Putting Preseason in the Past

“The season starts next Wednesday, so we need to either get it together or keep getting blown out some more,” said LeBron James after Friday night’s thumping in Boston. “That’s as simple as it is, either get it together or get blown out.”

The Chosen One is very good at many things. Sugar-coating the truth is not one of them.

The Cavaliers dropped their final exhibition game on Friday – once again in ignominious fashion – and their leader is rightfully concerned. The Wine and Gold went 2-6 in last year’s preseason, but they had all their pieces parts and didn’t have the pressure of being Eastern Conference Champs.

Only a pair of Dwayne Jones free throws have kept the Cavaliers from going winless in October. And Cleveland has lost its last two games – including Thursday’s drubbing in Toronto – by a combined 58 points. On Friday night, in what should have been a pretty convincing tune-up, Mike Brown’s club was out-hustled and out-muscled – giving up 62 points in the paint and allowing the new-look C’s to shoot 60 percent from the floor. They had ten turnovers in a single quarter and made Big Baby Davis look like Big Bill Russell.

Cleveland finished the preseason as the lowest-scoring club in the league, averaging a paltry 83.6 points per contest. The Cavaliers were also the only club to finish the exhibition schedule with a shooting percentage under 40 percent – (.394).

Is all this reason to panic? Of course not. As noted, the Cavaliers didn’t light the world on fire last October. Atlanta finished 7-1 and it’s doubtful that they’ll win at an .875 clip this year; Miami was 0-7.

But the Cavaliers struggles can’t be easily dismissed either. Their second unit has been listless and point guards have devoured Cleveland in the paint. They ranked near the bottom of the league in turnovers, three-point shooting and assists. Dwayne Jones – who played in four games and was inactive for 73 – has been their most effective big off the bench.

“I think we are still a good team, its just about finding our niche, finding our stride,” said Larry Hughes. “And hopefully we can get that done sooner than later. We are still focused on being a good team.”

It doesn’t get much easier for the Wine and Gold. In fact, it gets much more difficult in the coming days and weeks. After facing off against the heavyweight Mavericks in Wednesday’s home opener, they welcome in the Knicks – who always play the Cavaliers tough, with or without Zach Randolph. After that, it’s six out West, including games against the Suns, Jazz and Nuggets.

Neither side has budged in the contract imbroglios of Anderson Varejao or Sasha Pavlovic, and Devin Brown and Cedric Simmons haven’t exactly made fans forget about either one, either. Teams are making their final cuts, and someone could shake loose that could help. Juwan Howard recently accepted a buyout from the Timberwolves and Cleveland is on his short list of destinations. Local product, Earl Boykins, remains unsigned.

In the meantime, Mike Brown needs to fix the problems he’s having with the men he’s got in his locker room. Boston killed the Cavaliers in the paint and Toronto did them in from long range. His offense isn’t scoring and his second unit – save Damon Jones – has shown little signs of life.

It’s not all bad. LeBron James and Larry Hughes look like they’ve improved their jumpers from last season. Daniel Gibson continues to grow and Shannon Brown – despite a spate of preseason turnovers – looks ready to contribute.

But the Cavaliers need to get the entire team on the same page come Wednesday night. It would have taken a big effort to beat the Mavericks with the squad at full-strength; without them, it might take something superhuman.

Luckily, superhuman effort is one of those previously mentioned things that LeBron James is very good at.

The Cavaliers released two over the weekend: guard Hassan Adams and forward Darius Rice. Adams – a former second-rounder with New Jersey – had flashes but couldn’t crack the guard rotation behind Devin Brown and Shannon Brown. Rice – who was impressive with Wine and Gold in Summer League – got off to a slow start and never quite caught up.

Missing Persons

After eight days on the open road, the Cavaliers returned to Cleveland Clinic Courts on Monday morning for a short practice, if for no other reason than to get back into some sort of a routine before their final two exhibition games – a back-to-back against Toronto and Boston to wrap up the preseason.

Not all the players were overjoyed with a return to the practice court after the extended Asian sojourn. Back in the days of John Lucas or even Paul Silas, guys could catch more of a break. Sometimes, practice would get cancelled or cut short if someone could make a half-court shot. Mike Brown doesn’t swing that way.

