Kyrie Irving helps Cavs get back on track, drop Detroit 105-89

Does anybody else love this team?

I know, I know.. we've only beaten the Detroit Pistons and we're 1-1 on the season.  But there's something about this team that I'm already quickly falling in love with.  They're actually fun to watch, something that couldn't be said most nights last season when the dark cloud fell over the city.

Kyrie Irving running the point has energized this team and franchise.  You can see it in the way they play.  Irving's pace of play and unique style are bringing a new-found love for basketball in Cleveland.  5 impressive assists and 12 points in the 1st half gave the Cavs an 11 point lead heading into halftime.

Kyrie Irving makes everyone around him better, and I'm happy to admit I was wrong in rating Derrick Williams higher on my highly revered draft board.

Interestingly enough, Irving didn't play much in the 4th quarter as the Cavs turned the game into a 2011 version of NBA Street, with dunks left and right from Samardo, Thompson, Varejao,and even Jamison.  Sessions remained at the point guard spot, securing a huge victory for the Cavs to even up the record at 1-1 heading into Indiana on Friday.

Ramon Sessions is running the second team extremely well, and the bench is a big reason why I have faith in this year's team.  Sessions has shockingly developed into a perimeter threat, and that will work in our favor to keep defenses' honest throughout the season.

The key to the Cavaliers is that they really do play like a team.  One guy isn't dominating the ball, taking all the shots as we've seen in years past.

Omar Casspi brings a tough defensive minded presence on the floor;  Casspi and Alonzo Gee give the Cavs much-needed defense and size at the guard position.  The defense was key in the 1st half, as the Cavs were scrambling to contest shots and hitting the offensive boards.  Come to think of it, the defense throughout the entire game was in large part why we handed Detroit a 16 point defeat.

There's also the re-vamped play and revitalization of Anderson Varejao, who seems to have more energy than I can ever remember.  His contributions go well beyond the stat line, and offensive rebounding and tip-out abililties can't be overstated.

The Cavaliers bench is surprisingly strong this year.  Led by Sessions and Tristan Thompson (who slammed home a ridiculous 2 handed jam in the face of Ben Wallace) the guys off the bench are really providing a spark and uptempo feel to the already fast-feel of the team.  Serves Ben right for not living up to his contract in a Cavaliers uniform.  Even Samardo Samuels played well off the bench in his first action of the season prompting Dan Gilbert to tweet "Samardooooooooooooo!"

The only problem I saw was that Manny Harris was missing from the lineup. 

One day he'll be inducted into the hall of fame, and we'll remember Chris Grant for letting the Michigan legend find greatness somewhere else. 

That being said, Manny recently signed with the Cavaliers D-league affiliate, the Canton Charge.  In other future hall of fame news, Ricky Davis signed with the Maine Red Claws, another NBDL team. 

The Canton Charge will play the Maine Red Claws in a game soon.  Are you putting together what I just said?  Manny Harris will play against Ricky Davis in a game of basketball.  Depending on who you ask, that means that two former Cavalier legends are facing off in a D-league game.  How such greatness can be playing anywhere other than the Association is a mystery to us all.

Forgetting Harris and focusing on the now, the Cavaliers are shaping up surprisingly well with limited talent beyond Irving.  At the very least, we'll be entertaining to watch throughout the season.  Watching Irving's development and chemistry with the other players will be intriguing. 

Look for a tough battle in Indiana on Friday against Danny Granger's undefeated squad. 2 games down, 64 to go.  Can the Cavaliers string together back-to-back wins this early in the season?

The Cleveland Cavaliers draft Kyrie Irving #1 overall, miss out on Derrick Williams

The 2011 NBA Draft came and went, without any major surprises.

In my (highly esteemed and well-regarded) opinion, the Cavaliers did not make the best selection to benefit the franchise moving forward.

Sure, Kyrie Irving has potential to be a great point guard in the NBA. Many draft experts saw him as the consensus overall #1, and Derrick Williams the obvious #2 pick in this year's meager version of the draft.

While I knew the Cavs front office would fall prey to the Irving hype and speculation, I still held out hope that they would take the more talented player in Derrick Williams. 

For some reason I can't explain, I thought Chris Grant might go against the grain, and surprise people by taking the Arizona stud.  As I sat and pondered what had happened, I felt a mix of disappointment and frustration. 

