PD Headline Completely Misleading
October 21, 2011Lockout talks implode, not entirely Dan Gilbert’s fault.
October 22, 2011While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
Ever wonder what a D-League tryout is like? First up was conditioning — a cakewalk for me but a struggle for some others. Then was the standard-issue three-man weave drill that most players learn as seventh- and eighth-graders. (Some in the group struggled, and the bosses were none too pleased.)
Then, though, came the games, 10 minutes each with teams determined by the Canton team’s director of player personnel, James Williams. And I immediately struggled, attributable to being overmatched and in a gigantic hurry: a jumper off a screen that was woefully short. A 3-pointer nowhere close. Later, back-to-back shots rejected, one by P. Allen Stinnett, who played at Creighton and was the Missouri Valley Conference’s freshman of the year during the 2007-08 season.
On defense — where I knew I’d struggle the most — my 140-pound frame had little chance against guys with a 40-pound head start, let alone the 6-foot-8 post player onto whom I somehow got switched. [Joel Hammond/Crain’s Cleveland Business]
Could the Buckeyes upset Wisconsin next Saturday night? Not sure it has quite the same ring to it as “whiteout” or “blackout”, but next weekend, the Buckeyes expect a capacity crowd for their home battle with the Wisconsin Badgers in what is being framed as a “Scarlet Out”.
There is no doubt the crowd of 105,000+ will be pumped and the atmosphere will be electric inside the shoe next Saturday night. The 12th man can (will) be a nightmare for opponents (Wisconsin), as long as the Buckeyes keep themselves (and the fans) in the game.
The bye week and the fact that Ohio State is 7-3 vs. UW in the last 10 meetings in Columbus bodes well for the Buckeyes.
Not to mention that, this Saturday, Wisconsin has a tough game against Michigan State, while the Buckeyes are off. [HD Handshoe/Block O Nation]
Imagine being Dwight Howard. It is funny how the course of events changes things for a player. Imagine being picked as the first overall pick in a small market. You are young, but you are one of the most physically gifted basketball players ever. All you want is to be liked — by everyone. You come into a franchise who had just made a string of bad moves and will honestly continue to make some bad moves. The first draft pick made after you is some white shooter who was legit in college but will never equal that success in the NBA. One of the first major free agent signings is for a guy who averaged 20+ points a game in a much different system and will never average that again. Sure, there will be times he comes through, but he’s getting paid all-star money while getting worse and worse every year. You somehow upset a heavily favored team in the Eastern Conference Finals, but your team just is not good enough in the Finals.
The front office still has hope. You have several years left on your contract, so they make some moves to change up the team dynamic. They are trying their best to give you the help you need to win that one title — the title they think will make you stay in that small market when your contract is up. The title that will let them keep their basketball savior. You put up some good records and even make it back to the Eastern Conference Finals once. Your team makes one last desperation trade mid-season, hoping it will make the difference. It doesn’t. Your fans don’t get it, though. They don’t see that you are leaving. Even though Lebron just went through the same process with the Cleveland Cavaliers, your Orlando fans somehow think you are still staying. Imagine being that guy. [I Go Hard Now]
What happens to the Cavs if we miss a whole season? This lockout is really getting on my nerves. It’s incredibly frustrating as an NBA fan and I can’t imagine how hard it is for the players. With the first two weeks of the season having already been canceled, you have to start to consider the possibility of an entire season lost. What would this mean for the Cavs and for their fans? Well, probably a lot of sadness and annoyance, first of all. I know that I would personally be incredibly pissed off/disappointed if we didn’t get to see any NBA basketball this year. As for the fans in general, I think it would be similarly frustrating. Cleveland fans have been very very good to the team and have packed the Q each and every night. It’s no secret how passionate Cleveland fans are and with something exciting to root for this year, it would be a devastating loss. [Fear the Sword/Conrad Kaczmarek]
2 Comments
the only devastating loss I am concerned with at all re: the lockout is the thousands of folks whose incomes are being slashed due to the lack of business. Not players, but concessionaires, wait staffs at nearby bars and restaurants, etc. People undoubtedly rely on that income to help make ends meet, or perhaps to ameliorate Santa’s holiday cash flow. Now, because of a bunch of Billionaires and millionaires, they will lose out, and while the aggregate number may be small in comparison to the millions being set ablaze by the idiots in charge of the negotiations, the percentage of loss to these people is much higher. Sad for those folks, and I kinda hope the NBA burns their own house down and struggles to rebuild it.
so if a season isnt played, does that mean we get the No. 1 and No. 4 overall picks in the 2012 draft?