When they lost Boozer, or I should say let him walk, I really wondered how committed they were and if Lebron would bolt as well....
Cleveland is not that good right now...they need another great scorer, 40% man Larry Hughes isn't going to cut it...the rest of the roster is filled with guys who have a great game every third game, they have played well without him but against weak teams....I can't see Cleveland making a run again like last year, even in the weaker conference.
The Wizards would beat Cleveland this time around.
Cleveland is not that good right now...they need another great scorer, 40% man Larry Hughes isn't going to cut it...the rest of the roster is filled with guys who have a great game every third game, they have played well without him but against weak teams....I can't see Cleveland making a run again like last year, even in the weaker conference.
The Wizards would beat Cleveland this time around.
Yea, that is why Boozer would be so key. Larry Hughes would be the perfect fit if they still had Boozer. Lebron and Boozer as your 1st two options and then Z as your 3rd. Hughes would not need to score and could focus on being the best perimeter defender and get his shots here and there. That is the ideal role for him and he would make them better (instead of worse which he does now) with that role.
Clip, I know Phoenix is usually thought of as a playoff pretender, i think they have a real shot this time.
Dallas or Phoenix will win it all this time IMO.
Who do you like in the East right now?
I think the NBA is in a little better shape , I've actually enjoyed this season as much as any in the past 10 years.
Dallas or Phoenix will win it all this time IMO.
Who do you like in the East right now?
I think the NBA is in a little better shape , I've actually enjoyed this season as much as any in the past 10 years.
Journeyman said:
The East is wide open. It will really come down to who is playing well once the playoffs start. There isn't a dominant team.
The Wizards sure are looking good though. It will be interesting to see what Jamison's injury tonight ends up being. That could be a devastating blow.
I would take Detroit right now if I had to make a pick in the East.
the problem is that boozer wasnt content to be the secondary option. thats why gooden is the perfect fit for this team at the power forward. now of course, outsiders will say 'perfect fit? he's nowhere near as good as boozer'. but gooden has no problem being the 4th option on the team. he never gets a single play run for him yet he manages to pull down a respectable amount of boards and get some garbage and hustle points. boozer, for some odd reason, had a bit of resentment toward everything running through lebron.
whomever said the cavs would be solid with andre miller is dead on. they should never have given him away for the puke bag darius miles. to be fair, it was pre-lebron and they didnt exactly have a plan for the franchise. but it was still a bad move. miller would be the perfect fit for them right now.
the sad thing is, the cavs are a flip murray-type acquistion away from challening for the eastern conference. but theyre also one bad losing streak away from playing themselves out of home court in the first round. they can beat almost anyone in the league at home. thats why they desperately need to lock up a top seed. because on the road, theyre incredibly average. but with home court, they could easily represent the east or at least get to the conference finals. but they need to find a way to deal someone, or for someone, at the deadline. they cant sit with this current roster.
whomever said the cavs would be solid with andre miller is dead on. they should never have given him away for the puke bag darius miles. to be fair, it was pre-lebron and they didnt exactly have a plan for the franchise. but it was still a bad move. miller would be the perfect fit for them right now.
the sad thing is, the cavs are a flip murray-type acquistion away from challening for the eastern conference. but theyre also one bad losing streak away from playing themselves out of home court in the first round. they can beat almost anyone in the league at home. thats why they desperately need to lock up a top seed. because on the road, theyre incredibly average. but with home court, they could easily represent the east or at least get to the conference finals. but they need to find a way to deal someone, or for someone, at the deadline. they cant sit with this current roster.
Gooden is a poor man's version of Boozer...a very poor version.
He works hard and gives them a lift, but he is not the defender and rebounder Boozer is and that is what they need from their PF spot.
Boozer was a selfish prick and probably always will be...but there is no denying he would make them a much better team than they are with Gooden.
Boozer shoots 57% from the floor (as the #1 option) and averages 12 boards. He is a beast. The Cavs need a much better rebounder than what Gooden gives them because they don't get that (and won't get that) from the center spot with Z.
He works hard and gives them a lift, but he is not the defender and rebounder Boozer is and that is what they need from their PF spot.
Boozer was a selfish prick and probably always will be...but there is no denying he would make them a much better team than they are with Gooden.
Boozer shoots 57% from the floor (as the #1 option) and averages 12 boards. He is a beast. The Cavs need a much better rebounder than what Gooden gives them because they don't get that (and won't get that) from the center spot with Z.
Clip Joint said:
the power forward spot is the least of the cavs needs. boozer might be a better player, but what good is he for cleveland if he is constantly trying to play his way out of lebrons shadow and be resentful of the franchise player. i know what youre saying, but chemistry would be an issue. i think thats a lot of why he bailed in the shady way he did.
the cavs need a point guard. bad.
they need somebody else who can handle the ball and create a shot when needed. i dont keep up on contracts and potential free agents and stuff like that but somebody locally said the cavs are going to make a big time push for chauncey billups in the offseason. i dont know where theyll get the money to pay him but gilbert is the only owner in the city who seems intent on putting a championship caliber team on the floor so that might end up working out. but thats for next year.
they really need to make a move now if they have any hopes of doing something this year.
terry pluto covers the cavs for the akron beacon journal. he is probably one of the best sportswriters in the country. he is dead on with almost all of his stuff. here's his most recent piece.
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/columnists/terry_pluto/16565729.htm
They should swing a deal with Philly to bring Andre Miller back. He's a pretty good friend of mine and really enjoyed his time in Cleveland. He mentioned that when he was first dealt to Philly as he didn't expect to be there for the rest of this season. He thought they would move him and he knows the Cavs want a PG and could be a contender this season.
hno:
