Cleveland Cavaliers Blog

Game 20: Celtics at Cavs

2012-01-31T10:36:00.001-05:00

BOSTON CELTICS (9-10) at CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (8-11)
at Quicken Loans Arena
7 p.m. Tuesday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT WILL HAPPEN: The key to tonight's game could hinge on the availability of Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo. He's missed the previous six games with a sprained right wrist. He adds a different dimension to the Celtics' attack - offensively and defensively.

His replacement, second-year guard Avery Bradley, is an outstanding on-the-ball defender. He's in the same class as Rondo on the defensive end, which is saying something.

Regardless of who the Celtics throw at Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving, they might be at a disadvantage. Irving is playing as well as any point guard in the league right now. His confidence is sky-high.

Irving is averaging 17.9 points and 4.8 assists. His assist total would be much higher if the Cavs had players who could actually make shots. That's one area the Cavs need to improve on: Adding some shooters in the offseason.

The Cavs will be without shooting guards Anthony Parker (back spasms) and Daniel Gibson (neck infection). Coach Byron Scott is expected to start Alonzo Gee at the "2" spot. That also tells you what you need to know about Christian Eyenga, who remains glued to the bench.

Scott has been trying to send him a message about practicing harder. What's happening is that they are starting to lose Eyenga. His head is probably spinning right now wondering what's going on. That's also the case for backup center Semih Erden, who is out of the rotation altogether. He's probably wondering why he's been saddled with DNP-CD in the previous four games.

The Cavs nipped Boston on Sunday, 88-87, on a last-second shot by Irving.

UP NEXT: The Cavs will travel to Orlando at 7 p.m. Friday at Amway Center.

PROBABLE STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Paul Pierce (6-7, 235)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Kevin Garnett (6-11, 253)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Brandon Bass (6-8, 250)
SG Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Ray Allen (6-5, 205)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Avery Bradley (6-2, 205)
PROJECTED INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Luke Harangody, G Daniel Gibson
Celtics - G Keyon Dooling, G Rajon Rondo
OFFICIALS

Joe Crawford,

Bennie Adams,

Karl Lane

Game 19: Cavs at Celtics

2012-01-29T13:04:00.003-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (8-11) 88, BOSTON CELTICS (9-10) 87
at TD Garden
Sunday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: This was one of the signature wins by the Cavs this season. It was the first time they've won against a team .500 or better this year.

The Cavs had lost five of the last six coming into Sunday's game. The Celtics had won five of six.

The Celtics led, 87-76 late in the game before the Cavs closed the game with 12 unanswered points. Kyrie Irving closed off that run with a layup in traffic with 2.6 seconds remaining. Celtics forward Paul Pierce, who has averaged 26 points in the previous three games, missed a last-second 17-footer at the buzzer.

Irving had a game-high 23 points, six assists, four rebounds and one steal. He made 10 of 14 attempts from the field.

He's now shooting 51.6 percent from the field - outstanding for a point guard. He's also shooting 40.1 percent from the 3-point line and 80.6 percent from the foul line. On the season, he's averaging 17.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He's got Rookie of the Year written all over him.

Talk of the Celtics being over the hill might be a bit premature. Sure, they are one of the oldest teams in the league. But they can still play, and play hard.

No team will want to face them in the first round of the playoffs. I guarantee that. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has some tough decisions ahead of him. Do they stick with "The Big Three" or break them up at the deadline?

If they think they have one more run in them, they might keep the veteran group together. If not, they could start trading off some of the pieces and trying to acquire younger players.

Celtics shooting guard Ray Allen (ankle) returned to the lineup on Sunday and had a team-high 22 points. He made 4 of 6 from behind the arc.

Point guard Rajon Rondo (wrist) and center Jermaine O’Neal (left knee) weren't as fortunate. Rondo hopes to play on Tuesday in Cleveland. He's missed the last seven games.

The Cavs played without shooting guard Daniel Gibson, who missed the game with a stiff neck. Shooting guard Anthony Parker missed most of the second half with tightness in his lower back. It's been bothering him for most of the season.

With those two sidelined, Coach Byron Scott turned to little-used shooting guard Mychel Thompson. He had four points, two rebounds and a steal. He played the entire fourth quarter. His play will warrant some playing time for the rookie.

The Cavs' athleticism caused problems for the Celtics. Center Anderson Varejao also was too much to handle for the Celtics' big men, as he finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and two steals. He is playing like an All-Star.

I scoffed at the thought of him making the All-Star team. I'm starting to believe that it could happen. I think he's deserving and playing as well as any center in the Eastern Conference, with the exception of Orlando's Dwight Howard.

And, as far as trading him? The Cavs would be totally nuts.

UP NEXT: The Cavs will host Boston at 7 p.m. Tuesday at The Q.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Paul Pierce (6-7, 235)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Kevin Garnett (6-11, 253)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Brandon Bass (6-8, 250)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Ray Allen (6-5, 205)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Avery Bradley (6-2,180)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Luke Harangody, G Daniel Gibson
Celtics - G Keyon Dooling, G Rajon Rondo
OFFICIALS

Marc Davis,

Eric Lewis,

Scott Wall

Game 18: Nets at Cavs

2012-01-27T11:02:00.004-05:00

NEW JERSEY NETS (7-13) 99, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (7-11) 96
at Quicken Loans Arena
Friday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Many fans expected a cakewalk on Friday against the Nets. Perhaps some of the players thought the same thing.

Well, it was a harsh reality when the Nets knocked them sideways. The final margin wasn't indicative of how lopsided this game was for most of the night. The Nets led by 17 in the fourth quarter before the Cavs awoke from their slumber.

The banged-up Nets have won two in a row on the road, including Wednesday's 97-90 overtime win over Philadelphia.

Point guard Deron Williams has been fantastic in the last two games, averaging 30.5 points and 10.5 assists. He scored at will on the Cavs on Friday with 27 points. He made 5 of 9 from the 3-point line.

Once the game was completely out of hand, the Cavs caught fire. Rookie guard Kyrie Irving erupted for a career-high 32 points, 21 in the fourth quarter. The last NBA rookie to score at least 21 in the fourth quarter was New Jersey's Marcus Williams on Nov. 24, 2006. Dallas guard Roddy Beaubois had 21 points in the second quarter against Golden State on March 27, 2010.

Seventeen points came in the last 2:58 of the game. His fourth-quarter outburst deflected some of the attention off the Cavs' lackluster play in the first three quarters.

Irving has now scored 20 or more points eight times this season.

The Cavs beat the Nets, 98-82, on Jan. 1. Coach Byron Scott tried to drill into his team's head that this wasn't going to be a pushover. It just didn't sink in.

The Cavs welcomed back rookie power forward Tristan Thompson, who missed the previous two games with a sprained left ankle. He had five points and three rebounds in 16 minutes.

Second-year forward Luke Harangody was sent to the D-League. The Cavs should leave him there for a while. He's not going to get any playing time on the parent club.

The Nets were without high-scoring guard MarShon Brooks (sore left Achilles), center Brook Lopez (foot) and center Mehmet Okur (back spasms).

UP NEXT: The Cavs travel to Boston at 6 p.m. Sunday at TD Garden.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. DeShawn Stevenson (6-5, 218)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Kris Humphries (6-9, 235)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Sheldon Williams (6-9, 250)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Anthony Morrow (6-5, 210)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Deron Williams (6-3, 209)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Luke Harangody, G Mychel Thompson
Nets - F Damion James, C Brook Lopez
OFFICIALS
Dick Bavetta, Kevin Cutler, Zach Zarba

Game 17: Knicks at Cavs

2012-01-25T12:41:00.008-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (7-10) 91, NEW YORK KNICKS (7-11) 81
at Quicken Loans Arena
Wednesday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Whenever someone complains about the Cavs, it could be worse. They could be the Knicks.

That team is a dysfunctional mess. Their two star players - Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony - don't work well together. Getting back guard Baron Davis might help, but don't hold your breath. The Cavs could actually finish ahead of them in the standings.

And, while we're on the subject, don't expect Coach Mike D'Antoni to make it the entire year. He could be a coaching casualty this season.

The Cavs have now won nine in a row over the Knicks at The Q. They accomplished it with stellar defense and scrappy play.

The Cavs are now 1-4 on the tail end of a back-to-back set this season. They were in control of this game for almost the entire second half.

The Knicks were a half game ahead of the Cavs in the playoff race heading into last night's game. The difference is: if the Knicks don't make the playoffs, heads will roll. If the Cavs don't, fans will rejoice that they're getting a better draft pick.

The Knicks have lost seven of their last eight games. Their only win in that stretch was a victory over hapless Charlotte on Tuesday. Anthony had a season-low one point on 0 of 7 from the field against the Bobcats. How can that even happen?

They are banking on Baron Davis returning and leading them into the playoffs. Good luck with that. The 32-year-old guard just can't stay healthy in this stage of his career. If he's in shape and his back is feeling well, he could make a big impact on the team.

Davis will be able to get the ball where it's supposed to go. It would help their offense be more efficient, and that is needed in the worst way. They function now almost without a point guard. They need an infusion of talent in their backcourt. Rookie guard Iman Shumpert is functioning as their "point guard" right now, but he's more of a combo guy.

Enough about the Knicks. The Cavs' guard play is just fine. Cavs guard Kyrie Irving tied his career high with seven assists. He was just 1 of 7 from the field for seven points.

UP NEXT: The Cavs host New Jersey at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Quicken Loans Arena.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Carmelo Anthony (6-8, 230)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Amar'e Stoudemire (6-11, 260)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Tyson Chandler (7-1, 240)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Landry Fields (6-7, 215)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Iman Shumpert (6-5, 220)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F/C Tristan Thompson, G Mychel Thompson
Knicks - G Baron Davis, C Josh Harrellson
OFFICIALS

Bill Kennedy,

Kane Fitzgerald,

Scott Twardoski

Game 16: Cavs at Heat

2012-01-24T10:43:00.006-05:00

MIAMI HEAT (12-5) 92, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (6-10) 85
at AmericanAirlines Arena
Tuesday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio/NBA TV

WHAT HAPPENED: I made the comment that the Cavs could play well on Tuesday and still lose by 10 or more points. I was wrong. They lost by seven.

Coach Byron Scott had to be happy with how hard the Cavs played. That's got to be a constant. Every night they've got to play with fire. None of this going-through-the-motions stuff we saw against Chicago and Atlanta.

Sure, they were good teams and were favored to beat the Cavs. But the Cavs need to come out and battle, fight and scrap. That intensity returned on Tuesday against LeBron James and the Heat.

Anthony Parker and Alonzo Gee played well defensively against James, who finished with 18 points, five rebounds, five assists and five turnovers. He was 8 of 21 from the field.

He wasn't the reason the Heat prevailed. Chris Bosh destroyed everyone in front of him to the tune of a season-high 35 points. He was 10 of 16 from the field and perfect on 14 free throws.

The rest test will come on Wednesday when the Cavs return home to face New York. This is a winnable game, but the Cavs have yet to win this year on the second night of a back-to-back set. They are 0-4 heading into Wednesday's game.

The Heat played without guard Dwyane Wade on Tuesday. He has a sprained left ankle. The Heat are 7-1 with him out of the lineup.

James is second in the NBA in scoring at 29.7 points per game. He's also averaging 8.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.07 steals.The former Cavs forward could be headed to another Most Valuable Player award. He's playing at an extremely high level.

Wade has appeared in just nine games this season. His absence hasn't prevented the Heat from winning four of their last five games.

Heat guard Norris Cole is averaging 8.8 points and 2.8 assists. The former Cleveland State standout has played in all 17 games. He had 10 points and three rebounds on Tuesday.

The Cavs placed rookie power forward Tristan Thompson on the inactive list with a sprained left ankle. Samardo Samuels stepped in and had 15 points and five rebounds. He had five dunks on the night. His performance will warrant more playing time, and it's about time.

UP NEXT: The Cavs host New York at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. LeBron James (6-8, 260)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Chris Bosh (6-11, 235)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Joel Anthony (6-9, 245)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Shane Battier (6-8, 225)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Mario Chalmers (6-2, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F/C Tristan Thompson, G Mychel Thompson
Heat - G Dwyane Wade, C Mickell Gladness
OFFICIALS

Tony Brothers,

Kevin Fehr,

Michael Smith

Game 15: Cavs at Hawks

2012-01-21T13:22:00.001-05:00

ATLANTA HAWKS (12-5) 121, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (6-9) 94
at Philips Arena
Saturday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs have now lost their last two games by 66 points. That is not a good thing.

It's like they've forgotten how to play hard and defend. Granted, their schedule has gotten much tougher, with Chicago and Atlanta in the last two games. But they have to show up and be ready to play against good teams and bad.

Another blowout is waiting for them in Miami on Tuesday. That Omri Casspi-LeBron James matchup could be ugly.

The Cavs allowed the Hawks to shoot 55 percent from the field. They also allowed a season-high 121 points. They allowed the Hawks to do whatever they wanted on the court.

If you remember, they were respectable last year, too, early on in the season. Then things totally fell apart. Could that be happening again? The Cavs hope not. But the signs are there.

Promising power forward Tristan Thompson sprained his left ankle in the fourth quarter, but remained in the game. X-rays were negative. The Cavs say his status will be updated on Monday. I'll update his injury right now: "He's day-to-day." Don't be surprised if he misses some games.

The Cavs played without Daniel Gibson in tonight's game. He wasn't on the trip because of personal reasons. That altered Coach Byron Scott's rotation. He played Alonzo Gee at shooting guard and Luke Harangody at small forward. Both played out of position. Gee can't handle the ball well enough to play the "2," while Harangody isn't quick enough to play the "3."

Haragody got knocked to the floor by Hawks veteran Tracy McGrady. There wasn't even a foul called.

The Hawks are 8-1 at home. The Cavs weren't able to slow down the Hawks' running game. They outscored the Cavs in fastbreak points, 30-13.

The Cavs have lost five in a row to the Hawks, including an 0-3 record last season. They haven't won on the road in the series since Dec. 29, 2009.

Both teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back set, and both teams were routed on Friday. The Hawks were beat up in Philadelphia. The Cavs suffered their worst defeat at home in franchise history, 114-75, to Chicago.

The Cavs are now 0-4 on the second game of a back-to-back.

Hawks coach Larry Drew was an assistant on Cavs coach Byron Scott's staff in New Jersey. They were also teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers during their playing days.

One of Drew's assistant coaches, Tyrone Hill, played for the Cavs from 1999-2003.

UP NEXT: The Cavs travel to Miami at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Marvin Williams (6-9, 245)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Josh Smith (6-9, 225)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Zaza Pachulia (6-11, 260)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Joe Johnson (6-7, 240)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Jeff Teague (6-2, 181)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G/F Christian Eyenga, G Mychel Thompson
Hawks - G Kirk Hinrich, F/C Al Horford
OFFICIALS
Scott Foster, Mark Ayotte, Brent Barnaky

Game 14: Bulls at Cavs

2012-01-20T11:42:00.001-05:00

CHICAGO BULLS (14-3) 114, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 75 (6-8)
at Quicken Loans Arena
Friday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs could have caught a huge break. Instead, they went belly up like a furry puppy.

All-Star point guard Derrick Rose was held out of Friday's game. He's suffering from turf toe. He might not play on Saturday against Charlotte, either.

Rose, the reigning Most Valuable Player, is the Bulls' leading scorer at 20.8 points per game. He's also one of the league leaders in assists at 8.7.

But the Cavs were slapped around by the Bulls, who didn't miss Rose in the least. The two point guards who played - C.J. Miles and John Lucas III - played very well and combined for 24 points and eight assists.

If the Cavs play anything like they did tonight on Saturday in Atlanta, they'll get totally blown away again. They are 0-3 this year on the second leg of a back-to-back set. So, another loss could be waiting for them in Georgia.

Cavs coach Byron Scott couldn't figure out why his team was so inept against the Bulls. They shot just 30 percent from the field, got outrebonded, 54-38, and allowed the Bulls to shoot 55 percent from the field.

The only positive aspect was that the Cavs didn't have a ton of turnovers. They had 15 turnovers - 10 fewer than their last game against Golden State.

The loss on Friday was their worst in franchise history at home. That's not a good thing.

No one played very well, even though everyone played.

The Cavs have lost seven in a row to the Bulls, including all four games last season.

They don't have the best record in the NBA for nothing. The Bulls are very deep and talented.

UP NEXT: The Cavs travel to Atlanta at 7 p.m. Saturday at Philips Arena.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Luol Deng (6-9, 220)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Carlos Boozer (6-9, 266)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Joakim Noah (6-11, 232)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Richard Hamilton (6-7, 193)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. C.J. Watson (6-2, 175)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G/F Christian Eyenga, G Mychel Thompson
Bulls - G Derrick Rose
OFFICIALS

Derrick

Stafford, Curtis Blair, Violet Palmer

Game 13: Warriors at Cavs

2012-01-17T09:52:00.001-05:00

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (5-8) 105, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (6-7) 95
at Quicken Loans Arena
Tuesday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs had major difficulty defending Warriors power forward David Lee, who led all scorers with 29 points and nine rebounds.

He wasn't the player that the Cavs feared coming into the game. It was guard Monta Ellis who came into the game sixth in the NBA in scoring at 26.7 per game. He was limited to just 10 points on 2 of 12 shooting.

If you had said he was only going to score 10 points and that Stephen Curry wouldn't play, one would like the Cavs' chances. But the Warriors forced 25 turnovers and jacked up 94 shots from the field.

They cause problems offensively for any team. They run-and-gun, and even though the Cavs are playing transition basketball, they are not ready for what the Warriors throw at teams.

They signed free agent Nate Robinson recently, and he fits in perfectly with the Warriors. He had 17 points and 10 assists for the Warriors.

If the Cavs had protected the ball, and just cut their turnovers in half, they'd probably won the game going away. This is the Cavs' fifth game of 20 or more turnovers.

Center Anderson Varejao finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds. He became the first Cavs player to grab 10 or more rebounds in eight consecutive games since Tyrone Hill from Feb. 1, 1997, to Feb. 23, 1997.

The Cavs played without shooting guard Anthony Parker, who sat out the second half of the win over Charlotte on Monday with a sore back. It will mark the first change to the starting lineup this season.

Daniel Gibson started at shooting guard. He defended well against Ellis, but the Cavs could have used more than six points from him on the night.

Forward Omri Casspi had 11 points, the third consecutive game in double figures in scoring.

UP NEXT: The Cavs host Chicago at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Quicken Loans Arena.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Dorell Wright (6-9, 205)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. David Lee (6-9, 240)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Andris Biedrins (7-0, 240)
SG Daniel Gibson (6-2, 200) vs. Monta Ellis (6-3, 185)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Charles Jenkins (6-3, 220)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G/F Christian Eyenga, G Anthony Parker
Warriors - C Kwame Brown, G Stephen Curry
OFFICIALS

Tom Washington,

Nick Buchert,

Leroy Richardson

Game 12: Cavs at Bobcats

2012-01-16T10:48:00.002-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (6-6) 102, CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (3-11) 94
at Time Warner Cable Arena
Monday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs outscored the Bobcats, 56-37, in the second half to win the game going away. At halftime, though, the Cavs looked dead in the water. They trailed at the intermission, 57-46.

They finished 3-4 on their grueling road trip. They also evened their record at 6-6.

Point guard Kyrie Irving led all scorers with 24 points, seven assists, four rebounds, one steal and one block. He was 9 of 16 from the field, 1 of 1 from the 3-point arc and 6 of 8 from the foul line.

He's scoring a team-high 17.7 points per game, tops among NBA rookies.

He's just coming on as a player. What wasn't expected was forward Omri Casspi's season-high 14 points and seven rebounds. He still can't make a jump shot, but he used his 6-9 frame to get to the basket and had three three-point plays in the third quarter when the Cavs made up a 14-point deficit.

All I can say is: "It's about time." Casspi is a better player than he's shown thus far with the Cavs.

The Cavs continue to get outstanding point guard play from Irving and Ramon Sessions (four points, three rebounds and a game-high nine assists).

Center Anderson Varejao had 12 rebounds. He had 10 or more rebounds in all seven games on the road trip. He's averaging 11.3 rebounds per game, including 4.7 offensive rebounds.

Daniel Gibson was forced to start the second half after Anthony Parker's back tightened up. Gibson's defense was outstanding on Bobcats guards D.J. Augustin (team-high 24 points, eight assists) and Kemba Walker.

The Cavs snapped a four-game losing streak in Charlotte. They hadn't won on the road in this series since Dec. 6, 2008.

UP NEXT: The Cavs host Golden State at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Gerald Henderson (6-5, 215)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Tyrus Thomas (6-10, 225)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Byron Mullens (7-0, 275)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Kemba Walker (6-1, 184)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. D.J. Augustin (6-0, 180)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G/F Christian Eyenga, G Mychel Thompson
Bobcats - F Eduardo Najera, G Reggie Williams
OFFICIALS

Monty McCutchen,

Leon Wood,

Haywoode Workman

Curry hopes to return Tuesday

2012-01-15T10:49:00.001-05:00

The Cavs wrap up their seven-game road trip at 2 p.m. Monday in Charlotte. The last game of a long road trip is usually a recipe for disaster. But just like they started the trip, the Cavs end the long trek with a back-to-back.

