April 15, 2024 • 38 mins
Tim Alcorn and Jim Chones host this week's episode, talking to CEO Nic Barlage, about the Cavs new practice facility and the women's NCAA Tournament.
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Speaker 1 (00:09):
Welcome to Calves HQ presented by Betway. Thank you for
joining us on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse. Here
are your hosts, Tim Alcorn and Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good evening everyone, and welcome to Calves HQ presented by Betwaite.
Great to have you with us. Wow, do we have
a jam pack show coming up as the Calves continue
on their West Coast road swing. But Jim, we're gonna
delve a little bit into that West Coast swing with
John Michael. But later on in the show, two very
(00:44):
special guests. We're going to have an opportunity to sit
down and talk with Nick Barlagche, the CEO of the Cavaliers,
about the incredible facility that is going to be built
along the river, the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center.
We'll talk to Nick about that, and then towards the
end of the show, Dan Hughes, former Rockers coach, we'll
(01:05):
stop by and join in as the Rockers and WNBA
legends are having a reunion this weekend in Cleveland with
the Final four coming to Cleveland. So we've got a
lot to talk about.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, we do. Because I remember Dan Hughes, he was
the first coach because my daughter, who's now the director
of Development and Programs for the New York Knicks, dear enemy,
she was their first ballgirl.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Really, Oh that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah, that was the first ballgirl.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
So yeah, So we're gonna talk to j Mike about
the West Coast swing. We're gonna talk to Nick Barlatch,
We're gonna talk to Dan Hughes. So stay with us.
It's a busy show, as Yeah. Kev's HQ presented by Betway.
We're coming back after this. On the Medical Mutual Cavaliers
audio verse. Left pulls up and hits on the baseline jumper.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, shoots a little mid range as good as anybody
in the game.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Out front of knee and thought about a three. Now
he'll love it to Allen and he'll stuff it home.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
How do you like that? That's playing together, Jim. That
extra pass is a monster in basketball.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Clivert in the lane of Mobley, spinning, cooking, kitting, strong.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Move by Mold, nice footwork, drop steps, pivot with a jumper.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I like it well.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
The bat Caves HQ presented by Betway. On the Medical
Mutual Cavaliers audio verse, Tim Melicorn along with Jim Jones.
We're joined by j Mike John Michael, who of course
handles things on the television side, played by play Wise
and Jay Mike. Great to have you with us here
on Caves HQ. Boy, this five game West Coast Swing
did not get off to a good start in Denver
(02:47):
on Easter Sunday, one thirty to one oh one, Nuggets
draining three balls and the usual triple double from Nicola Jokich.
What can the Calves take out of this first game
as they get ready for Salt Lake and Phoenix on
back to backs Tuesday and Wednesday.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Well, it's certainly a rough one, and this is one
of those ones that fall into the just run into
a buzzsaw category. I mean, when you're a Nuggets team
that hits twenty one threes, which was a season high.
They shot threes at sixty four percent, there's not much
you can do with a ball club like that. I
mean to me, guys, this is the last trip. I mean,
you got to shake this one off, go into Utah,
take care of business, because that's a tricky back to
(03:24):
back geographically speaking, and considering that you have the sun
sitting there on the tail end of a back to back,
So they got to get rid of this one quick
flush it going to Utah and see if they can
take care of business and sult.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
John's exactly right. There's no way that you can compromise
the next game based upon what happened tonight. The Cavaliers
right now, John, I'm concerned about their defense and it's
been this way from almost last seven or eight games.
The inability to get to shooters, and we've got to
correct that in spite of injuries. I know we want
(03:57):
to bring guys back, but those guys trying to get
their stamina, they're trying to get their field for the game.
All of those things come into play, and the other
teams know that, and they're not giving us a break.
We know that Yoga is dangerous. He's going to get
his and he's going to get more if you let him.
But for a team to make twenty one threes against us,
a team is supposed to be defensive, mind is rare.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
It was a top three defense virtually all season long.
It had slid the sixth coming into that Denver game.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
So we'll see it again.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
This is the backbone, this is the identity of this
Cavalier team. If that defense isn't right coming into the postseason,
it might be a short postseason. So this is the time,
and again it's not easy. We've had so many moving
pieces all season long, with players in and out of
the lineup. The Cavs, just in Denver, only had their
starting for first starting lineup for the twenty fourth time
in seventy five games. So it has been it's still
(04:50):
a work in progress, and we're going into game seventy
six a little bit scary. But boy, if you have
to shore something up, that defense better be ready come
postseason time.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
And j Mike, this is something that Jim and I
talked to in the broadcast, and I'm sure you and
Brad did as well on the television side. Is seven
games enough to try to regain that chemistry and regain
that cohesiveness on the floor.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
Yeah, we're gonna find out right, And the Calves don't
have much of a choice here. I mean, they have
to get it going. It's one thing to try to
get yourself right going into the postseasons, another thing trying
to maintain position in a clogged middle of that Eastern
Conference playoff pictures. The Cavs are trying to hang on
a home court advantage. You want to stay at least
(05:31):
fourth in that group. So they have, you know, not
only the job of getting themselves in a position where
they're going into the playoffs with some momentum, they've still
got to win some ball games that we have some
critical ones coming up here over the final two weeks
of the season.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Again, we're talking with John Michael, former radio play by
play man of the Cavaliers, now does a marvelous job
on the television side.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Jim, John's exactly right. I mean, I mean, it's no
mystery if you watch the games. We don't know if
we have enough games left. The irony is that we
still have to win. And so I don't know how
you get around injuries. You know, the only you're making
an excuse, Well, it's not an excuse, it's relevant, and
it's a fact that we're just getting guys back and
(06:14):
they're not there yet.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
Yeah, you know, and again both sides of the ball,
and it hasn't been easy. I mean, to me, the
silver lining part of all of these injuries has been that, Okay,
you have these reserves that you've brought along and they've
had to play major roles and now JB knows who
can handle it, who can play x amount of minutes,
how who he can go to in the middle of rotation.
So there are a few silver lining things. Players like
(06:38):
Evan Mobley, He's only played forty some games so far,
Tristan Thompson's fresh Marcus Morris didn't play a lot in Philadelphia.
So we're talking about some fresh bodies at the time
of the season when.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
There aren't many in the NBA.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
So those are some silver lining parts I think of
this for me. But yeah, they have some work to do,
no question about it, and they still have some games to.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Win either way. Before we take the break, I want
to ask both of you this. Jmichael will start with you. Now,
this is the only time we've seen Denver in person
since November.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
But does the road through the.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Western Conference still travel through that Mile High City?
Speaker 5 (07:13):
Yes, I think they're the favorites I have you know,
Minnesota and Oklahoma City still.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Have to prove it to me.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Anyways, I think, especially with the Cavs saw when this
team makes threes the way they made them, and you
have that hub in Nick.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Jokich, it is really hard to beat.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
I mean, you think back of the playoffs last season.
This team caught it scroove right near the end of
round two and just cruise. I mean, they hammered the
Lakers in the conference finals. They swept the Lakers made
fairly easy work of the Heat in the finals as well.
When this team is playing like that and catches it screw,
don't forget too. Denver's got a top ten defense. This
(07:50):
is a team that can defend. They make those threes,
and they've surrounded Jokic with guys who can shoot. Remember
Jamal Murray's missed the last five games, so they're still
waiting for Murray to get healthy. To me, this is
still the team to beat in the Western Conference. It's
got to go through Denver. You got to beat the
Nuggets to get there.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Jim, do you concur Oh yeah, they're relatively They've been
healthy for most of the season. So what happens is
that they get the reps. They have the chemistry still
in place. They can miss a Murray for five to
seven games and still have their continuity because they have
the best player in the league and he knows how
to make other guys better. I just think they have
(08:26):
the best formula for success.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
My only question about the Nuggets at all is will
those youngsters off the bench be able to sustain this
team for two months of the postseason. They lose a
veteran in Jeff Kringen, they lose a veteran in Bruce Brown.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
That was the big question coming in.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Can some of these youngsters like Christian Brown or Bayton
Watson be able to carry this team.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
You've got to carry those.
Speaker 5 (08:47):
Big minutes come postseason time, because as we know, it's
a grind, right, I mean, you've got to be there
for two months to get from the start of the
playoffs all the way to the finals. To me, that's
the only hole for this Denver tea.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
That bench.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
Can they do what last season's bench did for this
Denver club.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Well, they certainly had an impressive performance against the Cavaliers.
On Sunday, as the Calves embarked on this five game trip,
we'll take a quick time out. We'll have more with
j Mike John Michael our guest on Cavs HQ presented
by Betway, and we're coming back after this on the
Medical Mutual Cavaliers audiovers.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
You're experiencing Calves h Q on the Medical mutual Cavaliers
Audio Verse once again, here's Tim Alcorn and Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Welcome back calvs HQ, presented by Betway. Great to have
John Michael as our guest, and of course for the Cavaliers.
