During that time Ohio has suffered like few other states have.  In addition to almost total futility on the field, the state has had to endure more than its share of off the field problems as well.

One of its football teams left town (only to win a Super Bowl within 5 years in their new city) and then returned and has been mostly terrible since.  The other football team became notorious for poor draft picks and criminal activity as well as being the worst team of the 1990s in the standings.

Of Ohio’s two baseball teams, one has choked away two chances at a World Series crown in the past 15 years, while the other has only two playoff appearances since 1990.  Even the Kid, Ken Griffey Jr. suffered a string of debilitating injuries once he returned to play in his home state, potentially costing him a run at the most hallowed of individual achievements, the career home run record.

The only NBA team in the state was largely irrelevant from 1990-2003, with only a couple of heartbreaking losses to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to show for their troubles.  Then, perhaps even more gut wrenching, Ohio watched the franchise’s homegrown meal ticket flee the state and head to Miami to chase championships and parties, leaving them nothing more than a lottery-bound mess.

Finally, Ohio’s pro hockey team, established in 2000, has had the worst points record in the NHL during the span of their existence.  They have settled into a state of relative failure, in a league that has struggled to maintain its status as one of the premier associations in sports.

Given this bleak (but somewhat recent) history, it’s difficult to imagine one of these star-crossed teams bringing a professional championship home to the Buckeye state.  In considering all 6 teams, we can see that there are varying levels of likeliness that each of them will win a title.  Let’s rank them, from least likely to most likely to reach the promised land of their respective sports.  Keep in mind that this is not a declaration that one of these teams will win a title, just my take on the likelihood that one will, relative to the others.

6. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have been a complete disaster for almost all of the last 20 years.  Currently, they are pinning their hopes on rookies Andy Dalton (QB) and A.J. Green (WR).  It’s hard to say how good Dalton can be, but the consensus is that Green is a star in the making.  Of course, just a few years ago the Bengals had a star receiver at the peak of his ability (Chad Johnson), and they still couldn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Queen City, Mike Brown’s reluctance to spend the necessary money on scouting and facilities will prohibit the team from getting to the elite level in the NFL.  When your star quarterback decides to retire healthy at 31, you know your team is a long way from winning it all.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

As I mentioned earlier, the Blue Jackets have been pretty dreadful since their inception.  They do have star center Rick Nash locked up for the next 8 years under a very rich contract, but barring some extraordinary upgrades on the rest of the roster they will not find themselves competing for a Stanley Cup any time soon.

It’s simply too tough to contend in the superior Western Conference, especially with Detroit, Chicago and Nashville, all formidable powerhouses, residing in their own division.  I’m afraid Columbus had better stick with the Buckeyes and their impending NCAA punishments.

4. Cleveland Browns

The poor Browns.

As an Ohio resident I can tell you that there are drastic differences between Bengals fans and Browns fans.  Bengals fans are convinced every year that this will be their year.  They ceaselessly envision their beloved purveyors of Who-Deyism beating out Pittsburgh and Baltimore on their way to the playoffs.  And they are almost always wrong.

Browns fans, however, are almost always pessimistic.  They expect the worst, and who can blame them?  They’ve been force-fed the equivalent of a turd sandwich for the better part of 50 years.

I’m convinced that Mike Holmgren will at least make the moves necessary to return the Browns to respectability, but that’s their ceiling as far as I’m concerned.  It seems doubtful that Colt McCoy will be the savior they need at quarterback, and the NFL has taught us that until that position falls in line, everything else is baseless.

3. Cleveland Indians

Baseball is a game in which, despite the gaps in spending between the haves and the have-nots, all teams seem to have a decent chance at success.  The Indians have made themselves a (surprising) contender by building around pitching and defense.

For many small market teams, winning is cyclical.  I expect the Indians to stockpile prospects and keep building a smart, sabermetric-friendly club until they are ready to make a big splash for the pieces they need to go for it all.  Then they will blow it all up and start over again while sandbagging money.  Such is life for the have-nots.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

Given the total debacle that the last 12 months have been for Dan Gilbert’s Cavaliers, it may be surprising to see them this high on the list.  But if we have learned anything in the NBA (coincidentally from this team and that famed 2003 top draft pick) it’s that one player can make the difference in a team winning a title and failing to even make the playoffs.

Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson were the two players the Cavs chose to build their future on in this year’s draft.  Looking at their roster, they still appear to be a lottery team, so we could be looking at a team that is able to mature together much like Oklahoma City has in the last couple of years.  Maybe the NBA landscape will become one in which stars all join up to party and win together, but it seems that any team with three or four elite young players should have a chance to contend no matter what the new NBA looks like.

1. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds made the playoffs last year behind a potent offense and quality pitching from the top three starters in their rotation.  Their management team, led by Walt Jocketty, has made it clear that they are willing to spend more than previous regimes, and they have done a good job of developing talent (see Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto among others).

As I mentioned above, baseball allows teams to compete as long as they make sound decisions and are able to spend a little (although it certainly helps if they can spend a lot, right AL East?).  The Reds must address issues in their pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen.  If they can upgrade a few arms they have an excellent chance to bring a World Series back to the state of Ohio.

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Twitter: @keithmullett

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Image Credits:

mancavesports.org

one4theotherthumb.com

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com

Joe Robbins/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com

It is apparent from the lack of talent on the Cavs roster that Cleveland will not have a playoff team anytime in the near future.

