Its that time of the year

Here are some thoughts on the Browns and Cavs.

Browns

-The hiring of Mike Holmgren to be the President of our organization seems like a step in the right direction. He is a viable face in the NFL, he has a Super Bowl ring, and he has coached well in the past. According to reports, he will have the power to hire a new GM, and a coach if he desires. I wouldn't want Holmgren picking players, because as GM of the Seahawks from 1998-2002, the only solid players he drafted were LB Anthony Simmons, RB Shaun Alexander, WR Darrell Jackson, G Steve Hutchinson, CB Ken Lucas, FB Heath Evans, G Floyd Womack, RB Maurice Morris, and DT Rocky Bernard. In these 4 drafts, he had 46 picks and only 9 of them turned out to be solid/fringe NFL players.

-John Clayton of ESPN is reporting that Holmgren will probably fire HC Eric Mangini. I know I supported Mangini when he was first hired, and I still think he is a solid coach. I think you have to give the guy one more year. Yes he got rid of Braylon Edwards, and Kellen Winslow, but the Jets have no faired well since they added Edwards, and the Bucs have won 2 games this year. Alex Mack has improved, Mo Massaqoui looks like a solid WR, LB Maiava has been solid so far (39 tackles and 1 sack), Jason Trusnik has had 44 tackles in 10 games with the Browns, and Matt Roth has been impressive in his 4 games with the Browns (2.5 sacks, and 21 tackles). Also, the team has dealt with a lot of injuries as well as D'Qwell Jackson, Shaun Rogers, CJ Mosley, Kenyon Coleman, and Brodney Pool missing time.

-Mangini has cleared up a lot of cap space for he team next year (2nd most out of any team in the NFL), and we have 11 draft picks. Lets see what he can do with them. He has done well for the last few weeks as his team fought hard against San Diego, upset the Steelers, and beat the Chiefs.

-Overall, you have to give Mangini some credit as his team has played with discipline (we are the least penalized team in the NFL), and while we might not have a lot of skill players, we fight hard. Yes, WR Brian Robiskie hasn't seen much of the field, and neither has LB David Veikune, but Mangini has been finding some solid players. We can't just say game over after one year with Mangini. We need to be patient, make good use of our cap space, and draft solid players. It is easy to fold your tent when you have one win playing the Steelers, but the team showed that they were not going to back down from anyone. This is a testament to coaching.

-I feel that if Mangini does stay, it will be good to have a GM over him. This is because Mangini right now is doing 2 jobs, which can be very overwhelming. If Mangini turns his attention to coaching, then I think we will see better results.

Cavs

-Everyone seems to be in an uproar about how the team isn't blowing teams out anymore. Well don't expect us to win 66 games this year. Its not about the regular season. Yes, getting a top seed is important, but we need to save our energy and resources for the postseason. Last year, it was smooth sailing the entire year. We faced no problems, no adversity, but when lost game 1 versus the Magic at home, we didn't know how to react. We lost that invincibility. Throughout the year, teams were adjusting to our play, but when we had to adjust to the Magic, we had no idea what to do. The team last year faced no adversity, and its good that we are going through all the bumps in the road now. I would rather have this team be battled tested now, lose a few more games, save some energy and bodies, then winning 66 games again.

-Everyone is whining about how Shaq doesn't fit here. Read Chris Broussard's article about Shaq, its a good one (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/news/story?id=4762941). Our 3 point shooting is #1 in the league (44%). I am sure Shaq has had some effect on that. Also, Shaq isn't here to beat the Bobcats, Kings, and Warriors. He is here to beat the Magic, Celtics, and Lakers. He will be judged on how well he does in May and June.

-LeBron needs to not stall the offense in the fourth quarter. He gets in LeIso mode, and he dribbles for 15 seconds. The team needs to continue to move the ball around, and keep the ball out of LeBron's hands. We need him coming off screens, setting picks, and rolling to the basket. When everyone stands around LeBron, we become a very ineffective team.

-I have stated numerous times, that this team needs to make a trade. We will barely get out of the Eastern Conference with this team. The Lakers will make quick work of us in the Finals. We need either a tall guard who can create his own shot, or a bigman who can stretch the floor and create his own shot. Antwan Jamison sounds perfect right about now. Brian Windhorst, and Marc Stein have re-iterated that the Cavs have been active on the phone for trades. I would expect a deal to go down before the deadline. Again, as a sign of the tough economic times, the Utah Jazz gave away rookie PG Eric Maynor to the OKC Thunder, along with Matt Harpring's $6 million contract. The Jazz basically said we will give you a young rookie PG if you take on $6 million of salary. The Jazz can't afford to pay the luxury tax, and this shows how desperate they were to get under the luxury tax line. The Pacers, and Hornets are 2 examples of teams in financial problems as well. Again, the Cavs have Z's expiring deal, and the ability to sign and trade Wally Z in a trade. These two trade chips could be very valuable to teams who are looking to get under the tax or get cap space for the future. The NBA trade stove will be cooking for the next couple months.

This about does it. If I hear any substantial rumors about trades, I will be sure to right about them. Until then, have a great holiday and go Cleveland!

-Raz

Blowin in the Wind (Part 1)

Its been awhile since I last wrote, I apologize. I had foot surgery, finals, and laziness all in one. In this blog, I am going to discuss some possible trade options for the Cavs in the coming months.

Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported last night that the Cavs have made inquires of 3 PF's. He believes that the Cavs biggest need is a PF due to the fact that we might have to play Kevin Garnett, Lamar Odom, Pau Gasol, and Rashard Lewis in the playoffs. I don't disagree with this, as I do believe the Cavs need an inside/outside PF who can score. I also would love to see the Cavs get either a solid backup PG (one who can handle the ball and set up an offense), or a tall SG who can defend and create his own shot.

As I have stated before, the Cavs have a few assets in their hands. One, they have young players with some upside with cheap rookie contracts (JJ Hickson, Christian Eyenga, Danny Green, Darnell Jackson, and Sasha Kaun). The Cavs will only include Hickson in a deal if it is for a super star or a "home run" deal. Two, the Cavs have the expiring contracts of Z. It is worth about $11 million which can give a team some cap space, or get under the luxury tax. We can also sign and trade Wally Z because we own his bird rights. Three, the Cavs have draft picks to trade as well have they have their first round picks for the next few years at their disposal. With all this said, here are the names that Windhorst said, and my thoughts.

Anthony Randolph, PF, Golden State Warriors

-Randolph is 21 years old, who was drafted in the same draft class of JJ Hickson. He is 6'11, can handle the ball, athletic, and can score inside and out. The problem with Randolph is that he is still somewhat raw, skinny, and he has had immaturity issues. He left after his first year at LSU, and he has had many run-ins with Warriors head coach Don Nelson (who hasn't!). The Warriors are 7-19 and last in their division, so they seem destined to blow their team up. He is averaging 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block a game, in 23 minutes per game. There have been some discussions according to the San Jose Mercury News that the Cavs might be offering Hickson straight up for Randolph. I don't see the Warriors doing this trade as I think they are going to try to package him in a deal with a bad contract (Corey Maggette). According to Windhorst, Cavs coach Mike Brown is enamored with Randolph because of his size and athleticism. Randolph would give us some more size up front, but again he is an unproven scorer, and in a year where we are aiming for a championship, I don't want to put it on the shoulders on a 21 year old sophomore.

Troy Murphy, PF, Indiana Pacers

-Murphy is a 29 year old 6'11 PF who is averaging 13 points and 9 rebounds a game. The Pacers are 9-16 and are last place in the Central Division. He is very good defensive rebounder, a great pick and pop player, and he can shoot the 3 ball very well (39% for his career). He would fit in perfectly with what we want to do offensively because he can space the floor out to the 3 point line, and rebound. Again, he would give us size on our frontcourt. The problem with Murphy is two things, one, he is very slow on defense. He will get killed on pick and rolls, and he cannot play physical in the post. Two, his contract goes until 2011 for $11 million. Murphy would be a good backdrop option for the Cavs because he does what we need to do offensively, except he would hurt us on defense. With the Cavs going all in this year, and have Dan Gilbert as an owner, I don't think his contract will be as big of a problem. I wouldn't trade Hickson for him, but I would definitely trade Z for him.....

Antwan Jamison, PF, Washington Wizards

-Jamison is a 6'9 PF who is averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds. The Wizards are 8-17, and seem to be headed no where. Yes, Mike Miller is injured, but will he make that much of a difference? For the past four years, the Wizards have blamed injuries for their mediocre performance, but the more I hear that, the more I think that this team isn't that good. The Wizards have a payroll of $79 million, and if we took Jamison' contract off their books, their payroll would be around $40-44 million next year (they have 8 expiring contracts). I would love to have Jamison here, as he can score inside and out, he is a leader, and he has been consistent over his career. He fits in with what we need, as he has size, and can defend as well. He can match up with Odom, Rasheed, and Rashard Lewis. He is averaging 20 points and 8 rebounds for his career, and this year he is averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds. Some drawbacks to getting Jamison would be that his contract is very long. It goes until 2012, and he gets paid $11 million this year, $13 million next year, and $15 million the year after. This could badly hamstring us in free agency in the future. Also, Jamison is 33 years old, and he will be 35 when his contract ends. Can he continue to play at this level for the next 2 and a half years? The only hurdle I see getting in our way of getting Jamison is Washington's willingness to trade him to us. Their owner Abe Pollin just passed away, and the team has stated they are going to wait for Mike Miller to come back to see if they can get into contention. I still think Jamison's name will be one that is floated around a lot in the next couple of months. Would I trade trade Z and Hickson for Jamison? Yes, but I would strongly prefer that we buy Z out and bring him back to bolster our front court. I will say this, if the Cavs do acquire Jamison then the Cavs are my favorites to win the NBA Championship.

