History repeats itself in Cleveland

*Our webmaster, Keith, usually lurks behind the scenes, making sure we don’t totally screw things up around here. However, as a native Clevelander, he had a few things to say about the state of Cleveland after LeBron’s departure. What he has put together is an exceptional piece about some of the more recent sports developments in Cleveland and how they have affected the city. Needless to say, it’s a must read.

It’s the age old mantra of a Cleveland fan: “Wait Until Next Year”.  It is uttered in unison three times a year by a family of fans once their favorite teams hit the point of no return.  The point at which they know the championship, the spotlight, the best of news for the otherwise troubled, battered, and beaten place they call home will simply not be happening … not this time.

Well, it turns out that for only a second time in the city’s history that phrase has been uttered a fourth in a single year.  As with that prior time, this one was with a passion and pain that can only be truly understood by that family.  As with the prior time, an asterisk went up after ‘Next’, a euphemism for what ultimately may be a lifetime of waiting.

The two times are when Art Modell moved the Browns out of Cleveland and, of course, when LeBron decided to move his talents out of Cleveland.  To be fair, the two are very different.  Cleveland fans are some of the most loyal fans in all of sports, but most of that loyalty is centered on the Browns.  Modell moving the Browns was truly a travesty, but I don’t blame him.  You won’t often hear a Clevelander say that.

Modell moving the Browns was the ultimate ’sports is a business’ argument.  The Indians moved out of Cleveland Municipal Stadium to a nice new tax-payer funded ball park in Jacob’s Field.  The Cavaliers were able to move downtown to Gund Area on the same dime.  And there was Art Modell, having to pay an arm and a leg just to keep his decrepit stadium in one piece.  Either he was going to go under (and the team with him) or something had to give.  The city wouldn’t help him out, so he bailed.  It was a business decision, and it worked out well for him in the end.

The “it’s a business decision” argument is one that almost every small and mid-market sports fan deals with regularly.  It’s why there’s no true bitterness when CC Sabathia chases a ton of money to New York.  It’s expected.  It is to be expected that the smaller market teams, in the case of baseball, are not much more than an extension of the minor league system operated by the big teams.  Sure, they get their chance to shine every so-often, but its usually just mediocrity or worse.  Professional sports is a business.

So then, why is LeBron leaving so different than these other two examples?

Business as Usual?

How can this be a business decision, as LeBron put it, if for the once and probably only time in Cleveland sports history, Cleveland was able to offer the most money?  How can there be an exception that disproves the norm the one time Cleveland is on the other side?

Yes, “King James” can sit in his ‘throne’ on national TV and tell us he was impressed with how the Heat freed up cap space to make Wade, Bosh, and him a reality.  A few years ago the Heat basically said “we’re not going to try to compete in the NBA”, but rather free up some money so they can pin their hopes on getting something better.  It was a sign of weakness, but they got it.  Good gamble.  I wish you luck.

The reality of James’s comment is that what the Heat were doing and what the Cavs were doing in that same time is completely different.  The Cavs were interested in winning.  Danny Gilbert put whatever money he could out there to get LeBron what he needed to win NOW.  He wasn’t playing the ‘wait to win’ game.

Did Gilbert do all he could?  I honestly don’t know.  Did LeBron give up in those final games against the Celtics?  I honestly don’t know.

What I do know is that LeBron saying this was a business decision is ludicrous.  He’s gone to a weaker team, one that gives up when they don’t have a fighting chance!

Unfinished Business

It wasn’t Cleveland that put too much pressure on James because they expected too much.  LeBron, himself, personally guaranteed that he’d bring a championship to Cleveland.  You don’t make promises you are unable or unwilling to keep.  Can Cleveland fans be passionate?  You betcha!!  Will Cleveland fans boo their team?  Oh yes!  It’s not because we expect too much.  We want a championship, nothing less.  What sports fan doesn’t?  The expectation is to win, but most importantly, the expectation is to be and play your best.  Cleveland fans know when their team is not playing their best, and we’ll let you know that. “We’re pulling our weight, why aren’t you?” is the notion behind such a reaction.

