Live Thread: Bulls at Cavs
2016-01-23
Game 1 of the LueBron era starts tonight. Â Also, Game 1 of the Saturday night NBA on ABC era.
Well, the Bulls have dropped six of eight and Joakim “Pebbles” Noah is out for the season. Â Mike Dunleavy is still recovering from surgery and Kirk Hinrich is out. Â Derrick Rose is a shell of his former self. Â The Bulls are hurting, basically.
Jimmy Butler has asserted himself as one of the best young players in the NBA and Pau Gasol remains surprisingly effective at age 35.  The Bulls have some pieces in Tony Snell, Taj Gibson, and Nikola Mirotic but they seem to be stuck in “6th-man” or “x-factor” type production/consistency.
Ty Lue has already stated that he will play a 10-man rotation. Â Good. Â I’d rather he just do it than signal that he’s going to do it but, whatever. Â I’m getting prepared for some awkward press conferences – Lue turned off a lot of Cavs fans today when he said he wasn’t going to be make the Cavs different from Blatt, just “better”. Â Sounds like he didn’t mean any slight by it, but…that’s a rough transcript to spin. Â He also said that he’s going to get the ball to Kevin Love at the elbow. Â If it’s not painfully obvious that this is happening in the near future, and the Cavs struggle, prepare for all the heat of this collective hot seat to cook Kevin Love alive.
I’m actually optimistic about tonight’s game. Â Let’s talk about it here. Â As a fun aside, let’s have a Lue pun contest. Â If you see a good one, just reply to the comment and award points or Schrute bucks. Â Here’s the conversion:
I love this ripping players narrative. Maybe Blatt didn’t rip players at all, which he should have. Or better phrased “held them accountable.” That being said, maybe Lue should do the ripping privately. Terry Francona, the manager of the Tribe, whose won two WS, always defends his players publically, and I’ve never heard anything about him ripping them privately either. Sounds like we a lot of whining from this team. I don’t buy the hatchet piece by Haynes anyways, as it was refutted by JVG. I think we just have a bunch of entitled cry babies on this roster, plus… Read more »
In his entire international career, David Blatt has never been afraid to “hold players accountable.” (Some good examples in this set of timeouts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOIxRBjsw0s)
If that changed in Cleveland, it was because the management never had his back. What does it say about your job security when they bring in the number-two candidate for the job with a huge salary to be the “associate” head coach?
With Lebron holding the organization hostage on the year to year contract, Blatt just like Brown was told keep Lebron happy at all costs or you are gone.
That was illuminating. I rarely saw him be that forceful in Cavs huddles. A very smart coach who was undermined by an egotistical narscissist in LeBron. Nate or Tom should put your clip in one of their introductory summaries.
“Dan! I’m ready to come back and kick some ass!” – Jerry Sloan
In all serious, yes, yes, yes. You want accountability. J. Sloan don’t take no guff from anyone. One of the great coaches of all time. Think he is done though, too bad, always liked the guy.
“Hey Dan! I can at least get you to the Conference Finals!” – Kevin McHale
36 more hits and we hit 1,000. The more hits the better for the new website.
#Cavs Kyrie Irving says his chest was burning. Thinks the quicker pace is “tailor-made” to their personnel. – Chris Fedor
Why is his chest burning?? It shouldn’t be.
Well, he did play more minutes than he has in any other game this season. (Thanks for that 10-man rotation, Coach Lue!)
Yeah I was wondering if it was asthma (which I have knowledge on) or it was lack of conditioning. Blatt had tried to give Kyrie more mins and it didn’t seem to work out in production numbers. So he split mins up more evenly between Delly and him in goals to ease into more mins. People can argue that perhaps that may have hindered Kyrie a little but at the same time you worry on injuries before playoffs too.
Everyone. Back away from the ledge. I can’t believe everyone is so ready to give up here. I must have been watching a different game cuz I’m on board and encouraged.
Yeah, we lost. We played strong defense, though — even Love had himself regularly in position. We moved the ball around quickly and decisively, using ISO as tool before the defense was set and rarely as a crutch. We attacked in transition. The rotations were kind of whacked out but guys, cummon, they had one shootarou d
I guess we were watching a different game, because I saw really poor defense. And now the couch says the players are out of shape? So we’re they in shape against the Clippers?
