Now What?

It’s been more than three months since we’ve updated this site. And for that, I sincerely apologize to the handful of loyal readers we have. But honestly, there hasn’t been much to talk about lately. And the only thing Cleveland sports related anyone seems to want to chat about is a guy who doesn’t even play in this city anymore.

Anytime “he” speaks/tweets about the city of Cleveland, it’s going to create some sort of reaction from Cleveland sports fans. In the WWL’s latest over-coverage of the Miami Heat, he said Clevelanders need to “get over it” and move on. And for the most part, I think they have. But that doesn’t mean everything is peachy with him and this city, and quite frankly, it never will be. Like I said years ago on this blog, anytime a major star has left this city (see: Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez) they were disliked by this city. In the case of Thome and Man Ram, they will eventually be welcomed back with open arms once their careers are finished, mainly because they didn’t create a national spectacle of their departures and make the city of Cleveland look like a bunch of idiots.  “He” will never be welcomed back in this city because of the way he left.

Had he just held a press conference at The Q and thanked the city of Cleveland and its fans for its support over the past seven years and said he thought his time in Cleveland had run its course and he couldn’t take this team to a title, he might be able to come back here one day. While Cleveland fans would’ve obviously been heartbroken to see one of the best talents in NBA history leave their city without a championship, I think they would have respected the way he left and the way he seemed to appreciate how much Cleveland appreciated him over the past few years and how much he meant to the city and its people. But in a matter of moments on July 8, 2010, that all changed and “He” became a modern day Art Modell. Possibly even more hated than Art Modell, if you can believe that.

Honestly, I think Cleveland fans are ready to move on at this point and begin to see how Dan Gilbert is going to make due on his promise and turn the Cleveland Cavaliers back into a contender. Lost in all of the madness this summer are the players that stayed in Cleveland. The Cavs have a solid core of young up-and-comers in JJ Hickson, Jawad Williams and Ramon Sessions, while Mo Williams, Andy Varejao and Antwan Jamison provide plenty of veteran leadership. All in all, it’s not a bad nucleus to build around. Granted, we’re not going to see the level of play we’ve been accustomed to over the past few seasons with this current group of people, but I really think Gilbert will make due on his promise. This team could be a star player or two away from being back to winning around 60 games per-season. Easier said than done, but if Gilbert has showed us anything since he’s arrived in Cleveland, it is that he is willing to spend. It’s obviously not going to happen over night, but Gilbert is the only owner in this city who seemed to have any sense of how to build a contender and a winning atmosphere, so he has my trust. I just wish he’d buy the other two teams in this city.

So all in all, keep your heads up. We’ll live. 

Gone.

Done.

Well, there you have it. I’m somewhat at a loss for words after tonight, even though the Cavs were never really in the game down the stretch.

It seemed as if the tides may change after a pair of LBJ pull-up makes from beyond the arc, but too many turnovers and a lack of efficiency on the offensive end, coupled with in inability to guard Rondo proved to be the difference in the Cavs’ continuing their season tonight.

I don’t know where this leaves the Wine and Gold at this point. I’ve thought all along that LBJ would resign this summer regardless of the outcome, but I can’t say I blame him for leaving because this cast of players just simply is not going to get it done in a seven game series versus a team like Boston (or even a team like Orlando). I know it’s frustrating for Cleveland fans to watch, so I know it has to be even more frustrating for LBJ knowing that he can do everything in his power to try to win, but in the end, you need more than just one player to get it done, and the Boston Celtics proved that time and time again in this series. So, if tonight was LBJ’s last game in a Cavaliers uniform, it’s been a heck of a ride for seven years and it’s hard to be pissed at him for wanting to move on. If he chooses to stay, many things need to change. And you know where I’m going with this.

I’ll be the first one to say I hate my friends who try coach this team (and I hate it when I catch myself doing it…like I’m about to) but I think we can all agree that Mike Brown was undoubtedly out-coached by Doc Rivers in this series. There’s no doubt about it. I would love to listen to Coach Brown’s logic on putting Shaq on Kevin Garnett to start this game. And saying that Antawn Jamison couldn’t guard KG in the post isn’t an excuse, because Jamison’s offensive performance throughout this series hasn’t warranted him playing time, thus, there’s no reason Anderson Varejao should be sitting on the bench when he’s proven he is perfectly capable of guarding KG, all while providing comparable offense. But it’s more than just that. Most coaches would thrive on coaching a player like LBJ. Mike Brown seems scared, and he probably should be after this series, because I can’t see a reason to bring him back if LBJ is gone. And if LBJ does leave, Brown’s true colors will show as a mediocre head coach. Watching Doc Rivers coach the Celtics throughout this series made me jealous. Jealous that Boston has an intense coach who gets after his players for all 48 minutes and who has a game plan for each player throughout the course of the game, while Brown can’t seem to figure out a way to guard guys like Tony Allen and Rasheed Wallace. Bottom line: Mike Brown was out-coached in this series and it was apparent.

As I knew the game was out of hand and the season was probably over down the stretch, I began to think that this could be the last time in my lifetime a Cleveland sports team will have a legitimate chance at winning a title. How sad is that? And by the way, thank you ESPN for showing the hardships of Cleveland sports about 20 times today. We get it and thank you for beating a dead horse, because everyone already knows that our city fucking blows, and will continue to do so when LBJ leaves here, because your scientific poll of honks says so.

That is all. And this is probably the last time I’ll post on this blog, so it’s been real.