Opening Night: Charlotte Bobcats @ Cleveland Cavaliers 10/30

[Alex]

http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/6/258/thumbs/xwsmnh5qqfr5fo3vcb4blqnb1.gif@ http://www.sportslogos.net/images/logos/6/222/thumbs/5zp5356wfntqosqr3ah5hmdr1.gif


Here we are folks! The season is 3 days away so I figured it was a good time to start the first official game thread of the regular season.

This is a very tough opening game for the Bobcats but I expect it to be a close game however I think in the end LeBron will be too much and we will go down 95-90 (although I hope to regret these words come Thursday night).

GO BOBCATS!

[bing!]

Seeing as there are still three days till the game, I'd say there's naught left but to indulge in the act of prediction, and my crystal ball says that the Bobcats'll be downed by not less than 15 points with Raymond leading the Bobcats' scorers list with 17+points on less than 34 FG% shooting, and Andre Brown will not pan out. Should I shatter my crystal ball ??

[tamburello]

We can see very surprising results during opening week, however I don't expect us to do one of these. Cavs have no injured players and they are clearly favorites.

[ALong13]

I think Emeka will have a good game against Big Z, but worried about Lebron and Ben Wallace...We have no true depth at PF, and if May truly starts I don't think he'll be able to handle Big Ben...Felton and DJ I think will both have nice games...

Raymond Felton: 12 pts 6 assist 1 steal
JRich: 23 pts 8 rbs 2 assist
Wallace: 18 pts 3 assist 2 steals 1 block
May: 6 pts 4 rbs
Okafor: 15 pts 11 rbs 2 blocks
DJ Augustine: 9 pts 4 assist 1 steal
A. Brown: 6 pts 4 rbs
Duds: 7 pts 2 rbs
Carroll: 5 pts

I think the ball gets spread around a lot as you can see, but I think Cleveland has the clear advantage...

[SWedd523]

I'm sorry guys, and I really DO love the 'cats. But for some reason, I'm thinking of a blowout.....

I'm looking at this being a statement year from LeBron, and he's going to start with a thrashing on us:( (Which will be good for my Fantasy team:biggrin:)

[Alex]

You're worried about Ben Wallace??? I didn't even know he was still alive.

[jpf_v2.0]

I think Emeka will have a good game against Big Z, but worried about Lebron and Ben Wallace...We have no true depth at PF, and if May truly starts I don't think he'll be able to handle Big Ben...Felton and DJ I think will both have nice games...

Raymond Felton: 12 pts 6 assist 1 steal
JRich: 23 pts 8 rbs 2 assist
Wallace: 18 pts 3 assist 2 steals 1 block
May: 6 pts 4 rbs
Okafor: 15 pts 11 rbs 2 blocks
DJ Augustine: 9 pts 4 assist 1 steal
A. Brown: 6 pts 4 rbs
Duds: 7 pts 2 rbs
Carroll: 5 pts

I think the ball gets spread around a lot as you can see, but I think Cleveland has the clear advantage...

Not sure I see us scoring 101 points like you have, but I can tell you put some thought into that.

[TheBeagle]

I'm sorry guys, and I really DO love the 'cats. But for some reason, I'm thinking of a blowout.....

I'm looking at this being a statement year from LeBron, and he's going to start with a thrashing on us:( (Which will be good for my Fantasy team:biggrin:)

As far as the game goes, anything can happen, and I avoid specific prognostication, so all I have to say is Go CATS!!!!

As for the fantasy thing, if any Cav is going to do a trashing it better be my utility G, Mo Williams!!!:cool:

[ALong13]

I do think the game will be a high scoring one...I had the Bobcats having a 101 points and I still think they will, but right now I still give Cleveland the edge...IMO 108-101...but I really hope the Cats could prove me wrong

[Alex]

No way this is a high scoring game. Both of these teams play tough defense (if what the Bobcats showed in the pre-season continues that is).

[Alex]

Well, well it doesn't look like the Cavs are that good of a perimeter team after all (they went 3-15 from 3 point land against the Celtics, although I'm sure the perimeter defense of Boston had something to do with that).

LeBron didn't really look like he wanted to make a statement or anything. Other than a few awesome LeBron-esque plays he was quite average and he went 4-9 from FT line including 2-4 in the last minute.

Hopefully they won't catch fire against us this Thursday.

