The Wine and Gold Rush

Thanksgiving Games: The Usual, The Unusually Bad, and the Unusually Great

The Cleveland Cavaliers played three games over the Thanksgiving-ish holiday week-to-weekend.  And like any Thanksgiving cornucopia, it was filled with all kinds of things:  The usual wins,  the unusual losses, and the unusual wins.

And grapes.  Because all cornucopias have grapes, apparently. 

[Seriously, I just typed "cornucopia" into a Google Image search, and the first eleven pictures I saw had grapes in them.  Not sure why I looked through more than eleven pictures;  I guess I just wanted to see how long the streak would go.]

[For what it's worth, I didn't have any grapes for Thanksgiving.  Actually, I haven't had a grape in months . . . unless you count the grape sucker I had on November 2nd.  But now that I know they are so emblematic of harvest festivities, I will be sure to include them in future Thanksgivings.]

Anyway.

On Wednesday night, the Cavaliers beat the Pistons 98-88 in Detroit.  It was the kind of win that has become all too typical for the 2009-2010 Cavs.  (Not that we're complaining, necessarily.)

Here's all you really need to know about that game:  The Cavaliers were up by 18 points in the third quarter . . . but by the end of the fourth quarter, that lead had dropped to just five points.

Yeah, it was one of those games.  And once again, it was mostly caused by the Cavs shift away from running their offense through the paint, coupled with their inability to stop their opponents from scoring in the paint. 

Shaq was held out of the game.  It was the sixth straight game he has missed.

[Friday and Saturday's notes continue below]

In a Rush: Shaq Update / Ben Wallace Returns / This Year's Team Chemistry

Happy Thanksgiving all.

We're going to keep things simple today . . . just like the Pilgrims and Indians did with their websites, when they were busy enjoying the First Thanksgiving back in 1621.

So, here are a few quick things that caught our eye:

#1.)  Shaquille O'Neal was cleared by team doctors to play in tonight's game in Detroit, but Mike Brown decided to be cautious, and give Shaq a few more days of rest.

Brian Windhorst writes:

"[Mike] Brown will revisit O'Neal's status after shootaround Friday morning in Charlotte, where the team's road trip continues after Thanksgiving.

"If there are no setbacks, there are indications O'Neal will make his return that night against the Bobcats."  [Cleveland Plain Dealer]

#2.)  The Cavaliers will get a look at their old teammate Ben Wallace in Detroit.  He signed there after being bought out by the Phoenix Suns.  (Ben, of course, went to Phoenix with Sasha Pavlovic in the Shaq trade).  Well, he wasn't foolin' about wanting to retire . . . but he says his family talked him out of it.

He says quote:

"I wasn't going to play.  I was retired.  I was about to sign the papers.  [But] I rededicated myself to getting stronger and healthier to see if I could rekindle my love for the game."  [The Arizona Republic]

And it seems to have worked.  He still isn't scoring much, but he's been a rebounding machine.  In 30 minutes a game this season, Big Ben is averaging 3.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.6 assists.  Last year with the Cavs, in 23.5 minutes a game, he averaged 2.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and .8 assists per game.

Something Tells Me LeBron Doesn't Repay Favors By Stealing Memorabilia

On Monday night, WOIO Channel 19's Action News BLEW THE LID off a huge scandal involving LeBron James, his new movie "More Than a Game", the apartment building where he lived as a kid, and some memorabilia.

Here's the issue, in a nutshell:

Back in the summer of 2007, LeBron shot some scenes for his movie at Spring Hill Apartments, where he lived with his mother while he was in high school. 

Since the film was operating on a limited budget, LeBron and the filmmaker, Kris Belman, struck a deal with the people at the complex.

In exchange for opening up the apartment to them to shoot, LeBron would sign "more than a dozen items" of personal memorabilia. 

But the shoot ran late, so LeBron allegedly took the items home, where he would sign them and then return them the next day.

These items included "jerseys, playoff ticket stubs, a homemade scrapbook, pictures," someone's six-year-old kid's LeBron bobblehead doll, and an 11-year-old kid's "mint condition LeBron James rookie card."  But the "victims" say they never received their stuff back.  Hence, the outrage.

