Red Right 88

In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the month “June, 2010”

23 Jun 2010

The Parable of the Hands-on Owner

Bill Livingston made a valid point in his recent PD column, talking about the dangers when an owner gets involved, the way Dan Gilbert is now with the Cavs. Livingston writes:

“It is the natural impulse of a wealthy, successful man to roll up his sleeves and decide he can do better. The method of choice is usually for such an owner to put himself into the decision-making process, front and center. Not just first among equals, but firstest with the mostest.

“The usual result of putting an owner in the middle of sports decisions, however, is more like putting a migraine in the middle of the head.”

He goes on to compare Gilbert with Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks. It’s a fair comparison as both men are self-made, although Cuban makes more of a spectacle of himself at games – Gilbert sticks to the occasional, painful stint sitting with the TV broadcasters.

However there are examples in Cleveland’s sporting past of hands-on owners getting in the way and hurting their franchises in the process. Here are two cautionary tales for Gilbert to chew on.

In June 1966, Jim Brown was in London filming a movie. He wanted to come to training camp a little late so he could finish the film. He was coming off an MVP season where he rushed for more than 1,500 yards, scored 17 touchdowns on the ground, caught four TD passes and even through a TD pass.

But that wasn’t good enough for then-Browns owner Art Modell, who wanted to show everyone who was the boss. In a press release, Modell laid down the law:

“No veteran Browns player has been granted or will be given permission to report late to our training camp at Hiram College- and this includes Jim Brown. Should Jim fail to report to Hiram at check-in time deadline, which is Sunday, July 17, then I will have no alternative to suspend him without pay.

“I recognize the complex problems of the motion picture business, having spent several years in the industry. However, in all fairness to everyone connected with the Browns – the coaching staff, the players and most important of all, our many faithful fans – I feel compelled to say that I will have to take such action should Jim be absent on July 17.

“Lest anyone get the impression that suspension would be a token slap on the wrist, since the salaries of most professional athletes do not go into effect until the start of the regular season, I point out that we have several players, Jim included, who are paid on a 12-month basis.

“I am certain that Jim and all of our players are aware that under terms of their contracts with us they are expected to participate in all pre-season practice sessions and games.

“I have been asked what my attitude would be if Jim Brown fails to report to Hiram next month but returns to the United States in September and decides that he wants to play football.

“Our coaching staff cannot wait until such a late date to formulate our offensive plans for the 1966 season. If Jim were to show up in September, we would have to make an appraisal as to his physical condition, his ability to pick up quickly the new offense being prepared for the season plus the general personnel situation of our Club.”

Yes, we’re sure it must have been hard to formulate an offensive game plan when you had the greatest running back in league history on your team. We’re confident that even Brian Daboll could have come up with something.

Of course, we all know what happened: Brown walked away from the team, saying in his reply to Modell,

“I am writing to inform you that in the next few days I will be announcing my retirement from Football. … I am very sorry that I did not have the information to give to you at some earlier date, for one of my great concerns was to try in every way to work things out so that I could play an additional year.”

The second example involves the Indians under the ownership of Vernon Stouffer. In his fantastic book, Endless Summers: The Fall and Rise of the Cleveland Indians, Jack Torry details how a cash-strapped Stouffer was looking to unload the Tribe in 1971. Stouffer’s son, James, negotiated the sale of the team to a syndicate headed by George Steinbrenner while Vernon Stouffer was out of town. But both sides were confident they had a deal.

But Vernon Stouffer, who was in Arizona at the time, had other ideas.

When Steinbrenner telephoned Stouffer in Scottsdale, Stouffer was angry. He thought he was being taken advantage of and told Steinbrenner that the deal was off. People have speculated for years as to why Stouffer backed out of the deal, but one of the main reasons is that he believed the American League would approve a ridiculous idea he floated to have the Indians play 25 “home games” in New Orleans.

In other words, he knew best. Stouffer walked away from $9 million in cash from Steinbrenner’s group, and ended up selling the team to a group headed by Nick Mileti in a deal that was so shady that, at first, the league would not approve the deal. Mileti restructured the offer and was approved. While on paper Stouffer sold the team for more money, he only received $1 million upfront, with the rest to be paid over eight years.

