Author Topic: Wilbon "Cleveland is done, Boston is gonna pass then and beat their brains out"  (Read 5949 times)

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Offline KG Living Legend

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https://youtu.be/SlZKpPa_Mkk

 At 3:08 seconds in on the video.

Offline Surferdad

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Not gonna watch.  I don't pay attention to blowhards like Wilbon.

Offline Vermont Green

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Short of a CLE roster overhaul (trading Irving and/or James), not this year.  Maybe in the near future.  We don't even know if IT is healthy.  I think we can put a scare into CLE but certainly not "beat their brains out".

Offline slamtheking

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C's probably better than 50/50 shot to win the East since Cleveland knew seeding was irrelevant to their playoff run last year and likely will feel the same way this year.  if Irving or Lebron are removed from the equation, the C's should have the #1 seed fairly handily.   Only wrinkles in that plan are IT having health issues during the year and the loss of AB having a bigger impact on the team than expected.

Offline billysan

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C's probably better than 50/50 shot to win the East since Cleveland knew seeding was irrelevant to their playoff run last year and likely will feel the same way this year.  if Irving or Lebron are removed from the equation, the C's should have the #1 seed fairly handily.   Only wrinkles in that plan are IT having health issues during the year and the loss of AB having a bigger impact on the team than expected.


This could get ugly, hope not.

Our defense used to start at the point of attack well before mid court with Avery applying pressure. That is likely gone unless we start Jaylen at the 2. He is probably the only one with that ability. I don't see Smart, Hayward  or Crowder  performing in that role. Just going to be a different type of thing. Hope it is fun to watch and not a desperation thing where Marcus struggles. If he is alongside Rozier it will probably be OK, but will we use that to start games? Not a chance.
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Offline jambr380

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C's probably better than 50/50 shot to win the East since Cleveland knew seeding was irrelevant to their playoff run last year and likely will feel the same way this year.  if Irving or Lebron are removed from the equation, the C's should have the #1 seed fairly handily.   Only wrinkles in that plan are IT having health issues during the year and the loss of AB having a bigger impact on the team than expected.


This could get ugly, hope not.

Our defense used to start at the point of attack well before mid court with Avery applying pressure. That is likely gone unless we start Jaylen at the 2. He is probably the only one with that ability. I don't see Smart, Hayward  or Crowder  performing in that role. Just going to be a different type of thing. Hope it is fun to watch and not a desperation thing where Marcus struggles. If he is alongside Rozier it will probably be OK, but will we use that to start games? Not a chance.

AB was a role player, albeit a very good one. I would have loved to keep him, but definitely approve of the choice Danny made and am happy to get a player like Morris with an extra year on his contract. While AB did his job on offense, Hayward is on another level and will provide so much more versatility on that end.

What AB did best was lock down another team's [best] player in a 1-1 situation when we needed a stop. While we may need more of a team oriented approach with this going forward, I am perfectly confident with Brown's and Rozier's defensive attack at half court and Smart's containment in and around the perimeter.

Offline tarheelsxxiii

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Sorry about your brains, Cleveland.
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Offline Rakulp

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C's probably better than 50/50 shot to win the East since Cleveland knew seeding was irrelevant to their playoff run last year and likely will feel the same way this year.  if Irving or Lebron are removed from the equation, the C's should have the #1 seed fairly handily.   Only wrinkles in that plan are IT having health issues during the year and the loss of AB having a bigger impact on the team than expected.


This could get ugly, hope not.

Our defense used to start at the point of attack well before mid court with Avery applying pressure. That is likely gone unless we start Jaylen at the 2. He is probably the only one with that ability. I don't see Smart, Hayward  or Crowder  performing in that role. Just going to be a different type of thing. Hope it is fun to watch and not a desperation thing where Marcus struggles. If he is alongside Rozier it will probably be OK, but will we use that to start games? Not a chance.

See, this is why I'm not scared of the fact that Bradley is no longer on the team.  My expectations are that Coach Stevens will create an offense and a defense based on the players on the team this year, not last year.

So he may go completely away from the style they had in the past, because some of our players are gone and new ones have arrived.  This is part of the challenge of coaching...and an area that I believe Coach Stevens will excel in, both in this year and beyond.

