The Decision, Part II

At first, I compared the Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors move to LeBron James' move to the Miami Heat in 2010. Upon further review, I think the Durant move is far worse.

The only thing that would have made it even worse was to go to a Boys and Girls Club in Connecticut with ESPN cameras in tow and reveal to the national audience he was breaking OKC's heart by "taking his talents to the Bay Area."

When LeBron joined the Heat, they were decent, but not great. They had Dwayne Wade and nothing else. When Chris Bosh decided he wanted no part of Cleveland and chose Miami, it opened the door for the "SuperFriends" to align together. And, it worked -- four straight NBA Finals, two championships sandwiched in between, a couple of colossal chokes to start and finish.

When LeBron decided to "come home" to Cleveland, the Cavs were in far worse shape than Miami was 4 years ago. But thanks to some "lucky" (wink-wink) ping-pong balls, the team was armed with some up-and-coming players and some great assets that allowed LeBron and the Cavs to remake the franchise literally overnight. In one season, they were in the NBA Finals, coming two wins away from that elusive championship. In two seasons, they were champions.

Kevin Durant has none of this. He's joining a team that's already "loaded" that has one NBA championship under its belt and had just choked away a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals after a record-setting 73-win season. He's just another spoke in the wheel. He's not off to transform anything. He's just trying to shortcut his way to a championship, and that's sad.

Durant weathered a move from Seattle to help turn the Thunder into one of the NBA's most respected franchises. They built from the ground up, and Durant was the biggest piece of that puzzle. they reached the NBA Finals once (choked away to the Heat), but that was it. And let's not forget that choke job this year, blowing a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

If you can't beat em, join em.

After LeBron left in 2010, I felt that Durant would be the next superstar to leave a small market for a bigger one. So, I'm not entirely surprised he left OKC. However, the move to the Warriors just reeks. Fans of the NBA have a right to be upset. It's the return of the "SuperTeam," and the league is stacking the deck for a few markets. Surprisingly, Cleveland is one of them (and I'm not complaining about that).

Remember when the NBA Lockout was all about preventing teams from "stacking the deck?" How's that working out, Adam Silver? Not so good. The salary cap is a giant joke, with so many loopholes and exceptions to allow teams to go over. The Cavs benefited from this system greatly, and now have to pay a $54 million luxury tax to the NBA (and I'm sure Dan Gilbert is writing that check while staring into that Larry O'Brien Trophy in his office, knowing that it was so worth it). However, now they are hamstrung into keeping what they have without being able to add any quality assets. Hence, why they weren't involved in the Durant sweepstakes.

Fans have a right to be pissed. Sure, we're a little unhappy in Cleveland, because it's a blatant move to stick it up our asses as the Cavs try to repeat as NBA champions. But it's not just here -- it's league-wide. If you don't live in Oakland or San Francisco or San Jose or anywhere in Northern California (or aren't a front-runner), you're not happy about this! Why, because it's NO FUN!

We might as well fast forward to next June already for Cavs-Warriors III in the NBA Finals, because -- barring serious injury or stunning upset or a page torn out of the script -- this will happen again. The NBA made a ton of money on this year's postseason, and the Cavs winning was the feel-good story that captured the nation's heart (well, most of it). The rubber match, part three of the triumverate, will shatter TV records.

It's just a shame that it's effectively made every other team irrelevant. Sure, the Knicks and Celtics made some moves, as did the Hawks, but does anyone really think those will be enough to take down the Cavs? Demar DeRozen decided to stay in Toronto -- good for him, but does anyone think the Raptors can take down the Cavs?

Kevin Durant was once known as one of the best up-and-coming talents in the NBA. Today, he's just another guy and showed his true colors.

I hope the Cavs kick their ass one more time! Don't sing it, bring it!

Until next time, remember that Cleveland not only Rocks, but are also Champions!

The End

I'm exhausted. I'm emotionally spent. My eyes are red from crying on and off for the past 15 hours or so.

But to say that today isn't a day that Joe Cleveland has been dreaming about for his entire life would be a lie. Today, Joe Cleveland is on top of the world!

After 52 long years, Cleveland finally has won a major sports championship, courtesy of LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers! And, it feels good. It feels DAMN GOOD!

If you would have asked me 20 years ago which team would have been the first to snap this drought, the Cavs would have been last on my list.  Even the Browns, which technically didn't exist 20 years ago, would have been ahead on my list over the Cavs. That's because, by and large, the Cavs have been a mess as an organization.

The Browns have been a mess since they've come back in 1999, no denying that. The Cavs have been a mess for most of their 46 years of existence.

The ghosts of Ted Stepien, Bill Musselman, Gary Suiter, Randy Wittman, Trajan Langdon, Mel Turpin, Shawn Kemp, Paul Mokeski, John Lucas, Mike Brown, Byron Scott, Anthony Bennett, Dion Waiters, and so on, are exorcised. The specter of The Decision -- a decision that tore Cleveland to its core and had most of us turn on one of our area's finest exports -- is gone.

Dan Gilbert -- Forgiven!

LeBron James -- Forgiven!

The firing of David Blatt -- Forgiven!

The signing of Tristan Thompson -- Forgiven!

The trade for Kevin Love -- Forgiven!

Tyrann Lue -- Forgiven!

Kyrie Irving and his injury issues -- Forgiven!

J.R. Smith -- Forgiven!

I'm sure there are many other things that can be brought up, but if it's about the Cavs, it is truly, 100 percent, forgiven by myself and the majority of other Clevelanders today.

We're CHAMPIONS, Cleveland! And nobody can take that away from us! NOBODY!

Not the ESPNs and the Stephen A. Smiths of the world. They can try to piss on our Cheerios with speculation about LeBron leaving again -- and that's all that is, is speculation -- but it doesn't matter. Just a month after ESPN aired its brutal 30-for-30 special on Cleveland called Believeland, the Cavs went out and made sure that special is null-and-void.

I was one of LeBron James' harshest critics when he left and even when he decided to come back. I vowed that I would not "fall in love with him" all over again. If he was screwing up, I was going to hold him accountable. And my social media took a beating every now and again as a result, but I owned it. I gave him credit when credit was due, and the way he carried a shell of that team in 2015 to a Game 6 of the NBA Finals deserved a lot of credit.

However, the way he stepped up and led the Cavs to an unfathomable three consecutive wins -- two on the road -- against a Golden State team that won an NBA record 73 wins in the regular season trumps all of that. LeBron James was not to be denied in this postseason, and Kyrie Irving stepped up and went right along with him -- as did the rest of the team.

Kevin Love struggled in the NBA Finals, but in Game 7, his role as a rebounder was a huge factor in the win. The much-maligned Love pulled down 14 boards to lead the Cavs Sunday night.

Tristan Thompson, who signed a ridiculous $82 million contract prior to the regular season, showed during the postseason he was worth every penny. In the Finals, especially, he looked like the third-best player on the floor in a Cleveland uniform. He even knocked down some clutch free throws and played tough defense against the Warriors.

Nobody gave them a chance after losing Game 4 in Cleveland to go down 3-1. I certainly didn't. I almost didn't watch Game 5 because I figured it would be a formality that the Cavs would lose. To my amazement -- and the amazement of just about everybody else -- they routed the Warriors on their home floor to force a Game 6 at home. Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5 because LeBron baited him into an altercation at the end of Game 4 that may have tilted the series in Cleveland's favor in the long run.

Once again, the Cavs stepped up and denied the Warriors a chance to celebrate in their locker room, running out to a huge lead in the first quarter and never letting up. Stephen Curry lost his cool and got ejected. Green also battled foul trouble. Andre Igoudala injured his back, and Andrew Bogut injured his knee.

