#CavsRank Villains: 25-21
2015-08-25
Now that you’ve seen the bad guys who missed the cut, today begins our Cavs:The Blog’s #CavsRank Villains actual countdown. You can find the (dis)honorable mentions here. I’m joined by EG to bring you guys numbers 25-21. Some of these culprits are on here for enabling the dislocation of a certain Cavs star’s shoulder. Some because they did their part to crush the hopes and dreams of the Cavs in the playoffs. Others because they’re just jerks. One guy even made the cut for getting fat.
One thing’s for certain, it’s appropriate that famed Boston coach Red Auerbach appears in the above basketball “villain” graphic, since this section of the countdown is riddled with nauseating shades of Celtic green…
25. Brad Stevens
“Kelly, sweep the leg… or yank the shoulder… you pick.”
(By David Wood) Brad Stevens didn’t set out to be hated. No, he set out to just be competitive with his 7th seeded Celtics. He didn’t want to be humiliated the first time he ever coached in the playoffs. That’s a respectable goal. However, he went about it the wrong way. He decided to take the Celtics back to the early nineties when they played the 2nd seeded Cavs. They shoved. They scowled. They grabbed jerseys. A short guy grabbed LeBron from out of bounds on an inbounds play. Some long haired Canadian hippy ripped Kevin Love’s shoulder out of its socket as if he were hopped up on PCP.
Some of my fellow bloggers don’t feel that Stevens deserves to make it into the top 25 of this list. However, I adamantly disagree. In just 192 minutes (four playoff games), Stevens earned a reasonable amount of dislike from Cleveland fans for his, “we’ll be so physical it some how levels out the talent gap that’s on the floor” style of play. His per 36 hatred rating is off the charts. Reread the game four recap of that series if you still don’t think Stevens belongs here.
24. Reggie Miller
(by EvilGenius) No matter what team you root for (Pacers fans excepted), if you watched basketball between the years of 1987 and 2005, chances are you HATED Reginald Wayne “Reggie” Miller. I know I did. Yes, the dude could shoot the absolute lights out of the building when he wanted to (including one unbelievable eight-point binge in 8.9 seconds against the Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals), but he often did so with a maximum level of smirking derision, and chased it with a barrage of smack talk.
Even though Cavs fans have not as much reason to hate Reggie Miller as say Knicks fans (Spike Lee in particular), he still regularly torched the Cavalier teams of the 90s and early 2000s. He was also responsible for cutting short their playoff aspirations on a couple of occasions. In fact, after he hit the winning shot to clinch the Pacers’ 3-1 series victory over the Cavs in the first round of the 1998 playoffs, Cleveland basketball went on a horrific downward spiral. The Cavs wouldn’t make another playoff appearance for eight long years.
“At least you don’t have to lose to the Bulls again… you’re welcome, Cleveland.”
Years later, even though the Cavs had LeBron, Z, Carlos Boozer and a full head of steam as they tried to finally get back to the playoffs in 2005, an aged Reggie was instrumental in dealing the young Cavaliers a late season setback. This tough loss would haunt them, as they finished in a tie with the Nets (at 42-40), but lost the tie-breaker for the eighth seed.
Fortunately, Reggie retired after the 2005 season. Unfortunately, he decided to become an analyst and then an announcer. If you’ve watched a basketball game between the years of 2005 and 2015, then you’ve probably also (at one time or another) HATED Reggie Miller. Decorum forbids us from delving too deeply into Reggie’s announcing transgressions, but any Cavs fan that watched this year’s playoffs (those that didn’t hit the mute button or failed to resist the urge to sling a brick through their flat screen) knows to what I’m referring.
Yes, Reg’s act is beyond old at this point… and Reg himself is getting up there, having just celebrated the big 5-0 yesterday. With that in mind, I suppose that might explain his recent comments regarding who he would pick first… Larry Legend or the King.
23. Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett holds Gloria James back from Paul Pierce during the 2008 playoffs.
