Daniel Gibson is starting
Published by The Cavalier January 30th, 2007 in NBA, LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers, Rookies
We know there are some in the Cavalier organization who, at the very least, browse this site from time to time.
What we didn’t know is that Coach Mike is an avid reader - one who will bend to our very will if we press him for something like 67 straight days.
Yes, according to Brian Windhorst, Daniel Gibson is being inserted into the starting line-up for Eric Snow tonight.
(Hang on a second while we see who they’re playing - this strike leaves us more ignorant than usual. Ah - Golden State.)
BW isn’t sure this is the right move, but he can’t fool us - he loves this enough to use a double negative.
I know I’ve been harping on the offense all year, but that was with the understanding they were playing good defense. Now, I’m more worried about the defense because without it, they have nothing to stand on.
That said, knowing Mike the way I do, he didn’t not come to this decision on a whim. He’s probably been thinking about it for a long time before making the decision. We’ll see how it works out. Who knows, maybe he’ll change his mind, but he’s told Eric he’s not going to start.
Now, there’s no guarantee this will all work, especially since LeBron is likely to sit with that busted-up toe.
However, this is the first step in getting the offense on track, and it’s a call for us to at least have the game on in the background while we’re doing push-ups and being cool.
It’s not the end of the strike, but if Coach Mike can offer up an olive branch, we’re obligated to at least touch it.
(LeBron is in the Skills Challenge again for All-Star Saturday Night. At least he’s participating in something. Would be a lot cooler if he could do something like All-Star 1-on-1, which we fully expected to have implemented this year. Our powers over Coach Mike apparently don’t extend to David Stern.)
Speaking of Cavs point guards…
If the ads in China are indication, Damon Jones is an International Basketball Superstar:
http://www.airlai.com/shanghai/2006_12_23/IMG_2318.JPG
http://www.airlai.com/shanghai/2006_12_26/IMG_2935.JPG
Adidas also runs its It Takes Five ads over there. I suspect it’s the Chinese vote that makes not only Yao a perennial All-Star starter, but also TMac (regardless of injury status), Garnett, Duncan, and now Arenas.
http://www.airlai.com/shanghai/2006_12_23/IMG_2306.JPG
http://www.airlai.com/shanghai/2006_12_30/IMG_3975.JPG
I’m sure Brown came to this decision all by himself… as little as 3 games ago Gibson got a DNP-CD… there’s no way he felt pressured by Dan Gilbert.
What’s the worst that can happen- Gibson goes out there and goes 3-13 from the field and can’t makes an open shot? At that point, he’d be faring just as well as Hughes, Wesley, and Snow. At least Gibson brings energy and looks like he wants to play, which alone should qualify him to play at this point.
Snow is only giving you something defensively on post-up guards. He does a good job on them. Otherwise, he’s not giving you much else. Wait, 50% on free throws - he’s got that going on too. Gibson should be equally effective (for different reasons) on D.
Ben - is it just me or is Mike Brown insane with his player rotations? Guys routinely go from DNP to 30 minutes and back in a dizzying array of coaching madness. I think he’s always liked Gibson as he’s played him during a lot of fourth quarters (disproportionate to his overall amount of playing time). But he’s reluctant to go young because . . . not sure here, he trusts the veterans more . . . ? Not to say Gilbert is beyond being influential, but I think it’s tough to draw conclusions based on how schizophrenic Brown’s always been with later-in-the-rotation PT.
As soon as I found out that Gibson would be getting the start tonight I rushed to the site to see if it would be what it took to break your strike. Luck you, I guess. I will be stuck watching the Cavs look a lot worse than a “Championship contender” should against a Stephen Jackson/Baron Davis led club.
Prediction: Sasha has his annual “this guy could be really good” game, putting up 26 points in a narrow win.
Come on Cavs
my prediction:
Stephen Jackson will put his gun away long enough to bury a couple of important 3s at the end of the game.
GS - 89
CLE - 82
All Star One-on-One is an insanely good idea. Imagine Kobe vs. AI, LeBron vs. Melo, Melvin Ely vs. Ronny Touriaf…..insane.
“David Wesley exits after nine minutes of zeroes.”
-Joe Tait.
Nine Minutes of Zeroes could be Wesley book title after he writes one about his season with LeBron.
Thank you Joe Tait.
Thank you Sirius.
C Note… nice call on sasha tonight…
Gibbie played well, at least from the radio broadcast.
Boney came close to the GS score, but about the rest he must be downcast.
With play like that, the Cavalier’s strike will certainly not last.
Feasting on the Pistons will be a more meaty repast.
Good game by the Cavs. I think 124 points is an aberration of what the Cavaliers are actually all about, but it was nice to see them pull it off last night.
Especially considering Sasha is used to the old DNP-CD. Good game Cavs…. I wish my boys would have remembered to play defense in the first quarter of their game, but when the opponent is shooting 82% from the field for a 8 minute stretch, I guess it’s hard to come back…
We’ll see what happens Sunday….
Here’s Tim Legler’s feedback on last night’s game, in case you missed it:
Cleveland Cavaliers — The least creative offense in the league. I see a lot of frustration in the offense in LeBron’s body language. No easy answers to improving this team because you can’t move their guards. As for the 124 they put up on Warriors on Tuesday without LeBron, I thought our guys on the set Tuesday plus the cameramen could have done some damage against that Golden State team.
I think it’s time to trade LeBron. The tandem of Larry Hughes and Daniel Gibson are getting the job done, and stuff!
Wow, i can’t believe what I am seeing.
Eric Snow sucks, bottom line, more turnovers than assists, -2 points average per game. He played equal time to Gibson against the GSW and scored 1 point off of a split pair of free throws, he missed 2 open layups, same story every night.
Gibson had 12 points in 3 pointers, more than eric snow has after 10 games.
The cavaliers were clicking on all cylinders without LeBron, which shows they have a lot of talent outside of LeBron, which are all the signs of a team that will go deep into the playoffs.
And, only a complete idiot would think about trading LeBron. He averages close to 30 points a night, 6 assist, 7 reb. (something like that) He just turned 22 years old (Senior in College?), and IMO he will become the best to ever play the game