Hello, Again

One month.

It's been one full month since you've heard from me. I pretty much went into hiding after the Cavs debacle, and for that I really don't apologize. I'm still not fully recovered. And the Indians certainly aren't helping.

The Cavs coupled with the new job have definitely been the two main culprits for my absence. I know how much everyone has missed me. I've had a lot of people get on me for not writing. What can I say? I get home from work, get a bite to eat, flip on the TV and by the time 11:00 hits -- when I was planning to sit down and write -- I can barely keep my eyes open. It's definiely sad. Of course, it's not like I actually go to bed at that time. I end up passing out around 11:30 or midnight while I'm watching TV, and then I wake up around 2 or 3 and go thru the process of actually getting ready for bed. So then I end up not falling asleep again until 3:30ish -- which is awesome when my alarm goes off at 7:15am. It's a pretty sweet cycle I got going.

But I'm trying to get on a decent sleep schedule. When that finally happens I'll be able to start posting twice a week again. So there's that. Now, let's get on to the matters at hand ...

The Cavs

Wow. So much to cover. I'm not sure where to begin. Let's start with the end of the season...

My last post was written after Game 4 of the conference finals when the Cavs went down 3-1. I wrote then that I thought they still had an outside shot to win the series. I thought they would win Game 5 at home (which they did), so that meant it would all come down to Game 6 in Orlando. I felt really good about a Game 7 at home. Of course, it never got back to Cleveland. And the truth of it is, by the time I wrote my last post I knew it probably would never get to that Game 7 at The Q. The bottom line is the Cavs lost to a better team. The Cavs had the best player, but Orlando was a better team 2-thru-8.

We also found out that Mo Williams isn't quite as good as we gave him credit for during the season. I mean, my grandpa called him "the best guard the Cavs have ever had" at one point during the year. And that's beyond high praise coming from him. This is the same guy that couldn't stand Manny Ramirez when he was here. Yeah, that Manny Ramirez -- the best right-handed hitter of my lifetime. Look, I really like Mo. He had a great year and I definitely think he is a key piece to this team, but the truth of it is if Mo Williams is your second best player you're not going to win a championship. We know that now.

Danny Ferry thought he could get away with it as the trade deadline came and went without the Cavs making a move, but we all found out in late-May what a big error in judgement that was. I know hindsight is 20-20, but still. I'm a big believer in team chemistry and all that, but the fact of the matter is the Cavs were 3-6 against the Magic, Lakers and Celtics during the season -- and 0-5 against those teams on the road. They beat up on everybody else (which is great), but they knew they were going to have to go thru Orlando or Boston in the East and the Lakers in the West .. and Ferry didn't pull the trigger to make the team better. That hurts. I hope they win a championship soon so I don't have to look back in 10 years and recall that our unwillingness to give up Wally Sczerbiak because we didn't want to screw with team chemistry probably cost us a title. The Suns were practically giving away Shaq, and the Cavs said, "No, thanks. We're good." Uh, not so much.

That, of course, leads me to Shaq. Everyone has been asking me my thoughts on the Cavs bringing the Diesel to C-town. Honestly, I really don't know. I would've loved it a lot more in February. I know that. And I'll tell you this: It's not enough. Shaq isn't the Shaq of six or seven years ago. Hell, Shaq isn't the Shaq of last year. He's certainly not young, and can we really expect him to stay healthy for a full season again? And even if he does there's still a lot that makes me nervous. Basketball-wise, it does nothing to help our pick-n-roll defense, which killed the Cavs against Orlando. And LeBron's never played with a big guy that demands the ball on the block and clogs things up in the paint. The Cavs have had a lot of guys clog up the paint the past few years, but they weren't doing it by design. Our offense just sucks.

They have to add another piece. We all knew going into the offseason that the Cavs needed two things desperately: 1) A big guy that can score around the basket, defend he rim and defend guys like Dwight Howard one-on-one, and 2) A big, athletic guard or wing that can get his own shot, score and defend guys like Rashard Lewis. They took care of the first thing (I hope) with the Shaq deal. At the very least, it's a giant improvement over Ben Wallace. Again, assuming Shaq can stay healthy. Getting part two of that combination now becomes paramount. The three names I keep hearing are: Rasheed Wallace, Charlie Villanueva and Anthony Parker. I'd be okay with 'Sheed or Villanueva, but if you made me choose I'd rather have Villanueva. He's younger (and more athletic), and he's obviously a much smaller -- for lack of a better term -- personality than 'Sheed. The Cavs already have LeBron and Shaq. "Larger than life" personas are covered for the 2009-10 season at The Q.

And that is my biggest question about the whole Shaq situation. Can LeBron and Shaq co-exist in smooth harmony? They are both alpha dogs in the truest sense of the term. The good news is Shaq has done it in the past. He won three titles with Kobe and another with Dwyane Wade. But this situation is different. Shaq was still Batman in both of those scenarios. He came to those teams before Kobe and D-Wade had realy established themselves as bonafide superstars. Shaq was "the man." Kobe and D-Wade were able to fill that Robin role because they were okay with doing so at that point in their careers. Well, LeBron ain't no Robin. He's the best player on the planet. He's the unquestioned leader of the team. This is his franchise. This is his city. Can Shaq handle that? He's saying all the right things now, but Shaq has never taken a back seat to anyone. Can he do so now in the twilight of his career? Let's hope. The only reason I think he can (and will) is the motivation to win another title. He may not always seem like it, but Shaq is a ruthless competitor and he loves winning. He wants that 5th ring. And especially wants it after Kobe just won his 4th and proved he can win without the Big Aristotle.

Another intriguing qustion is what will it mean for LeBron's legacy now if the Cavs do win the title next year? Will it be thought of as LeBron leading his team to a title, or LeBron and Shaq leading their team to a title? That's a story for another day, but it's something to think about at the very least. Let's just hope that it does eventually become a story because the Cavs actually do go on to win the title next year.

And, of course, what does all this mean for LeBron's future plans with the Cavs? Again, a story for another day.

The Indians

I can't. I just can't.

I can't even write about them. It's just so sad. And frustrating. And disappointing.

I just can't.

Michael Jackson

I really thought I should write something about Michael Jackson's passing on Friday. And I'll try to keep this part short.

First of all, I'm not big on judging celebrities of any kind (athletes, actors, musicians, etc.) on a personal level. The main reason for this is that I'm not big on judging someone as a person that I don't personally know. We can get an idea of who these people are from the media, watching them on television and/or listening to their music; but let's be honest, we don't really know them. So, I prefer to judge these people on their body of work.

That said, it was a really sad day for the world of pop culture on Friday. You don't get more famous than Michael Jackson. And you certainly don't get more talented. You can't really even put into words what Michael Jackson meant to music, and what he meant to pop culture. He was a level of famous that only a handful of people will ever know. This, of course, contributed to most of his personal issues. But no matter what you think of those issues, you can't deny the man's talent. It's sad to think that a person who provided so much joy to other people's lives struggled so much to find joy in his own.

Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer of my lifetime. And it's not even close. And he's in the discussion as the greatest entertainer ever. Don't agree? Watch this and try to come up with an argument for someone else. A sold-out crowd of people of all ages, sexes and races at Madison Square Garden in New York City doesn't stop screaming for eight minutes. Unbelievable stuff.

We will never see another Michael Jackson. People love to throw that saying around, and it's usually hyperbole when they do. Not in this case.

You can hate it all you want, but you will remember where you were when you heard that Michael Jackson died.