There was definitely a tangible relief to get back to the business of basketball. The players’ body-clocks still aren’t totally synchronized – everyone (except Drew Gooden) mentioned that they’re sleep patterns were off and several players, including Shannon Brown and Donyell Marshall, have talked about losing weight.

But with the season opener just over one week away, the Eastern Conference Champs are still lacking an identity. And most of that can be attributed to the state of flux caused by the extended holdouts of Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic.

Sasha’s absence has been mitigated by the play of Shannon Brown, who looks more comfortable with each passing preseason game. He’s averaging 12 ppg despite shooting just 37 percent from the floor. Brown’s jumper looks better and his athleticism is unquestionable. Plus he’s given a desperately needed spark to the second unit.

But he’s still not earned the complete trust of his head coach. “He’s got to take better care of the basketball,” said Mike Brown. “Right now he’s got 18 turnovers and four assists and I think our next turnover guy has a total of twelve, so as a young guy he’s made some progress, but he’s got to do a better job of not making mistakes out there that hurt the team possession-wise.”

The Cavaliers collectively didn’t look great in the two losses to Orlando in the Far East, but Brown has, at least for now, all-but usurped Pavlovic’s role.

Devin Brown has been solid but far from spectacular. (Not that “spectacular” is Devin’s forte.) Damon Jones got the spot start in Shanghai and looked decent, dishing out six dimes in limited action. Hassan Adams has had his moments.

Mike Brown said it best after Saturday afternoon’s game in Shanghai. “There are minutes available (in the backcourt). But right now, nobody has stepped up and taken them.”

The frontcourt is a little more complicated. Cedric Simmons has been battling an ankle injury and, if healthy, will hopefully make a statement later this week in Toronto and Boston. The absence of Simmons has given time to Dwayne Jones, who has been impressive as a banger. If Jones had a better set of hands, he could truly set himself apart. He’s been tough on the boards and challenging shots. He’s easily been Cleveland’s best big off the bench.

With just over a week until the regular season tips off, the Cavaliers are still a work in progress – not exactly the place they want to be while trying to defend a Conference championship.

“We have to go to war with who we have right now,” said Drew Gooden. “That’s the business side of things, more than having to go out and compete and play basketball. Once that’s resolved, whether they’re with us or without us, we have to work with what we got and have the mindset that they’re not going to come back, because we don’t know if they are.”

The always-pragmatic LeBron James knows that it will be an uphill battle without his two young running mates, but they still have that battle either way when Dallas rolls into town next Wednesday.

“We’re not as good as we are if we don’t have those guys; that’s simple – we all know that,” said James. “There’s no reason to sit here and say we’re a better team without them. They’re a big part of our team, but by the same time we have to continue to get better if they’re not here.”

Far East, Far Out

Greetings from Shanghai, everyone. We’re just about ready to head to the Arena for the first of two matchups with the Orlando Magic. The Portman Ritz-Carlton is buzzing as both teams, their huge traveling groups, and the international media prepares for the start of China Games 2007.

I still haven’t mustered the culinary courage to eat the squid-on-a-stick that I wrote about on Monday. Call me a coward.

We’ll be leaving Shanghai for Macao right after Wednesday night’s game, so I wanted to check in with four final observations from the Paris of the East. And I’ll check back from Macao in a couple days.

There isn’t anything that can happen on Wednesday night at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena that could match the pure joy that three Cavaliers – Donyell Marshall, Devin Brown and Cedric Simmons – gave to scores of small children on Tuesday afternoon at the Lu Bing Hua Migrant School in Shanghai. Click here for the photos

Lining the corridors of the school’s entrance, a handful of pre-schoolers greeted us with glowing smiles and a word they might have just learned earlier that day – (Hello!) It was enough to melt the hearts of hardest ballers – their tiny voices ringing the school’s halls, belying the poverty that surrounded them. The adorable four- and five-year olds repeated their new word over and over, happily flashing the peace sign to their enormous guests.

