LBJ And New Kids On The Block Help Cavs Trap Grizzlies 109-89

Okay Cavaliers Fan, calm down! I know you are calling the talk shows right now all over Northeast Ohio right now talking about how your team is going to win the NBA Finals! And you will feel that way until the first time that Cleveland gets blown out when you’ll call the same talk shows crying for Danny Ferry’s scalp. That’s just how you are, you get very high highs, and very low lows. Anywhere else in the Nation, you would be being treated for bipolar disorder, in Cleveland,Ohio it’s just part of being a Sports fan. I know 44 years and counting, celebrate Sunday night and enjoy! The “Alternative Cavaliers” made their debut Sunday night to rave reviews as at least for one game they looked unstoppable blowing out the Memphis Grizzlies in front of the faithful at the Q Arena 109-89.?

Apparently I have been conspicuous in my silence on this trade. I have had quite a few regular readers e-mail me over the last couple of days and ask why?I have not given my analysis of this deal. For those you who are regular readers of mine you know that I covered the Cavaliers as a radio beat reporter for 11 years, and covered them in the NBA Finals last year for Slam Dunk Central. I have also being a very vocal advocate of Cleveland General Manager Danny Ferry getting a point guard. Why had I not made my feelings known on this trade. As I wrote in a previous game story concerning the Detroit Pistons deafeating? the Phoenix Suns Sunday 116-86, It?s far too early to make anything more than a first impression analysis of this move, or the Dallas move, or even the Suns move. After about 10 games together there will start to be indicators of whether the new unit is as cohesive as it?s predecessor, that?s why it is especially tough to make mid-season trades in the NBA.

However the first impression of this “NKOTB” version of the Cavaliers was totally positive. This move gives Cleveland some new offensive weapons in Wally Szczerbiak, and Joe Smith but this transaction really revolves around the other two players Ben Wallace and Delonte West. Wallace was having a terrible season in Chicago, the team blamed it on bad feet, my sources told me bad team. Ben basically was not inspired, and not playing with the enthusiasm he needed to do his job correctly, and that has historically been being among the top rebounders in the Association. His numbers had been way down, he recorded a double-double Sunday night. The other key is Delonte West, when he first went to Seattle in the deal that sent Ray Allen to Boston, there was talk of him being the starting point guard for the Sonics. For what ever reason he fell out of favor there and it never materialized. The question is can he be a starting point guard for NBA contending team? Although his shot selection could have been a lot better, he did dish off 6 assists, as did starting back court mate Devin Brown. That’s 12 assists from your starting back court it’s been a long time since we have seen that on a Cleveland team. The game was no contest and really over after the first quarter as Cleveland broke out to a 32-13 lead at the end of the period. ?The Cavaliers advantage was at 21 points as the two teams reached the half as Cleveland led 59-38. We can sum up the second half with two factoids, Memphis never got closer than 14 points in the entire second half, Brian Cardinal made a meaningless 26 foot trey with 15 seconds left to cut the final margin of victory to just 20 points.

As usual everything with the Cavaliers goes through LeBron James, and it was no different on Sunday as he led his team to the easy win with a double-double 25 points, 11 assists,?7 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block. Zydrunas Ilgauskas also recorded a double-double, 22 points, 13 boards, 1 block, veteran Joe Smith who was one of the few good things going on in Chicago this season had 14 points coming off the bench, 6 rebounds. Wallace 12 points, 10 boards, 2 steals, 1 block, and a standing “O” from the crowd, Damon Jones back to coming off the bench scored 11 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 block. Wally Szczerbiak had a nice first game coming off the bench scoring 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 block.

Hakim Warrick starting Sunday night as the Grizzlies get used to life post-Pau led the team scoring 21 points, 9 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal. Rudy Gay scored 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, 1 block, Juan Carlos Navarro scored 14 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist. Kyle Lowry scored 13 points coming off the bench, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, Mike Conley Jr. probably did not enjoy his evening back in the Buckeye State although he scored 10 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound. Cleveland is now 2-0 since the trade and are sitting at 32-24, Memphis is now 14-42.

Pingback from Different Venue, Different Result Cavaliers Clobber Celtics In Game Three 108-84 » Slam Dunk Central
May 11th, 2008 at 12:59 am

[...] However the first impression of this “NKOTB” version of the Cavaliers was totally positive. This move gives Cleveland some new offensive weapons in Wally Szczerbiak, and Joe Smith but this transaction really revolves around the other two players Ben Wallace and Delonte West. Wallace was having a terrible season in Chicago, the team blamed it on bad feet, my sources told me bad team. Ben basically was not inspired, and not playing with the enthusiasm he needed to do his job correctly, and that has historically been being among the top rebounders in the Association. His numbers had been way down, he recorded a double-double Sunday night. The other key is Delonte West, when he first went to Seattle in the deal that sent Ray Allen to Boston, there was talk of him being the starting point guard for the Sonics. For what ever reason he fell out of favor there and it never materialized. The question is can he be a starting point guard for NBA contending team? Although his shot selection could have been a lot better, he did dish off 6 assists, as did starting back court mate Devin Brown. That’s 12 assists from your starting back court it’s been a long time since we have seen that on a Cleveland team.? LBJ And New Kids On The Block Help Cavs Trap Grizzlies 109-89 [...]