Land of the CLE is our Cleveland-focused sports blog maintained by both Bob and Chris. We use this area to expand upon topics that we can't fully cover in our CLE Talk podcast.
The divide between contenders and pretenders is wider than it's ever been with the Cavs and Warriors meeting in their third-straight NBA Finals. But adopting Bernie Sanders' ideals could be just what the league needs.
Read MoreThe Cavs may not have a pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but the lottery could have ramifications for the team.
Read MoreDespite not liking the practice, there is very little Adam Silver and the NBA can do to stop superstars from forming super teams.
Read MoreBob wonders why Harrison Barnes was included on the 2016 USA Olympic team, especially when there were some stronger alternatives to pick from.
Read MoreKevin Durant is an icon in Oklahoma City, and no other franchise will appreciate him more than those fans.
Read MoreWhen asked, "why do you play so hard?" Joe DiMaggio gave this now famous quote, "Because there is always some kid who may be seeing me for the first time. I owe him my best." I wish the Cleveland Cavaliers shared that same mantra. Because with the team entering the NBA Playoffs, I can't remember the last time they gave me real joy.
Read MoreThe NHL made a big change to its All-Star Game moving to 3-on-3 play, what if the NBA did the same thing?
Read MoreThe WNBA has made some major changes to its playoff structure for 2016, it got me thinking what the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL could do to make their postseasons better.
Read MoreThe NBA released its All-Star rosters last week, but a few big names were left out in the cold.
Read MoreThe NBA season tips off in October, but the reality is it doesn't really begin until February because so many teams sleepwalk through the first three months.
Read MoreIs it just me, or is this year's NBA Free Agency Nicolas Cage-insane? I can't think of another year or league that had just about every team going absolutely bananas in terms of spending. There have been storylines, misreports, well publicized trade negotiations that fell through (always awkward, just ask Lamar), and storylines within storylines (Inception). Here are a few of my impressions so far:
Read MoreGood news for everyone, Jalen Rose gave me some other great NBA Player comparisons that just didn't get a chance to air live on Thursday's NBA Draft. Much like LeBron making his teammates better, Rose seems to have benefited mightily from the partnership with Bill Simmons. And now that Simmons is gone, Rose seems to be as desperate and confused as the 2010-11 Cavs.
Read MoreNote: This post has been updated with post-draft comments for each sleeper.
The NBA Draft is usually pretty boring. By and large, the top five picks come and go without many surprises. Especially in a draft like this one with four clear-cut Top 5 guys — Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay.
Read MoreThe success and grit of the Cavaliers in these playoffs, so it seemed, caused us to believe that the Cavs and Warriors were two perfectly equal teams, and this finale was just as it should be. We became comfortable with the Cavs missing both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. It is not normal for a team to lose two of its three best players and to continue winning.
Read MoreEvery year, in every sport, there are inevitably two kinds of MVP contenders — the best player on the best team, and the player who is most valuable to his team. Most of the time, the MVP goes to the best player on the best team as long as that player had a great season.
It all comes down to how one defines “value.”
Read MoreNow that the Bulls have predictably fired Tom Thibodeau, the NBA’s coaching carousel is going to spin a lot faster. The best job on the market — Oklahoma City — already filled its vacancy, but there are others out there with a lot of upside. I break the remaining openings down and rank them.
Read MoreI can't blame Kyle Korver. While regarded as the best spot-up three-point shooter, rim-protection isn't exactly a secondary skill of his. Three sentences is too long without watching the video again. Here you go:
Read MoreThe NBA had it perfect in 1983. Back then, only six teams from each conference qualified for the NBA Playoffs. The top two seeds earned byes while the remaining four were locked into a best-of-three series. The next three rounds were best-of-seven.
Read MoreI love seeing the dumb catch phrases NBA Playoff teams give their ticket-buying fans during home playoff games. And the phrases seem to be getting dumber. It's now a requirement for every team to give their fans a shirt for every playoff game. So here are some of my favorites from the first week of the NBA Playoffs. My brother and I picked the series on our preview podcast.
Read MoreThe All-Star break may not be the true midpoint of the NBA, but it's a good time to reflect on the season so far. So I decided to hand out some awards for the unofficial first half of the season. Some of these races will be very tight down the stretch, but if the season ended today here is who I would honor.
Read More