Here are some other names one could see get floated around in the next few months:

David West, PF, New Orleans Hornets

-The key to looking at possible players to get traded is to see teams with high payrolls, that are not doing well. New Orleans is a team that has documented financial troubles, and their team payroll is $74 million, and their payroll next year as it stands will be $73 million. The team is hamstrung by the bad contracts of James Posey (another 3 years), Peja Stojakovic (another 2 years), Emeka Okafor (another 4 years), Morris Peterson (another 2 years). David West' contract goes for another 3 years as well. The Hornets are currently 12-14, and even if they do make the playoffs, they probably won't go far. West is a great pick and pop player, he can stretch the floor, shoot well, and defend the pick and roll. He is 6'9, and isn't as athletic as Randolph or Jamison. He is averaging 16 points and 7 rebounds a game, and he would be a solid addition to the Cavs. Z's expiring contract would provide some luxury tax relief for the Hornets.

Corey Maggette, SG, Golden State Warriors

-As I explained earlier, the Warriors seem destined to blow up their team, and they can start by getting rid of this guys contract. It goes until 2013, and Maggette is already 30 years old. He would be great off the bench as he can create his own offense, and draw a high rate of fouls. He is averaging 16 points and 5 rebounds a game. He is 6'6, and while he doesn't play D in Golden State, he has the skills to be a solid defender here in Cleveland. He would give us more size on our team, but his contract scares me a lot.

Caron Butler, SG/SF, Washington Wizards

-Again, with the Wizards' struggles of late, I wouldn't be surprised if they cleaned house. Butler is 29, and has a contract that goes until 2011. He is struggling this season as he is averaging 17 points and 7 rebounds, but he is shooting 30% from 3 and 43% from the field. Historically he is a great mid range shooter, and who has good athleticism. He is also a solid defender has he can anticipate passing lanes well, as he averages about 1.5 steals a game. I don't think Butler would put us over the top, but he definitely would provide us with some size and scoring, but again, will the Wizards trade him to us?

Well that just about does it, I will talk about the Browns/Holmgren situation next time. Until then, go Cleveland!

-Raz

Mount Ellis?

Right when we thought we were done talking trades regarding the Golden State Warriors, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News has reported that Monta Ellis and his agent will meet with the Warriors this week to discuss is future. I'm not close in any NBA circle, but I believe that if your meeting with a team the week one of your best players gets traded, something isn't right. According to other reports, Ellis has been very upset with coach Don Nelson, and he even said today that he was the teams only defender, because of the trade of Jackson. Another source indicated that the Warriors HAVE been calling teams to offer Ellis in a trade. He doesn't seem happy, and I think he saw the blueprint of getting your way out of Golden State. Complain to the media enough, and alienate your teammates will get you your wish. The entire franchise seems to be a mess. Don Nelson never got along with GM Chris Mullin, and he eventually was replaced by Larry Riley. Ever since their epic upset of the Dallas Mavericks in the 2007 playoffs, this team hasn't made a playoff series, and they seem to be in a serious disconnect. The team let Baron Davis go, let Mickael Pietrus go, traded Jason Richardson, let Matt Barnes go, and traded Stephen Jackson. There doesn't seem to be any continuity with this team. As if things weren't bad enough, it is being reported that F Anthony Randolph is also very upset with the team, but I highly doubt they will trade him.

Another reason you could see Ellis get traded is the fact that the team is going no where. The Warriors are 3-6, they just traded Jackson, and they are battling a bunch of injuries. G Kelenna Azibuke is out for the year, F Brandon Wright will be out for an extended period of time, newly acquired G Raja Bell is having wrist surgery, and C Andris Biedrins is battling a bad back. The Warriors season already looks to be in trouble and we are only 9 games in.

In regards to Ellis, I can see him getting traded, but I have a feeling he will stay put. He is young (24 years old), has solid size for a PG (6-3), solid defender, good finisher, has lightning quick speed, and he has a solid mid-rangejumper. He doesn't dish out a lot of assists (5 per game), and he can't really shoot the 3 well (29% for his career). I just don't see how he would fit here in Cleveland. We already have a PG in Mo Williams, and while he isn't a great assist man, neither is Ellis. You could move Mo to the bench, but you would have to trade a combination of Gibson/West/Hickson/Z. If you have to trade Hickson to get Ellis, I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't trade Z for him unless you could get another bigman in return (Ronny Turiaf). If you can trade him for Wally and Delonte/Daniel, then I might consider it, but I would still be hesitant trading Delonte. He returned tonight, and while he is still uncertain, he can handle the ball and he can play D on the perimeter.

Ellis' contract is also very long. It pays him $11 million for the next 4 seasons. While it isn't that bad because he is so young, but it could hamstring us in a couple years when it comes time for free agency. With Ellis' elite speed, he seems better suited to play in a fast paced style of offense, such as the one in Golden State or New York. Also, Ellis does not have to size to guard Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Vince Carter, and Kobe Bryant, which was something Jackson had (this is one reason I wanted Jackson). While this isn't a fact, I don't think the Warriors will trade Ellis for pennies on the dollar like they did Jackson. They will look to get nearly full value for him because it would look bad to their fan base if they trade 2 of their best players for either draft picks, young un-proven players, or expiring contracts.

I have always been a big fan of Ellis, he is an excitingly good player. I just don't think he fits with the Cavs style of play. The Cavs biggest need is a tall SG/SF who can guard the perimeter, score at will, and be willing to come off the bench. Ellis doesn't fully fit that description for me. I just think the Cavs will end up having to give up more than people expect. You never say never in the NBA, but don't count on Ellis wearing a Cavs uniform anytime soon.

Also, since Allen Iverson has been released, people have tried to rationalize him on the Cavs. You have a better chance of me playing on the Cavs than AI. He is a small SG at 6'0, who doesn't defend, pass, and isn't willing to come off the bench. Not the exact description the Cavs are looking for.

If I hear any updates about Ellis or other possible name, I will continue to write my thoughts to put some pieces together. Untill then, thank you and go Cleveland!

-Raz

No Jackson

Well I guess we can kill all discussion about a possible trade for a Stephen Jackson deal. The Warriors traded him to the Bobcats for G Raja Bell and F Vlad Radmonovic. With the uncertainty of Delonte West this season, I really thought the chances of trading for Jackson would be high. As I stated earlier, I always thought Jackson would be a good fit for our squad. He can defend the perimeter, he can score, and he worked with Mike Brown in Indiana and San Antonio. According to Brian Windhorst, the Cavs offered Z in the deal but only if he would take a buy out. According to Marc Stein of ESPN we offered Delonte and a sign and trade of Wally for Jackson. Apparently the Warriors were close to accepting the Delonte deal, but the Bobcats came up with a better offer. I feel like the reason why the Warriors didn't accept our deal was because of the Pau Gasol effect. They would be trading Jackson for almost nothing, especially with Delonte's pending court case and the uncertainty of his mental condition. At least with the Bobcats deal they get a defender in Bell, who also has an expiring contract. Radmonovic provides Don Nelson a 6'10 bigman who can shoot. We know how much Nelson loves shooters.

To be honest with you, I would've done both deals. Delonte right now is stabilizing and he needs to get his life in order. He has not been responsible, evident in the fact that he has not been taking his meds, and that he got caught with his gun charges. The Cavs cannot babysit him his whole life, he needs to put his life in order. I love him as a player, and as a person he his hilarious, but he has to show that he is going to be accountable for his actions. With Z, I have stated before that I am not going to be upset if he gets traded. His expiring deal is a huge trade chip for us and if it can get us a player who will improve our roster I am all for it. If we can buy him out even better, and we also must get a bigman in return if he is traded.

Where do the Cavs go from here? I don't know any available names right now. I can guess some guys who could become available. The key is to look at teams who are not contending, not rebuilding, and have high pay rolls. There are two teams that I can think of that fit this mold right now, the Washington Wizards, and the New Orleans Hornets. The Wizards are 2-7 and the Hornets are 3-8. The Wizards added Randy Foye and Mike Miller this offseason, and have Gilbert Arenas fully healthy, and were expected to be the 4th seed in the East. Instead their offense has sputtered (94 ppg), Arenas is averaging 4 turnovers a game, and the team can't defend well (allowing 98 ppg). The team has the 8th highest payroll at $79 million and they are paying the luxury tax. The team isn't rebuilding with a core of Jamison, Butler, Arenas, Miller, and Foye. If the team isn't going anywhere soon, they might as well rid themselves of a bad contract or two. Caron Butler could be a name you hear as his deal goes till 2011.

