Grady Sizemore May Need Surgery
June 2, 2009Repent! Jackets’ “Sin Tax” Proposal Unlikely to Move Forward
June 2, 2009The Cleveland Cavaliers were beaten pretty handily by the Orlando Magic all things considered. I know there were a lot of close games, but we Clevelanders know from watching the games that even the close games were high in desperation for the Cavs. The mantra behind the scenes and on the front pages of WFNY and other local destinations is that the Magic were a mismatch for the Cavaliers. Our own RockKing even went on record saying that the Cavaliers team was built to beat the Celtics, but had no answer for the Magic. I think Rock is right. Now a lot of people are saying that the Cavaliers need to find a way to have an answer for the Magic. I know it may be semantics, but I think we are framing this conversation the wrong way.
The Cavaliers have the guy that we think is the best player in the league. It would be easy to look around the league to see what the current high mark is and try and solve that problem. That is exactly what the Cavaliers did this season when they were modeling themselves in such a way that they thought they could get over the Boston Celtics this season. When you try and solve a particular problem in the NBA, before you know it, you might be asked to solve a completely different problem. Because the Cavaliers have the best guy in the game, I would prefer if they would be forward thinking enough to create a new problem that the rest of the league needs to try and solve rather than always trying to chase the style of the team that beat you last.
Think about it. The Cavaliers may go chasing after the Magic next year, put a whole system in place and then Dwight Howard could get hurt like Kevin Garnett did this season. So then, instead of playing the Magic, the Cavs will be playing Atlanta or a healthy, rejuvenated Washington team. Whoever. The point is that the Cavs need to continue to develop a well-rounded team that does multiple things extremely well. They need a great defensive structure like they already have with additional, capable personnel. Then, if and when they come across a team that defies their defensive prowess, they need a great offensive structure that provides problems for a team on the other end.
This year, I think we were almost tricked into thinking the offensive strategy for the Cavaliers had taken huge steps forward. By comparison, maybe it actually did. Still, as we saw in these playoffs the Cavaliers are far from a finished product in the half court offensive set. When the Magic came in and threw a monkey wrench into the works of our defense (the selling point of the Cavaliers team) the Cavs were forced to step up their game on the other end of the court in order to even up the matchup. That is where they were unable to do it.
I certainly don’t have all the answers. I won’t even pretend to have them. But, I have a suggestion that I have gleaned from this year’s playoff run and from listening to Rock and the rest of the boys behind the scenes here. I think there is a way that the Cavaliers can go ahead and provide a problem for the rest of the league when and if someone makes their defense something of a moot point again like the Magic did this year. Of course I think the Cavaliers need to continue to upgrade their roster and get deeper, but I also think they have a secret weapon just waiting to be unleashed.
If someone in the Cavaliers organization can convince LeBron to spend the entire summer working on his post game, the Cavs will have that answer. So when the pick and roll game isn’t working and the opposing team is clogging the lane, the Cavaliers can continue to run the motion and look for high percentage jumpers while LeBron plays off the ball and learns to make them pay at a high percentage in the post. With something like that, all of a sudden instead of worrying about having enough “length” to cover guys who drain threes at 6′ 10″ the Cavaliers are making other teams worry about trying to cover the most athletic post player in the history of the NBA, assuming LeBron would be willing to develop the skill set.
But as I said, I don’t have all the answers. That is just an example. I am just hoping Danny Ferry and company don’t try to play catch-up this off-season. I hope they stay active and get creative in creating a team that will make everyone else want to play catch-up following a Cavaliers run to the championship in 2010. Think of it this way. If you are always chasing someone else, then that means you are already behind.
24 Comments
Good article. Any truly good team would not be built to beat one or even a few other teams- it would be good enough to beat anyone. Even though the Cavs are drafting 30th, I think they could still get an athlete with length. I’ve seen mock drafts with Dajuan Summers or Derrick Brown available, both 6’8″ guys with athleticism. They are small forwards, which is obviously not the position of need, but I don’t think an impact PF or C will be available at 30. The Cavs should take the best player available, and I’m hoping it will be someone like Summers who would be more versatile than the personnel we have now.
