Monday, October 29, 2007

Season On The Brink

Gangsta D:

How long before Bron pulls a Kobe? The Cavs haven't improved over last year. Pavlovic and Varajeo are playing hardball with Danny Ferry. Bron's good enough to get them to the playoffs, but he's gonna need SOME help to advance. He just isn't the kind of player that's willing to take over every single night. Of course, I'm being facetious about him "pulling a Kobe." He's too media savvy to do that in public. But I have to imagine, he will be mighty pissed behind the scenes, if the Cavs start off slowly.

Can you imagine the playoffs without Bron and Wade? I think the Cavs will make the playoffs, but the Heat is another story. Adding Ricky Davis has never been seen as a harbinger of good news. If Shaq thought Kobe was selfish and a ball hog, what is he gonna think of "Mr. Shoot at the wrong basket to get a triple-double?"

Waldini:

I think there's a reason why they both signed 3 yrs deals. In case the direction of the franchise is not headed in a positive direction (which it looks like it's not), then they can break camp. The Heat and Cavs should both make the playoffs in a still weak East. The Celtics, Pistons, and Bulls are a given but who else should they fear? Washington? New York? New Jersey? Orlando? Puhlease those teams are all mediocre, even at full strength.

Side note: If I'm Cavs mgmt, I dont care what Lebron says about his two missing bench players. I wouldn't cripple my franchise for one player that wants 10mil a year to avg 6 pts and 6rbs a game and another player that wants the full mid-level for playing slightly above average defense. They already messed up giving big contracts to Donyell Marshall, Z train, Hughes, and Damon Jones. Don't make it more worse.

Side note 2: I have no idea what the Heat are doing. Ricky Buckets for Antoine Walker is a nil deal. Both bring nothing to the table. They are trying to shop White Chocolate around but he's 32. Shaq's still a top 5 center but he's not gonna drop 25 a night every game anymore. And they're putting a lot of stock in Wade coming back from a bad shoulder injury at 100%. They are a very old old team.....

Gangsta D:

Maybe the Cavs shouldn't sign the "furners" but they need to do SOMETHING. This team is worse off in an improved, if only slightly, conference. If Bron has to put up 35/10/9 every night just to keep the Cavs in the game, he might be adding a Knicks hat to his Yankees hat.

Of course, we have our own problems. I'm pretty much over the "Kobe Situation." Either trade him or don't. Otherwise, everyone STFU about it already. We have holes bigger than Vanessa Del Rio, but I like our bench players. Drew will be better this year. 18/10/2? No, but better than last year. Farmar is improved, Crittendon looks promising, and "Hook 'em" Mihm has shown some decent offensive moves. If we have a healthy Lamar, we can be a good team.

Look out for the Knicks this year. I have a feeling Zeke will have them playing well and in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Waldini:

You know they won't STFU about it but I agree. There's so much politics involved from Kobe unwilling to drop his no trade clause to his distrust of Kupchak and Buss not to send him into purgatory to the kids arguing about keeping Kobe and/or Phil to Phil publicly pleading with Kobe for committment. Yada yada yada. I don't see how this team functions w/o all this drama.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I think my steady stream of Knick propanganda has convinced Gangster D to become a believer. Playoffs!

Seriously, the Kobe and LeBron situations are different, but the same, too. The Lakers just don't want Kobe at the end of his contract, and are completely ready to rebuild when he splits (either by trade or opt out); Kobe's demands won't change their plans, so you can forget about Andrew Bynum getting traded for Jermaine O'Neal or anything.

Now LeBron is the flip story... the Cavs are preparing for the eventual rebuilding after he leaves because they really don't expect that he'll stay. Does anyone really think LeBron will stay there in Cleveland? Could he be anymore of a Jay-Z fan? If Brooklyn isn't a done deal, I don't know jack...

So why would the Cavs give a scrub a big 3 or 4 year deal just to keep LeBron happy, when he's gone no matter what? So they can be screwed when he bounces?!?

The Cavs actually have the right idea. Those two scrubs are solid role players, but they aren't going to make the difference this year anyway. They aren't going to put the team over the top. Maybe if the Cavs could swing a trade for Jermaine O'Neal or something... then they could be in business. The Lakers, on the other hand, could trade for O'Neal and become a legit contender, and could keep Kobe forever (if they just kept him happy) but just don't want to. They're greedy, where as the Cavs are just f*cked by bad decisions they've made.

Gangsta D said...

Between you and MODI, I think I've been brainwashed into believing the Knick hype:) But honestly, the East is so weak, I'll be surprised if they're not in contention come March.