No they were winded on D because they tried playing a faster game tonight and were out of shape for that style of play. I love that comment. It’s on the players, that’s what needs to be said.
… to prepare for this game since their coach got fired. This game boils down to the Bulls hit some tough shots, a future HOFer in Gasol had a good game and we had the worst shooting performance 9f all time. Forty % on free throws, you think something was on their mind?? I love the out of shape comment. That’s the sound of a coach ripping his players. Blatt was always defensive. Lue is holding them accountable. Isnt that what we wanted? You guys do understand there is a different kind of conditioning reuqired for the way they tried… Read more »
So Lue who said in the presser that he’s not going to change much of what they’ve been doing, except now they are going to be this fast paced team, after the players get in shape?!?!?!?! Where am I?
BTW the Bulls stink and losing to them by 13 is like losing to the Warriors by 34. Defense my ass, they shot 40% from 3 and Kyrie and Love were exposed again.
Okay maybe I need a hiatus until they get this thing fixed. My spirit feels less connected these past few days.
He’s not changing much of what they’ve been doing. Kyrie said he’s been trying to push the ball up the floor faster. This team had been trying to play faster, and tonight they did. Under Lue, tonight they just did something better, and it fits the strengths and the personnel of the team. That is a great sign: results in one day.
Bulls don’t stink. They have a nice team that’s getting better and will probably once again be a tough out in the playoffs.
Yeah, I think you could use a hiatus, Arch. Take a breath haha.
This exactly.
When Irving is back at 100% the team will go for a beating spree and hopefully run it all the way through the playoffs. Give it a little time. They’re still in first place. Remember last postseason? A lot of people realized that they’d been acting like ninnies during the regular season struggles. I trust LeBron in the playoffs. He’s earned it to say the least.
I thought the Cavs offensive sets were terrible. (Rotations, too, but that’s easier to fix) The Cavs as a team put up a sweet 37/16/40…that’s fricking ridiculous.
The sets would look a lot better if they made their shots. I don’t mind the ISO play nearly as much as most people here, but for the life of me I don’t understand why they don’t run more off-the-ball actions. Some slashing and screen setting would be a good start.
You mean like they did against the Clippers when Blatt was coach?
Sure. But the clippers didn’t play very tough defense to be honest. Last year the team had a juggernaut of an offense the latter half. The main thing I see missing is Irving’s form. LeBron and love have been mostly good.
They were 10-1 before Cleveland
That doesn’t mean they played good D against the cavs.
The Cavs’ offensive sets looked discombobulated and unpracticed. I’m giving them a pass on that front. More importantly they played offense the way they should be, which is a great sign. They made the extra pass and sacrificed good shots to find great ones. They’re doing what we all wanted but everyone still rips them!
It’s like Van Gundy said when the crowd booed, he understands booing lack of effort but not missed shots. Which is the story of the game. They played the right way, just unsuccessfully. It’ll take time.
The defense was not good. They kept leaving Gasol for no GD reason. TT stunk when defending him. Pau destroyed them. Bulls also shot over 40% from three. Cavs did limit turnovers, but got beat on the glass. I hope it will be better, but that was a trainwreck.
I think they get a Mulligan for tonight. Let’s see how they look in a couple of months. Hopefully Irving (and Mozgov) will return to form.
HUH? It’s the same coaching staff. It should not take a month.
Because they have not shown their form from the second half of last year.
Mr. Griffin, you’re drunk. Go home.
I don’t get that at all. They’ve categorically not been as good this year as they were the second half of last season when they were blowing out teams by the end of the first quarter. Kyrie has not looked nearly as good so far this year, which is understandable, and the numbers bear this out.
(Eight years sober, by the way)
I was just making a joke implying you were Griff. Congrats on the sobriety. Sorry to make light of it.
They’re not hitting last year’s form with this circus.
No problem, thanks!
A couple of months? What? We don’t have a couple of months to figure out basic crap! We need to learn quantum mechanics and thermal dynamics to defeat the Dubs…. Not fricken Pre-Allegra!
Wrong. The warriors run basic stuff. They just do it well. The high PnR is a problem because of Curry’s shooting prowess. But the cavs played them well last year. Playing shump on curry would probably help, and LeBron on green.
