At some point, the Cavs are going to need to win games.  The rebuild is not nearly close to completion.  There is a lot of talk by Cavs fans discussing a time frame.  Many want the Cavs to be players in the lottery for another year and then to make the leap into the playoffs.  With the way that the recent first round draft picks are playing, it may be time to put those playoff aspirations on hold for the foreseeable future. 

Tristan Thompson is typically my scapegoat for his limited offensive game, but he has played fairly well in the five games that Anderson Varejao has been out of the lineup.  I still do not consider Thompson an ideal player to have start on a playoff contender due to his offensive limitations, but he always plays hard and provides good defense.  With experience and improvement, he could develop into a player who shoots a high percentage despite his poor offense.

On the other hand, Dion Waiters has officially made this blogger concerned.  It is early in his career and he has only played in 23 games, but his shooting and shot selection are alarmingly bad.  Dion Waiters shot 7-21 against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.  This marked the tenth time in 23 games where the rookie shooting guard shot 33% or worse.  Waiters has shot better than 50% from the field in only four games.  One could make the argument that he is a young player who is confident and that the shots will eventually fall.  Perhaps that is true.  Until then, the Cavs used a very high lottery pick on a guy who shoots a lot and at a very poor clip.  Until he corrects his significant flaws, Dion Waiters will not live up to his pre-draft expectations.

As far as the game goes, Kyrie Irving was spectacular.  Irving scored 28 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, had 5 assists and 4 steals.  Most impressive was the buzzer-beating 40 foot three point shot to end the first half despite being covered by what felt like the entire Atlanta Hawks squad defending him.  As great as Irving was on the offensive end, he was at least partially responsible for giving up a career night to Jeff Teague.  The fourth year point guard scored a career-high 27 points on only 19 shots. 

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For the first time in the current campaign, the Cleveland Cavaliers have themselves a win streak.  The Cavs (7-23) not only won their first consecutive game of the season, but they won on the road for only the fourth time.  This loss drops the Washington Wizards to a 3-23 record, which makes them the worst team in the NBA.  Both of these teams have quite a bit in common.  They both won the NBA lottery recently and have taken point guards with the top pick.  The Wizards and Cavs have drafted shooting guards high in the first round and both Bradley Beal and Dion Waiters are struggling from the field so far in their rookie seasons.  Both teams have Brazilian centers who make their teams play better when healthy.  Last but not least, both teams are in the process of rebuilding but don't appear to be getting better despite the yearly addition of high lottery picks. 

The Wizards have a problem with health.  John Wall has not played a game yet this year.  With the addition of veterans like Nene, Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza, one has to think that they would have more than three wins if John Wall were playing.  The Wizards big men were giving the Cavs problems throughout the game.  Emeka Okafor and Nene combined for 33 points on 58% shooting.  The absence of Anderson Varejao surely had a role in their dominance in the paint, but nobody knows to what extent.  Nene had two and-one baskets in the first quarter alone.  Despite their dominance, the Cavs were able to make up for it in other areas and ultimately go home with the win.

The Cavs should have probably lost the game.  The Wizards were much better at rebounding and shooting than the Cavs, but they made up for it with fewer turnovers, more free throws made and attempted, three pointers made, total possessions, 2nd chance points and turnovers.  The Cavs shot a horrible 37.8% compared to the Wizards who shot a respectable 46.1%.  If a team gets enough extra possessions, they often have an opportunity to win. 

The Cavs got off to a slow start and found themselves trailing 22-10 after seven minutes.  The first quarter ended with Daniel Gibson converting on a three point attempt and Kyrie Irving making two free throws.  The Cavs trailed 26-22 going into the second quarter and they didn't have their first lead in the game until a C.J. Miles three pointer put the Cavs up 31-30 with 7:58 left in the second quarter.  Kyrie Irving made 5 of 7 shots in the second quarter on his way to 12 points.  Irving was putting on a show for the Wizards fans.  At one point, Irving had an impressive crossover and he made a three pointer from the top of the arc.

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With fear of the Mayan apocalypse finally in their rear view mirror, a relieved Cavalier squad marched into Milwaukee and beat the Bucks for the first time in ten tries, simultaneously ending a six game losing streak and a rather epic 17-game skid against divisional opponents. As a topper, Luke Walton was a key contributor off the bench in the 94-82 win, leading some to speculate that the end of the world is perhaps still imminent after all.

If it’s excitement yee be seeking on this holiday weekend, Milwaukee—as is ever the case—would not be the place to find it. For several decades now, it has been generally agreed upon by the sports observing public that the Bucks are, in fact, the single least interesting franchise in the three major pro sports, rivaled only by the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Padres. And yet, over the last few seasons, Wisconsin’s forgettable, phantom-like NBA team has thoroughly dominated the hapless Cavaliers. Sure, you probably have less than sketchy memories of the nine straight wuppings the Bucks inflicted upon the Wine & Gold prior to this “pivotal” Central Division scrum, but a quick check of the stat book reveals two heartbreaking defeats this season alone, including a buzzer-beating three from Brandon Jennings to clinch a Bucks win in Milwaukee way back on November 3rd. That loss sent Cleveland’s record under .500 for the first time this season, and they haven’t looked back since.

Tonight, however, things would be different—if not particularly “entertaining.” While the Cavs (6-23) were playing 24 hours after a home loss to Indiana, and the Bucks (14-12) were fresh off a hard-fought win over Boston, it was Milwaukee that came out looking lethargic on their home floor, falling behind 46-37 at the half and never really making a significant run after the break. November’s hero, Brandon Jennings, was brutal from start to finish in this one, connecting on just 3-of-13 shots and 1-of-6 from downtown. This left basically the entire scoring burden on a struggling Monta Ellis, who has been shooting at just a 36% clip in December. Fortunately for the Bucks, however, the site of Cleveland colors has historically transformed Ellis into the second coming of Earl Monroe, and tonight was no exception. While his teammates were just 16-for-52 (31%) from the field on the night, Monta shot 15-for-27 for a game-high 37 points.

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Joakim Noah may not think so, but a trip to Cleveland can be pretty sweet.  Then again, Noah doesn’t play for the Toronto Raptors, who entered play on Tuesday night with just one road victory in fifteen tries.  Of course, the Cavs, who fell to 3-8 at home and 5-21 overall haven’t exactly written the book on winning at home in 2012.

Playing without Andrea Bargnani and Kyle Lowry, the visiting Raptors leaned heavily on Jose Calderon at the offensive end and a great effort from Amir Johnson on the other end, en route to a 113-99 victory.  For the better part of three quarters, this match-up was exactly what you’d expect to see from two bad teams, but the home team relinquished the lead at the end of the third quarter and put their best forward towards making the Association’s lone Canadian chapter into Red Auerbach’s Celtics.

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