Re: Cleveland Cavaliers - All for One. One for All.
Posted: 14/03/2010, 0:01
Pressure on Brown to help deliver Cavs a championship
No coach in recent memory has more pressure than Mike Brown, writes John Schuhmann.
PHILADELPHIA -- Before he returned from a two-game absence to play the Sixers on Friday night, LeBron James was asked if there was a possibility of him coaching in the NBA after his playing career is over.
Now in his seventh season, James has become somewhat of a coach on the floor, and he could see himself as an assistant some day. But that's as far as he'll go.
"I wouldn't want to be a head coach, I could tell you that," James responded. "I would never be a head coach in the NBA.
"There's way too much pressure."
James should have a pretty good grasp of how much pressure head coaches are under, because no coach in recent memory has been under more pressure than Cavs head coach Mike Brown.
In the quest to get both James and the city of Cleveland their first NBA title, Cavs general manager Danny Ferry has done his part. When his team needed a player to take some of the scoring load from LeBron James, Ferry traded for Mo Williams. When it needed to add size to deal with Dwight Howard, Ferry traded for Shaquille O'Neal. When it needed length on the wings, Ferry signed Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. And when the Cavs needed a power forward who could stretch the floor, Ferry traded for Antawn Jamison.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert willingly financed every move, spending whatever it took to put the Cavs in position to win a championship.
Now, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brown to make it all come together on the floor and put the Larry O'Brien trophy in Gilbert's hands in late June.
The Cavs are essentially in the same position they were a year ago. They've got both the best record and the best player in the league. But this time, they've got a deeper, more talented and more versatile roster. They went 11-0 when Williams was out with a sprained shoulder and they're 11-2 without O'Neal. They even won a game without James for the first time in three years.
Brown would be the first to tell you that it's the best team he's ever coached. But he'll also tell you that the pressure he feels is no different than the pressure he felt last season or when the Cavs went to the Finals in 2007.
"It's all the same for me," Brown said Friday. "I'm not in this thing for second place, to have a good record or to win a division title. I'm in it to win the championship. And if we don't win, it bothers me. And I've been bothered the last four years."
Never has it stung more than when the Cavs lost to the Magic in the conference finals last year. They had no one to stop Dwight Howard and if Rafer Alston didn't hit six threes in Game 4, the result may have been different, but Brown still thinks about what he could have done differently to change the outcome of that series.
He'll have some tough decisions to make this postseason as well.
It will be another nine days before they can re-sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas, O'Neal probably won't be ready to play until the playoffs begin, and Jamison missed Friday's game with a sore knee. But at some point, Brown is going to have six bigs to choose from, as well as the option of playing James at the four. He'll also have to shorten his backcourt rotation.
"When you have a team that's as deep as we are," Brown said, "that's one of the biggest challenges, trying to make sure that you can keep everybody feeling like they're a part of this, and making sure you're playing the right combinations at the right time. I'd rather have that problem than other problems, so I'm OK with it."
The timing of O'Neal's return will make it all the more challenging, but Brown has already had two periods of experimentation this season: In November when he was first figuring out which bigs to play together, and last month when Jamison came on board.
There were some growing pains in each case, but a quick look at the standings will tell you that they were minor. The Cavs are on pace to come a little short of last year's 66 wins, but they've got a three-game edge on the Lakers for the best record in the league.
Of course, come April 17, Brown's team will be back at 0-0 and in the same position as every other playoff team: 16 wins from a title.
And that's when the pressure on Brown to push the right buttons will really heat up.
And let's not forget that James will likely be a free agent this summer, or that the city of Cleveland hasn't won a championship in 46 years.
Cavs’ Jamison expected to face Celtics
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP)—Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison(notes) is expecting to play Sunday when Cleveland hosts the Boston Celtics in a game between division leaders.
Jamison missed Friday’s win against Philadelphia because of a cyst behind his left knee. He said Saturday he thought he could have played against the 76ers, but team doctors advised him to rest. Jamison did not make the trip to Philadelphia.
He says the knee feels fine and there are no problems.
Jamison is averaging 17 points and 7.5 rebounds since coming to Cleveland in a trade with Washington.
No coach in recent memory has more pressure than Mike Brown, writes John Schuhmann.
