Recent Articles from BleacherReport.com

You can read some of my recent BleacherReport.com articles by clicking on these links:


NBA Trade Rumors: Amar'e Stoudemire to the Cleveland Cavaliers? (Jan. 25)

Changing of the Guard: How Will Cavaliers Offset Loss of Delonte West? (Jan. 22)

The Once and Future King: LeBron James Overpowers Kobe Bryant and the Lakers (Jan. 22)

Mo Williams Out At Least a Month, Testing Cavaliers' Depth and Resolve (Jan. 21)

Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James, Round Two: The Way Things Ought to Be (Jan. 21)

Shaquille O'Neal's Call for NBA Stars to Benefit Haitit Is a Slam Dunk (Jan. 20)

Cleveland Legend Jim Brown to LeBron James: Stay with the Cavaliers (Jan. 19)

LeBron James and the Dunk Contest: Why Give the Haters Something Else to Hate? (Jan. 19)


Hope you enjoy them!

Consistency Is the Key, Reason for Cavs' Top Ranking

LeBron James was blunt and straightforward when asked Thursday night to assess the Cleveland Cavaliers’ performance this year.

Interviewed on Fox Sports Ohio, James said his team's progress was "okay" compared to last year’s edition. He qualified that by saying they had figured some things out since the start of the season.

Austin Carr of Fox Sports interpreted: The Cavaliers have learned to play with Shaquille O’Neal, and it’s starting to show in their teamwork and execution.

James also said the difference between last year’s team and this year’s model is consistency.

He then declared, quite matter-of-factly, that the Cavaliers are still improving.

Or, as Campy Russell of Fox Sports put it: They’re bigger, faster and stronger than a year ago—built to win at home and on the road.

James’ words represented a realistic appraisal by an increasingly savvy veteran. The assessment of Carr and Russell, both former NBA players, provided a seasoned perspective of almost two decades of combined pro basketball experience.

A look at the Cavaliers heading into Thursday’s game supported the views of all three.

Certainly, Cleveland’s season to date compared favorably to those of the two most recent league champions, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Cavs entered Thursday’s action with a 30-10 record. They were 14-3 at home and a solid 16-7 on the road. Interestingly, they had compiled a .750 overall winning percentage while playing only 42.5 percent of their games in their own arena.

The Lakers were a comparable 30-9. But 24 of those games were at home—a whopping 61.5 percent of their schedule. They were a predictable 21-3 in those contests, but only 9-6 in their 15 games away from the Staples Center.

The Celtics, meanwhile, were 27-10 going into Thursday. Similar to Cleveland, most of their first-half schedule—56.8 percent—had been on the road, where they were a superb 16-5. However, they had managed only an 11-5 record at home.

Much has been said this year about the Lakers’ early-season schedule. They played 17 of their first 21 games at home, a key factor in their blazing 18-3 start. Contrast their favorable slate with the more balanced schedules of both the Cavs (10 of 21 at home) and the Celtics (11 of 21 at home) over comparable periods.

The Lakers have come down to earth a bit in the 17 games since then, turning in a more modest 11-6 record over that span.

So where does it leave us? Where just about everyone predicted—with those three teams atop the NBA at the season’s midpoint.

While Bleacher Report’s most recent power rankings left the Lakers in the number one spot, writers at some of the most respected sports sites on the Web saw things through a different lens.

David Del Grande of CBSSports.com, Marc Stein of ESPN.com and Chris Mannix of CNNSI.com all placed Cleveland at the top. So did writers as diverse as Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News and Geoffrey C. Arnold of The Oregonian, illustrating the respect for the Cavaliers’ play from coast to coast.

Regardless, the Celtics and Lakers have made it happen where it matters—on the court—over the past two seasons.

The Cavs are too familiar with being the best on paper, leading the league in that manner from wire to wire a year ago. Their goal is the real thing, an NBA championship.

In the final analysis, power rankings mean little. They’re a best guess of where teams stand at any given time.

However, Cleveland’s performance on the court—both at home and on the road—has placed them squarely in the mix as the second half of the season gets underway.

More Than LeBron James; Cleveland Cavaliers' Depth Puts Them Atop NBA

He may not have his Scottie Pippen-like sidekick, but LeBron James isn’t complaining.

Cleveland’s all-everything superstar picked up his third Eastern Conference Player of the Week award following a stretch that proved the Cavaliers are anything but a one-man show.

Latest exhibit: The emergence of forward Jawad Williams.

