The Cavs!!!!

Gregg Doyel Is An Asshole

Gregg Doyel (CBS Sportsline) came out with his top 10 list of knuckle-headed underclassmen who shouldn't have declared for the NBA Draft.

1. Daequan Cook, Ohio State: Cook sulked, his mother complained, and now Cook is showing the world how talented he is by joining freshman teammates Greg Oden and Mike Conley Jr. in the draft. Difference is, Oden and Conley will be drafted in the first round. Cook? Get your passport, baby.

Let's see. Cook is a 6'5, 210 pound wingman who can shoot the lights and and is uber-athletic. He's the exact type of player that scouts fall in love with during individual workouts. He's currently listed as 22 on ESPN's list of top 100 prospects, which puts him securely in the first round. But I will agree with Doyel on one thing. He will need a passport. No matter where he ends up, he'll most likely have to go to Toronto to play against the Raptors once or twice next season, and those pesky Canadians require passports for entry now.

7. Thaddeus Young, Georgia Tech: He was a disappointment this season, when he averaged 14.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and two assists. Think about that: an ACC freshman putting up those numbers and being a disappointment. But he was.

He was such a disappointment that he's only a top 15 draft prospect, only likely to be drafted in the lottery, and only likely to sign a contract for 8 figures. Why do sportswriters insist on saying it's a bad decision for these underclassmen to go pro? Not only will Young's checkbook benefit from early entry, his development as a player will, also. Who will be a better basketball in one year? Thaddeus Young playing against Josh Smith in practice every day...or Thaddeus Young playing against Random White-Walk On Person in practice all year?

9. JamesOn Curry, Oklahoma State: Curry owes OSU, and he owes Sean Sutton.

I actually don't consider JamesOn Curry much of an NBA prospect at this point, and I think he would be better served to come back to Oklahoma State. I don't see any scenario where he gets taken in the first round. That being said, HE OWES NEITHER HIS SCHOOL NOR SEAN SUTTON ANYTHING. Doyel's argument is that Curry was so "radioactive" that Sean Sutton was the only coach that would have given him a chance. That argument, to be blunt, is batshit insane. Almost ANY coach would give JamesOn Curry a chance if they thought it would mean MORE WINS. And those same coaches would kick JamesOn to the curb when his eligibility ran out. The way NCAA athletes are exploited makes it absolutely ridiculous to think an athlete owes his school anything. High horse, you have a new rider, and his name is Gregg Doyel.

But When Did He Prepare For The Game?

Cavs' color man Austin Carr, talking about Donyell Marshall, during tonight's Cavs-Wizards game.

Donyell must have felt he was gonna get in the game. Because before the game, he did a lot of preparation before the game.

Hyperbole Schmyperbole!

Brian Windhorst wrote this article after Sasha Pavlovic's game-clinching three pointer in Game 3 versus the Washington Wizards.

Pavlovic was perhaps the Cavaliers' most impressive player in the last quarter of the regular season, establishing himself as a starter and becoming a reliable offensive option in every game.

I like Sasha as much as anyone. His improvement this year has been great, and his presence in the starting line-up makes the Cavs much more dangerous on offense. However, let's compare Sasha to some dude named Lebron over the "last quarter of the regular season."

Sasha: 19 games/14.1/2.1/2.9/51%/77%
Lebron: 19 games/27.1/6.6/6.8/46%/75%

Has Sasha been a breath of fresh air? Yes. Has he been "perhaps the Cavaliers' most impressive player?" I think I'm going to stick with Lebron on that one.

The Bulls Are So Lucky

Shaquille O'Neal in 2003:

I don’t care about my [free throw shooting] percentages. I keep telling everyone
that I make them when they count.

Shaq's career FT% -- 52.5%
Shaq's 2007 round one FT% -- 33.3% (including 0 for 9 in the elimination game)

It's easy to see who deserves all of the blame for the Heat's series loss to the Chicago Bulls - Shaq's teammates. They should have been fully aware that free throws don't count until the NBA Finals. Shaq can't be bothered to make even his career percentage of free throws in a meaningless first round playoff series. I know that. You know that. Now why in the fuck didn't D-Wade, Posey, and Fatoine Walker know that, too? Oh well, there's always next year, Heat fans.

Actually I Think D-Wade IS The Problem

Michael Wallace, of the Miami Herald, in his latest article had this to say about the potential close-out game in the Heat-Bulls series.

It's really not about slowing down Heat guard Dwyane Wade. And it has very little to do with containing center Shaquille O'Neal. No, the Bulls must fight another formidable foe as they attempt to complete a four-game sweep: themselves.

It's really not about slowing down Heat Guard Dwyane Wade. You're sure about this? Winning today's game isn't about stopping one of the top 5 players in the League? It's more about stopping the Bulls from fighting themselves? Okay, moving on.

Although no team in NBA history has lost a series after winning the first three games, the Bulls insist they're not just happy with a comfortable cushion. They crave to close the deal.

Yet they have to worry about "fighting themselves?" The Heat's role players have proven themselves to be shells of their former selves. Outside of Wade and Shaq, they're only getting a contribution from James Posey. The series has been a complete mismatch from the start. What are the Bulls worried about? Oh yeah, that Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich will begin fighting at half court. Gotcha, Mikey.

Kevin Durant = Jesus Come Back To Earth?

At least that's what a couple of ESPN NBA analysts would have us believe. Today in his chat, David Thorpe (not usually one for hyperbole) agreed with a comment Chad Ford made about Kevin Durant's potential. Below are Ford's original comment and Thorpe's reply.

Chad Ford: Personally ... I believe Durant has a chance to be better than all of those guys. If all of those guys were in the draft today ... here's how I'd rank them from a potential standpoint ...

1. Durant
2. Wade
3. LeBron
4. Oden
5. Howard
6. Bosh
7. Carmelo

...

Kris, India: David, Chad Ford answered in one of his chats that he would take Durant over Lebron, Wade, Bosh, DHoward and Oden. You agree? If not, what order would you pick them?

David Thorpe: Based on when they came out, he is exactly right.

I realize KD is a special talent, but please give me a break. Here is a comparison of KD and LBJ at the same age.

KD: 25.8/11.1/1.3/47%/81%
LBJ: 20.9/5.5/5.9/42%/75%

Well, actually, now that I see the numbers in front of me, I guess an argument could be made for KD over LBJ. Hold on, I just got a call. [Takes call: What's that? Are you sure? You're positive? OK, thanks. That changes things.] Sorry, had to take that...so apparently KD put those numbers up in something called the Big 12 while Lebron did it in the Eastern Fucking Conference of the National Basketball Association. You know what, on second thought, I think you'd have to be god-damn insane to draft the waifish KD over LBJ and his linebacker, NBA-ready body.

Of course I don't agree with the Wade over LBJ thing either, but I'll leave that for another post for another day.