They return to Quicken Loans Arena at 7 p.m. Tuesday against Golden State. The Warriors are expected to have guard Stephen Curry available for that game.

If the Cavs are able to win in Charlotte, they'd finish 3-4 on the road trip. They went toe-to-toe with two very good squads from the Western Conference in Utah and the Los Angeles Lakers and lost tight ball games.

Game 11: Cavs at Lakers

2012-01-13T10:46:00.003-05:00

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (9-4) 97, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (5-6) 92

at Staples Center
Friday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Lakers have won five in a row, largely because of the play of All-Star Kobe Bryant. He's averaging 43.3 points in his last three games.

Bryant, playing like the league's Most Valuable Player, had 42 against the Cavs on Friday. He made 15 of 21 from the field, 4 of 7 from the 3-point line and 8 of 10 from the foul line. He added five rebounds, three assists, three steals and six turnovers.

Cavs swingmen Anthony Parker and Alonzo Gee took turns getting scorched, er, defending Bryant, who is on one of his patented rolls.

The Cavs were a whisker away from pulling the biggest upset of the NBA season. Once they cut it to four points in the fourth quarter, they fell apart. They turned the ball over, took terrible shots and made some bonehead plays. Their upset bid fell short.

Two numbers stood out in the final box score. They shot 37.6 percent from the field (32 of 85). They missed 53 shots on the night. Also, they had 20 turnovers. If they had improved in both areas, they could have emerged with a win and ruined Jack Nicholson's night.

Guard Kyrie Irving paced the Cavs with 21 points, four assists and two steals. He turned the ball over four times.

He also took over the team lead in scoring at 17 per game. Forward Antawn Jamison is now second on the team in scoring at 16.5. He could not buy a shot on the night and made just 4 of 16. For whatever reason, when he struggles, the Cavs lose.

Bryant is leading the league in scoring (31.2), 20th in assists (5.7) and 15th in minutes (36.8). He's fun to watch. His will to win is crazy.

The Cavs were hammered by the Lakers the last time they visited Staples Center, 112-57. The 55-point loss on Jan. 11, 2011, was the worst in franchise history. That was anything but the case on Friday. The Cavs responded much better in the back-to-back games than they did last week when they laid an egg in Toronto - their first back-to-back of the season.

The Cavs are 2-4 on the 7-game road trip. They will return home and are scheduled to practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts on Sunday afternoon before flying to North Carolina.

UP NEXT: The Cavs travel to Charlotte at 2 p.m. Monday.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Matt Barnes (6-7, 225)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Pau Gasol (7-0, 250)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Andrew Bynum (7-0, 285)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Kobe Bryant (6-6, 205)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Derek Fisher (6-1, 210)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G/F Christian Eyenga, G Mychel Thompson
Lakers - F Derrick Caracter, G Steve Blake

OFFICIALS

Scott Foster,

Dick Bavetta,

Karl Lane

Game 10: Cavs at Suns

2012-01-08T12:13:00.001-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (5-5) 101, PHOENIX SUNS (4-6) 90

at U.S. Airways Center
Thursday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Suns point guard Steve Nash has led the NBA in assists in five of the previous seven seasons. He's currently third at 9.6 per game. He finished with 16 points and 15 assists on Thursday, but he didn't dictate the tempo of the game.

That's because Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving picked the perfect time to have his best game as a pro. He had a game-high 26 points, dished out six assists, pulled down three rebounds and had two steals. He had six of the Cavs' 13 turnovers.

Irving made 11 of 17 from the field, 2 of 4 from the 3-point line and 2 of 2 from the foul line. One could make a case that the rookie outplayed the future Hall of Famer.

Cavs center Anderson Varejao was outstanding on the boards. He pulled down a season-high 17 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass. He's had 10 or more rebounds in five consecutive games and is now seventh in the NBA with 10.6 per game.

In their previous two games, both losses, the Cavs made just 7 of 44 from the 3-point arc (15.9 percent). They responded in a big way on Thursday by making 10 of 19 from long range. Both forward Antawn Jamison and Daniel Gibson each connected on 3 of 5 from behind the arc.

They were the only other players to reach double figures in scoring. Jamison added 23 points and Gibson 10.

The Cavs are 2-3 on the 7-game road trip.

UP NEXT: The Cavs travel to the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 p.m. Friday.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Grant Hill (6-8, 225)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Channing Frye (6-11, 245)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Marcin Gortat (6-11, 240)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Jared Dudley (6-7, 225)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Steve Nash (6-3, 178)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G/F Christian Eyenga, G Mychel Thompson
Suns - none
OFFICIALS
Joe Crawford, Tommy Nunez Jr., Gary Zielinski

Game 7: Cavs at Timberwolves

2012-01-06T12:18:00.003-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (4-3) 98, MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (2-5) 87
at Target Center
Friday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs avenged their 34-point loss at the Target Center last year.

They played with energy and enthusiasm the entire night. Center Anderson Varejao had one of those "Andy nights" with 13 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocks.

Forward Antawn Jamison fueled six double-figure scorers with 22 points. Guard Kyrie Irving had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists. However, he had a career-high seven turnovers. At least two of them should have been credited to Jamison, but that's another story.

In my humble opinion, Irving is the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year.

Fellow rookie point guard Ricky Rubio had 10 points and five assists. But the next member of the media who compares him to Pete Maravich should have his Pro Basketball Writers Association card revoked. He could be good in time, but he's no "Pistol Pete."

As expected, Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love toyed with the Cavs with 29 points and 14 rebounds, both game highs. The Cavs found out first-hand why he is fifth in the NBA in scoring at 25.7 points per game and second in rebounding at 15.0.

Cavs forward/center Samardo Samuels was back with the team after sitting out the Toronto game because of visa/passport problems. He looked like he had been away for a month. He had five personal fouls in eight minutes.

UP NEXT: The Cavs travel to Portland at 9 p.m. Sunday.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Michael Beasley (6-9, 235)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Kevin Love (6-10, 250)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Darko Milicic (7-0, 275)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Wes Johnson (6-7, 215)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Luke Ridnour (6-3, 175)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G/F Christian Eyenga, C Semih Erden
Timberwolves - C Brad Miller, G Martell Webster
OFFICIALS
Bill Spooner, Derrick Collins, Scott WallMike Callahan, Rodney Mott, Tommy Nunez Jr.

Game 6: Cavs at Raptors

2012-01-04T12:17:00.002-05:00

TORONTO RAPTORS (3-3) 92, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (3-3) 77
at Air Canada Centre in Toronto
Wednesday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Raptors aren't known as a good defensive team, but they put the clamps on the Cavs on Wednesday. They held the Cavs to a season-low 29.6 percent from the field. They made just 24 of 81 attempts, meaning they missed 57 shots on the night.

It was their first back-to-back set of the season. They didn't respond very well.

As I've been writing as of late, it all starts with point guard Kyrie Irving. Well, he was quite average on Wednesday. Once again Jose Calderon ran roughshod over him. He made just 3 of 13 shots from the field and had 12 points, four assists and three rebounds. He turned the ball over two times.

Calderon has averaged 14 points and 11 assists in the two games against the Cavs. At least the Raptors didn't have 35 assists like they did in the season opener on Dec. 26.

Raptors power forward Andrea Bargnani, a nimble-footed, quick-shooting 7-footer, is a tough matchup for anyone. He chewed up Antawn Jamison, and anyone else the Cavs put in front of him, to the tune of 31 points. Bargnani made 11 of 16 from the field, 3 of 7 from the 3-point line. He's seventh in the NBA in scoring at 24 points per game.

This was the first game of a seven-game, 13-day road trip. It was one of the most winnable games of the road trip. It could get ugly.

The Cavs played with forward/center Samardo Samuels, who didn't make the trip to Toronto because he lost his passport. Ryan Hollins has taken over the role of backup center for the time being.

Rookie guard Mychel Thompson made his NBA debut.

UP NEXT: The Cavs travel to Minnesota at 8 p.m. Friday.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Rasual Butler (6-7, 215)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Andrea Bargnani (7-0, 256)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Amir Johnson (6-11, 215)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. DeMar DeRozan (6-7, 216)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Jose Calderon (6-3, 211)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F/C Samardo Samuels, C Semih Erden
Raptors - C Aaron Gray, F Linas Kleiza
OFFICIALS
Ron Garretson, Eric Dalen, Eric Lewis

Game 5: Bobcats at Cavs

2012-01-03T11:59:00.003-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (3-2) 115, CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (1-4) 101
at Quicken Loans Arena
Tuesday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Bobcats have to be the only team in NBA history to have two players named D.J. in their starting lineup. For those of you keeping score at home, DJ White doesn't use periods, a la CC Sabathia.

Now, onto the game. The Cavs continue to play inspired basketball. It's starting with point guard Kyrie Irving, who matched his season high with 20 points. He didn't have a turnover in 22 minutes, which is impressive.

In fact, the Cavs had just nine miscues on the night.

Couple that with good defense and uncanny 3-point shooting and one can see why they moved over the .500 mark for the first time in more than a year. The last time they were over .500 was Nov. 9, 2010.

They shot 50 percent from the field and 47.6 percent from the 3-point line. They've made 26 of 47 from the 3-point line in the last two games.

Center Ryan Hollins made an appearance, his first since the season opener. Coach Byron Scott just isn't getting what he wants out of backup center Samardo Samuels.

"I'm not happy with how Samardo is playing," Scott said.

Once Semih Erden is healthy enough to play, he'll become the backup center. They really want to take a look at what he can do.

Bobcats coach Paul Silas returned to The Q where he coached the Cavs from 2003-05. DeSagana Diop, the Bobcats' backup center, played under Silas in Cleveland. However, he looks a bit heavy and has yet to make a field goal this year. He was 0-for the preseason. He's 0 of 7 from the field in 41 minutes during the regular season. He was the Cavs' first-round pick in 2001 and is almost playing himself out of the league.

KYRIE ON DIME COVER: Cavs guard Kyrie Irving is on the cover of Dime Magazine's latest issue.

UP NEXT: The Cavs start a seven-game road trip at Toronto at 7 p.m. Wednesday. They'll be away from The Q for 13 days.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Corey Maggette (6-6, 225)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. DJ White (6-9, 235)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Boris Diaw (6-8, 235)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Gerald Henderson (6-5, 215)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. D.J. Augustin (6-0, 180)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Mychel Thompson, C Semih Erden
Bobcats - F Eduardo Najera, G Reggie Williams
OFFICIALS
Dan Crawford, Kevin Cutler, Gary Zielinski

Game 4: Nets at Cavs

2012-01-01T11:33:00.002-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (2-2) 98, NEW JERSEY NETS (1-4) 82
at Quicken Loans Arena
Sunday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs blasted the Nets, using a tenacious defense and a dazzling 3-point shooting attack.

They made 16 of 26 from the 3-point line, 10 of 12 in the second half.

Here's some expert analysis for you: If you make 16 3s, you usually win. I'm just kidding, but the Cavs' outside shooting was fantastic. Boobie Gibson made 5 of 7, Antawn Jamison 3 of 3, Alonzo Gee 3 of 5 and Kyrie Irving 3 of 4.

I can't remember a player being as much improved as Gee this year. Honestly, I thought he was a dog last year. Not someone to keep around. He came back a new player with an outside shot. That doesn't happen much in the NBA.

The Cavs are so happy with his development.

Ramon Sessions is also a better player from last year. He had just five points on Sunday, but dished out a game-high eight assists. He also hit Deron Williams with an elbow in the chin.

Andy Varejao had just one field goal in the game, but he pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds. In fact, on the season, he's averaging 4.5 offensive rebounds per game.

The Cavs are 2-2, but probably should be 3-1.

UP NEXT: Cavs host Charlotte at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Quicken Loans Arena.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Damion James (6-7, 225)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Kris Humphries (6-9, 235)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Mehmet Okur (6-11, 260)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Deron Williams (6-3, 209)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Sundiata Gaines (6-1, 200)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Mychel Thompson, C Semih Erden
Nets - C Brook Lopez, F Jordan Williams
OFFICIALS
David Jones, Mark Lindsay, Derek Richardson

Game 3: Cavs at Pacers

2011-12-30T12:10:00.002-05:00

INDIANA PACERS (3-0) 98, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (1-2) 91, OT
at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
Friday
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Pacers outscored the Cavs, 14-7, in the extra session to win the Central Division battle on Friday.

But the Cavs had a golden opportunity to put the game away at the end of regulation. Rookie point guard Kyrie Irving had his best game as a pro, but missed a wide-open layup at the buzzer.

His miss left the score tied at 84 entering overtime.

Irving had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists.

Pacers forward Danny Granger was quiet during regulation, but smelled the victory in OT. He had nine of his game-high 22 points in overtime.

Anderson Varejao stepped up for the Cavs with 14 points and 13 rebounds. He took a hard fall on his back in the game when Pacers forward David West was slapped with a flagrant foul. Varejao will likely be sore on Saturday.

Small forward Omri Casspi continues to lose minutes and possibly standing to Alonzo Gee. Casspi had just four points and five rebounds. He's averaging 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in the first three games. That's not what the Cavs had in mind when they traded J.J. Hickson for him.

UP NEXT: Cavs host New Jersey at 6 p.m. Sunday at Quicken Loans Arena.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Danny Granger (6-9, 228)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. David West (6-9, 240)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Roy Hibbert (7-2, 260)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Paul George (6-8, 215)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Darren Collison (6-0, 170)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Mychel Thompson, C Semih Erden
Pacers - F/C Jeff Foster, F/C Jeff Pendergraph
OFFICIALS
Bill Spooner, David Guthrie, Josh Tiven

Game 2: Cavs at Pistons

2011-12-28T11:23:00.002-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (1-1) 103, DETROIT PISTONS (0-2) 89
at The Palace of Auburn Hills
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs played inspired defense, a stark contrast to Monday's loss to Toronto.

When Coach Byron Scott went to his second unit, they made a major impact on the game. Instead of letting the lead dissipate, they built on it. Point guard Ramon Sessions is playing as well as I've seen him play.

Not only is he running the team, he's defending and shooting the 3-pointer with confidence. I don't know if it's a competitive thing with Kyrie Irving now on board, but Sessions is giving the Cavs great minutes.

Let's see if he can continue that on Friday against a good Indiana team.

Many are down on forward Antawn Jamison. But he proved he's not ready for the glue factory just yet. He made 6 of 9 shots from the field on Wednesday for 15 points.

Irving played just 19 minutes, 50 seconds, but wasn't needed any further. Scott never went back to his starters late in the game, which proved to be the right decision.

The Pistons played without suspended forward Charlie Villanueva, who is being penalized for his fight with Cavs center Ryan Hollins at the end of last season. Villanueva might have helped a bit on the boards, but the Pistons were throttled in the rebounding department, 40-26.

Other than rookie guard Brandon Knight, who I really like, the Pistons got nothing off the bench. Vernon Macklin's two points were the only points they got off the bench, other than Knight's 23 points.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Tayshaun Prince (6-9, 215)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Jonas Jerebko (6-10, 251)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Greg Monroe (6-11, 250)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Ben Gordon (6-3, 200)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Rodney Stuckey (6-5, 205)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Mychel Thompson, C Semih Erden
Pistons - none
OFFICIALS
Derrick Stafford, Brent Barnaky, Michael Smith

Game 1: Raptors at Cavs

2011-12-26T11:34:00.003-05:00

TORONTO RAPTORS (1-0) 104, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (0-1) 96
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Kyrie Irving era began on Monday. He didn't shoot the ball well at all, as he made just 2 of 12 shots. That will have to change if he wants to make a run for the Rookie of the Year award.

Irving, 19, was the No. 1 pick in the 2011 draft. He finished with six points, seven assists and three rebounds. One thing he did well was just one turnover in 26 minutes.

It was his backup, Ramon Sessions, that pulled the Cavs back in the game. Coach Byron Scott was asked after the game if he regretted that move. He didn't.

He did say that he almost went with Sessions down the stretch to try to win the game. It probably would have given them the best chance to win. But this whole season is about Irving and Tristan Thompson. So, it was Irving who went back in the game. He didn't play much better than he did earlier.

Veteran forward Antawn Jamison is trying to shoot himself out of his slump. It didn't work, as he made just 6 of 20 from the field.

On this particular night, I would have stayed with Thompson a bit longer, since he was very active around the basket en route to his 12 points and five rebounds.

The other starting forward, Omri Casspi, was almost invisible. He had just two points and was 0 of 4 from the field. He'll need to make some impact.

STARTERS
SF Omri Casspi (6-9, 225) vs. Rasual Butler (6-7, 215)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Andrei Bargnani (7-0, 256)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Amir Johnson (6-9, 210)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. DeMarr DeRozan (6-7, 216)
PG Kyrie Irving (6-3, 191) vs. Jose Calderon (6-3, 211)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Mychel Thompson, C Semih Erden
Raptors - F Linas Kleiza, C Aaron Gray
OFFICIALS
Monty McCutchen, JT Orr, Violet Palmer

Looking for fans' questions

2011-12-15T10:57:00.001-05:00

Cavs fans: Each Sunday I do an NBA notes column, as all three The News-Herald beat writers write in-depth notebooks on the teams that they cover. Of course, Jim Ingraham covers the Indians and Jeff Schudel covers the Browns.

I would like to run a question of the week from the fans. Please include your name, city and email address so I can confirm them.

Keep questions centered on the Cavs or the NBA. I'll pick the best one of the week and run it in my Sunday notes.

Please send questions to my email - RFinnan@News-Herald.com

Thanks, Bob

Some Cavs notes from around the league

2011-12-14T02:30:00.000-05:00

Cavs guard Baron Davis left Cleveland to get a second opinion on his back. His agent told ESPN Los Angeles that the fear is that Davis has a herniated disk.

* * *
Former Cavs guard and ex-Suns GM Steve Kerr appears to be tired of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert's rants. Kerr sounded off recently on Gilbert's letter to NBA commissioner David Stern about the possibility of Chris Paul going to the Lakers.

Cavs' 2011-12 training camp roster

2011-12-10T16:44:00.000-05:00

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS 2011-12 ROSTER
NO. PLAYER COLLEGE POS HGT WGT BIRTHDATE YEARS PRO
X Omri Casspi Israel F 6-9 225 6/22/88 2
85 Baron Davis UCLA G 6-3 212 4/13/79 12
9 Semih Erden Turkey C 7-0 240 7/28/86 1
8 Christian Eyenga Congo G/F 6-7 210 6/22/89 1
33 Alonzo Gee Alabama G/F 6-6 219 5/29/87 2
1 Daniel Gibson Texas G 6-2 200 2/27/86 5
44 Luke Harangody Notre Dame F 6-8 246 1/2/88 1
6 Manny Harris Michigan G 6-5 185 9/21/89 1
5 Ryan Hollins UCLA C 7-0 240 10/10/84 5
2 Kyrie Irving Duke G 6-3 191 3/23/92 R
4 Antawn Jamison N. Carolina F 6-9 235 6/12/76 13
24 Samardo Samuels Louisville F/C 6-9 260 1/9/89 1
3 Ramon Sessions Nevada-Reno G 6-3 190 4/11/86 4
13 Tristan Thompson Texas F 6-9 227 3/13/91 R
17 Anderson Varejao Brazil F/C 6-11 260 9/28/82 7
TRAINING CAMP INVITES
31 Tyrell Biggs Pitt F 6-8 237 8/1/86 R
50 Kyle Goldcamp Gannon F 6-10 250 6/10/86 R
10 Kenny Hayes Miami (Oh) G 6-1 172 4/16/87 R
15 J.P. Prince Tennessee F 6-6 196 7/14/87 R
21 Mychel Thompson Pepperdine G 6-6 211 6/1/88 R
HEAD COACH: Byron Scott (Arizona State)
ASSISTANT COACHES: Paul Pressey (Tulsa)
Paul Pressey (Tulsa)
Jamahl Mosley (Colorado)
Joe Prunty (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo)
Nate Tibbetts (South Dakota)
ATHLETIC TRAINER: Max Benton (Colorado)
ASSISTANT COACH/STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COORDINATOR: Stan Kellers (Cleveland State)

A shoutout from David Stern

2011-12-07T08:49:00.002-05:00

Dear Fans,
On behalf of the entire NBA family, I want to thank you for your patience and support over the past several months. The new collective bargaining agreement is designed to provide more competitive balance for our league, reward strong performances by our players, and strengthen our game by improving its economics. We believe this agreement will benefit our teams, players, and most importantly, fans by making the NBA stronger.