[Hormel]

The only prediction I will make is sometime during the game Larry Brown will give that ole stank eye to Felton.

[x2pacalypse]

i don't even care if we lose...as long as we fucking play like we're not a bunch of high school girls

[Muttley]

Anyone in the Raleigh area w/ TWC know if this game will be televised? Last I checked, FSN didn't show it in the guide. I plan on calling them sometime this afternoon, but if any of you have heard anything let me know.

[Dead_Real]

Anyone in the Raleigh area w/ TWC know if this game will be televised? Last I checked, FSN didn't show it in the guide. I plan on calling them sometime this afternoon, but if any of you have heard anything let me know.

Sadly I don't think the Triangle area fans will get any of the sportsouth games this year. Remember last year when a game was to air on that channel we would get them on FSN South but I kinda lost faith in that when they didn't show the Hawks/Cats game from a couple of weeks ago. Hopefully I'm wrong and they show it because on the press release it sure as hell says Raleigh would get all FSN and sportsouth games on the same channel and that's FSN (channel 50) for us.

[GoBobs]

I think our chances would be better had the cavs won the other night. At least our guys will be a little fresher. The big question in my mind is who is gonna guard lebron. The best guy we have is probably Wallace and after that it goes downhill real quick. After that Dudley, that Johnson guy we just got and dare I say Ajinca may be the best guys we have to try and keep the king in check. I know those guys sound bad but who else on our team has a prayer? Carroll? Felton? Oak? JRich?

I would be thrilled with a win but I think this will be a hard victory

[Alex]

You can't have one guy guard LeBron. We have to do what Boston did in the playoffs last year and last night. Crowd him with a bunch of bodies and rotate them so they're always fresh while he's getting tired.

I saw we start out with Wallace, then Dudley, then Richardson, then Johnson, then Wallace again and so on.

[Marvel]

This won't be a high scoring game from the Cats anyway that is,a blowout is brewing Cavs by 15+.

[Wallace15]

Excited about the game tonight, but sadly I don't think I'll be able to see the game either. On my TV listings it has the Thrashers and Rangers airing on Sports South(Channel 32 in my area) at 7.

Anybody know if there will be live stream tonight to watch it online?

[Chef]

it doesn't look like it will be on FSN in the triangle because of stupid hockey. it also isn't on the sports tier channel 320's which are fsn channels either. hopefully, we still have league pass for free. last night all the games on league pass were available as a promo. keep your fingers crossed.

[Muttley]

it doesn't look like it will be on FSN in the triangle because of stupid hockey. it also isn't on the sports tier channel 320's which are fsn channels either. hopefully, we still have league pass for free. last night all the games on league pass were available as a promo. keep your fingers crossed.
Nice! I think that's supposed to last a couple weeks, then.

[jamsession87]

I have Directv in Spartanburg, SC and the guide is showing on SS Thrashers at Rangers. FSS also has two alternate channels that are showing Hurricanes at Blues and Oilers at Predators, and FSS is showing an assortment of rubbish.

I have been looking forward to seeing the Bobcats consistently for the first time, and was happy to see the preseason game on, but if the Bobcats opening night vs LeBron isn't shown, especially given the alternative of fucking hockey and the must see assortment on FSS that is just a shame.

I saw that the Bobcats are being shown on League Pass FP, but that is a serious band aid. Hopefully the guide is just not updated...

[Bobcat4Ever]

Is May still in starting lineup?

[Chef]

unfortunately, 7pm comes shortly after his after desert snack, so he won't be able to play until at least 8pm. but them comes the pre-bedtime meal at 9pm, so he will only be available for the 2nd quarter.

[spectre]

I have Directv in Spartanburg, SC and the guide is showing on SS Thrashers at Rangers. FSS also has two alternate channels that are showing Hurricanes at Blues and Oilers at Predators, and FSS is showing an assortment of rubbish.

I have been looking forward to seeing the Bobcats consistently for the first time, and was happy to see the preseason game on, but if the Bobcats opening night vs LeBron isn't shown, especially given the alternative of fucking hockey and the must see assortment on FSS that is just a shame.

I saw that the Bobcats are being shown on League Pass FP, but that is a serious band aid. Hopefully the guide is just not updated...

Bonnell posted an article the other week about how FSN has to get DISH/DirectTV to show the games...they charge a fee. As of right now they haven't worked out a deal, so no games on FSN for us satellite folks yet.

