SBNation.com User Blog: johnf34

San Diego Padres Documentary

johnf34 — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 03:38:33 -0000

San Diego Padres Documentary

The NL West usually gets neglected by me and it's hardest to keep track on that division. Here's one Padres fan with his documentary on the team. It's pretty cool and fun to learn about a franchise that is very off the radar to us.

Dempsey named skipper

johnf34 — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:09:29 -0000

Dempsey named skipper

Sadly, Michael Bradley was overlooked.

Cleveland Indians Harlem Shake

johnf34 — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:38:05 -0000

Cleveland Indians Harlem Shake

Francona on the BS Report

johnf34 — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 01:26:16 -0000

Francona on the BS Report

Lengthy interview with Francona and Simmons. The beginning is all about his Boston days but there is a solid amount of talk about the Indians as well. Enjoy!

Chudzinski named Browns HC

johnf34 — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:41:39 -0000

Chudzinski named Browns HC

Upton snubs Mariners

johnf34 — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 01:55:19 -0000

Upton snubs Mariners

We aren't on his no trade list, apparently!

Cudicini to LA Galaxy

johnf34 — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 18:00:52 -0000

Cudicini to LA Galaxy

MGD

A Crazy Tribe Christmas

johnf34 — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 17:36:46 -0000

Even though I watched well over 100 Tribe games last season I'm itching to go over the season again as so many games and moments run together that I'm trying to get a better visual again on everything that happened and everybody who played for us in 2012.

Thus, I've taken it upon myself to endure watching all 162 Indians condensed games via MLB.com during the Christmas holiday period and up until I hopefully finish before Spring Training. Hey, I'm aware that basically nobody wants anything to do with the 2012 season anymore, but I'm here to challenge any of the LGT crew to give this a go with me!

LGT

Morales to Seattle

johnf34 — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 22:11:38 -0000

Morales to Seattle

Roberto Hernandez to Tampa Bay

johnf34 — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:47:30 -0000

Roberto Hernandez to Tampa Bay

Rays-Royals Blockbuster

johnf34 — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 04:06:34 -0000

Rays-Royals Blockbuster

See you at the 2012 WC, Landon

johnf34 — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 02:27:42 -0000

See you at the 2012 WC, Landon

He's supposedly 'done.' Read into it what you want at this point....

Heat 110, Cavs 108: Huck the Feat

johnf34 — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 01:44:18 -0000

Just a few short years ago Heat fans could pretty much buy a single ticket and get their own entire row because nobody attended their games. Now, I bet you have at least 3 relatives or tight friends who claim that they have been long-time Heat fans. That must be the greatest, huh?

Before we get into the game, I'd like to award the comment of the game award for this one that showed up just after the buzzer:

its probably been beaten to death, but the Heat have about 8 actual fans

by mxbrwtz on Nov 24, 2012 9:20 PM CST reply actions

So simple, yet so true my friend.

The Cavaliers again proved what a weird game basketball can be as they absolutely torched the Miami Heat in the first half Saturday night and took an 11 point lead into the break.

The Heat were somewhat fortunate to be that close as they used a 16-20 effort from the free throw line compared to Cleveland's 3-6 output to keep themselves in the game.

The last line should basically tell you the main details of the games through 24 minutes as the Cavs raced to that double digit lead through sensational shooting from deep. All in all, six players hit triples led my Omri Casspi's 3-3 mark.

Even that maligned Cavaliers bench was going off to the tune of 5-8 from distance. Every single one of the Cavalier players who got minutes in the first half scored at least 3 points while hardman Anderson Varejao grabbed a smooth 10 boards.

The Cavaliers, who tallied 16 assists to just 4 turnovers in the first half, carried just a 1-7 road record into this game while Miami boasted an undefeated slate in South Beach in 2012-2013 at 5-0.

What turned out to be an incredibly positive game throughout ends in bitterness as the Heat used a run 9-0 to take the game right from the Cavaliers. After Dion Waiters converted a pair of free throws and Daniel Gibson scorched the nets from beyond the arc the Cavs had a 108-101 lead with under 2:00 to play.

