November 2009
40 posts
Attention Cleveland: Rob Ryan Is Not the Answer
Another Sunday, another pathetic Browns’ loss.
It’s now reached the point that I can’t possibly see Mangini making it into 2010. The franchise has never gone 1-10 before this season. Mind you, I don’t just mean in the expansion era. I mean in their entire history.
Obviously, the fans want blood. For weeks, many have been calling for Alpha’s head on a platter, a...
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Cavs-Mavs Bazooka Point
Two brief things to comment on after watching tonight’s game:
The first is that for much of all four quarters, we saw the Cavs’ best line-up on display - Mo, Delonte, Moon, Bron, and Varejao/Shaq.
The odd men out in this equation are Hickson and Parker and tonight we saw why: both players are too one-dimensional to consistently be as effective as other options. If Parker...
Cavs / Bobcats & the Turnover Conundrum
So many things were wrong with the Cavs tonight that it’s hard to decide where to focus. The list of discouraging elements included:
Anthony Parker putting up a dismal -16 in +/-, scoring 0 points, and generally continuing to be a defensive liability to the extent that Stephen Jackson (his assignment) was demanding a double team for much of the game
Glitch living up to his nickname by...
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Detroit Needed A Hero
I admit that I didn’t watch the Browns game against the Lions on Sunday - but I am going to write about it.
Tim and I have wasted upwards of $250 going to watch Browns games this season, so this week, we finally decided it wasn’t worth it anymore. We’d stay home and use our time … I want to say more wisely, but I’ll actually just say differently.
Of course, what...
JJ vs. Glitch
As a Cavs fan, I have a love / hate relationship with JJ Hickson.
On the one hand, JJ has started to live up to some of his offensive promise since Coldstone inserted him into the starting line-up. On the other hand, he continues to have mental lapses on fundamental basketball concepts like boxing out and spacing the floor, so much so that I some times have to restrain myself from chewing the...
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Cavs-Sixers Bazooka Point
Cavs 97 Sixers 91. Cavs go to 10-4 on the season.
Delonte West is the subject of tonight’s bazooka point.
After a Coach’s DNP on Friday against Indiana, Delonte got in the game for 4:10 at the start of the 2nd quarter tonight. Coldstone attempted to convert Delonte into the role of facilitator/shot creator that Mo Williams normally has at this point in the game and it didn’t...
Belated Cavs / Pacers Bazooka Point
Before I go into the brief analysis of last night’s game from a basketball standpoint, I have a tangent to address. Due to the fact that we watched the game via NBA League Pass, Mike and I (and thousands of other Cavs fans in other areas of the country) were subjected to a night of color commentary by one of the worst sports broadcasters I have ever heard: Quinn Buckner.
I can’t do...
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Weekend Dime on the Stephen Jackson Deal →
Here’s the pull quote:
“Golden State is likewise scoffing at the suggestion — and rightfully so — that they should have taken Cleveland’s trade offer instead of Charlotte’s. The Cavs not only tried to extract a first-round pick from the Warriors as a sweetener for taking on Jackson’s three-year contract extension worth nearly $28 million, according to...
Comedy Central
Ran across this nugget from ESPN’s Adam Schefter this morning. Not only should it get everyone all lathered up for the Browns / Lions game this Sunday, it should also build feverish anticipation for the upcoming showdown with the Raiders in a few more weeks:
Not in any recent season — and maybe ever — has football seen two teams in one season this offensively inept. The...
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The NY Times on the Pick-and-Roll →
Highlights:
Last year, Pick-and-Roll was run on 18.6% of all possessions.
When LeBron ran Pick-and-Roll the Cavs averaged 1.1 points per possession, second in the league to Jameer Nelson/Orlando (1.15).
League-wide, teams score fewer points off Pick-and-Roll when the defense goes under the pick. Surprising, but this probably has something to do with a lot of below average jump shooters running...
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Trade Report: Edition 1
With the prospect of Stephen Jackson coming to Cleveland in the past, the date in which free agent acquisitions and draftees can be traded less than a month away, and Brian Windhorst speculating that David West could be on the Cavs radar, given the situation in New Orleans, what better time to write this season’s first edition of Trade Report.
It’s a moot point now, since...
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Josh Cribbs: Terrible Negotiator
Aside from the hilarious reveal today that the infamous hook and ladder play on Monday night was the Great Inadequinn’s idea, I also enjoyed this gem from Josh Cribbs, who gave the following quote when asked if he thought about the injury differently given that he wants a new contract with additional guaranteed money:
“This is the exact thing I worry about. And we’re going to...
