Cleveland Sports Forum

Ok - This is some NBA news that makes me smile --



NBA stars back to school -- actual classrooms -- during lockout

By Jeff Goodman
CBSSports.com Baseball Insider
Oct. 4, 2011Tell Jeff your opinion!

While many of his colleagues don't bother setting an alarm and are busy gallivanting across the country, top overall pick Kyrie Irving walks across the Duke University campus shuttling between his African American studies and psychology classes.

"It's definitely the one positive of the [NBA] lockout," said Irving, who was chosen first overall this past June after spending only one year at Duke. "It's only going to help me later in life."

Refreshing.

Irving isn't alone, either.

At least two other guys who shook David Stern's hand this past June are also taking a full, four-class course load in the fall semester while the NBA lockout continues: Irving's future teammate with the Cleveland Cavs, Tristan Thompson, and Milwaukee Bucks first-rounder Tobias Harris.

Former UCLA star Kevin Love, an NBA All-Star who led the league in rebounding also made in excess of $4 million this past season, is also taking classes. The Minnesota Timberwolves star is three years removed from leaving school early for the NBA.

Pretty cool.

"My main goal has always to have a backup plan once I'm done playing," said Harris, who decided to leave Tennessee after just one season in college and was taken 19th overall. "You need a college degree for that."

Irving, Thompson and Harris are each taking four classes. Not new age schoolwork, either, which seems to be occurring more and more in the online environment.

In an actual classroom.

Irving's has a pair of psychology classes, an African American studies class and also one in theater.

"It's much easier now than it was last year, because I have so much free time now," said Irving, who had a 3.0 GPA after his freshman year.

Love is taking a pair: Sociology 1 and Communication Studies 132.

Sociology begins at 8 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays while his communications class goes from 9:30 to 10:45 on Tuesdays.

"It's been completely natural for me to go back to school," Love said. "It was always my intention, but frankly, I was working so hard every off season that I just didn't have time. But at no time did I ever think I wouldn't get my degree."

There are plenty of other NBA players who are also working toward their degree during the lockout -- a list that includes UCLA's Russell Westbrook and VCU's Larry Sanders. However, the difference with this group is that they only have one year invested in college.

That's a long haul to go to earn their degree.

Many people think they are nuts for returning to school.

"I've heard that," said Thompson, a Canadian who was selected fourth overall by the Cavs. "People are in shock when they see me in class or I tell them I'm in school, but basketball doesn't last forever."

Harris added, "I feel good about it. I was going to get it eventually, so why not do it now while I'm still young?"

It's not as if these guys aren't still working on their games while they go to school. Love still plays pickup with many of the pros in the area and also works with trainer Rob McClanaghan. Irving works out with a Duke trainer and Thompson, who is also a student assistant coach, is able to work out in Texas.

"I'm in Austin, Texas," Thompson said. "One of the greatest cities."

There are countless NBA players who are spending their time at their alma maters, but the majority are just there to reap the benefits of working out with other alums -- and using the facilities in place.

What sets these guys apart is they didn't dread college -- and in particular the academic component.

"I really loved my year at UCLA," Love added. "I embraced every part of college life -- except for the dorms. ... I was never much of a homework guy, but loved the classroom experience and interaction. UCLA and the campus is a special place for me, ever since I first set foot here the summer before my freshman year in high school."

Irving added, "I don't mind going to school. It's not like I left school because I hated it. I just had an opportunity."

Now he's taking advantage of another one.

That's a no brainer - they aren't going far this year.

Got a feeling that this gets settled before next week. Stern has to realize that no one cares.

Since Monday is the deadline before regular season games get cancelled, the speculation is that it will be settled Sunday.

They went with a 50 game season last time - they just need to start around the holidays.

I wonder if the players are trying to put in some language that gets them out of playing defense. I think a lot of these payers would love to run up and down the court and have final scores of 150 to 135. Maybe negotiate an easier interpretation of traveling and carrying the ball as well...

Personally I hope they lose the whole season. Skip the crap season from our Cavs and get straight to another lottery pick.

