So what? LeBron likes the Yankees.

There have been, since the day that the Cavs won the lottery, talks about LeBron leaving Cleveland for a bigger market.

Those talks need to stop.

He's building a $14(?) million dollar estate in Akron. His family and friends are there. He's in a city that is committed to building a team and franchise around him like the a temple to the gods of nature. Few other teams in the league (in big markets) would be willing to give him that respect and leeway.

He is Cleveland's basketball history. You can be assured he'll always be just the next-comer in a major market -- He'll never rise to the fame or status of Jordan in Chicago, or Abdul-Jabbar (or Kobe, Magic) in LA, or Bird or Russell in Boston. Most sportswriters/fans from those major cities will get caught up in the comparison, and forgo the here-and-now respect he gets in Cleveland. And Cleveland readily recognizes him as the center of their basketball universe  -- That their time has never been better, nor will ever be better without him.

That is not to mention that the "clauses in endorsement contracts" (that may or may not exist) which elevate $$$ in different markets are fundamentally unfair and terrifying to professional sports with a salary cap. What if Dan Gilbert through Quicken Loans (or a newly created shill company) offered an endorsement of $0.99 that increased to $50 million if LeBron stayed in Cleveland? Couldn't a team owned by bigwigs at Nike offer unfair outside-of-NBA-jurisdiction soft contracts that destroy the back-and-forth of NBA talent? Do we need a New York Yankees of basketball (And when the word gets out about how this works, football and hockey)? How is this not the same problem with 'soft money' we see in politics?

The league needs to disallow endorsement contracts of this nature. They are unfair to the competitive nature of basketball.

Now, LeBron goes on record to root for the Yankees. That's not really a big deal, or media worthy. I wonder how many other athletes from any city root across the board for that city's team? At least he's honest.

Frye-a-later

I like that we traded Charlie Frye. It shows that we're not going to just settle down with two mediocre quarterbacks for the first half of the season. It shows that we're going to settle for one mediocre quarterback, one unproven rookie, and the rookie's unproven mentor (or 'sensei,' if you will).

I'd like to think that it follows the plot of a fanfiction screenplay I wrote as a prequel to "The Karate Kid," entitled "Almost There: Mr. Miyagi's 'Okay' Student." The okay student, we'll call him Derek, stepped in for one match and won by chance when his opponent forgot how to block punches. Derek never really succeeded again when it mattered. Then, of course, Mr. Miyagi is approached by Daniel LaRusso, and continues to humor Michael, I mean Derek, until LaRusso's checks clear. There is also a touching love story in AT:MMOS that is irrelevant to this simile.

In this comparison, Mr. Miyagi could be the city of Cleveland, Romeo Crennel or Ken Dorsey. Right now we're in the TKK, and somewhere in the middle of the training montage. Quinn has been bullied at school (read: bowl games) and is ready to fight back.

Also, this means that our next quarterback will be Hillary Swank. At least we know she can take a hit.

I used to be a big defender of Romeo, but now I'm not so sure. He seems so passive and forgiving after every loss. I could back over his dog in his driveway after he catches me sleeping with his wife, and he would say, "I should have locked the door. Next time, I guess."

What we need in Cleveland is an asskicker. Someone with a history with the Browns, and head coaching experience coaching and motivating teams at the highest level. Someone who is not afraid to be pissed off after a loss, or afraid to discipline his team. We need someone who is known and respected by the players, who work under him in both fear and respect. We need someone with the first name "Bill," and the last name "Cowher."

Go Brownies.

Hello

Hey, I'm new here.

Well, I'm new in a sense. I'm new to writing on a blog. I'm new to structured updates. I'm new to posting my sports comments open to more than just a few hundred people.

I'm not new, however, to Cleveland sports. I have grown up loving and listening to Cleveland sports, and  I've grown up commiserating with other Cleveland fans. That's really all we seem to do nowadays. I'm tired of my roommates preemptively removing the extension cords from my room after football season ends.

I want to put my own spin on sports news in Northeastern Ohio. I want to start new discussions. To do that, I need to have someone read and comment on my writing.

A question before game 2

How good are the Cavs?

We have no idea. And that's not necessarily a good thing.