In the days and weeks ahead, all of us hope you will enjoy the run-up to the start of the season: free agency, training camp, and preseason games. Each NBA team will be hosting special events for fans, so be sure to check your favorite team's website, Facebook page, or Twitter feed for details. This season we look forward to bringing you more of everything you love about NBA basketball: incredible competition, tremendous excitement, and unending hard work and dedication by the world's best athletes.

Thank you for being an NBA fan. I hope you enjoy the season, which promises to be a most exciting one.

Sincerely,

David J. Stern
NBA Commissioner

Cavs' schedule by the numbers

2011-12-06T19:47:00.001-05:00

The following is a different look at the Cavaliers' 2011-12 schedule:
0: Appearances by the Lakers this year at Q
1: Back-to-back-to-back games (April 13-15)
2: Sunday matinee games (March 18 vs. Atlanta, March 25 vs. Phoenix)
3: Four-games-in-five nights this season
7: Road trip from Jan. 4-16 (longest since the 2006-07 season)
7: Seasons in the last 8 years the Cavs have opened at home
9: Homestand from Feb. 8-28 (longest in franchise history)
9 of 12: Games on road to start the season
10 of 13: Games at home in February
20: Back-to-back games
33: Home games for the Cavs
66: Total games, all on HD

Bodog releases odds to win NBA title

2011-11-30T14:51:00.001-05:00

The following are odds, courtesy of Bodog, to win the 2012 NBA championship:

Miami Heat 9/4
Los Angeles Lakers 5/1
Chicago Bulls 7/1
Oklahoma City Thunder 15/2
Dallas Mavericks 17/2
Boston Celtics 12/1
New York Knicks 20/1
Orlando Magic 22/1
Memphis Grizzlies 25/1
San Antonio Spurs 25/1
Portland Trail Blazers 30/1
Atlanta Hawks 50/1
Los Angeles Clippers 50/1
Denver Nuggets 75/1
Houston Rockets 75/1
New Jersey Nets 75/1
Phoenix Suns 75/1
Utah Jazz 75/1
Indiana Pacers 100/1
Milwaukee Bucks 100/1
New Orleans Hornets 100/1
Philadelphia 76ers 100/1
Detroit Pistons 125/1
Golden State Warriors 125/1
Charlotte Bobcats 150/1
CAVS 150/1
Minnesota Timberwolves 150/1
Sacramento Kings 150/1
Washington Wizards 150/1
Toronto Raptors 200/1

Odds to win 2012 NBA Eastern Conference championship:
Miami Heat 1/1
Chicago Bulls 5/2
New York Knicks 9/1
Orlando Magic 10/1
Boston Celtics 15/1
Atlanta Hawks 30/1
Indiana Pacers 50/1
New Jersey Nets 50/1
Milwaukee Bucks 60/1
Philadelphia 76ers 60/1
Charlotte Bobcats 80/1
CAVS 80/1
Detroit Pistons 80/1
Washington Wizards 80/1
Toronto Raptors 100/1

Odds to win 2012 NBA Western Conference championship:
Los Angeles Lakers 2/1
Oklahoma City Thunder 13/4
Dallas Mavericks 4/1
Portland Trail Blazers 10/1
San Antonio Spurs 10/1
Memphis Grizzlies 15/1
Los Angeles Clippers 20/1
Denver Nuggets 25/1
Houston Rockets 25/1
New Orleans Hornets 30/1
Phoenix Suns 30/1
Utah Jazz 35/1
Golden State Warriors 40/1
Minnesota Timberwolves 40/1
Sacramento Kings 60/1

Season win totals:
Miami Heat 48.5
LA Lakers 48.5
Chicago Bulls 46.5
San Antonio Spurs 46.5
Oklahoma City 44.5
Dallas Mavericks 44.5
Boston Celtics 41.5
Orlando Magic 41.5
New York Knicks 39.5

Will David Stern retire before December 1, 2012?
Yes +200
No -300

Could Irving go overseas?

2011-11-09T00:52:00.000-05:00

Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 draft, said he would consider playing overseas if the NBA lockout continues.

Irving said via his Twitter account that he could play abroad.

"If a deal doesn't get done soon ... overseas here I come," he tweeted.

The 6-2, 190-pound Irving is attending classes at Duke.

The 19-year-old played just 11 games with the Blue Devils during his freshman year. He said earlier that he didn't want to play overseas, but very few people expected the lockout to last this long.

Charge conducts first draft

2011-11-04T14:05:00.000-04:00

The Canton Charge conducted their first D-League draft on Thursday:

1st round (15 overall) Tyrell Biggs, F, Pitt
4 (49) T.J. Campbell, G, Portland
5 (78) Tyrone Kent, G/F, Toledo
6 (81) Travis Franklin, F, Colorado State
8 (113) Jonathan Blake, F, Texas Wesleyan

Biggs, a 6-foot-8 forward, split last season between Cyprus and the Israeli Premier League.

"It was a great night for us," Charge coach Alex Jensen said. "We accomplished what we set out to do tonight. We are happy with our picks and feel we have a group of hard workers who have a chance to show us that on the court when training camp starts next week."

The Charge also announced their training camp roster:
F Tyrell Biggs, Pitt, 6-8, 240
F Jonathan Blake, Texas Wesleyan, 6-7, 190
G T.J. Campbell, Portland, 5-9, 190
F Travis Franklin, Colorado State, 6-7, 215
G Antonio Graves, Pitt, 6-3, 190
F/C Marcus Hubbard, Angelo State, 6-9, 235
G/F Tyrone Kent, Toledo, 6-5, 210
G Harry Marshall, Indiana State, 6-0, 190
G Keith McLeod, Bowling Green, 6-2, 190
G/F Anthony Newell, Ball State, 6-5, 205
F Travis Parker, Penn State, 6-6, 242
F Jamine Peterson, Providence, 6-6, 230
F Marcus Relphorde, Colorado, 6-7, 220
F Jeff Trotter, Clayton State, 6-5, 210

Final 10-man opening day rosters must be set by 5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23. The Charge opens their inaugural season on Friday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Canton Memorial Civic Center against the defending champion Iowa Energy.

Larry not retired from NBA

2011-10-26T14:27:00.001-04:00

Former Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes sat out the entire 2010-11 season. He wants to make it perfectly clear that he's not retired.

He recently told the Washington Post that he wants to return to the NBA this season - if there is a season.

He didn't get the offer he wanted in the summer of 2010 and missed the whole year.

“Obviously, I wanted to play,” Hughes said. “At the same time I wanted to be stable. I didn’t want to go to a situation where it was a one-year deal, or partial guarantee deal where at any time you could be out of there moving on. I wanted certain things after moving around the past three years, to different teams, I wanted something solid. If I didn’t get that, I wasn’t coming back.”

The 32-year-old guard said he still has game.

"Having a role on a team, a contending team, is what I’m looking for," he said. "We’ll see how it goes.”

He'll always be remembered in Cleveland for signing a five-year, $70 million contract in July 2005. At the time, I was wildly excited about the move.

I was filling in on the Indians' beat in New York when the signing occurred. I was so excited, but had no one to talk to about it until I went into the Tribe's locker room and pitcher CC Sabathia was as thrilled as I was.

I didn't really know CC, but we talked at length about the signing. I didn't realize how much he actually followed the NBA. He said he was friends with Drew Gooden, who was a forward with the Cavs at the time.

I always got the biggest kick out of Drew. He was a bit wacky, but he had talent. Acquiring him and Anderson Varejao from Orlando was one of the best trades former Cavs GM Jim Paxson ever made.

But back to Hughes. It was hard to criticize then GM Danny Ferry's move at the time. They needed a shooting guard in the worst way (much like this year's team). They had the money and had researched signing the other free agents on the market - Joe Johnson, Michael Redd and Ray Allen. None of them were coming to Cleveland. Hughes was coming off an All-Star-quality season with the Wizards.

They threw boatloads of money at Hughes, who failed miserably with the Cavs. He didn't work out well with LeBron James, contrary to what the Cavs thought. At first, it looked like a good signing, but he couldn't stay healthy and then copped one of the worst attitudes of any player I've ever covered.

By the time the Cavs included Hughes in a blockbuster deal with Chicago, he had completely worn out his welcome. He bounced around with the Bulls, Knicks and Bobcats before falling into oblivion last season.

He's averaged 14.2 points, 4.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds in his 12-year career.

Charge to suit up in Wine & Gold

2011-10-25T14:56:00.000-04:00

CANTON–Taking a fresh cue on the Wine & Gold, the Canton Charge, powered by the Cleveland Cavaliers, unveiled the team’s official uniforms for their 2011-12 inaugural season.

The NBA D-League Charge will feature a unique look with the introduction of an exclusive home “gold” uniform (in contrast to the home white as worn in the NBA) and will wear wine uniforms on the road. The Canton Charge will make their home court debut at the Canton Memorial Civic Center on Friday, Nov. 25 at 7:30 p.m. for the season opener against the defending NBA D-League champion Iowa Energy.

“We are excited to introduce the Charge’s new uniforms that were created to showcase the team’s pride in a bold and colorful way,” said Scott Woodruff, Charge senior vice president and COO. “While the uniforms still reflect a strong connection to the Cavaliers brand, we’re going to be very proud to carry the Canton name around the league on our away jerseys and the home gold Charge uniforms are loud and proud too!”

The authentic adidas® flat-back mesh style uniforms feature deep wine and bright gold hues with a crisp, contemporary, yet timeless, design that is reflected in all NBA D-League uniforms. The front of the home gold jersey displays the official team wordmark “Charge” in wine across the chest, and the front of the road wine jersey reads “Canton” in gold. On both uniforms the Cavaliers primary logo appears on one side of the shorts and the Canton Charge stylized single-C is on the other side.

The new Charge uniforms are in the production process right now and information regarding their availability for fan purchase will be announced in November.

Individual game tickets for the Canton Charge’s 2011-12 season will go on sale in early November. Season tickets are on sale now and start as low as $5 per seat, per game. Season ticket benefits include an invitation to exclusive team events, discounts on official team merchandise, participation in special on-court game night events, access to discounts and special offers at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland and much more. All inaugural season ticket holders are also automatically included as members of the Canton FOUNDERS CLUB and will receive an exclusive Canton Charge winter fleece jacket. FOUNDERS CLUB membership, in addition to regular season ticket holder benefits, also includes a very special and exclusive package of perks that begins this season and continues for all future seasons. Please check www.CantonCharge.com for a full listing of Canton Charge FOUNDERS CLUB benefits and information. To secure season tickets or for more general ticket information, fans can call 1-866-444-1944 or visit www.CantonCharge.com.

Unique Fan Experience packages for group outings (20 or more tickets together) are also available for each Charge home game. For more information on special group seating, or to place an initial $100 group payment, call 330-489-5988.

Fans can stay up-to-date on team news by following the team at: @CantonCharge on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CantonCharge and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CantonCharge.

6 games lost - for now

2011-10-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

NBA commissioner David Stern canceled the first two weeks of the 2011-12 regular season on Monday. That amounts to six games for the Cavaliers. Of course, many, many more could follow in this labor impasse.

The following are the first six regular-season games on their schedule:

Nov. 2 @ Boston
Nov. 4 vs. Toronto
Nov. 6 @ LA Clippers
Nov. 7 @ Denver
Nov. 9 @ Sacramento
Nov. 12 vs. Boston

I figured the BRI could be the major sticking point in these last-second negotiations. Well, I was wrong. It were things that should have been covered in past negotiations - length of contracts, size of mid-level exception, and so forth. Shouldn't these so-called minor things been hammered out months ago?

I read a quote today, I think it was in Ken Berger's story for CBS Sports. He quoted someone saying this was "pre-ordained." That's a very telling quote.

Z video

2011-10-06T14:38:00.003-04:00

* * *
In case you missed it, here's a copy of the column I wrote the other day about my favorite Lithuanian:

In my humble opinion, his No. 11 jersey should one day hang from the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena.

Center Zydrunas Ilgauskas was one of the best big men to ever wear a Cavaliers' uniform. The 7-foot-3, 260-pounder from Lithuania is the team's all-time leader in total rebounds (5,904), offensive rebounds (2,336), blocked shots (1,269) and games played (771). While we're on the subject, he also held the record for most disqualifications (37) and personal fouls (2,591).

He retired from the NBA on Friday after 13 seasons. He averaged 13 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 843 career games.

He might have seen the writing on the wall after being inactive for the Eastern Conference finals against Chicago and the NBA Finals vs. eventual champion Dallas. He missed a few games toward the end of the regular season with a foot infection and was replaced by Joel Anthony at center. He never got back into Coach Erik Spoelstra's good graces.

Ilgauskas, 36, was a proud player. He never quite got over the stunt pulled by former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown during Ilgauskas' final year in Cleveland in 2009-10.

On the night Ilgauskas was ready to break Danny Ferry's all-time games played record, Brown mysteriously benched his center against Dallas.

Afterward, he said it was because of "matchups." It stuck in Ilgauskas' craw for the rest of the season. He was traded to Washington on Feb. 17, 2010, in the Antawn Jamison deal. He returned to the team after being waived by the Wizards, but didn't seem real thrilled with the maneuverings by Ferry, one of his best friends. Ilgauskas didn't like feeling like a pawn.

That ended his career with the Cavs. He followed LeBron James to Miami last year, chasing a championship ring. Of course, that didn't work out very well either. Moving to South Beach was a major adjustment for his family. He and his wife had adopted two orphan boys from Lithuania and it took quite some time to adjust to life in the fast lane.

Ilgauskas was drafted with the No. 20 overall pick by the Cavs in 1996. Then General Manager Wayne Embry also took Wright State's Vitaly Potapenko at No. 13 that year. Of course, Ilgauskas proved to be the better player from the start. He just couldn't stay on the court.

Foot problems caused him to miss two entire seasons and all but five games of the 1998-99 season. Once he finally had reconstructive surgery by Dr. Mark Myerson of Baltimore, his foot problems were over and he became one of the team's most dependable players.

He was a two-time All-Star and twice played in the NBA Finals. Ilgauskas appeared in 71 playoff games with the Cavs. He wasn't real flashy, but he was solid. Because of his perseverance from the foot surgeries, he became a fan - and media - favorite.

When he arrived in Cleveland after being drafted, he spoke very little English. It was a nightmare for the media trying to interview him.

The Cavs had him work with a language tutor. Of course, he picked up all the curse words from hanging around the locker room.

During his rookie year, he became inseparable with Cavs guard Bob Sura. Sura invited Ilgauskas to Thanksgiving dinner back in his hometown of Wilkes Barre, Pa.

While sitting at the table with Sura's family, Ilgauskas bellowed, "Pass the $#&@% mashed potatoes!" Sura's grandmother almost fell off her chair with his "colorful" language. They all got a laugh out of it.

Through the years, he became a standup guy and a go-to guy for the media. His sarcasm and self-deprecating style was a big hit with reporters mulling around the locker room.

One of his crowning moments was helping the Cavs win the Eastern Conference crown in 2007 and making the franchise's first trip to the Finals. They were swept by San Antonio in four games.

He walked away from a $1.3 million contract in Miami for the 2011-12 season, if there is a season.

His retirement will allow the Cavs to proceed on retiring his number, perhaps at a ceremony this season. Six others have their jersey retired, including Nate Thurmond, Bingo Smith, Austin Carr, Larry Nance, Brad Daugherty and Mark Price.

Z's jersey belongs right next to theirs in the rafters.

Delonte comes 'clean'

2011-09-28T13:21:00.001-04:00

Slam Magazine published a fantastic story recently about former Cavaliers guard Delonte West's "Wild Wild West" episode from the summer of 2009.

He was pulled over riding erratically on his three-wheel motorcycle on the Beltway near Washington, D.C. He was packing a shotgun, a knife, and a couple of other handguns.

The story said he never spoke to the media in Cleveland again. That's not technically true. He spoke guardedly at media day, with a public-relations representative standing next to him.

He also cursed at a Cleveland reporter in the locker room.

But that was it.

West came "clean" on the episode in Slam, if you chose to believe him. He had to deal with several legal issues, which are now pretty much behind him. He was also dealing with bipolar disorder, which caused much erratic behavior when he was with the Cavs. He played for Boston last season.

The following is West's take on that fateful night:

Tucked away in his fully finished basement, West’s studio is his sanctuary. Off limits to children, the sparsely furnished wood paneled room is his home within his home. All of that’s why he thought it was the perfect stash spot. Everything was fine — the guns remained safely hidden — until, on the night of Sept. 17, feeling unusually tired, West went to his bedroom pretty early, took his nightly dose of Seroquel (a drug that treats bipolar disorder) and got in bed. Shortly after falling asleep, he was startled awake by shouting.

“Ma Dukes came running upstairs into my room, cursing me, saying she wanted all these (people) out of my house,” West said. “I came to, like, 'What’s going on?' I was already on my Seroquel trip. A few of my cats had found some stuff in the studio and they were living the whole gangsta life thing, guns in the air and this and that.”

I said, ‘Oh my God. What the (heck) are y’all doin’ in here? Y’all got to go. Momma ain’t on that. Kids are running around upstairs. It’s time to go.’”

Gassed up from the commotion, West decided it would be prudent for him to relocate the guns to an empty house he owned nearby. So, with his other vehicles blocked in by guests’ cars, and expecting it to be a short trip, he haphazardly loaded up his Can-Am and placed the weapons in a Velcro-type of bag — “not a desperado, hardcase, gun-shooting-out-the-side type case” — and set off.

“I’m on the Beltway, cruisin’,” West said. “Soon I start realizing I’m dozing in and out. I open my eyes and I went from this lane to that. I’m swervin’, and by the time I wake up, I’m about three exits past my exit.

“There’s this truck flying beside me ... and I’m scared to death. So I (saw) an officer coming up and I try to flag him down. I pull up next to him. He slows down and I get up in front of him. I tell the officer I’m not functioning well and I’m transporting weapons ... The rest of the story is what it is.

“I’m not proud of it, but it looks way worse than it was.”

West said he isn't looking for sympathy. He just wants to set the record straight.

"I’m just saying what it is," he said. "Hopefully, one day people won’t look at me as the boogieman.”

The 2009-10 season was a total mess for West, who was once one of the most accessible and quotable players on the Cavs. He was also a likable guy. After this incident, he became bitter and a different person.

His play on the field also dropped off.

This account of his strange day might be 100 percent true. I have no way of knowing. It seems kind of convenient to come clean now, two years later.

One person close to the situation said he has no reason not to believe it. He said once West got over all the legal obstacles, he was able to open up about the issue.

NOTES
-- The Cavs are rounding third on hiring their play-by-play radio announcer. One source said interim candidate Mike Snyder has been eliminated. A team source said that's not true because they have yet to reach the finish line. All indications are that Detroit announcer and Cleveland native Matt Dery might be their top choice. He seems to fit the mold they are looking for - young, adept at social media, etc. It should be announced in the next week or so.
-- One candidate for the open assistant coaching job is former Pistons assistant coach and ex-Raptors head coach Darrell Walker. He also worked under Cavs coach Byron Scott in New Orleans.
-- Cavs union player rep Anthony Parker said he wasn't surprised by the NBA canceling the start of training camp. "Few thought that the lockout would be solved in time to start training camp on October 3rd," Parker said via email. "We expected to be at this point."

One thing to remember

2011-09-15T13:47:00.000-04:00

The lockout has lasted most of the summer. There's been a lot of recent bluster from the owners and players about the start of the season being threatened.

Everyone seems to be forgetting something: Some of the players are close to being broke. They live paycheck-to-paycheck, just like many of us do. When they start losing paychecks - their first check is Nov. 15, I'm told - that's when this is going to hit home with the players.

This time last week, the tone of the negotiations changed. Their was optimism. Maybe the NBA season would start on time. Then they met this week and that optimism went down the dumper.

Some players - no names please! - are starting to freak out. They need money to survive and continue to live their lavish lifestyle. There's a lot of money at stake. The owners want to prove their point and make sure they get the upper hand.

That's why there's a good chance games will now be lost. The owners better be sure they know what they're doing. Public opinion is not necessarily on their side.

Many agents think the players' best course of action is to decertify. Union head Billy Hunter said he's not even thought about decertification. Why hasn't he? Observers say if the players decertify, Hunter will lose his job.

Star Beacon's Pearson dies at 58

2011-08-21T22:42:00.003-04:00

The death of staff writer Karl Pearson late Saturday or early Sunday morning is affecting the entire Ashtabula Star Beacon staff.

Pearson, 58, had worked for the company since 1974. He was formerly the paper's sports editor.

He finished his stories for the Star Beacon's football tab last Friday. He was quite proud of the section and commended sports editor Dom McCormack.

"He was so proud of that thing," McCormack said. "He came over and shook my hand."

As Pearson was leaving the office in Ashtabula, he said to McCormack, "I love you, buddy."

That was the last time McCormack saw his friend of more than 25 years.

"I have no idea what I'm going to do without him as a worker or a friend," McCormack said. "I'm in shock."

McCormack found Pearson at his house in Ashtabula.

