Windhorst Blogs

[Karma]

My year-end lists

Things that are funny in their own special way:

--Heckler to Damon Jones about 15 seconds after he got into the game at the Meadowlands: "Hey Damon, why haven't you shot yet?" :hehe: :rofl: :chuckles:

--News-Herald Cavs beat writer Bob Finnan to six-year-old child in hotel lobby as she ran to tell her father that her older sister was sitting on her suitcase, apparently a no-no: "Nobody likes a tattle-tale."

--Mike Brown on Detroit Pistons: "Their starting five is probably the best-ever."

--LeBron James on how he was first called for a "backdown violation" and then a 7.8-second eight-second call in separate games against the Nets this year: "I guess I better re-read the rules."

--Zydrunas Ilgauskas on the favorite feature of his house: "The beer tap in my basement, my wife never knows how much I've had." :cheers: :drink:

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Things that are tragic in their own special way:

--For just the second time in 36 years, the Cavs are playing on New Year's Eve, forcing beat writers to work. :fu:

--Beyonce didn't show up for the Cavs-Nets game. :heated:

--I was informed Beacon Journal Christmas bonus wasn't lost in the mail, it was never issued.

--Rob Schneider showed up at Quicken Loans Arena and was treated like an A-list celeb last week.

--That the last five people who have commented to me about my blog all mentioned Alan Tucker.

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Things that are weird in their own special way:

--Mike Brown has a cup that he spits into all game long. :weirdo:

--Donyell Marshall cries a lot at movies. :lame:

--The way LeBron James drinks Gatorade and Aquafina but tapes the bottles so Coke won't see. :shakehead :chuckles:

--Martynas Andruiskevicius is a teen idol in Lithuania. :inlove:

--Zendon Hamilton. :redx:

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[Karma]

Questions burning in my e-mail inbox

1. Larry Hughes and LeBron James exchanged some words, as did many Cavs players when they lost seven on nine games. There is no rift between them and, in case no one has been watching, Hughes level of play has been very good during this currently winning spell. I wrote about this a few weeks ago. I don't own the patent on Cavs info, it comes from many sources and sometimes I'm behind or wrong. However, if you read this blog you probably are a keen observer and cognitively sound individual, thus I'd encourage you to evaluate the reliability of the source when judging the validity of team news.

2. As I explain in my Sunday column today, Anderson Varejao will return to full practice this week and may be back in games very soon.

Also info in there on LeBron's birthday party, Danny Ferry's contract, Drew Gooden's future and more. Sasha Pavlovic should also be back at practice this week.

3. I sometimes have fun with Damon Jones and sometimes his ego is an issue, but he's well-liked by his teammates. He's been absent in games but also helped the Cavs win some. Expect this yo-yo effect with him.

4. Just because I don't like saying Happy Holidays every 15 seconds doesn't mean I'm a grouch. As Danny Ferry said to me: "I guess nobody should say hi to one another, then." Ok, Ok, Happy New Year everyone!

5. Mike Brown calling the Pistons starting five the best ever was totally hyperbolic. It's a great conversation-starter as many of us in the media killed time talking about the best Laker, Celtic and Knick lineups over the years.

However, he was just using a tactic to kill the opposition with kindness. The Cavs know they can't catch the Pistons and they're the better team. Also they didn't want to put too much emphasis on Saturday's game in case they lost. It is not wise to proclaim it the biggest game of the season by which the team's first two months will be judged because, well, what if you lose? LeBron has learned this trick, too, he just downplays everything even when he really, really cares. His 43-point performance against Larry Brown last season being exhibit A.

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[ChicagoCavFan]

Thanks for the reads....and BW's Sunday column was pretty good as well. Click on the link in Karma's post, then click on the link in the blog...

 

[Karma]

Joe Gabriele

cavs.com

Drew Gooden doubled-up for the third time in his last four games.
David Liam Kyle

January 3 -- It wasn’t supposed to be that easy.
Last Saturday’s convincing 97-84 win over the Pistons proved once again that the Cavaliers match up well with Detroit, regardless of status or standings. The Cavaliers have split their meetings with the Motor City heavyweights over the last two years.

“Anytime you play the best team in the league and get a win it feels good,” said the pragmatic Mike Brown, following Saturday’s victory. “But I look at it is we got to win our next ballgame just like this ballgame. I said coming in, yes it is the Pistons, yes they are the best team in the league, but we need a win.”

It’s not wise to put too much into the weekend win. But the Pistons are playing by far the best ball in the league. And with the Cavaliers constantly trying to establish themselves as an upper-echelon team in the East, wins against quality opponents – at any time during the season – are huge.

“We wanted to be the aggressor,” said Larry Hughes, who finished with 16 points, five boards, three dimes and a pair of steals. “That’s a good team coming into our building, but really we feel that we’re supposed to win.”

Hughes did exactly what he was paid to do when he came to Cleveland – take some of the scoring load off LeBron James, while simultaneously handling the opposition’s toughest defensive assignment. Rip Hamilton got his 21 points, but he had to work his tail off for every one of them.

And as usual under Mike Brown’s system, everything started on the defensive end. LeBron and Hughes teamed up to hold Tayshaun Prince to 2-of-12 shooting and Eric Snow was mainly responsible for containing MVP candidate, Chauncey Billups, in check on 2-for-11 shooting.

The fact that the Cavaliers held Detroit to 36 percent from the floor also translated directly to the 20-6 advantage on the fast break.

