While We’re Waiting…Cavs Free Agent pursuits, Browns QB depth, Skip Lou Brown

While 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

Radical Cavs plans for next season: “LeBron James couldn’t convince any star free agents (most notably Chris Bosh) to join him in Cleveland on his quest for a championship, so it’s highly unlikely that Dan Gilbert will experience success in recruiting the league’s star power in any upcoming free agent class. Players must be willing to come to Cleveland, even possibly looking for a “second chance” when they have been written off by the other teams in the league. Two free agents that are still available fit this mold: Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady. Iverson has been labeled as a selfish locker room cancer who is unwilling to accept a lesser role on any team he plays for in the league. McGrady has also been cast aside by many teams because of his lack of postseason success and nagging injuries. Although McGrady has appeared in a number of postseasons with the Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets, hard fought Game Sevens are all the small forward has to show for his career. If both of these players could come to Cleveland, either in sign and trade deals or free agent signings, Cleveland would not only have two new stars to cheer for during the season, but these deals would allow the Cavaliers to retain enough flexibility to build around young talent as well.” [Chris/Cleveland Hope]

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Browns QB situation: “Which brings us to the Browns. With eight-year veteran Seneca Wallace backing up Delhomme, the Browns have one of the better combinations – taken collectively – in the league.  For his career, Wallace has completed almost 60 percent of his passes, thrown for more touchdowns than interceptions and has a QB rating of 83.1 – a mark that no Browns quarterback has been able to match since their return in ’99. Mix in his potential as a runner in the Flash package, and the Browns find themselves in a very good position.” [Red Right 88]

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Lou Brown, Tire World, Indians icon: “The funniest, crankiest and perhaps most-beloved manager in the history of the Cleveland Indians has died.  James Gammon, who played skipper Lou Brown in the film “Major League” and its first sequel, died in Costa Mesa, Calif. on Friday, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Also a resident of Ocala, Fla., Gammon was 70…Amid considerable hijinks, those fictional Indians (in case you missed it) won the old AL East despite their owner attempting to tank on purpose so she could move the team to Miami. (The movie, which premiered in 1989, predates the real Marlins.) And we don’t reference only Rick “Wild Thing” Vaughn or Pedro Cerrano’s voodoo god, Jo-Buu. Lou Brown was just as quotable…” [David Brown/Big League Stew]

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Looking back to move forward: “Even when looking back exactly one year, it’s amazing how the team has yet again shifted front office direction.  Although it appears that the arrival of Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert may have finally and proverbially “righted the ship” – perhaps I should know better.  Or, just start living in the present.  Anyway, for what it’s worth, let’s take a look at my 2010 future preview, written exactly one year ago.  As It May Stand – 2010 Preview.  First a disclaimer.  Granted, at the time I firmly believed that Eric Mangini was Randy Lerner’s last coaching hire – the merging of all of Lerner’s prior front office mistakes.  To this end, I was convinced that 2010 would be a natural progression of Mangini’s czar-like ascension to the throne of all things Browns. About that…” [DK/ClevelandReboot]

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Summer League update: “Eyenga had one of his worst box scores of summer league, but he showed some of his best flashes. There was one sequence where Pooh Jeter tilted the floor on the pick-and-roll, found Eyenga on the weak side with a skip pass, and Eyenga slashed to the rim to get an easy layup against a scrambling defense. Basically, it was the exact kind of play Cavs point guards and LeBron James should have been making for the last seven years. Seeing Pooh Jeter and Christian Eyenga execute it was a strange experience.  Eyenga also showed some acumen in the post, draining a smooth lefty hook and showing good mechanics on a righty hook that came up short. Again, the type of stuff I always wanted to see from LeBron. Of course, Eyenga didn’t have a strong game, and he’s still a year away. Strange stuff to see in person.” [John Krolik/Cavs:The Blog]

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LeBron coming off worse since The Decision: “What the Cavs want to know is why, despite doing everything James asked and attempting to trade for as many top players as they could, they were not afforded anywhere near the same opportunity as James is already giving a team he’s been with for less than two weeks.  In his comments in ESPN’s “Sunday Conversation” last weekend, James blamed Cavs owner Dan Gilbert for not considering the long term.  What the Cavs wanted to scream at the TV and have been seething about privately all during the Vegas Summer League is how could they when James himself had them shackled to the short term.” [Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer]

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More national exhortations for an investigation: “When it comes to LeBrongate, the fix is in, and it is so obvious.  That’s because this sloppy attempt at what looks like a cover-up by NBA commissioner David Stern is so blatant.  Otherwise, given the legitimate questions about LeBron James vanishing during the playoffs this spring, and the extent of Chris Bosh‘s ankle woes this winter, and the timing of Dwyane Wade‘s huddle with his All-Star buddies this summer, the scenario would go like this …So it’s fair to ask: Did he quit?…Either Stern knows the answer to these questions, or he doesn’t wish to know. Mostly, he fears that if the public knows too much about how this particular sausage was made along the way to becoming what has been called the “Three Kings” around Miami, the public might refuse to eat anything served by Stern’s league.” [Terrence Moore/Fanhouse]