The Heat used a 15 point fourth quarter from Ray Allen and 30 points from LeBron James to swipe the victory from the Cavs at the death.

On the Cavaliers last final real chance down by a point under 5 seconds, Jeremy Pargo had a difficult shot near the right block swatted away by Dwyane Wade to burst the Cavaliers' bubble for the night.

A last ditch possession proved fruitless with 0.6 seconds left as the Cavaliers didn't come close to even getting a shot off around inbounding the ball backwards.

From here on out we're talking positives though.

FIrst off, check this out:

Jeremy Pargo 16,

Dion Waiters 16,

Omri Casspi 15,

Tristan Thompson 13,

Alonzo Gee 12,

Daniel Gibson 11,

Anderson Varejao 10 (and 15 rebounds),

C.J. Miles 10.

Those are the eight Cavaliers who scored in double figures tonight. The lone player who didn't was Tyler Zeller with just 5.

The Cavaliers were brilliant at worst from beyond the arc as they connected on 14-31 shots to keep the pressure on a relentless Miami team throughout the second half.

No matter the Heat challenge there was constantly a Cavalier making a huge play to push back their "rivals" and hang on to their slim lead during the stretch.

At a time when some Cavaliers fans could possibly be getting over the dislike of the Miami Heat games like this should remind them how gross everything about the Miami Heat is. For what it's worth, they also trotted out some pretty unusual uniforms tonight too.

Life rolls on as the Cavaliers play again Monday (against the NBA's "top team" Memphis) and Tuesday so get out there and cheer on your Browns, or whoever you support, tomorrow and get ready for Monday night.

All for One. One for All.

Final - 11.24.2012	1	2	3	4	Total
Cleveland Cavaliers	29	30	20	29	108
Miami Heat	26	22	29	33	110

Complete Coverage >

Hot Hot Hoops

Spurs Trading Cards

johnf34 — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 04:11:54 -0000

I've got this neat project with the Cleveland Indians that I have uploaded a few pictures from below. I have created the following sheets for each year I can remember following the Indians back into the 1990's. A yearly review page precedes all of the individual cards from that specific year. As this is my third season, of many to come, of being a die hard Spurs supporter and I'd like to create the same thing with them in a different binder.

For each of the baseball seasons I purchased the Topps set for the Indians from that year. I'm not aware of any place online to purchase a team set of Spurs from 10/11, 11/12 and this season. I'm not even actually sure if they make team sets but my guess actually is that they don't. Check out the pictures, let me know what you think and if you have any way you would be able to give me some tips on where to maybe find some Spurs cards that would be very classy.

Each season has three things, with the pictures from my old school flip phone to follow (with 2006 as an example):

AL Central 2006

Baseball-Reference Statistics

Topps Cleveland Indians Team Set

Thanks - John

Each season has three things, with the pictures from my old school flip phone to follow (with 2006 as an example):

AL Central 2006

Baseball-Reference Statistics

Topps Cleveland Indians Team Set

Thanks - John

Young Z Fit for Selection for Saturday's Clash with Dallas

johnf34 — Sat, 17 Nov 2012 01:31:24 -0000

With the Cavaliers making their first home appearance since November 2nd they'll actually get to play a game with some decent size beyond Anderson Varejao finally.

After playing without Zeller for the past four games (all losses) his return will be welcomed for a team whose bench has been criticized widely by the Fear the Sword faithful in recent days. Zeller's return will provide a boost to the woeful backup front line of Samardo Samuels and Jon Leuer as one of them (Leuer) will likely end up not getting off the bench against Dallas.

It's hard or me to comment much on what I've seen so far from Zeller but I think he's been a work in progress on defense as expected as I've seen him be a step or two late multiple times on rotations. He's also not been overly physical thus far as his lean frame doesn't really seem to fit as the type that will be a true banger in the paint all night long.

