“The season starts next Wednesday, so we need to either get it together or keep getting blown out some more,” said LeBron James after Friday night’s thumping in Boston. “That’s as simple as it is, either get it together or get blown out.”The Chosen One is very good at many things. Sugar-coating the truth is not one of them.
The Cavaliers dropped their final exhibition game on Friday – once again in ignominious fashion – and their leader is rightfully concerned. The Wine and Gold went 2-6 in last year’s preseason, but they had all their pieces parts and didn’t have the pressure of being Eastern Conference Champs.
Only a pair of Dwayne Jones free throws have kept the Cavaliers from going winless in October. And Cleveland has lost its last two games – including Thursday’s drubbing in Toronto – by a combined 58 points. On Friday night, in what should have been a pretty convincing tune-up, Mike Brown’s club was out-hustled and out-muscled – giving up 62 points in the paint and allowing the new-look C’s to shoot 60 percent from the floor. They had ten turnovers in a single quarter and made Big Baby Davis look like Big Bill Russell.
Cleveland finished the preseason as the lowest-scoring club in the league, averaging a paltry 83.6 points per contest. The Cavaliers were also the only club to finish the exhibition schedule with a shooting percentage under 40 percent – (.394).
Is all this reason to panic? Of course not. As noted, the Cavaliers didn’t light the world on fire last October. Atlanta finished 7-1 and it’s doubtful that they’ll win at an .875 clip this year; Miami was 0-7.
But the Cavaliers struggles can’t be easily dismissed either. Their second unit has been listless and point guards have devoured Cleveland in the paint. They ranked near the bottom of the league in turnovers, three-point shooting and assists. Dwayne Jones – who played in four games and was inactive for 73 – has been their most effective big off the bench.
“I think we are still a good team, its just about finding our niche, finding our stride,” said Larry Hughes. “And hopefully we can get that done sooner than later. We are still focused on being a good team.”
It doesn’t get much easier for the Wine and Gold. In fact, it gets much more difficult in the coming days and weeks. After facing off against the heavyweight Mavericks in Wednesday’s home opener, they welcome in the Knicks – who always play the Cavaliers tough, with or without Zach Randolph. After that, it’s six out West, including games against the Suns, Jazz and Nuggets.
Neither side has budged in the contract imbroglios of Anderson Varejao or Sasha Pavlovic, and Devin Brown and Cedric Simmons haven’t exactly made fans forget about either one, either. Teams are making their final cuts, and someone could shake loose that could help. Juwan Howard recently accepted a buyout from the Timberwolves and Cleveland is on his short list of destinations. Local product, Earl Boykins, remains unsigned.
In the meantime, Mike Brown needs to fix the problems he’s having with the men he’s got in his locker room. Boston killed the Cavaliers in the paint and Toronto did them in from long range. His offense isn’t scoring and his second unit – save Damon Jones – has shown little signs of life.
It’s not all bad. LeBron James and Larry Hughes look like they’ve improved their jumpers from last season. Daniel Gibson continues to grow and Shannon Brown – despite a spate of preseason turnovers – looks ready to contribute.
But the Cavaliers need to get the entire team on the same page come Wednesday night. It would have taken a big effort to beat the Mavericks with the squad at full-strength; without them, it might take something superhuman.
Luckily, superhuman effort is one of those previously mentioned things that LeBron James is very good at.
No comments:
Post a Comment