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Cavs-Wizards Bazookapoint
The name of the game tonight was, again, the deficiency in rebounding. No need to jump immediate conclusions because Varejao and Shaq were both out with injuries, but the Cavs got blasted on the boards for the second straight night in a row 49-35. Washington had a 16-6 advantage on offensive rebounds.
The Cavs now rank 16th in the league in rebound differential at -.10. Interestingly, Boston is...
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Cavs / Warriors: Bazooka Point
The Cavs continued their win streak last night by scraping out a 6-point victory against an undermanned Golden State team. In an attempt to avoid the usual bullet point trope, though, I’m going to try out something new, which is to just pick out one big point about the game and focus the entire “game recap” post on that (you know us, always trying to be different).
Considering...
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The Browns Turn an Unprecedented Corner
For those who didn’t subject themselves to last night’s Browns / Ravens game, you missed out on something truly remarkable.
I am a fan of terrible movies — specifically those that are so bad that they transcend their own limitations and become true comedy. Old-school movie people will point to flicks like Ed Wood’s infamous “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” but I...
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Windhorst On the Stephen Jackson Deal →
Tremendous news to wake up to. Stephen Jackson will not be a Cleveland Cavalier. Thrilled about this for four reasons:
Delonte is still on the team (for now).
SJ has not been a good defender in Golden State, and the Cavs need help on the defensive end.
SJ has not been efficient at offense in Golden State.
Cleveland does not have to eat his horrible contract that extends after this season for 3...
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NBA Stat Breakdown: Plus Minus
Here it is, my long-awaited advanced stats breakdown regarding Plus Minus (+/-). This is the second in a two part advanced states breakdown, the first explained Wins Produced per 48 Minutes (WP48) and Player Efficiency Rating (PER).
If you have no interest in advanced NBA stats…skip this post because there’s no way you’ll like me more after you read it.
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Plus Minus is an...
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Cavs-Jazz Bulletpoints
I got caught working all day today, so I didn’t get to watch the game until about 11:30PM my time. Now it’s 2AM and I’m not overly enthusiastic about writing more, so this will be rambling…
I have to admit that my lust affair with the “bulletpoints” after every game column idea is waning. This is because a) everyone does it and b) the bulletpoints take away...
Cavs / Heat Bullet Points
Another solid road victory against another team from the worst state in the contintental U.S. Encourage anyone you know to leave Florida, or cut off contact with them. I promise you this advice won’t steer you wrong.
I expect this to be the first in a long stretch of games that will make the rest of the world realize that the Heat’s 6-1 start is largely a mirage. With Wade off the...
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Cavs-Magic Bulletpoints
I’ll start by saying this was a quality win for the Cavs. The offense, particularly in the first half, was very fluid and Mo shot the ball out of his mind, going 9-9 from the field.
In a funny way, this game was a kind of “opposite day” version of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs shot 48.1%, including 71.4% from 3P while the Magic came in at 45.1% and 22.2% from 3P....
Hubie Brown: Myth Destroyer
There are many reasons I love Hubie Brown. Tonight, he addressed the myth that LeBron and Shaq would be unable to co-exist because “the paint would be too clogged,” which is a criticism non-Cavs fans have been spouting like Gospel since the Shaq trade went down.
Tonight, Mike Tirico asked him about this issue. Hubie’s response, verbatim:
“No no. C’mon. Everything...
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Cavs: The Blog on The Kuester Fallacy →
Great counterpoint from John Krolik on the slowly perpetuating idea that John Kuester’s absence is the reason the Cavs’ offense has struggled.
One thing I would add about Kuester’s contribution is that he pushed the idea of early offense, i.e. get the ball across the timeline quickly so that the team can get into its offensive sets as fast as possible. Sometimes this allows...
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Checking In On The Real Big Ben, Ben Wallace
Every time I hear how the Cavs “gave up nothing” to get Shaquille O’Neal, I have to be honest, I feel a little bit for Big Ben Wallace. Sure, by the end of last season he was a shell of his former self - after all, he was coming off of a broken leg - but by some measures he was very productive during the 2008-2009 campaign.
In fact Big Ben at .159 WP48 was only slightly less...
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Wages Of Wins On What's Wrong With The Cavs →
This blog post by Dave Berri of Wages of Wins, he of the WP48 fame, wrote this story about the Cavs on his site earlier today. You can click through to see where the WP48 lie so far this season…and then argue about what the reasons are for the lower numbers from Delonte and Mo in the comments below.
Berri implies it’ll all even out in the end. Time will tell - but don’t forget...
Don't Look Back
Since the Cavs don’t play again until Wednesday, most of my Cleveland sports focus has turned back to the Browns’ debacle.
