Its time to put everything behind us. Its not three in a row, its not two in a row...its just tomorrow night for now. Who cares about Monday, we will worry about that another time. Its just one game for now and hopefully Lebron has an epic performance like game 5 of 2007 in him.

Lebron....LeBron...LeBron!

 

Stop that already! The ENTIRE TEAM needs to rise above the occasion and execute!

 

Dont you see how this works though?  Lebron wants his team to sustain the first three wuarters and do their job.  Then thats his time.  He wants that, thats his legacy and thats his reputation.  In game 4 in Orlando, the team actually did their job and gave him the chance to step on their throat.  As great of a game as he had, he still made mistakes and settled for a shot instead of going strong to the hole.  His 2007 effort was flawless, it was relentless and it was an "im not going to lose" mentality.  Thats what it has to be...and I think it will happen.

Its time to put everything behind us.  Its not three in a row, its not two in a row...its just tomorrow night for now.  Who cares about Monday, we will worry about that another time.  Its just one game for now and hopefully Lebron has an epic performance like game 5 of 2007 in him.

Lebron....LeBron...LeBron!

 

Stop that already!  The ENTIRE TEAM needs to rise above the occasion and execute!

 

Dont you see how this works though?  Lebron wants his team to sustain the first three wuarters and do their job.  Then thats his time.  He wants that, thats his legacy and thats his reputation.  In game 4 in Orlando, the team actually did their job and gave him the chance to step on their throat.  As great of a game as he had, he still made mistakes and settled for a shot instead of going strong to the hole.  His 2007 effort was flawless, it was relentless and it was an "im not going to lose" mentality.  Thats what it has to be...and I think it will happen.

 

I slightly disagree.  ALL THE MEMBERS of the team need to have that mentality and tenacity! 

 

What is a "wuaters"  :P  :P  :?

Just a little blurb from a NYC writer.:

 

Cleveland rocks - at least at The Q, it does

May 29, 2009

A few thoughts entering a four-game wraparound series here in Cleveland….

 

I had the good fortune of scoring tickets to the Cavs game last night, and let me tell you, watching LeBron James in person is really something. He’s so much better than everyone else on the court (though Dwight Howard was pretty sick, too) that it seems like a game of 1-on-5. LeBron singlehandedly won that game for the Cavs, either scoring or assisting on the team’s final 32 points. I can’t think of many athletes that have been the face of their city like LeBron is here. If he comes to the Knicks, he’ll be the biggest star in the city this side of Derek Jeter.

 

The Quicken Loans Arena was a fun atmosphere, filled with celebrities and athletes taking in the game. Jay-Z, Ben Roethlisberger, Brady Quinn, Kerry Wood and a host of Yankees including Sabathia, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Joba Chamberlain and Nick Swisher were in attendance. But the one that stood out to me was a former Yankee, as the scoreboard said, “The Q welcomes Carl Pavano” - prompting huge cheers from the crowd. Unreal.

 

 

 

Read more: "Blogging The Bombers - NY Daily News" - http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/yankees/2009/05/cleveland-rocks---at-least-at.html#ixzz0Gxonu1CS&A

edale I am sick of hearing the same old crap out of people like you. Yeah so what leBron is amazing, are you trying to tell us something we don't already know? Kobe and others do pretty much the same for their teams and it's ok, that's what we should expect?! I want and expect LeBron to go into "Take Over Mode"!! What do you think he is paid a freaking gazillion dollars each year for? My God, would you be more comfortable if he was making 20 points per game and skipping off court without a sweat? Crimminey get over your same old Cleveland "let's play into the jinx of we allways lose everything because we suck but let's hope for the best" type of thinking and just believe that he is a player that can do the unthinkable with a talented supporting cast and just go for it!!

 

I never said that Lebron shouldn't have been involved in every one of those plays in the last minute.  He was hot, and it was working so it would be dumb to change that game plan up.  What I'm saying is that the rest of the team literally stood still and completely removed themselves from the game, and that is just not good basketball.  Kobe and Lebron definitely should take over games, that's why they're stars and that's why people want to see them battle in the finals. But the Lakers have strength in Pau Gasol and sometimes Lamar Odom. The Cav's supporting cast just isn't capable of stepping up in a way that Gasol can to aid a struggling Kobe. I think of most of the Cavs players as being about the level of a guy like Ariza or Luke Walton.  Sometimes effective and can hot some shots, but still pretty minor players.

