LeBron & Co. are “Befuddled”
Photo. MannionSolid Cavs blog Cavalier Attitude is understandably distressed over the way LeBron & Co. are playing against Boston. CA describes ‘Bron as “befuddled,” correctly pointing out that James is playing into the Celts’ hands by settling for long jumpers over and over and over again.
Another object of Cavalier Attitude’s ire? Anderson Varejao. From CA’s post today:
One thing that provoked profanity-laced tirade after profanity-laced tirade from me was watching Anderson freaking Varejao put the ball on the floor and attack the basket as if he was Kevin Garnett himself. Let’s get this much straight: Varejao has completely wore out his welcome in Cleveland after the garbage play he has put up since the trading deadline.
It was one thing to demand a six-year, $60 million deal in the offseason like a complete buffoon – it’s quite another to follow up those theatrics by playing like a piece of crap. Anderson Varejao cannot and will not be anything more than a role player. Yet, here he is, demanding superstar money and playing as if he has plays drawn up for him. With him and his agent coming up with a cute little contract that features an out after next year, Varejao has to be involved in any and all trades this summer.Unfortunately for the Cavs, I’m sure league executives watch these games, and since Isiah Thomas is no longer employed by an NBA team, it’s highly doubtful that these General Managers haven’t caught on to this. Varejao used to be the name that Danny Ferry received the most calls for from prospective trade partners. Unless GMs around the league are blind, stubborn, or simply don’t care, it’s hard to believe that this won’t change.
If you’ve been a reader of Dimemag.com for the last year, you know how we felt about Anderson’s contract holdout this past offseason (HERE and HERE).
May 9th, 2008 at 11:02 am
Kermit Washington says:
I thought the same thing while watching this game…how Bron was playing into the Celts hands by jacking up jumpers left and right. NO WAY that Kobe does something like this; it is mad obvious now why Kobe’s on a whole different planet than Bron Bron. He would NEVER have allowed a team to shut him down 2 games in a row like that.
Wake up Bron….these next 2 games are yours to win.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:07 am
yallallreadyknow says:
anderson is a bum. who the hell is he to ask for even $6mil, let alone $60mil?…hahaha.. comical.
i thought lebron was a 6′9, 260lbs small forward?…then why the hell isn’t he posting up anybody?..EVER? instead of having lebron play playmaker from 30ft away at the top of the key, let him go down on the block and play playmaker out of the post they way magic, payton and strickland did.
if no double team comes, then abuse ur defender. how hard is it to recognize this?
cleveland sucks. they need a makeover.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:17 am
GEE...Don't be pullin on my church clothes! says:
I am glad Cleveland is sucking perhaps this will be the catalyst to finally get some real change going on in Cleveland.
They should get rid of Anderson and first they never should have let dude back on.
Guess it will be back to “trying” to get All-Star Mvp’s for LeBron.
Hope they get swept.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Logan Light says:
@Yallallreadyknow:
LeBron did post up a couple of times down low… Truth is, that although he is big enough and quick enough to score there, he doesn’t have the shot selection with his back to the basket. He’s played like a guard his entire career. Definitely something that he could add to his game. His fade aways last night looked bad… he just needs to get that touch down.
Varejao is retarded. I had such a hard time accepting the idea of him getting paid that much money… why any franchise outside of New York (sorry) would do that, has got me confused. He is a role player.
But isn’t this deja vu? I think I remember a playoff game where Varejao received the pass in the post, looked off LeBron, and then tried a spinning layup that drew nothing but air… I think the Cavs lost that game, but correct me if I’m wrong… oh, and THEN he held out for more money.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:24 am
len-e says:
ok. unfortuneatly the wizards couldn’t get past lebron and the other 11 3-point shooters, but these 6 physical games apparantly wore dude down. lebron was right saying he “was built for that” but i doubt he’s built for that over the course of three playoff series!