The Cavs have been playing completely different basketball for the last 10 games (4 regular season, 6 playoff), and almost seem to be a completely different team than the early season lackadaisical mess that was 33-25 on March 2nd.

On April 12, the 46-32 Cavs started to roll. They won the last 4 games of the regular season to earn the second spot in a strangely seated bracket, in which it was an easier road for the 2 seed than the 1.

The Cavs kept rolling, straight through the depleted Washington Wizards, playing without Gilbert Arenas (everyone's favorite basketball whackjob) and Caron Butler, the resident bruiser. No one gave the supporting cast of the Wiz, starring Antawn Jamison, credit for being a professional basketball team. People didn't watch the Cavs quickly unravel the Wizards to take an early seat and wait for the New Jersey - Toronto series to end. New Jersey ended the Canadian postseason, and set up for a run at the Cavaliers.

And that's where we are now. Short, easy to read, but slow and even in comparison to the waves in the Western playoff race.

The story, however, is more interesting when you consider the basketball the Cavs have been playing to get here -- The most recent 10 game win streak and playoff run.

Why has the Cleveland point differential jumped from 3.8 to 8.2 from regular season to postseason?

The Cavs offense is just a little better than it was during the regular season measuring by point totals. Cleveland's field goal percentage is just 2/10 of a percent better. That's not significant. The offense has shown little improvement considering just the numbers.

The defense and rebounding, however, have drastically improved. The Cavs have been grabbing over 35% of the rebounds on the offensive side of the floor, better than their regular season average of 29.6%. They have been taking down over 79% of the rebounds on the defensive side of the floor, better than their regular season average of 75.6%. The Cavs are netting 49.33 rebounds per game, an improvement over the regular season of 43.5 per game. They have been grabbing 13.5 more boards than their opponents in the playoffs, and there's no reason to see them stop now against the Nets, who have a weak front line.

The Cavs defense has held their opponents to 89.17 points in the playoffs. Sasha Pavlovic has stepped up his previously questionable defense and held Vince Carter to a low field goal percentage.

Why is this boring basketball? Since when is playing spectacular defense something for sportscasters to lament? Why is everyone writing them off as impostors? The Cavs have the power and the defense to compete with anyone, and in the games, they'll prove why.

Some other numbers for you to consider:
4/4 - The Cavs home win record this season and postseason versus the Nets
12 - Points per game difference between the Cavs and their opponents in the last 10 games.
13.5 - Rebounds per game difference between the Cavs and their opponents in the playoffs.
2.5 - Shots that Cavs have made per game more than their opponents in the playoffs (which is a sizable difference).
28.7 - Percentage of the offense that Lebron scores in the playoffs. Points off of LeBron James assists are not counted.

The Cavs have some work to do to take game 3 from the wounded Nets. Game 3 will probably be the hardest to win. New Jersey is down in a hole and fighting for its life, while the Cavs have a little lead and confidence, maybe even a swagger, that can hurt them in the upcoming game. Vince Carter plays better at home than he does on the road. Jason Kidd is one of the best point guards in the league. The Nets are a veteran team ready to fight, and they're too good to be swept easily.

The Cavs need to keep pounding the glass. Now is no time to let up the rebounding advantage. The Nets don't have multiple threats in the paint to score easy baskets since VC decided to tiptoe his way through the series on the perimeter. The Cavaliers cannot let him get a taste of blood in his mouth and get into the lane to shoot high percentage shots.

Keep double-teaming Vince Carter. The Cavs need to keep several men on the best scorer on a potent team. Larry Hughes has done well by himself versus Jason Kidd so far, holding Kidd to just 24 points in the first two games. Trapping Kidd and cramping Carter will stop the offensive flow that the Nets enjoyed in game 2.

Hold the paint presence on offense. LeBron has done a good job so far this series scoring inside. James, Gooden, and Ilgauskas cannot relinquish their command of the key.

Hughes must slash and drive rather than take 20 foot jumpers. Come on. It seems like almost ever Cavs scoreline ends with "Hughes 4-15, 12 points." That's not his best basketball. Larry's not a jumpshooter by nature. He'd be a devastating point guard if he would drive, drawing defenders, and then kick the ball back out to a waiting Ilgauskas in the post or Pavlovic behind the arc.

Questions? Comments? Contact me at mtruax@gmail.com