They say one goal....  so .. Lets see it cavs...

Thanks for a largely enjoyable season. Yet the Cavs have something in common with the Washington Wizards and the Sacramento Kings -- the two worst teams in the league in the 2008-09 season -- no championship. Again.

well, the best team won. there was no question orlando is the bigger and overall better team. i hope they beat the lakers, at least that would be a little more consolation. i see they are 2-0 vs the lakers in the regular season so they are more than capable.

 

the real question now is what will become of lebron? he needs better talent around him. hopefully the new chinese investors can help gilbert with that. they better hurry it up.

 

 

I agree. The Cavs have several holes to fill; however, this idea that Lebron is not surrounded with talent wasn't an issue until this series. Orlando was the worst possible match up for the Cavs. This team went 76-20 this season, 45-4 at home, and I think 23-5 against the West. After last year's loss to the Celtics, Ferry went out and surrounded Lebron with players that match up well against Boston. Now, he has to go out and find a way to match up with Orlando.

Didn't we only lose 3 at home this year?

2 losses at home and one lebron, and most of the starters, didn't play in since it was the last game of the season.  The thing is it may have been a bad matchup but you have to beat the best to be the best. 

Due to the financial stress on most teams (but not the Cavs), Ferry will have some options.  New Orleans tried to dump Tyson Chandler for practically nothing at the trade deadline this year.  They need financial relief and Ben Wallace's expiring deal might get it done.  Same situation goes for Okafor in Charlotte.  Give us TC or EO for this past series and we win.  Hell, hold on to that 15 pt halftime lead in Game 1 and we are heading back to the Q for game 7 right now.

 

Putting aside all the what if talk, the difference in this series was Michael Petrius.  Outscored our entire bench single handed.  We need a guy like him coming in and making shots. 

 

Don't be fooled with Orlando.  They are good, just not as good as they were in this series.  If they keep up this hot shooting in the finals, I will eat my words but I doubt it.  Same thing happened with us 2 years ago when we beat (shocked) a better Detroit team and then got ran over in the finals against San Antonio.

 

Here's my gameplan if I was Ferry:

 

1) Trade Ben's expiring contract THIS SUMMER.  Do not wait to see what is out there at the deadline.  Teams are stressed right now and things might look different with the economy come next February.

 

EDIT: reports are Ben might retire.  This might make him that much more valuable to teams that are looking to dump salary.  They trade for Ben and then buy out his contract for a fraction of the total sum they just traded to us.

 

2) Buy another 1st round pick and hope to catch lighting in a bottle with the two picks we have.  The market rate is $3 million  We certainly have the $ to do so, especially with the new investors.

 

3) Use the mid-level on an athletic swing just like Orlando did last summer with Petrius.  We need the player that Sasha was supposed to be.

2 losses at home and one lebron, and most of the starters, didn't play in since it was the last game of the season. The thing is it may have been a bad matchup but you have to beat the best to be the best.

 

I meant including the playoffs, I believe we were 45-3.

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert: 'We will win a championship'

by Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer

Wednesday June 03, 2009, 4:06 PM

 

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio - Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert announced that LeBron James was home resting comfortably after surgery to remove a benign growth from his jaw on Tuesday.

 

"He's out of the hospital, doing great,'' Gilbert said at a press conference this afternoon at Cleveland Clinic Courts.

 

 

 

More at Cleveland.com http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/06/cleveland_cavaliers_owner_dan.html

IMO, I might be OK with the Sheed rental, but a HELL NO on the Randolph talk.

 

http://www.slamonline.com/online/nba/2009/06/rasheed-to-the-cavs/

 

June 4, 2009 2:29 pm  |  83 Comments

Rasheed to the Cavs?

 

by J. Gamble

 

My sources say that Rasheed Wallace and the Cavs are beginning talks on a two-year deal worth about $10 million per for the services of the former Piston.