The former North Carolina Tar Heel, who grew up in the suburbs of Cleveland, began playing meaningful minutes when Jamario Moon was sidelined with an abdominal strain Jan. 5.

With Moon out three weeks, coach Mike Brown turned to Williams, who has responded by averaging eight points in 17 minutes a game. That’s an upgrade over Moon’s season average of five points a game.

It’s been a pleasant surprise for the Cavaliers, who seem to just keep on getting richer.

Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas have figured out how to make their tag-team arrangement work at center. Their teammates have adjusted to the improbable pairing and have learned how to play to their big men’s strengths.

Delonte West is giving opponents fits off the bench, exhibiting the savvy and resilience of the seasoned pro that he is.

Anderson Varejao, meanwhile, has responded to Brown’s guidance and repented, at least somewhat, of his renowned flopping ways. A recent article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer detailed Varejao’s new approach to defense and how it’s paying off for the Cavs. The 6’11” supersub is having perhaps his most impressive season as a pro.

Then there’s Williams, who came off the bench firing with the confidence of a veteran. He scored 10 points in 17 minutes in a win over Portland on Jan. 10 and followed it the next night with 11 important points in 20 minutes in a close win at Golden State.

Inside the organization, Williams’ success comes as no surprise. In his second season with Cleveland after stints in Spain, Japan, Israel and the NBA D-League, Williams is James’ daily opponent during Cavaliers practices. Going against the NBA’s best, even in a practice setting, has prepared him for the bright lights of game night.

Cleveland’s depth may be the deciding factor if they’re to be successful in their quest for a first-ever NBA crown. Moon is scheduled to return by the end of January, and Leon Powe should be ready shortly after that. Add to them backup guard Daniel Gibson, who is currently the Cavs’ odd man out as Brown juggles the riches that await him on Cleveland’s bench.

Also in their favor: the rages of time that confront their main rivals atop the NBA.

Orlando pinned a lot on the offseason acquisition of 34-year-old Vince Carter, who suffered a shoulder separation on Jan. 8.

Boston’s talent is unquestioned, but so is their collective age. Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, Rasheed Wallace and Paul Pierce are all on the downside of 30, and have battled their share of bumps and bruises in recent years.

At 32, even Kobe Bryant appears suddenly vulnerable, given his recent bout with back spasms. As Kobe goes, so go the Lakers.

Equally revealing is how the four teams have fared in recent weeks. Boston is 6-6 over its last 12 games, including three losses during a four-game West Coast trip.

The Magic and Lakers are just 7-5 over similar spans. The Lakers haven’t had to travel to the opposite coast during that time, and Orlando just won the first of a challenging four-game set out west.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are 10-2 over their last dozen games, including five wins in six games on two separate West Coast swings. Home or away, the team appears to have jelled and is playing its best basketball of the season.

When it comes to age, O’Neal and Ilgauskas may pose a concern, but the fact that they’re splitting time evenly has enabled them both to avoid injury and get ample rest as the playoffs approach.

Injury can befall anyone at any time. James could go down tomorrow just as easily as Garnett, Carter, or Bryant. Things being equal, however, the Cavaliers’ combination of youth and depth gives them a significant edge as February dawns on the NBA’s stretch run.

With Defense Firing On All Cylinders, Cavs' Offense Should Look to Shaq

Once again, talk of the Cleveland Cavaliers is focusing on their defense.

A strong end-game closed out the defending champion Lakers on Christmas, and a few days later the Cavs held Atlanta scoreless for the first nine minutes of the fourth quarter in sealing another road win.

Defense is the name of the game for the Cavaliers, and has been in their five seasons under Mike Brown.

Offense is another story.

Google “Mike Brown offense” and see for yourself. There are mostly blog entries offering scathing indictments of the coach and his decidedly non-creative approach to putting the basket in the ball. There's certainly nothing testifying to his offensive innovations or strategies.

Do the same with Phil Jackson, and you’ll get enough X’s and O’s to start a basketball clinic (along with a hilarious spoof from The Onion about the Zen Master’s “Tetrahedron Offense").

What gives? You’ve got a perennial candidate for the NBA scoring championship in LeBron James. You’ve got three of the top three-point shooters in the game: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson.

You’ve also got Shaquille O’Neal.

Don’t laugh. As Brian Windhorst of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote this week, Shaq is still a force to be reckoned with inside, and the Cavs have yet to figure out how to capitalize.

