskets in less than 10 seconds (of the Hawks actually posessing the ball) because the long shot lead to a long brick which lead to a fast break.

I guess my main problem isn't that they run out the clock in the 4th, it's that they seemed to have developed the habit of running out the clock in the 3rd when theyre up big, leading to the eventual comeback. Last year, this team played for 48 minutes. This year seems like they play til they have a big lead and just coast. They can still blow teams out this year but their point differential from last year has almost been cut in half.

[papacass]

Miami is slightly worse than Atlanta. Tampa is ahead of both.

In the South, everything gets in line behind college football and NASCAR. Or college basketball if you live in North Carolina.

The problem with pro sports in all of the major cities in the South is the number of transplants. There are so many native northerners living in Tampa-St. Pete, Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, Charlotte and the Raleigh-Durham area that you're as likely to run into a Chicago fan or a Detroit fan as you are a native who roots for the local teams. That's why most of the Southern cities get bum raps for having wishy-washy pro fan bases. The number of locals raised from childhood to root for, say, the Falcons, is proportionately small compared to the size of the metro area.

A friend of mine moved with his family to the Atlanta area in 2001. They didn't become Falcon fans. They're die-hard Browns fans. They really don't care about the Braves or Hawks. They care about the Indians and Cavs.

[fivekmd]

Z passes Daugherty for #2 on the Cavs' all time scoring list last night, too. Don't know if anyone posted that, it obviously didn't garner as much attention as Z's earlier games played mark (and the controversy surrounding it) but it seems to confirm that Z will be the last Cav to wear #11. All-time Games played leader and #2 scorer? Put that jersey in the rafters. LeBron will crush the games played record someday and already is the top scorer, but I think even the King would agree that Ilgauskas' number needs retired. Honestly, almost as big a concern for me when it comes to winning it all this year is not just keeping LeBron by proving we're a champion franchise, but letting Z finally retire with a ring. He's got fake feet, he obviously is gutting it out because this team is so damn fun and he wants that ring. Let Z get that one big final accomplishment and, in classy Z style, quietly retire having reached the top of the heap.

Gotta love that optimism bro! Kind of funny that later in your post you are concerned that the Cavs won't be able to keep Lebron. You realize if he leaves, he won't set the games mark, right?

Just messin' with you.

[JCoz]

Miami is slightly worse than Atlanta. Tampa is ahead of both.

In the South, everything gets in line behind college football and NASCAR. Or college basketball if you live in North Carolina.

The problem with pro sports in all of the major cities in the South is the number of transplants. There are so many native northerners living in Tampa-St. Pete, Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, Charlotte and the Raleigh-Durham area that you're as likely to run into a Chicago fan or a Detroit fan as you are a native who roots for the local teams. That's why most of the Southern cities get bum raps for having wishy-washy pro fan bases. The number of locals raised from childhood to root for, say, the Falcons, is proportionately small compared to the size of the metro area.

A friend of mine moved with his family to the Atlanta area in 2001. They didn't become Falcon fans. They're die-hard Browns fans. They really don't care about the Braves or Hawks. They care about the Indians and Cavs.

So instead of being known as having a wishy-washy fan base, they should actually be recognized as not reall having much of a fan base at all........

[CharacterIV]

Z passes Daugherty for #2 on the Cavs' all time scoring list last night, too. Don't know if anyone posted that, it obviously didn't garner as much attention as Z's earlier games played mark (and the controversy surrounding it) but it seems to confirm that Z will be the last Cav to wear #11. All-time Games played leader and #2 scorer? Put that jersey in the rafters. LeBron will crush the games played record someday and already is the top scorer, but I think even the King would agree that Ilgauskas' number needs retired. Honestly, almost as big a concern for me when it comes to winning it all this year is not just keeping LeBron by proving we're a champion franchise, but letting Z finally retire with a ring. He's got fake feet, he obviously is gutting it out because this team is so damn fun and he wants that ring. Let Z get that one big final accomplishment and, in classy Z style, quietly retire having reached the top of the heap.

