On a cool Arizona afternoon, the Indians’ pitching duel keeps heating up for Aaron Laffey, David Huff and Mitch Talbot
The Indians have three pitchers for two openings in the starting rotation. It's Aaron Laffey, David Huff and Mitch Talbot. The competition began in earnest Tuesday with Laffey facing Seattle.
Lenny Ignelzi / Associated PressAaron Laffey survived a bout of wildness in Tuesday's spring-training start against Seattle, and sought additional work in the bullpen after his two-inning appearance.
• Revamped Tribe roster a surprising sight for ex-Indian Ryan GarkoPEORIA, Ariz. -- Manny Acta says to get back to him in three weeks for an update on who's leading the race to be the fourth and fifth starters in the Indians' rotation. If you're not the patient type, here's a sneak preview.
On Tuesday, Aaron Laffey started and threw two scoreless innings against Seattle in a 6-4 victory. David Huff starts Wednesday against San Diego. Mitch Talbot starts against the White Sox on Thursday.
Laffey, Huff and Talbot. Those are the three pitchers going for two spots. The outcome of these three games won't decide the winners, but it's chance to take a look at what all three have to offer.
It was windy and cold Tuesday at Peoria Stadium. Laffey wasn't especially pleased with his performance. He threw too many pitches, 25 total, and not enough strikes, 13.
"I was able to get six outs and that's the most important thing," said Laffey. "I went down to the bullpen and threw about 20 more pitches with a batter standing there to get more work in."
Laffey has been through this spring drill before. He thought he had a job won last year, but the spot went to Scott Lewis. Former manager Eric Wedge and Laffey had words over the decision, but it all worked out.
Chuck Crow / The Plain DealerDavid Huff won more games in an Indians uniform that any other starter in 2009, but isn't considering himself a favorite for a rotation spot this spring.On April 15, Laffey arrived from Class AAA Columbus after Lewis was injured. He spent the rest of the season in the big leagues plugging holes in the rotation and the bullpen. It gave Laffey a chance to show his versatility, but probably contributed to spending over a month on the disabled list with a strained right oblique muscle.
Laffey went 7-9 with one save and a 4.44 ERA. He made 25 appearances, including 19 starts.
"I had a good year last year," said Laffey. "I was able to get out of a lot of jams and I created a lot of jams by walking too many people."
Laffey struck out 59 batters and walked 57. It's the wildest he's been in parts of three seasons with the Indians.
"They want me to be more consistent and they're 100 percent right," said Laffey. "I've got to hammer the strike zone more."
Laffey has changed the grip on his best pitch, the sinker, to help him do that. He's looking for a more north-to-south drop instead of the east to west movement he had last year. He thinks it will help him keep the sinker on the plate.
This will be Huff's second start. He threw two scoreless innings against Cincinnati over the weekend. Huff missed a chance to break camp with the Indians last spring because of biceps tendinitis in his left arm. It didn't slow him down.
He made his big-league debut on May 17 and went 11-8 to lead the Indians in victories as a rookie.
Chuck Crow / The Plain Dealer“If I had stayed in Tampa Bay, I think I was headed (to the bullpen),” said right-hander Mitch Talbot. “I want to be a starter. That’s why I was really happy about the trade.”Asked if his performance last year gives him an edge, Huff said, "You'd have to ask Manny that. I'll go out and do what I can and hopefully win a spot."
Regarding balls and strikes, Huff had 65 strikeouts and 41 walks in 128 1/3 innings last year.
Talbot is the lone right-hander among the three candidates. The Indians acquired him from Tampa Bay on Dec. 20 for Kelly Shoppach.
"I was expecting to get traded," said Talbot. "And I'm happy about it."
Talbot is out of options. If he doesn't make the rotation, he could end up in the bullpen. It's not where he wants to be.
"If I had stayed in Tampa Bay, I think I was headed there," he said. "I want to be a starter. That's why I was really happy about the trade."
Talbot missed three months of last season with right elbow and right shoulder injuries. He was 4-4 with a 4.47 ERA in 10 starts at Class AAA Durham. He struck out 40 and walked 18.
"They just traded for me so I know they like what I've got," said Talbot, 26. "But Huff and Laffey are both really good pitchers. ... It's a competition."
Acta, like everyone else connected with the team, will be watching. Unlike everyone else, he'll be looking for more than wins and losses.
"These guys are still competing," he said, "but we're looking at execution and [these guys] trying to do what we've been preaching. They have to throw first-pitch strikes, work ahead and get their defense involved."
Forty years of the Cavaliers: Ranking the top-40 antagonists
Michael Jordan is easily the No. 1 antagonist Cavs fans love to hate.
Ed Wagner Jr. / Chicago TribuneOne of the most painful moments in Cleveland sports history was just the brightest in a long series of torments placed on the Cavaliers by Michael Jordan.
• The day Cavaliers fans stunned former Bull guard Norm Van Lier
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Well, what did you expect?
Naming Michael Jordan as the Cavaliers' top antagonist of all-time was almost as easy as selecting LeBron James as the top Cavs player of all-time.
For all the cumulative damage Jordan did throughout his career, nothing crushed the franchise like The Shot -- over an outstretched Craig Ehlo -- that gave the Chicago Bulls a 101-100 victory in the deciding Game 5 of the first-round of the Eastern Conference playoffs on May 7, 1989. That shot, and the game, propelled Jordan and the Bulls into the stratosphere.
