CAVS.SPACE

The Cavaliers had interesting back-to-back games last Friday and Saturday. In these games, they lost to the now 7-9 Charlotte Bobcats, who have not yet qualified for the playoffs in franchise history and currently sit at 7th place in the Eastern Conference; and defeated the Dallas Mavericks, runners-up in 2005-2006, owners of the league's best record in 2006-2007, and currently 3rd in the Western Conference with a record of 13-5. In Friday night's game , the Cavaliers came out flat. This was likely the cliche "trap game", in which the Cavs overlooked the Bobcats in favor of Saturday night's opponents, the Mavericks. Also, the game against the Bobcats took place the day after Thanksgiving, meaning that the lethargy of the team could be linked to heavy eating, including the consumption of tryptophan-containing turkey. Still, as Mike Brown, Danny Ferry, and others declared during the 2007 playoffs, the Cavs are a "no excuses team". The performance was beyon...

Last week, Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin passed away at age 85. Pollin was the longest tenured owner in the NBA, having owned the Wizards (formerly the Bullets) since 1964. Pollin moved the team from Baltimore to the nation's capital. Among his franchise's accomplishments was winning the NBA Championship in 1978. Pollin was not only a long-tenured owner but also very well respected across the league and sports in general. He previously owned the Washington Capitals (National Hockey League) and the Washington Mystics (WNBA), both of whom he sold to a group led by Ted Leonsis of AOL (who will take over the Wizards with Pollin's passing). He was loyal to his employees, who were loyal to him as an employer. At the same time, Pollin was not afraid to speak up about his concerns internally or externally. Internally, Pollin gave Michael Jordan much power as a team executive, allowed Jordan to make a second comeback from retirement, then let Jordan go following Jordan's ...