In a loss to Charlotte on Sunday—their second stumble against the Bobcats this year—Shaq took just five shots, making four on his way to a 10-point night. This while being guarded down the stretch by Boris Diaw—all six-feet, eight-inches of him.

It’s part of a disturbing recent trend that has seen O’Neal taking fewer than 10 shots a game; in many cases, far fewer.

As Windhorst pointed out, the Cavs have been winning, so it’s no big deal in the immediate context. However, their inability to truly integrate Shaq into the offensive flow is indicative of the fact that Brown’s approach to scoring still seems to consist of getting the ball into LeBron’s hands, and little else—and that will hurt them in the long run.

Much has been made of how the Orlando Magic beat Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals last spring. The Cavaliers didn’t have an answer for Dwight Howard. Orlando’s perimeter shooters lit up the Cavs’ small guards. Orlando was simply better all along, said the experts.

But it was also a case of having to finally pay the piper. When your offense revolves so much around one player and his ability to create shots, you’re asking for trouble.

Commentators from Charles Barkley to Mark Jackson to Magic Johnson warned that asking James to carry the team offensively, playoff series after playoff series, was a prescription for disaster. They were right.

As much as the Magic’s offense came to life, the Cavs’ offense went stagnant. The result was another long summer for Cleveland, and another lesson learned.

Or was it? Concern over the way Cleveland frequently closes quarters—with LeBron dribbling, dribbling and dribbling before firing a last-second shot—is nothing new. Yet it still happens with disturbing frequency.

Let Windhorst say it: “LeBron has to be a leader enough to allow the ball to go elsewhere if he doesn’t have the right situation…He’s got to set up teammates more, no matter what the score is. This is something he’s been poor at all season.”

(Windhorst is a refreshing and articulate voice among NBA beat writers. Even though he co-authored a book about James this past year and knows the MVP well, it hasn’t kept him from being honest and objective in his observations about LeBron and the Cavs. He is consistently insightful and a joy to read for any hoops junkie.)

The Cavaliers appeared to grow offensively during their 66-win season a year ago. Much of their improvement was credited to then-assistant coach John Kuester.

With Kuester now steering the Detroit Pistons’ ship, Cleveland’s offense has too often fallen back into old, bad habits—most of them centered around giving the ball to LeBron and waiting to see what happens.

Again, the team has been winning, so it's not as if the sky is falling. However, this team operates best when attacking the basket—pushing the ball up the floor on fast breaks, setting up their perimeter shooters for three-point opportunities, and hurting teams with a relentless effort inside.

The Cavs' expected twosome underneath, O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, has actually become a trio. Anderson Varejao has been a key component in the paint all season and has shown more skill and aptitude around the basket than at any point in his career.

Ilgauskas, who has finally adjusted to coming off the bench, remains one of the best outside shooters among NBA centers.

Neither Varejao or Ilgauskas offer what Shaq does inside, however. O’Neal’s brute strength still poses problems for every center in the league. Howard couldn’t stop him one-on-one earlier this year. Neither could Amare Stoudamire, Andrew Bynum or Pau Gasol, to name just a few.

Mind you, O'Neal isn't complaining. He's been a model citizen for the Cavs. He's playing about 25 minutes a game and has accepted a reduced role, knowing that it will leave him rested for the playoffs.

Cleveland’s offense will continue to revolve around LeBron, but Shaq offers a legitimate option underneath. Brown has four months to figure out how to capitalize on it.

As well as they’ve played, there is still significant room for improvement for the Cavaliers. The thought of James employing his breathtaking athleticism on the offensive end, while simultaneously involving the strengths of O'Neal and the rest of his teammates, is a frightening prospect for the rest of the league.

Recent Articles on BleacherReport.com

Since the Kobe-LeBron / Christmas Day article post in late December, here are some others that I wrote for BleacherReport.com:


December 30: Defense and Depth Are Positioning Cavaliers for a Serious Title Run

January 1: Ohio State's Sustained Excellence Is Underappreciated (a re-post of an article I had originally posted here a year ago)

January 2: The Cleveland Cavaliers, On a Mission, Start 2010 With Most Wins in NBA

January 4: Eric Mangini Does the Impossible; Cleveland Browns Fans, Media Thinking Twice

Hope you enjoy reading them. Remember, you can register at BleacherReport.com for free and then comment on my stories, or others that you read -- or even start writing yourself.

Happy New Year!