WOW… LBJ think they got better tonight. LBJ thought the defense was pretty good! LBJ thought they moved the ball well!
LBJ is not only fat and out of shape, he’s also delusional.
Of course he’s gonna say all that stuff, after he ousted the previous coach….err, sorry!, I meant after the previous coach was let go for some reason.
A lot of the issues you lay out are a result of the Cavs going small against a big team. TT unfortunately had a bad night and played himself out of this one but Gasol is the kind of guy TT always struggles against. Lue must have felt that the three guard lineup with Love at the 5 was a better unit than switching a guard for Moz, probably because we were down and needed scoring. Bulls hit the shots we missed but I liked where the players were on defense. Lue was the defensive coach before and they were… Read more »
I like you. I really do. But how in God’s Green Earth can you be encouraged at what exactly??? People are angry not jumping off the ledge to doom. You as a GM just fired the 3rd best winning coaches in the NBA (now just wrap your comprehension on just that thought alone) and upgrade to this…..???? Lue was lost on line-ups abandoning not matching a BIG on Gasol? What page in Coaching 101 is that Ever stated? That really stood out . The players just looked lost out there on another brick fest and another lackluster performance of Kyrie… Read more »
I feel like there’s encouragement in the things I’ve been posting above. They did everything that we’ve been asking them to do for months, to give a damn on D, save the ISO for transition, and make the extra pass. The execution was bad and their heads were clearly out of it. WE’RE still reeling from all this, what do you think it’s like for the team? Blatt did some nice things. Lue has already started doing some of them better. Just because he sounds less educated than a Princeton man in his presser doesn’t mean he’s clueless. Quite the… Read more »
I’m sleeping on this loss. It was just nuts. Maybe they just needed to get it out of their system. God, I hope so, cause if not, Griff destroyed their season. Maybe Lue won’t look so completely in over his head tomorrow.
I share the same sentiment.
It’ll all be better if/ when Lebron gets in shape, Nate…
He barely made it through those 40 minutes without having a heart attack.
One thing’s for sure… Lue has GOT to grow back the cornrows if he wants to be taken seriously… /s
“The Diesel is ready to try coaching.” – Shaquille O’Neal
OOOO Like that one!!! We need some DIESEL POWER!!
Hahahahaha it’s just getting more absurd as you go. Whose next, Jerry Sloan?
Jerry Sloan would kill half the players on this team by the end of their first practice.
You could feel the tension in the stadium, in the atmosphere and how it was weighing down on the players. Oh, the pressure they will feel in the coming months. You got Blatt fired. Now you have to produce no matter what. The pressure will be suffocating.
No worries Lebron said it will be ok.
Current temperature: Cavs get bounced in the first round by Miami.
“I know I just took the Browns’ job… but I’ve always had a love affair with basketball. How hard could it be?” – Paul DePodesta
LeBron only listens to crappy coaches who played in the league.
Byron Scott will be available next season. Can’t get any crappier than that.
“Did someone say Herculoids to the rescue?” – Luke Walton
Amazing how well Walton fared during his interim tenure… he knew how to call timeouts and rotate players and call plays and such.
“I told you I wanted to come back…” – George Karl
“Forget Markieff… you can get me for that Brendan Haywood Trade Exception…” – Jeff Hornacek
Idk. That wouldn’t work. Delly, the dirty player from the bench could present a problem for him.
“Hmmm… I wonder if they’ll get desperate enough.” – Vinny Del Negro
I’m not desperate enough for that…yet…
“I’m having waay too much fun criticizing you guys to actually coach there.” – Jeff Van Gundy
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAH!!!!!!!! LOVE THIS ONE!!!
I’d take JVG in a heartbeat, but Lebron wouldn’t listen to him, so it’d just be shuffling deck chairs…
This is absolutely TRUTH!!
I’m out after one game. Completely baffled by Lue’s inability to address basic issues the Cavs were facing. They got destroyed by Pau, had no clue on offense, and he abandoned the rotations he said he was going to expand after one half. I’m hoping like hell this is all because the last 24 hours have been a whirlwind, but the Cavs look like they have even more issus now than they did 36 hours ago.