After the aftermath of “The Decision” it became obvious to the public that LeBron James never had any intentions of returning to Cleveland after the 2009-2010 season.  And because LeBron never alerted the Cavs before the “The Decision” appeared on ESPN that he was “taking his talents to South Beach”, Cleveland wasn’t able to sign any free agents or make any transitions because they still had to save a roster spot and money to pay LeBron if he had decided to return.

Throughout the 2009-2010 season LeBron James did make it clear to everyone that he intended to become a free agent after that season.  But he never said that he wouldn’t return to Cleveland, even though, as mentioned, it seemed like he never planned on doing so. There have been numerous reports that he had been planning on being a member of the Miami Heat, or at least teaming up with Dwyane Wade, for quite some time.

Now let’s say that at the beginning of the 2009-2010 season LeBron announced that he had no intention of signing back with Cleveland after that season, kind of like what Carmelo Anthony did with Denver.  But still he planned on giving his team and his city all he had for his last season to try to bring them a championship.

Lets fast forward to around the ’09-’10 trading deadline: Cleveland has one of the best records in the NBA because they know LeBron will leave after the year and they’re busting their ass every night because they know this is their best chance to win a title.  Also, LeBron is playing hard because he doesn’t want to get the reputation as a guy who quits on his team, and he might as well try to win a title now because he has a pretty good team in Cleveland and he made a promise to the city to try to bring them a title.  The New York Knicks, not wanting to lose LeBron in free agency, offers Cleveland the same deal they offered Denver for Carmelo Anthony (Anthony, Billups, and a bunch of stiffs to New York and Denver got Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, cash, a 2012 second round pick, a 2013 second round pick, and a 2014 first round pick).

In this fictional New York-Cleveland deal Cleveland gives up LeBron and Mo Williams and stiffs X and New York gives up Chandler, Felton, Gallinari, Timofey Mozgov, cash, a 2012 second round pick, a 2013 second round pick, and a 2014 first round pick.

I am asking Cavs fans and NBA fans would you accept this trade or would you keep LeBron for the remainder of the season?

Before you choose here are some key points that you have to remember before making your decision.

• You can’t see into the future.  So you can’t trade LeBron just because you know that LeBron will quit in the Boston series or do “The Decision”.

• Remember when LeBron played with Cleveland and people actually liked him.  So you have to use whatever mindset you had on had on LeBron during ’09-’10 season.  What I mean is did you think he was a trustworthy person who would stick buy his promise and give it all he had every game, and you can’t involve any of the dumb shit LeBron has done over the past year to alter your choice.

Another thing you can do before making your decision is think of the pros and cons if Cleveland made the trade.

If Cleveland Makes the Trade

Pros:

• If LeBron says he is going to leave at the end of the year then the Cavs might as well try to get some talent to replace him so they won’t be awful in the future.  Chandler, Felton, Gallinari, and three picks are better than nothing.

• Cleveland would still make the playoffs that season and have enough talent to make the playoffs in the future.

Cons:

• By trading LeBron, Cleveland would lose their best chance of winning a title.  There’s no way that Cleveland would win a title with Felton, Chandler, Gallinari, Hickson, and Varejao as their starting line-up.

If Cleveland would have made this trade with LeBron, they would be have a roster with solid players that would make them a playoff contender, but they would never have enough talent to win a title.  If they keep LeBron then they still have a chance to win the NBA Finals that season but they won’t get anything in return after he leaves.

So what would you do? Would you keep LeBron or would you trade him?

Now, because I am a Cleveland fan and I have suffered many years without a championship team, I would have kept LeBron.  As I mention above Cleveland would lose their best chance of winning a title by trading LeBron.  I understand that after LeBron left Cleveland’s roster would be decimated, but Cleveland would never win a title with the players they would have got in the trade.  Also, I would have a slim hope that if Cleveland won that season LeBron would have resigned.  If you’re that close to winning a title you have to go for it, especially if you’re Cleveland.

What would you do?  Would you keep or trade LeBron?  Feel free to leave a comment below on what you would do.

Many were calling the Mavericks the “Mavaliers”, with Dirk being the favorite player of many Cavs fans. However, it did not matter that the Mavericks won the title; it was all about the failure of LeBron James.

In all truth, the average Cleveland fan does not really care about the Mavericks. Throughout the course of the playoffs, they were fans of Philly, Boston, Chicago, and then finally Dallas. There are those who are fans of the game and wanted Dirk, Jason Terry, and Jason Kidd to win a title, but the majority just wanted LeBron to fail.

The Heat’s loss in the Finals is a victory for a fan of every team besides the Heat. Well, the Heat don’t actually have fans, as shown by the stands emptying before the conclusion of Sunday’s game. It seems like more people showed up for the little party thrown when LeBron and Bosh arrived in Miami, where it was declared that the Heat would possibly win seven titles.

But enough Heat “fan” bashing…suffice it to say, true fans of the NBA wanted the Heat to lose. A win by the Heat would have been a victory for the villain. It would proven right everything that is currently wrong with sports: stars teaming up with other stars to win. They did not succeed, but they were pretty close.

The difference in Cleveland was that it was not as much about the Heat’s failure as it was about LeBron’s failure. Cavs fans felt great when ESPN spent hours talking about how he couldn’t handle the pressure. After last year’s Game 5 against the Celtics, where he seemingly gave up, it seemed like deja vu for Cavs fans, only this time it was amusing. Every time he missed a shot, Cavs fans let out a cheer. I thought that if Dan Gilbert opened the Cavs arena for a Finals watch party, it would have been a packed house. That is how many people truly care about LeBron James failing in his pursuit of a title outside of Cleveland.

