Ferry's Grade at this time

[KI4MVP]

I bring up the elite teams because you expect us to do more than what they are doing/have done. I keep bringing those up to put things into perspective. It is absurd to expect us to exceed the elites.

You keep missing that this is a building process. The goal for all teams is to be at the right place at the end of 82 games. Forget the Pistons this year as a proven finals team, look at their team two years ago - they won just 54 games then. They built, over the course of the season, to get to where they needed to be come playoff time.

That's what we're trying to do. Our defense is getting much better than it was just a few week ago. Not where it needs to be, but on the right track. This team needs time to let things develop. Fortunately for all of us, Danny Ferry has more patience than posters on these boards.

 

[PIP]

The way I see it is that we are not a better road team from last year. The difference being that we have better pieces. Last season we played the same way with only LeBron and Zydrunas capable of going off and getting us a W. This season we have Hughes, Marshall and Jones capable of lighting it up on top of James's improved game to let us "steal" wins.

I am hoping with time the teams chemistry grows and along with that some consistency. I also hope to see continued development in Coach Brown and see this team making progress with a set system with a roster that won't be changed overly.

This team is just the same as last years in terms of exucution on the road.

On point.... Exactly.

I think it has alot to do with 4 out of the 5 same idividuals in the starting lineup that could not get it done last year is back this year...

Some of these guys are mental midgets on the road *cough DREW cough*

"steal" wins is the perfect way to put it Karma... The fact that we are down between 10-20 in roughly every road game, it is a "steal" to actually come all the way back and win one of those...

 

[PIP]

I bring up the elite teams because you expect us to do more than what they are doing/have done. I keep bringing those up to put things into perspective. It is absurd to expect us to exceed the elites.

You keep missing that this is a building process. The goal for all teams is to be at the right place at the end of 82 games. Forget the Pistons this year as a proven finals team, look at their team two years ago - they won just 54 games then. They built, over the course of the season, to get to where they needed to be come playoff time.

That's what we're trying to do. Our defense is getting much better than it was just a few week ago. Not where it needs to be, but on the right track. This team needs time to let things develop. Fortunately for all of us, Danny Ferry has more patience than posters on these boards.

they won just 54 games then.

"just 54"

The thought is incorrect.. If I am not mistaking, the Pistons won 50 games during the 01-02 and 02-03 seasons... They made it to the second round in 01-02 losing to the Celtics, and made it to the conference finals in 02-03 losing to the Nets... That is when it was built, 01-02 is when they started to take on challanges and started to prove themselves... The next year they took it to the next level.. They won I believe 24 road games in 01-02 that and started to show they were for real by dominanting on the defensive end...

The Cavs are in their infancy in this process.. However, since they are not showing they can compete on the road, they are not proving them selves in the eyes of the experts and the analyist who have played the game and knows what it takes...

If Magic, Charles, Kenny, Scottie, Greg Anthony, and Legler all say the Cavs must win on the road, and up their defense if they want to be consider among the "elite," and that they have yet to show that, that leads me to be inclined to take their opinions and run with em'... They have been there, done that..

 

[KI4MVP]

last year McInnis flamed out, Z hurt his finger - who was the guy, other than LeBron to step up? Drew Gooden.

The pistons' growth didn't start years before, it started the day they hired Larry Brown. He built them from day 1 to be a playoff team. That's what Mike Brown is doing with this bunch. With the weapons we have, he could take shortcuts and get more wins early, but that wouldn't make us as good come playoff time.

We'll beat the Pistons Saturday. That won't stop the complaints, though - people will still call in during the post game show to complain.

 

[Karma]

Can you honestly say that we have performed well on the road, even in the wins. How can anyone see that is has come down to individualism that has stole the wins, not good team play. This is why I compare them with last years squad. Same execution as a team, just now we have the luxury that on occasions individual brilliance will grab us a couple of lucky ones.

 

[PIP]

last year McInnis flamed out, Z hurt his finger - who was the guy, other than LeBron to step up? Drew Gooden.

The pistons' growth didn't start years before, it started the day they hired Larry Brown. He built them from day 1 to be a playoff team. That's what Mike Brown is doing with this bunch. With the weapons we have, he could take shortcuts and get more wins early, but that wouldn't make us as good come playoff time.

We'll beat the Pistons Saturday. That won't stop the complaints, though - people will still call in during the post game show to complain.

You're just seem to be too happy-go-lucky with this team...

But what if the Pistons come into Cleveland and kill us ? That would show the dominance to go on to the floor of a team that is 17-10 and second in the divison ang get a win...
Hell, they won game 7 on the road last year in Miami in the conference finals..

The pistons' growth didn't start years before, it started the day they hired Larry Brown. He built them from day 1 to be a playoff team.

Larry Brown took a team that went to the conference finals the year before, how can you say the team didn't "grow" until he got there... For God Sakes, they were 2 wins away from going to the Finals under Carlisle the year before.. What the hell are you talking about not "GROWING" ? WTF are you talking about, the ground work was in place at least two seasons before Brown got there..

Dude, you're not even making sense anymore with this....We clearly don't watch the same games, and do not see the game the same way... I can't even make sense of some of things you're typing about...

 

[KI4MVP]

first of all, that's the road game we need to target being ready for - game 7 of the 2nd round in Detroit.