The five game road swing on Sunday did not open
up well in Denver as they got crushed by the
defending world champions.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
One thirty to one oh one.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Up next back to back with it'll be the Utah
Jazz on Tuesday night and the Phoenix Suns on and
Wednesday night. Guys, we were talking before the break there
in the first segment, seven games remaining, Jay, Mike, do
you what's the biggest question mark going into these final
seven games? A?
Speaker 5 (10:10):
Yeah, I just think it's continuity. We were talking about
it a little bit before. With all these injuries and
all these moving pieces, it's you know, it's going to
take this team to be unified going in and they
don't have a lot of time to do it. But yeah,
to me, it's the continuity. It's who you're gonna use
rotation wise. I mean that's still a question, you know,
I think going into the playoffs, who are the guys
(10:30):
you want to use? Obviously the rotation tends to get
shortened come postseason time, but now's the time you got
to figure out who's going to come off that bench,
who's going to be impactful, and how you're going to
play them as.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
We had to the postseason.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Jim, how about for you, Well, when you talk about continuity,
let's define it. You know, it's playing together with guys
that you have a familiar feel for, the anticipation on
offense and defense, the rotations on your defensive side, the
multiple efforts that it's going to take to get to
the shoot that's not there yet. And everybody we play
(11:03):
knows that this is the playoffs for us right now,
you know, trying to get our act together and trying
to get the confidence because what happens in those last
six minutes of every game, maybe three minutes in just
before the half and then six minutes to close games.
You got to have your act together. You got to
(11:23):
be able to take care of business, You got to
be able to pay attention to detail. We're not there
yet because these guys really haven't played together enough. John,
these last seven or eight games all over the league,
if you watch how these teams are playing, it's like
the playoffs. Your thoughts, yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
I mean things are getting harder even I mean you
harken back to that Friday night game against Philadelphia. It's
a Philly team that's still waiting on Joel Embi to return,
but those teams were playing hard. You know, Tyres MAXI
gets that team up and down the floor. They know
what's at stake. I mean, when you look at the
standings right now, if the season ended today, that play
in seven eight games Miami and Philadelphia, you know, the
(12:02):
winner of that going to get the seven seed. The
loser of that game still going to have to try
to get into the play it, you know, get out
of the play in tournament, which means that the one
and two seed, likely Boston and Milwaukee. Those aren't going
to be easy series. I mean, a healthy Heat team
and a healthy Sixer team, particularly if EMB's able to
come back and get close to where he was, those
are going to be some wild series. So these are
(12:25):
teams that know what's at stake right now. They're gearing
up for the playoffs. They know playoff positioning is still
hanging in the ballance here in the final two weeks
of the season. So I don't expect any of these games,
even when the Cavs return home. I don't expect any
of these games to be easy ones the rest of
the way.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
How big does Tuesday Night's game against Utah become?
Speaker 4 (12:44):
I think it's huge.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
You know, Lowry Markinen has injured his shoulder, he won't
be available for that game. Colin Sexon always seems to
have an extra gear against his former club, so it'll
be fun to see Colin. But it's been a Jazz
team that struggled over the last couple of weeks. I
think this is one Obviously, you go into a game
like this, it's a huge one for the Cabs. You
got to put this one in the win column. Get
ready for Phoenix the next night. So we'll see what
(13:07):
happens on Tuesday night. But that's a big one against
the shorthanded Jazz team.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Again.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
We're talking with John Michael, our guest on this week's
edition of Cabs HQ presented by bet Way Jim.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And you know what usually happens if it's a back
to back and you're losing about fifteen or eighteen going
into the fourth quarter, you sit your starters and Utah
knows that. So all they want to do is get
off to a good start. They know they're not going
to be in the playoffs. Section is playing the best
basketball these plays since he's been there, and I bet
(13:38):
you he had this date circle. So this is going
to be an exciting game. But I agree with John,
it's a must win.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I want to ask both of you guys, counting seven
games as far as postseason right around the corner, what
is the biggest question mark as far as what this
team needs to do to improve.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
That's a good question, maybe a better question for JB
than it is for me. But you know we talked
about in the first segment. I think defensively, as word
starts and finishes with this team, they know what they
have to do.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
I think physicality too. I think the team learned a.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Lesson, hopefully from last season in terms of what is
going to happen come postseason time.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
You look at some of the opponents.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
If the Cavs matchup against the Magic, Orlando was a
team that really has played the Cavs physically throughout this
season series so far, Indies a team that is a
potential matchup. We know what they can do offensively in
terms of getting up and down the floor and playing hard.
So I think the Cavaliers know what potentially lies ahead,
they know the areas which they need to get better.
But to me, it starts defensively and with that physicality.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Is they prepare for the postseason?
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Kim?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
They need time and they run out of time. And
I know what JB's doing. He's trying to put him
in there and hope it comes here. Ended will, but
we just don't have a lot of time. You know,
if it happens, let's say the second game of the
first round, you know we can beat anybody. We know that,
but we have to get there.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
It's tough to ask a hypothetical. But if you get
into the playoffs and you win that first round, now
you've had seven games plus the first round, is that
enough time? As we've talked about time.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Yeah, one would hope. I think that.
Speaker 5 (15:16):
I think things change dramatically if they're able to grind
their way through that first round series. I really think
they do, because then from a confidence perspective, you're feeling
better at that point. Now that's a that's a month
from now that you go into the second round. So
we are talking about a team for the Cavs that
finally is starting to feel as close to full strength
as we have felt in a long time. That's a
(15:36):
month from now, and I think again that the boost
you get from getting through a playoff series and winning
a playoff series and moving into that second round would
be huge for any team, but particularly gym for a
team like this Cavalier club.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
And it starts with defense. John's all over. I mean,
JB will tell you that, you know, the reason that
we score, the reason that we play the pace we play,
is because off of our defense. You have to be aggressive,
you have to be smart, and you have to set
the tone and you have to set the pace. It
doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna win the game because you
set the pace, but at least you're playing your style
(16:12):
of basketball, and that's what we have to do.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
My great stuff, Jay, Mike, We appreciate you stopping by.
We'll see you Tuesday night in Salt Lake. Barbara, thanks
for having me.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Guys.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
All right, that's John Michael joining us on this week's
edition of Caves HQ. We'll take a quick time out.
When we come back, Jim and I will talk with
Nick Barlich the CEO of the Cavaliers. We'll talk some
interesting topics with Nick, so stay with us. Cavs HQ
continues after this on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse.
Speaker 7 (16:52):
Prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers No Cha Latina Knight this
past Friday, the CALVS hosted a pregame reception presented by
Molina Healthcare there for three hundred community partners within the
Latin community. There was also a special halftime recognition for
Alfred Butch Lee, the first Puerto Rican and Latin American
born athlete to play in the NBA, who played for
the Cavaliers during the nineteen seventy nine eighty season, and
(17:15):
the fifty to fifty raffle proceeds went to the Julia
de Burgos Cultural Arts Center Calves in the community. It's
brought to you by Discount Drug mart. We'll be back
with the second half of Calves HQ, presented by Betwey
right after this on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse.
Speaker 8 (17:38):
When we sat down and had this conversation, not only
did Dan ask us to dream big, but he also
asked us to think about the community and make sure
it was an opportunity that served the community in a
way that built upon all of the great work that's
already being done right here in Northeast Ohio.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
That's the voice of Cavalier CEO Nick Barlache last week
as the Cavaliers unveiled and announced their plans along with
the Cleveland Clinic for the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center,
and Nick now joins us on cavs HQ to dive
a little deeper into this and what it's going to mean,
not only for the impact on the Cleveland Cavaliers, but
(18:21):
Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Nick, we appreciate you taking some time.
We know you're a very busy guy.
Speaker 8 (18:27):
Hey, anything for Tim and Jim.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Well, let's delve a little further into this the big
announcement last week. But the word I used was impact.
Just talk about the impact that it's going to have
on this basketball organization and this region.
Speaker 8 (18:43):
Let's start with the region first, because I think you know,
when we look at real estate development and we look
at sports and entertainment, when you bring those two things together,
you have this convergence that creates momentum in our community
and quite frankly, especially when you think about the Riverfront,
and you know, we've saw with the Flats East Bank
project what the flats on the West Bank once once
(19:05):
was many many many decades ago, and is restoring that momentum.
You know, this has been a part of the river
that really hasn't been impacted for decades, and it's so iconic.
It's got so much history tied into Cleveland and when
you think about our economy, when you think about the people,
that river has meant so much to this region over
the course of the last one hundred and fifty years.
