I find myself struggling, deeply, with how to watch this new Cavaliers team. If I’m being honest, a big part of me hates it. I remember how contested the Cavs-Hawks games were over the last two seasons, how riveted I was by the action. By the end of this game, despite J.J. Hickson’s 31 point-5 rebounds-5 turnovers effort, I was bored. I never had any feeling that the Cavs would win.
Truthfully, I wanted to write this post after the Boston game, but I scribbled some lame bullshit about floor spacing instead. I didn’t want to come off as being dispiritingly negative. But sports, as we’ve often written in the past, are emotional. I’m currently having an emotional reaction to watching the LeBron-less Cavaliers. The basketball, simply put, isn’t up to par.
We at Mesa have been bullish about the Cavs’ chances this season. Right now, those predictions looks poor. Before last night, the Cavs’ defense was only 16th in the league, giving up 105.3 points per 100 possessions. This isn’t good enough. If the Cavs are going to compete this year, they have to have a top 10 or probably top 5 defense.
Why?
Because the team’s offense is most likely going to be somewhat anemic. At 100 points per 100 possessions before the Atlanta game, they ranked only 23rd in the NBA. What the Cavs don’t have are a wealth of players who can create their own shot. Evidence of this fact is visible on nearly every play. It’s why, in my opinion, Byron Scott has emphasized transition basketball so much. If you’re fast and can jump, it’s a lot easier to create a shot in the open court than in the half court.
Problematically, Scott has been trying to keep as many shot creators on the floor as possible, which is leading to some very small backcourts that aren’t capable of guarding the opposition. Boobie Gibson has no chance against Joe Johnson in the post. Neither does Ramon Sessions. These guys can’t even guard Marvin Williams.
Right now Coach Scott is having a hard time finding the right rotation to balance offense and defense. Make no mistake about it, the personnel he’s been given makes it a tough job, especially since - irrationally, in my opinion - Scott’s Princeton offense insists on having two excellent ball handlers on the floor at all times at both guard spots. But the coach needs to do better.
Sadly, maybe even tragically, I’m almost ready to give up on the team. I know I shouldn’t. It’s only been 5 games. But bad losses to the Raptors and the Kings and a defense that, according to the coach, is getting worse have drained my energy.
Like I said, I don’t want to be oppressively pessimistic. But I also need to be realistic. And I need to manage my time, like every other Cavs fan needs to. Is it worth committing our time, attention, and money to the Cavaliers?
I’m not sure yet. It might not be. However, there is still time…
What the Cavs, as a team, need to do to get me re-excited about watching them play basketball is create drama. They need to convince me that they can compete. That I don’t know the outcome of the game before it begins. Last year I knew the outcome of plenty of the games the team was playing in, but that was different. I was interested in following every dribble because I knew I was watching a historically great player execute at the highest level. That quality is quite obviously absent this season.
All I ask then, Cavs, is for you to compete. Make me believe you can win. And how do you do that?
Well, you need to win. More than just the home opener. This is a catch-22, I realize. But you need to do it quickly. Or I’m going to be forced to actually try to meet a girl instead of watching the final 77 games of your season.
And nobody really wants me to do that. Especially not girls.
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