What we missed during our Cavs United Hiatus.. Happy New Year Cavs Fans

We took a little bit of a break, but we're back.

The Cavaliers are in the midst of another significant losing streak, and officially ended the month of December with 1 win.  We've lost 14 of 15, and there's not a whole lot to cheer for as we lose to the likes of Charlotte, Minnesota, Sacramento, Detroit, and Philadelphia to name a few.

The franchise that won 66 games last year is now 8-24 on the season, on pace for close to a 20 win season.  Yikes. 

As Antawn Jamison put it, everyone in Cleveland can now put 2010 behind us and focus on the New Year.  2010 might prove to have been the most destructive, tumultuous year in the history of the franchise.  Our best shot at a championship disappeared overnight, and effectively ended the LeBron James era. 

That's not to say we haven't had some great moments this season; there have been a few.

For one, Cavalier-legend Darius Miles showed up to Quicken Loans Arena as a training camp invite of the Charlotte Bobcats.  Although he was missing the trademark dreadlocks and double-head head bump, it was still a joy to see D-Miles grace us with his presence.

We also managed to take down the Boston Celtics opening night, in a playoff atmosphere that left you feeling good about our chances for this season (note: this was a false alarm). 

We watched one of the most anticipated spectacles in all of sport took place in our arena, as the now-maligned James made his return to the city scorned.  We booed him as loud as we could, chanted obscene and vulgar things directed at him, and watched as he destroyed our team defense en route to a 38 point beatdown that will forever be dubbed, "The Return".

More recently, we watched Mo Williams hit a game-winner over the Bucks' Brandon Jennings, a much needed shot that lifted the spirits of a team in desperate need of anything resembling a win.

Antawn Jamison hit an 80 yard heave, (forget it was after the 1st quarter buzzer had sounded) in front of friends and family and a hostile Charlotte crowd of about 10 thousand.

Later that same game, Ramon Sessions provided us with what might have been the highlight of the season:  A power throwdown over Nazr Mohammed.  Dunks are a rare sight this season, unless you count J.J. Hickson getting dunked on by James Harden in an old-fashioned Oklahoma City beatdown.

We've also "witnessed" the emergence of a future star, Manny Harris.  Manny's defensive intensity combined with offensive prowess will serve as the backbone of a Cavaliers rise to prominence in the years to come.

No one can be sure how the roster will change this season; Jawad Williams has already gotten the axe, and Alonzo Gee has made a favorable first impression.  Byron Scott has made it clear that he prefers a few more post-players.

Many are speculating that the team will attempt to trade away higher-salary contracts (Jamison) and play for next year's draft.  This franchise is already stockpiling draft picks and hope to make a big splash by landing some big-name players. 

If you're still not a fan, then you never really were. The Youth Movement is upon us.  This, is Cavaliers basketball.

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Austin Carr and Campy Russell discuss the new jerseys

                                 

This Just In.. Christian Eyenga is a URD (Unreal Dunking Machine)

In case you aren't up on Cavalier news, we signed our draft pick Christian Eyenga this summer after he put together an impressive Summer League and showed exactly what impact he could have on the team this year.  That impact is one of the most crucial aspects any player can have:  The ability to throwdown an unbelievable dunk whenever he gets a wide open lane.  He literally has some of the most ridiculous ups you will see in the NBA this year.  At only 6 foot 6", the awe-factor he has when you watch him dunk is priceless. 
Exhibit A:  Summer League Throwdown



Okay, that was just nasty.  What makes it even more legit is that he did it in the middle of a game.  As any real fan of dunking swagger should know, the Windmill is one of the most aesthetically pleasing dunks to watch.  Eyenga's windmill might be his signature, and hopefully we should get to see it on countless fast breaks this year.  Exhibits B and C:  the "Warmup Windmill" followed by the "Insane Pump"





I know right?  This guy is playing for the Cavaliers this year.. I'm down.  Eyenga is going to be a human highlight reel, and maybe just maybe he'll help us get over the loss of one, "Akron Traitor".  This is probably the best video of him dunking you will find.  I present you Exhibit D: "Slow-motion through the Legs."  Can't wait to see this guy play in the preseason.  LeBron who?

Turning my attention to the Cleveland Browns, and then the Cavaliers

The Indians lost to the Orioles last night by a count of 14-8.  The Baltimore Orioles are 39-74 on the season.  What does that say about us?  We're losing 3-1 right now, and it's painfully obvious that the Indians season is a wash, and has been for a long time. 

On a postitive note, we are not in last place anymore in the division, (at this point I'm holding out hope that we simply end with a better record than the Kansas City Royals.)  Anyways, the Indians are quite pathetic at 47-66, possibly because the front office has yet again traded away key players capable of making an impact when it counts.

For all these reasons, my coverage of the lowly Indians will diminsh significantly over the next several weeks as we turn to two teams that actually has a chance of being somewhat respectable;  the Cleveland Cavaliers and of course the Browns.  I'm stating right now that I think both teams have a decent chance at making the playoffs, and if you look at both rosters that statement is not too far of at stretch.   

The Cleveland Browns might surprise some teams this year, as they drafted well under the brilliance of new team President Mike Holmgren. 

Cornerback Joe Haden is going to be another shutdown corner alongside an impressive secondary that includes Eric Wright and newcomer Sheldon Brown.  Expect Sheldon to be the hard-hitting force the defensive backfield has sorely missed over the last several seasons. 