I strongly dislike the idea that “we were built to beat the Celtics”. I’m not even sure where this started. At what point did Danny Ferry have a decision between 2 options and he made the one to “counter” Boston?
The only move he made since the end of last season is trade DJ for Williams. Every GM in the league would make that trade because it would make their team better. The 2 draft picks were chosen because our front court was getting old (unfortunately faster than we expected). It’s about maximizing potential, not countering some force (which is rephrasing what Craig said).
Same goes for Orlando, they weren’t built to beat us. They were built to be as strong as possible with the available pieces.
/rant
Can anyone tell me how Boston matched up against Orlando better than the Cavs did? Honestly? Look at who was playing for them, and Ray Allen was a no show the entire series.
The Cavs need big guys and they will match up with anybody.
To matchup against Orlando, they need to do one thing….Be able to play him with one defender like Boston did for the most part with Perkins. That solves A TON. The Celtics had Big Baby/Michael Rapaport guarding Rashard for the most part…
It seems like there’s been a lot of revisionist history writing since the end of the Cavs season. The fact of the matter is, EVERYONE was picking the Cavs (or maybe the Lakers) to win the title this year. Just go back and look at the predictions – not just for the Magic series, but for those who dared to pick the whole playoffs, like Hollinger at ESPN who had the Cavs in 7.
Suddenly they lose to the Magic in 6 games and everyone is saying the Cavs didn’t “have enough” and were “built to beat Boston not Orlando.” Maybe the first is true, and the writing was on the wall for both, but no one was writing that until after the Cavs had already met their demise.
I completely agree with Swig – the biggest offseason move the Cavs made was bringing in Mo. That had nothing to do with the Celtics, it just had to do with making the offense better. Was sustaining an offense a problem in the ECSF against the Celtics? Yes, but that would have been a problem against anyone.
Count me in the camp that just says the Cavs need to get better – not try to “catch’ one particular team.
Personally, I would try to add Shaq. I don’t think he’s a cure all, but I think he gives the Cavs an added dimension down low. Trade Wallace, Sasha and maybe JJ and get Shaq and a draft pick back. Use the pick on a PG who could spell Mo/Delonte. Re-sign Andy or add McDyess or Birdman Anderson or Matt Barnes with the mid-level. Sign another veteran guard who could teach the rookie and provide injury/growing pains insurance.
Here’s your team:
Starters – Mo, Delonte, LeBron, Andy/Birdman/McDyess/Barnes, Shaq
Bench – Boobie, Rookie PG, Veteran G, DJ, Joe Smith?
LeBron should be developing his post game anyways. His best quality as a scorer is his ability to consistently get to the rim. As he gets older, he is eventually going to lose a step and the path to the rim wont be as easy. A post game would help him transition into his twilight years and still be a consistent threat, without taking the pounding he takes when he goes to the rim.
Jordan did it, LeBron will need to as well to legnthen his career.
Nicko, you’re absolutely right. As much as I loved what I saw out of Darnell Jackson, I don’t think he’ll be ready yet to defend Howard one-on-one next year. Same with Hickson.
That pretty much clinches the need for us to get a rock-solid big man in free agency, but I don’t know who the best available defenders are, aside from Ron Artest.
AMC, where would Zydrunas fit into that team you suggest? I think he’s indicated he’s going to pick up his option and come back next year.
What about Paul Millsap in a sign and trade? I only say him because we can’t take back Boozer (who has injury problems anyways)
Um, I would take back Boozer in a second…just like I would take back Manny, Thome, Sabathia or anyone else who gave Cleveland a slice of the d!ck pie.
@ Mark – I knew I was missing a big man! Z would come off the bench, probably obviating the need to bring back Joe Smith.
Let’s hope something happens. I don’t even know who will be available next year and too lazy to look.
I think really it’s impossible to know who really is available. Did anyone think Mo was last year?
