May 19, 2013

The Cleveland Cavaliers can do no wrong

June 26, 2009 by 48 Comments

realityIn scouring the internet as I sometimes do, I’ve noticed a theme amongst some Cleveland fans.  I’ve found these on Facebook*, here, ESPN.com, Cleveland.com, etc.  Let me summarize:

1) The Cavs can’t do anything wrong.  Let’s think about their moves in the past week.  Prior to the trade, the Cavs had the following situation going on leading up to free agency: Anderson Varejao and Walter were both becoming unrestricted free agents.  So what?  We have LeBron.  The Cavs’ lack of a power big man and athleticism on the wings was highlighted against the Magic in the ECF.  Who cares?  LBJ. MVP.  Check his stats, son – he filthy good.

2) The Cavs traded two players who might as well quit playing basketball altogether, they’re so worthless.  Sasha Pavlovic didn’t matter.  Ben Wallace used to be an All-Star but he had an expiring contract therefore he must go NOW!  The Cavs got Shaq.  Shaq is famous and a name we all recognize.  Therefore, the Cavs are better with him.  Forget the fact that it was a 2:1 trade and the roster is now smaller.  Shaq does movies!  He’s a cop!!  What, the Cavs might have held out longer to do better?  IT’S SHAQ!!! EVEN MY DUMB WIFE KNOWS WHO SHAQ IS, STUPID!  Obviously the Cavs will be NBA champs in 2010.  Guaranteed.  DOCUMENTED.  Forget 2010.  NBA CHAMPS 2010-2035!!  This move obviously is sterling and cannot be criticized in any way.

3) The Cavs went into draft night with the #30 pick and hopes of moving up.  Then, the two big name guys from Pitt were still available at #30.  So what?!  Ath-a-leti-sisssmmm son!  Like MAD HOPS!  And he can stay in Europe?  Magnificent!  The Cavs just got a guy that can make spectacular blocks (on lower level Spanish teams)!  You know who else makes spectacular blocks?  LeBron.  AND LEBRON IS ON THE CAVS BABY!!!! YEAAAA!!!

4) The Cavs have an owner who is the greatest in the entire history of Cleveland sports.  Dick Jacobs?  Psssshhh, he sold the Tribe to a penny-pincher therefore is worthless.  Dan Gilbert is ready to SPEND, baby.  He’s singlehandedly going to keep LeBron in Cleveland because Gilbert throws more money around than Pacman Jones on the Vegas strip.  He straight MAKES IT RAIN HOMEY!  LeBron isn’t going anywhere.  Gilbert isn’t scared of that.  He ain’t afraid of no ghost.

5) Obviously the Cavs just locked up a title not only next year but at least 3 in the next 5 years.  Why?  LeBron is staying.  That’s established.  The Cavs will sign Andy, and sign Rasheed Wallace.  This will make us awesome beyond reproach.  Then, the Cavs will have a bajillion dollars to pick up Bosh or Wade in 2010.  Not even a question.  See point 4.

To summarize: this has been the GREATEST WEEK IN CLEVELAND SPORTS HISTORY!!! SHAQ + LEBRON!!  Before, they were only together in my dreams (and on my bedroom wall) – but now… WE DID IT!!!  CAVS AND BROWNS WIN TITLES THIS YEAR, YAAAY!!!

–

These folks tend to drown out any criticism.  Obviously the Cavs made great moves.  Unquestionably the best moves.  By any team.  Ever.  Any writing to the contrary is blasphemy.  Thou shalt not discredit thine savior, LeBron.  I’m not really sure how these people figured out the internet, but they’re here.  We may have differing opinions on the state of the Cavs.  Most people here think the moves made were positive.  The Danny Green signing was a solid pickup.  The Shaq trade is an overall positive.  But the Cavs still have a long way to go, folks.  Let’s not lose sight of that (or reality).  Have a nifty weekend.

*Note: I have a lot of stupid friends.  Some of these arguments have honestly been made and the blind homerism and lack of cognitive ability scare the crap out of me.  It kind of makes me wonder about those studies saying Ohio education is doing well.

