A slow start or a bad team? Scott and Logan return to find all is not well in Cavs Nation. Topics: Should we be panicking after nine games? // Thoughts on Kyrie and Mike Brown's relationship. // Getting Anthony Bennett out of his slump. // Is Andrew Bynum a key piece worth our patience or a distraction? // Are the Cavs better served having Dion come off of the bench?
*Note: We're nowhere near competent enough ourselves to compile this stat (quarters won)...any mathletes in the audience today? Get in touch at TheBottomUpShow (at) Gmail.com!
The one where Jarrett Jack is the hero Cleveland needs right now, and Dwight Howard is the hero nobody deserves.
Topics: Impact of Earl Clark and Jarrett Jack signings for the Cavs, The Dwightmare has ended, A tale of two trades: Bargnani to the Knicks and the Suns/Clips/Bucks deal, and other free agency discussion.
The one where...WHOA!!!! and other draft thoughts.
Topics: Anthony Bennett, Sergey Kasarev, and Carrick Felix to the Cleveland Cavaliers, The Nets-Celtics trade, and our favorite moments from the 2013 NBA Draft.
With all of the mock NBA drafts floating around the interwebs, we were feeling a little left out here at The Bottom Up. See, we do not have any sources or inside information, so it seemed a little above our pay grade to have a running mock over the past couple months. Then I thought about it a little bit more and realized if Sam Amico can make a mock draft while clearly having no real sources, then so can we!
I kid, I kid...we love you, Sammy.
Anyways, here's my hastily compiled mock draft. My method? Look at everyone else's mock drafts and try to deduce where the truth actually is. I'm like Gandhi, but better. Also, I only picked the top 6, since the consensus is that there are six players in consideration for the # 1 pick. Everything after that gets much more murky in a weak draft like this, and I expect there to be plenty of trades. Basically, I have stuff to do today and you heathens need to take these six picks and like them.
The one where the NBA Finals lived up to the hype, and pre-draft anxiety pushes Cavs fans to the brink.
Topics: Heat vs. Spurs wrap-up, Who's best positioned to challenge the Heat next season?, Cleveland-Miami rivalry and the Josh Gordon shenanigans, Doc to the Clippers, Cavs draft anxiety with a flawed group of prospects.
The one where Anthony Bennett and Alex Len make a late push for the Cavs' number one pick.
Topics: Cavs draft: Are Bennett or Len a better option than Noel?, Is Andre Iguodala the perfect veteran free agent for Cleveland?, Heat-Spurs Game 5 reaction, Clippers-C's trade talk.
The one where Pop lets the shooters shoot, and George Karl takes a ride on the coaching carousel.
Topics: Heat-Spurs NBA Finals reactions, Pop's failed Game 2 strategy, is the 2-3-2 Finals format still necessary?, George Karl's firing and the NBA coaching carousel, Jason Kidd's Nets candidacy.
The one where Vitaly Potapenko looks to finally fulfill the prophecy, and Kidd and Hill hang up their Chucks.
Topics:Heat-Pacers series wrap-up, Roy Hibbert comments and fine reaction, NBA Finals preview and predictions, Cavs hire Potapenko and Kokoskov, Lionel Hollins out in Memphis?, and Grant Hill and Jason Kidd retire.
The one where the Cavaliers win the lottery, and the Memphis Grizzlies lose the coin toss. Topics: Why there is no downside to winning the lottery, Is Noel the guy?, What trade offers would be worth listening to?, Spurs shocking 3-0 lead over Memphis, Indiana's legitimate shot at knocking off the Heat.
It's a night of celebration for Cavs Nation worldwide! For the second time in three years, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have the first overall pick in the draft. Barring any long-term red flags with his knee, it appears that Kentucky big man beastnastymonster Nerlens Noel will be the pick.
Here's a quickly assembled package of Noel scouting reports and highlights:
(If I missed a good one, get in touch on Twitter or comment below!)
