Cavs 08-09 Season - Central Div Champs (official thread)

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Kinder, gentler Cavs training camp With eye toward older players, coach Brown to go a little easy on former marathon practice sessions
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Wednesday, Oct 01, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: The Cavaliers have invested millions of dollars in preventative maintenance.
It includes all sorts of different pieces of equipment in their new practice facility to a small army of support personnel all the way to a hot tub the size of a studio apartment. But there's a new tactic being used in this new season, one more of philosophy than machinery.
Now in his fourth season, Cavs coach Mike Brown opened the first two practices Tuesday by showing some new restraint. Once known for his marathon practice and shootaround sessions, he is attempting to think long-term and be concerned about some aging and overworked bodies on his team.
Brown is revamping the way he's conducting practices with an eye toward keeping legs, arms and backs fresh.
''I am going to try and be more efficient this season,'' Brown said. ''As a coach, you always want to be learning and implementing new things and that is something we're trying to do.''
To that end, even though the team will be gathering for two-a-day workouts for the first 10 days of training camp, Brown will only be allowing contact in one practice per day. Players will not even get their ankles taped for some of the workouts with a focus on play sets and learning concepts instead of hardcore drills and scrimmaging.
Brown has also decided he will hold LeBron James, who is coming off a demanding summer with Team USA, out of virtually all contact work during the season's first week.
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[osugrad21]

CPD

After being tormented by Williams, Cavaliers eager to unleash their new guard

by Mary Schmitt Boyer Tuesday September 30, 2008, 7:27 PM


Tracy Boulian/The Plain DealerNew Cavaliers guard Mo Williams: "I thought [the Cavs] were a piece away. ... I thought I could only make them better. I couldn't make them worse."
Mike Brown hasn't seen a lot of Mo Williams yet, but the Cavaliers coach has figured out one thing about his new point guard. "He looks easier to guard," the coach said, laughing.
Last season, when Williams was playing with the Milwaukee Bucks, he killed the Cavs as Milwaukee won three of the four games between the teams. Williams averaged 26 points, 9 assists and 6.2 rebounds against Cleveland and shot 50 percent from the field. On Feb. 26, he scored 37 points in the Bucks' 105-102 victory. Only three players scored more against the Cavs last season.
"If you can watch any film of what he did to us last year in four games, it was like, 'Wow,'" LeBron James said. "I didn't know if he had something against us or he was sending us a smoke signal to go get him in a trade. He sent a good signal."
General Manager Danny Ferry acquired Williams in a three-way deal on Aug. 13, sending Damon Jones to Milwaukee and Joe Smith to Oklahoma City. Williams was thrilled. He admitted that while he was watching last spring's playoffs on television, he could see himself playing with the Cavs.

"One team I always envisioned myself with was here," he said as training camp opened on Monday. "I'm fortunate in that it was a dream come true. I felt that with the way I played and the way LeBron plays, he's a great complement to what I do and I'm a complement to what he does.

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[osugrad21]

Canton

Is Mo Williams the missing part to a Cavs championship?
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
BY CHRIS BEAVEN
[email protected]

INDEPENDENCE Watching the NBA playoffs from home the last two years, Mo Williams often found himself switching uniforms in his mind.

"You kind of envision yourself with these different teams," the new Cavaliers point guard said. "One team I always envisioned myself with is here (in Cleveland), so it was fortunate for me that it did come true."

The Cavs traded for Williams in August, acquiring him from Milwaukee, where he put up good numbers for a bad team. He comes to Cleveland with expectations of being a player that can make the Cavs a championship team.

"I thought they were a piece away," Williams said.

"From what I do on the basketball floor and what they already have ... I can only make them better."

Williams is not alone in that view. Cavs superstar LeBron James loves the thought of Williams joining him on the floor.

