Chris Parker/Cleveland Scene answers your questions

[buzzdog]

Another enjoyable article Chris. One question; was that a drunk tweet about the NEOMG? You do realize you're jeopardizing your invitation to the 5 year NEOMG reunion, don't you?









amirite?

 

[Helium filament]

I sympathize with lebron on this. It's hard when you're in the thick of the fight to consciously shift your style, without falling into the trap of overthinking. The truth is that we *do* need him to take over at times (and in previous years, when he was younger and springier, his teams needed this even more, so it became a habit). Even in 4th quarter of this game, you'll notice that with Lebron on the bench our lead dropped from 18 to 11 in less than 90 seconds of game time. Then when he came in he quickly stabilized things by scoring 6 quick points. It was only then that the offense started to disappear down the ISO black hole. Then at the end he was the guy who scored to ice it. It must be hard to switch gears on the fly between those positive stretchs of Lebron dominance and then the point where it becomes counterproductive.

Right, and I'm glad we have LBJ as a guy who likes to take control (as opposed to the clippers where Griffin and others looked terrified to take a shot). I just wish he had waited til later in the quarter before he started over dribbling and waiting so long to drive that he couldn't pass. Take the good with the bad and of course I'm happy we have LBJ on our team lol. A timeout a little earlier would have helped a lot, since they came out of the timeout and ran a great play (through LeBron). I think a lot of that falls to Blatt to call a timely timeout because it's probably hard for LeBron to realize what he's doing in the moment when he was clearly exhausted. Blatt has continued to improve with his timeout usage though, so I'm not too concerned about that.

 

[Chris Parker]

Doesn't this mean the Hawks played actually better defense?

Love having bright ball fans to converse with....


Indeed both teams missed a lot of uncontested shots - however as someone pointed out, those Hawks open shots were often jumpers. but rather than just give you a mealy mouthed self-supporting answer I decided to look

here are the shooting stats for both teams last night

as you can see Cavs didn't defend the rim real well allowing 70+% while only shooting 59% themselves --a credit to the Hawks D.

However the Cavs shot 11-31 on shots 20'+ while Hawks shot 6-26. Hawks supposed to be good 3 pt shooting team/distance shooting team. Cavs didn't allow that by forcing Teague (4-12 2nd half) (and Shroeder) to beat them not his buddies.

Since we're talking about it, look for more Horford gm 2. Had 16pts 8-12 but only 6 in 2nd half. (Milsap was 0-6 in 2nd half, tho' made 7 FTs)

Cavs D took those guys out and it made things Very Tough for Hawks.

Difficult thing about an "any one can beat you/find the open man" is that come playoffs, not everyone can beat you. Note tha S.A. had 3 HoF players. How many you think Hawks have? S.A. 2.0? I don't think so.

 

[Hydroponic3385]

And once again, Chris Parker is the man. Your articles, tweets and RCF posts are always top notch. But I'm gonna go ahead and be greedy - I'm really starting to wish you also had your own radio show as well. Feel free to replace anyone on 92.3 (except I like Ken Carman), and anyone on ESPN Cleveland.

 

[Chris Parker]

And once again, Chris Parker is the man. Your articles, tweets and RCF posts are always top notch. But I'm gonna go ahead and be greedy - I'm really starting to wish you also had your own radio show as well. Feel free to replace anyone on 92.3 (except I like Ken Carman), and anyone on ESPN Cleveland.

You guys and your appreciation makes this really worthwhile. To think, I might never have found you guys if Chris Fedor wasn't being a dick to me. That said, Chris Fedor is the only beat guy who didn't (seem to) take umbrage at my beef. He still says hello and acts cordial which is more than can be said for some of other beat reporters.

Wanted to respond specifically though and note that in the last couple months I have added a couple radio appearance gigs to my resume.

those wanting to hear me can find me on WRUW 91.1 - Michael James' Defend Cleveland show on Mondays at 10:45 am.

More thanks goes to Tony Mazur who hooked me up with Ray Horton, at WAKR 1500 AM. I can't say I listen to a lot of radio guys but I did used to work in radio years and years ago. Horton is a real pro, and I am greatly gratified to work with him. Better questions than the beat squad usually musters. (You know who you are.) I'm not on there as regular, but every week so far, tuesdays or thursdays up to now, but I will make a point to post when I'll be on Ray's show. James' Defend Cleveland is every Monday.

Would love for you to listen in.

 

[shoes22]

Feel free to replace anyone on 92.3 (except I like Ken Carman), and anyone on ESPN Cleveland.

