It’s good to be home….and this is the part of the season where the Wine and Gold must re-establish home court dominance…this team is too good to be 5-4 at home over the last 9 at the Q…and they know it…Getting back to getting easier, attack baskets off a quicker pace will be something to watch for tonight…

Getting Sasha Pavlovic back would help…no guarantees on #3 in the rotation tonight….he’s been pretty weak, fighting back from the flu…he will be a game time decision…

Happy Birthday to Daniel Gibson today, who turns 21…his gift? Getting to chase around Chris Paul, one of the top point guards in the world….Daniel will celebrate his birthday with family tomorrow night, once the team arrives in Dallas….

See you tonight at 7 on FSN Ohio….

Z is Back

Good news....Z is indeed back, making the trip to Miami today...he'll be back in the starting line-up tomorrow...He's been working out to get back in game shape...

Isiah Thomas used to say it only takes 2-3 days to lose game conditioning....Since Z hasn't played in nearly two weeks, he may need a little time to regain his rhythm...

But it's just great to have the big fella back...

Wild Thing, who did a very good job as a starter, averaging a double-double, will go back to his reserve role...

I think the loss of Dwyane Wade hasn't truly hit South Floridians yet...it will be all the Heat can do to hold on to the 8th spot in the East...

Random Thoughts

Just some random thoughts from last night...

The all-Orange Q was cool to see...crowd was really into the 2nd half comeback...It can't be used as an excuse, but Z, Sasha and DJ out simply took its toll...especially in that 2nd quarter....just having one of those guys might have been the difference...

This should take nothing from the Bulls who earned it and now own the tie-breaker....

Ben Wallace refused to let his team lose....doing all the dirty work he's famous for...he willed them to victory in the 4th...

It's on to Miami....must guard against a natural "No D-Wade" letdown...

Last night's win came in a heightened atmosphere...post all-star break...two playoff bound teams...sold out arena...

Anderson's winner was an amazing display of anticipation and explosion....he's been compared with a young Dennis Rodman before...but as he has gotten starter's minutes the last three games, we really see why...

Dennis was more of a pure thoroughbred type of athlete than Andy, but they share similar traits...the ability to run all night, boundless energy, amazingly quick feet, tremendous anticipation on defense and on the glass, and the innate ability to jump quickly on the 2nd jump...

Early in Rodman's career I thought he would win some rebounding titles once he became a starter, and he did...phenomenal for a guy 6-8...I think Andy has that capacity too as he gets more playing time...

Andy knows enough about Rodman to understand the comparison...adding..."he was crazy, right?" he said with his typical big smile...I told him Dennis was a little off center, but he played up the wackiness later in his career...so, I guess he became "Wild Thing" before the real "Wild Thing" in a different manner...

Andy deserved the moment last night in the game winning spotlight, with an unforgettable play...

I think there are more heroics to come....

Under the category of these guys are not robots, comes Damon Jones...he started to get sick in LA last Thursday....struggled through a media day session in Las Vegas on Friday...
He did not eat on Saturday feeling just as lousy...he did not look good following the Long distance shootout, but did not use it as an excuse...

Still felt lousy on Sunday, but still managed to do some NBA TV reporting...

On Monday...again...no food....just antibiotics...

Tuesday, travel with the team to Toronto...started eating pudding, ice cream, mashed potatoes (not in that order)...just to get something in him...

Today...he stayed at the hotel for rest and did not shoot this morning...he did rejoin his pals for the team brunch, and finally felt like eating...DJ will be a game time call...

The moral of the story...these guys are human like all of us, and go through the same physical ups and downs this time of year...but sometimes as fans and media, we aren't aware of it...but feeling like crap can translate to a poor performance...unless you are Michael Jordan of course and decide to win a title, when you should be sick in bed...

By the way, this will be a fun environment in Toronto tonight....the Raptors are legit...winners of 10 of their last 12...and I don't know why but the Air Canada Center (excuse me...Centre) is one of the loudest buildings in the NBA...very knowledgeable fans...they had a recent game when Chris Bosh scored 41 against Orlando, and the entire crowd broke into a chant of M-V-P!! M-V-P!!...Even the stoic Bosh broke into a wide grin...

See you tonight at 7 on FSN Ohio...

Second Half Starts in Toronto

The 2nd season begins here in Toronto....this is where the body clock of an NBA player turns up a notch...mentally refreshed from the All-Star break, with just 29 games to go in the regular season, not to mention the trading deadline in two days...

Daniel Gibson is a probable for tomorrow night, recovering from that left toe sprain...I really like the way Eric Snow has handled coming off the bench.....he seems to have fresher legs as a result, and really attacked in L.A....

Z is still tending to family health matters.

This will be a good test tomorrow night....The Raptors are playing like a division leader....We could see this coming in the Cavs' first visit to Toronto in November....

This will always be a hockey town, but this team has caught the fancy of Ontario because of the turnaround season..

