Mike, my dad, and I got into an email exchange earlier this week about potential first-round playoff opponents for the Cavs. The conversation eventually expanded to include our individual points of concern about the team heading into the post-season. Here’s what I wrote at one point in that exchange:
“I think what makes me the most nervous is that it seems like Coldstone is going to be forced to feel a lot of things out on the fly. As we all know, that’s not his strong suit as a coach. Rotations aren’t going to be set. Players are going to have to be adaptable to who else is on the floor and figure out their role accordingly. And the guy who’s going to be coming back the latest is the one who’s presence changes the way everyone else plays most dramatically (obviously, other than Bron) . It’s not an ideal situation.”
I bring this up because Andy Varejao left tonight’s game against the Spurs early in the second quarter due to a tweaked hamstring. Though the injury doesn’t sound like anything serious (“not a pop or a tear,” according to Windhorst), the team kept Andy out for the entire second half.
The result: the Cavs’ rotation almost immediately went to hell. Though they kept the game close, the team spent a lot of the second half looking a little confused about who was on the floor and what their roles were supposed to be. The cracks didn’t become fatal until the 4th, when Manu Ginobili turned into Pete Maravich and the Cavs made some uncharacteristic mistakes down the stretch.
It was a winnable game even without Andy. But I can’t get too upset when both the Lakers and Jazz got absolutely embarrassed on the same night.
Cavs are home against the Kings on Sunday. Adjust your schedules accordingly.
-T