The New Orleans Hornets are a team that could start unloading some of its players as well. With a payroll of $73 million, they have the 11th highest payroll in the league. The team isn't rebuilding with such a high payroll, and the team has no viable young talent (Julian Wright? ha, Hilton Armstong? ha). Some players names you might hear are Emeka Okafor (contract till 2014), Peja Stojakovic (contract till 2011), and David West (contract till 2011). I really don't want any part of Okafor or Stojakovic, but I wouldn't mind West. Peja is another Wally Z, and Okafor has a very long contract, who isn't that good at scoring in the post. The problem with West is that we are seeing JJ Hickson develop before our eyes (18 and 20 points the last two nights), and we still have Leon Powe waiting to play in February. We might not need another PF.

Hickson is untouchable according to Windhorst, which is reasonable. Hickson won't get traded unless its for a superstar (Chris Bosh or Chris Paul). Also, I mentioned earlier that Rudy Gay could be a guy whose name you hear later in the year as well. Remember the Cavs have assets to make a trade, young talent (Danny Green, Christian Eyenga, JJ Hickson, Darnell Jackson, expiring contract (Z), non-guarenteed deals for 2010 (Delonte West, Jawad Williams, Leon Powe) and a draft pick (first round in 2010 NBA Draft). If a team is looking to unload some salary, they can attach it to a good player come February. Only time will tell....

Thanks for reading, go Cleveland!

-Raz

Ch Ch Ch Changes....

At around 6:00 PM today it was reported by numerous sources that Browns GM George Kokinis has been let go. I haven't really written much about the Browns this year, and its probably because they are so bad. I am shocked that this team is 1-7, because I look at the talent and theres no one we can be this bad. Here are some thoughts.....

-I feel like Kokinis is taking the fall for Manigni and Daboll. Browns owner Randy Lerner is letting Mangini know that he isn't scared to make changes. Mangini is the one who makes the calls, not Kokinis. Mangini hired Kokinis to be his GM, but in most of the organizations in the NFL, the GM has a say in hiring the coach. After the Chicago game, Lerner stared at the players and coaches and was apparently disgusted with the team. He made it known that wants to hire a VP of football operations, and firing Kokinis is a step in that direction.

-I don't really know who to place all this blame on. A part of me wants to put it on the players and the fact that they make stupid mistakes which kill us. Jamal Lewis fumbling the ball, Mo Massaqoui dropping passes, Steve Heiden fumbling the ball. Mangini has no control over these actions. Yes, Mangini brought in some of these players, but Massaqoui has showed signs that he can be a solid receiver in the NFL, Alex Mack has continued to improve. At the same time, some of Mangini's acquisitions have not panned out as well (Robert Royal, Abe Elam, John St. Clair). Also, our defense is dead last in the NFL which is inexcusable, but you can see that the defense at least shows some life in that they attack the QB and make some stops sometimes, especially in the Chicago game. The offense just looks horrible out there, and no one seems to know what to do.

-While I think it is still too early to fire Mangini, he needs to really start to make some changes in coaching style/philosophy quickly. If the team continues to flounder and sputter going into week 15, then I think you fire him. Up until now, Mangini has had complete control over this organization, but now with the firing of his GM, and his assistant Erin O'Brien was fired last week. Also, the team hired Bernie Kosar as a consultant to the team, without Mangini's blessing. You can see that Lerner is now starting to loosen the grip that Mangini has on the team. I feel that if Mangini responds to this pressure and does well, that he will survive the season. If Mangini continues on the path he is on, I am all for firing him.

-There is no reason why this team should be 1-7. The lone win we got was probably the worst win I have ever seen us win. I wouldn't be as concerned if we showed some progress, but the best game we played all year was versus Cincinnati, and we still lost. Since then, the team hasn't shown any progress, and has gotten worse. The talent on this team isn't that horrible. Josh Cribbs, Joe Thomas, Shaun Rogers, D'Qwell Jackson, Eric Wright, Brodney Pool, Kamerion Wimbley, Eric Steinbach, and Ryan Pontbriand are all very solid players. Alex Mack and Mo Massqoui are good up and comers in the league as well. There just seems to be a problem with game planning and execution.

-I am interested in seeing who Lerner brings in to be a VP of football operations. What will their responsibilities be exactly? Who has the final say in decisions? If this person clashes with Mangini, I think you'll see Mangini out of here pretty quickly as well.

-In terms of the team itself, I don't even think its worth talking about now. Both QB's we have don't seem like they can play well now. Jamal Lewis wants to retire, and I don't blame him. We heard so much in the offseason that everyone had bought into the system of Mangini, but we haven't seen any positive results.

Cavs

-The return of Delonte West is huge. I am so happy to see him back as he will provide a great spark off our bench. He can play backup PG, and provide another ballhandler that we really needed. I still think the biggest problem for our team going forward is trying to integrate Shaq into our offense. His numbers haven't been stellar, but his impact on the floor can be seen at times with teams double teaming him, and leaving guys like Boobie, and Parker open for 3's. Its still going to take a little bit of time to integrate all the new parts on this team.

-I still think our team should try to trade Z sometime this year. He is our last chance at getting a big name. We have the assets to pull off a trade for a big name player, this includes an expiring contract (Z at $11 million), first round pick in 2010, and young players (JJ Hickson, rights to Christian Eyenga). Our team really need another true perimeter scorer who can create his own shot off the bench. West will not be sufficient enough come playoff time.

-Here is one name to keep in mind for now. Memphis Grizzlies SF Rudy Gay. Yes, I said it. Here is why he could be traded.

1. He is unhappy in Memphis. It was reported by ESPN's Bill Simmons that Gay is unhappy in Memphis, and who wouldn't be. The team traded Pau Gasol for nothing, and they haven't won anything in years. When your on a team with AI and Zach Randolph, I don't blame you for being upset. They will probably be one of the worst teams in the West.

2. They have a cheap owner. The Grizzlies have the 27th lowest payroll in the NBA at $56 million, and their owner is one who will try to avoid the luxary tax. He traded Pau Gasol because he knew he couldn't afford to keep him anymore, and the same might happen to Gay, which brings me to my next point.

3. Gay did not agree to an extension, which means he will become a restricted free agent next summer. While the Grizzlies can match any offer, if a team comes in and offers a large deal, it is unlikely that the Grizzlies will match. There are numerous teams with cap space going into next year. Add in the fact that Zach Randolph will be making $17 million next year, and that OJ Mayo, Mike Conley, and Marc Gasol will be coming off their rookie deals in the next couple of years, this doesn't add up well for Gay. The Grizzlies and Gay had until today to come up with an extension for a deal (Rajon Rondo, and LaMarcus Aldridge both did), and they didn't. Come January when the Grizzlies are losing, the team could look to unload Gay, along with the bad contract of Marko Jaric (2 years $14 million left). If the team couldn't agree to an extension now, they could look to unload Gay to just get something for him, instead of letting him walk for nothing.

4. The Cavs have the assets to satisfy the needs of the Grizzlies. Z has an expiring deal, and there is even a possibility of a buyout there. If we could save the Grizzlies $2-3 million then I am sure they would definitely look into the deal. A deal of Z, Hickson, and a 2nd rounder in 2011, for Rudy Gay, Marko Jaric, and Steven Hunter works out. The Grizzlies still get a young bigman, and another draft pick.

Rudy Gay would be a great fit in Cleveland. He is a SF with great size (6'9), who has long arms and could defend the perimeter. He is very athletic, and he is very capable of scoring. Acquiring Gay would allow LeBron and Moon to play the 4 more often as well. Hunter would provide the Cavs with a center who is 7'0 to put behind Shaq. Gay could easily defend all the guards I have listed before, along with Rashard Lewis. By no means do I have any insider information on this, I am just going off intuition. The chances of this happening are very slim, but in the NBA you never say never.....

Thanks for reading, go Cleveland!

-Raz

Update on Jackson

According to Chris Broussard of ESPN, the Spurs, Clippers, and Nuggets have not made any offers for Jackson, but the Cavs do remain interested. The Cavs apparently are in "wait and see" mode, and they still do not want to give up Z for Jackson. The Warriors don't want to give up Jackson for nothing either, so they might be taking a patient approach to this as well. In Broussard's twitter feed he re-stated that many league execs believe that Jackson WILL end up in Cleveland. As I said earlier, the Cavs would probably wait a little bit to make this type of move, one to see what is available in the trade market, and two to see if they can get a 3rd team involved to get the Cavs a bigman. Stay tuned on this story......

-Raz

Stephen Jackson

After the 0-2 start by the Cavs, I am a little surprised we are playing this bad, but at the same time it was expected because of the Delonte West, and injury situations. Its only been 2 games, so its tough to gauge a solid analysis of the team, so I will wait a little longer to post my thoughts.

