Cleveland Urban News. Com and The Cleveland Urban News.Com Blog, Ohio's Most Read Online Black Newspaper

CLEVELAND, Ohio — A day before Rob Chudzinski (pictured) is hired as the sixth head coach of the Cleveland Browns since 1999,  the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Atlanta Hawks at Quicken Loans Arena Wednesday night 99-83 with Kyrie Irving leading  the way with 33 points after shooting 11 of 15 from the field. Irving also had four assists and three steals.

The victory came without  Cavs center Anderson Varejao (pictured), who is out for an expected eight weeks after surgery on Thursday to repair a split leg muscle. Tristan Thompson replaced him and got 11 points and 14 rebounds during Wednesday's game.

At half time the Cavs had a 9- point lead and Atlanta never caught up, though Josh Smith, the leading scorer for the Hawks, walked away with 17 points.

The NBA's leading re-bounder, Varejao has been sidelined with injuries in 100 games in the past three seasons and did not play in 51 games in 2011.

"He is our heart and soul," said Cavs head coach Byron Scott of Varejao. "[I am] just disappointed for him and our team."

The Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Cavaliers, along with the Cleveland Indians, are what help to make the predominantly Black city of Cleveland a major American city.

All three of the professional sports teams have struggled in recent years, particularly since the Cavs lost NBA megastar  LeBron James to the Miami Heat in 2010.

An offensive coordinator for the past two seasons for the Carolina Panthers,  Chudzinski was hired on Thursday. He replaces former Browns head coach Pat Shurmer.

The Browns organization is going through a transition process with new owner Jimmy Haslam, who bought the team last year.

Reach Cleveland Urban News.Com by email at editor@clevelandurbannews.com and by phone at 216-659-0473.