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Multiple sources have confirmed to me in the past week that ESPN has designs on hiring Cleveland Cavaliers beat reporter Brian Windhorst away from the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER to cover the Miami Heat this season for ESPN.com. Windhorst, who has covered the Cavs sinces 2003, has not been available for comment in the past week, though he did file a story for the Plain Dealer yesterday and has yet to announce a change of address publicly. Sources tell me that a deal between Windhorst and ESPN has not yet been finalized. Windhorst already has ties to Bristol. Since 2006, he’s contributed to ESPN.com and ESPN2’s First Take television show on a part-time basis. He also reportedly has a home in Jupiter, Florida - a relatively short drive from Miami. Late last week ESPN was also in the process of hiring another well-known, Miami-based NBA reporter to cover the Heat for ESPN.com. I’ve been told that Mike Wallace, who last season served as Heat beat reporter for the MIAMI HERALD, has resigned his position with the newspaper and will likely join ESPN.com to cover the Heat while also contributing national NBA coverage. Like Windhorst, Wallace’s deal with ESPN has not been completely consumated. Sources tell me there would be no plans to use Windhorst and Wallace on ESPN television if they are brought on board by the network. ESPN has already announced it is sending four TV on-air staffers to cover Heat Training Camp. With Wallace and Windhorst, the network could potentially have six reporters covering the Heat before the NBA season starts. The move to hire two, full-time ESPN.com reporters to cover the Heat beat could be seen by some as a prelude to ESPN launching a local ESPNMiami.com site, but I’ve been told that the launch of such a site is not imminent. The most prominent Cleveland reporter chronicling the fortunes of LeBron James since he entered the NBA, Windhorst also covered James for the AKRON BEACON-JOURNAL while the hoops prodigy was in high school and wrote a book with celebrated Cleveland sportswriter and author Terry Pluto about the NBA star. When contacted, an ESPN spokesman had no comment on Windhorst and Wallace joining the network. web page
"The medium for the bad news was ESPN, which figured. The network represents much of what is loud, obnoxious and empty in sports today."
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I have always enjoyed BW, and he has to do what the thinks is best for his career.
He was a bit of an enabler these past 7 years (how many off-court negative LeBron stories did he write?), but I think that was just part of the gig. He wasn't bashful to call out LeBron or Mike Brown or anyone else when it came to on-court issues.
#gmstrong
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Seems like we're outsourcing all our talent to south beach. 
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Good for him. Hopefully he's getting a pay bump too.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.dawgtalkers.net/uploads/Punchsmack/punch.gif) “...Iguodala to Curry, back to Iguodala, up for the layup! Oh! Blocked by James! LeBron James with the rejection!”
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Not surprising. LBJ is his meal ticket.
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this doesn't surprise me, and i wouldn't hold it against him if he left. it's not the same as lbj leaving cleveland. when you work for a small town paper, it would be every writer's dream to work at the biggest sports outlet there is (even if they suck) with lbj, he could have reached the highest level in cleveland but chose to take the easy way out.
HOWEVER
if windy was on board with the whole lbj thing, and knew it from the start, that throws his credibility right out the window. the way he acted the day before the decision, with how he was surprised "it's all clear to me now" i will never read another thing he wrote ever again. but we have no idea if he knew, and we never will.
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Wouldn't surprise me in the least if LBJ made that happen...
#GMSTRONG
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts.”
Daniel Patrick Moynahan
"Alternative facts hurt us all. Think before you blindly believe."
Damanshot
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I doubt LBJ would need to make that happen as Windhorst as written for ESPN before, and been on ESPN for Take 2, first and ten, ESPN NEWS etc.... He is well respected throughout the profession etc....
"The medium for the bad news was ESPN, which figured. The network represents much of what is loud, obnoxious and empty in sports today."
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Umm ..... who is Brooks anyway? Does he have any credibility? Is he connected? Is he 16? Oh yeah ... he is 16 according to his site. I'll wait to go into panic mode until I see something from someone old enough to vote ...... 
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Quote:
Umm ..... who is Brooks anyway?