I'll spare the bench from too much venom tonight but I'm particularly intrigued by Zeller's return. I have high hopes that Zeller can end up being better than Tristan Thompson which is something that could make up for me being frustrated with the outlook of Thompson's future. It's certainly going to be beneficial to the Cavaliers if Zeller can somehow figure things out in the NBA as the team is so vastly undersized on the inside.

After playing about 19 minutes per contest in his first four games I'd like to see Zeller get 23-26 minutes per night consistently as he certainly needs to get roughed up a bit this season while developing into a force on both ends of the floor.

Particularly having Zeller play minutes each night with Anderson Varejao is something that is so underrated. Varejao simply raises the level of his front court partner each minute due to his constant effort and leadership by example.

No matter what happens though, I'm pumped to see the young kid play some ball again and for the losing streak to be over! Bring it, O.J. Mayo.

Francona Chats with Cleveland.com

johnf34 — Sun, 11 Nov 2012 02:48:49 -0000

Francona Chats with Cleveland.com

Our new manager is aware of the holes at 1B, LF and DH. Hooray.

Cleveland Cavaliers' Lottery Picks: Two out of Three Ain't Bad

johnf34 — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 02:22:27 -0000

Whether most Cavaliers fans want to admit it or not, the obvious thing staring them in the face is that Tristan Thompson flat out is a role player and nothing close to the star you hope he'll become.

I'm not really going to spend much time bashing the guy but the guy simply doesn't seem to have the skills and talent yet to show projections into a top level NBA player. I imagine he'll play a long time in the league and have an average career (which actually is somewhat solid for a player picked fourth).

All of us Cavaliers fans are greedy though and want Tristan to become that Kyrie type force down in the paint. Don't bet on it happening.

On the other side though one of the other two players selected highly by Grant is about as slam dunk of a superstar pick as there can be just past one year since his NBA Debut.

Uncle Drew has blossomed into the most promising point guard in the NBA.

Ricky Rubio (hahaha), Brandon Jennings, Kemba Walker, John Wall and the rest of the not-quite-yet-established NBA point guards will forever be in Kyrie's Shadow.

Irving has blasted out of the start this season to average 24 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists per game to go along with his countless clutch late jumpers and difficult drives to the hoop.

Does it get any better than this for our second year hero?

Wait, did I just link to twitter.com? Wow, things are starting to get weird..

No need to gush any longer, we'll be doing that for many years to come.

As up and down as many of us have been with Dion Waiters it's becoming clear that the guy has so much confidence in himself and genuinely thinks he can step up and take over games even with our leader out there on the court too. It's important not to underestimate how much growth from Dion means to this team.

This is flat out Kyrie Irving's team. (I love you, but sorry Andy). But the big thing is can't just be Uncle Drew's team. The young back court can transform a franchise and their destiny is right in front of us.

While both Waiters and Irving could stand to do a bit more than just score it's incredibly exciting to think of what the can become.

Hopefully one or both of them can become average or better on defense. I have little doubt that they'll both be better than most at shooting the ball from the outside. Kyrie has already shown that he is one of the craziest finishers in the whole league and he does it with both hands. It shouldn't be long before Dion is becoming a stalwart at penetrating and developing an all around offensive game.

It's not a shame that Chris Grant grabbed one superstar, one potential star and an average player with those draft picks. Just think about where this team would be if Derrick Williams had been that number one pick.. Yuck. Of course that wasn't at all close to happening but the point is you've got to give Grant a bunch of credit for snagging some guys who form the most talented and promising young core in the Eastern Conference.

Don't get me wrong, there is still much to do with this roster, and getting a 17 and 10 big man, is priority 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.., but this roster is at least going somewhere thanks to the keen eye of the Front Office.

I can think of a good solid 10 rosters in the Eastern Conference which flat out aren't heading where this Cavs team is going. We're definitely starting to see the pieces falling into place of a team that's going to give us plenty of winter's of joy while so many other franchises search for their own Kyrie and Co.

