DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Cavs vs. Warriors Game Thread- Gibson to Start?

ABJ- Windhorst

Since he has been the Cavaliers' coach, Mike Brown has never set a starting lineup without Eric Snow in it. That is about to change.

A team source said Brown plans to start rookie Daniel Gibson at point guard tonight when the Cavs host the Golden State Warriors. Snow has started 139 consecutive games for the Cavs, including playoffs, dating to the end of the 2004-05 season. The team is 83-57 with him as a starter.

Brown has appeared to be drawing closer to this decision the past two games, giving Gibson more minutes than Snow in both as he has searched for more offense out of the position. Snow has played 13 minutes in each of the games, the fewest minutes he has seen in any game this season. Brown has been giving more minutes to veteran David Wesley the past week, as well.

Gibson, who started three games earlier this season at shooting guard in place of an injured Larry Hughes, is not a true point guard. Chances are Hughes, Wesley or LeBron James, if he's able to play through a toe injury, will share the duties of bringing the ball up the court and starting the offense with Gibson in the game.

Gibson, a second-round draft pick, has played in 32 games and is averaging 4.2 points and 1.1 assists in 14.5 minutes per game. In the past two games, when he has averaged 20 minutes, he has scored 17 points and had 10 assists. Gibson leads the Cavs and is second among all rookies in 3-point shooting at 42 percent.

Snow is averaging 5.0 points and 4.5 assists in 27 minutes per game. However, he is shooting just 42 percent from the field and 54 percent at the foul line, his biggest drawback. He is the Cavs' best perimeter defender and often draws the opposition's best wing player.

i hope this isn't the cavs listening to the fans...

but, i am excited to see this kid play some significant time...

he may not be a true point, but i believe he can play the position similiar to my guy jason terry, who really isn't a true true point guard either...

the good thing is if this is true, i think eric snow may have had a part in it, he wants to come off the bench, he knows that he's a liability at the offensive end... he would much rather come off the bench when they need to lock down on the backcourt...

i wonder if we'll ever get a shannon brown sighting?

Its nice to see Mike Brown tinkering with the lineup a little. Obviously our offense is stale and its good to see he isnt being stubborn with it and trying create a spark. I know Dan isnt a true PG (2 guard in a 15 year olds body, lol) But I love the spark he gives.

I like the Cavs tonight without LeBron.

Yay!!! Hopefully this is a permanent move if Gibson performs. I think that Snow would be very effective off of the bench getting 12-15 minutes per night. I'd like to see them do the same with Zydrunas and go with a more athletic lineup of LBJ, Hughes, Gibson, Gooden & Andy V with Snow & Z coming off the bench.

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i wonder if we'll ever get a shannon brown sighting?

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Brown has a leg injury that hasn't allowed him to practice in over a month, he won't be playing any time soon from what I've read.

Oh man ... I hope this isn't Luke Jackson II.

I was wondering why the 2nd round pick was getting a lot more playing time this year than the 1st round pick.

Luke Jackson was garbage though.

I have a feeling Brown will never amount to anything either. He is too small, and really doesn't do anything very well. He will always be at the end of someone's bench, or be in the NBDL for extended stints. Reminds me a lot of Stephen Graham.

Good timing to announce the Gibson start - I wonder if LBJ wasn't out, if this would have happened. Fact is, we need some offense in there. Larry is struggling bad. If we had a Snow / Hughes backcourt, with a Sasha in there for LeBron, it could spell bad things. At least Gibs can create his own shot. It will be needed with LeBron out.

Gibson started for Snow, and Sasha for LBJ.

I wonder how many games Bron will sit out?

Cavs, minus LeBron, are up 54-36 with 5:58 left in the 2nd. Methinks Sasha Pavlovic needs to see MORE time on the floor!

Yea I'm happy for Gibson....Does anyone know how gibson got the nickname "boobie"??

the cavs look sharp right now...

i really hope this can build the team's confidence...

you know what i'm not seeing? 4 guys standing around waiting for a certain #23 to make magic...

67-47 Cavs at the half! WOW..67 points!

We might be on to something here ... Philly unloads Iverson and Webber and suddenly they're winning too. Bench LeBron! Bench LeBron!

I'm only kidding!

Cavs up 91-76 after the 3rd.

Six Cavs in double figures with Wesley (8 points) and Andy V (7 points) close. I LIKE the balance.

Ladies & Gentlemen...Scot Pollard has ENTERED the building!!

That's the most points we have scored this year. How can that be, when Lebron doesn't play. That doesn't make sense too me. Golden State must be allot worse than their record. Good game, by the good guys and hope this is where we go on a long good run.

I'm starting to think that Mike Brown is waking up to the idea of running a more uptempo offense. Gibson is much more of an offensive threat than Snow. I loved how our guards were running the ball up court tonight. We intentionally played fast with a fast team and killed them. Hughes is a rhythm shooter who would benefit greatly from a faster pace. Andy, Gibson, Sasha, and Lebron would also benefit. I hope the style of play we saw tonight is a precursor for the rest of the year. I also hope Gibson is here to stay in the starting lineup.

