The Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling terribly in the month of January. Practices and meetings have failed to make a difference, so coach Tyronn Lue has made a lineup change. Will this change help the team in the long run?
Where do I begin with this Cleveland Cavaliers team?
Since I officially started covering the Cavaliers and writing about them in 2011, this is the worst I’ve ever seen this team. They just cannot do anything right.
It went from them struggling defensively inside the post to them not being able to execute basic fundamentals.
Things have gotten so bad with this squad they’re starting to point fingers at each other. They’re questioning the legitimacy of a player being sick, as the case was with Kevin Love.
Love got knocked down by LaMarus Aldridge in San Antonio on Monday, and while he was on the ground, Jae Crowder stepped over him to pass the ball in.
This is supposed to be his teammate. It shouldn’t matter what personal issues or vendettas players have against each other. When they’re on the court, chemistry and continuity are all that should matter.
Tristan Thompson: "I don’t care if X don’t like X off the court. I really don’t give a s---. As long as you’re on the court playing hard & playing for each other, that’s all that matters to me. We don’t got to talk to each other off the court. As long as we talk on the court..."
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) January 25, 2018
I don’t think any Cavs fan saw this deep of an implosion happening.
Everybody knew about the January struggles, but as I stated in my last article, this is different.
Since Isaiah Thomas came back, it’s been a completely different team. He still doesn’t know his place within the offense.
When Thomas was with the Boston Celtics, he was looked at as the No. 1 option. He had the green light to shoot the ball or penetrate to the hole anytime he wanted. The only true help he had consistently was Al Horford and Avery Bradley.
King James Gospel
He doesn’t have to be the top option on this Cavaliers team. The team is full of talent. All he has to do is play his game, facilitate the ball and let the play develop
Instead, he’s shooting low percentage shots as soon as he touches the ball. It’s obvious that he’s still trying to get into NBA shape and his legs just aren’t there yet. He missed a number of easy layups on Monday against the San Antonio Spurs. He’s not able to elevate.
Those attempts are hurting an offense that is already discombobulated and lost. It’s still a team without an identity.
I know fans and players think this is a 3-point shooting team, but it isn’t. They’re not built for that. The Cavs are a balanced team that succeeds off ball movement, high percentage shots and the pick-and-roll/pop.
It’s been a disappointing and frustrating start to the new year for Cavs fans and players. Nobody around the league could imagine these struggles with this amount of talent on one roster.
Yes, they are the oldest team in the NBA, but talents trumps all. The Spurs seem to be doing just fine with 96-year old Manu Ginobili (okay, not that old, he’s only 40) and Tony Parker.
There’s no excuse.
The month-long struggles have finally led coach Tyronn Lue to make a lineup change. Hopefully, it isn’t two weeks too late.
According to Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, Lue is going to put Love back at the power forward and start Tristan Thompson at center against the Indiana Pacers Friday night, moving Jae Crowder back to the bench.
Lue believes Thompson will give the team a better defensive presence inside and it will help Thomas acclimate himself within the offense through the pick-and-roll.
I haven’t said much good about Thompson in recent years, but he is one of the best bigs in the NBA at the pick-and-roll. He’s always the first one to set it for LeBron James when they’re on the floor, and it made shots a lot easier for that player on the Celtics who shall not be named. (Yes, I’m petty.)
Unfortunately, according to ESPN Stats & Info, the last time that five-man lineup was on the floor was against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 11 — and they lost by 34.
Tyronn Lue announced that the new Cavaliers starting lineup will be Isaiah Thomas, JR Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. That 5-man lineup has only played in one game, January 11 at Toronto. The Cavaliers lost that game by 34.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 26, 2018
A lot of Cavaliers fans wanted Lue to bench J.R. Smith, who is struggling atrociously this season. Smith even mentioned he would join the rotation if that was Lue’s choice, per McMenamin.
He’s only shooting 33.8 percent from downtown, which ties his percentage with the Denver Nuggets in 2009-10 for the lowest mark of his career. In that season he struggled from long range, but was still scoring in different ways and averaged 15.4 points per game.
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This year, he’s averaging 7.4 points per game. He’s a one-dimensional player now. Smith isn’t even playing wing defense as strongly as he has the past three years.
Yet, he’s still in the starting lineup.
I don’t know if moving Dwyane Wade, Kyle Korver or Iman Shumpert into the starting lineup would change things, but at least it’d let the team and fans know that Lue isn’t going to put up with lethargic play.
However, there have also been rumors of a potential trade with the Sacramento Kings that would send George Hill to the team.
If it were 2013, I would love a possible trade, but Hill hasn’t been the same player in years. He had a career-high scoring average of 16.9 points per game with the Utah Jazz last season, but he was was very injury-prone.
He doesn’t address anything this team needs. He’d be another defensive liability.
Wonder how Cavs fans will react to the “far apart” headline after they also read “Hill is the 9th-worst defender in the NBA this year” and “Also, a league source told https://t.co/F9xtS3adDY that Hill may still be dealing with a sore toe that nagged him last season.” https://t.co/9rb3Fmvhgx
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) January 25, 2018
Rachel Nichols of ESPN.com states that he’s the ninth-worst-defender in the NBA, and he could still be playing with a sore toe, which could be why he’s been sidelined with the Kings for most of the season.
I would rather the Cavaliers trade for need and stick with Derrick Rose as the backup than waste a trade on a player that isn’t 100 percent. If they were to acquire him, the good thing is he’s shooting a career-high from 3-point range at 44.8 percent — which would tie Jose Calderon for the best mark on the roster.
The Cavaliers are 3-7 in the month of January so far. That’s the worst they’ve been since James came back in 2015. Nobody foresaw the struggles and issues among the players coming into 2018. The best thing is for the month to end, and start anew in February.
I still believe this team will be fine and win the Eastern Conference. But it must make the correct trades in order to do so. As the Cavaliers stand right now, they would lose to the Boston Celtics in the conference finals.
It pains me to say that, but with all the current issues, it would be their fate. They must become a cohesive unit and show the talent that is on the roster. As Lue said, put the personal agendas aside and just play basketball.
It’s been disheartening to watch and write about this sudden collapse, but it’s an easy fix.
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The team will be just fine. They need to do some soul-searching and realize why they’re here, which is for one goal — get the Cavaliers their second championship in franchise history.