(Wait, did I just write this after this? Oh well. I still believe in it. I hope you find that faith and dive in to Cavs-Warriors Wednesday evening .)

Chicago Bulls 115, Cleveland Cavaliers 86 Recap: Bad Things Happen When You Don't Get Buckets

johnf34 — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 00:43:55 -0000

Alonzo Gee's buzzer beating three mercilessly pulled your favorite five within 25 points to end the first half. Yes, your Friday night entertainment largely was over just minutes after it had started this Friday evening but with the season young and exciting still it was refreshing to see so many Cavaliers fans stick with the Wine and Gold all 48 minutes.

Your final score from Quicken Loans Arena was Chicago 115, Cleveland 86.

Cavs Leaders: Points: Kyrie Irving 15; Rebounds: Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Samardo Samuels 5; Assists: Donald Sloan 5

Analysis:

The thing that stuck out to me was the lineup which was on the floor to open the second period. Byron Scott trotted out Donald Sloan, Daniel Gibson, C.J. Miles, Luke Walton's Back and Samardo Samuels as his team was already down 16. As you can expect things got out of hand before they got better and the Bulls stretched out their huge lead even more.

It was awfully disappointing to see that punch lacking lineup handed the task of attempting to gain significant ground on the Bulls. Perhaps a more staggered approach to substituting the starters could have changed things but more likely the signs that this simply was the Bulls' night were too strong.

The first quarter gave Cavalier fans an embarrassing array of highlights as the team committed numerous unforced turnovers and even allowed Carlos Boozer to hammer down on them multiple times.

The Cavaliers bench deserved fair criticism after that poor showing in the first half. The aforementioned five along with rookie Tyler Zeller played a combined 39 minutes by halftime and totaled 3 points (on 1-11 shooting) and 8 fouls. Welp.

Most of all I must give credit to the Bulls for limiting Anderson Varejao to just four rebounds in the half. Coming off a 14 board half in the second half against Washington it was unusual to see Andy held in check a bit.

Dion Waiters also was a non-factor at best for the gold at the break.

The third quarter saw the Cavaliers play the Bulls essentially even but Jimmy Butler hit a shot with 1.5 seconds left in the quarter to give the Bulls a 27 point lead with 12 to play. Anderson Varejao came alive with some fancy footwork in the paint to dump in some sweet lay ins while Alonzo Gee and Richard Hamilton also were very strong for their respective teams.

All in all this performance was nothing better than pitiful as the Bulls notched a scintillating 34 (Ray!) assists on the night. Carlos Boozer and Nate Robinson ran rampant on the Cavaliers all night long as this game wasn't ever in doubt.

With an upcoming six-game, 11-day road trip next on the fixture list it's frustrating to send the Cavaliers off with such a defensive lack of focus.

All 13 players who suited up tonight ended up getting some clock and Walton was limited to just four minutes!

Fear the Sword's Player of the Game

Um, Kyrie Irving. It's hard to give really anyone much of a pat on the back tonight but I thought Kyrie outplayed Alonzo Gee so he'll take the honors for the night.

What's Next

The Cavaliers embark on the long road trip I mentioned earlier beginning right away tomorrow night in Milwaukee to face Jon Leuer's former club. The tip off is at 8:30 PM Eastern. Mama, there goes that man.

James Harden traded to Houston

johnf34 — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:09:13 -0000

James Harden traded to Houston

Wow.

You definitely don't care, but a member of the Tribe had surgery

johnf34 — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 17:34:39 -0000

You definitely don't care, but a member of the Tribe had surgery

A Cavalier You Don't Miss: J.J. Hickson

johnf34 — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:06:30 -0000

He's already 24.

Is he even as relevant as Grady Sizemore anymore?

Just a few short years ago he was lauded as a potential second superstar for the Cleveland Cavaliers and someone who was a near lock to win multiple titles for your Wine and Gold.

It's pretty clear that all of that weight and stardom that seemed destined for the North Carolina State star hasn't come through and it's funny to think about how much we expected from him and now he's almost become just a blip on the NBA radar (although his stint in Rip City may prove that statement harsh).