Neither they, nor the Cavs, were ever the same again. It was Cleveland's misfortune to field some of its best teams as Jordan was at his greatest.
"You look at the top 10 players on our team and then compare them to the their top 10 and we were the better team," Wayne Embry, the Cavs' general manager from 1986-96, recently told The Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto. "But they had greatness.
"It's just so hard to beat greatness."
The great Jordan leads the Top 40 antagonists, the third category in a series celebrating the Cavaliers' 40th season. Originally, this category was the Top 40 opponents. But while top opponents could be a list of the best players to face Cleveland -- like, say, Wilt Chamberlain, although he was nearing the end of his career when the franchise debuted -- we wanted to compile a list of players who really got under the skin of the team or its fans.
As we did in selecting the Top 40 games in Cavs history in January and the Top 40 players in February, Plain Dealer sportswriters Mary Schmitt Boyer, Dennis Manoloff and Mike Peticca collected nominations from our colleagues. Helping in the process were Deputy Sports Editor Mike Starkey, Plain Dealer Reader Representative (and former sports editor) Ted Diadiun, columnist Bill Livingston, retired Plain Dealer reporter Burt Graeff and former beat writer Elton Alexander.
Some antagonists were selected on the basis of career achievement, some for a single incident, some on general principles. If there was a team category, the Detroit Pistons would have been the clear winners.
As in the previous stories, there are no right or wrong answers. Fans are encouraged to express their opinions and suggestions for the Top 40 on cleveland.com.
1. Michael Jordan -- Has three of the top scoring games all-time against the Cavs, including his personal-best 69 points in a Bulls overtime victory on March 28, 1990. But it's The Shot that Clevelanders hold against him most -- and he knows it.
A recent story about a couple of games of HORSE Jordan, now the owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, played against Charlotte rookie Gerald Henderson contained the following exchange:
"You've got to miss eventually," Henderson told Jordan.
"That's what Cleveland said," Jordan replied.
2. Rick Mahorn -- Nearly decapitated Mark Price with a hard elbow to the head during a game on Feb. 28, 1989. Mahorn was fined $5,000 for the hit, but not suspended, while Price suffered a severe concussion -- one of many injuries that factored into the Cavs' surrender of the five-game conference lead they built that night. Fans were not alone in their distaste for Mahorn. The late Johnny Most, the legendary Celtics play-by-play voice, nicknamed Mahorn and Jeff Ruland "McFilthy and McNasty," interchangeable nicknames when they played for the Washington Bullets.
3. Rasheed Wallace -- Elbowed Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the head, drawing blood, during a regular-season game in 2006. Wallace was fined $5,000 for the hit. Old-timers were upset that not only did none of Ilgauskas' teammates retaliate -- in fact, it was Ilgauskas who finally hip-checked Wallace as payback in the next matchup that season -- but LeBron James actually joked with Wallace during pre-game warmups before that rematch. That led to the memorable "Sheed Must Bleed" rallying cry by fans, although the Pistons used it for inspiration to win a first-round playoff series in seven games.
4. Carlos Boozer -- With a nickname like "Booz," how can you not root against the guy who turned his back on the Cavs after they allowed him to become a free agent, thinking he'd re-sign with the team? That'll teach 'em. Injuries have kept him from playing much in Cleveland, but when he does, the fans still let him have it.
5. DeShawn Stevenson -- Please don't make us rehash the entire Soulja Boy thing again. Suffice it to say, Stevenson made a general nuisance of himself in three straight years of first-round playoff matchups between the Cavs and Wizards from 2006-08 -- all won by the Cavs. But he was all talk. He never had the game to back it up.
6. Charles Barkley -- He's so big, he makes the list in two categories -- as a player and a television analyst. It wasn't bad enough that he once leveled Ehlo during a playoff game in 1990, while averaging 25.6 points and 14 rebounds as Philadelphia won the series, but he has been a constant critic in his role on TNT, which earns him a rousing reception any time the studio crew visits. He does seem to have become a LeBron James admirer, but that hasn't been enough to win Cavs fans over just yet.
7. George McCloud -- Sucker-punched John Battle outside the locker room after the Cavs' 119-115 overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers on Jan. 22, 1992. The two had tussled during the fourth quarter. Battle, six inches shorter and 40 pounds lighter than McCloud, reportedly went looking for a 2x4 to retaliate, bringing a whole new meaning to the phrase "grabbing a board." McCloud was fined $10,000 and suspended for a game.
7a. In an aside, Indiana coach Bob Hill reportedly got into a shoving match with then-Cavs coach Lenny Wilkens during the McCloud-Battle dust up, then complained he was not well-received when he went to the locker room to apologize for whole incident. Really?
8. Allen Iverson -- It actually started his rookie season, when the media named him MVP of the Rookie Game during All-Star Weekend festivities in Cleveland in 1997, when fans wanted Kobe Bryant to win the honor. Iverson never forgot the slight and played some of his greatest games here. Iverson has twice scored 50 or more points against Cleveland and owns the arena record with 54 points.
9. Bill Laimbeer -- OK, here's the first guy on the list for general principles. He was nominated as "one of the goons in the Detroit gang." He actually baited the normally placid Brad Daugherty into throwing a punch during a Cavs' 80-79 victory at Detroit on Jan. 27, 1989. Laimbeer became an All-Star with the Pistons after playing his first one and a half seasons with the Cavs.
