May 24, 2013

NBA Rookie Rankings: The Brow Returns, Beal Enters the top 5

December 14, 2012 by 3 Comments

With the Cavaliers having two rookies playing prominent minutes, WFNY thought it would beneficial to see how the fresh meat around the league is faring in comparison with the Cavalier rookies. Each week, we’ll have NBA rookie power rankings where we’ll rack and stack the freshman class of the NBA. The rankings will be weighted with the most recent games carrying the most importance, but the whole body of work will be taken into account. Great beards and great celebrations may also play a large factor.

After missing 13 of the Hornets first 19 games, Anthony Davis finally made his return to the court this week in games against Washington and Oklahoma City. Davis was solid, and steady in his extended minutes off the bench in his two games since returning from injury, but it’s another rookie who stole the show this week. Wizards’ guard, Bradley Beal makes his first appearance in the rankings this week thanks to several strong all-around showings, and Waiters being on the shelf.  Lillard holds strong at the top, and looks like he’s going to make someone come take his top spot on the rookie ladder, he won’t be giving it away any time soon.

Let’s jam. [Read more...]

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Box Score: Cavaliers 79, Pistons 89

December 3, 2012 by 2 Comments

You knew this game would be tough to win, with the Cavaliers starting backcourt out with injuries and the Pistons playing good basketball as of late. For a while, that’s exactly what happened, with the Cavaliers falling behind by 20 points in the first half and trailing by 17 at the half.

In the 4th quarter, the Cavaliers made a good effort to try to get back into this one. With 4 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Cavaliers were down 71-51. With 2 minutes to go, the Cavaliers had closed the gap all the way to 6 points at 85-79. In the end, though, it was just too little, too late, as the Pistons regained their edge to hang on for the 10 point win.

Anderson Varejao did what Anderson Varejao does with another workman-like 17 point, 18 rebound night (9 offensive rebounds). The Cavaliers just didn’t have enough offensive firepower with both Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters out with injuries. Brandon Knight led the Pistons with 17 points.

1 2 3 4 T
CLE 17 22 24 16 79
DET 30 26 19 14 89

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
A. Gee G 29:44 2-10 0-3 2-2 -5 0 2 1 1 3 0 1 0 6
J. Pargo G 29:39 4-13 0-2 2-4 -11 2 4 8 2 1 0 1 4 10
A. Varejao C 39:29 7-18 0-1 3-6 -4 9 18 2 3 3 1 2 2 17
T. Thompson F 32:33 4-13 0-0 2-2 -8 5 11 1 0 0 2 4 4 10
O. Casspi F 28:12 4-11 2-5 0-0 -9 1 4 1 1 0 1 1 2 10
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 32-95 3-20 12-17 20 53 19 11 7 5 13 20 79
Percentages .337 .150 .706 Team Rebounds: 11
D. Gibson 28:42 1-6 1-6 0-0 +3 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 3
T. Zeller 20:10 4-8 0-0 0-0 -5 2 4 1 3 0 1 2 3 8
D. Sloan 18:21 3-8 0-1 1-1 +1 1 5 4 0 0 0 2 2 7
C.J. Miles 9:22 3-6 0-2 2-2 -9 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 8
S. Samuels 3:48 0-2 0-0 0-0 -3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
K. Irving DNP – Coach’s Decision
J. Leuer DNP – Coach’s Decision
L. Walton DNP – Coach’s Decision

Detroit

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
B. Knight G 33:45 5-13 0-4 7-7 +9 0 5 5 3 0 0 1 1 17
K. Singler G 33:08 6-14 3-6 0-0 +14 2 6 1 2 0 1 1 2 15
G. Monroe C 35:38 4-10 0-0 1-3 +9 4 14 5 3 2 2 1 4 9
T. Prince F 33:55 6-10 1-2 2-2 +6 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 15
J. Maxiell F 28:10 6-12 0-0 0-0 +10 0 6 0 1 0 5 1 2 12
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 36-84 4-18 13-19 15 49 21 11 6 13 5 16 89
Percentages .429 .222 .684 Team Rebounds: 9
R. Stuckey 27:16 4-9 0-2 0-1 -3 0 3 6 1 1 1 0 1 8
A. Drummond 19:31 3-8 0-0 1-4 -1 9 12 1 0 1 3 1 2 7
C. Maggette 15:56 1-2 0-0 2-2 +4 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 2 4
C. Villanueva 12:41 1-6 0-4 0-0 +2 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 2
W. Bynum DNP – Coach’s Decision
A. Daye DNP – Coach’s Decision
K. English DNP – Coach’s Decision
J. Jerebko DNP – Coach’s Decision

