Tag Archives: Kyrie Irving

2 Months Down, Where do the Cavs go from Here

LeBron James

It was a summer day in July, after days of speculation, innuendo, rumor and assumption Cleveland fans finally was on the good end of the joke for the first time in a long time. LeBron wrote (with the help of Lee Jenkins) a heart warming, humble letter and ode to his appreciation to northeastern Ohio. It was the spring that allowed hope to freely dance in the heart and minds of fans.

5 months later the Cavs are 19-14, in their last 10 games they’re an average 5-5 after coming off a streak where they won 8 straight games out of 10. Except where they stand now they wouldn’t have home court advantage if the playoffs started today. With their next 6 out of 9 games against opponents of teams who have an average winning percentage of .695 the Cavs will have their work cut out for them as they will have no LeBron as Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love deal with a knee bruise and back spasm respectively.

Yet they could use this time to define their bench as that has been a point of contention for this team and new coaching staff. With multiple changes to the starting lineup and no consistent rotation for the bench, if they could have the latter half of that equation figured out by the time LBJ comes back, life for the Cavs could be improved vastly.

The only problem with that is, they’re playing very good teams with established coaches who don’t have to figure out rotations, installing new defensive schemes, and learning the NBA game as a whole. While I believe the notion of learning the NBA game is overstated, dealing with strangers’ ego, personalities and fostering relationships isn’t. David Blatt didn’t come up through the ranks here such as guys like Erik Spoelstra, Mike Brown. While they were world beaters when they started, players knew them when they were assistants, they were the guys pulling film for them to study. They were able to build relationships which allowed for players to trust them when times get tough. Blatt, has very little of that. While there are players that will vouch for his brilliance as an offensive strategist, that list is very small and with a team with as many young players as the Cavs have those words only go so far.

While the coach definitely must prove to his players that he does indeed knows what he’s doing, the players at some point to have to buy in and give what the coach is saying a chance. I know, a real chicken and the egg situation. In the meantime I’ll list some things below the Cavs can do now to improve their fortunes before the All-Star break.

Kyrie Irving

1. Kyrie should distribute more; Kyrie might never be Chris Paul or Rajon Rondo when it comes to passing the ball, but if he’s going to average more turnovers than steals and less assist than Kobe per game then this team won’t go but so far. Too often Kyrie dribbles to not create for others, but to only create for himself. On pick and rolls, he either gives up the ball a beat too late or not at all. If he shifted his focus slightly to generating offense for others that would potentially open the floor for others and should lead to easier buckets for him.

Kyrie, Kevin, LeBron

2. Pick and roll and post action with Kevin Love. Love looks uncomfortable, he’s the third wheel to LeBron and Kyrie and while we could argue that shouldn’t be case, that’s the hand that’s been dealt. Get Love involved, this would probably increase his energy on the defensive end. Basketball is so much more fun when you know you’re going to touch the ball. It has energy, there’s nothing more frustrating than wanting to be involved past just inbounding the ball and grabbing rebounds.

How often have we seen pick and roll with Love and LBJ, Love and Kyrie. This would cause the defense to have to make a very hard decision, double and leave one open, go over the top and risk getting burned with the screener dashing to the hole, or popping out for a jump shot. Go behind and risk the man with the ball having space to rise up and shoot. It’s a simple enough concept, but under pressure, the obvious is easy to miss. Secondly, place Love in the post, let him create for him and others, he’s a good passer, and he can be efficient down low. This will also prevent him getting 3 happy. With him in the post you can runback door action, cutting, off ball pick and roll which could produce easy shots for others and not allow the defense to plant and double down on Love.

Remember Karl Malone and John Stockton, well they ran the 2 man game about as good as any big man guard combo ever. If the Cavs could implement this kind of action with Love, LBJ and Kyrie the three of them wouldn’t have to work so hard on offense and should reduce their turnovers so they don’t get crushed in transition.

NBA: Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic

3. Pick a starting rotation. Waiters, Dellavedova, Miller, Marion, pick one, stick with it, and let that be it. Nobody wins with the constant flux of guys in and out of the lineup. There’s a comfort in knowing when you’re going to play, knowing in general how many minutes you’ll get. It also allows you to prepare. If I know I’m only going to get 10 minutes with Halle Berry compared to a week, I’ll probably work a little faster, use more urgency. When you know who’s going to be on the court with you it allows you to figure out your approach to the game well before you get to the court.

I would say start Miller, hespreads the floor and doesn’t need the ball to be effective, he can spot up from any point on the floor and requires the defense play him honest or get burned if they double off of him.

