CAVS.SPACE

One thing that bothers me about criticism of the current style of play in the NBA is the constant moaning about "flopping." While "flopping" is rightfully labeled as annoying, "taking charges" should not be confused with "flopping." Although he has made himself an outcast to the Cavaliers recently, I commend Anderson Varejao's ability to take charges. Taking a charge consists of beating a driving opponent in their path, standing still, and absorbing the hit from the driving opponent. When players such as Varejao absorb these sudden and powerful hits, they often fall backwards and sometimes hit the floor due to the impact from the hits. Their falls are logical, natural, and legitimate. This is not to be confused with "flopping," where players try to sell fake contact or oversell incidental contact that occurs. A good example of flopping is anyone guarding Shaquille O'Neal. Most of the people that have guarded Shaq at one

When the Cavaliers survived the potentially dangerous early West Coast trip with a .500 record, the likelihood increased that Anderson Varejao would not be appearing in a Cavaliers uniform this season. That is, the team had proven that they can survive without him. Now, with the rising star forward waging a media war with General Manager Danny Ferry--who ironically conducted an infamous holdout to start his professional playing career--there is much doubt whether Varejao ever wears a Cavaliers uniform again. While his talent and hustle have been missed, the team has shown that they have learned from his style of play. With Varejao gone, various players have stepped up and picked up the slack that Varejao had left behind. Although a work-in-progress, at 9-6 this team appears more mature and ready to achieve big things this year.

Based on the result of the Cavaliers-Celtics game tonight, NBA fans might think that the Celtics were the team with a full injury report. Yet, it was the Cavs--without Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, or Cedric Simmons--that won despite their injuries. They knocked off the suddenly lucky again Celtics and now have the Pistons on the radar tomorrow night. As this Cavs team continues to show early this season, they can win despite the adversity and skepticism surrounding them.

Isiah Thomas took on huge contracts and helped cause the destruction of the Knicks' roster as the President of Basketball Operations. Now, he finds himself in all sorts of trouble, both on and off the court, as the team's Head Coach. While Thomas succeeded as a player for the Pistons and as a coach for the Pacers, he has not gotten the job done in New York. He may be on a grand stage right now coaching the historic franchise, but it should be over soon (and probably should have been over before the season started). Maybe the fall of Isiah can be attributed to him having too much power; he did not seem to have these problems with the Pacers. Or maybe Isiah's success as a player made him overconfident in his decision-making. Now, he must save face and salvage both credibility and reputation amidst multiple organizational problems before having a chance to catch on with another team. Oddly enough, a potentially good fit involves former teammate Joe Dumars bringing Thoma

Two seasons ago, the Miami Heat survived a non-youth movement and a mid-season coaching change in winning the franchise's first NBA championship. Sadly, the success story is fading fast and the praises for Pat Riley's latest run may slowly be turning to suggestions that the title run of 2005-2006 was a fluke. Granted, no one can deny the accomplishments and individual talent of the Heat's roster. The NBA championship was something that this team fought for and earned. However, no one can deny the current 2-9 record of the Heat. There are still several months in the season, but Pat Riley no longer has Stan Van Gundy on his staff to help develop the team, and this team is expected to contend now.

Tuesday night's loss was another instance of Michael Redd asserting himself as a star in the NBA. However, Redd had to earn the opportunity to become a star. After helping lead his Buckeyes to the Final Four as a junior, he took a risk and entered the draft a year early. His rookie year was somewhat of a struggle with playing time sparse and himself needing more development. Redd worked hard and became a better shooter in the pros than he had been in college. Eventually, he got his chance to shine in the Milwaukee Bucks lineup. The Cavaliers got a solid player when they signed Larry Hughes a couple years ago. Yet, it was publicly known that they wanted either Redd or Ray Allen, either who would have filled the need of a sharpshooter to complement the slashing of LeBron James. As Hughes is experiencing another year of injury, Redd continues to thrive as a team leader. Instead of getting stuck being an afterthought to James, Redd maintained his status as a 'top dog' w

The Cavaliers got a much needed win tonight on the road in Minnesota to even their record at 6-6. Despite multiple injuries, contract issues, and playing time/individual role concerns, the team continues to stay afloat early in the season. As GM Danny Ferry and Assistant GM Lance Blanks stressed to the team during the playoffs last season, "we are a 'no excuse' team." While the team has let games slip away versus the Suns, Jazz, Magic, and Bucks (the Cavs could very well be 10-2), they have hung tough and stayed competitive. Unlike last year, when they were arguably underachievers until the playoffs came, they are surprising some of their critics and skeptics. A .500 record might not look like much, but it reflects the will and determination of this team to succeed despite any obstacles and hardships.

The Phoenix Suns are a gifted team with gifted athletes. Overall, they are fundamentally sound. Last season, they were one of the favorites to win the Championship. Unfortunately, the team early on seems too focused on pushing the ball. The team was booed horribly during the fourth quarter of their loss to the Lakers. Then, during the first half versus the Cavaliers last night, the team came out firing at-will to no avail. Perhaps Coach Mike D'Antoni and the rest of the staff have set some lofty expectations. There has been a rumor from game announcers stating that the team is trying to score within seven seconds after advancing the ball past half court. Seven seconds? Players take that long to shoot their free-throws while stationary and unguarded. In the short term, the team risks poor shot selection due to the focus on getting shots off quickly. In the long term, the team risks becoming a one-tempo kind of team. If the Suns want to be the best team in the league, the

Aside from the Pacers, their management, and their die-hard fans, most people following the league probably predicted the Pacers to start 1-2 or 0-3. Yet, they find themselves at 3-0 to start the year, with big home wins over Eastern Conference foes Washington and Miami. The opening game win over Washington came with star forward Jemaine O'Neal sitting out while resting an ailing knee. Although it is still early, perhaps Indiana has more in store for the rest of the league.

During postgame coverage, the Cavaliers media people, including former players Austin Carr and Campy Russell, expressed some concern over the physical health of Larry Hughes. Hopefully, anything he is dealing with is more rust than anything. However, his defense has been subpar in the first three games, especially since he is widely respected around the league as one of the league's better defenders. If there is something wrong, hopefully the team is able to address the injury immediately so Hughes will be ready for the stretch run. Even if Hughes is not scoring like he did early last season, the team could definitely use his ability to turn steals into fastbreaks.

During the Playoffs last season, Coach Mike Brown acknowledged that he had a fourth quarter strike force--a 'comeback crew' of sorts--that he liked to turn to for finishing games strongly. The group comprised of Daniel Gibson, Damon Jones, LeBron James, Donyell Marshall, and Anderson Varejao. With Marshall hurt and Varejao still in Brazil, Brown has been unable to turn to this productive lineup. As it stands, the strike force has been disbanded indefinitely.

The Cavaliers have opened the season at 1-2. However, they appear to be improving with each game. Here are some observations from the first week's happenings: While Shannon Brown's option was not picked up for next season, there is still a decent chance that Brown and the Cavs will come to terms on a contract for next season. Regardless, the move serves as a reminder that the Cavaliers were not planning on drafting Brown until he fell right into their hands at the 25th pick. Rather, the original plan (which still came true) was drafting Daniel Gibson and working him into the rotation by the middle of this year. There is still the possibility that Brown is 'this year's first round pick' on account of his missed time last year due to injury. However, the declined option weakens that claim for the time being. When Sasha Pavlovic signed last week while Anderson Varejao still remained out-of-sight, the move greatly reduced the likelihood that Varejao returns to the