What the Kobe-LeBron Matchup Proved on Christmas Day

It was one of the most anticipated matchups of the NBA’s regular season: The Lakers vs. the Cavaliers. Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James.

Surprisingly, it was over almost as soon as it started. Cleveland turned in a dominant performance and won, 102-87. What did we learn?

Whether Kobe is better than LeBron, or vice-versa? No.

Whether the Lakers are better than the Cavs? No.

Whether Shaq has truly made that championship difference for Cleveland? No.

What we learned, plain and simple, is that the game takes place inside the black lines. And the game we saw revealed a Cavaliers team that is a contender, not a pretender.

That’s about it. For Cleveland fans, it was enough.

The Cavaliers were coming off of solid wins at Phoenix and Sacramento. The ability to consistently win on the road is an indication of a quality team, and the Cavs have looked good on their current West Coast swing.

Still, this was different. This was the league’s current marquee team, the defending champions. And the Cavaliers were not intimidated.

It was the classic setup: The Lakers had everything to lose, and the Cavaliers had everything to gain. Gain, they did.

O’Neal played just 22 minutes but was effective during his time on the floor, making his presence known and banging bodies when needed. He had 11 points and 7 rebounds, matching his season averages.

The story for the Cavs was their constant pressure on defense, paired with the sudden resurgence of point guard Mo Williams.

Williams was the key to Cleveland’s victory. His pinpoint shooting kept the Lakers honest on defense, countering the all-eyes-on-LeBron expectations of the media and a national television audience.

It was Williams who led the Cavaliers’ charge, netting 28 points and consistently hitting the big shots that stemmed the tide of Laker momentum. James provided a fairly typical 26 points and 9 assists, choosing to defer to his teammates on offense and take what the Lakers gave him.

Also opening eyes: Jamario Moon, who teamed with Anthony Parker to harass Bryant and keep the Lakers off-balance as much as possible. Moon, who has shown signs of brilliance at times this year, finished with 13 points on the night.

Bryant tallied a game-high 35 points, but his 11-for-32 shooting performance revealed the effectiveness of the Cavs’ defensive approach: Understand that he’ll get his points, just make it as difficult as possible.

The final minutes of the game deteriorated into a series of Laker technical fouls and some petulant fan behavior, as a few of the L.A. faithful resorted to tossing foam finger souvenirs onto the court in protest of the officiating.

It meant little, if anything. The Lakers were frustrated—it was only their fifth loss of the season—and so were their fans. Who could blame them?

What mattered, from Cleveland’s perspective, is that they met the Lakers on their own floor—on national TV, no less—and made a statement. LeBron played as expected. Williams played even better. Moon was a factor, as was super-sub Anderson Varejao.

Meanwhile, Shaq did exactly what he was acquired to do, offering flashes of his old self during limited time on the floor and matching Pau Gasol’s productivity on the night.

It all added up to a big win for Cleveland. They’re on a roll right now, and their Christmas Day victory proved that it’s no fluke.

The Cavs have done this before, however. They’ve played great games in the regular season only to see things dissolve into uninspired performances deep into the playoffs.

Round One went to Cleveland. Certainly, we were reminded that, as good as Bryant and James are, they're only as good as their supporting casts when it comes to title hopes. This time, LeBron's teammates played better.

But it’s a long season. The Lakers know how to make adjustments when necessary. Odds are they’ll still be standing when the NBA Finals begin next summer.

If the Cavs can maintain the level of play they displayed on Christmas, they’ll have a shot at being there, too. Then, and only then, will we find out who the better team is.

Cavs' TV Ratings Surge in Cincy, Recalling When The Royals Reigned in Ohio

The Cleveland Cavaliers not only have The King, they are the kings when it comes to television ratings in Ohio.

The Akron Beacon Journal reported Tuesday that Fox Sports Ohio’s television ratings for Cavaliers games are up 27 percent overall from last year. Particularly encouraging are the numbers in the central and southern parts of the state.

Ratings are up 47 percent in Columbus. Apart from the NHL's Blue Jackets, fans there are frequently divided between Cleveland and Cincinnati when it comes to following pro sports—Browns vs. Bengals, Reds vs. Indians. But there’s no competition when it comes to the NBA. LeBron and the Cavaliers are the only game in town.

Now the Cavs' popularity is increasing in Cincinnati, too. Ratings there have jumped a whopping 93 percent this year, as the addition of Shaquille O’Neal has apparently improved the Cavaliers marquee value in the southernmost part of the state. That's no small feat, considering that Cincinnati is actually closer geographically to Indianapolis, home of the Indiana Pacers.

