January 26, 201312 yr ....And added another 35 tonight in one of the most amazing games of the season. Cavs down by 20 in the 3rd period, yet come back to win. Kyrie sparked them, but the two new guys from the trade with Memphis, Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington, helped out in the 4th. And Livingston's comeback continues to impress. I'm glad we picked him up last month. The team is showing some real promise...... http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2013/01/new_guys_reserves_and_oh_yeah.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 26, 201312 yr Speights looks real good in a Cavs uni. We desperately needed someone with his size and 'no back down' mentality.
January 26, 201312 yr I was there last night. Nice comeback effort from the bench in 3rd. Thank Byron Scott for deciding to play the new guys, after initially saying wasn't going to. There are times that I get chills watching Kyrie. The kid has ice water in his veins when it is time to close out the game. There is no way he isn't going to take the last shot. Wow, that is a lot cliches in one post
January 26, 201312 yr Speights looks real good in a Cavs uni. We desperately needed someone with his size and 'no back down' mentality. I agree. Tyler Zeller could be that guy, but he's still too tentative under the basket. Funny thing is, Speights is two inches shorter and only five pounds heavier than Zeller, but Speights looks much more imposing too. And he certainly plays that way with more confidence under the basket. I hope the rookie Zeller is taking notes from the veteran Speights on how to play in close quarters when the elbows are flying. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 26, 201312 yr Whlie Speights has been in the league long enough to be called a veteran, he really is only in his mid-20s. I'm surprised about the lack of difference in weight. I wonder if Speights has updated his since being drafted. I will also guess that Speights' effective "basketball height" is on par or greater than Zeller. Tyler has short arms and a long neck. EDIT: confirmed.... Speights' standing reach is a full 2 inches higher than Zeller's
January 26, 201312 yr That would explain the physical difference in presence below the basket. The mental side is something I hope Zeller can learn from Speights. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 27, 201312 yr Damn! 12 seconds left down by 2, Kyrie comes down and drops a monster 3 4 ft behind the arc for the lead. 0.7 sec left. Cavs win!
January 27, 201312 yr And if that wasn't awesome enough, this ABJ article shows why the future could be even brighter.... http://www.ohio.com/news/top-stories/jason-lloyd-cavs-patience-pays-off-with-deal-they-ve-waited-nearly-three-years-to-complete-1.368173?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 27, 201312 yr And if that wasn't awesome enough, this ABJ article shows why the future could be even brighter.... http://www.ohio.com/news/top-stories/jason-lloyd-cavs-patience-pays-off-with-deal-they-ve-waited-nearly-three-years-to-complete-1.368173?localLinksEnabled=false&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed Good article. Thanks for posting.
January 27, 201312 yr Bill Simmons @BillSimmons Damn that Under-21 All-Stars list is insane: Kobe, LeBron, Magic, Shaq, Isiah, KG, Kyrie. Nice company for Kyrie.
January 28, 201312 yr I was there last night. Nice comeback effort from the bench in 3rd. Thank Byron Scott for deciding to play the new guys, after initially saying wasn't going to. There are times that I get chills watching Kyrie. The kid has ice water in his veins when it is time to close out the game. There is no way he isn't going to take the last shot. Wow, that is a lot cliches in one post He always gives 110 percent!
January 28, 201312 yr http://www.fearthesword.com/2013/1/28/3921492/feeling-pretty-good-about-the-cavs-you-guys "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 28, 201312 yr Here's to the first of many..... Kyrie Irving was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for his efforts in three Cavaliers victories, the NBA announced Monday. Irving averaged 35.7 points per game, which led the league in scoring, and shot .612 from the field (41-for-67). http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2013/01/kyrie_irving_named_eastern_con.html#incart_river_default
January 28, 201312 yr Was that really his first "player of the week" honor? And I agree with the cle.com poster's comment that he's on a path to get "player of the month" honors too. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 28, 201312 yr Chris Sheridan is bullish on the Cavs... a little wildly in my opinion. I think this would be cool if his scenario played out and they made the playoffs, but I still think this team needs another lottery pick to grow into a championship caliber team. http://www.sheridanhoops.com/2013/01/27/sheridan-hoops-mvp-rankings-after-week-13/
January 28, 201312 yr Agreed. This team is still 13-32. Granted, they have nine more home games than road games the rest of the season and their bench is much stronger with Speights and Ellington around. But they have such a deep hole to climb out of and everyone will have to stay healthy. I think we'll have reason to check the standings and contemplate some extreme playoff scenarios in April, but I will be surprised (happily!) if they can pull themselves out of this deep hole. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 29, 201312 yr I enjoy watching basketball despite being pretty ignorant of the game in general. I haven't been able to watch as much as I did during the Lebron years, since I dropped cable. Here is my question. It seems to me that Byron Scott is well respected and generally liked, despite poor records. I'd say that I have a favorable, albeit ignorant view of him. It seems like a rare situation in Cleveland where a team can slowly build a foundation without throwing the whole thing out when they don't find instant results. (obviously, I am thinking of the Browns) So, can anyone enlighten me? Maybe it's because the Cavs fly a bit under the Cleveland sports radar?