Your memories of his are probably like mine are:

Hinging our hope on this Georgian was so easy to do. With a fairly old roster full of complimentary players he was burdened with more than most players selected where he was in the NBA Draft.

He had battles with coaches but was constantly that guy who the Cavaliers didn't get everything out of. Or wait, isn't he more to blame for getting less than everything from himself?

It takes young players years to learn how to make it in the NBA. It's a topic that's been beaten on the head by nearly every analyst from every sport.

It's really simple, though. When you're adjusting to something surround yourself with great people and the best will come out of you. What and who did he surround himself with?

His game didn't shine out on the floor of the Q. Did you realize that on paper his numbers from 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 look pretty solid?

It's funny how someone picked as low was expected to bring so much to the table. Remember how young he was when selected? Remember how many times he let you down? He was the 18th pick.

But still, I'm frustrated with how things happened. We tried to force him into a "role" which was ridiculous. You know who actually was good? Big Z. Andy? He's also really good, too.

This kid, he was supposed to be good.

He toiled out west last season after being dumped to Sacramento in a pitiful trade for both sides in the deal for Omri Casspi and a protected first round pick.

That didn't revive him. But why should it have? He went to Sacramento. Who ever flourishes there?

What about that 19 game stint in Portland? Does that make you want him back?

Do those numbers tease you? (Not guilty)

Do the rejuvenated advanced stats scratch you right where you itch? (Guilty)

Where was his career supposed to go?

It was supposed to go all the way. He was supposed to win 16 games in the playoffs. No, not in his career. We had him pegged to do it many times in a single season.

His playoff "legend" consists of going scoreless in seven of eleven games during the 2010 postseason.

That's right, seven goose eggs from eleven.

In what ended up being the end of some special days for Cavalier fans, in the one game which ended it all, do you remember what he contributed?

Were you captivated by his 0:10 of playing time?

That James Edward Hickson, Junior?

He's gone and you don't miss him.

Holmgren Out

johnf34 — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 16:19:04 -0000

Holmgren Out

The Night the Wine Wasn't So Fine

johnf34 — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 03:43:19 -0000

I definitely wasn't able to watch this game. I'm not even sure if there was a stream so in giving you my match reaction I'm going to have to infer some things from the box score.

Hopefully in the comments there are a few people who were in person at the scrimmage and can give us some real details.

As we roll through this recap I'll give you a look at some of the more noticeable things from the box.

*First off, it is really impressive that 12,230 people attended this game. Personally I would have predicted that about 2,000 would show but I guess I really had no clue.

*Omri Casspi thoroughly outplayed his counterpart Alonzo Gee. Casspi shot 80% of the field and was joint high scorer for the victors while Gee failed to net any points in over 28 minutes on the court.

*I'm not high at all on Tristan Thompson. He's got such a long ways to go. The man can't finish well inside the paint as he always is gathering himself and has no game outside five feet. It looks like he had a weak performance.

*Kelenna Azubuike and Luke Walton's back played. Weird.

*Donald Sloan seems to have definitely outplayed Jeremy Pargo by a decent margin even though he played 21 fewer (less) minutes.

*Newcomers Jon Leuer and C.J. Miles struggled on their debuts. I imagine they'll become much better in Byron Scott's system as the preseason kicks forward.

*To no surprise, Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving had solid nights on the offensive end. I have no idea how their individual defense looked as that will be something to keep a close eye on. Irving's defense was pitiful last year and Waiters seems likely to struggle, as most do, in his first taste of defending NBA players.

*The Wine were handed a very terrible weak bench. Is Daniel Gibson capable of contributing anything this year?

Keep in mind that the Cavaliers host Montepaschi Siena of Italy on Monday night at the Q and there are still free tickets available.

The contest with the Italians tips off at 6 pm CST.

For post game video from tonight's scrimmage featuring Scott, Irving, Waiters and Casspi please clickity click.