But still, Golden State had never lost 3 games in a row this season. They had lost 8 games in the postseason after losing 9 in 82 regular season games. They only dropped a handful of games at home. Even though the Cavs had the momentum, it was a tall order.

To both teams' credit, they played like they both wanted it. Every trip down the floor was huge. Every run was answered. Even though Golden State led by 7 at halftime (prompting ESPN to proclaim that the game was over), the Cavs were never truly out of it.

LeBron, in his essay announcing his return to Cleveland two years ago, said that "nothing in Northeast Ohio is given. Everything is earned." And this Cavs team truly earned it in every sense of the word.

I'll stop right there because I have been one of the people harping on the theory that the NBA is rigged or fixed, that the NBA officiating dictates the result of games and that the league office has a hand in how things play out. So, I'm sure people are saying, "How can the Cavs earn something that's rigged?" Fair question.

They earned it because they have the best player in the game. They earned it because they have the best point guard in the game. They earned it because they rose above the one-sided officiating (especially in Game 5) and forced the NBA to rethink some things.

Game 7 was the highest rated NBA game in many years, if not ever. The league isn't stupid. It also loves to milk storylines. And this series had two very good storylines.

I'll give the NBA credit for stepping out of the way and letting the two teams play in Game 7. But the storyline of the team, with the superstar who came home for one last run, overcoming the insurmountable deficit and dethroning the Goliath that is Golden State is too good to not get behind. If it is scripted, give the NBA a lot of props for coming up with the perfect scenario for Cleveland to end its title drought.

Even if it is fixed, it's high time something was fixed in our favor. I'll take it and I'll run with it all the way to the bank, as I'm sure just about everyone else will.

I think about watching Game 7 of the 1997 World Series at Cleveland State and watching Jose Mesa blow that save. I remember how hurt I was and how hurt a lot of my family and friends were as a result. I think that hurt, along with the Indians choking away the 2007 American League Championship Series, made me almost resent the Indians for many years. Today, that resentment is gone.

I think about being a kid -- a young teenager -- and watching the Browns come up short in three AFC Championship Games to the Denver Broncos. One on an improbable length of the field drive that forced overtime, another after a furious comeback that made up for a horrible first half ended when a classy running back was stripped of the ball just a few feet away from scoring the tying touchdown. Somehow, the Browns became my team and continued to be my team throughout those early heartbreaks. But man, did my parents and family members take it hard.

About 8 months ago, my grandfather passed away in his mid-80s. I joked, at his funeral, that he was one of the few people I knew who witnessed several Cleveland championships, and he really had (and he loved talking about them). I thought about him after this game, and how excited he would have been to see this. My love of Cleveland sports came from my grandfather, and I'm sure, wherever he is, he's so thrilled that I can experience this for myself.

My mom has been dead for almost 14 years. She was as diehard as they come when it came to rooting for Cleveland teams. I thought about her too, and how -- if she was still here -- I would have likely been watching Game 7 with her. I'm sure, wherever she is, she's thrilled I can experience this highest of highs.

Both of them were with me in spirit last night, and I get emotional thinking about it. This is what this championship means to me!

Today, with pride, I can puff out my chest and say to the world, "You're damn right I'm a Cleveland sports fan! What are you gonna do about it?" And, the haters are gonna hate, but they're a little quieter now, aren't they? And, it feels good ... it feels DAMN GOOD!

One championship is great. And if it's the only one I ever experience, so be it. At least I can point my finger back at the Pittsburgh fans and say, "Oh yeah, I know what it's like." But, I've seen what one championship can do to a community and how it lifts the civic pride of the people, how it can change the landscape of the entire sporting landscape.

Pittsburgh wasn't a great sports town until Franco Harris made an "Immaculate Reception" in the 1972 playoffs. Two years later, that Steelers franchise that was an NFL doormat for years won the Super Bowl and wound up with six. The 70s saw championships by both the Steelers and Pirates and extended in the 80s and 90s (and even this year) to the NHL's Penguins. The whole thing changed.

Boston was a town known for a baseball franchise cursed by a decision to sell off the greatest baseball player of the 20th Century -- Babe Ruth -- to the hated Yankees. That is, until the 2000s, when the Patriots stunned everyone with a Super Bowl upset and became the current benchmark franchise of the NFL, the Red Sox made up an insurmountable deficit to win its first World Series in 86 years and wind up winning 2 more, and even the Celtics and Bruins added championships. That loser mentality is gone.

The Browns' Joe Haden already has caught the fever. He penned an article for Sports Illustrated talking about how much he enjoyed this championship and how it's fired him up to do the same with the Browns. Tribe manager Terry Francona, a big Cavs fan and the manager of those miracle Red Sox winners, is I'm sure singing a similar tune to his Indians.

The Cavaliers are NBA Champions. The Lake Erie Monsters, just last week, won the second-oldest North American championship trophy in the American Hockey League's Calder Cup -- the 10th one for Cleveland, but (ironically) first one since 1964. Stipe Miocic won the UFC heavyweight championship just one month before that.

Today, sports fans will look and see the Indians are in first place in the AL Central Division. They'll see a Browns team that is starting generate a lot of excitement due to a new head coach, a former hotshot quarterback in Robert Griffin III, and a solid draft class. They'll see a Cavs team built for a possible repeat if they retain everyone and can make a few more moves (with Richard Jefferson retiring, they'll need that solid veteran to fill that key role, that "heartbeat" role). And even though Ohio's NHL team is in Columbus, it's the Monsters that are the Blue Jackets' top farm club and a lot of those players will likely get the call up within the next year or so and show if they can win championships at that level.

Today is a good day to be a Cleveland Sports Fan. We partied like it was 1964 last night and into today. We didn't burn the city down, like most people were afraid that we would. The fact that a lot of us really didn't know how to react to this sort of thing may have played into our favor. All we did was dance in the streets and cheer.

All we did was massively sing the National Anthem before every single game we hosted, which made an impression on the national audience. All we did was be true to ourselves.

God bless you, Cleveland! I love this town so damn much, it hurts! I love the Browns, Cavs and Indians so damn much, it hurts! And today, with all of you, we can call ourselves champions!

I'm exhausted. I'm emotionally spent. I've cried a few more times while I've written this piece -- a piece I've waited my entire life to write. And I'm sure it could have been better. But here it is. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

Time for a nap. Congratulations, Cavs, and Go Browns and Go Tribe! And, even better, GO CLEVELAND!

The Cleveland Sports Curse is over! THE END!

Until next time, remember -- ALWAYS REMEMBER -- that Cleveland Rocks!

Homecoming King

"Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio. It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up. I sometimes feel like I’m their son. Their passion can be overwhelming. But it drives me. I want to give them hope when I can. I want to inspire them when I can. My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball. I didn't realize that four years ago. I do now."

-- LeBron James, the lead to his exclusive Sports Illustrated revelation that he was returning to the Cavaliers

Joe Cleveland's alarm went off at 1 p.m. and he woke up, oblivious to the fact that his hometown was in the process of losing its collective mind.

He turned on his cell phone, and it immediately buzzed with activity. Two voice mails, and both from the former Mrs. Joe Cleveland.

You know it's big (and positive) news when your ex-wife is calling you excitedly and encouraging you to jump on your computer.

As I'm listening to these voice mails and clearing the cobwebs from my head, the text message and Twitter feeds from my phone were scrolling across messages. One read, "Bron-Bron is coming home."

Most people who know me know I haven't exactly been shy about my disdain for LeBron James. Ever since he "decided" to leave the Cavaliers four years ago to take his "talents to South Beach" and play for the Heat, I've been one of his harshest critics.