Kyrie Irving is going to be a good player, there's no question about it.  But how do you take the Duke Disappearing Act #1 overall when he played in 11 games last season, and missed 26?  Whether or not his toe issue lingers on moving forward is a serious concern.  Irving and his team would like you to believe that it's a thing of the past, and it won't affect him throughout his NBA career.  If that is the case, then why does he need a specialized shoe made to prevent future injury?

Derrick Williams is the player the Cavaliers should have drafted, and I stand by that statement.  Cavs fans need somebody who can provide the excitement that left this team when the Choke Artist left for his "not 1, not 2, not 7 or 8 rings" in South Beach.  How'd that work out for you LeBron?

Williams has many things Irving does not: Size, leaping ability, dunking prowess, and a resume to back it up.  D-Will was one of the best players in this year's NCAA Tournament, where was Kyrie Irving?   

While I will eventually embrace Kyrie Irving and hope to be proven wrong in the next few years, I am not overly thrilled with the selection and don't feel like we took the most talented player on the board.

All I'm saying is, if I'm spending a #1 lottery pick on a player, I need to be sure about him and feel he's going to make my team better immediately.  The sad truth is, that Irving might be backing Baron Davis this season. 

All that being said, I feel that Kyrie will be a good player, and I hope he surpasses my expectations in the upcoming season. 

That is, if there is a season.

            

Cavaliers win the NBA Draft lottery, Will select 1st and 4th overall

Cleveland needed a miracle, and they got one last night.  The ping-pong balls bounced the Cavaliers' way, and we won the NBA draft lottery.  Thanks to the pick from the Clippers, we also secured the #4 overall pick.

Talk about the kind of night we needed.  The last time an NBA team had two picks in the top 4 goes all the way back to the 1982 Houston Rockets.

Duke guard Kyrie Irving is now within the Cavaliers' sights, but no one really knows how GM Chris Grant will choose to use these picks.  Other contenders are Derrick Williams, Enes Kanter, Kemba Walker, and Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight. 

This gives the Cleveland faithful a reason to cheer.  Things have been going the city's way since the NBA regular season ended.  The Indians are in first place, the Browns had a great draft, Peyton Hillis on the cover of Madden 12 and now the Cavaliers winning the NBA draft lottery.

When rebuilding an NBA franchise, you need a rapid infusion of young talent.  With two of the top 4 picks, the Cavaliers will have exactly that as we move into the future. If this is a sign of things to come, things look good for the state of our franchise.  This will surely motivate Dan Gilbert to continue to back his promise of turning this team into a contender again.      

       

NBA draft lottery: Our hopes lie in ping pong balls

After one of the least productive seasons in franchise history, its time for things to go the Cavaliers way. Tonight marks the first step in that direction, with the draft lottery. I've never been more excited abput watching ping pong balls fly since the last time I dominated in beer pong.

I have a lot of faith in the current GM Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert's intention to turn this team into an immediate contender. I'm pretty sure no one thought the Indians would be very good this year, but yet they manage to defy expectations and currently sit atop the AL central. Why not the Cavaliers next season?

Bring in a Derrick Williams and Kyrie Irving, use the trade exception to land a proven big man, and this team is not that far out from the 8th seed in the playoffs. (which Andrew Polansky will vehemently tell you is the worst spot for an NBA franchise)

Kyrie is being touted as the likely #1 overall pick, but on what basis?  He played in only a handful of games last year.  Sure, he has a silky smoot jumper, but his foot injury will cause him to wear a special shoe for the rest of his basketball career.  Personally, I favor Derrick Williams and Kemba Walker. In that order. 

Williams is the scoring small forward we need (and a power dunking juggernaut), and Kemba is a clutch shooter.  LeBron James is not walking through that door; we need to land someone with at least the potential to become a star.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have the highest percentage of landing the #1 spot, with a 25% chance.  Unforunately for the team that drafted Ricky Rubio, the last time the team with the most ping pong balls won the #1 pick was in 2004.  It just doesn't always work out.  The Cavaliers have the second most ping pong balls. The drama will take place on ESPN at 8:30.