Mike Brown is once again the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
When the news broke a few weeks ago I was one of the many who were outraged; I never despised a coach as much as I despised Mike Brown. But was this feeling toward Mike Brown truly fair? Dislike of Mike Brown can be difficult if you are a Cavs fan, as most of your fondest Cavaliers memories probably come from the Mike Brown era.
He is inarguably the most successful coach in Cavaliers history. The Cavs had an astounding 272-138 record in his five seasons as their coach and he led them to not only five playoff appearances, but also never lost in the first round. He even led Cleveland to the 2006-07 NBA finals. In 2009, while leading the Cavaliers to a franchise record 66-16 regular season record, Brown won the Coach of the Year award.
You would think a coach with such a large list of achievements would lead me and other fans to be ecstatic that Mike Brown was returning, but we as fans possess bittersweet memories of his tenure and were largely upset at his return.
Under Mike Brown, the Cavaliers were consistently great, breaking team records and dominating the regular season. Every year felt like it might be our year to finally bring a championship to Cleveland. Yet, every year we came up short. Most of the blame fell upon the shoulders of our MVP superstar and our coach. Critics claimed that the “King” did not have the winning spirit that makes someone truly great, the intangibles that do not show up in the stat sheet, the extra "stuff" that Jordan oozed through his pores.
"Just try and redirect my browser away from The Bottom Up!"
It has been an amazing first three months here at The Bottom Up.
We could not be more thrilled with the feedback we have received from loyal podcast listeners and those who read our written pieces. Even better, the fine folks at RealCavsFans.com have partnered with us over the past month or so to run our more Cavs-centered podcasts over on their shores as well. Needless to say, that has been a fantastic way for Logan and I to build our audience and engage with a larger cut of the Cavaliers fan base.
Also, we have been lucky enough to have a couple of our blog posts make it into WaitingForNextYear.com's daily "While We're Waiting..." blog roundup, which has also helped us to broaden our audience and increase our traffic.
This experience has been, as a good friend says, aces...
The one where we plot out Cavs draft scenarios, and Phil Jackson answers one of life's most enduring questions.
Topics: Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery and Cavs draft scenarios depending on their pick, Knicks vs. Pacers, the upcoming Eastern Conference Finals and Western Conference Finals, and a discussion about Phil Jackson's Jordan vs. Kobe analysis from his new book.
When life give you lemons, you draft European players
A Tale of Two Scenarios
As a near constant stream of overly dramatic music blares from my laptop speakers, my roommate calls out from the other room, “Who are you watching now?” I have poured through every DraftExpress YouTube video possible, and with the draft lottery days away, my anxiety as a Cleveland Cavaliers fan is skyrocketing.
DX’s Mike Schmitz does an amazing job of putting highlight videos together. For those unfamiliar, each video begins by highlighting all of the strengths a player has, before finishing with the weaknesses. And so, as another highlight tape rolls on my computer screen—backed by a soundtrack fit for Gladiator, of course—my excitement is inevitably decimated once the second half of the video trains the halogen beams on the flaws.
This is not Schmitz’ fault, though. He has to tell it like it is, and this is a draft that teases and intrigues more than it comforts and excites. Still, I cannot help but feel as if my praise for Schmitz’ work comes more from Stockholm syndrome than it does from pure enjoyment.
The one where it's Boogie time for the Cavs, and Cousin Niko wants to go bowling in Cleveland.
Topics: Bill Simmons' Trade Value column, Boogie Cousins trade--worth the risk?, Nikola Pekovic to Cleveland in free agency?, D. Rose fatigue and placing blame, Amare's return tonight for the Knicks.
The one where the contender pretenders look to pick up the pieces, and Sacramento makes the NBA a Godfather offer.
Topics: Sacramento's creative offer to the NBA that helped keep the team from leaving, the contender pretenders (Clippers, Nets, Nuggets, Lakers) and what's next for them, making our picks for the second round of the playoffs.
Hard to believe it, but ESPN the Magazine turned 15 today. As a 23 year old, scrolling through old covers feels like going through a time capsule of all my sports memories. I highly encourage all those who revel in nostalgia to Google "ESPN the Magazine 1998 covers" and go from there.