In their exclusive! exposé! . . . obnoxiously titled "More Than a Mess" . . . 19 Action News delves into the issue to turn up some real answers, with the desired result apparently being some sort of "action."

At this point, it's important to mention that we've only heard one side of the story.  Neither LeBron nor his people have commented on any of this . . . and while there's obviously some issue here, it's difficult to separate facts from misunderstandings, misinterpretations, and sensationalism.

Misunderstandings and misinterpretations happen . . . as does sensationalism (especially in this type of tabloid journalism) . . . and I don't want to side with LeBron just because he's LeBron.  He could very well have screwed up here.

But there are so many things about this that just don't make any sense.

Gold Nuggets: Shaq's Dings / Brown Sizes Up Danny Green / Cavs Fan

Shaq Has a Few Dings.

Shaquille O'Neal missed his fifth straight game on Saturday night.  As of late Sunday night, his status for Wednesday's game in Detroit was unclear, which isn't exactly surprising;  the Cavs are tight-lipped about how tight their lips are.

Officially, I believe, the Cavs say Shaq has a strained shoulder . . . but late last week, Mike Brown described him as just having a few "dings."  He said:

"We'll keep taking it day-by-day.  I've pulled him out of practices, a couple practices.  It might be because he has a few dings here or there.  'Hey, big fella, sit down.'  He has a ding, yes.  (???)

"It's early in the year.  In my opinion, it's an opportune time to let him get some rest and let him get his body back.  I'm not thinking he has to play X-amount of games.  I'm not thinking he has to practice 75 percent of the time.

"It's nothing scientific.  I'm not that smart."

My desk, which is made of some fake wood (with a real wood-sounding name), has a few dings, my 2007 BMW 5-Series has a few dings . . . the Libery Bell has a few dings . . . and now Shaq has a few dings.

[And by BMW 5-Series, I mean my 1992 Honda Accord LX.  The "LX" is for luxury.]

This Mike Brown quote is fun, but I'm completely with the Cavs here.  Yeah, it'd be nice to have Shaq in games so we can continue to work on our intra-lineup, on-the-court chemistry. 

But that time will come.  More importantly, we want to make sure that Shaq is healthy and rested for our bigger games later this season . . . and the playoffs, of course.  A little caution in mid-November is fine.

The Cavaliers Add a New Weapon: Actually *Trying* in the Fourth Quarter

Some sports video games have "computer assistance" or some variation on that.  If you're not familiar . . . it's basically a stupid default option that keeps the game relatively close between both teams.

So you could be lighting it up against a friend that wasn't prepared for your skillz, but by the second or third quarter, suddenly all your shots are clanking off the iron, and your friend is suddenly (and suspiciously) on fire.  How convenient!  Pretty soon it's all tied up again. 

What a great feature!!!  There's nothing like spending snow days after snow days perfecting a basketball video game, only to have it programmed so that you can't even beat your 94-year-old great-grandmother without overtime.

Well, the Cleveland Cavaliers . . . in real life . . . have been playing like they're being controlled by some sort of "computer assistance."

Last week, the Cavs fell into a excitement-quelling routine of playing amazing first quarters . . . followed by slightly worse second quarters, followed by slightly worse third quarters, followed by slightly worse fourth quarters.  And that fourth quarter was the real problem.

This dates back to the game in New York two weeks ago.  LeBron James and the Cavs burst out of the gate in the first quarter . . . and then slowly relaxed over the next two periods.  And suddenly, it's the fourth quarter and there's a good chance the Cavs could lose.

They didn't.  And they also didn't lose when it happened in their home games against Utah and Golden State.  But when they started fading in Washington on Wednesday night, the Wizards pulled the rug out from under the Cavs . . . completely derailing them.

So, this weekend, the Cavs introduced a new wrinkle:  Instead of playing one awesome quarter and coasting the rest of the way (aside from some potential LeBron dramatics at the end) . . . they're now playing two awesome quarters.

