Yay. Losing streak is over. But what kept us from knocking rookie Marcus Thornton into photographers' row to teach him a lesson about slipping to our basket? I wanted Shaq or Wild Thing to disassemble that little f$&k. Instead we opted for the Ole! Matador defense again.

Does it matter that Lebron has a endorsement from McDonald's? I was just wondering if that endorsement would stop him from promoting another fast food place.

 

Hmm, maybe.  That never occurred to me.  My first instinct was to blame Barkley...deserved or not!

Does it matter that Lebron has a endorsement from McDonald's? I was just wondering if that endorsement would stop him from promoting another fast food place.

 

It matters to some of us. As an avid local food advocate and sports fan health advocate who sees the increasing mega-corporate influence over sports to be nothing more than obnoxious, I hope he finds it within his charitable benevolent side to take some of that cashola and use it to help promote the local farm/local slow food movement that will help in reversing the many-a-year trend that has had many inner city neighborhoods become virtually nutritional wastelands; to help educate many how to cook healthy decent meals with a few simple ingredients like parents knew how to do far less than a generation ago--but where such knowledge has virtually disappeared in many neighborhoods. Many, like Mc D's, benefitted from that gross trend for years... so maybe somehow those profits can be reincarnated for something more socially redeeming....like helping to produce healthier athletes and school kids! Ooops! I slaughtered a sacred cow! How could I be in such denial....I must know better.. fast food is our benefactor..it can be party to producing nothing wrong. Oh, maybe a few cents going back to the sweat shops at Nike too! OH GOD! Sorry... cannot criticize my benefactors. Oh, no need to apologize for LBJ..I'm sure he's doing just fine.  :wink:  www.thecorporation.org

Does it matter that Lebron has a endorsement from McDonald's? I was just wondering if that endorsement would stop him from promoting another fast food place.

 

It matters to some of us. As an avid local food advocate and sports fan health advocate who sees the increasing mega-corporate influence over sports to be nothing more than obnoxious, I hope he finds it within his charitable benevolent side to take some of that cashola and use it to help promote the local farm/local slow food movement that will help in reversing the many-a-year trend that has had many inner city neighborhoods become virtually nutritional wastelands; to help educate many how to cook healthy decent meals with a few simple ingredients like parents knew how to do far less than a generation ago--but where such knowledge has virtually disappeared in many neighborhoods. Many, like Mc D's, benefitted from that gross trend for years... so maybe somehow those profits can be reincarnated for something more socially redeeming....like helping to produce healthier athletes and school kids! Ooops! I slaughtered a sacred cow! How could I be in such denial....I must know better.. fast food is our benefactor..it can be party to producing nothing wrong. Oh, maybe a few cents going back to the sweat shops at Nike too! OH GOD! Sorry... cannot criticize my benefactors. Oh, no need to apologize for LBJ..I'm sure he's doing just fine.  :wink:  www.thecorporation.org

 

I am not saying you're completely wrong... BUT!  I don't think it's entirely fair to pin the ills of the fast food industry and it's corporations to the stars that endorse them.  While LBJ may not donate money to the specific cause you mention there is no doubt that he DOES support a lot of worthy causes with his money...AND time.  I know I am far from perfect myself... I eat fast food on occasion, shop at big box stores and I am not as adamant as I should be about supporting fair labor in my purchases. 

 

This isn't really the discussion for the sports thread...

A couple of weeks ago, some people were worried that the Cavs were peaking too early. Silly people.

 

Looks like it will take a couple of weeks for the Cavs to re-gel. The defense and the ball movement on offense has really fallen off over the past few games.

Fans tend to only analyze how the Cavs played and ignore how well their opponents might have played.  Without that Thorton guy last night, NO is not even close to being in that game.  He was just flat out on fire.  You run into those guys and performances like that from time to time.

 

I would agree that Mo's return has not been good so far.  I see his inclusion in the lineup and the adjustments we are making there as a bigger issue than the Jamison trade at the moment.

 

EC - most fast food companies (which aren't going away anytime soon) could learn a thing or two from McDonald's in terms of making their menus healthier.  McD's certainly has made a concerted effort to bring down the fat content and calories in its meals.

Please, let's keep the discussions here to b-ball.

 

Mo is cold, but it seemed like he was trying to make up for it on the defensive end.

Come back home Z -- Cleveland misses you!