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  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    Probably my favorite post on this site this week. Not even joking.

  • Tapin

    http://xkcd.com/386/

    I mean, yeah, I’ve got friends on Facebook who would be hard-pressed to name a third Cavalier talking about how LeBron + Shaq = Crazy Delicious too, but… okay, uninformed people on the Internet are sharing opinions. This is a surprise?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    Always a classic cartoon.

  • TamapBrett

    LOL @ 5

  • feel kollins

    yeah fans are stoopid, what?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Denny

    @ Tapin – this was largely a response to the absurd grilling that a lot of the writers here took in the comments. Not a surprise, but it seems like people it was bizzarro-WFNY this week. Instead of reasonable debate, it was poo-flinging and insults on our intelligence for writing some of our observed shortcomings with the deal.

    And I love that cartoon. My wife put it on her facebook and tagged me in it. So it rings especially true here.

  • Eli

    Now that Shaq is on the Cavs, American is guaranteed to win the World Cup.

    I can understand all of the writers reactions here this week. You guys have taken a pounding for trying to take a critical eye to the situation at hand, instead of getting caught up in blind optimism. However, there are plenty of legitimate reasons to be cautiously optimistic about the direction the Cavs are going in, and you all must admit that the general vein of the articles have been anywhere from guarded to negative. Not saying you guys won’t admit that the possibility that this might all work out, but beating the drum on how old Shaq is can itself get old after awhile.

    Personally, I was done with all this nonsense yesterday and was eagerly awaiting an article today on what losing Alston, Lee and Turkoglu while only really gaining Carter and limiting flexibility does to our general matchup rivalry with the Magic. Still waiting for that!

  • http://gooddoctorzeus.blogspot.com DocZeus

    I would have so much more faith in the Cavs had I known what their thought process was behind picking Eyenga. Is this strictly a salary saving maneuver? What exact type of player do they hope Eyenga to be in two years? Do you think Hickson and Jackson are ready? Who are you targeting in FA this year?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    No question I dropped the ball on that one Eli, but that trade happened so late last night, and I only had time to write one thing today, and the Cavs’ draft took precedence.

    In a nutshell, though, if this really means the Magic lost Turkoglu, then I love it. VC doesn’t scare me in the playoffs like Hedo does.

  • Eli

    No problem Rock. Real jobs also get in the way. I’m just trying to prod you to take time away from work so I can slack off as well!

  • http://gooddoctorzeus.blogspot.com DocZeus

    The Magic deal’s success is based on if they retain Turkoglu. If they retain him than I think the Magic are the tentative favorites. Howard/Lewis/Hedo/Carter/Nelson are a scary starting five even if it means there bench would now consist only of Pietrus. If they don’t retrain him than I kind of see it as a lateral move but a move that definitely plays into our hands.

    I mean honestly, wouldn’t you rather have Hedo and Courtney Lee starting and Rafer coming off the bench to relieve Nelson than just Carter? You’re giving up quality players for one, mercurial all-star in the down slide of his career.

  • Eli

    Oh, and one more thing. Before he got injured, did the Magic run the P+R through Nelson instead of Turk? Or was his role more of a pass off spot shooter? I must admit, I never watched their games enough to know their playstyle until late in the regular season.

  • whipjacka

    people try to be pundits so much that they forget the reality of the situation. The cavs got an 18-8 guy with a low post presence that was sorely needed. The cavs are not tied up for long term (only this year). and he is an offensive guy that demands attention to the extent that somebody will always be open when lebron and shaq are on the court.

    Also, these reports that the magic wont be able to resign turkoglu is a good thing. Vince Carter is the single most overrated player in the game. He will get you twenty points. That is it. You could make the argument that shaq is more important and has the greater impact of the two.

    The writers on this site bash the trade for no apparent reason. It was the best possible move for the situation. Also, are you seriously making the statement that it is a burden for the cavs to find a fourteenth man? Really?

