While We’re Waiting… Cavaliers Christmas wishes

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.

Letters to Santa from each of the Cavaliers: “Anthony Bennett: What do you get the man who often seems unable to get out of his own head? How about a tale of a young, awkward, southern man who discovers his precocious talents, and learns to visualize and attack, in order to come one of the greatest players his sport has ever seen. Santa, please bring Mr. Bennett a copy of Frank Coraci’s 1998 masterpiece, The Waterboy.” [Nate Smith/Cavs: The Blog]

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Is the Bynum experiment already a failure? “What if Bynum plays and he simply isn’t good? What do you do? And let’s not mistake this: Andrew Bynum has not been good this season. How ‘not good?’ Well let’s go to the numbers. On offense, Bynum is shooting 41.5% from the field. If that figure doesn’t look disastrous enough, I’ll give you one that’s worse. At the rim, he is shooting 47%.” [Sam Vecenie/Fear The Sword]

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Could this Cavs team improve enough with this roster? “Alright already, after ugly losses due to lack of ‘urgency’ (Mike Brown’s kind way of referring to laziness) at the hands of both Chicago and Detroit, its time to put optimistic fanfare aside and call a spade a spade: This Cleveland Cavaliers squad does not have the talent to contend come playoff time. This may seem an unfair statement as the Cavs sit a game out of 8th place, but making the playoffs by virtue of a weak East is not the same as “earning” a spot and having the talent to contend once there.” [Kevin Fay/Fan Attitude]

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Reactions to the passing of Indians legend Mike Hegan. [Glenn Moore/Cleveland.com]

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Talking about 2013 being a bad year for the NFL: “It was the year the Redskins continued to exist as such. Jimmy Haslam, new owner of the Cleveland Browns, stands accused of defrauding consumers of millions of dollars owed to them in fuel rebates. Higher-ups often speak of the integrity of the game as something one nasty player can ruin. But integrity becomes a joke when bad behavior is modeled by the boss, not the workers.” [Hua Hsu/Grantland]

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An interview with the new Detroit first base coach: “‘I want to be a manager someday,’ [Omar] Vizquel said. ‘That’s what I’m preparing myself to do. It’s coming, that’s something that I really want to do before I completely retire.'” [Steve Eby/Did The Tribe Win Last Night?]

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How good will Raburn be in 2014? “In 2013, Ryan Raburn came out of nowhere to become a key member of the Cleveland Indians offensive attack. Released by the Tigers and in need of a home, the Tribe took a chance on the on the 31-year-old outfielder and invited him to spring training. After a solid spring, he made the roster as the team’s fourth outfielder. By season’s end, Raburn had established himself as a legitimate threat in the heart of the order and as a fan favorite.” [Brian Heise/Wahoos on First]

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As much as we don’t like talking about him, 2013 was the year of LeBron: “He is the player who has everything, who brings more to the table than a catering service. He can play every position on the floor and beat you from almost as many different spots. That is the essence of LeBron James, why he’s considered by far the greatest player ever among fans 11 and under (Jordan retired 12 years ago), why he is already legendary at age 28 by everyone’s standard.” [Shaun Powell/Sports on Earth]

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And finally, Michigan State’s defensive captain Max Bullough has been suspended: “The remainder of the season, an odd choice of words, is, of course, only the Rose Bowl. This is more than a distraction or a blow to MSU’s chances on Jan. 1 against Stanford — and it is both. It’s a thwack to the gut of the Spartans’ tidy and feel-good narrative, and a heart-sinking twist to the legacy of one of the great characters in MSU football history.” [Graham Couch/Lansing State Journal]