Cavs - Bulls, Game 5 - Closeout time

[waborat]

Everything's setting up for a hold-your-breath-here-goes-the-final-shot ending

[JoJo White]

Varejao has played incredibly shitty today.

[waborat]

Glad Noah forgot the Stick-em

[daddywags]

They deserve to lose this game. Bad game plan, bad execution. Nice jobs by Jamison and Shaq but LeBron has been way too wimpy and Mo and Andy have been absolutely pitiful.

[StewieG]

Nah. We'll win. It'll just be ugly.

[waborat]

Whew

[British_Pharaoh]

We needed to win tonight if only to get LeBron rest for that right elbow

I did not like the way he was holding it at the end and shooting an important free throw lefty means it's a big issue

[daddywags]

Nah. We'll win. It'll just be ugly.

You got it.

[bookelly]

Jesus Christ on a pogo stick. WTF is wrong with the King. Oh crap...now we gotta worry about this for the next three days.

[British_Pharaoh]

Varejao has played incredibly shitty today.

He's had a pretty shit series

[e0y2e3]

FWIW: I noticed LBJ carrying around that arm like it was on fire a good while ago. He's been playing w/ it hurting for at least most of the 4th.

[mitch]

At least Wild Thing had the other things than his rotten scoring.

Mo, OTOH, is scaring the hell out of me with what may be another disappearing act in the playoffs. I spent the entire fourth quarter cringing every time he shot the ball (and I think he missed every 4th quarter attempt).

Thank God they don't have to rely on him as Option #2 with Jamison on hand, or else they'd be screwed.

[jb]

FWIW: I noticed LBJ carrying around that arm like it was on fire a good while ago. He's been playing w/ it hurting for at least most of the 4th.

bursitas? tendoniatas?


Needs cortizone or prednizone and rest. Hopefully he can rest without going cold shooting. Lots more hoops to be played.

[davemanddd]

Varejao has played incredibly shitty today.

He's had a pretty shit series

if you ask me, winning cures all ills. what, you would prefer he played good and they lost??? i don't care how ugly it was. a win is a win is a win and i will certainly take it. bring on the celtics!!! go cavs!!!

[waborat]

FWIW: I noticed LBJ carrying around that arm like it was on fire a good while ago. He's been playing w/ it hurting for at least most of the 4th.

He had it hanging like John Holmes after the collision with Rose under the hoop

[e0y2e3]

At least Wild Thing had the other things than his rotten scoring.

Mo, OTOH, is scaring the hell out of me with what may be another disappearing act in the playoffs. I spent the entire fourth quarter cringing every time he shot the ball (and I think he missed every 4th quarter attempt).

Thank God they don't have to rely on him as Option #2 with Jamison on hand, or else they'd be screwed.

We got out of the screen and roll too much in the fourth and got far to into 1 armed LBJ dribbles and tries to chuck it to a 3 point chucker.

Offense changed in a very bad way.

[British_Pharaoh]

At least Wild Thing had the other things than his rotten scoring.

Mo, OTOH, is scaring the hell out of me with what may be another disappearing act in the playoffs. I spent the entire fourth quarter cringing every time he shot the ball (and I think he missed every 4th quarter attempt).

Thank God they don't have to rely on him as Option #2 with Jamison on hand, or else they'd be screwed.

Mo has had a very decent series 19 points in game 4, 21 in game 3, 12 in game 2 and 19 points and 10 dimes in game 1. today was his only game without reaching double digits although he had an horrendous 2-13 shooting night tonight

[e0y2e3]

FWIW: I noticed LBJ carrying around that arm like it was on fire a good while ago. He's been playing w/ it hurting for at least most of the 4th.

He had it hanging like John Holmes after the collision with Rose under the hoop

FWIW: when I played ball both my shoulders went bad. Used to pop out during games all the time and look sort of like that. I'd have to sit out till I could do ten push-ups, which would take awhile, but never was life altering (till I'm 50, when they tell me they'll just fall out of place).

No clue if that is what he went through, but that hanging dead arm looks really familiar to me.

[British_Pharaoh]

Varejao has played incredibly shitty today.