 

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Rookie Rankings: Lillard’s big fear, Waiters keeps chucking

November 30, 2012 by 16 Comments

With the Cavaliers having two rookies playing prominent minutes, WFNY thought it would beneficial to see how the fresh meat around the league is faring in comparison with the Cavalier rookies. Each week, we’ll have NBA rookie power rankings where we’ll rack and stack the freshman class of the NBA. The rankings will be weighted with the most recent games carrying the most importance, but the whole body of work will be taken into account. Great beards and great celebrations may also play a large factor in rankings.

The end of November is upon us. Halloween and Thanksgiving are distant memories as we turn toward the final month of 2012. Basketball and football overwhelm the televeision schedule in December, giving us plenty to watch while spending time with our families on December’s traditional holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah and New Years. This year, we get the treat of another special day in December because on December 21 the world may or may not end. That means we may or may not only have 21 more days of basketball to watch, 21 more days of arguing team vs. team, or player vs. player. There’ll be plenty of time to talk about Armageddon 1 , but for now we must talk basketball. More specifically, the NBA. Not just the NBA, but its crop of rookies. We’ve seen the surprise rise of Damian Lillard in Portland, and flashes of what’s to come for Anthony Davis in NOLA. We’ve seen Dion Waiters become allergic to passing, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist be exactly who we thought he was. With so many rookies playing large roles for their teams the first month of the season, it’s important we take a step back and see where the NBA’s fresh meat stands after one month of play. [Read more...]

___________________________________

  1. Somewhere Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck are training to save us. [back]

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Box Score: Cavaliers 77, Pistons 116

April 17, 2012 by 61 Comments

If you can’t something nice, don’t say anything at all.

I should adhere to that advice right now. I haven’t been this frustrated with a Cavaliers game since Game 5 of that infamous Celtics series. But a shout out to Antawn Jamison for the 0-10 night from the field. Pretty impressive.

Cavaliers play again tomorrow. Can’t wait.

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
D. Sloan G 27:30 3-8 0-0 0-0 -46 2 2 4 1 0 0 1 1 6
A. Parker G 24:19 4-6 2-4 0-0 -41 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 4 10
T. Thompson C 34:25 6-16 0-1 0-0 -41 5 13 2 4 1 0 2 3 12
O. Casspi F 36:53 3-9 2-4 3-4 -38 0 4 0 2 3 1 3 3 11
A. Jamison F 28:36 0-10 0-4 3-4 -47 1 4 2 4 0 0 1 1 3
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 27-78 7-21 16-21 12 34 13 19 5 2 10 14 77
Percentages .346 .333 .762 Team Rebounds: 9
M. Harris 23:41 6-9 3-5 3-6 +2 1 3 1 3 0 1 0 1 18
S. Samuels 23:36 2-7 0-0 4-4 +2 2 3 1 0 1 0 3 0 8
L. Hudson 20:30 2-10 0-3 3-3 +7 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 7
L. Walton 20:30 1-3 0-0 0-0 +7 1 4 1 1 0 0 0 1 2
A. Gee DNP – Coach’s Decision
D. Gibson DNP – Coach’s Decision
K. Irving DNP – Coach’s Decision
A. Varejao DNP – Coach’s Decision

