The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Love’s return helps Sexton’s development
Collin Sexton’s improved play has coincided with Kevin Love’s return to the Cavs’ lineup. Plus, Jeff Schudel’s thoughts on the Indians and John Dorsey’s knowledge of Browns history.
Fans obsessed with wanting the Cavaliers to lose to increase their chances of winning the draft lottery don’t like it. But the Cavs won four of their last six games heading into their contest at The Q with the Pistons on March 2.
The recent success coincides with the return of Kevin Love from foot surgery. So does steady improvement from rookie guard Collin Sexton. Sexton scored 22 points on Feb. 29 when the Cavaliers rallied from a 14-point deficit to beat the Knicks, 125-118, at Madison Square Garden.
“He really played under control, not only in his attack. But when the shot was there he took it and when he had the driving opportunities, he made the most of it,” Coach Larry Drew told reporters. “He really played a composed game.
“I thought he did a really good job recognizing certain situations where we had mismatches. He didn’t try to do too much. He made the simple play and the right plays.”
Trying to do too much has made Sexton looked lost and overmatched at times this season. But February was the best month of his young career. He averaged 18.8 points, 3.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 10 games.
It is no coincidence Love returned to action Feb. 9 after missing 51 games. Love says Sexton’s development was slowed because he and center Tristan Thompson missed so much time with injuries. Thompson is still out with a sprained foot. He missed the last 17 games and a stretch of 10 others earlier in the season.
“Yeah, I definitely think so,” Love said after a recent practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “Every time we have a veteran presence, guys who have gone through both losing and winning, you can learn a lot from them.
“Not having us out there has definitely affected him. I know my first few years a guy like Al Jefferson went down and I missed having him out there. I was used to having him get on me, show me the ways. He had an ACL tear. That veteran leadership and always having somebody in your ear is a good way to help, especially when you have the ups and downs of a rookie season. I think it will be good for us getting back this last third of the season.”
Sexton is fourth among NBA rookies in scoring with an average of 15.1 points a game.
Johnson impressing
Keep an eye on Daniel Johnson, the outfield prospect acquired in November from the Nationals along with pitcher Jefry Rodriquez and minorleague infielder Andruw Monasterio for All-Star catcher Yan Gomes. control he could drop the ball right on the plate time after time,” Ira Berkow wrote in the New York Times in 1988.
Toad played most of his career with the Louisville Colonels in the American Association. He played from 1885-90, and it is easy to understand why his career did not last longer. He started 67 games for the Colonels in 1886 and completed a league-most 66 of them. He posted a record of 38-27, and led the league with 588 2/3 innings pitched. To put that in perspective, Indians starter Corey Kluber led the American League in 2018 with 215 innings pitched.
Toad started 64 games a year later and was 37-27 with 561 innings pitched. After that, his career went downhill quickly. He was 16-64 over the next three seasons, but went out on his own terms, going 23-17 with the St. Louis Browns in 1890.
Ramsey was not much at the plate. He had a career .204 batting average. He scored 84 runs, drove in 82 and never homered.
Dorsey knows Browns’ history
John Dorsey deserves praise for what he has done to make the Browns better in his role as general manager. He also gets credit for knowing Browns history.
You might assume knowing about the times when the Browns were good long ago would come with the territory. But that was not the case for Dorsey’s predecessors in Berea.
Dorsey had breakfast one morning with former Browns guard John Wooten during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Dorsey, in his second full season as Browns GM, shared part of their conversation with reporters covering the combine.
“You know what really made me feel proud to be a Cleveland Brown?” Dorsey said “He goes ‘John, you guys got this thing going in the right direction. The alumni are so happy for you guys. Just keep this thing going.’
“And you know what? Myself personally, that kind of touched me a little bit. I’m like going ‘you know what? Who are the Cleveland Browns but those guys who once played, who put on those jerseys?’ And John Wooten was one of those, so that kind of touched my soul a little bit. I thought that was neat.”
Wooten is the chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, which works with the NFL to make sure minorities get a fair shake when teams are looking for head coaches, coordinators and personnel in the front office.
Wooten, 83, has been in charge of the Fritz Pollard Alliance since 2003. He was the Browns’ left guard from 1959-67, which means he was part of the 1964 NFL championship. He blocked for Jim Brown, Bobby Mitchell and Leroy Kelly during his career.
Wooten weighed 235 pounds when he played. Joel Bitonio, the Browns’ current left guard, weighs 305 pounds.
Dorsey also proved he knows his Browns history by referencing former Buckeyes and Browns Bill Willis and Paul Warfield when asked about current Browns cornerback and former Buckeye Denzel Ward.
• Dorsey has high hopes for wide receiver Jaelen Strong, who was out of football last year recovering from surgery to repair a torn ACL. Strong caught four passes with Jacksonville in 2017 before being hurt in the second game of the season. The Browns signed the 2015 thirdround pick of the Texans late last month.
“Jaelen’s big, he runs really good routes and he’s got great hands. I think he’ll fit in to this offense,” Dorsey said. “Again, he’s a younger guy. He’s been out of football for a couple of months. I’m willing to take a shot because I think there’s some talent to unearth there.”
Dorsey said the Browns don’t have to target a big name wide receiver in free agency or the draft.
I didn’t know that
… Until I read my Snapple bottle cap:
A person inhales about 13 pints of air every minute. … The first American gold rush happened in North Carolina, not California. … Male Gentoo penguins propose to their mates with a pebble. … The middle finger has the fastest growing nail. … “Knocker uppers” were professionals paid to awaken clients by shooting peas at windows through a straw-like devise in the 18th century. They were made obsolete by alarm clocks. … Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president born in a hospital.
Reach Schudel at JSchudel@News-Herald. com. On Twitter: @jsproinsider