CAVS RECORD: 19-63
LeBron May Not Have a True Sidekick, But He Has a Posse
In 99% of the games LeBron James plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he’s the “#1.”
He’s the leader, he’s the guy making the most plays, he’s the guy featured in the most slow-motion replays, he’s the guy with the ball in crunch time, he’s the guy in the post-game interviews . . . he’s the superstar.
There isn’t a clear “#2″ on the Cavs’ roster.
(Fiddle-playing-wise, that is. Jersey-wearing-wise, Mo Williams is the clear #2.)
Nah, LeBron takes the “starring role” and the whole rest of the team is the “supporting cast” . . . with various players rotating in and out of the featured “parts,” depending on feel, gameplan, match-ups, and hot hands.
To many outside Cleveland, the lack of a clear second fiddle – LeBron’s so-called “Scottie Pippen” – is a failure of the Cavaliers’ front office and is criminally unfair to LeBron . . . like it’s somehow holding him back from something. That, I guess, is why some believe he’ll “break free” from Cleveland this summer to sign with a team that isn’t the #1 team in the NBA . . . just because he could be paired with a clear #2 in the process.
But in Cleveland, we know the truth.
It isn’t LeBron and a #3 . . . a couple of #4s . . . and few #5s, it’s LeBron and multiple #2s.
Saturday’s 96-83 W in the first-round play-off opener against the Chicago Bulls is a great example. Who was the “clear #2″ in that game???
Here are your options:
Mo Williams: Mo had a double-double, with 10 assists and 19 points (on 8-of-14 shooting; 3-of-7 from beyond the arc). He also had four rebounds, a steal and a block. He had five turnovers . . . and a rough patch, like everyone else, in the third quarter . . . but overall, he was vital to making the offense function and be exciting, which it was for most of the game.
Shaquille O’Neal: Shaq hasn’t played in a game since February 25th, due to surgery on his thumb. It didn’t matter. He looked terrific, playing in what was one of his best games in Cleveland. He had 12 points (on 5-of-9 shooting) with five rebounds (three offensive, and not cheapies either) and four assists. Oh, and he also had three blocks. Since the Bulls don’t have anyone who can handle Shaq . . . (they’ve officially joined the club) . . . he was controlling the paint and drawing fouls.
Antawn Jamison: Antawn also had a double-double: 15 points (on 7-of-14 shooting; 1-of-4 from beyond the arc) and 10 rebounds. He also had three blocks and a steal, and had several great transition buckets . . . and moved to the basket well when he put the ball on the floor.
Anderson Varejao: Andy had another one of those games where he’s just everywhere . . . on every single play. Actually, I can’t remember the last game when I was disappointed with Andy’s effort. Forget that . . . I can’t even remember the last game when I wasn’t amazed by Andy’s effort. This game was no different. He was crashing into the stands after loose balls, he was running circles around the Bulls’ bigs. He had four offensive rebounds . . . and 15 overall. (That’s off the bench!) He also had two steals, a block and eight points (on 3-of-7 shooting).
(And Anthony Parker almost became the fifth Cav in double-figure scoring, with nine points (on 3-of-8 shooting; including an uncharacteristic 1-of-6 from beyond the arc) . . . not that he’s in the conversation for LeBron’s #2 in this game.)
So who you got? Mo? Shaq? Antawn? Andy?
Let me rephrase: Can you even exclude one of those guys from the #2 discussion?
I can’t.
And beyond that, it’s hard to have beef with the #3s, the #4s and the #5s in this game.
Delonte West played a gritty 24 minutes, which included three assists and no turnovers. He only had four points, but had four rebounds and two steals. AP’s three-ball was off, but he dished out four assists.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas played nine tough minutes. Jamario Moon hit a clutch three in his seven minutes. J.J. Hickson went from being a starter on the best team in the NBA, to not even getting into the gameuntil garbage time in the final minute . . . and yet, he was still shown laughing and jumping up and down on the sideline at the Cavs’ bench at least three times by ABC’s cameras. Incredible.
Not everything was perfect.
There was that seven-minute hiccup in the third quarter . . . but those are the kinks that the Cavs will be working out throughout this series. Personally, with how on point the Cavs looked (despite Shaq’s time out and all the rest the starters got over the past two weeks), I don’t even care.
