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Blogmail response on Hafner
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Stallworth's contract terminated
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QB in Browns future: another mock draft
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KSU Notes – February 9
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NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
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Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
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Garfield at Buchtel basketball
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Palin At The Tea Party Convention
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Republican Pre-Conditions
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Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
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Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
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Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
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Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
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Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
New guys fit in, play well in easy win over Grizzlies
By Brian Windhorst
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Feb 25, 2008
CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers have been reborn, it seems, several times this season. There was the arrival of holdouts, the return of key players from injury, and now new faces from the largest trade in team history. So Sunday didn't seem like the first day of school at Quicken Loans Arena, after all it is sort of the middle of the semester, as much as a day at the circus.
The sellout crowd, the coaches and even the players themselves were quite anxious to see how the new pieces fit. So there was lots of excitement and wonder, but not too many answers just yet. Just as would be expected considering the circumstances.
The Cavs throttled a severely inferior Memphis Grizzlies outfit 109-89 and had quite a bit of fun in doing so.
The fresh four of Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak, Joe Smith and Delonte West all made significant contributions, which fed the frenzy. LeBron James and Zydrunas Ilgauskas had good games as well, leading to the blowout.
''This might have been the first time in a long time I got chills when I took the court,'' said Smith, who had 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and six rebounds off the bench.
''When we ran out on the court for warm-ups, the crowd reaction and how they accepted us, I kind of got goose bumps.''
No one, though, was treated better than Wallace. The crowd was dotted with homemade signs with some connotation of ''Big Ben'' in them. He responded with a series of energy plays, from getting a steal on the Cavs' first
defensive possession to forcing a five-second call with pressure defense in the fourth quarter.
He also showed some hints of how he might fit into the Cavs' (32-24) offense, taking advantage of double-teams on James and Ilgauskas to get five dunks. Wallace finished with 12 points, which tied his season high, 10 rebounds and two steals.
There were times when he looked out of place and some defensive possessions during which he was burned because he was out of position or pulled farther from the basket than normal. Overall, though, his effort was strong for a first try and he was rewarded with a standing ovation when he left the game.
''His ability to get up and rebound and throw down dunks (showed his potential),'' James said. ''He's rejuvenated.''
It might be a little early to confirm that, but there was no questioning the uptick in energy. Same for Szczerbiak and West, who weren't as efficient but still made an impact. Szczerbiak scored 10 points, making two 3-pointers. West went just 2-of-12 from the floor, struggling to make his jumper. But he had six assists and three steals.
James, as usual, handled the sometimes chaotic scene with aplomb. The Cavs were messy at times, committing 19 turnovers, but he cruised to 25 points, seven rebounds and, with some new weapons around him, 11 assists. In the four games during the week, he averaged 28.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 10.5 assists.
Ilgauskas got off to a good start playing alongside Wallace, putting up 22 points with 13 rebounds for his 24th double-double.
The Grizzlies (14-42), who are a woeful 4-23 on the road and were without starting shooting guard Mike Miller, were led by Hakim Warrick's 21 points. They were merely the sideshow in this one, as the crowd roared at the overall display in the easy win.
''The crowd was great,'' Wallace said. ''We didn't get booed tonight so that was a good feeling for me.''
Brian Windhorst can be reached at bwindhor@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/cavs/.
CLEVELAND: The Cavaliers have been reborn, it seems, several times this season. There was the arrival of holdouts, the return of key players from injury, and now new faces from the largest trade in team history. So Sunday didn't seem like the first day of school at Quicken Loans Arena, after all it is sort of the middle of the semester, as much as a day at the circus.
Get the full article here.
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