NBA playoffs: The Gilbert philosophy
Thursday, May 11, 2006
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]BY Mike Popovich REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER [/FONT]
AP PHOTOS PAUL SANCYA
DOES THIS HAPPEN IN YOUR OFFICE? Dan Gilbert, founder and president of Quicken Loans, has tried to create a more relaxed, employee-friendly workplace where scenes such as above — Andrew Chevalier trying to close a deal while standing on his desk — aren’t considered risqué. Quicken has been ranked among the top 15 “Best Places to Work” by Fortune magazine for the last three years.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
PISTONS AT CAVALIERS
Game 3, Eastern Conference semifinals
Saturday, 5 p.m.
Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland
TV ESPN
LIVONIA, Mich. - Finding a Cavaliers flag in Pistons territory is not so tough, after all. One flies outside the Quicken Loans building in suburban Detroit.
Inside is the hub of one of Fortune magazine’s top 15-rated companies in the nation to work for. The multimillionaire chairman and founder who enters the board room looks no different than some of the casually dressed male employees in the building.
This is Cavs owner Dan Gilbert’s home base. More than 3,500 work in this successful, high-energy environment.
Quicken Loans is the nation’s largest online retail home lender. It closed $16 billion in home loans in 2005 alone.
Gilbert encourages employees to take initiative, and they are rewarded for their accomplishments. They have won trips, plus tickets to sporting events and concerts.
At Quicken Loans as well as the Cavaliers, a culture has been created where employees feel a sense of empowerment.
“When people feel empowered, and they can know they can improve things daily, that’s a big chunk of our formula for getting to the level we want,” Gilbert said. “We take that tact in the arena with game presentation. The basketball side, we let the basketball people go. But we think we hired the kind of people who believe in this approach.”
The Quicken Loans building sits off Interstate 275, west of downtown Detroit. One thing to keep in mind, though: No one refers to it as the company’s “corporate headquarters.”
Quicken Loans has “teams,” not “departments.” And there is no use for the word “supervisor.” “Team leader” is the appropriate phrase.
“We want to eliminate corporate lingo,” Gilbert said. “ ... There is just such an arrogance in this country about these guys in suits who are trying to rub it in. They’re not close to their business. We’re close to our business.”
Gilbert interacted with several employees while conducting a tour earlier this week. Many simply call him “Dan.”
The employees are treated to free popcorn, slushies and cappuccino in the employee lounge known as the “Soft Rock Café.” The lounge also has an ATM machine.
With the perks come an expected high level of performance. In the nearby Internet home lending center, salespeople are seen standing at their desks while energetically completing transactions over the phone.
Quicken Loans is growing, too. The company hires around 200 employees every month. A new Internet home lending center recently opened in downtown Cleveland. It is expected to create between 300 and 350 jobs within the first two to three years.
Gilbert spends several hours speaking with new hires during training sessions. He talks very little about mortgage. He focuses more on what makes Quicken Loans so successful.
“The similarity between any business is the philosophy and foundation,” Gilbert said. “If you get great people and put them on top of a great philosophy, I think you have a winning formula.” Reach Repository sports writer Mike Popovich at (330) 580-8341 or e-mail: [email protected]
In need of a miracle
Thursday, May 11, 2006
ROB OLLER
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>
</IMG> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Dust to dust.
The large lot that once hous Richfield Coliseum is a lot of n ing now, back to being the em field from which it came.
The Cavaliers franchise was that field once, an eyesore wit redeeming value. Come to thi it, Cleveland, the neighboring wasn’t much to look at, either.
Long before LeBr James lifted the Ca into the NBA mainstream in Quicken Loans Arena, well before Bernie Kosa brought the Brown back to life, and wa before the Indians turned Jacobs Field into a trendy destination, an overachieving basketba team turned Cleveland’s nothing into something special.
Thirty years ago, the 1975-76 Cavs cemented their place in Cleveland sports lore by knocking off the Washington Bullets in a first-round series that came to be known as the "Miracle of Richfield." The Cavs posted three of their four wins at the buzzer or in the final seconds, including Game 7.
Even more miraculous than the fantastic finishes was how Cleveland came to mirror the wine-and-gold colors of its NBA franchise. A previously downtrodden city felt giddy and rich.
It didn’t matter that Boston defeated the Cavs in six games in the conference semifinals. Cleveland finally had done something positive by winning a playoff series. For a change, the opponent was the punch line. It’s easy to forget, with James winning over the world through his Witness, that Cleveland sports had been a decadelong laughingstock until the Cavs compiled their 49-33 record in the ’75-’76 season. The Browns followed their 1964 NFL championship with a mix of mediocrity and mismanagement, the Indians were more useless than a two-legged chair, and the Cavs resembled Bill Gates competing in a powerlifting contest. They lost 37 of their first 40 games and finished 15-67 in their debut season of 1970-71.