"It brings another dimension to our team," James said. "It allows defenses to not to overload on the side of the floor I am on. If you do, Mo is able to create by himself one-on-one against anybody in this league."
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[osugrad21]

ABJ

LeBron is taking it easy to battle fatigue After busy summer, Cavs' star limits drills
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Thursday, Oct 02, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: There are a couple of emotions LeBron James constantly denies feeling.
One of them, famously, is pressure. Another, if you listen to him, is regret. His overall track record and statistical resume seem to back him up, but there are a couple of small cracks in that confident facade.
One came two years ago when James truly had the only slump of his five-year career. He might be facing another such challenge this season.
For the first few months of the 2006-07 season, James was not himself, especially from an energy standpoint. He went through periods early in that season when he seemed to play without his usual pop. He experienced a string of uncharacteristically mundane fourth quarters, when he was usually at his best.
Though he seemed to find a new wind in the second half of the season and ended up leading the Cavs to the Eastern Conference title, his overall numbers dipped across the board. At the end of the season, even though the Cavs won 50 games and claimed the No. 2 seed in the East, he was left off the All-NBA first team.
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[osugrad21]

CPD

Varejao, Pavlovic eager to erase frustrating memories from Cavaliers' 2007-08 season

by Mary Schmitt Boyer Wednesday October 01, 2008, 7:37 PM

David I. Andersen/The Plain DealerAbsent when training camp began in 2007, Anderson Varejao was an enthusiastic (and prankful) participant with LeBron James during Monday's media day with the Cavaliers.
Anderson Varejao bounded around the practice court on Monday wearing a T-shirt that read "I'm with stupid." The grinning power forward barged his way into as many photo opportunities as he could, drawing laughs from coaches, teammates and reporters. It was a much different scene from last year, when Varejao's absence, and that of Sasha Pavlovic, was the main focus of the start of training camp. Both were involved in messy contract negotiations that cost them the preseason -- and much more. Both wound up hurt, and neither contributed much to the team's success.
Cavs General Manager Danny Ferry vowed that wouldn't happen again, and he was able to come to terms with restricted free agents Daniel Gibson and Delonte West before training camp opened. That meant everybody was ready to go when the first whistle blew on Tuesday morning.
It is no coincidence that the atmosphere in Cleveland Clinic Courts is much lighter heading into this season.
"The atmosphere has been great -- a lot better than the start of last season," LeBron James admitted. "Everybody's here. It's a great feeling. I think everybody's focused and knows what's at stake here."

Pavlovic signed on the eve of the regular season last year. But back spasms, a sprained left foot and a sprained left ankle cost him 25 games. His scoring average dropped from 9.0 in 2006-07 to 7.4 and his shooting percentage fell from 45.3 percent to 36.2.

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[osugrad21]

CPD

Cavs' Varejao knows now how important preseason can be
Thursday, October 2, 2008
BY MIKE POPOVICH
[email protected]

INDEPENDENCE Anderson Varejao was nowhere near Cavaliers training camp this time last year.

The energetic Brazilian was back home, running, lifting and waiting for a new contract with the Cavs to get ironed out. Both sides were far apart. Two and a half months would pass before a deal finally was reached.

Fast forward to this week. Varejao has been in camp with the Cavs since Day 1. No negotiations hang over him or the team.

The 6-foot-10 forward is eager to take advantage of what preseason offers, a luxury he did not come close to having last year.

"Everybody knows I got here late," Varejao said. "Now I'm going to start the season from the beginning. Preseason is a very important thing for me, for the players."

Last season was somewhat of a lost year for Varejao. It began with his holdout and ended with a left ankle injury he was slow to recover from.

Varejao went into the 2007 offseason a restricted free agent, but not many suitors were enamored with the asking price. The Memphis Grizzlies showed some interest before they chose to sign 2003 lottery pick Darko Milicic.

The Cavs ultimately matched a three-year, $17 million offer sheet Varejao received from Charlotte. He saw his first action Dec. 11 against Indiana, the team's 22nd game of the regular season.

"It's much better to start the season with everybody," Varejao said. "Preseason is good. That's when you practice. That's when you have the exhibition games and everything to try to improve.
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[osugrad21]

Canton

Ticketmaster beats Cavs in lawsuit
Thursday, October 2, 2008
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLEVELAND The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost a contest in the court of law.

A federal judge ruled that the Cavaliers must stop allowing season ticketholders to resell tickets through the Flash Seats Web site because it violates the team's contract with Ticketmaster Inc.