Detroit

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
B. Knight G 29:55 11-12 4-5 2-2 +41 0 2 7 2 0 0 0 1 28
R. Stuckey G 27:30 3-8 0-1 2-2 +46 0 4 6 0 1 1 0 3 8
G. Monroe C 27:12 4-7 0-0 4-4 +41 1 13 3 1 4 2 0 0 12
T. Prince F 29:47 6-8 1-3 2-2 +41 0 3 2 1 1 1 0 0 15
J. Maxiell F 19:46 5-8 0-0 1-1 +36 2 4 0 0 1 1 0 3 11
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 45-75 8-18 18-20 7 41 28 12 12 10 2 19 116
Percentages .600 .444 .900 Team Rebounds: 4
C. Villanueva 22:02 4-9 1-4 1-2 -3 1 8 1 1 1 1 0 3 10
J. Jerebko 21:17 5-6 1-2 3-4 +1 2 4 0 3 1 0 0 1 14
B. Gordon 15:36 3-7 0-2 3-3 +1 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 2 9
B. Wallace 14:34 0-1 0-0 0-0 +5 0 1 0 1 1 3 0 1 0
W. Bynum 9:41 1-1 1-1 0-0 +4 1 1 4 1 0 0 0 1 3
D. Wilkins 9:14 1-3 0-0 0-0 -4 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 2
A. Daye 6:43 1-2 0-0 0-0 -7 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 2
W. Russell Jr. 6:43 1-3 0-0 0-0 -7 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 2

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Will Cavaliers and Pistons Try To Out-Tank Each Other Tonight?

April 17, 2012 by 38 Comments

A couple weeks back, when I first addressed the concept of “tanking” to point out that the Cleveland Cavaliers (20-39, 13th in the East) were entering a stretch of brutal games with key players injured, I wrote that I felt the worst (or best, I guess, depending on your point of view) the Cavaliers could likely finish is 4th worst.

The Cavaliers currently sit 5th worst in the NBA, just one game behind Sacramento for that #4 spot. That’s not the big news, though. The big news is that the New Orleans Hornets are suddenly red hot. I don’t know if it’s the news of Tom Benson buying the franchise or what, but the Hornets have now won 4 straight games and 6 of their last 8 to pull the Cavaliers just 2 games ahead of them. That’s right, folks, the Cavaliers have a legit shot at finishing 3rd worst in the NBA.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds difference from 5th, 4th, and 3rd: [Read more...]

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Box Score: Pistons 87, Cavaliers 75

March 28, 2012 by 5 Comments

That was….better? The Cavaliers at least defended better and Kyrie Irving was really aggressive in trying to top Brandon Knight. But beyond that, the Cavaliers offense was pretty horrible in this game and the Pistons more or less were able to just coast to victory. Alonzo Gee was simply destroyed by Tayshaun Prince in this game, and that’s really what set the tone for the rest of this game. 5 losses in a row, 8 of 9 overall. Things are getting ugly.

Detroit

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
B. Knight G 37:40 7-15 2-3 0-0 +14 0 4 5 3 0 0 2 1 16
R. Stuckey G 6:47 0-2 0-2 0-0 -4 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0
G. Monroe C 32:18 4-13 0-0 0-2 +6 3 10 2 3 2 2 2 3 8
T. Prince F 37:08 11-21 4-4 3-4 +19 1 8 3 0 0 0 4 1 29
J. Maxiell F 32:59 6-9 0-0 0-0 +7 4 9 1 1 0 3 0 2 12
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 35-83 7-15 10-16 13 49 18 10 7 11 9 13 87
Percentages .422 .467 .625 Team Rebounds: 8
A. Daye 29:23 3-7 1-4 1-2 +16 1 2 2 1 2 2 0 1 8
W. Bynum 20:16 3-9 0-1 2-2 -4 0 3 1 1 1 0 1 1 8
B. Wallace 15:42 0-1 0-0 1-2 +6 3 6 0 0 0 4 0 0 1
J. Jerebko 15:01 0-2 0-1 3-4 +5 0 4 0 1 1 0 0 4 3
D. Wilkins 12:46 1-4 0-0 0-0 -5 1 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 2
B. Gordon DNP – Coach’s Decision
W. Russell Jr. DNP – Coach’s Decision
C. Villanueva DNP – Coach’s Decision