January 29, 201312 yr I don't think you can judge Byron Scott on wins and losses. They've handed him a team devoid of any veteran leadership, especially now that Andy is lost for the season. He has to be judged on player development at this point. The three main components on the current roster minus AV are now Kyrie, Dion, and Tristan...... who all should still be juniors in college. When your veterans 'leaders' are Luke Walton and Shaun Livingston, winning ain't on the agenda. I truly believe the Cavs looked at their roster and options and consciously decided that they needed one more year in the lottery. They were underwhelmed by this past year's draft and they are not going to be delusional anymore about getting their elite talent through free agency. Nearly every elite player in the league was a lottery pick and almost always a top 10 pick. The arguably elite players still active and not picked in the lottery (Nash, Parker, Rondo) were all PGs and I think we're pretty much set at that position.
January 29, 201312 yr Well, how is he doing with development... because I honestly do not know. I wasn't inferring that he should be judged poorly at all. Say, compared with Mike Brown. For that matter, why does Mike Brown seem to get the other end of the stick?
January 29, 201312 yr In football, the coaching staff is just as important as the players. There are countless examples of a new regime making an organization playoff contenders in 1-2 years. That makes fans and owners extremely impatient. You get two years to show progress or you're gone. That kind of turnaround is rare in the NBA. It took 4-5 years before the Thunder became contenders with Durant. It takes years of development and tremendous luck in consecutive drafts. Basketball is 90% about the players and team chemistry. You can't buy wins in the NBA unless you live in Boston or L.A.. That generally makes people more patient. You don't really have a choice but to be. Even if it all goes right the team can be stuck in limbo for decades. Byron Scott is safe until the Cavs are expected to win. That may not be for another year or two. The kid gloves come off once the expectation is there. A slow start, say 2-15 or something, and he's gone.
January 29, 201312 yr Kyrie is sick and didn't practice today. He may not play tonight against Golden State.... http://www.ohio.com/news/cavs-kyrie-irving-sick-questionable-tonight-against-warriors-1.368862 But the Warriors' Curry may not play either.... http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/mark-jackson-rightfully-sits-injured-stephen-curry-says-151009550--nba.html Then again, Kyrie might try to play if he reads this (from the yahoo sports article above): "....The team may not need Curry’s talents even against a Cavalier team featuring All-Star Kyrie Irving." "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 30, 201312 yr Well that was an ugly game. The Cavs looked like they were the team that had played four road games in five nights, not the Warriors. Maybe Kyrie was too sick to play, but at least he scored 14 points -- 14 more than Alonzo Gee scored and who also allowed many more by Thompson et al. All of our other starters were in double figures, as was Speights and Miles. Not sure what's gotten into Gee's head, as he's been averaging 11 ppg this season. BTW, not sure if Oden is worth the risk but it's an interesting story. We took a risk on signing Livingston and it's worked out OK so far.... http://espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/story/_/id/8895670/miami-heat-cleveland-cavaliers-top-suitors-greg-oden-according-report "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 30, 201312 yr What a great story it would be if Oden could revive his career with the Cavs. I say take the risk, it's worth it.
January 30, 201312 yr Irving, Thompson, Waiters and Zeller all invited to play in the Rising Stars game during the All Star weekend, according to an ABj tweet. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 31, 201312 yr Where there's smoke..... http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--rudy-gay-trade-shows-lebron-james-the-future--super-team-era-ending--065716242.html
January 31, 201312 yr ^I mentioned a few weeks ago LBJ and his team had the decision AND "the return" planned before the night it was nationally televised. I stand by my remarks.
January 31, 201312 yr Where there's smoke..... http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--rudy-gay-trade-shows-lebron-james-the-future--super-team-era-ending--065716242.html And how did the Cavs not end up with Rudy Gay?? Oh, and some superteams turn out to be nothing of the kind. See the Lakers. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 3, 201312 yr Clutch fourth-period performance tonight against the Thunder! Shows what these young Cavs can do when they play with energy and focus. Wish we showed that last night against Detroit. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 3, 201312 yr Not to sound too cliche, but this team has a tendency to play up or down to the level of competition. Kyrie showed his all-star status last night. He closed out the game like him and only a small handfull of players in the league can. But it really was the bench that was the difference, as it has been in recent past wins. My man Mo Speights was en feugo. Livingston's defense is off the charts good. And CJ Miles might be going on another one of his 5-6 game hot streaks. The starters fell behind in both halfs (nothing to be ashamed about against OKC) and the bench got us back into the ballgame both times.