    When you judge the trade, ask yourselves these questions:
    1) Are the cavs better by gaining a legitimate starter while not giving up any of the top seven players in your rotation?
    2) Did the cavs win 66 games last year?
    3) Did we avoid being contractually tied up for the 2010 season?

    If you answered yes all three, then how could you not think that the cavs are closer now than ever?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    Yeah, I miss easy Fridays.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    NOBODY SAID THE CAVS ARE WORSE WITH SHAQ. Oh my goodness. I am going to have a stroke.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    @Eli: Nelson was more of catch and shoot spot up scorer for the Magic. His 5.4 apg average wasn’t that much higher than Mo’s. I would say he and Mo are kind of similar PGs in that way.

  • Scotty

    hahaha @2, LeBron + Shaq = crazy delicious…..nice

  • Eli

    So what your saying is…because Nelson and Mo have a similar play style, the Shaq trade was bad for Cleveland?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    Hahaha…..I hate you, Eli. :)

  • http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Tsunami Tsunami

    This is probably the biggest trade in Cleveland Cavs history.

    I don’t see anyone going on rants about how the Cavs are locks to win it all from now till 2035. Hell, I still don’t think they are long enough to compete with the Lakers. I do, however, think Ferry is still going to make some moves.

    I’m not sure where you are going with the stuff about Dan Gilbert. When was the last time a Cleveland owner was willing to shell out more money than just about anyone in the league?? this is a big deal, and personally, I don’t think Cavs fans appreciate enough how good of an owner Dan Gilbert is. I think he has a HUGE part to play in LeBron james’ decision to stay or go.

    I understand you are trying to be realistic and not a hyperventilating fan. Like the ones that were screaming Super Bowl after the Browns drafted Tim Couch, but there is a lot to like here, and personally, I was looking for more optimism from you guys.

    The fact remains, the Cavs won 66 games, and Pavlovic and Wallace really didn’t do much at all to that effect – and maybe the Cavs biggest weakness (lack of post game and interior size) has been addressed.

    What other big name post player could the Cavs have gotten for expiring contracts? you talk about how we should have held out longer, they wanted Delonte West – we didn’t have to give him up.

    B Windhorst is probably the most calm rational beat writer in the biz and he was very excited about the steal the Cavs got.

  • http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Tsunami Tsunami

    And for the record – absolutely NO ONE on the Cavs did ANYTHING in the playoffs this season, and we were one bad bounce away from the finals – because Lebron IS THAT GOOD.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    Once again, please allow me to paste some excerpts from my article about the Shaq trade:

    “on face value Danny Ferry just shipped off 2 players who offered nothing to the Cavs and who were barely even part of the rotation by the end of the season, for a player Slam Magazine just last month named as the 4th best player of all time. ”

    “this is still a player who just last season averaged 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 blocks, shot 60.9% from the field, and had a PER of 22.3. So yeah, the Cavaliers just got a little bit better. You could add Pavlovic and Wallace’s production together, double it (maybe even triple it), and still not get the numbers Shaq put up last year as a 36 year old veteran.”

    “It’s pretty hard to argue with the production the Cavaliers are getting in this trade.”

    “Shaq may be slow these days, but whereas that was a big hindrance on what Phoenix was trying to do offensively, it will actually fit in with Cleveland’s offensive identity. The Cavaliers have sorely, and I mean sorely, lacked an inside scoring presence the last couple years. Joe Smith and Anderson Varejao have pretty much by default been the Cavaliers best inside options the past couple years, but neither one can give the Cavaliers the kind of offensive post presence that Shaq will give.”

    “How many times the past couple years have we seen LeBron use his ability to draw defenders to feed the ball inside the post to someone only to see them either mishandle the pass or miss the resulting shot? Well, that’s not going to happen with Shaq there. If LeBron can get the ball to Shaq in position to score (and lets face it, we know he will), Shaq is going to finish the play. With Shaq’s inside scoring, LeBron’s ability to drive, distribute, and score, and Mo Williams’ ability to knock down outside shots, the Cavaliers now have a 3 pronged offensive attack.”