Does he have any credibility? Is he connected? Is he 16?
Oh yeah ... he is 16 according to his site.
I'll wait to go into panic mode until I see something from someone old enough to vote ......
FWIW his site says he has been a sports media professional for 16 years not that he is 16yo. But I don't know who he is or how credible he is.
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I doubt LBJ would need to make that happen as Windhorst as written for ESPN before, and been on ESPN for Take 2, first and ten, ESPN NEWS etc.... He is well respected throughout the profession etc....
yes, but the whole thing stinks.
as windy, wouldn't you be pissed about the way lbj used you through the entire free agent process?
do you want to know why the lebacle hurt more than it should have? because in the days leading up to it windy was reporting that lebron absolutely wanted to play for the cavs, that he was leaning that way, so it seems as if he used windy to leak information out (why would he do that? i think to drive up ratings for the decision, as little as cleveland may be, they needed cleveland in that sweepstakes to keep the ratings up, more people were interested in inf he'd stab his hometown in the back on tv rather than if he'd go to big market a, b, or c)
so was windy duped or was he playing along? windy has a ton of pull with lbj, his mother taught lbj at svsm, he's covered him for 10 years. you take it for what it is.
the whole thing stinks.
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personally, i don't think BW cares. he used LeBron to make a name for himself in the first place, so why wouldn't we think he would use LeBron to secure himself a bigger piece of the media pie?
if ESPN is offering him more $$$, more control, more exposure and/or some television to boot...why wouldn't he at least consider it?
#gmstrong
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Quote:
personally, i don't think BW cares. he used LeBron to make a name for himself in the first place, so why wouldn't we think he would use LeBron to secure himself a bigger piece of the media pie?
if ESPN is offering him more $$$, more control, more exposure and/or some television to boot...why wouldn't he at least consider it?
i don't know if that is entirely true if he cares. he had choice words for lbj the day after the decision and it seemed to be personal.
but like i said, he might just be playing along. the entire thing is shady.
and speaking of basketball, the more i think about it, the more i think the cavs will be fine. as soon as it happened i thought "ah jeez, these guys are gonna be unwatchable" but now that i really step back and look, they won't be too bad. coach scott is a good coach, and i think people will really like his style of play and his attitude, i absolutely love that he put garbage cans along the baseline for practice, in case players need to puke.
we're not a 1-2 seed anymore, those days are over for the time being, but i think they are gonna compete, with lbj gone, the ball no longer gets dominated and i think we have 2 20 point scorers in mo and antawn, and a few other guys who can contribute.
although we're small now. we are gonna have to find some size.
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but like i said, he might just be playing along. the entire thing is shady.
Not sure it's really that shady. Lebron's team may of used him a bit, but he's still the one guy that knows everything about Lebron as well as the people around him. It's not a Miami newspaper that's giving him the job, it's ESPN ...
If they want the best beat reporter that knows all things Lebron, they're going to want BW. If BW wants a substantial pay-raise and the opportunity to write at a national level, then he'll probably want to go to ESPN.
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Wow pain medications really mess with a person's mind ...... I looked at that 3 or 4 times too.
Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.
John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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I think we're going to compete too. I honestly think this team can win around 40 games and in the east thats good enough for the playoffs. However, in the current NBA structure, not sure thats the right path to take, I dont want to turn into the Indiana Pacers.
"The medium for the bad news was ESPN, which figured. The network represents much of what is loud, obnoxious and empty in sports today."
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I think we're going to compete too. I honestly think this team can win around 40 games and in the east thats good enough for the playoffs. However, in the current NBA structure, not sure thats the right path to take, I dont want to turn into the Indiana Pacers.
yeah i think 40-41 games is probably what they can get.
but you are very much right on that not quite being the best path to take.
i've brought it up before, but a few years ago the bulls were fighting for a playoff spot, and instead of getting the 8th seed which is basically just a 4 or 5 game extension of your season, they got derek rose (they had the odds stacked against them in the lotto, but still, like the real lottery, you have to play to win, you make the playoffs, you don't play)
at some point, i want my team back in the playoffs, but for a year or two, if we could get a few lotto picks to hopefully nail, you could be right back where ya were.
