Cleveland Cavaliers
Video: Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns Rekindle Trade Talks for Shaquille O'Neal
According to a report on ESPN, the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in trading for Shaquille O'Neal. Last year, the Phoenix Suns and the Cavs were talking about a deal for Shaq at the trade deadline but failed to get the deal accomplished. Among the players rumored to be sent packing to the Suns are Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic. The deal would help unload the $20 Million contract that O'Neal is to make and the Suns would probably pursue buying out the contract of Wallace who has hinted that he may retire this summer.
Here is the video report from earlier today:
Knicks May Try to Lure LeBron by Drafting Stephen Curry
Not that it is nice to root against people, especially someone who seems as classy as Stephen Curry, but if you're a Cleveland Cavaliers fan you may want to do just that. LeBron James and Curry are known to be rather friendly as James watched the Davidson standout many times during his college career. The New York Knicks, drafting with the eighth pick in this years NBA Draft, looks like they are the frontrunners to land Curry with their selection.
Curry, whose father Dell Curry was a former player on the Cavs in the late 1980s, had a solid workout for the team yesterday. A headline appeared in today's edition of the New York Post that read "Curry Shines in Knicks workout". The article itself stated:
During his pre-draft workout, the former Davidson star put on another dazzling shooting exhibition against likely his main competitor, UCLA's Jrue Holiday.......
The Knicks pick eighth on June 25, and, barring an unforeseen drop by Arizona power forward Jordan Hill, Curry is a favorite to become a Knick if he's still on the board.
And maybe the most worrisome bit read:
Mike Brown May be the Fall Guy for Cavaliers Playoff Flop
According to reports in Pro Basketball News and the New York Daily News, Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown's job may be in jeopardy. The reports say that members of the Cavs front office believe that the reason that the team was bounced from the Playoffs by the Orlando Magic stemmed from coaching. Pro Basketball News writes:
Some key members of the organization feel Brown was badly out-coached by Orlando's Stan Van Gundy, according to sources. One source said Cavs management wasn't only disappointed in the losses, "but equally disappointed in the (two) wins" in a series that went six games.
One of the Cavs' victories came on a remarkable last-second 3-pointer by James at the buzzer, another when the offense consisted of James getting the ball at the top of the key and pretty much going one-on-one against the entire Magic defense. In all three home games, the Cavs surrendered leads of at least 16 points, including advantages of more than 20 points on two occasions.
None of the sources would allow their names to be used, and only one agreed to be quoted.
An ode to Cleveland Sports from a lifelong suffering fan
This is my first column of what I hope to be many for not only Cleveland sports fans, but sports fans in general, in hopes of entertaining all who stumble upon this. I hope that this column will provoke thoughts, spark memories, and make you laugh.
I am a 32 year old lifelong suffering, lifelong disappointed, lifelong die-hard, and always hopeful Cleveland sports fan. I am old enough to remember the drive, the fumble, the shot, the late 80’s and early 90’s Cavs being very good, and the Bulls of that same time being even better. And while I don’t remember watching the game, I got to hear from my dad about a cold day in January of 1981 when Browns fans had their hearts ripped out of their chest. I don’t think I need to beat a dead horse by mentioning the name of this play. But, since we seem to like name type acronyms in this town like K2, DA, JMIKE, AC, and LBJ to name a few, I’ll just call this play RR8X11.
Magic Destroy Cavs, End Our Dream Season
I’m not going to lie, as the time ran out on the Cavs season Saturday night in Orlando, I was near tears. This one hurts and the truth is, I’m heartbroken. I fell in love with this team and now I feel like my dream girl has broken up with me.
Pretty soon reality will kick in and the reality is that this is just basketball, and the Orlando Magic were better than the Cavs. They were deeper and better prepared. They were vastly superior in the paint and they were better coached. Their defense was better for most of the series and they looked like they were having fun most of the time, which indicates a level of confidence far above what the Cavs showed in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs were jumpy and undisciplined. They looked sour and nervous. They were weak inside and ran around like chickens with their heads cut off on defense. They were stagnant on offense and looked intimidated for long stretches. The Cavs, minus LeBron, had no sense of “the moment” and routinely missed potentially momentum-changing shots.
Cavs Spank Orlando, Force Game 6
I’m applying the old adage, “Better late than never,” to Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Mo Williams finally made some shots. Z finally scored some points. And the Cavs finally weathered a blistering Orlando comeback and threw some punches of their own down the stretch to take command of the game. These are all things that I’ve viewed as keys to winning the series and Game 5 marks the first time we’ve seen them against the Magic.
Much has been made of Mo’s struggles and the fact that LeBron has had no help in this series. It’s true and the Cavs spent 4 games basically squandering one of the greatest playoff performances in the history of the NBA. Gave 5 was different because Mo and Z made shots right from the beginning and the Cavs played with an intensity that Orlando had no hope of matching.
Who Owns Q Arena, Who Takes the Profits?
Don’t know if you noticed but in articles about the Chinese investors taking a minority share in the Cavaliers it is always mentioned that the stake is in the team AND THE ARENA.
As a matter of fact, Dan Gilbert, owner of Quicken Loans and the Cavs, doesn’t own Quicken Arena. Therefore it would be rather difficult for him to sell a share or the Chinese investors to buy a share.
It’s not his to give; not theirs to take.
The New York Times wrote recently that “The deal that may give a group of Chinese investors a minority stake in the Cleveland Cavaliers and its arena signals the first significant investment in a major American sports franchise by investors from China.”
The Q, as it is known, is owned by the Gateway Economic Development Corp., a non-profit organization set up to operate both the arena and Progressive Field.
Most of the cost of both sports facilities has been borne by the taxpayers of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
So, I for one resent that Gilbert can sell a portion of the Q arena to anyone.
But the fact that sticks in my craw and should anyone else’s is that Gilbert and the foreign investors sort of do OWN the place that we paid for and operate.
Poll: What Will Be the Outcome of the Orlando Magic - Cleveland Cavaliers Series?
I Don’t Want This Season to End
The 2008-2009 Cavs season has been one of the most exciting and entertaining seasons in Cleveland sports history and it could all come to a screeching halt tonight at The Q. I don’t want it to. I want to keep cheering. I want to watch the Cavs in the Finals. I want to see LeBron clutching the trophy like MJ as his jubilant teammates spray champagne all over him.
I’ve been very critical of the approach the Cavs have taken in this series with Orlando. I’m frustrated and I expected more. That’s because this team raised the bar for what we as Cleveland sports fans should expect from our teams. We should expect that they do charitable work around town. We should expect that they stay out of trouble. We should expect that they play with joy and love of the game. We should expect that they win. A lot. We should expect that when their backs are against the wall that they rally together, with the entire city cheering them on, and win despite overwhelming odds. We should expect that they win.
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