TRIPLE THREAT CLE: Russell Westbrook

Showing posts with label Russell Westbrook. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

2017-18 NBA Predictions

Randy Groce, Cleveland Cavaliers & NBA Writer (@Brownsareaweful)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Wizards
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Rockets
NBA Finals: Cavs v Warriors, Winner: Cavs
MVP: Kawhi Leonard, changed to LeBron James
Most Improved Player: Joel Embiid
Rookie Of The Year: De'Aaron Fox
Cavs Wins: 57

Cliff Gulley, NBA Writer (@CLG2282)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Wizards
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Thunder
NBA Finals: Cavs v Warriors, Winner: Cavs
MVP: LeBron James
Most Improved Player: Dante Exum, changed to Jaylen Brown
Rookie Of The Year: Ben Simmons
Cavs Wins: 62

Pat Luhta, MLB Writer & NCAA Football Writer (@PLuhta)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Celtics
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Thunder
NBA Finals: Cavs v Warriors, Winner: Warriors
MVP: John Wall
Most Improved Player: Rodney Hood
Rookie Of The Year: Josh Jackson
Cavs Wins: 58

Jason Disantis, Ohio State Writer, UFC Writer (@JasonInCLE)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Wizards
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Thunder
NBA Finals: Cavs v Warriors, Winner: Warriors
MVP: LeBron James
Most Improved Player: Kristaps Porzingis
Rookie Of The Year: Lonzo Ball
Cavs Wins: 57

Pat Tregoning, NCAA Basketball Writer (@PatNShaker)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Wizards
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Rockets
NBA Finals: Cavs v Warriors, Winner: Cavs
MVP: James Harden
Most Improved Player: Myles Turner
Rookie Of The Year: Ben Simmons
Cavs Wins: 57

Katelin Marshall, Cleveland Browns & NFL Writer (@KatelinKnowsCLE)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Celtics
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Thunder
NBA Finals: Cavs v Warriors, Winner: Cavs
MVP: LeBron James
Most Improved Player: Myles Turner
Rookie Of The Year: Lonzo Ball
Cavs Wins: 55

Jaison Roberts, Pittsburgh Steelers Writer (@Kratoslives)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Wizards
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Spurs
NBA Finals: Cavs v Warriors, Winner: Cavs
MVP: LeBron James
Most Improved Player: Derrick Rose
Rookie Of The Year: Jayson Tatum
Cavs Wins: 70

Brandon Albright, Wrestling Writer (@B_Rock1978)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Celtics
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Spurs
NBA Finals: Cavs v Spurs, Winner: Spurs
MVP: Russell Westbrook
Most Improved Player: Brandon Ingram
Rookie Of The Year: Lonzo Ball
Cavs Wins: 57

Raven Williams, Editor, Entertainment Writer, Host (@nevaRWilliams)
Eastern Conference Finals: Cavs v Wizards
Western Conference Finals: Warriors v Thunder
NBA Finals: Cavs v Warriors, Winner: Cavs
MVP: Kawhi Leonard
Most Improved Player: Devin Booker
Rookie Of The Year: Dennis Smith Jr.
Cavs Wins: 61

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Radio Show 4/12/17: On Cavs Playoff Worries, Who's The MVP, Myles Garrett & Favorite Guy Movies

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Radio Show 4/5/17: On Tony Romo, Russell Westbrook, NBA Playoffs/HOF & More

Thursday, December 15, 2016

Radio Show 12.14.16: Browns, Jeff Fisher, NFL, Great Teams That Flopped, Sports Pet Peeves & More

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Radio Show 12.7.16: On CFB Playoff, Cavs, Klay, Browns/NFL, Gronk, First Albums & Guilty Pleasure Music

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Radio Show 11.30.16: Buckeyes, CFB Playoff, Best QBs, Most Valued Team, Russell Westbrook & More

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Radio Show 8.10.16: On Browns, Hall of Fame/PEDs, Olympics, Suicide Squad

Thursday, April 14, 2016

Full Court Press 4.14.16: 2015-16 NBA Awards Predictions #NBA

2015-16 NBA Awards Predictions
By Randy Groce, @ImissWiggins

Another long NBA season has come to an end. Records have been broken and milestones have been reached. We have reached the point where we will find out who are the winners and losers of the awards that we as fans have been debating about since the All Star break. All of the categories will have at least four mentionable players, but I will only highlight the top two or three that truly have a shot at winning.