"He hired me 26 years ago," he said.

Pearson, who graduated from Madison High School, loved to sing the national anthem at high school games.

"Karl treated everybody better than he did himself," McCormack said. "He loved singing the national anthem. That was his life."

Few, if any, would have a bad thing to say about Pearson. He was well-liked by the coaches and athletes.

"That was his professional beat," McCormack said.

There's been a Facebook page set up, "In Memory of Karl E. Pearson."

Services are incomplete. But they are expected to be held at Behm Funeral Home in Madison.

Sura owes me $5

2011-08-11T11:59:00.000-04:00

While driving in the Stow area the other day, I drove past Silver Lake Country Club. It reminded me of a Cavs' golf outing that was held there about 10 years ago.

I had covered Bob Sura since he was drafted out of Florida State by the Cavs. His first year, the Cavs traded for "Thunder" Dan Majerle, and the two players became inseparable.

I got to know Sura quite well. He was a fun guy to be around.

He was playing in the golf outing at Silver Lake. When I approached him to ask him a few questions, he pulled me aside. "You got $5?" he asked.

I pulled out the 5-spot and gave it to him. He turned and gave it to the parking attendant, who had brought his car.

I immediately said, "Don't you make like $1.2 million?"

He didn't have a cent on him.

"I'll pay you back," he said.

I never saw that 5 bucks, and never will.

I haven't seen Sura in years. His NBA career is long over. I did see him at a Cavs-Heat game in Miami a few years ago. I didn't ask for the money, but he did come over and shake my hand.

Paying my respects

2011-07-20T14:03:00.000-04:00

I was saddened to hear about the passing of Plain Dealer rock critic Jane Scott, 92, recently.

I didn't know Jane well, but our paths have crossed through the years. Besides my work on the Cavs and sports in general, I used to review concerts for The News-Herald.

It was actually quite fun, especially when we got great seats and close parking at Blossom Music Center.

For one of the shows - I think it was for Pat Benetar, but I can't be sure - Jane was sitting directly in front of me. Before the concert started, we chatted a bit. I think she had the group's playlist, which is always neat to have.

When the concert started and the lights went dim, we both went to work.

Midway through the show, I noticed Jane's head was nodding to the beat. I mentioned to my wife Susan, "Jane must really be getting into the show."

At the break, I got up to hit the restroom and happened to glance at Jane. She wasn't groovin' to the music. She was sound asleep!

Gosh, my wife and got the biggest kick out of that.

With that tidbit of news, I'll sign off for now. I will miss Jane's work and thought the world of her. She will definitely be missed.

Lockout hitting home

2011-07-15T10:10:00.001-04:00

Whereas the NFL lockout appears to be close to ending, the NBA's is just starting to pick up steam.

Some clubs are looking forward to keeping their arenas dark in the fall. That way they won't be losing money. They see it as an advantage. That rubs me the wrong way.

The NBA's financial system needs an overhaul. How could the Dallas Mavericks lose money last year en route to winning the NBA championship? It's messed up.

The news that the league office laid off 114 workers recently really hit home. It was first reported by Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.

The people let go were ones I dealt with through the years: The rank and file. The cost-cutting effort represented 11 percent of the league's workforce.

"(The jobs lost were) not a direct result of the lockout, but rather a response to the same underlying issue — that is, the league’s expenses far outpace our revenues,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.

Yes, some fat needs to be carved off the bone. A friend recently said, if the league wants to save money, get rid of the WNBA.

In Cleveland, the arena probably isn't going to be filled to capacity this year like it was in the past. Even though the Cavaliers have some nice, young talent, they are not ready to contend.

Wonder if the Cavs will be forced to lay off any of their workforce? So far, I have not heard of any layoffs at 1 Center Court.

Owner Dan Gilbert has deep pockets, but he's a businessman. He'll do what needs to be done in the post-LeBron James era in which they reside.

Trade before the storm

2011-06-30T18:16:00.000-04:00

The Cavaliers might have traded their best player on Thursday. No one seems to care that J.J. Hickson was sent to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for small forward Omri Casspi and a protected first-round pick.

There are several things I like about Casspi. His ugly shot isn't one of them. However, he puts up decent numbers and definitely fills a void in the Cavs' starting lineup.

Casspi will compete for the starting "3" spot with Alonzo Gee and Christian Eyenga. Joey Graham is still technically on the roster, but I'd be shocked if he's coming to training camp.

Say what you want about Hickson, but he was a talented player. Was he a tad inconsistent at times? Of course. But he was an athletic big and teams shouldn't just wash their hands of players like him.

The Cavs want to create room for first-round pick Tristan Thompson at power forward, even though it's conceivable veteran Antawn Jamison could start. He's expected to be traded at some point next year.

Which bring us to another point. Will there be a season? The lockout is expected to start at midnight on Thursday. In the last couple weeks, I've been hearing things like "they're going to miss games and the season could be lost." Those were things I hate to hear.

It's never a good thing to take away something people want to watch. The NBA has a lot of entertainment value. It serves a purpose.

In Cleveland, with so many young players, wiping out the summer league is never a good thing. These young guys need to play, and play together. They will all play ball during the lockout. But what good does it do for one to play in Charlotte, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles?

Similar to the Browns, who are hurt by the NFL's lockout, the Cavs won't be a better team because of the lockout. Just like the NBA, it will be hurt by it in a major way.

NBA Finals schedule

2011-05-27T08:36:00.000-04:00

NBA FINALS
Here is the complete schedule and national television and radio
arrangements for the NBA Finals:
National
Local EDT Broadcast
Miami vs. Dallas

Game 1 - Tue May 31 Dallas at Miami 9:00PM 9:00PM
ABC/R/3D/TSN
Game 2 - Thu June 2 Dallas at Miami 9:00PM 9:00PM
ABC/R/3D/TSN
Game 3 - Sun June 5 Miami at Dallas 7:00PM 8:00PM
ABC/R/3D/TSN
Game 4 - Tue June 7 Miami at Dallas 8:00PM 9:00PM
ABC/R/3D/TSN
Game 5 * Thu June 9 Miami at Dallas 8:00PM 9:00PM
ABC/R/3D/TSN
Game 6 * Sun June 12 Dallas at Miami 8:00PM 8:00PM
ABC/R/3D/TSN
Game 7 * Tue June 14 Dallas at Miami 9:00PM 9:00PM
ABC/R/3D/TSN

*If necessary
R - ESPN Radio
3D - ESPN 3-D
TSN - TSN (Canada)
SUBJECT TO CHANGE

A little Black Dog for you

2011-04-23T11:09:00.000-04:00

Finnan chat on Thursday

2011-04-20T09:57:00.001-04:00

The News-Herald's website will host a chat at noon Thursday with Cavs beat writer Bob Finnan. A vast array of topics will be discussed, including the just-completed 2010-11 season and the 2011 NBA draft.

To participate, click here: http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2011/04/21/sports/doc4daf5f08938b7949878988.txt

Game 82: Wizards at Cavs

2011-04-13T10:43:00.002-04:00

CAVS (19-63) 100, WASHINGTON WIZARDS (23-59) 93
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: It's hard to believe the season is over. Furthermore, it's also the end of Hall of Fame broadcaster Joe Tait's career.

He final signoff was: "Have a good LIFE everybody."

Both are very sad. For the Cavs, this has been one of the worst seasons in franchise history. But they have finally figured it out. Coach Byron Scott said he wished the season would last about a month longer.

For Tait, 73, he's ready to retire, even though his fans aren't ready for him to go away. He'll go back to his palatial estate in Medina County and do some traveling and just take it easy. He's worked hard in his broadcasting career.

Center Semih Erden (bruised heel) missed Wednesday's game. He played just 64 minutes since coming to the Cavs on Feb. 24.

The last time the Cavs faced the Wizards, they were totally embarrassed on the boards. The Wizards won the battle of the boards on Wednesday, 44-40, but the Cavs competed. That didn't happen the last time.

The Cavs won four of their last six games, as well as six of their last 12.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Maurice Evans (6-5, 220)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Andray Blatche (6-11, 260)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. JaVale McGee (7-0, 252)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Jordan Crawford (6-4, 195)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. John Wall (6-4, 195)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, F/C Samardo Samuels.
Wizards - G Trevor Booker, G/F Josh Howard, F Rashard Lewis.
OFFICIALS
Marc Davis, Tony Brown, Eric Dalen

Game 81: Cavs at Pistons

2011-04-11T13:13:00.002-04:00

CAVS (18-63) 110, DETROIT PISTONS (29-52) 101
at The Palace of Auburn Hills (Mich.)
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Unlike the Joey Graham incident the other night in Toronto, Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva legitimately wanted a piece of Ryan Hollins.

With 5:47 left in the game, Villanueva and Hollins clashed. Both grabbed each others' faces and got tangled up. After they were ejected, Villanueva had to be restrained from going after the 7-foot Hollins.

He finally ran off the court, but ran down the hall toward the Cavs locker room. Later, he tried to go into the Cavs locker room and presumably fight Hollins.

Villanueva will likely be suspended for the Pistons' finale at Philadelphia on Wednesday.

Graham, meanwhile, went after Toronto's James Johnson on April 6 at Air Canada Centre. When I asked him about it two days later in the Cavs locker room before the Chicago game, he just laughed and said, "We have to put on a good show."

After Hollins was ejected, the Cavs were forced to finish the game with both centers out of the game. J.J. Hickson was forced to man the middle. He ended with 20 points and 11 rebounds, his 10th double-double in his last 12 games.

Semih Erden, who made his first start with the Cavs, was knocked out of the game with pain in his heel.

Coach Byron Scott bemoans the fact that Hollins just doesn't rebound like he wants him to. Erden didn't get a rebound in 19 minutes on Monday. He had five points and was 1 of 5 from the field, 3 of 4 from the foul line.

Hollins, meanwhile, had 12 points, five rebounds and two blocks.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Tayshaun Prince (6-9, 215)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Greg Monroe (6-11, 250)
C Semih Erden (7-0, 240) vs. Chris Wilcox (6-10, 235)
SG Manny Harris (6-6, 185) vs. Rip Hamilton (6-7, 193)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. Rodney Stuckey (6-5 205
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, F/C Samardo Samuels.
Pistons - C Ben Wallace, G Will Bynum, F Jonas Jerebko.
OFFICIALS
Ed Malloy, Brent Barnaky, Eric Lewis

Mark Cuban's take on new media

2011-04-11T12:29:00.002-04:00

Game 80: Cavs at Bucks

2011-04-09T12:42:00.001-04:00

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (33-47) 108, CAVS (17-63) 101
at Bradley Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Ex-Cavs forward Drew Gooden was forced into the starting lineup after season-ending injuries to centers Andrew Bogut (elbow) and Jon Brockman (shoulder).

Gooden was fabulous with his first triple-double of his 613-game career. He finished with 15 points, 13 rebounds, 13 assists and two blocks. How he got the 13 assists, I'll never know. He passes well out of the post, but 13 dimes? C'mon.

He was pretty good. John Salmons was better. He converted 14 of 18 shots from the field en route to a game-high 32 points. He wore out everyone the Cavs put in front of him. Even Christian Eyenga got some minutes.

The Cavs lost shooting guard Anthony Parker to back spasms. He was limited to seven scoreless minutes. It's unknown if he'll play in the final two games. Coach Byron Scott could start Manny Harris or Daniel Gibson.

The Cavs dropped back into a tie with Minnesota for the worst record in the NBA at 17-63. The Cavs play at Detroit on Monday and vs. Washington on Wednesday in the regular-season finale.

This is a strange time for Cavs fans. Many don't want them to win any more games and get the No. 1 pick. As guard Baron Davis explained after Friday's game, "We are not trying to lose."

Don't expect to see forward/center Samardo Samuels the rest of the way. His groin strain will likely keep him out of action. Fans will probably see a lot of center Semih Erden, who played 23 minutes on Saturday and ended with six points, three rebounds and two blocks.

The Cavs are intrigued by his talent and size.

Guard Baron Davis paced the Cavs with 19 points and six assists on Saturday.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Carlos Delfino (6-6, 230)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6-8, 230)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Drew Gooden (6-10, 250)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. John Salmons (6-6, 207)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. Brandon Jennings (6-1, 169)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, F/C Samardo Samuels.
Bucks - C Andrew Bogut, F/C Jon Brockman.
OFFICIALS
Ron Garretson, Kane Fitzgerald, Courtney Kirkland

Game 79: Bulls at Cavs

2011-04-08T13:08:00.002-04:00

CHICAGO BULLS (59-20) 93, CAVS (17-62) 82
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs played ran into the league's hottest - and possibly best - team. The Bulls are gearing up for the playoffs. The Cavs are thinking about going home.

The Cavs hung around on Friday, but the Bulls never felt seriously threatened. Midway through the third quarter, the Cavs were still in the game. That's where Derrick Rose & Co. went to work.

They closed the third quarter on a 16-6 run to take control of the game. The Bulls and Knicks both have six-game winning streaks. The Bulls have also won the last six meetings with the Cavs, including 4-0 this year.

The Bulls clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Rose, an MVP candidate, had 11 points and eight assists. He might be the best player in the league right now. Experts think he'll run away with the MVP voting.

He's always been able to get to the basket at will. Now, he can make a mid-range jumper with regularity. I just love watching the guy.

It's amazing that this was the next-to-last home game of the season. As crappy as the Cavs have been this year and with seemingly little to write about, Coach Byron Scott gets a save for keeping things interesting. He always has something to say worth writing about.

If this is home game No. 40, then that means radio broadcaster Joe Tait is nearing the end of a fabulous Hall of Fame broadcasting career. Whoever replaces him next year - I have a pretty good idea who it will be, by the way - will have a hard time filling those shoes.

I've always felt lucky to know him on the level that I do. If I see him covering the NBA Finals or filling a prescription at CVS, he's always the same, always has a smile on his face.

I'll miss him.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Luol Deng (6-9, 220)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Carlos Boozer (6-9, 266)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Joakim Noah (6-11, 232)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Keith Bogans (6-5, 215)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. Derrick Rose (6-3, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Bulls – G John Lucas III, G Jannero Pargo, F Brian Salabrine.
OFFICIALS
Bill Kennedy, Nick Buchert, Derrick Collins

Postseason awards ballots are in

2011-04-07T12:34:00.001-04:00

I received my postseason awards ballots from the NBA. Here are the ones I'm voting on:
Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Most Improved Player, Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a ballot for Most Valuable Player.

I'll devote a future column on how I vote and how the other voters on my NBA-wide conference call voted. It's usually a good indication on how the voting will turn out.

At first glance, there are no Cavaliers players in line for any of the postseason awards.

X X X
The local chapter of the Pro Basketball Writers Association voted for the Austin Carr Good Guy Award on Thursday. The coveted award winner will be announced next week. We present the winner with a plaque before the last home game of the season.

X X X
As a way to honor retiring radio broadcaster Joe Tait, the local media will wear Tait-like sweaters for Friday's game. I have to tell you, I'll really miss having him around.

My idea was to hang a giant Tait-like sweater from the rafters instead of a jersey. It's not the worst idea. The Cavs will hang his jersey on Friday and, as per his instructions, there will be a brief ceremony.

Game 78: Cavs at Raptors

2011-04-06T11:25:00.001-04:00

CAVS (17-61) 104, TORONTO RAPTORS (21-57) 96
at Air Canada Centre
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavaliers are getting it together, now? Just when it looked like they had the worst record in the NBA wrapped up, they decide they want to win games.

They won back-oto-back games for the first time since they won three in row on Nov. 5-9. They also beat Charlotte at home on Tuesday.

The Cavs opened up a 22-point lead in the first half. However, the Raptors pulled within five points with eight minutes remaining.

It wasn’t until guard Baron Davis returned to the game that order was restored for the Cavs. He ended with 19 points, 12 assists and three steals. If you haven't noticed - and not all of you have - he's pretty good and brings a swagger to the court.

As I wrote last Sunday in my NBA notes, if the Cavs are lucky enough to draft Kyrie Irving, who better for him to work under than Davis?

J.J. Hickson paced the Cavs with 28 points, 10 rebounds and a block against the Raptors. Hickson has 23 double-doubles since Jan. 9 (42 games), including seven double-doubles in the last nine games. In those nine games (since March 23), he is averaging 20 points and 12.3 rebounds per game.

The Cavs turned the ball over just eight times on Wednesday.

They’ve been the NBA’s worst team all season, as evidenced by their 26-game losing streak. They are now 17-61, one-half game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves for the worst record in the league. The Timberwolves are 17-62 and have seemingly packed it in. They've lost 12 in a row.

The Cavs have four games remaining. Only one of their opponents is a playoff team (Chicago on Friday at The Q). The Timberwolves have just three games left in the 2010-11 season.

Cavs forward/center Samardo Samuels sat out with a strained groin. Center Semih Erden didn't even make the trip. Swingman Christian Eyenga made the trip, but suffered a DNP-CD.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. James Johnson (6-9, 245)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Reggie Evans (6-8, 245)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Ed Davis (6-10, 225)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. DeMar DeRozan (6-7, 220)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. Jose Carderon (6-3, 200)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Raptors – F Linas Kleiza, C Andrea Bargnani, G Leandro Barbosa.
OFFICIALS
Mike Callahan, Matt Boland, Brian Forte

Game 77: Bobcats at Cavs

2011-04-05T12:13:00.004-04:00

CAVS (16-61) 99, CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (32-45) 89
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs avoided having the worst record in franchise history, but it came at a price.

The Cavs' all-time worst marks were set in 1970-71 and 1981-82 at 15-67. Now, they have 16 wins and won't go into the record books for the worst team ever.

However, with Minnesota's loss to New Jersey, it is just one-half game behind the Cavs for the worst record in the NBA. The Cavs are 16-61, while the Timberwolves are 17-61.

My guess is that the Timberwolves won't win again this season. The Cavs could win one or possibly two. They don't want to blow this now. Prediction: Both teams finish 17-65.

There are no tie-breakers in this affair. They just split ping-pong balls.

For a team with so much on the line, the Bobcats played with little emotion. They are now 2 1/2 games behind No. 8 Indiana for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

J.J. Hickson took it upon himself to stop Bobcats forward Boris Diaw on Tuesday. He held him to just three points. Diaw had 26 points in Charlotte's win last week.

The Bobcats played without veteran swingman Stephen Jackson, who is bothered by a sore hamstring. That contributed to them shooting 39 percent from the field.

Samardo Samuels was sidelined for the Cavs with a strained groin.

The Cavs are 11-1 lifetime against the Bobcats at The Q.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Dante Cunningham (6-8, 230)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Boris Diaw (6-8, 245)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Kwame Brown (6-11, 270)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Gerald Henderson (6-5, 215)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. D.J. Augustin (6-0, 180)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Bobcats – C DeSagana Diop, C Joey Przybilla, G Shaun Livington.
OFFICIALS
Tom Washington, David Guthrie, Mark Lindsay

Game 76: Cavs at Knicks

2011-04-03T13:58:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK KNICKS (38-38) 123, CAVS (15-61) 107
at Madison Square Garden
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED The Cavs' luck ran out against the Knicks, who wrapped up their first playoff spot since 2004 with the victory.

The Knicks snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Cavs. Some how, the Cavs had won the first three meetings with the Knicks this season. That all came to an end on Sunday.

Perhaps the Cavs should petition the league to stop playing on the Sabbath. The Cavs are 0-12 on Sunday this season. When they look back on Sunday's loss, they need to look no futher than their 22 turnovers. It doesn't matter who you are playing, you're not going on the road and winning after turning the ball over that many times.

The Cavs welcomed back forward/center Samardo Samuels on Sunday. He finished with nine points and nine rebounds. But he turned the ball over five times.

He had missed the previous three games with a sprained right wrist. His post presence is missed on the Cavs. They competed on the boards on Sunday, 38-36. That's a stark contrast to Friday's game in Washington when they were ambushed on the boards.

The Knicks' Big Three of Amar'e Stoudemire (28), Carmelo Anthony (25) and Chauncey Billups (23) combined for 76 points. They pretty much scored at will against the Cavs.

Forward J.J. Hickson paced the Cavs with 23 points and eight rebounds. Guard Baron Davis added 22 points, 12 in the second quarter.

Besides the turnovers, the Cavs also were miserable from the foul line. The Cavs shot 53 percent from the field, but only marginally better at the foul line (58 percent).

The Knicks only missed two free throws in 33 attempts.

The Cavs need one win to avoid tying the worst record in franchise history (15 wins in 1970-71 and 1981-82). They have six games remaining in the dreadful 2010-11 season, starting with Charlotte on Tuesday at The Q.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Carmelo Anthony (6-8, 230)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Amar'e Stoudemire (6-10, 240)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Sheldon Williams (6-9, 250)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Landry Fields (6-7, 210)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. Chauncey Billups (6-3, 210)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Knicks – G Roger Mason, G Andy Rautins, F Derrick Brown.
OFFICIALS
Derrick Stafford, Brent Barnaky, David Jones

Game 75: Cavs at Wizards

2011-04-01T09:49:00.001-04:00

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (19-56) 115, CAVS (15-60) 107
at Verizon Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED The Cavs failed to take advantage of a major break when Wizards guard John Wall was suspended without pay for Friday's game. He allegedly threw a punch at Heat center Zydrunas Ilgauskas in Wednesday's game.

