Injuries/Effort Make for Uneven Cavs Performances

After a horrible start to the season, the Cavs put together some nice games and won 5 in a row over the past 2 weeks. The offense seems to be coming together, for the most part, and the team has shown some signs of life. Certainly there’s no reason to panic and the Cavaliers currently sit at 4th in the Eastern Conference. This is all positive.

On the negative side, we’re already seeing some injuries start to pile up, in addition to the ongoing drama surrounding Delonte West. Even when Delonte has been on the floor, he’s not the same guy he was last year. I’ve seen an occasional defensive resurgence from him, but his offense is mostly atrocious and he looks consistently angry/frustrated and out of place. I honestly don’t know if he’ll make it back and he might be more trouble than he’s worth at this point. It pains me to say that because I loved Delonte last year. The good news is that bipolar disorder can “cycle” the other way from depressed to manic at random. In theory, Delonte could flip it around tomorrow. However, I think the uncertainty is a bit of a problem for the Cavs right now.

In addition to that, Shaq has been out with what is reported as a shoulder injury, but which could also have to do with his separation and impending divorce from his wife. Anderson Varejao has also been out with an injury, Jamario Moon turned his ankle, and LeBron injured his left wrist during a dunk in Washington on Wednesday. Of these, Shaq’s injury is the one that’s going to linger longest, but ultimately he should be fine.

Of more concern is the consistent lack of focus and effort on defense so far this year. For a great technical analysis of the problem, read RockKing’s article at Waiting for Next Year. I’d like to expand on his two main points which are opponents’ free throws and opponents’ scoring streaks. I think I have two sub-points that, if corrected, will help in both areas.

First, how many times this year have we seen an opposing guard go coast to coast, totally unmolested by the Cavs defense, and score an easy layup? Did that happen a lot last year? I don’t have numbers, but it seems to be a much bigger problem this year. It’s simply a matter of effort/focus/want-to. Call it what you like. Somebody has to step in front of the guy and make him slow down or change direction. Running alongside the guy is not working. Sometimes Mo, Gibson, Delonte, or Parker are even slapping wildly at the ball as the opponent goes up for the layup, usually picking up a foul, and contributing to RockKing’s stated foul shot problem. Are they expecting a LeBron chasedown block every time? If they are, it’s a risky and naïve way to defend an opposing point guard. It seems rather easy to fix this problem and doing so would not only help reduce the number of foul shots the other team takes, but likely will help limit the huge momentum we see being built during some of Cavs’ opponents’ long scoring streaks.

Second, are you noticing a dearth of charging calls against Cavs’ opponents this year? It was especially apparent on Wed. against the Wizards because Andy was out with an injury. NOBODY is stepping in to take a charge. They’re slapping at the ball and usually missing or causing a foul. Last year, Andy practically made taking a charge an art form. Even he doesn’t seem to be taking as many this year. But it’s such a great defensive move when you pull it off. It causes a turnover, the opponent gets another foul rung up on them, and it’s an emotional play that can help swing momentum. It’s also probably a tougher fix than stopping a runaway point guard. To take a charge, you have to time it perfectly, which takes practice and a real feel for what’s going on. Right now the Cavs’ focus on defense is so lacking that they’d likely just get called for more blocking fouls. But the biggest roadblock to taking a charge is that you have to WANT to get blasted in the chest. These Cavs don’t seem to want any part of that right now and it’s really hurting their ability to defend effectively.

Tuesday and Wednesday also exposed a disturbing trend regarding LeBron’s competitive nature. Tuesday he got into a contest with Corey Maggette, for reasons passing in understanding. Wednesday it was DeShawn Stevenson. In both cases, is there anyone on the planet other than Maggette and Stevenson who thinks those two guys are better than LeBron? He’s won already, but in some quasi-orgasmic fit of Jordanesque rage, he’s got to show them up every time they meet on the court. I don’t get it. I mean, I get it, but win first. Isn’t the ultimate finger to the competition winning the game? If you do that AND drop 36 points on a guy you despise, it’s way sweeter than a loss in which you had superior stats. Why let second rate players like that get in your head and alter your game?

As it was, Wednesday night in Washington saw Caron Butler and DeShawn Stevenson reduce the best player in the game to a me-first, jumpshoot-only, one-man band with no hope of winning the game. And therein lies the problem. The second half against the Wizards was insanely frustrating. Not only did the Cavs blow a 17 point first quarter lead, but nobody seemed to recognize that the ENTIRE reason for that lead slipping away was because LeBron initiated the 1 v. 5 offense we all grew to hate last year. Period. All the Cavs had to do was get dribble penetration (a la the first quarter) and use off the ball cuts to set up interior passing and easy buckets (a la the first quarter). Washington couldn’t stop that. But the Wiz were happy as pigs in slop to watch the team that destroyed them in the paint in the first quarter start launching contested threes with no desire to go back inside. Combine that with the defense problems mentioned above, and you get a loss. Not the end of the world, certainly, but a loss.

All this is fixable and hopefully that fix comes tonight in Indiana. Go Cavs!

Kevin Hignett hawks insurance during the day. He spends the rest of his time being a dad and dreaming of a mid-June parade in downtown Cleveland. You can follow him on Twitter: @KevinHignett