(By David Wood) Kevin Garnett may be one of the only guys on most villainous players lists for almost every team in the NBA. Simply put, he’s a d@#$. He one of the biggest c#$%s in NBA history. KG never stops talking, barking, thumping his chest, blocking shots after whistles, or doing push-ups when he falls to the ground. He’s always ready to rumble.
KG has informed the world that Carmelo Anthony’s wife has a body part that tastes like Honey Nut Cheerios. He has said stuff about Tim Duncan’s mom. His smack talking is so powerful Steven Adam’s of the Thunder had this to say about it:
“KG and (Kendrick Perkins), those two are ridiculous,” Adams said of the legendary smack-talkers. “They make you question, like, why you are playing basketball and stuff. You’re like ‘Why am I doing this?’ It’s really weird, you get depressed.”
LeBron’s ascendance to the top of the league coincided with KG coming to the Celtics. The two faced off in the Eastern conference semi-finals for the first time in 2008. At the time, KG was content to make the King feel every single foul just a little bit more than normal. And, of course, he talked a ton, as the Celtics beat the Cavs in seven games. In 2010, the Celtics beat the Cavs in six games during the second round of the playoffs.
KG committed his most villainous act after that series, the last series LeBron would play in Cleveland for a while. Talking to reporter Ken Berger, Garnett made a comment about Cleveland’s lackluster teams built around LeBron:
Loyalty is something that hurts you at times, because you can’t get youth back.
KG is still going hard, even in his old age. Just last season with the Nets, Kevin slapped the ball away from Anderson Varejao two times in a row and clapped a bunch in his face. In the end though, KG can’t go any higher on this list because LeBron dunked on him with “no regard for human life.” That evens the score a little bit.
22. JoJo White
(by EvilGenius) Joseph Henry “Jo Jo” White accomplished many good things in his storied basketball career. He played for a dominant Kansas NCAA team that lost a classic double-overtime game to the surprise eventual champs Texas Western (now known as UTEP) in the 1966 Midwest regional final, which was featured in the film Glory Road. He proudly represented the U.S. Men’s Basketball team during the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, leading that team to an undefeated record of 9-0 on the way to capturing the gold medal (the last in a streak of seven consecutive gold medals for the U.S. Men’s team).
Then, unfortunately, White was drafted by the evil Celtic empire in the first round (9th pick overall) in 1969. There, he wound up spending 10 years helping lead Boston to two NBA championships (including one that was abruptly snatched from Cleveland’s grasp with an assist from the cruel hands of injury and fate).
Long-time Cavs fans remember him best for the damage he did to their title hopes in 1976, when he hit big shot after big shot in the Eastern Conference Finals, bringing about a bitter end to the Cavalier’s miraculous playoff run. After Jim Chones led the Cavs past Washington in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, averaging 15 points and seven rebounds, the big man fractured a bone in his foot during practice before the series even got underway. Without Chones’ presence in the middle, the speedy point guard White got to the basket at will, averaging 22.5 points in six games. The Celtics claimed the series in Game 6, with 29 points and a couple of dagger shots from Jo Jo, sadly ending the Cavs’ first shot at a championship.
Though Jim Brewer (52) helped the Cavs win Game 3 at the Coliseum, White (10) ultimately led the Celtics to a 4-2 series win against the Cavs.
Afterwards, White led the Celtics to the NBA championship, and was named MVP of the 1976 Finals. He was the star of what is often referred to as “the greatest game ever played” in NBA history, a triple-overtime win against the Phoenix Suns in Game 5. White was the game’s high scorer with 33 points, leading the Celtics to a 128-126 win, while logging 60 minutes.
This past April, it was announced that White would finally be included in the 2015 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame class. Unfortunately, it was celebrated during the Celtics 117-79 victory over the Cavs’ bench bunch, serving only to remind Cavs fans of their hatred for all of the guys in green throughout history.
21. Shawn Kemp
What Kemp came to the Cavs looking like.