Since we last posted about this topic, four names have emerged as Randy Lerner’s supposed “wish list” for the football czar post meant to oversee the coach and new GM. Those four names are Mike Holmgren, Ron Wolf, Rich McKay, and Ernie...
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The Media Tells Stories
One thing I’ve been paying a lot of attention to lately is how the media works to frame seasons in pro sports around stories. When I use the word “stories,” I mean that literally: The media creates narratives within a sport in an effort to help themselves and us make sense of what we’re all watching and reading about, what we’re following and dissecting.
Any NFL,...
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Cavs-Knicks Bulletpoints
This, honestly, is the type of game I will try to remember if LeBron leaves the Cavs to sign with another team after July 1st, 2010. Despite excellent shooting (12-17 overall), this was a LeBron decides to be a score-first player game, like we’ve seen in the past when he plays at the Garden.
The idea of Bron showing off for a bunch of celebrities, including CC Sabathia, who despite never...
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Unadjusted +/- Numbers: Two Man Combos →
Courtesy of John Schuhmann of NBA.com, a look at +/- numbers on the Cavs, broken down into two man combos. The big question, of course, is what Shaq and Z look like: +0 when on the floor together.
Shaq is -1 overall on his own.
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Cavs-Bulls Bulletpoints
Really terrible game from everyone involved with the Cavaliers tonight, except I’d say Andy Varejao who continues to be amazingly active and productive.
I am, and have been, a Mike Brown apologist, but I have no idea what he’s doing right now in terms of the rotation. The guys don’t look comfortable at all: Z was 0-9 from the field (2/11/09 was the last time he shot 0% and...
"Jose Mesa Is Dead" - We Change Perceptions
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Who Do You Want Finishing Games? →
This article should be sent to every writer, analyst, and TV, radio, and internet personality who talks incessantly about how Kobe is deadly in the clutch…in reality, over the past 5 seasons, his true shooting percentage (which accumulates FG%, 3P%, and FT%) is 38th in the NBA. LeBron is 12. Carmelo 22. Wade 28.
Of course, shooting percentage doesn’t account for making plays - so...
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Cavs Through 5: WP48 & PER
I wrote about WP48 earlier and will add to this conversation soon with a post about +/- which, arguably, tries to measure a player’s defensive impact outside of blocks, rebounds, and steals. But for now, here’s another breakdown of the Cavs through 5 games, courtesy of the birthday boy, Holland. Remember .100 is average:
WP48 (5) WP48 (4) WP48 (2) LeBron ...
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Basketball Prospectus on the Cavs Offense →
If you’re interested, in this article, a coach breaks down the Cavs offense, specifically some of its issues, and proposes that Coldstone employ specialty units depending on matchups and in game situations.
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Da-wight Catches Feelings (II) →
Read Da-wight’s blog entry, in which he complains about the refs and how bad his shoulder hurts (note to Da-wight from Alpha Dog: this means your opponent will attack your shoulder) and tell me you’re not excited about seeing him go against Shaq one week from today.
Cavs-Wizards Bullet Points
After an abysmal first quarter, the Cavs’ defense ratcheted up to the type of serious suffocation we’ve come to expect from them over the course of the past 3 years or so. The Wizards scored only 59 points in the final 3 quarters, with only 36 of those coming in the second half.
Shaq had easily his best game as a Cavalier: 21 points on 7 of 9 shooting (including 7/10 from the...
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Michael Lombardi on Alpha →
Essential reading - lots of insider information, including confirmation of what I speculated last night in the comments section of my post: Kokinis wasn’t even aware of the Edwards trade.
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Goodbye George Kokinis, You Were Never Even...
At about 4:05pm PST on Monday, while gearing up to write a column about +/- statistics in the NBA, I saw this article posted by Cleveland.com on Twitter. The headline:
“Sources: Cleveland Browns GM George Kokinis Escorted Out By Security”
I haven’t had many good days recently, but this made me burst into laughter. I walked into the other room and said to Tim, “Have...
And I'm free, free fallin' - Tom Petty
I hope I don’t embarass Tim too much, but when he was a little kid, about 10 or so, he was a Tom Petty fan — I even took him to his first concert — Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Anyway, I was reminded of that tonight because Petty had a popular song called “Free Fallin’” — maybe you’ve heard it. I’ve added the first line of the chorus to...
Soul-Searching: Not the Answer
After last week’s late-term abortion of a game against Green Bay, I came to two unofficial conclusions about my relationship to the Browns this season: first, that that would be the last time I paid money to watch them at a bar this season, and second, that I would only write posts about them if something really remarkable happened.
Well, after today’s equally embarrassing loss to...