The hopes for this franchise lie in this and the next few drafts, so we need the balls to bounce our way. Thanks to the Clippers, we will likely have two top 10 picks. A la Kobe Byant, "You can call me crazy" but I see a monumental turnaround for this franchise in the next few years. Under the radar, just where we like to be. It's the Cleveland way.

                             

Armed man busted at Staples Center

The Cavaliers game today in Los Angeles just got a little more interesting. A knife-wielding man was apparently on the floor of Los Angeles' Staples Center, where the armed man held a 20-minute standoff with the police.

The man eventually was tackled near the Cavaliers bench where it is not known if the team was on the floor. There are no hurt players from either team reported.

Spectators begun filing into the arena for the 12:30pm start time, but were evacuated once the armed man was on the floor. The man's identity is unknown or how he got into the arena.

The game will start at 3:30pm.

Preview- Cleveland vs. Sacramento (Conference's Worst Clash)

As of right now, both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Sacramento Kings sit at the bottom of their respected conferences. The Cavaliers (12-53) sit at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and the Kings (16-49) sit at the bottom of the Western Conference.

The Kings are coming off a win, largely because of Marcus Thornton. Thornton who was acquired at the trade deadline from New Orleans. He has averaged 22.2 points a game for the Kings since coming over.

Thornton scored a career-high 42 points in their win against Golden State on Monday. The Kings will look to win back-to-back games for just the third time this season.

Marcus Thornton will look to continue his recent success in a Kings uniform against Cleveland. He has averaged 28.5 points in two career games against the Cavaliers.

That is not good news for Cleveland, which they are allowing over 50 percent from the field in their recent four-game slide, which has Coach Scott concerned.

"I'm really starting to question what type of heart we have as a basketball team," coach Byron Scott said. "I care about competing. I care about coming out every single night, going against an opponent that has a different color jersey on that's trying to kick your butt - and not to respond to that is shocking and scary to me".

The Cavaliers will look to get off the road slide, losing 27 of 28 on the road and giving up just about 110 points a game.

If Cleveland is to win this game they might have to do it without their best player since the trade deadline, Baron Davis. Davis left the team last week due to his grandmother passing away. It is unknown when he will return, however, I have seen he can return at anytime.

Look out for the Hickson vs. Cousins match-up. Both are young and very athletic. If Hickson can control Cousins and the boards Cleveland has a shot at winning a game on the road.

Cousins is averaging 19.9 points and 11 rebounds a game this month.

Tip-off is at 10pm in Sacramento.

Classic Cavs Commercials: Ricky Davis

Another journey down memory lane, this time with infamous Cavalier Ricky Davis.

LeBrick could have learned something from Ricky.

"Glad I stayed in Cleveland."                  

                                
Cleveland Cavaliers "The Rapid" from Fiend Inc on Vimeo.

Thunder 95, Cavs 75: The Sunday Afternoon Beatdown

When the Cavaliers play without Baron Davis, things just don't go very well.  There's no alley oops, no offensive firepower, and really nothing to get excited about.

This afternoon the Cavs were outmatched and outplayed for 4 quarters as Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder rolled to an easy win.

It was an ugly first half to say the least. It didn't get any better in the second half either.

The defense wasn't present, and the Thunder led 29-14 after one quarter.  In that quarter, the Thunder shot 52%.  Compare that to the Cavs, who shot 25%.  That's not going to get you wins. 

In the 2nd quarter, the trend continued.  Samardo Samuels was getting blocked and missing shots, Ramon Sessions turning the ball over repeatedly and the Thunder were still scoring at will.

As is a common theme, the Cavaliers did their best to play as little defense as possible.

If it weren't for a pair of Manny Harris 3 balls, there wouldn't have been a whole lot to cheer for.  Oh, and Anthony Parker's three at the halftime buzzer cut Oklahoma's lead to 50-38.

After a two-handed dunk by Samuels to open the 2nd half, the Cavs came out with a better mindset in the 2nd half.

And then Russell Westbrook happened.  Westbrook started scoring on seemingly every possession; he couldn't be stopped and the Cavaliers didn't even really try to. 

Russell exploded for 14 points on 7/9 shooting in the quarter.  All of those paints came in the paint, as he slashed to the rim scoring at will in almost a video-game fashion.

Also impressive was the defense of Serge Ibaka, who after 3 quarters had already recorded 7 blocks.