 

Ilgauskas gets buyout, now everyone must wait

By Starting Blocks

February 25, 2010, 9:02AM

 

The Washington Wizards finally bought out Zydrunas Ilgauskas today. Z will have to pay back between $1 million and $1.5 million of his $11.5 million contract, according to an article in The Washington Post.

 

So all Ilgauskas has to do now is wait 30 days and he can return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who traded him to the Wizards for Antawn Jamison.

 

MORE AT http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2010/02/ilgauskas_gets_buyout_now_ever.html

This morning I was having breakfast downtown and a businessman sitting at a table nearby was mentioning that he lives two houses from where Z lives. I apologized for my eavesdropping and asked him if Z had left Cleveland since the trade. He said no. Z has been seen around the neighborhood almost every day since. I thought I was going to be able to break this big news here on UO, but by the time I got back to Lakewood on the 55, ESPN already had the buyout story.

 

Damn!!

I'm DEFINITELY getting tickets to the game when Big Z returns!

This morning I was having breakfast downtown and a businessman sitting at a table nearby was mentioning that he lives two houses from where Z lives. I apologized for my eavesdropping and asked him if Z had left Cleveland since the trade. He said no. Z has been seen around the neighborhood almost every day since. I thought I was going to be able to break this big news here on UO, but by the time I got back to Lakewood on the 55, ESPN already had the buyout story.

 

Damn!!

 

Z did go to Washington.  But it was more of a formality to take the league required physical.  I think he was only gone one day.

wow, a lot can happen in a day.  Ilgauskas gets bought out, Shaq hurts his thumb and Charles Barkley guarantees a Cavs win at halftime.  He even said that the Cavs have a better team... I almost chocked on my hot pocket.  Maybe I had him wrong?

He apparently loves Jamison more than he despises Cleveland.  He has been all over our jock ever since the trade.

 

Windy is saying that Shaq will be out 2-3 weeks if it is a partial tear.... 6+ weeks if it is a full tear.

^#$*@! I'm hoping it's a partial tear.  Though we have a great team in place, I don't want the team to lose their hold on the most games won during the regular season.  We need home-court advantage during the playoffs. 

I am more worried about Shaq staying in "game-shape" while he is sitting out.  He is too much of a veteran for the Cavs coaching staff to babysit him and make sure he is running every day and keeping his cardio up.

 

On the other hand, the rest will do him some good.  It has to be hard for a man of that size and age to play of full 82 game season.

 

And this also opens up a spot in the rotation for us to get a good look at Leon Powe and what he may be able to offer come playoff time.

^I agree.  I'm hoping that the Cavs saw something promising in Powe... a quick look at his stats don't show much (though he hasn't had much time ON the court).  I guess we'll see.

 

Shaq should know what the deal is as far as staying healthy while out for the next couple of weeks.  Like you said, he's a veteran player and knows what it takes to win. 

Powe is a lot like AV.  They have different styles of play.  But you can't measure the value of either of them by looking at the stat sheets.  He is the type of "scrapper" that good teams need.

I saw Antawn Jamison majorly stocking up at the Steelyard Commons Target tonight.

Hopefully not on booze!

Hopefully not on booze!

 

Ha, no kidding

Windy is saying that Shaq is going to have surgery tomorrow on his right thumb.  Normal recovery time is 6-8 weeks.  Probably won't be back until the end of the regular season or the beginning of the playoffs.  Good thing Z will be well rested when he comes back.

 

I truthfully don't know that this is going to negatively impact our W-L in the regular season.  We signed Shaq for the playoffs.  I hope he stays in shape.  Tell the chef at Lago to use the fat-free cheese I guess.

I actualy dont mind this.  Shaq is valuable for 2 teams...Orlando and LAL.  Did you happen to see how the cavs blew Boston out of the water after Shaq got hurt.  As long as he is healthy by the end of May, we will be fine.  We need him to neutralize Howard, and Gasol.  We can beat everyone else without him (as seen last year with our 66-16 record)

when will z be back?

March 22nd.

I actualy dont mind this.  Shaq is valuable for 2 teams...Orlando and LAL.  Did you happen to see how the cavs blew Boston out of the water after Shaq got hurt.  As long as he is healthy by the end of May, we will be fine.  We need him to neutralize Howard, and Gasol.  We can beat everyone else without him (as seen last year with our 66-16 record)

 

This is right on the money.  The Cavs basically picked up Shaq as an answer to Dwight Howard.  That being said, I'm still a bit worried that once he is healed up, he'll have to quickly turnaround and getting back into the flow of things right when the playoffs are heating up.  Hopefully he's back by the time the first series starts, since the Cavs will probably be steam-rolling Charlotte or some other weak team and he'll be able to use that gametime to get into shape.