The reason LeBron moving his talents is so gut-wrenching is that the city was behind him, united in the quest for that beacon of glory.  The team’s slogan “All for One” told the story.  It was quite literally Clevelanders, as one, fighting for that goal with LeBron leading the charge.  The travesty is not that he’s gone off to pursue other interests, but that he did it before the job was done … before the goal and expectation he himself set was never met.

The Aftermath

I highly recommend you purchase tickets to the first time the Heat visit the Cavs next season, not to cheer or boo LeBron, but to experience the passion and heart of Cleveland fans.  I do thank LeBron for his time.  I do wish him well in his future endeavors.  I hope he gets what we wants out of life and his career.  I will not forgive him for making a promise he was not prepared to keep, or at least owning it in a dignified way.

In the end …

For a city and family of fans that’s had its sports heart torn right out of it twice, to have its hopes shattered, and to have yet another stain on an under-served and undeserved national reputation … yes, it’s personal.

I know, at least Rondo got a spot on the roster. However, Iverson’s starting spot takes up an automatic roster spot that will certainly leave out a very deserving player. Every year there are all-star snubs in every sport, I am not disagreeing with that. My problem is that players such as David Lee and Josh Smith clearly deserve a roster spot over a player like Allen Iverson. Since he got voted in as a starter, he can’t be left off the roster. Even though he made it in there by the fans’ vote, as a basketball fan, I don’t understand how people could actually vote this guy in. He was voted in last year too, while he was practically the 6th man for a poor Detroit Pistons team, and was constantly complaining about playing time. He’s clearly a popular player, and has had an outstanding career, but for the purposes of an All-Star game, I would like to see a starting line-up, and an entire roster, that is clearly deserving and picked objectively by people that actually appreciate the game of basketball, and reward players that truly deserve to be there after 3.5 months of a season.

It's about time

According to ESPN, a decision has already been made regarding Vinny Del Negro’s future with the team. The Bulls front office, however, is waiting to find a replacement to officially make the change. I think it’s fair to say, it’s about time.

Even as he was hired, many analysts criticized Del Negro’s ability to coach at an NBA level. The Bulls, however, lucked into the top spot of the draft and selected Derrick Rose with the first pick. Behind the Rookie of the Year, the Bulls finished 41-41 in Del Negro’s first season at the helm. Unfortunately, many expected more from the team throughout the regular season. Del Negro was able to save some face in the playoffs as the Bulls nearly shocked the Celtics, taking them to 7 games.

2009 has been a disaster for Del Negro. Despite an 11-17 start, the Bulls are still in the playoff race. Del Negro, however, will not be going with the team if they can salvage their season and make the playoffs. While the writing was on the wall for Del Negro weeks ago, the nail in the coffin has to be the infamous “35 point meltdown” game against the Sacramento Kings. While that game exposed Del Negro’s ineptitude as a coach, there have been a number of games this season that exposed Del Negro. A loss to the 1 win Nets with two +30 point loses sandwiched between that game.

As far as potential replacements, the ESPN article mentions some of the available talent on the market…all of which would be a huge upgrade over Del Negro. Remember, this is still a relatively young team. Although their nucleus has been together for some time now, only Kirk Hinrich and John Salmons are over 24 years of age. Hiring a competent coach could allow these young players to reach their potential right now. Under Del Negro, the team has been uninspired at best. Taking care of Derrick Rose is, obviously, the first priority, but this is still a team that can grow together. Perhaps Rose can take them to the next level all alone, but a coach that can inspire Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Loul Deng, and Rose is a coach that has a championship team at his disposal.

We made some changes over the holiday season...

Hey guys, sorry for the delay on getting this one up.

In fact one of our stories became dated due to the Nets winning a game. That said, we hope you enjoy it.