I enjoy listening to Baskin & Phelps's lunchtime show from time to time. Phelps is a true professional. I also like Bull & Fox when Anthony Lima fills in for Bull...only because it's just pure mindless fun.

But yes, the more exposure Parker gets the better. He certainly fills a niche not being filled by any current sportswriters/talkers.

 

[supermario21]

That's a great stat. And I bet our percentage at the rim was a lot higher until LeBron just ran at the hoop into 3 guys for 5 straight minutes...

Likewise, we were letting the guards get to the rim at will and we changed that in the 2nd half.

 

[Lee]

What I think is wrong with Parker's article is he never takes a strong stand on anything.


PS, great article and thank you for saying something I have been screaming for a long time. How is Blatt not getting any credit at all?

 

[natedagg]

@Chris Parker
Let me first say that once again, you have provided an excellent article. My only constructive criticism needs a preface: I don't listen to the media at large nor read the major publications.

Criticism: Now it might just be me, but I don't see why you would waste keystrokes bringing up other reporters at all. I liken it to feeding the trolls, but mostly, I just think it waters down your insights about the game: I absolutely LOVE your screen grabs and explanations, and you always take the game's inner-battles a step further than I am able to. It really is quality basketball insight, but never too deep that one gets bored, probably because your writing style is so witty. So if I am you, I just let the other guys say what they will (yet, another RCFer was so happy that you called them out, so maybe it is important?). I just love when you get into the nuts & bolts of the game breakdown. Also, for this article, I thought a title like "JR goes off, the Cavs' defense stays on" would be much more fitting as a theme. Consequently, going with the media-based title and intro, your conclusion was but 1 sentence to come back to your headline - like the "wrap up" part suffered, IMO.

Look, I am not a writer, nor do I know whether or not you care for the constructive bits (so let me know - I am perfectly happy to talk basketball instead), and I certainly am not telling you how to do your job. I only wrote it to help and hear your thoughts back. Overall, you did and continue to do a smash up job, so keep up the great work and I am truly excited to see your career take off.

In fact, after thinking about it, this will probably be the last "constructive criticism" that I'll post. We'll see your response, but from here on out, I'll just PM. I think it takes away from how well you did, but I'll just post it this once to see what everyone thinks...

 

[Chris Parker]

That's a great stat. And I bet our percentage at the rim was a lot higher until LeBron just ran at the hoop into 3 guys for 5 straight minutes...

Likewise, we were letting the guards get to the rim at will and we changed that in the 2nd half.

both good and spot on comments

 

[Chris Parker]

@Chris Parker
Let me first say that once again, you have provided an excellent article. My only constructive criticism needs a preface: I don't listen to the media at large nor read the major publications.

Criticism: Now it might just be me, but I don't see why you would waste keystrokes bringing up other reporters at all. I liken it to feeding the trolls, but mostly, I just think it waters down your insights about the game: I absolutely LOVE your screen grabs and explanations, and you always take the game's inner-battles a step further than I am able to. It really is quality basketball insight, but never too deep that one gets bored, probably because your writing style is so witty. So if I am you, I just let the other guys say what they will (yet, another RCFer was so happy that you called them out, so maybe it is important?). I just love when you get into the nuts & bolts of the game breakdown. Also, for this article, I thought a title like "JR goes off, the Cavs' defense stays on" would be much more fitting as a theme. Consequently, going with the media-based title and intro, your conclusion was but 1 sentence to come back to your headline - like the "wrap up" part suffered, IMO.

Look, I am not a writer, nor do I know whether or not you care for the constructive bits (so let me know - I am perfectly happy to talk basketball instead), and I certainly am not telling you how to do your job. I only wrote it to help and hear your thoughts back. Overall, you did and continue to do a smash up job, so keep up the great work and I am truly excited to see your career take off.

In fact, after thinking about it, this will probably be the last "constructive criticism" that I'll post. We'll see your response, but from here on out, I'll just PM. I think it takes away from how well you did, but I'll just post it this once to see what everyone thinks...

I'm a huge simpsons fan and my favorite line in all of the world was when Homer uttered this piece of unimpeachable wisdom: "Sometimes the only way to feel better about yourself is to make someone else feel worse and I'm tired of making other people feel better."

similarly, I am reminded of Bart said to Chief Clancy Wiggum (when Sideshow Bob married & tried to kill Selma):
"I don't want to tell you how to do your job, chief" and Wiggum replied "How am I supposed to learn?"