DISH also hasn't worked out a deal yet with the NBA on League Pass. The rep told me yesterday they don't know when nor do they know how long the free preview will last.

I told them they do not want me coming down there.

[dav7z]

Im just hoping for a better performance than preseason. I think we see big inprovment out of Wallace , Swish, Felts, all shooting better than preseason.
Im interested in seeing who starts at p/f. Got a feeling if they go big we start Nazz . Im very instrested in how Brown handles the p/f position tonight.


We play our best game we have played all year. With a slim chance we pull out a win because of PRIDE. Somthing Brown is trying to insteal in this team.

Either way we beat the next game for sure........????????

[tamburello]

Two and a half hours remaining to the opener. I'm not hopeful, but still very excited. We can put a solid performance if not a victorious performance at least.

The game probably can be seen via justin.tv I'm sure one of channels of justin will show our match.

[Bobcat4Ever]

I am optimistic about this one being on tv in my area. I was watching the season preview show on both FSN South and SportSouth a couple days ago even though my tv guide showed something else being on. Of course my tv guide shows something else coming on those 2 channels tonight at 7 but hopefully it will be on SportSouth.

[ohara831]

Yeah, us in the Upstate of SC w/ Charter Communications are getting hockey. No Bobcat games.

[CMc$]

I have Directv in Spartanburg, SC and the guide is showing on SS Thrashers at Rangers. FSS also has two alternate channels that are showing Hurricanes at Blues and Oilers at Predators, and FSS is showing an assortment of rubbish.

I have been looking forward to seeing the Bobcats consistently for the first time, and was happy to see the preseason game on, but if the Bobcats opening night vs LeBron isn't shown, especially given the alternative of fucking hockey and the must see assortment on FSS that is just a shame.
I saw that the Bobcats are being shown on League Pass FP, but that is a serious band aid. Hopefully the guide is just not updated...

I have direct in Boiling springs and my guide has the first three games listed in the guide. They are on your "regional sports" station or RSN or RSNa in the guide. Check around channel 650 and you'll see it. Even has pre and postgame listed. Immediately after it's over nothing is scheduled until Saturdays home.

Only God knows if it's actually on. I won t believe it until I see it.

[spectre]

I was getting ready to suggest we put a sticky up about getting TV access, but fortunately I looked first and realized we already have one! :p

I'll post my comments on there...but "right now" according to DISH I should still be getting the game under the free preview. Thing is it's showing a circle with a line thru it.

We probably don't have a chance in hell. They're coming off a loss and we've been playing pretty bad. If we can hold them to low points & FG% I'll consider that a victory.

[ammofan]

I think we will win in a tight one.....

[jamsession87]

I have direct in Boiling springs and my guide has the first three games listed in the guide. They are on your "regional sports" station or RSN or RSNa in the guide. Check around channel 650 and you'll see it. Even has pre and postgame listed. Immediately after it's over nothing is scheduled until Saturdays home.

Only God knows if it's actually on. I won t believe it until I see it.

:o Wow, pregame just came on so looks like we're in luck :o

I completely missed RSN, thanks a lot, looks like I'll finally see the Bobcats.

As for the Bobcats, this is going to be a tough first half of the season, I'll be surprised if we win over 15 in the first half, but I can see the team improving in the second half going into next season with a lottery selection, and hopefully a vastly improved Alexis Ajinca to add to the rotation. Would love to see a win tonight, but I expect this will be an exercise in patience.

[ReesieNCPantherCatfan1]

I live in Charlotte and have Time Warner cable, and I see on the preview that the damn ATLANTA THRASHERS NHL TEAM is showing at 7 on Sports South. I think I will pull an ohara on TWC and cancel my service if i live in the city of this major sports team and they show an NHL game from a city 4 hours away!

[ReesieNCPantherCatfan1]

Yeah, game is on for me, it just says the NHL game. I could feel my blood boiling. Lets go Cats!

[tamburello]

You can watch the game here http://www.justin.tv/lev_10

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

may shouldn't have ever taken that shot..we need to stop taking outside shots, hopefully its just a bit of nervousness

[Hormel]

Just got home from work and it's 10-10 :)

[tamburello]

We started like shit, however, we've regrouped and 10-10 at the first timeout.

But still, we've been taking too many jump shots, we've made some of them but I'm sure Larry Brown is frustrated at it.