it absolutely sucks, but it is the way to go. however you still need luck.milwaukee's team is built around 2 lotto picks and they are still a 5-6 seed in the east at best.
so while the lottery is a way to go, you aren't guaranteed another lbj, or a durant, or one of those types.
but we do have young guys to develop, we have a trade exception, and we have a few tradeable assets. they can go and acquire a decent player to make the team better, but i think most of us are in agreement that we aren't gonna land a big time FA. carmelo anthony ain't comin to cleveland. nature of the beast, but it doesn't mean you can't get the chip.
man you look at nba drafts. and it's feast or famine.
it's michael jordan or sam bowie, kevin durant or greg oden.
if you get a top 3 pick you HAVE to nail it. it's not like the nfl where even elite level teams blow 1st rounders.
and based on the past, don't get too infatuated with the big man.
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What's disgusting to me is the fact that perhaps as many as 6 full time ESPN personnel will be dedicated to Heat coverage in training camp. And that doesn't even count Wilbon, Cowherd and Stewie at LeDouche's beckon call for a palm branch fanning or ball washing.
The Browns look to be in the midst of another abysmal season, the CAVS won't be on there - really what need is there to watch that "network"?
I know I won't be.
As for Windy? Blah. Good luck to him if he goes, I wish he wouldn't but I'm not gonna lose sleep either way.
"If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college"
GO ROCKETS
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while the browns are in the midst of a disappointing season, there are some young guys that we can watch develop, it's not all bad. our guys did go toe to toe with an alleged super bowl contender, not to mention they had a bunch of guys hurt.
as for the cavs, i think they will be a pleasant surprise. although that may not be for the best.
for the first time in a while, cleveland doesn't have a true championship contender, but there are still some things to look forward to.
i know the tribe has some young pieces too (if santana comes back ok, laporta, choo, etc) but it's hard to get excited for guys who are eventually gonna get dealt. yeah, maybe second or third level guys like hafner or westbrook will get extensions, but anyone who turns into a star is gone.
you can always follow the nhl?
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Quote:
you can always follow the nhl?
- It's looking that way for me man. I won't watch the NBA because it is going to revolve around the Miami Heat for the next 5 years, the MLB has been ruined by lack of a salary cap, and the NFL is only worth watching if the Browns are playing, and as you know, the Browns aren't too fun to watch.
- Compare this to college football, where I am a huge Ohio State homer. However, I'm excited about the games on Saturday night - Stanford v Oregon, and Alabama v Florida. - Essentially, Ohio State doesn't have to be playing in order for me to have interest in college football. - I can't say this at all about the nfl,mlb, or nba. Perhaps the NHL will provide the same amount of excitement that the NCAA does.
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I guess what I should have written was why should I bother to watch ESPN until about next spring training?
ESPN will have no coverage of the Browns - I don't blame them - unless something big happens. They won't cover the Cavaliers other than the occasional "oh, poor Cleveland" piece or to mock Gilbert. I loathe the Heat/Steelers/Favre which is you know what the fall/winter months will be dedicated to... so why even bother watching? Again I say - I won't. It's not worth it.
And for the record - hockey is beyond irrelevant to me. I know a lot of people love it, but to me it's winter soccer... aka irrelevant.
"If it weren't for my horse, I wouldn't have spent that year in college"
GO ROCKETS
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My bold prediction for the season is 46-48 wins and a 6 seed, barring any major injuries that keep key guys out for extended lengths of time. Cavs have some young, hungry guys with chips on their shoulders, and you know Coach Scott is telling them every day how the pundits are all saying they can't win 20 this season. I think its really important to remember that Coach Scott has zero post-Lebron hangover or "woe is me" sentiment...he never coached the guy and probably doesn't give a toss about him. If any of the players *coughMocough* start to slip into that funk he's gonna snap them back to reality real quick.
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See Sig. 
"The medium for the bad news was ESPN, which figured. The network represents much of what is loud, obnoxious and empty in sports today."
