Shaq gives Ferry, Cavs one more shot

With Shaq and LeBron united, it's championship or bust for the Cavs.

Next season, it’s championship or bust for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s no secret.

LeBron James hits the free agent market after the 2009-10 season and if there isn’t a championship ring on his finger, the Cavs can kiss him goodbye.

The Cavs took a huge step toward making a title a reality with the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal yesterday.

Some say he’s washed up. There’s no denying the end is near for Shaq, but he was impressive last season. The Suns’ up and down style of play got Shaq in the best shape we’ve seen him in years. 

He missed the fewest games (7) since the 99-00 season and suffered no significant injuries. He averaged more points (17.8) and played more minutes (30 per game) than he had since 05-06. Even his free throw percentage (59.5) was the best we’ve seen from him since 02-03.

The trade made perfect sense for the Cavs. It was a wash in salary (Shaq = $20 mil … Ben Wallace + Aleksander Pavlovic = $18.95 mil) and all three players contracts’ expire after this season.

Old or not, Shaq is still a force in the paint on both ends of the court – which is next to impossible to find these days - while Wallace and Pavlovic are essentially useless.

It’s time for LeBron to get it done. He’ll enter his seventh season next year and will have all the pieces he needs to get his team to the Promised Land. With Mo Williams and Delonte West on the perimeter and Shaq, Zydrunus Ilgauskas, and Anderson Varejao in the post … the excuses are over for the chosen one.

Say what you want about Shaq, but when you pair him with a superstar, good things happen. The big man has four rings (3 w/ Kobe, 1 w/Wade). If he gets a fifth to provide his giant hand with a fist full of diamonds, The Big Aristotle will ride off into the sunset as one happy ogre.

NBA teams won’t protect a lead

If you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it a hundred times. A team is protecting a 3-point lead with time running down in a crucial NBA game. Despite the situation, the team trailing finds a way to get an open look and nails the shot.

Van Gundy and the Magic gave Fisher the chance to be a hero. He gladly took it.

Look no farther than Game 4 of the Bulls/Celtics series. The Bulls were up 96-93 with 10 seconds left in regulation when Ray Allen cans a 3 to send the game into OT. Later in that same game, the Celtics are up 110-107 in OT and Ben Gordon buries a 3 with 6 seconds left to send the game into Double OT.

In Game 6 of that series, the Bulls led 118-115 in double OT. With 7 seconds left Allen drained a 3 to force Triple OT.

Boston coach Doc Rivers finally learned his lesson. Protecting a 3-point lead against the Magic with 6 seconds left in Game 5, Rivers didn’t allow the Magic to tie things up. The Celtics fouled Dwight Howard with 5 seconds remaining, made it a free throw shooting contest, and held on for the win.

Stan Van Gundy should’ve taken notes.

With 10 seconds left in Game 4 against the Lakers, the Magic led by 3. Everything was on the line. The Magic had a chance to tie the series at 2-2 and put all the pressure on the Lakers.

Van Gundy opted not to use the foul technique and prevent the equalizer. The rest is history. Fisher hits a 3, sends the game to OT, Lakers win, thanks for playing Magic.

Van Gundy’s errors go far beyond not opting to foul the Lakers. The Lakers inbounded at 3/4 court and Kobe Bryant received the pass near the far baseline. For some reason the Magic double-teamed him about 90 feet from the basket, instantly creating a 4-on-3 when he passed out of it.

Another head-scratcher was the fact Van Gundy had Jameer Nelson on the court. Visibly exhausted from playing a ton of minutes, Nelson – not known as a great defender – seemed clueless. He watched as Fisher approached the 3-point line and drained the game-tying 3, seemingly concerned that Fisher would go around him for some unknown reason.

Meanwhile, veteran point guard Anthony Johnson – who is a solid, battle-tested defender – watched from the bench. In fact, he hasn’t left the bench all series long.

While it’s inexplicable that coaches don’t use the foul technique in these situations, it’s for the best from a spectator standpoint. Buzzer-beating 3-point attempts are far more entertaining than free-throw shooting contests.