The hate for LeBron seems like it will be eternal in Cleveland, not only because of the infamous Decision, but because of his terrible statements that he makes to reporters. His recent comment on how people who want him to fail still have their personal problems just makes people want him to fail more. He is unknowingly making people hate him more. He has put his foot in his mouth numerous times and needs to stop. This could require not speaking in public, or even hiring someone to speak his thoughts for him.

The Big Three is under contract in Miami for five more seasons, which means at least five more years of Cleveland rooting for anyone who is against Miami in the playoffs. Cavs fans will quickly become Kobe’s biggest fans if it means LeBron not winning a title. For this summer, all Cleveland has to say is Alle hagel Dirk!

Dan Gilbert sent his 14-year old son Nick to represent the Cavs because he said Nick is the luckiest person he knows. This turned out to be true.

The Cavs headed into the lottery with two picks and came out with both of them in the top five.

The group in New Jersey to represent the Cavs was an interesting one. Besides Gilbert and his sons, the group contained Bernie Kosar, Josh Cribbs, and Joe Haden. All three are Cavs fans, and it was interesting to see them in attendance. Gilbert cited the “All for One” motto as a reason for them being there. They represent what is great about Cleveland sports, and they proved to be good luck on a night when it was needed.

The Cavs had two picks in the lottery because they acquired the draft pick of the Clippers in the deal that sent Baron Davis to Cleveland. The Clippers had the eighth worst record in the league, and therefore their pick had the eighth best odds. This was also an unprotected pick, which meant that the Cavs got the Clippers’ pick no matter where it ended up.

Clippers fans and their front office were hoping that the pick would be a low one so they would not regret the trade. However, that did not work out so well as halfway through the lottery it was revealed that the Clippers pick sent to the Cavs would be in the top 3.

The Cavs’ original pick ended up in the 4th slot. This left the Cavs, Jazz, and T’Wolves with the possibility of getting the top pick. The Jazz went third, and it was narrowed down to the Cavs and the T’Wolves. The Clippers front office was surely praying for the Cavs card to come up at #2, but it was in fact the league worst Timberwolves who got this pick.

This gave the Cavs the top pick in the draft, thanks to the LA Clippers.

The draft lottery last night was the continuation of what is currently a great time for sports in Cleveland.

The Indians have the best record in baseball and have a large lead in the AL Central. The Browns are in a rebuild, but Peyton Hillis was recently voted on the cover of Madden 12. The Cavs now have the first and fourth picks in the draft, which should result in some considerable talent even though many are saying how weak this year’s draft class is.

The last time the Cavs had the first pick, they took a man by the name of LeBron James. All of Cleveland would love to receive another player that can make anywhere close to the impact that he made — positive impact of course, not the whole becoming a villain impact.

This is also the playoffs for the other 14 teams* who did not get into the real playoffs this year.

* – This does not include the Clippers who gave their lottery pick to the Cavs in the deal that sent Baron Davis to Cleveland in exchange for Mo Williams. The Nets also gave up their pick to Utah in exchange for Deron Williams.

For the teams who nearly missed the playoffs – Phoenix, Houston, and Utah – being in the lottery does not mean too much. They will not get the top prospects, and they still missed out on the playoffs. There is the possibility that a great talent can drop past the top ten, but it is unlikely. Chad Ford of ESPN has Jimmer Fredette going 13th. He is a great prospect who could pan out as a successful NBA player, but he could also end up as a bust. This is why the NBA draft, and really any draft in any sport, is so tricky.

The Timberwolves have the best chance of winning the lottery, but that certainly does not mean that they will get the first pick. Last year, the Nets had the worst record and ended up with the third pick, missing out on John Wall. The T’Wolves are notoriously bad at drafting, as they always seem to take a point guard. Dropping out of the race for Kyrie Irving might actually be good for them, as they have stockpiled so many point guards over the last few years. They must begin to start having better drafts if they ever want to get out of the lottery.

The Cavs have the second and eighth best odds in the lottery. The second best odds mean that they have a great shot at getting the top pick. Owner Dan Gilbert is sending his son Nick, who he calls the luckiest kid he knows. Nick has the rare disease Neurofibromatosis, and has already had numerous surgeries. He has been strong and has been fighting through it his entire life. Hopefully Nick’s determination and luck can bring some top picks back to Cleveland.

Once the draft comes around, there will be some players chosen that few people have heard of due to the fact that they are foreign-based players. These include Bismarck Biyombo of the Congo, Enes Kanter of Turkey, and Jan Vesely of the Czech Republic. They will surely be talked about after the lottery is completed and when teams are preparing their prospect lists. Many fans would rather take players that they already know, but as seen by the success of players like Dirk Nowitzki, foreign talent can often be better than our notable college stars.

The playoffs for the non-playoff teams will conclude around 9pm tonight, and a few teams will be disappointed. I am hoping that the Cavs are not one of these teams. The last time they had the #1 pick they took a certain LeBron James. Although he is now a villain, no Cleveland fan would be upset with another player of his caliber – though, unfortunately, it does not appear that this year’s draft possesses any individual player who can even compare to James.

The obvious importance behind this win is the fact that LeBron is on the Heat. He went from a hero to a villain in a matter of minutes on national television and has done nothing to apologize to the city of Cleveland. There was no love lost during the first meeting between the Cavs and Heat on December 2nd. LeBron heard boos every time he touched the ball. The only problem was that the Heat blew out the Cavs 118-90 and LeBron had 38 points.