Soon after the Cavaliers arrived, NBA Commissioner David Stern rolled in, and the ceremony to christen the opening of a brand new library, technology center and adidas basketball court commenced. Commissioner Stern, Donyell and representatives from adidas and Lenovo computers spoke after a pair of performances by some of the children. Also on hand were NBA legends George Gervin and Chocolate Thunder himself, Daryl Dawkins.

These were the children of migrant workers, some of whom watched the event from the factory next door.

After the ceremony, Donyell, Devin and Cedric played some ball with the kids. Devin and the Ice Man read to some of the pre-schoolers, and the eager tikes parroted Gervin’s reading flawlessly. (He’d turn the page and say “Very good!” They replied “Very good!” It was priceless.)

It was truly a heart-warming event, pulled off to perfection – as always – with the assistance of Cavs Community Relations Director, Colleen Garrity.

Let’s be honest: the big draw here at China Games 2007 is LeBron James, who – based on observations in the first part of the week – has demi-god status here in Shanghai. He is the NBA’s rock star.

From the 100-ft. tall billboards to his new Nike commercial which plays on 36” video screens throughout the city to his jam-packed Nike event on Monday night, it’s apparent that he is the top hoopster in the world. (Or at least the Far East.) When the Chinese media is allowed into practice, they descend on James, six or seven deep. Naturally, LeBron fields their questions with patience and aplomb.

But the one thing that’s catching the most attention from his American observers here in Shanghai is that he goes everywhere donning a Cleveland Indians cap. Without dredging up CapGate, I can’t help but get a warm and fuzzy feeling every time I see LBJ sporting Chief Wahoo.

Speaking of the Tribe, all of us have been watching the Indians-Red Sox games here in Shanghai. The games have come on at 7 or 8 a.m. in the morning – (we’re 12 hours ahead of Cleveland) – and some of the fellow travelers have had impromptu watch parties in their rooms.

I had to miss Game 3 in order to attend Cavaliers practice, but was kept abreast of events thanks to an e-mail play-by-play from Cavaliers Graphics Director, Mark “It’s Tribe Time Now” Podolak – watching back in Cleveland.

The games are broadcast on ESPN International, which is pretty wild in itself. Soccer is definitely the big programming and the big news this morning was soccer hooliganism in Russia. The second biggest soccer story was a South African player who challenged a cheetah to a foot-race. (The cheetah won, and for his efforts, was promptly shot with a tranquilizer gun.)

I mentioned some of the street oddities in Monday’s blog, but I think it bears elaboration.

If there are traffic rules, I have not figured them out. It is absolute insanity. Buses pull U-turns in rush hour, bicycles dart in and out of traffic. There is no regard for the double-yellow or speed-bumps. And the other night – hand to God – I saw four people on a single moped.

I have yet to get into a taxi cab with a driver that has good vision. Because we don’t speak the language, you simply present a business card – picked up at the consierge’s desk – of the place you want to go. Without fail, the cabbie squints at the card, puts on a pair of busted-up eyeglasses, and squints and the card again. Then he takes off the glasses and proceeds to drive like a maniac to said destination.

We were warned before the trip that it is not uncommon for the Chinese to spit on the sidewalk. “Not uncommon” – as it turns out – means “very common” because both men and women have no shame in their game when it comes to busting a loogie at any time.

Shockingly, this is not the most disgusting thing that we’ve witnessed. On several occasions, we’ve seen grown men urinating in public. (On the way back from Lu Bing Hua, Cedric Simmons sheepishly pointed at a man whizzing off a bridge into a river.) Frequently, you’ll see a parent have their small child drop trough and do their business on the corner of a building. Some of these shorties even have little “pajamas” with a slit down the backside for easy access. Classic!

Well, that’s it for today, Cleveland. I hope I haven’t spoiled your breakfast. We’re rolling up to the Arena as I write. Hopefully everyone is able to check out Fred McLeod’s call of the game on WTAM this morning. He’s subbing for the injured Joe Tait – who missed the trip to China with a foot injury.

I’ll check back in from Macao in just a bit. Hopefully after a Cavaliers win. In the meantime … GO TRIBE!!!