(By David Wood) I was only seven when Shawn Kemp was traded for in 1997. At that age, the only things I wanted to see from a basketball player were dunks and taunts. Naturally, I was ecstatic that the “Reign Man” was in Cleveland. That first year Kemp was a beast making the All-Star team averaging 9.3 rebounds, 18 points, and 2.5 dimes. If I went back in time and asked my seven year old self about him, I would say, “he dunked the ball real hard and he jumped high.” I was about as crafty with words then as I am now.
The following 1998 season, the NBA had a lockout. During the lockout Kemp decided to buy semi-trucks full of lard and pour it straight down his throat. He might have stopped intermittently while doing that to snort coke, pound beers, and father more children. Kemp weighed 246 pounds the previous season. The training camp brochure that year listed him at 280 pounds, and Wayne Embry (then coach of the Cavs) said he was closer to 315 pounds.
Yet, Kemp still put up some great numbers as the Cavs missed the playoffs. He scored a career high 20.5 points a game to go with 9.2 boards and 2.4 assists. His TS% was 61. His game become semi-ground bound though. His dunks were floppy, much like his moobs and arm fat.
What Kemp turned into.
The Cavs traded for a guy who could grab a rebound, run the length of the court, and then slam over two guys harder than most people could slam with zero people on the court. Kemp then morphed into a guy who waddled, parked in the post, and looked winded after shooting a jumper. If dunk stats were around back in those days, Kemp might have had the biggest year to year drop off in NBA history. He didn’t set out to be a villain, but each pound he gained and each frown he donned pushed him there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2mU6USTBRE
Stay tuned for the next group of Cavalier villains… with #20-16 coming tomorrow!
As obnoxious as Reggie Miller is, he did a public service by knocking out that “Bad Boys 2: Lost in New York” Knicks team.
Jordan No. 1.
Stepien and Mahorn in the top five.
Fun reads to catch up on. Have to assume Rick Mahorn will be high on the list
The 2015 Refs deserve a top-25 place. Even with Brad/Kelly physically destroying the team, the Cavs had a chance to win. But the refs suddenly thought benchpress handchecks and lead blocks were legal plays. Anytime someone/something causes you to lose a title chance, they get bumped up in the list. In that regard Kemp is too high on the list. Even when Kemp was good, he wasn’t taking them anywhere.
Agree with you. 2015 refs needed to be much higher on this list, with Tony Brothers leading the way. Every time Lebron would get mugged, he’s stand there staring off in the distance, like Romeo Crennel trying to decipher an opposing team’s offense.
SINCE WE ARE DOING A ” CELTIC GREEN ” THEME —–THROW IN THE NAME / PLAYER —-R.I.P. / REGGIE LEWIS- — HE ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED THE CAVS EVERYTIME WE PLAYED THEM—-WOULD BE CURIOS WHAT HIS CAREER STATS ARE VS THE CAVS
Good one NOMAD. he was a great player.
Brad Stevens deserves top 25 for his facial expressions alone during game 4.
Facial expressions… what facial expressions?
Not this guy…
This is a really fun read. Thanks for putting this together, looking forward to see who’s at the top.
1. Danny Ferry
2. Mike Brown
Could you imagine a 2008 Lebron James with a roster like the one the Cavs will have this coming season? This is better than any roster he played with in Miami as well.
Cols, you need to drop your hatred of Danny Ferry and focus it on Jim Paxson. Paxson is the one who drafted guys like Luke Jackson, traded away a #1 pick for Jeri Welsch, botched the Boozer situation and compiled a roster that was comprised of major building blocks such as: Dajuan Wagner, Robert Traylor, Lucious Harris and Desagana Diop. Ferry biggest sins were making moves out of necessity. The first year he had money to make moves in free agency, people demanded he pick up some big names to placate Lebron who was looking at signing extension the next… Read more »
Paxson is coming soon.
The Clippers.