Magic the latest in a trend of turnarounds

If the Magic can turn it around this quickly, surely Jeff Foster and the Pacers can too right? Right?

For the third consecutive season, the NBA has a new contender in the Finals.

Last year it was the Celtics, who won 24 games the year before their title run. The year before it was the Cavaliers, a team that was a perenial cellar dweller not long before their Finals’ apperance.

Now it’s the Magic. Did you know the Magic were the worst team in the NBA in 2004? In fact, from 04-06 they weren’t even close to the .500 mark. And here they are.

Maybe times are changing in the NBA. For the fourth consecutive year there will be a new NBA champion. The last time that happened was from 1978-81.

Check out this stat. Prior to the Heat breaking through and winning it all in 2006, there had been only five different NBA champions over the previous 19 years. Not cool unless you are a fan of the Bulls (6 titles), Lakers (5), Spurs (3), Pistons (3), or Rockets (2).

I’m not sure what the point here is … maybe that there is hope for all you Golden State, LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Memphis Grizzlies fans? Alright, there’s probably not. The teams mentioned before either drafted a megastar (Lebron James, Dwight Howard), or in the Celtics’ case pulled off the moves of the decade (acquiring Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett).

No dog in the fight

It’s been a painful NBA postseason for this sports fan … very painful.

The only drama the past three seasons for the Pacers has been whether their .00000006 percent chance of winning David Stern’s rigged draft lottery would come to fruition. It didn’t.

When the NBA's final four was set, the Nuggets seemed like the logical team for me to pull for. Until I watched them.

The Magic are a good team to root for right? They are the underdogs and seemingly a pretty decent group of guys, doing it without their all-star point guard. They also have a coach who only owns one shirt and whose press conferences resemble stand-up routines.

Can’t do it.

Having attended college at the University of Central Florida in Orlando I know many Magic “fans.” Many of which haven’t uttered a word about the NBA until it became clear the Magic might have a shot in this thing. Then there’s the hoards of people in Orlando who are all of a sudden “fans.” I’m too close to the situation to deal with it.

And I’ll be the first to admit it, I’m an extremely bitter sports fan. If my team isn’t going to win it all, I don’t want any of my friend’s or acquaintances’ teams to win it all. Don’t want to hear about it, don’t want them to feel they joy I missed out on.

Then again, I don’t necessarily want the Cavaliers to beat the Magic either. I grew up despising Michael Jordan and the media’s infatuation with him. Lebron James is no different. You see, as a Pacers’ fan, you learn to hate winners.

The West is just as difficult. The last thing I want to see is Kobe getting a fourth ring and Phil Jackson getting, what, a 10th? No thank you.

On the other hand, it’s really tough to get behind the Nuggets. From Birdman, to Kenyon Martin, to J.R. Smith and his obnoxious celebrations, to Dahntay Jones’ dirty tactics … I’m not a fan.

What does all this equate to? My misery. I can’t not watch, but I can’t root for anyone. It’s torture. Is it over yet?

Vick, Favre overkill … again

In-depth sports reporting is great … to a point. As you know, Brett Favre is back in the news. Each day you’re sure to find Favre among the top headlines at any national sports website.

He's baaaaaaaaaaaack.

One of the latest headlines I stumbled across pushed me over the edge: “Favre reportedly had cortisone shot.”

What has warranted the hundreds of stories, the thousands of words written about Favre over the past few weeks?

He asked the Jets to file his retirement papers. Then he had a not-so-secret, secret meeting with Vikings’ coach Major Dad … I mean, Brad Childress. He sent x-rays of his jacked up arm to the Vikings. He tossed around the football with some kids at a high school. He considered surgery. Now he’s not going to have surgery. Today comes the breaking news he had a cortisone shot.

Just when all this Favre “news” began heating up, Michael Vick was released from prison. Unfortunately I was watching NFL Live on ESPN today and got more information than anyone would ever want to know on the situation.

A reporter was stationed outside the prison. ESPN got no footage of him leaving and the reporter had virtually no information.

And so is this dirtbag.