Gotta love that optimism bro! Kind of funny that later in your post you are concerned that the Cavs won't be able to keep Lebron. You realize if he leaves, he won't set the games mark, right?

Just messin' with you.

True 'dat, but I honestly believe that the Cavs will keep LeBron and he will be the all-time games played, scoring, rebounding, assist, steals and everything leader for the franchise. Doesn't mean his possible departure doesn't scare me and will continue to do so until his signature is on the extension.

[tired]

Today Skip Bayless goes on record saying the Cavs today as of now are the best team in the nba. Points out there bench even. After all his Lebrick James, Prince James comments he flips and he flops !!!

[CharacterIV]

(headbang) Today Skip Bayless goes on record saying the Cavs today as of now are the best team in the nba. Points out there bench even. After all his Lebrick James, Prince James comments he flips and he flops !!!

Don't worry, after the next Cavs loss, regardless of who it is against or what circumstances brought it about, Skip will flip back to normal and balance will be restored.

[Larvell Blanks]

(headbang) Today Skip Bayless goes on record saying the Cavs today as of now are the best team in the nba. Points out there bench even. After all his Lebrick James, Prince James comments he flips and he flops !!!

No offense but I stopped reading at Skip Bayless.

[Ea$t $ide]

(headbang) Today Skip Bayless goes on record saying the Cavs today as of now are the best team in the nba. Points out there bench even. After all his Lebrick James, Prince James comments he flips and he flops !!!

No offense but I stopped reading at Skip Bayless.

How does a guy like that even have a platform? LOL. ESPN really sucks...

[peeker643]

(headbang) Today Skip Bayless goes on record saying the Cavs today as of now are the best team in the nba. Points out there bench even. After all his Lebrick James, Prince James comments he flips and he flops !!!

No offense but I stopped reading at Skip Bayless.

How does a guy like that even have a platform? LOL. ESPN really sucks...

He riles up Lead Pipe's 90%.

[hermanfontenot]

Getting riled up by Skip Bayless is like watching pro wrestling in the '80s and getting riled up by Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. "ZOMG! Did you hear what he said about Hillbilly Jim! That bastard!"

[Larvell Blanks]

Anyways, back OT

I'm curious to see what the Hawks plan on doing tonight. What are they going to try and do differently on defense. Are they going to be disciplined enough that they won't switch on screens and get Bibby or whoever mismatched against LBJ? If that happens I see alot of Shaq in the low post to try and slow up ATL as they are going to try and run on the Cavs tonight, seeing they doubled their points in transition last night. Cleveland needs to keep Atl off the offensive boards, the same as yesterday.

And would someone PLEASE guard Crawford?

Hoping the Hangah looks good on back to back nights. I think this stretch of ball he's playing keeps him going in the right direction. It's nice to see him back.

[Larvell Blanks]

Getting riled up by Skip Bayless is like watching pro wrestling in the '80s and getting riled up by Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. "ZOMG! Did you hear what he said about Hillbilly Jim! That bastard!"

I'm thinking more "Rowdy" Roddy Piper than the Brain.

Make sure Bayless doesn't bring coconuts on set with him

[papacass]

If it were up to me, any reference to Skip Bayless would be banned from these boards -- good, bad or otherwise. He's a mass-media version of a message board troll.

A couple of years ago, when the Cavs got off to their slow start at the outset of the '07-'08 season, Bayless called LBJ the most overrated athlete in history. He proceeded to start going on about how the media places all these expectations on these overhyped wunderkinds like LeBron and Michelle Wie, and they inevitably crumble.

After that, I started seeing some of these ESPN "personalities" for what they are: not very knowledgable about sports. I think it says something that post-ESPN Screamin' A Smith is now trying to find work as a pop culture critic. Nobody really cares what he thinks about sports anymore.

If Bayless lost his job at ESPN, he could just as easily be plugged into a pundit panel show on Fox News, MSNBC or the like, doing the Ann Coulter/Rachel Maddow thing, depending on what side of the political spectrum he's asked to fill. Bayless is a talking head. Not the David Byrne kind. The annoying kind.

[papacass]

That look is just clean, man. That's from the "I been gettin' G-ed up since I came out the hospital as a baby" shoot.