He's had a pretty shit series

if you ask me, winning cures all ills. what, you would prefer he played good and they lost??? i don't care how ugly it was. a win is a win is a win and i will certainly take it. bring on the celtics!!! go cavs!!!

I was merely making an observation

we can win without AV getting 10 points and grabbing 8 boards

as long as he comes off the bench and hounds the other team every minute he's on the floor I'm happy

Lebron, AJ and Mo are playing very well so far this postseason and the bench did very well tonight

[waborat]

FWIW: I noticed LBJ carrying around that arm like it was on fire a good while ago. He's been playing w/ it hurting for at least most of the 4th.

He had it hanging like John Holmes after the collision with Rose under the hoop

FWIW: when I played ball both my shoulders went bad. Used to pop out during games all the time and look sort of like that. I'd have to sit out till I could do ten push-ups, which would take awhile, but never was life altering (till I'm 50, when they tell me they'll just fall out of place).

No clue if that is what he went through, but that hanging dead arm looks really familiar to me.

Wasn't his right arm the reason he ran to the locker room in the last game also?

[e0y2e3]

Yeup.

[e0y2e3]

Side note:

I cannot believe this is real (yeah, this is what I do while letting my DVR get ahead in games so I don't have to sit through commercials) - http://www.soundboard.com/sb/BIGSlow.aspx

[daddywags]

The arm/elbow is obviously hurting LBJ and maybe (probably?) that's why he wasn't very aggressive tonight. If so, that's why we hired Shaq and Jamo I suppose. Mo has played well except for tonight, but darnit, when he's off he's off and the ghosts of playoffs past (last year) won't die easily.

Oh well, watchin' the Lakers try to hang on against the kids now.

[pup]

Dud dude just say he had an MRI and X-Ray on the off day? Yikes.

No structural damage, but goes numb. Not my favorite LBJ post game interview.

[aoxo1]

At least Wild Thing had the other things than his rotten scoring.

Mo, OTOH, is scaring the hell out of me with what may be another disappearing act in the playoffs. I spent the entire fourth quarter cringing every time he shot the ball (and I think he missed every 4th quarter attempt).

Thank God they don't have to rely on him as Option #2 with Jamison on hand, or else they'd be screwed.

As has been pointed out, Mo had a solid series. Not just meaningless, either, as he has hit some pressure shots.

[jb]

FWIW: I noticed LBJ carrying around that arm like it was on fire a good while ago. He's been playing w/ it hurting for at least most of the 4th.

He had it hanging like John Holmes after the collision with Rose under the hoop

FWIW: when I played ball both my shoulders went bad. Used to pop out during games all the time and look sort of like that. I'd have to sit out till I could do ten push-ups, which would take awhile, but never was life altering (till I'm 50, when they tell me they'll just fall out of place).

No clue if that is what he went through, but that hanging dead arm looks really familiar to me.

Wasn't his right arm the reason he ran to the locker room in the last game also?

I thought he had to take a dump?

[pup]

The more ya think about it...it is Drama King in the biggest way.

Had he missed the first free throw, no way he shoots the second left handed. The first one put them up 4 with 7 to go and pretty much locked up the game.

[British_Pharaoh]

It’s been a productive three weeks for Jamario Moon. Since getting increased minutes in the final week of the season, Moon has averaged 9.2 ppg over his last nine games, shooting .576 from the floor in that span. Against Chicago, Moon shot .625, including .583 from long-distance.

Joe Gabriele

[peeker643]

The more ya think about it...it is Drama King in the biggest way.

No shit. And that's it exactly. It's been an issue for weeks.

I can't wait for he and Pierce to go labia for labia the next three weeks while Garnett, Varejao and every other guy on the floor cry to officials every single trip down the floor.

I do seriously hope Garnett falls to his death from his hotel window though . That would make me happy as hell. I hate the MFer.

[leadpipe]

The more ya think about it...it is Drama King in the biggest way.

No shit. And that's it exactly. It's been an issue for weeks.

I can't wait for he and Pierce to go labia for labia the next three weeks while Garnett, Varejao and every other guy on the floor cry to officials every single trip down the floor.

I do seriously hope Garnett falls to his death from his hotel window though . That would make me happy as hell. I hate the MFer.

