What we got wrong and what we got right in 2005

[aaronr]

I thought it might be fun to look back on our posts from last year and admit to our mistakes and toast our successes. So here are three things I got wrong about the Cavs last year and three things I got right.

Things I got wrong:

1. Ragging on Eric Snow and applauding the signing of Damon Jones. Snow's been better than I anticipated, and Jones worse.

2. Worrying about the Cavs start this season. I thought they'd come out of the gate slowly since they had so many new players. Wrong again.

3. Turning cartwheels when the Cavs signed Larry Hughes. I thought that Hughes was going to be Lebron's Pippen, the second in command who could take some of the pressure off the Boy Wonder, but so far at least he hasn't played that role consistently.

Things I got right:

1. Predicting that Pavlovic and Jackson wouldn't be good enough for the rotation.

2. Fearing that Lebron would play too many minutes, leading him to save his energy for offense and slough off on defense (related to the prediction immediately above).

3. Worrying that our bench wasn't good enough.

Now remember, if there are any takers, that the point is not to criticize my selections but to offer your own admissions of guilt or self-congratulations.

Happy New Year, by the way.

aaronr

 

[Pioneer10]

Right:

1) PG is going to be weak
2) The Cavs will be solid playoff team but not a championship contender

Wrong:
1) Luke would win the backup minutes at SG/SF
2) Hughes would be playing like an All-star type of player. (Note should be made that his PER has been slowly but steadily been increasing
3) The Cavs would try some unorthodox lineups as they have a ton of players who have the size/ability to play multiple positions (Lebron, Hughes, Yell, even guys like Gooden, Snow, and DJ).

 

[Karma]

Wrong

1. Sasha Pavlovic would be a rotation guy
2. Cavs would have a slowish start
3. I thought we'd play better on the road

Right

1. Eric Snow should start and improve on last year
2. Damon Jones is mediocre
3. We are winning 64% of our games. Continue that and we finish on my predicted 50 wins.

 

[CleveRocks]

Right:

1. Drew Gooden would earn his start and be a steady player.
2. We needed a better back up center.
3. Memphis would be a top team this year.

Wrong:
1. Luke Jackson would beat out Ira.
2. Detriot would be weaker under Saunders.
3. Gilbert would interfere with the GM/Coaches

 

[Coyote]

Wrong:

1) Luke and Sasha would be playing solid backup minutes, with Luke eventually earning 8-10 minutes a game. Sasha didn't look good before he was hurt and Jackson's already been replaced by Newble.

2) The team would come out of the block at a .550-.600 winning %. They're at .640%.

3) Larry Hughes would make a splashy difference for the better. He's made a quiet difference for the better.

Right:

1) Damon Jones helps overall. He's an overpaid role player but teams have to respect his shot which opens the floor.

2) With everyone healthy, we have one of the deepest teams in the conference, maybe the league. Newble is a valuable player when used the right way.

3) Cavs contend for the 4th or 5th playoff seed. So far, we look right on track.

 

[Dungong]

Wrong:

1) Free Agency: I thought Z would sign for more money and we could only get 3 major players with our FA money, we got 4 and a 5th for practically free.

2) Thought Hughes would be better, so far hes been good, just not at the level he was playing last year. Though hes turned out to be a good 3 point shooter, that I was wrong on too.

Right:

1) Ira would come in right away and take Luke/Sasha's minutes

2) There would be lots of growing pains with the new system and new players, especially on D and on the road.