Tuesday night was different for Cleveland fans.

The drama started before the game even began. LeBron tried to have his entourage park in the team parking garage and they were denied access. Dan Gilbert responded with a tweet that said “Not in my garage”. Being a Cavs fan, the words of Gilbert amuse me although they can be seen as juvenile.

The only reason LeBron and his entourage drove to the stadium is because LeBron didn’t take the team bus. A player that does not take the team bus is usually unheard of. Given, he does have a house in the Cleveland area and his family lives there, but he should still be with his teammates.

Fast forward to the game introductions and LeBron found a way to cause more drama. During the intros, he was nowhere to be seen until the lights were turned off for the Cavs’ intros. According to him, he was in the bathroom. I have never seen a player miss intros due to a bathroom break and I highly doubt he actually had to go to the bathroom.

The game was another story in itself. The Cavs jumped out to an early lead behind the support of a sellout crowd at Quicken Loans Arena. Things were chippy from the start as Ryan Hollins and Dwayne Wade were given technicals after shoving each other. JJ Hickson followed that up with a hard foul on LeBron, which resulted in cheers from the crowd.

The game had too many highlights to keep track of. From Ryan Hollins’ block on Chris Bosh to Baron Davis’ alley oop to Alonzo Gee, the Cavs gave a great show for their fans. In the end the score read 102-90 in favor of the Cavaliers.

The win is the closest thing a 15-59 to a playoff game. The loyal crowd was in full support, and the players were inspired. To top it off, the Cavs beat the team where the villain of Cleveland now plays.

Cleveland fans were crushed when LeBron left to Miami and they only wanted one thing; for the Cavs to beat the Heat, at least once. The victory is something that brings hope and happiness to all Clevelanders. A 15-59 team gave the city

The only important piece not pictured is that LeBron James fellow. (He must have been in the restroom…)

Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images

You see, you’ve got the Cavaliers, represented here by Alonzo Gee on the rim, Ryan Hollins on the whatever, and Baron freaking Davis leading the way, finger in the air.

A patchwork roster of spare parts, stars with something left in the tank, and guys getting big playing time for the first time all season, Cleveland has made due with what it had available at the time. For the most part, they’ve never stopped trying to grind out wins, or at the least, 30-point quarters.

Then you have the Miami Heat, ironically represented here by Chris Bosh, because in Miami’s moments of futility this season, Bosh’s name has often been closely associated with whichever Heat Epic Fail you’re talking about.

I really enjoy that he finds his way into pictures like these. Really.

Lastly, you can see the Cavalier faithful going bonkers in the background. No matter the record, they’d have been out in full force last night with the return of LeBron James, but after every Cavs win I seem to find myself reading a quote from a player thanking the fans for showing their support. It certainly has been a different type of year than recent ones for Cavs fans.

And of course, James might not be in the picture, but when you looked at this, saw the Cavalier and Heat uniforms and the crowd cheering, you probably thought about LeBron anyway, right?

He’s the tie that makes any of this relevant at all. Otherwise, I’d be rather confused.

This year the reasons for trades were different. At 10-47, the Cavs are in the rebuilding process. Their first move, which is already well known, was trading Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to the Clippers for Baron Davis and their 1st round draft pick in this year’s draft. I think it is a great trade by Cavs GM Chris Grant and the rest of the Cavs front office.

Mo and Jamario will be missed greatly by Cavs fans and players alike. They both provided great energy and always gave 110% every time they were on the floor. Mo even sent out a tweet yesterday thanking Cleveland for a great tenure, which is a very classy move by him.

Some people in Cleveland, including fellow MSF writer Brandon Onda, don’t believe that Baron can help the team. They say that he is lazy and will lack effort on a bad team. I can only disagree with statements like those. Baron is averaging over 12ppg this year with 7 assists. He, along with Jamison, can help the younger players who are on the team.

The best part of the Baron trade doesn’t even involve him. It is the 1st round pick that the Clippers gave to the Cavs. The Clippers will surely be a lottery team as they have the 8th worst record in the NBA right now. That could leave the Cavs with two top-10 picks in the upcoming NBA draft.

The Cavs made another trade that was very under the radar. The Cavs received Luke Harangody of Notre Dame fame and 7-footer Semih Erden from the Celtics for a second round draft pick. The Cavs had to waive Leon Powe to create roster space for this deal. Powe could never keep the injury bug away after he came to Cleveland from Boston.

This deal will help the Cavs in the rebounding department after they were outrebounded 57-37 by the Rockets on Wednesday. Both players had limited playing time in Boston, but will be able to audition for more time on the 10-47 Cavs.

The new look Cavs take on the new look Knicks tonight in Cleveland but is is unlikely that the new players will be there. Baron is said to be in Cleveland tomorrow. It would not be worth it to try and get him here today anyway as it is an absolute blizzard in Cleveland.

Tonight the Cavs defeated the struggling – but still defending champion – Lakers in a 104-99 victory.

The Lakers were coming off two consecutive losses at Orlando and Charlotte. They looked very sluggish in those games, and they looked sluggish tonight.

The Cavs had a great first quarter, jumping out to a 29-21 lead. The Lakers gained some ground in the second, but the Cavs held a 51-46 lead going into halftime. The crowd was very excited and so was I.