Whether one likes Cleveland or not, there can be little lasting enjoyment in watching a city’s sports teams perform like Jim Carrey doing Shakespeare. For too many years, the Cavs, Indians and Browns played washboard, jug and comb in the classical orchestra of professional sports.
"There was a void of about 10 years there, where the whole town was going through difficult things," said Luke Witte, a center on the ’75-76 Cavs who also played for Ohio State and is a pastor in Charlotte, N.C. "The (Cuyahoga) River caught on fire, and the mayor (Ralph Perk) was an interesting guy. The whole city had a negative attitude. When the Miracle happened, there was suddenly a great positive stirring within Cleveland."
A city’s self-image shouldn’t necessarily be tied to its sports teams, but with so much uncertainty surrounding uneasy times, sports is something to cling to. Cleveland no longer needs a miracle to save face, but it’s nice to know the fantastic remains within reach — especially if you trail Detroit 2-0 and need a dose of the supernatural to pull the upset.
It could happen. After all, the Cavaliers’ postseason already has followed a strangely similar script to the Miracle season.
"There have been a lot of comparisons the whole season," said Jim Chones, the starting center in ’75-76 who oversees amateur sports leagues for the city of Bedford Heights. "We didn’t have a super player like LeBron, but we were a bunch of young kids who seemed destined to do well."
The similarities come closest when comparing opening playoff series, both played against Washington. The Miracle Cavs and current Cavs each won three games in high drama. In Game 2 of the 1976 series, Cleveland trailed the Bullets by a point with 28 seconds remaining when former Ohio State guard and Linden product Jim Cleamons forced a turnover, giving Bingo Smith the chance to drain a long jumper for an 80-79 win. Cleamons then won Game 5 by grabbing a Smith missed shot and laying it in at the buzzer for a 92-91 win.
Cleamons’ heroics were possible only because Elvin Hayes missed two free throws that would have iced the win for Washington. Coincidentally, the modern-day Cavs defeated the Wizards in Game 6 after Gilbert Arenas missed two free throws in the closing seconds, allowing Damon Jones to drain the winning shot.
Two of the other Cavs wins came on James drives in the waning seconds. The Miracle Cavs closed out Washington when Dick Snyder dribbled past Wes Unseld and threw a late runner high off the glass and the Bullets missed a desperation heave at the buzzer.
"Both series were similar in that it seemed to always come down to the last three to five minutes," said Chones, who missed the Boston series after suffering a broken foot during practice.
What the ’70s team lacked was a superstar like James.
"I’m so impressed with him," Chones said, pointing out how James told Arenas before the pivotal foul shots that Game 6 was over if he missed.
"He put that negative suggestion in Arenas’ head," Chones said. "Just shows that it doesn’t pay to listen."
Especially to those who claim miracles can’t happen.
Rob Oller is a sports reporter for The Dispatch
.
[email protected]
Cavs seek better play by Ilgauskas, rest of team
Friday, May 12, 2006
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER[/FONT]
<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
BOB ROSSITER Zydrunas Ilgauskas is averaging 10.4 points a game in the postseason for the Cavaliers — well below his regular-season average of 15.
CLEVELAND - One of Dan Gilbert’s favorite mottos is “the inches we need are all around us.” His Cleveland Cavaliers have 87 inches that are around, just not producing much during this postseason.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Cleveland’s 7-foot-3 center, is averaging 10 points a game in the postseason and is staying on the court for just over half the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Pistons. The lack of consistent production from Z, or anyone else beside LeBron James, is one of the reasons the Cavs are down two games in this best-of-seven series.
Ilgauskas is starting to get the brunt of the criticism from fans. He averaged 15.6 a game in the regular season, but hasn’t hit that in the postseason.
“We need more from everybody, not just Z,” Cavs Head Coach Mike Brown said. “... We need to get a maximum effort from Z at both ends of the floor. It would be nice for everybody to step up, including Z, point-wise.”
Ilgauskas spent much of the fourth quarter in Tuesday’s Game 2 loss on the bench. One reason was foul trouble. Another was ineffectiveness and Cleveland had to push the ball up the floor on offense.
One year removed from being an All-Star, Ilgauskas admitted he’s pressing.
“Maybe I am pressing at times,” he said. “But confidence isn’t an issue. What’s the worst that can happen? It’s just basketball. You come out and do the best you can.”
A three-day break, however, could be just what the doctor ordered.
“We’re all tired,” said Ilgauskas, whose first and only postseason experience was his rookie season seven years ago. “We had an easy day (Thursday). ... It’s more mentally than anything else. We get sick of each other. Some times it’s good to clear your head.”
Brown said Ilgauskas shouldn’t be more tired than anyone else.
