Here we go again????????????

[Guest]

The Cavs looked like shit in 3 out of 4 quarters.
Are they going to fall flat on their faces again?
Will Lebron learn to shoot free throws?
They need to win 1 out of 2 against the Pistons
Flip Murray looked pretty good and probably will be starting soon.
Sasha has no desire to play defense and Coach Brown has had it with him.
Watching last nights game I got a bad feeling about this team.
Damn, I hope I'm wrong.

[furls]

I get the feeling that LeBron is tired and is confidence is shaken. I suspect we will be stumbling into the playoffs.

Mike

[yargs7]

Lebron is definitely carrying this this, with a little help from Z on offense. I am very curious to see how long it will be before he snaps. Any word on when Hughes will be back?

[yargs7]

Lebron is definitely carrying this this,

This team. I'm a dumbass.

[mswerb]

I just watched the Cavs get bounced by the Pistons and it was not pretty. I am not a huge Cavs fan, but can tell that they need help. I understand that the Pistions are in a league of their own right now, but in order to contend in the Eastern Conference, I personally feel they are a few players away. LeBron is going to get tired down the stretch, Z gets slower as the game progresses, and a point guard is still missing.

[Guest]

Z is slow, lazy, and a whiny little bitch.

[mswerb]

How 'bout the stitches needed on his mellon?

[Lebowski]

Just so I know...is this the latest "Z sucks, let's get rid of him" bitchfest?

The guy is a player, and those who discount his value to this team are delusional. Z isn't perfect, but nobody is. (pssst: that includes #23)

The most disturbing thing about today's game was the total lack of emotion/anger/retaliation after Sheed tomahawk-chopped Z's dome and opened him up like Gere did to that Italian dude in Unfaithful. Pathedic. This team is full of pussies...I just hope its more a reflection on today's NBA rather than specific to the Cavs.

[pup]

With all the obvious problems with this Cavalier team, I find it very difficult to even begin to question Z. There are 2 legit NBA players on this roster. That is it. Z happens to be one of them. Eric Snow should be getting 12 minutes a game. Drew Gooden 18 minutes and Sasha about zero minutes. Donyell should be be playing the role he is in. Damon Jones should not see the floor unless he shoots 45% behind the arc. Even Flip is only a bench player, but we will love him for a few weeks and leave him out of this. I am now ready to say Danny Ferry had a TERRIBLE offseason. This team needed better overall talent and he went out and got role players. The problem is role players don't do you any good unless there are quality people around them. I am beginning my preperation for LeBron to leave Cleveland as soon as he can and the Cavs to leave soon therafter. Most people agreed this past FA class needed to produce for LBJ to stcik around. I think most people agree this FA class has produced NOTHING.

[Guest]

I find it easy to question Z
They have a ton of holes, I agree.
I can really see them not making the playoffs this year.
Tonight can make or break the season in my eyes.

[consigliere]

Big game tonight for the Cavaliers. They lose, and this thig could spiral out of control again.

Also, I always hear people mention that because we have Lebron we're destined to win a championship or two with him. But I ask, how do the Cavaliers get to the Spurs/Pistons level? I just don't see this team ANYWHERE close to that level.

How do we get to that level? And, considering we are capped out and have little to trade, how do we obtain that talent?

[pup]

The Cavs have very little chance of making any major changes over the next couple of years. Until they find someone willing to take Luke Jackson, Sasha, and Damon Jones we are stuck with the worst backcourt of any playoff potential team.

[consigliere]

Well, then it looks like we'll just be a one to two round and out playoff team then. We aren't winning a championship anytime soon.

We need to get rid of the attachment to guys like Varejao, Sasha, Luke, Gooden, etc. Everytime a need is mentioned, I hear fans not wanting to deal these guys. In order for this team to make ANY signifciant change to the roster, they will need to deal most of these guys.

[Lebowski]

I find it easy to question Z

Care to elaborate?

[pup]

As far as I am concerned, everyone is available outside of Bron. This team needs an upgrade at 2 of the 5 starting positions, plus better depth. With Marshall, Murray and Verajo off the bench and Hughes back in the lineup, we need to change our point guard, power forward (and I use power reluctantly when talking about Gooden), plus another guard and 2 big men for a solid rotation.

[furls]

Lots of folks will make the argument that you need a big man to win an NBA title, I will make the argument that Z (when he is not in foul trouble) is not really much of a big man. Can he score? Yes. Is he a good passer from the post? sure. Is he a strong presence underneath? LOL.

He picks up three ticky tacky fouls in the first quarter of every game, he rebounds like crap, and frankly I have not seen someone LUMBER up and down the court like him since Ewing or Parrish in their later years. This is a fast athletic team and frankly, although he is raw, Anderson makes this team better with his hustle. Anderson is raw right now, but I still think that his hustle and effort out there are worth more than Z's play.

I am lazy, so I cut and pasted what I said the last time this was addressed. Don't get me wrong, I don't think Anderson is the right answer, but the fact that he might be better is a sad commentary in and of itself.

Frankly the Pistons showed us exactly what the Cavs are not: big, PHYSICAL, strong, talented, and deep. Is anyone surprised that there was no retaliation against Wallace? I would'nt be. If you looked like any of the Cavs would you go start a fight with Big Ben or Rasheed? Only if you wanted to get your ass kicked and that is a big part of the problem with this team. I swear to god, they all look like they are allergic to the weight room and that lack of strength shows in the way the defend, they way the get pushed around in the post, and the way the get out rebounded.

