Posts Tagged ‘Mo Williams’

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.

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.

More important than lifting his team to fight another day.  More important than scoring 37 points.  More important than posting a triple-double, was the look in Lebron James eyes late in the fourth quarter.  As Dwight Howard fouled out and jawed at Lebron, the look Lebron shot back said more than anything, we aren’t quitters.

You know Lebron is performing like a king when they put his name and stats right next to the 1965 Jerry West game-by-game stats.  It is a record that hasn’t been flirted with often.  Lebron will probably not break that particular record in this series.

I feel refreshed that Mo Williams can still shoot.  Lebron’s supporting cast stepped up last night and played the way they had all year until the start of this series.

Game 6 in Orlando is not only do-or-die for the Cavs, but I feel it is now do-or-die for Orlando as well.  If the Cavs can sneak one out in Orlando, then I feel Game 7 would see the Cavs as big home favorites.  One game will dictate an outcome of a great season for the best Cavs team in history.

If Lebron has that look in his eye Saturday, beware Magic, the king knows what’s up.

With Cleveland’s pure outside shooters (Delonte West & Mo Williams) struggling to hit outside shots, why is Zydrunas Ilgaukas outside the arc firing threes?  I was never a fan of Ilgauskas shooting very far from the paint.  Why not keep your biggest player close to the hoop?  Maybe he would get a rebound or get Dwight Howard to foul him.  I have been fired up all year when Big Z shoots these long-range shots.

To me, this is the equivalent of bringing in that utility outfielder to pitch when you are getting clobbered and realize realistically that you have no chance to win.  It is lining that fat tackle up as a tight end eligible on the one and throwing to him when you are up by more than 10 points in the fourth quarter.  It is something that should be seen as a novelty in sports.  Unfortunately for Cavs fans, Ilgauskas has his mind set on firing bricks from more than 20 at least three times a game.  This all started in the early 90’s when Manute Bol would get the ball with big leads or deficits and shoot the 3.

Message to Mike Brown:  Tear that play out of the arsenal.

Sadly, a few of Z’s threes have gone in.  Take a six-year-old to a putt-putt course and they might get a couple hole-in-ones for getting lucky enough to hit the clowns mouth.  Big Z hit the clowns mouth a few times from three this season, so now he thinks he is Robert Horry and wants to hang outside the three-point line and just wait for the ball.  In the meantime, Lebron James is driving and if he misses and doesn’t get his own rebound, there is no one else around.  They are all having a picnic waiting for the ball to be kicked out.  The two exceptions are Anderson Varajeo and Ben Wallace.  They hustle after loose balls and play the game according to what their size dictates they should do.

Maybe we should turn Ben Wallace loose.  He can fire up his new McDonald’s sponsored 30 foot hook shot.  If they start to fall, people get a free sixth Quarter Pounder if they buy five.  Or we can let Anderson Varajeo (Sideshow Bob) run give and go plays with Big Ben all night.

Bottom line is real simple…  If Delonte and Mo can’t hit the outside shot, bring in Joe Smith and Sasha Pavlovic and go to the bigger post-type lineup.  Where is Wally Szcerbiak?  He gets hot and nails threes in bunches.

There are a million opinions as to what has to happen for Cleveland to pull this series out.  I don’t think you would hurt your chances of winning any if you didn’t waste three possessions a game on Zydrunas Ilgauskas firing up bombs from long range.

Well, seems as though the Cavs have dug themselves a nice fat hole to climb out of.  Problem is while trying to climb out, Orlando keeps piling dirt on them with their big shovel.  Cavs have to win tonight or they are in big trouble.  Here are some stories from other great sites:

Royals Skipper Trey Hillman Spits In Umpire Paul Emmel’s Eyes * Detroit4Lyfe
Lebron James & Kobe Bryant Muppets One-On-One Nike Commercial * NESW Sports
Percy Harvin Dishes Some Dirt On Tim Tebow * The Viking Age
The Interweb: Star Wars Bathroom And Charlie Steiner’s Sweet Science * NESW Sports
Mr. T Butchering Take Me Out To The Ball Game * Total Pro Sports
Rehab Proving To Be Too Much For Jeremy Shockey * InGameNow
NBA Mock Drafts And Where NC Tar Heels Fab Four Sit * The 5th Corner
Jose Canseco Gets Pummeled By 7’2″ Korean Kickboxer * Chicago’s MMA
Albert Pujols Home Run Breaks Big Mac Sign * Sports Rubbish
Pretty Ugly Woman Starring Dirk Nowitzki And Cristal Taylor * Hoop Doctors
Steroids In MLB: Before And After Photos * Sports2Debate
Cavs Sign Ownership Deal With Chinese Group * FOX Sports
Brandon Roy’s Thoughts On The NBA Playoffs So Far * A Stern Warning
Indians Post Remarkable Comeback Against Rays * Tribe Daily
Lakers vs Nuggets Game 4 Recap * The No-Look Pass
Sharapova Gets A Nice Win To Open The French * Sharapova’s Thigh
Anthony Johnson Bloodies Mo Williams… Intentionally? * Talk Hoops
Where Have You Gone, Aramis Ramirez? * The Friendlyblogfines
NCAA Women’s Lacrosse? No Hot Chicks Here * The World Of Isaac
Manchester Soccer Player Says He Will Streak Naked If He Scores * Steady Burn

Was a bad night…  The Cavs got beat at home, Adam Lambert got screwed on American Idol, the Red Sox beat Toronto and the Yankees won.  Here is hoping that the Pittsburgh Penguins can deliver tonight and make things better.

Kansas City Royals Fans Brawl In Kids Play Area * Sports Rubbish
Mo Williams Hits 3/4 Court Buzzer Beater * Hoop Doctors
Interactive Nintendo Punch-Out * NESW Sports
Citifield Toilets Are No Place For A Womans Arm * Total Pro Sports
Dwight Howard Tears Down The Shot Clock * A Stern Warning
The Tigers Are Raburning Hot * Detroit4Lyfe
Ohio State Football Preview * College Sports Fans
Washington Nationals Elevating The Blown Save Into An Art Form * Legend of Cecilio Guante
The Return Of Michael Vick * Ed The Sports Fan
Wife of Diamondbacks Pitcher Found Dead * FOX Sports
Dont Mess With Vince McMahon * YepYep
Blast The Hell Out Of Turkeys * Hugging Harold Reynolds
The Clippers Will Take Blake Griffin * Moondog Sports
Dear Lakers, You Shouldn’t Have Won Game One * The No-Look Pass
Cavaliers- Magic Game 1 Recap * Talk Hoops
The Sixers Select Charles Barkley * Zoner Sports
2009 Conn Smythe Candidates * The Program
MMA Fighter Kevin Casey’s Rap Video * In Game Now
Skip Bayless Disses Craig Sager On Twitter * Pac Man Jonesin
Mickelson’s Wife Diagnosed With Breast Cancer * The World Of Isaac
Mark DeRosa Already On Trading Block * Waiting For Next Year
Big Ten Football Expansion? * Eleven Warriors
Jake Peavy Headed To White Sox * Deadspin
Funny ESPN Commercials * Gunaxin

So far the 2009 NBA Playoffs have been a cake walk for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  They have swept Detroit and Atlanta and are awaiting either Orlando or Boston in the East Finals.  Both teams had some success against Cleveland this season.  In one of their last regular season games, the Cavs pounded a Kevin Garnett-less Celtics team.  Orlando blew out the Cavs in Orlando.

When looking at potential matchups, I would rather see the Big Baby / Scalabrine led Celtics than Dwight Howard.  Right now, Howard is establishing himself as a big-time inside force.  For this reason I think the Cavs would much rather play Boston. 