“This is the longest most of the guys in that locker room have played in a long time,” he said. “It’s new to their bodies and new to their minds. ... It’s been a long season, which is great. We want it to be longer than it is.”
Anderson Varejao and Donyell Marshall combined for 12 points in Cleveland’s fourth-quarter comeback. Varejao scored inside off of penetrations by James. Detroit’s defense opened up because the Pistons had their worst shooting game of the postseason.
Ilgauskas spent long periods in the first two games of this series on the bench with foul trouble. Keeping himself on the floor was an issue in the first round against Washington, too.
Cleveland can help Z stay in the game longer at the onset, too. Detroit has jumped to large first-quarter leads. That forced Brown to abandon a more methodical offensive approach that suits Ilgauskas’ play.
“As far as the tempo of the game, we jumped to big leads and it’s like a football team that gets down by three touchdowns,” Pistons Head Coach Flip Saunders said. “All of a sudden, they have to start passing. (Cleveland) has to change their lineup a bit.”
Brown is putting an emphasis on his team playing with a greater sense of urgency earlier in the game, and finishing the first quarter strong. Cleveland has been outscored, 71-51, in the first quarters of the last three games against Detroit going back to the final regular season contest.
What really rubs Brown is the way Detroit closed out the three first quarters. The Pistons outscored the Cavs a combined 21-0 in the final 2:30 in the first of each of those games.
Cleveland outscored Detroit, 31-19, in the fourth quarter of Game 2. The Cavs switched on Detroit’s pick-and-rolls — which kept a body on a body — and then doubled Rasheed Wallace inside. The combination forced Detroit into a shooting slump, hitting 6-of-20 shots, its worst shooting quarter of the postseason.
“You think you’re playing with them the first eight to 10 minutes in the first quarter and they close it out on a run,” Brown said. “They go on a run because they get stops and they hit a bucket or two. You take quick, bad shots and they make you pay. That 10-0 run they’ve been going on is what’s putting us in a hole. We have got to close out quarters the right way and we have to play with a sense of urgency.”
If not, those inches that are all around, go by the wayside ... all 87 of them.
Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: [email protected].
PISTONS AT CAVALIERS
Eastern Conference
semifinals, Game 3
Quicken Loans Arena,
Cleveland
Saturday, 5 p.m. TV ESPN
NBA PLAYOFFS
Cavs need Ilgauskas to show his stuff
Center’s numbers have taken a tumble during postseason
Saturday, May 13, 2006
James Walker
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>
</IMG> </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
CLEVELAND — The numbers are considerably down, but Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas remains upbeat about his chance to make an impact in the second-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons.
Down 2-0, Cleveland faces a must-win situation today in Quicken Loans Arena.
Ilgauskas, a two-time All-Star, has been anything but during the playoffs.
His numbers are down across the board in the postseason, but most notably in points — a decrease of 5.2 from the regular season.
The Cavaliers didn’t need a strong performance from Ilgauskas to beat Washington in the first round-.That hasn’t been the case against the Pistons, who have hounded LeBron James because of the lack of a post presence and second scorer to keep their defense honest.
"Hopefully I’ll break through somewhere," Ilgauskas said. "(I’ll) try to get on the offensive boards. My jumper has not been falling during the playoffs, so maybe I’ll take more postups and stuff."
Perhaps Ilgauskas benefited from having the past three games off.
Today will mark the 91 st game of the season, which is the deepest Ilgauskas has gone into a season. He has a long history of foot injuries and might be hitting a wall.
It doesn’t help that Detroit is one of the more physical teams in the league.
"I’m a little banged up here and there, but nothing major," Ilgauskas said. "The physicality steps up a point and the refs allow you to do a little more than in the past, but we’re not afraid of physical play. It’s just going out and playing through it."
There was a sullen mood at Cavaliers practice yesterday.
The team was still recovering from the death of Justin Hughes, the younger brother of guard Larry Hughes, who flew back to St. Louis on Thursday and is not expected to return for today’s game.
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown and team captains James and Ilgauskas said they have not spoken to Hughes since his brother’s death.
"Not having him around affects us, and then when you know why he’s not around, it affects us a lot more," James said. "But we’re professionals. I hate to have this happen to a family member, but we have to try to clear our mind the best way we can and get ready for Game 3."
The Cavaliers likely will have to adjust without their secondleading scorer in the postseason. It puts even more emphasis on production from players such as Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden and Ronald "Flip" Murray, who would replace Hughes in the starting lineup.
Cleveland stayed afloat without Hughes during the second half of the regular season. Hughes missed 45 straight games with a finger injury and Cleveland went 26-19.
"We’ve faced adversity throughout this year," Ilgauskas said. "Larry went out with his finger twice, having two surgeries. Although we will miss him and our prayers goes out to him and his family, we think that this team can sustain if a player goes down."
[email protected]