I think more people will be available this year but who knows who.
Hedo Turkgolu is an unrestricted free agent. How good would he look at the 2. Try and get a big man as well. Mo/Hedo and bring Delonte off the bench. Or we can put mo, delonte, hedo, and lbj on the floor at once.
@ Jeremy – Hedo is going to command close to max money, one of the main reasons why he probably won’t be back with the Magic. Unless the Cavs work some sort of sign and trade with Orlando (which I think is highly unlikely) I don’t think Hedo is on the table.
Same for Boozer – he won’t command max money, but the Cavs don’t have the salary cap flexibility to get him without a sign and trade, which would be accomplished more easily with Utah, a Western Conference team.
Brandon Bass.
The Nuggets’ Chris Anderson is an unrestricted free agent this summer, as is Lamar Odom. Either of those guys would fit beautifully into what the Cavs are doing and would ensure that we don’t have to trot out Ben Wallace or Z as part of an ineffective front line.
We could also use an upgrade at shooting guard, someone who would allow Delonte West to be a rotational guy. His grit and hustle would be best used when spelled by a polished, dead-eye shooter like Jamal Crawford, who’s going to opt out of his contract with the Warriors as soon as he possibly can.
However, we’re going to be astronomically over the cap. Our best hope is to work out something mid-season, assuming that Z comes back (he has a player option for next year), where we trade the corpses of Ben Wallace and Z (and their expiring deals) for someone useful.
In the event that Wallace retires, as he’s been talking about doing, his $14 million will come off the cap and put us right around it, which means we still won’t be able to sign anyone of particular use.
Two points.
1. People are dreaming with some of these trades and signings. We are going to have to leverage contracts (Wallace) for overpaid or under-performing guys – like we stole Mo Williams. That’s our only plan.
2. Hedu is a UFA. Our best hope to deal with ORL is to have him sign elsewhere.
@#17 – there’s no way they trade Z. I don’t care if his legs fall off. He’ll finish his contract next year and retire a Cav. They don’t need the PR hit that trading Z would bring.
Now, Wallace’s corpse…he’s the expiring contract we’ll trade.
Ferry started the “we’re built to beat Boston” when he commented after obtaining Ben Wallace that he traditionally matches up well defensively against Garnett.
Perkins’s strength in bodying up Howard was certainly one of the reasons that Boston played Orlando better. But winning that series made the entire Orlando team play better against us. Boston’s defense against their ourside shooters was no better than ours; from what I saw it was worse. They had games against Boston when they missed a ton of 3s, but they were soaring against us, they were confident, smiling and having a blast.
Our organization is reacting to opponents with reliable, multi-faceted attacks. If Orlando is going to be an annual roadblock then we do need beef and size in the middle, but if they lose Hedo watch their offense lose its punch. In any case we still use another reliable scorer on offense. When both your center and power forward can go unguarded you have a problem. Maybe JJ will be ready next year, but it’s really optimistic to expect that in just 1 year the “light will go on” for a 21 year old on both ends of the floor at the same time. More likely, next year JJ will be just somewhat better defensively and offensively. Any draft pick in our slot will be somewhat of a project. A trade seems the only answer.
And btw, while mentioning “team chemistry” is now presumably verboten, lets acknowledge that Anderson has a history and baggage which may make teams unwilling to risk tons of cap room on him.
@ Omega: despite Z’s historical standing with the franchise, I’d be far more upset if they kept him than dealt him. He’s lost too much mobility to be a factor at any point on the court.
I will admit, though, that I’m not sure of Cleveland’s perception of Z because I live in California. Even if shedding him would cause a massive PR hit, it’s the GM’s job to do what’s best for the team, regardless of the public’s perception.
Either way, people should acknowledge that Z’s far past his expiration date and that keeping him would only prevent our young big men from hitting the floor and hinder their development.
Unfortunately, fandom is often the diametric of pragmatism.
whoops. diametric opposite.
Until he gets some help, the Cavs will remain Gillebron’s Island and the championorexia will continue.