There was absolutely no rhythm to the offense, and the team really just didn't look like they even wanted to be out there.  The gap in developed talent between the Thunder and the Cavaliers is blatently obvious.

As Austin Carr said late in the game, "This was a slightly contested contest."

You know what he meant.

Sometimes, games just weren't meant to be won. The Cavaliers shot 34% from the field, missed 10 free throws, and went 5/14 from the 3 point line.  The Thunder scored 22 points off turnvovers.

The Cavaliers play Sacramento on Wednesday night in the first game of their road trip out west.   

Preview - Cavs vs. Hornets: Byron's old team comes to town

In 2004, Byron Scott took over the New Orleans Hornets and initially managed very little success.

There are some parallels to that situation and the one Coach Scott is currently facing.

That season, the Hornets finished 18-64 and were one of the worst teams in the league.

Baron Davis was the point guard and they really struggled throughout that the entire season; Lee Nailon would lead the team in points scored at the end of the season.

That team was deprived of talent, but Scott took a bad situation and turned it around the next year.

The following season, 2005-06, the Hornets won 20 more games than the year before and finished 38-44.  You can probably chalk up some of those wins to drafting one of the best point guards in the league, Chris Paul.

Baron Davis and Coach Scott were not getting along so they shipped him out and handed the keys to Chris Paul.  While they didn't make the playoffs that year, the team was improving and Scott was seeing results in both the win column as well as the atttitude on the floor.

Just two years later the Hornets finished 56-26, and made a run through the playoffs eventually losing to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Semi-finals.

That formula could prove to be very similar to the current plan with the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Have a tough season or two, draft solid talent and build the team for the future.

Stopping Chris Paul will be one of the keys to tonight's game.  The Cavs will look to build off an impressive and exciting win at Madison Square Garden vs. the Knicks.

The strong play of Samardo Samuels will also be key, as he made several crucial plays down the stretch in New York. His confidence is building each game and he's starting to get a feel of what he can do in this league.

Baron is excited to play for the first time in front of his new crowd, who will definitely embrace "the beard".  His late three pointers and exciting style of play will go over well in Cleveland; our fans are hoping he can provide for excitement at the point guard position.

Baron on twitter following the big win over Carmelo and company,

"Yep! Good win in the Garden. Can't wait to play in front of the home crowd at The Q!!! Go cavs!"   

Also, watch to see how Coach Scott continues to use Sessions and B-Diddy in the backcourt together. 

Tip-off tonight is at 6:30 at the Q. 

                         

Baron Davis makes successful debut against the Knicks: Cavs 119, Knicks 115

NEW YORK - Looks like payback is going to have to wait.

Carmelo Anthony vowed revenge after the New York Knicks lost at Cleveland on Feb. 25.

Maybe next time.

Baron Davis made his Cavaliers debut a memorable one by scoring 18 points, including a key 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left, as the Cavs shocked the Knicks for the third time this season, 119-115, on Friday night in Madison Square Garden.

Amar'e Stoudemire had 41 points and Anthony added 29, but it wasn't enough for the Knicks, now 31-29. In fact, the Cavs (12-49) have 25 percent of their victories against the Knicks.

"It always feels good to win in the Garden," said Davis, who scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter as the Cavs erased a 12-point deficit with 6:58 left. "As a kid, you dream of playing here on the big stage, the bright lights.

"They're one of the top teams in the league. Now that they're a powerhouse team, it's good for . . . these young guys to get that experience playing on that prime-time stage. This was a lot of rookies' first chance playing here. It was definitely a big confidence boost."

J.J. Hickson had 23 points and eight rebounds to lead the Cavs, and two rookies came up huge -- Luke Harangody and Samardo Samuels. Harangody wasn't even supposed to play because of a painful right hip pointer, but he finished with 18 points, including two free throws with 1.2 seconds left.

Samuels had 15 points and six rebounds and drew two charges from Anthony in the final 1:32, including the game-saver as Anthony drove for what would have been a game-tying basket with 1.8 seconds left.
Anthony also got a technical after whacking Samuels early in the third quarter.

"We were talking the whole game," said Samuels, the 2008 USA Today high school player of the year at St. Benedict's prep in nearby Newark, N.J. "It's basketball. Guys get under each other's skin. My teammates were telling me, 'Don't take it too far.' I was like, 'I'm good.' I know my limits.