Don’t get me wrong, I think either series will be tough for Cleveland.  Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and now Stephon Marbury are playing well and Big Baby Davis is playing way above his expectancy.  However, I just feel that the Cavs match up much better with the Celtics than they do with Orlando.  Offensively, Lebron James will make or break this team in the end.  He can kick out to Delonte West and Mo Williams who have repeatedly hit big shots, but ultimately, James shooting, and more importantly, shot selection, will be crucial in either series.

Cleveland lacks that big guy who can post up and get to the hoop.  Big Z thinks he is a guard sometimes and Ben Wallace was never a weapon on offense.  Anderson Varajeo is about the closest thing there is on this years team.  If Orlando wins and Howard is patroling the paint, it diminishes the Cavs arsenal to Lebron and the outside shooting of the rest of the team.  Against Boston, Cleveland would have some success in the paint.

These are just my thoughts, please comment if you agree or disagree.

Read that headline closely… Pittsburgh Overpowers The East.  I’m sure Sports Illustrated has a big stack with the same heading ready for delivery after Pittsburgh’s great start this year.  Instead of Willie Stargell, Adam LaRoche graces the cover… Sigh.   They won a game this month, I can dream can’t I?

Mark Cuban Apologizes To K-Mart’s Mother.. Is Twitter Next? * Steady Burn
Give Tiger Woods Credit Not Grief * Zoner Sports
Nick Kappel’s Fantasy Baseball Focus: Buy Or Sell Part 2 * Baseball Reflections
Is Michael Phelps The New Joe Namath? * Josh Q. Public
Alex Ovechkin Is Unoriginal And Stupid * PSAMP
NCAA Champion Tar Heels Visit White House * The Fifth Corner
Seperated At Birth: 20 NBA Playoff Pairs * Fansided
Baba Booey Throws Out First Pitch, Nearly Kills Umpire * Sports Rubbish
Tigers Sweep Indians To Let The City Of Cleveland Know That Detroit Is Still Your Daddy * Detroit4Lyfe
Mo Williams To Lebron James Alley-OOP * NESW Sports
Ken Griffey Jr. Hits Subway $25K Sign To Win A Fan Money * Total Pro Sports
SI.Com Releases List Of Best And Worst Owners- Let The Debate Begin * Hugging Harold Reynolds

Cleveland is in a great situation.  They can sit at home, watch the Bulls and Celtics beat the hell out of each other and wait for Atlanta or Miami.  The Cavs disposed of Detroit in 4 straight games.  Rumors of Kevin Garnett returning to play in Game 7 against the Bulls are still unknown.

In blowout wins all season, Lebron James would usually sit on the bench for a quarter or so anyway, so it isn’t like the rest is going to hurt the Cavs chances of playing a solid series against whomever is next.  I am sure that this years team will keep a pretty strong focus on winning a championship. 

The one thing, in my opinion, that will chase Lebron away from Cleveland is if this team fails to win a championship before his contract is up.  This could be the year.

Lebron James is always in the spotlight, that is just his thing.  He is awesome and deserves all of the accolades coming his way this season.  Lebron will be the first to tell you that the reason Cleveland has had so much success this season is because of Mo Williams.  Mo Williams is such an upgrade over Eric Snow. 

Mo scored almost 18 PPG, averaged just over four assists per game, shot over 90% from the line, and just does everything with so much enthusiasm.  His hustle earned him a trip to this years NBA All-Star game.

To me, Mo Williams is the reason the Cavs are the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference.  He and Delonte West have upped the team’s standards.  Delonte and Mo can hit the outside shots when the defense collapses around Lebron in the paint.  This was not there the last few seasons even though Lebron was there. 

I love the way Lebron rallied to get Mo on the All-Star team, it just proves that this is a very close knit team.  It was also Lebron making the statement that The Cavs are a much better team with Mo Williams on board.  Mike Brown winning NBA Coach of The Year is another direct reflection on Mo.  Remember Cavs fans, Eric Snow and Larry Hughes were Lebrons help in the recent past.  They did not do much, especially in the playoffs.

In the playoffs, Mo is averaging 16.5 PPG and 5.5 assists / game.  He will have an impact and Lebron would be the first to tell you that I am right.