The Fast Break: Is Dan Gilbert the problem in Cleveland?
The Cavaliers are in obvious need of a house cleaning, and firing General Manager Chris Grant was a first step that simply had to be taken considering Grant's track record in Cleveland. But in order for the organization to move forward successfully, owner Dan Gilbert will need to find a competent long-term replacement for Grant, and there hasn't been much under Gilbert's watch to give us reason to believe he is in fact a competent basketball owner capable of finding such a decision maker.
Gilbert became the majority owner in 2005, taking over a team already on the rise thanks to the presence of a young LeBron James. He hired Mike Brown and Danny Ferry, and while the team ripped off five straight playoff trips that included four 50-plus win seasons, two 60-plus win seasons and a 2007 trip to the Finals, the fact of the matter is that the Cavs surrounded James with mediocre-at-best supporting casts during those years.
That's obviously not all on Gilbert, but the men he hired simply couldn't get the job done.
Gilbert then promoted Grant to the big chair, penned a famously ridiculous post-Decision letter to LeBron that included a guarantee Cleveland would win a title before Miami, and then watched as Grant failed to take advantage of some lottery luck over the next four years.
Along the way, Gilbert reportedly played a big part in the terrible decision to re-hire Brown and the decision to bring in Andrew Bynum, and some of the team's questionable decisions during Grant's tenure reeked of an impatient owner trying to fast track a necessary rebuild (think Tristan Thompson over Jonas Valanciunas, who would remain stashed in Europe for a year, and Anthony Bennett over the injured Nerlens Noel, just to name a couple).
It all built up towards what Gilbert and Cavs fans thought was going to be a successful 2013-14 season. When the impossibility of that success became painfully obvious, Grant was the first one held accountable.
Depending on how the remaining 33 games go, Brown may be next, and rightfully so. But at some point, you have to acknowledge that Gilbert appears to be at least a part of the problem himself, as wanting to win and a willingness to spend don't automatically make you a good hands-on owner.
Gilbert's not selling and you can't fire an owner, but if it could be done, justice would be served in the form of a Comic Sans-written termination letter right about now.
About last night...
Nets 103, Spurs 89 - Tim Duncan (rest) and Tony Parker (back) joined the ailing Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili on the sidelines for this one.
Warriors 102, Bulls 87 - Taj Gibson had 26 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks starting in place of Carlos Boozer, who tweaked his calf "jumping around" before the game.
Line of the night: Stephen Curry - 34 Pts (13/19 FG, 4/6 3PT, 4/4 FT), 9 Ast, 3 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 TO in 43 mins.
Play of the night: Andrei Kirilenko with the most nonchalant awesome inbounds pass...
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Chuck says: "You think he watched Shazam?" - Barkley, clearly referring to Shaq's awful 1996 movie 'Kazaam,' responding to Shaq's professed enjoyment of Samuel L. Jackson's movies.
Nothing Chuck said last night topped his pitiful attempt to pronounce 'Valanciunas,' however:
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On tap tonight: There are 10 games on the schedule tonight, headlined by the Trail Blazers in Indiana for a matchup between the league's No. 1 defense and No. 2 offense, as well as two teams with a combined 73-24 record. Other good matchups to keep an eye on include Raptors/Clippers from L.A., Timberwolves/Pelicans from New Orleans and Nuggets/Knicks from MSG. It will also be interesting to see if the Cavs come out with a little extra fire in Washington given Thursday's shakeup, or if they remain content to lay another egg.