Live Thread: Suns @ Cavs
2017-01-19
Fresh of a six-game road trip that ended with a complete thrashing at the hand of the Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers return to Quicken Loans Arena tonight for their second meeting of the season against the Phoenix Suns. With a 4-4 record over their last eight games, the Cavaliers have been struggling a bit, but a return home, combined with some practice time and a game against a Suns team that will likely finish fairly high in the lottery seem like the kinds of medicine that help these problems.
The Suns currently sport the third-worst record in the NBA behind the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat, but are an older team than one might expect. Besides Eric Bledsoe—already 27 years old and with an extensive injury history—the Suns are paying big money to veterans Tyson Chandler, Jared Dudley, P.J. Tucker, and Leandro Barbosa, four solid players who would all be better off playing a bench role on a contender. Plus there’s Brandon Knight, currently in the second year of a five-year $70 million contract, and arguably one of the worst rotation players in the league this season. While they do have some intriguing young players in Devin Booker and T.J. Warren, the Suns would be best off fully embracing a rebuild if they want to return to NBA relevance any time soon.
To be honest, the Cavaliers can use a game like this tonight. They haven’t been playing well lately, and have several issues they need to work out. Their assists are down to just 16.3 per game in January after being over 22 in the previous two-plus months of the season. Meanwhile, they are turning the ball over 14.5 times per game in new year, which is over a turnover per game more than they’ve had in any previous month. They’re on their third starting shooting guard of the season in Iman Shumpert, and are adjusting to the addition of Kyle Korver, a dead-eye shooter who flourishes in offensive sets that the Cavaliers don’t typically use. Meanwhile, Kevin Love is dealing with back issues that will keep him out of tonight’s game, and the team still has just 13 healthy players on the roster.
As bad as all that sounds, the NBA season is a marathon, not a sprint. The Cavs have plenty of time to fix their game and put themselves in the best position possible to defend their title. That marathon continues this evening against the Suns. Be sure to tune in to Fox Sports Ohio at 7:00, and be sure to stop by and share your thoughts here at Cavs: The Blog!
Coming soon : Iman Shumpert in Juwanna Mann 2.
Juwan Iman
I just spit my beer.
Separated at birth
Get someone on vet minimum from China? ESPN just (semi)touted Andray Blatche (6-11) and Hamad Haddadi (7-2)
Haddadi might work.
Rather take a shot on Moreland.
Moreland’s intriguing, but man can he not hit free throws.
If the Warriors can play McGee we should be able to put Blatche out there with him
Blatche is interesting. I was thinking the kid in the d-league, Keith Benson. 6-11, tad skinny at 235. 20/11/2.8 rejections.
Would be nice to get Irving’s assist total up again like it was before the hammie.
“MY MAN MORELAND “—22/11 / 7 BLK’S IN 35 MIN’S
Are all his fingers on straight?
I loved when Korver played guitar for Ratt.
Cavs are bored. Finals time yet?
O.K. LET’S COME OUT IN THE 3RD / PUT THIS TEAM AWAY ——KSHRIMP / MAMBA TIME
TT with a dislocated finger. Get us a PF/C type. D-leaguer. 10 day.
Chandler gets his beard on Frye’s noggin when he dunks on him.
HEY WATCH WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT ” US GRANDPA’S — HA-HA
Liggins not awful handling the rock and getting team into sets.
NEEDS TO SMOOTH IT OUT —-GO THRU THE MOTIONS / DAILY / WITHOUT A BALL
RJ dunking it old school.
Refs are awful. Trying to keep it close.
Might be time for http://www.pleasestopshooting3sRJ.com
RJ lefty thump!
Great pass from RJ there. Threw it where James was going to be.
Wish RJ would start finding his shot. It looks herky-jerky.
that dunk looked herky-jerky
Korver seems to gobble up a lot of rebounds on the bounce
Good D. Staying with the trap longer.
Korver looks so much quicker than Dunleavy
My grandpa looks quicker than Dunleavy.
Yeah. Korver was a 2 for most of his career. Dunleavy started there, he’s been a SF for a while. Plus the iffy back.
Mike was so whispy
Korver with an open triple. I know the Suns are awful & the Warriors are awesome & the Jazz are good. Still, nice to see us playing well & moving the rock (& players) more freely.
That foul call ticked James off. Hammer down.
LeBron with a Malone dunk and a kidd handle.
Nice
Booker & Bledsoe are players, surely.
WOW LEBRON PISSED AFTER THAT FOUL (CALL )
Ok that was definitely more than 30%
Man the ball is humming. Korner really bringing energy too. Has a real nice bounce.
I like the Frye post ups vs. the mouses. Meeces. The Suns are feces.
Good read from James on the drive. Lucky no TO on the next one. Kyrie in.
how exactly do you bend a dragan?
can’t remember this many charges on lebron than over the last 3 weeks
He extends the off arm & lowers the shoulder a lot. Those are tells for the ref even when the guy is moving.