10. Paul Pierce -- Has a long and snippy history vs. Cleveland that pre-dates the shootout duel with LeBron James in the Celtics' triumph in Game 7 of 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals. It goes all the way back to a preseason game in Columbus in 2004, when James and Pierce went at each other in the game and after it -- no doubt in part because Pierce spit in the direction of the Cavs bench during the game.
11. Norm Van Lier -- Fans turned on him after he criticized the Cavs in the mid-70s, just as the team was starting to improve. For more on this story, check out Burt Graeff's recollections.
12. Hedo Turkoglu -- He was the biggest reason the Orlando Magic won the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Cavs never found an answer for him on the court and never could wipe that smirk off his face.
13. Larry Bird -- Fans chanted "We want Bird" during a 105-98 playoff victory in 1985 that Bird missed with an injury. They got him the next game, as he put up 34 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists to eliminate the Cavs in four games of the best-of-five series. He averaged 24.2 points and nearly 10 rebounds and six assists against the Cavs during his career, which ended in Cleveland's 122-104 home win over Boston in a 1992 conference semifinal Game 7.
14. Dennis Rodman -- Tormented the Cavs with two hated foes: Pistons and Bulls. In addition to dominating on the boards, he was assigned to rough up Larry Nance on the perimeter. It often worked, throwing Nance off his game. Rodman once greeted reporters visiting the post-game locker room wearing one of those masks Jason wore in the movie "Halloween."
15. Elvin Hayes -- In 66 games, averaged 21.3 points and 12 rebounds against Cleveland. He was one of Washington's stars during the Miracle of Richfield. Famously, he missed key free throws in two Bullets losses in the classic 1976 playoff series. But, he was the main reason the Bullets were close. He averaged 20.5 points, 13.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocked shots in 10 career playoff games vs. the Cavs.
16. JoJo White -- Averaged 19.3 points and 5.4 assists in 42 games. Mostly, he hit big shots, including late-game daggers among his 29 points in the Celtics 1976 playoff series clincher.
17. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar -- Until Jordan came along, he had the two biggest games by an opponent, twice scoring 53 points for the Milwaukee Bucks. He finished his long Bucks/Lakers career with averages of 26.3 points and 11.4 rebounds -- and countless defensive stops. Incidentally, he scored 42 points in the Lakers' quadruple overtime loss on Jan. 29, 1980, recently named No. 1 in the recent Top 40 poll of all-time Cavs games.
18. Isiah Thomas -- See Bill Laimbeer. He was nominated for being the "sneaky leader of the Detroit thugs." Besides often leading the Pistons with his scoring, his 619 assists against Cleveland tops every Cavs opponent.
19. Shaquille O'Neal -- Face it, the guy was a load whether he was playing in Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami or Phoenix. He also loved to get into a war of words. After Horace Grant punched Danny Ferry in Orlando on April 10, 1996 -- earning a $5,000 fine and a one-game suspension -- O'Neal defended his teammate by saying, "There's two kinds of dirty: dirty and sewer dirty. Danny Ferry is sewer dirty and has been ever since he was at Duke." Of course, now that Ferry's his boss, O'Neal always refers to him as "the great Danny Ferry."
20. Scottie Pippen -- Everyone remembers his scoring and rebounding, but where he really made an impact was when he and Jordan double-teamed Mark Price on the perimeter. Price, at 6-feet, could not see over the two. Coach Phil Jackson saved this tactic for the playoffs, especially Game 3 of the 1992 conference finals, which keyed an easy Bulls victory after the Cavs' 107-81 rout of the Bulls in Chicago in Game 2.
21. George Gervin -- Helped dash fans hopes that had been raised after the Miracle of Richfield. When the Spurs entered the NBA in 1976-77, Gervin was the main reason why Cleveland had so much trouble beating San Antonio. In 32 games, he averaged 27.4 points per game. From 1976-79, the Cavs won just two of 10 matchups with the Spurs -- both in the first season.
22. Kobe Bryant -- He has four rings, the Cavs have none. Enough said. James' No. 1 rival as the best player in the league, although he doesn't always play as well against James as he does against other teams.
23. Dave Cowens -- He demolished the Cavs with his relentless hustle and physical play around the basket. Especially irritating was the sense that he seemed to have the referees on his side. Most distressing for fans was his 1976 playoff series, when he averaged 18 points, 15.2 rebounds and 4.8 assists as Boston won in six games.
24. Spencer Haywood -- Had a ton of great games, including a 48-point performance for Seattle on Jan. 7, 1972. He hit a jump shot with one second left to lift New York to a 109-107 victory and a two-game sweep in the best-of-three first-round series in 1978.
25. Charles Oakley -- A tough, muscular Cleveland native who always seemed primed for his hometown team, especially when his Bulls won a 1988 playoff series, and when he helped the Knicks oust Cleveland in 1995 and 1996. He owns the opponent record for rebounds in a game with 35 in a Cavs' 107-103 victory at Chicago on April 22, 1988. In 64 games, he averaged 10.5 rebounds.
26. Patrick Ewing -- Averaged 22.8 points in 47 regular-season games and 18.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.3 blocked shots in the Knicks' 1995 and 1996 playoff wins. The fact that he's now tutoring Orlando center Dwight Howard as a Magic assistant coach doesn't help.
