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LeBron James
How confident are you in what this year could be?
I’m very confident. We have a great group of guys. It’s not just on the court. The best part about it is that we all hang out off the court. It’s like a family now. It started early, so I can just imagine how it’s going to be in late February.
Do you think you have accomplished everything that you wanted to in training camp?
I think so. I think we came in and got a good feel for the system. We know what we’re supposed to do on defense. We know what we’re supposed to do on offense.
Is the offense the big part of the game to tune up?
Yeah. I think, defensively, we’re right where we want to be. Offensively, we’re not. We’ve had some injuries where guys haven’t been practicing. It’s going to come. We would rather have defense kick in first rather than offense. We have enough scorers so that if the offense breaks down we can create our own shots.
You have the number one pick in the NBA Fantasy Draft. Who do you pick?
LeBron James. He’s an all-around team player.
Brown
Head Coach Mike Brown
Do you view all the training camp injuries as a setback?
Anytime you have guys sitting out and not participating, they’re not getting the necessary reps to stay up with the team.
Will this week off (after tomorrow’s game) be a good thing for the team?
It will be good so that these guys can heal some. Not only that, but they’ll get some practice time and some reps against a live defense. It’s going to be good for us all the way around just to get more practice time.
Can you give us an overview of your first training camp?
One thing that I’m happy with is that our guys have responded in the right way. They’ve given us everything that we have asked of them. They’ve been great to be around. Not only that, LeBron is our leader, but we’ve had other veterans that have stepped up and helped in that area. They’ve made my job a lot easier. We’re probably about where we should be. We’re a little bit better defensively than we are offensively, which I knew was going to happen because of our focus on defense thus far.
Monday, October 25th - 5:10 p.m.
Can I start today’s blog by saying that I hate the word: “blog”? It’s awkward; sounds like you have something caught in your throat.
On Sunday night, the Cavaliers topped the Raptors down in Columbus. Here’s a couple quick observations …
# Every free agent addition is contributing to the cause in a big fashion. Alan Henderson got the start in place of Drew Gooden and was solid on both ends of the floor. Donyell Marshall doubled-up with 14 points and 10 boards. And Larry Hughes, who missed Sunday’s game with a bad digit, has been consistently strong throughout the preseason.
But Sunday belonged to combo guard, Damon Jones.
He scored 19 points, including the game-winner with 19 seconds to play. He is outstanding in the locker room from a media perspective. First of all, what’s not to love about a player who begins his postagme interview with, “I’m going to say it again: I am the best shooter in the world. Period.”? But that’s just being selfish.
I mention both of those facts in the same breath because a big part of Damon Jones’ presence is that he takes pressure off LeBron James both on and off the court. Jones can create – and hit – his own shot during the game and he can draw media by the bushel afterwards.
LeBron’s had a microphone in his face since he was a sophomore in high school. It must be nice for him to relax and eat his postgame meal while someone else does all the talking.
# One more thing to love about rookie head coach Mike Brown is that he will accept no excuses, especially when it comes to the officiating. Last Thursday night in Trenton, Brown ‘discouraged’ LeBron from complaining to the referees on one end while the rest of the team D’s up on the other.
And following Sunday night’s scrimmage in Columbus, Brown said, “We thought that the officiating was bad, which it wasn’t. We started complaining a little bit, but the guys at the end of the ballgame understood that we have to be a mentally tougher that the referees or the environment, because we’re going to play in some tough places.”
# Columbus was essentially a home game for the Cavaliers and the fans were great. There was, however, an over-zealous fan who sat on the baseline not far from our media section. I can’t say that he was a bad fan, because I consider a bad fan someone who sits on their hands for four quarters.
No, this guy was definitely getting his money’s worth. He was an equal opportunity heckler. In one breath, he would chide LeBron for not playing what he considered good defense and praise him as the King in the next. He ripped Morris Peterson, praised Jalen Rose, praised Morris Peterson and ripped Jalen Rose. You get the bit.
Normally, I wouldn’t even mention a fan like that, but by the time the media got into the locker room after the game, most of the Cavaliers players were still talking about him. LBJ said he didn’t want to look over because that would only encourage this character.
If nothing else, he made an already-interesting game that much more fun to watch.
# Anyone who’s seen a Cavaliers game live over the past couple seasons has seen Moondog sink his over-the-back, half-court shot. This season, the Dog is simply en fuego. It took him one shot in Pittsburgh, one shot in Columbus and two shots at the Q on last Wednesday night to sink the shot. With that type of shooting percentage, Mike Brown might want to take a look at the pooch if his club goes cold.
# A lot of fans wrote in to weigh in on my last blog which discussed the NBA’s new dress code. I felt that players make big jack and are professionals and should dress as such.
Some of the responses included George from Fredricktown who thinks the NBA should expand beyond its hip hop culture. James from Seaford, VA says team attire might be cool, writing: “Check out a college team strolling through an airport dressed in uniform, smart suits reflecting unity within the group; not individualism. Thats an impressive sight.” Dave from Mansfield says, “Even the last guys off the bench make $385 grand which is more than 95% of the people in the seats make, many of whom have to wear suits to their jobs, too.”
Of course, not everyone agreed. Becca from Strongsville wrote: “To me, seeing the professionals dressed in casual outfits is entertaining and informative. I think it gives fans a chance to see that they are real people and not just a basketball stars on tv. Also, it shows a decent amount about the player's personality.”
If you have an opinion on the dress code or anything else that might be on your mind, please feel free to click here and send me an e-mail. We’ll discuss it in the next blog.
I’ll be back after the Cavaliers take on the Celtics on Wednesday night in Boston.
