While We’re Waiting… Playoff Fear, Fielding Practice, and NFL Draft Options
Written By: Scott | Category: Best of the Web | Comments: 13While 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
Nothing to fear but… “Basically, my biggest fear about the Playoffs, Free Agency 2010, and LeBron. It’s not losing. We of Cleveland fandom have done it before, in the most heartbreaking ways possible. Nor is it LeBron leaving, win or lose. I’m at peace with that. If it happens, it’s because he wants to live somewhere else, and nothing can stop that. The Cavs organization is first class in every way and the best basketball situation, as well. This fear is not even the Cavs winning the title, and the unsettling loss of identity that will accompany it…” [Brian 23]
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About that LeBron 2010 billboard campaign… [64 and Counting]
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Maybe Jhonny should join… “Here’s yet another sign that the Indians are under a new regime: A pitchers’ fielding practice is scheduled for Friday afternoon, before batting practice. I’ve covered this team for five years and never seen that in-season.” [CastroTurf]
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We have options! Or a lot of holes, you choose. “As you can tell, there are a lot of different ways this draft can play out. At the present, the Browns have approximately 15 players in mind when looking at the #7 selection — some of which are involved in potential trade-down scenarios.
With all the different directions the draft can take in the first six picks, the Browns know there are a huge number of options, and are working through them all.” [Lane Adkins/The OBR - S/R]
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And finally, stepping stones for Evan Turner: “Tuesday Night saw The Villain make his professional basketball debut… with the Harlem Globetrotters. While E.T. wisely didn’t partake in the chicanery and shenanigans the ‘Trot (my improvised nickname for them; help it catch on) are usually all about, he did participate as the honorary jump ball tosser.” [Eleven Warriors]
Author: Scott
Scott is a co-founder/editor of Waiting For Next Year who resides in Cleveland, Ohio. Feel free to follow him on Twitter or email him at scott@waitingfornextyear.com.Scott has written 2076 articles for Waiting for Next Year.
Is it fair to say that with LeBron, Mike Brown is the best coach in the league and without LeBron, Brown is the absolute worst coach in the league? Is it fair to say the same thing about LeBron’s teammates and the Cavs as a whole?
Don’t you think the LeBron-less Cavs should have been able to beat SOMEONE? ANYONE? This bodes not well.
Maybe a sweep of the Bulls will cure my ails.
@MrC — does it really matter? I don’t think anyone will remember those games after the opening tip-off of game 1 against the Bulls. Playoff intensity has a way of putting those meaningless final games, where the team jewels were all securely encased, in their proper perspective. Brown’s quote yesterday was eloquent in its own way: “We got through it.” That was the goal; goal accomplished.
The Wine and Gold Rush have a great post up on the Cavs’ unfortunate choice for a playoff slogan this year.
http://www.thewineandgoldrush.com/blog/
Let’s see if we can get the Cavs to drop that insipid slogan. It does a disservice to the team’s pronounced character.
they beat the spurs, back when winning mattered. Keep in mind that LBJ wasn’t the only benched starter here.
I am not worried about LeBron being rusty himself.
The “play yourself back” in an “easy” first round theory should be problematic to anyone who has played sports at a decent level. Here is what can possibly happen (and I’m not saying it will, but it’s my biggest concern):
Cavs come out a bit rusty in round 1, are forced to win ugly in 4 or even 5 tough games over the Bulls. They never look solid throughout the whole series.
From there, two things could happen: After getting a few tough playoff games under the belt, they could snap back into it. Or, the worst case scenario, the rustiness/lack of assuredness could carry over into the next series and even the next .
Long story short, basically sometimes you can really play yourself back into form, even if it was ugly for a few games; but, sometimes you can just really get crippled by that rustiness, especially in a high pressure situation.
Let’s hope they play themselves back into form.
@ Mr C – Im sure the Bron-less Cavs could beat someone, but the Bron-less, Shaq-less, Mo-less, Andy-less, non motivated Cavs, can’t.
I truly am scared of everything.. The Bulls, Hawks, Magic, anybody in the west. Losing LBJ, LBJ getting hurt, Mo getting cold again, Delonte freaking out, Shaq being old, it all just horrifying. As good as this team is (or any team I root for, for that matter) it’s always Cleveland. Thats one thing that could crush our dreams… again.
FOR GAME LOSING STREAK, GAH. WE’RE DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMED!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spaeth is pretty correct in his thinking – I have a sad feeling that once LeBron switches from 23, it’ll preemptively be retired.
I don’t buy Spaeth’s BS for a second. If we win a ring, I’ll personally fly to Cleveland and build a 40-foot statue of LeBron made of bacon in the middle of Public Square.
Turk…..Great idea! How about likenesses of the supporting staff–Moe, Delonte, Andy, etc.–cast in pierogis? Sounds delicious, no?
Sounds splendid, NIKKO. I’m there.
Actually Mike Brown must have done something right to make the team play defense. Just sayin.
I think a statue of lebron taking a fake picture of the team posing would be appropriate.
Also retire all of the cavs numbers that are on the team. It only makes sense.
Oh also I think that if we do win it this year that cleveland will burn down in celebration. I mean come on we lit our RIVER on fire…any town that can accomplish that means bad news for the celebration. But if it does I’ll be right there going down in the celebration with it.