27. Gilbert Arenas -- Though supplanted by the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic, for several years the Washington Wizards were the Cavs' biggest rivals. Arenas was their best player. He scored 45 points in a regular-season game at Washington on Nov. 18, 2006, and he had 44 in a 121-120 Cavs overtime victory in Game 5 of a first-round playoff series on May 3, 2006. In Game 6, you may recall James whispering in Arenas' ear just before Arenas missed two crucial free throws in the closing seconds of the Cavs' series-deciding 114-113 victory.
28. Pete Maravich -- With his scoring -- averaging 24.7 points a game against Cleveland -- and peerless passing, he was often the main reason his good Hawks teams triumphed, and often the only reason his inferior New Orleans Jazz teams played the Cavs tough.
29. Reggie Miller -- It's not so much the 1,290 points he scored -- the seventh most by any opponent -- it's how he got so many of them, swishing long-range jumpers in crunch time with a certain air of arrogance.
30. Karl Malone -- He got booed during 1997 All Star Game and when he was introduced as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA history because fans thought he dissed Cleveland heading into the game. Asked 10 days earlier about playing here, Malone told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "I want to go, stay healthy and get the hell out of Cleveland. My wife and kids are going to leave for the airport in the third quarter." After the game, he said, "All I said was the truth. I was asked if I would rather be here or somewhere else, and I didn't lie. I guess they thought I was ripping on Cleveland. I wasn't. They must have been looking for someone to boo." Of course, as half of the potent Malone-John Stockton combination that gave everybody fits in those days, fans had basketball reasons to boo him, too.
30a. Though he didn't get booed that weekend, Stockton always was a headache, running the pick-and-roll to perfection with Malone, and somehow managing to get a cheap shot in as well. He does share the record for most assists vs. Cleveland with 22 in an OT game at Utah on Dec. 11, 1989. Magic Johnson had 22 for the Lakers on Nov. 17, 1983.
31. Dwyane Wade -- His memorable head-to-head duels with James are instant classics, but as long as the Cavs are coming out with the victories he's not the villain some of these other guys are. Competition really started in a Cavs 106-99 win on April 1, 2006, when James finished with 47 points (18 in the fourth quarter) and Wade had 44 (21 in the fourth), a game voted No. 3 in the recent poll of all-time Cavs games. There have been many memorable rematches, but head-to-head, James is 13-9 against Wade, who has averaged 27.6 points in 22 career games.
32. Kevin McHale -- The man Charles Barkley said was maybe his toughest opponent showed Cavs fans why. His stifling low-post defense and clutch rebounding were more important against the Cavs than even his 18-point scoring average.
33. Dwight Howard -- To paraphrase Shaquille O'Neal, "Superman, my butt." Helped Magic bounce top-seeded Cavs from 2009 Eastern Conference Finals and was criticized by O'Neal earlier this season for making off with his nickname. Rivalry with the Magic could replace that with the Celtics, depending on how the rest of this season goes.
34. Moses Malone -- His 1,558 regular-season points are second to Jordan's 1,977, and his 908 rebounds are first.
35. Wes Unseld -- He averaged 14 rebounds, clogged the middle defensively and helped the Bullets offense purr with his deft interior passing.
36. Derrick Coleman -- It wasn't his fault New Jersey lost two playoff series, as he averaged 24.8 points, 13.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists in nine games -- all double-doubles except a 24-point, nine-rebound game. At one point in the 1993 series, Hot Rod Williams mentioned to a teammate that Coleman could really go to his left. The teammate replied, "Hot Rod, that's because he's left-handed."
37. Dominique Wilkins -- Averaged 24 points in 58 games. The Cavs had several good defenders, but just couldn't find a way to contain him.
38. Rudy Tomjanovich -- The Cavs had four pretty good teams from 1974-78, but they were just 9-12 against the Houston Rockets, in large part due to Rudy T's clutch scoring and rugged rebounding. He averaged 19.1 points in his career against Cleveland.
39. Tiny Archibald -- Whether he was with bad, average or powerful teams -- like the early 1980s Celtics -- he usually made the Cavs dizzy with his waterbug play, averaging 19 points and 7.7 assists and wreaking havoc at the defensive end.
40. Bob Lanier -- He averaged 19.3 points and did a lot of other good things in spite of the constant pain in his knees. Fans didn't feel sorry for him, especially after some rough-housing with beloved and aging center Nate Thurmond, whom he once got in a headlock -- and twisted.
Also considered: Rafer Alston, Carmelo Anthony, Rick Barry, Bruce Bowen, Adrian Dantley, Ricky Davis, Joe Dumars, Manu Ginobili, John Havlicek, Bernard King, Vernon Maxwell, Mikki Moore, Mike Newlin, Robert Parish, Tony Parker, John Paxson, Buck Williams.
Hodges, Valbuena hitting stars for Tribe
First baseman Wes Hodges went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and infielder Luis Valbuena had three hits as the Indians beat the Mariners, 6-4, on Tuesday.
Wood not dwelling on trade speculation
The trade speculation expected to hound closer Kerry Wood all season has already heated up, and we're not even a week into the Indians' exhibition schedule.
Terry Pluto’s ‘Scribbles’ about Seneca Wallace, Derek Anderson’s release, what’s ahead for the Cleveland Browns
Browns might still be looking for a quarterback.
Dean Rutz, Seattle Times, via APSeneca Wallace will be wearing Orange and Brown this season.
1. Here's what I know about Seneca Wallace -- he will be A Browns quarterback. Not necessarily the starter. He could be a backup to Brady Quinn, although when the Browns do talk about this at length, they probably will say the two "will compete for the job." But all that is subject to change, as I believe the Browns are still looking at possible deals for another quarterback.
