Written by Brian McPeek

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Not a good time for the Cavs to lay their biggest egg of the season, that's for sure. They were steamrolled in the second half against the Lakers, who turned a 10 point halftime deficit into a fairly easy 10 point win, ending the Cavs perfect string at home in the process. In The Weekend Wrap, Peeks hits on the loss, Marcus Camby, Goodyear, Travis & Victor, and this week's edition of "The Cleveland Experience" ... which will feature Jim Ingraham from the News Herald.

Yuck 

I was looking forward to Sunday's Cavs-Lakers nationally televised match up. Unfortunately, the Cavs decided to not show up. 

They played as poor a game Sunday (or at least as poor a second half) as they have all season and they did so on a day when Kobe Bryant came up with another mysterious ailment and wasn't 100%. Unfortunately Lamar Odom decided Sunday was one of the ten days per season he'd show up motivated and the Cavaliers had no answer for the talented but enigmatic Lakers' forward. Odom went for 28 points and 17 boards, both season highs, in a 101-91 Lakers win. That smashed a Cavaliers home winning streak of 23 games. 

The good news is that the Cavalier detractors can come out and get a little bit of sunlight, spout their dogma about LeBron James not being able to come up big in ‘big games', decry the need for a trade before the evening ends and then slink back to their pits only to surface again the next time the Cavaliers lay an egg.  

Yeah, LeBron was LeAwful on Sunday. But even God took that day off way back when. Yeah, the game could be the difference between home court advantage throughout the playoffs but there are still 30+ games left to play for each team. Take your mouth off the tailpipe, turn off the car and open the garage door. As we've discussed 9 other times in about 50 games, this is a good basketball team that will learn from a loss. And if they don't, and it turns out they aren't as good as the Lakers, well, that will be determined at a later date. Not on February 8^th. 

Etcetera 

• Jesus. Anyone else sick of the NBA's best showing Oprah Winfrey and Naomi Campbell a thing or two about really being a diva? Every bit of contact is like a car accident, every swallowed whistle is a travesty as well as an ultimate show of disrespect and every fall to the floor is like an episode of ‘ER' is breaking out. If these guys acted this way on the courts they grew up on they'd have been beaten to death or forced to wear dresses. Maybe both.  
  
• Don't mistake what I said above regarding the Cavs loss to the Lakers as me having my head in the sand. Despite how they've played for a large chunk of the season, this Cavs team is by no means perfect. They very well may need to consider a deal before the deadline for a big man. The Lakers are talented and deep in the front court. The Cavs have less depth and they're one dimensional in the front court. Not as a team but as individuals. Ben Wallace and Anderson Varejao are defensive players. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is an offensive-minded big man. The Lakers take advantage of mismatches on opposite ends of the court and give the Cavs fits. The Cavs would likely love to have a defensive-minded big man with serviceable offensive skills. Where in the name of Marcus Camby might they find one of those? However, any deal will be made after reviewing the team and the season as a whole. Danny Ferry is way too smart to make a snap judgment based solely on Sunday's game.
  
• Last thing on the Cavs. Why is it that when I watch a Cavalier game, either on TV or in person, that it feels like I'm watching a hip-hop concert where a basketball game is also being played? Constant noise, screaming and stimulus bombard anyone tuning in or attending at ‘The Q'. Enough folks. Can't you turn the volume down to 11?
  
• Pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, AZ this coming week. Unfortunately that means Carl Pavano too. I hope I'm wrong, and the outlay of cash he's sucking up certainly isn't huge, but this guy has Jason Johnson written all over him in terms of effectiveness and likeability. The man hasn't exactly been the picture of professionalism or durability over the last 5 years. The fact he's being brought into this clubhouse speaks to the depths the Indians had to go to given their starting pitching concerns and their budget. Everyone's on board when they're playing well and the club is winning. A hot start may limit the damage a guy like Pavano can do in a clubhouse. But make no mistake, he can do damage. No better year than this one to get a Jaret Wright in '97 or Fausto Carmona in '07 kind of breakout season from one of the kids.
  
• I can think of two keys to an effective starting rotation this season for the Tribe: Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez. If Hafner and Martinez are healthy and productive the Indians are going to score runs and cover up a lot of mistakes for a suspect 3 through 5 in the rotation. I'm not proud. I'll take as many 8-6 or 7-5 Indians wins as it takes to stay in the AL race. Hafner and Martinez being productive in the middle of that lineup can relieve a lot of pressure. Conversely, if they have years like they had last season we'll be talking about Browns OTA's in June.
  
• I'm really looking forward to that kick-ass AFC-NFC Pro Bowl clash coming up. Nothing like some hard hitting, serious football matching up all the game's stars. Anyone know when that bad boy kicks off?

Good grief. If I wanted to watch a game where players let minor injuries keep them from playing, where there's no blitzing or going after the quarterback and where the defense may as well as be playing two-hand touch, I'd queue up the DVR and watch the Browns game against Denver. 

• I heard Terry Pluto kept the media's Mangini/Lerner/Kokinis article streak alive today. We're not going to let that thing die on our watch here at TCF are we? There have got to be a couple more articles in the works to put a bow on this thing. 

Programming Note 

For those of you who are Browns fans and are in the same relative age group as I'm in (35-45), you might be interested in hitting up the podcast of ‘The Cleveland Experience' that aired this past Wednesday. Author Sean Harvey discussed "One Moment Changes Everything: The All-America Story of Don Rogers". Twenty minutes of conversation that discussed a critical juncture in Browns history and, quite frankly, an American family tragedy given the aftermath. 

Thanks to Sean for being accommodating and for joining us. Go to Amazon.com and grab that book. You will not be disappointed. 

This week we've already booked Tribe beat reporter Jim Ingraham to come in and discuss the Tribe and his thoughts as the Indians head to Goodyear. Join us this Wednesday at 930pm.