[davcbow]

10-10 tie going better than it started out as...

[tamburello]

Bench difference is very big. Gibson made 2 threes and 18-12

[Hormel]

im the only one in the chat x.x

[tamburello]

Ammmmooooo

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

he's heating up...

[tamburello]

Augustin is killing me with silly mistakes.
1st qt, 25-16

[spectre]

You can watch the game here http://www.justin.tv/lev_10

Thank you!

I'm cancelling DISH tomorrow. Bastards.

[ammofan]

Well well well......new season, new haircut, new best player :D

[ReesieNCPantherCatfan1]

We've been cold, we will heat up soon. It's good to see ammo back on the court and looking pretty good. I liked DJ's first drive, then he give up a 4 pt play. Oh well, he's a rook, but he is quick. No nazr yet, surprising. So so first quarter.

[WAM9]

Anyone getting the game on Timewarner in the Raleigh market??? I've been on hold with TW for 17 minutes now:(

[countryboi]

man it took me forever to find the TWC cable this was one...channel guide sucks

[Marvel]

Augustin just made a fool of himself with the final shot of the 1st quarter he dribble drives and then takes it back out and passes it to Morrison for a hail Mary. 22% to the Cavs 50% daaaaaaaamn:confused:

[Hormel]

look at ammo call for the ball in the post

[tamburello]

My god, Ammo is like Jordan!!! basket and one

[countryboi]

ammo is playing his ass off...he really looks good

[dnbman]

Ammo: our man on the block!!!

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

too early yet..but i like what i'm seing from ammo..

[tamburello]

....and please bench that Augustin

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

....and please bench that Augustin

agreed..put ray back in

[Hormel]

agreed..put ray back in
I'm actually likeing the way he is playing, and the shots he is taking, just wish the shots were falling.

Like what I'm seeing from the team so far, the D looks major improved. This is the first game im getting to watch under the Larry Brown era

[davcbow]

If we could hit the basket we would be winning, we miss way too many shots....

[tamburello]

Thank you DJ for proving me right. Keep those stupid offensive fouls!!

[BobCatsFanInTx]

....and please bench that AugustinAugustin will be fine. This is his first ever meaningful NBA game. He just needs to settle down and get into the flow of the game. In order for LB to get what he wants he needs to get some burn. The cats are going to lose to the top teams in the east in the early part of the season that is just a fact that can not be denied. Still despite their poor shooting they are in this game for awhile. It will be a 20+ loss before the game is over if the rebounding and shooting percentage doesn't get better.

[BIGCatBobcat]

May needs to sit down. hesitation on a great open look for him, just after barely bringing himself off the floor after getting rejected by ben wallace. embarassment.

How many years have we had the Sprite falling away commercial during every game, seemingly every break? I know they are struggling but lets get some new advertisers and if we keep the same ones we need to get some new commercials.

Nazr looks thin doesn't he?

[tamburello]

We're very, very, extremely, truly limited offensively. How come Larry Brown still wants to fill the roster with defensive players?

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

does morrison seem worried about his injury? this is the second time were it looks like he is about to sprint back and doesnt

[ammofan]

Felton looks TERRIBLE to me.
Past 2 plays:
-Felton Turnover trying to split two defenders
-Felton bad pass way over Morrison's head on the block

Then he tried to yell at Morrison for whatever reason after bad pass

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

We're very, very, extremely, truly limited offensively. How come Larry Brown still wants to fill the roster with defensive players?

i think the players are trying to follow larry brown's game plan instead of what they are used to .

[ammofan]

does morrison seem worried about his injury? this is the second time were it looks like he is about to sprint back and doesnt

Well of course he is worried.....He is just caustious and he will get over it by a good week of play

[tamburello]

i think the players are trying to follow larry brown's game plan instead of what they are used to .

So what? This is painful to watch.

[Hormel]

I've never hated a Boobie so much

[tamburello]

At last. HT

Good news? We're leading Daniel Gibson 33-20.

I'd got to sleep, good night guys.

[Marvel]

This was like watching the Clippers yesterday geting spanked by the Lakers,Gerald Wallace looks like he's still in pre season shootaround/practice mode

[davcbow]

Geeze not a very good shooting game at all for us...