2. Here's what is settled about the position: Nothing. OK, Derek Anderson was released Tuesday. And the Browns have Wallace and Quinn, which indicates they won't draft a quarterback in the top two rounds. Why put all that cash out for a quarterback, when you have two guys (three counting Brett Ratliff) under 30 at the position?
3. But making a traded for a veteran such as Donovan McNabb? You'd better believe the Browns will talk about it if the Eagles are open to a deal. They just signed Michael Vick, which gives them three quarterbacks along with Kevin Kolb and McNabb. No matter what the Eagles say about wanting to keep their quarterbacks, they certainly are in a tremendous position to trade one.
4. Browns coach Eric Mangini has a clear memory of Wallace playing for a Seattle team coached by Mike Holmgren at the end of the 2008 season -- when the Seahawks beat Mangini's Jets, 13-3. It was a game that cost the Jets a playoff spot. It also was played in the wind and snow, and Wallace was 18-of-25 passing for one touchdown and a 104.6 rating. He had no turnovers, no sacks. The Jets also watched tape of Wallace completing 20-of-28 passes, including three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 24-21 loss in 2008 to New England.
5. While Wallace is not set to start, both Holmgren and Mangini have seen the 29-year-old Wallace play enough solid games against good teams to believe he can start. They like his ability to stay away from turnovers (25 TD passes compared to 14 INTs). In 2008, he started eight games when Matt Hasselbeck was injured, and had 11 TD passes compared to three INTs. He completed 59 percent of his passes, had a rating of 87.7.
6. Wallace is only 5-foot-11 and was a pure athlete who has had to learn the intricate parts of the position at the NFL level. He also was stuck behind Hasselbeck, who was a backup until Mike Holmgren traded for him and made Hasselbeck a starter in Seattle. Wallace is very quick, and the Browns offensive coaches are already having some fun drawing up plays with Wallace and Joshua Cribbs in the Wildcat formation. Wallace has played a little bit of receiver. Cribbs was a quarterback at Kent State.
7. The Browns were very impressed with new right tackle Tony Pashos. One coach said the 325-pound Pashos reminded him of "Ryan Tucker," both in terms of his powerful blocking and no-frills personality. Pashos also told the Browns "I love to play in cold weather." The coaches said, "You'll get your wish on that."
8. On Sunday, I wrote about the possibility of Shaun Rogers being traded. I did a poor job of explaining the situation. I should have written something like, "While the Browns have no serious trade talks for Rogers going and seem to want to keep him, down the line that can change . . ." Instead, I came across as saying they want to dump the guy, which obviously is untrue.
9. I do think some talks can heat up for him near the draft, because Rogers is one of the Browns' few assets who can be traded and bring value in return. In fact, the uncapped year that has created 212 restricted free agents has put a lid on possible trades. These players can't be dealt until they sign their tender offers, which most of them absolutely hate. That's why players who are already signed to long-term deals are attractive in deals.
10. While the Browns have made some moves, none has addressed the huge need in the defensive secondary. That tells me that are looking at Eric Berry and Joe Haden with the No. 7 pick, and still shopping for defensive backs. They need at least two starters, and a strong backup.
Terry Pluto talks Browns, Cavaliers and Indians – Podcast
Hear Terry's thoughts on the Seneca Wallace trade, the play of Mo Williams and the Tribe's spring start in his latest podcast.
Terry Pluto tackles your questions live every Tuesday at noon.Could Seneca Wallace start? Who is the Cavaliers' biggest threat in the East? Find out answers to these questions and more as Terry answered your questions during his weekly chat.
Some other questions Terry answered:
• Do these early moves by the Browns give us a good indication of their overall philosophy?
• How much is J.J. Hickson progressing for the Cavaliers since the trade deadline?
• Do you like what you've seen from Manny Acta so far?
Two ways to listen to Tuesday's podcast:
Click on the play button below or download the MP3 version here to listen on-the-go.
Browns terminate Anderson’s contract
The Browns terminated the contract of quarterback Derek Anderson, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
Alert the media, LeBron was rooting for Knicks (a little): Windhorst Beat Blog
With LeBron James sitting out and Antawn Jamison lost to a first-half injury, the Cavaliers still triumph.
Scott Shaw / The Plain DealerAnderson Varejao and Jawad Williams sandwich San Antonio's Richard Jefferson and force a jump ball in the first half of Monday's game.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Thoughts following the Cavs' 97-95 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
• LeBron James' ankle is fine. You should have seen him dash across the room to see the finish of the Knicks-Hawks game in the locker room after the game.
The scene:
Knicks up one with the the ball in the final seconds. Toney Douglas attempts to drive to the hole but gets the ball stolen by Jamal Crawford.
LeBron: "Oh, h--- no, you can't turn it over there. But you know J. Crawford loves last-second shots."
Crawford drives length of floor and then dishes to Josh Smith on the baseline with a great pass for what appears to be an open dunk to win the game.
LeBron: "Ohhhhh, great look."
Wilson Chandler comes out of nowhere to reject Smith. The ball bounces into Al Horford's hands and he makes at short putback right at the buzzer.
LeBron: "Wowwwww, looks like the Hawks won."
Wait, officials go to replay. First look shows Horford's shot came after red light. No good, Knicks win (for third time in 11 games).
LeBron: "Oh, no, that's no good, that's no good. Ha, ha!"
