Month: January 2015

With LeBron out for an extended time, it is well documented that other players need to step up and show what they can do with this more limited lineup. However, it might not be the individual players stepping up for scoring that really is the key here. Obviously many fans will be looking for how many points are added from Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. There might be more compelling things to look at than just which star scores more.

In listening to the reporters question Blatt right after the known loss of LeBron, they continuously tried to question him about the concept of Love becoming “more integrated in the offense” and how do you make up for all that LeBron does. While I understand that line of thinking, is that really the key here over the next two weeks? I would challenge that by saying “No”.

If Love was not integrated in the offense with LeBron present, will it really matter how integrated he is while LeBron is out? If he is highly integrated when LeBron is absent, it might even be a negative when LeBron returns if that does not continue. Did anyone wonder how Love might feel if he is integral with LeBron out and an afterthought with LeBron in? I have and I don’t like to answer that question.

If Kyrie does a great job running the offense with the ball in his hands with LeBron out, will it really matter when LeBron returns? Did anyone wonder how Kyrie might feel if he is highly effective with the ball in his hands with James out and has that taken from him when LeBron returns? I don’t like to answer that question either. So what I recommend Cavs fans look for is a series of things unrelated to Love’s integration with the offense or Kyrie’s ability to handle point guard duties.

One of the reasons I recommend looking beyond those obvious issues is that I think it is a given that Kyrie can run the offense effectively with the ball in his hands. He proved that over the summer and, as I pointed out previously about Kyrie, he is the key to the Cavalier’s ultimate success this year as the point guard of this team. Kevin Love will almost certainly be more integrated in the offense because of both LeBron and Andy being out. Those two spent a ton of time in pick and roll situations and that can’t happen anymore. With or without LeBron, Love will naturally become more of a focal point if the Cavs move the ball on offense as has been emphasized by Blatt and the players.

Some of the things I will be looking for in the next series of games without LeBron are as follows:

1. Will the team play with consistent effort and intensity? Too many games have been littered with inconsistent effort this year. Without LeBron there is no excuse for a lack of effort. The first games without James have not been great examples of what they need to do. I hope that the future games will demonstrate that consistent effort.
2. Will critical role players begin to step up during this time? Shawn Marion, James Jones, Mike Miller, and even Brendon Haywood need to show why they were brought here to the Cavs. If the Cavs have any chance in the playoffs, those players will need to be firing on all cylinders by the end of the year.
3. Will Matthew Dellavedova be able to contribute more than just effort and knock down some wide open 3 balls? He also needs to be more confident off the dribble and create some offense. Right now he is tentative and not appropriately aggressive. He needs to pick his spots of course, but some creation is needed for a backup point guard.
4. Does Dion Waiters continue his rapid ascent as an efficient scorer, facilitator, and lock down defender? Anyone who has been watching can see that Dion’s effort and intensity has grown as his confidence in his role increases. This actually follows a pattern that my staff recently pointed out to me of Dion starting slow at the beginning of seasons. He has followed this pattern again and is on a rapid rise right now.
5. Can Tristan Thompson begin to contribute “rim protection” as he did against Charlotte? He seems to be rather annoyed by the constant media insistence that the Cavs have no rim protection. That has become clear in recent interviews. I wouldn’t put ANYTHING past TT if he puts his mind to it. He has shown, beyond any player on the Cavs, an ability to raise his game as needed for the team. TT is an ultimate “glue guy” that every team needs to win championships. I will be watching his blocked shot totals during this stretch without LeBron.
6. Can Brendon Haywood contribute significant minutes off the bench? If he is able to play 10-15 minutes per game effectively, he will be a huge asset going forward beyond his contract oddity that can be used for a trade chip this off-season. Everything I have seen says that the answer to that question is “Yes”. If both he and Tristan can provide some rim protection as I suspect, the Cavs can negotiate any possible deal from a position of strength and not desperation.
7. Can Kyrie control his temptation to dribble through 4 guys to get to the rim and actually trust his team to run the Blatt motion offense? Although I have stated that this is a given, his desire to “make up for LeBron” might sway him away from trusting his teammates and the offense. What I am hoping is that he will try to “take over” when he sees the team is in a scoring drought but not the majority of the time.
8. Will the Cavs management keep a calm hand on the rudder of the franchise when the inevitable losses add up a bit in LeBron’s absence? I think this is a key going forward especially while LeBron is out. There is no need to make a panic move or a move just to make one. They can afford to be measured and careful striking when the time is right and the deal is fair.
9. Finally, and most importantly,  will LeBron be watching and adjust his return based on what he sees on the court. If Kyrie effectively runs the point and controls the team with the ball in his hands, will LeBron take notice and allow more of that when he returns? If Kevin Love is effective with the pick and roll or pick and pop, will LeBron run more with Love? If the role players step up and knock down shots, will he continue to trust them? If effort and intensity are consistently at a high level, will he join them or still be in “chill mode”? (I kind of know the answer to that one but I had to throw it out there.)

These are some of the things I will be looking for during this two week stretch. The Cavs might not win as many games as we would like but they still can advance as a team while LeBron is out. Let’s hope that happens and then the glass will be truly half full as Kevin Love professes. Go Cavs !!!

 

Well, as if the Cavaliers have not had enough tough news lately, the latest news is possibly as concerning as any. LeBron James will actually miss the most extensive time and number of games in his entire career. On the surface the news seems like a devastating blow to a team already on it’s heels moving backwards.