The game became a great one in the second half, especially leading into the fourth quarter. Christian Eyenga had a thunderous dunk over Pau Gasol at the end of the third quarter. Kobe tried to come down and answer with a three, but he couldn’t on two tries. In the fourth the Cavs never gave up their lead, which was at three points for most of the quarter. After taking an 8-point lead the Lakers quickly cut it down to two with 24 seconds left. Anthony Parker and Ramon Sessions made free throws en route to the victory.

The MVP for the Cavs was Ramon Sessions. Interestingly enough, he was not even in the starting lineup. Mo Williams started at point guard, but was pulled after playing three minutes. It is being reported that he tweaked his ankle, the same one he injured earlier this year, and that he was being held out as a precaution. Ramon did not disappoint. He finished up with 32 points and 8 assists. He also made his first three of the year.

This game was clearly one of revenge for the Cavs. They were embarrassed in Los Angeles when they scored a franchise low 57 points. They reached 57 at the beginning of the third quarter tonight. It is tough to criticize the Cavs on their performance in LA because they were playing with three rookies, including Manny Harris playing point guard. It is tough to beat the defending champs in their arena with an undrafted rookie point guard.

Byron Scott is happy with the Cavs’ performance but still probably upset at the same time. He knows that if they brought that kind of effort every night they would not have such a poor record. He watches them play an inspired game against the Clippers and then get beaten badly by the Wizards then come back and beat the Lakers. It is tough for any coach or fan to understand. Either way, he is very happy about his team beating his former and hometown team.

An interesting result of this game is that the Cavs have swept the two Los Angeles teams at home in the past week. A win against the Clippers in L.A. will give them a 3-1 record against the two teams from the Staples Center.

Final note: the second most exciting play besides Eyenga’s dunk came from Antawn Jamison. He put up a three from the “C” on the floor at Quicken Loans Arena and knocked it down. It brought the crowd into the game and gave them and the home team momentum.

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* – Kobe / Steve Blake photo credit: AP photo Amy Sancetta via ESPN.com

After nearly two months of pure torture for players and fans alike, the streak has finally ended.

Before I finally conclude talk of the horrendous streak, the game from last night deserves to be noticed by fans nationwide.
It was the return of Mo Williams after he sat out the last few weeks due to a hip flexor injury. The return of Mo finally gave the team the true point guard presence that they have been lacking. He came off of the bench and finished the game with 17 points and 14 assists.

The biggest surprise of the night came from JJ Hickson, who had 27 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks. His blocks are the reason why he was the story of the night for the Cavs. Two of Hickson’s blocks came on powerful dunk attempts by Blake Griffin. One of these blocks led to a 3 by Mo Williams that put the Cavs up by 6 late in the fourth quarter, and Hickson’s most important block came on the Clippers’ last second shot attempt in regulation. He was playing with five fouls and had to play tough, fundamental defense. He succeeded and made the key block to send the game to overtime, where the Cavs claimed victory.

The streak is over. This will most likely be a popular topic in Cleveland and with the national media today. Their “historic” streak of 26 losses has been covered by ESPN for several weeks now. I’m sure the people at ESPN were hoping for a Cavs loss so they could make a circus out of the game Sunday against the Wizards, who are currently 0-25 on the road this season. Luckily, this will not happen.

Now that the streak is over, it is time for the Cavs to gain some confidence moving forward. They face a very bad team in the Wizards on Sunday. I know that the Cavs have the worst record in the league, and the NBA record for consecutive losses, but they do not always play as badly as their record and the record show. For example, just two games ago in Dallas the Cavs had a shot to go to overtime, but they could not come through.

55 days passed between Cavs victories. Both of their wins in those 55 days were in overtime. The low point of their streak came against the Lakers, a game in which the Cavs only scored 57 points. But this is all in the past now. ESPN will have fun with the Cavs misfortune for another few days and then it will be forgotten, until the team starts another streak.

As reported earlier today by Darren Rovell, Williams was hired by the Cleveland Cavaliers after members of their front office viewed the video in which he displayed his talents by the side of a Columbus area highway for spare change from passing motorists.

It is unclear what his role will be with the team.

Williams will likely start by coming off the bench at shooting guard or small forward.  He might also be tabbed as a possible replacement for Anthony Parker in the starting lineup.  Parker is averaging 9.2 points and and 2.7 assists this season while shooting 38% from the field in 30 minutes a game. He has also boasts a 1-23 lifetime record in one-one-one games against his younger sister, Candace Parker.

Oh, wait…apparently Williams will be working in some kind of announcing capacity for the team, despite his obvious ability to improve the Cavs’ play on the floor (and I say this having never seen him play).

All joking aside, congrats to Ted. He seems like a well-meaning guy who fell on some hard times, admittedly by his own doing, and now just wants to make good on his second chance. All of us here at MSF wish him well in doing so.

The Miami Heat. Holy shit. Road game in hostile environment? Yup. Opposing team strong in the front-court and point guard positions, Miami’s two biggest weaknesses? Yup. A focused, unrelenting, fast-paced, ice-cold statement win? Yes, yes, yes and yes.

For the first time this season, the Heat played The Game We Were All Waiting For, when everything looked beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Have we finally seen the Dark Passenger?

What can ya do?

– The Minnesota Timberwolves continued their recent run of challenging good teams for long portions of games before relenting sometime in the fourth quarter, this time falling to the Thunder, 111-103. Basically, the T-Wolves are an entertaining mid-level video game boss, with Kevin Love and Michael Beasley as the venomous tentacles/shoulder-attached gun turrets.