One early cover stands out over all of the others. Behold:
New The Bottom Up podcast on the way tonight. See you then!
But I don't want comfort. I want God. I want poetry, I want real danger, I want freedom, I want goodness. I want sin.
-Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
We Prefer to Do Things Comfortably
Cleveland fans would do well to read a little Huxley this week, as the tired, huddled masses cope with last weekend's underwhelming NFL draft. The safe, traditional--dare I say comfortable--path that Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert followed during their brief stay in Barea is no more.
In its place, Browns fans have seen their team pursue and sign two of the top available free agents--a facet of roster building openly abhorred by Holmgren, et al. Then, during the 2013 NFL Draft--the yearly Super Bowl for Browns fans starved for hope--Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi opted to trade down, then out of the middle rounds for higher future picks and veteran wide receiver Davone Bess. They even traded with the Steelers, an ultimate sign of confidence for a franchise that has all too often cowered in fear and deference to the black and gold.
(And for the all the talk of Steelers drafting greatness, ask your local Steelers fan how that 2009 draft went for them. They'll tell you that it's not just Eric Mangini that can blow an entire draft.)
Despite Banner's active free agency period and confident if not arrogant patience with the draft, the pitchforks and torches are out once again among Cleveland fans.
You'd have thought Banner and Lombardi slapped Bernie Kosar across the face.
Here's Logan and Scott's All-NBA first and second teams. Enjoy!
If you'd like to chime in with your own All-NBA squad, get in touch with us on Twitter: @TheBottomUpShow
Logan's All-NBA Selections
By: Logan Bednarczuk
Before I share my NBA first team selections, I would just
like to point out that I believe, like the all-star game, that the selection
process should get rid of the Center label and instead be allowed to pick 3
backcourt positions. That’s not to say I don’t believe the Center position is n
important one I just feel that Forwards this year really performed better than
the Centers. That being said, I will stick to the traditional format and select
a center for my all NBA teams until the rule changes (sorry, Carmelo).
First Team
Guard: Chris Paul-
17.0 PPG/ 9.6 APG/ 3.8 RPG/ 26.33 PER
Chris
Paul is largely seen as the best point guard in the league and with merit. His
ability to control the game on the floor is second to none and he has the best defensive hands in the league. Not to mention the
fact that he could become the first player-coach to lead his team to a
championship since Bill Russell….What? Del Negro is the head coach?!?!? Well I
still feel like Chris Paul should at least be acknowledged as a co-head coach
and that’s still a remarkable feat.
Guard: Tony Parker-
20.4 PPG/ 7.6 APG/ 3.0 RPG/ 23.08 PER
This
is my controversial first team pick. I realize that their have been several guards that have had amazing seasons this year, and this was a very difficult choice. Out of all of them I feel that Westbrook
has the best case against Tony Parker, averaging slightly more points and rebounds
then Parker and dishing out almost the exact same number assists. Parker
however is shooting a remarkable .524 percent from the field, far greater than
Westbrook’s .432 percent. He also is the best player on one of the only 3 teams
even sniffing 60 wins this season. He has been snubbed of this honor for years
and I think he truly deserves it. Westbrook may, and probably should, be
offended if he was overlooked for this honor but Parker has been denied such
high honors for far too long.
Part I (Western Conference Playoff Team Breakdown) The one where we break down the Western Conference playoff teams and mourn the loss of Kobe Bean Bryant.
Part II (Eastern Conference Playoff Team Breakdown) The one where we break down the Eastern Conference playoff teams and mourn the loss of Gerald Wallace. Oh, wait...he's still healthy? Oh. Well, then. Yikes.
Someone has to give Miami a run for their money, right?
It would be easy to point to the Knicks’ win last night over Miami as proof that they’re ready to come at the king--and not miss.
To be honest, it’s very hard for me to put much stock in an April regular season matchup like last night’s. Since the Heat’s winning streak ended last week, they've clearly eased up mentally and physically as they get their affairs in order for another deep playoff run.