Stouffer passed away before the final payment was received by his estate.

And of course Mileti quickly ran out of money and sold the team, starting a cycle of despair that wasn’t erased until 1995.

It’s fun to wonder how things would have been different with Steinbrenner as the owner of the Indians for the past 30+ years. In Terry Pluto’s book, The Curse of Rocky Colavito, former GM Gabe Paul recalled that “this was a huge setback for Cleveland. The team George wanted first was the Indians, because he was from Cleveland. He planned to spend lots of money to revive the franchise, just as he did in New York.”

If only Vernon Stouffer hadn’t decided he had to show everyone how smart he was.

Which brings us back to Gilbert, the man with no head coach and the start of free agency only days away. After his failed courtship of Tom Izzo, who left Gilbert standing at the altar for a week while he circled the chapel before heading back to Michigan, Gilbert should realize that it’s time to turn the team back over to the basketball people and let them do the jobs they were hired for.

Something tells us Gilbert’s not ready to do that just yet. Let’s just hope he realizes he’s heading down a dangerous path before it is too late.

As Patrick McManamon wrote during Izzo’s courtship:

“Change can help. But change has to be made based on reason and logic and not frustration and emotion. Are the Cavs acting out of frustration at consecutive playoff losses, or are they acting because the people hired did not come through when it mattered? Time will answer.”

Posted in Dan Gilbert, George Steinbrenner, hands-on owners, Vernon Stouffer | Leave a comment
20 Jun 2010

In Hog Heaven

Just returned from having dinner and, if you are ever in the Raleigh area, you have to visit The Pit to eat some of the best barbecue you will ever find.

I don’t know why someone hasn’t opened a restaurant like this in NE Ohio – there’s no doubt it would go over. Sadly, there is a whole generation of NE Ohioans who think the swill they serve at Damon’s or Tony Roma’s is “barbecue.”
And special thanks to The Pit’s manager, MC Palermo. Our group made a mistake in making our reservation, but when we showed up and explained what happened, she was so gracious and quickly found us a table so our last night in town wasn’t a disaster. Quality customer service rocks.
And the food! Pulled pork, bbq chicken, sweet potato corn bread, fried chicken, hush puppies, you name it, The Pit has it as their slogan attests to: Everything but the squeal.
If you’re passing through or near Raleigh, stop by and you won’t be disappointed.
Posted in bbq, Raleigh, The Pit | Leave a comment
19 Jun 2010

On Holiday

Red Right 88 is on holiday at the shore for a few more days. Regular activity will resume Tuesday.

In the meantime, a few quick thoughts:
  • Incredible comeback by the U.S. today against Slovenia. Never thought they could do it after falling behind 2-0 at halftime. The English are certainly doing their part to help.
  • Thank you Tom Izzo. You’ll be happier and the Cavs will be better off.
  • Dan Gilbert better be on the private plane to talk to Phil Jackson. Even if there is only a million-in-one shot he comes to Cleveland, you have to talk to him. If money is no object, and you were willing to give an unproven coach (reportedly) $6 million a year, then you must talk to Jackson.
  • Seven weeks until the Browns return for training camp.
Posted in Cleveland Browns, holiday, Phil Jackson, Tom Izzo, World Cup | Leave a comment
13 Jun 2010

A Break for Some Good News

With the Indians still flounderigng around with one of the worst records in Major League Baseball, and the Cavs on the brink of the abyss as they consider turning the franchise over to a college coach, good news is in short supply in Cleveland sports.