See you tomorrow night at 7 on FSN Ohio...

Welcome to Vegas!

Welcome to Vegas, the center of the basketball world....I have not seen many airports as packed as this one...mix the usual Vegas contingent with the All-Star game and you have the makings of the ultimate hoops Mardis Gras...

This is really a place to people watch...LeBron is one of the ones being watched...he showed up at the media session looking refreshed....He told me he's looking forward to three days of fun and admitted it will give him a chance to recharge his batteries...

The first media member to fire questions at him? Donyell Marshall, who will be part of the brand new show, Sportsbeat, featuring he and Branson Wright from the PD...I asked LB how Donyell is as an interviewer...he rolled his eyes then said...."Ah....he's good" good answer...

More later today...

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to all our female wine and golders....I greet you from Salt Lake City where the blizzard of '07 is only a rumor....not only is there no snow to be found on the streets, but in the lower portion of the mountains that surround this picturesque city...

Some members of our highly acclaimed community relations staff, Colleen Garrity and Holly Yanak did seek the snow of Park City...not to ski, but to shop!!! Must be nice...

Scot Pollard, Sasha Pavlovic and assistant coach, Kenny Natt all have connections here...Scott spent the first six years of his elementary school life here...Kenny played here with the Jazz and of course was on Jerry Sloan's staff for nine years...and Sasha, as you know spent his rookie season here....he says he learned a lot in that year under Sloan....The Jazz head coach says he is not all surprised with how Sasha is playing, adding they wanted to keep in in '04, but could not find a way to protect him from the expansion draft...

The locals all remember LeBron James' last trip in here...51 points...they gave him a standing ovation that night....maybe another ovation tonight....

Cleared for Takeoff

We're ready to take off for Utah, trying to beat the Panhandle hook... (I did learn something, working with Dick Goddard for 4 years)...

Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas did not practice today and is not traveling with the team to Utah in order to take care of personal matters. His status for the game in Utah will be updated at a later time...

Scott Pollard was presented with a birthday cake...he turned 32 yesterday, but since there was no practice yesterday, the first ever cake with a blond mohawk down the middle was rolled out...the resemblance was stunning...compliments to the pastry chef...

Talk to you tomorrow from the Great Salt Lake.

Huge Win at The Q

The win over the Lakers was a must have, especially after a double digit lead at home...Sasha Pavlovic has everyone stoked...and no wonder...Brian Windhorst of the Beacon Journal said it best yesterday..."Sasha is like getting a guy in a trade without giving up anyone for him"...

The point is, Sasha had not been playing much, but has suddenly become an impact rotation guy, who is playing the kind of defense necessary to earn minutes. Plus his confidence is soaring to the point where he knows he will stay on the floor, even during rough moments...He is only 23 years old and is scary athletic...more importantly he is a guy who can get his own shot when he wants, meaning he now can play along side of LeBron instead of just behind him...

I have felt all along Sasha can be the Cavs X-factor off the bench, and when he can give them 8-12 points a game on a consistent basis, the Cavs go up a notch to being a real Conference contender...today, he played the entire 4th quarter and showed he has plenty of heart and toughness to be a night-in night-out force...

Sasha almost blushed Sunday at all the attention...but he's earned it...it really reminds me of how another eastern European who took a while to become a factor....Drazen Petrovic...a different type of player, but one who came out of Croatia at the age of 25, and at first, struggled with the Blazers and Nets, but once the 6-5 shooting guard figured it out, he became a star, only to lose his life in a tragic car accident, 4 years into his NBA career... Petrovic also wore #3, which the Nets retired in his honor...

Sasha has the potential to be a go-to guy as well...and again, he's only 23...

Wednesday night he gets to go against the team who drafted him, the Utah Jazz..it will make for intriguing television...

Speaking of Sasha...

It's been fun to watch Sasha Pavlovic develop into a serious contributor of late....he does take the Cavs up a notch when he scores as he has, and plays the kind of defense he has displayed....even last night in some possessions against Dwyane Wade he held his own with his strength...

Sasha is not terribly fond of post game interviews...partly because of his English (which he speaks very well I might add), but mainly I don't think he wants to be the center of attention...Sasha began speaking English in school in 5th grade...and he says he always got good grades in Serbia and Montenegro, schools don't give traditional A-B-C grades...but rather 1-5...with 5 being the highest....Sasha says he always got a 5 in English...Heck...I would have taken a 5 in school...

Sasha also says he knew he had sorta arrived as a master of the language, when he started having dreams, IN ENGLISH....and no longer in Serbian...he smiled when I asked him about being a crowd favorite....he brushed it off, saying he just tries to play hard all the time...and that he has been doing...playing the best basketball of his NBA career..

Jones Gets the Nod

Damon Jones was beaming after practice, getting the official nod for the Long distance shootout at All-Star weekend goes in with the necessary swagger...