[ammofan]

HALFTIME BOXSCORE: http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=281030005

Morrison leading us w/ 7 points in 10 minutes......It is pitiful that He only has 10 mins and leading the team in scoring while other guys have 15-16 mins and about 4 points

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

So what? This is painful to watch.

yes, it is painful to watch.. but look at what richardson had to say

“Not a knock, but a rookie coach trying to get established, his main concern is wins, not developing players,'' Richardson said. “I think some of those rookie coaches let me slide on some of the things I did – my shot selection, my defense.

this is for the long run..it'll take some patience before the offense starts clicking .

[davcbow]

Nazr 2/3 shooting and Ammo 3/5 shooting our 2 best so far tonight... pitiful where is our starters? Time to step up guys...

[BobCatsFanInTx]

The Cats should have gotten the ball to Ammo in the post a bit more. Him and Nazr are the only two that seem to have any real back to the basket skills. Morrison was the hot hand early and he should have been more involved than he was.

The Cleveland Cavs anouncers said that they expected the Bobcats to start slowly cause that is a trademark of Larry Browns new teams. I expect that they are right but I see the potential in this team and once things start to click they could be very dangerous to anyone taking them lightly.

[dav7z]

HALFTIME BOXSCORE: http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=281030005

Morrison leading us w/ 7 points in 10 minutes......It is pitiful that He only has 10 mins and leading the team in scoring while other guys have 15-16 mins and about 4 points

Ammo playing very well Rich not logging many mins, Augustine looking like a rookie . Bad shooting ,rebounding, but decent defence except Augustine and May.

[dnbman]

Richardson's starting to go into Beast mode. I can feel it!

I loved seeing him trying to block LBJ, even if it was a bit futile.

[BobCatsFanInTx]

We're very, very, extremely, truly limited offensively. How come Larry Brown still wants to fill the roster with defensive players?I think things will begin to work themselves out in time. Larry says this is one of the better jump shooting teams he's coached. Once the players relax and get into a rhythm they will play solid basketball.
You have to remember this is the first real coach the Bobcats have had. Once the veterans start to adjust the younger players will quickly follow. For the first time ever this young organization has a real system in place. Give the players time to get comfortable with LB and his coaching skills. I say if the team can win most games next month that they play non playoff teams and low seed playoff teams from last year they will be ready to beat the top teams in the league. Larry Brown is just now getting a rotation worked out and once he and the players truly know one another they will make a playoff run.

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

funny to hear the commentators say "cavaliers are being forced to play bobcats basketball"

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

I think things will begin to work themselves out in time. Larry says this is one of the better jump shooting teams he's coached. Once the players relax in get into a rhythm they will play solid basketball.
You have to remember this is the first real coach the Bobcats have had. Once the veterans start to adjust the younger players will quickly follow. For the first time ever this young organization has a real system in place. Give the players time to get comfortable with LB and his coaching skills. I say if the team can win most games next month that they play non playoff teams and low seed playoff teams from last year they will be ready to beat the top teams in the league. Larry Brown is just now getting a rotation worked out and once he and the players truly know one another they will make a playoff run.

agreed..last year was individual players playing together.. this year they will learn how to play as a team


by the way very good assist by ammo

[dnbman]

I'm a sucker for simple, effective plays.

Ammo runs off of a couple of screens, Felton hits him, defense loses Okafor, great pass by Ammo, Okafor with the layup.

More please!

[Mustachio]

we are playing stellar defense in the 3rd. love that we have a real coach

[davcbow]

Im liking this comeback we on... 60-55 timeout

[dnbman]

You can't accept losses on "ifs." However, if Boobie isn't shooting out of his mind, we could easily be winning this game right now.

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

definitely struggle when they go with a big lineup

[ALong13]

I get home and find out my Tivo isn't recording the game because its blacked out? WTF?

So then I check it and I'm looking at Stats and watching streams online...So from what I've seen so far, our PG look horrible, May looked horrible...morrison and his lack of hair is looking good, and JRICH has gotten hot...But how does Linton Johnson get in before Andre Brown?

[davcbow]

Down by 14 , lets stick to the 3rd quarter strategy :cool:

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

where did ammo go..!

[Marvel]

Ok down by 16 now i'm convinced Felton and McMay really suck,1-8 and 0-6 respectively or is that pitifully.

[dav7z]

Need to get Augustine out and put Morrison in. Williams killing him

[dnbman]

Ok down by 16 now i'm convinced Felton and McMay really suck,1-8 and 0-6 respectively or is that pitifully.