All the emotional problems in the world will never make me not like the guy's personality, quotability or game. Dude is a slick pimp. He just is.

[Orenthal]

A touch OT, but I was listening to Joe Tait on my way to play hoops last night. I was laughing out loud as he ridiculed the 7:00-7:15 pre-game delay for introductions, lack of lighting in his booth, the PA announcer, fist pounds and man love before the tip. It went from a slow boil annoyance to "Get off my lawn" status over the course of 15 minutes of Tait monolog. Paraphrasing: "When I said it's basketball time, I spoke too soon." "We can't start this game until Al Horford and Mo Williams pound fists." 10-12 classic grumpy lines. The guy is untouchable and he knows it. I'll miss him sorely when he unplugs the headset.

Seems like he has really started letting it fly this year... I have heard several broadcasts where he "kindly" asks Roker to move over because he can't see, and can't do his job. Same thing with Boobie once too. Also during a pregame whatever mascot did some crazy stunt off a ladder, and Tait said he couldn't describe it on the air because he didn't want Moondog to get any ideas and possibly kill himself. This was done in the tone of "get off my lawn", and after stating that it seems everyone is doing this silly crap pregame, not just at the Q.

I LUV IT!

[googleeph2]

10-12 classic grumpy lines. The guy is untouchable and he knows it. I'll miss him sorely when he unplugs the headset.

I am right there with you. He was a huge part of the Cavs imprint on my brain during the Miracle in Richfield, and the reason I kept up with the Cavaliers during the bad years.

Even more shocked if they experience the volume of in-season growth needed to advance in the playoffs against a team better than Chicago or Charlotte.

OT, but I recall how surprised I was in 2006 when the Cavaliers seemingly all of a sudden seemed to take a big step forward in intensity and defense vs. the Pistons. Mike Brown won me over right then.

I think this team is a little better than a healthy Magic team. I think the Lakers are a little better when healthy, and I think Boston is the beat team in the Assoc. when they are healthy. That's my pecking order based on what Iv'e seen this season.

So:

1. Boston
2. Lakers
3. Cavs
4. Magic

Will Perdue was interviewed the other day on a national radio show. Still believes the Cavs are a notch below Orlando and Boston, and 2 notches below LA. Personally, I disagree if West is back and assuming Powe will take JJ's minutes- and that's not even allowing for a trade for a forward. But I like LeBron being publicly underestimated. He explodes when he's discounted.

[papacass]

Will Perdue was interviewed the other day on a national radio show. Still believes the Cavs are a notch below Orlando and Boston, and 2 notches below LA. Personally, I disagree if West is back and assuming Powe will take JJ's minutes- and that's not even allowing for a trade for a forward. But I like LeBron being publicly underestimated. He explodes when he's discounted.

Somebody from Not Cleveland saying the Cavs aren't really all that great? Why, that never happens.

The next time I care about any assessment that comes from an ex-jock, Steve Kerr will have made his way back to the broadcast booth.

[tired]

If it were up to me, any reference to Skip Bayless would be banned from these boards -- good, bad or otherwise. He's a mass-media version of a message board troll.

A couple of years ago, when the Cavs got off to their slow start at the outset of the '07-'08 season, Bayless called LBJ the most overrated athlete in history. He proceeded to start going on about how the media places all these expectations on these overhyped wunderkinds like LeBron and Michelle Wie, and they inevitably crumble.

After that, I started seeing some of these ESPN "personalities" for what they are: not very knowledgable about sports. I think it says something that post-ESPN Screamin' A Smith is now trying to find work as a pop culture critic. Nobody really cares what he thinks about sports anymore.

If Bayless lost his job at ESPN, he could just as easily be plugged into a pundit panel show on Fox News, MSNBC or the like, doing the Ann Coulter/Rachel Maddow thing, depending on what side of the political spectrum he's asked to fill. Bayless is a talking head. Not the David Byrne kind. The annoying kind.

My bad Papa !!! I take note !!! I'm just sexually frustrated and need to talk to my wife. I'll slip her a Micky or something. J/K