Archive for the ‘Basketball’ Category

It happened.  The announcement was made Thursday at around 9:35 p.m. that Lebron James would be leaving the nest to fly South and play with his friends.  The announcement and ESPN hype show that aired took over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers game for a brief moment.  PA Announcer John Brown aired the decision to the audience and was greeted by a loud chorus of boos.  Not only that, but it happened to be buck night, so some of the booing was vulgar and malicious.

Travis Fryman spent some time in Cleveland as an Indian and although he confessed he does not follow other sports very closely, “the decision” that Lebron made is another black eye to Cleveland.  “Although my opinion on the subject doesn’t really mean squat, it disappoints me.  I have always admired a player like Alan Trammel who spent his entire career with one organization.  Loyalty, to me, means that both sides give up something. The team was willing to pay the guy, but the player should want to give something back to that organization.  He certainly gave his best effort while he was here.”

“We are gonna win here, we are gonna lose here, either way, I am a Cleveland player.  I like that mentality”, said Fryman.  “I felt that way when I was in Detroit until somebody traded me, so then I decided to feel that way about Cleveland.  I am sure it was not an easy decision for him.”

Fryman also added, “It’s tough.  It’s been tough on Browns, Indians and Cavs fans for the last several years.  Cleveland deserves a winner, hopefully sooner than later.  It’s been awhile and it seems like Cleveland is chasing the Cubs. It’s a great place to play and there are some great fans there. They deserve a winner too, every now and then.”

Lebron choosing Miami over Cleveland also brings to mind that three stars who like their numbers and their press have to share the ball.  One piece of corn, three pigs, you do the math. How cool would it be to see the Cavs, Knicks, or Bulls, knock Miami out of the playoffs?

In some stunning news, LeBron James revealed that he will join the Big 12 Athletic Conference and sidestep the Harlem Globetrotters, for now.  James has been debating what to do with his future and the Cavs don’t seem to be extending any olive branches.

I still feel as though LeBron will remain a Cavalier, but the firings of Mike Brown and Danny Ferry and the fact that management has declared that Tom Izzo got an interview without James’ permission indicate stupidity.

How can Mike Brown go from being the NBA Coach of The Year in 2009 to being in the unemployment line in 2010?  Sure, my Aunt Mary could probably coach that team and win 45 games, but why make a scapegoat out of a guy who obviously was put there to do what LeBron wanted?

Danny Ferry being dismissed makes some sense.  Building around LeBron James has been a huge failure for him and his last shot again produced nothing.  Mo Williams is decent, but other than that, Ferry has laid a goose egg.  Shaq is eligible for Social Security next year and Delonte West is a head case, to put it mildly.  LeBron needs a co-star, a Garnett, a Bosh, or a Wade, because he will remain the player that needs to be shut down for the opponent to have a chance at winning.

Granted, there are not that many guys who I would want to have the ball more than James late in a ballgame.  However, when teams collapse on him and he kicks the ball out to wide open players who can’t hit shots, there is a problem.

If Izzo comes, and LeBron stays, which seem to have to go hand-in-hand, this team needs a makeover from the top down.  The only player I might keep is J J Hickson. He has an upside and is still developing.  Every other current Cavs roster spot is either filled by someone who was once great, or by someone else who was supposed to be great. Nobody, other than James, that plays hoops in Cleveland is even close to great, not right now.

The New York Knicks have reported record season ticket activity for next season based on the hype alone.  For the past couple of seasons, LeBron James has been in the rumor mill as going to New York when his contract expires at season’s end.

The good news for Knicks fans anticipating the big move is that you will get to see LeBron play in Madison Square Garden next season.  The bad news is that he will still be wearing a Cavs uniform and you paid too much for those couple of games.  The newly crowned MVP will stay put.

The Jets stepped it up in the offseason, doing Yankee-like things that New Yorkers have grown to expect.  Now the people want a basketball team to spend a fortune too.  You can afford LeBron, but he is home where he sits now.  It’s his backyard and his friends and family can drive less than an hour to watch.  All the hype about a number switch as of late has barely been mentioned in Knicks conversations, has anyone who did any of the junk photoshop stuff try to use the number six?

The Cavs hold a 1-0 lead over Boston in their current quest to get “The King” a ring.  New York fans are Cleveland fans, for now.  When this supposed deal never takes place, LeBron will be booed from the Eastern end of the Bronx through Manhatten, and he will probably enjoy it.  Click your red Nike’s together three times and repeat after me… ‘There’s No Place Like Home.’