He was replaced by rookie Jordan Crawford, who recorded his first triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. In the game before that on Wednesday vs. the Heat, he scored a career-high 39 points.

Do you think the Wizards should let this play out a bit? He's obviously ready to play.

The Eastern Conference's two worst teams clashed on Friday. The Wizards embarrassed the Cavs on the boards, 56-38. They had an incredible 27 offensive rebounds, 16 by power forward Andray Blatche.

That's a season high in the league this year and just five shy of the all-time NBA mark set by Moses Malone.

Center JaVale McGee was also huge with 25 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Blatche, though, was just unstoppable. The Cavs' bigs - J.J. Hickson, Ryan Hollins and Luke Harangody - just weren't up to the task of keeping the 6-11 Blatche and 7-1 McGee off the boards.

The Cavs have just a 1 1/2-game lead on Minnesota (17-59) for the worst record in the league. The Timberwolves appear to have totally packed it in and would love nothing better than to head into the draft lottery with the worst mark.

The Cavs have 15 wins and need one more to escape the worst record in franchise history. There are six games remaining in the dreadful 2010-11 season.

The Cavs played without forward/center Samardo Samuels, who is suffering from a sprained right wrist. He'll likely play in the New York game on Sunday.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Maurice Evans (6-5, 220)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Andray Blatche (6-11, 250)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. JaVale McGee (7-0, 252)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Othyus Jeffers (6-4, 220)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. Jordan Crawford (6-4, 195)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Wizards – F Rashard Lewis, G/F Josh Howard, F Trevor Booker.
OFFICIALS
Pat Fraher, John Goble, Josh Tiven

Game 74: Cavs at Bobcats

2011-03-30T12:37:00.002-04:00

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (32-42) 98, CAVS (15-59) 97
at Time Warner Cable Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED The Cavs need one more win to avoid the all-time worst record in franchise history. There are eight games remaining, starting with Friday's contest in Washington.

The Cavs failed to follow up on their huge victory against Miami on Tuesday. They succumbed to the Bobcats on Wednesday and haven't won two in a row since early November.

The Bobcats, fighting for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference race, remain one-game behind No. 8 Indiana.

The Cavs' frontcourt depth took a major hit when forward/center Samardo Samuels sprained his right wrist. The only big coming off the bench is Luke Harangody, who is more of a catch-and-shoot guy.

Joey Graham was forced to play up front when both J.J. Hickson and Ryan Hollins got in foul trouble.

The Bobcats played the second half without leading scorer Stephen Jackson in the second half. He's an 18.7-point scorer. His hamstring acted up and he was forced to the bench with just three points.

Kwame Brown, a 7-point scorer on the season, fired in 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

The Bobcats have won the last five games against the Cavs. Forward Boris Diaw was almost unstoppable with 26 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists.

Guard Ramon Sessions paced the Cavs with 24 points. Hickson added 20.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Stephen Jackson (6-8, 230)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Boris Diaw (6-8, 245)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Kwame Brown (6-11, 275)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Gerald Henderson (6-5, 215)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. D.J. Augustin (6-0, 180)
PROJECTED INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Bobcats – C DeSagana Diop, G Shaun Livingston, C Joel Przybilla.
OFFICIALS
Bob Delaney, Curtis Blair, Leon Wood

Game 73: Heat at Cavs

2011-03-29T12:07:00.001-04:00

CAVS (15-58) 102, MIAMI HEAT (51-23) 90
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio, NBA TV

WHAT HAPPENED It was a night to remember for the Cavs and their faithful. The finally got revenge on LeBron James.

James, who left the Cavs in free agency last summer, didn't go down without a fight. He recorded his fourth triple-double of the season with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

He was booed once again every time he touched the ball.

Sidekick Dwyane Wade added 24 points and guard Mike Bibby had 23. I got a kick out of Chris Bosh, who wanted nothing to do with Ryan Hollins. Bosh had 10 points and four rebounds. He's as soft as tissue paper.

The Heat is a very good team, third in the Eastern Conference playoff race. However, I don't see them coming out of the East. Something is lacking on this team, perhaps not having a legitimate big man in the middle.

The Cavs played with fire and intensity. Hollins had his best game of the season with 13 points, three rebounds, three blocks and two steals. He got in Wade's face early in the game and earned a technical.

His teammates seemed to feed off his spunk. If he continues to play like this, he might be retained next year.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had the best quote of the night. "The majority of the time in this league, you get what you deserve," he said. "We got exactly what we deserved."

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. LeBron James (6-8, 250)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Chris Bosh (6-10, 235)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Erick Dampier (6-11, 265)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Dwyane Wade (6-4, 220)
PG Baron Davis (6-3, 212) vs. Kirk Hinrich (6-4, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Heat – G Mario Chalmers, F Udonis Haslem, C Dexter Pittman.
OFFICIALS
Ed Malloy, James Williams, Gary Zielinski

Game 72: Hawks at Cavs

2011-03-27T10:31:00.001-04:00

ATLANTA HAWKS (42-32) 99, CAVS (14-58) 83
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED The Hawks led from wire-to-wire and were never seriously threatened. Once again, the Cavs didn't show up on Joe Tait night.

The veteran announcer returned after missing the entire regular season to date. Observers say he did pretty well after not broadcasting a game since early October.

If only the Cavs played with the same passion.

The Hawks came into the game having lost eight of their previous 12 games. That didn't make one difference. The Hawks are a good road team, as they improved to 20-17 away from Philips Arena.

They played without leading scorer Joe Johnson, who has a sprained right thumb. But Marvin Williams slipped into the shooting guard spot and responded with a season-high 31 points.

The Cavs shot just 37 percent from the field on the night. There were some ugly numbers: Christian Eyenga was 1 of 6, Luke Harangody was 2 of 6, Anthony Parker was 1 of 5 and Ryan Hollins 1 of 4.

Hollins had been playing pretty well as of late. However, he played 26 minutes on Sunday and you didn't even know he was on the court. He had two points and five rebounds.

Coach Byron Scott has no real options, especially with the wrist injury to Samardo Samuels. It's unknown whether it's severe enough to keep him out of Tuesday's game against the Heat.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Josh Smith (6-9, 234)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Al Horford (6-10, 246)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Jason Collins (7-0, 255)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Marvin Williams (6-9, 240)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Kirk Hinrich (6-4, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Hawks – G Joe Johnson, F Pape Sy.
OFFICIALS
Dan Crawford, Matt Boland, Marat Kogut.

Game 71: Pistons at Cavs

2011-03-25T14:19:00.003-04:00

CAVS (14-57) 97, DETROIT PISTONS (25-47) 91
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs snapped a seven-game losing streak at The Q. They had lost four in a row overall before Friday's big win.

They are now 1-2 thus far on their five-game homestand that continues Sunday against Atlanta.

One has to love the minutes Coach Byron Scott is getting out of veteran point guard Baron Davis. They wanted to keep him around 20 or 25 minutes. He played 24, and they were productive minutes. He finished with 16 points, five assists, four rebounds and a steal. He made 6 of 13 field goals and 4 of 7 from behind the arc.

He's not afraid to take the last shot. He's not afraid to miss the last shot. He's one of those guys who has the rare ability to take over the game. The players will follow a player of his caliber. He has mad leadership skills.

He asked Scott not to put him in the starting lineup just yet. It could happen on Sunday against the Hawks. When it does happen, he'll likely stay there for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, let's touch on the Pistons for a second. Why in God's name is Tracy McGrady starting for that team? Why was he even signed in the first place? They had to know this was going to be a rebuilding year for this club.

Will Bynum, one of the top backup point guards in the league, didn't get off the bench until the start of the fourth quarter. Shouldn't Rodney Stuckey be starting for this team? He's the future, as far as I can tell. I just don't get it. Play the youngsters.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Tayshaun Prince (6-9, 215)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Greg Monroe (6-11, 250)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Chris Wilcox (6-10, 235)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Rip Hamilton (6-7, 193)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Tracy McGrady (6-8, 223)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Pistons – F Jonas Jerebko, C Ben Wallace, G Terrico White.

OFFICIALS

Monty McCutchen

, Olandis Poole,

Derek Richardson

Game 70: Nets at Cavs

2011-03-23T11:51:00.002-04:00

NEW JERSEY NETS (23-47) 98, CAVS (13-57) 94 (OT)
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs have lost 10 of their last 12 games, including four in a row. They also have forgotten how to win at The Q where they've dropped their last six.

Coach Byron Scott has been talking about a lineup change for two days. He finally unveiled it at shootaround: Ryan Hollins started at center. Big deal.

Actually, the 7-footer competed on Wednesday and locked horns with Nets center Brook Lopez. One can see why Nets fans complain about Lopez's lack of aggression. He didn't have a rebound in the first half. He ended with 18 points and five rebounds.

Scott explained that the Cavs are too small in the frontcourt, which is true. Hollins had six points, five rebounds and a block before fouling out with 59.4 seconds left in overtime.

If I'm Scott, I'd leave Hollins in the starting lineup for the time being. He gives the Cavs some needed size. He also plays hard and isn't afraid to mix it up with the opposition.

But despite being the team's tallest player, Hollins came into Wednesday's game with a 2.4 rebounding average. It's one of the worst averages on the team.

-- The only two players that weren't injured that were saddled with DNP-CDs on Wednesday were twin brothers Stephen and Joey Graham.

-- Browns cornerback Joe Haden showed up again in his Cavs' garb on Wednesday. This time, he ditched his younger brother in place of a blond.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Sasha Vujacic (6-7, 205)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Kris Humphries (6-9, 235)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Brook Lopez (7-0, 265)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Anthony Morrow (6-5, 210)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Jordan Farmar (6-2, 180)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Nets – G Deron Williams, G/F Quinton Ross, G Ben Uzoh.
OFFICIALS

Marc Davis

, Josh Tiven,

Sean Wright

Game 69: Magic at Cavs

2011-03-21T11:28:00.002-04:00

ORLANDO MAGIC (45-26) 97, CAVS (13-56) 86
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs have lost nine of their last 11 games. They were short-handed, again, for the Magic game, as point guard Baron Davis was held out because of back spasms. Coach Byron Scott said he'd like to see him practice first before he puts him back in a game.

The plan is for Davis to practice on Tuesday and then face New Jersey at The Q on Wednesday.

Also, center Semih Erden is questionable for the Magic because of shoulder and groin issues.

Whenever the Cavs face the Magic, it's always a case of how are they going to slow down center Dwight Howard. It seemed like the 6-foot-11, 275-pounder was playing against eighth-graders on Monday (I have to admit I stole that line on Twitter). He finished with 28 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks - all game highs. None of the Cavs' bigs were able to defend him. Ryan Hollins might have done the best job on the night.

The Cavs have lost their last six games against the Magic, including their last three at The Q. They lost the season series, 0-4, to the Magic. They lost the four games by a combined 53 points - an average of 13 points per game.

Once again, Coach Byron Scott is hinting at a lineup change.

Here's some possible scenarios:

-- He could replace Ramon Sessions with Baron Davis at PG. That might make the most sense. He talked before the Orlando game about wanting to see Davis in the starting lineup.

-- He could insert Daniel Gibson at SG and move Anthony Parker to SF. Alonzo Gee is just not doing anything. He was 3 of 10 from the field on Monday. Why is he taking 10 shots?

-- One could make a case for bringing Parker off the bench. His shooting has gone kerflooey since the trade deadline.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Hedo Turkoglu (6-10, 220)
PF Samardo Samuels (6-9, 260) vs. Brandon Bass (6-8, 250)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Dwight Howard (6-11, 275)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Jason Richardson (6-6, 225)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Jameer Nelson (6-0, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden.
Magic – C Daniel Orton.
OFFICIALS

Ron Garretson,

David Guthrie,

Mark Lindsay

Game 68: Cavaliers at Clippers

2011-03-20T00:17:00.000-04:00

   L.A. Clippers (27-43) 100, Cavaliers (13-55), 92
   at Staples Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
   What happened: The game was overshadowed by a pre-game incident involving an obviously troubled man who somehow got inside the arena with a knife. The guy made it to the floor and was brandishing the knife in a threatening manner before security took him down with beanbag projectiles.
   As for the game, it was more of the same for the Cavs. They were competitive, after a fashion, but you never got the feeling thy were going to end the three-game West Coast trip on an up note. J.J. Hickson had 28 for the Cavs. Blake Griffin was his usual dominant self, piling up 30 points while throwing down some fierce dunks.
   Baron Davis didn't play because of back spasms.

Game 67: Cavs at Trail Blazers

2011-03-18T00:34:00.002-04:00

Portland Trail Blazers (39-29) 111, Cavaliers (13-54) 70

at Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Ore.

What happened:

It was early in the fourth quarter of Thursday's all-to-wall mismatch, and Cavs TV analyst Austin Carr perfectly (if disgustedly) summed up what was happening on the floor.

"This is puzzling,'' Carr said. "I thought they had games like this out of their system.''

No, A.C. apparently they did not.

One night after playng well in a rare road victory at Sacramento, the Cavs were putrid from the get-go. Portland raced to a 24-2 lead in the first quarter and toyed with the Cas the rest of the way.

The return of veteran guard Baron Davis to the Cavs made no difference whatsoever as they played like a team with neither a clue nor much talent.

This season-long nightmare can't end soon enough for the Cavs and beleaguered first-year coach Byron Scott,

David S. Glasier

Game 66: Cavs at Kings

2011-03-17T00:42:00.000-04:00

Cleveland Cavaliers (13-54) 97, Sacramento Kings (16-50) 93
at Power Balance Pavilion, Sacramento, Calif.
Radio/TV: WTAM-AM 1100; Fox Sports Ohio
What happened: The battle of the titans this certainly was not, but the Cavaliers hung tough against the Kings throughout to pick up only their fifth road win of the season.
Ramon Sessions turned in one of his better performances of late, scoring a team-high 20 points while playing a solid floor game. The Cavs played well enough on defense to prevent the Kings from establishing sustained momentum.
Rookie forward Samardo Samuels continues to impress at both ends of the floor. He more than held his own against Sacramento rookie big man DeMarcus Cousins.
Baron Davis again was away from the team after the passing of his grandmother. Word is, he'll be back in uniform tonight when the Cavs are in Portland to face the Trailblazers.
David S. Glasier

Game 65: Thunder at Cavs

2011-03-13T10:28:00.002-04:00

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (42-23) 95, CAVS (12-53) 75
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: This was a classic case of the haves and the havenots. The talent discrepancy in Sunday's game was staggering.

The Thunder is a legitimate contender for the Western Conference crown. The Cavs? The less said, the better.

Once again, things seem to be unraveling before our eyes. What they are doing out on the court isn't what I'd call competing. They're running abound out there, going through the motions.

Without guard Baron Davis, the Cavs look rudderless. They really don't have any leadership or anyone directing the flow. Their defensive intensity has fallen off, as well.

Davis will rejoin the team on the West Coast trip. That's all that's known, for sure. It might be in Portland on Thursday. At the very latest, it could be Saturday in LA.

Coach Byron Scott ripped the Cavs again on Sunday. He questioned their heart and desire after Sunday's game.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Kevin Durant (6-9, 230)
PF Samardo Samuels (6-9, 260) vs. Serge Ibaka (6-10, 235)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Nazr Mohammed (6-10, 250)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Thabo Sefolosha (6-7, 215)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Russell Westbrook (6-3, 187)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, G Baron Davis, C Anderson Varejao.
Thunder – G Nate Robinson, C Byron Mullens C Kendrick Perkins.
OFFICIALS
Bob Delaney, Kevin Cutler, Michael Smith

Game 64: Cavs at Bucks

2011-03-09T09:48:00.002-05:00

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (35-38) 110, CAVS (12-52) 90
at Bradley Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs have now lost 27 of their last 28 road games. They looked rudderless on Wednesday: No leadership, no flow, no chance to win the game.

They seemed to be just running around on the floor. They played without point guard Baron Davis, who has left the team to attend the funeral of his grandmother. He's supposed to meet the team when it goes out West on their three-game trip next week.

That's not such a good thing, as Ramon Sessions has gone into a shell once again. When he took over for Mo Williams and got steady minutes, he played great. Since Davis has joined the team, Sessions has barely been heard from.

The Bucks shot 55 percent from the field and the 3-point line.

The Cavs (12-52) had six players in double figures led by Samardo Samuels’ 15 points and five rebounds. Guard Daniel Gibson added 13 points and seven assists off the bench.

Cavs center J.J. Hickson should thank his lucky stars that he was able to play. He left the Golden State game with about 7 1/2 minutes to play with a dislocated pinky finger. Everyone, including Hickson, thought he had broken it.

He played on Wednesday, but was largely ineffective. He made just 2 of 10 shots for four points. He did pull down a team-high eight rebounds.

The Cavs have the day off on Thursday. They need it.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Carlos Delfino (6-6, 230)
PF Samardo Samuels (6-9, 260) vs. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (6-8, 230)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Andrew Bogut (7-0, 260)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. John Salmons (6-6, 207)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Brandon Jennings (6-1, 169)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Semih Erden, C Anderson Varejao.
Bucks – F Drew Gooden, G/F Corey Maggette, G Michael Redd
OFFICIALS
Marc Davis, Curtis Blair, Sean Wright

Game 63: Warriors at Cavs

2011-03-08T10:57:00.004-05:00

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (28-35) 95, CAVS (12-51) 85
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: When scouting the Warriors, the first thing that jumps out at you is their potent-scoring backcourt of Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry.

Ellis has scored 20 or more points in 31 of his last 39 games. He's seventh in the NBA in scoring at 25 points per game. He's topped the 40-point barrier four times.

But if teams concentrate on Ellis, Curry will exploit teams with his perimeter shooting. He's an 18.6-point scorer. His father, Dell, is a former Cavs guard.

They combined for 47 points, 14 rebounds, 13 assists and five steals. Ellis led all scorers with 24 points.

Ellis and Curry outscored the Cavs' starting backcourt, 47-14. Anthony Parker and Ramon Sessions combined to shoot 4 of 18 from the field (they were both 2 of 9).

The Cavs aren't getting much out of Sessions. It's time to make the move to Davis as their starting point guard.

I'd continue to find some minutes for Manny Harris, even though it's difficult to find time for all their guards.

The Cavs have been playing much better after they snapped their 26-game losing streak. They've won four of their last 10 games.

The team's spirits have been buoyed by the addition of Davis. He's played pretty well in all three games and is averaging 18 points since coming to the Cavs.

Davis said the Cavs are still trying to get used to each other. Some of the miscues happen when he doesn't know where some of his teammates are going to be on the court. For the most part, he's been a breath of fresh air.

Now, whether that continues is not known. Since he's been in Cleveland, however, he's been a joy to cover.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Dorell Wright (6-9, 205)
PF Samardo Samuels (6-9, 260) vs. David Lee (6-9, 240)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Ekpe Udoh (6-10, 245)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Monta Ellis (6-3, 185)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Stephen Curry (6-3, 185)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, F Joey Graham, C Anderson Varejao.
Warriors – G Charlie Bell, F Jeff Adrien.
OFFICIALS
Mike Callahan, Eric Dalen, Leon Wood

Game 62: Hornets at Cavs

2011-03-06T11:59:00.002-05:00

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS (37-28) 96, CAVS (12-50) 81
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: One could understand if the Cavs lost to the Hornets if Chris Paul had a big night. But he left with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third quarter.

His replacement, Jarrett Jack, was outstanding in his place with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.

The Cavs buckled under the pressure. The Hornets are a very good defensive team and they held the Cavs to 36.8 percent shooting.

Cavs coach Byron Scott leveled the team after the game and said they played selfish basketball. I don't know who he was talking about, specifically. But he did say it wasn't the new players who were at fault.

It will only be a matter of time before Baron Davis moves into the starting lineup. Ramon Sessions will be going to the bench in the near future.

Center Semih Erden made his debut with the Cavs. He had five rebounds in 11 minutes. Scott said he sets good screens. I can sleep better tonight after knowing that morsel of information.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Quincy Poindexter (6-6, 225)
PF Samardo Samuels (6-9, 260) vs. David West (6-9, 240)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Emeka Okafor (6-10, 255)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Marco Belinelli (6-5, 192)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Chris Paul (6-0, 175)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, G Daniel Gibson, C Anderson Varejao.
Hornets – G Marcus Banks, C D.J. Mbenga, G/F Trevor Ariza.
OFFICIALS
Ron Garretson, David Guthrie, Derek Richardson

Game 61: Cavs at Knicks

2011-03-04T11:27:00.001-05:00

CAVS (12-49) 119, NEW YORK KNICKS (31-29) 115
at Madison Square Garden
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Baron Davis’ debut with the Cavs was quite memorable. He had 18 points and five assists in the Cavs’ upset at Madison Square Garden on Friday. His 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left opened up a 116-112 lead.

