by MYoung

       This writer wrote after the Cavaliers traded Darius Miles for point guard Jeff Mcinnis that he could really help the Cavaliers if the problems that have plagued him his entire career didn't their ugly heads.  Apparently, the Cavaliers and coach Paul Silas got their first brush of the Jeff McInnis Experience. 

       Through a source Cavs Talk has learned of an incident before the recent Cavaliers game in Chicago against the Bulls that now has Paul Silas doubting whether to lobby for the picking up of McInnis option for 3.6M dollars over the summer.  The incident supposedly occurred before the start of the Chicago game after Silas gave out the defensive assignments.  After Silas gave McInnis the task of guarding Bulls SG Jamal Crawford instead of PG Kirk Hinrich McInnis is said to have openly complained to Silas in front of others on the team about having to guard Crawford.  The quote attributed to McInnis through the Cavs Talk source was him saying, "C'mon coach.  Give me a night off.  You always put me on the best player."  It is said to have not only upset Silas enough to now question retaining a player he has done nothing but publicly praise since his arrival but it is also upset Lebron James who took the comment as a slight.

       Whether this incident had an effect on what was an important game for the Cavaliers will probably never be known.  It was a game in which James was repeatedly torched by Kirk Hinrich who had one of his best games of the season as the Cavaliers laid a huge egg.  But, the story, if indeed true calls into focus some serious doubts about McInnis.

       The book on McInnis is that he was a locker lawyer whose personality wore down and grated on teammates over time and someone who was never happy with his role always complaining to coaches.  Coach Paul Silas, to his credit, wiped the slate clean and McInnis quickly became one of his most trusted players.  But, the question needs to be asked why after McInnis is playing major minutes with a major role and starting to receive accolades for his play on a team that is now winning openly complain about getting a defensive assignment?  One may try and brush off the story but given the circumstances surrounding it and the McInnis' own history it throws up big red flag as whether McInnis can be a long term solution for the Cavaliers or any team.  When a teams starts to dislike the point guard it can quickly destroy chemistry on and off the floor. 

       LeBron James has never been one to feud with teammates even when the Haterade was dripping out of the pours of Ricky Davis like that commercial and he is the kind of player that always wants to bring teammates together so I don't expect him to hold any grudges or quickly sour on McInnis.  Also, one does not know whether veterans like Tony Battie and/or Eric Williams stepped in to squelch any fires and keep the peace.  On the floor it doesn't seem to be any evidence of a problem.  More than one Cavalier player came to McInnis' aid when he retaliated on the 7'1 Joel Przybilla of the Atlanta Hawks after a hard screen and the coaching staff had to make sure players from the bench didn't go out onto the floor earining an automatic suspension.  Last night, late in the New Orleans game it was McInnis who penetrated and found James for a three pointer that gave the Cavaliers the lead for good.

This may be something that is just a typical flare-up that every NBA team goes through but considering the history of the player involved and the doubts allegedly spoken by the coach the situation bears watching.

Stay tuned.

CavsTalk