The YSU Men’s Basketball Team is doing it’s best to bolster the confidence of the women’s program.  Having lost five to graduation, the Penguins are now without four underclassmen who were expected to be big pieces in the 2010-11 puzzle. 

Juniors Vance Cooksey and Tom Parks and freshmen Eddie D’Haiti and Lamar McKnight have informed the program that they will not return next season.  No explanations were given as to why the foursome have walked away.

Cooksey and D’Haiti both played adequately this season.  Cooksey started 10 games, but more  importantly, would have been the sparkplug next season.  D’Haiti was more of a physical work in progress.  He played, but very sparingly, and admitted himself that he needed to get stronger to compete at this level.

Parks broke his ankle in December in a snow-related accident and missed all but 11 games.  McKnight redshirted and did not play at all.

This leaves six players, ala YSU Women circa 2010, and that experiment did not yield any wins.  Ashen Ward, Vytas Sulskis, and Dan Boudler are the only three carryovers with any true playing experience for Youngstown State.  Andy Timko (above) appeared in three games, and Sheldon Brogdon and Damian Eargle never saw the court this season.  Fletcher Larson and Kendrick Perry are incoming recruits who have committed.  Aaron Anderson is another potential recruit who is close to signing with the Penguins.

Coach Jerry Slocum has not talked on the matters as of yet.

*** Thanks to Letsgoguins.com for updating a mistake that I printed.  Aaron Anderson signed with North Dakota, not YSU.

The Horizon League may well be one of the most underestimated conferences in all of college basketball.  Few programs have had the success that Butler has enjoyed over the past few seasons.  For some reason, the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee seeded the Horizon League regular season and tournament champions as a #5 seed.

Butler (28-4) finished the season ranked at #11.  If the math is true, they should have gotten a #3 seeding.  Instead they draw a quality first round opponent in UTEP, another underseeded team.  The Bulldogs also just ran the table in the Horizon League (first time that has ever been done), and hold the longest winning streak in the country at 20 games.

Three of the Bulldogs losses came to teams in the Big Dance.  Minnesota, Clemson (one point), and Georgetown all managed to beat Butler during the regular season.  Butler, however, holds wins against Siena, Ohio State, and Xavier, three more tournament teams.

Coach Brad Stevens, in just his third season, has an overall 77-14 record.  Stevens is trotting a young team onto the court to face UTEP with just one Senior (Willie Veasley, pictured), one Junior (Matt Howard), and three Sophomores (Gordon Hayward, Ronald Nored, and Shelvin Mack).

If the Bulldogs can defeat UTEP, they would face the winner of the Vanderbilt-Murray State contest.  If they can win two games in a row, they will be in the Sweet 16 and in all likelihood have a date with #1 seed Syracuse.  Butler can beat Syracuse.  Write that down somewhere.

No matter how far Horizon League teams seem to go in the tournament (Butler, Cleveland State, and Valpo have all done well in recent years) the reality seems that a #5 seed is the best the selection committee can give the conference. 

Good Luck Butler!  Represent the Horizon League with pride and knock ’em all down a peg or two.

(photo of Willie Veasley courtesy of Ron Stevens)

(photo courtesy of Ron Stevens)

The calling of a timeout at a college basketball game has evolved into a complicated process.  The five guys who are actively participating in the game are probably happy that they don’t have to participate in moving the entire bench forward about five feet.

In the photo above, Youngstown State University Coach Jerry Slocum is shown during a timeout.  Take notice that the seats have been moved forward about five feet to allow the bench players access to the information behind the seated players.

When you are watching a game on television, you do not get to take in the first twenty seconds.  Watch for this closely, as it is really turning into a hamster race to get everything in place.  Coaches are grabbing clipboards, the waterboy readies the squirt bottles for delivery, there is someone passing out towels, and several players moving chairs around.

The exclamation point of the whole process is the one seat that gets brought out to face everyone, or the coaching seat.  It is like watching the Ohio State Band do Script Ohio when a timeout gets called. 

The process obviously has pros and cons.  The advantage of moving everything forward a few feet to allow the remainder of players to receive information from the coach makes perfect sense.  If you wanted to really dig for good reasons, an exhausted player does not have to walk as far for the stop in play.

The negatives are the time factor involved in rearranging all of the furniture, the harder angles that towels and Gatorade are shuffled in from, and getting back on the court in enough time to avoid getting a technical foul for a delay of game.