What ESPN did know was that Vick was being driven home. Citing Mapquest, they reported exactly how many hours and minutes it would take Vick and friends to get home if they drove straight through.

Luckily, ESPN also identified several big cities that Vick could stop in, should he decide not to drive straight through.

Welcome to the NFL offseason. Rather than examining rosters, breaking down divisions, and zeroing in on position battles this is what we get. Favre and Vick … again. Oh, and James Harrison doesn’t want to go to the White House.

Is it September yet?

Can the Cavs be stopped?

Prior to the NBA season, my expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers were modest at best. I thought they’d be the No. 5 seed and do no damage in the postseason. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Lebron will get all the attention, but the addition of Mo Williams may be the biggest factor for the Cavs this postseason.

My miscalculation stemmed from two major oversights – how big an addition Mo Williams was and how much better Lebron James would become.

In James’ time with the Cavs, he had never played with a top-tier point guard. Adding Williams to the roster has meant everything for James and the Cavs.

While Williams isn’t a pure passing point guard, he is exactly what the Cavs needed – another big scoring threat on the perimeter. His 44 percent shooting from beyond the arc has proved deadly for opponents that double and triple-team James. Williams has also been lights out from the free throw line – shooting 91 percent from the stripe.

Had I known anything about Williams coming into the season, I’d have seen this coming (cut me some slack, he played for Milwaukee). Actually, if I had looked at the starting lineup that surrounded James when the Cavs made the finals two years ago, I’d have seen this coming (Sasha Pavlovic, Larry Hughes, James, Drew Gooden, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas).

Ilgauskas provides the Cavs with a scoring threat in the post and Anderson Varejao and Delonte West are vastly improved, high-energy players. Off the bench, the Cavs come with defensive stopper Ben Wallace and Joe Smith in the post and sharpshooter Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson on the perimeter.

Head coach Mike Brown has instilled a tenacious defensive philosophy in the Cavs. They allowed a league-low 91.4 ppg in the regular season and have raised that level of defensive intensity to ridiculous in the playoffs, allowing 78.1 points per game … that’s not a misprint. Sure they played the Pistons and Hawks, but it doesn’t matter.

To add to their advantages, the Cavs swept their way to the conference finals and are well rested with few, if any, injury concerns. Oh, and they’re unbeatable at home. With James’ game reaching  levels that have rarely (if ever) been seen before, it’s safe to say nobody is stopping the Cavs. I’m officially on board … better late than never.

Colts coaching staff crumbling

With Mudd and maybe even Moore out of the picture ... will the modern football era have its first player/coach?

During the Tony Dungy Era in Indianapolis, the Colts had one of the most stable and unchanging coaching staffs in the NFL. Not anymore.

Following Dungy’s offseason departure, the house of cards formerly known as the Colts’ coaching staff has come tumbling down for a myriad of reasons.  

Obviously, Dungy’s decision to retire was the first and biggest coaching change for the Colts. Upon taking over for Dungy, Jim Caldwell made a few quick moves of his own.

First Caldwell fired special teams coach Russ Purnell. Sure, the Colts’ special teams stunk for the last seven years under Purnell, but with consistent depth issues it was hard to pin all the blame on him. Purnell is now the Jaguars special teams coach.

Next defensive coordinator Ron Meeks hit the road. Also a seven-year staff member, this move was more of a head-scratcher. With Bill Polian investing the bulk of the Colts’ cap room in offense, coaching the defense has always been an uphill battle for Meeks.

Regardless, the unit ranked in the top-seven in points allowed in four of Meeks’ seven seasons. After Meeks was sent packing the Colts finally acquired three 300-pound plus defensive tackles with a pulse … I’m sure he appreciated that. Meeks is now defensive coordinator for the Panthers.

Now comes the news that NFL pension issues have caused the retirement of Colts’ offensive line coach Howard Mudd and that offensive coordinator Tom Moore might be next. Both would’ve entered their 12th season with the organization and they are the architects of the Colts’ offensive philosophy.