"At the end of the day, I'm a big dude. Ain't too much going to hurt me out there. I was just confident and having fun."

Asked if he thought he was getting under Anthony's skin, Samuels smiled and said: "A little bit. He was like, 'Who is this guy? He's out here pestering us.' "

Anthony admitted after the game that, in fact, he did not know who Samuels was.

"I don't even know his name," Anthony said when asked about the technical. "Samar, Sam, I don't even know his name, the guy who took the charge. I just pushed him. He flopped a little bit. It is what it is. No hard feelings."

After Davis hit his 3-pointer, Stoudemire hit one with 7.5 seconds left to get New York back to 116-115.

Ramon Sessions made one of two free throws with seven seconds left before Anthony charged into Samuels.
"I guess it was an offensive foul," Anthony said after the game. "I didn't want to settle for a jump shot."

The Cavs didn't want to settle for just coming close. But after beating the Knicks twice at home, beating them in Madison Square Garden was something else all together.

"I don't think the guys let the bright lights get to them tonight, which is big," Cavs coach Byron Scott said.

"We were down 12 points with [seven] minutes left in the game and we never quit. Guys kept fighting. It says a lot about our character. We were down, we weren't playing our best, we were playing against a team that's been playing pretty well and we just kept fighting till we got the victory."

- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer

Preview - Cavs vs. Knicks: The Baron Davis show begins

Baron Davis will be in a Cavaliers uniform for the first time tonight. 

He will make his debut at Madison Square Garden, vs. the new-look Knicks.

Baron will come off the bench tonight, but could very easily become a starter for this team.  "I'm excited,'' he said. "First game for a new team. I'm excited. I think the players are excited. It will be good for us all to get out there, put our best foot forward and just start working to be a better team, working on our chemistry, working to get better.''

The only concern is his nagging knee injury, which has bothered him all season long.

The Cavaliers beat the Knicks just one week ago, in Carmelo Anthony's second game as a Knick. 

More recently New York stunned the Miami Heat, and are playing solid basketball. 

There is a sense of excitement about Baron's debut; he knows how to get his teammates involved while also scoring the basketball.

Baron and Coach Scott have vowed their past differences aren't a concern, as Baron has matured and grown to respect his former coach.

Cleveland will be without Antawn Jamison, who broke his pinky finger and is expected to miss 5-7 weeks (which might as well be the rest of the season). 

Riddled with major injuries all season, the Cavaliers will also be without Daniel Gibson, who has a left quad injury.  We just can't seem to get all of our pieces healthy at the same time.

Defending Carmelo and Amare are the keys to tonight's game.  The Knicks don't exactly have a defensive mindset, so scoring shouldn't be a problem.

It would be nice to drop New York back to reality again, especially during the debut of a new Cavalier.

Baron Davis is going to make a difference, and he's ready to embrace the Wine and Gold. 

Preview - Cavs. vs. 76ers

Today at 5 p.m the Cavs host the Philadelphia 76ers.

Everyone wants to know if the newest members of our franchise will be in uniform, but it's still unknown at this point.

Baron Davis, Luke Harangody, and Semih Erden all missed practice while taking physicals and getting settled in.

In the last meeting with the 76ers, the Cavaliers were blown out 117-97. 

Earlier in the season however, the Cavs won two contests against Philadelphia, in games where the entire team looked impressive.

Ramon Sessions and Antawn Jamison will look to continue their strong play as of late.

Speaking of Sessions, Coach Scott declared that it's not out of the question for both Sessions and the newly acquired Baron Davis to start in the backcourt together.  That would be a tough offensive tandem to deal with.

Whether or not Baron will see any playing time tonight is highly questionable, as he has yet to learn any of the plays or even attend a single practice with his new team.

Slowing down Andre Igoudala will be the first defensive priority. 

Also important will be containing Thaddeus young, who scored 26 points on 92% percent shooting in the last meeting vs. the Cavaliers.

Hickson must rebound effectively for us to win this game, and we need production out of all our players. 

We very well could be short-handed if Byron decides to have the new guys sit and watch this one.

In our last 4 games, the Cavs are 3-1.  Those 3 wins came against the Lakers, Knicks, and Clippers, all solid basketball teams right now. 