That’s why Browns minicamp was a nice diversion this weekend. And what a difference a year makes. This time last summer Eric Mangini was busy plotting his “strategy” for the upcoming training camp quarterback debacle and working behind the scenes on the demise of then-General Manager George Kokinis.
This year things are much better, as Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert have taken Mangini’s place at the table where men conduct business. In today’s Plain Dealer, Terry Pluto talked about the ways that Holmgren has righted the ship as training camp looms, with the main point being that Holmgren would make the decision on the quarterback going forward, after he and his team evaluated the current situation.
Now, instead of heading into training camp wondering which quarterback will be taking the snaps on a game-by-game basis in the preseason – a time when teams can evaluate talent in games that don’t count, something the staff didn’t seem to comprehend last year – the team is in solid hands with Jake Delhomme and Seneca Wallace. And Holmgren has said the decision “is all on me.” And Delhomme and Wallace “are quarterbacks who can help you win the game, if you need it. You don’t just hope they don’t make a mistake. They can make some plays.”
Browns fans are all too familiar with watching a QB – Derek Anderson anyone? – and not only hoping but praying they don’t make a mistake. Now, thanks to Holmgren, we won’t have to worry about that.
In addition, Gil Haskell has been working with Brian Daboll, teaching the offensive coordinator who was routinely over matched in his play calling last year, how to build an offense. Browns fans can be confident that the mistakes of last year, when if a play didn’t work in the first quarter it was redacted from the playbook for the rest of the game, are a thing of the past.
And the Browns have a structure in place where the coaches coach and nothing else. Which can only be a good thing.
All in all, not a bad way to start the week.
Posted in Cleveland Browns, Jake Delhomme, Mike Holmgren, NFL | Leave a comment
13 Jun 2010

A Solid Start

The U.S. worked England for a 1-1 tie in the opening game of their group at the World Cup. All in all a solid effort from the Americans and an OK result for both teams.

After Stevie G’s goal just four minutes into the game, the Americans could have lost some energy and composure, thinking they were in for a repeat of their opening game of the 2006 World Cup. But they held it together and kept battling, until Clint Dempsey sent a shot in on England keeper Robert Green, who saw the ball bounce off his hands and roll easily into the goal.

The U.S. kept the pressure on, with Jozy Altidore missing a great shot that bounced off Green and the left post. The Americans received solid goalkeeping from Tim Howard, who settled the defense down after Gerrard’s early goal and was the man of the match, holding up especially in the second half when Wayne Rooney got going.

Even though both teams walked away with a point, and if they both keep up the intensity they showed today you can easily see them winning out in the group and each finishing with seven points, the Americans clearly will look at this as a win, while the English will have to face the following from back home:

Well, you get the picture.

For a country with such outstanding talent, for some reason England just can’t seem to find a quality goalkeeper. And for a team that already seemed to have a fragile psyche because of expectations from back home, you have to wonder what kind of carry over affect this game will have. They have until Friday to figure it out before they take on Algeria in their next game.

The U.S. takes on Slovenia that same day.

The fun has just begun.

Posted in Clint Dempsey, England, howler, Robert Green, USA, World Cup | Leave a comment
10 Jun 2010

Grap your vuvuzela. It’s Waka Waka time.

The World Cup is finally here. The tournament kicks off today with Mexico taking on South Africa and France vs. Uruguay.

I’m going to back Spain for the win. I think La Roja will continue its successful run that started with Euro 2008 and finally capture the sport’s biggest prize.

In the final, Spain will beat England, on penalty kicks, naturally, extending The Three Lions misery that has been an ongoing storyline since 1966 (hmm, that sounds strangely familiar as a Cleveland fan).

We’ll let Shakira take us out.

Enjoy the games everyone.

Posted in England, Shakira, Spain, vuvuzela, World Cup | Leave a comment
10 Jun 2010

World Cup Preview – Group H

How difficult this group rates depends on which perspective you’re coming from. For the favorite Spain, it’s a relatively average draw. It does get a tough and underrated Chilean team that, if it manages to wrestle the top qualifying position from the Spaniards, could force Spain into a round-of-16 matchup against the Group G winner — likely Brazil.

But neither Honduras nor Switzerland is as threatening, each one being tough enough to draw against Spain if the Spanish are in poor form, but probably not to beat them. While far from being a dream draw for Spain, it certainly would not want to trade positions with Brazil in Group G or perhaps even Germany in the overlooked Group D. But Spain, to state the obvious, does not have to play itself; the other three sides are stuck fighting for one qualifying position and will face one match that will be nearly impossible to win.