Wishing death on someone is just wrong.....but then again, in thinking about it, I wouldn't miss a bite of my sandwich.

[peeker643]

The more ya think about it...it is Drama King in the biggest way.

No shit. And that's it exactly. It's been an issue for weeks.

I can't wait for he and Pierce to go labia for labia the next three weeks while Garnett, Varejao and every other guy on the floor cry to officials every single trip down the floor.

I do seriously hope Garnett falls to his death from his hotel window though . That would make me happy as hell. I hate the MFer.

Wishing death on someone is just wrong.....but then again, in thinking about it, I wouldn't miss a bite of my sandwich.

I hope Garnett lands on Big Baby Davis and kills him too. I hope the huge mess it creates on Public Square upsets Rajon Rondo so much that he carelessly steps right in front of a beer truck. And that Ray Allen, watching from the safety of the lobby, has the ceiling above him collapse and the spear and machete collection that was housed on the second floor all comes crashing down on him.

[British_Pharaoh]

I have a question

where the hell is Leon Powe?

[Prosecutor]

Since we picked up Jamison we have too many forwards for Powe to get PT. LeBron, Jamison, Varajao, Moon, and Hickson, with Powe stuck at the end of that train. I think when they signed him they didn't anticipate being able to pick up Jamison.

Watching the Bulls series I have a new appreciation for Moon. The guy is quick enough and long enough to defend outside shooters, he can switch on defense and defend a guard or forward, he knocks down the open three consistently, and he runs the floor very well. He gets his hands on passes and deflects them for steals. He's not going to create his own shot, but we don't need that. He plays hard and seems to be enjoying himself out there. The playoff pressure doesn't seem to affect him at all.

I'd put him on Paul Pierce next round. I'd also put Parker and West on Rondo. Mo can't do anything with him. That leaves Mo to guard Ray Allen.

Props to Shaq, who played easily his best game of the series. I thought the refs gave him the benefit of the doubt on some of that banging in the block, but he knows what he's doing. He just needs to be careful about leading with the elbow to clear out some space because that will get called.

[e0y2e3]

Honestly, Pros, why do you just make shit up and pull facts out of your ass?

Powe was not signed for this year.

Powe can still barely run and jump.

Powe tried real hard when he got minutes, and somehow managed to clean the glass a little but at this point he is not a viable playoff option.

It has been stated repeatedly this team did not expect anything from Powe this year and they were looking to trade for a starting PF from the start of the season on.

Powe was a cheap roll of the dice and if by the All-Star break next year he is back around 100% he'll maybe become a real piece. Right now he is on this roster to stay wrapped up and on the shelf until his knee is functional again.

This has nothing, not a freaking single thing to do w/ the Jamo trade nor the amount of depth we currently have. Leon Powe, for as good a story as he is, is not and was not supposed to be a playoff contributer this year.

But keep on trucking in the mountain of bullshit that you pull each and every take out of Pros.

[Ea$t $ide]

I can't wait for he and Pierce to go labia for labia the next three weeks while Garnett, Varejao and every other guy on the floor cry to officials every single trip down the floor.

classic.


the combined toolishness of lebron, pierce and garnett may tear a hole in the space time continuum. if we all wake up sunday morning and it's 1954 i guess we'll know...

[Prosecutor]

Honestly, Pros, why do you just make shit up and pull facts out of your ass?

Thanks for admitting they're facts. Where they come from is another question.

Powe was not signed for this year.

Never said he was. I was just answering the question of "where the hell is he?". Answer: On the roster but stuck behind a lot of other forwards. Maybe that will change next year.

Powe can still barely run and jump.

Which is why he's stuck behind the forwards I mentioned. (I do recall seeing him dunk in a game, though).

Powe tried real hard when he got minutes, and somehow managed to clean the glass a little but at this point he is not a viable playoff option.

Well put and true.

It has been stated repeatedly this team did not expect anything from Powe this year and they were looking to trade for a starting PF from the start of the season on.

Powe was a cheap roll of the dice and if by the All-Star break next year he is back around 100% he'll maybe become a real piece. Right now he is on this roster to stay wrapped up and on the shelf until his knee is functional again.