    “Bringing Zydrunas Ilgauskas off the bench will be an adjustment for sure, but it’s hard to not feel good about Z and Shaq’s ability to cut into each other’s minutes and keep each other fresh.”

    “When Shaq goes to the bench now, there won’t be that sharp of a drop in production with Z coming in. There will be a difference stylistically of course, but not in terms of pure output.”

    “There will be plenty of adjustments that will need to be made, and there will definitely be a rough period of adaptation as the Cavaliers get used to playing with Shaq. He’s going to demand the ball at times, he’s going to slow down the offense at times, he’s going to use up some of LeBron and Delonte’s driving lanes. All those concerns are real concerns. But they’ve been issues with Shaquille his whole career and teams have always found ways to use him to their advantage and to win championships.”

    “What Shaq can do that the Cavaliers couldn’t do last year, though, is defend Dwight Howard (somewhat) one on one. Not having to double Howard constantly will definitely help the Cavaliers not have to chase Orlando’s shooters around the perimeter, which is a good thing.”

    “You have to be a little concerned about those numbers, but at the same time, it’s important to remember that for most of these games Shaq was playing on mediocre teams. Now that he will be paired with LeBron James and playing on a real contender for the first time since he won the title with Wade in Miami, the Cavaliers are obviously hoping the results will even out.”

    “There are definitely going to be some question marks on the court with adding Shaq, but overall the Cavaliers are better team today for having him. I don’t think there’s any way to doubt that. And when a team that won 66 games last year finds a way to improve itself, you should feel good about that.”

    Yeah, I was SO brutally negative. Give me a break.

  • Eli

    Alright. I will say one reasonable thing in these comments and then stop wasting all of your tax dollars and get back to work.

    Its my general feeling that Ferry was trying to address a need for the team and help solidify a solid half-court identity with this trade rather than react to the strengths of the other people inside the Eastern Conference. Teams facing us now have to come up with defensive schemes that include double team rotations on 2 different guys on the floor at one time. Not for the whole game, but hopefully the 4th quarter. That’s pretty damn rough. I don’t like the Cavs trying to beat other teams at their game. We tried that by setting up a team to beat the Celts and we got backdoored. Strengthening our own game and making people play us, our way, is my preference.

    And yea, we do need to find a way to not get killed by perimeter shooters who are 6’5″ and up.

  • rd

    WFNY – the reactions to the first spate of posts was not that you didnt embrace a “The Cavs can do no wrong” attitude, it was the complete laughability of some of the “cons” statements that you guys posted.

    (side note, I usually find your stuff pretty thoughtful)

    Your craziness followed by my reactions:

    “is this the best we can get for Sasha and Wallace” – what, we shoulda held out to trade Bosh for this garbage?

    “Personally, I still think we could have had Camby and now we know that we could have had Tyson Chandler” – 2 say either of these 2 is a better option then Shaq is utter insanity.

    “What cost the Cavs against Orlando was perimeter defense and a lack of ball movement on offense. Shaq certainly doesn’t improve either of those areas dramatically.” – Wrong, it was having to double Howard, which lead to crazy rotation trying to cover the 3 pt shooters

    “The downside is Shaq potentially clogging Lebron’s driving lanes” – This is the polar opposite of a correct statement. Shaq will make the lane much freer. If you slide of off Shaq to double LeBron when he drives, he throws the pass to Shaq, who can actually finish at the rim. Or he is screening off 2 guys. Remember, you have to guard Shaq downlow. Anyone on the team last your you could say that about other then maybe Z’s 2 touches per game in the paint.

    “This trade seems early. That isn’t to say ultimately it wouldn’t have become the best possible option, but it seems a bit quick” – Wait for what? Oh yea, maybe Toronto would give us Bosh! Maybe the Heat would gives us Wade!

    “I would have loved to see the team wait, wait and wait on the expiring contracts of Wallace and Pavlovic to see if we could eventually snag a Bosh or a Chandler.” – Oh wait!! There it is!! You think Bosh for this hunk of Junk!! Or that Chandler is any sort of upgrade over Shaq! That is classic funny.

