Reading Six Pack: Helping Each Other Out Brew

Each week there is a ton of NBA media pertaining to the Cavs and the league in general that deserves recognition. A lot of it goes unread because there just isn’t enough time to keep up with it during the work week. Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered with six notable reads/videos (much like the six beers in a six pack) from the past seven days to get you through the weekend feeling entertained, caught up, and much smarter. I might even suggest a beer to enjoy while reading these pieces.

This batch was fermented with an extra handful of teammate yeast. Sports Illustrated published an article by Lee Jenkins from their October 27th print issue online. Mr. Jenkins focuses on LeBron James’ development as a teammate. It’s taken the King a long time to become the transcendent creator and floor general fans witness each night, but the wait was worth it. He’s completely game changing when he facilitates.

Last season, with James on the court, Bosh shot 54.3% overall and 36.3% from three-point range. Without James he shot 37.2% and 23.1%.

His Cavs teammates from his first time in Cleveland all push the same narrative: LeBron makes basketball easier.

“Let me tell you what he’ll do,” Boozer says. “He’ll get a tape of each of [his teammates]. He’ll go home and watch each one for half an hour. He’s very smart about all this, so it won’t take him long. He’ll figure out some things he can do to get them going on the court.”

The Chosen One is always looking for ways to help his teammates, and his teammates are constantly aware of this trait. Kevin Love penned a piece for the Players Tribune detailing his summer’s ups and downs. In the piece, he chronicles how much of a camaraderie already exists between players on the Cavs by summing up the team flight for their game in Brazil.

Everything on the plane to Rio was natural, and I felt like I could be a part of something special. It was a culture that I’m not accustomed to.

I’m pretty sure the naturalness of that flight had to do with LeBron’s drive to include everyone.

When LeBron and Love arrived to the Cavs, I thought that Dion Waiters might have trouble adjusting to their ball dominance. Waiters is my favorite Cavalier, but he’s a tad nutty and might actually think he’s better than every other player in the league. However, the Syracuse kid has been making the right statements and becoming more of a ball distributor since the other two of the big three arrived. He even mentioned he wanted to learn how to play like Dwyane Wade, so he could fit in with the man from Akron. Saint Weirdo is closer to doing the same things on the court for LeBron that Wade did than people realize.

Tom Haberstroh published a piece this week that dealt with the concept of gravity and “respect” on the basketball floor. Wade has a lot of “respect” on the court, meaning his defender stays close to him when he doesn’t have the ball (despite his supposed lack of a three stroke), and that is one of the things that helped space the floor for LeBron in Miami. I’m not going to show obscure stats to prove that Wade is actually the best three chucker ever and neither will Haberstroh. It’s all about cutting.

The answer to this riddle is not simply that Wade scores a lot of points. It’s how he gets his points that matters. More specifically, he’s a deadly off-ball threat not because he’s a 3-point shooter, but because he’s a lethal cutter.

The mystery starts to reveal itself when you look at the Synergy numbers. Since losing the 2011 Finals, Wade says he has dedicated himself to cutting off the ball more for easy buckets. Not surprisingly, the data backs this up. According to Synergy’s video tracking, Wade has accumulated 497 points on cuts off the ball, which is 100 more points than anyone else in the league over that time.

Wade seemed to be flying down the lane at all times during the first Heat title run, and he would catch the ball at the perfect spot to finish with authority. Dion has shown flashes of a cutting ability, and even without Wade’s exact cutting ability, the young guard’s three stroke can help earn him the respect needed to open the floor for LBJ. In the future, Waiters could demand equal or more respect from defenses than a in his prime Wade who couldn’t shoot threes did. Can LeBron say, “upgrade?”

In not so important but definitely funny news, Chris Douglas-Roberts wants to remind people of John Stockton through his choice in shorts. Yup, CDR is bringing back the short shorts and is claiming it will help him on defense. Bernie Augustine of The New York Daily News has the inside scoop on the inseam of Mr. Douglas.

The six-year vet told the paper that he wanted the short shorts because he felt it would give him more freedom to move laterally on defense, particularly on the perimeter.

“I’m not saying you can’t move with bigger shorts, but I feel more comfortable in these,” he said.

By now, I’m sure you’re sick of pounding through four reads, so check out this piece from Grantland. It’s all about the famous people who love NBA basektball teams complete with brief statements and colorful illustrations. The Cavs super famous fan is Usher.

Finally, the last thing required to complete the media six pack is this documentary about Jamal Crawford. Why read when you can watch, right? I’ve long been a fan of Crawford because he plays basketball honestly. Defense isn’t that fun, but shooting the ball whenever you touch it is. The Four Point Play King does just that. The video focuses a lot on the Seattle Pro Am games and really shows how much Jamal contributes to the community. This is a feel good watch, and non basketball fans could even enjoy it too.

Weekend Beer for a Cavalier

Using beer just as a concept to organize some weekend reads is only fair if beer is actually mentioned. I want to give Tristan Thompson a Thunderstruck Coffee Porter from Highland Brewery. This beer has a very frothy feel when it is in your mouth, and it leaves a gentle roasted taste on the tongue for a few minutes after going down. The actual coffee aspect of the beer hits quick and recedes even quicker after each gulp.

If this taste profile were transferred to Thompson’s NBA game, he could be a secret Sixth Man of the Year candidate. Like this beer’s gentle after taste, TT’s consistent rebounding is always present for the Cavs. However, his offensive rebounding and quick dunks aren’t always around every opportunity possible like the short coffee taste of this porter. Big T needs to realize the coffee taste is an essential part of this porter and his own metaphorical NBA game. Perhaps, it is even the defining part. “Tristan, take this to heart, your offensive boards and lightning fast throwing down of the hammer are really the best parts of your game even if they don’t linger on the tongue like your rebounding. Not everyone can get offensive boards and dunk like you, so embrace it every chance you get. Don’t dribble and get blocked. Please.”