I don’t like mystery injuries. Not at all.
He began experiencing pain Tuesday. But he was baffled about how he was injured in an exhibition game Monday night against Washington. “I don’t know where it came from,” James said. “I don’t remember getting elbowed in the chest. I woke up yesterday morning and it was hurting. It’s something I’ve never felt before.”
Cavs list him as day to day.
So how jacked up am I for the upcoming Cavs season? Apparently, even more than I thought.
Last weekend, I went out to buy Madden ‘06 for PS2, but while I was at the store I saw NBA Live ‘06 sitting on the shelf.
Hmmm….
The Cavaliers vs. the Browns…LeBron vs. Dilfer…Z vs. Droughns…Hughes vs. Braylon…Donyell vs. Bryant….
My conclusion, standing in the store with Madden in one hand and NBA Live in the other: the Browns = boring, the Cavs = exciting. So I decided to take the Cavaliers for a test drive.
Man, these guys are gonna be fun to watch. And dangerous. I’ve mentioned it before, but one of the team’s biggest strengths is going to be its flexibility. I still think Eric Snow is the best option as the starting PG, since the starting lineup already features four scorers (LBJ, Hughes, Gooden and Z) and Snow off the bench isn’t nearly as productive as Damon Jones off the bench. But there are actually four guys capable of running the point: Snow, Jones, Hughes and LeBron. Jones, Hughes, LeBron, Newble, Pavlovic and Luke Jackson (who’s looked great so far this preseason) can all play the two. LeBron, Marshall, Newble, Pavlovic and Jackson can all play SF. Gooden, Marshall, Alan Henderson and, when he comes back, Anderson Varejao can all play the four. We’ve got some depth issues behind Z (which will hopefully be filled by Tractor Traylor before the season starts), but this kind of interchangability, as I found out while playing NBA Live, is invaluable.
If you need points: Jones, Hughes, LeBron, Gooden, Z. Or you can slide Hughes to the point, LeBron to SG and bring in Marshall as the small forward. Jackson and Pavlovic will also be counted on for some outside scoring.
If you need defense: Snow, Hughes, LeBron, Marshall, Z. Or sub out Snow for Newble and let Hughes or LeBron run the point.
Instant offense off the bench? Jones and Marshall will provide that no problem, and the way Jackson’s playing right now, he’ll be a potent scorer off the bench as well.
Mike Brown will have the luxury of adjusting his roster on the fly, depending on what he needs at any particular point of any particular game. That’s a big luxury, and just one of the reasons the Cavaliers will be one of the best teams in the East. Not to mention a much more exciting video game choice than the Browns.
Is Brian Billick insane? Are the Ravens out of control? To answer this, The Baltimore Sun seeks the advice of..
- Joel Freeman, who has been a professional counselor, behavior analyst and author for more than 25 years. Freeman, founder of the Freeman Institute (a company that specializes in business and personal development)…
- John F. Murray, a licensed clinical and sports psychologist based out of Palm Beach, Fla. “It all comes back down to a consistent philosophy that the coach is clearly communicating to his team,” said Murray, who has created the Mental Performance Index…
- Peter Favaro, a forensic psychologist out of Houston who has worked with a number of athletes through the years, disagrees. Favaro, author of Six Critical Steps to a Calmer Life…
I can’t decide if this is a CSI episode or Dr. Phil. Hilarious.
Why do we care what happens to Lee Suggs? Why is he even on this team? Why is this even bad news? It’s not even news, let alone bad. As far as I can tell, Suggs has made his entire NFL career on two big games in garbage time a couple seasons ago. And that is IT. This line said it all in today’s PD.
Suggs has missed 18 of 36 NFL games because of injuries.
Cut him. Get another back. Sultan McCullough struck me as about 8 million times better than Suggs, let’s get him off the practice squad and in the game.
It’s not that scary…LBJ has a strained pectoral, and should be back Friday. This team’s defense is already a big story, and Luke Jackson again surprised everyone, leading the team with 14 points, in the 96-86 victory. Mike Brown on the defense…
“It’s a preseason game, and I don’t care if we win or lose, but the things I look at are effort, help, communication and trust on the defensive end of the floor,” Brown said. “I saw some of those things tonight. . . . as long as their effort is there, we’ll always have a chance to win.”
It’ll be good for the team to have some on the floor experience without LBJ. Bench production was terrible last year, and Lebron played way too many minutes. Maybe this injury has a silver lining.