U.S. District Judge Kathleen M. O'Malley sided with West Hollywood, Calif.-based Ticketmaster's claim that its primary-ticketing contract with the Cavaliers gave it exclusive rights to handle all the team's ticket sales. O'Malley made the ruling Tuesday and will decide on damages later.

Primary ticketing involves tickets sold from a team to a consumer. Secondary ticketing is the resale of tickets by a consumer or broker.
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[osugrad21]

Canton

Cavaliers Notebook
Wednesday, October 1, 2008


SPECIAL GUESTS Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown welcomes high school, college and minor league coaches to attend practices when he can accommodate them. On Tuesday, coaches from Lakewood St. Edward, including head coach Eric Flannery, were on hand. They also got to see former St. Ed's star Jawad Williams, who is in camp with the Cavs as a invited free agent. Williams helped North Carolina win a national title his senior year in 2005. The 6-foot-9 forward has played in the D-League, Japan, Israel and Spain during the last three seasons.

HELPING HAND Head Coach John Treloar of the D-League expansion team Erie BayHawks, as well as his assistant, Ben McDonald, are going to spend much of training camp working with the Cavs staff. Erie is the D-League affiliate for the Cavs. "We want those guys to see what we're doing, and we want to get to know them so that they may do some things that we do here in case we send some players down there," Brown said.

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[Brutus1]

1. As much as I hate Ticketmaster, the ruling against the Cavs and flash seats is a good thing. You can get great deals from people that can't use their tickets but had to pay a ticketmaster-type fee to Flashseats for the transaction. Now, you can still do it but Flashseats can't charge that extra fee, so that could save some decent $, at least until they tell TM to go scrub their ass in July, 2010.

2. Brian Windhorst is by far, hands down, the best Cavs beat reporter. He's not a schill to the team, and his inside info is always very good.

3. I'm hopeful and confident that Mo Williams will play decent defense to go with his offense. IMO, his arrival is the best move since drafting LeBron. We should finally see a difference in the offense, with a guy that can shoot, penetrate and dish the rock.

4. As long as Z and Wallace stay healthy, this team will be able to play with anyone in the conference. I honestly didn't feel that last season. Wild Thing appears to be very happy and should be healthy and refreshed after skipping international play this offseason. He's going to be counted on for alot of minutes this year. I'm not sure how much we'll see JJ Hickson, but I'd like to see him get some minutes in blowout games and maybe 5-10 mintues a game as long as he's not a Damon Jones on defense. Watching his summer league play, you could see that he appears to have 'it', something I never saw out of any of their draft picks since LBJ. His low post game will be big for the team in the future, I'm just not sure when that will be.

 

[Bucks21]

1. As much as I hate Ticketmaster, the ruling against the Cavs and flash seats is a good thing. You can get great deals from people that can't use their tickets but had to pay a ticketmaster-type fee to Flashseats for the transaction. Now, you can still do it but Flashseats can't charge that extra fee, so that could save some decent $, at least until they tell TM to go scrub their ass in July, 2010.

2. Brian Windhorst is by far, hands down, the best Cavs beat reporter. He's not a schill to the team, and his inside info is always very good.

3. I'm hopeful and confident that Mo Williams will play decent defense to go with his offense. IMO, his arrival is the best move since drafting LeBron. We should finally see a difference in the offense, with a guy that can shoot, penetrate and dish the rock.

4. As long as Z and Wallace stay healthy, this team will be able to play with anyone in the conference. I honestly didn't feel that last season. Wild Thing appears to be very happy and should be healthy and refreshed after skipping international play this offseason. He's going to be counted on for alot of minutes this year. I'm not sure how much we'll see JJ Hickson, but I'd like to see him get some minutes in blowout games and maybe 5-10 mintues a game as long as he's not a Damon Jones on defense. Watching his summer league play, you could see that he appears to have 'it', something I never saw out of any of their draft picks since LBJ. His low post game will be big for the team in the future, I'm just not sure when that will be.

I enjoy Windhorst's blog a lot. He has been in the hospital with an undisclosed illness and has not posted on it for almost two months. Its good to see he is writing again.

