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Will Cavaliers Season Take Similar Turn Against Heat?

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Tue, 01/24/2012 - 11:34 in

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Emotions were riding high in Quicken Loans Arena on December 2nd, with the return of LeBron James and the Cavaliers out to prove that their team wasn’t built on a single player.

The Cavs went into the 18th game of the season with a 7-10 record, losing to the Celtics by 19 in their previous outing. The Cavs lost to the Heat on that painfully unforgettable night in Cleveland, kicking off a streak of 35 losses in their next 36 games.

The nameplates and numbers for the Cavs have changed, but the results leading into another matchup with the Heat are shockingly similar. The Cavs will make the trip to Miami for their 16th game of the season with a record of 6-9. The Cavs go into the game having lost to the Hawks by 27 and the Bulls by 39.

Could a similar defeat to the Heat cascade the Cavs into another colossal slide?

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Catching Up with Last Year’s Cavaliers: Mo Williams, Baron Davis, and More

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Tue, 01/17/2012 - 16:51 in

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Continuity was at the forefront of reasons why the Dallas Mavericks beat the Miami Heat in last year's NBA Finals, but a lack of continuity hasn't exactly hurt the Cavaliers this season.

Cavaliers players racked up 19,755 minutes during the 2010-11 season. 6,562 of those minutes were from a group of eight players not found on the Cavaliers' opening day roster, a loss of 33%.

The 2010-11 season saw even more turnover, a 54% loss of minutes from 2009-10. Did Cavaliers management let go of any fledgling talent under the veil of emotion from the 2010 summer?

Here is a look at the players representing those missing minutes, how they are doing now, and if any could see a possibly return to the team.

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Cleveland Cavaliers: Unlucky 7 Draft Picks

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Wed, 01/04/2012 - 14:56 in

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With news of Christian Eyenga being sent down to the Canton Charge, the 30th pick from the 2009 NBA Draft might have seen his last NBA action in Monday's win against the Bobcats. Eyenga's raw athleticism has remained just that, a trait that propels him over opponents in lesser leagues, but remains ineffective in the NBA.

Since 2000, the skill (or luck) of selecting college prospects has diminished among Cavaliers executives. The selection of Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson are hopefully a step in the right direction, but with exception to the player who left the Cavs high and dry for South Beach, not much has gone right for the Cavs in the 1st Round of the draft.

Here's a look at the more notable draft mistakes made by the Cavaliers, along with an extra tease of who could have been taken if the Cavaliers had a better magic ball.

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5 Takeaways from the Cleveland Cavaliers First NBA Game

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Tue, 12/27/2011 - 20:20 in

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The Cavaliers’ new catchphrase, “Hey Cleveland, what’s not to like?”, could be a poor choice if the Cavs make a habit of Monday night’s season opening performance against the Toronto Raptors.

The slogan, inspired by Nick Gilbert’s response to a question during the NBA lottery, could be used as a starting point for fans to voice their frustrations with a rebuilding franchise. After a dreadful season from the Browns, and the Indians falling short of high expectations from a remarkable start, the Cavs will have a short window of fan positivity, where many fans already feel this season’s only result will be another lottery pick.

So what’s not to like? There were a couple items to mention after Cleveland’s season opener, along with a few to like as well.

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Cleveland Cavaliers Old and New Compete for Rotation Dominance

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Tue, 12/20/2011 - 21:16 in

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The Cavaliers mental lapse at the end of the 4th quarter resulted in a loss in Tuesday night’s preseason finale (following Friday’s opener) against Detroit, but the competition between the old and new guard of Cavaliers was the more interesting battle in downtown Cleveland.

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Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 Developing Story Lines

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Sat, 12/17/2011 - 16:11

Cavaliers basketball is back! Enough arguing decimals on how you split the pie, enough who’s the next star in New York or Los Angeles, enough missing games from a lockout. Time to see what the Cavs latest draft picks will produce on the floor, and if the Cavs will remain a team with a large number of ping-pong balls at the end of the season.

Friday’s preseason opener against Detroit was a story of two teams with a number of similarities as they both rebuild to regain the prestige associated with each franchise over the past decade. Both teams are slowly losing role players from their better years and infusing their roster with young talent provided by disappointing seasons.

As the Cavaliers start to figure out how much progress has been made and what path to follow next, the following story lines should be prevalent during this lockout-shortened 66-game season.

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2011 Is Second Worst Year in Cleveland Sports History

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Sun, 12/04/2011 - 18:16 in

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Considering every year where the Browns, Indians, and Cavs have played, 2011 has the second lowest overall winning percentage. The good news is that even if the Browns lose every game for the rest of the season, 2003 will still be worse. The bad news is what we just saw on the field against Baltimore and the many other disappointing losses this year.

Year Browns Cavs Indians Overall Winning %
2003 5-11 17-65 68-94 .313
2011 4-8 19-63 80-82 .353
1982 4-5 15-67 78-84 .370
1984 5-11 28-54 75-87 .371
1974 4-10 29-53 77-85 .372

Browns and Rams have Fewest Touchdowns in NFL since '08

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Sun, 11/13/2011 - 15:16 in

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The Browns and Rams highlighted their inability to put the ball in the end zone on Sunday, combining to kick six fields goals in the 13-12 win for the Rams. These problems aren't contained to this year for both teams, as the Browns and Rams have scored the least amount of touchdowns in the NFL since 2008.

Team 2008 2009 2010 2011 Total
Rams 20 17 27 9 73
Browns 20 25 29 12 86
Redskins 27 29 33 13 102
Seahawks 32 30 33 13 108
Bengals 20 34 36 21 111

Cleveland Cavaliers: Top 5 Goals for Upcoming Season

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Wed, 08/17/2011 - 09:32 in

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During the rebuilding process, we tend to focus on the different trades, acquisitions, and draft picks that can be made to build for the future. Those decisions are indeed important, but the improvements made on the court are just as crucial towards building a perennial contender.

The proof of this concept was apparent in the past year’s NBA Finals. Miami proved that a championship contender can be bought in the offseason, while Dallas showed that it takes continuity and team play to actually win a championship.

What can the Cavaliers do next season on the court that will pay dividends in the future?

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LeBron James' Five Best Friends on the Cleveland Cavaliers

Published by Ryan Sponseller on Mon, 08/15/2011 - 11:46 in

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Being friends with the enemy can cost you your job under the current Cleveland Cavaliers’ regime, possibly sparking the trade of J.J. Hickson. Wanting to distance the franchise from any memories of the LeBron era, only three players remain from the 2009-2010 team.

Will these moves continue once the NBA Lockout is resolved?

The following list of players could be next on the chopping block in order to erase all memories from the 2010 team. What might also be alarming is the influence LeBron has over new acquisitions by the Cavs, only a summer conversation away from signing with that team down south.

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