When his Heat lost to Dallas that first year, I celebrated like the Cavs won the NBA championship. When the Heat won the NBA championship in the second year, I harped on the fact that the NBA season was shortened by 16 games and that it should have an asterisk next to it. When they beat the San Antonio Spurs the next year, I talked about how it was 8-on-5 due to the shady NBA officiating in Game 6.

But, this year, as the Spurs manhandled the Heat, I didn't seem to care one way or the other. Sure, I was rooting for San Antonio, but it wouldn't have depressed me if Miami won this time. By that point, I had washed my hands of the NBA. I didn't care about the league. I didn't care about the Cavs. I just didn't care.

Even as speculation grew that LeBron James would opt out of his contract following the 2014 season, I dismissed any notion that he would return to the Cavs. The wounds were still too fresh. Dan Gilbert still owned the team, and his infamous open letter to the "so-called King" was still up on the Cavaliers' Web page. I figured Gilbert would agree to bring him back -- he is a businessman, after all -- but I didn't think LeBron would want to play for him.

Cleveland fans jeered his successes and cheered for his failures. But that's what we do -- we root for the name on the front of the jersey. Sure, the name on the back may have belonged to the player who is, for all intents and purposes, the biggest star in the NBA, but he left us, damnit! Clips of a few fans burning his jersey were replayed by ESPN all the time, even Friday as he announced that he was returning.

So, I came out from the start of the year thinking one way and kept the same refrain going until the time I went to bed Thursday night/early Friday morning:

He's not coming back!

I shouted it from the rooftops. I put it on my Facebook page. I posted it to others' Facebook pages. I told that to people on the street when they asked my opinion. And, I will own it because that's what I believed.

I feared that all the Cleveland fans who were ready to jump back on the LeBron bandwagon were setting themselves up for more heartbreak when he decided to re-sign with the Heat or even sign with a team like the Rockets or Bulls or Clippers.

He's the best player in the NBA. There's NO WAY he's coming to play for the lowly Cavaliers.

The Cavs have been a mess since LeBron left. Sure, the NBA has tried to help by awarding the franchise three No. 1 overall picks in the last four years, five picks in the top four and seven first rounders as a whole. Other than Kyrie Irving, who hasn't been a pillar of health during his basketball career, none of those picks have really panned out. Dion Waiters has shown flashes, but his clashing with Irving last year derailed the 2013-14 season from really ever having success.

The Cavs fired Mike Brown and Danny Ferry in the wake of LeBron's first absence, then hired and fired Byron Scott as head coach and Chris Grant as GM and then re-hired and re-fired Brown as head coach. They had just promoted David Griffin to GM, a largely unknown commodity around the NBA, and went overseas to find David Blatt to be the new head coach. Blatt was known as the "Phil Jackson of Europe," but he's never coached stateside in his career.

The people who were claiming that LeBron James would come here to this, I thought, were on drugs. People were allowing their optimism to run rampant. People were quoting sources linked to sources on Twitter, and any little LeBron thing was re-Tweeted to the masses.

It was hysteria around Northeast Ohio this week, and I wasn't going to get caught up in it.

But, I did. With every public denial, privately, I began to find myself believing he could come back. I just didn't want to be taken for a ride like I did four years ago, when I was convinced that he'd never leave Cleveland.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

To paraphrase George W. Bush, I was not about to get fooled again. Miami could have him. He was going to re-up with his boys Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and try to win more championship rings in Miami. Trying to bring a championship ring to Cleveland, where he'd be the top dog trying to cultivate all of this young talent, would be too much work for LeBron James.

I think that's what made Friday seem so, dare I say it, fun. Because I allowed myself to be surprised, to be shocked, to be stunned. I didn't believe it until I heard it from the horse's mouth, and there it was, published to Sports Illustrated's Web site, "I'm Coming Home," by LeBron James.

After watching my phone go into seizures spewing out all of this social media news, I glanced out my front window. I expected to see either the apocalypse happening or a mass orgy in the streets. I saw neither, but Facebook and Twitter appeared to be engaging in both all day.

Sports talkers locally broke down and cried on air, crying tears of joy. Callers to those shows broke down.

Never before has a superstar in any sport signed with a Cleveland team in free agency. OK, maybe Roberto Alomar when he signed with the Indians, but his career was starting to go on the downside. LeCharles Bentley was a Pro Bowl center and Ohio State star (and Cleveland native) when he signed with the Browns, but he was A CENTER! Plus, he got injured in his first practice and never played a down in the NFL after that.

Andrew Bynum was an All-Star in the past with the Lakers before signing with the Cavs, but he came in as damaged goods and left as damaged goods, not even playing a full season in Cleveland.

If LeBron James wasn't from Akron, Cleveland would have never even been in the running. That's a fact. It would have been like Atlanta, Milwaukee or Sacramento, decent teams, but LeBron never gave those teams the time of day. And, it's a fact that LeBron mentions over and over during what some fans are calling The Essay.

"When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn’t had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

"I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when. After the season, free agency wasn’t even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn’t going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

"To make the move I needed the support of my wife and my mom, who can be very tough. The letter from Dan Gilbert, the booing of the Cleveland fans, the jerseys being burned -- seeing all that was hard for them. My emotions were more mixed. It was easy to say, “OK, I don’t want to deal with these people ever again.” But then you think about the other side. What if I were a kid who looked up to an athlete, and that athlete made me want to do better in my own life, and then he left? How would I react? I’ve met with Dan, face-to-face, man-to-man. We’ve talked it out. Everybody makes mistakes. I’ve made mistakes as well. Who am I to hold a grudge?"

Apparently, the much-publicized plane ride to South Florida by Gilbert on Sunday did happen, and Gilbert sat down with James, his agent, Rich Paul, and his business adviser Maverick Carter. The two men aired their grievances, apologized to each other, and sought to start anew.

LeBron wanted to come back to Cleveland. Gilbert wanted LeBron James on his team. It was just a matter of these two stubborn individuals seeing if they could let bygones be bygones and start over with a fresh slate.

Once that question was answered, LeBron met with Pat Riley in Las Vegas on Wednesday. Some wonder if he was giving Riley one last chance to sway him. Others think that it was LeBron's way of saying good-bye. Either way, that Wednesday meeting came and went, and there was no word of whether he was signing with the Cavs or staying with the Heat.

To LeBron's credit, he's not making bold statements about "Not 1, not 2, not 3 ..." championships. In fact, he doesn't even guarantee one, although Vegas immediately made the Cavs the favorites to win next year's NBA title at 3-1.

"I’m not promising a championship. I know how hard that is to deliver. We’re not ready right now. No way. Of course, I want to win next year, but I’m realistic. It will be a long process, much longer than it was in 2010. My patience will get tested. I know that. I’m going into a situation with a young team and a new coach. I will be the old head. But I get a thrill out of bringing a group together and helping them reach a place they didn’t know they could go. I see myself as a mentor now and I’m excited to lead some of these talented young guys. I think I can help Kyrie Irving become one of the best point guards in our league. I think I can help elevate Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters. And I can’t wait to reunite with Anderson Varejao, one of my favorite teammates.

"But this is not about the roster or the organization. I feel my calling here goes above basketball. I have a responsibility to lead, in more ways than one, and I take that very seriously. My presence can make a difference in Miami, but I think it can mean more where I’m from. I want kids in Northeast Ohio, like the hundreds of Akron third-graders I sponsor through my foundation, to realize that there’s no better place to grow up. Maybe some of them will come home after college and start a family or open a business. That would make me smile. Our community, which has struggled so much, needs all the talent it can get.