Secondly, Larry Brown tore down that Piston's team and rebuilt them. THe same as Mike Brown is doing this year in cleveland. Neither guy took the shortcut of getting extra easy wins at the expense of having things in place come playoff time. We're going to win with defense - the defense is making nice strides.

 

[PIP]

first of all, that's the road game we need to target being ready for - game 7 of the 2nd round in Detroit.

Secondly, Larry Brown tore down that Piston's team and rebuilt them. THe same as Mike Brown is doing this year in cleveland. Neither guy took the shortcut of getting extra easy wins at the expense of having things in place come playoff time. We're going to win with defense - the defense is making nice strides.

Not enough strides to beat a middle of the pack playoff team on the road...

I'm sorry, but if you think Brown built that thing in Detroit, or "tore down" I can't make you see otherwise...

Now, if you want to say Brown took them to a "Championship level," fine, I can accept that...

But it still doesn't change the fact that he was handed the keys to a Championship contender and took over a team that won two conference finals games the year before... You seem to love numbers, so you can't deny those..

 

[highplainsdrifter]

across the nba we are considered a top team in the east. if the nba fans in the know realize that we are formidible, why are so many of us here afraid?

the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Nice post ootbtt....(Man wassup with your name?) I believe FDR said that last line there. So true.

Some fans may get anxious because they expect a lot. Expectation........is a Bitch. What happens when our expectations arent matching up with reality?.........yall can answer that for your self......

The Cavaliers are still a work in progress. I believe in Cavalier Greatness. Right now we are getting better as a team. Lets just focus on making the playoffs with a good seed for now. We have The Chosen One. That by itself is something to be excited about!!!

 

[TJ_4_CV31]

who are we losing to on the road that we should beat on the road? You talk like we're losing to scrubs. Here are the teams we've lost to on the road

Spurs/Memphis/Pacers/Seattle/Clippers/Nets

You forgot the Bucks who also have beaten the Spurs, Pacers, and Nets.

Ferry has done a nice job. I'd give him a B+. If he had gone out and got Sprewell, I'd give him the A. He needs to upgrade Jackson and Pavlovic in a bad way.

 

[KI4MVP]

you're right, I forgot the bucks - we'll even that up on wednesday.

 

[Maximus]

Here's ESPN's grade....got it from another board.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?colu...dan_chris&id=2275193

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (17-10)

Inside the record: Have already had winning streaks of eight and six, but their record against above-.500 teams is only 9-7.

Most telling stat: The team with the league's third-best offense can get it done with defense -- Cavs are 11-1 when holding opponents below 50 points in the second half.

Changes ahead? After making major changes over the summer, the most likely tweak would be a minor deal of guards Luke Jackson and/or Sasha Pavlovic. Never got seriously involved in Artest talks.

The boss says: "Coming into the season we knew it would be a work in progress, and things have overall moved in a positive direction," general manager Danny Ferry told ESPN.com.

Trade asset: Knicks coach Larry Brown would love to acquire Eric Snow, who is owed $21 million over the next three seasons, but Cavs like what Snow brings defensively and leadership-wise.

Grade: B
------------------
The only team that got higher than a B was the pistons.

DETROIT PISTONS (24-3) Grade: A+
NEW JERSEY NETS (16-12) Grade: B
MIAMI HEAT (17-13) Grade: B-
MILWAUKEE BUCKS (15-11) Grade: B
INDIANA PACERS (15-11) Grade: C
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (15-14) Grade: C+
WASHINGTON WIZARDS (12-15) Grade: C-
CHICAGO BULLS (12-16) Grade: C-
ORLANDO MAGIC (11-15) Grade: C-
BOSTON CELTICS (11-16) Grade: C-
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (10-19) Grade: C+
ATLANTA HAWKS (7-20) Grade: D+
NEW YORK KNICKS (7-20) Grade: F
TORONTO RAPTORS (7-22) Grade: D-

 

[KI4MVP]

a "B" seems fair - that's pretty much what I'd give them at this point. They have to continue to improve the defense to bump it up higher.

 

[aaronr]

Major leage thread drift on this one, which started as an evaluation of Ferry's pre-season deals a third of the way into the season and ended as an evaluation of how the team has done overall. I'd give the team as a whole a B grade for it's performance so far, but let's hope that better play from Hughes and Marshall in particular raises that grade as the season progresses.

 

[ootbttnlagitnbasf]

B seems like a pretty good grade for a team that:

has not made the playoffs for several years.

has only won 28 playoff games in its history.

has only won four playoff series in its history.

has never even made it into the nba finals.


let's be realistic.

we have not one a single playoff series in the last ten years. in the last ten years we have played a total of seven playoff games and have won just one playoff game. we are not an elite team.

only one year in our history have we won more playoff games than we have lost. that was 1992 when we won nine games and lost eight games.

before we can become an elite team we need to become one of the sixteen teams that make it into the playoffs, something that we have not done since 1998.

before we become an elite team we need to regularly make the playoffs. it has been ten years since we made the playoffs in consecutive years.

before we become an elite team we need to win playoff series. we have only won four playoff series ever.

we have a star player who has never taken his team to the playoffs.

we are one of the most unsuccessful teams in the nba. we should not even consider ourselves to be a contender for being an elite team until we accomplish something.

not trying to be negative, but there is no reason to be upset over expectations that are unrealistic. let's celebrate success when we have success.