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LeBron, Ilgauskas show off skills, but Hughes, Jones don't in sloppy scrimmage at Rhodes Arena
By Brian Windhorst Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Oct 06, 2007
The Wine & Gold Scrimmage at Rhodes Arena has become a tradition in the first week of October.
So has the outcome.
As usual, after just three full days of practice, the Cavaliers were sloppy in their first public showing of the season. The Wine team, the side that had LeBron James, won 67-44.
''Tonight was really raggedy,'' Cavs coach Mike Brown said. ''We saw some bits and pieces of what we expect throughout the preseason.''
Nothing is solidified this week in camp, but there were things to digest from the 48-minute scrimmage.
The good
James looked to be near midseason form, showing excellent energy and athleticism. He threw down a few dunks and made a few jump shots on his way to 14 points with four assists.
Daniel Gibson had nine points, seven rebounds and three steals. Moreover, he showed his developing inside game as he was able to drive and get to the basket.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas was smooth in his time on the floor, hitting 5-of-6 shots and 5-of-6 free throws for 15 points, and six rebounds. Plus a no-look, behind-the-back pass to Donyell Marshall for a layup.
Shannon Brown showed athletic moves on both offense and defense and handled the ball well. He scored nine points and had two steals.
The bad
Larry Hughes, despite his efforts to improve his jumper in the offseason with coach Mark Price, got off to a poor start. He made his first shot, a 3-pointer, and then missed his next 12 to finish 1-of-13 from the field, scoring five points.
''This is the first time this week that my shots haven't fallen,'' said Hughes, who has been impressive in practices. ''It felt good. They just weren't falling.''
Damon Jones had five assists playing point guard for the Gold team, but he shot 2-of-11 from the field.
Darius Rice, who is trying to make the team as a free agent, shot 1-of-7 from the field and 0-of-3 from 3-point range.
The ugly
The Cavs, one of the worst free-throw shooting teams in the NBA last season, shot 15-of-32 at the line.
In the first half, James airballed a free throw.
The Gold team shot just 31 percent from the field.
James on Hatgate
James addressed the stir he caused by going to the Indians' playoff game Thursday wearing a New York Yankees hat. He has been a Yankees fan for much of his life and has worn the hat on many other occasions:
''I'm not trying to hurt anybody. I'm just trying to be a true fan, that's all. I'm a fan of the Indians, too, don't put that past me. It's just that they're going against the Yankees. When you're a fan of a team, you're a die-hard fan; you don't change no matter where you are from. I definitely heard the fans at the game, especially getting killed like we did last night.''
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
The Wine & Gold Scrimmage at Rhodes Arena has become a tradition in the first week of October.
Get the full article here.
