Saturday, April 25, 2015

5 Things...Cleveland Sports Edition

1. The Cavs are the real deal. It's fun to watch. The road to the finals isn't easy...through a re-energized Bulls team and likely through a younger, less star-studded version of the Spurs (The Atlanta Hawks). It's great to see some guys know and own their roles. JR Smith is at times deadly from the perimeter, Mozgov seems to be consistently good for 8 points and 8 boards. Thompson has the uncanny ability to impact the game without having to touch the ball offensively, a la Dennis Rodman. He gets the biggest rebounds on the offensive glass to give second chances night in and night out. Shumpert defends. Delevedova, while at times painful to watch, does a good job spelling Irving. I think the X factor against the Bulls could be Perkins. He's had very few minutes to this point, but that is going to be a very physical series and an enforcer could send a needed message. Cavs Spurs would be a great finals (and the worst matchup the Cavs could face.)

2. It looked like Kevin Love was having fun in game three against Boston. I'm not sure how well liked he is by his teammates or by fan base, but bottom line is, if he hits shots and grabs boards when it matters, they'll all come around.

3. Trevor Bauer looks like the real deal. If he could just get the k's without all the walks, you might see something special this year. Between him, Carrasco and Kluber, if they stay healthy, the Indians might be ok. (It doesn't hurt when they put up 13 runs like they did in game one against Detroit.

4. The Browns draft has less hype than usual...that's what happens when you win more than 4 games and don't have a high draft pick. Maybe Cleveland could get used to that a little more and make December and January the most meaningful months of the year rather than April. I don't like the situation at quarterback, but if they get a run stopper, another linebacker and sign Gipson and Mack to contracts, I think they will be improved everywhere from a year ago at this point (with the exception of QB). I don't know if you sell the farm for Mariota like some are speculating.

5. Here's my take:
Cavs Playoffs: I think they get to the finals and I think they beat anyone except the Spurs there.
Indians Season: If they have a winning record against Detroit, they will make the playoffs. But, that is a huge huge if.
Browns Draft: Stay put at 12 and 19 and get a run stopper/wideout/linebacker and then get a guy in the 3rd or 4th round that could take the helm if Manziel and McCown are as bad as they potentially could be.

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