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
K. Irving G 36:32 9-19 1-5 3-3 -10 3 9 6 5 2 0 1 2 22
A. Parker G 32:45 2-5 1-3 0-0 -7 1 6 5 2 0 0 0 2 5
T. Thompson C 29:58 3-12 0-0 3-4 -15 6 11 0 1 1 3 3 2 9
A. Jamison F 36:54 7-21 2-4 1-1 -6 3 4 2 3 0 3 2 2 17
A. Gee F 34:59 1-6 1-2 0-0 -8 2 9 4 2 1 1 0 2 3
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 30-87 5-17 10-12 17 48 20 15 6 9 11 17 75
Percentages .345 .294 .833 Team Rebounds: 8
S. Samuels 18:02 2-3 0-0 0-0 +3 1 4 0 0 1 0 1 2 4
M. Harris 15:15 3-10 0-1 3-3 -5 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 1 9
O. Casspi 13:01 2-7 0-2 0-1 -4 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 4
D. Sloan 11:28 1-4 0-0 0-0 -2 0 1 2 0 1 2 1 0 2
L. Walton 11:06 0-0 0-0 0-0 -6 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0
S. Erden DNP – Coach’s Decision
D. Gibson DNP – Coach’s Decision

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Cavaliers vs Pistons: Let the Tanking Begin!

March 28, 2012 by 19 Comments

TANKING!!!

Welcome to Tank Fest 2012!

Ok, so no, I don’t think the Cleveland Cavaliers (17-30, 10th in the East) are actually tanking. Or, shall I say, losing on purpose. I believe Byron Scott is trying to get his team to play well, and I believe the players are (mostly) trying their hardest to win.

But with the news of Daniel Gibson’s torn tendon threatening his season, and with Anderson Varejao still some time away from returning, the fact is the Cavaliers right now aren’t deep enough and, quite frankly, not good enough, to win very many games.

Tonight’s game against the Detroit Pistons (17-32, 11th in the East), then, is a battle for draft position. If the Cavaliers lose tonight, which would be their 5th in a row, they would be tied with Detroit and looking to move up another slot in the lottery. [Read more...]

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Box Score: Pistons 100, Cavaliers 101

February 21, 2012 by 4 Comments

Fascinating game. Kyrie Irving and the rest of the Cavaliers not named Antawn Jamison were sleep walking through 3 quarters. But in the 4th quarter, Kyrie Irving and Alonzo Gee took over this game. The Cavaliers outscored the Pistons 35-23 in the 4th quarter to pull out a nice comeback win.

I remember plenty of LeBron James games earlier in his career where he seemed disengaged and lethargic for 3 quarters only to lead the Cavaliers to wins in the 4th quarter. Kyrie Irving did much the same tonight. He was passive and lacking aggression on the offensive side of the ball for 3 quarters, before finding a way to wake up and score 17 fourth quarter points in leading the charge. These are the kinds of learning experiences you like to see young teams learn. To be a good team, you have to find ways to win games when you’re not at your best or most energetic. That’s what the Cavaliers did in this game. Nice win for the wine and gold.

Detroit

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
B. Knight G 35:42 8-12 4-5 4-4 +1 2 5 3 2 1 0 0 3 24
R. Stuckey G 34:28 5-13 0-2 6-8 +6 0 5 5 3 0 2 0 2 16
G. Monroe C 35:00 8-16 0-0 3-4 +5 4 11 7 2 3 1 2 2 19
T. Prince F 33:08 2-15 1-3 2-2 +8 0 6 4 0 0 1 1 1 7
J. Maxiell F 18:09 2-4 0-0 1-2 -14 3 3 1 1 1 1 0 4 5
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 37-95 7-17 19-24 16 44 22 11 9 8 7 23 100
Percentages .389 .412 .792 Team Rebounds: 10
B. Gordon 25:44 7-17 2-3 0-0 -5 0 4 0 2 0 0 2 3 16
J. Jerebko 23:55 4-12 0-2 1-2 +13 5 6 1 0 1 0 2 4 9
B. Wallace 13:00 0-0 0-0 0-0 -6 2 4 0 0 1 3 0 1 0
D. Wilkins 11:45 1-2 0-0 0-0 -4 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 2 2
W. Bynum 9:09 0-4 0-2 2-2 -9 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2
A. Daye DNP – Coach’s Decision
V. Macklin DNP – Coach’s Decision
W. Russell Jr. DNP – Coach’s Decision

