Cleveland Cavaliers

My thoughts on this week in sports

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Dorsey 1 Jackson 0

Jackson wanted AJ McCarren but was over ruled. Dorsey clearly has the ear of Browns ownership that allowed him to sign Tyrod Taylor over Jackson’s objections. That was a good move because Taylor helped the Bills get to the playoffs. The book on McCarren has mostly blank pages.

The Cavs have fallen and can’t get up.

Having lost 2 games to the Clippers then to the lowly Lakers, their chances of getting to the NBA finals don’t look good. That is hard for me to say because at one time I was a part owner of the Caves when they were a publicly held company.

The Buckeye’s basketball team got disted by the NCAA.

The “New Criteria” for ranking is supposed to devalue the last 10 games. That did not apply to the Bucks. The team stumbled badly late in the season and lost the 1st playoff game in the Big 10 Tourney. The NCAA gave them a 5th seed and a very bad matchup.

The Legion of Boom is now the Friendly Skies of United

CB Richard Sherman is a very dedicated man. He will give fits to the Seahawks for years … Read more at FryingPanSports

Top 5 Questions facing AFC West Teams

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DV    5How fast can Elway get QB Paxton Lynch ready?
4Can Run game be top 5 this year? It will have to be.
3Can DV D Overcome D losses of DT Williams, olb Watson & cb Watson?
2Can the additions on O line of Leary & Watson solve the problem?
1Can DV win games with Siemian at QB or will Lynch start for DV?
KC     5Was OT Okung addition by subtraction?
4Can RB Kareem Hunt replace Charles as the all-around back?
3Can Smith find anyone to catch the ball since Maclin is gone?
2Did KC do enough to replace FA DT Dontari Poe?
1Did the move up to get Mahomes indicate KC are not happy with Smith?
OK     5When will S Reggie Nelson and Karl Joseph return to work?
4Who will carry the ball for OK? Lynch is 96 and the others are small.
3Did OK do enough at REC getting WR Patterson & TE Cook?
2Can OLB Irvin give OK Pass rush opposite DE Mack?
1When will QB Derek Carr be ready to start and will he be as effective as last year?
… Read more at FryingPanSports

Top 5 Questions facing the AFC East teams

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BF 5How long can BF stay with their stadium situation?
4Can WR Watkins stay healthy all year?
3Will the D be as good as in 2015 as it gets older at key positions like DT?
2Can BF keep the run game going with McCoy and more stable O line?
1Can Taylor offer the kind of passing game to truly contend in the AFC East?
MI 5Can MI really challenge NE for the AFC East title?
4Will D additions of Timmons, Allen & McDonald help?
3Will the high priced D finally live up to their salaries?
2Can MI get as much out of Jay Ajayi as last year 1,272 yards, 8 touchdowns?
1Can Adam Gase push Ryan Tannehill to the next level?
NE 5How much longer will Tom Brady still be effective?
4When will TE Gronk be healthy & can he survive a complete season?
3Will the D be as effective in the playoffs with the loss of Ryan, Sheard & Long?
2Will the O additions be enough to keep NE at the top of the AFC?
1Will a rush-by-committee be enough to earn one
… Read more at FryingPanSports

Boston Celtics in the playoffs.

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NOTE:  On NNR Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports, Tony Williams of Metro NY and I discussed the news of the day and NNR Mock draft on fryingpansports.com/radio-show.  Thanks 4 listening.

After the Celtics went down 2 games in the 2017 NBA playoffs I tweeted this:

“TO Celtics-Thanks for playing. Pick up a home version of the game on your way out of the playoffs.”

I was right up to the point that Rondo broke his thumb.  Now the Celtics are back in the series because of a “Very Lucky Break.”  I don’t believe the Celtics can get past the Cavs but for now they could win this series.

That is what I think.  Tell us what you think by commenting here or tweeting me @NNRonDSN.

NOTE:  News, Notes and Rumors podcast are BACK.  Check out our thoughts on Fridays about the games coming up and Monday on the results of the weekend.  My co-host is Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports.  Podcasts can be heard on https://fryingpansports.com/radio-show/. Thanks for your support.

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has officiated both football and basketball, done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. … Read more at FryingPanSports

Cavs don’t need a stinking Defense, they have it now!

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NOTE:  On NNR Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports and I discussed the NFL news of the day and a current topic of interest on fryingpansports.com/radio-show.

During the 2 games in Cleveland the Fans were chanting “Defense-Defense.”  The players looked at each other wondering what Defense was.

Defense has been missing all season.  While the regular season is one thing, it will be difficult in the playoffs for the Cavs to win with a D that ranked 20th overall.  Playoff games are half court affairs that depend on Defense, rebounding and free throws as much as anything.  Cavs fans had hoped that the team would “flip a D switch” and become the type of squad they were last year when they ranked 4th in points allowed.  That defensive effort helped them win the title last season.

The problem is the team does not have enough defensive players.  They signed a rim protector (Andrew Bogit) but he lasted just 53 seconds before he was hurt.  James is a solid defender but that is about all the Cavs have.  JR Smith is no longer a factor on D and Shumpert is no factor on either end of the floor.

While the … Read more at FryingPanSports

It is time for Larry Dolan to open his pocketbook.

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Tribe

NOTE: On NNR Samantha Bunten of NBC Sports and I discussed the Cavs draft, the recent news in the NBA & NFL, and the biggest questions facing the teams in the AFC South & West.

The Indians are struggling as usual. Those of you that listen to NNR know all I expect from the Tribe is that they stay interesting until the Browns opens training camp. Unfortunately that seldom happens.

The problem is that while his nephew James L. Dolan is willing to spend big bucks on the New York Knicks, Larry Dolan is a tightwad in owning the Indians. Evidently Larry has never heard the adage “it takes money to make money.”

The Knicks are the 5th highest payroll in the NBA. In 2014-15 they spent 80.1 million. The Tribe is the 26th highest spending team spending 63.8 million.

The Tribe is offensively and defensively challenged. If the good pitching gives up 2 runs, the team has little chance of winning. If the questionable defense adds an unearned run, the team has no chance of coming back.

Early this year several “experts” were expecting the Tribe to get into the playoffs. That prediction was in the … Read more at FryingPanSports