May 24, 2013

Mike Brown Take Two? In The Right Situation, Yes

April 21, 2013 by 40 Comments

Mike BrownThere’s been a lot of rumbling ever since the Cavaliers let head coach Byron Scott go last week that it was possible that his predecessor Mike Brown may just get another look at the Cavaliers coaching gig. Some are strongly opposed to bringing a coach back for a second tour of duty, for that reason alone. Some are concerned that the same reasons that Brown was relieved of his job title in Cleveland will creep up again. Still, I’m saying, right here, right now, that I would be on board with a Mike Brown Cavalier reunion tour under the proper terms.

I’ll add at the outset that I hope Brown is not the only candidate that the Cavaliers interview. I’m intrigued in particular by Warriors assistant Mike Malone and Pacers assistant Brian Shaw. I’d give anything to have Phil Jackson come to Cleveland, but despite some reports, I just don’t see that happening. Malone was an assistant under Brown here in Cleveland from 2005-2010, while Shaw was reportedly a finalist back when the Cavs hired Scott in 2010. The problem is with Detroit and Philadelphia having vacancies and a few other teams potentially having openings after the first round of the playoffs is over, the Cavaliers may feel they have to move quickly to avoid losing Brown to a current playoff team. [Read more...]

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NBA News: Byron Scott says he didn’t get a “fair shake”

April 19, 2013 by 10 Comments

The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Mary Schmitt-Boyer got a telephone interview with Byron Scott and quotes the now-former Cavaliers head coach.

“I’m disappointed, more than anything,” Scott said in a telephone interview. “I don’t think I got a fair shake.”

While his sentiment is understandable, this is an issue of framing. The Cavaliers were never designed to win a whole host of games this season and everyone knew it. The question, as always, is why exactly was Byron Scott fired? Was it truly a matter of wins and losses, or were there more factors?

Our own Andrew has weighed in on the topic earlier today.

It wasn’t fair that Chris Grant was giving Byron Scott undrafted D-League players and forcing him to give them meaningful NBA minutes. It wasn’t fair that Byron had to coach a starting five containing two rookies and two second-year players. And it certainly isn’t fair that he was fired before he could see his rebuilding work through to the end.

Unfortunately for Byron Scott, professional sports aren’t about fairness. And even more unfortunate for Byron Scott, firing him at this time was absolutely the right move for this franchise.

As I have weighed in over the last day or so, I’ve continually said that this couldn’t be just about wins and losses. I think it was about superlative losses and superlative losing streaks. Ultimately, with regard to fairness, that’s unfair to fans and the team chose their best path was to make a change.

[Related: NBA Rumor: Cavs covet Mike Brown, may move fast]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-03-24 – LeBron, Heat, Byron Scott and Cavaliers

March 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment

WFNY Podcast LogoWhile I had Andrew on the line, I couldn’t let him get away with just talking about music.

In addition to the music podcast, we spent a few minutes talking about the NBA, specifically the Miami Heat streak. We also talked about the Cavaliers and Byron Scott and losing big leads with inferior teams.


Check out this episode

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Another Cavs blowout brings more ‘fire Byron Scott’ murmurs

March 23, 2013 by 22 Comments

Chris Grant, Kyrie Irving, Byron ScottAny time your team is having a 22-47 season, it’s certain to elicit negative reactions from fans about the organization’s head coach. But it’s a very nuanced type of negativity when it deals with Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Byron Scott.

Multiple times this year — notably, after the team started 5-23 — fans have questioned whether he’s the right coach to lead the Cavs into their hopeful playoff seasons down the road. Many have questioned his rotations. Others have questioned his overall toughness. Some have recalled how previous New Jersey and New Orleans teams started to ignore him by the end of his reign.

Whatever your Byron Scott-related point of view du jour, it’s likely that you displayed it on Twitter as the Cavaliers suffered their worst loss of the season, 118-76, on Friday in Houston. This of course followed Cleveland’s loss despite a 27-point lead against Miami on Wednesday. Placed within the context of Scott’s 186 games with the organization, it’s just been another tough week on the job. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… 20 years since Indians tragedy

March 23, 2013 by 2 Comments

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.

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20 years ago yesterday. Nice story from our friends at DTTWBL: “Whenever a loved one is lost, the memory of that moment seems endless. It’s hard to believe that it was 20 years ago that the Olin, Crews and Cleveland Indians families all lost people that they loved.” [Steve Eby/Did The Tribe Win Last Night?] [Read more...]