"In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. You work for what you have.

"I’m ready to accept the challenge. I’m coming home."

Anyone who has lived or does live in Northeast Ohio know that second-to-last paragraph is true. Only a person who lived here would understand that. LeBron, in leaving, appears to have discovered that.

The one thing that us, as Cleveland fans, cannot do is turn a blind eye to LeBron James if he screws up. We have to hold him accountable. We cannot coddle him like we did the last time. We were so paranoid that he was going to leave no one wanted to criticize him And, when he did leave, the three years of criticisms that never got aired came flowing all out of us at once, and didn't stop for roughly four years.

Cleveland wasn't shy about criticizing Irving when he messed up, to the point where some people were afraid that he wouldn't sign his max extension. But he did, which was the first piece of the puzzle. Ironically, because of the NBA's rules, Irving is poised to earn more money than James over the course of their respective deals.

We have to let James know that, if he's not giving forth the effort, we're not going to stand for it. While he didn't promise a championship, we all know he wants one as bad as we do. 

Winning one championship in Cleveland would make those two he won in Miami almost irrelevant. Part of it, as LeBron said, is because Miami has won championships recently -- Cleveland hasn't won one in 50 years! Another part of it is the circumstances. LeBron won't have his buddies Wade and Bosh to take the slack off him this time. Now, it's an unproven, but intriguing, cast of young characters like Irving, Waiters, Thompson and Andrew Wiggins, if the Cavs hold on to all of them.

As James put it, coming back is about a lot more than basketball. It's about a lot more than sports. It's about civic pride. It's about the economy. Having James in a Cavs uniform the next five winters (at least) will make Downtown Cleveland a happening place during the cold months, like they were the seven years before he left. Bars and restaurants will do more business. Vendors will make money.

Perhaps free agents may want to come to Cleveland. There are already rumors that Kevin Love could be joining the Cavs, perhaps as soon as this year. Former Miami teammates Ray Allen and Mike Miller, while both aging, have expressed an interest in joining James with the Cavs, and their shooting abilities and mere veteran presences will be assets to this young bunch.

Cleveland already landed the Republican National Convention, which will be huge for this city. Revenue will be coming in like mad, and politicians and the national media will descend upon Cleveland to see a city revitalized. The Browns already seem to be benefiting from a resurgence due to some shrewd moves, but also because of the presence of Johnny Manziel (who may or may not start as a rookie, but is affiliated with LeBron's management group). The Indians have won three out of their last four games and began Friday night's game with a big welcome home message to James on their giant scoreboard.

Whether you are a LeBron James fan or not (and, even with the goodwill, put me in the not category at the moment), you can't argue the good feelings generated for this city. ESPN is suddenly forced to care about Cleveland sports again. With Manziel on the Browns and James on the Cavs, that's two franchises the four-letter network has kicked while they've been down for many years that will dominate the headlines for the foreseeable future. 

Cleveland fans have always been "real fans." Sure, we can be fickle and we can be critical about our teams (just look at the Indians), but deep down, we always root for them. We wear Browns, Indians and Cavs gear with pride, almost like an act of defiance. "Yeah, I'm a Browns fan, what are you gonna do about it?" It's easy to root for a team that's won six Super Bowls. To be a Browns fan or an Indians fan or a Cavs fan, you've got to be tough.

Now, we've gotten the last laugh. There is a genuine sense of optimism about our teams. Fans aren't wondering IF the Cavs will win an NBA title, they're wondering WHEN. Fans are starting to believe in the Browns again after this offseason and are, deep down, hoping the Indians can make them believe they can follow up last year's wild-card berth.

Part of me will feel like we made a deal with the devil if the Cavs wind up winning a championship first. It won't feel as true because it took LeBron James -- a guy most of us hated for the last four years -- coming back to bring it here. But I'm going to root for the Cavs, like I always do, and I'm going to root for a championship.

I hope LeBron makes Cleveland fans forget about those four years in Miami. He was another in a long, long list of people who left Cleveland to win championships -- Art "Judas" Modell, Bill Belichick, Bernie Kosar, Earnest Byner, Bill Laimbeer, Chuck Daly, Bill Cowher, CC Sabathia, Graig Nettles, Roger Maris, Tommy Agee, Paul Warfield, Dennis Eckersley, just to name a few. A few on this list eventually came back, but none came back and won a championship. James is the first one to come back, in the prime of his career, with a legitimate chance to win that championship.

Will he do it? I'll say this -- anything less than one, and I will continue to be critical of LeBron James. However, the wounds have healed, because this time, he handled it the right way.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

It's been a while

I didn't realize how long it had been since I put on my "Joe Cleveland" hat and updated this blog. Two full months have gone by with nary a word from Joe Cleveland, and there's been quite a few things to talk about.

Such as (in no particular order):

<> The Indians' tendency to streak one way or the other that saw them flirt with the basement at the start of June but wind up in first place by the end of it (as of today, they are now in second place behind Detroit).

<> Chris Perez's meltdowns, both on and off the field.

<> Browns owner Jimmy Haslam's troubles with the law running Pilot/Flying J and the Browns organization's subsequent pratfalls since, like the kickoff concert debacle, players getting arrested, Josh Gordon being suspended for flunking a drug test, etc.

<> The Cavs winning the NBA's Draft Lottery for the second time in three seasons, only to take a power forward out of UNLV that NOBODY had pegged for the No. 1 overall pick, and then not even guarantee him a starting job.

<> The Cavs bringing back Mike Brown as head coach three years after they fired him when LeBron James and his teammates essentially quit on him during the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

<> LeBron's second consecutive NBA championship, this time outlasting the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game series that did nothing but add fuel to the conspiracy theorists' fire.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it's been a pretty sketchy few months for Cleveland sports teams.

At the very least, be thankful you don't live in Boston, where your football team lost its star tight end to a murder charge, your hockey team choked a Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals win away in the final minute-and-a-half with two goals in the span of 17 seconds, and your basketball team traded away its coach and two key members of their NBA championship team a few seasons ago and hired a young coach from a mid-major university.

But, Cleveland has had its moments. Even what should be a proud moment, such as the Indians going on a torrid streak to end June and take over first place in the AL Central Division, came with caveats (everything seems to come with a caveat when it comes to the Indians). That first place stint last all off two days. Hope we enjoyed it while it lasted.

The only thing the Browns seem to be doing well at is putting together an on-the-field product, which seems odd because they've struggled with that for most of the time since the franchise returned in 1999. But, beginning with Haslam's troubles that have many believing it will only be a matter of time before he sells the team, either because he's broke or because the NFL forces him to, the organization has had one pitfall after another.

They drafted a defensive end in the seventh round that was arrested for selling drugs to an undercover officer while in school, and days after he's selected, he gets busted for a DUI (Armonty Bryant).

They signed a free agent defensive end who was arrested in a prostitution sting (Quinton Groves).

Their projected No. 1 receiver, who was kicked out of two different colleges due to failing drug tests, failed another drug test as a Brown, costing four game checks and two games (Josh Gordon). Gordon claims that he tested for codeine that came with a prescription to fight off strep throat, but his story just doesn't add up.

Then, Gordon sends out Tweets trumpeting the Miami Heat's championship and brags about partying with the Heat down in South Beach. He also talks smack to Browns fans for chiding him for siding with Cleveland's Public Enemy No. 1, which only adds more fuel to the fire.

The organization promotes a kickoff concert, which coincides with a meet-and-greet walkthrough with the team, on July 14. But they schedule a headliner in Bon Jovi that had just played in Cleveland months before. And then, Bon Jovi cancels the rest of their tour, including the Cleveland date, which means the Browns have to scrap the whole thing.

