By Zac Jackson
FOX Sports Ohio
November 7, 2010
Easy like Sunday morning...
1. Just when we were ready to bury the Cavaliers, along came Philadelphia and Washington. We'd also forgotten that Mo Williams at full speed (or close to it) is a pretty darn good player and a guy who knows he's at a crucial point in his career and has a pretty good individual opportunity to either become The Guy here or, eventually, get moved to a more immediate contender. But this weekend was about the here and now, about snapping the three-game losing streak, proving Byron Scott right when he says he sees strides and just needs time, about tearing up those early obituaries. It's so, so early. And now that the Cavaliers know that Mo means business, know they can win on the road and know the next four are with the Nets, Pacers and 76ers again, things are good. Sometimes, a little confidence can go a long way.
2. Mo went for 28 in Washington, including 10 in the final four minutes. When he was in street clothes the first three games it was clear the Cavaliers didn't have a closer. He got help from Daniel Gibson, who continues to make big shots, and Anderson Varejao, who went 10-of-10 from the floor on Friday and was an active leader again Saturday night. To echo what Scott has been saying, this team is a work in progress -- but there is progress. Antawn Jamison still isn't healthy. J.J. Hickson didn't have a huge scoring weekend in following his 31-point game last Tuesday, but he's coming along. Scott is pushing him along.
3. Hickson's inconsistency -- and, in fairness, his growth -- is why Varejao is so important, even when he's not scoring in double digits. He's a dirty-work guy with experience and savvy at both ends of the floor. He's not going to step out and take the jumpshots Hickson takes, but he is going to be around the ball on the defensive end and he is going to make teams account for him at both ends. The Cavaliers have a lot to sort out as they put together a long-term plan, but two athletic bigs with upside and varying skill sets is a pretty good place to start for an up-tempo team.
4. I was away from the computer earlier this weekend for wedding duties (not my own, but feel free to send gifts anyway) and didn't do my football picks column. Now, my picks have stunk and the only people waiting for them are my brother and grandfather for humor purposes, so I didn't feel like it was a great loss. I'll fill in here, guessing that the Browns play well but end up losing a low-scoring game in the fourth quarter, 20-17. I think the Monday nighter in Cincinnati will be wild and the train-wreck Bengals will play well for a while. But the Steelers just find a way and come to this one in much better shape, physically and mentally, to win it late. Steelers 28, Bengals 26.
5. A couple random, final thoughts: Mike Holmgren said Eric Mangini and his staff will be evaluated on the entire season and not totally on wins and losses. These next two weeks, at home with the Patriots and Jets, give Holmgren a chance to evaluate everything against the Big Boys. Both teams have studs, both teams are well-coached and both are very different. I believe we'll see moxie from Colt McCoy but not necessarily great results from The Kid. I believe we'll see great, game and situation-specific defensive coaching from Mangini and Rob Ryan. If we see good offensive line play and lots of Joshua Cribbs, we might see an upset. Going to be good television either way. And the other thought: Ohio State basketball plays its exhibition opener today. Ohio, meet Jared Sullinger. Get to know him now, he might be gone a year from now. But enjoy the ride.