On paper, Spain is the favorite to win the whole tournament but Cup aficionados know that something always goes wrong for the Spanish and that subsequently they’ve never gone past the quarters. Historians tend to attribute the team’s lack of good fortune to its traditional lack of unity, which reflects the nation’s atomized regions. (Hence the European joke, “Three Spaniards, four opinions.”)

But Spain is a choke artist no more. It proved as much during Euro 2008, when it romped to the final. Yet this is a different story, a different tournament. One it’s never won before. Spain, in spite of some superb teams, has never cracked the semifinals in the modern era. Along with Brazil, there’s no bigger favorite to win this tournament than Spain. Remarkably, Spain has lost just once in its past 47 games — to the U.S. no less, in last summer’s Confederations Cup — and won all 10 of its World Cup qualifiers.

Yet for all that manpower, there are worries aplenty, all of them related to injury. Team engine Xavi has a torn calf muscle, and could be less than fully fit. Cesc Fabregas has a fractured shin and is racing to make it back in time. Marcos Senna, David Silva and Santi Cazorla have battled bumps and bruises all year, as has Jesus Navas. Striker Fernando Torres isn’t expected to recover from his knee surgery in time for Spain’s opening game.

What’s especially compelling about Spain is that it’s really a cohesive team, rather than a collection of individual talent, and its balance is self-evident, as it places second (behind Brazil in both cases) in both offensive and defensive rating.

Chile, South America’s surprise young team, loves to play offense but, as would be expected, is weaker on the defensive end. Whatever chance it has it owes to ace coach, the Argentine Marcelo “Madman” Bielsa, famous for such eccentric methods as touring zoos for coaching ideas.

The 2010 South American qualifying campaign was among Chile’s most triumphant soccer moments of all time. La Roja finished second to Brazil, scoring only one goal fewer than the five-time World Cup champions. Chile won 10 of 18 matches, while experiencing remarkable success away from home — suggesting this team might have the stuff to compete under difficult conditions.

Switzerland was drawn in a comfortable qualifying group and duly took advantage, topping Greece to earn a direct berth to the finals in South Africa. That top-of-the-table was no foregone conclusion, though: The squad didn’t start off well, blowing a 2-0 lead to tie its opener at Israel, then suffering an embarrassing 2-1 loss — at home — to minnow Luxembourg.

The Swiss, one of the youngest teams at the World Cup, will be hard-pressed to reach the round of 16 for the second straight tournament, since two of its group rivals are favorite Spain and Chile, which impressed in South American qualifying. Since the last World Cup, where it was eliminated by Ukraine on penalties, Switzerland has played 16 matches against other World Cup qualifiers — among the most by any team — and is 6-8-2 against that competition. That speaks to a team which is perhaps slightly too inconsistent to qualify out of a tough draw.

Honduras are hardly a historical power in North American football. The Central American nation of just under eight million people has only qualified for the World Cup once before in its history, in 1982. Their biggest success on the international stage was probably during the controversial Copa América 2001, where Argentina dropped out due to security concerns. An undermanned Honduras team who arrived just one day before the tournament began was able to advance out of their group and upset Brazil in the quarterfinals before finally losing to hosts Colombia. This Honduras side is not like those of the ‘80s and ‘90s, though; three of their players are first team regulars in the English Premier League. They truly are the third most talented team in a CONCACAF region that’s deeper than it was in those days, but they are surely not without shortcomings.

The Catrachos represent a nation thrilled to be participating in its second World Cup, and first since 1982. Honduras qualified on the last day of CONCACAF’s hexagonal, thanks to a win over El Salvador which lifted it past Costa Rica into third place.

Information for this preview was researched, and more team information is available, here, here, here, here and here.

Posted in Chile, Honduras, Spain, Switzerland, World Cup | Leave a comment
10 Jun 2010

World Cup Preview – Group G

Many commentators instantly labeled this as the “Group of Death,” and indeed it contains three teams that would be heavy favorites to advance out of any other group. Still, there’s a bit more separation among the sides than the label might imply. Brazil, although it will receive a vigorous challenge from Portugal and Ivory Coast, is so strong that it most likely will advance. And North Korea, of course, has almost no chance. That leaves Portugal and Ivory Coast vying for what will likely be second position.