Cleveland

Starters Pos Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
K. Irving G 38:35 8-15 3-4 6-6 -5 1 5 8 6 2 2 1 3 25
D. Gibson G 36:45 2-6 2-5 2-2 -4 0 4 3 1 1 3 0 4 8
S. Erden C 15:56 2-5 0-0 1-2 -7 0 3 0 1 0 0 1 2 5
A. Jamison F 39:37 11-22 3-5 7-14 -5 4 10 2 0 1 0 0 2 32
O. Casspi F 23:10 3-6 0-1 2-2 -13 1 3 0 3 1 1 1 1 8
Bench Min FG 3Pt FT +/- Off Reb Ast TO Stl BS BA PF Pts
Totals 34-78 9-18 24-32 15 49 23 17 8 7 8 18 101
Percentages .436 .500 .750 Team Rebounds: 12
A. Gee 24:50 5-11 1-3 5-5 +14 5 11 3 1 2 0 1 1 16
R. Sessions 20:40 2-4 0-0 1-1 +11 0 5 7 3 0 0 0 2 5
T. Thompson 20:29 0-5 0-0 0-0 +2 3 7 0 1 1 0 3 1 0
R. Hollins 19:58 1-4 0-0 0-0 +12 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 2 2
C. Eyenga DNP – Coach’s Decision
L. Harangody DNP – Coach’s Decision
M. Harris DNP – Coach’s Decision
S. Samuels DNP – Coach’s Decision

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Cavaliers’ Rematch with Pistons An Important One

February 21, 2012 by 5 Comments

Samardo punished the Pistons frontcourt last game

Welcome back Manny Harris!

Forget all the other story lines, the big news in this game is the return of Manny Harris to the wine and gold, right? Right?

Basketball is funny. I don’t know why, but there always marginal players out there who become my guys. They come in different shapes and sizes, but there are always certain players that catch my eye and capture my basketball heart.

Manny Harris is one of those players. I’m well aware of his limitations and I know how measured his upside is. I know he’s a Wolverine and I’m a Buckeye. But I like the guy. I like his story, I like his game, I like his attitude, I like his heart. I’m glad to see him back in uniform tonight, and I hope he can have his own Jeremy Lin type story. Well, ok, let’s set the bar a little lower. I’d be pretty happy just to see Manny get some minutes and prove effective enough to earn a permanent roster spot.

So with that out of the way, let’s get down to business discussing tonight’s game between the Cleveland Cavaliers (12-17, 9th in the East) and the Detroit Pistons (11-22, 11th in the East) at the Q. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Look To Bounce Back Against the Pistons

December 28, 2011 by 6 Comments

Game One for the Cleveland Cavaliers was one to forget. Wednesday night, the Cavaliers (0-1) head up to the Palace to take on the Detroit Pistons (0-1) in the battle of the Central Division’s two winless teams.

There were plenty of eye opening issues with the Cavaliers in Game One. The first, and most obvious one, was the play of Kyrie Irving. While some nervous Cavalier fans might be concerned with the young PG after just one game, the reality is that there’s not much worth reading into after just one game.

There’s no question Irving was hesitant to create his own offense. Only a couple times did he decide to make matters into his own hands and create something by driving into the lane. The Cavaliers will need him to be much more assertive. That’s what he was drafted for. As he gets more comfortable with his teammates and his role in this offense I expect him to be much more aggressive, the way he was with Duke.

The Pistons game gives Kyrie his first chance to show how he bounces back from sub par games. It will be a tough test at is also his first regular season game on the road. Fortunately for Irving and the Cavaliers, it will be in an arena they have already played in, thanks to the preseason matchups with the Pistons. [Read more...]

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2010-11 NBA Blogger Previews – Central Division

October 5, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Yep, it’s that time of year again already. Once again, CleticsBlog are hosting the annual Blogger Previews for every team in the NBA. How this works is simple, every day a certain NBA team is up and bloggers who write about said team will offer their previews for that team in the upcoming season. Then, once a division is completed, all the bloggers throughout the NBA who are participating will post links for all the previews for that division.

Next up is the Central Division. All the previews are linked below, and I encourage everyone to take a few minutes, click on the links, and check out what writers from across the nation are saying about their own teams.

[Read more...]