In this game of analyzing and then spinning everything LeBron within the free agency prism -- "What? He ordered a vodka tonic? Does that mean the Nets are still in the game?" -- I'm sure that will get all whipped into something. I probably shouldn't even be writing it because I'll be getting calls from New York radio stations for "my take" tomorrow.
But I did write about it because, well, LeBron is moving just fine on that ankle. And to pass along how it is always interesting to watch games with LeBron. Like when he's on the court, he usually sees things before they happen even on TV. He'll predict when players will go for backdoor lobs or scold players for not forcing the opponent into help or to his weak hand. You can really tell he watches a lot of film...on everybody. For that matter, he also reads a lot about the game. He's very up on the happenings in the league.
In this case, he was enjoying the finish of a good game. Perhaps he was happy with the big quasi-chase down block from Chandler. Maybe he wants the Hawks, who are close to the Cavs in the standings, to lose. Earlier he was getting on the Hawks for not fouling before Douglas' turnover, so perhaps he was just cheering quality basketball. Discuss.
• Antawn Jamison was matter-of-fact about his knee. He said the knee has flared up on him twice this season. Once was back in November and the use of ice and electronic stimulation got him through it. He was also bothered by in once before a game last month when he was with the Wizards. He shot 2-of-17 but played through it.
He said this time it was worse than before because it got so stiff that he had no range of motion. He's going to the Cleveland Clinic to get an MRI Tuesday to check it out. He sounded like he knew exactly what it was and that he'd be fine, especially with the next three days off. We'll see.
• If you had somehow been able to show me this game film at the start of the season I would not have believed what I saw from J.J. Hickson. He battled Tim Duncan without fear all night. He looked to make plays for himself when he got the ball. He attacked late in the game like a seasoned veteran. He made clutch free throws. He got a clutch rebound. His growth has been astounding this season.
Playing well in a game like this wasn't just impressive because it was against Duncan, it was impressive because it came without LeBron and Shaq. Though Hickson's had some good games this year, most of the time it was because he was playing off the guys getting double teams. He earned everything he got in this game, which was 12 points and seven rebounds in a game where the Cavs had to have it.
With Jamison, Shaq and LeBron not playing, suddenly No. 21 was a core player out there. Didn't think I'd see that day so soon.
• Leon Powe hasn't played for the last two games. It isn't his knee or his play, Mike Brown said. He wanted to see Darnell Jackson play Saturday instead and tonight he was just shortening his rotation. The Spurs play "small" with Richard Jefferson and Matt Bonner playing power forward at times. DeJuan Blair, who would have been a good matchup with Powe, didn't play much. Also, Hickson played well and got 35 minutes, which was a season high.
Recap:
GAME RESET
Cavs 97, Spurs 95
Game No. 65 at The Q.
What happened: The Cavs started without Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James and then had to play most of the second half without Antawn Jamison due to stiffness in his left knee. But the Cavs rallied through that by getting some quality second half team defense and forcing the Spurs into mostly jump shots. Then they piecemealed an offensive attack as five different players scored in double figures.
The star: Mo Williams had 17 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
The co-star: Manu Ginobili had 38 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Spurs.
Highlight: The Cavs have won 50 games for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Lowlight: The Cavs were outrebounded, 44-42.
Third Quarter: Spurs 76, Cavs 72
• Cavs played better defense for much of the third. The Spurs got happy running outside pick-and-rolls and the Cavs kept them to jumpers for the most part. They are just making a lot of them. The Spurs have just 26 points in the paint in the game and 50 points out of it.
• One of the things giving the Cavs problems is their offense. They are showing very little creativity on the offensive end. They are running the same play four or five times in a row. In the first quarter they were running more and looking to score before the Spurs get set. That isn't happening as much now.
• Cavs are going to need a few things down the stretch here to win. They will have to get some stops that allow them to run and score in transition. They will have to get hot from 3-point range because they will have stalled possessions. And they will have to be able to hold Duncan in check without double teams.
Halftime: Spurs 52, Cavs 49
• Mo Williams is playing hard, he's got eight points, six rebounds and six assists. All that is good, but he's getting sliced and diced by George Hill at the defensive end. The Spurs had four points in the paint in the first quarter and 18 in the second. Largely because Hill, who had 13 points, destroyed Williams off the dribble and in transition. Williams has never been a good defender, but he's held his own a lot more than over these last few weeks. The issue is, he doesn't even seem to be trying to put himself in position. Maybe he's afraid of contact to his shoulder. Something is going on.
• Manu Ginobili has been playing great for the last month and you can see it tonight. He's got everything working from his spot-up jumper to his floater to his pull up. The Cavs have tried several defenders, but he keeps shaking loose and he's got 23 points. The biggest issue is how he's getting open on the outside when the Cavs collapse in the middle on dribble penetration.
• The Cavs are riding Antawn Jamison hard in the post. The Spurs put Richard Jefferson and Keith Bogans on him and Mike Brown obviously feels like he's got an advantage there. But the Cavs are sometimes forcing it. They have nine turnovers and several of them are from forcing post passes to Jamison and J.J. Hickson.
First Quarter: Cavs 28, Spurs 26
• Cavs are making an effort to get out in transition and get a shot up before the Spurs set their defense. This has been a goal since Shaq went down, but becomes extra important without LeBron. They are having a significant amount of success thus far, putting together eight fast-break points and running into sets to get clean looks. Mo Williams is already playing much better than in Milwaukee, looking to go to the basket and making his first three shots with five rebounds.