    “and for all that we criticize Pavlovic, at least he was younger and better defensively than the average scrub combo forward. I really do not care for this trade at all.” – this one is the one that forced me to comment, seriously, worried about losing Pavs! PAVS! Read it again, yes, worried about losing PAVS!! Your Cavs card should be revoked.

  • fmayse

    RE: #24

    I agree with rd’s general points, however, he could have chosen a more…tactful….way to express his opinions. The general impression I got from the WFNY staff these last three days was cautiously pessimistic. Yes you said some things about how Shaq helps the Cavs but overall, it seemed like you were waiting for him to trip and blow his ACLs on the way into Cleveland. I have no idea how Shaq will play in Cleveland. I hope hope hope that he will be able to share the stage and thrive on the team. I would say that I am cautiously optimistic.

    Now about the Draft: WTF?!1/1/??!?!1/12/2

    I agree with the earlier statement that if we knew more about what the Cavs were planning, I would feel a lot better about who they picked.

    *Burning soapbox*

  • mgbode

    “This is probably the biggest trade in Cleveland Cavs history.”

    well, I would argue it was trading the draft pick that got the Lakers James Worthy.

    oh, you meant biggest positive trade?

    then I would argue it was KJ for Nance or Brandon for Kemp (yeah, it was negative at the time, but it set forth the chain of events that bottomed out the Cavs right when LeBron was the #1 draft pick).

    there’s about 5 or 6 other trades of both positive and negative that I would lump ahead of this one.

    I actually like this trade (short-term improvement, no long term investment, more national attention, my wife is a Shaq fan so she will watch more Cavs games with me now, etc). It’s just not a seismic shifting trade.

  • KevinH

    Rock – #22, You sure you didn’t just repost the entire article there? :-)

    I was critical of you guys yesterday because I thought the “cons” listed in your gut reaction to the Shaq trade were off-base. I never said the Cavs had everything they needed, nor do I think they’re perfect. Far from it because I think their draft was two-thirds garbage, as I wrote in my draft review today. I won’t post the link unless you guys want me to because it’s on a semi-competitor’s site.

    I’m sure I’m just like the whole WFNY crew, waiting to see what happens next and hoping it’s positive.

  • Fursdon

    I’m mostly with the WFNY guys here:

    Why so soon? (Yeah, I know part of the answer)

    Who’re we going to fill the roster with? (Especially if all your ‘prime targets’ start getting picked up by other teams)

    Will it work? We can guess and make hypothesis until we’re blue in the face. I suppose we’ll have to….you know. WFNY.

  • The Ryan Gar Company

    This post was arrogant and needlessly antagonizing. I love this blog and read it everyday, In my opinion this was the worst piece I’ve read here.

    Why go out of you way to take potshots at your fellow Cavs fans? God forbid this city gets excited about something positive. I understand that some people are always over the top but that happens with anything involving sports.

    Also, in my opinion Dan Gilbert > Dick Jacobs.
    If Jacobs would’ve ever done some defecit spending during the tribes run we may have actually won a thing or two worth remembering. I don’t understand the reasoning behind chastising people for liking the fact that Gilbert puts his money where his mouth is.

    I think that what’s been written in the comments has been far more constructive than the actual piece itself.

  • humboldt

    pretentious. why not let people be excited in the wake of a historic trade without trying to claim some faux moral highground?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Denny

    “Arrogant and needlessly antagonizing”… “pretentious”.

    That was the point, guys. We got blasted all day yesterday and today because not everyone that writes here was talking cupcakes, ponies, and rainbows about the Shaq trade. It’s not fun being on the other side of things is it?

    Fact: this whole post was done 95% in jest. I like sarcasm. Maybe I haven’t expressed that enough, but I thought I’d flip things for fun. Do I think some people go overboard? Yes. Do I agree with everyone’s opinion on the trade that writes for WFNY? No. Truth is, nobody will know for sure how this Shaq trade works out until next June. If we make the finals, I say it worked out well. But to think this trade alone does it all for the team? That’s asinine. There’s still free agency to go through. That’s where the team’s biggest acquisitions (or failed acquisitions) take place.

