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In preparation for his team’s upcoming nationally televised road game in Columbus, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo has been doing his best to simulate what the conditions will be like at Value City Arena when the two teams square off for a crucial Big Ten battle on Sunday Feb. 21.

“My NFL friend [Steve Mariucci] suggested we pump in the types of noise during practice that we might face on the road in various arenas,” Izzo said. “So while we used very loud crowd noise before the Wisconsin game,  our assistants went to a local morgue to gather sounds that we’ll play on our public address speakers.”

Izzo said other options were considered, noting that he couldn’t receive permission to record sounds at the campus library and that his staff couldn’t expense a trip to the Grand Canyon.

The atmosphere at OSU’s home arena has been attacked in recent weeks.  The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Buckeyes are experiencing the lowest average attendance in the 12-year history of the building.  It’s considered by many to be one of the most sterile environments in the conference.  The lower bowl is inhabited by wealthy alumni that hold personal seat licenses, while the student section consists of roughly 350 doctoral candidates that are positioned underneath the west basket in the first 20 rows. The rest of the students are sporadically placed throughout upper deck.

Izzo pointed out that despite the lack of crowd noise at VCA, it still can be a challenging place to play on the road.

“Our players have  difficult time adjusting to the constant squeaking their sneakers make. At most arenas it’s drowned out, but at Ohio State, it can be louder than the whistle.”

CLEVELAND – All Star Reserves are announced Thursday night and your Cleveland Cavaliers have won 36 games and lost 11 this season.  Four years ago the Detroit Pistons were 40-8 at the all-star break and were awarded four all-stars, yet Piston supporters could not help but complain they were slighted, as Tayshaun Prince was left home.  Anderson Varejao is LEGIT!  Not only is he worth the 6.3 million Mr. Gilbert is paying him, I would argue that Danny Ferry completely soul-owned Andy and Agent Zero Dan Fegan.  Most likely Mo Williams will not be selected by the coaches’ vote, and in the small chance they do show him love, he will be forced to sit out injured.

Varejao does it all for the Cavs.  He has improved on a defensive game that was already the best Cavs fans have seen in years.  He stopped trying to set himself for charges and flop that un-Kornheiser-like hair all over the place and is now contesting shots and dribble-drives with uncanny success.  He can hedge and guard speedy point guards, anchor down against bigs such as Chris Bosh or Pau Gasol, and guard stretch bigs who shoot the 3(that was last season that Rashard lit us up when it mattered most).  John Hollinger just named him his 1st half Defensive Player of the Year, and I could not agree more.  All this coming from a player who does not start the game for the C-L-E, but averages just over 30 minutes per night and ALWAYS is in the game come crunch time.  Andohbytheway, even though he plays on the same team as LeBron James, he does play when LeBron sits and has been in the league leaders in Plus/Minus all season long, even holding the lead for awhile a few weeks back.

Why wont Andy be selected?  For one his stats and people’s perception that scoring is far more important than anything else that occurs on a basketball court.  Andy only averages 8.3 PPG and 8.1 RPG, doing so on 53% FG%.  I would argue although he is averaging almost 1 steal and 1 block per game (impressive in itself), his defensive value goes beyond those numbers.  The eye test seems to make one think he holds stars to lower shot totals and percentages, while creating turnovers he does not get credit for (24 second violations and Brandon Roy kicking the ball out of bounds).  Last year Delonte West was the 2nd most valuable player on The LeBron’s who went 66-16 and rolled loads of opponents.  The Cavs were very lucky to send a 2nd player to Phoenix and of course it was our 2nd leading scorer on a team who does it with defense under Mike Brown.  Michael Jordan always had Scottie Pippen, who may have been the only better perimeter defender of that era than Air Jordan himself.  So the main questions remain:  Does not the team who sits at 36-11 in a very deep and talented NBA (Memphis, Atlanta, Houston and OKC all of a sudden are extremely capable) only deserve 1 all-star?  Is LeBron James THAT great?  OBV He is The Best Perimeter Player Since Michael, but remember Michael always got a 2nd all-star.  So Clevelanders I beg of you; when East players start crying to sit out the game hurt like always, GET ANDY TO DALLAS!  Email coaches and Commissioner Stern!  If a guy like KG will not risk injury in this exhibition game, get the best defensive force of the 1st half of the season out there with his Sideshow Bob Sex Appeal.  GO CAVS!

