January 17th, 2006
Hey Everyone!
Greetings from the Cavaliers' longest road jaunt of the season, which began with plenty of fanfare in Los Angeles last Thursday...Cavaliers versus the Lakers, oh no, wait a moment here.....how silly of me! No, this one was simply LeBron vs. Kobe, according to all the locals in LA. And, oh baby...did the media jump all over it as well!
Actually, it turned into some fun for me, as I tuned in to a couple sports talk radio shows that featured their programming around the question to Los Angelinos...'Would you trade Kobe for LeBron straight up, right now?'
I stayed with them for close to two hours, and you might be surprised to hear the predominantly pro-Laker crowd proclaimed in overwhelming fashion they would do the deal 'yesterday'! Twenty one callers over the two-hour period went 16-5 to go get LeBron right away. Most cited the 7-year age difference as the deciding factor for their preference.
It was easily detectable that animosity toward Bryant has begun to set in with Laker fans. Many are beginning to see him as a selfish volume shot taker who ran Shaq out of town, which started the demise of the Laker franchise. While he doesn't seem to be interested in displaying the necessities to always make his teammates better, he is one of the finest 'clutch' shot makers the NBA offers. All the conversation sure made the day in LA most intriguing! And, by the way Laker fans, save your quarter for the call to Danny Ferry....not interested!
The night at Staples Center was terrific for 'celeb' watching, too! The obligatory crew headed by Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Penny Marshall, Jamie Foxx, Chris Rock, etc. rolled in. Yet, the largest response went to USC Trojans' QB Matt Leinhart, who wore his Lakers' gear and signed autographs for the adoring public. Hey, in LA, you must arrive late and leave early, yet the crowd just adored Leinhart, even after the stunning loss to Vince Young and Texas the week before that cost the Trojans their third straight national championship. He visited the Cavaliers' locker room...wanted to check out LeBron, of course, and even chatted up Zydrunas as well. Quite a day and night with the Wine and Gold in La-La land!
How about Lakers' coach Phil Jackson pulling out his 'gamesmanship' routine on the Cavaliers during the second half? Here's what went down: Injured Cavaliers' guard Larry Hughes came out to the bench in the first half with a sweater on. Not good enough for the 'Zen Master'...oh no, he sent word to the Cavaliers that Hughes was in violation of the league's dress code that requires a jacket to be worn by players not in uniform. Larry retreated to the locker room and complied. I think Coach Jackson was looking to reach some of his own players who have rebelled against the league imposed clothing demands. The Cavaliers laughed it off, and chalked it up to Phil looking to gain some competitive advantage.
I'm really looking forward to seeing 'Glory Road,' the highly-acclaimed movie documenting the strong run of the Texas Western Miners to the collegiate national championship in 1966. I checked out a sneak preview in LA, and highly recommend the presentation, not just for basketball fans, but more importantly, for all of us to gain a far greater understanding of the social impact it merits. The depiction of Don Haskins and his African-American basketball team defeating Adolph Rupp and the all-white Kentucky Wildcats provided as poignant a moment that sports could ever muster. Hopefully, it will help stimulate discussion that places the event on the level of Jackie Robinson's breaking the sports' color barrier in the 40s. Give me your thoughts after you check it out.
Can the Cavaliers fight their way through the injuries that have now claimed two members of the starting five? Fortunately, Drew Gooden won't be sidelined as long as Larry Hughes, yet the Cavaliers' depth will be tested. On the positive side, we all will get a better handle on how players such as Luke Jackson, Sasha Pavlovic, and Anderson Varejao will adapt to the increased workload. You have to find out about young players.
Can you count on them to be contributors off the bench? What facets of the game will they specialize in? And, maybe most importantly, can the youngsters be 'trusted' during the guts of the game? Most every young player not named LeBron James, or Dwyane Wade, or Carmelo Anthony, goes through the same thing...earning the confidence and trust of their head coach. It probably is the largest obstacle a young player in the NBA must overcome. Let's see how it plays out with the Cavaliers' kiddie corp. Stay tuned!
As the trip ends over this weekend, I'll get into something many of you have asked me about. That is, my play-by-play 'style' while calling Cavaliers' games. I truly appreciate all of your comments and interest in all that we do. Enjoy the 'second half' of the trek west, check us out on the Cavaliers Television Network from here in Denver, versus Golden State, and the trip finale in Utah this Saturday night. I'll be looking for you guys!
My Cavaliers Best!
Michael
cavs.com
Hey Everyone!