    Relax guys, I was doing this to see how riled up I could get people. It worked, and now I’m giggling.

    Yes, the discussion has been very good here in the comments, and we truly appreciate that. If this is the worst piece I ever write, I’ll be pretty proud of my work, because this post makes me laugh. You guys don’t have to agree with us. That’s fine. We’re here to discuss the teams we love, and don’t all agree all the time. That’s fine.

  • Isis

    Wouldn’t it be nice if you guys were this objective about the Browns? Anything remotely critical of [Management] is met with abject rejection. Try and be a bit more consistent across the board before this one has any sense of credibility. Why not come out with something like this ONE TIME with the Browns and show some consistency in thought?

  • feel kollins

    #24 and #29 thank you for being rational. i swear this post was written so they could say ‘told you so’ in case anything goes wrong next may. talk about saturday morning quarterbacking!

  • The Other Tim

    Almost as stupid as putting up a COUNTDOWN TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP banner on your wbesite, yo!

  • DK

    This piece felt like an abrasive, knee-jerk overreaction to some negative fan response. Come on guys, what if Branson Wright went off the hilt like this every time he got panned? It comes with the territory.

    What I don’t get is how intelligent, well-read Cleveland sports bloggers like you don’t understand the Cavs’ strategy with the Round 1 pick. They figured that a late first round guy and a middle second round guy in this draft were essentially equivalent, and the second rounder will be much cheaper to sign.

    By stashing Christian overseas, we can avoid signing him, which will save us $800k this year, and, much more importantly, save us a little over $1 million for the summer of 2010. That may sound like a pittance, but with our current contract commitments we would be about $1.5 million shy of being able to offer a max contract to a free agent that summer. (Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/oeyj9j) So this would go a long way.

    Now, you can disagree with that strategy–I certainly do. But I think Ferry/Gilbert’s reasoning is pretty clear. What other POSSIBLE REASON could there be to completely pass on a pick when your goal is an immediate championship?

  • rd

    @32: thank-you.

    and please remember that Z is also an expiring deal and that he is willing to be traded in a buy-out situation. if Feb comes around and we need to flip Z’ expiring contract, picks and jj/andy/gib/west (some combo of, per chance) for Bosh – it can still be done – money wise. we did not shoot our only trading bullets.

  • bobby

    rd… I never thought of Z being a trading chip, but that does make sense. Overall though, I tend to agree with the WFNY staff. I like the Shaq trade, but I wish they did something more with that pick at 30, even to just get a role player (like Courtney Lee). It would just be a lot easier thinking that they have more options if need be. Who knows, maybe they can lure someone in hopes of a championship, but I wouldn’t count on them being from LAL or ORL. If Ferry works out some terrific signs next week, Ill be fine, but right now there is just one too many IFs.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Denny

    @ Isis – my honest opinion? The Browns are god-awful. Maybe this regime change will have an effect on that over time, but they’re not that good right now. The thing is, that’s MY opinion. There are 8 other people that write for this site. We all have our own opinions. We all write what we want.

    This post was not meant to be a definitive source of anything, and I apologize if you took it to be such. I was writing to incite people. I was being an asshole. Why? Because I honestly feel some people were being so out of touch that they ought to be mocked.

    Do I think this particular trade hurt the Cavs? No. The Cavs are better. But they’re not Kevin Costner Untouchable. And I think the Cavs’ shortcomings should be openly acknowledged and discussed so that we can improve.

  • http://www.kardiackid.blogspot.com Matt

    Waiting For Next Year: writing about themselves writing about Cleveland sports since 2007.

  • fmayse

    So how ’bout them Indians?

  • whipjacka

    Remember when chick ludwig of the Dayton Daily News wrote an inflammatory piece last football preseason? He said that the Browns would “implode” and he did this merely to enrage Cleveland fans and gain numbers.
    Then after that, Chick wrote a piece mocking the commenters who called him an ass.
    This site took the opinion the the guy was petty and unprofessional.