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Cavalier Film Room: Blowing a 27-Point Lead Three At A Time

March 22, 2013 by 1 Comment

WFNY Cavaliers Film RoomLast time in the film room, I gave the bench a standing ovation for their assist work. This week, I have the much less enjoyable task of breaking down just how the Cavaliers blew a 27-point lead against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, allowing the Heat to extend their win streak to 24 games. Not surprisingly, the three point shot played a huge role in that comeback. In less than eleven minutes of game action, Miami hit TEN three point shots to go from down 23 to up 7. As you’ll see in the film breakdown, however, it wasn’t just Miami getting hot. It was a systematical breakdown in the Cavaliers’ defense and a poor decision in personnel by Byron Scott that exacerbated the problem. Let’s dive in. [Read more...]

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One More LeBron Piece…

March 21, 2013 by 51 Comments

LeBron James Cavaliers IntrosI hate rehashing the LeBron James story. I really do. When he left Cleveland to join the Superfriends in Miami, I like the rest of you was beyond angry. The deep hatred that I had for LeBron had nothing to do with the fact that he left, but the way that he left. The clown show that followed with that horrific WWE-style introduction “Welcome to Miami” press event made everyone sick. I mean, who didn’t want to punch Chris Bosh in the face during it?

That first year in Miami was actually enjoyable to me, because everyone around the NBA immediately despised LeBron, Dwyane Wade, and Bosh. Nobody was rooting for them. Nobody. Watching the Heat lose in the NBA Finals to the Dallas Mavericks felt like a victory for all the little guys who got burned by the stars who left for greener pastures. Then last year happened.

You all know what occurred. LeBron got the monkey off his back in the Finals, shed his un-clutch label, danced around like a kid on Christmas Morning, and was crowned a champion. I hated it. Hated every single second. I couldn’t watch. Except for some reason, I did. I had one friend in particular who during the season told me he was actually rooting for LeBron and the Heat. His rationale was that he did so much for basketball in Cleveland and he loved him so much as a player that he just couldn’t stop rooting for him. Like anyone else would have done, I told him he was absolutely insane and a traitor. [Read more...]

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Cavs’ collapse to Heat leave plenty talking, many wondering

March 21, 2013 by 27 Comments

201302242007724424767-p2For all of the pre-game routines that NBA players plod through, it is the post-game rewind that keeps CJ Miles up at night. Following games, the Cavaliers swingman often stays awake until 4- or 5-o’clock in the morning, watching a replay of the recent game and then re-watching it in his mind, conjuring up the things he did right, but mostly criticizing himself for the things he could have done better. It’s something Miles has done since he was 14 or 15 years old, playing basketball inside the gym of his Dallas-area middle school. It flies smack in the face of most “how to” books regarding taking care of one’s body, but Miles has made it work — he finds other ways to compensate for the energy exerted in a given night and is willing to bend his routine in the event of back-to-back games.

For a player who maintains this level of headiness, Wednesday night’s loss to the Miami Heat was going to be that much worse. Where many of his teammates would throw on various levels of apparel that insinuated they would be going out for a bit before heading home, Miles sauntered from the shower and put on a simple pair of sweatpants and a crewneck Cavs sweatshirt — he was going to be thinking long and hard, why not be comfortable while doing it? It was, after all, Miles who took the final shot in would be a three-point loss; his team had been up by 27 at one point in the second half and his range was a main ingredient.

[Read more...]

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Talent gives way to tiredness as Cavs collapse in Biscayne Bay

February 25, 2013 by 7 Comments

201302242007724424767-p2Ask most NBA players when the second night of a back-to-back stint rears its ugly head and they will tell you that it is halftime that opens the floodgates of fatigue and flatness. The legs slowly slip into states of wobble, the mind desires an alternative path rendering the simplest of instinctual motor skills a voluntary chore. Arms raise slower, lateral steps are a process.

During a late-December stretch that leaked into the flipped calendar, Cavaliers reserve guard CJ Miles — a veteran presence despite being just 25 years of age — waxed poetic on how he felt a lot of the ankle-knocking and heavy heads were mental; players come equipped with pre-existing thoughts of impending struggles that tend to manifest that into poor play. It’s about breaking down those mental barriers and letting God-given talent take over.