Point is, the Knicks are legitimate contenders but it would be foolish to use such a small sample size as proof. Over seven games against the same team, you've got to have a go-to strength that’s sustainable and difficult to neutralize, even with extensive gameplanning.
Your meat and potatoes sets have to be lethal in their most basic forms--this requires elite players capable of winning one-on-one matchups. But, to hold up in the playoffs, these sets must have attractive options far out on the decision tree. All of those “If...then...” scenarios must end with at least a good option, if not a great one. If the center doubles Carmelo in the post, then...
Now, what I like about the Knicks roster is that they can score in any number of ways, all of which are good. Coach Woodson can run iso sets with Carmelo, pick and rolls with Felton and Chandler, run JR Smith off screens and let him work, etc.
Then, through each of these sets the Knicks have some deadly three point shooters to kick it out to if the defense collapses. Novak, Kidd, Shumpert, and Prigioni all present the Knicks’ playmakers with appetizing options.
Now, when the Knicks have struggled this year it’s been because the three point shooters have gone cold. They need their shooters--especially a one dimensional guy like Novak--to be locked in if they want to truly challenge the Heat.
Milwaukee has their spot in the Eastern conference playoffs practically secured, but this isn’t due to their phenomenal play but more of a result of the lack of depth in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee’s record sits at 34 and 35, while 9th place Philadelphia rests at 26-42, a whopping 16 games below 500. That being said once Milwaukee makes the playoffs, everybody’s slate is swept clean and what you did in the regular season is largely forgotten and behind you. Sadly (at least for the Bucks), with the eight seed comes playing the top seed in the East, the Miami Heat.
It’s not really about what the Bucks will do wrong to not have a deep playoff run (or any significant playoff impact at all), it’s what the Heat will do so right. The Bucks won’t be able to slow down the onslaught that is the Heat’s offense. Though they have the defensive beast Larry Sanders, he can’t guard everyone. Milwaukee’s defense ranks 20th in the league per ESPN. Historically, a team out of the top 10 in defense struggles collecting wins when playoff intensity takes hold and especially against a team like the Heat which ranks 5th in the league in scoring offense.
Milwaukee has great length in their backcourt and good defenders in not only Sanders but also in Dalembert, Udoh and Mbah a Moute, but their frontcourt defense is atrocious. With Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings giving up so many open looks and drives to the basket it is a testament to how good their frontcourt defense is that they aren’t ranked worse. These two see the majority of the minutes in the backcourt averaging almost 38 minutes apiece. Ellis and Jennings are superior athletes who have the ability to score at an elite level but defensively they are pitiful. Both are prone to take risks and make poor attempts for the ball that leave them out of position leading to mismatches and 2-on-1 situations. Against the Heat and their elite backcourt, these mistakes will prove far too costly as mismatches and penetration lead to big throw-downs or corner threes.
The past few years Denver has been labeled in the postseason as being that team you don’t want to meet in the first round but doesn't have a legitimate shot of going deep into the playoffs. That has changed this year as Denver has emerged as one of the elite teams in the Western Conference. Currently, Denver is in the middle of a fierce battle for the number three spot in the playoffs with the Memphis Grizzles and the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver currently holds the spot and looks poised to maintain it, as they have been playing phenomenal basketball of late and are in the midst of a 15 game winning streak. This spot could be crucial in long-term playoff success as whoever falls in the fourth or fifth spot will be in a real battle with one another to make it to the next round compared to playing the sliding Warriors or the inexperienced Rockets. But regardless of how the regular season ends or how the playoff seeding shakes out, the Nuggets are a team capable of going deep in the playoffs.
It’s late March, which means only one thing for the post-LeBron Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite a season of impressive efforts against top-tier NBA teams, the real test is just beginning for Coach Scott’s young squad.
The time has come again to focus up and study extra game film. Months of hard work come down to these last few weeks and there’s no way owner Dan Gilbert will accept anything less than the Cavs' best effort.
If a starter has a hangnail? Two weeks rest, minimum. Can't be too careful! And the Cavs must figure out more ways to get Boobie Gibson and Omri Casspi some well earned playing time. That's right...it’s tanking season!