(19:26):
And so it's a point of pride for us to
reimagine it, to activate it, and to create an iconic outcome.
When you think about the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance
Center that'll be right on the shores of that river front,
and to have it adjacent to Rocket Mortgage, Field House
and Progressive Field, there is so much ability for us
to create activity and ultimately continue to as I always say,
(19:48):
like part of our job is to maintain and uplift
and restore the vibrancy of the heartbeat of downtown Cleveland,
and that's what this projects really meant to do. To
touch on the team and the organization, you know, we
and Kobe said this so well and he articulated it
and he's brought it to life and his vision for
the cab side of this facility. You know, this is
really about making sure Cleveland's a destination. We don't think
(20:11):
and we don't believe we can't manifest our own dreams
right here in Cleveland, Ohio. And those dreams include, you know,
dreaming about and being a championship caliber and a championship
contending team and franchise. And so this facility provides us
and as he says, future proofs us for a lot
of those opportunities here as we go forward into the future.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Well, if I was a free agent, and lord I'd
love to be one today money they're making, I would
definitely consider Cleveland just because of the I like to
call it the futuristic perspective.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Nick.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
This is social media. You know, basketball is a social
network and all of that plays into that, right it does?
Speaker 4 (20:52):
It does?
Speaker 8 (20:52):
I mean, look, we really focus on the value proposition
that we can offer our players, our team members, the community.
This facility for our team in particular, is going to
be one that has world class services for them to
recover to be their best selves. And you know, the
one thing we focused on a lot with the clinic
is this these concepts of heart, mind and motion. But
(21:14):
for the professional athlete, how do they find that extra
one percent? How do they recover that extra two percent quicker?
So when they come back out and play on a
back to back, or they come back out after a
long road trip and they're the best version of ourselves
in front of nineteen thousand four un and thirty two
screaming Cavs fans, that outcome is a win. And so
for us, this is a zero sum game. You know,
(21:36):
we are judged by wins and losses on the team
side of the ledger, and anything we can do to
enhance the value proposition of our players experience from a
health as well as just an overall well being perspective,
we want to be able to do that, and this
investment showcases that.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Again, we're talking with Cavaliers CEO Nick Barlitch, nice enough
to spend a few moments with yours truly, Tim Elcorn
and Jim Jones on Cavs HQB. Nick. When I'm calling
a game on the radio with Jim or whether I'm
doing an interview like this, I try to put the
listeners in my seat, and so as a listener or
a fan, I'm sure they're wondering, how does this impact me?
(22:13):
How does this impact a resident of Cleveland or someone
in northeast Ohio.
Speaker 8 (22:17):
Well, first and foremost, I think you know, when we
started this process, one of the things we wanted to
do was reimagine the front door of our city.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
And we wanted to be.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
Able to do that with this first phase of development
along the riverfront. You know, as you get off A
ninety or seventy one or seventy seven, we wanted you
to be welcomed in a world class way. We think
this is a word I said this in the press conference.
This is a world class city without the world class egos,
or we have world class assets without the world class egos.
And we want to make sure that our city embodies that.
This building is going to be iconic in design and
(22:47):
in nature. It's also going to fit very well into
kind of our history of manufacturing, but also our history
of resurgence and renaissance here, especially as of late. And
then as I think about what how what it impacts you,
our goal is that this is a place that you
go for orthopedic recovery. This is a place that you
go for sports medicine services. They said this in the
(23:08):
press conference. It doesn't matter if you're a seven year
old aspiring to play basketball, if you're a weekend warrior,
if you're somebody that just pulled their back lifting a
box on the weekend, you're going to be able to
come to the facility on the Cleveland Clinic side, and
everybody in the general public is going to be able
to be served. And when you look at specifically downtown
tim there's a little bit of a healthcare desert relative
(23:29):
to these services. So if you're working at Sherwin Williams
or Key Tower, or if you're working at one of
the law firms and the incredible law firms we have
here downtown, you're working at the new Oswald Center in
the flats, you're going to be able to go to
this facility and get taken care of, whether it's a
quick imaging shot for your ankle or for your knee
you sprained over the weekend, or whether it's your ability
to be able to pick up and get better from
(23:51):
a services perspective, because you threw your back out due
to a golf swing on the weekend.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
This facility is going to be able to help everybody.
Speaker 8 (23:56):
You know, it's gonna be able to help the common
person and the young adult or the young person all
the way through the professional athlete.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
That's awesome, Jim.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Your vision hasn't changed since day one. Remember you guys
were talking about community engagement and what's it like to
work with a visionary like Dan Gilbert. I mean he
had to come to you one day, Nick and say, hey, look,
we want to do some of this or that. What
were your first thoughts?
Speaker 4 (24:19):
Yeah, I mean, you know, my first thought was how
do we pay for this?
Speaker 8 (24:23):
If I'm just being candid, No, but by by second,
you know, to to build on that point.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
Jim, You're so right.
Speaker 8 (24:29):
I mean Dan is a visionary in so many ways,
and we are so blessed to have him in our corner.
I spent you know, I spent a lot of time
with him last week up in Detroit after the announcement.
He's so excited and you can just look in his
eyes and you can tell how excited he is about
what this will mean for this community. And this is
what he does, you know, what he does. He always says,
(24:50):
we have an incredible coast. It's along the Lake Erie,
and it's from Detroit to Cleveland to Buffalo, and and
so when you have a guy that thinks of thinks
of it like, he doesn't think about what it's like
on the West coast or the East coast. He thinks
about what it's like right here in our own backyard
along the shores of Lake Erie. And then the other
thing I would say is he pushes you to dream big.
(25:11):
He doesn't want a cookie cutter, out of the box
type of solution. He wants something that is going to
be a legacy moment for our franchise and for our city.
And look, we are so much better every day because
of our chairman, Dan Gilbert.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
The renderings are absolutely spectacular. I mean, if this is
what it's going to look like, it is going to
be an absolute jewel. We've only got a couple of
minutes left, so I'd be remiss as the play by
play voice to ask you the CEO about the Final
four coming to Cleveland this weekend and this building Rocket
Mortgage field House. Just talk about how exciting that's going
(25:48):
to be.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
You know, it is going to be amazing.
Speaker 8 (25:51):
I mean, it is one of those things that I
can tell you just ticket demand in general, it is
rivaling NBA All Star of twenty twenty two. I mean
just the amount of people that I have reached out
to me looking for tickets or extras. I can't even
imagine if a certain opponent scenarios matchup. Then I won't
even say who because the world will know, But I
would just say that there's a lot of excitement. You're
(26:12):
already seeing the signage going up around the city. You
can feel a palpable the beat kind of building. It
is going to be one of those moments that we
will memorialize as one of those iconic events that have
been here in Northeast Ohio and right here a rocking
mortgage fieldhouse. And it's really it's an honor and a
privilege to be a part of it, and it really
is a city in a region we should be proud of.
(26:32):
How we're going to continue to make sure we put
on a great show for the women's Final four that'll
be here here in less than a few days.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Absolutely, Nick, we know you're busy. Appreciate you spending some
time with us. Thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
Best too in the business. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Oh there's a compliment. Thank you all righty. Nick Marlin,
CEO of the Cavaliers, jointing us here on Cav's HQ
presented by Betway. We'll take a quick time out when
we come back. We've got another special guest coming on
with the Women's Final four coming to Cleveland. How about
going back in time.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
We'll hear from Dan Hughes, the former Rockers coach. There's
going to be a Rockers in WNBA reunion this weekend
in Cleveland, so we'll talk to Dan Hughes after this.
On the Medical Mutual Cavaliers audio vers Raby Janis Braxton,
Terrence puts it back up and Jana's cracked and leaped
(27:24):
up over here, grabbed the ball, came down, pivoted and
recorded it.
Speaker 6 (27:29):
We thought it was something special. We thought it was
something great. I still talk to some of them today
that weren't in that, you know, in that ninety seven group,
still talk about how special it was, and you know
how great a time we had, and just being able
to come back and play in the United States and
just have that chance for everybody to see us after
being gone for so long and.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
We welcome you back to Cavs HQ. It's presented by
bet Way. Great to have you with us, and as
we promised earlier, boy, what a special segment we've got
coming up right now, as you just heard that Joe
Tait highlight from the Cleveland Rockers days in the WNBA
of a bucket by Janis Braxton, and of course Janis
(28:11):
joined Jim Jones and yours truly a few months back,
as we talked to women in athletics and women in sports,
and of course with the final four in the NC
Doublea coming to Cleveland and a Rockers reunion coming up
this weekend, we thought how appropriate would it be to
talk to Rockers former head coach Dan Hughes And what
(28:35):
a career Dan had in the WNBA. Of course, tremendous
years with the Rockers and then two time WNBA champion,
two time WNBA Coach of the Year, and we remember
Dan Finley here in Cleveland. So Coach, it is great
to have you on the show.