Exclusive!!! LeBron James Is Leaving the NBA Next Season . . . To Join the PBA

During the playoffs last spring, I remember watching the Cleveland Cavaliers and thinking . . . man, LeBron James is amazing.

He was amazin'. So amazin'. So amazin'. So amazin'. It's amazin'. So amazin'. So amazin'. So amazin'. It's amazin'. 

In fact, it was amazin' / he was the reason / everybody was fired up last season.

Unfortunately, everything ended in a sudden magic poof! 

(Although it was less dramatic than that.  I was just numb.  I was watching the game with an Orlando fan . . . and I didn't even shake his hand afterward.  And I didn't talk to my family the rest of night, even though they wanted to ask me about the game.)

But as a Cleveland fan, there was one thing that I knew very well:  There's always next year.  (Er, almost always . . . the 1995 Browns didn't have a next season.  That year, you know, that was it.)

So when this season started, I was pretty excited to see if LeBron would continue to be amazin'.  And parallel to popular belief, he was.  Even in the games where the rest of the team was unamazin', LeBron showed the potential of a burgeoning superstar.

The pessimist in me immediately thought:  Yeah, but this is Cleveland.  The moment he becomes a star, his contract will be up.  And when his contract is up, he'll leave to join some equivalent of the Boston Red Sox.

So, I'll admit it.  I did a little digging online . . . I Googled things like "LeBron James contract length," "LeBron James free agency," and "LeBron James Cleveland defection date tortured sports city."

Eventually, I found a few stories, from seemingly reliable sources, saying that LeBron has a player option for next season . . . but that he's expected to opt out of it.  Yes!  This coming offseason!

Before long, I was poring through all kinds of stories on it. 

As it turns out, LeBron has never explicitly said what he plans to do in 2010, but the general consensus, from what I gathered, is that he's secretly easter-egging little hints . . . in each one of his statements . . . that we're supposed to dissect and scrutinize ad nauseam.

The Annual Annoying Loss in D.C.

On Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a five-game winning streak into Washington . . . against a Wizards team that had a six-game losing streak.

The Wizards slide began two weeks ago in Cleveland, where the Cavs handed them a 102-90 loss.  That game, if you remember, was arguably Shaquille O'Neal's best game as a Cavalier.  He had 21 points (on 7-of-9 shooting) with eight rebounds, three assists and a block.

In that game, the Cavs were down 18 points early in the second quarter.  But then they had a big run, which was fueled by the Cavs operating aggressively in the paint.  Shaq was getting the ball inside, and drawing all kinds of fouls on the Wizards' big men.

This time, the Cavs didn't have Shaq (strained shoulder) or Anderson Varejao (hip contusion) . . . but they did have J.J. Hickson, their emerging stud power forward.  Was it enough?

No.  The Cavs fell 108-91.

It figures.  This game was in D.C., where the Cavs have now lost five straight.  They can't win at the Verizon Center in the regular season.  The playoffs?  That's not a problem.

The first 15 minutes were pretty awesome. 

The Cavs' offense was rocking.  There first 12 baskets were assisted, meaning that the ball movement was superb.  LeBron James had seven assists in the first quarter;  Mo Williams had five.  (Since that's such a sustainable clip, LeBron was on pace to have 28 assists, while Mo was in line for 20.)  (?)

The good play continued into the second. 

Delonte West, who played in his second straight game, was playing tough defense.  He had two blocks on the perimeter, and several knockaways.  On the offensive side, the ball movement continued to be good . . . and the Cavs were able to take advantage of Darnell Jackson's offensive rebounding to get some second chance points.

At one point, the Cavs were up 17.  And then the eroding began.  And then the hole-digging began.  And then they ended up losing by 17.  (It was a perfect pendulum swing, which is definitely cool.  If you're into that sort of thing.)

J.J. Hickson: "The Prince of Fresh Air"

All things considered, it wouldn't have been surprising if the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors by 50 points.  It also wasn't surprising that they ended up winning by six.

Several Cavaliers had great individual nights in Tuesday night's 114-108 win over the Warriors at The Q, but the team as a whole did not have a good night. 

