RETURN OF THE KING

RETURN OF THE KING

Lebron James' Return to Cleveland

A Fans Perspective

By Kyle Jones

Dear Cleveland Sports fans,

Please take a moment to read through a small story I have prepared as a pure sports fan.  I will deliver stats and records because you can find that elsewhere.  This is simply my personal view of an athlete who many of us have come to admire.  Enjoy.

Cleveland, the Mistake by the Lake as we have been so reluctantly named.  The name truly does fit, bad weather, crime, corruption and miserable ends to every single professional sports season since 1964.  Browse through the past of our city and see let down after let down and heartbreaks so bad that you feel you are reading a fiction story rather than looking at real life history.  The shot, the drive, the fumble, the sweep and many more that happened long before my lifetime.  I was raised as a Browns fan, an Indians fan and yes a Cavaliers fan.  While looking at our past and wondering what we did to deserve such despair and misery, one can ask did any of these hurt as much as the Decision.  That sad day when our King Lebron James abandoned his throne and headed to rule paradise in Miami.  Hell who could blame the man?  How many people who grow up in Northeastern Ohio do not think about leaving the weather behind and head for warmer weather and bigger parties?  That is correct folks, he did what most of wish we could do, ESCAPE!  What did we do? We cursed the man, we soiled his name and some people even burned his jersey and wished him the worst time ever on his new life.  His departure was so damaging to an already frail city that I personally wondered if we would break all together.  Who can forget the terrible performance he put on in the series losing game against Boston to end the 09-10 season, 9 turnovers and the image of him removing the Cavaliers jersey for what would be the final time.  Then he left, in a fashion unmatched by any other athlete in recent memory.  

After four long years of lottery draft picks and a playoff drought, something happened.  Something occurred on a day in the summer of 2014 when a letter emerged seemingly out of nowhere.  It was a letter delivered by Lebron James on his decision to return to Cleveland, his home.  On the day that the letter was posted by Sports Illustrated the fans of Cleveland quickly changed their views about our rightful King.  All had been forgiven and hope and optimism had returned to a championship starved city.  The sports world paused and covered the story as the top headline.  Many people outside of the loyal fans of Cleveland were upset or annoyed by the fact that he was on the move again.  This move however, seemed different, it was not about doing what was in his best interest as a player, it was what he wanted as a man.  A prideful man who loves his home and wanted nothing more than to return to the team that drafted him to provide joy and maybe even…dare we say it? A CHAMPIONSHIP.  

No true fan needs a rundown of what occurred this past year for the Cavs.  I will post only the headlines.  Return, trade for Kevin Love, Kyrie’s max extension, doubts about Blatt being the right man.  Then we saw the terrible start and here we go again, the Cavs are going to let us down.  There were a few trades to add some pieces to help change the culture, enter Iman Shumpert, J.R. Smith and Timoffey Mozgov.  Most importantly, goodbye Dion Waiters (Thank you David Griffin).  What happens next was like magic.  The Cavaliers fresh off their makeover would go on to finish second in the Eastern Conference, but let’s be honest they felt like the best team in the East.  

Welcome back to the postseason Cleveland, we have arrived with optimism and a reason to once again believe.  Sweep the Celtics in a fashion the world expected.  Here was a bit of a roadblock coming out of this series, exit Kevin Love thanks to a severe shoulder injury.  The King is down one of his best sidekicks.  The Cavaliers would face the Bulls in the second round and get past them in 6 games.  Some buzzer beaters and the legacy grows.  The King has built an army that cannot lose.  Along come the Hawks, the Eastern Conference’s top seed and a team who looked poised to challenge the throne.  Yeah on second thought, they appeared to be little birds who were sent to prepare the King’s army for their final challenge, a date with the Warriors of Golden State.  

Here we are folks, a showdown with the NBA’s best team.  The King versus the young Prince.  Game one would prove to be the ultimate and nearly fatal blow.  Kyrie Irving fell to a terrible knee injury which would end his hobbled playoff run and leave Lebron down his last All-Star.  Game two and three were spectacles that fans could only sit back and enjoy.  Victories for the Cavaliers and a 2-1 series lead.  Lebron played out of his mind and got contributions from everyone who touched the floor.  This is it Cleveland, this is finally the year that our misery ends.  It has to be this year, I mean why not this year? Right?  NOT so fast, yes that is right we all witnessed a 3 game swing that would end the hope and the dreams.  The Cavs fell in three straight to lose the series.  It was all over and the celebration for the Warriors began.  Lebron James produced one of the single greatest performances in NBA Final’s history.  He led BOTH teams in scoring, rebounding and assists, a feat that had never been accomplished.  He truly left it all on the floor and gave his all for the city he wears on his chest and carries on his back.  