Speaker 9 (28:53):
You're so kind, I'm loving talking about Cleveland.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
And the Rockers.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Well, let's look back on some of those Rockers day
before we talk about the reunion, and before we talk
about how special the final four in Cleveland is going
to be. It was a while back, and yet I'm
sure the memories are fresh. What stands out for you
as far as being the head coach of the Rockers
and some of the great women that you got to coach.
Speaker 9 (29:16):
Well, you know, a couple of things just jump out.
It was, you know, I had been I had taken
over as Charlotte and was the interim coach and we
finished strong. But it set me up to have what
I call my dream job. My dream job, even though
I've had wonderful stops along the way, was being in
Cleveland and coaching the Rockers. So to have that opportunity
(29:41):
when Jim Paxson introduced me and Gordon Gunn gave me
the opportunity in Wayne Embry, you know all those names
that are just so much a part of my past
for them to open the door for me to coach here. Oh,
it didn't get you better.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Than that, Tim Dan. I won't ask you to single
out any particular player because that's not fair. But the
relationships that you developed and the players that you had,
are there any particular memories or any particular stories that
really stand out to you?
Speaker 9 (30:12):
Well, you got to start with Susie McConnell Serio. The
first year I came in, Susie had been hurt and
was coming back off an injury. And Susie had had
a stellar career and had jumped into the WNBA in
its early years. And to have her have a really
(30:34):
good last year to retire from it starts right there.
I mean coaching her, and I've had a you know
when you talk about a blessing. I have coached Don Staley,
I have coached Susie McConnell Sirio. I have coached Becky Hammond.
I have coached Sue Byrd, I have coached Helen Darling
(30:56):
and so on and so on. I mean, but to
have Sue in my first year of being a full
time WNBA head coach, that it doesn't get much better
than that.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Yeah, that's awesome. Again, we're talking to former Rockers head
coach Dan Hughes. And the reason Dan's on the show
number one, he's a great guy. In a special guest.
But the final four in Cleveland coming up, and there's
going to be a Rocker slash w NBA reunion. Tell
our fans and tell our listeners about that, Dan.
Speaker 9 (31:28):
Oh my gosh, yeah, you know, and you got to
give credit. Ruster Brown's done a lot for me on
the court, but she continues to do things for me
and for us off the court. RuSHA. Brown I think
was the engine behind getting this done and so on
Angie Tequila Joint. It's on I think ten fifty one
West tenth at six o'clock on Saturday, April sixth. I
(31:54):
got that right, Yeah, six, that's Saturday from six to nine.
There's going to be a reunion, and there's She has
generated a lot of inns and not only Rockers, but
I think w NBA people who who remember the Rockers
and have some great memories. So it's going to be
(32:14):
a pretty festive time. So we're really looking forward to.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
It, Dan. I mentioned earlier that a few months ago,
Jim Jones and I had a chance to have Janis
Braxton on Cavs HQ when we talked to her about
this meteoric rise of women in athletics, not just basketball,
but all sports across the board. Just talk about that.
For a guy who was involved in the w NBA
(32:41):
and women's athletics, how surprising or not surprising is that
to you?
Speaker 9 (32:48):
No, it's really not surprising to me. I'm just thrilled
that it's happening. Let's just put it out their way.
And how about Janis Braxton. I came to Cleveland, Janice
was retiring, so my first visit was to Janice was, hey,
how about playing another year? I don't think I can
(33:09):
do that, coach, So I hired her as an assistant.
Janis was my assistant all four years I was here.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
But what has.
Speaker 9 (33:16):
Happened is I think the players and the product continues
to get better. It has from the time I started it,
and it happens now. I think there's more eyes on it,
but there has always been great players to point too.
But what is happening right now is I think people
(33:39):
are like I used to try to get them in
the arena. They came in the arena, you know you
had a fan. But now it's translating to TV. I mean,
people are watching the women's product and they're and and
they're giving it an opportunity to grow in their minds
because it's a beautiful game. You know, it's not the NBA,
(34:00):
but it's got elements that are as good or better
than the NBA, and in certain ways, So if you're
a basketball person like me, you can really get behind
the beauty of the women's game. And I think more
people are getting to see what I saw.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Dan. We started this interview with a Joe Tate call
of a Janis Braxton bucket, and Joe always said he
loved the WNBA because it's basketball the way basketball is
meant to be played. He loved the WNBA.
Speaker 9 (34:32):
We have always had proponents from the NBA, including Joe.
There was no better spokesman for the WNBA than Joe
tak He did every single game I did in four years,
every single.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
One of them.
Speaker 9 (34:47):
That's after doing an NBA season. But I'm just so
happy that these people who saw like Joe in our
product and Lebron, I'll tell you it was very good.
Lebron was a young man in my last year here,
and I remember him coming by and wishing me well
because I dressed in an area there where they worked out.
(35:09):
But we've always had good support from the NBA. But
I just love the fact that people now are investing.
I think owners are investing in the product, and I
don't see it flowing down anytime soon. I think it's
going to keep growing.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
And Dan before we let you go. We got about
a minute or so left. But I do want to
ask you that just how cool is it and what
will be the impact of having the Final Four in Cleveland.
Speaker 9 (35:36):
I think it puts the city that I love the
dearest on display for the world. And you know, I've
been involved at different steps along the way with it
because I have a love for Cleveland and have had
it since I was there in the early two thousands
and even probably before that growing up in Ohio. But
(35:56):
I want the world to feel and see what is
so radius and special about Cleveland. And I got a
feeling it's gonna transfer pretty good.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
I like your Larry David impersonation there, pretty pretty good. Hey,
I'll tell you what. You and I have known each
other a long time. I consider you a great friend.
I appreciate you doing this, and have a blast in
Cleveland this weekend. I'll be in Los Angeles, but I'll
be watching the Final Four like tens of millions of others.
Speaker 9 (36:28):
Well, no problem, and we sure will. And all the
best of the Cavs I I you know, I've gotten
them on one of my six TVs almost every night.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
So there we go. Dan, look forward to seeing they're
talking to you again soon, but we appreciate the time.
Thank you, Thank you. Tims stand huge joining us on
kev's HQ presented by Betway talking Rockers basketball from years
past and of course the Final Four in Cleveland this weekend.
We'll take a quick time out. We'll wrap it up
(36:57):
after this on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio That's gonna
do it. For this week's edition of Cavs HQ presented
by Betway, Well Jim as I said, a jam packed show,
I mean, my goodness, good stuff with Jay Mike talking
about the West Coast swing. It continues tomorrow night when
(37:19):
the Cavaliers will be in Utah, and then hearing from
Nick Barlage and Dan Hughes and I love talking women's
athletics because the growth is so phenomenal on the women's side.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
It is, and to have the Final Four here really
positions Cleveland as a destination. And Nick Barlach he covered
everything Tim and his knowledge of where we're going and
he is a CEO. And then the vision of Dan Gilbert.
Incredible stuff for the city of Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Yes, I hope you enjoyed this week's show that was
a lot of fun, all sorts of people to thank,
of course the Dynamic Duo on the other side of
the window. They were hard at work. One Kirk McLoughlin,
our senior produce technical director, Marty Allen, Jim Jones, A
great big thank you to you again thanks to John Michael,
Nick Barlach and Dan Hughes for stopping by. Biggest thanks
(38:09):
goes to you the listeners. Hope you enjoyed it. Caps
back in action tomorrow night in Utah when they take
on the Jazz. So until then, tim Elcorn saying once again,
thank you very much for listening, and so long everybody,
Welcome to Calves HQ presented by Betway. Thank you for
joining us on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse. Here
are your hosts, Tim Alcorn and Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
Good evening everyone, and welcome to Calves HQ presented by Betwaite.
Great to have you with us. Wow, do we have
a jam pack show coming up as the Calves continue
on their West Coast road swing. But Jim, we're gonna
delve a little bit into that West Coast swing with
John Michael. But later on in the show, two very
(00:44):
special guests. We're going to have an opportunity to sit
down and talk with Nick Barlagche, the CEO of the Cavaliers,
about the incredible facility that is going to be built
along the river, the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center.
We'll talk to Nick about that, and then towards the
end of the show, Dan Hughes, former Rockers coach, we'll
(01:05):
stop by and join in as the Rockers and WNBA
legends are having a reunion this weekend in Cleveland with
the Final four coming to Cleveland. So we've got a
lot to talk about.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
Yeah, we do. Because I remember Dan Hughes, he was
the first coach because my daughter, who's now the director
of Development and Programs for the New York Knicks, dear enemy,
she was their first ballgirl.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
Really, Oh that's pretty cool.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Yeah, that was the first ballgirl.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
So yeah, So we're gonna talk to j Mike about
the West Coast swing. We're gonna talk to Nick Barlatch,
We're gonna talk to Dan Hughes. So stay with us.
