Don’t get me wrong. I love it as much as the next guy when the Cavaliers win. But when they lose nowadays (and that’s quite often), my heart doesn’t fall out of my chest as it did in the bygone days of Mark Price and Brad Daugherty and that guy from Akron St.V-St.M. All those regular-season games back then really meant something: momentum and playoff seeding.

My expectations for the current Cavs are extremely low, but I want them to perform well...sort of. They seem like nice guys. Most games, they play their hearts out. They are even more entertaining to watch than their record might indicate. Hell, Andy Varejao is worth the price of admission all by his ownself. If they win, that means they're making progress; but if they lose, they're on their way to more ping-pong balls in the spring draft.

That said, the team's future is still hazy, maybe even cloudy. Just two of their current players might be starters on a playoff-caliber team. You know their names: Irving and Varejao. From his point-guard position, Kyrie has the basketball smarts and athletic ability to take over a ball game. And as for Andy? I’ve never, ever seen a player bring as much energy to a game as he does. He is easily the second-most watchable Cav in the past 20 years. (Aside: If Andy doesn’t make the all-star team this year, there is something very, very wrong with the NBA.)

But the rest of the team is very suspect. As a matter of fact, as things stand today, it would appear that beyond Kyrie and Andy, there aren’t many other serviceable parts.

General manager Chris Grant has drafted fourth in the first round the past two years and has received, at best, a couple of guys who might make decent second-stringers on a playoff-caliber team. This is not all his fault, because the college players available in those two drafts have, by and large, not possessed the cumulative talent level of previous drafts. No Tim Duncans or Dwight Howards or Derrick Roses.

So after choosing Irving #1 in 2011, Grant was content to draft two extremely athletic players—neither of whom have been especially impressive yet.

I love Tristan Thompson, 2011’s #4, who we’ve watched for about 100 games now. He gives some great interviews during the Cavs’ telecasts. But he reminds me of a big kangaroo. He can get from one end of the court to the other in the blink of an eye. He can jump out of the building. He’s got a big derrière. But he’s got little offense beyond the occasional dunk, and his defense is sometimes suspect. Like your average everyday kangaroo, he simply has no inkling of how to play the game, and he really hasn't shown much improvement since his debut last fall.

On the other hand, Dion Waiters, 2012’s #4, shows some promise. His three-point shooting has been a surprise. On occasion, he can get to the hole. His defense isn’t all that terrible. But—and it’s a big but—he is, like Irving, a point guard. Anybody tells you otherwise, he’s hallucinating. If and when the Cavs become contenders, they will probably possess a true two-guard who will relegate Waiters to the role of Kyrie’s back-up.

Holes to Fill
Despite playing some decent teams (Miami and Memphis) down to the wire earlier this week, the Cavs obviously have many holes to fill, as was evident in the loss to Phoenix, never mind that it was their fourth game in five nights. Actually, with the exception of Irving, they are not really any closer to being a bona fide contender than they were two years ago. And that’s bad news for fans of Varejao, because his value to the team at this juncture is probably as trade bait. By the time the Irving-led Cavaliers are ready to turn the corner, Andy will probably be pretty much over the hill, so it would actually be in the team’s best interest to move him to a current contender and avail themselves of either younger talent or a future high draft choice. Maybe even before the year's out, because his value will never be higher.

The difference between winning and losing in the NBA is the third starter. Teams with two all-star-caliber starters seldom have won championships in recent years; but teams with three all-star-caliber starters often end the season in the championship circle: Wade, Bosh and You-Know-Who; Pierce, Garnett and Allen; Bryant, Gasol and Bynum; Nowitzki, Marion and Terry. As it stands, the Cavs have two of those high-value starters, but one (Andy) is not likely to be around when they eventually, hopefully, contend.

The only way out of this admitted hole—created when a certain superstar jumped ship—is to draft, sign or trade for two all-star players to complement Irving, most likely a true shooting guard and a small forward or a center who can create his own shots. GM Grant will then have to find a couple more contributive bench players to go along with Thompson, Waiters, Tyler Zeller and maybe Alonzo Gee. All of which will take more time: two or three years minimum—and isn't that exactly what we were saying two long years ago?