1. Vince Young and the Titans

2. Tiger Woods

3. NFL’s Concussion Problem

4. Yahoo! releases their top-10 sports lists

5. New Jersey Nets 0-18 start

6. Toews, Kane and Keith sign extensions with the Blackhawks

7. Cutler/Urlacher comments

8. Pop Culture notes

We love pizza and sports

Chris Cwik and I completed our second podcast earlier today. Here were the topics we discussed…

1. Lincecum wins NL Cy Young, did voters get it right?

2. Angels have Vlad, Lackey and Figgins hitting FA, tough off-season for LA?

3. Marquette Basketball Season is underway

4. Is Detroit-Cleveland the worst NFL matchup this season?

5. Do the Broncos have a chance to win with Chris Simms?

6. Brandon Jennings

7. Pop Culture notes

Here it is and hope you enjoy it.

MU's Jimmy Butler fighting for a loose ball.

The Marquette Golden Eagles are entering the 2009-2010 basketball campaign projected to finish 12th in the Big East and are going to have to replace one of their best classes in school history of Jerel McNeal, Dominic James and Wesley Matthews. While critics seem to be sour on Marquette, those surrounding the program think they can do better than 12th, based on a strong freshman class, among other things.

That said, I saw the team play for the first time last night and here’s what I took away from the MU-Centenary game.

What I liked:

-Jimmy Butler- played a great all-around game scoring a career-high 27 points and 13 boards. He created his own shot and hustled all-around. He was MU’s best player by far in this game and has matured a ton since his first game last year. He went from a 8th man last year to the #2 guy this year based on situation and his development.

-Jeronne Maymon’s aggressiveness- He got the ball in the post a decent amount of times, and drove a couple other times drawing some fouls. He didn’t finish at the basket the way I would have liked, but he’s a freshman, with time to grow and develop. He played against a much smaller team, but he reminded me of Lazar when he played his rookie season at MU.

-Darius Johnson-Odom- This isn’t based on anything but the eye-test, but he looks like the best newcomer on this team. His shot looks really natural and smooth, he is very fluid on offense and I’m excited to see what he can do when he’s out on the floor. He has been fighting some injuries of late, but looks like he could be a solid player on this team.

-David Cubillian/Mo Acker- These seniors will be running the point for Marquette and both played like veterans. They didn’t make any major mistakes and know Coach Buzz Williams’ offense as well as anyone. They both made good decisions with the basketball and didn’t force the shots they took.

Distribution of the ball- MU moved the ball around a lot and got plenty of good looks as a result. Three players had four or more assists, DJO, Dwight Buycks and Cubillian. This team plays unselfish and with a variety of weapons on offense, they aren’t afraid to get everyone involved.

What I didn’t like:

-Lazar Hayward- In addition to him getting in foul trouble early, which has been a knock on him for a while, he struggled to get any offense going. He missed all three of his 3-pointers and didn’t dominate the way he could have. He is MU’s best player and he needs to find a way to stay on the floor

-Chris Otule- I keep hearing how much he has improved from last year and to be honest, he doesn’t look anything special. Granted it was one game, but his hands didn’t look too good, two turnovers and two fouls in six minutes. He needs to be more aggressive on the boards. I’m not sure what to expect him from, but I’m not expecting him to provide any significant contributions.

-Fouls- Marquette committed 12 team fouls in the first half, and Hayward picked up his 4th with 12 minutes left to go in the game. They were lazy at times and out of position other times, resulting in the volume of fouls called

-Team Defense- Marquette looked poor on defense, especially on rotations and back screens. They allowed too many layups and reached way too much. Buzz has preached about the importance of defense since day 1 and MU still has a bunch to learn before getting to where they need to be.

-Offense vs Zones- MU faced a 3-2 defense and it was tough for them to move the ball around, and when they did it was around the perimeter. They didn’t get much dribble penetration against the zone.

What I do like about the non-conference schedule is that it allows coaches to experiment with different lineups and I’d like to see what Buzz does with a lot of new faces.

They'd look so much better wearing the same uniforms

with a contending team. Chris Sheridan also wrote about it on ESPN.com. The Miami Heat have a lot coming off the salary cap this summer, and will have the room to re-sign Wade to a max contract, and then lure two other star players (Chris Bosh and Lebron James) that will take a non-maxed contract. Those non-maxed contracts will still be expensive, but they will be about $25 million dollars less than that player will get on another team. The Miami Heat can also just re-sign Wade and sign another star player to the max contract, but the dream to Miami Heat fans, like myself, is to arguably put the best combo of three players to ever play on a team on the same floor. If the Miami Heat re-sign Wade, and then convince two other players to take less than the max together, it can be a very tempting offer to players like LeBron and Bosh that want to play in a big city and a contending team.