And it was said on prior threads some of us were overreacting…
The whole point was they replace Blatt with TY “THE COLS” LUE!!!!!!!!!! TY FREAKING LUE IS THE BEST WE CAN DO?!?!?!?!?!
Well I took a wait and see approach. I waited and I saw. I’m praying this is just an emotional hangover.
I’m mean seriously Nate… I KNOW you know that was one of the most embarrassing coaching jobs you’ve ever seen… tell me I’m wrong…
I mean those offensive sets… for real??? And as I said before… the whole problem with the Cavs has been utilizing KLOVE properly… and you hire Ty “Cols” Lue to fix THAT problem???
I know. But I gotta hope.
Sorry I’m venting but sheesh… Even Hoiberg said Blatt won 11 out 13 and only losses were SAS and GSW.
Man, I hope you’re right, but Lue did not engender confidence. He seemed to have a bunch of excuses lined up for the guys. Would’ve been happier if he said, “No worries, I just haven’t had time to put a boot up their asses yet.”
Looked terrible tonight, and rotations were awful. Only reason they didn’t lose by 25+ is that the Bulls stunk, too.
Griffin will likely be gone in a month.
Apparently Blatt had no idea how to write up a play, according to Chris Haynes hatchet piece on Blatt, which was ripped on by JVG. The Rich Paul All-Stars have their spirit animal in place now.
KLUTCH BABY!!!!!!!!!!!
all irving does is fancy dribblie around and get destroyed by the very first screen…his feel for the game is only on the individual level…lebron has lost a step and pushes off everytime he goes in. when the refs correctly do the noncall, he complains and no one calls him out as he loafs back on defense……love is soft mentally, even tonight instead of valuing the oppurtunity to showcase himself cause has more touches he still only got 14 on 12 shots…this is really becoming an unlikeable team
“Who’s the guy you need? This guy! Who’s the guy you’ll never get? This guy.” – Phil Jackson
Giving that he called Sac-town “Cow-town” I’d be afraid of his pet name for CLE.
EG, you gotta tee up a Vinny Del Negro next.
“I got this close with Kevin and Russ! Just give me one more chance!” – Scott Brooks
Low blow EG Low blow…. LOL
Lol…so many guys dying to come in and lead this circus…
Hilarious to go from a guy who was so well spoken, one of the best post-game interviews day in, day out to……….the team is out of shape(?????) in midseason.
I am actually laughing right now, IDK what to do anymore.
Not to mention Blatt kept all criticism in house except for calculated occasions.
EG – that was the best slate of picture posts ever!!!
Thanks for the entertainment.
“Done deal, Danny. Just have LeBron give me a call and it’s all good.” – Tom Izzo
“Are you guys friggin serious promotin’ that guy? Call me when you’re serious…” – Tom Thibodeau
Well done EG!!! Can’t believe this guy can’t get a job before Cols Lue!!!
You know Lebron would love playing under Thibs…he’d run that fat off of him…
Hmmm This guy isn’t buying into any “spirit animal” garbage. He eats nails for breakfast and so will Kyrie and Love if he comes to Cleveland.
I just… I… why? Why did I have to be born closest to Cleveland. Really, Dad? You couldn’t have chosen some nice ‘burb outside of San Antonio? I’m sure they needed industrial marketing consultants there, too.
You have to find a way to laugh about it, otherwise you’ll cry!
One of my best friends from Ohio is a Spurs fan… because he’s like good basketball. RWTW
I follow the Spurs pretty closely, one of my favorite teams. Pretty nice to follow an organization that’s not a zoo most of the time.
Do you call Tom’s show every Thursday. Dayton is Spurs country!
No, I listen to Tom on that show when he posts it here, but other than that I don’t really do sports talk radio. It’s funny they get so many Spurs calls when he’s on, though. I am really looking forward to Monday night.
Pretty tired of fat, out of shape Lebron…
“I got four years left, Dan… gimme a call.” – Larry Brown
You’re absolutely killing it tonight
Tyronn Lue says players got gassed tonight and it messed up the rotation he had predesigned. I’m not sure why players are tired mid-January. — Haynes
Yeah, that’s part of coaching Lue. Sometimes you have to improvise dude!