So there you have it Cleveland fans, another year gone and another reason to believe we may never taste a championship.  More of the same, more reason to doubt and feel bad about ourselves.  NOT SO FAST!!!  The future for the first time is bright.  Next year will actually come.  There is hope for ultimate victory and a team that we can all believe in again.  There is one man to thank for this hope, this belief and it is none other than Lebron James.  Not only because he returned home but because he showed the fans of this city that he will not quit on us again, he will leave his soul on the floor if it means a Ring to the Rock City.  So I plead with the fans to hold out hope and put your faith in our King, he has returned and he will not leave us again.  

Be easy on me folks, this is new to me, but this is something I believe in.  I love the city of Cleveland and the players who put it all on the line for our entertainment every night.  Thank you for reading and feel free to leave some comments or share with your friends.  

Sincerely,

A loyal and loving fan

Coach of the Year

From what I have seen on most of the top sports media sites/shows, the candidates for Coach of the Year have pretty much been nailed down to four candidates: Andy Reid, Bruce Arians, Ron Rivera, and Chip Kelly. While all of these coaches have done phenomenal jobs with their respected teams, I do not necessarily agree with this list. If I were given a vote, my vote would go to either Bruce Arians or Bill Belichik (which kills me to say since I loathe the Patriots). The fact that Belichik isn’t even being mentioned with these guys for COTY is a tragedy.

Year after year, for some reason, the COTY award goes to the coach whose team exceeded preseason expectations the most, not the best coach of the year. Think about it; the Chiefs, Panthers, and Eagles were all expected to do relatively decent but not be at the top of their divisions. The Cardinals were expected to once again be another one of the bottom feeder teams in the NFL, not 10-5 with one regular season game to play. While the accomplishments of these teams have been stunning and fun to watch, it does not necessarily mean that their coaches were the best in the league.

Bill Belichik’s team is the number two seed in the AFC right now. His team has overcome so much adversity this year. The Patriots have played virtually all season without their top offensive weapon (excluding Brady), Rob Gronkowski, while at the same time losing their top defensive player, Vince Worfolk, for the year. Their number one WR, Danny Amendola, has spent much of the season on the sidelines due to injury. Their top two DBs have both missed time due to injury, and both are still battling those injuries. Also, who could forget they also lost another one of their top weapons due to murder charges. The only pass catcher that has been somewhat reliable has been Julian Edelman. Most of the other WRs/TEs have looked overmatched or just plain lost on the field. Still, it doesn’t matter who the Patriots have had on the field, Belichik’s game plans have been near flawless, and his team is one win away from yet again clinching a first round bye in playoffs. So, how come Belichik is not even being considered for this award? It’s because this is what was expected of his team.

While the aforementioned coaches have all had great seasons and deserve the respect and attention that they are receiving, I do not believe that they deserve this award without Bill Belichik even being considered.

A Couple Reasons Why Andrew Luck is the Best Sophomore QB

                Everyone who follows football knows that the NFL Draft class of 2012 turned out to be the year of the quarterback. Everyone also knows that each of those 2012 rookie QBs were highly scrutinized throughout the 2012-2013 football season, and that has carried into this season. Almost every big time sports outlet (ESPN, SI.com, etc.) has posted an article talking about or ranking these QBs, and I agreed with a lot of the information/opinions in each article, however, none of these articles lined up 100% with my personal views. Personally, I have Andrew Luck at the top of these rankings, and here are a few reasons why I feel this way (and don’t really get talked about enough).

