Cleveland Cavaliers: Grading Each Players’ Performance In 2012-13
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished with a record of 24-58 in a season that cost coach Byron Scott his job. Still, there were some bright spots for the team in 2012-13.
Here is an overview of the roster, along with a grade for each player.
Kyrie Irving, PG
22.5 points, 5.9 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 59 games
The second-year floor general turned in a solid effort this season after being voted NBA Rookie of the Year for 2011-12. Other than Irving, only LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant averaged at least 22.5 points, 5.5 assists, and 3.5 rebounds.
Kyrie Irving has yet to play a full season in the NBA. (Photo Credit: slimm978, Flickr.com)
The league’s 30 head coaches were certainly impressed and, despite the fact he missed 23 games due to injury, collectively named Irving as a reserve for the All-Star Game.
Turnovers were a bit of an issue for Irving at 3.7 per game and his defensive rating of 110–an estimate of points allowed per 100 possessions–made him a bit of a liability.
Whether Irving can develop into a better defender will be determined next season under new bench boss Mike Brown, but with speed and ball-handling skills that rival anyone in the NBA, the Cavaliers may have to live with his defensive weaknesses if he continues to offer that kind of offensive production.
Grade: A
11.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, .488 FG%, 82 games
Taken with the fourth pick in the 2011 draft, three spots after Irving, the 6’8″ forward had a an impressive sophomore season. Thompson, the starter at the No. 4 spot, was one of just two Cavaliers to appear in all 82 games.
Is there another level for Tristan Thompson? (Photo Credit: Erik Drost, Flickr.com)
Thompson gobbled up 22.1 percent of available defensive rebounds and more than 13 percent at the other end of the floor.
The most glaring downside to Thompson’s game was his free-throw shooting percentage (60.8) but overall he was a valuable member of the team.
His win share total–the estimate of the number of wins contributed by a player– was 5.2 and bested only by Irving (5.3).
I am curious to see if Thompson can raise his game to another level next season.
Grade: B+
Dion Waiters, SG
14.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists
Drafted fourth overall in 2012, the rookie missed 20 games due to injury and one for personal reasons, but still managed to make a name for himself. Waiters was named Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February, was a member of the NBA All-Rookie First Team and finished second in per-game scoring among first-year players behind Damian Lillard‘s 19.1.
The product of Syracuse University poured in 33 points and dished out five assists in a 124-118 loss to the Sacramento Kings on Jan. 14.
Waiters struggled from the field–shooting 41.2 percent–and will need to improve that area of his game.
Hopefully Waiters can play somewhere closer to a full season in 2013-14.
Grade: A
Alonso Gee, G
10.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 82 games
The fourth-year guard was the only other Cavalier to appear in every game. He proved to be a reliable option for the team and contributed at both ends of the floor. In addition to chipping in with a double-digit scoring average, Gee also was active on defense as he registered 1.3 steals per game.
If Gee, who logged an average of 31 minutes per game, were to duplicate this output next season, I don’t think there would be any complaints.
Grade: B+
The 6’10”, 245-pounder was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies in a mid-season trade.
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Generated 5/31/2013.
Although Speights received only a slight bump in playing time, the increased minutes and change of scenery suited him well.
He has a player option on his contract for 2013-14 valued at $4.5 million.
Grade: B+
Tyler Zeller, C
7.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 26.4 minutes, 77 games
Another rookie, the 7’0″ center was called upon to play a major role. Zeller, who made 55 starts, topped out with a 20-point performance early on in a 103-91 loss to the Boston Celtics on Dec. 19.
The knock on Zeller is that he is foul prone and needs to pass out of the post more, but neither of those criticisms are overly surprising for a young big man.
Zeller has the ability to haul in double-figure rebounds on a nightly basis.
Grade: B
A 6’4″ guard, Ellington was also acquired in the trade that sent Jon Leuer to the Grizzlies.
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Generated 5/31/2013.
Much like Speights, he responded well to the move, but saw a more significant increase in playing time.
Grade: B+
14.1 points, 14.4 rebounds, 25 games
Anderson Varajao suffered a season-ending knee injury in December. (Photo via Creative Commons)
The 6’10” spark plug suffered a right knee injury and missed the final 57 games. That’s unfortunate because he was on pace for a career-best year.
However, Varejao has not played anything close to a full season since 2009-10, when he appeared in 76 contests.
Grade: C
Daniel Gibson, PG
5.4 points, 1.8 assists, 46 games
He has fallen off the map the last two seasons. Gibson appeared in just 35 games in 2011-12 and was limited to 46 games in 2012-13, sometimes as a result of injury but other times based on the coach’s decision to hold him out of the lineup.
The team obviously has better options in the backcourt and the free-agent-to-be is unlikely to return to the Cavaliers next season.
Grade: D
Shaun Livingston, PG
7.2 points, 3.6 assists, 49 games
Signed as a free agent on Dec. 25, Livingston provided solid minutes as a reserve point guard. It was nice to see him make a contribution after battling injuries for most of his career.
Grade: B-
C.J. Miles, SG
11.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 65 games
The eighth year guard provided a scoring boost off the bench, pouring in his double-figure points in just 21 minutes per game. But like most of the team, he struggled at the defensive end.
Grade: C+
Omri Casspi, F
4.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 43 games
He missed 12 games due to an appendectomy, but Casspi was a disappointment even when healthy. After wasting space on the roster for two seasons, he will be a free agent and there is no way he returns.
Grade: F
Luke Walton, F
3.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 50 games
Decent numbers for a guy who logged just 17.1 minutes per game and lacked a prominent role on the court. I imagine his veteran presence was appreciated on a team with so many young players.
Grade: B-