Recap: 76ers 95, Cavs 91 (Or, Down goes Jamison, down stay the Cavs)
2011-02-28Overview: Antawn Jamison broke his finger in the third quarter of a 91-95 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Ramon Sessions and J.J. Hickson combined for 42 points, and were the only players to score 20 or more points.
And now Jamison is gone bullets:
– Let’s talk about the Jamison injury. This is a potentially huge opportunity for the Cavs to get someone willing to work hard on defense in the starting lineup and finish the season/the first games of the Baron era on a respectable note. However, it remains to be seen if the Cavs’ wafer-thin frontline will be able to replace Jamison’s sheer shot creation. I think a replacement-level forward who works on defense would make the team better.
However, I’m not sure if Hollins, Harangody, Erden, or Samardo fit that bill, and I don’t know if Graham can guard fours. The best scenario I can think of is Hollins or Erden starting at center and moving J.J. to power forward, but I’m afraid of J.J. floating back to the perimeter at all. Maybe the Cavs should try and develop Eyenga into a LRMAM forward with his length? Probably not. Or just give Manny Harris the starting four slot. And start Baron at the three. Might as well have fun, right? I need to play NBA 2K less and sleep more.
– I am not saying anything about Jamison here, who by every account is the class act to end all class acts. I’m just saying that if the trade deadline had passed, I was on a last-place team, and I suffered a hand injury, I’d make ABSOLUTELY sure that hand was 110% okay before practicing again. I mean, really absolutely sure.
– Loving Hickson. More offensive rebounds (9) than attempted jump shots (4). Now we’ll see what happens to him without Jamison in the starting lineup.
– Oh, Ramon Sessions, how many more 20/10 games on 13 shots will you be allowed to have? In February, Sessions has averaged 19.9 points per game, 8.8 assists, and shot 56.3% from the field. I’m not saying Ramon doesn’t have serious problems, and I’m not even ready to definitively call him the point guard of the future yet. I’m just saying that if Jonny Flynn was doing this, people in Minnesota would be losing their collective poop.
– Gibson hasn’t been the same since that injury. Maybe Sessions should be the one getting pissed about Boobie calling himself the “King of Cleveland.”
– I’m hoping Parker’s 1-8 was an anomaly and not a “crap, I don’t get to play for the Bulls and Rasual freaking Butler does” thing.
That’s all for tonight/this morning. Until later.
Jamison going down is going to be a disaster for Hickson. There is simply no other option than moving him to 4 and starting Hollins or Erdin at C. Starting Hickson + Samuels is almost laughable. That frontline will get utterly blitzed. What no one wants to admit is that Jamison is the type of player needed for Hickson to excel. You need a smaller guy to play next to Hickson who can shoot the ball. Why? Because it ensures the opposing teams C will guard Hickson and not the other post player. I really have very little belief in… Read more »
I agree with the person who said the games are getting more entertaining. Maybe it has been all the home games with the crowd support in the background. It still amazes me how good these fans are. Go Cleveland!
I actually like Manny a lot, but his minutes are on a yo-yo.
Sessions is playing really well right now. Sure he still has a few defensive lapses and uncanny turnovers, but still, “stats don’t lie”. Right now he’s playing like a true starting point guard. I’m not sure if it’s because Scott’s system or if Ramon has just improved that much or if he’s on a string of luck. Bottom line if he continues to perform and works hard to get better, we’ll be talking about how underrated he is versus just saying he’s still not a starting pg. He’s 24 which can be considered the start of his prime years. JJ… Read more »
Oops.. I meant Jamison’s injury is NOT serious…you get me.
Totally agree. I was rather thrilled that Jamison went out, but it is clearly now a very serious injury to have. Best of both worlds. I would like to see Erden get some real playing time, but am also terrified of Hickson wandering outside again. Perhaps we can try it with Byron giving Hick the crazy eye anytime he gets jumper happy. Part of the reason he has been boarding better on D is the fact that he can out-quick opposing 5s. We won’t be any good with Hick in the starting lineup until he figures out how to play… Read more »
Ramon’s incredibly shifty. God. If he could just get a passable jump shot, and learn to get over a screen, he’d be electric. But end of the game Sunday was the encapsulation of the problem with Ramon: Cavs down by three with the crowd going crazy and Ramon falls asleep on defense, and all the sudden they’re down by 8. Game over. If he could only keep his head in the game defensively… Also. Samardo Samuels looked like a passable NBA bench player. I didn’t think I’d see the day. Philly would be frisky if they had a center.