Recently, there have been reports that a trade for Stephen Jackson is on the horizon. This comes from both Marc Stein and Chris Broussard of ESPN. According to Stein, executives around the league believe that the Cleveland Cavs are the favorites to land Jackson. I believe this to be true for a few reasons:

1. Of the known teams that are interested in Jackson (Nuggets, Spurs, and Hornets), the Cavs can probably offer the best deal to the Warriors. The Nuggets have a trade exception they can use, but it is too small to acquire Jackson. The Warriors want Manu Ginobili for Jackson, which won't happen. The Hornets have no expiring contracts to offer. The Cavs can offer Z's expiring deal, which offers immediate cap relief to the Warriors. Jackson's trade value is low right now because teams know that he wants out. Think about it, Z for Stephen Jackson. Z for Stephen Jackson. Wait, I'll say it again, Z for Stephen Jackson. Did you see Z play at the end of last year and these first two games? He can no longer score in the post, and if he isn't shooting well, he provides little aside from tip in's on offense. On defense he is too slow on pick and rolls, and he can't play with Shaq due to their lack of speed. Against athletic bigmen (Raptors last night), the Cavs were killed on D when these two were on the floor. Z can't guard the pick and roll, and he is too slow to close out on his man. When we play Orlando, they will have Rashard Lewis, and Ryan Anderson who can stretch the floor, and one of the most athletic bigmen in Dwight Howard.

Now people say, "We can't trade Z, he has been here forever!" Well guess what people, if the Cavs walk away from a deal because of this reasoning and it costs us a championship, then I really won't care about Z or anyone on this team aside from LeBron. If LeBron walks because we wanted to show our loyalty to Z, then I can never forgive Danny Ferry and Co. No one will talk about how we kept Z if LeBron walks. My point is, a championship ring is the most important piece on our agenda. There is too much riding on this season to worry about feelings....

2. According to these reports, both LeBron and Shaq are open to trading for Stephen Jackson. I'm not saying these guys demand Jackson, but its nice know that they are open to a trade with him. They obviously believe it wouldn't hurt our chemistry to much (we really don't have much chemistry right now anyways). Jackson could either start, or play with our 2nd unit and provide much scoring spark. If you saw our 2nd unit play versus Boston, you can see that we need someone who can create their own shot, and with Jackson he does that. Even in the Orlando series, our bench was outscored by Mickael Pietrus himself. As I stated in my last blog, Jackson is an ok shooter, good scorer, and good defender. He can guard Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant, and Vince Carter. This will allow LeBron to catch his breath on defense, and roam around with his great speed. Also, Jackson played while Mike Brown was an assistant at Indiana, and his game grew under Brown. We need someone who can come in with our 2nd unit, and keep a lead or stay in a game while LeBron is resting.

3. Where there is smoke, there is fire. Aside from the reports Stein and Broussard have written, Plain Dealer Cavs beat writer Brian Windhorst reported a week ago that the Cavs are having internal discussions about acquiring Jackson. These rumors don't seem to be going away, and if executives around the league believe the Cavs are the favorite to land Jackson, shows that the Cavs have a legitimate interest in Jackson. Aside from an increase in scoring with our 2nd unit, discussions for Jackson lead me to believe that the Delonte situation is really in the air. We don't know when he is going to come back, and if he doesn't stay on his medication, he could really hurt his mental health. The Cavs can't go very long without getting West back. He is so important to our team with his defense, shooting, and ballhandling.

While I don't think we will acquire Jackson tomorrow, if the Cavs continue to struggle, especially the 2nd unit, I could definitely see the Cavs pulling the trigger down the road, contingent on the Cavs finding another team to supplement us with a bigman. The only way the Cavs make a deal for Jackson is if we find a 3rd team to give us a bigman, and in return we trade Daniel Gibson (he becomes expendable because Jackson plays SG too), or Darnell Jackson. The Cavs won't trade a bigman for a guard, they need a backup to Shaq.

Some of the reasons for not doing this deal are that Jackson is 31, and still has 3 years on his deal after this year. The Cavs are going to be paying the luxary tax as long as LeBron is here, and I am sure Dan Gilbert won't mind paying for Jackson. It is early in the season, and while the Cavs are 0-2, they do need time to gel and play together. Also, if/when Delonte comes back, he or Anthony Parker will help our 2nd unit, but it still won't make it as good as if we had Jackson. Also, the Cavs need to find themselves a solid backup bigman if they do trade Z, because they will have a real thin frontcourt. To me, finding a 3rd team willing to bigman is the biggest sticking point in the trade.

Well thats about it for now. I think a lot of people are against this trade, but I think this situation will re-visited in a few weeks. If the Cavs continue to struggle, especially with Z's declining play, our 2nd unit struggles, or if Delonte doesn't come back, then I definitely think you will hear the Cavs in a lot of trade conversations. Remember, LeBron can become a free agent on July 1st 2010.........

-Raz

Cavs Season Preview

Alright, its the night before the Cavs first game versus the Boston Celtics. The Browns are a mess, and the Indians are the Indians. At least we have something to look forward to until June. Here is my preview of the Cavs season.

This is the best Cavs team we have ever seen

Think about this, the Cavs lost forwards Ben Wallace, Joe Smith, Lorenzen Wright, and guards Sasha Pavlovic and Wally Szerbiack and replaced them with C Shaq, SG Anthony Parker, SF Jamario Moon, and SG Danny Green. As a side note, the team is on the verge of adding PG/SG Antonio Daniels. The Cavs last year won 66 games. Im not saying we are going to go 72-10, but I can see the Cavs easily winning 60 games again. Its sad to say, but out of all those guys we lost, the only one who kind of made a difference on the court was Ben Wallace, and his output was pretty minimal. We addressed the problem of size we saw last year in the Orlando series. Jamario Moon is 6'9 and can dunk over anyone, Anthony Parker is 6'6 and was one of Toronto's best defenders last year, Danny Green is 6'6, and Shaq is 7'0. Parker is a solid shooter, Green was a great shooter in college, and Moon is a great finisher at the basket. Moon can now effectively guard Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Mickael Pietrus, Ryan Barnes and Ryan Anderson. Aside from LeBron, name me one player on the Cavs last year that could guard all of those guys? This allows guys like LeBron to play PF in small ball lineups, imagine Rashard Lewis and Ryan Anderson trying to guard this guy. Also, Delonte won't have to guard 6'10 forwards anymore. Adding Daniels is a move to just bring a veteran presence in the locker room, he won't play more than 10 minutes a night, and he will just handle the ball when Mo, Delonte, and Lebron are out of the game.

The Cavs looked to find someone to contain Dwight Howard downlow, and they got themselves Shaq. Shaq is the most dominant center of our generation, and when he is motivated he is still a force to be reckoned with. The Cavs will keep a close eye on Shaq, and limit his minutes to keep him healthy. Dwight Howard will not be able to just move Shaq around downlow like he did last year. Also, this acquisition finally allows Z to move to the bench. Now teams have to deal with 2 7-footers for most of the game. Z will cause huge matchup problems because most second units in the NBA don't have someone with that much size to stop Z and his outside shooting. The only drawback to having Shaq is that he is not the best at defending the pick and roll, and this is where the Cavs must find a way to use their team defense to neutralize this disadvantage.

Delonte West's personal issues somewhat scare me

Delonte West is one of my favorite Cavs. He was arrested for possession of guns a couple months ago, and he has been dealing with depression and bipolar disorder. He came to the first day of training, but then did not show up for the next few days and had unexcused absences. Delonte finally showed up, and he has been practicing with the team for the past few weeks, but has not played in any preseason games. Im not worried about Delonte's playing condition, last year he missed 2 weeks of training camp and he was fine throughout the season. The part that worries me is the fact that his personal problems have threatened his status with the team. This is the biggest season in Cavs history, we acquired Shaq, we have the most talented roster ever, and by the way, that guy LeBron, yeah he can be a free agent next year. There is too much riding on this season. I am not trying to be selfish, I want to give Delonte as much time he needs to recover, but he needs to take responsibilities for his actions, take his medication, and make sure he becomes well. Do you find it funny that the Cavs have inquired about Golden State G Stephen Jackson?

Z's expiring contract might be the last big trade chip we have

Z has an $11 million expiring contract, and we all know how valuable expiring contracts are. With the state of the economy, NBA franchises are losing money and this can be evident in the fact that the salary cap is going to decrease next year. Revenues are down, and if teams are out of the playoff hunt early, they may look to unload some contracts. The reason why his contract is so valuable is because of the fact that Mo, Anderson, Delonte, Daniel, JJ, Jamario, Darnell are all under contract in 2010. Delonte's deal is partially guaranteed, and so is Leon Powe's. We don't have much cap space to sign anyone else in 2010, and we don't have any big expiring deals to use. I know everyone loves Z because he has been here from the start, and it would be sad to see him go, but guess what, if you can get a young, athletic, proven PF who can score, then you can't hesitate on a deal. This season is too big for the Cavs to not consider trading Z. Also, the reason why Z is so valuable is because he could accept a buyout from the team he gets traded to, wait 30 days and re-join the Cavs. I'm not 100% sure Z would do that, but if you could think of any Cavs player who would do that, it would be Z.

Another big trade chip that the Cavs could develop is that of F JJ Hickson. Already in preseason basketball, Hickson is showing considerable improvement in his game. If he could learn to cut down his defensive mistakes he could be starting. The signing of Leon Powe was genius because if Hickson is slow in development, the Cavs can plug Powe into the rotation, and dangle Hickson as trade bait to sweeten a deal. Powe is a low risk signing because he is signed for 2 years, but his 2nd year is a team option, so if he gets hurt again we can decline his option and save some cap space.