Windhorsst just wrote all that off.  Sheed would need to be an MLE at best or we couldnt afford him

There is some debate as to whether the deal would be 10 mill per or 10 mill total.  Don't write off the possibility of a sign and trade if it is the former with some pre-arranged buyout with Ben involved.  Doubt it... but don't write it off.  Ferry might not like his options at this point and, at the very least, signing Sheed lessens the bargaining power of AV this summer.

I am not willing to write off anything, even a trade for a star.  Sure its a long shot, but Bens expiring as well as some of our MLE could be appealing for other teams. Bottom line...Gilbert wants to win as bad as we do.  he doesnt care about just settling for revenue...he wants a ring on his finger and will do whatever it takes to get it.

From the blog..."waiting for next year:"

 

http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/?p=13178

 

From One 23 to Another...Stay in Cleveland

 

 

Alright, I admit it. The headline may be a little misleading. Still, Michael Jordan was asked recently about LeBron James and his impending free agency. I was a bit surprised to hear that Jordan said anything about it at all, considering his involvement with the Bobcats. But Jordan, speaking to a New York Daily News reporter, had this to say-

 

“He’s made his mark in Cleveland. I know New York fans would love to have him, but you need a lot more components than just one player. He’s done a heck of a job in Cleveland and they deserve to have him there. He’s from that area. In terms of the game itself, small markets can benefit from it a lot more than the big markets can. That’s not a discredit to New York at all.”

 

This is of course nothing we haven’t been saying for months- even years, but it is nice to have Jordan on our side for once.

 

One thing I think is lost on most is that Cleveland is not a "small" NBA market.  It is not NY or LA, but it is not Sacramento, Oklahoma City, Memphis or Portland either.  Think about it - the Cavs are the only NBA team in the seventh most populous state in the nation.  Now, that does not mean that every Ohio resident is a Cavs fan, but it does mean that the Cavs do not have to compete with a Cincy team for C-Bus and other Ohio basketball fans.  Further, there are no NBA teams in Pittsburgh or Buffalo - leaving the Youngstown, W VA and Erie PA markets up for grabs.  I went to several Cavs games this year and ran into several people not from the Greater Cleveland area.

 

Question: Where do Cincinnatians place their loyalties among NBA teams?  Pacers?  I ask because I have crossed paths with several Cavs fans from Columbus, Pittsburgh, Erie, Charleston, etc.... but never one from Cincy (save for Cle transplants).

Now, that does not mean that every Ohio resident is a Cavs fan, but it does mean that the Cavs do not have to compete with a Cincy team for C-Bus and other Ohio basketball fans. Further, there are no NBA teams in Pittsburgh or Buffalo - leaving the Youngstown, W VA and Erie PA markets up for grabs. I went to several Cavs games this year and ran into several people not from the Greater Cleveland area.

 

Not to mention that over 5 million people live in Northeast Ohio alone.  Sure, Atlanta has this many in the metro area, but how many other people are there in Georgia that are Hawks fans and actually can or do attend games.  The same goes for many other cities.  Cleveland is surely not a "small market team".

we have the third highest payroll in the league and one of the most aggressive businessmen as our owner...the cavs are on the upper echelon of NBA spenders.

Man, let's just get Shaq, Yao, Chris Bosh...

 

 

 

Yao Ming says Cleveland move "unknown"

Posted 2h 51m ago | Comment    | Recommend    E-mail | Save | Print | 

 

 

By Christopher Bodeen, Associated Press Writer

 

 

BEIJING — Houston's Yao Ming has called a possible move to Cleveland an "unknown," but did nothing to dampen ongoing speculation that the Cavaliers' new Chinese part owners want to sign him.

In a recent interview with his hometown Shanghai TV station, Yao said he continued to have "much affection" for the Rockets, the team that picked him as a first-round draft pick in 2003 and with whom he has played all six of his NBA seasons.