And, on the heels of Aaron Hernandez's arrest for murder, a little known defensive end who was only signed after a tryout gets arrested for attempted murder after a bar fight in New Jersey. The Browns promptly released the guy, but it only added fuel to the Browns haters' fire.

But the saga of Chris Perez, the former two-time All-Star closer of the Indians, only got more bizarre as this season took hold.

First, Perez seemed to struggle a lot this year. After a bad blown save, which resulted in numerous angry Tweets from Tribe fans, Perez decided to shut down his Twitter account. Of course, he had to release a statement through the media saying he was going to do it. It just showed that the guy can dish it out to the fans, but can't take the criticism from those same fans he ripped on one year ago.

Then, Perez continued to get worse. During a horrible blown save in Boston, Perez left the game with an apparent arm injury. He was placed on the 15-day DL and missed most of the month of June.

And then, while he was injured, he and his wife were arrested for marijuana possession when a package (addressed to his dog Brody) arrived at his rented house in Rocky River that contained the illegal drug.

Perez was torched during a rehab start for the Class AA Akron Aeros shortly after the arrest, giving up five runs in one inning, and his first save situation upon his activation wasn't without its drama, giving up a hit and walking a guy before escaping with the 6-5 win over the Royals Tuesday night.

While Perez rehabbed, his replacement Vinnie Pestano wasn't much better. It wasn't until his last week as closer that he finally put together some solid outings.

High-priced free agent Nick Swisher slumped and then missed time with a shoulder injury (no DL stint, though). Asdrubal Cabrera also was out for a month and served a DL stint, while Mark Reynolds' bat went cold after he took over at third place for the demoted Lonnie Chisenhall.

Despite all of that, the Indians suddenly reeled off five straight wins and 15 wins in their last 20 games before losing Wednesday night, 6-5.

So, as we head into the second half of 2013, many questions remain about our beloved teams. Such as:

<> Will the real Indians please stand up?

<> Are the Indians contenders or pretenders?

<> Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, or will they stand pat and do nothing like last year, only to watch the season skid off the rails?

<> Will Chris Perez be sent packing, and what will they get for him if they do?

<> Can the Browns avoid any more off-field embarrassment?

<> Will Jimmy Haslam be forced to sell the team, and if he does, what does that mean for Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi and the rest of the restructuring they've done to the front office?

<> How will Rob Chudzinski's Browns fare?

<> Can Brandon Weeden succeed in Chud's and Norv Turner's vertical offense?

<> Will Trent Richardson be 100 percent by the start of the season?

<> How will Barkevious Mingo fare in this 3-4 defense?

<> Will Anthony Bennett stay in shape and become a starter with the Cavs?

<> How will the Cavs respond to Mike Brown's style of coaching?

<> Will the Cavs do anything in free agency or sit pat?

<> Can Kyrie Irving stay healthy for a full season? How about Anderson Varejao?

<> Will any of these three teams make the playoffs in their upcoming seasons? How far are these teams from being a true contender?

<> And, how will Ohio State football fare in Urban Meyer's second season without the stigma of probation hanging over the program's heads? And, is it a good thing that Gordon Gee is no longer the president of the university after he made one too many insulting quips?

Hopefully, the answers to these questions are all positive ones. It's high time for some positive news coming from Cleveland sports because these last two months have been pretty low.

Until next time (hopefully not two months from now), remember that Cleveland Rocks!

Great Scott?

Add the Cleveland Cavaliers to the list of Cleveland sports franchises in 2012-13 who decided their current head coach wasn't getting the job done and decided to make a change.

After Manny Acta (Indians) and Pat Shurmur (Browns) were each shown the door by their respective teams, the Cavs have followed suit today by dismissing head coach Byron Scott after three years on the job.

I think what surprises me more than anything, especially in this town, is that most people believe that Scott should have gotten another year.

To be honest, I really don't have an opinion one way or another. I've never been a big fan of the NBA, and my interest in the Cavs has waned, especially this year. All I know is, Scott had three big factors working against him in his bid for an elusive fourth year:

1. His average of 22 wins per season. Sure, the Cavs were in rebuilding mode after LeBron James decided to take his talents south, but I can't think of any head coach whose winning percentage was just .278 being allowed to coach a team longer than 3 years. It's a bottom-line wins, and wins are the bottom line. The Cavs were 64-146 under Scott, and Scott's wins and win percentage rank last among all full-time head coaches that have been with the team longer than one season.

2. His teams being among the worst in the NBA in overall defense. The Cavs finished last in the league in defensive field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot better than 47 percent. During Scott's three years in charge, opponents shot .475, .467 and .476 this season. They never ranked higher than 27th in the league defensively -- a stark contrast to the LeBron James-Mike Brown-era Cavs, who annually ranked in the top five teams defensively.

3. The team's performance this season. What should have been a season of continued growth and potential contention for a playoff berth turned into a miserable season. Sure, star point guard Kyrie Irving, forward Anderson Varejao and last summer's fourth-overall pick Dion Waiters each missed significant time with injuries this season. However, the Cavs blew four second-half leads of 20 points or more this season -- the only team in the NBA to do so and the first team in the last 15 years to do so, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Cavs blew leads of 27 points (at home to LeBron and his Heat) and 26 points (at home to Phoenix), which are the two largest leads blown team history and the two largest leads blown in the NBA this year. The Cavs also lost 16 of their last 18 games and looked listless at times, with some players questioning Scott's coaching decisions to the Akron Beacon Journal.

Sure, you can say that Scott played against a stacked deck from the beginning. Scott was hired after Michigan State coach Tom Izzo turned down a substantial offer from Dan Gilbert to be the new head coach. Scott was an All-Star point guard with the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and had success in two other coaching stops in New Jersey (an NBA Finals berth) and New Orleans (helped develop Chris Paul into the best point guard in the NBA).

Scott was also hired just days before LeBron James went on ESPN and embarassed the city and the organization by announcing that he was signing with the Miami Heat. I'm sure Scott believed that he was coming here to help coach James and get him over the playoff hump. Instead, he inherited a listless group that lacked direction and missed their superstar teammate. That team slumped to a 19-63 record and lost an NBA-record 26 straight games. That team also disappeared with the world watching on Dec, 8, 2010, when  Cleveland came out to voice their displeasure against LeBron James and saw a team that buddied up to him all game, didn't hardly guard him, let alone foul him, and lost by 30 points.

The second season, shortened to 66 games due to the lockout, had promise due to No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving and fourth-overall pick Tristan Thompson joining the fold. However, Irving battled injuries (as did Varejao) and the Cavs only won 21 games, landing another spot in the NBA lottery.

This season began with the fourth- (Dion Waiters) and 17th- (Tyler Zeller) overall draft choices joining the fold, and the team showed some promise at times. However, another Varejao season-ending injury pushed up the timetable on Zeller and forced veteran Luke Walton to play a lot more minutes than the team hoped. And, after a steller showing at All-Star weekend put Irving on the NBA map, he suffered yet another injury and missed a good chunk of the second half.

Irving, when he did come back, seemed to sulk both on and off the court. His final home appearance was marred when former Cleveland State standout Norris Cole made him look foolish on an attempted game-winning shot against the LeBron-less Heat, and then compounded when he walked off the court without taking part in the Fan Appreciation postgame ceremonies. While Irving has said all the right things today, it looked to most observers that Scott has lost the ear of his superstar point guard.