Briefly talking about the Stephen Jackson deal, if I am the Cavs I don't pull the trigger now. Jackson is 31, and he still has 3 years on his deal. His trade value is pretty low right now, as he has made it known that he doesn't wanna play for the Warriors anymore. The Cavs could probably get a player of the same caliber with a much friendlier contract for Z's expiring deal. I would love to have Jackson because he did his best when Mike Brown was an assistant for Indiana, and Jackson seems to respect Brown. Jackson has made it known that he wants to play here. Also, Jackson could defend Kobe Bryant, Ron Artest, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Vince Carter. Jackson is an ok 3 point shooter at 34% for his career, but he turns the ball over way too much (2.5 TO's per game last year, and 3.8 TO's for his career average). If I am the Cavs, I just wait it out a little bit, and see what other opportunities arise.

Expect improvements from JJ Hickson and Daniel Gibson

Aside from Jamario Moon, Lebron hasn't played with a guy as athletic as Hickson. He is what you look for in a power forward, he can jump, block shots, rebound, and score in the post. He has size as he is 6'10, and he can jump almost as high as Lebron. He is expected to be the 4th bigman in the rotation behind Z. He will get a good 15-20 minutes of playing time. One of the ways for Hickson to improve is to continue playing, and try to correct the mistakes he makes. He is still a raw defender, but hopefully Mike Brown can fix these problems.

Daniel Gibson has been disappointing since his 31 point breakout performance in Game 6 versus the Pistons 3 years ago in the Eastern Conference Finals. He might not be the PG of the future we imagined, but I believe he is someone who can shoot very well. When Gibson is confident, he can make it rain from anywhere. He battled a toe injury last year which affected his shooting. Now that he is healthy, he has been working on his game in the offseason. With Shaq and Lebron on the floor, teams will be concentrating their efforts to try and stop these guys. This will allow guys like Gibson to become free and get lots of good looks for Gibson. If Gibson can't shoot between 37-40% from 3 this year, then I will consider Gibson a disappointment.

The Cavs will win the Eastern Conference

I will say it now, barring an injury to any of our core players, the Cavs will win the Eastern Conference. We can play the slowdown, grind it out tempo with the Celtics, and we now matchup with the size of the Magic. One facet of basketball I have come to realize in the past few years is the NBA is a game of match-ups. Last year, the Cavs could not match the size of the Magic as they looked helpless in the conference finals. Think about this, 2 years ago the Cavs almost beat the Celtics in the 2nd round of the playoffs. Our team this year is so much better than the team we had back then. For the previous 2 years, the Cavs played two teams who had better talent then they did (Celtics and Pistons), but the Cavs just matched up with them, and they won one of the series due to an amazing performance by Lebron (Pistons Game 5), and the Celtics big three were just too much for LeBron himself to beat. Both those series on paper made the Cavs look like underdogs, but the team contended and even won because of the fact that the Cavs were able to matchup well with their slow, grind it out, defense oriented gameplan. The Cavs can now matchup with most teams, and they have comparable talent as well. Lebron has so much heat taken off of him now with Shaq in town.

When Mo wasn't hitting his shots, it was all on LeBron to carry the team and this was evident in the Orlando series. Now Mo is our 3rd option, with Shaq being the main sidekick. Dwight Howard will not be able to score with as much ease as he did last year. He won't move Shaq like he moved Z and Wallace last year. If Howard is struggling, as we saw in the Lakers series, the Magic are not as effective. Also, the loss of Hedo Turkgolu by the Magic hurts the matchup problems they caused last year (He's 6'10 playing SF). He ran the pick and roll so well, as he could just shoot over Delonte because of his height. He hit huge shots last year for the Magic. Vince Carter is a great player, but the Cavs found ways to shut him down when he played for the Nets. I remember in the 2007 playoffs, both Larry Hughes and Eric Snow shut down Vince Carter to beat the Nets in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Delonte and Parker can easily contain him. Carter doesn't strike as much fear into me as Hedo does. Yes, the Magic might have a deeper and more talented roster, but they no longer can shoot over teams with as much ease as they did last year.

The Celtics are a year older, and if any of their core players get hurt their chances are basically shot. I personally believe that Rasheed Wallace is close to being done, and his impact won't really be that big. Rajon Rondo wants a new contract and he was put on the trading block this offseason. This Celtics team isn't as deep as the team they had 2 years ago who won the championship. The fact that this teams 3 best players are all over the age of 32 just scares me. By the Magic series last year, the Celtics just looked tired out there. Pierce didn't seem to be as effective as he was in years past, and this team needs all its pieces to contend.

I just think the Cavs can play dual styles of basketball, and their team is much deeper than last year. We have the athleticism to run with Lebron, Delonte, Mo, Moon, and Hickson, but we can slow the tempo down with Shaq, Z, Delonte, and Anderson. Hickson will get more playing time, Moon has been consistent in his 2 years in the league, Parker has been a rock during his time in Toronto, Shaq can still score when motivated/healthy, who is a force to be reckoned with, and Powe was an integral part of the Celtics bench in his times with them. Shaq will be motivated for a few reasons, one, he wants to play for a couple more years. If he can prove he can play at a solid level at 37, then a team will definitely give him a contract offer. Two he wants to get his 5th ring. Both Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant have 4, and he wants to top them. I am sure he wants to tell Kobe how his ass tastes. We finally have players who have proven that they can be counted on to produce when needed. O yeah, I forgot to mention that guy LeBron, he's pretty solid.

The LA Lakers will win the NBA Championship

I know Cavs fans, this is the best Cavs team we have had, but I still don't think we can beat the Lakers. Had the team not signed Ron Artest, I would say the Cavs win it all. Artest is one of the few guys that can slow LeBron down in the NBA. This allows Kobe to guard someone else on defense, which gives him more energy on offense. Lamar Odom will cause matchup problems for us because Shaq and Z can't guard him. The only guy I can think of that can hang with him is Moon, but Odom could easily post up Moon. If Lebron tries to guard Odom, then Bryant will have a much easier time scoring because Lebron is out best perimeter defender. While Gasol might be neutralized by Shaq, Andrew Bynum didn't even produce much last year, and the Lakers still won it all. If Bynum stays healthy and produces, the Lakers will be very hard to beat. The only way the Cavs can beat the Lakers is if Mo Williams destroys Derek Fischer, because Fischer is one of the few weak links on the Lakers. Also, another way the Cavs can beat the Lakers is if Artest just implodes and goes crazy, which is possible. Artest said last year he saw a sports psychologist. During the Rockets/Lakers playoff series last year, Artest missed the first two team busses to the Staples Center for game 7. Artest came out in his boxers and got on the last bus which was for the owners, and team officials. If the Cavs make a move for a tall scoring PF, or if Hickson develops much quicker than we think, then I might change my mind.

Miscellaneous

The Cavs do have a tough stretch of games in the first part of the season. PD's Brian Windhorst wrote a great piece about our schedule this year, and you should all check it out. Don't be shocked if the Cavs start off a little slower this year than expected. The team has dealt with the Delonte issue, nagging injuries, and the flu bug. It will take some time to integrate Shaq, Moon, and Parker into the rotation. West might not even be starting for a part of the season, as he might come off the bench to play backup PG, while Parker starts at SG. We will see an expanded role from JJ Hickson and that will take some getting used to.

I expect LeBron to win the MVP award this year, finish top 3 in Defensive Player of the Year, and be all NBA First Team. I think the Cavs will end up beating the Celtics in the Eastern Conference finals, but I see us losing to the Lakers. I know most of you disagree, but I just think the Lakers have too much size, depth, skill, and coaching for us to overcome. Also, I think LeBron stays after this year as well, but I will write about that at a later date.

Thanks for reading, go Cleveland!

Updates

Here are some quick thoughts about recent Cleveland sporting events.

-Browns are still bad. The team fought for most of the game today against the Steelers, but you can tell the Browns are still a few players short of beating the Steelers. The receivers couldn't catch a cold, and the defense couldn't cover anyone. Not a good combination when playing the Steelers.

-Trading Braylon was probably a good thing. He did not want to be here, and he once asked Houston Texans safety Will Demps in between plays during a game last year how he could get into modeling and acting. Boy, I am glad we don't have Braylon anymore. The guy has tons of potential, but he is someone who always wants the spotlight, and didn't seem to embrace the city of Cleveland. He didn't understand the fact that when you lead the NFL in drops, fans aren't going to like you that much.

-We might as well start 3rd string QB Brent Ratliff. Its obvious DA is nothing more than a fringe/spot starter at QB, and Brady Quinn seems to have just lost it. There are trade rumors going about Quinn and Anderson, and I wouldn't be shocked if one of them was dealt. According to sources, a team has called about the availability of Anderson. Jacksonville and Tennessee are two teams who remain interested in Brady Quinn as well. If you ask me, if you can get some mid-round selections for Anderson or Quinn, you do it. This team is going to be drafting in the top 5 next year, and they will need a franchise signal caller.

-If this team trades Josh Cribbs, I will never watch a Browns game again. This guy is simply amazing. It shocks me the Browns will not give him his contract extension. Lets see, he returns kicks (had a great one today), makes special teams tackles, and runs your wildcat offense. He is completely fearless out there, and he seems to keep the Browns in a lot of games whether it comes from his returns, or with his great rushing abilities.