Coach Byron Scott threw his fist after the shot and displayed more emotion than I've ever seen him show. It was quite cool, actually.

The Cavs (12-49) didn’t seal the win until Samardo Samuels drew a charging foul on Carmelo Anthony with 1.8 seconds remaining. I was shocked by official Scott Foster made the call. It was the right one, but it's hard to make that call in that juncture of the game.

The Cavs are 3-0 vs. the Knicks this season. They’ve also won 11 in a row overall, as well as the last five at the Garden. As an aside, if you think the Knicks are going anywhere in the playoffs this year, think again. Not happening in 2011.

Center J.J. Hickson had 23 points and eight rebounds and helped the Cavs snap a 26-game losing streak on the road. They hadn't won on the road since Nov. 9 at New Jersey (they like the tri-state area, as you can see).

Forward/center Amar’e Stoudemire tied a season high with 41 points and nine rebounds for the Knicks (31-29), while Anthony added 29 points.

Davis will make a big difference for the Cavs, if he's motivated. He sure was on Friday in the Big Apple. He sounds like he wants to prove people wrong. That can go a long way for a basketball player.

The Knicks played without starting point guard Chauncey Billups. He ran into Magic center Dwight Howard and hasn't been the same since. Such is the case of a 34-year-old point guard. He's really good, but he's also on the downward side of his career.

One could make the same case of Davis. But he certainly played well on Friday. He has a date with former team New Orleans on Sunday.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Carmelo Anthony (6-8, 230)
PF Samardo Samuels (6-9, 260) vs. Amar'e Stoudemire (6-10, 240)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Jared Jeffries (6-11, 240)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Landry Fields (6-7, 210)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Toney Douglas (6-2, 185)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, G Daniel Gibson, C Anderson Varejao.
Knicks – G Chauncey Billups, G Andy Rautins, C Ronny Turiaf.
OFFICIALS
Scott Foster, Derrick Collins, Violet Palmer

Game 60: Spurs at Cavs

2011-03-02T11:56:00.003-05:00

SAN ANTONIO SPURS (50-11) 109, CAVS (11-49) 99
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: One can't say the Cavs played horribly against the Spurs. They just were too banged up to really compete. I have a feeling we're going to see that a lot in the last 22 games.

I've been saying this until I'm blue in the face and I'll say it again: With Antawn Jamison out of the lineup, points are going to be hard to come by.

Samardo Samuels filled in admirably for Jamison with 23 points and 10 rebounds. I have to admit I've turned the corner a bit on Samuels. I was originally turned off by his lack of athleticism and jumping ability. He's kind of a plodding player.

Samuels, though, works extremely hard and is as strong as an ox. Whether I'm a big fan or not, it's time to give him a shot. What's the downside to the situation? They lose?

It's time to watch the development of the young players the rest of the way.

That includes forward Alonzo Gee, as well, He was inserted at small forward in place of Christian Eyenga. Gee hit more 18- to 20-foot jumpers last night than I had seen all season. That has been the knock on him: He really couldn't shoot. If he improves in that area, he's a legitimate prospect.

I did notice it's difficult to play both J.J. Hickson and Samuels in the pivot. They just get in each others' way. But watching Hickson operate in space on the perimeter is a joke. He really doesn't know what to do out there and I just don't want to see him launch jumpers.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Richard Jefferson (6-7, 225)
PF Samardo Samuels (6-9, 260) vs. Tim Duncan (6-11, 260)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. DeJuan Blair (6-7, 270)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Manu Ginobili (6-6, 205)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. George Hill (6-2, 180)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Antawn Jamison, C Semih Erden, C Anderson Varejao.
Spurs – G Tony Parker.
OFFICIALS
Ed Malloy, Tony Brothers, Haywoode Workman

Kyrie Irving rehab video

2011-02-28T11:26:00.000-05:00

The following is a video produced by Duke regarding the rehabilitation of Blue Devils point guard Kyrie Irving, whom the Cavs might have interest with their own first-round pick:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3vnFgzvJzo

Game 59: 76ers at Cavs

2011-02-27T11:19:00.004-05:00

PHILADELPHIA 76ers (30-29) 95, CAVS (11-48) 91
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Sixers are the hottest team in the Eastern Conference. They've won four in a row to move past the .500 mark. Coach Doug Collins has done a masterful job with this young team.

The Cavs were short-handed, especially in the backcourt. Guard Anthony Parker had a sub-par game and shot 1 of 8 from the field. Daniel Gibson and Manny Harris were ineffective off the bench.

I don't know what's going on with Gibson, but he hasn't played well in almost two weeks. If he continues to falter, he could soon find himself on the bench for long stretches.

Baron Davis passed his physical with the Cavs and the trade went through. However, he was on the inactive list. They probably could have used him. He could make his Cavs debut against the Spurs on Wednesday. He's suffering from a sore left knee.

Forward Luke Harangody and center Semih Erden were also held out of Sunday's game. They'll likely be available to play on Wednesday. Coach Byron Scott wants all of them to go through practice first before getting in a game.

The three newcomers, plus six other young players, will practice today at Cleveland Clinic Courts. The rest of the team will have the day off. The media was asked to stay home.

They'll have a full contact practice on Tuesday to prepare for team with the best record in the league.

Forward Antawn Jamison was knocked out of Sunday's game with a broken left little finger. Don't expect him to play against the Spurs.

His finger was gruesome looking when he came out in the third quarter - pointing sideways. Ewww.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Andre Iguodala (6-6, 207)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Elton Brand (6-9, 254)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Spencer Hawes (7-1, 245)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Jodie Meeks (6-4, 208)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Jrue Holiday (6-4, 180)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Baron Davis, C Semih Erden, C Anderson Varejao.
Sixers – F Craig Brackins, G Jason Kapono.
OFFICIALS
Eric Lewis, John Goble, Scott Wall

Game 58: Knicks at Cavs

2011-02-25T11:56:00.003-05:00

CAVS (11-47) 115, NEW YORK KNICKS (29-27) 109
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: I guarantee there is a segment of fans who are starting to worry about the Cavs not having the worst record in the league. At 11-47, they are just 1 1/2 games ahead of 13-46 Minnesota for the worst mark in the NBA.

Now, the Cavs are adding Baron Davis, which could really mess things up (i.e., win).

The Cavs have won three of their last five games since snapping their NBA-record 26-game losing streak.

It's being accomplished on the defensive end. They really got after the Knicks last night. They held them to 41.9 percent shooting from the field and just kicked their butts on the boards, 62-42.

The Cavs' three new players, Davis, Luke Harangody and Semih Erden, are expected to report to the team on Saturday. They are expected to be available to play on Sunday vs. Philadelphia. There might have been a little snag on Davis' travel arrangements. He might not make it to Cleveland in time to practice on Saturday.

One could argue that Davis is an upgrade over Williams, but not by much. I think Williams is a better outside shooter. But when motivated, Davis can be quite good, in fact, but the key is to light a fire under him. Scott could be the guy to motivate him.

The Cavs have had their eye on Erden, a native of Turkey, for quite some time. The 6-11 center will likely get backup minutes behind J.J. Hickson. There are rumors that he wants to return to his homeland and also that he might need surgery on his shoulder.

We'll get to the bottom of it on Saturday at practice.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Carmelo Anthony (6-8, 230)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Amar'e Stoudemire (6-10, 240)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Ronny Turiaf (6-10, 245)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Landry Fields (6-7, 210)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Cnauncey Billus (6-3, 202)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, C Semih Erden, F Luke Harangody.
Knicks – F Kelenna Azubuike, G Andy Rautins, G/F Corey Brewer.
OFFICIALS
Dick Bavetta, Derrick Collins, Brian Forte

Game 57: Rockets at Cavs

2011-02-23T12:04:00.003-05:00

HOUSTON ROCKETS (28-31) 124, CAVS (10-47) 119
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs had won two of their previous three games. That was before they failed to compete on the boards against the Rockets on Wednesday.

It's not often you see a team get outrebounded by 20 on the glass. That was the case on Wednesday when the Cavs were outrebounded, 57-37. It was really bad on the offensive glass, 22-7.

Forward Chuck Hayes looked like Elvin Hayes against the Cavs. He had 12 points, 17 rebounds and 13 offensive rebounds. If J.J. Hickson had shown up ready to compete on the boards, things could have been different.

I really think the Cavs need to make a deal by today's deadline. This team needs to be shaken up just a bit. One person said he thought there was a 50-50 chance of a deal by the deadline.

There seemed to be some activity after the game involving the Cavs. I'm hoping GM Chris Grant has something to report Thursday afternoon when he's scheduled to meet with the media around 4 p.m. at Cleveland Clinic Courts.

My guess is that they do something by the deadline.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Shane Battier (6-8, 220)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Luis Scola (6-9, 245)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Chuck Hayes (6-6, 238)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Kevin Martin (6-7, 185)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Kyle Lowry (6-0, 205)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, G Daniel Gibson, G Mo Williams.
Rockets – F Jared Jeffries, C Yao Ming, G Terence Williams.
OFFICIALS
Ken Mauer, Tony Brown, Josh Tiven

Game 56: Lakers at Cavs

2011-02-16T11:59:00.003-05:00

CAVS (10-46) 104, LOS ANGELES LAKERS (38-19) 99
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The two-time defending champion Lakers didn't look like a championship team on Wednesday. It was the Cavs that looked like the world beaters, even though they lost Mo Williams to an ankle injury in the first quarter.

Williams supposedly hurt his ankle slipping on a wet spot on the floor in the Clippers game on Sunday.

He didn't score and didn't have an assist.

But the Cavs still prevailed. Ramon Sessions came in and was outstanding with a game-high 32 points and eight assists.

He was almost impossible to prevent from getting to the basket. Certainly, Derek Fisher could do nothing to keep him from penetrating into the key.

Lakers forward/center Pau Gasol recorded the first 30/20 against the Cavs since Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal on April 18, 2001.

As far as I can tell, it was the first 30/20 game at The Q since former Cavs forward Carlos Boozer vs. Seattle on Jan. 20, 2004. He had 32 points and 20 rebounds.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Ron Artest (6-7, 260)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Pau Gasol (7-0, 250)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Andrew Bynum (7-0, 285)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Kobe Bryant (6-6, 205)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Derek Fisher (6-1, 210)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F/C Leon Powe, G Manny Harris.
Lakers – G/F Matt Barnes, C Theo Ratliff.
OFFICIALS
Bill Kennedy, Kane Fitzgerald, Michael Smith

JJ's incredible block on Griffin

2011-02-14T12:41:00.001-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBIvYh2f65E&feature=player_embedded

Game 55: Wizards at Cavs

2011-02-13T11:52:00.003-05:00

WASHINGTON WIZARDS (15-38) 115, CAVS (9-46) 100
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Wizards hadn't won on the road since the end of the 2009-10 season. They were 0-25 on the road this season - before Sunday.

Of course, all that was before they locked horns with the Cavs, perhaps the most bewildering team I've ever been around. Coach Byron Scott has no idea what he's getting from his players from night to night.

He admitted afterward, "I'm still trying to figure them out."

Remember, this is 55 games into the season.

Cavs guard Mo Williams was complimented after his performance against the Clippers. He didn't come out and play with that kind of energy or passion against the Wizards. His dribble penetration wasn't nearly as effective.

Part of it was the defense of John Wall, who ended with 19 points and 14 assists against the Cavs. He is an actual blur on the fastbreak.

He was very good on Sunday, but shooting guard Nick Young was better with a game-high 31 points. Anthony Parker and Boobie Gibson tried to cover him to no avail. He had 16 points in the first quarter. Remember, he averages 17 on the season.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Josh Howard (6-7, 210)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Andray Blatche (6-11, 260)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. JaVale McGee (7-0, 252)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Nick Young (6-6, 210)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. John Wall (6-4, 195)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Alonzo Gee, F Joey Graham.
Wizards – F Rashard Lewis, C Hamady N'Diaye, G Mustafa Shakur.
OFFICIALS
Ron Garretson, Eric Dalen, Sean Wright

Game 54: Clippers at Cavs

2011-02-11T11:42:00.003-05:00

CAVS (9-45) 126, LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (20-33) 119 (OT)
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs welcomed back guard Mo Williams, who has missed the previous 13 games with a strained hip flexor. Expect him to be in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against Washington.

Even though other players had big nights, Williams might have been the difference in the game. His dribble penetration hurt the Clippers. He dished out 14 assists.

His scoring and take-charge nature has been missed. Of course, the Cavs lost all 13 games that he missed.

Ramon Sessions, who has been playing fabulous basketball in his absence, seemed to go into a shell with Williams back on the court. You hardly realized Sessions even played.

The Cavs snapped 26-game losing streak - finally - because they played with fire and rode the hot hands of Antawn Jamison (35 points) and J.J. Hickson (27 points).

Clippers forward Blake Griffin was as good as advertised with 32 points.

He's become a national media darling with his monster dunks. But he's legit, as evidenced by his 12.6 rebounds per game, third in the NBA.

It's not known whether forward/center Leon Powe will be available. He said he thinks he'll be available to play on Sunday against the Wizards. He's missed the last month after having knee surgery to repair his meniscus.

The Clippers were without their leading scorer, guard Eric Gordon, who has a sprained right wrist. However, he wasn't on their inactive list.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Ryan Gomes (6-7, 245)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Blake Griffin (6-10, 252)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. DeAndre Jordan (6-11, 265)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Randy Foye (6-4, 213)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Baron Davis (6-3, 212)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, F Alonzo Gee.
Clippers – C Chris Kaman, F Craig Smith, G Willie Warren.
OFFICIALS
Zach Zarba, Olandis Poole, Haywoode Workman.

Game 53: Pistons at Cavs

2011-02-09T11:31:00.001-05:00

DETROIT PISTONS (20-33) 103, CAVS (8-45) 94
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Guaranteed win night went belly up.

Despite playing so well in the previous four games and coming oh-so-close to snapping their woeful losing streak, the Cavs were embarrassed by the Pistons on Wednesday.

The Pistons are 7-21 on the road this season. They've lost seven of the last nine games to the Cavs. They played a tough game against the Spurs on Tuesday.

Again, none of that mattered. The Cavs reverted to their ugly habits and once again lost. They've dropped 26 in a row, which ties the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the longest losing streak in pro sports history.

The Cavs have also lost 36 of their last 37 games.

Coach Byron Scott sometimes gets criticized for his lack of emotion on the sideline. Often times, he stands there with his arms crossed.

He was fighting mad after Wednesday's game. He said he's "mad as hell." We'll see if the players are running suicide sprints in practice on Thursday.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Tayshaun Prince (6-9, 215)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Greg Monroe (6-11, 250)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Ben Wallace (6-9, 240)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Ben Gordon (6-3, 200)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Tracy McGrady (6-8, 223)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Pistons – F DaJuan Summers, F Jonas Jerebko, G Terrico White.
OFFICIALS
Ed Malloy, Matt Boland, Violet Palmer.

Game 52: Cavs at Mavericks

2011-02-07T10:55:00.003-05:00

DALLAS MAVERICKS (36-15) 99, CAVS (8-44) 96
at American Airlines Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs are getting a ton of national exposure, but it's for all the wrong reasons.

They lost their NBA-record 25th consecutive game on Monday. The Cavs have also dropped 34 of the last 35 games, as well as 26 in a row on the road.

They succumbed by only three points to the league's hottest team. The Mavericks have won nine in a row and have been purring since they got back All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki.

Speaking of the 7-foot German, he should get fined and possibly suspended for taking a swipe at Cavs guard Ramon Sessions in the fourth quarter. Sessions ran into Nowitzki and sort of hit him with an elbow. Nowitzki swung his elbow at him and missed. Had he connected, it would have knocked Sessions cold.

The officials didn't even call it a flagrant foul.

In the late going, Cavs forward Antawn Jamison made a 3-pointer to pull his team to within three points. The Cavs got a stop on the other end.

Guard Anthony Parker’s long 3-point attempt bounced off the front of the rim with about 5 seconds left. It would have sent the game into overtime. Forward Jamario Moon got the ball in the waning second, but apparently wasn’t aware of the time remaining. Instead of shooting the ball, he inexplicably passed it to Jamison as time expired.

Center J.J. Hickson led the Cavs with 26 points and 12 rebounds, both game highs. But he had a costly offensive foul with 56 seconds left.

Sessions continues to play his best basketball of the year. He finished with 19 points, 13 assists and six rebounds. He committed just two turnovers in 40 minutes.

Jamison, who shot just 8 of 23 from the field, added 18 points and 11 rebounds.

Guard Jason Terry had 23 points for the Mavs. He continues to be a thorn in the Cavs' side. Nowitzki had just 12 points.

It's amazing just how far the Cavs have dropped. I remember a conversation I had with a die-hard fan before the season started. I was trying to convince him that the Cavs were bad. Now, I was thinking 30-some-wins bad. Nothing like this.

But the team has floundered under Coach Byron Scott. I think it's safe to say he won't be getting any Coach of the Year votes. He does have them playing with fire right now. In fact, they have in the last four games. They were tied or had the lead in the fourth quarter of all four. But they just don't know how to close out games.

Some of that has to be a reflection on Sessions, since he's the point guard.

The Cavs are close to getting their backcourt in order. In the next week or so, Mo Williams will return. For now, Scott will go with a four-man guard rotation with starters Anthony Parker and Ramon Sessions and backups Daniel Gibson and Manny Harris.

If only the Cavs had that kind of depth up front.

It was like a family affair for Jamison on Monday. He played for the Mavs during the 2003-04 season. Also, he was teammates with current Mavs Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson in Washington.

Also, he was a college teammate of Haywood at the University
of North Carolina. They reached the Final Four in 1997-98.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Peja Stojakovic (6-10, 235)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Dirk Nowitzki (7-0, 245)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Tyson Chandler (7-1, 235)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. DeShawn Stevenson (6-6, 210)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Jason Kidd (6-4, 210)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Mavs – G Rodrigue Beaubois, G/F Caron Butler.
OFFICIALS
Bill Kennedy, Brent Barnaky, Kevin Fehr.

Game 51: Trail Blazers at Cavs

2011-02-05T12:07:00.002-05:00

PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (27-24) 111, CAVS (8-43) 105
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs have lost more consecutive games - 24 - than any team in NBA history. Think about that. Think of all the teams through the years since the NBA was founded in 1946. The league changed its name to NBA in 1949.

We're splitting hairs. I wanted to give readers a brief history lesson to feel the magnitude of the losing streak. While we're on the subject, expect the losing streak to keep going - at least one more game. They play at Dallas on Monday, then return home to face Detroit on Wednesday.

The Cavs have also lost 33 of their last 34 games. Not a bad stretch, huh?

They appear to be getting closer to winning. They probably should have won their last three games. They choke down the stretch of games, however, and find a way to lose.

Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, snubbed from the West All-Star team, made his lone appearance at The Q this season. He's the only player in the West to average at least 20 points, nine rebounds and one steal per game.

Since Dec. 15, he's averaging 25 points and 10.3 rebounds. He finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Nicolas Batum (6-8, 210)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. LeMarcus Aldridge (6-11, 246)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Joel Przybilla (7-1, 259)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Wesley Matthews (6-5, 220)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Andre Miller (6-2, 200)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Trail Blazers – C Marcus Camby, C Greg Oden, G Elliot Williams.
OFFICIALS
Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Brian Forte.

Game 50: Cavs at Grizzlies

2011-02-04T16:42:00.002-05:00

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (27-24) 112, CAVS (8-42) 105
at FedExForum
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs tried to avoid a date with infamy, but their true colors showed in the late going and they went down once again.

They lost their 23rd consecutive game, which tied the all-time NBA record for consecutive losses in a season. They joined company with the 1995-96 Vancouver Grizzlies and the 1997-98 Denver Nuggets.

Some of the national media is converging on Cleveland for the Portland game on Saturday, which would be 24 in a row for the Cavs. Evidently, they want to be there to watch history being made.

They have also lost 32 of their last 33 games, as well as 25 in a row on the road.

The Cavs (8-42) think they’re coming very close to getting a win. But they make crucial mistakes down the stretch and don’t seem to know how to close out games.

They led by as many as 12 points, but got outscored in the fourth quarter, 29-21, and let it slip away. They allowed 12 offensive rebounds, five by Zach Randolph. They were also outrebounded, 38-33.

J.J. Hickson was a beast in the paint. He matched his career high with 31 points and added 15 rebounds, both game highs. He was 11 of 21 from the field.

Randolph had 29 points and 13 rebounds for the Grizzlies (27-24). He came into the game ranked third in the NBA in rebounding at 13.2 per game.

The Grizzlies have several other good players, as evidenced by their above-.500 record in the Western Conference. Rudy Gay is a 20-point scorer.