Like anyone else who's a fan of the NBA I have my personal favorites, but the players that I choose as winners will be chosen based on what I saw on the court. The categories are: MVP, Coach of the year, Rookie of the year, Defensive Player of the year, Most Improved Player, 6th Man of the year, and Comeback player of the year. Since we're here I think I'll even throw in the First and Second All NBA Team. So, let the arguments begin........

Comeback Player of the year

Paul George
Kevin Durant

Paul George is my winner. George returned this season after only playing in a handful of games last season to a completely different and younger Pacer roster than he's played with his last few seasons. George is averaging 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists this season all while leading his team back to the playoffs.

Winner: Paul George

Most Improved Player

Andre Drummond
CJ McCollum
Steph Curry

All three of these guys had big jumps in their numbers from last season. It seems as though Portland got rid of every player on the roster except for Lillard and McCollum. McCollum averaged 20 points per game this year and has Portland in the 5th seed right now. Curry has added seven more points per game from last season which is almost unheard of from a guy who just won the MVP. Drummond has looked like a monster in the paint grabbing every rebound in sight this season. Based where Detroit is now compared to where they were last year I think I'll take Drummond. Also, Drummond is the only player in the NBA this season to record 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks & 100 steals.

Winner: Andre Drummond

Sixth Man Of The Year

Andre Iguodala
Will Barton
Jamal Crawford

I gotta go with Iggy. This was only his second year ever coming off of the bench, but fresh off of being named last years Finals MVP Iguodala made it possible for Steph and Klay to spend many nights on the bench in the fourth quarter with his playmaking and leadership abilities.

Winner: Andre Iguodala

Rookie Of The Year

Karl Anthony Towns
Kristaps Porzingis

This is probably the only category where I don't even think that it's close. Towns is averaging 18points/10 rebounds a game and is making it look easy for a 20 yr old. Paired with Andrew Wiggins, the Wolves are a coach away from maybe seeing how good they can be. Porzingis, averaging 14 points/7 rebounds was booed on draft night by Knick fans. Maybe they'll give up on begging LeBron to come to town and they'll realize that they have a good young piece to watch grow and hopefully turn their franchise around.

Winner: Karl Anthony-Towns

Defensive Player Of The Year

Kawhi Leonard
Draymond Green
Hassan Whiteside

Both Leonard and Green can guard all five positions without having it affect their offense, but if I need one guy to guard anyone in the league for one possession to win a game I have to pick Kawhi. Whiteside affects the game in the paint the way Dwight Howard used to and the way DeAndre Jordan is supposed to.

Winner: Kawhi Leonard

Coach Of The Year

Steve Kerr
Terry Stotts
Gregg Popovich

I'm pretty sure Popovich has never won this award which is weird because he should have won it at least 4 times. Unfortunately, I can't see myself giving it to him this year either. He's led the Spurs to the best season in the team's history. The problem with that is Golden State is having the best season ever. As I stated earlier when Portland is in the middle of a rebuild and lost their franchise player and somehow found a way to make it the playoffs this year. No way this happens without Stotts. Although Kerr has coached less than half of the games for the Warriors this season, they had the same players and ran the exact same system as they did last year. The system belongs to Kerr.

Winner: Steve Kerr

MVP

Steph Curry
LeBron James
Russell Westbrook

There is no wrong answer for this category when it comes to these three men. When LeBron (25 points/ 7 rebounds/ 6 assists) doesn't play, the Cavs lose. Despite a coaching change and a lot of "rumblings' in the locker room, the Cavs still finished with the best record in the East. Westbrook (23 points/10 assists/8 rebounds) has matured and has turned himself into an almost automatic triple double machine while leading his team to the fourth best record in the league. Curry, who has more attention payed to him this year than last has improved his scoring average from 23 points per game to 30(29.9). Curry is averaging 30 points/6assists/5rebounds and his team is on the verge of breaking all time wins mark.