-I have not been impressed with head coach Eric Mangini these past two games. After showing people he could hang with the Bengals, he follows it with 2 sub-par performances. I know it takes time to implement your system and turn it around, but the coach has to have some sort of accountability. Passion and emotion on the football field will only take you so far, you need smart, physical, and just flat out good players to win. Right now, we just don't have that. Hopefully with the 11 draft picks we have next year we can find some good players.

-There has been some discussion about the Cavs having an interested in disgruntled Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Jackson. The Plain Dealer's Brian Windhorst said that the Cavs HAVE had internal discussions about acquiring Jackson. Some believe he is worth the risk, but not the price the Warriors are asking for. The Cavs do not want to part with Z, Hickson or AV in a deal for Jackson. The team needs as many bigmen as possible. The Cavs will not trade a bigman for a guard. If we could use Daniel Gibson in a trade it would be nice. Jackson grew as a player when Mike Brown was an assistant with the Pacers, and Jackson is a great perimeter defender who can shoot. The only part I don't like about getting Jackson is that his deal goes for another 3 years. This could hurt future cap space, and with Jackson being 31, he could be dead weight by the last year of his deal.

-I hope Delonte West can get back soon and start playing in the pre-season games. The team has been resting there players with nagging injuries, and the team needs to play together for a couple games just to get in rhythm.

-The Indians are interviewing Manny Acta, and Bobby Valentine for the managerial position. I would prefer to not have Acta as he did not do well with the Nationals. Valentine would be interesting because of his personality (fake mustache), and experience he had with the NY Mets. It will be interesting to see where the Indians go with this.

That about does it. Go Cleveland!

-Raz

I Don't Even Know...

I am just gonna focus this one on the Browns game versus the Ravens today.

-I don't even know anymore about this team anymore. This is probably almost as bad as the first game the Browns played since game 1 of the 1999 season. The defense is slow, out of position, and cant tackle. The offense is too predictable, short, boring, and fringe.

-When Brady was in, he threw a horrible INT because the cornerback knew Braylon wasn't going deep. I said this last time, when teams know you won't stretch the defense, they will be able to pick off your short passes. Once DA came in at halftime, his turnovers came back as he threw 3 INT's. He tried throwing the ball deep, but its not easy to complete passes with 3 defenders surrounding Braylon. This is because you don't have a true #2 receiver to take pressure off your #1 receiver. I guess the Browns are kind of screwed, they can't throw the ball deep because of a lack of playmakers, and they can't throw the ball short because teams will just pack the box. This is why we need to play Mo Massaqoui and Brian Robiskie more, the season is over, we have nothing to lose, lets see what our 2nd round picks are made of.

-I was watching the game with one of my best friends today and we both noticed how every time the Browns threw the ball, a Ravens defender was right there to tackle him. Anytime the Ravens threw the ball, the Browns would be 3-4 yards away from the defender, and could barley tackle. We just stared at the TV in amazement asking ourselves why? Also, after the Ravens would score or hit a field goal, we would hope Cribbs would return it for a TD. Never once did we mention a big run by Jerome Harrison, or a bomb to Braylon Edwards. When your counting on Josh Cribbs to be your main source of offense via special teams kickoffs, thats just sad......

-The Browns defense was on the field for 31 minutes, over half the game again. Even with that said, 2 of the TD's scored by the Ravens, the runner went in the endzone untouched. This tells me the Browns D did not hit their gap assignments and were out of position. With 11 guys on the field coming after you, its hard for one of them to not touch you. Also, Derrick Mason' TD pass was just horrible, it was a case of a missed coverage assignment and horrible tackling. I've seen both Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald get tossed trying to tackle players, and its just sad.

-Eric Mangini really disappointed me today. I really gave him the benefit of the doubt from the minute he was hired, but I am starting to believe what most people said about the team. He did a solid job with the Jets, and he seemed to instill a sense of discipline with the team, but it has not translated to the regular season. Sports Illustrated's Peter King said he got he worst vibe from the Browns Training Camp. They predicted us to go 2-14, and I don't think they are that far off. The team looked like they just quit today. Earlier in the week rookie CB Coye Francies punched a Browns player in the face after a prank, 3 Browns players filed grievances for fines levied by Mangini, Mangini's opening day starter Brady Quinn was benched at halftime after he completed 6/8 passes, and the team isn't showing any improvement in play. I am not sure, but I feel like the team could be jumping ship sooner or later.

-The QB controversy will linger all week, and honestly I have no idea who should start next week. Mangini doesn't seem to trust Quinn fully, and Anderson proved he is the same quarterback he was last year with the 3 INT's. Mangini needs to pick a QB, use him to the best of his abilities, develop a gameplan that will put him in the best situation to win, and stick by him. If you keep switching QB's, you shatter their confidence, and the team as a whole will not be able to trust the coach because they will see that the coach doesn't have enough confidence in his QB, 3 games into the year.

-Another thing that shocks me, is that the team lost TE Kellen Winslow, and RT Kevin Schaeffer on offense, LB's Andra Davis and Willie McGinest, and S Sean Jones, and replaced them with somewhat serviceable players, but the team looks so much worse than it was last year. LB Eric Barton is a definite upgrade over Davis, Abe Elam is comparable to Sean Jones, but this team just looks awful. I don't know who to point it on except the coaches. They are the ones who are supposed to establish an identity for the team, put players in the best situation to win, develop gameplans to attack opposing teams and utilize players to the best of their ability. I have seen none of this so far.

-Where do the Browns go from here? Honestly, I don't know. You really can't get much worse. We haven't scored a meaningful TD since my last Business Stats exam last November. The defense has yet to get an interception this season. If I am Mangini, I play Mo Massaqoui, Brian Robiskie, David Veikune, James Davis, and Coye Francies. It is obvious the people in front of them aren't cutting it, so why not give them a shot.

Well that does it for now. Lets hope the Browns can keep the game competitive versus the improved Bengals. At least the Indians swept the Orioles today. Did I mention Cavs training camp starts tomorrow? awoof awoof. Go Cleveland.

-Raz

Updates

Hello everyone. Sorry for the long delay. Lets get going.

Browns

-Boy do the Cleveland Browns suck. I thought they would at least win 6 games this year but that is a huge stretch. In the first half of each of the two games, the Browns defense has kept the team in the game. Due to the fact of our anemic offense, the defense stays on the field too long. Throughout the first two games, the Browns defense has been on the field for 66 minutes and 6 seconds, while the offense has been on the field for 53 minutes and 54 seconds. As you can see the offense is not holding up its end of the bargain.

-Brady Quinn is struggling (QB rating 66.9, 1 TD, 2 INT, 59% completion percentage), and he seems nervous in the pocket. He seems to be scared to making the big throw because he does not want to throw an interception. I understand the new offense is a ball control, short passing oriented style, but at the same time you need to let your quarterback loose a little big. Let him do some roll out plays, and slants. Every pass seems to be a checkdown pass. We need to be aiming for the endzone, and not just settle for field goals.

-People are questioning whether of not we should've drafted Jets QB Mark Sanchez in the first round and traded Brady Quinn. I understand Sanchez is 2-0, but at the same time, Quinn has made 5 starts his entire career. He needs time, and a couple more weapons on offense. An obvious need is a TE who can catch, and a #2 receiver. 2nd round picks WR's Brian Robiskie and Mo Massaqoui haven't seen too much of the field in the first two games, and they really need to step up. Josh Cribbs does not seem like he can fill the position of a #2 receiver (he dropped an important first down catch in Denver).

-The right side of the offense line is a mess. RT John St. Clair could not handle DT Elvis Dumervil on Sunday, as he had 4 sacks. Hank Fraley will be filling in at RG, and he will do a serviceable job. Quinn needs as much protection as he can get because of the fact that he is a young QB (24 yrs old), and has limited experience. He is still getting in the flow of offense.

-C 1st round pick Alex Mack has been struggling a little bit. He had a bad snap that led to a fumble in Denver. Give him some time, I think you will see a very solid player that will anchor the line. People often time complain that we traded our 5th pick to get a C, but at the time can you tell me a player we could've drafted that would start on this team, and that was a need? Mangini was right when he called WR Michael Crabtree a "diva" as he has yet to sign with the 49'ers, DE Brian Orakpo wasn't drafted till the middle of the first round, LB Aaron Curry was gone, there was no TE worth taking in the first round, and the Browns had Brady Quinn at QB.

-Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll need to open up the playbook a little bit. They need to stretch defenses out. If you are just throwing the ball 5-6 yards a play, defenses will just stack the line and put 8 men in the box. By throwing the ball down the field a little bit, it opens up defenses and allows more operating room for our wide receivers. Remember how many times DA threw the ball down the field in 2007? That offense really seemed to work.

-I don't have much to say on the defense because the offense can't seem to stay on the field. Any defense that stays on the field that much will eventually break down. You can defintley see the Browns and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan are blitzing more. While this is nice to see, it leaves CB's Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald in one on one coverage. We saw Denver WR Jabbar Gaffney burn Brandon McDonald because he had no one to support him. The Browns need to blitz a little less because our corners aren't strong enough to be left alone for a good portion of the game. You saw Eric Wright get tossed by Adrian Peterson and Corell Buckhalter.