Shanghai Surprise

As many of you read in Fred McLeod’s blog yesterday – (This morning? Tonight? I’m a little screwed up.) – we landed in Shanghai on Sunday morning at around 6:30 a.m. It was an 18-hour flight – with a re-fueling stop in Anchorage – that left everyone in our traveling party a little wiped out.

After breakfast, we were given the lowdown on the area surrounding the hotel and nearly everyone went to their rooms to crash. (Although the NBA folks warned everyone not to fall asleep until 10 p.m. so as not to mess up our body clock for the remainder of the trip.) In Shanghai, we’re 12 hours ahead of Cleveland, so whenever you’re reading this, it’s a half-a-day ahead here in China.

One thing that helped everyone stay awake was the Indians-Red Sox game, which was just getting under way. We were able to get the game in our rooms via ESPN International. (God bless the Worldwide Leader in Sports!) Watching the Tribe top Boston in that epic 13-6, 11-inning victory with the bustling streets of Shanghai below was something I’m sure none of us will ever forget.

The Cavaliers were pretty much given the day off after playing three games in four nights before the prolonged intercontinental plane ride. A few players shot around in the afternoon between 3-5 p.m., but for the most part, Sunday was a day to rest and recuperate from the flight. The first official practice is on Monday morning at 10 a.m.

Some of the guys went out shopping and were amused by the knock-offs and their prices. Donyell Marshall was laughing about buying an “MP4” – (huh?) – for approximately $25, American.

Shanghai is difficult to describe. It is definitely old world China meets new world China. On Sunday, we traveled to “Old Shanghai” – which was quite an experience.

There’s construction everywhere – from high-rises to road work. There is construction on just about every block, with kids playing among the rubble. Small streets have scaffolding built with bamboo.

The streets are a chaotic cacophony of cars, cabs, mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians with eyes in the back of their heads. It is completely frenetic, with no real semblance of traffic laws – at least none that we could figure out. The only rule seems to be every man (or vehicle) for themselves. Somehow it seems to work.

Throughout downtown there are alleyways packed with vendors selling everything from tiny Chairman Mao alarm clocks to squid on a stick. On one corner, live prawns are being shoveled into a plastic bag; on another old women are shucking oysters on the sidewalk. If you’re not Anthony Bourdain or you don’t have a cast iron stomach, you might want to skip this part of the city. Near the hotel, there’s a Papa John’s pizza for wusses like me.

If you make eye contact with most vendors, they will engage you and begin the haggling process before you know what hit you. Occasionally, they’ll follow you and continue the process as you’re walking away. You’re repeatedly approached by hustlers with laminated photo catalogues of knock-off watches and Gucci bags at almost every stop. And they do not take “no” for an answer.

One thing that was prevalent in Old Shanghai – (but actually we’ve seen in all parts of Shanghai) – that there is laundry hanging EVERYWHERE. Pants, pajamas, t-shirts, baby clothes, rugs. Clothes are hanging out of nearly every apartment in every high-rise and on lines in the street. The Maytag Repairman would have a coronary.

That about does it for our first day and my visit to “Old Shanghai.” Tomorrow, we resume the business of basketball here in the Paris of the East. And I’m sure I’ll have more photos and updates, forthwith.

Enjoy your washers and dryers back in the States and please have a ham and cheese sandwich for me. I’ll be back tomorrow.

In the meantime … GO TRIBE!

Rough Start

Let’s get it out of the way right now. Tuesday night’s exhibition opener was ugly. As far as exhibitions go, the 81-62 loss wasn’t much of one.

Good thing the Cavs play two more this week and the Tribe is hot.

Daniel Gibson was the only player in double-figures with 13 points and the Cavaliers allowed 29 points in the second quarter. Aside from Boobie, the rest of the Cavaliers starting five shot a combined 6-for-27. Cleveland had 26 turnovers.

“We’re still learning some new things,” said LeBron James, who went 1-for-5 in just 15 minutes. “We know each other, but we’re still learning some new things and we want to play better, of course. We just don’t want to play as bad as we did, especially in the first and second quarter.”