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James will not only start for the Miami Heat, but they will start for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Throw in Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers, and you have an automatic contending line-up. You add a few solid bench players that won’t mind signing for cheap, and some will argue that the 2010 season will not even have to be played. Who will be Pippen and who will be Michael Jordan? I don’t even know if David Stern will allow this. Is it better for the NBA to have their stars scattered around, or have these three monsters together in one line-up? I know this is just a rumor, but hopefully it will catch some fire and these players will end up wearing the same uniform next year in Miami!

Joe Fulce looks to bring energy to the 2009/2010 Golden Eagles

In the weeks leading up to the first game of the season, most college basketball players and coaches shy away from making predictions or guarantees.

But then there’s Joe Fulce.

Two days before Marquette Madness, Fulce has guaranteed a title: The 2009 Dunk Contest championship.

“The dunk contest will be fun this year because I’m going to win it!” Fulce laughed.  “I’m representing for the lean, long, dunk machines.”

Obviously the season is more important than a dunk contest for the fans, but with his prediction, Fulce is telling everyone that he is healthy for the 2009-10 season.

“I’m in the best shape that I’ve ever been in,” Fulce said.  “I haven’t had any problems or any pain, just rehabbing hard every day.”

Head coach Buzz Williams agrees that Joe has looked strong.  “Six weeks into what we’ve been doing, he’s looked good.  He hasn’t missed a workout, hasn’t missed a sprint.  He’ll be able to help us for sure.”

Fulce has spent a lot of time rehabbing on his own this summer while recovering from knee surgery.  When the rest of the team went home in August, Fulce stayed in Milwaukee.

A lot of credit has to be given to assistant trainer Ernest Eugene, who has worked with Fulce since his surgery.  Williams said that Fulce spends time before and after every workout with Eugene strengthening his knee.

“I had at least three rehab sessions a day that lasted two hours, just getting all the muscles strong around my knee.  I wore compression sleeves all the time, and iced all night.  I came back a lot earlier than expected thanks a lot to Ernest.”

The work has paid off for Fulce, and he feels it after this most recent boot camp.

“After boot camp last year, I couldn’t walk up the stairs because of my knee.  This year, it feels good.  It’s a good feeling.”

Fulce expects to bring a lot of energy to this year’s team.  He has been playing a few different positions during summer workouts, and he feels he’s flexible enough to contribute from several different spots during the regular season.

“Right now, my position is an energy guy,” Fulce stated.  “I want to run my opponent down until he has to sub out.  I really think I can help on the boards and use my length in the passing lane.”

His teammates have also noticed his improvements, including newcomer Darius Johnson-Odom.

“Joe’s been looking real good,” Johnson-Odom said.  “One day in the gym, he did a reverse dunk that was amazing.  Jimmy tried to block his dunk, so he reversed and did the dunk on the other side.”

The wait has for Fulce been a long one, with transfers and injuries limiting him to 11 games a year ago.  This year, Fulce is ready to help the team. Even ready enough to answer the question of team expectations straight.

“We’re going to surprise a lot of people,” Fulce said.  “Predictions are tough, expectations are what they are, but all I can say is, expect the unexpected this year.”

This article can be found at Marquette Hoops and on my site.

Is this considered spontaneous?

I read an article on ESPN.com about the NBA banning tweeting during games. This is part of the new social media guidelines for all players, coaches, and team personnel involved in the game. I can understand this, even though I don’t really see the big deal about a certain player tweeting during halftime about a game situation. I believe it happened last year with Charlie Villanueva, and they got onto him about using twitter during the game. I personally think that it could make the fans feel closer to the players, and create this entire new social media atmosphere that can actually be beneficial to the NBA. However, the rule I have a problem with is not this social media prohibition, but the fact that players on the bench CANNOT stand during games anymore!

