While We’re Waiting… No Stars to New York, Hafner’s Clean Jorts, and Artest’s Intensity
While We’re Waiting aims to be the round-up of the recent WFNY-esque information for your morning viewing. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email in the sidebar.
Maybe this Marbury guy isn’t so bad after all: “Stephon Marbury, who becomes a free agent again today, believes star players should be cautious about signing with the Knicks because of Mike D’Antoni’s offensive scheme and the way the organization treats people. I wouldn’t want to play in that system,” Marbury told The Post. “That system can’t win championships. You can’t win championships if you don’t talk about defense.” [Marc Berman/NY Post]
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A snippet of LGT’s Short Play:
Choo: Hey, where did Hafner go?
Martinez: He had to leave for another 3 weeks. He said they’d let him come back in mid July. He doesn’t know why but those are the rules for him now.
Sizemore: He told me he was out of clean jean shorts and had to go get more.
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You know things haven’t gone well when Derek Anderson is deemed “best quarterback of the decade” for the team of your rooting interest. [No Logo Needed]
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I’m definitely warming up to him: “It’s been a few years since [Ron Artest] went berserk in the Palace, and he’s genuinely attempted to tone his act down since then, but there is still no scarier man in shorts and a tank top on television. And that’s a good thing. He’s a genuine intimidator with incredible competitiveness. Artest is all about intensity, and he brings it in spades on both ends of the floor. You can question his mentality or his off-court actions or his on-court decision-making, but you cannot question his defensive abilities or desire to win. The man is a bona fide difference maker, and there aren’t many of those in our league.” [Andrew Thell/Empty the Bench]
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Remember Karim Garcia? He’s now playing ball in Korea, and appears to be enjoying himself. Bleached hair and all. [SportsbyBrooks]
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Dog Days of Summer: “I have to admit that I am suffering from some serious football withdrawal at the moment. It’s gotten so bad that I actually considered watching the qualifiers for the World Cup soccer Champions League Cup…or whatever it was, before I came to my senses and realized that once again, I am a proud, soccer-indifferent American with a vested lifetime interest in a perpetually floundering franchise.” [Cleveland Reboot]
July 1st, 2009 at 9:26 am
that comeback by the US soccer team was pretty sick, especially if they had finished off brazil… an analogy would be if this year’s indians team played 500 ball from here on out and won the division on technicalities, and then proceeded to throttle everyone in the AL on their way to loosing the world series in 7 games after being up 3-0… its a heartbreak that i think can resonate with ne ohio fans.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:30 am
the US has a soccer team? since when?
July 1st, 2009 at 9:33 am
I don’t understand the American football fan’s need to denigrate the sport of soccer.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:34 am
The second bit of Indians news is incontestability the best Indians news of this season.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:37 am
I don’t understand the European football fan’s need to worry about what other people day about their sport.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:39 am
It’s just easy to pick on Soccer because no one really cares about it. Kind of like Canada.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:40 am
I also don’t know how I feel about Ron Artest in Cleveland…he doesnt seem to fit in with the “chemistry” we have…there are definitely certain types of players that do and dont fit that…I think he fits under the doesnt group…
I am starting to like the idea of getting Barnes over CV at this point…and resigning AV…I like the idea of CV, but if he doesnt play D, I would rather have someone that does…
July 1st, 2009 at 9:48 am
“Chemistry” kept Wally here last season, and got us beat by Orlando.
Bring on some PLAYERS, please.
July 1st, 2009 at 9:48 am
canadia at least has good beer…and they like to chase the moose aboot the hoose…eh?
July 1st, 2009 at 9:51 am
how did having PLAYERS help Orlando? or Houston?
I think the Lakers had a good mix of both…and it showed in crunch time in the Finals…
I dont disagree that we need more athletes with better overall skills (napoleon shoutout), but I dont think bringing in anyone that is an upgrade will necessarily help this team win…
July 1st, 2009 at 9:54 am
Seems to me, we got beat by Orlando….
July 1st, 2009 at 10:04 am
and they got beat by……..
July 1st, 2009 at 10:10 am
Well, if good team chemistry and making the Eastern Conference Finals is good enough, well then by all means, we should sign some more C-listers that will help make us the NBA Champions….of pregame rituals.
But to win, we may have to sign someone with actual difference making talent….ala Wallace, Artest, et al.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:19 am
The Browns All-Bust teams are much more entertaining to read than the All-Offense team.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:23 am
the one thing we’ve had with our bunch of c-listers is great team chemistry… but i don’t see Artest or Wallace as team-first type of players.
July 1st, 2009 at 10:37 am
I just want to win. I don’t care if we have to do it with a bunch a ax-murderers….(ie. the Detroit Bad Boys….).
July 1st, 2009 at 10:57 am
@16: disagree. Don’t forget the important aesthetic considerations and visceral reactions in considering who the Cavs should sign. For example…
– Rasheed: can you really imagine rooting for a guy with a demeanor that screams “someone, anyone, should have disciplined me as a child”? And what is that unidentified thing on his scalp?