With the added bonus of another year Lequitter misses a ring.

But I'm not the hoops fan some of you are. I'm a casual b-ball fan. I could live the rest of my life with no NBA. Very happily.

I think the NBA should realize that most people do not care one way or another.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have announced their new radio broadcast team.

John Michael has been selected as the team’s new play-by-play announcer, Jim Chones will join the broadcasts as the game color analyst and Mike Snyder will return as the studio host anchoring pre-game, halftime and post-game shows, as well as serving as host of the weekly Coach Byron Scott Show. All Cavaliers games are broadcast on the team’s flagship station News Radio WTAM 1100 AM, Akron’s AM 1590 WAKR and across the Cavaliers Radio Network.

“We feel great about our new radio broadcast team and having John, Jim and Mike deliver the best radio listening experience possible for our fans. John is a great play-by-play announcer that we feel is the perfect style and fit for the future of our game broadcasts. Jim brings a very credible and deep level of understanding and insight to the game, our team and the league, and Mike is simply the best studio host in the business,” said Cavaliers President Len Komoroski. “This trio will complement and support each other’s contributions to our radio broadcast experience in a new, exciting way as we now enter a new era of Cavs radio.”

Michael has over 10 years of pro sports play-by-play experience. He joins the Cavaliers from the Columbus Blue Jackets of the NHL, where he served as the team’s television game host, in-game reporter and pregame and postgame contributor on FOX Sports Ohio for the past two seasons. Immediately prior to that, he served as the first-ever radio/TV broadcaster with the Lake Erie Monsters for the first two seasons of the AHL franchise that also calls Quicken Loans Arena home.. Prior to embarking on his broadcasting career, he practiced law as a trial attorney after graduating from the University of Notre Dame with mechanical engineering, law and MBA degrees, all cum laude.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be back in Cleveland, while also being humbled to be selected for this tremendous opportunity. I will work extremely hard to help carry on the tradition of radio excellence with the Cavaliers. Of course, Joe Tait can never be replaced or replicated. He’s a Hall of Famer that many of us in the broadcasting community will always consider the best that ever was,” said Michael. “With that in mind, our focus as a new broadcast team will simply be to do everything we possibly can to enhance our fans’ enjoyment of the game. Our fans will always be the focus of what we are doing and why we’re doing it.”

Chones becomes the full-time game analyst after filling in last season along with studio host Mike Snyder, when Tait missed 77 games due to health issues in his 39th and final season. Chones had spent the previous four seasons as the radio team’s postgame analyst. An eight-year NBA veteran, Chones played five seasons with the Cavaliers, including the “Miracle of Richfield” season in 1975-76, when he averaged a career-best 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in 33.4 minutes per game. He has also been an active member of the Cavaliers Legends player alumni group.

After subbing in for Tait as the play-by-play announcer for the majority of last season, Snyder returns to his previous role as the Cavaliers Radio Network Studio Host for his 20th season. He will launch each Cavaliers Radio Network game broadcast with the “FirstMerit Tip-Off Show,” host the halftime report and follow each game with the “Verizon Wireless Call-In Show,” which features game analysis, special guests and player interviews, as well as Head Coach Byron Scott’s postgame press conference. Snyder will also continue to host the weekly Byron Scott Radio Show on WTAM 1100 and the Cavs Radio Network as well.

Dan Gilbert is making money off LeBron James again

By Eric Freeman

In the wake of LeBron James'(notes) "Decision" fiasco, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert seized his newfound moral superiority and reminded everyone of it until he alienated them forever. In addition to the infamous Comic Sans letter, Gilbert knocked down the price on all LeBron Fatheads to the year of traitor Benedict Arnold's birth and crowed for months about how great his terrible (but upright!) basketball team was to root for.

Eventually, James opted out of the union's licensing agreement with Fathead, which barred Gilbert's company from selling any image with his likeness. Now, though, LeBron's opt-out has expired and Gilbert is free to sell his wall graphics once again. Except, instead of offering them to consumers at the reduced traitor-specific price, Gilbert has chosen to revert to the level that makes him more money.