CLEVELAND – VAREJAO, GASOL, ALL STAR ANNOUNCEMENTS, T.N.T.!!!  Alllllllright anyone of the 9 of you who have followed us throughout the great and controversial history of this website know Thursday night its our favorite part of the NBA regular season.  LeBron goes against a top 10 NBA player as the NBA’s 2nd most famous franchise comes into town.  The problem with these Lakers is that Pau Gasol has a great “Robin” in the top 15 player that is Kobe Bryant, whereas the Cavs simply have a slew of very good role players.

Truthfully though it is unfortunate the best Laker “Big” is healthy for Thursday’s game, but like Christmas it provides a good measuring stick for where this Cavs team stands.  LAL is 20-3 when Pau Gasol is in the lineup, eerily similar to how back in the days of Shaq in his prime the Laker W/L Record was significantly better when Shaq was healthy and Kobe hurt than vice versa.  Kobe this year has decided to play through a multitude of legitimate injuries, in hopes that nobody would notice the LakeShow would win a ton of games without him.

Yes all the LeBron dunk talk is a lot of fun (the CursedCleveland staff will once again be reporting live in Dallas for All Star Weekend).  Yes it is pretty damn cool a player as intriguing as MJ/Peyton Manning/Tiger Woods (at sports, not sexual relations) plays for a Cleveland (not L.A.) team.  Yes its true the Kardashians will be coming to West 6th after a game at which tickets will be selling for approximately 3 to 5 times their face values.  But for us diehard Cleveland fans, the most important issue is finally getting a damn ring.  Can we really stack up against a roster as talented as LAL?  Was Christmas just a 1 game sample size fluke?  The truth is that Boston and Orlando have had too many unacceptable losses, and tomorrow might honestly be the Lakers very 1st road game of the season.  Also all 3 of those teams are fighting through some age issues, whereas the Cavs older players (Z and Big Shaq) are not depended on to play loads of minutes.  Also, this season the Cavs have lost “coin flip” games coming down to the wire, whereas the Lakers have been rather fortunate thanks to a few Kobe “Gaines-like” miracles (don’t make me place an 82games link here webmaster).  All of this means in terms of seeding and home court the Cavs are in a very favorable position, whether or not WE get a W Thursday night.

As for the game tomorrow, if Parker and West can do half as well as they did defending Kobe on LeBronmas, we will be ok even minus Jamario Moon.  Plus King James is slowly but surely starting to really pick it up on the defensive end.  Shaq and Z have a better shot at providing resistance against Pau, Bynum and Odom than Boobie Gibson and Ben Wallace did last season.  Meanwhile on offense as long as the ball does not settle in the hands of LeBron for a majority of our 24 second allotments, we should be ok as Mo and Parker are once again starting to drain 3’s.  Vegas has the Cavs winning by 3.5.  With Kobe’s injury problems and how energetic the Cavs have come out for huge games this season, I’ll take the good guys by a count of 96-87.  GO CAVS!

As for the CavalierLaker Girl Suzanne pictured above, it only makes us Cavs fans, Bill Simmons and millions of others wonder; Will we see a Ramirez-to-Boston, Harper-to-TheClips, Browns-to-Baltimore, Colavito-to-Detroit situation with our once in a lifetime King?  And if He leaves, is there some kind of package deal with Chris BoshAshley Collins?

If we’re going to get carried away over a Christmas Day blowout win over the Lakers, then we need to get equally carried away with a wild buzzer-beating loss to the Jazz backups on Thursday night. Deal?

We’re officially halfway through allegedly the most critical season in Cavaliers’ history, and the verdict is very much out on the wine and gold (blue and orange).  Sure, they have their moments. Like when the Cavs demonstrated their resolve by rallying from 13 down with 4:39 to go on the road, eventually reclaiming the lead thanks to lock-down defense and LeBron’s incredible scoring down the stretch. The King scored 18 points in the final 3:30 – bullying his way to the basket (Jazz fans would probably have another term for that), and hitting clutch threes when his team needed them the most.