Wait, what?
Okay, so that was a contrived introduction. You knew damn well as soon as you clicked this link that you were going to read about some good old fashioned tanking.
But I didn’t lie—recent history shows that both Boobie Gibson and Omri Casspi are elite level players for any taking team. They’re so woefully overmatched on an NBA court that other tanking teams struggle to pull players off the bench of similar...ability.
For rebuilding teams in the NBA, there are two main schools of thought currently en vogue. One school is packed—think Introduction to Complete Sentences at University of Michigan in the Fall—and the other is a one-room school house with only a couple of pupils.
The latter group we’ll call the Prideland School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Prominent enrollees include the Indiana Pacers and the Houston Rockets. After years of scorn, they just installed a couple of brand new Smart Boards and gave everyone an iPad. Now they've made the rank and file at Tankington University quite jealous.
Suddenly, it’s a little less straightforward of a proposition to unconditionally support the Cavs’ rebuilding strategy.
The NBA, arguably more than any other sports league, is a superstar’s league. A team is typically only as valuable as their superstar or superstars. When you turn on ESPN and watch SportsCenter in the morning they give you the impression that Kobe was the only one playing for the Lakers the night before or that the Bulls don’t even really play until Derrick Rose is back.
But the league is full of players and unsung heroes that have great talent and skills that are under-appreciated Some are not just under-appreciated by the media and the public at large, but also by their team and the league. Hamed Haddadi is one of those players. A giant Iranian who has mostly rode the bench throughout his entire career, Haddadi recently has gotten a chance to shine on his new team the Phoenix Suns. Not only has he been effective on the court, he has more importantly brought a charm and a humbleness not commonly seen in the NBA.
If you are not familiar with Hamed Haddadi, I can’t blame you. He has largely been nonexistent on the NBA radar. If you are familiar with Haddadi it was probably because you heard his biggest claim to fame, that he is the NBA’s first and only Iranian born player, or you happened to see his massive-self sitting on the bench during a Grizzles game and couldn’t help but Google who this giant was. For those who are not familiar with Haddadi (which I assume is most of you) here is a video that shows some of the many highlights of his career.
So not overly impressive, I know, but not everyone can have highlight reels like Blake Griffin and LeBron James. What he does is far from flashy but it is effective and he does it with great effort and most importantly a beautiful smile.
Watching basketball is awesome. You're visiting this site, so presumably I'm preaching to the choir here. But sweet baby Jesus, NBA basketball is just absurdly entertaining. It's the only sport where I will watch a random, meaningless regular season game between two basement dwelling teams from start to finish and enjoy every second. Oh, Andre Drummond is playing Anthony Davis tonight? I shall watch this and pass judgement based on a 48 minute sample size!
Why is this? Rhetorical question. Obviously it's because NBA basketball has personality!
For example, I watched all 9 of Travis Hafner's seasons with the Cleveland Indians. Here's what I know about Travis Hafner. At some point in the minors he developed a certain level of, ahem, respect in the showers. His teammates called him "donkey." Also, at some point, one of his minor league teammates started calling him "project," because that's what late-blooming power hitters are in the minors. Then, a gentleman of impressive mental capacity decided to combine the two nicknames into "Pronk." Henceforth, announcers referred to Hafner as "Pronk," even explaining it was short for project-donkey. They did this with a straight face for 9 seasons.
'Merica.
That's all I know about Hafner, though. Unless you're outgoing off the field, baseball boxes most players into a few stereotypes with very little breathing room in the game for personality to shine through.
In contrast, NBA players' personalities shine through in their play and in their actions for 48 minutes a night across 82 games each season. We knew Delonte West was crazy and hilarious because on the court he played and interacted with teammates in a way that was both crazy and hilarious. Also, body wash.
Watch long enough and you feel like you know a guy personally, just by watching him play basketball.
So, while the NBA is filled with guys Logan and I absolutely love to watch on a nightly basis, it's also filled with a few guys we love to hate. Loathe. Abhor. A few guys in this league are downright unwatchable because there's something about their game or their face that's...annoying.