Winner: Co-MVP's Steph Curry and Russell Westbrook

First Team All NBA

Steph Curry
Russell Westbrook
Lebron James
Kawhi Leonard
Hassan Whiteside

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Full Court Press 4.13.16: Kobe Bryant, The Last Of His Kind #KB20 #Kobe

The Last Of His Kind
By Randy Groce, @ImissWiggins

My boss Chris Williams (@nevaRWilliams), asked me to write an article about my favorite Kobe moments. I can't. There's too many. Instead I'd like to write a quick eulogy instead. He's not dead, but after April 13th his career will be. The moves, the dunks, the stare will all be gone. There's only one other guy in the league who might possess what Kobe has in terms of determination, skill, athletic ability, and the mindset to not care what anyone thinks and not be afraid to fail. We'll talk about him later.

It seems as though there is only two ways to feel about Kobe: hate him or love him.

For probably the first 10 years of his career most fans, and some non fans of basketball hated him. They had a gun, and with that gun they possessed five fatal bullets that they would fire during any "Kobe related"argument.

He wanted to be Michael Jordan.
He shot those airballs.
He raped a girl.
He snitched on Shaq.
He got Shaq traded.

In all actuality, only two of those were true, you figure out which ones. As a rookie, Kobe shot 4-14 in a game 5 playoff matchup against the Utah Jazz. He'll always be remembered for the four airballs that he shot in crunch time. Can you imagine how many guys who have played that sport that if that had happened to them at the age of 18 would have let it affect the rest of their career? Are there any other players, then or now, who could have spent all day in court while facing rape charges and 20 plus years in jail, then hop on a plane, get to the arena after the game already started and still drop 40 points? Kobe did. He somehow found a way to turn two completely different tragedies into fuel that would drive him to be the superstar that he is today.

Kobe was far from perfect. He took too many shots when he should have passed and he was never really a true leader. He didn't trust his teammates, clashed with coaches, and hated the triangle offense. Unlike players of this generation he didn't want to be your friend. He didn't work out with opponents DURING or after the season. He wanted to beat you. Badly. He didn't want to be like Mike he wanted to be better than Mike. He emulated everything that Michael Jordan did, there's no denying that. MJ's walk, talk, gum chewing mannerisms, fade away, all of it, he took from Mike. His competitiveness is what separates him from the rest. The final time the two faced off against each other Kobe scored 55 points, 42 in the first half. That's how you say goodbye to your idol.

As Kobe exits the game, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki and Paul Pierce won't be too far behind. They are the last of the Hall of Famers remaining from the 90's. 13 NBA championships between them. There's only one player currently in the league that I feel has the hunger and fight that they had and that is Russell Westbrook. How can you watch this young man's development and not see a direct correlation between him and Kobe. Early in their careers they were selfish ball hogs who had raw abilities that needed developing.

While everyone else told them to be more "team friendly" they continued to do it their way. They both played with another teammate who was considered the best in the game. They both eventually figured it out. Westbrook is still chasing that first ring, but I think most feel he'll get it one day. Westbrook is from LA, his contract will be up next year, and I'm pretty sure Kobe will have a conversation with him when the time is right.

Kobe will be the first to tell you that he doesn't have many friends. I'm not sure how important that is to him, but he found out this season how many fans he has. Players, coaches, fronts office people have all sang his praises as he plays his final games. The last three years have been a challenge, but at least he's still able to leave the game the way he wants. Number #8 grew up and became a legend while wearing #24.

I expect his last shot to be on the block, right side of the basket, turn around fade away jump shot.

