Website predicts a tough season for Cavs

The website newarena.com is not impressed with the newlook Cavaliers, ranking them 27th out of 30 in the NBA. Plus, Jeff Schudel’s thoughts on the Indians’ outfield and Josh Gordon.

General manager Koby Altman was faced with a dilemma when LeBron James left the Cavaliers four weeks ago to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers:

Does Altman tear down the roster and try to rebuild the Cavaliers from scratch, or does he make Kevin Love the centerpiece of the team and try to add on to keep the Cavs competitive?

Altman answered that question on July 24 when he signed Love to a four-year, $120 million contract extension. But if the website newarena. com is correct, the Cavaliers are going to be so bad next season that Altman will be building from scratch and building around Love simultaneously.

Newarena.com, in a story posted the same day Love hit the jackpot, posted its 2018-19 NBA power rankings. The site ranks the Cavaliers 27th, ahead of only the Atlanta Hawks (30th), Sacramento Kings (29th) and Orlando Magic.

The truth hurts. The Cavaliers were 50-32 last season. The Hawks and Dallas Mavericks tied for the 27th best record at 2458.

The most revealing numbers are these: The Cavaliers over the last four seasons were 4-23 when James did not play. Because James played every game in 2017-18, it means Love and Kyrie Irving played in many (but certainly not all) of those 23 losses.

“With LeBron James heading to Los Angeles, the Cavs have been jettisoned back to their normal place in the basement of the Eastern Conference,” Newarena. com summarized. “Fortunately for head coach Ty Lue, he’s able to build around point guard Collin Sexton. The Alabama product was one of the most explosive guards from this year’s draft. He’ll be given the opportunity to come in and log heavy minutes without any pressure.

“However, the rest of the roster is below-average. One has to wonder what the motivation level will be for veterans on a total rebuild. Plus, Cleveland might be in real trouble if Jordan Clarkson is given the green light to shoot every single time he touches the ball (which virtually happens already anyway).”

Signing Love is a message to fans the Cavaliers are not going to tank the A Cavaliers roster featuring Kevin Love and Collin Sexton does not impress one website that ranks NBA teams.

Indians need bats

The non-waiver trade deadline is May 31, and the Indians still need to add a bat to their outfield.

Adam Jones of the Baltimore Orioles has been linked to the Indians for weeks. He recently waived the no trade clause in his contract so he could be traded to a contender. The Indians, solidly in first place in the American League Central, obviously qualify.

The Indians reportedly are also showing interest in Texas Rangers slugger Joey Gallo. Gallo has 25 home runs. He usually hit the ball to the moon or strikes out. He has struck out 138 times in 99 games and is hitting .190.

Gallo is 24 and not eligible for free agency until 2022. Jones is 32 and will be a free agent in November. He has 11 home runs and 42 RBI and with a .281 batting average is probably a better fit for the playoff push the Indians want to make.

Billy Hamilton of the Cincinnati Reds is another possibility for the Indians. He is an excellent defensive outfielder, but he won’t help them at the plate. He is hitting a meager .200 with just three home runs and 20 RBI in 320 at-bats. He has struck out 94 times in 99 games.

Stay tuned. The next couple days will be interesting as contenders in both leagues try to beef up their rosters so they can be playing baseball in October.

The Gordon conundrum

Josh Gordon remains absent from Browns training camp with no indication when he will arrive.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Gordon is seeking additional counseling to help him deal with sobriety. He should be commended, not condemned, for his decision.

The report helps make sense of the Browns’ reaction to Gordon being absent and also explains why General Manager John Dorsey and Coach Hue Jackson have been so vague in their remarks.

Jackson, who said he was moving on from Gordon when Gordon left the team four days before he was to start practicing because he decided he had to check into a rehab clinic, says this situation is different.

“I think he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do,” Jackson said. “When I look at this situation, he’s doing everything he can to prevent future issues. I think it’s a different situation in my mind.”

Doubters still expect Gordon to be suspended.

“There’s no suspension,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email response. “We will address the matter at the appropriate time. There’s no timetable (for Gordon’s return).”

That phrase, “We will address the matter at the appropriate time” is what has Gordon supporters fretting. But according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Gordon might have to apply for reinstatement to the Browns and to the NFL, even if he isn’t suspended because the Browns chose to put him on the Did Not Report list to create a roster spot.

• Here’s hoping the Browns don’t sign Dez Bryant. He is a talented, fiery competitor, but he is also very disruptive as he displayed in July 27 in a series of volatile tweets regarding his last season with the Cowboys. The Cowboys released him on April 13 after eight seasons. Most of them are unprintable in a family newspaper.

The Browns are on the rise, but they aren’t ready to be a Super Bowl contender. Bryant won’t be here in 2019 if he signs a one-year deal now to prove himself.

I didn’t know that

… Until I read my Snapple bottle cap.

One lemon tree will produce about 1,500 lemons a year. ... Australia has 10,685 beaches. You could visit a different beach every day for more than 29 years. ... The bullfrog is the only animal that never sleeps. ... John Wilkes Booth’s brother saved the life of Abraham Lincoln’s son. ... Thomas Jefferson and John Adams chipped off a piece of William Shakespeare’s chair when they visited his home. ... More than 100 balls are used in a typical baseball game.

Reach Schudel at JSchudel@News-Herald. com. On Twitter: @jsproinsider

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