Lastly, do you know who the player in the picture is?

October Predictions

johnf34 — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 18:34:23 -0000

Baseball's postseason is unusually difficult to pick and this year is likely to be no different as most picks end up just being gut choices instead of ones backed with too much statistical analysis.

Can we please get an ALCS of Baltimore-Oakland?!

Even so, let's make some predictions.

I'll take:

ALCS

Yankees over Athletics

NLCS

Reds over Braves

World Series

Reds over Yankees

Toss your predictions in the comments and enjoy the games tonight.

Baseball's postseason is unusually difficult to pick and this year is likely to be no different as most picks end up just being gut choices instead of ones backed with too much statistical analysis.

Can we please get an ALCS of Baltimore-Oakland?!

Even so, let's make some predictions.

I'll take:

ALCS

Yankees over Athletics

NLCS

Reds over Braves

World Series

Reds over Yankees

Toss your predictions in the comments and enjoy the games tonight.

A Cavalier You Don't Miss: Anthony Parker

johnf34 — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 23:28:07 -0000

Let's go on a journey to the days when the Indians still boasted Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez and the Browns had yet to play a game under Eric Mangini.

We'll start on July 13, 2009 when Anthony Parker signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Cavaliers at age 34. Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry was not shy in his optimism regarding the addition:

"Anthony will be a solid addition to our roster. He is a very good, intelligent all-around basketball player," Ferry said. "Our coaching staff will especially appreciate the good shooting and solid defense that Anthony brings to our team."

What Ferry failed to realize was that Parker straight up wasn't going to be a piece big enough to catapult the LeBron James led roster all the way to the NBA Finals.

Over the course of his first season with the team in 2009-2010 his best game of the season hands down was an effort at home against Toronto on April 6th in which he scored 18 points to go along with 8 rebounds and 6 assists while shooting 7-12 from the field, 3-6 from deep and 1-1 from the charity stripe.

His second? A 14 point, 2 rebound, 3 assist game in November in Utah. Sheesh. Maybe the playoffs would shine brighter for Parker though, right?

His most productive performance of the postseason saw him scored 12 points, grab a board and dish out 2 assists in Game 4 of the first round against the Chicago Bulls.

During 2010-2011 AP notched a single digit point total in 45 of 72 games, BUT finally notched two games above 20 points bringing his total with the Cavaliers to a whopping two in 153 games.

A hot stretch in December did see the shooting guard notch 10+ points in five consecutive games before Christmas.

In the summer of 2011 Parker was once again a free agent and his return to the Q was uncertain.

Head Coach Byron Scott certainly had some unusual things to say upon Parker's resigning with the Cavaliers on December 12, 2011:

"He's not as vocal as AJ (Antawn Jamison), but he's a little bit like EF Hutton," Scott said, referring to the tag line of an investment firm's commercials in the 1970s and 80s, "When EF Hutton talks, people listen."

"What he does is lead by example, which I think is great," Scott continued. "Not to say the other two don't, because they do. All three of those guys are different in their own ways. Andy just lays it out on the line every single day. He doesn't say a whole lot. Every once in a blue moon Andy will say something, whereas AJ is more vocal on the court and off the court.

Are you like EF Hutton, too?

Anyways, Parker finished his career by starting all 51 games he played in during Kyrie Irving's rookie 2011-2012 season. He ended up scoring less (FEWER!) than 10 points in 40 of the 51 games of the year while notching his best performance as a Cavalier in a 27 point showing in Milwaukee on April 4th.

AP was actually a solid player for the team but just not somebody you want to keep around after three years, especially with Dion Waitiers now ready to take over the Eastern Conference.

During his three years with the Cavaliers Parker earned $7,749,930.

Cousineau Says Goodbye to the Internet

johnf34 — Sun, 30 Sep 2012 14:03:19 -0000

Cousineau Says Goodbye to the Internet

Thanks for the many years of glorious articles, Paul.