– Derrick Rose was ruthless in the final minute of play in Cleveland, and the Bulls scraped out an 88-83 win, extending the Cavalier losing streak to six in the process. I wonder what Rose’s favorite Skittle flavor is. I hope, like me, it’s purple. But I’m guessing it’s red for loyalty’s sake.

– Carmelo Anthony did not want to take the chance of George Karl’s 1,000th career win coming in Boston, because ‘Melo knows how much George Karl hates Dunkin’ Donuts. So he sat this one out, and the Celts won, 105-89. Also, Anthony’s knee hurts.

– Boy, was that Raptors/Knicks game fun. Andrea Bargnani blew up for 41 points on 24 shots, and probably deserved a fate kinder than Raymond Felton’s winning three that touched every edge of the rim; but you know, the Knicks have won six in a row with their own awesome kinetic style, and that, they tell me, is good for basketball, so I’m cool with it. Sorry, Andrea.

– Now THAT’S a tip-in. Andrew Bogut applied the perfect amount of touch to a perfectly thrown in-bound pass from Luc Richard Mbah a Moute as time expired and the Bucks got a muuuuuch needed home win over the Indiana Pacers.

– Even a game as crappy as the Hornets’ 93-74 win over Detroit cannot lessen the sadness of this news. J.E. Skeets summed it up pretty well on Twitter last night.

– The Spurs kind of kept the Golden State Warriors at an arm’s length for the entire game in their 111-94 win. Apparently they couldn’t, however, put an arm or even a hand up on Warriors bench player Reggie Williams, who shot 8-for-10 from three on the way to a 31-point night.

– John Wall sat this one out and, since he’s the young leader of the Wizards, the rest of the team took the night off in Sacramento as well, losing 116-91. It’s easy to be a follower, after all.

– The Suns went through all the trouble of erasing a 14-point fourth quarter deficit, only to have Rudy Gay (22 points on 12 shots) make a game-tying three to send the game into overtime, where the Grizzlies would go on to win, 104-98. Also, Zach Randolph hates the sun, er Suns — Z-Bo pulled the shades down, shooting 15-of-19 from the floor on the way to dropping 34 points and grabbing 17 boards.

– The Lakers/Clippers battle of Los Angeles was a very enjoyable nightcap. Or as enjoyable a nightcap can be without whiskey, one supposes. The Clips freaking had this one. Blake Griffin was pounding away on Lamar Odom in the post, Eric Gordon was taking and making big shots, the youth was revolting.

Heck, even when they naturally left the door open at the end, they denied Kobe the ball. They made Derek Fisher something other than a spot-up shooter. And still, he flipped up a driving layup at the buzzer and boom. It was over. The Clippers are definitely a fun watch, so long as you’re not a Clippers fan. That was rough.

**Williams photo courtesy of the AP.
**Bucks photo courtesy of the AP.

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– Some of the Atlanta Hawks put up some ridiculous numbers in their 116-101 win over the New Jersey Nets: Sixth man du awesome Jamal Crawford poured in 26 points on 17 shots and Al Horford dropped 24 points, 10 boards and six assists.

However, it was Josh Smith who won the gold star, getting 34 points and seven assists while shooting 14-of-16 from the field. Remember, he’s shooting jumpers again too, making it, for one night, all the more impressive. But his outside shooting ventures remain, like a Skyhawk in flight, ultimately fleeting.

– It is next to impossible for the Golden State Warriors and Dallas Mavericks to play an uninteresting game. And with rim guardian Tyson Chandler sitting out with a stomach virus (which seems to be currently sweeping the NBA; wash your hands, ballers!), the time was right for another shootout. The Mavs’ cohesion eventually put the back-and-forth affair to rest, as they won their tenth (!) straight, 105-100.

– The Charlotte Bobcats picked up a nice home win over the Nuggets, 100-98. The two-point victory was made half-possible via Kwame Brown’s one point in sixteen minutes of action. You’re welcome, M.J.

– They posted this on Sportscenter last night, but it bears repeating: the Cleveland Cavaliers are getting freaking worked lately. Last five games: L vs. BOS, 106-87; L vs. MIA, 118-90; L at MIN, 129-95; L at DET, 102-92; and last night they lost by a gentleman’s twenty in Philadelphia, 117-97.

The Sixers played well; former Bucks trade piece Jodie Meeks knocked down four threes en route to 16 points, and he was one of seven Sixers to score in double figures.

– In a much less anticipated return compared to anything else going on recently, Tracy McGrady came back to Houston, where neither he nor Yao Ming, pillars of the organization at one time, suited up for the Rockets, and that is really quite sad. Sigh.

Houston held off McGrady (11 points, 3 boards, 3 assists) and the Pistons, 97-83, behind a Luis Scola performance that looked like one of his lines from the FIBAs — 35 points on 25 shots and 12 rebounds.

– The Blazers and Suns also never seem to disappoint when they get together. This time it was Portland at home pulling it out in the fourth quarter, 106-99.

Phoenix’s offense pretty much stopped after Channing Frye fouled out, leaving Steve Nash to dribble around — while the rest of the Suns stood around the three-point line — waiting for the pick-and-roll that would never come. It’s a timeless love story, really.

– For like two-and-a-half quarters, the Lakers were rollin’ along, passing and finishing with ease, and nearly scoring 70 points before halftime (some of this could probably be attributed to the Wizards being not very good) before letting Washington make it closer than it should’ve been in the fourth.

This was fine with me, as it was the only late game on, and Los Angeles got themselves together in time to hold on for the 115-108 win. Nick Young dropped 30 points and six three-pointers, but Phil Jackson already knew that was coming.