 

 

More at http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2009-06-19-2526682166_x.htm

 

 

 

From Chinese source:

 

Yao open to becoming Cavaliers' 'x-factor'(China Daily)

Updated: 2009-06-19 09:19 Comments(0) PrintMail

 

Houston Rockets' center Yao Ming has spoken for the first time about his highly anticipated move to the Cleveland Cavaliers as an "x-factor" after Chinese businessman Huang Jianhua's purchase of a minority stake in the franchise last month sparked the rumors.

 

"It's (joining Cavaliers) still unknown," said the NBA all-star giant of his potential partnership with 2009 NBA MVP Lebron James during an interview with Shanghai TV. "Whether he is Chinese (Huang Jianhua) or foreign (Rockets boss Leslie Alexander), they are just bosses."

 

 

 

China Daily/Reuters

 

 

More at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sports/2009-06/19/content_8301209.htm

Well, internet speculation about what NBA star will be coming to Cleveland, sure makes me happier than internet speculation about Lebron leaving Cleveland....

I think Cleveland athletes need to stay out of Florida:

 

 

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tarence Kinsey charged with DUI in Tampa

by Staff reports

Wednesday June 24, 2009, 10:22 AM

 

 

TAMPA - Cleveland Cavaliers guard Tarence Kinsey Jr. has been charged with driving under the influence, Tampa police told tbo.com (Tampa Bay Online).

 

 

More at http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/06/cleveland_cavaliers_guard_tare.html

 

Cavs reportedly reach deal for Shaquille O'Neal  :clap:

by Brian Windhorst / Plain Dealer Reporter

Thursday June 25, 2009, 12:22 AM

 

The Cavaliers reportedly reached a deal early Thursday morning to acquire Shaquille O'Neal.

 

Shaquille O'Neal is going to be a Cavalier.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/06/cavs_reportedly_reach_deal_for.html

 

Post edited 9-4-009 to comply with terms of use.

 

Wow. Do we have to wait till Halloween?

DIESSSSSEL!!!

this is going to be a hilarious season. can't wait for the post-game commentary, heh. hopefully shaq can stay healthy enough to make a significant season long impact.

boys, the big shaqtuss has arrived.......

I cant wait for the first "Lebron is the best player I've ever played with" blow to Kobe.

This should be a fun year. Can you imagine what this team would be like if the Gund had not sold it to Gilbert? I think that Gilbert has made all the difference.

he's one of the best owners in all of sports.

Shaq's first full season in Phoenix they missed the playoffs for the first time in 8 years.

Its nice to see another big name in Cleveland but i dont know if he's the answer for the Cavaliers......i hope im wrong.

but he completely changed the way the suns played... that's not the case here.

The Suns were/are an up tempo team. I never saw the logic in adding a player such as Shaq to that mix in PHX.

Oh he totally slowed down there usual style of run and gun play.

I just hope he can stay healthy here though. H#ll sit him the entire season and only use him in the playoffs if it means a championship.

Oh he totally slowed down there usual style of run and gun play.

I just hope he can stay healthy here though. H#ll sit him the entire season and only use him in the playoffs if it means a championship.

 

I think that is the plan. I doubt that he will get very many minutes during the regular season, just enough to give him his 15 points a game and keep his game sharp.

Windhorst always has good comments:

 

The Cavs have Shaq; so what is the impact?

by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday June 25, 2009, 12:43 AM

 

From a blockbuster perspective, getting Shaquille O'Neal is the biggest trade in Cavs history.  There's a lot to discuss there.  But what does this mean for the Cavs, the remaining players on the roster and the rest of their offseason plans?  Let's discuss.

 

• Shaq will now be the Cavs starting center, which means for the first time in a decade Zydrunas Ilgauskas will move out of that role and come off the bench.  This will not come as a shock, the Cavs discussed this move with both Z and LeBron months ago and likely spoke to them about it in the last week.

 

• The Cavs still want to re-sign Anderson Varejao.  Not only do they still need a young big man but Andy is a perfect foil for teams that would give the Cavs matchup problems with Shaq.  He can play along side him and also play center when the Cavs play small. 