Make Waiters your 6th man, commit to it. Develop him into your leader of the second team and pseudo back up point guard. He can score and create for others and with the second team he’s allowed the space to do so without stepping on toes that would allow for him to place his ego on the back burner when on the court with LBJ and crew cause he knows he’s going to have dedicated time on the court without them.

As for Dellavedova, the coaching staff loves his defense, me, not so much. However, it doesn’t look like he’s going anywhere so utilize him in spurts. While he’s on the floor for his defense he must be more discipline and not fall so hard for the pump fake, he’s putting too much pressure on the big men when guards drive past him. He also has to become a viable offensive threat, can’t play hot potato with the ball. Defenders lay off on him so far you’d think they were on a stake out when they’re guarding him. If he’s not going to shoot he can’t be on the floor, it places unfair pressure on everyone else.

Love, Miller, Harris High five4. High fives; I know, it was just as weird when I typed it as when you read it. Nonetheless, there was a study a few years back that teams that gave more high fives than others were more successful. It was a sign that they were more supportive of each other as teammates. This team looks like an arranged marriage at times. They deal with each other because they have to, not because they’re in love. I’m not suggesting they all have sleep overs and eat smores, but encouragement and support from one another can go a long way.

Six games out of the top seed in the Eastern Conference, 48 games left to make a move. While it’s not early, they have 4 months to get this team where they need to be to make a deep playoff run. The stakes are high, all eyes are on them, not a position a Cleveland team is used to being in, and one they won’t be in long if this falls apart.

Why Getting Kevin Love Doesn’t Equal Rings For Cavs

lebron kyrie kevin

 

After months of speculation, hear say, and rumors, the Cleveland Cavs and Minnesota Timberwolves have finally agreed to terms to exchange number one picks Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett for Kevin Love.

 

While this instantly give the Cavs one the most talented rosters in the league with the best player on the planet, top five point guard, and arguably the best power forward, there are still plenty of questions to be answered before the city of Cleveland starts planning a parade down Superior road.

 

The Cavs are no doubt the front runners of the Eastern Conference, however they are not without flaw and competition. The Chicago Bulls with a healthy Derrick Rose and adding Pau Gasol will be a dangerous team that will cause havoc for many front lines in the league. The Bulls have the potential to give the Cavs headaches with the combination of Joakim Noah and Gasol compared against Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, and Love. Defensively you would give the nod to the Bulls, Love hasn’t proven to be a defensive stall-wort despite his rebounding prowess and while Thompson is decent, he’s still developing as young big. Varejao will be dependable if he’s healthy, but as you get older you don’t get healthier, which if the Cavs suffer an injury to the oft injured Love or Varejao as Dolla Bill from Playa’s Club would say, there’s gonna be ‘trouble, trouble’.

 

The Bulls aren’t the only team that could derail the fairy tale ending for the Cavs, the Washington Wizards, and Miami Heat will also be formidable opponents. The Wizards with John Wall, Bradley Beal, Nene, Marcin Gortat as their core made it to the second round last year and with that experience might give them a leg up over some the Cavs young talent. The Wizards also added Paul Pierce which gives them a guy who has made big shots and can give that team confidence needed when adversity comes. Not to mention, they now have most ‘old man game’ players on their team with Pierce and Andre Miller. The only hinderance with the Wizards is their coach, Randy Wittman.

 

And finally the Miami Heat, reigning Eastern Conference Champions. Resigned Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh and acquired Josh McRoberts, Danny Granger and Luol Deng. Those five guys in a more balanced Eastern Conference can get you to .500 and if their role players can provide much assistant for a depleted Wade they could win close to 50 games. The Heat won’t be as dead as some would like to proclaim. Chris Bosh will now be the number one guy and should flourish considering he’s added the 3 point shot to his game over the last few years. Never forget in Toronto he averaged 20 points and 9 rebounds a game. With LeBron gone he’ll have more room and more shots to operate with. The biggest questions is going to be how long can Wade hold up. Can he play every other day when it comes time to the playoffs? Will his knee allow him to guard his position effectively and not be a defensive liability? History would tell us no from last year, but ego and motivation do wonders for the aged and hurt athlete, which he will have plenty of.

 

The Cavs as it stands today are my pick to win the Eastern Conference, but they are not perfect. Outside of finding some more big men, another question I have is, who is their back up point guard? Who’s the guy that’s going to run the second team? Obvious choice would be Dion Waiters however, it’s rumored he wants to start, and while he could reek havoc as a sixth man reference James Harden in Oklahoma City, he doesn’t seem to want that role. The Los Angeles Lakers in 2003-2004 that they had all the answers until their big 4 ran into the Detroit Pistons, the 2013-2014 Miami Heat were poised to win their third championship until the San Antonio Spurs went NBA Jame the arcade version from the 3 point line. Let’s not be so quick to schedule the ring ceremony, this process may take a little longer. While the pieces to the puzzle are on the table, they still have to be properly arranged into a cohesive picture.

