Cavs 09-10 Season (official thread)

[MililaniBuckeye]

I don't expect a quick hire to be made. Even if Gilbert is willing to drop 10 mil on a coach he will need an assurance that Lebron will not resign.

fify

 

[Mac]

I dont care who it is, I'm just glad Brown is gone. I couldn't stand him. Didn't make adjustments, and Offensive scheme was terrible, Defense was lousy. Can't wait to see who we bring in.

 

[buchtelgrad04]

I dont care who it is, I'm just glad Brown is gone. I couldn't stand him. Didn't make adjustments, and Offensive scheme was terrible, Defense was lousy. Can't wait to see who we bring in.

I was with you up until that point. Since the 05-06 season, the Cavs haven't been outside the top 10 in opp PPG, while being in the top 5 three times. They've been a good defensive team under Brown. I'm just as happy as the next guy that he's gone, but his defense won more games than his offense did.

 

[NFBuck]

I was with you up until that point. Since the 05-06 season, the Cavs haven't been outside the top 10 in opp PPG, while being in the top 5 three times. They've been a good defensive team under Brown. I'm just as happy as the next guy that he's gone, but his defense won more games than his offense did.

Not when it counted.

 

[buckeyemania11]

I was with you up until that point. Since the 05-06 season, the Cavs haven't been outside the top 10 in opp PPG, while being in the top 5 three times. They've been a good defensive team under Brown. I'm just as happy as the next guy that he's gone, but his defense won more games than his offense did.

did you witness the in game layup line the Celtics had against the Cavs?

 

[buchtelgrad04]

Not when it counted.

did you witness the in game layup line the Celtics had against the Cavs?

This last series, and the Orlando series doesn't really sway my opinion of how the Cavs played defense during the Brown era.

Match-up issues were exploited in each series, which is a reflection of individual defense, not team defense. The team did the right thing against Orlando, wouldn't you guys agree? Double down on Dwight, who had a size, speed, & strength advantage over anyone on the roster at the time, and make him kick it out.

The Boston series had a plethora of favorable match-ups for the C's. Of course the effort wasn't always where it needed to be, but looking at the whole spectrum, the Cavs have been a good defensive team under Potato Dome.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

This last series, and the Orlando series doesn't really sway my opinion of how the Cavs played defense during the Brown era.

They should...

Match-up issues were exploited in each series, which is a reflection of individual defense, not team defense.

Match-up issues are a direct reflection of coaching...

 

[billmac91]

This last series, and the Orlando series doesn't really sway my opinion of how the Cavs played defense during the Brown era.

Match-up issues were exploited in each series, which is a reflection of individual defense, not team defense. The team did the right thing against Orlando, wouldn't you guys agree? Double down on Dwight, who had a size, speed, & strength advantage over anyone on the roster at the time, and make him kick it out.

The Boston series had a plethora of favorable match-ups for the C's. Of course the effort wasn't always where it needed to be, but looking at the whole spectrum, the Cavs have been a good defensive team under Potato Dome.

Ummm....disagree, a lot. Orlando was a series, much like the Boston series, where LeBron James could have neutralized the X-factor but Potato-head would rather LeBron rest against Rafer-freakin' Alston and guard an ice-cold Paul Pierce.

Cleveland's best chance against Orlando was LeBron to guard the 4 and be able to close on Rashard Lewis. Instead Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao closed late, or over-ran Rashard Lewis time and again. The few times the Cavs went small, they got beat by Howard, but they also played the perimeter well and also scored much more efficiently on the offensive end. When they played Howard with a traditional 2 bigs (Z and Andy, or Z and Ben), they got beat by Howard and got beat on the perimeter.

That was my biggest beef with Brown. If you're going to hang your hat on defense, and that defense is going to get exploited time and again, why not try to force your own match-ups. There's absolutely no reason the Cavs couldn't have ran LeBron at the point and had him guard Rondo to get Mo Williams off the court. Rondo owned Parker and Williams, yet the few times LeBron got Rondo in the series, Rondo became passive and the Cavs had a high stop ratio. Sure enough, Paul Pierce re-enters the game, and LeBron gets put back on Pierce, and Rondo goes off.

It's not complicated stuff. He was either too inflexible or just not basketball smart. Either way, it's a terrible quality for an NBA coach. Again, Phil Jackson hated doing it, but when he had too, he put Kobe on Russell Westbrook and it may have won that series for L.A. Potato-head was too stubburn/stupid to figure this solution out. Best athlete on best play-maker. At least try it for more than a 3 minute span. Especially when it worked in those 3 minutes...baffling.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Cavs get a good coach and LeBron stays, multiple titles...mark it down.

 

[Jake]

Source: Cleveland Cavaliers fire head coach Mike Brown - ESPN

I hope Vince delivered the news.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIg9Ome1lGU]YouTube - Isiah Fired[/ame]

 

[NFBuck]

Cavs get a good coach and LeBron stays, multiple titles...mark it down.