**Skyhawk photo courtesy of Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images.
**McGrady/Yao photo courtesy of Kevin Fujii/Houston Chronicle.

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One thing remained very clear in last night’s LeBronageddon:  LeBron James still runs the Cavaliers.  He runs through their minds and for three quarters worth of work (38 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists) en route to a 118-90 Heat scorching, he ran right past them.

The Cleveland faithful tried to push back, but their scrap heap team presented the same congeniality they did back when they shared a locker room with James.  Daniel Gibson and the boys loved him like an old friend they hadn’t seen in awhile, one who was in town for just a night.  Sure, sure take my bed for the night.  Go ahead, help yourself to whatever’s in the fridge; I think the wife made meatloaf.  Feel free to buy a movie on pay-per-view if you want, if it helps you sleep better.  Oh, and do you need a wake-up call tomorrow morning?

The fans did their best to make him feel unwelcome, to make him feel like he no longer belongs here, to make him feel bad for what he did.  But on the court, when the actual game took over, all of the ancillary stuff was just that, and LeBron never looked more comfortable.  And the Cavs never looked more content to watch in awe as their hero returned to give them a taste of the good ol’ days, when everyone’s on-court responsibilities were less and their pregame choreographing duties more.  That place would’ve been bonkers had the basketball team been ready for this.

But they were not, and they probably couldn’t have been.  Let’s not forget how much, in a basketball sense, had to go perfect in order for the Cavs to stay in this one for a complete game.  And no matter how much they are willed to do so, Cleveland just can’t play good enough basketball – especially offensively, where they strung together plenty of absolutely putrid possessions – to hang with a Miami team that had a lot of things rolling in a positive direction on this night.

Chris Bosh was an effective rover, piling on by knocking down open shots.  Dwyane Wade almost had a very quiet triple double (22 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists) and got his feet wet in this one before LeBron eventually cannonballed in.  Miami ran the floor more (thanks to a great many ill-conceived shots from the Cavs) and looked a little more fluid, but again, it was Cleveland, and both LeBron and Wade still appeared more comfortable without the other on the court.  Some nights, that can work.

At some point during Blowout Game Announcer Talking Time, Reggie Miller and Steve Kerr thought it’d be nice of James, after throwing down a gauntlet of staggering daggers and unstoppable drives to the basket while dropping the first post-“Decision” People’s Elbow on the city of Cleveland, if he showed some humility after the game and apologized; I’m unsure if they meant for his performance last night, for his “Decision”, or for everything.

But at this point, especially the point after he just ravaged his old team and fans, would it matter if he said sorry?  Wouldn’t it just make him sound more clueless and out of touch than he already appears to be so often?  Yes, I made it a point to embarrass my former ‘mates and silence your lusting boos, all the while making it at least appear that I was enjoying myself, saying ‘hi’ to everyone in the building I know, not just unaffected by the situation but thriving in it, but oh, I apologize if that hurt your feelings or broke your spirits.  My bad.

Even for a guy who doesn’t show us much realness in James, that sounds utterly cartoonish.

And, since their mindsets are often compared and contrasted, would Jordan or Bryant ever apologize after a cold-blooded ass-kicking like that one?  I don’t see why James is asked to be humble, apologetic and ruthless assassin all at the same time.  Now that we are so far removed from his “Decision” and he’s been in a Heat uniform for a little over a month, an apology for anything “Decision”-related would sound tacked on and hollow.  If he wanted to, he would’ve, but he hasn’t, so let’s try and let that one go.

As a basketball fan, LeBron’s performance last night is why he matters so much; it’s what makes the rest of the circus surrounding him and the mystery of who he is as a person bearable (if only ever-so-slightly so).  Watching him play like that renders everything else moot.

It was one game, and LeBron and the Heat will encounter bigger games against better opponents with much, much more at stake as the season chugs along.  But last night was another step towards the Death Star’s completion; it was another glimpse into what these guys may at some point in this season be able to do on a regular basis.

For LeBron and Cleveland, it was something that had to happen, had to be resolved.  Now that it’s done, we know what we already knew:  The Cleveland Cavaliers are stuck in the tar pit of the past, LeBron James plays for the Miami Heat, and he is pretty good at basketball.

**James photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images.
**Death Star photo courtesy of http://scrapetv.com/News/News%20Pages/main%20pages/Entertainment-page-7-Scrape-TV-The-World-on-your-side.html

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You are hated like never before. For the first time in your life, people are criticizing you. Old fans have transformed into haters, and your old home has transformed into enemy territory.

Of course, you don’t understand it. You have never been at fault for anything in your life, so why would that change now? Haters will be haters. Cleveland will be Cleveland. It doesn’t matter if people like you right now. They will all come back, as long as you win your rings…right?

Well, the charade is over.

Nobody cares about your “Decision,” or your new friends. None of that matters anymore. South Beach or NYC. Cleveland or the City of Angels. Wherever. Now, you are free to be the greatest. Now, you are free to fill Tiger’s void and be our Global Icon. Now you are free to run back to your haven: The basketball court. The only place that you can be free. The one place on earth where you are still the Alpha Dog.

Unfortunately for you, the charade is not the only thing that’s over; the façade has fallen too. Now we can see you for what you are: the greatest myth in professional sports.

Oh sure, you are the greatest athlete that has ever lived. Period. You are the most breathtaking physical specimen that we have ever seen.