This is 5 on 5, and these are the most unwatchable players in the NBA by position...
Welcome to the inaugural edition of
The Spread on The Bottom Up.
Each week and maybe even several times a week I will pick a day’s winners based
off the points spread (spreads determined by SportsBetting.ag). And since it’s a
slow basketball night with only three games on the schedule, I decided that
this would be the perfect day to start. [Editor's Note: Logan's honesty about his laziness is impressive here.]
L.A Clippers at Indiana- Pacers -1
What looks to be the best game of
the night is sadly not on TNT, but those with NBA League Pass should be in for a
treat. Both teams have been hot of late with the Clippers winning seven of their last ten and the Pacers eight of their last ten. The Pacers have found their rhythm and
have ramped up their offense to match their league-leading defense. Indiana, however, will be without their paint-protecting center, Roy Hibbert, due to his
suspension after his on court altercation with the Warriors' David Lee. His
defensive presence will be sorely missed considering the Clippers are 5th
in the league in points in the paint. With home court and rest on their side I
expect the Pacers to keep it a tight game and hopefully see Granger get back in
scoring form. But without Hibbert’s defense in the paint, I see the clippers
bringing Lob City to Indiana and walking out with a big win tonight.
“Things turn out the best for people who make the best of the way
things turn out.”
–John Wooden
It’s late November 2007, and Bill Walton’s trademark upbeat
mood has turned decidedly melancholy.
“That’s the one I can’t read. It’s too close,” he sighs. “It’s
too close.”
As those sentences linger in the air, Walton is finishing up
an hour-long interview on Bill Simmons’ “B.S. Report” podcast.
Simmons had brought up David Halberstam’s The Breaks of the Game, a legendary book
that chronicled the late ‘70’s Portland Trail Blazers as their dominance was curtailed
only by a string of terrible luck. Really, though, the book is about Bill
Walton. Halberstam describes an athlete in tune with the essence of the game. A
player who learned how to pass, cut, and play team basketball from John Wooden.
An NBA champion and league MVP who carried coach Jack Ramsey’s Portland teams
on his back until his body completely betrayed him at 25.
When Walton injured his foot during the ’77-’78 season ,
Portland was 50 and 10. The foot injury was serious, and Walton was done for
the regular season. In hindsight, Portland also should have shut him down for
the playoffs. Perhaps in 2013, with star players making tens of millions, they
would have. But, this was 1978 and the Blazers were trying to repeat as
champions. By Halberstam’s account, Walton agreed to take some painkilling
shots, and give it a go as the playoffs began. He made it two games before his
foot shattered. Walton would never put on a Trail Blazers uniform again.
Topics Covered: Kyrie vs. LBJ...Could LBJ's game have matured to this level had he stayed in Cleveland?...Are Kyrie and Dion the long term back court duo in Cleveland?...CJ Miles?!
This past weekend, I had the chance to shoot down from Boston to NYC. In between MegaBus rides and hipster bros feeling the live bar music a little too much, I was able to catch Friday night's Rockets-Nets game at Brooklyn's brand new Barclays Center. If you're an arena nerd like me, after the jump are the random thoughts I jotted in my mental notebook...
ProTip: If you found this year's trade deadline as dreadfully boring as we did, feel free to skip ahead to the 12:45 mark where we move on to the Cavs ESPN game. We won't be offended, I promise.
Last night Kyrie went Kyrie vs. the Horents. Standard operating procedure at this point, except this time it was on ESPN. Even Jon Barry's too-cool-for-school smugness was overcome by a case of the Kyrie swoons.
Logan and I will wax poetic about last night's game and also give our immediate reactions to today's 3pm trade deadline on this evening's The Bottom Up podcast.
The All Star break is over and the
last leg of the season began last night. There were 9 games and I gorged myself
on as many as I could. This is a list of four things I came away with from these
games.