love 2 hate
May 9th, 2008 at 11:29 am
doc says:
I seen Showbe get his ass handed to him in playoffs before. here we go with the Showbe is god talk.Hes the nicest in the L we get that.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:03 pm
Kermit Washington says:
@ Doc
But son…what was that, Kobe’s rookie year? He ain’t had it handed to him since. And I’m bringing it up every freakin chance I get, just to drill it through every skull that still holds the idea that Bron is the best player in the league. He’s nice, great even. But this series so far has shown how far he has to go to be truly great. So all I’m sayin is calm the “Bron is God” ish. If you don’t subscribe to that nonsense, then that’s 1 down, 6,000,000 to go
May 9th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
bron42 had springs before slamball says:
can someone please explain to me why everyone keeps saying for lebron to post up like he is kevin mchale or something? Just because your big doesn’t suddenly mean you have post moves or post game. Being big and athletic is completely different than having every skill set in the book. All the celtics are doing is showing who lebron is, a streaky shooter who uses his size and athletic ability to get by for now. Not a 3 point shooter, not a good midrange shooter and not duncan in the post. So as long as he keeps tryin t prove people wrong by forcin those issues, the celtics will walk through this series. Not to mention boobie is the leading scorer in all the closeout games for a reason.
Anderson Varejao = brian cardinal..enough said. he sucks but hes tall and will get paid somehow
May 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
GEE...Don't be pullin on my church clothes! says:
Bron I thought about your words last night homey. I have to give you your do. You had been saying for a minute LeBron was nothing but driving and at this point I have to give it up.
You were right pimpin…you were right.
What he did against Detroit was still amazing but at this point his weakness are showing.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
JDizzle says:
I really don’t like the way Cleveland’s offense looks. I think Lebron has the ball in his hands WAY too much. Not even Kobe dominates the ball that much. There is too much standing around. There are some good pieces there (Joe Smith is solid, Sczerbiak and Gibson can spot up shoot, etc), but they just don’t work together. Listening to Mike Brown’s interview last night, he says that he wants James to have the ball that much. I think Mike Brown’s philosophy is screwing them up.
yallallreadyknow – I agree, Lebron James should be posting up/driving to the hole 90% of the time. That’s where he’s dangerous. The Celts want him to shoot, and he is really not a good shooter (he’s very streaky).
What other pieces do you guys think Cleveland needs to get over the top?
May 9th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
doc says:
All u Bron haters.If he win the next 4 just like last year what u gonna say.Kermit Showbe been in the playoffs every year except 1 since Shaq left so I aint tryin to hear that rookie year shit.Bron lost 2 road games in the playoffs.If he lose at home then its time to worry.It would be comical seeing any other star play for Bron team.Only he can carry bums like that.Save the hate.And he can post up because ive seen him do it.Its just dum ass Mike Brown dont know how to demand it.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
doc says:
J dizz.Kobe aint gonna dominate the ball that much because he got a coach with a system to help him succeed.Not a coach who just give u the ball at the top of the key and get the hell out the way.I swear he coaches like zones still arent allowed.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
Kermit Washington says:
@ Doc
Dog, you’re going off on a whole different subject here…I said that I’ve never seen Kobe get handled like Bron has in this series (with the exception of his rookie year), and so now Bron’s flaws are glaringly obvious now, and all Bron or Kobe comparisons should be officially SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY, until dude steps his game up.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
doc says:
Whoever compares Bron and Kobe dont know ball.Thats 2 different games.Thats like comparing Mike to Bird or some shit like that.U cant.2 totally different games and great in their own way.Kobe is the only player in the league without a weakness.But when he was 23 he had some.This is his first flawless year really at 29 so give Bron 6 years and see what hes accomplished by then before we say whos the greatest.Of course the 29 yr old star more seasoned than the 23 yr old one.The series is only 2 games in so he didnt get handled yet.Dudes was on this site saying the same shit last year when he was down 2-0 against the D.I was here I know.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Lady Luck says:
I do think Lebron can be successful in the post…even if it’s the high post. He can create because he is still a great passer. Also..on the wing, run baseline, set some screens, anything to get him the ball closer to the basket, or with some motion. I think that anything would be better than the other 4 Cavs spreading out behind the 3 point line like it’s an invisible fence while the defense concentrates on Lebron dribbling out beyond the 3 pt line and then launching a difficult jumper. The Cavs have NO offensive sets. Aside from Lebron and Z, no one else on the team can score consistently. Maybe if there were some motion in the offense, more people could get something going. , which is why I think D’Antoni and Mike Brown should both coach the team.