Will we finally be able to say the Cavaliers are on a winning streak?

Cavaliers trade for Baron Davis, send Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to Los Angeles

The Cavaliers agreed to a trade with Los Angeles, sending Mo Williams and J-Moon to the Clippers in exchange for Baron Davis and a 1st round pick.

This is a good move for both teams.

As for Mo Williams, he was in desperate need of a change of scenery. 

Baron Davis is owed $28 Million over the next 2 years, which is part of the reason why the Clippers were willing to deal him in the end. 

Mo Williams will make $9 million next season, and is younger than Davis, although he has missed significant time with nagging injuries this year.

A Cavs source told ESPN.com that the draft pick was the main reason for this trade.

The 1st rounder will likely be a top 10 lottery pick, which will give the Cavs two valuable picks early in the 1st round.  (Kemba Walker + Jared Sullinger anyone?) 

The deal has to come as somewhat of a shock to Davis, who was beginning to develop chemistry with Blake Griffin.

It's good to see that the Cavaliers didn't sit by and watch the trade deadline pass without making some effort to revamp our roster. 

Mo Williams hasn't been himself this season; Ramon Sessions is a better fit for this team right now. 

Cleveland is stock-piling draft picks and it's clear this team is in the rebuilding stages.  I hate to see Moon leave, who was beginning to shoot the ball well and earned back some playing time.

There's still time for the Cavs to make another move; we can't be sure what the frenzy of the trade deadline will bring. 

Baron Davis is a top 10 point guard in this league when he's motivated.  Fear the beard.

Preview: Cleveland vs. Houston

The Cavaliers are coming off an impressive victory against the two-time defending champion, Los Angeles Lakers.

Tonight the Cavaliers will look to continue their momentum and start the second half off with a winning streak against the Houston Rockets.

This will be the second and final meeting of the season for the two teams.

For the Rockets, they have climbed their way back into the race for a playoff spot in the Western Conference and will conitue their mini three-game road trip against teams below .500. The Rockets will play Cleveland, and return home against the Nets while winning against Detriot on tuesday.

The Cavaliers (10-46) went down to Houston in December and lost 110-95 watching Kevin Martin score 40 on them. That game was early in the soon to be recongized streak of losing 36 of 37 games and 26 games in a row.

Antawn Jamison scored 24 points and had five rebounds and two assists in that game. Also, Mo Willams at the time scored 18 points and had a team-high nin assists in the game.

The Cavaliers are coming off a 2-1 weekend and a Los Angeles sweep. Which by the way, feels great to say. Cleveland played their best game against the Lakers and so did Ramon Sessions.

Sessions, who has been filling the role for injured Mo Willams, put on a show against the Lakers. He scored a game high and season high, 32 points coming off the bench.

He has been averaging 19.6 points, 8.9 assists and 2.0 steals in February. He is also shooting a blistering 58 percent from the field as well.

The last time a Cavalier scored 30 or more points off the bench was Larry Hughes. He scored 36 points on ironically the same date as Sessions did. December 11th, 2007.

The key will be to keep Martin under control. He has hurt the Cavaliers in the past by scoring the ball. Martin has scored at least 30 points in his last four games against Cleveland.

Tip-off is at 7:00pm at Quicken Loans Arena.

Celtics and Bulls reportedly interested in Anthony Parker

Marc Stein of ESPN.com has reported that both the Bulls and Celtics are both interested in the services of Cavaliers' veteran shooting guard Anthony Parker.

Parker has been shooting the ball extremely well as of late.

Allegedly, the Cavs are looking for an athletic young big-man or a quality draft pick, either of which would be a fair trade for Parker. 

Celtics GM Danny Ainge shot down the report earlier this afternoon, but its clear that the Bulls are definitely interested in Parker. 

Who else might be on the block for the Cavaliers?  Is Antawn Jamison tradeable with his massive salary? 

You would like to think there would be some interest in his offensive abilities if the Cavs were willing to eat part of his contract.

As for Parker, he has played well this season.  His consistent jump shot is something the offense has desperately needed and the team suffers when he's not on the floor.

Parker also is a deadly 3 point shooter. 

Its understandable why a veteran team with playoff aspirations would want to add him to their roster.