Imagine if Blatt ever said something like this? Can’t believe it.
BINGO…. at this point I”m just sticking around for the drama.
Yeah Blatts not allowed to talk because he didn’t play in the league and the Rich Paul all-stars don’t except that. I’m remembering why I despised LeBron. It’s all coming back.
Uh, might be because the last 24 hours were a total freaking circus and everyone’s exhausted by it.
But they only response poorly to success!
But LeBron played 40 minutes!
“I told you, Dan… You’d have to stack the money at least this high… and even then, it’s probably a hard no.” – John Calipari
He can still get Izzo…as long as Lebron commits to sign first.
Ty Lue says he did not address the team after the game. Said he learned from Scott Skiles, after an emotional loss, wait until film session
— if he’s taking cues from Skiles we are doomed!
Ty calls out the Big3 for being out of shape.
Ty Lue says he thought spirit was good and guys competed but could not make shots or FT’s..need to get into better shape to play faster — McLeod
Is Ty Lue really Cols?
Noticed Cols is nowhere to be found…
Hahahaha! Nice!
“Not with a ten-foot pole, Dan…” Mike Krzyzewski
that was unfair I spilled my scotch on that one.
This one was the best one EG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
trade lebron damn it
I’m appalled by the positive spin the local media is putting on this game . . . on this team. It just changed the way I’ll view their reporting forever. I know they’re supposed to be homers, and accept that, but . . . wow.
Well don’t be too surprised. They just ripped Blatt all over the place less than 24 hours. They might look hypocritical saying anything negative so soon on Lue.
As bad as this looks, it’s still nowhere near as lame as Bosh telling the media that guys were crying in the locker room during Miami’s first rough patch. One of my favorite moments in sports.
Well, that team turned around and won back-to-back championships, so…
“I’ma need a new job pretty soon… keep that seat warm, Ty.” – Byron Scott
Can’t wait til B. Scott’s on board and takes Kyrie out of the starting lineup! /s
“I’ve heard that the third time can be… well, you know… the charm.” – Mike Brown
LBJ is fat and out of shape
– Tyronne “the Cols” Lue
How can conditioning be a problem smack dab in the middle of the season? Lue with some head scratching comments tonight
Breaking news#!! Cavs fire Ty Lue and hire Delonte West. They figure LeBron will listen to his daddy
Lol, I would pay to see that team just for comic relief and the reality TV show it would turn. Think Jerry Springer on a basketball court.
Side comment –
Kyrie didn’t do much tonight. My feeling is that he was pretty close to Blatt.
. . . with the way they played tonight, perhaps more players were close to Blatt than we were told.
Now I understand Griffin’s comments about they have more trouble in victory than any team he’s been associated with in 25 years. I never noticed the transition to becoming a team that experiences, “the agony of victory . . . and the thrill of defeat.”
Bwahahaha, that made me laugh the most out of all the comments tonight. Well played sir.
Lue blaming tonight on pace and conditioning?????? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! That’s untrue and engenders no trust!!! HAHAHAHAHA
Yeah I know it is one game, but those remarks are a terrible terrible sign because of how utterly and completely incorrect they are.
Give the guy a break, he’s only had one day to come up with excuses for his players. I’m sure he’ll get much better at it once he’s had some more practice.
Was David Blatt also secretly the Free Throw coach?
They should of fired the shooting coach instead of the head coach.
Oh my, at least we didn’t lose to the trainwreck Suns with half their roster out like the Hawks just did…..
That last shot was an answered prayer for Goodwin… just incredible!
They butchered the play and hit a heave, but I was loving it!
Couldn’t believe they let Bazemore get the three to tie it… happy they pulled it out…
I totally think Blatt got a raw deal and LeBron never gave him a fair chance.
But tonight was just one game. Gotta give Lue some time. I mean, we don’t judge Blatt by his first-game loss to the Knicks.
“Sure, go ahead you try it’ – Blatt
[IMG]http://image.cleveland.com/home/cleve-media/width620/img/cavs_impact/photo/16779338-mmmain.jpg[/IMG]
Oops
Here’s Blatt hanging out in his apartment this evening:
Just saw the Lue post game interview. Oh my. Oh my. Oh my.
U Dog. I missed it. How bad was it?