It isn’t entirely clear that this isn’t the case. The Cavs have been struggling and have lost 3 in a row. They now stand only 4 games over .500 with a team many feel is the most talented in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers are entering one of the most challenging stretches in their schedule and will need to face this without their best player.

It is true that most observers might look on this as a huge negative in an already checkered year for the “new look” Cavs. There is another perspective to consider with this news and one that might generate a huge positive for Cleveland. Based on my medical training in similar cases, there is an excellent chance that these injuries are not severe and reasonable recovery is possible. That is what has been reported from Cavalier “sources” to certain national reporters who are not always positive about the Cavs. It also has been reported that MRIs have been done to confirm injuries. No surprises there.

When you add all this up, it appears that LeBron James was trying to play through persistent back and knee problems that would worsen, improve, and worsen again. The Cavs medical staff and management I am sure jointly decided that it was best to give James time to recover to a much higher level then had happened thus far. James may have been informed that this rest and accompanying  physical therapy was needed to give him a chance to really recover more fully. If he did not do this, the injuries would almost certainly linger all year. Even with this rest it is possible, but not as likely. It is not surprising that James agreed to this approach.

This might be a completely positive development if it weren’t for a few additional sobering facts. First, is the obvious, Andy is not coming back. So one starter is done for the year. Second, Kyrie Irving is far from 100% and his knee is still bothering him. He is playing through it and I expect him to continue to do so, but it must have at least a little effect on his ability to play aggressively. Third, Kevin Love has not yet been cleared to play after suffering back spasms. One doesn’t need to be a doctor to know that those can hang around and back problems can be a nagging problem. So, with one starter gone, James out, and two All Stars less than 100%; it will be difficult to maintain a high quality of play. Add to that a very difficult schedule and you have all the makings of some consistent losing.

As everyone has seen, when some consistent losing occurs with the Cavs, the negative stories come out and they suddenly have every player planning to leave at the end of the year. It is doubtful that this will stop over this next sequence of tough games. So expect to see more Love to LA and LeBron to Miami/LA/New York/ anywhere but Cleveland. Blatt to be fired, etc. I consider all of this media focus to be understandable but not highly credible.  I think any of this talk should be viewed with some skepticism and not influence the way anyone views the Cavs.

To the degree that the Cavs remaining All Stars are healthy, it will be an excellent opportunity for them to become the focal points of the team for a stretch. It will also give a large number of veteran role players a chance to step up and show what they can do for the team. Finally, it might give Joe Harris some more opportunities. All of these things are positives going forward.

I hope people are observing the contribution that is possible from Brendon Haywood. He looks quite good on the court and his minutes have been slowly increased over the past week or so. He hasn’t played every day based on matchups but he should play most games. With all the cries for a rim protector, I think he deserves a chance to show what he has left in the tank. If the Cavs can get 10-15 minutes per game from him, the pressure to make a knee-jerk move to get another big will be reduced. The Cavs need to negotiate from a position of strength if they make a move instead of a position of desperation. Very important that Haywood makes an impact.

I think it is an understatement to say that Mike Miller and, to a lesser extent, James Jones have not given the Cavs the quality minutes that were expected. Primarily because of their inability to shoot consistently, especially in the case of Miller. If someone had told me to expect Miller to shoot 38% from the floor, take no free throws, and score 3 PPG in 17 minutes per game for the Cavs, I would have laughed at them and called them Cavs haters. But that is exactly what has happened. To make matters worse, many of his 3 point attempts have been completely uncontested. James Jones is more efficient with 4 PPG in 10 minutes but is also only shooting 38% from the field (better from 3).

My point in all of this is that the team will have a chance to see what they can do without LeBron and it might give Love a chance to step up into a more integral part of the offense. Cavs observers should recognize, however, that the reason Love has looked so inept lately is simply because he is in a shooting slump. That will happen with great shooters and it usually evens out over time. Lets hope it ends soon because the team will need his offense.

While I welcome all of these “opportunities” for the Cavs to advance as a team without LeBron, I am not silly enough to think this will translate to wins in the short term. As Jason Lloyd pointed out today, look for the Cavaliers record to be near or at .500 when LeBron returns. That will be enough to generate a ton of negative press so Cavalier fans should expect this as pointed out earlier.

But here is the major positive in all of this ………… The Cleveland Cavaliers play in the NBA Eastern Conference. No matter what trials and tribulations the team faces during the regular season, the Cavs are one of the only teams in history, if healthy, who could still win the East even if they start as the 8th seed (which I think is unlikely). Home court is not a critical factor for this Cavs team. Being HEALTHY is a critical factor. I think the team has shown recognition of this simple fact by making the decision to shut James down for 2 weeks. If this move gives James a chance to get reasonably healthy and come back strong, it will be a tremendous positive for Cleveland.

All of the overhyped whaling that will come from the regular season record will seem like a distant memory if they can get to the playoffs healthy. I have confidence in David Blatt. I have confidence in the Cleveland All Stars. I have confidence that the role players will improve and fit in. And I believe that Dion Waiters is developing into a dynamic weapon that is getting better game by game with this new team. Despite all the negative chatter, I still feel the Cavs are a team to be reckoned with in the NBA East. The loss of LeBron James for 2 weeks does not change that in the least.