 

What Kyrie Irvings’ All Star Appearance Means to the Cavs Rebuild

kyrie irving all star

Kyrie Irving in his second season has amassed high critical acclaim. Rookie of the year award, MVP in the rookie vs sophomore game, and now his first all star appearance.

Irving is a special talent no doubt, if he can avoid the injury bug, his ceiling is as high as any young star with potential.

However, what does this mean for the Cavs and their rebuilding strategy. The Cavs are one of the youngest teams in the league. Two second year players and a rookie comprise 60% of their starting lineup. Their bench consists of very few players that could crack an 8 man rotation on another NBA team and their roster as a whole lacks the presence of veterans needed to be successful.

So what is the Cavaliers plan? How long is losing to be accepted? When is the time to make a move towards being just average?

These are questions only Cavs top men can answer, nonetheless, the reality of the situation is, whatever it is that you want to see from the Cavs, right now they’re a bad team with a lot of young players shouldering the burden.

Growing pains are to be expected, but is it fair to ask fans to sit through a third season of 30 or less wins? The Cavs were thrown into a rebuilding situation when the best player in their history left without warning, and watching the way they’re building now, growing sentiment is they’re placing all their eggs in the basketball of one player again and run the risk of staying in this whirlwind of mediocrity for years to come.

In their defense, there is no ‘quick’ way to build an NBA team. While you can have a no tolerance policy when it comes to them and winning, with most situations there’s a gray area and the Cavs are living on its property with a mansion and a butler.

Their draft picks are unable to be judged at this point because Tristan Thompson has played just barely 100 games and the other two rookies, Tyler Zeller and Dion Waiters, have no veteran at their position to teach them some of the tricks of the trade. Two of those three players are big men (Thompson and Zeller), and big men usually take 3 years to develop and become what they will for their career. The other is a guard (Waiters) who is a streaky scorer who will run hot in cold, and with time you can only hope he becomes more consistent.

The mantra of patience, while tiresome on the ears of fans, is something that is needed when it comes to those three players. No concrete decision can be made on them just because there simply isn’t enough tape on them to determine that they will be productive or bust.

Where the Cavs can improve is in their activity in free agency. CJ Miles type of players isn’t going to get it done. While the pickings are quite slim, they have to find a way to get a guy to come to Cleveland that can be of impact.

Perhaps they’re waiting for the right moment and player. Plausible, but where is the calculated risk move, when do you do something that is risque for the sake of trying to speed up the process by adding some talent to a team that is severely malnourished.

Kyrie Irving making the all star team shows that he can shine even though the pieces around him aren’t the greatest. However, if they hope to keep him, and make this team an attractive one, they’re going to have to make some additions that show you’re doing all you can to win. Because from the outside looking in, the view is ‘we’re going to wait for lightening to strike twice and play it safe’.

Kyrie Irving Breaks Dwight Howard’s Ankles (Video)

While Kobe Bryant was busy dropping 42 points on the Cavs, Kyrie Irving was calmly breaking ankles in his first game back in 3 weeks. You can skill his handles on display here as he completely left Dwight Howard on the opposite side of the court.

We all knew Kyrie could ball, but gosh he had Dwight on ice skates with that move. Adding insult to injury the Cavs won.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

H/T HPBasketball

Kyrie Irving Cleared to Play from Hand Injury

Kyrie Irving has been out for three weeks with a fractured index finger on his left hand, and was cleared for full contact on Monday and coach Byron Scott said he plans on starting the second year point guard when the Cavs take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

While Irving was out the Cavs tallied a record of 2-9, not much better than the 2-8 record they posted with him. The Cavs are also missing their starting rookie guard Dionne Waiters who’s averaging 15 points, 3 assist and a frigid 36% from the field and 35% from three-point land who’s out with a sprained ankle and bone bruise.

While getting Irving back will definitely give the Cavs a boost, they will need Waiters to be more efficient when he returns. The 15 points as a rookie is a good start, however the Cavs need him to be more than a volume scorer. As he continues to develop, fans have to show some patience with the young man as he will have ups and downs during his first season. Hopefully he blooms earlier than most rookies, but history tells us that we’ll see flashes this year and in his second season is where we’ll see the biggest jump in consistency.

Now with Irving back that allows everybody else to go back to their normal role and not feel the pressure of having to do something they’re not used to. Irving having been injured every year the last three years straight, needs to find a way to stay on the court. A fractured finger, concussion, and sprained ankles are all things that can be considered freak injuries, but if he is to be the backbone of the team, it will be crucial for him to stay on the court.

H/T Cleveland.com