John's Talkin': Cavaliers Training Camp

johnf34 — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 23:54:53 -0000

1. As most people have realized, the thing to keep your eyes on during the 2012-2013 season is how much upside is shown by the past Cavalier lottery selections in Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. While I think Irving will be an All-Star THIS YEAR, it's very unclear how much we will see from Waiters.

2. There are many more options I like this year at the wing positions compared to last year. While Daniel Gibson's defense is rated highly by Byron Scott I'd much rather see Waiters, C.J. Miles and Alonzo Gee get the bulk of the minutes on the wings with Kyrie Irving possibly even playing there occasionally when Donald Sloan or Gibson gets some minutes at the backup point guard spot.

3. I'd hope that players such as Omri Casspi, Kelenna Azubuike and Luke Walton have minimal roles on the team going forward. It's likely that Casspi will still get some burn but with the other two being fairly unreliable it's not looking good for their chances.

4. With a surplus of moderately talented young bigs such as Jon Leuer, Samardo Samuels, Tristan Thompson, Luke Harangody and Tyler Zeller the team really is desperate for a certain duo from that group to step up and claim big time minutes. It's not hard to figure out which two Scott hopes takes charge from the quintet.

5. While fans may be sick and tired of Luke Harangody I've got no strong opinions on him. He's a great D-League player and a bad NBA player. There is nothing more to it.

6. The Eastern Conference looks like it has some terrible teams (Toronto, Charlotte, Orlando, etc.) and the Cavaliers are absolutely not one of them from what I see. Of the teams who missed the playoffs last year in the East, Kyrie Irving is definitely the player most ready for stardom and able to dominate games better than anyone else. With his determination and skill it's hard to see the team going on 2-15 stretches or multiple long losing streaks.

7. I'm having a difficult time projecting the season ahead for Waiters than anybody else on the roster. Who really knows to expect from someone with limited playing time in college and underwhelming moments in Summer League? Plus, he wasn't even really hyped to be a Top-10 pick at all until the day of the selection.

Training Camp Dates

October 1 - Media Day

October 2 - First Practice

October 6 - Wine & Gold Scrimmage

Rio de Janeiro 2016: Kyrie Irving's Team?

johnf34 — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:44:29 -0000

The NBA has quite a few young sensational point guards and the battle for likely three roster spots for the Rio de Janeiro games is going to be very fierce.

Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo and Cleveland's own Kyrie Irving are the very early candidates to join incumbents Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook in the fight for the Americans attempt at a third straight gold medal.

At this point the group of players that I just listed will change often as players play their way in and out of the picture and nothing will be set in stone until just weeks before Rio 2016.

At this super early stage though I've definitely got an idea of what I'd love to see happen.

Do you remember the 2008 Olympic "Redeem Team?" That team featured the youthful (and much more talented at the time) Paul and Williams to go along with the aging veteran Jason Kidd. Coach Mike Krzyzewski chose to start Kidd over the young pair as Kidd's leadership and intangibles were deemed more important than the superior talent of Paul and Williams. While I didn't like it, it's clear that it ended up working out as the USA took gold.

Paul and Williams played significant minutes, including important ones, but Kidd was a calm presence for the team.

It's somewhat shocking to think about not including a player such as Rose on the 2016 Olympic Team but I see it going Paul, Irving and Westbrook.

Paul is a near lock to start the entire tournament if he's healthy. Unless he really goes downhill quickly or the new USA coach rates someone else higher then he will probably be leading us out on the floor again. His creating ability and underrated shooting are key assets for an American team which can stall in the half court offense at times.

Irving is the guy who, and I'm not being biased, will surprise the nation in Rio. Hopefully he has broken out nationally by that time but if he somehow hasn't then I expect some crazy moments from him in the 2016 Games just like he showcased in the Rookie-Sophomore Game last winter.

Westbrook, easily one of the most exciting players in the NBA to watch for my money, is simply too athletic and problematic for other teams to leave off the roster. Just watching his speed, quickness, strength and athletic ability gives me goosebumps.