Don Delaney and other news

The Cavaliers are coming off one of their best wins of the season. A 104-99 win against the defending champion, Los Angeles Lakers.

The win sent the Cavaliers into the All-Star break feeling like the world was lifted off their shoulders and handed them great momentum.

They went 2-1 on the final week before the break which had the locker room feeling great.

However, some of that great feeling went away with the news of former Cleveland Cavalier coach and general manager, Don Delaney died at the age of 75.

Delaney died at Manor Care in Mayfield Heights with his family surrounding him. Delaney had encountered many health problems in the past years, which included a serious stroke.

Don Delaney was asked to fill the role of the head coaching position for the Cavaliers under former owner, Ted Stepien.

Cleveland went 66-180 under Stepien, but was known for his extreme game-entertainment and player/front offices decisions.

Don Delaney went 7-19 in his time being a replacement coach for Cleveland. He was soon replaced by former assistant coach, Bob Kloppenburg. Delaney returned to the front offices and was blamed for the bad deals.

Don Delaney was born in Euclid on January 3rd, 1936.

Other News: Byron Scott is not all that impressed with the NBA All-Star weekend. "Maybe the average fan, yeah. But when you're around it every day, that really doesn't get me excited."Scott will however, watch his player, Boobie Gibson compete in the three-point shootout. But the rest of the weekend you can forget it. "The dunk contest? Nah. I think the biggest part of All-Star Weekend used to be the dunk contest. I think it's lost its luster. The 3-point contest is still, to me, pretty cool. The three-on-three stuff? You've got one real old guy and a girl -- no offense -- and a current player. I'm not interested in that.

The Cavaliers held the Lakers to .425 percent shooting from the field in their 104-99 upset. Tje Cavaliers were the second-worst defensive team that allowed .481 percent shooting to opponents.

Reminder: Watch Daniel "Boobie" Gibson compete in the three-point shootout on Saturday against some of the best three-point shooters in the NBA. The fun starts at 8:00pm on TNT.

The Aftermath of the Epic Win: post All-Star Break Implications

The Cavaliers knocked the defending World Champs into further disarray last night, in a game that brought momentary appeasement to a fanbase in desperate need of a meaningful victory.

Cleveland is 2-1 in its last 3 games.  It feels great to say that.  In the month of February, Cavs are 2-0 against teams from Los Angeles.

Of course, the headlines on ESPN are all too easily predictable:  What is wrong with the Lakers?  Losing to Orlando is one thing, but the Cavs? 

Really ESPN?  How about giving us some credit when it's clear we outplayed our opponent?  Why does it always have to be about the other team? 

The Lakers didn't come to play; the Cavs were hungry for a big win heading into the All-Star break.  In front of 20,000+ roaring fans at Quicken Loans Arena, the Cavs played maybe their most complete game of the season

Ramon Sessions led all players with 32 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals off the bench.  Mo Williams aggravated his injured ankle, and did not return after 3 minutes of action.

Sessions has been playing excellent as of late.  Earlier in the season, he often forgot about his teammates and drove every chance he got.  Now, he seems to be finding that invaluable skill of knowing when to get others involved. 

Ramon has significantly reduced the amount of careless turnovers, and is making his presence felt on the court.  In the first half he finished with 16 points, partly because he got to the free throw line 7 times and made them all count. 

Sessions is the driving force behind the Cavaliers right now.  He even made his first 3 pointer of the season. 

If the Cavs weren't in last place, one could make a strong case for Ramon to be named 6th man of the year.

Christian Eyenga also came to play last night; Number 8 has dramatically improved his offensive game and court awareness throughout the 1st half of the season.

He also managed to school Kobe Bryant, and dunk in the face of Pau Gasol all in one play.  Speaking of Gasol, is there ever a time where he doesn't make an overdramatic yell for a foul as he bricks another lay-up?

Eyenga has the potential to be an impact player for the Cavs.  His defensive intensity alone warrants the playing time he's been receiving.

For all the losses we incurred during the 1st half of the season, its undeniable that the win over the Lakers will help this team's confidence going forward. 

We need to play with the same defensive effort we showed last night, and we could be competitive night-in and night-out.  The Cavaliers haven't had a problem scoring the basketball this season, we're averaging right around 100 points a night.  The problem is consistent defense. 