Yes, it was rough, but it was only one game – and the first preseason game, at that. And the Cavaliers are still missing some key components from last year’s run and learning the new offense.

“I expect our offense to struggle like our defense did the first couple of months in my first season here,” said Mike Brown. “Hopefully, over time of being on the practice floor and being on the game floor and watching tape, we’ll be on the right way.”

I’m pretty sure that that’s something Cavalier fans don’t want to hear right now. But for many of those same fans – who were calling for Brown to bring in an “offensive coordinator” to jumpstart the Wine and Gold’s attack – it’s the reality. Brown’s defensive tutelage took the Cavs from one of the worst defensive clubs in the league to one of the best in two years.

Brown has always preached defense, and specifically, his three defensive staples: 1. Contest all shots, 2. Shrink the floor, and 3. Give up the middle on close outs.

But this year – with the Cavaliers comfortable with Brown’s defense – he intends to focus on installing the bulk of his new offense.

“For the first time since I’ve been here, we’ve given the guys three offensive staples, and these are things we’re going to harp on, harp on, harp on,” Brown explained at an impromptu film session with a couple local media members on Monday. (You might have read about it in Fred McLeod’s blog on cavs.com.)

In a Cliff’s Notes version, the three tenets of Brown’s new offense are: 1. Throw ahead/ball reversal – pushing the ball quickly from the backcourt to the frontcourt and moving the ball from one side of the floor. 2. The “hockey assist” – the first penetration moves the defense, the second penetration kills the defense. 3. Floor spacing – cutting and screening ‘with a purpose’ to open the middle for the bigs to attack.

A checklist indicates that the Cavaliers did almost none of these on Tuesday night, but it’s (very) early and – with LeBron James at the helm – one might expect the offense to begin warming up incrementally as October 31 approaches.

The Cavaliers open at home for the third straight season, matching up with the Mavericks on Halloween.

That’s as easy – logistics-wise, not opponent-wise – as the Cavaliers’ schedule is for from this point until midway through November. The Wine and Gold go back-to-back starting Thursday night against Detroit, get directly on a plane after the Seattle game on Friday for a 15-hour plane ride to China – (with a re-fueling stop in Alaska).

The Cavaliers will be in Asia for a week to participate in the NBA China Games 2007, where they’ll take on the Orlando Magic for two exhibition games – the first in Shanghai on Oct. 17, the second in Macao on Oct. 20.

Cleveland plays another road back-to-back later that week against Toronto and Boston before getting ready for the home opener.

“I think that six games is enough,” quipped Drew Gooden, looking ahead at the Cavs’ challenging preseason. “Sometimes it’s just too long and there is a high risk of injuries.”

After the Wine and Gold take on Dirk and the Mavs, it’s the Knicks at The Q on Friday, Nov. 2, followed by a six-game West Coast trip starting with Suns on Sunday.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown …

Second-year guard, Daniel Gibson, was easily the best player on the floor for Cleveland on Tuesday night – notching a game-high 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting. He was 2-for-3 from beyond the arc, grabbed four boards and had an assist and a blocked shot.

Barring some kind of move, it’s hard to imagine Gibson relinquishing his starting role between now and the start of the season.

He’s not the pure point guard that some would like, but neither was Chauncey Billups when he was Gibson’s age. Boobie looked great in the Wine and Gold Scrimmage and, frankly, has been the Cavs’ second-best player since mid-way through the Eastern Conference Finals.

Gone Camping

The Cavaliers first day back to school – marred by an injury and a pair of contract disputes – wasn’t exactly the start they had hoped for. But as Training Camp tips off on Monday night, the squad is still rested, ready and carrying a big chip on their collective shoulders from last June.

LeBron came to camp fresh off his solid gold performance on the season premier of “Saturday Night Live” and he expected much ribbing by his teammates – although not for his dancing. (“None of those guys can dance!” he shrugged.)

Monday marked the annual feeding frenzy known as Media Day – a chance for local scribes and talking heads to run the squad through the wringer. Naturally, the dominant topic wasn’t on the players that were there, but more on who wasn’t: Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic.

