Written by Demetri Inembolidis

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The Cavs failed to capitalize on an opportunity to have their fourth win streak of the season after dropping an overtime game to the New Jersey Nets.  New Jersey won the game with a final score of 122-117.  The effort was not lost, however.  There were positive things to take away from the game and to hopefully build upon moving forward.

Most importantly, the play of Donald Sloan and Lester Hudson comes to mind.  Sunday marked the final day in Hudson’s ten day contract and he made a very strong case for why Cleveland should re-sign him.  He had the type of weekend that would have ESPN abuzz if he were playing for a team like the Knicks.  In the previous two games for the Cavaliers, Hudson scored 24.5 PPG.  The sample size is small, but it is difficult to not be impressed with how comfortable he looks playing basketball.  The most impressive moment in the game was when Hudson converted on a three point attempt to tie the game with 0.3 seconds left.

Lester Hudson’s night was so impressive, it overshadowed the game that Donald Sloan had.  His 23% shooting was not impressive, but he exhibited solid point guard skills.  Sloan had a quiet 14 assists and only 2 turnovers.

Nobody knows what the future holds for both of the new Cavaliers guards.  Lester Hudson is 27 years old and Donald Sloan has bounced around the Developmental League quite a bit.  Cleveland fans would be wise to not worry about their potential or what kind of contracts they deserve and to simply enjoy the show.  These guys are making the Cavaliers fun to watch again.  

The excessive injuries to the Cavs has forced Chris Grant to scour the Developmental League for free agents.  Having members of the Cavs who are are playing for their NBA lives has had an unintended consequence of making the team fun to watch.  If the Cavs get blown out by a contender, the blow is softened quite a bit if the team plays hard.  Nobody is excited to watch Anthony Parker and Antawn Jamison play big minutes in a blowout loss.  

The Cavs were not the only team to have an unexpected boost from a free agent who was playing in the Developmental League.  Gerald Green has to have the four previous teams that he played for scratching their heads.  Earlier in the year, Green was lacing them up for the Los Angeles D-Fenders.  Against the Cavs, he poured in 32 points on an efficient 17 shots.  If it weren’t for Green, it is very likely that the Cavs would have left Newark as the victors.  

If there is one thing that the 2011-2012 season has taught NBA fans, it is that there are hidden gems to be found.  Jeremy Lin was one positive Baron Davis injury report away from not being on the Knicks before he kicked off “Linsanity.”  If a team is out of the playoff race or rebuilding, it seems like the smartest decision is to try and find hidden gems.  They are out there, are available and eager to do well.  Their future depends on the hard work that they are willing to put in.  

Immediately prior to the big three point shot that Lester Hudson made with 0.3 seconds left, our old friend Sundiata Gaines was called for an offensive foul.  The foul gave the Cavs an opportunity to tie the game and they made the most of it.  It could have been quite the ironic moment if a Sundiata Gaines offensive foul led to a Cavaliers win, but it did not work out that way.

Antawn Jamison had a rare efficient performance.  He had a game-high 34 points on only 19 shots.  Because he was hitting his shots, it gave Tristan Thompson a lot of room to operate.  Thompson did not have as an impressive performance against the Nets as he did in their prior meeting, but 15 points and 15 rebounds is always welcome from a rookie big man who has a lot of room for growth.  It will be interesting to see how Tristan Thompson reacts if Anderson Varejao returns from injury this year.  

The Good: With this loss, the Cavs have helped solidify their draft position.  If the lottery were held today, Cleveland would have the best odds at picking fourth overall.  Very little is known about which players are going to declare, but having a top four pick would bode very well for the team moving forward.  Speaking of the draft, MarShon Brooks is the exact type of player that the Cavs should be targeting with the Lakers pick.  The Cavs need guys who can make baskets and Brooks would look great in a Cavs jersey.  The Nets seem to have made a great pick when they selected Brooks.  

The Bad: The Cavs are now 0-4 in overtime games.  

The Ugly: Omri Casspi took a three point shot that was wide-left and then he had an ugly turnover a few possessions later.  I do not understand what went wrong with Casspi.  Either I was not paying close enough attention when he was in Sacramento, or he has reverted drastically since coming to Cleveland.