The fact that the current beats are so immune to suggestion or criticism and feedback is a sign to me.

I appreciate your point and will try to take it to heart. However in this particular instance I simply felt this couldn't go on in good faith. I didn't call him out in "print" or even on "twitter" after Dave McMenamin called me out in person for not putting his twitter in the comment when I called out his stupid question. ("Does having Kevin Love there at the game have some intangible effect" It's the playoffs for crissakes, and if it did I'd be tremendously worried. What else has an intangible effect? did LeBron's kids sass him that morning? etc.)

But honestly, I don't know how Jason Lloyd gets away with running a story on how shitty the coach is after what we witnessed with Mike Brown & Byron Scott (who I understand are much nice, less "arrogant" people if significantly challenged by the moniker "good coach"). To go to one of the least savvy basketball minds in the game for his hit-piece -- on the eve of the first game?? -- Isaih Thomas, well, I guess you could say I was personally offended in the way I am sort of personally offended by shitty questions. Listen I have an advantage on these guys because I've interviewed 1500 or so musicians in the last decade or so. I know what a good question is through trial and error. But it's personally uncomfortable listening to these guys ask a question it sounds like they came up with 30 seconds ago.

to ask a good questions you really need to consider what the possible responses are. this is common sense but all the time there are lame questions, with tepid responses becuase they didn't ask anything that could be answered with anything substantive. Hell, I'm still trying to improve the phrasing so I can better pin people into answering. the impressions I get -- and hopefully I'm wrong -- is that these guys aren't looking over their shoulder in the least, and it's resulted in some pretty shitty sports coverage -- something I thought last year when I was sitting where you are.

then there's the fact that I believe basketball is an interesting sport without a lot of TMZ-SPN type of coverage. And to what end? None of these anti-Blatt stories had any substantive center. They're all inuendo and parsing of comments and slant. If you have to do that much work to paint a guy into the corner, how about you put that effort into actually covering the sport.

So as you can see, this is something about which I feel something. From writing about music so long I've concluded that if you aren't doing what's in yr heart then you're kind of a hack. That's only me, others may feel pride in what they do, but for me, if I'm not feeling it I shouldn't be doing it. As I've said before this gives me a lot more leeway than most of my peers who are worried if they say something bad about NEOMG or ESPN their career will be screwed. I am a writer not a sports reporter so there is very little chance that the animosity I assume Brian Windhorst feels toward me having any impact on my life choices in the least. Not everyone has that luxury which is probably why Cavs coverage looks like a bunch of dogs smelling each other's ass.

that said, I really agree with you. I'd SO MUCH rather just write about Xs & Os. I played some hoops in H.S. but I can learn/know so much more, so I feel like explaining what I see and talking to Campy and Chonesy and anyone else willing/able to provide some insight into this incredibly complex game , so I might understand it more and help others enjoy it how I do -- as this rare sport that's very complex and yet very simple and which more than anything I can think of outside crew -- relies on people working in concert as a team. (Football with its prescribed roles and hierarchy feels more like an oligarchy than basketball's democracy where everyone is expected to do a little of everything to some extent)

However all this other noise intrudes on this conversation, indeed threatens to drown it out to my thinking (I'm probably wrong, but that's how it feels when they slash Blatt but fail to write anything about game strategy. I'm like how does that work? Does Blatt only call timeouts??Because judging from the coverage, that's what you'd think. Obviously LeBron calls the plays and probaby draws up the gameplan too [facepalm]

Know that I could make more money doing what I have been doing and can only do what I'm doing because my wife has a good job and understands my needs & desires. I love stories, and LeBron's return is the best sports story to my mind since the Red Sox ended their 86 yr drought. I wanted to cover this story and everything else has flowed out of that.

I have gone on pretty long and if you got this far you are to be commended. but like music I feel there is something every important in why you do things, it is the essence of the intent that often determines the outcome. It is a lot of why I've gone at it the way I have, and why I've approached it like this. If the sports beats were more on the level of a Chicago or Boston or New York, I probably wouldn't write about stupid shit like the Thomas article at all because such shit wouldn't exist and I could concentrate on filling my niche.

But I respect the sport and writing and just feel if you like what you do you should demonstrate that by giving back. When you can't and you just become a bitter hack maybe it's time for a look in the mirror and a break. Of course that won't happen so we'll probably always have a need for a gadfly like me.

oh ,and by the way, in case you didn't know, the other beat writers are aware of this site, but apparently are above it. I don't know, maybe they feel they know more than you. (And they complain blatt "thinks he's the smartest guy in the room." you'd think they'd digest that lesson on humility but ....)