But in the end, LeBron left the floor just like he did after game six of the Eastern Conference Finals, a stark contrast to his constant chest thumping fan stare downs moments earlier. Pardon me if I’m Deja Vu is setting in all over again. The Cavs have regained that swagger of last season, but do they deserve it?

Of all the preseason “contenders,” the Cavaliers have been by far the most fortunate in terms of injuries. The Lakers/Spurs/Celtics/Magic have all had to resort to some makeshift lineups, while Cleveland has been chugging along with their nucleus very much intact.  Keep in mind that the power seems to have once again shifted back to the Western Conference.  As this is being written, only four teams in the East have 20 wins, while there are 10 in the West.  So while the Cavaliers have had recent success and have stayed relatively healthy all season, they’re still one full game behind the Lakers for the best record in the league and only 1.5 games ahead of the Celtics.  Another painful reminder that Thursday’s loss was a wasted opportunity, with the Celtics dropping their 11th game.

That’s not to say it’s all bad. The Cavs’ defeat of the Lakers on the road gave fans some hope, and there’s no doubt that LeBron will keep the Cavs in just about every game; he’s that good. But watching the Cavs fall behind 13 in the fourth to a team with the names of Miles, Gaines, Mathews, Price and Boozer, well it’s a bit unnerving.  This just a few days after losing to a Denver team without Melo. They gave up way too many open looks to the Jazz in the first three-and-a-half quarters. The Cavs needed an answer for their lack of defensive aggressiveness, and this despite playing at the  “Energy Solutions” Arena!  Even NBC’s late night talk show lineup is more consistent of late then the Cavs D.

Of and if you’re shouting at your computer right about now that this year is different, we have Shaq! Remember that the Cavs, against a team without a true center, had its 7-footers go a combined 2-of-6 for 6 points in 39 minutes and only 6 rebounds.  Our big free agent acquisition, Anthony Parker, didn’t make any notable defensive plays (committed a terrible foul on a jump shooter in the act) and continues to be an afterthought in the offense – does anyone trust him right now with a big shot if needed? I’ll hang up and listen.

And like I keep saying, we can obsess about these games and hypothesize all we want about the Cavaliers’ title chances (While we’re wasting time with that, think of how many more awesomely cheesy nicknames Fred McLeod can come up with – like Hot Wad), but the story remains the same. Mo Williams is the Cavs’ second best player.  He’d be the worst number 2 on a title team in the last 30 years. So until the Cavs make a move, we’ll continue to have our doubts.

The golf trends across the country unequivocally show that golf clubs and country clubs are a dying breed. But rest assured local golf enthusiasts, if Little Mountain Country Club continues to bless Northeast Ohio with rolling fairways, deep cavernous bunkers and Ashley Collins’ boobs, then I think the industry will somehow survive. I don’t know about you, but my personal stimpmeter just shot up to 7 (OK maybe  a 5).

Yes, the host of “Beer Money,” and part time beer cart girl has graced the famed Little Mountain Calendar months of April and September, (who knew she could read greens better than a teleprompter)?  After the jump, you’ll see Collins doing her Ryan Pontbriand impression,  and you’ll be formally introduced to her twin sister.  With such a stable of country club talent, there’s little argument that Jimmy Hanlin probably has the best job in northeast Ohio. Tee it Up Ohio indeed.

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It’s no secret the critical role Delonte West plays towards helping the Cavaliers achieve their ultimate goal of a championship. As he continues his roller coaster season of occasional DNP’S, constant MEDS and run ins with the FEDS, West seems to be turning the corner on the floor.

But the best defense Redz seems to have going right now, is by virtue of his insanity defense, as he continues to avoid the wrath of Stern while facing numerous weapons charges.   All this while the NBA suspends Gilbert Arenas indefinitely for a different kind of gun-related incident.

Many Cavs fans have rightfully given support to the troubled West, whose bipolar disorder has been well chronicled.  All along, it’s been easy for fans and media alike to sympathize with West; most people know someone dealing with his disorder.  Brian Windhorst has even written about withholding information about Delonte’s issues that may have even affected the team during last year’s playoff run.  But it’s clear that most have been willing to chalk up Delonte’s problems with his unfortunate chemical imbalance.

But not anymore.