This has nothing, not a freaking single thing to do w/ the Jamo trade nor the amount of depth we currently have. Leon Powe, for as good a story as he is, is not and was not supposed to be a playoff contributer this year.

There was no guarantee the Cavs would be successful in trading for a Jamison or a Shaun Marion or another starting 4 late in the season. I think the idea was that IF Powe was ready to play the second half and IF the Cavs were not successful in obtaining a stud forward then Powe could provide some backup minutes. You may disagree. It doesn't matter. The guy just asked why he isn't playing, not what the Cavs specific plans for him were when they signed him.

But keep on trucking in the mountain of bullshit that you pull each and every take out of Pros.

I think your avatar is perfect, Eyore. You're a big baby that likes to act out.

[Gradysmanldy]

I'd put him on Paul Pierce next round. I'd also put Parker and West on Rondo. Mo can't do anything with him. That leaves Mo to guard Ray Allen.

I'm not sure Parker has the quicks to stay with Rondo. The length might help, and it cant be worse than watch Mo try to do it....but yikes. Im expecting Rondo to gash the perimeter in round 2 the same way he did all season. Just have to keep him from getting everyone else easy looks, too.

Moon did a fantastic job of locking down Ray Ray this year, from what I remember. Have to try to find stats to back it up. I think that when you have a guy that doesnt move laterally as well as he used to (JS) with a defender with the length to contest the quick shot....you might have a recipe for success.

[mattvan1]

I have a question

where the hell is Leon Powe?

Sitting between Bassy Telfair and Danny Green.

In street clothes.

[British_Pharaoh]

I have a question

where the hell is Leon Powe?

Sitting between Bassy Telfair and Danny Green.

In street clothes.

well yes I meant it as a question of why he hasn't played so far
If he was good enough to get minutes for the '08 Champs...

but now thinking about it and after a few responses I've noticed just how deep we really are. Z isn't even getting decent minutes so what hope is for Powe

I like Telfair

how long has he got left on his contract?

[e0y2e3]

Pros, please just stop w/ the BS spin.

You said that you thought the Cavs didn't think they would trade for Jamo when they signed Powe, which is complete and utter BS (and you also inferred that that is why he isn't playing). The Cavs were looking for a stretch 4 before, during and after they signed Powe and had they not traded for one they would have traded for another wing that would have let LBJ play more 4.

Powe would not have gotten playoff minutes because he wasn't even put on this roster to play in the playoffs, no matter WTF happened. This is a fact and it is undeniable. Your assertion that Powe was brought in before we miraculously traded for another four is wrong and doesn't change this fact. Not to mention the fact that you are also ignoring the fact that JJ and Z would see their minutes amped up were another four not grabbed (as well as LBJ would play at the 4 more for a good chunk of games, especially w/ Brown now trusting Moon) before no knees would have gotten dressed.

You are trying to spin and manipulate facts that have been reported to death by the beat reporters that cover this team daily because you have no fucking clue why, when, how Powe was signed. You answered a question you didn't know the answer to (your Jamo tidbit is about as wrong as it gets) and then in your BS spin attempt to cover your own ass you bring up Shawn Marion, who wasn't even traded this year. Please do me a favor and read your original reply and then read that hack job attempt to cover it up before you further insert your head into your anal cavity.

You are a box score reading asshat that comes on here and dumps wrong take after wrong take and it's getting old. Start following the team or stop talking about them.

Fucking hell it's not rocket science, answer questions you actually know the answer to or don't answer them.

[dmiles]

I hope Garnett lands on Big Baby Davis and kills him too. I hope the huge mess it creates on Public Square upsets Rajon Rondo so much that he carelessly steps right in front of a beer truck. And that Ray Allen, watching from the safety of the lobby, has the ceiling above him collapse and the spear and machete collection that was housed on the second floor all comes crashing down on him.

Not sure why but that series of events reminded me of Kramer saving the pinky toe...

[Prosecutor]

"Powe would not have gotten playoff minutes because he wasn't even put on this roster to play in the playoffs, no matter WTF happened. This is a fact and it is undeniable."