No argument on May.

However, Felton's playing better than the 1-8 would suggest. He's been playing pretty good D and playing team ball. He's just struggling with his shooting.

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

Ok down by 16 now i'm convinced Felton and McMay really suck,1-8 and 0-6 respectively or is that pitifully.

neither PG had a good game

[ziggy]

Let me just chime in to say: I hate Game Show Gary, the NC Education annoying commercial guy

carry on:biggrin:

[Marvel]

Yeah sure 1-9 down by 20,Boobie has 20+ and he fouls Gibson shooting the 3 :D,you have to excuse Augustin helloooooo he's a rookie

[BobCatsFanInTx]

The Bobcats did not play solid consistent Basketball but we all need to keep this thing in perspective. The Cavaliers were one step from the Finals last year and were in the Finals the year before. This is not a game we are supposed to win. Let us worry about the games we have a chance to win and later games against the top tier teams will be winnable. Don't expect Larry Brown to work miracles in his first season as head coach. This will be a season full of growing pains. Especially here in the earliest part of the season. If this team wins between 36 and 38 in my opinion it will be a success.

Enjoy our team playing hard and learning how to play as they grow better each game they play. This will not most likely be a playoff season but if this team finishes close to that goal it will be a good thing. The main thing for the Bobcats is to see if they can shoot better then they have so far. I know we have some shooters, it is just a matter of getting them to make their shots. If they start hitting shots this team will be able to compete with anybody.

Anyway, optimism is the best thing but at the same time that optimism must be tempered with some reality. If this team is going to make a run for the playoffs it won't be in the first two months of the season. This is after all the first game of the Larry Brown era in Charlotte and it will be some time before things begin to look hopeful.

The Cats just don't have the readiness to beat the Cavs when they play their best but when they play like they did in this season opener they probably couldn't beat anybody. Just a matter of growing pains. We will be good before LB leaves the team but this season is probably going to have a lot of games like this. Oh well as long as they play hard and don't go flat I can handle the growing pains. ; )

[dnbman]

Ajinca: 7 seconds and a steal on the mvp.

That means his per 48 is like 430 steals. Love it!

[Marvel]

Hey at least the Cats are consistent they've had 11 of their shots blocked:D

[davcbow]

96-79 that was terrible... We have to learn to shoot the ball better and take better shots. Taking a 3 point shot and missing the entire rim is nutz to me...Maybe it will be better if we aren't playing a playoff team in their house to start the season...:cool:

[ohara831]

Guys, there are going to be a lot more nights like tonight, more than anyone thought. With no PF, there is no help for Okafor, no rebounding, no lane clearouts for Crash or Richardson. We are bad. Without something major happening, we are a bottom 5 team in the NBA. And as a fan of the team, that is really depressing. And I do not subscribe to the theory of all LB teams starting slow and heating up. That is when there is sufficient talent on the team, and there is not on this team. We're going to see a lot more of this type play I really fear.

[ziggy]

60% of our starting lineup shot like crap. Ray's 1-10 was very' very bad, no way around that, but the one that really bugs me is Emeka. I think I may add EJDTDB to my sig for:
Emeka just dunk the damned ball!

Ray 1-10
Sean 0-6
Mek 2-6

[docend24]

Ajinca: 7 seconds and a steal on the mvp.

That means his per 48 is like 430 steals. Love it!
And he is the best of our players with +4 when on court. ;) 3 minutes no big deal.

I hope I won't see May starting for a long time. 15 minutes is way too much.

Good to see Ammo playing well. I was surprised that he got far more minutes than Carroll. Either Matt will get his minutes next time or we are still showcasing Adam, who knows. Or maybe he is really the truth :biggrin:

I like our FT shooting but I just realized our starting five went 15-50 FG.. that's plain awful.

Felton 0-8 from 2FG however he did some things well. But still DJ was 3-5 from 2FG and made a contact for a foul nicely at least once resulting in his 6-6 FT shooting (Ray shut only 2-3; not that bad he missed once but he had less attempts). I agreed with Cavs feed that DJ looked for his shot a litlle bit too much and he obviously made some rookie mistakes. But what he does well for a rookie he did.

Great 3rd quarter, i hope we'll see that more. And Adam with a shortcut is so refreshing. At least it could become a story if he keeps a solid work.