It's difficult to be too hard on the Cavs . . . who just won their fifth game in a row, to push their record to 8-3 on the season . . . so I'm making the executive decision not to.  After all, this is my blog.

Before we talk Cavs, let me just say Golden State me totally nonplussed.

The Warriors dressed (a league-minimum) eight players, and had seven who were actually available to play.  And one of those players, Vladimir Radmanovic, was playing in his first game as a Warrior, after just coming from Charlotte in the infamous Stephen Jackson trade.

However, all seven of those players scored in double-figures against the Cavs . . . and seemingly all of them can run four-second 40s, get a shot off within the first five seconds of the shot clock, and score enough for them to play sub-YMCA level defense.

It's the strangest system in all of basketball . . . if you can actually consider it basketball.  Yes, they have super quick players.  Yes, they have super athletic players.  Yes, they have super lethal shooters. 

But what the hell are they doing?  Are they just hoping to make it to the playoffs by winning 55 trap games against the 29 teams that actually try to play defense?  If so, it hasn't worked so far.  Their three wins (against Memphis, Minnesota, and New York) have come against teams that, like the Warriors, are in last place in their respective divisions.

[Technically, the New York Knicks have the second-worst record, after the New Jersey Nets, in the Atlantic Division.  But since I'm from Cleveland, I consider both New York-area teams to be under the same evil umbrella . . . for acting like their abysmal organizations have a chance to steal our superstar.]

Again, though, their offense is something to watch . . . whatever it is.  

For Better or Worse, the Stephen Jackson Option Is Gone

Stephen Jackson is not coming to Cleveland . . . not tonight, when the Golden State Warriors visit The Q, nor via trade, which is something that has been speculated about a lot recently.

Yesterday, Golden State traded Jackson to the Charlotte Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic.

Half of the Cavaliers fan base was relieved . . . and the other half was disappointed.  That's because Jackson, like a lot of players that are available in mid-November, is a fairly polarizing player.  In fact, he was probably the most polarizing player available not named Allen Iverson.

Jackson's talent in undeniable.  He's good.  And he would look great in a Cavs uniform.  But he also has an undeniable . . . let's say, aura . . . that can be used for both good (intensity) and evil (volatility).

Maybe it isn't fair to bring up past off-the-court and just-off-the-court issues . . . but there are several significant ones.  And then there's his mercurial attachment to the team that's writing his paychecks.

But he and Mike Brown have a close relationship, and a mutual respect.  When Brown was an assistant, Jackson played for him both in San Antonio and later in Indiana.

Do I think Jackson would have been a success in Cleveland?  Yes.  Do I think he would have been a problem in Cleveland?  No.  Did I want them to trade for him?  Well . . . that depends.

The State of the Cavaliers - #3 - Playin' Like It's November 2008

[This is a regular feature called "The State of the Cavaliers."  In it, we'll rank each player on the roster, based on recent on- and off-the-court production, news, and intangibles related to the Cavs' quest for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.]

Since our last State of the Cavaliers on November 3rd, the Cleveland Cavaliers have proved that their first two wins (in Minnesota and against Charlotte at home) were not merely the product of a lost team playing lost franchises.

Instead, those wins proved to be a springboard for a team that was re-grouping from a weak 0-2 start.  Over the past two weeks, the Cavs have posted a 5-1 record . . . and are suddenly 7-3, placing them back in the mix atop the Eastern Conference.

It hasn't all been pretty; the offense was extremely flat in the irritating loss to Chicago at home . . . and the defense, especially late in games, leaves a lot to be desired (specifically, good defense).  But the Cavs current work-in-progress-ness is much more reasonable and palatable than it was two weeks ago.

The crowning moment has been how the team was able to capitalize on a four-day break to execute a two-game all-Florida sweep, which produced solid, back-to-back road wins over Orlando and Miami.

This return to form makes it a little easier to get a feel for where the Cavaliers are at this stage . . . and we're going to break that down right now in our third State of the Cavaliers rundown.

[Up to date, through Sunday, November 15th.]

Here's the complete list.  Each player's previous rank and average rank are in parentheses . . . because, as they say, too much information is good information. (?)