• The Spurs didn't attack J.J. Hickson much with Duncan in the early going. They only went to him three times in the post. Once the Cavs brought a double team and he kicked to Manu Ginobili for a 3. The other two times he scored. Expect the Spurs to go back to this later and how the Cavs manage it could be a factor in who wins the game.
• Cavs gave up a bunch of points to start the quarter but much of it came from Spurs jumpers. They did a better job of challenging the jumpers as the quarter went on and started getting some stops. The Spurs only scored four points in the paint in the quarter. That is a pace the Cavs would love to keep going.
Projected starting lineups
Spurs: George Hill, Manu Ginobili, Keith Bogans, Tim Duncan, Antonio McDyess
Cavs: Mo Williams, Anthony Parker, Jawad Williams, Antawn Jamison, JJ Hickson
Officials
Joe Crawford, Zach Zarba, Olandis Poole
• LeBron James is out. So the starting lineup, a shell of what is was just two weeks ago, will take on the Spurs, who have won four in a row. Daniel Gibson is back after missing a week for the birth of his son. The Spurs, however, are without Tony Parker, who broke his hand on Saturday. The guess is that Ginobili will move into starting lineup but the Spurs haven't made their plans known yet.
• Makes sense for Mike Brown to sit LeBron. There could be a short-term cost in the standings. Don't look just at the Lakers, the bigger issue for the Cavs is the Magic, who are now five games make and have just eight games left against teams with winning records and just eight road games. The Cavs have 12 games left against winning teams and eight road games. But the Cavs have a cushion and they'll need to use it. Having LeBron healthy is most important, even more than the seeding. LeBron hasn't had more than 2-3 days off since September and this could refresh him.
*• Not having Parker is a blow to the Spurs, especially against the Cavs. As he showed in the Finals, Parker's ability to get inside the defense and distribute can be devastating. Mo Williams, who has been in a terrible offensive slump, is also playing some of his worst defense in the last two seasons since coming back from that shoulder injury. He's had a few possessions that were horrible. Not having to deal with Parker will limit that damage.
• Williams is feeling pressure to perform right now. Last season when he felt that pressure, in the playoffs, he did not react well to it. His first chance this season in Milwaukee was not good. Let's see how this develops. This is an excellent test to see where he's at after last season, when the pressure in the postseason clearly got the better of him.
• The Spurs have been a big disappointment and not just because they've had injuries. Richard Jefferson has not made an offensive impact, though he has played better in the last few weeks after Gregg Popovich moved him to the bench and teamed him with Ginobili. Ginobili, who struggled with injuries earlier this season, has been excellent recently and that is why the Spurs have been winning.
• Biggest challenge tonight will be for Hickson to deal with Duncan. It is a terrible matchup for the Cavs. If Duncan is feeling good, and that is a question mark because this is his third game in four days and that type of schedule wears on his knees, then the Cavs may have to bring double teams. It would make sense for the Spurs' game plan, especially without Parker, to include a lot of Duncan early in the game. Hickson ought to get ready for the challenge from the start.
Shorthanded but long in desire, Cleveland Cavaliers achieve a satisfying 97-95 victory over San Antonio
The 50th victory of the season for the Cavaliers may have been the most satisfying yet.
Scott Shaw / The Plain DealerIn the final minutes, Delonte West was a go-to offensive force for the Cavaliers Monday night. The guard scored 10 of his 16 points in the final period, including this short jumper over San Antonio's George Hill.
• James sits out: Insider
• Windhorst blog | Boxscore
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The 50th victory of the season for the Cavaliers had a significantly different feel than those than came before it. In some ways it may have been the most satisfying yet.
The Cavs slipped past the streaking San Antonio Spurs, 97-95, Monday night on depth, surprising clutch free-throw shooting and Manu Ginobili's toe.
They started the game without Shaquille O'Neal, who was somewhere resting his thumb, and LeBron James, who was on the bench resting everything. By four minutes into the second half, they were also without Antawn Jamison, whose role as leading scorer was cut short when he was forced from the game with soreness in the back of his left knee.
He had 17 points before leaving and will have an MRI at the Cleveland Clinic on Tuesday. Jamison said he's experienced knee stiffness earlier in the season and was able to get rid of it with rest and treatment. He's hoping for the same this time and said he's planning on playing Friday against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Whatever the outcome, the Cavs (50-15) didn't have him against a Spurs (36-25) team that was on a four-game winning streak, not showing any ill effects of not having injured star Tony Parker, and riding a white-hot Ginobili as he sizzled to 38 points.
In short, things didn't look good. It appeared like the omens were sending the Cavs to their 10th straight loss when playing without James dating back three seasons.
None of that even takes into account that Anthony Parker had to briefly leave the game with a dislocated finger and Mo Williams made huge free throws after aggravating a middle finger injury in the final seconds.
"After Antawn went out, our guys could've dropped their heads," coach Mike Brown said. "They were pretty resilient and that was good to see."
What happened was the Cavs cobbled together a rally, fed by some generally sound defense and a patchwork offense that more resembled the type of effort they'll always need without their Most Valuable Player.
Six players scored in double figures and all of them, sans Jamison, had valuable offensive moments in the fourth quarter.
Williams had 17 points with a season-high eight rebounds and eight assists. He made two free throws with nine seconds left that pushed the Cavs lead to an valuable three points.