Brazil is famous for being brilliant at football, great at throwing parties that involve women in bikinis dancing around in the street, and not bad at winning major tournaments. If the World Cup were to consist of some kind of football monarchy, then Brazil would be king. They’ve been to all of them, and they’ve won five (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002), making them the most successful team in the competition’s history.

Much to the chagrin of a Brazilian public who had bought into the notion of style before results, Dunga has reminded the Selecão there’s another way to win. To this point, Dunga’s way is proving more consistent: 2007 Copa America, 2009 Confederations Cup, finishing on top of CONMEBOL qualifying, number one team in the world. As a result, the cries about the style of Brazilian football have been drowned out by the victory celebrations.

The Brazilians have world-class quality all over the field, a range of attacking options to complement a stingy defense and perhaps the world’s best goalkeeper. In short, the elements that make them favorites to take a sixth World Cup home to Brazil. Whether a championship devoid of Joga Bonito will appease Dunga’s critics is another matter.

Heading into this World Cup, Portugal is something it would never have dared dream a year ago: hopeful. After a tumultuous year in which Portugal looked in shambles and danced on the edge of the World Cup nonqualification abyss, the team has turned it around.

Rather than despair about the retirement of its “Golden Generation” — Luis Figo, Rui Costa and others — recent performances have finally given rise to optimism about Portugal’s current crop. Led by the transcendent Cristiano Ronaldo, this team could do real damage, but that is only if it doesn’t stumble over its enormous first hurdle.

Regardless of this being just their fifth World Cup, Portugal have already felt a few big highs and crippling lows. They fared particularly well in the 1966 and 2006 World Cups, finishing in the top four in both. But they stuttered their way to this one, with a rather up-and-downy qualifying campaign. And the past decade has been both kind and cruel to Portugal. On the one hand, it has seen them qualify for every major international tournament — in fact, they are one of just five teams to play in every World Cup and Euro Cup since 2000. However, the ultimate goal — hoisting the trophy at the end — has eluded them; a fourth-place and a runners-up finish are the closest they have come to winning the World Cup and Euro, respectively.

Much of Africa has pinned its hopes on Ivory Coast. The team is enormously talented offensively but much weaker defensively. Plus, it drew this impossible group, with the prize for finishing second a likely Round of 16 game with Spain. This team will have to be very lucky to progress very far.

After a disappointing Africa Cup of Nations, the Ivory Coast made up for it by breezing through the qualifiers to make it to just their second World Cup. Last time around they suffered from being in a strong group alongside Argentina and Holland. This time they will see more of the same. Ivory Coast’s World Cup hopes were potentially damaged when talismanic striker Didier Drogba broke his arm in a final tune-up match against Japan. We probably won’t know whether Drogba will play until Ivory Coast’s first game, so it’s hard to predict what to expect from the Elephants until game time.

About as unsympathetic an underdog as there might be, the North Koreans play dull, defensive soccer and were fortunate to qualify. Their upside is probably limited to a draw against Ivory Coast or Portugal.

The World Cup affords the rich getting richer and pariah nations like North Korea to dispel stereotypes. But in a country as furtive and paranoid as this one, do not expect a full-fledged public relations effort to burnish its image. Even if its World Cup history includes a 1-0 victory over Italy in the 1966 World Cup, followed by a 3-0 lead over Portugal before Eusebio scored four goals en route to a 5-3 comeback win, there seems very little self-promotion emanating from within this state. The lowest-ranking team in the finals (106 in the FIFA rankigns), North Korea defeated Mongolia, Iran, UAE and Saudi Arabia to qualify for the first time since ’66. That’s when the Koreans really got something to complain about after being grouped with Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal.

The highlight of the tournament for the North Koreans may have been when they tried to sneak Kim Myong-Won, normally a forward, onto the roster as a goalkeeper. The move backfired when FIFA ruled Kim can only play in goal.

Information for this preview was researched, and more team information is available, here, here, here, here and here.