I would assume a steam-rolling of Charlotte. They've given us trouble.

 

Fortunately, it is Shaq's thumb that is hurt, not his legs. He will probably be taking part in running drills to stay in shape. And while there will be an adjustment when he returns, I'll bet he'll be back just before the playoffs and he can spend a few games getting back into the flow of the offense.

 

But I do agree that we will need him against Orlando or LA.

I'm aware of the Cavs recent regular season troubles with Charlotte, but I'm also aware that the Cavs swept the season series against San Antonio in 2006-2007.  :wink:

 

Point being, if the Cavs play the Bobcats in the first round of the playoffs, expect a sweep, unless, perhaps, they get lucky and maybe steal one game on their home floor, five games, tops.  A playoff-tested team like the Cavaliers focused on winning a title isn't going to get tripped up by a team like Charlotte.

 

Though there is also the Dallas-Golden State precedent from a few years ago where an 8th-seeded Warriors squad that had dominated the top-seeded Mavericks team in the regular season continued that domination in the postseason to pull off one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history.  As a Cleveland fan, I would just put that out of my memory if we do get that first round matchup with Charlotte.  :laugh: I'll also try to ignore the fact that Michael Jordan just bought the Bobcats.

 

You know what, on second thought, let's just hope the Milwaukee Bucks come to town when the playoffs start in two months.

Surgery was successfull.  The team is saying 8 weeks he will be out.  Back in time for 2nd round of playoffs worst case scenario.

I'm hoping that Mike Brown is well used to working with Shaq, and won't have a problem changing the line-up when the big guy is ready to come back in the game.  I'm sure Shaq will stay in shape while healing.

I'm not so sure.  It is not like the Cavs can treat him like some rookie and make him bust his chops to stay in "game shape".  He will have to do so on his own and considering this ring is simply "one for the thumb", I don't know if he has that burning desire which will be needed.

Wow, that ugly....for NY.  When the camera cut to David Lee looked like he looked like he wanted to crawl into a dark corner.  I hardly recognized the Cavs in the fourth quarter.

Best dunk that never counted..... At least the editors of Sportscenter's "top 10 plays" thought so.

ESPN had a feature segment about Lebron James' chase down blocks.  They asked Lebron if any stood out in his mind as the best, he said no.  When they asked Mo Williams he said, even though Lebron won't admit it, that the best was against Jason Richardson.  They showed the clip, Richardson thought he was all alone and decided to do a 360 dunk... the result was pretty hilarious.

 

Here is a clip:

http://ballhype.com/video/lebron_james_blocks_jason_richardson_s_360_fastbreak/

Yep, I saw that ESPN segment about four times yesterday -- I work from home.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas' agent says Ilgauskas plans on rejoining Cavaliers

 

"It is Zydrunas' desire to return to the Cavaliers if a suitable contract can be agreed upon," Rudoy said in an e-mail sent to reporters. "He has been overwhelmed and deeply touched by the outpouring of support and affection by the fans and by his teammates. He hopes to return to bring a championship to the Cavaliers and to the city of Cleveland."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/03/zydrunas_ilgauskas_agent_says.html

 

 

Zydrunas Ilgauskas' agent says Ilgauskas plans on rejoining Cavaliers

 

"It is Zydrunas' desire to return to the Cavaliers if a suitable contract can be agreed upon," Rudoy said in an e-mail sent to reporters. "He has been overwhelmed and deeply touched by the outpouring of support and affection by the fans and by his teammates. He hopes to return to bring a championship to the Cavaliers and to the city of Cleveland."

 

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/03/zydrunas_ilgauskas_agent_says.html

 

 

 

Yes!  I know a lot of people thought it was a given, but I was becoming a bit worried.  Glad it's all but official, now!

No Lebron, no Shaq, no Z, no Jamison (in the 2nd half).... still able to knock off the Spurs tonight at the Q.

That was a pretty good win tonight. If Moe Williams got 17 in Milwaukee instead of launching bricks, we would have had that game too. I'm a little worried about Moe's consistency lately. We need his consistent outside threat to keep opponents from double-teaming Lebron all the time.

 

I see we don't play again until Friday (the Sixers no less!). This should give the guys some more time to heal up. Talk about the walking wounded! ...Lebron's foot, Parker's finger, Moe's shoulder, Jamison's knee and other players' bumps and bruises. If I were Coach Brown, I'd sit some of these guys until the Celtics come to town on Sunday.