 

Full story at http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2009/06/the_cavs_have_shaq_so_what_is.html

 

 

OK, let me be the wet blanket in all of this. Sports is like war in one respect. The generals staff their armies, supply them with armaments and set their strategies to fight -- to fight the last war. The Cavs are filling out their roster with weapons to beat the Orlando Magic and LA Lakers of last year. But what will they be like this year? Will they be the same teams due to injuries or other changes? What will other teams be like? Who are the up-and-comers (Chicago, Portland)? What will Boston and San Antonio be like if they are back at full strength?

 

I realize there's no way to know the answer to some of these questions, which is why teams get players to fight the battles they know -- the ones based on last year's performances. And that's not a slam dunk.

It's OK to be a wet blanket. They built last years team to beat the 2008 Celtics and we see how that turned out. I think the biggest upside to the Shaq trade is what they didn't have to give up to get him. Big Ben was looking like he was going to retire anyway and Sasha, well Sasha is what he is (mostly maddeningly inconsistent). Shaq is a new weapon added to the arsenal that they didn't have last year, while keeping the core team from last year intact. They need to keep Andy signed and pick up a few more pieces. It will  be exciting again next year.

I agree that the trade was probably a net gain for the Cavs, especially if Shaq stays healthy. Sharing playing time with Z and Varajeo (hopefully) should increase the chances that Shaq and Z remain healthy.

I like this story the best so far:

 

Shaq Brings Starpower, Hope for LeBron

Posted Jun 25, 2009 10:41AM By Jay Mariotti

 

 

He's accustomed to the NBA's sunniest and most extravagant addresses, from Disney World to Hollywood to South Beach to the Arizona desert.  Ontario Street in downtown Cleveland?  Put it this way: Shaquille O'Neal will have to buy a winter coat, assume a less gaudy nickname (The Big Smokestack?) and watch courtside celebrities such as Jack Nicholson and Ludacris suddenly morph into Drew Carey.

 

But there's nothing ludicrous about this new development in his fascinating journey through basketball and life.  Shaq is intelligent enough to realize, at 37, that even one season with the Cavaliers could have a profound impact on his legacy -- and that of LeBron James.  If Shaq wins his fifth NBA championship in a town that hasn't won a title in a major sport since 1964, and he succeeds in keeping an ambitious native son in his native northeast Ohio, his work will be done.

 

Full story at http://jay-mariotti.fanhouse.com/2009/06/25/shaq-brings-starpower-hope-for-lebron/

 

So Shaq averaged about 18 points a game. I'm sure that the vast majority of those points came in the paint. I wonder how many of Z's points came in the paint when he was initiating the offense. It seems like the majority of his baskets came on outside jumpers and tip-ins after missed shots.

 

It will be nice to have a legitimate inside scoring threat when the game is on the line.

it will just be nice to have a finisher around rim besides LeBron at any point in the game. 

Nicknames I like so far, since apparently, Shaq requires a new nickname everywhere he goes...

 

Shaq Erie

The Big Smokestack

Big Witness

The Witness Protection Program

Awesome!

take the shaqway to the game. post game celebrations in shaqer square...

Terry Pluto's take on the trade:

 

 

Like the Cleveland Cavaliers' deal for Shaquille O'Neal? You should love it

by Terry Pluto, Plain Dealer Columnist

Thursday June 25, 2009, 2:22 PM

 

 

 

You should love the Cavaliers' trade for Shaquille O'Neal. Absolutely, positively, without-a-shred-of-doubt be gushing about the deal that brings a future Hall of Famer to Cleveland, a 37-year-old who still was voted the third-best center in the NBA.

 

In Phoenix, O'Neal averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the field and foul line in 75 games last season. The Cavs gave up so little in this trade. Ben Wallace is an aging big man contemplating retirement after breaking his leg last season and receiving treatments on both knees. They also sent the Phoenix Suns a spare part guard in Sasha Pavlovic, plus a second-round pick in the 2010 draft along with $500,000.

 

 

More at http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index.ssf/2009/06/like_the_cleveland_cavaliers_d.html

this little bomb was just dropped by windhorst...

 

 

Hey guys, I'm tracking down one more deal involving the 30th pick. Spanish PG Rubio is sliding with Cavs looking to move up, possibly into top 10.

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Editor's Note: Follow Brian Windhorst for updates on Twitter @PDcavsinsider.