All net.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Leadoff with Lee 2.17.15

By @cleeverizon

-With playing stints with the Athletics,Yankees,Rockies and his last team the Indians Jason Giambi announced his retirement from MLB. In his most productive years, he won numerous awards including:
- 5x All-Star (2000-2004)
- 2x Silver Slugger Award (2001-2002)
- AL MVP (2000)
- AL Comeback Player of the Year (2005)
- TSN AL Comeback Player of the Year (2005)
- Home Run Derby Champion (2002)

- Pitcher Bruce Chen agreed to minor league deal with Cleveland Indians. His contract is a $1M base, plus $1M performance bonuses

- The Yankees will retire Andy Pettite's No. 46, Bernie Williams' No. 51 and Jorge Posada's No. 20 this season. These three will join numbers Billy Martin 1, Babe Ruth 3, Lou Gehrig 4, Joe DiMaggio 5, Joe Torre 6, Mickey Mantle 7, Yogi Berra & Bill Dickey 8, Roger Maris 9, Phil Rizzuto 10, Thurman Munson 15, Whitney Ford 16, Don Mattingly 23, Elston Howard 32, Casey Stengel 37, Mariano Rivera & Jackie Robinson 42, Reggie Jackson 44 and Ron Guidry 49 at the Yankees Monument Hall. Obviously, Derek Jeter's 2 will be next up.

- The Western Conference won the NBA All-Star Game, 163-158 on Sunday.

The 321 combined points are the most in an NBA All-Star Game. Coming off the bench for the West, Russell Westbrook scored 27 points in 11 minutes in the first half of the game. Westbrook was the 2015 All Star MVP scoring 41 points on 16/28 shooting, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals in 26 minutes. His 41 points are 1 shy of Wilt Chamberlain's All-Star Game record for most points in a game, 42.

While scoring 30 points, LeBron James passed Michael Jordan (262) for 2nd on the all-time All-Star Game points list. Only Kobe Bryant (280) has more than LeBron (278).

-The New York Knicks announced the official buyout of forward Amar'e Stoudemire. Stoudemire gave back nearly $2 million dollars in his buyout of the final year of his contract. It's reported that he has committed to signing a deal with the Dallas Mavericks.

-Yesterday was the first official day NFL teams were eligible to franchise (one year deal for a player guaranteed) and use the transition tag (other team may sign with current team having first rights to match) on their players.

Tag projections on offense are based on $143M cap:
QB $18.51M
RB $10.93M
WR $12.80M
TE $8.33M
OL $12.92M.

Tag projections on defense/ST (based on $143M cap):
DT $11.17M
DE $14.78M
LB $13.17M
CB $13.05M
S $9.60M
P/K $4.12M.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Leadoff with Lee 5.8.14

-With Asdrubal Cabrera on third base and a Mike Avila liner to centerfield, the Cleveland Indians earned their first walk off win of the season over the Minnesota Twins, 4-3. Danny Salazar got the start for the Tribe, pitching 6.1 innings with 7 strikeouts, giving up 3 earned runs and 6 hits. John Axford earned the win with one inning pitched. The Indians will close out the 4 game set without the Twins this afternoon with a start time at 12:05 PM.

-Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman signed a 4 year extension for $57.4 million dollars with $40 million guaranteed. As I said last week, I expected Browns cornerback Joe Haden to sign his extension after Sherman's deal was complete.

-With Lob City up 0-1 in the series, the Oklahoma City Thunder came storming back with a 112-101 win. Russell Westbrook had a impressive night with his triple double, scoring 31 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Kevin Durant fell just short of a triple double, with 32 points, 12 boards and 9 assists. The Clippers had a chance to win but they lost the rebound game 52-36. Leaders for the Clippers include J.J Redick with 18 points, CP3 with 17 points, on top of 11 assists and Blake Griffin who scored only 15. The series is tied 1-1 with Game 3 on Friday in L.A.

-Roy Hibbert finally woke up in Game 2, scoring 28 points and 9 rebounds for the Pacers with a 86-82 win over the Wizards. Washington's John Wall had a rough night shooting 6-27 from the field. Marcin Gortat had a impressive 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Wizards. Washington also had a tough time from the free throw line, missing 7 of their 12 free throw attempts. I have always said it's fundamentals that win or lose a game. In this situation its all about the free ones. Game 3 for this series will be Friday night in Washington.