So far, the system has not been disruptive or counterproductive in any way.  However, as more teams go to this system, timeout duration will either be lengthened or rules will be more strictly enforced.

Kids play with toy guns and are taught to disregard greetings from strangers at an early age.  Life is working backwards on Delonte West.  Real guns and a bipolar disorder are now things that stand in the way of a player coming off of his best season ever. 

The Cleveland Cavaliers are having chemistry issues right now.  The team is competitive but already losers in three of their games.  The arrival of Shaq and Anthony Parker, the departure of Ben Wallace, the pressure on LeBron James to win a ring,  and of course the unpredictable behavior of Delonte West.

West is coming off of his best season as a pro basketball player.  However, one recalls him going off on a ref during a preseason game last season which forced the team to seek help for West.  West agreed to medical attention and was treated for the erratic behavior.  Officials are saying an emotional disturbance is what triggered Delonte’s latest run at bad behavior.

Last year, West had a problem with paranoia, always thinking that people were against him.  He was often late arriving on days of games and the Cavs were almost forced to hide the information from the media because of the diagnosis fearing West would become worse as a result of negative perception.

Riding a motorcycle is something that West is not allowed to do under his current contract.  Riding a motorcycle with a host of loaded weapons is probably not included in the contract limitations, but common sense would tell you that must be a bad thing.  West also faced marijuana possession charges in Maryland when the Cavs worked out a new contract.

Message to Danny Ferry and the gang:  It is nice that you guys bent over backwards to help Delonte overcome his personal issues.  A second chance is something every human deserves.  However, Mr. West is now on his fifth chance, this time the negative publicity is on him, and you can no longer shield his goofy behavior.  Check his guitar case next time he brings it to practice, what’s inside could kill you or someone else who does not deserve to die.

Message to Delonte West:  Hey bud, I know you are going through some tough times.  Anyone who makes more than a million dollars a year has my sympathy.  Do you think you might like to hunt?  My buddy here has some farm land you could scour and I got his ok on it.  Please start taking your meds and listening to the shrinks advice this time.  You are not only endangering yourself, but also the chances of a very good basketball team succeeding this season.  If it gets to be too much, walk away.  Take a break and get your act together.  Go find a guy under a bridge who will provide you with so many answers without you having to ask a single question.

It is still early enough in the young NBA season for Cleveland to decide what to do with Delonte West.  Ignoring the problems or shielding him is obviously not the answer anymore.

All of this grumbling about Lebron James leaving Cleveland after this season is starting to really get on my nerves.  Don’t get me wrong, King James can pretty much pick his destination whether it be New York, Miami, or Australia.  I just don’t see Lebron wanting to leave Cleveland unless they really do stupid things in the front office between now and the end of the season.

Bringing in Shaq is a good thing.  Do you think Danny Ferry acted without first calling James and asking him for his opinion?  Danny Ferry is one of the puppets who Lebron controls.  If a player were out there and Ferry were to sign him without first contacting James, he would have a reason to pack his bags at the end of the season.  Fortunately for Cavs fans, that doesn’t happen because James is basically the GM of this team.

Mike Brown won Coach of The Year.  Brown replaced Paul Silas.  Lebron didn’t like playing for Silas because he actually tried to coach the team.  E=MC2?  Catching on yet?  Danny Ferry replaced Jim Paxson because Paxson got fired.  He could not be puppeted out like Ferry.  Mike Brown was basically hand-picked by James to coach the team.  So now Lebron is not only the GM, but now he is the head coach and has a puppet for each hand.

Besides being the GM, Head Coach, and player, James also is basically playing in his backyard.  A home game for the Cavs is a home game for Akron.  Lebron’s mother can come up to watch.  Granted, if he went somewhere else it’s not like he couldn’t afford to relocate his mother to watch games.  However, an incredible amount of the people who own season tickets in Cleveland are people who were following James’ magical run at Akron SVSM.

We all know that Anderson Varajeo is not even close to earning the money thrown at him last week by the Cavs.  He runs a good pick-and-roll with Lebron, so GM James said, “Pay the man“.  Coach James said, “Pay the man“.  Oh, and teammate Lebron James said, “Pay the man“.  So guess what… the man got paid.

Anyone who thinks that Lebron James isn’t running every dimension of Cleveland Cavaliers basketball to some extent is naive and/or blind.  This all raises the point that there is absolutely no reason for James to go anywhere for any reason.  Lebron James will be in Cleveland as long as he has control of all of his toys and titles.  Mario Lemieux owns the Penguins.  Don’t be suprised is Lebron turns around and buys the Cavs someday.  Then he can be owner, GM, Coach, player, vendor, etc…

The Cleveland Cavaliers are scrambling desperately to plug the holes that prevented them from winning it all last year.  Anthony Parker, currently with the Toronto Raptors, is the next guy down on Danny Ferry‘s wish list.