    Look who is being petty and unprofessional now.

    As a growing Cleveland sports authority (and this site is quickly becoming one), you cannot become the guys that feud with the audience. It is unprofessional, offputting, and stupid. Not to mention, most of the comments that disagreed with your statements were constructive and fair, not trollish.

    As a side note, Chick called it right. The Browns imploded. How frustrating is that

  • humboldt

    @Matt/DK – agreed.

    @Denny: Look, I love this blog and the community you guys have created. But sometimes there is a certain smugness/self-righteousness that comes across in your posts (even despite apparently well-meaning attempts at humor) that you just have to keep in check or else risk alienating your readership. Content is great guys, it’s just a matter of tone.

  • Glaumdawg

    This is easily my favorite post I have ever read on this site. I hurt from laughter right now!

  • jcm

    You guys really need to get over yourselves. Is the next post going to be called “WFNY can do no wrong”? Part of publishing stuff on the internet is people reading it and responding to it. Sometimes those responses will be positive, and sometimes they’ll be negative. Sometimes they’ll be insightful, and sometimes they’ll be jaw-droppingly dumb. So what?

    I really enjoy the coverage here, and think you guys tend to do a great job, even when I disagree with you. This post just makes you look thin-skinned and insecure. Reasonable people can disagree on this stuff. Reducing that disagreement to the lowest common denominator and then mocking it is lame.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com RockKing

    It’s hilarious that you guys are mad about this. And even funnier to me that people say things like “Imagine if Branson Wright wrote something like this.” Branson Wright is a paid journalist. We do this for free. We do this for fun. 100% of what little ad revenue we make is reinvested back into the site, providing you guys with the prizes we routinely give away in various contests. If we were getting paid for doing this, then it would be “unprofessional” of us to write something like this, but we’re not.

    This site has been around for a year and a half now, and we have ALWAYS advocated disagreeing points of view. The whole mission of this site has been to create a place where we could have intelligent discourse on sports without all the yelling and insults. What we will not do, however, is sit around and take abusive and aggressive statements calling us idiots for merely stating our opinion that the Shaq trade does not inherently make the Cavs the team to beat in the NBA, or our preference for the Cavaliers to have drafted someone who had the potential to actually help the team. If our readers want to antagonize us all week long in the comments, why is it wrong for us to do the same? We are no different than anyone else. We are Cleveland sports fans who have real jobs and real lives just like all of you.

  • DK

    Just because professionalism isn’t demanded of you doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be striven for. Everyone here appreciates what you guys do–that’s why we’re here in the first place. Keep up the good work.

  • rockk

    This is a childish article, if your not from Cleveland ..than you just need to stay the hell outta this….Pittsburgh is on our doorstep..they have a guy who got shot in the [WFNY edit: Backside], a quarterback who almost died in a bike accident, a 50 lb safety whos the worlds greatest tackler and a receiver with 2 bionic knees..Yet they win Championship after Championship. ..We are so hateful and tired of everyone winning except us …there is no Yankee team in the last 20 years that compares to who we had on the 5 years the Indians were a great team and they lost.. The Cavs Also had great teams for about 5 seasons in the 80/90s spurt..that lost only due to Major injuries at the end of the season. Every year the Browns come out every gets hurt..and we lose the whole season ….We are sick of losing..and being negative about trades ..and trading deadlines hurts and is too much for Cleveland fans to do anymore..so they Blindly accept shaq and anything that attaches us to Winning…We actually have Micheal Jordan ..and still cant even win a NBA title. So lets make this clear..if your not from Cleveland you cant make a statement about Cleveland teams or anything else..it hurts over here.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Denny

    I’m not from Cleveland. I’m from Sandusky. Apparently that doesn’t count. And the fact I live in DC now obviously cuts all ties I have with anything in Ohio. Thank you for clarifying and reminding me that I, in fact, cannot relate to the heartbreak that a Real Clevelander goes through.

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