Can you believe this? This is a joke, and whoever in the NBA decided to come up with this idea is a clown. OK, there were reports that fans were complaining. Really, did they complain that they couldn’t see? Well, those fans that can afford those seats right behind the bech can definitely afford to change their seats to a few rows back if this standing ordeal is such an issue of obstruction to their viewing. The rule states, players will not be permitted to stand [in front of] the bench at any other time while the ball is in play, including standing for the last minute of a game or standing until the team scores its first point in game.” The exceptions are to “spontaneously” react to a notable play [and] walk to the scorer’s table to enter a game.

Can someone please judge “spontaneously” to me? What is spontaneous to one referee (if the league even settles to get any) can be “unspontaneous” to another referee. On top of the fact that teams have cut payroll and jobs because of our economic times, the league is now threatening teams with fines if they do not comply with this rule. Many people attack professional athletes with the fact that they play for money and not for the game. When you see bench players jumping around and standing until their first points are scored, it shows that they actually care about the game they illustrate the team unity that many younger players show in their respective home leagues.

I already feel horrible for the first player that will get their team fined this season for standing up for a play that is ruled “unspontaneous”.

March 22, 2009 will be a day Lazar Hayward never forgets.

With the Golden Eagles down two points and five seconds left, Hayward committed a crucial turnover. He crossed the end line while looking to inbound the ball, costing Marquette a final shot against Missouri.

The turnover devastated fans and alumni, but it devastated Hayward the most. He had eight months before his next game, and eight months to redeem himself.

March 22, 2009 will be a day I never forget.

It’s not because of the turnover, but because of a play Hayward made late in that game. With two minutes left in the game, Wes Matthews drove hard to the rack and missed a layup. The box score said Hayward recorded an offensive rebound and made the put back.

But he did much more than that.

He wrestled the ball away from the Missouri Tigers, and went up for the layup. As he went up, he took Leo Lyons halfway up the basket with him. Hayward hit the free-throw after to make it a three-point game.

That play meant more than three points in a second-round NCAA tournament game. The play illustrated how far Hayward has come since his first semester at Marquette.

Hayward came in late as a freshman, due to clearinghouse issues. The late arrival cost him, as he only averaged 16.3 minutes per game. The 6’6’’ forward from Buffalo, New York was frustrated with his .208 three-point percentage and his defense.

As a sophomore, Hayward’s father advised him to play like he did as a kid. The younger Hayward took the advice to heart and worked on his game all summer. He nearly doubled his scoring and rebounding averages. His three point percentage increased from .208 to .451. As a sophomore, Hayward earned All-Big East honors.

Going into his junior year, Hayward was still under the radar compared to the Three Amigos. But after he started recording double-doubles on a seemingly nightly basis, team’s were forced to respect Hayward just as much as any member of the Big Three. He finished the season with career high averages in points and rebounds – 16.1 and 8.6, respectively – and joined Marquette’s 1,000-point club.

This year the trio of Matthews, Jerel McNeal and Dominic James are gone, leaving Hayward as the go-to guy. Now he’s the leader, and he’s ready for the responsibility.

The senior says he is “ready for whatever” after his trip to Serbia for the World University Games team. He led the US to a bronze medal, where head coach Bo Ryan didn’t allow him to post-up – emphasizing his perimeter game in the European-style play of the tournament. And his ability to take guys off the dribble will be vital to the success of the Golden Eagles this year.

Hayward showed glimpses of his added explosiveness at the All-Access Media Pass event in August. He took a pass from Jimmy Butler on a three-man weave drill, jumped from 12 feet away, and nearly tore down the rim. We all knew that he improved his vertical all the way up to 37 inches, but it was exciting to see the big slam. All of this came from a guy who could barely dunk as a freshman.

During shoot around, he didn’t miss. He showed his range from 10 to 25 feet away. He brought the ball up in drills, posted up against smaller opponents and passed with great vision.

In a season where it’s all about the new kids, this veteran is truly ready to do whatever it takes to help the Golden Eagles soar.

Now only 53 days remain until Lazar Hayward’s senior season.

Fifty-three days until redemption.

Fifty-three days before Hayward can put his mark on another day of basketball that we’ll never forget.