Waiting is the Hardest Part

The bad news is that the Cavaliers have dropped five straight – their longest skein in almost two years. The good news is that help is on the way.

After a brutal first month of the season, Cleveland gets a nice little break here at the beginning of December. (They need it.) Between today and next Thursday, they play a total of two games – and could have two or three of their key players back in uniform when they return to The Q on Tuesday night.

Coach Brown has said – since last Friday – that if these were playoff games, LeBron James would be in uniform. But the organization also knows that this team is built for the bigger picture and, rather than risk a nagging injury that could return, it’s best for the Cavaliers to take their lumps now and have a healthy James later.

LeBron’s absence is as much a testament that he’s the league’s Most Valuable Player as his presence. And it’s not all about wins and losses or LeBron’s personal numbers, either. The reason James is so incredibly valuable – as it always has been – is what he does for his teammates.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas – just to cite one example – looked rejuvenated to start the year, hitting the 18-footer off the pick-and-pop with LeBron. Over the last five contests, however, he’s averaging just eight shots a game.

What’s been most frustrating to Mike Brown through LeBron’s injury is that in the past, when James went down, the team would dig for something extra. They were 9-3 without him before this year, and looked to have a chip on their shoulder without LeBron. This year, it’s been just the opposite.

Brown was wearing that frustration on Tuesday night.

“Obviously if LeBron plays, we’re a lot better team – he does a lot for us,” said Brown. “I know for a fact that we’ve won ballgames without LeBron. Do I want to be without LeBron for a long time let alone one game? No sir. But LeBron is human; he’s got to rest, and if he’s out, we’ve got to at least fight. Against Boston I thought we fought. Against Toronto we didn’t defend. Against Detroit I thought everybody came out in the second half and tried to do it on their own. Tonight we flat out gave in.”

The Cavaliers showed more fight against Washington, but it took them falling into a 28-point hole to do so.

That fight that Mike Brown was talking about will return when Anderson Varejao gets back to form. An unfortunate effect of his contract holdout was that people focused solely on Andy’s numbers. But his contribution can’t always be measured by points or rebounds. His contributions are intangible: energy, heart, hustle, extra possessions, frustrating the opponent. These contributions sound trivial – until you’re not getting them.

Losing streak aside, there have been positives from the last few games. Shannon Brown has looked really good, averaging 16.5 ppg over the last two contests. I realize the word “showcase” has been used to describe his last two starts. That’s a front office issue, but it sure would be tough to lose a player with such unlimited athletic potential. The mental mistakes will fade with experience.

Ira Newble has done yeoman’s work on both ends of the floor and Dwayne Jones, whose minutes will diminish with Anderson’s arrival, has shown that he’s a legitimate NBA big man. He’s got limitations – especially on offense – but provided some toughness to a team in desperate need of it.

Larry Hughes has struggled to stay healthy since his arrival in Cleveland, but when he’s got his game working, is a valuable piece of the puzzle. He worked out on Tuesday morning and could practice when the Cavaliers take the floor at CCC on Friday.

“It’s frustrating, but I’m trying not to get down,” said Hughes after Tuesday’s shoot around. “I always have to look at things positively, knowing that I’m doing everything I can do to get my body ready to work on my basketball skills. But (injuries) happen – I don’t know why and I don’t really want to ask why – but I just have to keep pushing through it.”

The Cavaliers are close to getting their regular unit back together. They’re a team built for spring basketball, not December. Hopefully, Danny Ferry and Mike Brown are building for, what Austin Carr calls, “the crescendo.” In the meantime, the Wine and Gold have a get-well game to prepare for against a team with a longer losing streak than them.