It's a busy show, as Yeah. Kev's HQ presented by Betway.
We're coming back after this. On the Medical Mutual Cavaliers
audio verse. Left pulls up and hits on the baseline jumper.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Yeah, shoots a little mid range as good as anybody
in the game.
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Out front of knee and thought about a three. Now
he'll love it to Allen and he'll stuff it home.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
How do you like that? That's playing together, Jim. That
extra pass is a monster in basketball.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Clivert in the lane of Mobley, spinning, cooking, kitting, strong.
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Move by Mold, nice footwork, drop steps, pivot with a jumper.
Speaker 4 (02:25):
I like it well.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
The bat Caves HQ presented by Betway. On the Medical
Mutual Cavaliers audio verse, Tim Melicorn along with Jim Jones.
We're joined by j Mike John Michael, who of course
handles things on the television side, played by play Wise
and Jay Mike. Great to have you with us here
on Caves HQ. Boy, this five game West Coast Swing
did not get off to a good start in Denver
(02:47):
on Easter Sunday, one thirty to one oh one, Nuggets
draining three balls and the usual triple double from Nicola Jokich.
What can the Calves take out of this first game
as they get ready for Salt Lake and Phoenix on
back to backs Tuesday and Wednesday.
Speaker 5 (03:02):
Well, it's certainly a rough one, and this is one
of those ones that fall into the just run into
a buzzsaw category. I mean, when you're a Nuggets team
that hits twenty one threes, which was a season high.
They shot threes at sixty four percent, there's not much
you can do with a ball club like that. I
mean to me, guys, this is the last trip. I mean,
you got to shake this one off, go into Utah,
take care of business, because that's a tricky back to
(03:24):
back geographically speaking, and considering that you have the sun
sitting there on the tail end of a back to back,
So they got to get rid of this one quick
flush it going to Utah and see if they can
take care of business and sult.
Speaker 3 (03:35):
John's exactly right. There's no way that you can compromise
the next game based upon what happened tonight. The Cavaliers
right now, John, I'm concerned about their defense and it's
been this way from almost last seven or eight games.
The inability to get to shooters, and we've got to
correct that in spite of injuries. I know we want
(03:57):
to bring guys back, but those guys trying to get
their stamina, they're trying to get their field for the game.
All of those things come into play, and the other
teams know that, and they're not giving us a break.
We know that Yoga is dangerous. He's going to get
his and he's going to get more if you let him.
But for a team to make twenty one threes against us,
a team is supposed to be defensive, mind is rare.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
It was a top three defense virtually all season long.
It had slid the sixth coming into that Denver game.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
So we'll see it again.
Speaker 5 (04:27):
This is the backbone, this is the identity of this
Cavalier team. If that defense isn't right coming into the postseason,
it might be a short postseason. So this is the time,
and again it's not easy. We've had so many moving
pieces all season long, with players in and out of
the lineup. The Cavs, just in Denver, only had their
starting for first starting lineup for the twenty fourth time
in seventy five games. So it has been it's still
(04:50):
a work in progress, and we're going into game seventy
six a little bit scary. But boy, if you have
to shore something up, that defense better be ready come
postseason time.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
And j Mike, this is something that Jim and I
talked to in the broadcast, and I'm sure you and
Brad did as well on the television side. Is seven
games enough to try to regain that chemistry and regain
that cohesiveness on the floor.
Speaker 5 (05:11):
Yeah, we're gonna find out right, And the Calves don't
have much of a choice here. I mean, they have
to get it going. It's one thing to try to
get yourself right going into the postseasons, another thing trying
to maintain position in a clogged middle of that Eastern
Conference playoff pictures. The Cavs are trying to hang on
a home court advantage. You want to stay at least
(05:31):
fourth in that group. So they have, you know, not
only the job of getting themselves in a position where
they're going into the playoffs with some momentum, they've still
got to win some ball games that we have some
critical ones coming up here over the final two weeks
of the season.
Speaker 2 (05:45):
Again, we're talking with John Michael, former radio play by
play man of the Cavaliers, now does a marvelous job
on the television side.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
Jim, John's exactly right. I mean, I mean, it's no
mystery if you watch the games. We don't know if
we have enough games left. The irony is that we
still have to win. And so I don't know how
you get around injuries. You know, the only you're making
an excuse, Well, it's not an excuse, it's relevant, and
it's a fact that we're just getting guys back and
(06:14):
they're not there yet.
Speaker 5 (06:15):
Yeah, you know, and again both sides of the ball,
and it hasn't been easy. I mean, to me, the
silver lining part of all of these injuries has been that, Okay,
you have these reserves that you've brought along and they've
had to play major roles and now JB knows who
can handle it, who can play x amount of minutes,
how who he can go to in the middle of rotation.
So there are a few silver lining things. Players like
(06:38):
Evan Mobley, He's only played forty some games so far,
Tristan Thompson's fresh Marcus Morris didn't play a lot in Philadelphia.
So we're talking about some fresh bodies at the time
of the season when.
Speaker 4 (06:49):
There aren't many in the NBA.
Speaker 5 (06:50):
So those are some silver lining parts I think of
this for me. But yeah, they have some work to do,
no question about it, and they still have some games to.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Win either way. Before we take the break, I want
to ask both of you this. Jmichael will start with you. Now,
this is the only time we've seen Denver in person
since November.
Speaker 4 (07:08):
But does the road through the.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Western Conference still travel through that Mile High City?
Speaker 5 (07:13):
Yes, I think they're the favorites I have you know,
Minnesota and Oklahoma City still.
Speaker 4 (07:18):
Have to prove it to me.
Speaker 5 (07:19):
Anyways, I think, especially with the Cavs saw when this
team makes threes the way they made them, and you
have that hub in Nick.
Speaker 4 (07:27):
Jokich, it is really hard to beat.
Speaker 5 (07:28):
I mean, you think back of the playoffs last season.
This team caught it scroove right near the end of
round two and just cruise. I mean, they hammered the
Lakers in the conference finals. They swept the Lakers made
fairly easy work of the Heat in the finals as well.
When this team is playing like that and catches it screw,
don't forget too. Denver's got a top ten defense. This
(07:50):
is a team that can defend. They make those threes,
and they've surrounded Jokic with guys who can shoot. Remember
Jamal Murray's missed the last five games, so they're still
waiting for Murray to get healthy. To me, this is
still the team to beat in the Western Conference. It's
got to go through Denver. You got to beat the
Nuggets to get there.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
Jim, do you concur Oh yeah, they're relatively They've been
healthy for most of the season. So what happens is
that they get the reps. They have the chemistry still
in place. They can miss a Murray for five to
seven games and still have their continuity because they have
the best player in the league and he knows how
to make other guys better. I just think they have
(08:26):
the best formula for success.
Speaker 5 (08:28):
My only question about the Nuggets at all is will
those youngsters off the bench be able to sustain this
team for two months of the postseason. They lose a
veteran in Jeff Kringen, they lose a veteran in Bruce Brown.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
That was the big question coming in.
Speaker 5 (08:41):
Can some of these youngsters like Christian Brown or Bayton
Watson be able to carry this team.
Speaker 4 (08:46):
You've got to carry those.
Speaker 5 (08:47):
Big minutes come postseason time, because as we know, it's
a grind, right, I mean, you've got to be there
for two months to get from the start of the
playoffs all the way to the finals. To me, that's
the only hole for this Denver tea.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
That bench.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
Can they do what last season's bench did for this
Denver club.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
Well, they certainly had an impressive performance against the Cavaliers.
On Sunday, as the Calves embarked on this five game trip,
we'll take a quick time out. We'll have more with
j Mike John Michael our guest on Cavs HQ presented
by Betway, and we're coming back after this on the
Medical Mutual Cavaliers audiovers.
Speaker 6 (09:30):
You're experiencing Calves h Q on the Medical mutual Cavaliers
Audio Verse once again, here's Tim Alcorn and Jim Jones.
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Welcome back calvs HQ, presented by Betway. Great to have
John Michael as our guest, and of course for the Cavaliers.
The five game road swing on Sunday did not open
up well in Denver as they got crushed by the
defending world champions.
Speaker 4 (09:52):
One thirty to one oh one.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Up next back to back with it'll be the Utah
Jazz on Tuesday night and the Phoenix Suns on and
Wednesday night. Guys, we were talking before the break there
in the first segment, seven games remaining, Jay, Mike, do
you what's the biggest question mark going into these final
seven games? A?