It's not a fact and it's wrong. I'm aware he was hurt when he was signed and that the plan was not to have him play a role in the playoffs this year. But if Hickson had a recurrance of last year's back injury, and if the Cavs had not been able to work out a deal for Jamison or Marion or any of the other 4's they considered, and if AV got hurt, then they would have been forced to give Powe some minutes, no matter what the plan was eight months ago. So I disagree that Powe was not going to play "no matter WTF happened." To say that the decision not to play Powe this year was made eight months ago and they weren't going to play him "no matter what" is just asinine. But typical in your case.

My answer to BP was correct. Powe is not playing because there are better players at his position ahead of him. If there weren't, he'd play. It's just that simple.

And I never said the signing of Jamison was "miraculous". I just said there was no guarantee prior to the season that the Cavs would be able to land a quality power forward going into the stretch run, and they knew it. Signing Powe was an insurance policy for this season in the event of a worst case scenario. I agree that the plan was for him to play a bigger role next year due to his injury situation, which was why he was available in the first place.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

I hope Garnett lands on Big Baby Davis and kills him too. I hope the huge mess it creates on Public Square upsets Rajon Rondo so much that he carelessly steps right in front of a beer truck. And that Ray Allen, watching from the safety of the lobby, has the ceiling above him collapse and the spear and machete collection that was housed on the second floor all comes crashing down on him.

Who has a spear and machete collection? Totaly unrealistic.

[Gradysmanldy]

"Powe would not have gotten playoff minutes because he wasn't even put on this roster to play in the playoffs, no matter WTF happened. This is a fact and it is undeniable."

It's not a fact and it's wrong. I'm aware he was hurt when he was signed and that the plan was not to have him play a role in the playoffs this year. But if Hickson had a recurrance of last year's back injury, and if the Cavs had not been able to work out a deal for Jamison or Marion or any of the other 4's they considered, and if AV got hurt, then they would have been forced to give Powe some minutes, no matter what the plan was eight months ago. So I disagree that Powe was not going to play "no matter WTF happened." To say that the decision not to play Powe this year was made eight months ago and they weren't going to play him "no matter what" is just asinine. But typical in your case.

My answer to BP was correct. Powe is not playing because there are better players at his position ahead of him. If there weren't, he'd play. It's just that simple.

And I never said the signing of Jamison was "miraculous". I just said there was no guarantee prior to the season that the Cavs would be able to land a quality power forward going into the stretch run, and they knew it. Signing Powe was an insurance policy for this season in the event of a worst case scenario. I agree that the plan was for him to play a bigger role next year due to his injury situation, which was why he was available in the first place.

There was almost zero chance that the cavs didn't sign someone. At worst, it would have been Murphy or or a B list candidate....as it was, Jamison cost Cleveland nothing and was plan B.

Powe was signed for next year. Windhorst has said as much, directly....and he basically is the mouthpiece of the team. Saying that he was signed in CASE this year is the equivalent of saying Telfair was signed as insurance for the PG position.

Err, wait, no....Telfair is at least healthy enough to play 20 meaningful minutes. It's less than the equivalent of that.

[Prosecutor]

Grady, you have a point. I agree Powe was signed primarily for next year. And I read everything Windhorst writes. However, I think Ferry is the mouthpiece of the team; Windhorst is just a reporter. Here's what Ferry said about Powe when he was signed:

Cavs, Powe reach 2-year deal

By Chris Sheridan
ESPN.com

There were a half-dozen playoff-caliber teams willing to sign Leon Powe and wait for his surgically reconstructed left knee to heal, but the forward who had been such a big hit in Boston ultimately decided he wanted to team up with an old AAU buddy -- LeBron James.

Powe traveled to Cleveland on Tuesday to have his knee examined by Cavaliers team medical personnel and signed a contract Wednesday. The deal was for two years and $1.77 million, a source said.

A source told ESPN.com Tuesday that Powe would sign for the league minimum for players with three years of service -- $855,189. Cleveland will hold a team option for a second season at $915,852.

"Leon is a high-quality player and person. His tough, gritty play has already contributed in big playoff games during his young career," Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry said in a statement. "As he continues to work rehabilitating his injury, we would look to hopefully see him return toward the end of the season."