From deep: Shump 2-2, Frye 2-3, JFJ 2-4, Korver 1-2; James 0-1, RJ 0-1, Kyrie 0-2. Total = 7/15.
That’s with Love & JR out & Kyrie & James o-fer. We do have some shooting.
CHANNING FRYE IS GOING TO APPLEBEES
It’s happy hour!
Frye showing better effort tonight on D
That was some kickoff by kyrie.
Kickout
Korver automatic from Canton
James, Liggs, Korver, RJ, Frye to start the 2nd. Good movement gets Korver a 3 (missed), RJ with a nice OR.
LIGGINS WITH A COUPLE OPEN FLOOR PASSES THERE –SHOULD HAVE HAD 2 ASSISTS ON THEM
One thing starting Shump does is let LIggins be the #2 ball handler with this unit. He’s a better distributer than Shump. Or even steal a minute as the #1 PG at the end of the quarter.
Dropping 3s all over. Korver, Frye.
Danger here: Liggins, Korver, RJ, Frye, T T.
The old bring in James Jones for defense sub
and it worked!
I notied that too. And it worked. Prolly stealing a minute of rest for TT at end of quarter.
Every time we get up 6-8-10 we get sloppy. Frye makes a play on D with the trap!
Nice trap there.
Why is Frye on Len? TT should have him.
what’s kyrie shooting on 3 since his injury?
epic fast break
Frye for Champ. Shump goes to hole & loses rock, we keep it. More reserves: Korver for Shump + RJ.
Champs issues of D are age/athelticism/size related. Effort, recognition, & positioning are fine.
I’m fine with Russ not starting. Curry changes the whole game just standing 40ft from the hoop & is much more efficient. Russ puts up larger counting stats on a team where he is the only option & dominates the rock more.
Big Papi going to have a BIG Dominican lunch after this ad
Lol
Channing Frye! Human folding chair.
WOW. Westbrook not a starter on All-Star team. Curry starting. One of the biggest robs ever. Curry doesn’t deserve crap.
how does Champ look on D?
Passable.
That’s enough – as long as he isn’t a turnstile. :)
Compared to Frye he looks good
MAN IF THERE WAS SOME WAY GRIFF COULD PULL ” THE CHANDLER RABBIT ” OUT OF HIS HAT THAT WOULD BE AMAZING
Champ! From the corner! Best 12th man in the NBA!
Is the China pro league winding down? ESPN has an intriguing article on players who might be worth a look in the NBA – 2 are centers, Andray Blatche & Hamed Haddadi – very cheap options at C. (Not much help at PG unless you count Jimmer Fredette, lol)
THE CHAMP ” DRINKIN FROM THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH “
JFJ with the breakdown!
LeBron’s gonna run at about 30% tonight
im sorry but Shump looks like a WNBA player tonight. not how he’s playing but he literally looks like a woman
Jawana Mann!
Jawan Iman?
Champ! For three!
Champ! In the post!
TOMORROW NIGHT —-HAVING A ” NEW BREW ” PARTY AT LOCAL MICRO-BREWERY ( USING OUR HOPS ) TO BREW A NEW BEER —-” COLD CREEK IPA “—- WOULD LOVE TO SEND EACH ONE OF YOU A SAMPLE
like the name
slightly easier than the usual kevin love post up to start the game
Wow the Champ,starting
CONGRATS TO LEBRON / KY FOR BEING NAMED STARTERS / ALL STAR GAME —HOPING KEV IS ALSO NAMED TO BE ON THE TEAM
Just cracked open a Pipeworks Lizard King. My favorite beer over the last year
NOMAD’S ” MY MAN MORELAND ” UPDATE—8 PTS / 8 REB’S/ 1 BLK — 1ST QTR
MAN I HAVE READ ALOT ABOUT PINNERS —IS IT AS GOOD AS ADVERTISED —–THEY DON’T SELL IN THE MID WEST —–OL MAN JONES GETTING THE START TONIGHT —” LET IT FLY OL MAN “
It’s good and only 4.8 % or something so you can drink a lot of them without being blotto.
WE NEED A ‘ BLITZ ‘ GAME WHERE FROM THE VERY START WE COME OUT ON FIRE / PUT THE TEAM AWAY EARLY ( BUILD —MAINTAIN THE LEAD ) AND EVERYONE ( PLAYERS / COACHES / FANS ) COME AWAY FEEELING RE-ENERGIZED AND BEING IT IS THE ” EVE ” OF FRIDAY –START THE WEEKEND ” BEER CONSUMPTION “—–COLS ARE YOU READY TO TOSS DOWN SOME BEERS —GO CAVS !!
Haha. I am not consuming too many beers tonight. I will have a few though. They are running a $14 for 16 Pinners deal around town.
Nothing has to happen except the playoffs begin. That’s when the Cavs play the destroyer. Coasting until then. Do not forget the lessons of the last two years.