Speaker 5 (10:10):
Yeah, I just think it's continuity. We were talking about
it a little bit before. With all these injuries and
all these moving pieces, it's you know, it's going to
take this team to be unified going in and they
don't have a lot of time to do it. But yeah,
to me, it's the continuity. It's who you're gonna use
rotation wise. I mean that's still a question, you know,
I think going into the playoffs, who are the guys
(10:30):
you want to use? Obviously the rotation tends to get
shortened come postseason time, but now's the time you got
to figure out who's going to come off that bench,
who's going to be impactful, and how you're going to
play them as.
Speaker 4 (10:41):
We had to the postseason.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Jim, how about for you, Well, when you talk about continuity,
let's define it. You know, it's playing together with guys
that you have a familiar feel for, the anticipation on
offense and defense, the rotations on your defensive side, the
multiple efforts that it's going to take to get to
the shoot that's not there yet. And everybody we play
(11:03):
knows that this is the playoffs for us right now,
you know, trying to get our act together and trying
to get the confidence because what happens in those last
six minutes of every game, maybe three minutes in just
before the half and then six minutes to close games.
You got to have your act together. You got to
(11:23):
be able to take care of business, You got to
be able to pay attention to detail. We're not there
yet because these guys really haven't played together enough. John,
these last seven or eight games all over the league,
if you watch how these teams are playing, it's like
the playoffs. Your thoughts, yeah.
Speaker 5 (11:39):
I mean things are getting harder even I mean you
harken back to that Friday night game against Philadelphia. It's
a Philly team that's still waiting on Joel Embi to return,
but those teams were playing hard. You know, Tyres MAXI
gets that team up and down the floor. They know
what's at stake. I mean, when you look at the
standings right now, if the season ended today, that play
in seven eight games Miami and Philadelphia, you know, the
(12:02):
winner of that going to get the seven seed. The
loser of that game still going to have to try
to get into the play it, you know, get out
of the play in tournament, which means that the one
and two seed, likely Boston and Milwaukee. Those aren't going
to be easy series. I mean, a healthy Heat team
and a healthy Sixer team, particularly if EMB's able to
come back and get close to where he was, those
are going to be some wild series. So these are
(12:25):
teams that know what's at stake right now. They're gearing
up for the playoffs. They know playoff positioning is still
hanging in the ballance here in the final two weeks
of the season. So I don't expect any of these games,
even when the Cavs return home. I don't expect any
of these games to be easy ones the rest of
the way.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
How big does Tuesday Night's game against Utah become?
Speaker 4 (12:44):
I think it's huge.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
You know, Lowry Markinen has injured his shoulder, he won't
be available for that game. Colin Sexon always seems to
have an extra gear against his former club, so it'll
be fun to see Colin. But it's been a Jazz
team that struggled over the last couple of weeks. I
think this is one Obviously, you go into a game
like this, it's a huge one for the Cabs. You
got to put this one in the win column. Get
ready for Phoenix the next night. So we'll see what
(13:07):
happens on Tuesday night. But that's a big one against
the shorthanded Jazz team.
Speaker 3 (13:11):
Again.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
We're talking with John Michael, our guest on this week's
edition of Cabs HQ presented by bet Way Jim.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
And you know what usually happens if it's a back
to back and you're losing about fifteen or eighteen going
into the fourth quarter, you sit your starters and Utah
knows that. So all they want to do is get
off to a good start. They know they're not going
to be in the playoffs. Section is playing the best
basketball these plays since he's been there, and I bet
(13:38):
you he had this date circle. So this is going
to be an exciting game. But I agree with John,
it's a must win.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I want to ask both of you guys, counting seven
games as far as postseason right around the corner, what
is the biggest question mark as far as what this
team needs to do to improve.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
That's a good question, maybe a better question for JB
than it is for me. But you know we talked
about in the first segment. I think defensively, as word
starts and finishes with this team, they know what they
have to do.
Speaker 4 (14:07):
I think physicality too. I think the team learned a.
Speaker 5 (14:10):
Lesson, hopefully from last season in terms of what is
going to happen come postseason time.
Speaker 4 (14:15):
You look at some of the opponents.
Speaker 5 (14:17):
If the Cavs matchup against the Magic, Orlando was a
team that really has played the Cavs physically throughout this
season series so far, Indies a team that is a
potential matchup. We know what they can do offensively in
terms of getting up and down the floor and playing hard.
So I think the Cavaliers know what potentially lies ahead,
they know the areas which they need to get better.
But to me, it starts defensively and with that physicality.
Speaker 4 (14:40):
Is they prepare for the postseason?
Speaker 3 (14:42):
Kim?
Speaker 2 (14:42):
What are your thoughts?
Speaker 3 (14:43):
They need time and they run out of time. And
I know what JB's doing. He's trying to put him
in there and hope it comes here. Ended will, but
we just don't have a lot of time. You know,
if it happens, let's say the second game of the
first round, you know we can beat anybody. We know that,
but we have to get there.
Speaker 2 (15:02):
It's tough to ask a hypothetical. But if you get
into the playoffs and you win that first round, now
you've had seven games plus the first round, is that
enough time? As we've talked about time.
Speaker 4 (15:14):
Yeah, one would hope. I think that.
Speaker 5 (15:16):
I think things change dramatically if they're able to grind
their way through that first round series. I really think
they do, because then from a confidence perspective, you're feeling
better at that point. Now that's a that's a month
from now that you go into the second round. So
we are talking about a team for the Cavs that
finally is starting to feel as close to full strength
as we have felt in a long time. That's a
(15:36):
month from now, and I think again that the boost
you get from getting through a playoff series and winning
a playoff series and moving into that second round would
be huge for any team, but particularly gym for a
team like this Cavalier club.
Speaker 3 (15:50):
And it starts with defense. John's all over. I mean,
JB will tell you that, you know, the reason that
we score, the reason that we play the pace we play,
is because off of our defense. You have to be aggressive,
you have to be smart, and you have to set
the tone and you have to set the pace. It
doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna win the game because you
set the pace, but at least you're playing your style
(16:12):
of basketball, and that's what we have to do.
Speaker 2 (16:15):
My great stuff, Jay, Mike, We appreciate you stopping by.
We'll see you Tuesday night in Salt Lake. Barbara, thanks
for having me.
Speaker 3 (16:22):
Guys.
Speaker 2 (16:22):
All right, that's John Michael joining us on this week's
edition of Caves HQ. We'll take a quick time out.
When we come back, Jim and I will talk with
Nick Barlich the CEO of the Cavaliers. We'll talk some
interesting topics with Nick, so stay with us. Cavs HQ
continues after this on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse.
Speaker 7 (16:52):
Prior to the Cleveland Cavaliers No Cha Latina Knight this
past Friday, the CALVS hosted a pregame reception presented by
Molina Healthcare there for three hundred community partners within the
Latin community. There was also a special halftime recognition for
Alfred Butch Lee, the first Puerto Rican and Latin American
born athlete to play in the NBA, who played for
the Cavaliers during the nineteen seventy nine eighty season, and
(17:15):
the fifty to fifty raffle proceeds went to the Julia
de Burgos Cultural Arts Center Calves in the community. It's
brought to you by Discount Drug mart. We'll be back
with the second half of Calves HQ, presented by Betwey
right after this on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio Verse.
Speaker 8 (17:38):
When we sat down and had this conversation, not only
did Dan ask us to dream big, but he also
asked us to think about the community and make sure
it was an opportunity that served the community in a
way that built upon all of the great work that's
already being done right here in Northeast Ohio.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
That's the voice of Cavalier CEO Nick Barlache last week
as the Cavaliers unveiled and announced their plans along with
the Cleveland Clinic for the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance Center,
and Nick now joins us on cavs HQ to dive
a little deeper into this and what it's going to mean,
not only for the impact on the Cleveland Cavaliers, but
(18:21):
Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Nick, we appreciate you taking some time.
We know you're a very busy guy.
Speaker 8 (18:27):
Hey, anything for Tim and Jim.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
Well, let's delve a little further into this the big
announcement last week. But the word I used was impact.
Just talk about the impact that it's going to have
on this basketball organization and this region.
Speaker 8 (18:43):
Let's start with the region first, because I think you know,
when we look at real estate development and we look
at sports and entertainment, when you bring those two things together,
you have this convergence that creates momentum in our community
and quite frankly, especially when you think about the Riverfront,
and you know, we've saw with the Flats East Bank
project what the flats on the West Bank once once
(19:05):
was many many many decades ago, and is restoring that momentum.
You know, this has been a part of the river
that really hasn't been impacted for decades, and it's so iconic.