Adapt and thrive mentality.

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Offline Sophomore

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C's probably better than 50/50 shot to win the East since Cleveland knew seeding was irrelevant to their playoff run last year and likely will feel the same way this year.  if Irving or Lebron are removed from the equation, the C's should have the #1 seed fairly handily.   Only wrinkles in that plan are IT having health issues during the year and the loss of AB having a bigger impact on the team than expected.


Our defense used to start at the point of attack well before mid court with Avery applying pressure. That is likely gone unless we start Jaylen at the 2. He is probably the only one with that ability. I don't see Smart, Hayward  or Crowder  performing in that role. Just going to be a different type of thing. Hope it is fun to watch and not a desperation thing where Marcus struggles. If he is alongside Rozier it will probably be OK, but will we use that to start games? Not a chance.

AB was a role player, albeit a very good one. I would have loved to keep him, but definitely approve of the choice Danny made and am happy to get a player like Morris with an extra year on his contract. While AB did his job on offense, Hayward is on another level and will provide so much more versatility on that end.

What AB did best was lock down another team's [best] player in a 1-1 situation when we needed a stop. While we may need more of a team oriented approach with this going forward, I am perfectly confident with Brown's and Rozier's defensive attack at half court and Smart's containment in and around the perimeter.

Loved AB, but he was not the best fit next to IT.  Having more length at the 2 is going to help on D.

Biggest questions to me are whether JB can earn starting minutes at the 2 and whether Marcus can become a league average 3-point shooter. A defensive end of game lineup of MS, JB, GH, Al, and one of Baynes, Morris, or Crowder, depending on matchups, should be very stout. Switch almost anything, with plus to elite on-ball defenders. .

Offline Evantime34

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This isn't what I expect to happen and I'd rather not have the media talk about us as the favorites, because favorites often play less motivated ball than under dogs.
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Offline ETNCeltics

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C's probably better than 50/50 shot to win the East since Cleveland knew seeding was irrelevant to their playoff run last year and likely will feel the same way this year.  if Irving or Lebron are removed from the equation, the C's should have the #1 seed fairly handily.   Only wrinkles in that plan are IT having health issues during the year and the loss of AB having a bigger impact on the team than expected.

Keeping AB would've been great, but he's a role player, nothing more. We'll miss his defense, but our overall talent has been upgraded significantly. We'll be a better offensive team on many levels. We added one of the best small forwards in the league, added a great looking rookie, and have the likelihood that Brown will improve significantly.

Barring injuries, this is going to be a much better team that we had last year. It might not show up in November, but as the season goes on, I think it's going to be pretty evident.

Offline jbpats

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AB was great but lets be serious here. He missed 27 games last season and we still finished first in the East. Smart is comparable on the defensive end and Hayward is a far superior offensive player. Stinks we lost him, but this team has overcome much worse adversity.

Offline Granath

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This isn't what I expect to happen and I'd rather not have the media talk about us as the favorites, because favorites often play less motivated ball than under dogs.

We're contenders but we are not the favorites.

The Vegas line is Cleveland +450 and Boston is +800, depending on which sportsbook you use. But there's a lot of noise in Cleveland with Kyrie wanting out and Lebron leaving at the end of this year. They can either pull together or split apart from a chemistry standpoint and it appears they're going the split route right now. So of course Boston is being anointed as the new favorites because that's what these Talking Heads do but it doesn't mean that has any basis in reality.
Jaylen Brown will be an All Star in the next 5 years.

Offline fairweatherfan

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Given that they just beat our brains out in the playoffs and (so far) are running back the same core, I think I'll wait and see rather than take Mr Wilbon's word for it.

Offline Evantime34

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Given that they just beat our brains out in the playoffs and (so far) are running back the same core, I think I'll wait and see rather than take Mr Wilbon's word for it.
I think people are expecting Irving to be moved before the season so it shouldn't be the same core.

Personally, I'm skeptical that the Cavs find a deal for Kyrie that suits them before the season. If LeBron leaves after next year I think Kyrie would be willing to stay to be the face of the franchise.
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