Technically, neither player is “holding out” in the traditional, Brady Quinn sense. But that’s only because neither is under contract and their one-year qualifying offers expired at midnight.

“They’re two terrific young men and terrific players, but we have guys right here in Camp today that I know, as a coach, I have to focus on and start getting better with,” said Mike Brown. “That’s going to work out however it may, but right now I’m just happy and looking forward to working with the guys I have here in Camp.”

Anderson is the Cavaliers’ energy player off the bench, is equally effective at two front court positions and has been a crowd favorite since his arrival. Pavlovic finished last season as the squad’s starting two-guard, with the Cavaliers going 21-8 with him in the starting lineup. Both players have threatened to play overseas.

“We respect Danny. And we respect Sasha and Andy,” quipped Donyell Marshall. “But we’re here to play basketball. That’s part of the business and we know that. Is it a difficult time? Yeah. Because we’re starting the season without two of our main players – but that’s the way the business goes.”

“For me, as a leader, I hope something can get done,” added LeBron. “I don’t know Sasha’s or Anderson’s side. I don’t know Danny’s side. But I need my soldiers here to play. I hope something can get worked out because – no matter how you look at it – those two guys are a big part of our team.”

To Danny Ferry’s credit, he didn’t sit still while waiting on his two young international players – swinging a pair of productive deals over the weekend. Devin Brown is a versatile guard who can play three positions and Cedric Simmons is a 21-year-old athletic, shot-blocking forward.

“This is part of the business side of sports,” said Ferry. “It happens in baseball; it happens in football. This is part of it. And this is something that professional players, coaches and front office people – you can’t allow it to distract you. You go out, have a great Camp, and try to get those issues resolved – one way or the other – through the process.”

Eric Snow will be sidelined at least four weeks after he undergoes arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn left meniscus that he suffered last Tuesday after a workout.

“I knew right away it was something – I felt it pop. I didn’t think it was (hurt) to the extent that it was. But I knew it was something.”

Snow’s injury makes the weekend signing of Devin Brown even more prescient. Brown – along with Boobie Gibson, Shannon Brown and Damon Jones – will pick up the slack for the Canton Bulldog, who hurt his knee right after a standard workout.

“I’ve never had any trouble with my knee,” said Snow. “That night, I worked out, felt a little pop and finished working out. I stretched, iced and finished the rest of my physical. I got on a plane, went back to Atlanta and it just kept getting worse – swelling up, swelling up. Went in to get treatment, checked out in Atlanta and found out it was a torn meniscus.

“Initially, once the swelling went down I thought it would be OK. It was something I’ve never experienced, but it could have been a lot worse.”

Damon Jones wasn’t in his usual ebullient mood on Monday morning – and LeBron might have been the host of a comedy show – but the DJ can still rattle off the one-liners with the best of them.

When asked about what was new in the off-season, Jones said: “I had a great summer. I tested positive … for being handsome.”

Zydrunas Ilgauskas and his newly shaved and streamlined head isn’t the only player who comes to Training Camp with a new look. Drew Gooden might have lost the duck tail, but he did acquire some new ink.

Gooden’s left bicep is freshly adorned with a colorful wrap-around tattoo that’s truly too complex to describe – even Drew couldn’t put it into exact words. The good news is that it looks really cool. The bad news is that it’s a 20-hour project to complete the tattoo and Gooden still has 10 hours left before it’s finished.

Larry Hughes worked on his jumper this summer, and who better to coach him than legendary Cavalier sharpshooter, Mark Price.

“We worked on a little balance,” said Hughes. “Just minor things really. He said I had good form and good technique and there were just some minor things that he had to tweak. I had developed some bad habits, but playing so much and so many games, it’s hard to correct those things while the season’s going.”

LeBron James has taken his share of heat for admitting that he’ll root for the Yankees when the Tribe takes them on when the ALDS begins this Tuesday. But he was quick to qualify his comments.

“I didn’t just pick the Yankees, I’ve been a Yankee all my life,” James smiled. “If the Indians are playing anyone besides the Yankees, I want the Indians to win. It’s just like with the Browns. If the Browns play anyone else besides the Cowboys I want the Browns to win. It’s as simple as that.”