Month: March 2006 (Page 9 of 11)

Lebron deserves to be MVP candidate

March 8, 2006 / Bob

The NBA media continues to amaze me with their inability to recognize Lebron James when discussing the MVP award for this year. I would like someone to please explain to me how James is continually left off the list of MVP candidates. I understand the top three candidates are Steve Nash, Chauncey Billups and Dirk Nowitzki. The fact that they are leading their teams into the playoffs is a very strong argument.

The part that really puzzles me is Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. These two players� teams are at .500 and at times they forget how to pass the ball. James, on the other hand, continues to lead the team in points and assists. The Cavs are 10 games over .500 and Lebron just won MVP in the all-star game. I have yet to hear an argument on why Lebron shouldn�t be ahead of Bryant and Iverson, except for the fact that Los Angeles and Philadelphia are larger markets than Cleveland.

Cleveland Cavaliers, LeBron James

OSU sweep top honors

March 8, 2006 / Bob

The Ohio State Buckeyes walked off with the top two awards yesterday. Thad Matta took home coach of year and Terrance Dials was player of the year in the Big Ten. The coaches and media both agreed on Dials, recognizing the fact that he dominated the Big Ten this year.

Coach Matta has now won the coach-of-the-year honor in three NCAA Division I conferences. He has directed four teams in six seasons to regular-season championships. He also has three conference tournament titles to his credit. These types of accomplishments are why Matta�s decision to remain at OSU has the university feeling good about its future.

OSU Basketball

Team effort gets Cavs a W

March 8, 2006 / John Blake

LeBron James wasn’t having the greatest night, by his standards, so he needed to get help from his supporting cast and that’s exactly what happened in Tuesday night’s 106-99 victory over the Toronto Raptors. For the first time in 24 games, LeBron was not the leading scorer for the Cavaliers as Flip Murray put down 24. Although LeBron finished with 12 rebounds and 8 assists, he struggled from the field, shooting 5 of 17.

“When he has an off night like that, he has to have confidence that we can pick him up,” said Murray, who has given the Cavs a spark since arriving in a Feb. 23 trade with Seattle. “That’s what we did.”

All five Cavalier starters finished in double figures and Eric Snow had a season-high 11 assists as the Cavs won their third straight.

These are the types of games we need to win. In the past, if LeBron didn’t have a great game the Cavaliers usually weren’t going to come out winners. It was great to see the rest of the team step up for a change and we are going to need a strong team effort every game, especially when it comes playoff time.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Pryce visits Cleveland

March 7, 2006 / John Blake

News out of Denver is that former Broncos DE Trevor Pryce is planning to visit the Cleveland Browns Tuesday. The Denver Post reports Pryce, who was recently cut by the Broncos as a cap casualty, will make his first free agent stop in Cleveland and will visit more teams in the next few days. Pryce had a $10.2 million cap number last season.

The Browns would be spending a decent chunk of their free agent money if they were to sign Trevor Pryce but I say it’s definitely worth it. Pryce, 30, is a four-time Pro Bowler who has built a very success career in Denver the last nine seasons. He was part of a Denver defensive line that was one of the best in the league last season. They were second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, and we all know how poor the Browns’ run defense was. One of the keys of this offseason for the Browns is to strengthen that front line and Pryce could be the man to do that. Our run defense and pass rush are arguably the two weakest aspects of our team and having Pryce on the line would be a huge upgrade. Having Roye and Pryce would be pretty solid.

Granted, there will be several other teams bidding for him, but let’s hope Savage at least attempts to put a good offer out on the table. We’ve got the money to make a serious run at him so let’s sign him because he’s a stud.

Cleveland Browns

Cavs tame Bulls, win second straight

March 6, 2006 / John Blake

The Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls 92-71 Sunday night, completing a four game season sweep. They blew the game open to start the fourth quarter, scoring 11 straight points to put the Bulls away. LeBron James carried the Cavaliers, scoring 27 of his 37 points in the second half. Anderson Varejao provided the spark and energy off the bench, grabbing 13 rebounds.

The Cavs are starting another winning streak, but forgive me if I don�t get too excited. After all, it was the Bulls both games. However, it is important that the Cavaliers take care of business and beat up on the sub .500 teams in order to maintain their position in the four spot. And on another note, where in the world is Sasha Pavlovic? Our bench has been struggling the last couple of weeks and Sasha could give us a lift in that department but he�s not getting any consistent minutes.