It's ironic because there was a time when Cincinnati was Ohio’s only pro basketball home, and the eyes of Cleveland turned there for a hoops fix. From 1957 to 1972, the Cincinnati Royals represented much of the Midwest as they matured along with the growing, but struggling National Basketball Association.

The Royals arrived in Cincinnati after nine seasons in Rochester, N.Y., where they won an NBA championship and reached the playoffs seven times. They would make the playoffs on seven more occasions during their 14-year run on the shores of the Ohio River, and during that time feature a few of the game’s most legendary names on their roster.

As a boy growing up in Northern Ohio, I was loyal to the Browns and Indians. But I quickly realized that, when it came to the NBA, the Royals were the team I would love. In the '60s they had the coolest uniforms, with the name “Royals” appearing vertically down the side of their jerseys. And they had one of the game’s greatest players, Oscar Robertson.

Robertson dominated the guard position from the time he arrived as a rookie out of the University of Cincinnati. The transition to the pro game was child’s play for the Big O, who averaged 30.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists a game his first year.

The following season, 1961-62, he established a statistical standard that remains unmatched, averaging a triple-double by tallying 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 points a game. It was an astonishing feat, second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s dizzying statistics during the same era.

Robertson would win an MVP award in 1964, after he was teamed with former Ohio State standout Jerry Lucas (both pictured above) to make the Royals a formidable championship contender. However, the franchise suffered from dubious ownership throughout their stay in Cincinnati making it difficult for the team to fulfill its budding potential.

I was a tad young to appreciate the Royals’ earliest years in the city when stars such as Jack Twyman, Maurice Stokes, and Wayne Embry patrolled the hardwood. As my childhood interest peaked, my loyalties were with players such Tom Van Arsdale, Norm Van Lier, Johnny Green, and Connie Dierking.

By the late 1960s, the Royals played occasional "home" games in other Midwestern cities, including about 10 a year in Cleveland. This practice, intended to build a broader fan base, also drew attention to Cleveland as a desirable location for an NBA franchise.

The Cavaliers entered the league in 1970 and gradually won the hearts of fans in Northern Ohio. Despite the hiring of the legendary Bob Cousy as coach in 1969, the Royals could not maintain enough fan support over the next three seasons. They moved in 1972 and became the Kansas City-Omaha Kings.

The pro basketball landscape was changing. When the Royals first set up shop in Cincinnati, the NBA was an eight-team operation. Like other pro leagues at the time, it was based in the eastern United States. Minneapolis and St. Louis were the farthest points west.

It was a simpler time, before multimillion-dollar player contracts and mega-deals for television rights. There was no ESPN or TNT, and there were no regional cable networks beaming every game, home and away, into our living rooms as they do today.

One "game of the week" appeared on network television. (You can see vintage footage on YouTube.) I would sit eagerly in front of our Zenith black-and-white set, watching Robertson, Russell, Chamberlain, West, and the other stars of that era as they literally built the foundation for the NBA we know today.

As a Royals fan in the '60s, I was lucky to catch a scratchy broadcast on the AM radio in our kitchen. Most often, I had to wait until I arrived home from school the next day to find the box score in the newspaper and learn whether the Royals had won or lost.

Game after game, Robertson's stat line would jump out at you, with 30 even 40 points to his credit. I could just imagine the Big O posting up smaller players, zipping pinpoint passes to open teammates, or launching his trademark one-handed shot to the basket.

Stars burned just as brightly in young boy's imaginations back then as they do now, on the big stage of nightly television broadcasts and multimillion-dollar commercials.

Things are drastically different today. Money, marketing, and marquee names drive the NBA. Perennial playoff teams like the Cavaliers are not only fixtures in their local market, they're frequently featured on national broadcasts, as well.

The addition of O'Neal to Cleveland's roster has caused even more Cavaliers merchandise to fly off the shelves. Home games routinely sell out at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Royals/Kings have long since moved to Sacramento, where they’ve toiled in an odd sort of West Coast obscurity for most of their 25 seasons, despite a run of eight straight playoff appearances and a trip to the Western Conference Finals in 2002.

But there was a time when the kings of Ohio basketball operated out of the Queen City. The Royals of Cincinnati were my first NBA love and still hold a special place in the hearts of die-hard hoops fans throughout the Midwest.

(This article also appears on BleacherReport.com.)