Indians, OF Austin Jackson agree to minor league deal
January 26, 2017Finding positivity in the Cavaliers’ struggles: While We’re Waiting
January 27, 2017Everything is fine. Nothing is fine.
Both are true statements. Both are also false. Complexities are the nature of following the Cleveland Cavaliers in January 2017 as the reigning NBA champs struggle to put wins together. These statements are causing two camps to form on Twitter and elsewhere on social media when it comes to evaluating the current Cavaliers.
One camp is throwing up the warning signs because a team with the payroll and makeup that the Cavaliers have shouldn’t lose three games in a row in any NBA season. The Cavaliers have now lost three in a row and are 4-6 since beginning the road trip that ended with a drubbing at the hands of the Warriors.
The other camp is sticking to the fact that it’s only January and none of this will actually matter by the time the playoffs begin. Hell, we haven’t even gotten to the All-Star break yet. While we are deep in the throes of January, it’s easy to forget that the NBA Finals didn’t end until Sunday, June 19.
Let’s unpack some of this stuff.
LeBron loves drama
Humans are complex creatures, and LeBron James is no outlier there. LeBron has always had a flair for drama and tends to be a little more outwardly emo than other NBA superstars. He sub-tweets his teammates as he did with Kevin Love in their first year together. He uses his superior talent almost as a shield to blame his teammates after he makes a mistake. He plays up some of the hits he takes and is willing to buy himself extra time when he can play up an apparent on-court injury. We’ve all seen these things. We know them to be true. LeBron James is one of the greatest players in the history of the game, but he’s not infallible.
When LeBron comes out and criticizes the front office and roster that won a championship including what amounts to four max players, he’s lashing out a bit. It’s not ideal, but you chalk it up to LeBron and his emotional investment towards his championship drive. It’s also not entirely rational.
It’s only January, but the Cavaliers are not above appropriate criticism
The Cavaliers aren’t above criticism because of the month on the calendar. While it must remain in perspective, there’s no excuse for this team to lose as they have. There’s no excuse for the Cavaliers to give away games. It is important to figure out the proper criticisms, however.
Playing a more diverse roster of players isn’t a bad thing. Against Sacramento, Kay Felder got extended minutes and committed three turnovers in 11 minutes of play. Regardless, guys like Felder getting minutes isn’t a bad thing. Despite the rookie’s performance earning him a minus seven in the box score – and while he didn’t help the Cavaliers win – he didn’t cause them to lose. Part of managing a long regular season and preparing for the playoffs is playing guys along the way who will never see the court in the playoffs unless it’s a blowout.
The real reason the Cavaliers lost that game was simple. The Cleveland Cavaliers went 17-34 from the free throw line. The Cleveland Cavaliers made four more three-pointers that the Kings. They attempted 12 more free throws and hit two fewer! They played a game where they won pretty much everywhere but the final score because they didn’t make shots from the charity stripe.
Let’s not complicate matters. This team needs to find its groove and find some rotations that keep their stars more rested. They also have to shoot better than 50% from the free throw line. Further benching the bench is the worst possible solution.
The Cavaliers have more moves to make
Talk about Carmelo Anthony all you want, but the arms race in the NBA has just begun. The trade deadline is February 23. The playoff eligibility deadline is March 1. Useful players will be cut, traded, and otherwise find their ways into the playoffs via buyouts over the next month and a half. The Cavaliers already traded for Kyle Korver. The Cavaliers are still going to get J.R. Smith back. The Cavs still have capabilities to get things done with trade exceptions and a couple of contracts at their disposal. There’s time for them to add more talent.
Channing Frye didn’t arrive on the Cavaliers roster until February 18 last season. Frye was integral to the Cavaliers making it to the NBA Finals, including one game where he was unconscious from three and dropped 27 on the Atlanta Hawks.
Frye ended up not playing even a minute in three Finals games. For the entire series, he had two points. This isn’t an indictment of Channing Frye. It’s just to point out how complicated the team-building strategy is for a championship contender. You have to have flexibility, depth, and chemistry to win the whole thing. Simply put, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a lot of time to finalize the team that will enter the playoffs and even then it will look different from series to series as they advance, you know, presuming they advance.
The Cavaliers deserve criticism right now from top to bottom because of how they’re playing. I prefer to think the criticism should land mostly on the coaching staff and players more than the front office, but they all should stick together. That criticism, however, is couched in the understanding that this team isn’t doomed in the playoffs because of their unacceptable results right now. They still sit atop the East. They still have superior talent to anyone in the Eastern Conference. They still have the best player on the planet. They are still the reigning champs.
Maybe stop digging foxholes on either side of the war between chill out and lambast. With proper perspective, both sides can be correct.
2 Comments
LeBron is like Trump when it comes to opening his mouth. If they’d both just shut up and do their jobs, they’d be better off. But they both have to keep stop stirring the pot, going public with things that should remain in-house, and unnecessarily saying stupid things.
agree with all. Yes, drama is his oxygen but, yes, the guy who had the cajones and power to put the team and city on his back and break the championship drought has earned irrational bitching rights. I’ll take LeBron and his jack-in-the-box prima donna outbreaks over the solid and quiet Atlanta Hawks all day long.
And agree about playing Felder now. If Pop, who’s tracking the Warriors, can judiciously develop 20 year old Murray, why not the Cavs. Nothing says you can only win a trophy with a 60% geezer roster. Gimme Felder over Dohntay Jones in the playoiffs if you are willing to give him some regular minutes.