So here’s week two of the blogger preview links. Guess what – as we type, we’ve finished our Cavaliers preview for this program, and we’ve posted it after the jump, which is after the links.
San Antonio Spurs
Spur of the Moment
Pounding the Rock
New Orleans
Hornets 24/7
The New Orleans Hornets Fan
Memphis
Shades of Blue
Houston
HoopsBlogging
Dallas
Showboating
Archives
CelticsBlog NBA Page
Here’s that jump thing they talk about.
(Okay, so before we did this, we hadn’t read Windhorst’s Cavs notes on ESPN, which tell us that Coach Mike studied offense all summer with a bunch of Communists.
Same old thing with this team, ie we’ll see. We’re not even 10% as excited as we were at the start of last season, when we were making borderline gay tributes for LeBron on YouTube. We’ll watch, and if they try, we’ll try. Anyway, here are our “official comments”.)
Cleveland Cavaliers
Last Years Record: 50-32
Key Losses: I don’t know – go look at like one of the 500 sites that tell you such things.
Key Additions: Nobody.
1. What significant moves were made during the offseason?
As has been widely written about already (nay, endlessly), the Cavs made no moves this summer, outside of the current game of chicken being played between management and free agent foreign people Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao.
While one could easily get all bent about this, I tend to lean toward approval. Danny Ferry has shown that he’s not going to just go spend the MLE simply to appease message board posters, bloggers, and ESPN columnists.
There was nothing out there, so he didn’t run up the cap (which the Cavaliers are already over). I’m not entirely thrilled to have the same team back, but I’m also realistic enough to know there wasn’t much to be done.
They’ll look to improve on last year through improvement of young players (LBJ, Boobie Gibson) and the idea of having a team that knows each other, ie chemistry. Perhaps they could also give over 60% effort for more than one playoff series – that way they’ll be better AND I won’t have to boycott watching them for over half the season like 06-07.
2. What are the team’s biggest strengths?
Defense and LeBron.
3. What are the team’s biggest weaknesses?
Offense forever. They stand around. They don’t move. They watch LeBron. The biggest improvement this team could’ve made would have been adding an offensive guru assistant coach type.
Coach Mike [Brown] continues to act like it doesn’t matter, and plays the, “We went to the Finals – what else do you want?” card.
4. What are the goals for this team?
Publicly, to win a championship. Privately (and none of them will say it out loud or to each other), they’ll feel lucky to get back to the Finals. They had an easy road, the only good (ie watchable) basketball they played all year was the Spurs game in November and the Pistons series.
As always, if LeBron decides he wants to go hardcore, all predictions are voided. The man can do anything when he decides he wants it, and everyone else falls in line.
Personally (if you can’t tell), we’re apathetic about this team and the season. While personnel is a problem, the bigger problem was getting an offensive system in place, which could’ve been done but wasn’t. (As far as we can tell so far.)
5. Where the hell is your Who Shot Mamba? movie?
The WSM? website (www.whoshotmamba.com) will be live within two weeks, and that’s going to answer a whole heck of a lot of questions of that nature. It’ll also inspire about 50 more questions of a different nature.
Hopefully everyone will stop being so ANGRY about it and realize we’re dropping a bomb on the entire internet.
Predicted Record: 51-31 (In grand, frustratingly lethargic fashion.)
Predicted Number of Games The Cavalier Will Watch: 47
(Honestly, this stuff is all back-burner with the Indians starting the ALCS against the City of Boston Red Socks tomorrow. TRIBE in SIX.)
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I appreciate your confidence. I will be vomiting throughout the ALCS.
Strength: Rebounding. Wasn’t the team 2nd in rebounding margin last year?
One of the biggest reasons the Spurs whooped us was when we lost the boards.
I think half of america is rooting for the tribe because they beat the yankees.
Frank I think you’re right.
The real answer to all of these questions is “I’m still not really past LeBron mailing it in last season.”
I’m not convinced he mailed it in last season. He certainly seemed to work hard on defense most of the time. He didn’t do everything he could on offense, but he was asked to basically make up his own. I’m not sure any amount of effort could have made that look good.
I’ll agree there were games he and the team looked like dead fish – but I think they were few.
I disagree obviously, but last year was last year. I’m trying to go in with an open mind.
btw my dad said he couldn’t watch and had to leave the room when the Indians were up 4-1 in Game 4 of the New York City Yankees series. He’s completely lost his nerve – it’s really weird.
I think most of america is rooting for the winner of the Rockies and D Bags series. I know I am
Three things are certain:
1) Nobody outside of New England is rooting for the City of Boston Red Socks.
2) Most of America doesn’t know what an “Arizona Diamondback” or a “Colorado Rocky” are.
3) The Indians are the lovable underdog. Young/eager/likable players, low payroll, blue-collar city that’s hurting for a championship. That’s like the trifecta of becoming America’s sweetheart.
don’t underestimate the power of Pedroia… careful Cav, caaaaaaaaaaaaaarefulllllllll
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