February 3, 201312 yr Gotta luv the Uncle Drew moves at 1:41! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 4, 201312 yr I gather Mo really wants to play in Cleveland: lots of PT on a young, rising team with an All Star PG who will get him the ball... He also forfieted his Bird rights in OK'ing the trade which also indicates he wants to be here... He's only played a few games with us, but his impact has been huge. Speights, esp, and Ellington and Livingston have suddenly turned our sorry 2nd unit into a formidible bunch. In fact, they generally have been stronger than the 1st unit, and collectively they play better D -- esp. Ellington. They've broght us back in games that the 1st unit has put us behind the 8 ball... I hope the Cavs to all they can do to convince him to stay. He's a young Big who has muscle and can score from a variety of spots, including the 15-18 footer. I don't want to lose him.
February 4, 201312 yr I'm sure Speights saw opportuninity. But I wouldntt be overly optimistic going into the offseason with him. With the role he is playing, he is upping his value by the day. The man wants to get paid this summer and playing sparingly behind Randolph and Gasol wasn't going to get him the contraact he wants. Of course he wanted to come here.
February 5, 201312 yr All players shop their wares in free agent years, so there's nothing new about that. But there's no denying that Speights is the strongest and most talented/versatile big man the Cavs have had since Brad Daugherty and the Cavs, given the dearth of high-grade talent that's come through Cleveland since since July 10, 2010 -- save Kyrie of course, can ill afford to piss away such a talent with a primary eye (in this trade) on a first round draft pick loaded with so many protections, it may not materialize until 6 years from now.
February 6, 201312 yr Whoa let's calm down he has had a few good games, but let's wait and see him do this over an extended period of time
February 7, 201312 yr Call a doctor 'cause i'm starting to catch dat fever! Call the doctor because Charlotte got their ass kicked up and down the floor. I mean, 100 points scored by the Cavs BEFORE the 4th period started?? Damn...... Kyrie: "Wow, coach was right! When you play with energy against the bad teams, not only will you win, but you can kick the crap out of them! I like it. Let's do another one!!" "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 7, 201312 yr I didn't get a chance to watch the game, and was pleasantly surprised to see the score. However, I was outright shocked to see that Kyrie only had 22 of the 122 points! I even checked the standings. Stupid Boston is on a 5 game win streak so we are still 10 1/2 games back of the 8th seed. But 6-8 are clumped tightly together so if one of them go on a skid we could make up some ground. Also may I admit I am mildly relieved, I was beginning to wonder when Scott was going to get these guys playing with some drive.
February 7, 201312 yr Im sure HTS121 can correct me, but if Lakers sneak in the playoffs (only 3 games out), we will get their pick? Which unless they just go unconscious will be a 15-20 pick. AND if Memphis tanks (with Gay gone, not unrealistic), we will get their pick as well?
February 7, 201312 yr ^ Yes that's correct...Root for the Lakers to get the 7th or 8th seed, and Memphis to lose.
February 7, 201312 yr So that trade w/Memphis was pretty good, yes? Yes. We took advantage of their cap issues and gave our team a bench. Looks good to me. Is Z working with Zeller? Does anybody know what his capacity with the team is now?
February 7, 201312 yr ^ Zeller needs to gain 15 lbs of muscle and then check in with Z. The guy is too soft right now. Getting bullied in the league. But it's always nice to have a 7 footer, right? (Ryan Hollins?)
February 7, 201312 yr Ryan Who? Never speak that name again...Although I saw Zeller miss a dunk last week ala' Hollins. Seven freaking feet tall and you regularly missed dunks? How is that possible?
February 7, 201312 yr Good to see the Cavs open up a can of u-know-what on one of the bottom feeders.... well, actually THE bottom feeder. Something has definitely clicked. I suspect there is a little friendly rivalry going between the starters and bench as to who is going to play better each game and it is paying off. We have a lot of raw talent in the starting lineup and then the bench is supplying the necessary veteran presence. I agree that there should be a rule against mentioning Ryan Hollins. I once saw/heard a scouting report on him that was something like...... legit 7footer, mobile, runs like a deer, jumps out of the gym, extremely athletic and nimble for his size, lacks basketball skills
February 7, 201312 yr I agree that there should be a rule against mentioning Ryan Hollins. I once saw/heard a scouting report on him that was something like...... legit 7footer, mobile, runs like a deer, jumps out of the gym, extremely athletic and nimble for his size, lacks basketball skills Yes! Aaron Goldhammer on WKNR used to read this scouting report over and over. "Lacks basketball skills? How is he in the league? The sport is BASKETBALL!" It will never cease to be hilarious!
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