In Miami, one night after thumping the Orlando Magic, the Cavaliers appeared ready to buck this trend — what with head coach Byron Scott’s perennial emphasis on conditioning — with a third-quarter run that resulted in 36 points and a complete erasure of a 22-point deficit. Tyler Zeller and Kyrie Irving meshed jumpers with lay-ins. The Cavaliers attacked, getting to the free throw line  times. Miles erupted for 11 points in the quarter’s final two minutes adding in the ever-rare five-point play 1 . Then the bottom fell out.

[Read more...]

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  1. Miles sank a 25-footer while being fouled. The Heat were subsequently whistled for a technical foul, leading to two free throws. [back]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-02-11 – Ben Cox debuts to talk basketball, twitter and traffic trolling

February 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

WFNY Podcast LogoBen Cox makes his podcasting debut with a splendid World of Warcraft headset that he bought just for the occasion.

  • LeBron in 2014
  • Terry Pluto’s adage about not letting millionaires ruin your day
  • The Cavaliers building process and whether or not it is fair to fans
  • Not letting LeBron own Cleveland with free agency rumor and innuendo
  • Twitter etiquette and getting to know people in real life
  • The “everything sucks” way of the non-sports twitterverse
  • Avoiding the Grammy talk on Twitter
  • The Sandy relief concert Twitter blowout
  • Mutton chops
  • Whether or not keywords like “Kate Upton Body Paint” helps podcast listenership
  • Making fun of ourselves and whether or not advertising is truly for stupid people
  • Gregg Popovich and whether his move to sit players was defensible
  • Competition vs. Entertainment and the NBA business model
  • One time Ben had his mutton chops referred to as “side whiskers”
  • Yes, I accidentally called them pork chops (I was getting tired.)
  • Etc
  • Etc
  • etc

Listen at Stitcher

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Subscribe on iTunes

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On this LeBron 2014 Nonsense

February 10, 2013 by 38 Comments
Kinda cracks me up to see Haden post a photoshopped picture of LeBron in a Cavs uniform.

Cracks me up that Haden posted a PHOTOSHOPPED picture of LeBron in a Cavs uniform.

It’s beginning.

LeBron James has an out in his contract during the summer of 2014 and the NBA is abuzz with LeBron’s next decision and whether or not he’ll come back to Cleveland. David Letterman needled him about it. Adrian Wojnarowski’s took the Memphis Grizzlies trading Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors and turned it into a column about LeBron coming back. Every interaction between LeBron and Kyrie Irving  during the All-Star game will be scrutinized to the nth degree.

The greatest basketball player on the planet is a free agent in two summers and his home town franchise, his original team, has a boatload of capspace and 20 year old All-Star.

People are excited.

Even Browns cornerback Joe Haden can’t help himself.

Regardless of how you feel about LeBron James, these rumors aren’t going to go away and they’ll only be increasing. Plus, talking about LeBron allows Cleveland media personalities to discuss the Cavs without actually having to know anything about Cavs basketball. LeBron’s the best player on earth and he’s going to be connected to Cleveland until the day he retires.

We’re stuck with him.

Now, I’m not saying that these rumors are totally 100% true or that Cavs fans should bank on him returning. But if one was inclined to read the tea leaves, there’s enough smoke that one could be reasonably convinced that there’s fire.

[Read more...]

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Stars And Stats: Some Numbers From the Kyrie Irving and LeBron James Cavalier Eras So Far

February 3, 2013 by 8 Comments

Tristan and KyrieWhen talking about the Cavaliers’ journey back to contention, the OKC model is the one often cited and recited (and for good reason, mind you). But, one thing I wanted to take a look at was how bad the Cavs were when they drafted LeBron James in 2003 versus Kyrie Irving in 2011. In the second season of James’s time here, the team missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker, and Kyrie’s squad looks highly unlikely to measure up anywhere close to that. However, what I do hope happens is that Kyrie’s Cavaliers in year three makes some progress on the level with LeBron’s Cavs in year two. [Read more...]

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LeBron James’ agent and manager see “benefits” of returning to Cleveland

January 31, 2013 by 72 Comments

As Rudy Gay was dealt to the Toronto Raptors late Wednesday evening, it appears that this move — despite the trade last week which freed up additional funds — is the first domino in a line created by the new NBA collective bargaining agreement. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports writes that the biggest domino of them all, LeBron James, sees the writing on the talent-sharing wall and that this move will only serve to open the eyelids that are set on 2014.