While Dungy left Caldwell a well-oiled machine, it seems impossible for a team to lose its head coach, both coordinators, and two position coaches without skipping a beat. Let’s just say the 12-win streak is in serious jeopardy.

Five big questions for the 2009 Colts

It seems no matter what they do, the Colts are good for 12 wins a year these days. But this is still a team with some obvious questions going into camp. Here are the five biggest ones.

Jim Caldwell is a major question for the Colts entering the '09 season. Who is he?

5.) Where’s the help at linebacker?

With the recent resigning of Freddy Keiaho the Colts didn’t lose anything at linebacker this offseason, but they didn’t gain anything either. For the first time since 2001, the team didn’t draft a linebacker.

Gary Brackett will be 29 this season and is coming off his first major injury. Across from Keiaho either Tyjuan Hagler or Clint Session will start at the other outside linebacker position — and neither is proven.

4.) Who replaces Marv?

While Marvin Harrison wasn’t himself last season, he still commanded respect from opposing secondaries and opened things up for Peyton Manning’s other targets.

Harrison’s departure means more defensive focus on Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark. Anthony Gonzalez will be asked to step up, but is he really a No. 2 receiver or more of a slot guy? We will find out.

The Colts did draft BYU wideout Austin Collie (6-0, 200) in the fourth round. He isn’t the biggest or fastest guy, but he led the nation in receiving yards and should be able to step in as the No. 3 or No. 4 receiver before too long.

3.) Who is the coach?

What do we really know about Jim Caldwell?

He was head coach at Wake Forest from 1993-2000 and compiled a brutal 26-63 record. He was Peyton Manning’s “quarterback coach” for a few years, but what does that job entail?

For the past few years he’s been Dungy’s right-hand man and most recently was dubbed the “head coach in waiting.”

The Colts consistently find themselves in a lot of painfully close games. They tend come out on top more often than not. Will Caldwell be able to push the right buttons and continue the trend?

2.) Can they stop the run?

Colts president Bill Polian selected two defensive tackles in the 2009 draft which was twice as many as he’d drafted in the previous six drafts … combined. Guess you could say it was an area of need. Or as Polian would tell you, they just happened to be the best two players available.

Will drafting these two guys — Fili Moala (6-4, 303) in the second round and Terrance Taylor (6-0, 319) in the fourth — shore up the gaping hole in the middle of the defensive line? The Colts better hope so.

Bob Sanders’ health is also vital to stopping the run. If staying on the field continues to be a struggle for him, Melvin Bullitt will be forced to take his breakout season to the next level.

1.) Can they fix the running game?

Any quarterback becomes mortal without a running game and the Colts were atrocious in that department last season.

From an offensive line standpoint the team didn’t upgrade, and will instead hope that getting healthy will suffice. Starting guard Ryan Lilja returns after missing the ’08 season with injury and Jeff Saturday and Tony Ugoh enter camp healthy.

The Colts lost Dominic Rhodes, but replaced him with Connecticut running back Donald Brown who should compliment Joseph Addai nicely. But the Colts’ Achilles Heel has long been third-and-short and fourth-and-short situations — they just can’t get that yard on the ground.

While Brown can do everything the Colts like out of the backfield — run, block, and catch — at 5-10, 210, he’s not going to be the guy to get you that tough yard.

Draft a DT BP

With six picks in the first five rounds of Saturday’s draft, Colts president Bill Polian must try to plug the gaping hole in the middle of the defensive line.

Polain has drafted one DT since '03. The cupboard is bare and the Goose isn't walking through that door.

In Polian’s defense, there was no way to know that Quinn Pitcock would quit football at age 24 and Ed Johnson would get busted with marijuana. But the Colts have to address the defensive tackle position through the draft — not with low-level free agent fodder as they’ve done in the past.

Polian has drafted one defensive tackle since 2003 — Pitcock in 2007. We all know how that turned out.

The Colts’ defense was among the worst against the rush in 2008. As a result they ranked 25th in time of possession, meaning fewer touches for Peyton and company. And as usual, the Colts’ inability to stop the run ended their playoff hopes early. They allowed the Chargers to run all over them — 33 rushes for 167 yards and 3 TDs.