PHILADELPHIA -- Before he returned from a two-game absence to play the Sixers on Friday night, LeBron James was asked if there was a possibility of him coaching in the NBA after his playing career is over.
Now in his seventh season, James has become somewhat of a coach on the floor, and he could see himself as an assistant some day. But that's as far as he'll go.
"I wouldn't want to be a head coach, I could tell you that," James responded. "I would never be a head coach in the NBA.
"There's way too much pressure."
James should have a pretty good grasp of how much pressure head coaches are under, because no coach in recent memory has been under more pressure than Cavs head coach Mike Brown.
In the quest to get both James and the city of Cleveland their first NBA title, Cavs general manager Danny Ferry has done his part. When his team needed a player to take some of the scoring load from LeBron James, Ferry traded for Mo Williams. When it needed to add size to deal with Dwight Howard, Ferry traded for Shaquille O'Neal. When it needed length on the wings, Ferry signed Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon. And when the Cavs needed a power forward who could stretch the floor, Ferry traded for Antawn Jamison.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert willingly financed every move, spending whatever it took to put the Cavs in position to win a championship.
Now, the pressure is squarely on the shoulders of Brown to make it all come together on the floor and put the Larry O'Brien trophy in Gilbert's hands in late June.
The Cavs are essentially in the same position they were a year ago. They've got both the best record and the best player in the league. But this time, they've got a deeper, more talented and more versatile roster. They went 11-0 when Williams was out with a sprained shoulder and they're 11-2 without O'Neal. They even won a game without James for the first time in three years.
Brown would be the first to tell you that it's the best team he's ever coached. But he'll also tell you that the pressure he feels is no different than the pressure he felt last season or when the Cavs went to the Finals in 2007.
"It's all the same for me," Brown said Friday. "I'm not in this thing for second place, to have a good record or to win a division title. I'm in it to win the championship. And if we don't win, it bothers me. And I've been bothered the last four years."
Never has it stung more than when the Cavs lost to the Magic in the conference finals last year. They had no one to stop Dwight Howard and if Rafer Alston didn't hit six threes in Game 4, the result may have been different, but Brown still thinks about what he could have done differently to change the outcome of that series.
He'll have some tough decisions to make this postseason as well.
It will be another nine days before they can re-sign Zydrunas Ilgauskas, O'Neal probably won't be ready to play until the playoffs begin, and Jamison missed Friday's game with a sore knee. But at some point, Brown is going to have six bigs to choose from, as well as the option of playing James at the four. He'll also have to shorten his backcourt rotation.
"When you have a team that's as deep as we are," Brown said, "that's one of the biggest challenges, trying to make sure that you can keep everybody feeling like they're a part of this, and making sure you're playing the right combinations at the right time. I'd rather have that problem than other problems, so I'm OK with it."
The timing of O'Neal's return will make it all the more challenging, but Brown has already had two periods of experimentation this season: In November when he was first figuring out which bigs to play together, and last month when Jamison came on board.
There were some growing pains in each case, but a quick look at the standings will tell you that they were minor. The Cavs are on pace to come a little short of last year's 66 wins, but they've got a three-game edge on the Lakers for the best record in the league.
Of course, come April 17, Brown's team will be back at 0-0 and in the same position as every other playoff team: 16 wins from a title.
And that's when the pressure on Brown to push the right buttons will really heat up.
And let's not forget that James will likely be a free agent this summer, or that the city of Cleveland hasn't won a championship in 46 years.
Cavs’ Jamison expected to face Celtics
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio (AP)—Cavaliers forward Antawn Jamison(notes) is expecting to play Sunday when Cleveland hosts the Boston Celtics in a game between division leaders.
Jamison missed Friday’s win against Philadelphia because of a cyst behind his left knee. He said Saturday he thought he could have played against the 76ers, but team doctors advised him to rest. Jamison did not make the trip to Philadelphia.
He says the knee feels fine and there are no problems.
Jamison is averaging 17 points and 7.5 rebounds since coming to Cleveland in a trade with Washington.
. Assente Delonte per un problemino al ginocchio.
) ho avuto poco tempo per scrivere ma le partite naturalmente le ho viste tutte.
.