Granted, we don't have the pieces in the frontcourt to stop the likes of Dwight Howard and pretty much any other legitimate center in the league right now.  The injury to Anderon Varejao for the season hurt this team in a multitude of ways, including but not limited to: defending in the post, rebounding, and energy. 

Jamison attempting to defend Gasol just isn't going to work out well most nights. 

That being said, Jamison did play a great game defensively and the Cavs worked as a team to out-will the Lakers for our 10th victory of the season.

Improving throughout the rest of the season is the main goal for Coach Byron Scott; we have to change the atmosphere of losing and develop our players to bring A+ effort on a nightly basis.

This victory was a step in the right direction.  Hopefully this will propel the Cavs to a strong finish for the rest of the season. 

Preview - Cavs vs. Lakers

The Cavaliers play host to the Los Angeles Lakers tonight, in a rematch of the January showdown that resulted in a 55 point beatdown.

Cleveland no longer has the national spotlight because the team ended that unthinkable losing streak.  Although the Cavs did come out flat vs. Washington on Sunday night, there are signs of progress.

The Lakers are hard to figure out right now.  Finally beating one of the NBA elite teams in Boston didn't translate in the last two consecutive losses.  They were out-classed in Orlando and then suffered a shocking 20 point defeat to the Charlotte Bobcats.

Both teams would love to win this one, and you have to think the Lakers don't really see this one being much of a contest.  You can't really blame them, but they aren't exactly in championship form right now. 

Kobe is still recovering from flu-like symptoms; slowing him down will be part of the battle. 

The other obvious concern is defending Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.  Right now, it's going to be tough to handle their big-men down low.

Mo Williams will need to play well and push the tempo vs. a Lakers team that still plays excellent defense.

J.J. Hickson will need to have one of those 20 rebound games we've seen as of late, if we want to compete tonight.

It's always fun when Kobe and the Lakers come to town, we just have to hope the Cavs are up for the challenge.  It sure would be nice to steal a win against one of the top teams in the NBA. 

Preview - Cavs vs. Pistons: Winning time?

The streak will end tonight.  That's all there is to it.  No more excuses, no more moral victories.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been playing well enough to win a game, and the Pistons are very beatable right now. 

With 8 straight home games, it's time to turn this thing around.

Detroit has been experiencing some inner turmoil with players not agreeing with the coach, and they've been in trade talks concerning Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton.

The strong play of our rookies, along with Ramon Sessions' continued control of this offense is keeping us in games; we're playing competitive basketball with a roster that clearly needs some upgrades.

J.J. Hickson will look to build on his 26 point, 12 rebound effort vs. Dallas. 

If Hickson can put together that type of game vs. Tyson Chandler, chances are he will take advantage of Detroit's much smaller frontcourt. 

Charlie Villanueva doesn't have the defensive skillset to match up with J.J.'s athleticism.  Hopefully #21 comes out and takes advantage of that.

Eyenga had a strong 1st half in Texas scoring 13 of his 15 points, and seems to be gaining confidence in a growing role with this team. 

Christian has always been able to drive and finish at the rim.  If he can continue to improve his jumpshot, the sky is the limit.  He seems to have a good understanding of how to play defensively. 

Antawn Jamison will look to get back to the form he was in earlier in the season, where he was stroking 3 balls and looking for his shot. 

We need our veterans to step their game up if we're going to start winning some games.

Anthony Parker has been shooting the basketball well since he came back from back injury.  He's an important part of our offense and needs to play well in order for the Cavaliers to have a chance to win.

Byron Scott is ready for this team to get over the hump, and he's liked the effort we've been putting forward in the last 4 games.

All that being said, being in games in the 4th quarter doesn't matter if you don't win. 

In 9 days, it will have have been two months since the last time the Cavaliers won a game.

Classic Cavs Commercials: Darius Miles

During a season filled with such disappointment, I deem it only fitting to distract the focus from the current losing streak, and look back at a little piece of Cavaliers history. 

Here's a classic Cavs commercial, to remember the good times we had with the 2002-03 Cavaliers. 

"We're the Cavaliers"   

 Exhibit A:  Darius Miles 


Cleveland Cavaliers "We're the Cavaliers" from Fiend Inc on Vimeo.