Gilbert Arenas’ gun toting nonsense has ostensibly brought Delonte’s forgotten gun issues back into the conversation. Many are now comparing and contrasting the transgressions, with two prominent writer’s sharing CursedCleveland’s opinion that D-Hood’s was worse.

Jason Whitlock: “Can we really blame Arenas for being slow to understand the seriousness of his transgression when Delonte West still toils for the Cavaliers after getting popped by police while tooling around on a motorcycle strapped with a 9mm Beretta, a .357 Ruger, a shotgun slung over his shoulder and enough ammo to film the say-hello-to-my-little-friend scene of Scarface?”

Gregg Doyel: “West was caught in September with three loaded guns, including a shotgun stashed in a guitar case. Stern hasn’t acted on that, because Maryland police are still investigating and because West didn’t — as Arenas did — bring the guns to work. But when Stern is ready to act, West should be suspended a long, long time. Longer than Arenas. West’s guns were loaded. Arenas’ guns were not. Major distinction”

*other local bloggers have weighed in. Shocker, they think Gilbert’s unloaded weaponry is far worse than Delonte’s multiple loaded guns.

But there is a moment of clarity to be had here. Stern’s pronouncement that “[he] initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation,” can only be translated that West’s penalty is around the corner. Let’s be honest here, if Arenas has been deemed, “not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game,” you’d think someone with the troubled past of West mixed with the chemical imbalance and the various meds used to fight the condition would be in much worse shape.

So while we’re still somewhat surprised that West is permitted to see the floor while his investigation is pending, we won’t be surprised if he joins Arenas in watching the playoffs from home.

The last time your humble blogger took in Jared Sullinger (#2 ranked recruit by most accounts), I may or may not have commented that he was the fourth best player to take the court during the state tournament in Columbus, and that even Zima had more hops than the 6′8 235 pound future Buckeye.

As usual, I’m an idiot.

On Tuesday night, the 2009 Mr. Basketball winner dominated the top high school team in the country, also snapping their 44-game win steak.  A few side notes about Findlay Prep out of Nevada:

Their program was started by a car dealer named Cliff Findlay, who also happens to be a big time college booster.  The players receive housing, food and tuition (it costs $17,5000 to attend per year).  The players also receive free laptops and travel over 30,000 miles per year.  It’s as if they were using Dave Bliss and Tim Floyd as consultants.

Coming into Thursday’s battle with 13th ranked Columbus Northland, Findlay’s all-time record was 75-1;  a number combination that sounds more like the odds of Thad Matt getting a 5-star recruit to stay past his freshman year.

The night belonged to Sullinger.  He demonstrated countless times why he may be the best player of his recruiting class. Despite not touching the ball in the post during the entire first quarter, he still had his way, scoring 32 points and grabbing 17 boards.  He simply did it all.  He showed up the jump hook with both hands. He showed off a face-up jab step pull-up move from 18 feet.  When he did miss, he beat everyone to the rim to complete the tip-in.  He owned the baseline on one tightrope move to the basket.  He was the lead guard in the halfcourt 1-2-2 trap on a few possessions.  He blocked shots and helped hold a team averaging 100 points a game to just 15 first half points.  He even drew a crucial fourth quarter charge.

But most importantly, he was 10-10 from the foul line including the game winning pair with four second left.

Former OSU assistant and current ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi raved about Sullinger’s performance all night. He also curiously referred to him as “surprisingly athletic” four separate times during the broadcast.  Which is like me referring to Biancardi as “surprisingly understandable” or “surprisingly able to land a basketball job after his embarrassing departure from Wright State.”  I realize Sullinger isn’t ever going to play the game exclusively above the rim, and that he’s called by some [me] as a cooler and much more tan version of  Tyler Hansborough, but let’s not act like the guy isn’t extremely athletic.  There aren’t a lot of guys out there at 6′8” with that frame that can handle the ball at the perimeter and get to the basket with a couple dribbles.

So how dangerous are the Buckeyes next season if they can somehow coax Evan Turner to return? Very.  Sullinger could have seriously started for OSU last season.  Add to the rotation DeShaun Thomas from Indiana and the rest of OSU’s 2nd ranked recruiting class and you’ve got a team that would rival OSU’s 2006-07  runner-up squad.