1. Al Jefferson is one of the most talented big men in the
game. This was evident last night as he got into an offensive flow early in the
third quarter against the Warriors and scored at will against any and all
defenders. The Jazz as a team had a very efficient offensive game shooting 50%
from the field and 47.6% from behind the arc but Jefferson served as the
bailout whenever points were getting hard to come by. If the shot clock was
expiring or the offense was becoming stagnant the ball would go to Big Al and
he delivered all night. Jefferson unleashed a flurry of post moves to score a
team high 24 points on 11 of 18 shooting and helped the Jazz cruise to a 115-101
victory. If he could just become better committed on the defensive end he would
easily catapult to one of the most devastating centers in the league.
2. Golden State is not the same team they were earlier this
season and I sorely miss the pre-Bogut Golden State. The team that played a
blistering frenetic pace and scored at a league high clip is fading fast. They have
lost 6 straight games and Bogut has actually hurt rather than helped the defense
while simultaneously slowing the offense down by making them operate more in
the half court. He was ineffective against Jefferson and was hurting the
offensive flow so much that he was benched allowing Jefferson and the other
Utah bigs to continue to abuse Bogut’s undersized brethren. Bogut is clearly
not at 100 percent and he has hurt the dynamic warriors with his plodding feet.
If he can’t serve as an effective defensive anchor then the warriors need to
focus on their offense and continue their small ball attack. The season is
quickly coming to a close and I would love to see the dynamic warriors of the
first few months in the playoffs not the dysfunctional group of today.
One of the many things I've enjoyed about Boston since moving here last June is the absurd amount of college sports at my fingertips. With BU, BC, and Harvard all within a 5 mile radius of my apartment, it'd be a crime for me to not take in as much basketball as possible all winter. Tonight, I rode the Green Line over to Boston College to watch the Eagles take on the Maryland Terrapins.
Of particular interest to me on this journey was Maryland center Alex Len. Listed at 7'1" and surprisingly athletic, Len has caught the eye of NBA scouts and projects to be a top 10 pick in June.
I'll discuss my Len impressions--especially with regards to the Cavs' need for a rim protector--with Logan on Thursday's The Bottom Up.
In the meantime, after the jump is what I scribbled in my notebook as I watched Len flash elite potential, yet also unquestionably fail to live up to his current hype level...
So, last night Kyrie Irving put on for his geographical half of the country by winning the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest. Logan and I will certainly touch on what this means for Kyrie, the Cavs, and his reputation league-wide in our upcoming first podcast. In the meantime, suffice it to say that nights like this aren't for Cavs fans--we already know what Kyrie can do on a basketball court. No, these nights are for the children in New York clinging to the idea that JR Smith got snubbed and Kyrie is garbage. You can't judge what you can't see. So, when Kyrie breaks Brandon Knight's ankles then drops 23 in the three-point contest the next night--all on national TV--it helps the rest of the country catch up to what Cavs fans already know: Kyrie is a cold-blooded killer.
Over the next few days, we'll be releasing the first episode of our new Cavs centered NBA podcast. As avid Cleveland Cavaliers fans and die-hard NBA fans in general, Logan and I are thrilled to create what we hope will become standard weekly listening for Cavs fans and NBA fans across the country.
So, why are we calling this new podcast "The Bottom Up"?
First, "the bottom!" has become the go-to catch phrase for Cavaliers play-by-play man Fred McCleod when Kyrie Irving or another Cavalier hits a crunch time dagger. As Cavs fans we live for these moments, and when they happen Fred's call adds amazing energy. Chills, bro. Chills.
Second, "bottom up" captures a defining trait of Cleveland sports. Our teams are rarely the favorites and are rebuilding more often than not. The moments of success are bookended by season after season of disappointment. Yet, this underdog perspective makes being a Cleveland fan so rewarding. The challenge of the constant chase, and the hope that each new season brings is addicting. We've all said at one point or another that we'd never watch another game, that we were done with this team forever. But we're still here. We're still watching. We never left. We endure because we know that next moment of success will erase years of disappointment.
Be sure to bookmark this page and follow us on Twitter @TheBottomUpShow!