From Darren Rovell for CNBC.com (via EOB):

But on Monday morning, CNBC discovered that Fathead was selling four wall graphics of James in his Heat jersey. What makes the relationship sticky is that the ownership group of Fathead is led by Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who LeBron of course left to go to the Heat.

When "The Decision" was announced, Fathead slashed prices on James' Cavs wall graphics to $17.41, which is the year the famous traitor Benedict Arnold was born. Fathead can continue to sell the images through the lockout since its deal is with the NBA Players Association. The question is, can James opt out again perhaps to spite his former owner?

Congrats to Gilbert, who will now make $99.99 every time one of LeBron's remaining fans buys one of his Fatheads. Unfortunately, each unit sold will continue to make Gilbert's public posturing look like even more a put-on.

On one level, it's somewhat ridiculous that Gilbert now sees no problem with selling images featuring LeBron's likeness at full price only a year after he acted as if they weren't fit to take up space on his warehouse's shelves. It's almost as if Gilbert used the traitor gambit as a way to move product that would be harder to sell at a normal clearance level.

It's also important to note that there's something pretty foul about Gilbert making money off any NBA athletes while the Cavaliers refuse to let their players into the arena or practice facilities. As an owner, Gilbert is part of a group focused on keeping players from making money so they break and accept a deal that favors their employers. While the union gets paid during the lockout for any licensing agreement, Gilbert seems to want to have it both ways -- pushing players to the brink with a hard-line stance and making money off them nonetheless -- in situations like this one. How can he claim that players are making too much money to keep the NBA afloat when he's perfectly willing to deal with them otherwise?

It's tempting to call his stances contradictory, except they're both tied together by the desire to make money. Gilbert and the other owners are actually perfectly consistent. It's their claims towards any sort of morality that feel off, not their business decisions.

Eric Freeman needs to screw off.

I posted this elsewhere under a different pseudonym. I had so much fun composing it that I post it here now. Much more pleasant material than continually posting about dolan and the fact he doesnt need manny or any other middle of the order right handed bat. Enjoy.

Interesting that the agents have not followed through after the rumored but then the denied rip hamilton issue. Seems like someone overplayed their hand either secondarybto push back from the players or some secret tactic from the owners. Everything we here is that stern was going to have a difficult time getting the owners to agree to his final offer but then the players (the street thug Garnett) torpedoed the offer. Just as in 99 I think we have seen the owners best offer. It will only get worse from here. The players had the pr advantage outside of cleveland as the entertainment network with unfair labor practice espn and Wojo the best basketball reporter who seems to hold a grudge in this regard kept making fun of gilbert and Sarver. They have lost that advantage now throughout the brilliant strategy of Stern when he mentioned that he offered 50 per cent. Who in their right mind think that that these mensas such as jj and Lequit and samara deserve more than 50 per cent. I think like in 99 now this thing is settled around Jan 1 for about what the owners originally offered. Everyone loses except the owners. Maybe they will up the percentage a little so as not to embarrass the nbapa executive team. It wasn't their fault anyway. You cant work with uneducated hot heads like kg. At least he decided to go to the meeting unlike lechoke who decided to fool around on a football field. How are those post moves coming queen? Good luck at the next negotiations. Maybe you will be ring chasing then like your friend Z and still be upset at the Cleveland fans who you kicked in the teeth.

Wow. Basketball news and talk.

I hope they cancel the whole freaking season.The only guys I feel the least bit sorry for is the rookies in limbo who haven't earned anything yet.

The rest can go screw themselves indefinitely.

Thanks for that article Rusty. Good for Dan. Can't blame Gilbert for making all the money he can during the lockout. Kind of a slap in the face too.

I hope they cancel the season too. But I would REALLY miss seeing Irving and Thompson together. Although Irving would get almost a whole year of recovery time for his foot.

Just for a little balance here, I like the NBA and I hope they settle.

TFIR wrote:Just for a little balance here, I like the NBA and I hope they settle.

TFIR I think you get your wish tonight. I think it is settled at 51.5 tonight.