Lebron is capable of being a threat from the post. It is something that he could add to his game, and something the COACH should try. He attempted this in the last game of the Wizards series, and it was successful.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
doc says:
All I know is give the youngin somebody on Pau and LO level and its a wrap for other teams.Him and Shobe finals until they get old.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
doc says:
Dizz people know Kob better than bron right now all around but that dont mean u would pick Kob on your team over bron and thats what dudes be saying.Its what u like best basically.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:01 pm
Kermit Washington says:
Celts have shown that all you need to shut Bron down is take away his drive. If he can’t drive and barrel through cats for layups and dunks, then he has to rely on a relatively weak jumper that only falls if he’s extremely hot. I guess if you like that best….
And yeah, give him better teammates, and more time, and he’ll be all set. And he’s already the second-best player in the L, but he’ll be waaaaay better if he gets his flaws handled.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Amar Panchmatia says:
Thanks for the shoutout, guys. I really appreciate it.
May 9th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
bron42 had springs before slamball says:
I love how lebron homers are up his ass soooo much that he soots 3-57 or something and people still blame his teammates lol. His teammates are the only reason their even in the games at this point. Big Z has been more clutch than lebron so far. could you all please get off his nuts? hes a big pg, but the rest of his game is still average when it comes to shooting and defense and teams are showin that. Just like the spurs last year, any team that really plays FULL team defense (not just sticking one guy on him ala ronnie brewer) murder lebron cuz he can’t just use his size to his advantage that easy. 90% of lebrons points come from fast break, wide open lane dunks and foul shots. Now that hes not gettin those, we suddenly blame his teammates even more. Your right, lebron shouldn’t have to fix his flaws, he just needs better players around him.
And on top of that you make it like lebron is the only guy to ever get a average team to the playoffs by himself….your right, tmac never did it, iverson never did it, vince carter never did it, etc…so lets not make i like hes teh first guy to be on a team that wasn’t stacked with people. hence the sarcasm
May 9th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Chuck...A source of knowldge for all says:
@Gee
wasup yo?
This will not be a catalyst for change for Cleveland. I mean it’s too late. The way contracts are dealt with in the NBA is just freakin stupid. They can’t do anything with what they have, they don’t even have decent trade bait!! They have Ben Wallace, (washed up big time 16 mil), Wally, (slow as bigfoot 12 mil). Nobody wants that crap, they should have stuck with what they had. I liked Larry hughes when he wasn’t hurt, he just had a hard time adapting to Mike Brown’s sh*tty system. I didn’t like Marshall, I mean dude was crappy, but he didn’t make 12 or 16 mil a season. NBA contracts need to be like NFL contracts, you get a bonus which you are gauranteed, but they should be able to cut you when you aren’t producing. That would motivate these players to give there all.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
JDizzle says:
Doc
I agree, Mike Brown is mostly at fault for not putting Lebron in a situation to capitalize on his strengths, but I think it is also laziness on Lebron’s part. I see it with Baron Davis a lot. He has the strength to get to the hole, but often times he settles for step back three’s. It’s infuriating.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
hahns says:
would mike brown ever take a demotion??? cavs would have an amazing coaching staff if they had brown AND dantoni like lady luck suggested.
as much as i hate mike brown and think he looks like an idiot when he talks basketball…his team gets stops. ie wiz series, boston series, last years finals.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
COME ON!!!!! says:
Lebron needs some help before he gets frustrated and bounces. Kobe has an off night and the Lakers can still win. Lebron having an off night equals a loss. There is MUCH more talent surrounding Kobe…the addition of Gasol is what finally put the Lakers over the top. Lebron needs his help too. Plus if Kobe was Lebron age and on the same team he would be jacking up even more shots…look at Kobe’s 81 and that was last year.
May 9th, 2008 at 9:19 pm
COME ON!!!!! says:
Lebron needs some help before he gets frustrated and bounces. Kobe has an off night and the Lakers can still win. Lebron having an off night equals a loss. There is MUCH more talent surrounding Kobe…the addition of Gasol is what finally put the Lakers over the top. Lebron needs his help too. Plus if Kobe was Lebron age and on the same team he would be jacking up even more shots…look at Kobe’s 81 and that was last year.
May 10th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
Ferdiberdi says:
I like LBJ’s game but I have to say there’s still some changes to be done. He and mike brown are still using that predictible pick-and-roll which all good D teams like SA, Detroit, and Boston have figured out.
LBJ doesn’t have that low and high post game yet. I really wonder why he doesn’t punish guys in the post. That’s what separates him from MJ and Kobe. Plus the fact that his FTs are streaky unlike the 2.
Mike Brown should go if they mess up in this play-offs. Same old problems every year.