I can also say that the 11-12 million per year that Z will suck up in cap space coupled with the fact that we are stuck with him for 4 more years (slower, weaker, and more injury prone each year) couple that with DJ and Sasha contracts and it will be a while before the Cavs can think about doing anything in free agency.

Z can score, don't get me wrong. Unfortunately this is not fantasy basketball and his stats really don't matter that much. What does matter is that he is slow, has horrible feet, and is typically shoved around by just about everyone. He is not any type of deterrance underneath and his complete lack of strength and power was evident against a much shorter (6'9") Ben Wallace. A center is the heart of a teams defense, if you can't defend in the paint you can't defend anywhere, and he is a liability on defense (when he can get back or is not in foul trouble).

[One Ill J]

I have not really cared to follow the CAVS or NBA, sorry Cavaliers (don't want to offend anyone) since the glory days when Jordan used to stick it to us in the playoffs year after year. I still am very hesitant to hop back on the fan wagon, and this year is no exception. Lebron is talented, but without a solid support cast the team will always be mediocre. If we make it out of the first round of the playoffs that would be something to build on for future seasons. The Cavs are still a couple years away from becoming a true contender, and consider last night's spanking a reality check. Here's some food for thought, and possibly a good poll question. I am curious as to why the Cavaliers do not sell out every home game with the league's premier player and quite possibly the heir to MJ's throne. Is it because of fans like me that are fed up with the individualism, no defense and run and gun bullshit that the NBA has become? Is it because Cleveland is a band wagon fan town (point to the Tribe as an example)? Economy? Does the NBA just suck ass? All of the above? That's why i stick to the nCAA for my hoops fix.

[mswerb]

Back in the day I was a HUGE NBA fan, but now with players moving from team to team it is hard to follow any NBA team. Too many players sign huge contracts, have one or two good years and then want to be traded, demand more money or become selfish, stat packers in order to get the big money when their contract is up. I was, and still am a huge Jordan fan, and for the longest time they stood around and let MJ do the work. The Cavs need to realize that if they don't build around Lebron, he may want out. Let's hope that is not the case. I did not pay much attention to the Cavs until Lebron showed up, and if he was not here the seats would be just as empty as they once were.

[swerb]

Another disappointing loss. Cavs are clearly in a different league than the Pistons.

However, even with last year's collapse, saying they are going to totally fall apart and not make the playoffs is simply unrealistic.

The Cavs next 6 games and 10 of their next 12 are against teams at or below .500.

Just because the Cavs were exposed by the Pistons off the heels of tough losses to the Sixers and Wizards does not mean they are not a playoff team. Detroit has exposed just about every team they've played this year.

Warts and all, the Cavs are still likely (and sadly) the 4th or 5th best team in the East.

[pup]

Just in case noone is sick enough after that game, the ESPNNEWS bottom line's preview for tonight's Pistons highlights:

Ahead: Pistons beat up Cavs by 12 points.

Disgusting!

[yargs7]

They flat out got schooled by Detroit in the fourth quarter. I am losing faith in this team. I am fed up with Gooden and Snow. Damon Jones is worthless too. They need Hughes back in a BIG way.

[mswerb]

Damon Jones just looks like a douche bag!

[pup]

I am so sick of the Cavs and NBA, I am watching "Classic Curling" on ESPN2 until CSI comes on!

[Guest]

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck.......................

[TaTaNation]

I really wish we never picked up Damon Jones... he is not a good ballplayer. Anyone see his red suit while he sat in the front row of the allstar festivities? What a clown... that was embarrassing.

[yargs7]

To quote Red Foreman...

"Damon Jones is dumb. And he's an ass...He's a DUMB ASS!"

[pup]

Another stellar performance out of the Cleveland Cavachokes. Can we go in a time machine and not sign Donyell Jones this time, please?

[furls]

and hire a good coach?

[pup]

Yes, that too. This is what we get for letting a Puke from Duke run our team. He goes out and gets a bunch of shooters, that can't do anything else, and thinks that wins. This is why 1/10 Duke players have the NBA careers they think they will.

[furls]

Remember when Mike Brown was brought in from Indiana as a "defensive coach"? I have yet to see defense and this team has no set offense. I am being 100% serious when I say that these guys look like me and my buddies here at Ohio State when we play ball. We kind of run around Willy-Nilly until someone has a semi-open look and then we chuck the ball at the rim.

Hell we even have 2 guys that literally just stand there at the arc and wait for passes. Come to think of it, I think I might sue Mike Brown and the Cavs for stealing our offense.

[pup]

The only defense I might have for Mike Brown is you can't coach those who do not want to be coached. I just don't think he has the respect from the players, therefore they don't listen to him. It all started when he spent the first 2 months on the job on his knees whenever LeBron was around.

[consigliere]

Remember when Mike Brown was brought in from Indiana as a "defensive coach"? I have yet to see defense....

I totally agree. The defense is actually WORSE.

Points Allowed Per Game:
04-05: 95.7
05-06: 95.4

Opponent FG%:
04-05: 45.2%
05-06: 45.7%

Steals Per Game:
04-05: 8.0
05-06: 6.7

Blocks per game:
04-05: 5.6
05-06: 5.0

Opponent Turnovers per game:
04-05: 14.1
05-06: 12.9

I don't know what type of stats truly show team defense, but I would like to think points per game, opp FG%, and the turnovers you are creating help show it. Also, your steals and blocks as a team.

I really think the Cavaliers blew it with Mike Brown. Why they did not pursue Flip Saunders is BEYOND me. Especially after he appeared to be the frontrunner to land here.