– Villanueva: can fans support a guy with no eyebrows? Sure, it seems shallow and petty, but you’re probably talking about a 3 year contract,and that’s a whole lot of close-ups of his sweaty face when he’s on the foul line.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:10 am
@17: Ah, I get it.
Have to keep the team pretty and marketable….
Championship, shmanpionship.
Just win, errr, sell posters, baby!
July 1st, 2009 at 11:12 am
@17 – hilarious and I agree completely…
I cant see myself ever rooting for ’sheed…that thing on his head has bothered me for years…
…maybe we can get CV to pencil in a unibrow for giggles…
my whole point previously was that I would rather not sacrifice what we have for some knuckleheaded thug…you can play tough D and not be a four letter word that I cant write here…
July 1st, 2009 at 11:14 am
@18 – who said we have to sacrifice championships? it has nothing to do with the team being pretty, but how many cavs fans would feel torn rooting for people that you saw on other teams and thought “man, I dont care how good he is, I’m glad hes not on our team” – a la Sheed….
July 1st, 2009 at 11:20 am
@20: A championship is just like holy water….it washes away all your previous sins.
July 1st, 2009 at 11:59 am
you know what… i have to agree. You still might hate the guy, but if he performs, he performs, and you learn to not mind him. Its like if Hines @%^@#$# Ward ever came to the browns. I hate his living guts, and think he is a punk player, but if he’s doing it for Cleveland, as long as it doesn’t cost us, go ahead and be a punk.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:17 pm
I don’t understand the Hines Ward hate. It’s pure jealousy at its worst. He’s a great player. He just happens to play for Pittsburgh. I can’t put on my blinders and ignore the fact that he’s a great all around WR.
July 1st, 2009 at 12:29 pm
He also blindsides people all the time (against the NFL rules). If you read any type of thing where the players talk about dirtiest players in the league, Ward is always at the top. He took a cheap hit the took out Bengals rookie Kieth Rivers last year, I think it broke his jaw if im not mistaken. Ill admit, some of my hate comes from the fact that he’s a steeler and always seems to make a clutch play against the browns, but I still wouldn’t like him if he played for any other team (with the exception of the browns, as i mentioned @22)
July 1st, 2009 at 12:37 pm
How many people would be hating on Andy if he was a Piston or Celtic? It is great to have a guy that can play and get under peoples’ skin. We need players period! Now is when we say to Artest or Sheed, do you want to be a part of a team that will make a good run at a championship?
Let Lebron and Shaq worry about the “chemistry.” I thought the team chemistry this year was as good as ever on any CLE team but what did it get us? I think it can be overrated at times. Fans and media often talk about chemistry in the clubhouse, but winning on the floor is all that matters. Let the players and coaches worry about chemistry and guys fitting in. Just gets us some players Danny!
July 1st, 2009 at 12:55 pm
I disagree…the Cavs lost because of a bad matchup…Orlando squeaked by BOS with no KG…if KG plays in that series, I believe BOS wins…and then we play BOS and win (again, my opinion)…but as it stood, that didnt happen…ORL shot the lights out in the ECF, and we had no answer for their length on the outside, or strength on the inside…if KG plays in the BOS ORL series, we probably are talking about either the Cavs losing in the Finals, or we’re celebrating our first Championship…
the chemistry was good on this team, and I dont think blowing it up by tossing a grenade in the middle will solve it…
I dont have a problem with some players like Hines that do everything they can to win for their team, but I dont necessarily want a guy who gets Technicals all the time, or choke fans…guys that think theyre above everyone else and dont give a hoot…
Give me guys that play hard, and play to win, night in and out…not guys that take plays or games off (sheed, CV) or guys that are just messed up in the head (artest)…
I’m willing to sacrifice a few wins for a team that you can be proud of…not a bunch of thugs that play dirty to win…
July 1st, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Artest has nobody to blame but himself, but it’s a truly unfortunate that after he retires, not many people will truly realize how good of an NBA player he is, has been and will be for the next couple of years. R
egardless of his past transgressions, he was never going to get into the HOF. But he is a unique talent in this league and is an extremely valuable player to any team. If the Cavs are pulling out all the stops to win next year, I have no problem with them getting Artest, especially if DET nabs Villanueva.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
If Artest is an option, I would be intrigued if the Cavs tested it with a 1 year rental to win a ship. If LeBron and Shaq can keep him cool, and they all have the goal of winning, then it could be great… it could also be a ticking time bomb too….
July 1st, 2009 at 3:56 pm
Forget chemistry issues. Shaq says in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated that this is LEBRON’S TEAM. Shaq even insisted on the caps lock himself. Can you imagine a guy like Sheed or Artest showing a me-first attitude? Not a chance. They will fall in line right behind the two hall of fame locks. Just about any talented player that fits our needs will work. I would love to have either of those two at the MLE.