Wow - wish I could have seen this one... I want LBJ to get a couple days for his toe and his psychie... he's been playing a lot of basketball... glad to see us get a win without him.

This, imo, was the best game we've played all year. The floor spacing, the passing, and the teamwork was all the best I've seen all year. I know we just played two run and gun west coast teams and that may be the reason for why we're running, but I'm loving the offense the last couple of games. I think with Gibson in the lineup we'll hopefully start running more. I think there has definitely been a philosophy change. The guards tonight were running it up the court, and we got a lot of open looks early in the shot clock. A running style suits most of our players save Snow and Z.

How did Gibson look at the point? I saw he only had 2 assists...

Holding a team under 100 while scoring 120+!! Nice!

I turned it on after it was over. Did we go to the line a lot or how did this sudden explosion happen without the king?

He had 12 points on 4 threes. He played well against Baron Davis. He hustled to the ball and got on the floor a few times. He only had 2 assists but it was his faster pace and floor spacing that was key. Guys don't back off Gibson like they do Snow so it's actually like we're playing 5 on 5. Finally Mike Brown realizes that 5 guys on offense is better than 4. hmmmmm

And 337, the game was not won at the free throw line, it was won by maybe the best offensive display all year. The passing was incredible tonight. Sasha had a career high 24 points and played aggressive. We attacked all night, rather than sitting back until there's only a few seconds on the shot clock and hoisting a 20 footer.(Larry Hughes). It was very balanced tonight. 8 guys in double figures and Andy with 9 pts and 7 boards. If we play like this every night, we're the one seed in the East no doubt. I'm just hoping that Gibson stays in the lineup and we continue to play a faster paced game.

Ahh nice! Sounds like they attacked, good to hear!

Thanks Dawg... I liked what I saw of Gibson from the highlights and then the Suns game this past weekend... was sad to see him get in foul trouble in that game... I think if he keeps playing well he should get a lot more starting time... could be a huge factor in getting us back on track.

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Bench LeBron! Bench LeBron!

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I'll get to work on the t-shirts.

I agree with others though, it's one thing to be LeBron centered in your offense, it's another thing to be LeBron dependent... and this team gets complacent and dependent when LeBron is on the floor.... and fixing that problem is all on Mike Brown.

Maybe having LeBron out a few games will teach these guys how to play as a TEAM instead of counting on LBJ to make something happen. The guys on ESPN were saying the Cavs have the most boring offense in all the NBA - that says a lot when you have LBJ on your team. I'm glad Brown is switching things up - I really thought he was set in his ways and we were stuck in mediocrity forever.

I love Gibson replacing Snow in the line-up. I was calling for this over a week ago. I love Sasha too - it's nice to see someone who can shoot and score.

How about Marshall last night, slamming down a couple dunks. He needs to do that more often!

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and with the way sasha is playing, why is david wesley seeing any time at all?

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I have no idea why Wesley's been playing. All this does is make Pollard jealous because he doesn't have another body in a suit.

Sasha has been playing real well lately. When he decides to attack the basket, Sasha has unlimited potential. With his athletic ability he shouldn't have to just settle for outside shots. Sasha has some serious ups.

As to Lebron, I agree he hasn't been the same. I think that part of it is the fatigue but the other part has to be the scheme we've been using. Lebron is still shooting 47% last time I looked. That's pretty high. The problem is that he isn't getting to the basket and getting the and 1s that he got last year. Teams are doubling off Snow and letting him rot in the corner with a shot he'll never make. I think the slowdown has also hurt Lebron. Teams are able to setup a defense that takes the drive away. Last year we ran more so Lebron could create in the open floor. I also get mad when Snow has the ball and he holds it until the clock gets to 8 secs. That kills any chance of ball movement. If we play the style we played last night with the same intensity when Lebron gets back, I look for his numbers to shoot back up to last year's. Of course if we play like we did last night, Lebron won't have to play most of the 4th. A good problem to have no doubt.

the scheme definitely doesn't fit lebron, but this is the same way we're playing when we played the pistons in the second round...

the problem is, you can't always play like that... the pistons sure don't, they run when they need to, they slow up it when the situation calls for it...

the cavs have to learn to adapt... they adapted last night by running on a team that likes to run... they did the same thing against phoenix for 3 quarters...

that's what makes san antonio so great, they have no problem playing your style of basketball, but in the end they will force you to play theirs more...

I know Mike Brown is a defensive guy, but nothing says you can't run and still play d. The style we played against the Pistons last year doesn't work against a lot of teams in this league. The first Suns game is an example of that. The entire Eastern Conference more or less is full of teams that run a slowdown game. That's in part because these teams don't have the bodies to run with the Western teams. We have the ability to run, and a majority of our key players would benefit from running. Damon Jones I think would do well playing a run and gun style. Lebron certainly would. Hughes shoots much, much better in rhythm rather than off screens in the halfcourt game. I think the key to this year is the success of Gibson running the point. He can allow us to run more and guys won't sag off him to defend Lebron driving the lane.