I will never forget that first night in Sac-Town. The way you glided all over the court. Your infectious smile and personality. The joyful way you “deferred” to your teammates on fast breaks.

The “48-Special” against Detroit.

“The Tomahawk Dunk” against Boston.

“The Shot 2.0” against Orlando.

They all speak for themselves.

But then there was “The Quit,” “The Elbow,” or “The Choke.” No matter what you call it, we saw your true colors. We know who you are.

You are someone who REFUSES to work on his game.

27 and 77. No, those aren’t your career highs, those are your shooting percentages from long range and from the charity stripe. And no, you no longer have any excuses. You made a “man’s decision” this summer, it’s time to man up.

You’ve been in the league for eight years now. From day one, you had one weakness: shooting. Eight years later, you still have one weakness: shooting.

I don’t remember Jordan having a weakness in Year 8. Kobe didn’t have one either. Come to think of it, does Kevin Durant even have any offensive weaknesses TODAY? In year 4? What’s your excuse?

Too busy working on your brand?  You threw that away that this summer.

Too busy working on defense? Only when Coach K made you.

Too busy hosting “hate-days” on Twitter?  Too busy reading a script written out for you by Nike?

No, you were too busy trying to get us believe a lie. “You were still only 25.” “You WERE shooting better.” “Your team was bad.”

Blah blah blah. While you were busy giving us excuses, your rivals were busy getting better. While you worked on your brand, you threw away a chance at multiple rings.

While you focused on you, you neglected your team.  We see what you are.

You are someone that never made your teammates better.

In fact, not only did you not make your teammates better, you actually crippled them. Too bad for you that we have a good example now. We KNOW what a player that makes his team better looks like.

Durant get his points IN THE FLOW of a game. He doesn’t constantly have to have the ball at all times. He let Russell Westbrook make mistakes the last two years. They worked together. They figured each other out. They let each other earn their chops. And now? They are better than either of them would have been without the other. Oh sure, Larry, Curly (Varejao), and Mo may have scored more with you on the court.

Congratulations, you made them more EFFICIENT. But come on. That was easy for you. It didn’t take any work at all.

Stop hiding behind your stats. They don’t fool me anymore. I don’t care how many assists you average a game, as that doesn’t make you unselfish.

Stephon Marbury averaged eight assists a game during his career. You are one and the same to me. You may pass the ball to wide open players when you are double-teamed with three seconds left on the shot clock, but you don’t FIND people. You don’t go out of your way to get your guy the ball. You don’t have the point guard gene.

But that’s okay, we never wanted you to be Magic. We wanted you to be LeBron. We wanted to see you average 35 points a game. We wanted to see you go for the throat. We wanted to see you be the greatest assassin that ever played the game.

But you hid behind your personality.  Now it’s disintegrated, and we see what you have done.

You are someone who has coasted on his own talent.

Ok, so you aren’t wired like Jordan. That’s fine. You aren’t even wired like Kobe. Cool. But do you even care?

In seven years, your outside shooting improved by 4%. This year, it’s worse than it’s ever been – including your rookie year. Every day, you are showing us what a phony you really are.

Go ahead and make fun of it. Ask me, “Should I care about my legacy?” Speculate whether or not you should just disappear. You’re right. You aren’t required to be what we want you to be.

That tells me everything I need to know about you as a person. Again, it’s all about you. YOUR legacy. YOUR friends. YOUR talents.

But you are getting paid…very well…to do what? Play basketball. Basketball is your job. I understand that you would never push yourself past where you would need to go to improve, but can’t you take enough responsibility in your craft to even try?

If your agent told you that he was already best agent in America, so he didn’t need to work any harder to make you money, would you fire him?

If your trainer told you he that already knew everything there was to know and he didn’t care about any new treatments for your injuries, would you respect him?

So why should I appreciate you?

Why should I even respect you?

What have you ever accomplished?  Wow, you were born with more athleticism than anyone else in history. The list ends there.  Now, we see you for what you really are.

You are a failure.

It’s the whole Catch-22 about sports. Is success determined by winning or is it more than that? Well, to most people it’s all about winning. You, of all people, had better hope that success is determined by more tha that.

Seven years in Cleveland…No rings.

By your own admission, sports are about more than that. The way sports are set up, the better team is SUPPOSED to win. A lot of times, the best player IS on the losing team.
If winning was the ONLY thing that indicated success, then 29 teams would be a failure every single year.

Do the Sacramento Kings have any chance of winning a title this year? How about the Pistons, or the Raptors, or the Pacers? So are they automatically failures? Should they just quit? No, for a lot of people, success is about fulfilling your potential.

As cheesy at it sounds, sometimes success is determined by getting as far as physically possible.  That’s what you should be hanging your hat on.  If you could make us say, “He did all he could…” you would still hold a semblance of dignity.

But right now, the epithet on your career’s tombstone, reads as follows:

“Had what it took to be the GOAT. Nearly broke the Top Ten.”

What a letdown. What an unbelievable tragedy.

I know. YOU don’t care. YOU had fun. YOU were as good as YOU wanted to be. YOU, YOU, YOU.

And you’re right. It DOESN’T matter what we wanted you to be. You DON’T owe us anything.

But let me return the favor and give you nothing in return.

Not my affection, not my admiration, not even my respect.

I’ll save that for the guys that DID want something more. I’ll save it for the thousands of lesser players that actually fulfilled their limited potential.

Michael Jordan once said, “Let your game speak.”

Yours does, LeBron. It speaks volumes.

Signed,

A Disappointed Fan