The situation at defensive tackle has never been more dire heading into the draft. If the season began today, the Colts would likely start Keyunta Dawson (a 254-pound seventh-round pick who was drafted as a defensive end) and Eric Foster (a 265-pound undrafted free agent). Together, they slightly outweigh Cleveland defensive tackle Shaun Rogers.

Polian lives and dies by his mantra of picking the “best player available” regardless of need or position, but this season has to be the exception. With no money to spend in free agency the Colts were unable to pick up a defensive tackle, and there weren’t many to choose from.

If Mississippi’s Peria Jerry falls to the 27th pick, the Colts would be foolish to pass on him. At 299-pounds, he’s got the speed the Colts like and is an excellent run-stopper. Jerry could be off the board by the time the Colts make their selection, but with plenty of picks in his pocket, perhaps Polian will move up a couple spots to get him.

If the Colts wait until Round 2 to get a defensive tackle — where they have the 61st pick — there should be some decent options there. Boston College’s Ron Brace, San Jose State’s Jarron Gilbert, and USC’s Fili Moala could all still be on the board.

Gilbert is undersized (288 pounds) but very athletic; Moala is a bit bigger and slower than Gilbert, but was highly productive for an elite program; and Brace is a beast (330 pounds), but had some injury issues his senior year.

Of course this is Polian we’re talking about, the master of the unexpected. Experts seem convinced the Colts will either go defensive tackle or wide receiver in the first round, which can mean only one thing — “With the 27th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select … a 170-pound tight end out of Alcorn State that you’ve never heard of.”

Playoff time in the NBA

My football picks stink, we all know that. But back in October I made some NBA predictions that were surprisingly accurate. I was correct on 14 of my predicted 16 playoff teams. And the post’s photo was of Stephon Marbury and KG … foreshadowing???

David Stern will get his wish - Cavs vs. Lakers. He won't even need any help.

I had Toronto in and Miami out … and I had Phoenix in and Dallas out. Those were my two mistakes.

I won’t kill you with over-analysis, but here are my postseason predictions for the hell of it.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

The Cavaliers (1) will sweep the Pistons (8), but without KG the Celtics (2) will have more problems with the Bulls (7). Celtics will win in six or seven.

The Magic (3) will have no trouble with the 76ers (6) and beat them in five, while the Hawks (4) take down band-wade and the Heat in six.

In the second round, the Cavaliers are just too good at home for the young Hawks and will beat them in five or six. The Magic will beat the Celtics in seven.

The Magic will give the Cavaliers a run in the Eastern Conference Finals, but the Cavs will hold home court and take this one in seven.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

The Jazz (8) were my sleeper team this year, but there’s just no way they get the Lakers (1). Lakers in five. From there, things get very interesting in a Western Conference where the two and eight seeds are separated by six games.

Denver (2) has been impressive with Chauncey Billups running the show, but I think New Orleans (7) pulls the upset here in seven.

Even without Manu Ginobli, San Antonio (3) will still take down Dallas (6) – sorry coach C. Portland (4) and Houston (5) is a toss up, I’ll give it to the team with one of the best home crowds around – Porland in seven.

As much as I’d love to see Porland upset the Lakers, it’s not going to happen. Lakers in six. The Hornets will pull off another upset and defeat the Spurs in seven.

With Andrew Bynum back, the Lakers will have too much down low for the Hornets and defeat them in seven.

FINALS

David Stern will be smiling ear to ear when the Cavaliers and Lakers battle for the NBA Title. LeBron vs. Kobe. A commish’s dream. And who knows, maybe the zebras will give a little help along the way to make it happen.

Against my better judgement, I’m going with the Cavaliers. With Ben Wallace back and Z and Sideshow Bob (Anderson Varejao) in the post, the Cavs can neutralize the Lakers’ advantage in the post. But the big key is that nobody on the Lakers can stop Mo Williams. Will Lebron and Kobe a wash … Mo will be the diference. Cavs in seven.