It's got so much history tied into Cleveland and when
you think about our economy, when you think about the people,
that river has meant so much to this region over
the course of the last one hundred and fifty years.
(19:26):
And so it's a point of pride for us to
reimagine it, to activate it, and to create an iconic outcome.
When you think about the Cleveland Clinic Global Peak Performance
Center that'll be right on the shores of that river front,
and to have it adjacent to Rocket Mortgage, Field House
and Progressive Field, there is so much ability for us
to create activity and ultimately continue to as I always say,
(19:48):
like part of our job is to maintain and uplift
and restore the vibrancy of the heartbeat of downtown Cleveland,
and that's what this projects really meant to do. To
touch on the team and the organization, you know, we
and Kobe said this so well and he articulated it
and he's brought it to life and his vision for
the cab side of this facility. You know, this is
really about making sure Cleveland's a destination. We don't think
(20:11):
and we don't believe we can't manifest our own dreams
right here in Cleveland, Ohio. And those dreams include, you know,
dreaming about and being a championship caliber and a championship
contending team and franchise. And so this facility provides us
and as he says, future proofs us for a lot
of those opportunities here as we go forward into the future.
Speaker 3 (20:34):
Well, if I was a free agent, and lord I'd
love to be one today money they're making, I would
definitely consider Cleveland just because of the I like to
call it the futuristic perspective.
Speaker 2 (20:45):
Nick.
Speaker 3 (20:46):
This is social media. You know, basketball is a social
network and all of that plays into that, right it does?
Speaker 4 (20:52):
It does?
Speaker 8 (20:52):
I mean, look, we really focus on the value proposition
that we can offer our players, our team members, the community.
This facility for our team in particular, is going to
be one that has world class services for them to
recover to be their best selves. And you know, the
one thing we focused on a lot with the clinic
is this these concepts of heart, mind and motion. But
(21:14):
for the professional athlete, how do they find that extra
one percent? How do they recover that extra two percent quicker?
So when they come back out and play on a
back to back, or they come back out after a
long road trip and they're the best version of ourselves
in front of nineteen thousand four un and thirty two
screaming Cavs fans, that outcome is a win. And so
for us, this is a zero sum game. You know,
(21:36):
we are judged by wins and losses on the team
side of the ledger, and anything we can do to
enhance the value proposition of our players experience from a
health as well as just an overall well being perspective,
we want to be able to do that, and this
investment showcases that.
Speaker 2 (21:51):
Again, we're talking with Cavaliers CEO Nick Barlitch, nice enough
to spend a few moments with yours truly, Tim Elcorn
and Jim Jones on Cavs HQB. Nick. When I'm calling
a game on the radio with Jim or whether I'm
doing an interview like this, I try to put the
listeners in my seat, and so as a listener or
a fan, I'm sure they're wondering, how does this impact me?
(22:13):
How does this impact a resident of Cleveland or someone
in northeast Ohio.
Speaker 8 (22:17):
Well, first and foremost, I think you know, when we
started this process, one of the things we wanted to
do was reimagine the front door of our city.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
And we wanted to be.
Speaker 8 (22:25):
Able to do that with this first phase of development
along the riverfront. You know, as you get off A
ninety or seventy one or seventy seven, we wanted you
to be welcomed in a world class way. We think
this is a word I said this in the press conference.
This is a world class city without the world class egos,
or we have world class assets without the world class egos.
And we want to make sure that our city embodies that.
This building is going to be iconic in design and
(22:47):
in nature. It's also going to fit very well into
kind of our history of manufacturing, but also our history
of resurgence and renaissance here, especially as of late. And
then as I think about what how what it impacts you,
our goal is that this is a place that you
go for orthopedic recovery. This is a place that you
go for sports medicine services. They said this in the
(23:08):
press conference. It doesn't matter if you're a seven year
old aspiring to play basketball, if you're a weekend warrior,
if you're somebody that just pulled their back lifting a
box on the weekend, you're going to be able to
come to the facility on the Cleveland Clinic side, and
everybody in the general public is going to be able
to be served. And when you look at specifically downtown
tim there's a little bit of a healthcare desert relative
(23:29):
to these services. So if you're working at Sherwin Williams
or Key Tower, or if you're working at one of
the law firms and the incredible law firms we have
here downtown, you're working at the new Oswald Center in
the flats, you're going to be able to go to
this facility and get taken care of, whether it's a
quick imaging shot for your ankle or for your knee
you sprained over the weekend, or whether it's your ability
to be able to pick up and get better from
(23:51):
a services perspective, because you threw your back out due
to a golf swing on the weekend.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
This facility is going to be able to help everybody.
Speaker 8 (23:56):
You know, it's gonna be able to help the common
person and the young adult or the young person all
the way through the professional athlete.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
That's awesome, Jim.
Speaker 3 (24:04):
Your vision hasn't changed since day one. Remember you guys
were talking about community engagement and what's it like to
work with a visionary like Dan Gilbert. I mean he
had to come to you one day, Nick and say, hey, look,
we want to do some of this or that. What
were your first thoughts?
Speaker 4 (24:19):
Yeah, I mean, you know, my first thought was how
do we pay for this?
Speaker 8 (24:23):
If I'm just being candid, No, but by by second,
you know, to to build on that point.
Speaker 4 (24:28):
Jim, You're so right.
Speaker 8 (24:29):
I mean Dan is a visionary in so many ways,
and we are so blessed to have him in our corner.
I spent you know, I spent a lot of time
with him last week up in Detroit after the announcement.
He's so excited and you can just look in his
eyes and you can tell how excited he is about
what this will mean for this community. And this is
what he does, you know, what he does. He always says,
(24:50):
we have an incredible coast. It's along the Lake Erie,
and it's from Detroit to Cleveland to Buffalo, and and
so when you have a guy that thinks of thinks
of it like, he doesn't think about what it's like
on the West coast or the East coast. He thinks
about what it's like right here in our own backyard
along the shores of Lake Erie. And then the other
thing I would say is he pushes you to dream big.
(25:11):
He doesn't want a cookie cutter, out of the box
type of solution. He wants something that is going to
be a legacy moment for our franchise and for our city.
And look, we are so much better every day because
of our chairman, Dan Gilbert.
Speaker 2 (25:26):
The renderings are absolutely spectacular. I mean, if this is
what it's going to look like, it is going to
be an absolute jewel. We've only got a couple of
minutes left, so I'd be remiss as the play by
play voice to ask you the CEO about the Final
four coming to Cleveland this weekend and this building Rocket
Mortgage field House. Just talk about how exciting that's going
(25:48):
to be.
Speaker 4 (25:48):
You know, it is going to be amazing.
Speaker 8 (25:51):
I mean, it is one of those things that I
can tell you just ticket demand in general, it is
rivaling NBA All Star of twenty twenty two. I mean
just the amount of people that I have reached out
to me looking for tickets or extras. I can't even
imagine if a certain opponent scenarios matchup. Then I won't
even say who because the world will know, But I
would just say that there's a lot of excitement. You're
(26:12):
already seeing the signage going up around the city. You
can feel a palpable the beat kind of building. It
is going to be one of those moments that we
will memorialize as one of those iconic events that have
been here in Northeast Ohio and right here a rocking
mortgage fieldhouse. And it's really it's an honor and a
privilege to be a part of it, and it really
is a city in a region we should be proud of.
(26:32):
How we're going to continue to make sure we put
on a great show for the women's Final four that'll
be here here in less than a few days.
Speaker 2 (26:38):
Absolutely, Nick, we know you're busy. Appreciate you spending some
time with us. Thanks for stopping by.
Speaker 4 (26:43):
Best too in the business. I appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
Oh there's a compliment. Thank you all righty. Nick Marlin,
CEO of the Cavaliers, jointing us here on Cav's HQ
presented by Betway. We'll take a quick time out when
we come back. We've got another special guest coming on
with the Women's Final four coming to Cleveland. How about
going back in time.
Speaker 3 (27:01):
A little bit.
Speaker 2 (27:02):
We'll hear from Dan Hughes, the former Rockers coach. There's
going to be a Rockers in WNBA reunion this weekend
in Cleveland, so we'll talk to Dan Hughes after this.
On the Medical Mutual Cavaliers audio vers Raby Janis Braxton,
Terrence puts it back up and Jana's cracked and leaped
(27:24):
up over here, grabbed the ball, came down, pivoted and
recorded it.
Speaker 6 (27:29):
We thought it was something special. We thought it was
something great. I still talk to some of them today
that weren't in that, you know, in that ninety seven group,
still talk about how special it was, and you know
how great a time we had, and just being able
to come back and play in the United States and
just have that chance for everybody to see us after
being gone for so long and.