-Kamerion Wimbley seems to have improved a little bit. You can see him pressuring the QB more often. He might not be the dominant 11 sack a year LB, but he is solid. LB Eric Barton is a solid veteran out there, and he seems to know Mangini's system well. I would like to see 2nd round pick LB David Veikune more often. We passed on LB Rey Mealuga (who is doing well for the Bengals now) to draft 2 WR's and a LB. It seems that the Browns won't be going to the playoffs, you might as well play some of the youngsters you got to see what you have.

-It is going to be a long season for the Browns. I had no idea things were this bad. The offense is timid and lacks a playmaker aside from Braylon Edwards, Jamal Lewis has looked OK so far, maybe we should see more of James Davis and Jerome Harrison. Play Mo Massaqoui and Brian Robiskie more, play rookie CB Coye Francies as the nickleback (Hank Poteat won't cut it), and play LB David Veikune more. Lets see what Mangini's draft could be made of. As long as the offense cannot convert 3rd downs, the defense will get worn down and we won't win too many games....

Indians

-Man, talk about another struggling team. The Indians have lost 10 straight games. They seem to have run out of gas. Seeing them out there play is just difficult. I bet you most people can't name 5 people in the starting lineup. Chris Giminez anyone?

-Manager Eric Wedge will probably be fired at the end of the year. I have no idea who will replace him or who will be a candidate. In his years here, he has made the playoffs once in his tenure. I really haven't been a big fan of Wedge. He doesn't seem to get my attention, and he just never seems to have a complete grip on things with the team.

-The Indians should be playing OF's Michael Brantley, Matt Laporta, Trevor Crowe, INF's Luis Valbuena, and Ande Marte. Lets see what these youngsters are made of. Brantley and Laporta were the key pieces of the CC deal. These are the future of the Indians and they can give us a glimmer of hope next year.

-The rotation next year is a complete tossup. If we do fire Wedge, I am interested in seeing what GM Mark Shapiro will do. Will he go out and sign a middle of the rotation pitcher? What is the status of Jake Westbrook? Will Kerry Wood get traded? Is Justin Masterson a starter or reliver? Will Grady Sizemore come back healthy?

-The Indians have a lot of question marks going into next year. This offseason could be a very active one for the Indians.

Cavs

-With training camp coming up soon, I am very excited about the upcoming season. According to sources, all the players are in the training facility working out now.

-Delonte West' arrest is a scary one. He has a history of depression, and I hope he gets better. He needs as much emotional support as ever. Brian Windhorst wrote a piece about how the Cavs are now examining their future with West. He was charged with marijuana possession last year, but the charges were dropped. He left the team for 10 days during training camp, and he showed up an hour before the Cavs played the Lakers this year. He has a history of problems and the Cavs have done a great job of giving Delonte freedom on this issue.

-I really hope Delonte stays in Cleveland. He plays a tough, nitty gritty style of basketball. He never quits, and he puts his heart into every game. He was a key piece to the 66 wins we had last year, and he is the 2nd best ball handler behind LeBron. In terms of a suspension, Delonte will probably be suspended for about 5-7 games. G Sebastian Telfair was suspended 3 games for gun possession, and G Stephen Jackson fired a gun in a parking lot and he got a 7 game suspension. West won't miss much time this year, but lets hope he stays healthy.

-Lastly, JJ Hickson is reportedly 100% and has been playing 5 v 5 for the past few weeks. This is great news as he missed the end of last season with back problems. He has been working out with LeBron this offseason, and he is excited for the upcoming season. I am a big fan of Hickson, as he posses great athletic skills, and low post skills. He will get time as the 4th bigman in the rotation. If he continues to develop, he could also be used as a trading piece come trading deadline time.

Thats it folks, I hope to update my blog more often. Thanks for reading and go Cleveland!

-Raz

Long Time (Part 2)

Alright, now that I have written about the Cavs' rash of moves, lets move onto the Indians. While most Indians fans have been blasting owner Larry Dolan for these trades, I don't put as much blame on him as others do. The real problem is the system of baseball and the salary structures. There is no salary cap like there is in the NFL and NBA. The Indians started the year with an $81 million payroll, good for 15th in the league. Thats pretty good considering how cheap the Dolan's have been since rebuilding began in 2001. When the team started losing, people stopped going to the games, thus revenues decrease and payroll must be cut. When you are losing money, you have to start cutting salary. Like any business, when the business is in the red, you have to start making cuts, and thats what the Indians did. Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, and Mark DeRosa are all very solid players with good contracts, thats why they were so attractive at the deadline. If the MLB had a salary cap, all teams would be able to spend the same amount of money. This would increase parity in the league, and you wouldn't see the same teams in the playoffs every year, teams wouldn't have to rebuild every 2 years, and in the case of the NBA, if a team wanted to go over the salary cap, the teams would have to pay a tax for it. With the MLB, there are no limits, and this is the problem.

Now looking at these trades, many people believe we got ripped off in these deals, but I think the DeRosa, and Victor trades are going to look the best in the end. So far, we traded Mark DeRosa, Ryan Garko, Rafael Betancourt, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, Ben Francisco, and Carl Pavano for a total of 10 minor leaguers. In the DeRosa trade we got reliever Chris Perez, who has been solid this month (2.57 ERA) and minor leaguer Jess Todd. Perez seems to be finding a groove in the back end of the bullpen, and Todd is ranked as the 4th best prospect in the Cardinals organization this past year by Baseball America. The reason I believe this trade will go down as one of the better ones is the Indians got a good young reliever in Perez (only 24), and a solid pitching prospect in Todd.

In the Victor trade, it was very sad to see him go. He seemed like he truly wanted to be here and he even cried in his final interview as an Indian. The Tribe recieved pitchers Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price. Notice the theme here again? Masterson is a young pitcher (24 years old), who can be a solid #3 guy in a rotation. Hagadone is ranked as the Red Sox 3rd best prospect, and Price is still in single A. The Indians got themselves young pitchers again. The other trades the Indians made were Garko being dealt for minor league pitcher Scott Barnes. Garko never impressed me that much here in Cleveland, he just never seemed to be consistent. Barnes is ranked as the 9th best prospect in the Giants organization. Carl Pavano was dealt to the Twins for a player to be named later, and Betancourt was traded to the Rockies for minor league pitcher Conor Graham, who is projected to be a back of the bullpen reliever. Betancourt was not going to be around next year because he has a $5 million team option and the Indians weren't going to pick it up.

Finally, the Cliff Lee trade. I think this trade will either be a complete steal, or a complete disaster. Lee and Francisco was traded for Triple-A right-hander Carlos Carrasco, Class A righty Jason Knapp, catcher Lou Marson, and shortstop Jason Donald. Knapp is the key to this deal. He is an 18 year old starter who throws 98 mph. All four of these guys are top 10 prospects in the Phillies organization. Everyone is making a big deal out of us not getting pitchers JA Happ or Kyle Drabek, but the truth of the matter is if we wanted one of those guys, the Phillies could've just traded one of them for Roy Halladay. The Blue Jays wanted both, but the Phillies wanted to keep one of them. Halladay can be seen as leverage for the Phillies because he was seen as the superior pitcher to Lee. Take Halladay off the market, and Lee is the only great starter in the market and his price will increase because he will be the lone pitcher in demand. In terms of the rest of the deal, Carrasco is struggling in AAA now, but there is some hope he can be a solid starter in the big leagues. Trading for a catcher seems pointless because of the fact we have Carlos Santana (considered a top 3 prospect in our organization), and we already have Asdrubal Cabrera, Beau Mills, Carlos Rivero, and Lonnie Chisenall ready to take positions in the middle and corner infield spots, so why trade for shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson? The Indians could flip those 2 prospects, but it seems unlikely. Those two pieces confused me, I would've rather had another pitching prospect or an outfielder.

Now looking back on all this, we acquired 2 major league ready pitchers, and 7 minor league pitchers, 2 position players, and a player to be named later. Not only did we cut our payroll from $81 million to $64 million through the trades, Our management team thought we would have 2.2 million for attendance this year, but it looks like the number is going to be between 1.8-1.9 million. We are projected to lose about $16 million this year. Add in the fact that our front office has not been able to scout and develop any pitching talent in the Shapiro regime, you can see why we made some of our moves. The Indians farm system has been depleted of pitchers. Aside from CC Sabathia and Jeremy Guthrie, the Indians have not drafted, signed, and developed a solid starting pitcher in the past 8 years. Guys such as Adam Miller, JD Martin, and Chuck Lofgren were just some names of Indians pitchers who were supposed to develop but never did. Mark Shapiro and his scouting staff have not done a good job of developing young pitchers, but I do trust Shapiro to be able to find good prospects through trades (Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, Cliff Lee, Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis Hafner, Shin Soo Choo, Kevin Kouzmanoff, Ryan Ludwick). I think in the end, we might not see the Bartolo Colon trade all over again, but I feel that with so many highly regarding pitching prospects being brought over, a couple of them have to pan out and do well. Remember, we also have outfielders Michael Brantley, and Matt LaPorta waiting in the wings with catcher Carlos Santana. These guys were all considered to be the top prospects in their organizations, and they will make contributions in the near future. While we didn't get the one hot name like JA Happ, Doug Drabek, or Clay Bucholz, we got a good collection of young pitching talent to use in the future (2011 looks like a good starting point). Brooklyn Dodgers GM Branch Rickey once said that with pitchers its always better to have "Quantity over quality".