Delonte West had 16 points and five assists. He had 10 points in the fourth quarter, playing a James-ian role, and over his last five games is averaging 17 points on 51 percent shooting.
Jawad Williams scored 13 points with five rebounds starting in place of James. He nailed a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth to help the Cavs climb out of a four-point hole.
Anderson Varejao had 11 points and nine rebounds and successfully battled Tim Duncan, who was held to just 13 points and five rebounds, for much of the night. He came up with a big rebound and made two free throws with 2.4 seconds left that actually turned out to be the difference in the game.
Then there was J.J. Hickson, who also fought with Duncan and played him to a draw. He put up 12 points with seven rebounds and made two big plays in the final two minutes, getting a put-back hoop and then also making two free throws to help in the effort.
"A lot of guys stepped up, collectively we made plays down the stretch," Williams said. "We did a good job of finding a way."
The defense gets a fair amount of credit, too. After trouble with dribble penetration in the first half -- George Hill stepped in for Tony Parker and scored 23 points -- the Cavs closed up the paint in the second half. They allowed just 43 points in the second half, just eight in the paint, and just 26 percent shooting in the fourth quarter.
They could never really stop Ginobili, who scored 12 points in the fourth. He looked to have made a dagger with 14.2 seconds left as he fired in another long-range jumper that appeared to tie the game. But officials properly saw his toe had slipped onto the 3-point line as he fired and the Cavs were saved, holding a one-point lead that forced the Spurs to foul.
San Antonio got one last shot -- well, other than Ginobili splashing a meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish 7-of-11 from 3-point range -- for the tie. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich used Ginobili as a decoy this time and instead set up a shot for Roger Mason. So-called "Big Shot Rog" for making a series of clutch 3-pointers over the last two years, Mason was wide open when he zipped around a screen as Ginobili delivered him the ball.
But Mason was 1-of-9 shooting on the night and missed his eighth straight 3-pointer with four seconds left.
With that, the Cavs had themselves a win. A James-less, O'Neal-less, Jamison-less win at that.
"He was wide open," Popovich said. "He was the guy to go to, that's what he does."
Westbrook feels strong, progresses
Rust was probably inevitable for Jake Westbrook in Monday's start against D-backs, his first time facing big league hitters in nearly two years, but the righty was pleased by how he felt.
Browns acquire rights to Seneca Wallace
The Browns have acquired the rights to QB Seneca Wallace in a trade with the Seahawks.
Katie Spotz changes landfall target in trans-Atlantic row, now heading for Guyana
Daunting endurance challenge finds Spotz within perhaps just a few days of a successful finale.
Mentor's Katie Spotz is so close to completing her solo row across the Atlantic Ocean that she is now modifying her target for arrival -- from Cayenne in French Guiana to Georgetown in Guyana, in large part to find gentler currents to reach port.
Here is her latest position, through her posts at Rowforwater.com. She expects that it could take a couple more weeks to go the 400 additional miles to Georgetown.
Reid Brown / The Plain Dealer
For background on Katie's oceanic challenge, check out her interview with The Plain Dealer.
LeBron James will sit out Cleveland Cavaliers’ game tonight against Spurs
James will get a full week's rest before Friday's game at Philadelphia to recover from a variety of minor aches and pains.
UPDATED: 5:58 p.m.
AP Cavaliers forward LeBron James will be in street clothes for tonight's game against San Antonio. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- LeBron James had his custom-made Snuggie slung over his shoulder as he left shootaround Monday morning with no sweat on his brow but no limp in his step, either.
"I'm good, I'm good," James said when asked about his right ankle, which he twisted last Friday and contributed to him missing Saturday night's game in Milwaukee.
He might be good but that wasn't good enough for Cavaliers coach Mike Brown, who announced during the pre-game warmup that James would again sit out against the San Antonio Spurs at The Q.
James was a game-time decision, but Brown had already made his mind up.
"I think this is an opportune time for him to get some rest with the amount of days we have in between games," Brown said during the Monday morning walkthrough.
James is recovering from a left quad bruise, the right ankle injury and, Brown hinted, some soreness in his back as well. None of it is serious, nothing that would stop team athletic trainers from clearing him to play. But with the Cavs' next game coming Friday in Philadelphia, Brown was inclined to giving his superstar a full week off.
This is the time of year for these decisions. Recently, the Lakers shut down Kobe Bryant because of a string of nagging injuries; the team gave him nearly three weeks off around the All-Star break. The Spurs, as is custom this time of year, have been finding places to give Tim Duncan nights off.
Brown said he is not worried about playoff positioning at the moment; the Cavs have a five-game lead on the Magic in the Eastern Conference and a three-game lead on the Lakers for the overall No. 1 seed. They currently hold the tiebreakers against both. So he's not weighing that in playing James.
The Cavs are 0-7 over the last three seasons playing without James.
"If I was [concerned], then I would've said, 'Hey, tape that bad boy up against Milwaukee,' " Brown said.
"He could do that if it was a playoff game. With all the bumps and bruises he does have and the minutes he's longed, he may not say this, but his body has been feeling the effects from playing all those minutes. If I was really worried about it, two days' worth of rest, that would be pretty good. But really I think it will do him and his body well to sit."
The Cavs will get Daniel Gibson back tonight. Gibson missed a week after the birth of his first child but was at shootaround and should be on the active roster tonight.
NFL-USO Tour: Joe Thomas checks in
Joe Thomas checks in again from the NFL-USO Tour of Southwest Asia.