How confident are you in what this year could be?
I’m very confident. We have a great group of guys. It’s not just on the court. The best part about it is that we all hang out off the court. It’s like a family now. It started early, so I can just imagine how it’s going to be in late February.
Do you think you have accomplished everything that you wanted to in training camp?
I think so. I think we came in and got a good feel for the system. We know what we’re supposed to do on defense. We know what we’re supposed to do on offense.
Is the offense the big part of the game to tune up?
Yeah. I think, defensively, we’re right where we want to be. Offensively, we’re not. We’ve had some injuries where guys haven’t been practicing. It’s going to come. We would rather have defense kick in first rather than offense. We have enough scorers so that if the offense breaks down we can create our own shots.
You have the number one pick in the NBA Fantasy Draft. Who do you pick?
LeBron James. He’s an all-around team player.
Brown
Head Coach Mike Brown
Do you view all the training camp injuries as a setback?
Anytime you have guys sitting out and not participating, they’re not getting the necessary reps to stay up with the team.
Will this week off (after tomorrow’s game) be a good thing for the team?
It will be good so that these guys can heal some. Not only that, but they’ll get some practice time and some reps against a live defense. It’s going to be good for us all the way around just to get more practice time.
Can you give us an overview of your first training camp?
One thing that I’m happy with is that our guys have responded in the right way. They’ve given us everything that we have asked of them. They’ve been great to be around. Not only that, LeBron is our leader, but we’ve had other veterans that have stepped up and helped in that area. They’ve made my job a lot easier. We’re probably about where we should be. We’re a little bit better defensively than we are offensively, which I knew was going to happen because of our focus on defense thus far.
Monday, October 25th - 5:10 p.m.
Can I start today’s blog by saying that I hate the word: “blog”? It’s awkward; sounds like you have something caught in your throat.
On Sunday night, the Cavaliers topped the Raptors down in Columbus. Here’s a couple quick observations …
# Every free agent addition is contributing to the cause in a big fashion. Alan Henderson got the start in place of Drew Gooden and was solid on both ends of the floor. Donyell Marshall doubled-up with 14 points and 10 boards. And Larry Hughes, who missed Sunday’s game with a bad digit, has been consistently strong throughout the preseason.
But Sunday belonged to combo guard, Damon Jones.
He scored 19 points, including the game-winner with 19 seconds to play. He is outstanding in the locker room from a media perspective. First of all, what’s not to love about a player who begins his postagme interview with, “I’m going to say it again: I am the best shooter in the world. Period.”? But that’s just being selfish.
I mention both of those facts in the same breath because a big part of Damon Jones’ presence is that he takes pressure off LeBron James both on and off the court. Jones can create – and hit – his own shot during the game and he can draw media by the bushel afterwards.
LeBron’s had a microphone in his face since he was a sophomore in high school. It must be nice for him to relax and eat his postgame meal while someone else does all the talking.
# One more thing to love about rookie head coach Mike Brown is that he will accept no excuses, especially when it comes to the officiating. Last Thursday night in Trenton, Brown ‘discouraged’ LeBron from complaining to the referees on one end while the rest of the team D’s up on the other.
And following Sunday night’s scrimmage in Columbus, Brown said, “We thought that the officiating was bad, which it wasn’t. We started complaining a little bit, but the guys at the end of the ballgame understood that we have to be a mentally tougher that the referees or the environment, because we’re going to play in some tough places.”
# Columbus was essentially a home game for the Cavaliers and the fans were great. There was, however, an over-zealous fan who sat on the baseline not far from our media section. I can’t say that he was a bad fan, because I consider a bad fan someone who sits on their hands for four quarters.
No, this guy was definitely getting his money’s worth. He was an equal opportunity heckler. In one breath, he would chide LeBron for not playing what he considered good defense and praise him as the King in the next. He ripped Morris Peterson, praised Jalen Rose, praised Morris Peterson and ripped Jalen Rose. You get the bit.
Normally, I wouldn’t even mention a fan like that, but by the time the media got into the locker room after the game, most of the Cavaliers players were still talking about him. LBJ said he didn’t want to look over because that would only encourage this character.
If nothing else, he made an already-interesting game that much more fun to watch.
# Anyone who’s seen a Cavaliers game live over the past couple seasons has seen Moondog sink his over-the-back, half-court shot. This season, the Dog is simply en fuego. It took him one shot in Pittsburgh, one shot in Columbus and two shots at the Q on last Wednesday night to sink the shot. With that type of shooting percentage, Mike Brown might want to take a look at the pooch if his club goes cold.
# A lot of fans wrote in to weigh in on my last blog which discussed the NBA’s new dress code. I felt that players make big jack and are professionals and should dress as such.
Some of the responses included George from Fredricktown who thinks the NBA should expand beyond its hip hop culture. James from Seaford, VA says team attire might be cool, writing: “Check out a college team strolling through an airport dressed in uniform, smart suits reflecting unity within the group; not individualism. Thats an impressive sight.” Dave from Mansfield says, “Even the last guys off the bench make $385 grand which is more than 95% of the people in the seats make, many of whom have to wear suits to their jobs, too.”
Of course, not everyone agreed. Becca from Strongsville wrote: “To me, seeing the professionals dressed in casual outfits is entertaining and informative. I think it gives fans a chance to see that they are real people and not just a basketball stars on tv. Also, it shows a decent amount about the player's personality.”
If you have an opinion on the dress code or anything else that might be on your mind, please feel free to click here and send me an e-mail. We’ll discuss it in the next blog.
I’ll be back after the Cavaliers take on the Celtics on Wednesday night in Boston.