[playoffs...PLAYOFFS?]

glad to know that LB thinks ammo played well

[docend24]

I disagree with you, Ziggy. I've seen Emeka going straight to the rim getting fouled (and was far from getting his hot block this time btw). We can't expect that he will do it each time he gets the ball suddenly. I was pleased by his and Gerald free throw shooting it's a good sign they shoots with solid percentages when Pounds want them to go for fouls.

[Alex]

Fellas tonight we witnessed the beginning of the end for Felton as the starting pg.

[dav7z]

We out played the cavs most of thr third. I decided Nazz should start. His presence along with 0K50 opened up shots for Swish and Wallace . Felton played good defence in the third though neither point played good. Augustine im affraid is a chunker instead of looking to pass. When Felton came out in the third we was five down with Rich in rhytem. In less than four mins and Augustines rookie play the lead grew to 12, Then somthing i really don't like a small back court the lead went back to 20. Felton and Augustine don't work well at all toghter . They take ever one else out the offence. It should have been more Morrison less Augustine. And More NAZZ and less May. I still belive we getting better as bad as we looked tonight. We all know felton is a better player than he showed tonight The same could be said about Carroll, and Wallace,OK50, Its going to come toghter but might take a few more games. Any one notice Browns comits about May . He said May shouldn't even be playing. Do you guys think Browns playing May just to try and get rid of him.

[ohara831]

Fellas tonight we witnessed the beginning of the end for Felton as the starting pg.
__________________________________________
Ray: 5 pts 5 asst in 33.33 min for -11

DJ 12 pts 2 asst in 25.08 min for -20

Didn't see all game, but assume DJ in w/ more of 2nd stringers in than the other starting 4, at least most of the time Correct me if I'm wrong. But DJ is already playing ahead of the curve for a Rookie. I think Alex is right.

[dav7z]

__________________________________________
Ray: 5 pts 5 asst in 33.33 min for -11

DJ 12 pts 2 asst in 25.08 min for -20

Didn't see all game, but assume DJ in w/ more of 2nd stringers in than the other starting 4, at least most of the time Correct me if I'm wrong. But DJ is already playing ahead of the curve for a Rookie. I think Alex is right.




http://www.nba.com/games/20081030/CHACLE/boxscore.html

D.J on the defencive side of the ball was about as bad as i have seen . Williams and Gibson flat out killed him , As Felton stoped either player. Playing both of them toghter really killed us. Who ever Augustin guarded had a feild day. Morrison should have posted those mins. DJ all so needs to learn to pass the ball to a scorer with out turning it over.
In post game Brown was asked if he was impressed with the rookies play . Brown you could tell he was pissed . He said no commit. Then he said neither point played good.

Alexas i would have liked to see a little more play out of him . He looks as if he would be active.

[Keetch]

LB looked pretty discouraged during the post-game questions. My theory is its because he saw Mario Chalmers and Darrell Arthur play last night :). Someone asked him how he felt Augustin did and he just said he didn't want to talk about that, he wanted to talk about the team. So he did; saying that the Cavs played with more effort than his team did; getting more rebounds and loose balls.

He did flat out say that May should not be playing. I don't think they're showcasing him though, I think Brown just feels that he has no one else.

I thought Felton had some moments but overall generally played badly; forcing too many drives too deep into the paint....LB mentioned that in general we penetrate too deep and get blocked too much. We don't look to pass out....yup.

Toodles Okafor wasn't exactly at his best either.

Augustin did play like a rookie in many ways. I hope he becomes a good player; but I still don't trust him to. I didn't really like it when we picked him, and I'm still worried. I just don't trust his judgement on the court I guess. Not that Felton is any better. Honestly I'm starting to think we may really suck at PG.

Morrison did play about as well as he can I think. That's good for him, but I don't think he's the answer to this team winning games.

With Felton totally funked out and Augustin too raw yet; we're in trouble for a while.

[TheBeagle]

I don't see the use in getting so despondent after this particular game. Opening night on the road against a top 3 eastern conference team that lost their opener....odds were stacked against us to say the least. Saturday night's game will show me a little bit more. Miami is a team we should handle and beat, so if we lose by 10+, and the 1s look as bad as they did tonight, then I'll be more disappointed than after tonight's game.