With the Cavs believed to be interested in luring James back to town next summer, when LeBron opts out of his contract with the Miami Heat, the time to make a splash is now. Perhaps LeBron never wanted to play for Byron Scott, and his hiring may have been his final push in Miami's direction (probably not, but it's an interesting theory). However, if the Cavs want to be considered a serious player in the LeBron sweepstakes, they need to show immediate improvement next season. That means not playing for ping-pong balls in hoppers and instead playing for playoff berths.

The Cavs enter this offseason with yet another high choice in the NBA lottery, where they could pick as high as first or as low as sixth (or stay put at third). Irving and Thompson will enter their third years as professionals, while Waiters and Zeller will become second-year pros. Young guys such as Shawn Livingston, Mareece Speights and Wayne Ellington could be counted on to add depth, and the team could be an active player in the free agent market for the first time since you-know-who left. The clock is ticking.

Several names have popped up in the early going in the search for the new head coach. The most intriguing is former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, but I don't think he comes here unless he's almost assured LeBron James returns for the 2014-15 season and beyond. Another intriguing name is Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who has rebuffed many chances to jump to the NBA but could want to be paired up with his former point guard Irving (and, of course, LeBron loves playing for him).

More realistic names include Pacers assistant Bryan Shaw (who always seems to be linked to head coaching jobs, but hasn't landed one), Warriors assistant Mike Malone (a former Cavs assistant under Mike Brown), Miami assistant David Fizdale, former Pistons head coach Flip Saunders (a Cuyahoga Heights native), former Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy and current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy.

There are some who think that Gilbert may make another overture to Izzo. Also, ex-Cavs coach Mike Brown, who was run out of Los Angeles just one week into this season, has already let it be known that he'd love to come back and coach the Cavs.

Joe Cleveland will go on record and say that, if the Cavs decide to re-hire Mike Brown, he will be officially done with Cavs. So, you basically are admitting that the last three years were a mistake. It also makes Gilbert (who fired Brown over the objections of GM Danny Ferry, who subsequently quit) look even more foolish than the national perception already is. And, when so many believed that LeBron was behind the firing of Brown (by quitting on him during the Celtics series and talking about wanting to play for a guy who at least had a track record of playing and coaching), why would those of you who think that LeBron would return next summer believe that he'd want to come back playing for Mike Brown?

It just doesn't make sense. But then again, nothing about the NBA makes any sense to me.

At the very least, the NBA planets aligned (wink-wink) and the Lakers backed into the playoffs, even without Kobe Bryant. That means the Cavs can get the Lakers' No. 1 overall pick this year instead of the Miami Heat's last pick in the first round. So, the Cavs should have two more first rounders in the top 16, which is a good thing.

A very precarious fan base hangs in the balance with this head coaching hire and what the team does this offseason. The Indians won back many disgruntled fans when they landed the big fish in Terry Francona and shown a willingness to spend money in free agency that they lacked recently. The Browns didn't land their so-called "big fish" in either Chip Kelly or Nick Saban, and a fan base waits with baited breath to see how new coach Rob Chudzinski and coordinators Norv Turner and Ray Horton mesh together with the new group of players. New owner Jimmy Haslam's problems with the feds stemming from Pilot Flying J, along with distrust of returning GM Mike Lombardi, have only added to the fan base's anxiety of the upcoming season.

The Cavs were a solid No. 2 (not counting Ohio State football) behind the Browns locally until this season. What they do between now and August will say a lot about if they can regain that spot among the locals, or if they will fade into more apathy and obscurity.

***

By the way, you may have noticed that I've written Joe Cleveland under my real identity. It was time. As it is, most of the people who read this blog already know who I am anyway. When I decided to bring back Off The Turnbuckle (theoriginalott.blogspot.com), I had to change my Blogger profile. That included Joe Cleveland. So, from now on, you will know that Dan Gilles is the guy writing Joe Cleveland.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!

A little bit of this ...

Today marks the first Sunday without football since September. Mrs. Joe Cleveland calls this a "holiday" for herself, since she's survived another football season with me.

On this day, we can take a look at the three pro teams in Cleveland and see how they stand or what's to come. That, and I realized I've done nothing but write about the Browns in this blog for the last three months, and "Joe Cleveland" was supposed to encompass the entire sporting scene in Northeast Ohio. So, let's take a whirlwind look at our three pro teams, starting with the only one that's currently playing, the Cavs:

CAVS

The Cavs were in the midst of another forgettable and miserable season "A.L." (aka "After LeBron") when things suddenly began to click.

It started when GM Chris Grant traded a stiff journeyman named Jon Leuer to the Memphis Grizzlies for Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby (who was demoted to Canton) and a future first-round pick. Speights has been a force for the Cavs since coming here on Jan. 22, picking up the slack for the injured Anderson Varejao down low, while Ellington has been a solid contributor off the bench adding some depth to the guard positions.

Suddenly, coach Byron Scott has a bench he can trust to give his superstar point guard Kyrie Irving a breather now and then.

The Cavs are still pretty miserable at 16-33, but they've put together two three-game winning streaks since the deal, including a huge 115-110 win at Quicken Loans Arena against defending NBA runner-up Oklahoma City (who currently have the best record in the NBA) and have gone 7-4 since Jan. 16.

They have two more home games before the All-Star Break, in which Irving may become the East's starting point guard due to the season-ending injury to Rajon Rondo and Irving, Deon Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller are all members of the Rising Stars game held during the weekend. Irving will also take part in the 3-Point Shootout as well.

The Cavs are interested in signing former Ohio State 7-footer Greg Oden (the former No. 1 overall pick who hasn't played since 2009 due to chronic knee injuries) and could sign him after Feb. 22 for the next two seasons. If Oden is healthy, he could be a huge coup for this young team.

And, of course, the rumors about "you know who" coming back to Cleveland during the summer of 2014 continue to pick up traction. A few published reports have said that LeBron James winning the NBA title last year with the Heat means that "his job there is accomplished," and that he's looking for the next challenge. According to several close to LeBron, he still has a "soft spot" for Northeast Ohio and the fans and would "love nothing more" than to come back and deliver on his promise to bring a championship to his hometown.

Of course, other reports link him to the Lakers to pick up the slack from Kobe Bryant, who is on the downside of his career, and the Knicks, Bulls and Brooklyn Nets are always speculated destinations when it comes to him. It could be another circus all over again as fans await "The Decision II."

For the Cavs to become serious players, they'd need to improve on the court, starting now. The playoffs aren't likely for this season, but anything less than the playoffs in the 2013-14 season would seriously diminish their prospects. Why would the best player in the NBA come to a team that has been a perennial loser since he left following the 2009-10 season?

The team he'd be coming back to would, arguably, have the most and deepest talent he's ever seen. Irving would be a bonafide superstar by then at point guard, and Thompson, Waiters and Zeller should continue improving. If Oden bounces back, that's another bonus, and if Varejao can shake off the injury bug, that's more depth.

Speights could be dealt before the deadline for more picks, with speculation that he might want to opt out of his contract. If he stays, he's another piece to make it that much more enticing for James to come back.

Joe Cleveland, for one, isn't ready to buy into this hype. LeBron still has some apologies to make and some explaining to do. And, it could be another giant ruse where he plays Cleveland and signs with L.A. or New York (which I'm sure the NBA would love for him to do). Fool me once, shame on you; fool my twice, shame on me.

Joe Cleveland's not ready to get fooled again, so I'll believe LeBron James becomes a Cleveland Cavalier again when it actually happens. Until then, hopefully the young nucleus we've put together continues to improve and be ready for a playoff run of their own.

It does seem like this team is becoming more entertaining to watch lately, which is nice. They have the sports landscape all to themselves until April (with some offseason stuff by the Browns and spring training by the Indians to contend with), so let's see how they do.

