Cavs Owner Dan Gilbert is One Step Closer to His Casino
February 1, 2011Super Bowl Media Day: Rob Ryan’s Defense Getting Some Love
February 2, 2011
While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
The Cavs could win Wednesday. No, really- “Forget for a moment the Cavs and Pacers have played three times this season, and the Pacers have won them all. Forget the fact the Cavs will again be without starters Anderson Varejao (foot), Mo Williams (hip) and Daniel Gibson (quad). Basically, all the Cavs need is a head and an elbow and they could build an entire wounded body. Finally, forget that the Pacers easily won their first game under interim coach Frank Vogel over Toronto on Monday. And in case you’re wondering, no, we had never heard of Vogel prior to Monday, either. But he was named the replacement for Jim O’Brien, who was fired after team president Larry Bird grew tired of O’Brien’s erratic substitution patterns. Anyway, the true bottom line on this game is the Pacers are struggling, having won just three of their previous 10 — and it’s nights like these that make a suddenly young team like the Cavs believe it’s got a shot.” [Amico/FSO]
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A win would help Gilbert’s $ per win total- “The Cavaliers’ 2010-11 team payroll is approximately $51.5 million. With 58% of the season in the books heading into the Pacers game at 8-40, we can figure that Gilbert has paid roughly $30.1 million of that total number – or $3.77 million per win so far.” [Bowers/Stepien Rules]
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Paul Lucas spends a day in my neck of the woods, watching the Wilson factory make Super Bowl footballs- “But wait — Jenkins has sewn the ball inside out. Why? To protect the stitches and hide the seams. So now the ball has to be turned right-side out. You’d think they’d have invented a machine to do this, but they haven’t. Instead, the ball is briefly put in a steam box to soften it up a bit and is then wrestled into its proper orientation by one strong guy and a metal rod. “It’s the hardest job in the factory,” says Bill Scheele (3.5 years) as he demonstrates the proper technique. “Very tough on your arms and hands. Here, try it yourself.” A few failed attempts later, we’ve firmly established that I’m not cut out for this job.” [Lukas/UniWatch]
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National signing day. Lots of kids sitting in the gym putting on hats to applause. A little silly, but really important for the Bucks. Good info on who might be coming to Columbus. [Alex/Eleven Warriors]
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How important is the draft? Take a look at this- “All told, 36 of the 44 players expected to start in the Super Bowl have spent their entire pro careers with the Steelers or Packers, as draftees or after being signed out of college. Only one, Woodson, arrived as a big-money free agent, and no one came to either Super Bowl lineup via trade. That’s the way winning pro football teams are built. Of course — you have to be able to draft well, which eludes many highly paid NFL general managers.” [TMQ/ESPN]
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If the Browns were a soccer team they might wear these. Of course, since our owner would rather watch soccer than his NFL team this isn’t so much fun. [NFL Soccer Jerseys]
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(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
8 Comments
We all know the draft is important but, wow, what a stat! It makes me think we are much further away from the playoffs then before. It kills me but I think we are at least 4 years away from even having the possibility of having a contending team. And with the Ravens and Steelers in our divison…ugh.
Doesn’t that Vikings soccer jersey feel like the Target bullseye would be a real boon to defenders when they’re trying to tackle?
Call me crazy, but I’m kind of a fan of those NFL/Soccer hybrid jerseys.
Once you get an established team with depth it is easier to have successful draft picks because those guys don’t have to play from the first second they step on the field at a high level. You have good veterans, you ease the new guys in and the old guys out.
The Browns just need to be stable for a couple years so they can build some depth at every position.
“Basically, all the Cavs need is a head and an elbow and they could build an entire wounded body.”
We’ve been over this a million times, LeBron went to Miami. Enough already /sarcasm
I also would like those jerseys. I’d buy a Browns one for sure.
Cleveland’s teams should all be a variation on brown and orange maybe that’d help break the curse. Either that or a whole new color combination but I know that’ll never happen. Especially for football.
Pacers by 7!