Sit them all, I think the Cavs can beat the Sixers without any of those guys.  And if they can't, it doesn't really matter, they still have a nice cushion.  Remember that they really have an extra game on the Lakers because of the season series tiebreaker, too. 

IMO, home court advantage is much more important in the conference playoffs than the finals due to the home-away format.  In the conference series, you play a 2-2-1-1-1 format.  In the Finals, it's a 2-3-2 format.  If the home court team loses EITHER of the first two games at home in the Finals, the pressure is seriously on with that team having to head for 3 straight on the road against an elite team and no guarantee of a return trip back home.

Yeah, I really hate the 2-3-2 format for the Finals.  I still would rather see the Cavaliers get home court advantage throughout.

Jamison's knee if fine per Windhorst's latest reports.  MRI showed nothing significant.  He is day-to-day.  Just old I guess.

Silly NYers...

LeBron Already Selling Knicks Tickets

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/LeBron-Already-Selling-Knicks-Tickets-87151392.html

Silly NYers...

LeBron Already Selling Knicks Tickets

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/LeBron-Already-Selling-Knicks-Tickets-87151392.html

 

LeBron's staying in Cleveland, but the Knicks are going to have a ton of cap room next year, so even without LBJ, they're going to be able to land a big name or two that should certainly make them more competitive. 

An ESPN "source" said today that the Clippers will let Lebron pick his own coach.  He has been the talk of NYC since he came into the league.  The fact that Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Carlos Boozer, and more could all also be on the FA market this summer is nothing more than a whisper compared to all the cover stories LBJ gets.  His team has the best record in the league.  They might as well hand him the MVP trophy now.

 

Yup.... he really needs to get to a bigger market to become that "superstar" everybody expects he can be....

 

Have I mentioned how much of a marketing genius Lebron is?

 

Expect another three yr contract with a ETO for a 4th yr. and a player option for the 5th.  The latter two provisions for security just in case the CBA negotiations go bad.  The three yr deal just so he can remain the biggest story in NYC without actually playing there.... well, at least until 2014 when he spurns them again. 

An ESPN "source" said today that the Clippers will let Lebron pick his own coach. He has been the talk of NYC since he came into the league. The fact that Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudamire, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce, Carlos Boozer, and more could all also be on the FA market this summer is nothing more than a whisper compared to all the cover stories LBJ gets. His team has the best record in the league. They might as well hand him the MVP trophy now.

 

Yup.... he really needs to get to a bigger market to become that "superstar" everybody expects he can be....

 

Have I mentioned how much of a marketing genius Lebron is?

 

Expect another three yr contract with a ETO for a 4th yr. and a player option for the 5th. The latter two provisions for security just in case the CBA negotiations go bad. The three yr deal just so he can remain the biggest story in NYC without actually playing there.... well, at least until 2014 when he spurns them again.

 

Sounds about right to me.  There are too many pieces in place here for him to leave to play for an unknown like the Clippers, Nets, or Knicks.  Perhaps in a few years the situation may be different, but right now, it wouldn't make sense (unless he's interested in something other than championships).

 

Also, think about this:  The cost of living in Cleveland is considerably lower than New York or Los Angeles.  I don't know if it matters to athletes that much or not (probably not), but not only can the Cavs pay him more money, but his millions go much farther here. :)

He's not going anywhere unless, YES, he has some other interest than winning a championship..and if he does, life goes on.... Afterall, how many have we won with him? Who beat us last year in the semi-finals without him? Think about it.

If he leaves it would be a huge blow to not only the organization but the city.  The Cavs organization had become a laughingstock in the few years before he arrived, and if he leaves, I think it's possible that the franchise would relocate within the next decade.  Not to be alarmist, but...

Clevelander17...not to be an alarmist....??????!!!!!JJJ$$$???? The team would relocate? Why doesn't the city just plan on shutting off the utilities and garbage collection if Lebron leaves? Please, I mean c'mon if you're going to lose your bowels with this kind of media there is another site called Cleveland.com where you will feel right at home. This kind of talk is nuts. If Lebron leaves, he leaves. I would be more concerned that the Cavs organization has a GREAT ORGANIZATION and a perfect owner that built this team and can do it again. PERIOD!

Good thing you're not an alarmist, Clevelander17!

 

OK, put down the knife, rope, sleeping pills, arsenic....

 

I love the Cavs and watch every game. But in the end, it's just sports.