“To come back and get a victory like this is big, but not even just today, but Miami, Indiana, the other two Chicago games,” beamed Donyell Marshall. “To be able to come back and play the way we have speaks volumes for us. It is a great way to close out the year.”

Marshall had another solid game off Mike Brown’s bench. The league’s top rebounding sixth man finished with 13 points and six boards. The combination of Marshall and Drew Gooden, who tallied his third double-double in his last four games, finished with 25 points and 19 rebounds. (All this at the four, and Anderson Varejao is inching towards his return in a couple weeks.)

The Cavaliers have a long way to go. Things looked rosy at this stage last year. Veterans of the past two seasons in Cleveland like LeBron, Ira Newble and Zydrunas Ilgauskas know this. The Wine and Gold will have to continue grinding it out. And a quality road win over Milwaukee on Wednesday night would go a long way. But it’s still nice to knock off the top team in the NBA at home.

“Defensively we just tuned in,” said James, who finished with a game-high 30 points. “And we just executed.”

If it comes down to it – either down the stretch or in the Playoffs – Cleveland does know that it matches up very well with the two-time Eastern Conference champs.

The New Jersey Nets are another story. But the Cavaliers can cross that bridge when they get to it again on February 1.

For now, a win over the Pistons is an awfully good

 

[Karma]

Michael Reghi

January 3rd, 2006
Hey Everyone!

I do hope all of you enjoyed your Holiday Season. It's a tremendous time to be around family, loved ones, and friends! Let's make 2006 a year to remember fondly in many aspects.

I have to begin with a large 'way to go' to all of you Cavaliers fans who were extremely boisterous while creating that sizzling atmosphere at The 'Q' on New Year's Eve afternoon while the Wine and Gold were smacking the team with the top record in the NBA, the 24-4 Detroit Pistons. I have to tell you the way you responded during a couple of Cavaliers runs in building the big lead gave me some chills and flashbacks to days gone by in the previous building in Richfield. It was that impressive! And don't think for a moment that it goes unnoticed by the Cavaliers players! They love the energy and believe it enhances their play. Already 13-3 @ home, with twenty five left in front of 20,562 rockin' the place could find the boys, as I've stated on the telecasts, quite conceivably lookin' at 32, 33 home 'w's'....possibly more. Creating an environment that opponents find difficult overcoming was one thing that was very high on the priority list for general manager Danny Ferry.

Speaking of the former Cavalier, don't you believe he deserves a tremendous amount of respect and credit for how he meticulously, yet aggressively, put this roster together this past summer?
Let's not kid ourselves. He had to make some strong and tough assessments on individuals, and there were some glaring areas of need that had to be addressed. Sure, it helped that the money to spend under the cap was plentiful. However, how many organizations in each of the pro sports over the past decade lavished money on players that gave them virtually nothing in return for the investment? Ask franchises like the Washington Redskins, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Baltimore Orioles what the feeling is like to have one of the highest payrolls in all of sports during the late 90's into the early years of this decade and win zero...zilch.

You see, Ferry has already put in place an atmosphere of loyalty and accountability with the Cavaliers that is to be admired. It's what he believes in most. And it's a tribute to his upbringing in the basketball business that will serve as his master blueprint. The thing I most enjoy is that he is not afraid to say something needs to be done better if that's the case, and he'll be very proactive in doing so. Dan Gilbert and David Katzman can be very proud of, and comfortable in, the selection they made. Given what goes on in other franchises' front offices all over pro sports, Danny Ferry is truly a visionary that will have you Cavaliers fans enjoying your basketball team in the manner you desire.

By the way, have you taken a look at the standings around the NBA this morning? I know you get a bit detached over the holidays, so here's a quick bulletin that may jolt you some....the Wine and Gold, with their 18-10 slate, and .643 winning percentage would be a division leader in four of the six divisions in the league...yep, only Detroit and San Antonio, the two squads everyone feels will compete for the championship in June, have better records and winning percentages than the Cavaliers. Mike Brown and the guys would be leading the Atlantic, Southeast, Northwest, and Pacific Divisions as we blog. Now, I'll be the first to tell you 28 games does not a season make. More to the point, these next four games, three at home, twice with Milwaukee, home and home, and Houston and The New York Knicks at The 'Q' are very important. I'm looking at needing to grab wins in at least three of them to head west feeling and standing tall, still in hailing distance of Detroit in the Central.

Back to the win over the Pistons. Yes, I do believe it could be quantified as a 'barometer', or 'measuring stick' of how the Cavaliers not only view themselves, yet maybe more importantly, how teams like Detroit looks at them. It brings with it a confidence and trust among teammates that should serve as a piece of the building foundation. Don't you, as fans, see some tangibles on the defensive end of the floor starting to fall into place in Mike Brown's new system? Trust is a key ingredient. Defenders have to develop that amongst one another in order for this new system to thrive. It's beginning to grow, evidenced by how Zydrunas Ilgauskas has altered and blocked shots in the painted area around the rim. It's fun to watch, especially as it leads to fastbreak transition opportunities for LeBron and Larry Hughes, as it did against Detroit. Keep a watchful eye on that aspect of the Cavaliers' play. It just may determine how much is achieved by season's end.

Time to catch the plane for the short jump to Milwaukee. I'll see you on the telecast tomorrow night, and we'll get together again early next week. Happy '06 to one and all!

My Cavaliers Best!

Michael