I missed it U Dog. How bad was it?
In comparison to Blatt, it was like a guy who had 784 fewer professional wins than the guy you’re replacing.
I can’t say more because, honestly, he’s what we got for the rest of the season.
Lue just more or less called out the players for not being in good enough shape! Looks like Cols was onto something all along with the Delly being fat talk.
Cept it’s Lebron that’s fat now…
Funny how the sixers are more stable than the cavs.
Ouch, that would be hilarious if it didn’t sting so much.
Holy crap Lue sounds like a player not a coach. This is kind of funny. He needs PR training STAT
Well I wonder how RJ is now with the coaching change and DNP-CD
“I got next!” – Mark Jackson
Yes yes yes!!!
Thanks amigo.
I been looking for a reason to root for Sacramento /
Come on down, big guy! Klutch guys are always welcome!
Hahaha, as I go to cry in a corner. But seriously if that happened I might be donezo with this team.
Does Kyrie do anything any more, other than fancy dribbles? Love seems so inconsistent…
Never thought i say this but JR is the only one playing at high intensity level…
delly has done nothing in big games recently. TT is down … Shumpert ?
As someone posted in an earlier thread, Kyrie right now is Mo with a fancy dribble…
Beat a Clippers team that won 11/12 by double digits, and lose to a Bulls team that had been struggling on a back to back by double digits. Terrible rotations tonight. I know it is one game, but this is more than worrisome. And as stated above, WTF is Lue talking about injuries to other teams for. That was poor taste. The crowd should have booed more.
Yeah, this game was freaking terrible. It’s not like the Bulls have been playing well…
I think it’s time to bring Blatt back. Come on, we’ve done it with Brown. And now Ray Horton.
He’s getting paid either way, so I doubt he would even take the job back.
What Really worries me is not the loss is the pattern that this team has been showing on their last 3 losses. When an opposing team gets a decent lead against them all the sudden they just begin to choke offensively.
And how can Lue fix that?
This is about to be Lebron’s own self-imposed hell. And his team mates, coaches, and fans will be living in it.
Fire Lue…
Next coach up…
Fire that man too…
Pathetic. karma sux. Never liked Blatt but hate this org and the over paid players with no heart and chemstry.
What a joke we have become….
I want to see how many coaches Gilbert will pay at once. Maybe he can set the record.
Ha yeah, wait til they fire Lue in a couple weeks and rehire Blatt on a five year deal worth twice what his buyout was. JK, they would complete the hat trick on Mike Brown before that.
This is no longer the Cavs, it’s the Rich Paul/Klutch All-Stars!!!
Yeah, but Lebron will be happy.
The LeBron/Paul end game is to drive the Cavs further into the ground than the first time he left by strapping them with long term contracts that feed Klutch’s coffers.
Did Gilbert buy the team for $350MM and now it’s worth $1.3 to $1.5? If Lebron drives it back down to $350MM and Klutch keeps making money – Lebron wins.
Lebron is a business, man…as the saying goes.
Hopefully Lue can turn this embarrassing loss into something.
We got over 800 responses tonight.
We should fire coaches more often then.
Is that what we’re going for? Hits? Before we launch the new website?
TT with 1 point, 4 boards, and a -20 +/-
Are you kidding me?
Wowser, is that his worst line all year?!
I was embarrassed for TT. He was being abused by Gasol. I can’t help but ask myself “how much are the cavs paying this guy” when I see the weak defense, butter hands, and poor FT shooting.
Man, I hate this team right now. I think I’m going to take a sabbatical. Talk to you all after the all star break.
This has been the most bipolar january.
But how do the Cavs get blown on on games when everyone (including vegas) assumes they will have all the energy and motivation they need?
Because they are mentally soft and crack under pressure. Where most competitors would lock in, we get jittery and fall apart.
According to Griffin they crack under success!
I guess firing Blatt was such a successful move that the team just preemptively started freaking out.
They were not lacking in energy tonight imho. They were flying around the court on defense, but didn’t play smart enough on offense to capitalize, though the free throws did not help.
So strange that the Bulls were the team on the second game of the back-to-back. Maybe the players were out of it because of Blatt’s dismissal, but they’re going to run out of excuses really soon. LeBron included.