The Grizzlies will be without guard O.J. Mayo, who is serving a 10-game suspension for using an illegal substance he said he purchased over the counter as a gas station. Sure, O.J., we believe you.

The Cavs came into Friday's game having won 11 of the last 13 games against the Grizzlies.

Guard Daniel Gibson, who was expecting to play, flew back to Cleveland to deal with a personal matter.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Rudy Gay (6-8, 240)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Zach Randolph (6-9, 255)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Marc Gasol (7-1, 265)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Sam Young (6-6, 220)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Mike Conley (6-1, 185)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Grizzlies – F DeMarre Carroll.
OFFICIALS
David Jones, Mark Ayotte, Tommy Nunez Jr.

Game 49: Pacers at Cavs

2011-02-02T12:35:00.003-05:00

INDIANA PACERS (19-27) 117, CAVS (8-41) 112
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED The Cavs had a chance to snap their 22-game losing streak on Wednesday, but could not close out the game. I think I've written that identical phrase about a dozen times this season.

Guard Ramon Sessions had a monster game - 25 points and nine assists - but still makes some terrible decisions in the most inopportune times.

His pass to J.J. Hickson - a 90 mph fastball - went as a turnover for the Cavs center in the waning seconds. He was too close to Hickson for it to have the velocity that it did. But, still, Hickson should have caught it.

Sessions had three turnovers in 41 minutes.

Other than that, he had a good game, a very good game. Still, his decision-making needs to improve.

Swingman Christian Eyenga made Pacers forward Danny Granger work hard for his 23 points. He was 5 of 13 from the field. Granger, if you recall, averaged 29.3 points in the three previous wins over the Cavs this season.

He's actually the first Cavs player to make him work all season. Eyenga appears to be a keeper.

The Pacers have won five in a row against the Cavs, including their last three at The Q.

Coach Byron Scott is contemplating whether to insert veteran Anthony Parker into the starting lineup at shooting guard in place of rookie Manny Harris. Why exactly he's thinking of doing that, I don't know. I have to tell you I vehemently disagree with that line of thinking.

Harris is one of the few players worth watching on this team, along with Eyenga. Harris is averaging 19.7 points in his last three games. He's riding a high right now. His confidence is soaring. Why mess with that?

Isn't the rest of the season about trying to develop the rookies, which also includes Samardo Samuels. It's not about developing Parker, who is 35 and in the last year of his contract.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Danny Granger (6-9, 228)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Josh McRoberts (6-10, 240)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Roy Hibbert (7-2, 260)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Mike Dunleavy (6-9, 230)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Darren Collison (6-0, 170)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Pacers – G Lance Stephenson, G Brandon Rush, C Solomon Jones.
OFFICIALS
Dick Bavetta, Curtis Blair, Tony Brown.

Game 48: Cavs at Heat

2011-01-31T13:34:00.002-05:00

MIAMI HEAT (34-14) 117, CAVS (8-40) 90
at AmericanAirlines Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Many point to the Dec. 2 matchup against the Heat as the game that started the Cavs' current tailspin.

The Cavs suffered a crushing 118-90 loss to the Heat that night at The Q. Since that game, the Cavs are 1-29.

That includes Monday's game at AmericanAirlines Arena.

They hung around in Monday's game for 2 1/2 quarters before getting blown out of the gym. The Cavs trailed by three points early in the third quarter, 70-67. From that point, the Heat outscored the Cavs, 47-23.

The Cavs scored 37 points in the second quarter. In the entire second half, they managed just 33 points.

The Cavs dropped their 21st consecutive game, as well as 31 of 32. They’ve also lost 24 in a row on the road. They are three games shy of the all-time NBA record for consecutive losses.

Fans are watching rookie Manny Harris develop before their eyes. He recorded his second consecutive 20-point game against Orlando and Miami. In the second quarter, with Heat forward LeBron James closing in on one of his patented chase-down blocks, he dunked over the All-Defensive performer.

The 6-5 guard was 7 of 7 from the foul line and pulled down five rebounds.

Forward Antawn Jamison added 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Heat guard Dwyane Wade led all scorers with 34 points, while James added 24.

The Cavs will attempt to halt their losing streak against Indiana at home on Wednesday.

James is averaging 27.7 points in the three games against his former team this year. Of course, the Heat has won all three.

The Cavs played without guard Daniel Gibson, who is listed as doubtful for the Pacers game on Wednesday with a bruised quadriceps muscle. He's one of the few players on the team who can make jump shots on a regular basis.

Cavs swingman Christian Eyenga has been making wonderful strides, but don't expect him to shut down James tonight. Eyenga had two blocks on Monday, one against 7-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas and other against Dwyane Wade.

They suffered their first winless month in franchise history (10 or more games). They finished 0-16 in January. That came on the heels of a 1-14 month in December.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. LeBron James (6-8, 250)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Chris Bosh (6-11, 235)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Zydrunas Ilgauskas (7-3, 260)
SG Manny Harris (6-6, 185) vs. Dwyane Wade (6-4, 220)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Mario Chalmers (6-2, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Heat – F Udonis Haslem, C Dexter Pittman, C Jamaal Magliore.
OFFICIALS
Ken Mauer, Bennie Adams, Kevin Fehr.

Game 47: Cavs at Magic

2011-01-30T13:10:00.004-05:00

ORLANDO MAGIC (31-17) 103, CAVS (8-39) 87
at Amway Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs have lost 20 games in a row, a franchise record for consecutive losses in one season. They've probably forgotten what it's like to win a game.

Those of you who read this blog religiously have read about "schedule" losses. It's when the league makes out the schedule and you can just look at it and say, "There's a loss." These back-to-back games at Orlando and Miami are "schedule" losses.

Even if things were going well for the Cavs - and it's not - these would be difficult to win.

The Magic have not been tearing up the league as of late. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games. But they play pretty well at home where they are 18-6.

Magic GM Otis Smith made the two big moves on Dec. 18 and it added talent to the roster. However, the roster is not complete, as the Magic don't have a legitimate backup center after sending the Polish Hammer, Marcin Gortat, to the Suns.

But we'll let Smith and the rest of the Magic worry about them.

The Cavs have lost a franchise-record 23 games in a row on the road. They don't have to worry about the all-time NBA mark. The Sacramento Kings lost 43 in a row on the road (37 to end the 1990-91 season, first six to start the 1991-92 campaign).

The Cavs are playing well in spurts of games. They all end the same way. They allow their opponent to go on a run, then the Cavs storm back to within a few points. At the end, they don't know how to close out games, so they lose.

After watching Northwestern on Saturday against Ohio State, the Wildcats ran the Princeton offense. It didn't look anything like the Cavs' version of it. They moved. They cut off screens, They got open shots and they made them. The Cavs don't have players, other than Daniel Gibson, who can make shots.

If one is looking for reasons for Sunday's loss, look no further than the rebounding column. The Magic won the battle of the boards, 61-35. They also grabbed 24 offensive rebounds.

Also, the Cavs had just one starter reach double figures - rookie guard Manny Harris with 20 points, six rebounds and three assists. The other four starters combined for a meager 20 points on 8 of 34 shooting from the floor. What a joke.

Rookie power forward Samardo Samuels had a strong game with a career-high 16 points. He made 6 of 8 from the field.

The Cavs have no one to guard Magic center Dwight Howard. He had his way with 20 points and 20 rebounds. It marked the 30th 20/20 game of his career.

They have lost five in a row to the Magic, including the first three meetings this season. In the first game in Orlando, a 111-100 setback on Nov. 26, Howard was 13 of 26 from the foul line.

The Magic has attempted 31 3-point goals in each of the three games against the Cavs. They have made 14, 19 and nine in the three contests. Forward Ryan Anderson was 5 of 10 behind the arc. He finished with 23 points and 16 rebounds, both career highs.

The Cavs have also lost 30 of the last 31 overall, and 0-15 in the month of January.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Hedo Turkoglu (6-10, 220)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Brandon Bass (6-8, 250)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Dwight Howard (6-11, 275)
SG Manny Harris (6-6, 185) vs. Jason Richardson (6-6, 225)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Jameer Nelson (6-0, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Magic – C Daniel Orton, G Gilbert Arenas.
OFFICIALS
Monty McCutchen, David Guthrie, Derek Richardson.

Game 46: Nuggets at Cavs

2011-01-28T10:44:00.001-05:00

DENVER NUGGETS (28-18) 117, CAVS (8-38) 103
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs played with fire on Friday. They just don't know how to close out games.

Games like these are moral victories for this team. They locked horns with Denver - a solid playoff team - but just came up short.

The Cavs have now dropped 19 in a row, which ties their franchise record for consecutive losses in one season.

"Any loss bothers me, not just knowing we have lost 19 in a row," Cavs center J.J. Hickson said. "Losing 19 in a row is tough, but I just hate losing overall."

The Cavs have also lost 29 of the last 30 overall, as well as their last eight at home.

They don't have anyone to guard All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony, and they haven't for quite a few years (yes, even when "he" was here). Anthony is ninth in the NBA in scoring at 23.6 per game. He led all scorers with 33.

Nuggets coach George Karl took exception to a question about the Anthony trade rumors.

"I think we get tired being asked that question," Karl said. "I think the players are a little tired of it. I think we have kept it away from the basketball court."

The Cavs are trying to avoid their first winless month in team history (in 10 or more games). They are 0-14 in January, with playoff teams Orlando and Miami remaining on the schedule. Yikes.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Carmelo Anthony (6-8, 230)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Kenyon Martin (6-9, 240)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Nene (6-11, 250)
SG Daniel Gibson (6-2, 200) vs. Arron Afflalo (6-5, 215)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Chauncey Billups (6-3, 202)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Nuggets – F/C Chris Andersen, F Renaldo Balkman.
OFFICIALS
Bennett Salvatore, Kane Fitzgerald, Courtney Kirkland

Game 45: Cavs at Celtics

2011-01-25T11:50:00.003-05:00

BOSTON CELTICS (34-10) 112, CAVS (8-37) 95
at TD Garden
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Celtics have the best record in the Eastern Conference, and second to the surging San Antonio Spurs in the entire league. On paper, this matchup looked like a terrible mismatch.

But the Cavs competed on Tuesday against the best the East has to offer. They might have an 18-game losing streak, but they didn't back down from the mighty Celtics.

With the loss, they set a franchise mark with 22 consecutive losses on the road. Their last win away from The Q was Dec. 9 in New Jersey.

There were some positive aspects of Tuesday's game. Rookie Christian Eyenga paced the Cavs with 15 points. They had seven players in double figures.

Forward/center J.J. Hickson played an inspired game with 12 points, a game-high 17 rebounds, five assists and four blocks.

The Celtics were spurred by the return of center Kendrick Perkins, who was knocked out of the NBA Finals last year with a serious knee injury.

They were a bit thin up front, as they started Turkish "phenom" Semih Erden (who?) at center against the Cavs. It didn't really matter, however, even though the Cavs won the battle of the boards.

Celtics starter Shaquille O'Neal is out with a hip injury.

The Cavs welcomed back swingman Anthony Parker for Tuesday's game. He's missed seven of the previous eight games with a strained lower back. He had three points in 14 minutes.

The Cavs are expected to keep Eyenga in the starting lineup at "3."

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Paul Pierce (6-7, 235)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Kevin Garnett (6-11, 253)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Semih Erden (7-0, 240)
SG Daniel Gibson (6-2, 200) vs. Ray Allen (6-5, 205)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Rajon Rondo (6-1, 186)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Celtics – G Avery Bradley, C Jermaine O'Neal, G Delonte West.
OFFICIALS
Mike Callahan, John Goble, Scott Twardoski.

Game 44, Cavs at Nets

2011-01-24T15:19:00.002-05:00

NEW JERSEY NETS (13-32) 103, CAVS (8-36) 101
at Prudential Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Long live the Cavs' losing streak. They've now lost 17 in a row, just two shy of their all-time mark in one season.

They tied another franchise mark of 21 consecutive losses on the road. They've also dropped 27 of their last 28 games.

They tied the road streak, originally set on Jan. 13-March 30, 1980. They are favored to lose on Tuesday in Boston, so there's a good chance the all-time mark will fly.

They had a double-digit lead against the Nets, but once again failed to execute down the stretch. Forward Joey Graham drained a key 3-pointer to knot the score with less than a minute to play.

Nets center Brook Lopez scored in the lane with 1.4 seconds left for the game-winner.

Boobie Gibson missed a 3 at the buzzer.

Lopez ended with 28 points and seven rebounds. He's so long. He just turned and scored over J.J. Hickson and Ryan Hollins.

It would be nice to have a legitimate center on the roster. They don't, so I'll quit harping about it.

Swingman Anthony Parker (strained lower back) was expected to fly to Boston to meet the team for tonight's game. He's listed as questionable for the Celtics game.

This season is shaping up as the worst in franchise history. They need eight more wins to surpass the all-time mark of 15 wins. I just can't see them winning eight more games.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Travis Outlaw (6-9, 207)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Derrick Favors (6-11, 246)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Brook Lopez (7-0, 265)
SG Daniel Gibson (6-2, 200) vs. Stephen Graham (6-6, 215)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Devin Harris (6-3, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Nets – F Damion Jones, F/C Troy Murphy.
OFFICIALS
Dan Crawford, Derrick Collins, Scott Wall.

Game 43: Cavs at Bulls

2011-01-22T12:03:00.002-05:00

CHICAGO BULLS (30-14) 92, CAVS (8-35) 79
at United Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: : The Cavs lost another game and another point guard.

Ramon Sessions, starting in place of Mo Williams, was knocked out of the game with an abdominal strain.

They are down to two players who can run the point – Daniel Gibson and rookie Manny Harris. Williams has been shut down for a few weeks after getting a cortisone shot in his left hip.

It’s not known how long Sessions will be sidelined.

The Cavs narrowed their deficit in the game to three points in the late going, but just couldn’t make a basket when it counted. The Bulls seemed like they were ripe for the picking.

The Cavs shot just 32 percent from the field against the league’s stingiest defense.

Forward Antawn Jamison had 31 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. Center J.J. Hickson had 13 points and a career-high 20 rebounds for the Cavs (8-35).

The Cavs have lost 16 in a row, 26 of 27 overall and 20 in a row on the road.

The Bulls are 20-4 at the United Center this season, including their win over Dallas on Thursday.

The Cavs have faced the Bulls three times this season - all losses - but have lost by a combined 27 points. They lost 100-91 on Jan. 1, and 88-83 on Dec. 8.

The Bulls were playing without starting center Joakim Noah (right thumb injury). As evidenced by the Bucks game on Friday, that means very little when dealing with the Cavs.

The Bucks were missing their starting backcourt of Brandon Jennings and John Salmons, and still blew the Cavs doors off.

The Bulls have adequate backups who have been filling in up front, including 38-year-old center Kurt Thomas. They really haven't missed a beat.

That's because they have one of the league's best players in guard Derrick Rose, who had a team-high 24 points and eight assists against the Cavs.

STARTERS
SF Christian Eyenga (6-5, 210) vs. Luol Deng (6-9, 220)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Carlos Boozer (6-9, 266)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Kurt Thomas (6-9, 230)
SG Daniel Gibson (6-2, 200) vs. Keith Bogans (6-5, 215)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Derrick Rose (6-3, 190)
PROJECTED INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Bulls – C Joakim Noah.
OFFICIALS
Greg Willard, Nick Buchert, Gary Zielinski.

Game 42: Bucks at Cavs

2011-01-21T12:34:00.003-05:00

MILWAUKEE BUCKS (16-24) 102, CAVS (8-34) 88
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: This is the official start of the second half of the 2010-11 season. Unfortunately, the second half will end much like the first half because the cast of characters hasn't changed.

The Cavs extended their losing streak to 15 in a row, 25 out of the last 26. They beat the Bucks on Nov. 24, 83-81, but that seems like an enternity ago.

After a solid run in the playoffs last year, this was expected to be a banner year for the Bucks. That's been anything but the case.

They've especially struggled on the road, as they checked into Friday's encounter with a 6-15 road mark. But they still smashed the hapless Cavs, who didn't lead in the game for one second.

The Bucks were playing without their two leading scorers in Brandon Jennings and John Salmons. That's 31 points missing from the lowest-scoring team in the league. Of course, they ran off 102 points, only the ninth time all season they've topped the century mark.

The Cavs welcomed back forward Joey Graham and swingmen Christian Eyenga and Anthony Parker against the Bucks. That will actually give Coach Byron Scott a bench to work with. He wasn't able to capitalize on the full complement of players, but he did play 11 players.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Corey Maggette (6-6, 225)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Ersan Ilyasova (6-10, 235)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Andrew Bogut (7-0, 260)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Chris Douglas-Roberts (6-6, 207)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Keyon Dooling (6-3, 195)
PROJECTED INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G Mo Williams.
Bucks – G Brandon Jennings, G Michael Redd.
OFFICIALS
Scott Foster, Tony Brothers, Eli Roe.

Game 41: Suns at Cavs

2011-01-19T12:02:00.002-05:00

PHOENIX SUNS (19-21) 106, CAVS (8-33) 98
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Suns have won four of their last five games since beating the Cavs on Jan. 9 in Phoenix. The Cavs have had a chance to win both games against the Suns - both eight-point losses - but failed to execute down the stretch.

The big emphasis in Wednesday's game was defense. The Suns shot 47 percent from the field and 32 percent from the 3-point line. That's getting respectable.

I don't know why it took Coach Byron Scott half a season to decide this team needs to defend better. But for whatever reason, it's the emphasis now.

Ramon Sessions started at point guard against the Suns and will likely be the starter while Mo Williams is out. Williams said before the game he'll likely miss a few weeks after getting a cortisone shot in his left hip. He'd been suffering from a strained hip flexor.

Sessions had good numbers - 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds and three steals - but also turned the ball over five times. He has a knack for crucial turnovers at the worst time.

Suns guard Steve Nash, who is having an All-Star season, had 15 points and 15 assists. He took only nine shots, but once again controlled the tempo.

He's second in the NBA in assists (10.8), but has led the league in assists in four of the previous six seasons.

He's a joy to watch.

ATTENDANCE NOTE: The Cavs have sold out 88 consecutive regular-season games. However, Wednesday's game wasn't more than half full for most of the game. They announced a sellout only because of "tickets sold" and not actual attendance.

BLOWOUT CITY: The Cavs have lost by an average score of 16.5 points in their stretch of losing 24 of the last 25 games.

HUMAN ERASER: Forward Jamario Moon had a season-high five blocks. He's the second Cavs player to have five swats in a game this season (Anderson Varejao had five against Charlotte on Dec. 29).

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Grant Hill (6-8, 225)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Channing Frye (6-11, 245)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Robin Lopez (7-0, 255)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Vince Carter (6-6, 220)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 185) vs. Steve Nash (6-3, 178)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – C Anderson Varejao, F Leon Powe, G/F Anthony Parker.
Suns – F Gani Lawal.
OFFICIALS
Ken Mauer, Mark Ayotte, Brent Barnaky

Game 40: Cavs at Nuggets

2011-01-15T13:25:00.001-05:00

DENVER NUGGETS (23-16) 127, CAVS (8-32) 99
at Pepsi Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs started the game with eight players, but had just seven available midway through the first quarter. It’s not a surprise the Cavs lost by 28 points.

Under the best of conditions, this was going to be a difficult game. It was one of those "schedule" losses. Not only was it on the tail end of a back-to-back set, it was the final game of their five-game West Coast trip. They finished 0-5.

It was also in Denver where they’ve struggled through the years.

Guard Mo Williams started and played just 5 minutes before leaving with a hip flexor strain – an injury that has been lingering for weeks. If Daniel Gibson returns against the Suns on Wednesday, perhaps Williams should take a few games off.

Center Ryan Hollins wasn’t with the team, as he left to attend a family funeral.

The Cavs (8-32) have now lost 23 of their last 24 games, including 13 in a row. On the road, they’ve dropped 19 consecutive games.

They allowed 80 points in the first half, which matched a franchise record for a Cavs’ opponent. It could have been worse, as Nuggets guard Ty Lawson missed a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer.

The Cavs are headed toward the worst record in the league. In that regard, they're doing one heck of a job.

They have guys playing prominent roles that perhaps shouldn't be in the NBA. That's the kind of rebuilding effort the team is facing.

Let me get something off my chest. Why didn't they just say they were rebuilding from the start instead of their ridiculous stance that they weren't.

"We're not going to put any limits on this season," GM Chris Grant said.

Please. Don't insult our intelligence.

This team was extremely lacking from the start. Why not just say it? The minute LeBron James announced his intention to go to Miami, start the rebuilding process then. In essence, that's when the decline started.

No one knows where it will end.