Maybe if LeBron had this magical “Robin” that outside fans think he should have . . . maybe that #2 could’ve hit six straight shots to carry the Cavs through that seven-minute rough patch in the third.
Unfortunately, I’ll never know . . . because I wouldn’t want to trade what we have to get that guy.
W&GR Cavaliers Stat Check [4/16] . . . The End of the Regular Season Edition
The NBA Playoffs are about to start, which means that the regular season is about to be history . . . officially, that is.
In Cleveland, it basically became history the moment the Cavs clinched the best record and decided to re-enter preseason mode.
So, I thought this would be the perfect time to dig up some stats, interesting facts and other oddities from what was predominantly a stellar regular season. Soak ‘em in.
#1.) The Cleveland Cavaliers went 61-21 overall this season . . . or 61-17 while legitimately trying. That’s the second-best record in franchise history. Last year’s 66-16 is the best. Just below this year’s 61 wins would be 57 wins, which the Cavs achieved twice. (In 1988-1989 and 1991-1992).
#2.) LeBron James finished averaging 29.7 points per game (second only to Kevin Durant’s 30.1 per game), 8.6 assists per game (sixth in the NBA, and which, by far, is a career high . . . he’s never averaged more than 7.2 per game before this season), 7.3 rebounds a game, 1.6 steals a game and 1.0 block per game.
He also shot 50.3% from the field, which is a career high . . . and ranked 26th among all NBA players. While we’re here, he shot 33.3% from beyond the arc and 76.7% from the stripe. Both those numbers are down slightly from last season . . . but he attempted more 3s and more free throws this season.
LeBron’s minutes (39.0, fifth in the NBA) were up slightly from his career low last year (37.7) . . . but last year, he didn’t play many fourth quarters early in the season when the Cavs were blowing everyone out, and this season, he sat out the final four games of the season to rest. (Of course, that isn’t represented in his minutes per game.)
#3.) For the second straight season, LeBron led the league in plus/minus, this year with a glimmering +650. Dwight Howard was second with +602 . . . and Anderson Varejao came in third at +511. Anthony Parker was #11, with +406. (Last year, Delonte West came in fifth and Mo Williams was sixth.)
The Cavs best five-man unit, plus/minus-wise, was LeBron, Andy, AP, Mo, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. That unit was +51, which came in 23rd among the top five-man combinations in the NBA. And the two-man pairings of LeBron and Andy (+516) and LeBron and AP (+448) were #1 and #2 in the NBA.
#4.) Anderson Varejao led the Cavs in field goal percentage at 57.2%. Shaquille O’Neal was second (56.6%), J.J. Hickson was third (55.4%) . . . even with some of those horrible 17-footers . . . and LeBron was fourth. (At 50.3%, as previously mentioned.)
Mo shot 44.2%, which was his lowest percentage since ’05-’06 when he shot 42.4%.Antawn Jamison shot 48.5% as a Cavalier, which was better than the 45% he was shooting in Washington (on more shots) this season. He averaged 15.8 points per game, which was down from the 20.5 points he was scoring in Washington . . . where he was often the featured scorer. Most of the rest of his numbers are exactly the same as in Washington . . . except free throw percentage. As a Wizard he shot 70% (and 73% in his career). As a Cavalier, he shot 50.6%.
#5.) The Cavs finished third in the NBA in field goal percentage at 48.5%. Only the Phoenix Suns (49.2%) and the Utah Jazz (49.1%) were better.
The Cavs were second in the NBA in FG% differential, meaning the separation between what they shot and what their opponents did. The Cavs differential was +6.5%, which was second only to the Orlando Magic’s 7.5%. (That’s impressive. And a little scary.)
Cleveland allowed 44.2% shooting from their opponents. That’s third in the league, behind Orlando (43.8%) and the Miami Heat (43.9%).
#6.) The Cavs ended the season second in the NBA in 3-point percentage at 38.1%. The Phoenix Suns were #1 at 41.2%. (The Orlando Magic were fourth at 37.5%.)