 

[Brutus1]

Yea, great to see him back writing again. From what I he was, he was very ill.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Hickson shows growing pains Cavs rookie appears to be having trouble playing defensive end
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Friday, Oct 03, 2008
INDEPENDENCE: Cavaliers rookie J.J. Hickson is less than a month off his 20th birthday and at least two years younger than anyone else taking part in the team's training camp. That includes the interns.
Not surprisingly, it's showing.
While there was some belief that the 6-foot-9 inch forward could become an instant rotation player, some early training camp growing pains may be bringing everyone back to reality.
Now surrounded by all the veterans, Hickson is having some moments where he can't keep up, especially on the defensive end.
On Thursday, he had to bring several dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts to the morning practice, a normal rookie tradition. But the real hazing has been the demands of coach Mike Brown, whose expectation for perfection on
defense even in drills had Hickson admittedly surprised.
''He's doing OK,'' Brown said this week of Hickson, withholding the praise he has lavished on fellow rookie big man Darnell Jackson, who is smaller and less talented but three years older.
''This is a different environment than he is used to. But he will, not we hope or not maybe, he will get used to this environment sooner than later. He is a young man that we are molding right now.''
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[osugrad21]

CPD

A good first impression: Cavs rookies Hickson, Jackson earn Brown's praise

by Mary Schmitt Boyer Thursday October 02, 2008, 6:36 PM


Tracy Boulian/The Plain DealerCavaliers rookie forward J.J. Hickson impressed during his summer-league action in Las Vegas.
The Cavaliers' first exhibition game is not until next Tuesday, but their two draft choices have made good impressions so far. First-round pick J.J. Hickson has displayed his talent quicker than expected, and second-round pick Darnell Jackson is tougher than expected.
"He reminds me of somebody like Dick Butkus," coach Mike Brown said of Jackson, who does not shy away from contact.
Hickson, who just turned 20, is a flashy 6-9, 242-pound forward who played one season at North Carolina State, where he averaged 14.8 points and 8.5 rebounds. Jackson, who will be 23 in a month, is a sturdy 6-8, 250-pounder who played four seasons and won a national championship at Kansas, where he averaged 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds as a senior.
The two could not be more different on the floor.

"In the summertime, J.J. showed his talent level was really high," Brown said. "He's young, but his potential is unlimited. When you're as good an athlete at he is at that size, I think you can do a lot of things when it comes to running and jumping and getting by guys off the dribble. He can play with his back to the basket. He can step out and face up a little bit. He's a decent shooter.

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[Brutus1]

It's simple J.J., learn to play defense and you'll get minutes and a spot in the rotation. He'll eventually learn, it's just a matter of when.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Rookie Hickson doesn't back down His dynamic defense gets team going in scrimmage at University of Akron
By George M. Thomas
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published on Monday, Oct 06, 2008
J.J. Hickson knows that he's a rookie. How so? By the fact that he's been made to endure one training camp ritual already ? picking up doughnuts for Cavaliers veterans.
But during Saturday's Wine & Gold Scrimmage at the Rhodes Arena at the University of Akron, Hickson showed little reticence when matched up against more experienced teammates, such as Ben Wallace. In fact, Hickson stood toe-to-toe with Wallace, absorbing more than his fair share of shots from the physical veteran.
Right now, that's what Coach Mike Brown is probably seeking from the rookie.
Hickson turned some heads with his performance in the Summer League, averaging 19.4 points and rebounds and shooting 53 percent from the floor while dominating in the paint. It's likely that
that performance made Joe Smith expendable in the trade that brought Mo Williams to Cleveland in September.
You won't see the lofty numbers from the summer league reflected in the box score from Saturday's scrimmage; much of what Hickson did wouldn't show up there. Take one instance where he blocked a shot that landed in Mo Williams' hands that led to the rookie flying out on a fastbreak. It's a dynamic that you don't see enough of with the Cavs' offense. There's little doubt that Williams' play injects some energy into the team, but Hickson's defense got it going.
''Yeah, that's when I'm most comfortable, when I'm running the floor, getting blocks and just playing basketball and getting back in transition,'' Hickson said.
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