Greetings from the Cavaliers' longest road jaunt of the season, which began with plenty of fanfare in Los Angeles last Thursday...Cavaliers versus the Lakers, oh no, wait a moment here.....how silly of me! No, this one was simply LeBron vs. Kobe, according to all the locals in LA. And, oh baby...did the media jump all over it as well!
Actually, it turned into some fun for me, as I tuned in to a couple sports talk radio shows that featured their programming around the question to Los Angelinos...'Would you trade Kobe for LeBron straight up, right now?'
I stayed with them for close to two hours, and you might be surprised to hear the predominantly pro-Laker crowd proclaimed in overwhelming fashion they would do the deal 'yesterday'! Twenty one callers over the two-hour period went 16-5 to go get LeBron right away. Most cited the 7-year age difference as the deciding factor for their preference.
It was easily detectable that animosity toward Bryant has begun to set in with Laker fans. Many are beginning to see him as a selfish volume shot taker who ran Shaq out of town, which started the demise of the Laker franchise. While he doesn't seem to be interested in displaying the necessities to always make his teammates better, he is one of the finest 'clutch' shot makers the NBA offers. All the conversation sure made the day in LA most intriguing! And, by the way Laker fans, save your quarter for the call to Danny Ferry....not interested!
The night at Staples Center was terrific for 'celeb' watching, too! The obligatory crew headed by Jack Nicholson, Denzel Washington, Penny Marshall, Jamie Foxx, Chris Rock, etc. rolled in. Yet, the largest response went to USC Trojans' QB Matt Leinhart, who wore his Lakers' gear and signed autographs for the adoring public. Hey, in LA, you must arrive late and leave early, yet the crowd just adored Leinhart, even after the stunning loss to Vince Young and Texas the week before that cost the Trojans their third straight national championship. He visited the Cavaliers' locker room...wanted to check out LeBron, of course, and even chatted up Zydrunas as well. Quite a day and night with the Wine and Gold in La-La land!
How about Lakers' coach Phil Jackson pulling out his 'gamesmanship' routine on the Cavaliers during the second half? Here's what went down: Injured Cavaliers' guard Larry Hughes came out to the bench in the first half with a sweater on. Not good enough for the 'Zen Master'...oh no, he sent word to the Cavaliers that Hughes was in violation of the league's dress code that requires a jacket to be worn by players not in uniform. Larry retreated to the locker room and complied. I think Coach Jackson was looking to reach some of his own players who have rebelled against the league imposed clothing demands. The Cavaliers laughed it off, and chalked it up to Phil looking to gain some competitive advantage.
I'm really looking forward to seeing 'Glory Road,' the highly-acclaimed movie documenting the strong run of the Texas Western Miners to the collegiate national championship in 1966. I checked out a sneak preview in LA, and highly recommend the presentation, not just for basketball fans, but more importantly, for all of us to gain a far greater understanding of the social impact it merits. The depiction of Don Haskins and his African-American basketball team defeating Adolph Rupp and the all-white Kentucky Wildcats provided as poignant a moment that sports could ever muster. Hopefully, it will help stimulate discussion that places the event on the level of Jackie Robinson's breaking the sports' color barrier in the 40s. Give me your thoughts after you check it out.
Can the Cavaliers fight their way through the injuries that have now claimed two members of the starting five? Fortunately, Drew Gooden won't be sidelined as long as Larry Hughes, yet the Cavaliers' depth will be tested. On the positive side, we all will get a better handle on how players such as Luke Jackson, Sasha Pavlovic, and Anderson Varejao will adapt to the increased workload. You have to find out about young players.
Can you count on them to be contributors off the bench? What facets of the game will they specialize in? And, maybe most importantly, can the youngsters be 'trusted' during the guts of the game? Most every young player not named LeBron James, or Dwyane Wade, or Carmelo Anthony, goes through the same thing...earning the confidence and trust of their head coach. It probably is the largest obstacle a young player in the NBA must overcome. Let's see how it plays out with the Cavaliers' kiddie corp. Stay tuned!
As the trip ends over this weekend, I'll get into something many of you have asked me about. That is, my play-by-play 'style' while calling Cavaliers' games. I truly appreciate all of your comments and interest in all that we do. Enjoy the 'second half' of the trek west, check us out on the Cavaliers Television Network from here in Denver, versus Golden State, and the trip finale in Utah this Saturday night. I'll be looking for you guys!
My Cavaliers Best!
Michael
cavs.com
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