So yes, jason Lloyd if you are reading this and you didn't get from my article that I thought your piece on Thomas was a huge ugly dump on Blatt and the team itself, now you know, and you know that even if you refuse to talk to me and badmouth to the other beats, I'm not going to suddenly be cowed and back off. I don't expect you to care, but just know I don't either and though you're one of the finest beat writers I will not shy from telling you when I believe your full of shit. As the Dude says, "its just like my opinion, man."

So yeah, thanks so much for the comments about my breakdowns. Sometimes I write pieces after watching the game over, sometimes like today, I know what I want to say and then bring out the other stuff. But know that after spending a couple hours on the prose I go and do the analysis. I couldn't get my slingbox to work so I had to work with different video sources which was more difficult and confused things. But i felt I owed it to you guys to offer what breakdowns I could. I promise they'll be better when I'm in Ohio and the internet lag handling streaming video coming from my home DVR isn't so egregious.

I feel we have a pact. you support me and I try to give you something you won't get otherwise. I LOVE this deal. I hope I can keep you feeling the same way.

 

[mrbeaks]

Great article. Regarding LeBron's iso epiphany, I feel like this isn't the first time he's been critical of his tendency to dominate the ball late in the games (obviously, you'd know, Chris). But in this instance, I actually thought it was the intelligent thing to do: run some clock, limit the Hawks' possessions and abuse Millsap on defense. He just didn't get any calls when he got in the paint - and once he realized the officials weren't going to blow the whistle, he should've abandoned the strategy. But when LeBron falls into the iso rut, it seems he rarely snaps out of it.

It'll be interesting to see what happens next game when, presumably, the Hawks shoot better than 4-23 from long distance, and JR doesn't set a Cavs postseason record for three-point shooting. With Carroll likely out, the temptation will be there for LeBron to go at Bazemore or Millsap every time down the court. I think I'm most curious to see how the Hawks adjust.

 

[Hydroponic3385]

We already liked your work before you got here, but I hope your article hits have gone up since you've joined RCF!

 

[natedagg]

^That was beautiful.

It sounds like you are taking other writers' lack of substance as a personal matter. I have always felt that bad people win when good people get poisoned by them. Obviously I don't have a clue as to the details, so I am not suggesting anything other than to be careful you don't get dragged down. Your essence shines brightest when it focuses on basketball not other terrible reporting, IMO. I think the fans will be best served to come to their own conclusions "wow, that CP dude is killing it, I'll read him over this other stuff" versus "gosh I have now been told that these other guys suck and he's right." That's just the way I see it: the cream will rise to the top, and you sir, are Kerrygold Grass Fed Cows' butter. Keep up the good work!

 

[LeShaq]

Great piece, Chris. Thanks a lot for writing it and getting much more to the core of what real Cavs fans care about.

Unlike some of those writing in Akron and Cleveland, we care about the team's success and support our guys. We're not interested in settling personal grievances through our game write ups, an exercise which clearly both demonstrates the immaturity of the writer and which deprives the reader/fan of what they are looking for in such a piece.

I am thrilled you called out Jason Lloyd. Until this season, I considered Lloyd one of the best Cavs resources that there was. Now I look at him with pity and contempt. Except that, well, I don't really "look at him" anymore because I will not click on his columns again after his transparent, dead-ender vendetta against Blatt began.

Note to Jason Lloyd: No one gives a flying f*ck about you or your vendetta against our coach. Grow up, do your job and try to be a professional. Just as fans don't read articles to hear what a reporter thinks about the press' buffet spread, we don't read or listen to have you go on irrational, personal witch-hunts against a coach who is in the midst of a playoff run that could take us to the Finals.

There are posters on here who can and do blow away many media members who cover the Cavs. It's not even close. In statistics and in understanding strategy.

As you said, Chris, it's ironic (or telling) that the too-good-for-RCF media members suddenly don't like it when the Princeton grad puts them in their place.

Until about two weeks ago, I don't think I ever swore on this site. But this media berserker rage against Blatt has brought out the anger in the fans, including me. As has the criticism of the team and its coaching by some Cavs fans.

Glad we have someone like yourself to give a true voice to the fans. Also on that score, Sam The Bullshit Whisperer did a great job the other day of defending Blatt as well against the media scrum. Credit where it's due.

You and The Bullshit Whisperer presently have the real pulse of the Cleveland fan. And as such, you will be receiving my hits and clicks while others such as Lloyd will be willingly denied the same.