CAVS.SPACE

> Get well Joe Tait! > Congrats to Al Horford on getting a contract extension before today's deadline. I am curious to see what happens when a core player for a team gets an extension before the season drags on... > Predictions: Season MVP - Kobe Bryant Rookie of the Year - Blake Griffin Most Improved Player - J.J. Hickson Coach of the Year - Jerry Sloan NBA Championship - Lakers defeat Celtics, 4-2 NBA Finals MVP - Pau Gasol Scoring Champion - Kevin Durant Rebounding Champion - Luis Scola Assists Champion - Rajon Rondo Steals Champion - Rajon Rondo Blocks Champion - Josh Smith Defensive Player of the Year - Rajon Rondo All-Star Game MVP - LeBron James Long-Distance Shootout Champion - Dorell Wright Rookie Challenge MVP - John Wall Slam Dunk Champion - Terrence Williams

The 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers did a number of things in winning their season opener. They defeated the Boston Celtics, who had knocked the Cavs out of the playoffs last year. The Cavs also won at home, where they last lost by 32 points to the Celtics in the foreshadowing Game 5 playoff loss. They won tonight with a new Head Coach--Byron Scott. And, they did it without superstar LeBron James. The victory tonight was very refreshing. Coach Scott showed the poise of an experienced coach, and he did not shy away from making frequent calculated substitutions during the closing minutes of the game. He played the lineups that he felt gave the Cavs the best chance to win, with former All-Star forward Antawn Jamison accepting a role as a bench player. He did not give up on his players; Daniel Gibson, for one, kept shooting confidently, and the shots eventually fell for him. The way the Cavs played tonight was reminiscent of the Cavs squads under former Head Coach Lenny Wilkens. The offense ...

In accordance with the release of the new NBA 2K11 basketball video game, legendary Chicago Bulls shooting guard Michael Jordan has returned to the media's spotlight. That is, Michael Jordan has caught the sports world's attention by saying that today's NBA rules would have allowed him to score 100 points in a game. No one is questioning Michael Jordan's uncanny ability to make plays, create shots, and score points. Michael Jordan is right in saying that, overall, today's rules favor offensive players, particularly guards. Much less contact is allowed in defensive play; some of what was legal when Jordan played (such as forearms and handchecking) is now deemed personal foul-worthy. Furthermore, with a 30-team league, talent is spread out more than it used to be, and players--while on average are more athletic today--come into the league much less fundamentally sound. However, Michael Jordan has forgotten about the re-emergence of zone defense in the NBA. True, ...

*Originally published on Suite101.com in 2010 as a 3-part series; revisions made pertaining to Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and combining the 3 parts of the series into 1 article. Quarterbacks Bernie Kosar’s and Vinny Testaverde’s careers crossed paths in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns and Head Coach Bill Belichick.   Kosar had followed an exciting decade by quarterback Brian Sipe—the Browns’ all-time leading passer—and “The Kardiac Kids” by joining the team via unique circumstances and helping lead them to five consecutive NFL playoff appearances from 1985-1989.   Despite injuries and subpar seasons from 1990-1992, Kosar maintained the admiration and respect of teammates and fans.   Under more traditional circumstances, Belichick would take over the team as a first time Head Coach in 1991.  Meanwhile, Testaverde would join Cleveland as a veteran backup in 1993.   The unpopular rookie coach stunned the Cleveland fan base by cutting the fan-fav...

Basketball fans throughout the country--maybe even the world--watched as LeBron James announced his decision to play in South Beach and sign with the Miami Heat. He will be joining Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on what could turn into an old school dominant team--the type of team with multiple legendary players that more commonly existed before modern day mega contracts, free agency, and league expansion. Fans across the country know about the 'bad luck' of Cleveland sports as well as the struggles of an industrial city. "The Decision" becomes the next misfortune amongst Cleveland sports tragedies. The other "The ____" moments in Cleveland Cavaliers history happened at the hands of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. Otherwise, Cleveland is a football city first and a baseball city second. Historically, Cleveland professional basketball ranks third. The Browns can finish 2-14 and sell out all 8 of their home games. While the Indians cannot say the same about ...

Wine and gold? Red and black? Red and blue? Blue and orange? The suspense has been on for more than a year. Most recently, the pending free agency of LeBron James has drawn as much attention as the Gulf oil spill, the 2010 World Cup, Wimbledon, and any other news headline. Finally, LeBron James will announce his decision Thursday night around 9PM on a TV special on ESPN. To LeBron's credit, he is using the extra publicity to raise money for charity. Still, it is amazing how much attention he is drawing to himself. Yes, the hype has been built up with fellow 2003 NBA Draft picks Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, not to mention free agents Amar'e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Carlos Boozer, and David Lee, pseudo-free agents Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce, and a number of other players. At the heart of it all is LeBron James--aka "The King", "The Chosen One", "LBJ", etc. The pride of Akron and Cleveland finds himself in demand by everyone from Cleveland ...

*Originally published on Suite101.com in 2010; minor revisions made pertaining to Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  Croatian guard Drazen Petrovic was among the first European basketball players to play in the NBA.  Petrovic’s career was tragically cut short by a fatal car accident.  Before European basketball players such as Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, and Andrei Kirilenko joined the NBA, it was difficult for European-born players to make it into the league.  While forward Detlef Schrempf and center Rik Smits made their way to the NBA through NCAA Basketball, others were not so lucky.  Politics and contract disputes, along with cultural barriers, limited international influence on the NBA until the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Then, the world political scene changed with the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union.  As a result, a handful of sometimes forgotten players—including Drazen Petrovic from Croatia—help...