End of the Month

It has been a long time since I last wrote. Here are some thoughts...

CSU Basketball

-I am very proud of these guys. They shocked the world by beating 4th ranked Wake Forest. The Vikings did not back down at all during the game, they hit clutch 3's, and they fought the entire game. Cedric Jackson's alley oop is still one of the best plays of the tournament. He made Wake Forest PG Jeff Teague look stupid.
-For their second game, the Vikings did not play well at all. They couldn't hit the 3, as they were 1/15 at one point. Arizona has 3 great players in PF Jordan Hill, PG Nic Wise, and SG/SF Chase Budinger. We looked very scared, and tentative during the game, and we were playing from behind the whole time.
-Even though CSU is losing bigmen George Tandy, Chris Moore, J'Nathon Bullock (who is trying out for the NFL Draft), and guard Cedric Jackson, this team has a lot to look forward to. Guards Tre Harmon, Jeremy Montgomery, Norris Cole form a solid core of guards. D'Aundrey Brown will return to play forward, and the team has 6'8 270 lb. PF Aaron Pogue (sat out this year) waiting to play. 6'9 C Kevin Anderson will be transferring from Juco, and the team signed Shaker Heights PG Anthony Wells. While CSU will have its growing pains next year, the future is bright.

Cleveland Indians
-I haven't written about the Tribe in a little while. I really feel like this team can be a sleeper team, and take the Central division. As long as Kerry Wood stays healthy, our bullpen will be very solid. Add Jensen Lewis, Joe Smith, Rafael Perez to the mix, and you have 4 dependable, good arms. Rafael Betancourt is due to make a comeback, and Masa Kobayashi can give a few solid innings.
-Mark DeRosa will make a big difference at third base. He adds a solid bat to this lineup, and if we can get Travis Hafner to 60% of what he used to be, the Indians will have a lethal lineup. Sizemore, Choo, Martinez, Shoppach, DeRosa, Peralta can all hit. We also have Michael Brantley, Matt LaPorta waiting in the outfield, and Carlos Santana waiting to play catcher. Add in the fact that Ben Francisco had a solid first half before burning out after the All Star Break, and you have an Indians lineup could be more dangerous that people believe.
-The biggest concern I have is our rotation. Its ironic that our rotation was our strong point last year, but now it is a weakness. We can't expect a 20+ win season from Cliff Lee, we don't know if Carmona can come back fully healthy, Carl Pavano has been inconsistent and injured throughout his career, Scott Lewis has been rocked in spring training (he gave up 10 runs in his last outing), and Anthony Reyes is still a question mark from last year (he has had a good spring training, 0.77 ERA). The best case scenario is Pavano stays healthy, Lee stays consistent, Carmona regains his form, Scott Lewis gets a grip, and Anthony Reyes gives us 6-7 solid innings an outing. This is a lot to ask for, but we will have to see.

Cleveland Browns
-With the Jay Cutler debacle in front of us (Broncos tried to trade him for Matt Cassell, now he is upset), many insiders including John Clayton have said that if a trade does happen for Cutler, Cleveland will have to be involved. This is because we have 2 QB's available in Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. I would rather see Derek Anderson get traded because I believe Quinn has a higher upside, and will fit our short passing game offense much better. Quinn does not have as much experience, and I think we should let him play more.
-The issue of trading Braylon Edwards has come about, and if we can get 2 high draft picks (2nd and a 4th) along with a player, I am all for it. This would give a lot of picks day one of the draft, and allow us to rebuild this team. Braylon does not seem happy here (he went to Michigan), he can't catch, and his contract is up after this year. If he doesn't seem apt to staying here, trade him while you can. There was an offer reported by Orange and Brown Report that the Browns were offered the 2nd, and 5th pick from the Giants (New Orleans picks, Jeremy Shockey trade) and Dominix Hixon for Braylon. The Browns want WR Steve Smith from the Giants instead, and it hasn't worked out. With the Plaxico Burress mess still in form, look for this conversation to be revisited soon.
-I like the approach that Mangini is taking, he isn't going out and blowing all of our cap space on big name free agents. Look at all the bonuses that were due earlier this month (Donte Stallworth, Corey Williams, Shaun Rogers, Derek Anderson, Kevin Shaffer). Instead of spending, he is trying to find guys who fit his system through free agency, and building the team through the draft. I really believe Braylon, DA/Quinn will be traded for draft picks and young players. He wants guys who will play the game his way, and be responsible for themselves.
-If LB Aaron Curry does not fall to us at the 5th pick, and we cannot trade down, the Browns should select DE/LB Brian Orakpo. He has incredible strength, speed, productivity, and he is a hard worker. With the next 3 picks (2 in the 2nd rd and one in 3rd) we should go after a S, RB, WR. We need a S to help offset the Sean Jones loss, a RB to groom behind Jamal Lewis, and if Braylon is traded, we have to use one of our first three picks on a WR. Draft Day this year should be pretty busy.....

Cleveland Cavs
-The Cavs won their 13th straight game versus the Detroit Pistons tonight. We are 3 games ahead of the Lakers for the best record in the league, and 5 1/2 games ahead of Boston and Orlando for the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Home court is so important to us, as we have lost just 1 game at the Q all year. Without homecourt, I don't think we can get to the NBA Finals.
-LeBron James is inching closer and closer to winning his first MVP. The Cavs own the best record in the NBA, and LeBron is averaging 28, 7 and 7 this year. D Wade is great, but his team has only 39 wins, and he shoulders the load on his team. His season reminds me a lot of what LeBron did last year. LeBron lead the NBA in scoring last year with 30 ppg, 8 rebounds and 7 assists last year. Last years Cavs team only won 46 games. D Wade has 30 ppg, 5 rebounds and 7 assists a game this year. Remember, LeBron finished 4th in MVP voting last year....
-Kobe Bryant should be considered as well, but his numbers are down just a little bit from last year (he is scoring 1 less point, and 1 less rebound per game than last year). His team is doing very well (58 wins), but he has a lot of support from Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Many analysts believe that that he won the MVP award last year as a lifetime achievement award. They wanted to make sure he got the MVP, to justify the fact he has been the best player in the NBA for the past few years. Once he gets Andrew Bynum back, he will have to carry the team even less.
-The stars are aligning for the Cavs this year, as we will be getting Ben Wallace back soon, we acquired Joe Smith and he has played well for the Cavs. Kevin Garnett will not be playing for the next 4 games as his knee is still bothering him, Andrew Bynum will be returning from the Playboy Mansion to play soon, the Magic lost PG Jameer Nelson for the season, and the Spurs are dealing with the nagging injuries of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobli. I still believe that if the Cavs go to the Finals with homecourt versus the Lakers, they still will not win. The Lakers have great outside shooters, size downlow, and Kobe Bryant. This will be hard to handle in a 7 game series. The Cavs will need another game 5 performance from LeBron to win it all this year. This could be a special year for this team.....

Thats all folks. Thanks for reading and go Cleveland!

-Raz