(a) Andrew Luck

Andrew Luck: We are all aware of Luck’s path to the number one overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft, and that, in his rookie season, he was largely responsible for the historic turnaround of the Colts franchise, as they had gone from a 2-14 record to an 11-5 record.  What makes him better than his sophomore peers, though? For starters, I love what Luck was able to do in his rookie season as he was thrown to wolves starting from game #1. None of the other QBs on this list were asked to do what Luck was asked to do; take over a bottom feeder team from a year ago and be their everything (while at the same time replacing one of the best QBs of all time). Luck was being asked to throw the ball 30-40 times a game as a rookie in the NFL, which is not something that many people are asked to do, and he responded with the most single season passing yards for a rookie in NFL history. The Colts offensive coordinator at the time, Bruce Arians, had the perfect system for Luck to run, and he did a phenomenal job of playing to the Colts strengths and masking their weaknesses. As the Colts rushing attack was putrid at best, and their defense shaky, Luck was asked to do everything for the underdog Colts, most of the time trailing to their opponents, but all Luck seemed to do was make big plays and win. Most rookie QBs rarely see the field in the NFL, and, if they do, they are typically overwhelmed by NFL defenses. Not Andrew Luck. Nothing proves this more than Luck’s remarkable seven come from behind wins as an NFL rookie. This season, Luck still has to do most of the heavy lifting on the team. Only this time, he has to do it without Reggie Wayne and with a new offensive coordinator at the helm who does not utilize Luck the way that he should. Still though, all Luck does is win. All you have to do to see what a talent this kid is, and, more importantly, how much he means to his team, is watch one Colts game. There are many more in depth reasons as to why I think Luck is deserving of the number one sophomore QB ranking; these were just the ones that stick out most to me that are rarely discussed.

*Many people have Russell Wilson as their #1 from the 2012 class, and I can’t necessarily blame them. He is an outstanding QB with a phenomenal work ethic, and, like Luck, all he does is pull out victories. I have Wilson as a close second behind Luck, mostly due to the fact the Wilson didn’t really come out of his shell until the end of his rookie season.

P.S. – If any of you are wondering about RGIII, then remove yourself from my blog immediately.

        Picture provided by:

        a: www. http://taylorblitztimes.com

Kobe and D-Rose; What Does the Future Hold?

(a) Kobe Bryant

The significant injuries to superstars Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant at this point should be cause for worry for possibly both of these teams.  While the likelihood Derrick Rose may never return to MVP form he could still return at the end of 2014 and become an All-Star again.  Rose an MVP award winner in just his second season, has had his last two seasons shortened due to two different knee injuries.  When it comes to Kobe shortly after signing his two year $48.5 million dollar contract extension, causes nothing but worry for the Laker franchise.  The fracture in his knee will cause him to miss 6 weeks and has to leave the Lakers wondering, what do we do next?  For nearly two decades Kobe has been dazzling the Los Angeles fan base with MVP caliber play in which he has helped bring the city five championships along with a top tier defensive game which has earned him 12 NBA All-Defensive honors and an all-around game which has given him one MVP award in 2008.  So the question is which of these two franchises needs to come up with a quick reload and not have one of these two players as the key moving forward?  Chicago is already looking to rebuild with possibly trading Luol Deng and Carlos Boozer. While the Bulls are looking to move a few players they are also not ready to give up on Rose which they shouldn’t just yet.  Rose still has a long career ahead of him because of his young age, but now the question is will he ever be able to play a full season and at what level will he be able to play? 

(b) Derrick Rose

The Lakers indeed should begin looking toward building their team for the future with aging stars and contracts that eat up a lot of their salary, in addition to their push over the luxury tax, it’s time for ownership to go to work.  Kobe can still be a core piece, but he is going to need help in the form of young players.  Awaiting the emergence of Wesley Johnson should be growing tiresome. Also, the inability for Coach D’Antoni to trust Jordan Hill as a peripheral power forward this team will need some help that only ownership can afford to give them.  Start with the draft or possibly a draft day trade that helped land Kobe himself from Charlotte in 1996. Various roster moves in LA should be expected during this season and in the off-season. Chicago on the other hand can indeed wait for Rose to return and maybe move a contract or two, but in today’s NBA this has become normal.  Deng is a good second option but he will likely demand a decent return in the off-season as he is hitting free agency.  In closing, no question these two are both great/elite players, but one happens to be at the end due to his age and the other could be facing the end of his career due to health concerns. Only time will tell if one, both, or either will ever return to their prior form.

Pictures provided by: 

(a) http://losthatsportsblog.com/2013/12/breaking-kobe-bryant-out-six-weeks-with-knee-injury/

(b) http://www.ngngsports.com/2013/03/stacey-king-derrick-rose-is-coming-back-in-the-next-week-to-10-days.html#