I'm convinced they'd have a least one so far if they had competent coaching. The rotations and "adjustments" Mr. Potatohead made in multiple playoff series were unintentionally comical.

 

[Jake]

I'm convinced they'd have a least one so far if they had competent coaching.

When?

LeBron carried an inferior squad to the finals in 2007. San Antonio was clearly a better TEAM.

Last year, they had no answer for Dwight Howard, so they signed an old Shaq.

This year, they had no answer for Rondo.

Not sure what rotations could've stopped any of those things. Still, after the 3 playoff disappointments the Cavs needed to go in another direction. But if they don't address those personnel issues a new coach will have the same problems to overcome when the playoffs roll around.

 

[OHSportsFan]

Mike Brown needed to go...there's no doubt about that, especially in today's player-driven league. Head coach gets left accountable.

However, I will say that Mike Brown was dealt a pretty bad hand that NO ONE saw coming this past season. 1) 60% of the starting lineup could not defend. As a matter of fact, no one looked like they cared to defend that series. KG had his way with Jamison and that led to more issues. Mo could obviously not handle Rondo which led to even MORE issues. Shaq is too old. JJ was lost. Andy was injured. LeBron was disinterested. Etc, etc.. 2) The team obviously quit. 3) Celtics are f'n rolling.

I know most will say that these issues lead back to the man in charge, but this isn't the amateurs. For "professionals" to simply not give effort in perhaps one of the biggest games in their career (game 5, at home, series at 2-2) is simply mind-boggling.

Mike Brown falls on the sword for a lot of things that may or may not have been in his control.

Again, I completely agree with his firing, just throwing out some thoughts. Coaches get fired, players get there way, and guys like Mo and Antawn will continue to suck on D. As Jake just said, it was time to try something new (insert definition of 'insanity': doing the same thing and expecting different results).

 

[billmac91]

When?

LeBron carried an inferior squad to the finals in 2007. San Antonio was clearly a better TEAM.

Last year, they had no answer for Dwight Howard, so they signed an old Shaq.

This year, they had no answer for Rondo.

Not sure what rotations could've stopped any of those things. Still, after the 3 playoff disappointments the Cavs needed to go in another direction. But if they don't address those personnel issues a new coach will have the same problems to overcome when the playoffs roll around.

You don't easily win the regular season outright, twice, without one of the top teams in the league. Unfortunately for the Cavs, Mike Brown was so incompetent when it came to match-ups, you just couldn't win.

I can't claim Cleveland automatically beats Boston with a few adjustments, but it sure as hell makes them more competitive. Antawn Jamison was owned by Garnett. Get Jamison off the court and let Varejao get a bulk of the minutes. Rondo owned Anthony Parker and Mo Williams, but was passive and slowed down in the few minutes LeBron checked him. Take Mo off the court, let LeBron play the point, Parker on Ray Allen, Jamison on Pierce. Or just roll with Williams on Allen but let LeBron slow Rondo down.

Against Orlando, and I've hashed this out a million times...they got abused by Dwight inside whether they ran 2 bigs at him or not. So you let LeBron take Rashard at the 4 and keep Lewis in check. The entire series LeBron was guarding Rafer f'n Alston...f'n skip to my Lou...really? I mean really? Seriously? All those athletes on Orlando, but we'll stick our best defender on Skip to My [censored]in' Lou? Honestly.

That is why Mike Brown is no longer coaching in Cleveland. Because he lets our best athlete check Rafer [censored]in' Alston instead of Rashard Lewis, and he lets him check an ice cold Paul Pierce while Rajon Rondo takes whatever he wants on the court.

It's called match-ups and adjustments. Mike Brown has never met them.

 

[billmac91]

Mike Brown needed to go...there's no doubt about that, especially in today's player-driven league. Head coach gets left accountable.

However, I will say that Mike Brown was dealt a pretty bad hand that NO ONE saw coming this past season. 1) 60% of the starting lineup could not defend. As a matter of fact, no one looked like they cared to defend that series. KG had his way with Jamison and that led to more issues. Mo could obviously not handle Rondo which led to even MORE issues. Shaq is too old. JJ was lost. Andy was injured. LeBron was disinterested. Etc, etc.. 2) The team obviously quit. 3) Celtics are f'n rolling.

I know most will say that these issues lead back to the man in charge, but this isn't the amateurs. For "professionals" to simply not give effort in perhaps one of the biggest games in their career (game 5, at home, series at 2-2) is simply mind-boggling.

Mike Brown falls on the sword for a lot of things that may or may not have been in his control.

Again, I completely agree with his firing, just throwing out some thoughts. Coaches get fired, players get there way, and guys like Mo and Antawn will continue to suck on D. As Jake just said, it was time to try something new (insert definition of 'insanity': doing the same thing and expecting different results).

But you can't fault Jamison for playing poor defense on Kevin Garnett. That was a MIS-MATCH. KG should abuse him in that situation. This is why Mike Brown is a ri-tard. He let Jamison get abused all series long...there were adjustments, easy adjustments, that could have negated KG's dominance. Mike Brown didn't even sniff it.