Thats all folks! Next time I will be writing a few thoughts on the Browns, and the recent signing of PF Leon Powe by the Cavs. Thanks again!

Long Time (Part 1)

Hello everyone, it has been a pretty longtime since I last wrote. In between my laziness, and work I never got around to this. I also wanted to wait till the NBA offseason was complete, and the MLB trade deadline to finish before writing. Since both of those have finished, I will share with you my thoughts.

Cavs Offseason

-The addition of Shaq was a great move in my opinion. As long as he stays in shape he is good for 15 points and 6 rebounds a game. Since Carlos Boozer, the Cavs have not had a serious low post threat. Shaq will be much better against Dwight Howard one on one, but he will struggle defending the pick and roll.

-Teams will now have to respect Shaq by doubleteaming him. This leaves shooters such as Daniel Gibson, Anthony Parker, Mo Williams, Delonte West and Danny Green open. Remember how well Damon Jones and Jason Kapono shot with Shaq on their teams? Kapono shot 40% and 51% from 3 in his 2 years with Shaq, and Jones shot 43% in his lone season with Shaq. Kapono is a career 45% shooter from 3, and Jones is 39%. Yeah, Shaq will make a difference...

-People often times complain about Daniel Gibson's struggles, and I was dissapointed in him last year. He had a toe injury that affected his shot and confidence. Now that he has an offseason of rest, he will come back strong, and I expect him to shoot well.

-Andy's extension was a pretty big one (6 yrs $43 million, could go up to $50 million), and he did get overpaid. Bigmen in the NBA tend to get overpaid, look at Kenyon Martin ($15 million a year), Kenny Thomas ($8 million a year), Zach Randolph ($17 million a year), and Brian Cardinal ($6.7 million a year). Anderson is only 26 and he is a great energy guy, who will bug opposing players, play tough defense, and grab rebounds. LeBron likes him a lot too. I am sad we overpaid for him, but he fills a solid role on our team.

-The addition of Anthony Parker was a solid move. He will fill the role that Sasha couldn't fill. He is a solid defender, great midrange shooter (Top 10 midrange shooter in the NBA), and solid 3 point shooter (39% last year). Although he is 34, he has the legs of a 31 year old because he played 6 seasons overseas. Overseas basketball does not have the rigor of an 82 game schedule like the NBA does, and they do not play 4 times a week. He adds size (6'6), and some scoring punch to our bench (10 ppg last year). The Cavs signed him to a 2 year deal, thus not getting bogged down in a longer contract (Damon Jones? Donyell Marshall?)

-Jamario Moon was a GREAT pickup. People do not realize how athletic this guy is. Go to YouTube, type his name and see what you will find. He is a solid defender with long arms, and can finish when near the basket. He is exactly what we need to guard the Orlando Magic, a long athletic perimeter guy who can close out quick on the Orlando shooters. He will be catching many alley-oop dunks from LeBron this year. The Cavs signed him to a 2 year deal, with a team option for a 3rd year, thus increasing his trade value after next year.

-Drafting Christian Eyenga was a head scratcher for me, but I think he could pan out to be a Leandro Barbosa/Mickael Pietrus type of player. He is a freakish athlete, who has good size for a SG/SF (6'6), a developing jumper, solid defender, and he is only 19! Eyenga lacks some fundamentals as he isn't a great shooter, has low basketball IQ, and he cannot create his own shot. Add to the fact that he speaks no English, you have yourself a project. While playing for the Cavs in the NBA Summer League he showed some flashes of his amazing athletiscm and defense. The Cavs even thought about keeping him here for the year. He signed a 3 year deal to play with Spain's DKV Joventut (same team Ricky Rubio player for), with an opt out clause every year, so the Cavs can bring him back next year. He is better suited to play overseas anyways because they develop players in a more fundamental way than the NBDL.

-SG Danny Green was a great pick. He will be able to contribute right away. Playing for Roy Williams and North Carolina for 4 years was a great benefit. Williams has a knack for sending a lot of players to the NBA. His teammates Wayne Ellington, Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough were all drafted in the first round. Green will be a solid SG off the bench, who has good size (6'6), smarts, a great shot (51% from 3 last year), and a good defender. He will benefit from the double teams Shaq will get. Again, this is what the Cavs wanted out of Sasha and Wally, and they really never got it.

- The Cavs bought the Suns 2nd round pick SF Emir Preldzic. He is 6'9 who can pass very well, and is a very smart basketball player but he lacks a great shot and athleticism. He is a good gamble late in the draft, and he will be stashed away overseas for awhile. I am glad Dan Gilbert was willing to spend some money on a developmental player like him.

-Former Kansas Jayhawks PG Russell Robinson accepted an invitation to training camp. He could make the roster because of the fact that he plays solid defense, and was a solid PG in college. The Cavs do not have a true point guard on the team, and Robinson could fill the void of 3rd PG.

-The Cavs have made a contract offer to PF Leon Powe. He will miss at least half the season after knee surgery. He could be a low risk/high reward pickup because it will allow us to play JJ Hickson more, and see what we have with him exactly. If Hickson struggles and is not ready, we can plug Powe in half way, if Hickson is doing well we can continue to play him, or use him or Powe as trade bait. Powe will probably come cheap as well because he won't be able to play half the year.

-The Celtics added Rasheed Wallace and might end up losing Glen Davis and Leon Powe. Their team is very old, and after players reach their 1,000th game, their numbers tend to fall. Did anyone watch Tim Duncan after his 1,000th game? Garnett got injured after his 1,000th game. Ray Allen is 34 (will hit 1,000th game this year too), Garnett is 33, and Paul Pierce is 32. Rasheed is 34 as well. Rajon Rondo was on the trading block the entire NBA offseason because he clashed with both his teammates and Doc Rivers. Both Rivers and GM Danny Ainge badmouthed Rondo during the offseason as well. Also, after Rasheed who comes off the bench for the Celtics? Eddie House? Ha. Tony Allen? Ha Ha. Brian Scalabrine? Ha Ha Ha. Think about this too, you have 2 of the most wild personalities in the NBA on the same team in Rasheed and Garnett. Cavs fans have seen Rasheed blow up numerous times, and even shut it down if his team wasn't winning. Garnett will chase after white PG's in an attempt to scare them (Ask Jose Calderon and Luke Ridnour). Age, chemistry issues, and a lack of depth are really going to the hurt the Celtics.

-To me the Cavs and the Magic are the teams to beat in the East. The Magic lost their BEST offensive option in Hedo Turkoglu, backup PG Rafer Alston, backup C Tony Battie, and young up and comer Courtney Lee. Alston is expendable because of the return of Jameer Nelson, but losing Courtney Lee and Hedo was huge. Lee is going to be a good player in the NBA, and he was even starting for the Magic. He is a great shooter and a good defender.

-Turkoglu is a matchup nightmare at SF because he is 6'10, can drive, shoot, and run the pick and roll to perfection. The Magic lost height on the perimeter, and one of their main facilitators in Hedo. While Vince Carter puts up big numbers (21 points per game last year), he gets his offense mainly through himself, as he creates his own shot to score. What makes the Magic so deadly is their ability to pass out from Howard to the perimeter and knock down 3 point shots, or run the pick and roll to get open looks. Carter cannot facilitate like Hedo, and he does not drive as well as him either. If Carter is trying to create his own shot, it neutralizes the Magic's strengths. Carter played with Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, and they still could not beat the Cavs in the 2007 playoffs.

-The Magic re-signed Marcin Gortat and added PF Brandon Bass, SF Matt Barnes, and PF Ryan Anderson. Losing Courtney Lee is a bigger loss than the gain of Matt Barnes, but Bass and Anderson will be solid upgrades over Battie. Anderson is a solid 3 point shooter, but he doesn't defend that well. The Magic gained more depth downlow, but they lost some of their backcourt depth, and their best forward. Losing Hedo and Courtney Lee (who were both great shooters and defenders) will really come back to hurt the Magic in my opinion.

-The Lakers are my favorite to repeat for the NBA championship. They re-signed Lamar Odom, lost Trevor Ariza, but added Ron Artest. They got tougher defensivley, and still kept a lot of the length that helped them win it all last year. It will be great to see the Cavs and Lakers play on Christmas Day.

-Overall, I think the Cavs had a great offseason. They addressed their most pressing needs of a scoring bigman downlow (Shaq), an athletic wing defender (Moon), and taller perimeter defenders who can knock down shots (Parker and Green). We overpaid to re-sign Andy, but the Cavs need to win now and there weren't any replacements out there. We need to show LeBron we are serious about a championship here in Cleveland. We currently have the 3rd highest payroll in the NBA, and it will probably be 2nd highest after we sign Danny Green. I have a lot of appreciation for Danny Ferry's patience and smarts (losing out on Artest, Ariza, and Villanueva/turning Ben Wallace and Sasha into Shaq), and Dan Gilbert's willingness to open his checkbook. It just goes to show you that you have to spend money to put a quality team on the field.

I will write about the Indians trades' in a little bit. Thanks for reading!