But the Cavs might not ever get back to the heights reached in recent years. Never.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Carmelo Anthony (6-8, 230)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Sheldon Williams (6-9, 250)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Nene (6-11, 250)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Arron Afflalo (6-5, 215)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Chauncey Billups (6-3, 202)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Daniel Gibson, F Leon Powe, F Joey Graham.
Nuggets – F Chris Andersen, F Kenyon Martin.
OFFICIALS
Tom Washington, Tony Brown, David Guthrie

Game 39: Cavs at Jazz

2011-01-14T17:36:00.004-05:00

UTAH JAZZ (26-13) 121, CAVS (8-31) 99
at EnergySolutions Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio
Tonight at 9

WHAT HAPPENED: Everyone was anxious to see how the Cavs would react in Friday's game after getting obliterated by the Lakers by 55 points. Well, they played hard against the Jazz, who was simply a better team.

Forward J.J. Hickson played extremely hard. He just didn't play very smart. He came close to his first career triple-double, but it won't be one he wanted to remember. He had 21 points, 14 rebounds and nine turnovers.

He did play with fire and really hit the boards. The Cavs outrebounded the Jazz, 43-35.

The real problem on Friday was turnovers. The Cavs had 21 turnovers. For much of the season, the Cavs were near the top of the league in fewest turnovers. If they are going to start getting careless with the ball, look out. Things could get uglier than they have been.

By the way, Saturday's game in Denver - the final game of the West Coast trip - should be one for the record books. The Cavs don't normally play well there to begin with.

Jazz guard Deron Williams and Cavs guard Mo Williams have met on the court nine times during their NBA careers. Deron Williams has averaged 17 points and 9.8 assists against his Cavs counterpart. The Cavs guard has averaged 11.8 points and 5.0 assists vs. Deron Williams.

The Cavs have lost their last 12 games, including 22 out of the last 23.

Forward Antawn Jamison played his 900th game against Utah. He will become one of 23 active players with at least 900 games played and one of only three players all-time to have at least 17,000 career points, 7,000 career rebounds, 900 three-pointers made and 900 career games (Dirk Nowitzki and Scottie Pippen are the others).

STARTERS
SF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Andrei Kirilenko (6-9, 235)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Paul Millsap (6-8, 250)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Al Jefferson (6-10, 265)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Raja Bell (6-5, 206)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Deron Williams (6-3, 207)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Daniel Gibson, F Leon Powe, F Joey Graham.
Jazz – F Jeremy Evans.
OFFICIALS
James Capers, Mark Lindsay, Sean Wright.

Game 38: Cavs at Lakers

2011-01-11T13:38:00.004-05:00

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (28-11) 112, CAVS (8-30) 57
at Staples Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: I'm sorry. This is not NBA basketball.

Let's get some of this stuff out of the way. The Cavs have been in existence for 41 years. They have never scored as few as 57 points in a game. It was their franchise low in points, surpassing their 59-point effort on March 25, 1997, in San Antonio. I remember that game vividly. I was there. We had the record books out at halftime furiously checking the all-time records.

But back to the present. They didn’t compete at the Staples Center on Tuesday. They looked intimidated from the start. They played scared. One might expect that from the youngsters on the roster. But I'm talking about many of the veterans, including Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison.

The 55-point loss was their worst ever, and by far the most lopsided in the NBA this season. The Cavs’ previous worst loss came in their first year of inception, Nov. 2, 1970, in a 141-87 defeat at Philadelphia. For the wiseacres out there, I wasn't at that game.

It also represented their worst loss ever to the Lakers.

Former Cavs forward LeBron James sure enjoyed the debacle. Here's his Tweet from last night: "Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!"

Sorry, LeBron. But if God was watching this game, he would have changed the channel.

The Cavs have now lost 11 in a row overall, 21 of the last 22 and it was their 17th consecutive loss on the road.

Some of the plus/minus numbers are off the charts. Manny Harris' was -57, Jamison's -46 and Williams -43. You might never see numbers that wild again.

The Lakers' height caused them problems from the start. Remember, the Cavs have only one 7-footer on the roster, Ryan Hollins, and he's lacking in many areas.

I've got to question why the Cavs allowed rookie guard Christian Eyenga (sprained right ankle) to play. He was injured in the Phoenix game on Sunday, wore a walking boot to practice on Monday and was allowed to play against the Lakers. Of course, he re-injured his ankle. Not a sound decision all the way around.

The only bright spot on the night was the play of forward Alonzo Gee, who had a career-high 12 points, eight rebounds, three steals and a block.

Guard Daniel Gibson (sprained ankle) has rejoined the team in Los Angeles. There's an outside shot he'll be able to play against Utah on Friday.

PROBABLE STARTERS
SF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Ron Artest (6-7, 260)
PF J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Pau Gasol (7-0, 250)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Andrew Bynum (7-0, 280)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Kobe Bryant (6-6, 205)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Derek Fisher (6-1, 210)
PROJECTED INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Daniel Gibson, F Leon Powe, F Joey Graham.
Lakers – F Matt Barnes, C Theo Ratliff.
OFFICIALS
Ron Garretson, Marat Kogut, Olandis Poole.

Game 37: Cavs at Suns

2011-01-09T09:51:00.001-05:00

PHOENIX SUNS (15-20) 108, CAVS (8-29) 100
at U.S. Airways Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Things can't get much worse for the Cavs.

Perhaps their best player, center Anderson Varejao, will be missed for the season with a torn tendon in his left foot.

Cavs coach Byron Scott finally inserted J.J. Hickson at center. What was he waiting on? He's their best option at center. He responded with 23 points and a season-high 17 rebounds.

The Cavs have hit Skid Row. They've lost 10 in a row, 20 of 21 overall, and 16 consecutive losses on the road. They are 0-2 on their current five-game West Coast trip.

They played a quite entertaining game on Sunday. They led much of the game before their execution fell apart in the late going.

Guard Manny Harris keeps getting better. He had a career-high 27 points and eight rebounds on Sunday.

STARTERS
SF Chris Eyenga (6-6, 210) vs. Grant Hill (6-8, 225)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Channing Frye (6-11, 245)
C J.J. Hickson (6-9, 242) vs. Robin Lopez (7-0, 255)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Vince Carter (6-6, 220)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Steve Nash (6-3, 178)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Daniel Gibson, F Leon Powe, C Anderson Varejao.
Suns – F Gani Lawal.
OFFICIALS
Dan Crawford, Matt Boland, Brian Forte

Game 36: Cavs at Warriors

2011-01-07T13:05:00.006-05:00

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (15-21) 116, CAVS (8-28) 98
at Oracle Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs had just 10 players available, nine if you don't count forward Jamario Moon. He can't get off the bench unless there's an earthquake. Oh, wait, there was one on Friday in California and he still didn't get off the bench.

Guys are dropping like flies. Anderson Varejao sprained his ankle in practice. Boobie Gibson and Leon Powe didn't even make the trip. Swingman Anthony Parker was also out.

Joey Graham is still out with a strained quad muscle, but I can't even remember what he looks like.

The Warriors lead the league in 3-point shooting at 40 percent as a team. Of course, the Cavs allowed them to make 14 of 28 from behind the arc. It was a point of emphasis coming into the game, which means absolutely nothing. The players aren't executing anything they are being told.

It seems like a "perfect" time to go on a five-game West Coast trip. They'll be gone 10 or 11 days. They've now lost nine in a row, 19 of the last 20, and 15 consecutive games on the road.

I wasn't expecting a banner year from these lads, but no one thought it would be this bad. This might be all-time bad. The 1970-71 Cavs - in their first year of inception - won 15 games. The 2010-11 Cavs might make a run at that record.

The Cavs now have the worst record in the NBA. They're going to make a serious run at the No. 1 pick in the draft.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Dorell Wright (6-9, 205)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. David Lee (6-10, 235)
C Ryan Hollins (7-0, 240) vs. Andris Biedrins (6-11, 240)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Monta Ellis (6-3, 185)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Stephen Curry (6-3, 185)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Daniel Gibson, F Leon Powe, F Joey Graham.
Warriors – G Charlie Bell, G Jeremy Lin.
OFFICIALS
Bob Delaney, Derrick Collins, Michael Smith

Cavs injury report

2011-01-06T22:18:00.000-05:00

* Daniel Gibson suffered a left ankle sprain in last night’s game versus Toronto at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. He was examined today by Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker and received an MRI at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, the results of which confirmed the sprain. Gibson did not travel with the team on their upcoming five-game road trip and will remain in Cleveland to receive treatment at Cleveland Clinic Courts.

* Joey Graham remains Out, but traveled with the team and will continue to receive treatment for his right quad strain.

* Anthony Parker missed last night’s game versus Toronto due to a low back strain. He was examined by Cavaliers Head Team Physician Dr. Richard Parker and received an MRI at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health, which confirmed the strain. He traveled with the team today and will continue to receive treatments. He is listed as Questionable for tomorrow night’s game vs. Golden State.

* Leon Powe experienced a right knee contusion in last night’s game. He did not travel with the team and is currently slated to be re-examined by Dr. Parker at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health tomorrow (Friday). His status will be updated as appropriate.

* Anderson Varejao experienced a left ankle sprain during today’s team practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. He received an MRI and x-rays at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health which confirmed the sprain. He traveled with the team and will continue to receive treatment during the trip. He is currently listed as Questionable for tomorrow night’s game vs. Golden State.

Game 35: Raptors at Cavs

2011-01-05T12:28:00.005-05:00

TORONTO RAPTORS (12-23) 120, CAVS (8-27) 105
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs had an 11-game winning streak against the Raptors at The Q snapped. None of those streaks matter any more. The Cavs are quickly dropping to the bottom of the league.

They really needed this one at home. A team never wants to start a five-game West Coast trip riding an eight-game losing streak. Of course, they've lost 14 in a row on the road and have completely forgotten how to win on the road - or at home for that matter.

The first game on the trip is at Golden State on Friday. One can envision the Warriors ringing up about 125 points on the hapless Cavs. It's becoming one of the worst defensive teams I've ever seen. Not only don't they defend the 3-point line, they don't defend at all.

The Raptors have no post presence. None. Yet they scored 62 points in the paint. In addition, they made 9 of 18 3-point goals. So, the Cavs failed to defend the paint or beyond the arc. Just what are they teaching down there?

I alluded to this in my game story. Whatever point Coach Byron Scott is trying to teach, he'd better take a look at that. It's not getting across on any level.

Granted, the Cavs' roster is not overloaded with talent. But they aren't as bad as they've looked: 18 losses in the last 19 games.

It's become a total joke.

STARTERS
SF Alonzo Gee (6-6, 219) vs. Linas Kleiza (6-8, 245)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Amir Johnson (6-9, 210)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Andrea Bargnani (7-0, 250)
SG Daniel Gibson (6-2, 200) vs. DeMar DeRozan (6-7, 220)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Jose Calderon (6-3, 210)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Joey Graham, F Jamario Moon, G/F Anthony Parker.
Raptors – F Reggie Evans, F Peja Stojakovic.
OFFICIALS
Jason Phillips, Bennie Adams, Scott Bolnick

Game 34: Mavs at Cavs

2011-01-02T09:38:00.004-05:00

DALLAS MAVERICKS (25-8) 104, CAVS (8-26) 95
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The significance of Sunday's game is that the Cavs might be committed to playing the youngsters more the rest of the way.

The worst record in the NBA is sure to follow.

But many fans hope that's the case. I have done little or no work on the NBA draft. Hopefully, there's some major talent on the board when the Cavs make their pick.

Guard Daniel Gibson missed his second consecutive game with a bruised thigh. With center Anderson Varejao (broken bone in his cheek) already out, that was too much to overcome for the Cavs.

The good news is that guard Mo Williams (hip flexor) returned to the lineup after missing two games. However, he had just five points, seven assists and two blocks.

The Cavs are hoping Varejao will be available on Wednesday against Toronto after he is fitted with a mask.

Dallas snapped its three-game losing streak. The Cavs have lost seven in a row and 17 of the last 18 overall.

STARTERS
SF Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. DeShawn Stevenson (6-5, 218)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Shawn Marion (6-7, 228)
C Leon Powe (6-8, 240) vs. Tyson Chandler (7-1, 235)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Jason Terry (6-2, 180)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Jason Kidd (6-4, 210)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Daniel Gibson, C Anderson Varejao, F Joey Graham.
Mavs – G Rodrique Beaubois, F Dirk Nowitzki, G/F Caron Butler.
OFFICIALS
Ron Garretson, Olandis Poole, Sean Wright

Game 33: Cavs at Bulls

2011-01-01T10:31:00.001-05:00

CHICAGO BULLS (22-10) 100, CAVS (8-25) 91
at United Center
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: Despite missing three starters, the Cavs put up a spirited fight against the Central Division-leading Bulls.

The Cavs have lost six in a row, 16 of the last 17 overall, and 14 in a row on the road. They just finished off a 1-14 month of December. Will January be any better? Maybe not.

Center Anderson Varejao didn't even make the trip to the Windy City. He broke a bone in his cheek.

The Cavs' starting backcourt - Mo Williams (left hip flexor) and Daniel Gibson (left thigh contusion) - was also on the sidelines.

They ran into the red-hot Bulls, who have won 13 of their last 15 games. That has occurred despite the right hand/thumb injury to starting center Joakim Noah.

The Bulls have stuck 38-year-old Kurt Thomas into the starting lineup, and they haven't missed a beat.

The Cavs might have won Saturday's game had it not been outscored, 32-9, in the third quarter.

They also kept it close in the first meeting with the Bulls on Dec. 8, but point guard Derrick Rose took over late and guided his team to an 88-83 win. He finished with 29 points and eight assists.

He had a game-high 28 points and 11 assists on Saturday. The Bulls also got 23 points from Luol Deng and 20 points and 11 rebounds from former Cavs forward Carlos Boozer.

For the Cavs, forward J.J. Hickson had his best game in a month with 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. He made 9 of 16 from the field.

He's starting to make a stand for more playing time. In his last four games, he’s averaging 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds and shooting 51.2 percent from the field (22 of 43).

In the fourth quarter, Coach Byron Scott allowed Anthony Parker to run the point. He had a team-high eight assists. He just couldn't make a shot. He was 3 of 14 from the field, 1 of 6 from behind the arc.

If he could have made a couple shots in the fourth quarter, the Cavs might have won the game.

STARTERS
SF Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Luol Deng (6-9, 220)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Carlos Boozer (6-9, 266)
C Leon Powe (6-8, 240) vs. Kurt Thomas (6-9, 230)
SG Manny Harris (6-5, 185) vs. Keith Bogans (6-5, 215)
PG Ramon Sessions (6-3, 190) vs. Derrick Rose (6-3, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Christian Eyenga, C Anderson Varejao, F Joey Graham.
Bulls – C Joakim Noah, G John Lucas.
OFFICIALS
Marc Davis, Pat Fraher, Derek Richardson

Cavs' injury report

2010-12-31T14:06:00.000-05:00

The following is the injury report just announced by the Cavs on Friday afternoon:

Mo Williams: Left hip flexor strain. Will travel with team to Chicago. Questionable for game Saturday vs. Bulls.

Daniel Gibson: Left inner thigh contusion. Will travel with team to Chicago. Questionable for game Saturday vs. Bulls.

Anderson Varejao: Non-displaced maxilla (cheek) fracture. Will be fitted for protective mask. Will not travel to Chicago. Out for Chicago and Dallas games this weekend.

Joey Graham: Continues treatment and rehab for his right quad strain. Out.

Samardo Samuels: Recalled from Erie BayHawks. Practiced with team at Cleveland Clinic Courts today and will travel with team to Chicago

Game 32: Cavs at Bobcats

2010-12-29T12:15:00.002-05:00

CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (11-19) 101, CAVS (8-24) 92
at Time Warner Cable Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: By halftime, the Cavs’ starting backcourt was knocked out of the game.

Point guard Mo Williams missed the game with a left hip flexor. In the first half, shooting guard Daniel Gibson suffered a left thigh contusion.

That forced the erratic Ramon Sessions to play 31 minutes. He responded with a season-high 22 points, four assists and five rebounds. He turned the ball over just once. He played his best game of the season, but it couldn't prevent the Cavs' fifth consecutive loss.

Rookie Manny Harris made his first NBA start and had eight points and two steals. He needs to stay in the rotation. The Cavs must live with his mistakes and see just what they've got with the undrafted rookie.

The Cavs fell to 8-24 on the season. They’ve lost 14 in a row on the road. They’ve also stumbled 15 times in their last 16 contests.

Bobcats guard Stephen Jackson had 38 points and six rebounds, while D.J. Augustin added 28 points and six assists.

The Bobcats are now 2-0 under new coach Paul Silas. He posted a 69-77 record (.473) from 2003-05 in Cleveland. The Cavs have just one player remaining on the team - Anderson Varejao - from the Silas era.

That player is operating at a high level right now. He had nine points, 10 rebounds and five blocks against the Bobcats.

STARTERS
SF Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Gerald Wallace (6-7, 220)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Boris Diaw (6-8, 245)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Nazr Mohammed (6-10, 250)
SG Daniel Gibson (6-2, 200) vs. Stephen Jackson (6-8, 230)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. D.J. Augustin (6-0, 180)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Christian Eyenga, F/C Samardo Samuels, F Joey Graham.
Bobcats – F Tyrus Thomas, G Sherron Collins, F Eduardo Najera.
OFFICIALS
Bennett Salvatore, Nick Buchert, Courtney Kirkland

Game 31: Magic at Cavs

2010-12-28T12:32:00.004-05:00

ORLANDO MAGIC (20-12) 110, CAVS (8-23) 95
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Magic totally reshaped their team on Dec. 18 with two trades with Washington and Phoenix. One of their new players, showed his value on Tuesday.

Guard Gilbert Arenas led all scorers with 22 points and 11 assists to power the Magic.

The Cavs played inspired basketball for much of the night. They trailed by just one point, 75-74, after three quarters.

Then the Magic started doing what they do best: Make 3-point goals. They made 7 of 10 from behind the arc in the fourth quarter. For the game, they were 19 of 31 from the 3-point line. It was the most 3-pointers the Cavs have ever given up since their inception in 1970.

But that's kind of abuse has been going on all season. They are last in the NBA in 3-point percentage. Coming into the game, their opponents were shooting 41.1 percent.

STARTERS
SF Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Hedo Turkoglu (6-10, 220)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Brandon Bass (6-8, 250)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Dwight Howard (6-11, 275)
SG Daniel Gibson (6-2, 200) vs. Jason Richardson (6-6, 225)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Jameer Nelson (6-0, 190)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – G Christian Eyenga, F/C Samardo Samuels, F Joey Graham.
Magic – F Malik Allen, C Daniel Orton.
OFFICIALS
Michael Smith, Brian Forte, Eric Lewis

Game 30: Timberwolves at Cavs

2010-12-26T12:10:00.005-05:00

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (7-24) 98, CAVS (8-22) 97
at Quicken Loans Arena
RADIO/TV: WTAM/Fox Sports Ohio

WHAT HAPPENED: The Cavs missed guard Daniel Gibson, out with the flu, but still let the game slip away on Sunday.

They led by 10 points with 5 1/2 minutes to play. Their execution down the stretch was inexcusable. That starts with point guard Mo Williams, who allowed a 24-second violation and lost his dribble in the last minute of play.

They had a one-point lead with 10.6 seconds left after Antawn Jamison's floater.

In the huddle, the Cavs coaches figured Timberwolves forward Michael Beasley would drive left to his dominant hand. But the T-Wolves foiled their defensive strategy and he drove right - all the way to the hole for the game-winner.

They needed a stop on that drive to earn the win and didn't get the job done. Jamison and Beasley scored on each other all night. Neither is a strong defender. Both are potent offensive players. Jamison ended with a team-high 24 points, while Beasley had a game-high 28.

Again, there was no quit in the Cavs. Just not enough talent. It's about time for General Manager Chris Grant to start making a few moves. He's working the phones hard right now.

He might not be able to get everything done before the trade deadline. But he can add a piece or two to this team.

The Timberwolves pounded the Cavs in their last meeting at the Target Center on Dec. 4, 129-95. It was by far the Cavs' worst loss of the season. The Timberwolves did whatever they wanted and whatever they wanted.

It was a lot different on Sunday, but the Cavs still were swept by one of the worst teams in the league.

Make no bones about it, the Cavs belong in that category. One could make a case they are the worse. The team with the worst record, Sacramento, beat the Cavs at The Q.

They've lost 13 of the last 14 games.

STARTERS
SF Jamario Moon (6-8, 200) vs. Michael Beasley (6-9, 230)
PF Antawn Jamison (6-9, 235) vs. Kevin Love (6-10, 260)
C Anderson Varejao (6-11, 260) vs. Darko Milicic (7-0, 275)
SG Anthony Parker (6-6, 210) vs. Wes Johnson (6-7, 215)
PG Mo Williams (6-1, 195) vs. Luke Ridnour (6-2, 175)
INACTIVE LIST
Cavs – F Joey Graham, G Christian Eyenga, G Daniel Gibson.
Timberwolves – G Sundiata Gaines, C Nikola Pekovic, F Anthony Toliver.
OFFICIALS
Bill Spooner, Tony Brothers, Kevin Cutler.