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the nhl is awesome. by far a better product than major league fraudball.
problem is, people don't give it a chance, and the guy at the top doesn't know what he's doing. he's done some nice things but when it comes to marketing his league, he's clueless.
i have said it before, and some don't want to hear it, and it would shock you coming from me, because i think most on here know although i am a hockey player, that i am a basketball junkie, but i honestly believe cleveland would be better off without the cavs and instead having an nhl team.
nhl guys wouldn't pull this decision crap, or what melo is doing, or what chris paul threatened to do... those guys just play, market size doesn't matter to about 99% of them. they want to win. they truly want that cup. guys in their primes have taken paycuts to try and get it.
i think cleveland would appreciate the hard work and sacrifice. those guys play hurt much like football players do. they don't whine publicly about contracts, they are down to earth hardworking guys. it seems like a match made in heaven.
people have crushed cleveland because of what happened with lbj. it was like opening the firing range, but the truth is, pittsburgh, buffalo would be in the same spot if they had nba, no superstar would want to go there. but they have nhl instead, and pittsburgh right now is a top 3 organization.
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and pittsburgh right now is a top 3 organization.
after very, very nearly losing their franchise. let's not go too revisionist history on us here.
#gmstrong
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Quote:
and pittsburgh right now is a top 3 organization.
after very, very nearly losing their franchise. let's not go too revisionist history on us here.
maybe so, but right now, they are as stable as you can be, 2 superstar players, lemieux at the top, and they have a brand new arena. don't get a whole lot better than that.
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yes, and I am happy the tipping point for Pitt ended up landing in their favor. as much as I hate seeing those colors do well, I don't like seeing any longtime team get uprooted.
#gmstrong
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i have a ton of respect for mario lemieux. good guy. does tons for charity.
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i have a ton of respect for mario lemieux. good guy. does tons for charity.
yeah, I heard he even houses wayword millionaires 
#gmstrong
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they want to win. they truly want that cup. guys in their primes have taken paycuts to try and get it.
Wait, isn't that what just happened with LeBron? Although he didn't leave to win, he left to dominate with his friends.
There are no sacred cows.
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Quote:
Quote:
they want to win. they truly want that cup. guys in their primes have taken paycuts to try and get it.
Wait, isn't that what just happened with LeBron? Although he didn't leave to win, he left to dominate with his friends.
and he got his from the cavs. full hometown max.
he took the easy way out. his "brand" is garbage if he doesn't win. so he went to where he knows he can win, without the burden of being the man.
which is fine, but the talk of being in the class with mike, bird, etc, that's done.
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Not surprising. LBJ is his meal ticket.
Right. It's a shame b/c I always enjoyed reading BW's articles ever since I lived in Akron and LBJ was still a high school baller. LBJ prob said he wanted him if anyone is going to cover him b/c he did it so well during his tenure here in Cleveland. With him gone it gives me yet another reason not to read the PD.
Our honor defend, we will fight to the end, for OHIO! GO BUCKS!
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Well its official now folks, Windy is bailing for BSPN. Can't say I blame him, but ppl are saying he was in on it the whole time. I doubt it. web page
"The medium for the bad news was ESPN, which figured. The network represents much of what is loud, obnoxious and empty in sports today."
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Big lolz on Windy. Quote:
I do know that no matter what happens next year, I’m going to be covering the Cavaliers.
link
No matter what happens, unless my meal ticket wants to come cover his practices in Miami instead.
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well, he's right. I mean the Heat play the Cavs 3 times right? so, he'll cover the Cavs those games.
#gmstrong
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just to be perfectly clear, that was a dig at BW, not you.
perhaps I should have gone with the "anyone complaining about BW leaving just weren't true BW fans in the first place" joke instead
#gmstrong
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J/C..
Windy is live on WTAM right now with Bob Frantz,... They are bout to come back from commercial and he is going to take questions from callers...
I heart winning
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I hope people call, because the local media sure aren't going to lay into their boy. Not with any real substance at least.
Windy, like LeBron, is saying that taking the easy way out is "a challenge". GMAB.
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