DJ will duel defending champ, Dirk Nowitzki, runner-up, Gilbert Arenas, Mike Miller, Jason Terry and former Cav, Jason Kapono...All but Jason have taken atleast 2 thousand treys in their careers, and of the 4, Miller has the best career mark of 40 percent, followed by Damon's .387...

The self proclaimed world's best shooter says Vegas has him as a 5-1 favorite, followed by the rest of the field...so he has guaranteed victory...

And who will be the best dressed among them? You can fill-in the blank on that one...

Damon will not be turning down any interview requests in LV...

Damon...from Long Distance

Damon Jones shot some more 3-pointers from the 5 ball racks today, staying ready in case he gets the nod from the NBA tomorrow on the All-Star long distance shootout….some observers reminded Damon that Mark Price never took any practice before he won the title twice….in typical Damon style, he flashed a big grin and said that's "old school...I gotta find my rhythm"...

Damon promises he will not be shooting any of his leg-split threes...he acknowledges his shooting percentage goes down when he does that, as opposed to keeping his feet set…the most points you can score on 5 racks is 30…one point for the first 4 balls on each rack, and 2 points for the final "money" ball on each rack…DJ had 18 and 19 points on his two tune-ups today…

Stay tuned tomorrow for a long distance update….

Alumni Appear at Practice

The only missing face at practice today was Brad Daugherty....sitting along side Danny Ferry at practice today, numbers 25 and 22...Mark Price was in town on business, and Larry Nance stopped by to get caught up with his former teammate....I know, Mark should impart some of his free throw shooting wisdom on the guys....Think about his CAREER FT mark....90.4%...that is nuts...Mark was watching the guys shoot freebies at the end of practice today...

He did not get a chance to see Damon Jones take 3-point shots from the four ball racks as he stays ready, hoping for the official invite tomorrow to the All-Star long distance shootout...Price, a two-time winner might be able to pass along a few tips for Damon, who has never participated in the 3-point event...

Damon wants to go because of the big stage of the All-Star, and because it would show he's been consistent over the years, and because as he says, he's a walking sound bite...He would add some much needed flare to the skills competition....

Good to Great

Just a few thoughts about Sunday's loss...as Mike Brown said from day one of training camp, going from good to great takes the supreme sacrifice. The Cavs are still learning this. Going from good to great is the most painful process in the NBA. Consider the fact that only 8 franchises have won titles over the past three decades.

The Pistons of the 80's had to keep getting knocked down by the Celtics before they finally figured it out. Joe Dumars became part of the blueprint for success and has since handcrafted a similar formula for the current Pistons you saw today.

Danny Ferry and Mike Brown lived it in San Antonio and are trying to create the same will to win in Cleveland.

The bottom line is this...it takes time. The Cavs want what the Pistons have, but there are no short cuts. Losses like Sunday will make LeBron and the gang dig even deeper to try to go from good to great.

Just a few thoughts on 's loss...as Mike Brown said from day one of training camp, going from good to great takes the surpreme sacrifice. The Cavs are still learning this. Going from good to great is the most painful process in the NBA. Consider the fact that only 8 franchises have won titles over the past three decades.
The Pistons of the 80's had to keep getting knocked down by the Celtics before they finally figured it out. Joe Dumars became part of the blueprint for success and has since handcrafted a similar formula for the current Pistons you saw today.
Danny Ferry and Mike Brown lived it in San Antonio and are trying to create the same will to win in Cleveland.
The bottom line is this...it takes time. The Cavs want what the Pistons have, but there are no short cuts. Losses like today will make LeBron and the gang dig even deeper to try to go from good to great.

Tough Loss in Miami

Last night’s loss was one of the toughest to swallow because the Cavs had control for 3 and a half quarters….but it points out that this team still has to go through the process and learn how to win games like this…and you say, well how long does this process take? There is no formula or timetable…It just takes time…it takes disappointment, pain, and all that goes with it…

LeBron missing three straight free throws will most assuredly make him work on it even more…it has to…all great players go through it…that’s why this team still has a ways to go in maturing into a championship team…

Part of that maturation, is having such a distaste for losing, you work even harder to make sure it doesn’t happen again….but losses will continue to come, but you still have to have that mindset, and that’s what I see with this team…getting knocked down, and getting up again…they know they were the better team last night, but failed to close it out….all this is part of the process, which is why Danny Ferry has wanted to keep his core group in tact, so they can grow that chemistry together…and we haven’t even talked about understanding all this in the post-season….that’s an entirely different animal…

Daniel Gibson continues to impress me with his desire to take the big shot, and make it….he is a real keeper…yes, he will have some bad nights, but I can assure you he has the make-up to learn….he has that burning desire to excel…I have seen it since day one of camp…

I know it’s hard to be patient…but as a broadcaster I’ve witnessed the ups, the downs, and the ups again….there are still 2 and a half months left in the regular season…expect the roller coaster ride to continue….it’s called the NBA…