I believe he is the second best athlete in the NBA but is right on LeBron's tail.

With such a dynamic group of point guards I actually see them playing together quite a bit with Irving and Westbrook getting some time off the ball. Without quite an obvious replacement for Kobe Bryant at the shooting guard (Harden?)spot at this stage these guys are definitely going to take some of those minutes because of how strong the point guard spot will be.

All three of our point guards could be better than any of the shooting guards so maybe two of these three will start.

I ultimately expect Kyrie Irving to take over by this time as the top point guard in the NBA and in outplaying Paul at the 2016 games he'll prove to everybody who watches the game how talented he really is.

Rondo, Rose and Williams face a tough spot but it's hard to say any of them will be better than the three players I've chosen. Rose certainly could easily find his way onto the team because it really is hard to see him being left off should he be healthy but I actually do not think he'll be better than any of Paul, Irving or Westbrook in 2016.

What role do you see Irving playing in the 2016 Olympic Games? Who else are your leaders in the clubhouse to join him on the squad?

Keep in mind that Irving's infectious confidence and work ethic will really grow him on many Americans after he shines in that tournament.

Cleveland Cavaliers' Best Center of the Century: Zydrunas Ilgauskas

johnf34 — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 22:15:44 -0000

The legacy of Zydrunas Ilgauskas can be summer up pretty fairly by the following video upon his return to the Cavaliers after being "traded" to the Washington Wizards. It's safe to say Ilgauskas wasn't just one of the best players in the history of the Cavs but he's easily one of the most popular.

Z demolished Anderson Varejao and Shaquille O'Neal in the voting and took 82% of the votes.

He currently is working for the team as assistant general manager under Chris Grant. Those two would be quite a large front court, not to mention being a front office duo.

More of his career highlights come your way after the jump.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas, 1997-2010: Big Z played 777 games with the Cavaliers and averaged 13.8 points, 7.7 points, 1.2 assists and 1.6 blocks per game. Z's PER with the Cavaliers was 18.8 and he was a fan favorite throughout his tenure with the team. The Lithuanian played in 71 playoff games over 5 seasons and averaged 11.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in those fixtures. His playoff PER dipped a bit to just 16.2. He has returned to the front office of the Cavaliers as an assistant general manager after spending the 2010-2011 season on the roster of the Miami Heat.

Here are some of his rankings in the franchise record book:

Games - 1st

Minutes played - 2nd

Rebounds - 1st

Blocks - 1st

Points - 2nd

Win Shares - 4th

Before you hit the comments, let out a loud and proud "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!"

Cleveland Cavaliers' Best of the Century: Center

johnf34 — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 18:50:30 -0000

The center position has been a massive strength for a long time for the Cavaliers franchise. With a big star in the middle the team has consistently used its size to its advantage over the years.

While each of the players who made the cut after the jump has a very distinct style it's probably pretty clear who most people are going to favor in this race.

Anderson Varejao, 2004-2012: The Brazilian has won many fans in Cleveland based on his energetic style of play which exhibits relentless defense and hustle at all times. He has played just 444 games in his 8 seasons in Cleveland due to some unfortunate injuries. He has averaged 7.3 points and 7.2 boards in his career. 2011-2012 was his finest NBA season until he got injured as he averaged 10.8 points and 11.5 boards a night. His PER last season was 18.9 and for his NBA career it is exactly 15.0

Shaquille O'Neal, 2009-2010: In his lone season in Cleveland, O'Neal averaged over 12 points per game while nearly grabbing 7 rebounds per contest. Shaq only played 53 games that winter while shooting 57% from the field and almost 50% from the free throw line. Ultimately, his mission in Cleveland failed as the Cavaliers were bounced in the Easter Conference Semifinals by the Boston Celtics. His PER in his limited minutes was 17.9.

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Poll

Which of these players was the best center for the Cavs this century?

Anderson Varejao

95 votes

Shaquille O'Neal

26 votes

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

551 votes

672 votes | Poll has closed