Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 bad trends in their 6 defeats
By Ryan Piers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing worse than almost anyone expected. The reasons why may surprise you.
Ten games into the season and the Cleveland Cavaliers are 4-6. The ship isn’t sinking. The walls aren’t crumbling. And the panic button hasn’t been pushed. But coach Tyronn Lue’s hand is hovering inches above it.
Twelve percent of the NBA season is in the books and the Cavaliers are in an unpredictable spot. A veteran-laded team built for the postseason is floundering against some of the league’s weakest rosters. Sunday, the Cavs lost to the Atlantic Hawks as tempers flared on the bench.
Aside from the Hawks, Cleveland has lost to the Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. Those six teams are a combined 24-30, and only one of the squads ranked in the top 20 in HoopsHabit‘s preseason NBA Power Rankings.
So yeah, so far, not so good. The defending Eastern Conference champions aren’t just losing, they’re getting thumped by bad teams. Or at least teams we thought were bad entering the season.
But why? Why are the Cavaliers losing? It’s certainly not because of LeBron James, who dropped 57 points on Friday.
There are common denominators in each loss; comparable blemishes that led to defeat. Pinpointing them will do little to improve the Cavs’ chances, but at least you, dear reader, will be better informed as you watch them stumble in the near future.