Hooray for Boobie!

What can one say about a five-year deal for Boobie Gibson? We're talking about a guy who's shooting 44% from behind the three-point line in his career -- second in Cavaliers history, behind the great Mark Price. That's the kind of weapon a team needs when it has one of the greatest take-it-to-the-whole guys you'll ever see. (LeBron James, in case this is the first thing you've ever read about basketball.)

Here's a question I've been pondering for a few months: Would Boobie have made the difference against the Celtics? If so, would the NBA championship banner now be hanging in Cleveland? We'll never know, of course, but Boobie's 10.4 points a game were good enough for third on the team, among players who ended the season in Cleveland; and as we all remember, that series went seven. And with just a little bit of a lift, the Cavaliers could have won that seventh game. (Boobie was hurt and didn't play, in case you weren't paying attention.)

The Indians have fallen on hard times this year, and the Browns have a tough schedule ahead of them. So the Cavaliers appear to have the best chance to bring Cleveland its first title since 1964. ESPN's been doing its "Titletown USA" competition over the past month or so, and it's been mildly interesting, but if only because Cleveland has zero chance of being included, I haven't been paying very close attention. I'm optimistic about the near-term future of all three of our teams, but the bottom line is that none of them have won a championship since seven years before I was born. And that's darned depressing, to the extent that sports matter. (They don't really, of course, but we still care.)

Boobie, you have until 2013 to end that drought. I know you can't do it by yourself. But I also know that if it's going to happen, it'll require a significant contribution from you. We're counting on you.