Speaker 2 (27:50):
We welcome you back to Cavs HQ. It's presented by
bet Way. Great to have you with us, and as
we promised earlier, boy, what a special segment we've got
coming up right now, as you just heard that Joe
Tait highlight from the Cleveland Rockers days in the WNBA
of a bucket by Janis Braxton, and of course Janis
(28:11):
joined Jim Jones and yours truly a few months back,
as we talked to women in athletics and women in sports,
and of course with the final four in the NC
Doublea coming to Cleveland and a Rockers reunion coming up
this weekend, we thought how appropriate would it be to
talk to Rockers former head coach Dan Hughes And what
(28:35):
a career Dan had in the WNBA. Of course, tremendous
years with the Rockers and then two time WNBA champion,
two time WNBA Coach of the Year, and we remember
Dan Finley here in Cleveland. So Coach, it is great
to have you on the show.
Speaker 9 (28:53):
You're so kind, I'm loving talking about Cleveland.
Speaker 6 (28:56):
And the Rockers.
Speaker 2 (28:57):
Well, let's look back on some of those Rockers day
before we talk about the reunion, and before we talk
about how special the final four in Cleveland is going
to be. It was a while back, and yet I'm
sure the memories are fresh. What stands out for you
as far as being the head coach of the Rockers
and some of the great women that you got to coach.
Speaker 9 (29:16):
Well, you know, a couple of things just jump out.
It was, you know, I had been I had taken
over as Charlotte and was the interim coach and we
finished strong. But it set me up to have what
I call my dream job. My dream job, even though
I've had wonderful stops along the way, was being in
Cleveland and coaching the Rockers. So to have that opportunity
(29:41):
when Jim Paxson introduced me and Gordon Gunn gave me
the opportunity in Wayne Embry, you know all those names
that are just so much a part of my past
for them to open the door for me to coach here. Oh,
it didn't get you better.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Than that, Tim Dan. I won't ask you to single
out any particular player because that's not fair. But the
relationships that you developed and the players that you had,
are there any particular memories or any particular stories that
really stand out to you?
Speaker 9 (30:12):
Well, you got to start with Susie McConnell Serio. The
first year I came in, Susie had been hurt and
was coming back off an injury. And Susie had had
a stellar career and had jumped into the WNBA in
its early years. And to have her have a really
(30:34):
good last year to retire from it starts right there.
I mean coaching her, and I've had a you know
when you talk about a blessing. I have coached Don Staley,
I have coached Susie McConnell Sirio. I have coached Becky Hammond.
I have coached Sue Byrd, I have coached Helen Darling
(30:56):
and so on and so on. I mean, but to
have Sue in my first year of being a full
time WNBA head coach, that it doesn't get much better
than that.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Yeah, that's awesome. Again, we're talking to former Rockers head
coach Dan Hughes. And the reason Dan's on the show
number one, he's a great guy. In a special guest.
But the final four in Cleveland coming up, and there's
going to be a Rocker slash w NBA reunion. Tell
our fans and tell our listeners about that, Dan.
Speaker 9 (31:28):
Oh my gosh, yeah, you know, and you got to
give credit. Ruster Brown's done a lot for me on
the court, but she continues to do things for me
and for us off the court. RuSHA. Brown I think
was the engine behind getting this done and so on
Angie Tequila Joint. It's on I think ten fifty one
West tenth at six o'clock on Saturday, April sixth. I
(31:54):
got that right, Yeah, six, that's Saturday from six to nine.
There's going to be a reunion, and there's She has
generated a lot of inns and not only Rockers, but
I think w NBA people who who remember the Rockers
and have some great memories. So it's going to be
(32:14):
a pretty festive time. So we're really looking forward to.
Speaker 2 (32:20):
It, Dan. I mentioned earlier that a few months ago,
Jim Jones and I had a chance to have Janis
Braxton on Cavs HQ when we talked to her about
this meteoric rise of women in athletics, not just basketball,
but all sports across the board. Just talk about that.
For a guy who was involved in the w NBA
(32:41):
and women's athletics, how surprising or not surprising is that
to you?
Speaker 9 (32:48):
No, it's really not surprising to me. I'm just thrilled
that it's happening. Let's just put it out their way.
And how about Janis Braxton. I came to Cleveland, Janice
was retiring, so my first visit was to Janice was, hey,
how about playing another year? I don't think I can
(33:09):
do that, coach, So I hired her as an assistant.
Janis was my assistant all four years I was here.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
But what has.
Speaker 9 (33:16):
Happened is I think the players and the product continues
to get better. It has from the time I started it,
and it happens now. I think there's more eyes on it,
but there has always been great players to point too.
But what is happening right now is I think people
(33:39):
are like I used to try to get them in
the arena. They came in the arena, you know you
had a fan. But now it's translating to TV. I mean,
people are watching the women's product and they're and and
they're giving it an opportunity to grow in their minds
because it's a beautiful game. You know, it's not the NBA,
(34:00):
but it's got elements that are as good or better
than the NBA, and in certain ways, So if you're
a basketball person like me, you can really get behind
the beauty of the women's game. And I think more
people are getting to see what I saw.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Dan. We started this interview with a Joe Tate call
of a Janis Braxton bucket, and Joe always said he
loved the WNBA because it's basketball the way basketball is
meant to be played. He loved the WNBA.
Speaker 9 (34:32):
We have always had proponents from the NBA, including Joe.
There was no better spokesman for the WNBA than Joe
tak He did every single game I did in four years,
every single.
Speaker 2 (34:46):
One of them.
Speaker 9 (34:47):
That's after doing an NBA season. But I'm just so
happy that these people who saw like Joe in our
product and Lebron, I'll tell you it was very good.
Lebron was a young man in my last year here,
and I remember him coming by and wishing me well
because I dressed in an area there where they worked out.
(35:09):
But we've always had good support from the NBA. But
I just love the fact that people now are investing.
I think owners are investing in the product, and I
don't see it flowing down anytime soon. I think it's
going to keep growing.
Speaker 2 (35:25):
And Dan before we let you go. We got about
a minute or so left. But I do want to
ask you that just how cool is it and what
will be the impact of having the Final Four in Cleveland.
Speaker 9 (35:36):
I think it puts the city that I love the
dearest on display for the world. And you know, I've
been involved at different steps along the way with it
because I have a love for Cleveland and have had
it since I was there in the early two thousands
and even probably before that growing up in Ohio. But
(35:56):
I want the world to feel and see what is
so radius and special about Cleveland. And I got a
feeling it's gonna transfer pretty good.
Speaker 2 (36:09):
I like your Larry David impersonation there, pretty pretty good. Hey,
I'll tell you what. You and I have known each
other a long time. I consider you a great friend.
I appreciate you doing this, and have a blast in
Cleveland this weekend. I'll be in Los Angeles, but I'll
be watching the Final Four like tens of millions of others.
Speaker 9 (36:28):
Well, no problem, and we sure will. And all the
best of the Cavs I I you know, I've gotten
them on one of my six TVs almost every night.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
So there we go. Dan, look forward to seeing they're
talking to you again soon, but we appreciate the time.
Thank you, Thank you. Tims stand huge joining us on
kev's HQ presented by Betway talking Rockers basketball from years
past and of course the Final Four in Cleveland this weekend.
We'll take a quick time out. We'll wrap it up
(36:57):
after this on the Medical Mutual Cavaliers Audio That's gonna
do it. For this week's edition of Cavs HQ presented
by Betway, Well Jim as I said, a jam packed show,
I mean, my goodness, good stuff with Jay Mike talking
about the West Coast swing. It continues tomorrow night when
(37:19):
the Cavaliers will be in Utah, and then hearing from
Nick Barlage and Dan Hughes and I love talking women's
athletics because the growth is so phenomenal on the women's side.
Speaker 3 (37:31):
It is, and to have the Final Four here really
positions Cleveland as a destination. And Nick Barlach he covered
everything Tim and his knowledge of where we're going and
he is a CEO. And then the vision of Dan Gilbert.
Incredible stuff for the city of Cleveland.
Speaker 2 (37:48):
Yes, I hope you enjoyed this week's show that was
a lot of fun, all sorts of people to thank,
of course the Dynamic Duo on the other side of
the window. They were hard at work. One Kirk McLoughlin,
our senior produce technical director, Marty Allen, Jim Jones, A
great big thank you to you again thanks to John Michael,
Nick Barlach and Dan Hughes for stopping by. Biggest thanks
(38:09):
goes to you the listeners. Hope you enjoyed it. Caps
back in action tomorrow night in Utah when they take
on the Jazz. So until then, tim Elcorn saying once again,
thank you very much for listening, and so long everybody,
Hosts And Creators
Tim Alcorn
Jim Chones
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Therapy Gecko
An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.