INDIANS:

To say Joe Cleveland's been impressed by what the Indians have done this offseason would be an understatement.

The hiring of veteran skipper Terry Francona was an incredible hiring that immediately gives the Tribe a credible voice in the clubhouse. According to Francona, if the Indians didn't hire him, he'd return to ESPN, so the fact that this two-time World Series winner wanted to be here is huge.

Francona's presense has helped the Indians make their biggest free agency spash in many years, signing Ohio State standout Nick Swisher to a $57 million contract to play the outfield/first base for the next four seasons. Swisher could quickly become a fan-favorite based on his local ties and the way he carries himself on and off the field, and he gives the Tribe a credible bat they've been lacking in the middle of their order for the last few years.

Coupled with the signing of Mark Reynolds to play first base and DH -- a classic power hitter who can hit the ball a country mile but tends to strikeout whenever he doesn't -- is another big bat this team has been sorely lacking and gives the team a solid stick at a position that's been lacking that big bopper for a long time. Carlos Santana should be a happy guy with that type of protection in the lineup.

The Tribe dealt Shin-Soo Choo, an impending free agent who had no desire to re-sign here, to the Reds in a three-team deal that landed, among others, speedy outfielder Drew Stubbs and promising pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, along with some solid bullpen arms. Stubbs could be a presense either at the top or very bottom of the lineup, and Bauer could be a promising starter for many years (although speculation has him starting the season at Columbus).

Of course, it wouldn't be a Tribe offseason without some bargain-basement minor-league signings of retread, oft-injured players. The Tribe just finished signing former steriod cheat Jason Giambi and oft-injured former Japanese phenom Daiskue Matsuzaka to similar deals, while also signing pitchers Matt Capps and Scott Kazmir to those types of deals earlier in the offseason.

It baffles me that Paul and Larry Dolan, after selling their fledgling network SportsTime Ohio to FOX Sports for $250 million and getting additional money for the broadcast rights to their games, they wouldn't invest more of that windfall into their team. Sure, signing Swisher was a big one that normally wouldn't happen under this regime. However, it looks like the Dolans are going to pocket as much as they can to turn whatever kind of profit they can while still crying the poorhouse blues to their front office and the media and the Indians' fan base.

Hopefully, this spurs them on to sell off their last remaining asset, the Cleveland Indians themselves, winding up in the black and being away from the business of running a professional sports franchise. We can only hope.

Until then, we can hope that the Indians make enough moves to keep themselves relevent. Their pitching is still suspect, with the shaky Justin Masterson, the even worse Ubaldo Jimenez and the converted closer Brett Myers as the top three starters, and Matsuzaka and Kazmir in the mix with Carlos Carrasco (returning from Tommy John surgery), Corey Kluber and even Bauer.

At the very least, the Indians should be more entertaining than they've been in the past. Perhaps they won't flirt with 100 losses this year.

However, even with a high-profile manager and a high-profile free agent signing, this team will still struggle to win 81 games this season. Hopefully, they can turn Asdrubal Cabrera (who always mails in the second half and has been an attitude problem) and Chris Perez (enough said) into some more positive assets to help this team improve.

BROWNS:

The first offseason of the Jimmy Haslam-Joe Banner era has begun, with defensive end Frostee Rucker being released before his contract kicked in. Rucker, who signed a large contract with Tom Heckert last season as a key defensive end in their 4-3 scheme, was expendable thanks to the switch to the 3-4.

While the Browns have some significant holes to fill, especially in the defensive secondary and may have to replace both their punter and kicker (I hope not on the latter's sake; I'm a big Phil Dawson fan), the quarterback talk is fired up once again.

Haslam, Banner, Mike Lombardi and head coach Rob Chudzinski have been non-committal to Brandon Weeden's future as the Browns' starting quarterback. Haslam said he wants to bring in someone to provide competition and "push" Weeden for the job.

There's competition, and then there's an outright successor. If the Browns make a run at (and sign) former 49ers No. 1 overall pick and starting quarterback Alex Smith, either via trade or through free agency if Smith is released, Smith will be the starting quarterback, hand's down.

It will take a large salary to pluck Smith from other suitors. As it is, he has a large contract that he signed with the Niners prior to this season, so if you decide to part with draft picks or other assets, you will still have to pay him. You don't pay a quarterback a large salary and then have him "compete" with the starter from last year.

Some Browns fans are hoping they make a run at free agent Joe Flacco. However, the Ravens will franshise Flacco before he even gets a chance to test the market. Sure, the Browns could try to sign him to a big offer sheet that Baltimore would have to match to drive up his price (the Browns have the cap room to do it), but I doubt that happens. As it is, the Ravens will have to part with several assets to sign Flacco to the huge contract that he will command (he was the real winner of this Super Bowl based off of that), so it looks like this was Baltimore's one chance to win a title. It may be another 12 years before the Ravens get back to a Super Bowl (like the gap was the last time), so enjoy the title while it lasts, Baltimore.

Smith is really the only other starting-calibur QB that could be available on the open market. Other veterans that could be available, such as Matt Moore, Derek Anderson (please, God, hell no!), Matt Cassel, Brian Hoyer, Brady Quinn (see the Anderson comment), Tim Tebow or Kevin Kolb would fit Haslam's description of "competition" for Weeden.

Michael Vick would be a dumb decision, and not just because of his baggage and the PR nightmare that is a convisted dog killer playing in front of fans who sit in a section called the Dawg Pound. Vick is an old 33. His skills are clearly diminishing. He's taken too many hits to be at his best, which is using his legs along with his arm to beat you. The two-year layoff for prison may have given Vick an extended life, but it was clear that he's taken a beating with the Eagles over the last three years. Banner was the person who sold the Eagles' organization on signing Vick upon his release from prison, but Banner would be foolish to think that the 29-year-old Vick is the same as the 33-year-old Vick.

I, for one, believe that Weeden deserves another chance. I think Chudzinski's and Norv Turner's vertical-based offense fits Weeden's skill set like a glove and that he can truly be "coached up." I think Colt McCoy will be let go, as will Thaddeus Lewis (both are more West Coast-style quarterbacks), which is why I think they go shopping for a new signal-caller, if only to provide a new backup.

There's no one in the draft that is worthy. The supplemental pick of Josh Gordon cust the Browns their second-round pick (which would have been sixth-overall in that round), so they have to make their first-round selection (No. 6 overall) count. The deficiancies of the defense, along with the weakness of this quarterback class, should dissuade them from reaching on a Mike Glennon or a Matt Barkley. Stick with Dee Millner of Alabama and be happy, or look at trading down to get lower in the first and add a second-rounder.

If the Browns give up on Weeden, it essentially makes Tom Heckert's decision to trade down with Atlanta so they could acquire Julio Jones two years ago a horrible decision. Weeden was taken with Atlanta's first-rounder last year. With the four picks they acquired, the Browns essentially acquired nose tackle Phil Taylor, wide receiver Greg Little, fullback Owen Marecic and Weeden, and used the other pick to move up to get Trent Richardson. Meanwhile, Jones made his first Pro Bowl this season and has emerged as a stud wideout that the Browns have been seeking since Braylon Edwards displayed an occasional flash of brilliance.

Some fans are up in arms about the switch from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4, but I'm not as angry about it. I think we're all a little concerned about the last time we made this switch, and Romeo Crennel (and later Eric Mangin) continued to forcefeed their bland 3-4 onto the Browns that never seemed to be built correctly for the scheme. What's funny is the switch to the 4-3 under Pat Shurmur and Dick Jauron almost seemed seemless.