So that’s why it certainly does a body good to see the Cavs win, but it doesn’t hurt quite so much when they lose. Game to game, there’s simply not that much on the line (a #3 or #4 position in next year’s draft versus maybe a #7 or #8 position). Either way, they have a lot of ground to make up before we can even think “playoffs,” much less “championship.” I know it. You know it. Dan Gilbert knows it. Byron Scott knows it. And, most importantly, Chris Grant knows it...I think.

Inept. Lifeless. Those are two good words to describe the Cavaliers, who fell to 3-12 with their fourth consecutive loss, 91-78 to Phoenix at the Q on Tuesday night. Playing their fourth game in five nights, the Cavaliers were flat, listless and sloppy right from the jump against the mediocre Suns, who came from 26 points down to beat Cleveland earlier this month.

The only bright spot on this cold night was Anderson Varejao. Nailing the outside shot and providing his usual manic hustle and energy, Varejao collected 20 points on 10-of-15 from the field and added 18 rebounds and 3 assists. I’ve long been an opponent of trading the big Brazilian, but it’s really a shame to see such a terrific player wasted on such a bad team.

Read more...

It was supposed to be an easy victory for the NBA's best team on Monday night.  The struggling Cavs (3-11) were missing their young superstar Kyrie Irving and the Memphis Grizzlies (10-2) had the benefit of playing at home.  The Cavs didn't get the memo.  The underhanded team played Memphis tough through three quarters and were within striking distance of winning the game.

The Cavs got off to a poor start and found themselves in a quick 9-2 deficit.  It looked to be a long night for the Cavs until Dion Waiters capped off a 12-6 run with a pair of converted free throws.  The Cavs took the lead with a Dion Waiters 19 foot jump shot with 1:22 remaining in the first quarter and held onto that lead until the fourth quarter.  The Cavs were outscored 22-9 in the last quarter.

Perhaps the Cavs were exhausted from putting up such a tough fight against the Grizzlies.  Whatever the reason, it looked like the Cavs were completely incapable of scoring in the fourth quarter unless it came off of a broken play or an extremely lucky shot.  The Grizzlies defense did not make things easy for the Cavs and it cost them the victory.  Kyrie Irving could have probably made a difference in the final quarter, but he was still sidelined with the fractured left finger.  It is a shame that Irving did not get to play because it was the exact type of game that Irving thrived in during his rookie season.  If his teammates can help him keep a game close through three quarters, he has an extra gear that is entertaining for Cavs fans to watch.

Read more...

JJ Hickson scored 20 points, Anderson Varejao put in 16 off the bench, Shaquile O'Neal had an effective 19 minutes and Daniel Gibson recorded 11 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists while replacing the injured Mo Williams in the starting lineup.  The Cavs improved upon their 42-11 record and were primed for a long playoff run with home court throughout the entire playoffs.

The date was February 11, 2010 and it was the last time the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Orlando Magic.  Since then, they have played 10 games against the Magic and have lost each one.  It goes without saying that the Magic were at an advantage during all but nine of those games because they were playoff contenders.  With the loss of Dwight Howard, this was quite possibly Cleveland's best chance at beating the Magic since they did so three seasons ago.  The Cavs were without Kyrie Irving for the second straight game, but the Magic also do not have the benefit of having two top four lottery picks on their roster.

Like other games this season, the Cavs came close to winning.  The final score was a 108-104 victory for the Orlando Magic.  In the world of professional sports, close is not good enough.  However, all is not doom and gloom in Cleveland.  Dion Waiters had one of his best games as a professional.  He recorded 25 points, 5 assists, 2 steals and 0 turnovers on an improved 41% shooting.  Waiters looked comfortable in his 12th game in the NBA.  The one criticism that can be made of Waiters against the Magic is that he shot far too many times from beyond the three point line.  There is not reason that Dion Waiters should ever shoot 11 threes in one game.  His strength is driving and breaking double teams.  With a highly-skilled screen setter in Anderson Varejao as a teammate, Waiters should be playing up to his skills.

Anderson Varejao was simply phenomenal again.  The Brazilian big man has played in 11 games this season and he has pulled down 15 rebounds in 6 of them.  Varejao finished the game with 19 points, 17 rebounds and 3 assists.  Things proved to be difficult for Varejao due to foul trouble.  He had his fourth foul with one minute left in the third quarter.  Unfortunately for the Cavs, Varejao becomes a leff effective player when he is in foul trouble due to the way he plays the game.

Read more...