Posted in Brazil, Group of Death, Ivory Coast, North Korea, Portugal, World Cup | Leave a comment
10 Jun 2010

World Cup Preview – Group F

Group F is, by far, the easiest group in South Africa, which means it’s a godsend for defending champion Italy, which always starts slowly. The fight for second will be between Paraguay and Slovakia; New Zealand is in the running to be the worst team ever to go to a World Cup tournament.

Only Brazil have a better World Cup record than Italy. The Azzuri have won the tournament four times – in 1934, 1938, 1982, and 2006 – and, yes, they’re the current holders, thanks to some great penalties, and an astonishing headbutt from Zidane. Qualification was a relative breeze, as Italy went unbeaten and outscored opponents 18-7. But critics will point to the Azzurri’s performances in last summer’s Confederations Cup, when a lethargic and uninspired Italian team underperformed, suffering a 3-0 rout by Brazil and then losing to Egypt to drop out in the first round. The 2008 European Championship was another disappointment, when the club fell out in the quarterfinals to eventual champions Spain (on penalty kicks, to be fair).

It is no secret, nor is it exaggeration, to make the claim that Italy flops (or dives). A lot. Even the Urban Dictionary defines “Italian soccer” as “A special kind of soccer in which the most important skill is the ability to writhe on the field in fake agony until the ref yellow/red cards an opposing player.”

In the land of South American giants, Paraguay is often overlooked. The Paraguay national side, nicknamed La Albirroja or white and red, after the colors of the national flag, is often overshadowed by the heavyweights of CONMEBOL, particularly Argentina and Brazil. Yet with the signing of Gerardo Martino as head coach in 2007, La Albirroja will be showing the world a different form of Paraguayan football.

In making its fourth straight appearance in the World Cup, Paraguay travels to South Africa without its leading goal scorer from qualifying. The absence of striker Salvador Cabanas — who was shot in the head outside a Mexico bar in January (Ahh!!) yet plans to return to action someday soon — might have initially dampened the team’s spirit, but it has also given some other talented forwards the chance to shine on the world’s stage this month.

Expect front men Oscar Cardozo and Nelson Haedo Valdez to be given opportunities on goal for Paraguay, which posted 10 wins during South American qualifying (tied with Chile and more than Argentina and Brazil). The Albirroja started strongly before faltering a bit in the later games of the region’s campaign, but a victory over Argentina last September sealed a World Cup berth with two games to spare.

Is bad karma stalking the team? Paraguayan fans remember that last time, keeper Justo Villar (Real Valladolid), played all of seven minutes of the first match before going off with an injury. The team needs him to stay a little healthier this time and it needs a little better luck all around too.

Slovakia, a World Cup newcomer (at least in its present form), is probably the least expected team in South Africa and it got here with a powerful offense that carried it to the top of a group that included arch-rival the Czech Republic, as well as Poland and Slovenia. So, if we’re talking surprises, put the whole squad on the list since even soccer aficionados don’t know most of the players on this team, much less the local squads for whom they play. They do have Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel, who gives the Slovaks a top-flight central defender to marshal the back line. The 6-foot-3 defender was also a promising ice hockey player, and has made 74 appearances for Liverpool in three seasons.

New Zealand made its only previous appearance at the World Cup in Spain 28 years ago. Over the course of three heavy defeats to Brazil, the USSR and Scotland, they scored twice and conceded 12 goals. Football has moved on in New Zealand since, but the All Whites’ path to the World Cup finals (assured by beating the likes of Fiji and Bahrain) doesn’t seem adequate preparation for the tests ahead.

There are three things to remember about this New Zealand side. Its best result in a major competition is a 0-0 draw with Iraq. Its top professional club side (Wellington Phoenix) plays in the Australian league. Its squad contains two veterans (Simon Elliott and David Mulligan) who are currently unattached to clubs. Take these facts together and it’s clear that a modest improvement on New Zealand’s 1982 results will represent a huge step forward.

Also, over the course of the past 18 months, the team has lost matches to Tanzania, Fiji and Thailand. New Zealand doesn’t simply have the worst team in this group. It’s very likely the worst team at the tournament and maybe, even, in the history of the World Cup.

Information for this preview was researched, and more team information is available, here, here, here, here and here.