Ray Horton's 3-4 scheme isn't as bland and predictable as Crennel's and Mangini's was. Horton's scheme should be adapted fairly easily by the existing personnel. In fact, you can say that if they remained a 4-3, they would have still have had to fill the same holes on defense (linebackers and secondary) this year that they have to with the 3-4.

Free agency will get underway the second week of March. Haslam cautioned against any "splasy" signings. However, I think they will be active and try to acquire some pieces that can make an impact on this team. Unlike the last two years, where Heckert and Holmgren essentially ignored the free agent market, I think that changes this year.

We'll see what happens.

MISCELLANEOUS:

<> It was good to see Ohio State reel in a No. 1, 2 or 3 recruiting class (depending on which service you trust) this month after National Signing Day. Urban Meyer only had a few months to bring in a top freshman class last season. With the benefit of a full season under his belt, Meyer showed why he is one of the best college coaches/recruitors in the country.

I don't buy into the hype about recruiting classes. How often to you see a "can't miss" high school, blue-chip senior fade into obscurity while the guy who accepted the final scholarship become one of the best players in the country? A lot, actually. I don't follow the recruiting scene or anything like that. All I know is the Buckeyes did farily well on paper, and that's encouraging for this season and beyond.

<> The Ravens winning the Super Bowl last Sunday was the lesser of two evils, in my opinion. The fact that the Hall of Fame shut the door on Art Modell again (and did it as decisively as they did back in 2001) tells me that his chances have greatly diminished in the future.

Modell's best chance may have been this year. With the dirt over his grave still fresh and his former franchise making a Super Bowl run, Modell became a hot name. Baltimore made a full-court press to promote his candidacy, while Cleveland did one to diminish his candidacy. Modell's name was the second-longest debate among the 16 candidates, and his name was the first one to get cut from 15 to 10 regardless.

I got into a very heated argument about the subject with my dad and one of my uncles during the Super Bowl. Unfortunately, we can be a very stubborn family. There's no reasoning with us. They believe that the City of Cleveland was at the most fault. I've stated my case as to why it was Modell's fault. Somewhere in the middle lies the truth.

The voters did the right thing. Part of me believes that, ultimately, the location will keep Modell out. If the Hall of Fame was in Hershey, PA., or somewhere like that, Modell probably would have already got in. But because the Hall of Fame is in Canton, right in Browns Country, it may be his undoing.

<> Baltimore liked to bring up the fact that there are several team owners in the Hall of Fame that moved their franchises, such as Lamar Hunt, Al Davis, George Preston Marshall and Dan Reeves. Reeves, in fact, moved his Rams franchise from Cleveland to Los Angeles following the 1945 season.

Allow Joe Cleveland to dissect each one, starting with Reeves.

Reeves was a Cleveland businessman who bought the Cleveland Rams in 1941, but struggled during his ownership. The Rams never had a definite home stadium, alternating between League Park and Cleveland Stadium, and even had to suspend operations in 1943 due to a shortage of players during World War II. Thanks to rookie quarterback Bob Waterfield, who wound up winning the NFL's MVP award, the Rams turned it around in 1945 and won the NFL Championship with a 15-14 win over Sammy Baugh and the Washington Redskins. But, Reeves convinced the NFL to let him leave Clevveland for the West Coast.

The news that Paul Brown was going to be involved with a new professional football franchise in Cleveland in a new league starting in 1946, and that team (which would called the Browns) already locked down a lease to play in Cleveland Stadium, along with the untapped resourses of Los Angeles, gave Reeves the reason he needed to relocate. The move was met with little resistance from Clevelanders, who were gaga over the new Browns (and justifiably so -- the Browns won the AAFC title all four years, won the NFL title their first year in the league and reached 10 consecutive championship games their first 10 years of existance, winning seven). The Rams came back to Cleveland for the 1950 NFL Championship Game (losing a thrilling 30-28 game) and beat the Browns in L.A. in 1951.

Reeves ultimately got in because he had the foresight to take advantage of the West Coast, which helped the NFL blossom, broke the NFL's color barrior in 1946 with the signing of Kenny Washington and Woody Strode, and hired a young executive named Pete Rozelle who wound up becoming the NFL commissioner in 1960.

Hunt was the founder of the American Football League. For that alone, he deserves to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame.

Hunt moved his team from Dallas (known as the Texans) to Kansas City following the 1962 season (and the Texans winning the AFL title) because his team couldn't compete financially with the more stable NFL Cowboys, which debuted the same year as his Texans did. To help the league succeed, Hunt sacrificed his home market and found a viable market in Kansas City. The move did help the league thrive, as the newly-christened Chiefs became one of the AFL's most recognizable franchises.

Marshall was a notorious bigot who stubbornly refused to break the NFL's color line until 1961, when he acquired Bobby Mitchell from the Browns (who wound up making the Hall of Fame himself). Marshall might not have gotten into the Hall of Fame today if he was still on the outside looking in.

However, Marshall is enshrined because several of his innovations, such as pushing for the forward pass to be legal from anywhere beyond the line of scrimmage, moving the goal posts to the goal-line (which was changed back to the end line in 1974), and pushing for a standardized schedule for each team, defined what the NFL became.

The Redskins were initially called the Boston Braves, having shared Braves Park with the baseball Boston Braves. A year into Marshall's tenure, he moved the team to Fenway Park and called the Redskins. However, he moved to the Nation's Capital in 1937, citing the need to put an NFL presence in the capital. It was also the NFL's southern-most market until they expanded to Dallas in 1960, and Marshall kept his teams lily white to appeal to the Southerners (or so he said). Marshall also found it difficult for his team to succeed in the baseball-mad Boston area, and when football returned in 1959 with the AFL's Boston Patriots, they had a tough time gaining a foothold in the market.

Finally, Davis, the most notorious mover of them all. Davis is enshrined mostly because of how he helped the AFL blossom from a fly-by-night operation into a legitimate rival to the NFL, which necessitated the merger. He was the NFL's most controversial owner, suing the league and Pete Rozelle many times during his tenure. However, he built the Raiders' organization into one of the most respected organizations in football during the 1960s through the early 2000s, reaching the Super Bowl in four different decades and winning three of them.

While Davis moved his team twice (and both more recently than the other three men I've mentioned), both moves were within the same state. After the Rams left L.A. for a stadium in suburban Anaheim, Davis sued the NFL in 1980 to move into the vacated L.A. stadium. He won the suit in 1982 and moved to Los Angeles. In the late 1990s, he sued again to move back to Oakland, and then sued after the move claiming that he still had control of the L.A. market.

It would be like if Modell decided to move the Browns to Columbus (which almost happened. If Modell was forced to stay, Cleveland was prepared to build a new stadium. They would have torn down the old stadium and had the Browns play at Ohio Stadium while the new stadium was built).

So, of the owners in the Hall of Fame who moved, the most comporable to what Modell did was Davis, and Davis didn't exactly move to another state when he moved the Raiders.

<> The best collegiate basketball team in the state of Ohio may not be Ohio State (even though they are ranked in the top 10). It's definitely not Cleveland State, who is below .500 this season after battling injuries. No, it may be the University of Akron.

The Zips have won a nations-best 15-straight games and are 19-4 overall. They became the first Zips hoops team to ever be ranked in the Top 25 during the regular season a few weeks ago and they continue to keep climbing up the poll.

Akron could be an interesting decision made by the NCAA Tournament selection committee if they don't win the MAC Tournament. The MAC hasn't had more than one bid in recent years, and the Zips have been a notable snub in the past. However, they may have both the national ranking and RPI ranking to make their case for an at-large bid.

That's about all for now. Glad I was able to cover a wide range of topics in this one.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!