Powe, who re-tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during Game 2 of the Celtics' first-round playoff loss to the Chicago Bulls, is not expected to be ready to play until sometime around February.

But if he returns healthy, he will bolster a Cleveland big man rotation that already includes Shaquille O'Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao along with youngsters Darnell Jackson, J.J. Hickson and Jawad Williams and recently signed Jamario Moon.

"A lot of teams will tell a guy, 'Come see us when you're healthy,'" Powe's agent Aaron Goodwin said. "The Cavs were saying, 'Come here now and we'll help you get healthy.'"

The Celtics forfeited their exclusive negotiating rights to Powe when they declined to tender him a contract offer in June. He had spent the past two years sharing time with Glen Davis as the backup power forward behind Kevin Garnett, averaging 7.7 points and 4.9 rebounds last season, and had a huge performance in Game 2 of the 2008 NBA Finals when he scored 21 points in just 15 minutes as the Celtics took a 2-0 lead over the Lakers.

Los Angeles, Portland, Dallas, Orlando and Miami also expressed interest in Powe, whose preference was to remain in the Eastern Conference and to sign with the team most capable of giving him his best shot to exact some revenge on the Celtics after they effectively gave up on him by declining to tender him a qualifying offer.

Powe had a huge game against Cleveland last March 6, going for 20 points on 9-of-11 shooting with 11 rebounds. But he injured his right knee five games later, sat out the next 12 games, then returned for the final two games of the 2008-09 regular season before tearing up his left knee (which had already undergone previous reconstructive surgery) in the playoffs against the Bulls.

Chris Sheridan covers the NBA for ESPN Insider. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

OK, Ferry said he hoped to see Powe return "toward the end of the season." I didn't notice him saying that Powe would not be playing in the playoffs "no matter what happens."

As for there being an "almost zero chance" they wouldn't sign someone, I respectfully disagree. First of all, they didn't sign someone - they had to trade for Jamison. It's not always easy to trade in the NBA even if you find a willing partner. There are salary cap requirements that have to be worked out. Hell, the Cavs were considering bringing Wally back if they had to just so they could make a trade work. I agree there was a 100% chance they were going to attempt to make a deal. They didn't want to go into the playoffs with JJ starting at forward. But there was a decent chance they would not be able to work a deal for a veteran 4 who was an upgrade over JJ. If not for the Arenas gun incident and the Wizards meltdown, it's not guaranteed that Jamison would have been available.

We could argue these points all day, and I enjoy debating with you guys who really know your Cavs. I've been following this team since their first season in 1970 when I listened to every game on the radio. I read everything Windhorst puts on the net. But now its time to move on to the next round. I wish I could say I was sold on this team. But I think it's going to be a knock-down drag out series that probably will go 7. If LeBron's elbow holds up I like our chances. I think Shaq's performance will be very important in determining the outcome.

[e0y2e3]

Pros, seriously stop being a fucking idiot.

Returning to the active roster toward the end of the season is exactly what was expected.

It still means, as Windhorst wrote, Powe was signed for next year NOT TO PLAY THIS YEAR.

Need I repeat that both JJ and Z would get minutes at the for had we not (even though we were trading for someone, no matter what this year after wasting the Wally expiring) and James would play the 4 as he did early in the year.

Powe would have gotten playoff minutes here under one condition, a complete and utter disaster that meant we were not winning the title.

STOP FUCKING SPINNING THAT YOU ANSWERED A QUESTION W/ COMPLETE AND UTTER BULLSHIT

Again, no way you read Windhorst and watch the games, or so much complete and utter bull shit wouldn't spew out of your keyboard daily.

I'll just return to not reading you, as I had to do in Pure Football years ago and still do today. You're a dolt of epic proportions.

[e0y2e3]

And, FTR, dumbass, we almost resigned Wally so we could try and trade for two players (it was discussed when we almost traded for S-Jax). W/ Z's big ass expiring trading for a single player was, uhm, not hard.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

[e0y2e3]

Well, now that I got an early morning CDT reply I am sure my day is going to take a huge turn for the better!!!!!!!!!!!

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Hey I spread joy and sunshine everywhere I go.