Scott is a three-time NBA champion as a player and coached two New Jersey teams to the Finals. More questions about LeBron James' character and his departure. And, J.J. Hickson, Anderson Varejao and Danny Green's roles.
Cavaliers coach Byron Scott won't pout about the departure of LeBron James.Cleveland, Ohio -- New Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott was a standout guard on three Los Angeles Lakers' championship teams in the 1980's. As a coach, he led the New Jersey Nets to Eastern Conference titles in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons.
Scott nurtured the Nets and later the New Orleans Hornets from being struggling outfits to becoming feared teams. With such a successful resume, Scott is not going to adopt a negative outlook on the Cavaliers' future. Marc J. Spears writes about Scott and the Cavaliers for Yahoo! Sports:
Scott has previously guided other rebuilding situations with the New Jersey Nets and Hornets. The difference is that the Cavs had the NBA’s best record the past two seasons and are expected to dramatically fall off without James.
“It’s a big difference because this organization the past two or three years is used to winning, whereas in Jersey we had to change their culture and try to change their thinking to make them winners,” Scott said. “The same in New Orleans. This organization is already used to winning. There are a bunch of guys on this team that aren’t going to accept losing. That makes my job a little bit easier, but at the same time they got a coach that won’t accept losing either.”
When Scott was named by the Cavaliers as their coach on July 1, he and the team didn't know if two-time NBA MVP LeBron James would re-sign with the team as a free agent. Of course, James announced on July 8 that he would sign with the Miami Heat, prompting an emotional, no-holds-barred indictment of James by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.
Marc J. Spears writes about Scott's take on Gilbert's fiery rebuke of James:
“I love his passion. I really do,” Scott said. “Some of the stuff he said, I know some people took offense to it, obviously. You got Jesse Jackson saying it’s racial and it’s a slave mentality. I don’t know Dan that well, and I haven’t known him for a long time. But that’s the last thing that it was all about. He was hurt and he felt that this was a place [James] should be. I read it, I listened. And the next day when they talked about it, I made no bones about it.
“I want an owner that’s passionate and wants to win and is driven to win. That’s why he is so successful in the business he is doing.
“I had no problem with it. Most people took it the right way, and a lot of people in Cleveland did. But you got a lot of people that didn’t. I got his back.”
The Plain Dealer and cleveland.com/cavs covers the Cavaliers. Plain Dealer Cavaliers beat writer Brian Windhorst writes about power forward J.J. Hickson's strong play in the Las Vegas Summer League. Hickson is expected to have an expanded role next season.
Tough to handle
As the Cavaliers try to move ahead, James continues to be ridiculed about how he handled his departure from Cleveland -- including the bizarre "The Decision" special on ESPN when he announced his move -- and his behavior is now coming under intensified scrutiny.
Adrian Wojnarowski writes a lengthy story on James for Yahoo! Sports. He describes how James' move to Miami materialized and how James' attitude has for years turned off people involved in the sport.
For instance, Wojnarowski writes about Team USA's approaching trip to the 2008 Summer Olympics:
From Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski to managing director Jerry Colangelo to NBA elders, the issue of James’ immaturity and downright disrespectfulness had become a consuming topic on the march to the Olympics. The course of history could’ve changed dramatically, because there was a real risk that James wouldn’t be brought to Beijing based on fears his monumental talents weren’t worth the daily grind of dealing with him.
Wojnarowski writes about the days leading to the telecast of the roundly-criticized "The Decision."
Back in Akron, James still wanted to go through his live hourlong television show on July 8 to announce his decision. This had been Maverick Carter’s big idea, his production, and still people around him worried about the fallout in Cleveland. Several friends told James this was a bad idea to do to his hometown, that leaving the Cavaliers live on national television would make this a public-relations disaster for him.
James didn’t seem to agree, didn’t think it made a difference. Mad was mad, he thought. He would take a beating, but it would subside and people would love him again in Cleveland.
Danny's chance
Among the young Cavaliers' players who will get an opportunity to make an impact next season is Danny Green. Cleveland picked the North Carolina alum in the second round of the 2009 draft.
Bob Finnan writes about Green for the News-Herald and Lorain Morning Journal:
The second-round pick will probably never be a star, but he can be a role player for the team. Green, who is heading into his second season with the Cavs, averaged 2.0 points in 20 games as a rookie.
"His learning curve has to pick up a little faster," Cavs summer-league coach Paul Pressey said. "This is the second time around for him. He needs to be a higher level of player on the floor. But I love him because he has fundamentals."
Questions linger
Conversation continues about events leading up to Miami's signing of James and Chris Bosh, while keeping its own free agent, Dwyane Wade.
Terence Moore of NBA FanHouse writes that there needs to be an investigation. Among other things, Moore refers to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's claim that James "quit" during this spring's conference semifinal round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics:
Did James quit?
Well, if the fix wasn't in, Stern would tell everybody that the commissioner either did -- or that he was going to do -- exactly what Gilbert suggested: Go back and look at the tape.
For those of us who did, it wasn't pretty.
In Game 5, for instance, the Cavaliers were ripped by 32 points on their home court with James looking apathetic throughout. He made just three of his 14 shots from the field.
Worse, in the decisive Game 6 for the Celtics, James played as if his mind was in -- let's see -- South Beach or something.
When the Cavaliers needed to scramble from a deficit at the end, Mike Brown tried to get James and the rest of his players to foul. Not only did James ignore his coach to the point of waving him off, according to one report from the Associated Press, but anybody watching on HD or otherwise could see that James was distracted, disinterested or both.
Looking for answers
The Cavaliers will now rely even more on the relentless hustle of Anderson Varejao.The Cavaliers must make decisions on how to approach their future. Zac Jackson details 10 questions about the team for FoxSportsOhio.com, including "What about (Anderson) Varejao?:"
Just a 7-point per game scorer for his career, he’s made his name with hustle plays and defense. Now it’s the next step for Varejao, who will not only have to find ways to score without those unbelievable passes from LeBron but without his on and off the court mentor in Zydrunas Ilgauskas. It’s going to be Varejao’s seventh year in the NBA and though he’s never going to be an 18-point a night guy, the Cavs are going to need him to perform like an All-NBA defender and be good enough chasing rebounds to help get their up-tempo attack going. It seems like a coach who loves defense and playing fast would love Varejao, so here’s his chance to take a leap.
More on the Cavs
Brian Dulik writes for the Medina County Gazette and Elyria Chronicle-Telegram about an aspect of guard Delonte West's sentence on weapons charges.
If the Heat hires members of LeBron James' entourage, that could lead to an NBA investigation, writes Ken Berger for CBSSports.com.
After James left the Cavaliers, a Kent State student wanted to drop his car -- called the "Witness Mobile" in reference to James -- from a crane. Now, Austin Briggs has put the car on sale, writes Ed Balint for the Canton Repository.
In recent seasons, the Cavaliers have ranked at or near the top of various "power rankings." Not right now, though, as shown on FoxSports.com's list.