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Rasheed Wallace: LeBron is a Flopper

November 28, 2009 by 13 Comments

Rasheed Wallace picked up his 5th technical foul as the Celtics defeated the Raptors.  Wallace, who has never been able to control his temper, apparently takes no responsibility for getting techs anymore.  Instead it was because Hedo Turkoglu flopped while defending ‘Sheed.  That most certainly must have been the reason that Rasheed Wallace couldn’t control his temper at the referees for buying into a presumed flop.  For some reason, Wallace then used it as a way to attack LeBron James. [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #15: Cavs at Pistons

November 25, 2009 by 9 Comments

Cavaliers vs Pistons
Cleveland Cavaliers (10-4) vs
Detroit Pistons (5-9)
The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
Wednesday, November 24, 2009
8:00 PM EST
FSOH/WTAM

Earlier this season the Cavaliers had 4 games in 5 nights, and then had 4 days off. They came out that next week and played solid games against Orlando, Miami, and Utah. Now, they are once again coming off 4 games in 5 nights, followed by 4 days off. Hopefully the rest will do them just as much good again. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers will still be without Shaq, who will be inactive tonight. The good news is that the Pistons will once again be without Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton, leaving them looking 90% unfamiliar from the string of great teams of seasons past. The one familiar face will be Ben Wallace, who is back Motown after being traded out of Cleveland. I always liked Ben and I truly believe he gave the Cavaliers everything he had left. It’s just too bad he couldn’t help bring a Championship to Cleveland. Now, despite the fact he was a Piston long before he ever wore the Wine and Gold, it will still be a little strange playing against him in a Detroit uniform tonight.   [Read more...]

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The Cavs Better Replace John Kuester

July 8, 2009 by 11 Comments

I am not one of those people that just assumes that people can’t develop new skills.  For example, I recognize that Anderson Varejao has improved his offensive game over the last two years.  I also recognize that he could conceivably get even better at his mid-range jumper than he was this season.  But the reason I recognize that is that I see him try the shots and as he gains confidence in shooting that jumper more, I groan less when I see him loading it up.  

With Mike Brown this season, we saw the exact opposite.  The improvements in the Cavaliers offense was great this season, but we didn’t see Mike Brown improving as an offensive coach as much as we saw him improving as a manager of his assistants.  He stepped back and allowed John Kuester to run the huddle.  With that said, there is no reason to think that the Cavaliers’ offense won’t regress this season without some sort of infusion of talent on the coaching staff.

[Read more...]

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Pistons Offer No Resistance As Cavaliers Advance

April 27, 2009 by 27 Comments

LeBron JamesThe good news for the Cleveland Cavaliers is that they now have nothing but time on their hands as they sit back, relax, and wait to see whether Miami or Atlanta is coming to town next. The reason for this is that with their 99-78 dismantling of the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, the Cavaliers have completed their first round sweep of their division rivals.

It would be easy to sit here wax poetic about how great the Cavaliers are and how important it was for them to sweep their first round opponents. We could talk about how the Cavaliers are the first team in the NBA to advance to the 2nd round. While all those things are probably true, the bigger story in this series as far as I’m concerned was the ineptitude of the Detroit Pistons.

A once proud team full of champions with hearts of lions suddenly looked pedestrian and wholly disinterested in playing the game of basketball. And that’s the bad news for the Cavaliers. While everyone else is playing games filled with playoff intensity and thus kicking their game into the next gear, the Cavaliers merely had to go through the motions to send the Pistons home, which is evidently right where they wanted to be.    [Read more...]

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Game 3 A Dangerous Trap For Cavaliers

April 24, 2009 by 29 Comments

Cavaliers vs Pistons 2009 Playoffs

The only sure bet in life is that fools will always take the “sure” bet. After a solid win for the Cavaliers in Game 1 of their first round matchup with the Detroit Pistons, the Cavs followed that up with a thrashing of the Pistons for 3 quarters in Game 2 before making things interesting in the 4th quarter. Regardless of what happened in that 4th quarter, the result was a Cavaliers victory to seemingly give them a commanding death grip on this series.

