a scene from one of the more popular Cleveland street festivals - flickr/jmd41280
And Milwaukee thought it had it bad … being the target of Gilbert Arenas’ trash talking and all. Maybe his buddy Richard Jefferson will have the last laugh, seeing that now he’s off to dance the championship dream in San Antonio with Timmy, Manu and Tony.
Step aside Brew City, Cleveland is more boring than you. The city that LeBron James may or may not leave in the future has been named the most boring city in America by a TripAdvisor survey of over 3,400 respondents.
Uhh … sorry guys.
Luckily, the Cleveland Cavaliers can do no wrong [via Waiting For Next Year]
In Other News:
Hopefully the ‘it’s time for Andray Blatche to step up’ ritual doesn’t extend further than the past three off-seasons (including this current one).
I really/kinda/sorta believe in the kid this time … I really do. Some encouraging words from Tom Knott, Washington Times:
Flip Saunders is working with Andray Blatche on a daily basis, putting the 22-year-old forward through various basketball drills while trying to solve the four-year mystery of what his destiny will be.
“This [one-on-one training] is what I used to do with Kevin Garnett,” Saunders tells Blatche, aware that Blatche idolized Garnett in his days as a youth in Syracuse, N.Y.
That anecdote comes from Ernie Grunfeld, the president of the Wizards and the one who hired Saunders in April to pick up the pieces from a 19-win season.
……..
Grunfeld remains ever hopeful with Blatche, a 6-foot-11 talent with a history of shrinking from his duties. That has been chalked up to his immaturity, a condition Brendan Haywood eventually overcame.
……..
Saunders has taken an active interest in Blatche in an effort to unearth his inner gym rat – if one is lurking inside him.
“Flip is getting through to him at this point,” Grunfeld said. “They have a nice relationship.”
The Saunders-Blatche dynamic is a reflection of Grunfeld’s Red Holzman-inspired belief in developing players, one of the three D’s of building a team. The others are making a sweet deal or draft pick.
Further Reading: It’s Make or Break Time for Andray Blatche [Bullets Forever]
Let’s just say that JaVale McGee is not yet at the “quoteable” point of his career:
“Um, it was fun. We didn’t have a good season, so that was kind of different, but I’m sure next year, we’ll be all good.”
AND
“Um, hopefully just stepping my game up, getting better, something like that.”
On the other hand … Sam I Am:
“I enjoy teaching basketball. I wasn’t the most talented guy out there, but I know all of the angles. And I know the chemistry of the game. Coaching in the NBA is about more than X’s and O’s. It’s about managing guys.” -Sam Cassell
“Cassell followed hoops dream from Baltimore to NBA,” by Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun
Other hits
- Mr. Irrelevant has a pictorial of the Wizards’ draft pick past.
- Friend of the blog, Doc Funk, took a road trip to the NBA Draft.
- Now it’s Mike Miller and Randy Foye vs. Aaron Brooks and Shane Battier. Have at it Wizards fans. [We're Off To See The Willards]
- The ‘History’ of Sam Cassell and Gilbert Arenas [DC Sport Bog]
- Stet Sports: Lesson Number One For Young Wizards; Don’t Be Like Brandon Jennings
- Baller Blogger gives the Wizards’ trade for Mike Miller and Randy Foye a big fat D … harsh.
Leave ‘em sweatin’ for more
Sweat dripped from the brim of Grunfeld’s nose as he spoke to reporters after Thursday’s NBA draft, which may have been emblematic of the intense pressure he is under to field a legitimate contender in Washington.
[via The Washington Post]
