Good first impression

CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers have been reborn, it seems, several times this season. There was the arrival of holdouts, the return of key players from injury, and now new faces from the largest trade in team ...

[East Side Joe]

Donyell, we hardly knew ye.

[RoYourBoat]

What an electric atmosphere! It made you proud to be a Cleveland Cavalier fan. Hope rings eternal and it was answered last night at the "Q". All the pieces seemed to fit.

[Kbadm11]

Lets not forget 2 words - Memphis Grizzles. We certainly appear to be improved but give it a few weeks and see what happens against NBA Teams not NBDL Teams.

[KEVIN IN AKRON]

Kbadm11 wrote:

Lets not forget 2 words - Memphis Grizzles. We certainly appear to be improved but give it a few weeks and see what happens against NBA Teams not NBDL Teams.

it was good practice at least. the cavs will have alot of those games the rest of the season. it seems like they have already played all the tough western confrence teams and have alot of easier teams to deal with. they need to gel before the playoffs to make a run at a ring.

[Kbadm11]

KEVIN IN AKRON wrote:

<quoted text>
it was good practice at least. the cavs will have alot of those games the rest of the season. it seems like they have already played all the tough western confrence teams and have alot of easier teams to deal with. they need to gel before the playoffs to make a run at a ring.

Could not agree more - when all the pieces get back (30 days) we need to get a solid rotation for the playoffs. My guess is no one wants us in any round of the playoffs.

[rufus]

Old Man Grump wrote:

Delonte West showed what a true point guard can do last night. It was really fun to watch him pass the ball around. The whole team showed more energy then anytime I can remember. Just wait for AV to return. This team is unstoppable with the new players playing in support of LeBron & Z.
Thank you Mr. Danny Ferry for getting us the talent that is needed to win a NBA championship. It can only get better as they play together over the next 26 games.
GO CAVS !!!

ok grump its going to take us sometime to get use to these posts.

[bikerman]

What a joy to watch. It was the new found energy that permeated the whole Q. Smith just might be the sleeper in the trade. He has a better 10-15 foot jumper than Gooden, and he offers toughness. And Wallace....He can be a real force. Great trade.

[Just a Fan]

Remarkable to see what LeBron does with talented, aggressive players on the floor -- and with a point guard who seems anxious to feed him the ball. His alley-oop two-hand slam should happen all the time; in West's first game, bam!, there it was. Meanwhile, LeBron had so many guys to choose from on the dish-off, it was silly. And then there was Z, free to take his man outside while Wallace patrolled the paint. There will be some tough games and some losses, but the potential of this mix is enormous. This should be a fun ride.

[KEVIN IN AKRON]

when sasha, andy and boobie come back we will have lebron and 10 other strong players around him. i dont know how mike brown is going to find playing time with all these guys. i would imagine he will give more minutes to the best defenders and then see who gets hot during a game and ride it as much as he can.

[Junior]

Sheed and the Celtics will back off Lebron with "Big Ben" waiting in the paint!!

[Ed Haas]

My god. James averaged a triple double last week......Kevin Garnett is putting up sick numbers this year in helping his team, but seriously, no one is as sick as Lebron is right now. Not only will he get NBA player of the week honors I assume, but if he keeps up this torrid pace, he'll snag that league MVP rather easily.

[Ed Haas]

Also, on a side note, did anyone else see Gooden and Hughes sort of stink it up during the Bulls game yesterday, they already seem to have reserved themselves to defeat. Half of the Houston Rockets looked like they weren't even trying and they still won. Maybe their attitudes will fit better in that currently losing environment.

[Josh]

I may have missed it, as I've been away from the computer this weekend, but I believe more than a few people owe Danny Ferry and the front office a huge apology.

According to an unreliable source, the Bulls firmly believe they got the better end of this deal... further evidence that the name "Paxson" is apparently a synonym for "moron".

WHAT A TRADE!!

[Brittle Fingers]

There were two moments in this game that really stood out for me (other than a couple of LeBron's insane dunks).

1.) Wallace gets a dunk off of a great feed (I think it was from West). Then, he immediately covers the outlet guy on the inbounds pass and forces a 5-second violation. When was the last time we saw that kind of defense here? Have we ever? That was nothing short of awesome. Those are the kinds of plays that don't show up in the box score, but can help win close games and lead to championships.

2.) In the first half, Dwayne Jones pulled a Dwayne Jones and committed two quick fouls in a matter of about a minute. He hung his head and moped as he walked off the floor after being pulled from the game. Then, Wally Szczerbiak came over and put his arm around him and started encouraging him. These are two guys who, as far as I know, have never played together before. I thought it was great of Wally to do that.....to act like a veteran who wants to win a championship.

And this is not to mention West's penchant for pushing the ball up the court or Joe Smith knocking down 15-footers like Larry Nance.

This may not have been the huge deal that we were all looking for, but the results may end up being even greater.

[Brittle Fingers]

Josh wrote:

I may have missed it, as I've been away from the computer this weekend, but I believe more than a few people owe Danny Ferry and the front office a huge apology.

I am one of those people. And I will eat my crow and apologize to him right now.

Mr. Ferry, I am sorry.

Okay, got that out of the way.....now go Cavs!

[average listner]

Is it just me, or is the Fred McLoed/A.C. tandem the worst broadcasting team EVER?? It makes Cavs games very difficult to watch, and kinda makes you think why Reghi is off announcing MAC games on ESPN 8. We miss you Michael. I know youre best buds, but Dan GIlbert - please put an end to the McLoed era in Cleveland!

[Just Plain Deeper]

I don't know how anyone can say the Cavs are much improved. I hate seeing Gooden go, but he was the ONLY piece that we really lost. We got 4 guys in return that can all contribute strongly...a solid supporting cast. Yes they beat a weak team, but in the NBA how often are those games close or loses. As Washington from a couple of nights ago.

Cavs are without a doubt better. By the time the playoffs come they will have had time to bond and learn each others games.

Oh, and how great was it to see a real point guard on the floor?

[Just Plain Deeper]

Correction to my above statment: It should read, "I don't know how anyone CAN'T say the Cavs are much improved"

[rudy]

rufus wrote:

<quoted text>ok grump its going to take us sometime to get use to these posts.

That was priceless!!!!!

[Brittle Fingers]

average listner wrote:

Is it just me, or is the Fred McLoed/A.C. tandem the worst broadcasting team EVER?? It makes Cavs games very difficult to watch, and kinda makes you think why Reghi is off announcing MAC games on ESPN 8. We miss you Michael. I know youre best buds, but Dan GIlbert - please put an end to the McLoed era in Cleveland!

I agree. Not that I think McLeod is that bad, but I really liked Reghi. There was no reason to replace him.

My announcing dream team would be a 3-man crew:

Reghi on play-by-play: Brings lots of energy and knowledge to telecasts.

Hubie Brown on color: He's the best x's and o's analyst I've ever heard.

Jim Chones on color: Just because it's a blast from the past.