Looks can be deceiving, though. The Cavaliers appear to be a sure bet to win this series at this point. Pistons fans are so sure of this that they have decided not to attend the game. The Pistons organization evidently believes this series is over as well, and have decided to email Cavaliers Season Ticket holders to invite them to purchase tickets for Games 3 and 4. All signs would seem to indicate that at this point, the series is over and the Pistons are just going through the motions waiting for the Cavaliers to put them out of their misery.   [Read more...]

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Cavaliers Preview Game #54

February 22, 2009 by 15 Comments

Cavaliers vs PistonsDetroit Pistons (27-26) vs
Cleveland Cavaliers (42-11)
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, OH
Sunday, February 22, 2009
8:00 PM EST
ESPN/FSNOH/WTAM

Today will be an interesting day in the Eastern Conference, with each of the top 3 teams playing consecutive games on national TV. The Cavaliers hold the lead in the Eastern Conference in the loss column, but the Celtics have won 2 more games than the Cavs and hold a 1/2 game lead overall, with the Magic sitting just 3 games back of them. So with the Celtics playing the Suns, the Magic playing the Heat, and the Cavs playing the Pistons, today could change around the shape of the East a little bit. The Cavs come into this game on a 3 game winning streak and have won 7 of their last 9, while the Pistons are in the midst of a 5 game losing streak and have lost 7 of 9 overall. We’ll see if these two teams can keep those streaks going tonight.    [Read more...]

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McDyess Will “Live With” Pistons Preference

February 2, 2009 by 8 Comments
AP Photo / Duane Burleson

AP Photo / Duane Burleson

Yesterday after the Cavs mounted their late-game comeback to beat the Pistons in Detroit Auburn Hills, Antonio McDyess was talking.  First he was talking about the game that just happened.

“If we keep playing like this, we’re going to be an under-.500 team, and we’ll be struggling to make the playoffs,” said Pistons forward Antonio McDyess. ” It’s frustrating. It’s a major letdown, and I can’t really put my finger on it.”

And credit McDyess’ loyalty to the Pistons’ front office for his return after being bought out by the Nuggets.  At that point in time nobody knew how Allen Iverson was going to fit in with the Billups-less team.  McDyess had no idea that the team he was returning to would struggle on the court with rotation questions, identity problems, and potentially chemistry problems with their coach.  He couldn’t possibly have known, but even that security in his process can’t keep him from wondering what could have been had he accepted offers from teams like Boston or Cleveland.

“You look at the other side sometimes and think, but I don’t try and second guess myself,” [Read more...]

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A Not So Discreet Secret

November 24, 2008 by 79 Comments

Antonio McDyessDetroit Pistons Denver Nuggets Detroit Pistons Forward Antonio McDyess surprises nobody and holds up his end of a clandestine deal to go back to Motown.

Perhaps NBA followers are supposed to be surprised. Or, at least, act surprised. But to the real shock of absolutely no one, Antonio McDyess informed everyone…..gasp, get ready for this….that he’s going back to the Detroit Pistons as soon as he is allowed to under NBA rules on December 3rd.

It’s one of the absolute worst rules in the NBA, and it should be changed in the next collective bargaining agreement. But alas, for right now, it’s perfectly legal, and so the Detroit Pistons have been allowed to conduct a trade that under normal circumstances would not be allowed by the CBA. You see, just trading Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson wouldn’t work, because their salaries don’t match. To take on so much salary in Iverson, Pistons GM Joe Dumars needed to circumvent the rules somehow. So he asked Antonio McDyess to play a pawn in his little game.    [Read more...]

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Finally, A Big Win

March 19, 2008 by 5 Comments

Rasheed Wallace and Ben WallaceCavaliers Step Up Defense, Pull Out Big Win Over Pistons

It’s about time. Looking backwards, you’d have to go back to February 11th against Orlando for the last time the Cavaliers had a true “big” win. The high scorer for the Cavs in that game? Larry Hughes, with 40 points. It started to feel like this new lineup was never going to get it together and win any big games. Now, to be fair, from time to time we like to use fatigue in the 2nd night of back-to-backs as an excuse for the Cavaliers, so to be fair, we should point out that Cleveland was fresh in this one and Detroit played a fast paced up tempo game against Denver last night. None the less, the Cavaliers needed a confidence boost, and tonight gave them that a bit as they took down the Pistons by the final score of 89-73. [Read more...]

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