While We’re Waiting… Enjoy the moment. Or at least try to.

Cleveland sports fans are waiting. Thus, while we’re all waiting, the WFNY editors thought you might enjoy reading. Because you never know how long we might be waiting. So here are assorted reading goodies for you to enjoy. Send more good links for tomorrow’s edition to tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

“Fortunately for Murphy, his defense in 2013 remained well above average, which made him just worth keeping in the lineup, and gives him one true consistently positive factor. Interestingly, when taking a look at Murphy’s plate discipline numbers in 2012, his peak, versus his numbers in 2013, his valley, we see little difference.

The deal represents a serious potential win for the Indians, and for Murphy, a lesser, yet still reasonable victory. The deal provides Murphy with more stability than he might have been otherwise seeing in offers from other clubs, and keeps him on a club will legitimately contend for the postseason once again. Murphy gets a slight pay raise, but given his 2013, and the fact that 2012 marked the only season in which he was worth more than 2.0 wins, the fact that he didn’t end up with an AAV decrease should serve as a point of celebration.” [Horrow/Beyond the Boxscore]

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“Taking the mantle of worst shot-selection from the Sixers has been the Cleveland Cavaliers. So far their offense has an XPPS of 1.012, worse than what the Sixers put up last season. As a unit they’ve been gradually migrating towards long two-pointers, which now make up 31.8% of their non-turnover offensive possessions. Blame for this migration can be shared among several players. New additions Anthony Bennett, Earl Clark and Jarrett Jack all have an XPPS below 1.000 (league average is about 1.047). Kyrie Irving continues to pull up from mid-range with impunity, posting an XPPS of 1.016, and Dion Waiters‘ XPPS has dropped from the respectable 1.058 he put up last year to 1.027 this season.

Laying the NBA’s SportVU data over the top of these XPPS numbers really helps to highlight the problems. Through November 17th, the Cavaliers had attempted more pull-ups than catch-and-shoot and jumpers, with pull-up jumpers making up 34.4% of their total shot attempts. Jarrett Jack, Dion Waiters and Kyrie Irving combine to average 21.9 pull-up jumpers per game, making those pull-ups at a collective eFG% of 39.0%. Those three are all competent mid-range shooters but that competency is decreased off the dribble and that’s simply far too many possessions to be used in such a fashion for the Cavaliers to be build an efficient offense around.” [Levy/Hickory High]

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“Hamilton was able to earn his business management degree last spring and is now finishing his degree in finance. He was drafted after his senior year at Kent State in 2012, giving him a slight academic advantage over students and players who were drafted earlier in their college careers.

Not only did playing college baseball give Hamilton a chance to hone his skills on the field, including earning the opportunity to play with the Kent State baseball team in the 2012 College World Series, he was also able to learn valuable time management skills that serve him well in balancing life as a student and an athlete.

In college, the term “student-athlete” is bounced around on a regular basis to describe students who not only attend class, but are members of sports’ teams, as well. In the case of Hamilton and Stokes, however, the two add a different definition to the term. They act as athletes who, in their free time, pursue an alternate career as a student.” [Wilder/DTTWLN]

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“That inevitability of creeping death – usually via Ann Arbor, a California school on New Year’s Day, or more recently something toxic and alien from West Lafayette – was all that spoiled the enjoyment of lengthy unblemished Saturday sequences.

You kept bracing for the end of it all, and only that worry was capable of diminishing the fun you should have been having.

Those culprits are all still there, but fear isn’t wrecking your pride anymore. It’s those damn media people with their obvious biases and their unending attack on everything you love.

It’s plastic narrative merchants dedicating their deadlines to making sure everyone understands just how inconsequential Ohio State’s 22-game run is. They’re overtly and unabashedly biased without any nuance or objectivity, resulting in Buckeye fans dedicating significantly more energy to hating the media than to enjoying this streak.

And you know what? It’s exhausting.” [Ramzy/Eleven Warriors]