Hoops Habit
Fansided

NBA Power Rankings: Hot or Cold Edition

By Maxwell Ogden

Jan 11, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) shows emotion against the Washington Wizards in the second quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2015; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Jeff Teague (0) shows emotion against the Washington Wizards in the second quarter at Philips Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
17 of 31
Next
Jan 11, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) high fives guard J.R. Smith (5) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) after a play against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-84. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 11, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love (0) high fives guard J.R. Smith (5) and guard Kyrie Irving (2) after a play against the Sacramento Kings during the fourth quarter at Sleep Train Arena. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-84. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

15. Cleveland Cavaliers

Previous: No. 14

Record: 19-20

Last Week: 0-4

Verdict: Ice Cold

The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t championship contenders. At this rate, the Cavaliers won’t even be one of the Top 5 teams in the Eastern Conference.

Cleveland has lost six consecutive games and is now below .500 with the mid-way point of the 2014-15 season approaching.

Cleveland entered the week at 19-16, but it lost all four games it played to thus fall to 19-20. Since December 30, the Cavaliers have gone 1-6 without LeBron James in the rotation.

James returned to score 33 points on 11-of-18 shooting against the Phoenix Suns, but it wasn’t enough for Cleveland to secure a win.

Something is off in Cleveland, which is why the organization has traded for the likes of Timofey Mozgov, Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love failed to lead the Cavs to wins in James’ absence, but this team has been inconsistent since Day 1.

As it presently stands, Cleveland is not a contender. That should change with the amount of talent on the roster.

Next: Within Striking Distance