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.
Breaking down the chances of each player making the Cavs’ final roster- “Group 2: The Contract Men. Two Lukes and a Boobie: guys whose chances of making the team hinge around their contract. Luke Walton: In the final year of a 6 year, $30 million dollar contract, costing the Cavs $6.1 Million this year, it seems highly unlikely that the Cavs will buy out or waive the elder Luke. Why? Because they don’t want to play a guy that much money to do nothing, and because he’s bad enough that once he’s off the Cavs, he’s probably out of the league. Which means he probably won’t take a buyout. While his preseason play hasn’t set the world on fire, it hasn’t been too bad. With a decent game against Orlando, he showed that he can at least play NBA basketball in a meaningless game for 11 minutes. The expiring contract could be a big chip at the trade deadline too. Look for him to stick at least till February, and fill the Anthony Parker memorial “stately veteran” role for the Cavs (but thankfully not actually play very much). Chances of making the Cavs: 90%.” [Smith/Cavs the Blog]
—-
“Thoughts: Do our safeties even exist? This has been a very disappointing season in 2012, and one that Cleveland will be looking to address next season in the draft or via free agency. T.J. Ward did have one pass breakup near the end zone when Andrew Luck targeted Reggie Wayne, but I’d like to see Ward come up with a pick there.” [Pokorny/Dawgs By Nature]
—-
Wait, what? “Despite kicking booming field goals and becoming one of the best high school kickers in the state of Texas, Phil Dawson found his greatest joy when he wasn’t kicking the football. It was playing on the offensive line.” [Wright/Cleveland.com]
—-
“Purdue’s aggressive game plan—aided by four Ohio State turnovers—sufficiently scuttled the Buckeye attack through most of the game. This was largely a product of three factors. The first was that Purdue was able to slow down the Ohio State run game enough to set the Buckeyes behind the chains. Though Purdue’s numbers advantage was certainly part of it, Purdue also at times successfully controlled the line of scrimmage. The most straightforward way to stop a spread-to-run team is to control the frontside run action. Though the quarterback read negates an opposing defender, read plays are not a true option in that it still requires successful playside blocking to succeed. If a team can stymie the front-side play then the additional defenders can account for the QB. Purdue was able to do so enough to render OSU’s run game inconsistent. Despite its recent lack of success, Purdue does have several talented interior defensive tackles who were at times able to give the Ohio State offensive line—in particular Marcus Hall—fits.” [Fulton/Eleven Warriors]
—-
Great piece on broadcasters’ rare use of advanced metrics- “The disconnect between the way advanced statistics are used in baseball front offices — the Philadelphia Phillies perhaps being the lone, stubborn exception — and the way they are used in media coverage of baseball is so vast that you’d almost think television is covering a different sport entirely. Inside the world of baseball, WAR and OPS+ and so on are simply the way general managers and team staff talk about their jobs, the way CPAs talk about spreadsheets and financial advisors discuss Roth IRAs, the way any profession talks about anything.” [Leitch/Sports on Earth]