@DerekBodnerNBA: The NBA has fined the Clippers $250k for violating rules which prohibit teams from offering players unauthorized business opportunities.
“DeAndre… would you come back if we gave you some stock options?”
“DeAndre, what if we told you that you could be the team rep for Mary Kay? Pure Romance?”
Yeah, heard that. They pitched DeAndre Jordan some endorsement deals when he was a free agent… apparently a no-no
Great job, guys. I especially enjoyed Kelly Olynyk hopped up on PCP.
EG, I’m surprised you didn’t touch on how LOATHESOME Miller was when LeBron was a pending free agent in ’10. Reggie took every opportunity to rip the team and the city that he could. I had to mute games he was broadcasting so I wouldn’t throw my remote through my TV. Reggie has mellowed somewhat, but he still BZZZZZZZZT. Damn. John just electroshocked me.
I had a lot more, but the chip in my head kept me civil… ;)
Remove the chip.
LOL. I was listening to Jared K Mueller talk Browns on Dayton radio (same show i go on) and he kept referring to “we” and “us”. I could feel Colin’s rage emails in my inbox
I know the 2015 playoff refs got an honorable mention yesterday, but Tony Brothers really does deserve his own spot. He was easily the worst ref in the playoffs last year, not just for the Cavs, but overall. He enabled so much on court dirtiness that it’s shameful, whether it was enabling the Celtics’ dirty play, the Cavs nearly getting into brawls with the Bulls and Hawks, or the Rockets and Clippers actually getting into a brawl, he just refused to do his job and it cost at least two players major injuries and at least contributed to the Cavs’… Read more »
Chris Grant for drafting Bennett and Waiters.
Rasheed Wallace for punching Z in the forehead. Rip Hamilton because he’s Rip Hamilton.
Dan LeBatard should probably get an honorable mention for trolling Cavs fans and LeBron. Bomoni Jones too! I hate that guy!
There are so many media guys that could go on the list, that they’d warrant their own separate list… In the end, though, they don’t really factor into wins and losses as much as the guys on the floor (as well as a select few GMs and coaches…)
Very true! I really wanted to hear about LaBatard eating feces.
Hmmm. We may be able to fit LeBatard into a future entry.
Stevens absolutely belongs on this list and I had him much higher. Many of us romanticize the Price era Cavs, but last years squad was the most capable of winning a title and it was derailed by Stevens mandate of violence to close the talent gap. I hold Stevens much more accountable than Olynyk and Crowder. If Love doesn’t miss the rest of the playoffs, everything could have been different. The biggest difference in the Finals was the lack of depth and guys running on fumes. If Love plays, everyone is fresher and he opens up the driving lanes for… Read more »
Yes, Stevens is a snake and I may put him higher up on the list too. Let’s also not forget Rick Kamla. He at least deserves an honorable mention for being a dolt and a d-bag.
Kamla’s more of a sad joke, whose “Basketball Gods” have forsaken him…
I don’t like Stevens, but really, the refs were more at fault. He told them to be physical, and they pushed it until the refs stopped them (the refs didn’t ever stop them). If the refs had called the game appropriately, Stevens would have adjusted because he’s a smart tactician. He was trying to win, which makes him slightly less culpable, I think. Tony Brothers, however, can lick my #@%$#@%.
Tony Brothers’ version of keeping the game under control…
Yeah, agree with you Joey. I’d hold Tony Bothers way more accountable than Stevens. He’s definitely way up there on my s&8% list.
Good list. I might add Blake Griffin as an honorable mention. I just hate the guy, but he’s not really a Cavs villain. Other than going postal on AV and making dumb comments on Twitter about Cavs fans.
But he does do those funny commercials…
For a guy that hasn’t made it out of the 2nd round he sure gets a lot of air time.
He plays in L.A., and stars on L.A. teams get a lot of run (CP3, Kobe, Shaq, Magic, etc.)
Yeah but I already don’t like him so may as well pile on. He’s a doofus!
Love this series guys! Fun to read!