“James’ agent and childhood friend, Rich Paul, born and raised and still living in Cleveland, has been privately telling people for two years of his intrigue with bringing the prodigal son back as the conquering hero in Cleveland,” writes Wojnarowski. ”James will ultimately make the call to return – just like he made it to leave – rest assured that the most important voices in his ear will be partial to Cleveland again.”

Said voices are Paul and his business manager Maverick Carter. Paul, as noted many times over, continues to call Cleveland home and has a client with the Cavaliers in second-year power forward Tristan Thompson. In the event James would be “delivered” to Cleveland, it could bode well financially for the upstart forward. Quoted within the Wojnarowski is what is deemed a high-level associate in James’ camp who states that they “see the benefits of getting the credit for bringing LeBron home again.”

Potentially the most interesting portion of the report was the buried line that other general managers in the NBA were “incredulous” following the trade in which Cleveland received a first-round draft pick along with talented players in Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington for the price of one Jon Leuer. Per Wojnarowski, the presence of Kyrie Irving alone is not enough — general manager Chris Grant needs to show that he can surround James better than his predecessor. The fact that the era of the “super teams” appears to be coming to an end should only serve to help.

[Related: Does Kyrie Irving have a second act up his sleeve?]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-28 – Did Jon and Craig get cocky?

January 28, 2013 by 2 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoI don’t believe Jon was joking when he told me that we shouldn’t post this one today. We went for a long time and we talked about a lot of things, but I think Jon’s feeling is that we got too big for our britches. When going into these podcasts I prefer not to have an agenda per se, but this podcast might have benefited from an agenda. We talked about lots of things, including sports, but we also got off on some tangents. Anyway, in the interest of putting all our potential warts out there, here is the podcast.

Did we do OK? Was it a misstep? Let us know in the comments.

  • The Browns, their ownership and patience
  • The Indians and their ownership and patience
  • Craig watched a national NBA game
  • Deconstructing sports fans’ defenses of their favorite sports
  • Owning up to your own homerism for your favorite sport
  • The Pro Bowl and the band Train
  • The Goo Goo Dolls on Live from Daryl’s House
  • Omar Vizquel doing a karaoke version of “Broadway” by the Goo Goo Dolls
  • Jon’s database project over the weekend
  • Craig’s deathmatch weekend
  • Plagiarism and whether it is a good sign for the artist who commits it
  • Much much more…

Listen at Stitcher

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Subscribe on iTunes

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Young and hungry, Kyrie Irving is Cleveland’s new All-Star

January 26, 2013 by 8 Comments

12 - Kyrie IrvingKyrie Irving received something on Thursday night that he thought he’d never get in his life.

No, it wasn’t his selection as an All-Star reserve for the Eastern Conference, an inevitable stepping-stone for the reigning NBA Rookie of the Year 1 . Nor was it the designation as Pro Athlete of the Year at the 2012 Greater Cleveland Sports Awards, the first for a Cavalier since LeBron James in January 2010.

In fact, it was simply a text message. From Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“Yeah, the first time ever,” Irving said about the big accomplishment. “I don’t think Coach K has ever sent one of his previous players a text. I think his assistant sent it for him.” [Read more...]

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  1. I was surprised to see that three players in the last 13 years have won Rookie of the Year and then never made it to an All-Sar game yet: 2001′s Mike Miller, 2005′s Emeka Okafor and 2010′s Tyreke Evans. [back]

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Projecting to 2023 – Can sports remain relevant forever?

January 24, 2013 by 41 Comments
I can barely even bring myself to go to NFL.com with the coverage of the Ravens.

I can barely even bring myself to go to NFL.com with the coverage of the Ravens.

When the Ravens step on the field to battle the San Francisco 49ers in a couple of weeks, I’m honestly debating not watching. It’s not that I don’t care about the game. It’s also not about boycotting it for some kind of a fake reason. I’m not sure exactly why it became my reaction to start looking for movies to watch so that I could somehow avoid the game entirely, but that’s where my head instantly went. In the end despite those initial reactions, it appears that I will be watching the game. I will also be defying my own rules that I discussed with TD on the podcast recently and go to a party to “watch” the game with other people. It just goes to show even when the Browns are firmly entrenched in their off-season process that the NFL has achieved something by making me care enough that I would consider not even watching the nation’s signature annual sporting event – the Super Bowl – because I might feel hurt if one of the teams that’s not mine could win.