Posted in Italy, New Zealand, Paraguay, Slovakia, World Cup | Leave a comment
09 Jun 2010

History is Not on Our Side

Waiting for Next Year is reporting that Tom Izzo plans to take the Cavs coaching job. If this turns out to be true, and those guys deserve credit for being out ahead on this story, then we are all witnessing the death of the Cavs as a viable NBA franchise.

Izzo is a very good college coach – but that’s what he is, a college coach. While the basics of the game are the same on the NBA level, it’s simply just not the same game.

Consider this from Sports Illustrated’s Ian Thomsen, who wrote about Billy Donovan possibly moving to the NBA three years ago:

It takes NBA coaches years to develop the understanding and respect necessary to connect with players and earn their trust toward a common goal. … To become a successful NBA head coach, Donovan would have to take a costly step backward and enter the league as an assistant. He would need many seasons of deprogramming to unlearn much of what made him successful at Florida. Put it this way: The NCAA and NBA both have rule books as thick as bibles, but that’s the only thing they share in common. …How can any college coach who is used to wielding power over his players be expected to succeed overnight in an NBA world where he’ll be granted little or no power over his players? … If Donovan jumped to a veteran team, his players would quickly realize that they knew more about the pro game than their coach. That would not end nicely. … The NBA season is so much longer, and the games are so much more complicated strategically, that any college coach would need at least one season to work his way up.

Does that sound like something we want to go through as Cavs fans? Wait 2 to 3 years for Izzo to figure out the NBA game, assuming he does?

How about this from Steve Aschburner at NBA.com:

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ reported interest in Michigan State coach Tom Izzo as a replacement for Mike Brown, their recently fired head coach, elicited differing views from the two fellows who hold that job with The Finals teams.

A number of successful college coaches haven’t achieved similar results when they’ve moved to the NBA, including Rick Pitino, John Calipari, Mike Montgomery, Tim Floyd and (going back a ways) Jerry Tarkanian. Lakers coach Phil Jackson was asked: Why?

“It’s not an easy job,” Jackson said, “and when it’s 200-some days depending on how far you go into the playoffs, it’s a pretty arduous task as far as dealing with the stars of all ranges … It’s a long march and that gets difficult. The game itself – 82 games is a big difference from 30 or whatever you coach in college.”

“If you look at it historically, they’ve all had bad jobs,” Boston Doc Rivers said. “They’ve all had bad talent on their team. I think the first one that gets good players will be a good coach in our league. … There are a lot of college coaches that would be very good NBA coaches.”

Now Rivers makes a valid point. Bad teams hire more coaches than good teams. But maybe good teams are that way because they know not to hire a college coach. But he overlooks the cases where, after firing the college-bred coach, a team improved the following year. Consider:

  • Boston was 12-22 (works out to 28 wins) when they fired Rick Pitino; they went 49-33 the following year.
  • New Jersey was 3-17 (12 projected wins) when they fired John Calipari; they won 31 games the next year.
  • Chicago was 4-21 (13 projected wins) when they fired Tim Floyd; 30 wins the following season.
  • San Antonio was 9-11 (36 projected wins) when Jerry Tarkanian was let go; 55 wins the following year.
  • Washington was 19-63 in Leonard Hamilton’s only season; they won 37 games the next season.
  • Philadelphia was 21-31 (33 projected wins) when they let Randy Ayers go; 43 wins the following year.
  • Oklahoma City was 1-12 (6 projected wins) when they fired PJ Carlesimo; they won 50 games the following year.
  • Golden State was 34-48 under Mike Montgomery; the following year they won 42 games.

Clearly, none of these teams turned into NBA champions after dropping the college coach. But they all did improve, which takes the air out of the argument that the coaches failed simply because they did not have any talent. A lot of the failings fall on the coaches’ shoulders.

Look, we want this to work out if it happens. We all want the Cavs to succeed. The past five years have been a lot of fun, we’re really not keen to return to the days of John Lucas, Randy Wittman and the rest.

But if Dan Gilbert is going to start running this team with his heart, rather than his head, we may all be in trouble.

Posted in Cleveland Cavaliers, despar, doom, man crushes, NBA coaches, Tom Izzo | Leave a comment

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