I saw a bigger, quicker, more athletic team for the Cavs and that isn't the coaches or the players fault: that's on the guy who's in charge of bringing in talent. Larry playing Sean so much and his postgame comments are a shot at MJ/Rod to make a move with a 4. Like he said in postgame, "you saw him (Sean) out there," and yes, after seeing him play a game at NBA speed, he's not ready to suit up; it was pretty pitiful.

On the positive side: JD on the offensive boards! JRich doing his thing! Ammo playing with lots of energy was so much fun to watch!!! Lexy, although soundly denied by Hickson on his stuff attempt, was a thing of beauty to watch: those longass arms taking any rebound that came near him, stealing the ball, and running like a gazelle up and down the court. He could definitely be a bust 3 years down the road, but I see why Larry was so enamored with him!

Looking forward to the game Saturday, and hope that 15K or so show up (as long as it's not the seats in front of mine....legroom, you know), but I fear it's going to be less than that.

[tamburello]

I admit that I was overreacting during the game. That doesn't mean that I believe DJ played great, or will ever do, but commenting based on the very first game is not true. But we have to see that although we've pushed Cavs at times, they've never panicked because they knew that they can score at will. They were confident that much because they had somebody named LeBron.

Felton sucked and as Alex said, we're closing to Felton era, but DJ type guards won't make teams any better, take my word. We might be the best jumpshooting team of LB, but how can we make them if LB forces everybody including Matt Carroll to drive? He should at least let Carroll shoot, otherwise we'll see a lot more 0 pt games by him.

Our roster sucks, so I don't want to blame on LB, but I just can't stop myself.

And lastly, I wish we had acquired Mario Chalmers somehow...

[amour217]

Well...we were looking to come into the first game agile, mobile, and hostile...instead we were fat, flat, and scat

[bing!]

The Bobcats were quite, how should I put this, May-esque.

[x2pacalypse]

i'm probably one of the biggest felton fans on this forum, and even im saying that if he doesn't improve his play soon, he's gonna be out

we need a PF...if we're not gonna find one, then just put mek at the 4/nazr at the 5...it worked last year most of the time, though i know its not his natural position

at this point i'd rather have all 100 pounds of ajinca at the 4 then all 5 ajinca's of may

i dont understand how we can be any worse than last year, but it seems like we are...i guess to look on the bright side at least we didn't give up 100 points

[BobcatsAllDay]

People c'mon its one game let the guys play a little bit before we write-off anybody. Orlando is 0-2, I know they're not in panic mode with that beast down there. With that said I'm definitely ready to see Larry win his first game as a Bobcat.

[tamburello]

A blog of Cavs about the game: http://www.cleveland.com/cavs/index.ssf/2008/10/brian_windhorsts_cavaliers_blo_4.html

The part that we might be interested in is about Shannon Brown:

Former Cav Shannon Brown was inactive for the Bobcats, so far he is not even close to cracking their rotation. He's one of the most athletic and strongest players I've seen. The guy can do things in practices and workouts that make you think he's a Hall of Famer. Plus he guy can eat amazing amounts of food yet still has almost no body fat (tales of his food consumption are still told in the Cavs locker room). But now three years in he has not shown he can play effectively at the NBA level. The Cavs gave up on him, the Bulls gave up on him and now the Bobcats are not even dressing him. He's still got chances but so far he's been a disappointment across the board.

[110oldeast]

Felton's shooting STUNK. His defense and floor game were very solid as we came back. When he went out at the end of the 3rd, we were down 5 and on a big run. When he came back in, we were down 15 or 17. It was the difference in DEFENSE that no one paid attention to. Furthermore, we were getting good shots as he seemed to be concentrating and making a concerted effort here to get it in the hands of the right people at the right time.

We could have slowed it down w/ a timeout when they ran off the first 4 pts, but LB left them out on an island to learn and work through it, however.



http://www.nba.com/games/20081030/CHACLE/boxscore.html

D.J on the defencive side of the ball was about as bad as i have seen . Williams and Gibson flat out killed him , As Felton stoped either player. Playing both of them toghter really killed us. Who ever Augustin guarded had a feild day. Morrison should have posted those mins. DJ all so needs to learn to pass the ball to a scorer with out turning it over.
In post game Brown was asked if he was impressed with the rookies play . Brown you could tell he was pissed . He said no commit. Then he said neither point played good.

Alexas i would have liked to see a little more play out of him . He looks as if he would be active.