Interestingly, not watching big games is nothing new for me. When LeBron James and the Miami Heat were facing elimination against the Dallas Mavericks, I was in a rock club in Akron Ohio watching David Bazan. I took some pleasure in seeing on my phone when the Heat lost and the Mavericks and Mark Cuban were able to raise that trophy. Since that time, I haven’t been able to take nearly as much an emotional stake in the NBA and I’ve been very critical of the NBA and its business structure as a result. Andrew and I discussed it in depth recently, and the more I think about it, the more I think that in a strange way because I’m actually still annoyed or angry about it that at least it means I still care. [Read more...]

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Cleveland Cavaliers worth $434 million per Forbes

January 24, 2013 by 1 Comment

Dan Gilbert’s Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly worth $434 million. This report comes from the annual “Business of Basketball” report issued by Forbes. The Cavaliers, per this amount, rank 16th among the 30 teams in the NBA. Their profit last season, determined by operating earnings (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization), was $19 million.

The Cavaliers went 21-45 during the 2011-12 season and saw attendance plummet 21 percent, to an average of just 15,900 per game at Quicken Loans Arena. It was the team’s second season since LeBron James left, but the first they could not use James to entice season ticket holders (James left the Cavs in July 2010 after fans already had purchased season tickets) which provided inflated figures for the 2010-11 campaign.

Per Forbes, the average NBA team is worth $509 million, representing a 30 percent  increase over the 2011-12 season. The increase is reportedly due to higher revenue from television, new and renovated arenas, and the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, which reduced player costs from 57 percent of revenues to roughly 50 percent. The labor deal also increased the amount of money high-revenue teams provide low-revenue teams.

The average operating income for the league’s 30 teams during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season was $11.9 million, the most since Forbes began tracking the finances of NBA teams in 1998. The NBA’s record profitability last season was a function of the new CBA and player costs (owners’ biggest expense) being slashed 20 percent due to the 66-game season.

For the 2012-13 season, the Cavaliers introduced a reconfigured scorer’s table intended to increase the amount of television exposure court-side advertisers get by at least 15 percent which should help boost revenue.

[Related: Forbes: Cavs Turned Biggest Profit Ever During 2010-11 Season]

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TD’s Ten For Thursday

January 17, 2013 by 34 Comments

Norv TurnerIts Thursday….Im bored….We need some topics for discussion….So lets do this….10 for Thursday

1. The Browns have officially named Norv Turner as their new offensive coordinator. While people will probably gloss right over this, I happen to think bringing Turner to Cleveland is a coup. The Browns have put it out there that one of the reasons new head coach Rob Chudzinski got the job is because of his ability to put together a strong staff. In other words, bringing old friend Norv with him was a major feather in Chud’s cap.

Nobody questions Turner’s OC credentials. He was the man behind two of the Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl offenses in the 1990′s, and in between head coaching stints in Washington, Oakland (I seriously have zero recollection of this, but it happened), and San Diego led offenses in Miami and San Francisco. Chud worked with him in San Diego and they share the same love of the vertical passing game. Their scheme is perfect for Brandon Weeden’s strengths. If Weeden can’t succeed under Chud and Norv, then the Browns will be looking for another QB….again. [Read more...]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-15 – Craig and DP talk NHL lockout, LeBron James and Rob Chudzinski

January 15, 2013 by 7 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoThe NHL lockout is over so Craig checked in with former WFNY man DP to compare the NHL lockout to the NBA and NFL lockouts. We also discussed a wide variety of other topics including LeBron’s impending opt out and free agency watch in 2014. We also discussed the Chud hire and how little past performance can “win the argument” at predicting whether he is going to do a good job or not.

  • First of all we crowned TD the king of deep fried chicken sandwiches
  • The NHL lockout and how it compares to the NFL / NBA lockouts
  • Who won and how long will peace last?
  • What does it mean for the BlueJackets?
  • The LeBron free agency rumors
  • The impact of LeBron’s exit on every other Cleveland sports story
  • Sports business model compared to music
  • Ben Folds and the rich, famous rockstar aberration
  • How do you spell cannon?
  • Thad Lewis and if the Browns new staff could find any way to use him. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Are the Sacramento Kings the new Browns?