Don't forget we added stud linebacker Scott Fujita who played with the New Orleans Saints last year, and all of these players play behind monster lineman Shawn Rogers.  Rogers might be the most underrated player on the Browns; His ability to demand double-teams and disrupt the running game must be considered, not to mention he has an incredible ability to block field goals which can determine football games.  You also have to love our Coordinator on the defensive side of the ball, Rob Ryan.  He's passionate and quite frankly a mad-man, and he knows how to coach an NFL defense.  I'll take him anyday over a Romeo Crennel.

Running back Montario Hardesty will also prove to be a great pick, as he will be featured as our downhill bruiser-back and the tandem of Jerome Harrison and James Davis will be more than enough for teams to handle.  That could potentially become a three-headed monster that could become a solid group of running backs. 

The Offensive Line will be solid this year, as Joe Thomas is the anchor and he has high expectations.  The 6 foot 6", 312 pounder out of Wisconsin is a force in this league, and should clear a lot of space for our running backs to get loose in the secondary.   

Of course, the most important position for the offense is the quarterback, and Jake Delhomme has a lot to prove.  Coming off what Delhomme considers himself to be an awful season, he must manage games and not throw the ball away like he did last year.  Even though Browns fans should be excited to see what Colt McCoy can do for this franchise at some point in the future, Delhomme is the starter and thus we must hope he succeeds if this team has a chance to do anything this year.  I don't think Holmgren will want to have a quarterback switch, because this team saw instability at the quarterback position last year and that always hurts a team's level of confidence.

Delhommme will be throwing to a group of young but talented receivers.  Cribbs, Mohamed Massaquoi, and Brian Robiskie should be a formidable group of receivers.  Robiskie has impressed in training camp, and I expect him to have a breakout season. (Brian played his high school football at Chagrin Falls, where I happened to graduate from)  Buckeye fans remember his big-play capability; Hopefully Delhomme targets him frequently. Another important piece of our offense will be the emergence of tight-end Ben Watson, who is talented player we acquired from the New England Patriots.

Arguably the most exciting time during a Browns game is watching our Special Teams ace, one Joshua Cribbs.  He has what I would call RFV, (ridiculous field-vision) to go along with breakaway speed.  Thus every time other teams make the mistake of kicking deep to him, Cribbs poses a threat to take it to the house every time.  The other players on the Special Team go all-out because they know if they can hold a block or even get a good chip on a player they might see Cribbs sprint by them on his way to the endzone.  Josh Cribbs is a unique talent and the Browns are lucky to have him.  He has the capability of completely changing a game on one play. 

Even as President, Holmgren has the ability to get the most out of players.  The Browns will be competitve this year, and although we're in a tough division I feel like we can still win on Sunday's even in the division.  The Ravens will be tough, and the Bengals have a solid team.  Pittsburgh will be without Roethlisberger for likely 4 games, and his return should be against the Browns which I'm sure will be a national story.  We will get to see what the Browns are made of on Saturday, as we travel to Green Bay for our first preseason game.  Hopefully we win the opening toss and Cribbs takes it back for 6.. then we'll know it's our year.

Cleveland Browns training camp: Offensive line workout

            

Cleveland Cavaliers trade Delonte West to Minnesota for Ramon Sessions

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Cavaliers shipped out the shotgun-in-the-guitar-case guy, Delonte West.  What did surprise me was that they included Sebastian Telfair in this deal, who in my opinion has the potential to be a solid point guard in this league.

In return, the Cavaliers received guard Ramon Sessions, 7-footer Ryan Hollins, and a future 2nd round draft pick.  This was the first roster move the Cavs have actually completed following the LeBron-debacle; It was time the Cavaliers sent Delonte out of Cleveland, who had some serious issues while he was here.  Sessions will be a better fit with the team.

Earlier this month D-West was sentenced to 8 months of home detention with electronic monitoring.  There's a chance he will face a suspension early in the season after the NBA reviews his guilty plea on weapons charges.  Seriously, who passes police cruisers on the highway, on a 3-wheel motorcycle strapped with a shotgun in a guitar case?  How is this guy still in the league?  Apparently the T'wolves don't even want Delonte, and they plan to waive him by September.

Ramon should see significant playing time in Cleveland this year, as opposed to the season-low 21 minutes he received backing up Jonny Flynn in Milwaukee last season.  He did average 8.2 points and 3.1 assists, and shot 45.6% from the field.

"In Ramon, we're excited to add a young, multi-dimensional guard, and with Ryan, we're adding a young, athletic center," new Cavaliers GM Chris Grant said in a statement issued by the team. "We think both Ramon and Ryan are really good fits for this team. We're also happy to add another asset for the future with the additional draft pick.

Ramon was drafted out of Nevada in the 2nd round by Milwaukee in 2007.  Sessions is considered to be a very good ballhandler and decision-maker.  He signed a 4 year deal worth $16 million in September 2009, a deal that the Bucks chose not to match.  He and Mo Williams know each other well from their days in Milwaukee and our backcourt now consists of Mo Gotti, Boobie G, and Sessions.  We definitely have some talent and with the departure of Delonte, we should have some stability.  Don't expect too much from Ryan Hollins, even though the 7 footer is now the tallest player on our roster.  Sessions should be fun to watch and I'm hoping for big things from him.  Ramon Sessions might even be Underrated

                       

Dan Gilbert's Open-Letter to Cavs Fans

Dan Gilbert did not take LeBron's "Decision" to leave sitting down.  He fired back immediately.  Below is a copy of his rant.  This blog is for Cleveland, because Cleveland Deserves Better.

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment.  Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....

- Dan Gilbert
Majority Cavs Owner