Shaquille O’Neal, in my opinion, was a good signing.  Leadership and experience go a long way in the NBA and Shaq has plenty of both to offer.

I am glad that Ron Artest signed with Los Angeles.  Artest is a head case and will have problems with Phil Jackson and/or Kobe Bryant while he is in a Lakers uniform.  Thanks Mitch Kupchak, we owe you one.  Then they turn around and give Trevor Ariza to Houston.  Who will be worse next year?  Houston or Oklahoma City?

Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon probably wanted to play together like they did at UConn a few years ago.  I want to play kickball at recess again too, but it probably can’t happen.  Joe Dumars isn’t seeing the big picture in Motown.  Rasheed Wallace is going to be gone, Allen Iverson has been used entirely wrong since they got him, and Rip Hamilton is unhappy.  Bringing in Avery Johnson to handle this dog and pony show wont be enough.

I wish the Cavs would just go after Chris Bosh and get it over with.  Bosh will be in a Cavs uniform next season, mark my words.

Cleveland failed to advance to the NBA Finals, losing to Orlando, 4-2.  The Magic, on paper, have a stronger team.  If you lined up all the players for The Cavs and Magic up at a playground and had Van Gundy and Brown pick teams for a game, the results would prove which team had superior talent.  Obviously Mike Brown would pick Lebron first.  Van Gundy would probably take Dwight Howard second.  The next three picks would all be Magic players too. 

Lebron James tried to be a one man gang when he had to.  Unfortunately for Cavs fans, Delonte West couldn’t hit an outside shot the whole series.  Mo Williams wasn’t the guy Cavs fans fell in love with this year.  Zydrunas Ilgauskas looked tired and old.  Anderson Varajeo and Ben Wallace should never be looked at as offensive threats. 

All during the regular season, teams would do their best to take the lane away from Lebron forcing him to kick the ball out to a wide open Williams or West who made teams pay.  The single biggest malfunction in the Orlando series was that nobody was able to shoot from the outside with wide open, or at least, great looks.  These are shots your perimeter players have to make, and no one stepped up.  Not Wally, not Sasha, not Delonte and not Mo.

With that being said, the Cavs could only take away the three-pointer to leave Dwight Howard open, or doubleteam Howard and get their eyes knocked out from three.  Let Rafer Alston shoot the threes.  Rafer Alston owned us and outplayed anyone in Cleveland’s backcourt every game.

People are pointing fingers at Mike Brown, the 2009 NBA Coach of The Year.  I don’t see how he can blamed for riding the horse that got him there.  The mismatches and lack of a second scorer killed the Cavs, and what could Brown do?  Too many weapons, too many ways, and not enough responses.

Was Lebron a bad sport?  Go through life winning everything everytime you play.  Have a season like Cleveland did, losing only 20 games all year, but six to Orlando.  The competitor in him hasn’t had much practice at losing when he was supposed to win, so he was ultra-frustrated and disappointed with the results.  He made good yesterday by talking to the media, congratulating Orlando, and wearing a Yankees hat, bringing me to the next item.

Is Lebron leaving?  No.  The Cavs are going to offer him an extension this summer which he will sign.  Before he signs, look for changes.  Remember, Lebron kind of handpicked Mike Brown, most of his teammates, and the city is in love with the guy.  The Cavs can also offer him an extra year that no one else can because he is currently plaing for them.

What needs to happen?  Nice knowing you Zydrunas and Ben, time to move on.  Ilgauskas drives me nuts.  When you are over 7′, hit the boards on offense instead of waiting outside the arc to shoot a three. Ben Wallace was the scrappiest rebounder in the league a few years ago and was never a threat to score anywhere he played.  However, he is not the same as he was when he played for Detroit.  He would get 20 rebounds in a big game, no questions asked.  Having both he and Anderson Varajeo on the court makes the Cavs better defensively, but cripples the offense.

The Cavs need to get that #2 guy, whoever he is.  Someone who can light it up on offense to take the burden away from Delonte and Mo.  Lebron’s gonna get his, no matter what.  I did a story about why the Cavs would do better against Boston than they would against Orlando, I feel vindicated for writing it, but wish I could tell you how wrong I was.