January 15, 2013 by 19 Comments

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.

WWW_BulletinBoard_Browns1

This was an enjoyable back-and-forth from two “Cleveland-Raised-Basketball-Writer-in-Exile” on comparing the Kings-Browns situations: “First of all, the fact that the Kings are the only professional sports team in Sacramento makes this slightly different from the Cleveland situation. At the time of the Browns move, the Indians were coming off their first World Series appearance in 41 years a month prior to the announcement so as painful as the Browns move was, Cleveland fans at least had the Tribe to fall back on every April-October. Sacramento has…the San Francisco Giants, I guess? That’s akin to Cleveland fans cheering for Ohio State. As far as the relationship between the fans and owners go, it’s too bad that the SAT did away with the analogies section years ago because Art Modell:Cleveland as The Maloofs:Sacramento would be a perfect fit. Both fan bases are incredibly passionate, and my heart aches for the people of Sacramento who don’t deserve to be jerked around by these idiots.” [Eric Maroun and Amin Vafa/Hardwood Paroxysm]

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A nice BDL article on the LeBron craziness, including a shoutout to our very own Scott: “If James were to opt out, it seems about as sure a bet as could exist in the NBA that a still-healthy, still-productive version of James — who will still be just 29 years old on Opening Day 2014 — would be coveted by any team with enough cap space to offer a full maximum-level contract. The Cavaliers are on target to be one of those chock-full-of-cap-space squads come the summer of 2014; at this point, the only guaranteed ’14-’15 money on the Cavs’ books is about $18 million earmarked for young building blocks Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.” [Dan Devine/Ball Don't Lie]

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Capturing 4 positives about the Cavs despite Sunday’s 20-point loss to the Lakers: “Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller. Cleveland Cavaliers fans should be repeating those four names over and over again — especially after losses like the 113-93 hammer job delivered Sunday by the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s because Irving, Thompson, Waiters and Zeller are the future. They’re the second- and first-year guys whom the Cavs are counting on heavily today — and likely will still be counting on in two years. Everyone else on the current roster? Well, it’s hard to say.” [Sam Amico/Fox Sports Ohio]

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Are you worried about Dion’s shooting? An old WFNY scribe explains why he isn’t: “The 7-18 shooting display from Waiters, to be fair, was certainly not without it’s cringe-worthy moments. It also marked the 18th time in 31 games that Dion shot less than 40 percent from the field for the night. That level of consistent inefficiency is not good and obviously needs to improve next season. At this point in his NBA development, though, with the Cavaliers currently leading the league in losses, there is no reason Waiters should not take each and every one of the field goals he’s attempting. He might as well keep bombing away until they begin to fall more consistently. Use the entire 2012-13 regular season to find an NBA rhythm if he has to.” [Brendan Bowers/Stepien Rules]

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This isn’t huge news, but still worth sharing about why one Browns GM candidate isn’t in the picture anymore: “In the days after the Browns fired G.M. Tom Heckert, word emerged that the Browns requested permission to interview Vikings assistant G.M. George Paton. But an interview never happened. There are two different versions in league circles as to what happened. One source says that Paton passed. Another source says that the Vikings declined permission.” [Mike Florio/Pro Football Talk]

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Not necessarily an opinion piece, but it was fun to read through the usual run-of-themill reader comments on ESPN about the Browns hire of Rob Chudzinski: “The Cleveland Browns didn’t make the right move in going with Rob Chudzinski as their new head coach, according to last week’s SportsNation poll. Of the 68,062 votes, 62 percent didn’t approve of the hiring of Chudzsinki.” [Jamison Hensley/ESPN AFC North Blog]

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Finally, ending with a look at pitching options for the Tribe: “The 2012 Cleveland Indians had a lot of faults, but none seemed as problematic as the starting rotation. It was statistically the worst in the American League, and one of the worst in all of baseball. The Indians spent the last month or two of the season cycling pitchers into the rotation from Triple-A – names like David Huff, Corey Kluber, and even Chris Seddon took a turn on the mound for the Tribe. Did the Indians do enough this offseason to shore up the rotation? If not, are there any viable options that remain as we are less than a month away from pitchers and catchers reporting?” [Stephanie Liscio/It's Pronounced 'Lajaway']

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