Technically, Z was the Cavs best 3-point shooter at 47.8%, but that was only 11-for-23. Daniel Gibson probably deserves that distinction (heck, he deserves something for his season). He shot 47.7% (second in the NBA), or 71-for-149. Mo was third at 42.9% (ninth in the NBA), followed by AP at 41.4% (12th in the NBA). Antawn was 34.2%, LeBron was 33.3%.
Cleveland’s opponents shot the 3-ball at 34.7%. That makes them 10th in the league at defending the three.
#7.) J.J. Hickson growth update: Last month, we looked at how J.J.’s rebounding numbers have improved, month-to-month, this season. That’s good because – while scoring is always a sign of success – for J.J., rebounding seems like a better indication of his improvement.
Here’s an updated breakdown of J.J.’s burgeoning awesomeness by month:
- October**: 1.3 pts, 1.3 rebs, 0.0 blks, 50% shooting in 8.3 minutes per game
- November: 9.6 pts, 3.8 rebs, 0.5 blks, 67.5% shooting in 22.5 minutes per game
- December: 6.5 pts, 4.1 rebs, 0.3 blks, 60% shooting in 18.4 minutes per game
- January: 6.3 pts, 5.8 rebs, 0.7 blks, 79.2% shooting in 20.1 minutes per game
- February: 10.3 pts, 4.2 rebs, 0.4 blks, 68.4% shooting in 20.1 minutes per game
- March: 11.7 pts, 6.0 rebs, 0.6 blks, 55.6% shooting in 24.4 minutes per game
- April: 10.9 pts, 8.0 rebs, 0.7 blks, 50.8% shooting in 26.6 minutes per game
**Only four games and 33 total minutes played.
#8.) If the playoffs are anything like the regular season with regard to free throw shooting . . . it’s totally understandable for your heart-rate to dramatically change when a Cavs player steps to the line. Here’s a quick guide to the Cavs’ FT percentages, so you know how much to sweat:
- Mo – 89.4%
- Delonte – 81.0%
- Jamario – 80.0%
- AP – 78.9%
- LeBron – 76.7%
- Zydrunas – 74.3%
- Jawad – 71.1%
- Boobie – 69.4%
- J.J. – 68.1%
- Anderson – 66.3%
- Leon – 58.7%
- Antawn – 50.6%
- Shaq – 49.6%
The Cavs shot 72.0% at the line this season, which was LAST in the NBA. But the good news is, the second-worst team was the Magic, who shot free throws at a 72.4% clip. The best free throw-shooting team, the Dallas Mavericks, shot 81.6%.
#9.) The Cavs were sixth in the NBA with an offensive efficiency rating (points scored per 100 possessions) of 111.2. There were seventh in the NBA with a defensive efficiency rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 104.1.
Orlando was fourth offensively (111.4) . . . third defensively (103.3).
Atlanta was second offensively (111.9) . . . 13th defensively (106.7).
Boston was 15th offensively (107.7) . . . fifth defensively (103.8).
Chicago was 27th offensively (103.5) . . . 11th defensively (105.3).
L.A. (Lakers) was 11th offensively (108.8) . . . fourth defensively (103.7).
[The Phoenix Suns were #1 offensively . . . the Charlotte Bobcats were #1 defensively.]
#10.) And now, for fan stats! The Cavs sold out every home game this season, which placed them second in the NBA in attendance . . . behind, ironically, the Chicago Bulls. It’s the first time the Cavs have sold out a complete season, and it boosts their home sell-out streak to 77 games.
And when Cleveland fans can’t get tickets to the Q, they watch at home.
According to NBA.com:
“The Cavaliers continue to be the NBA’s most watched team, leading the league this season in overall average attendance (home and road combined) and TV viewership (#1 for local TV ratings).
“[As of last week], through 78 locally and nationally broadcast games on FOX Sports Ohio, TNT, ESPN and ABC this season, the Cavaliers have an overall local TV average rating of 10.5, which equates to over 500,000 people watching each game. Often, when games are broadcast locally and nationally, the local viewership total is well over 800,000.
“For the 66 games broadcast on FOX Sports Ohio, the Cavaliers average rating is 8.66, which stands as the NBA’s top rated local game broadcast rating.”
It sounds like Cleveland is turning itself into one of the NBA’s so-called “major markets.”
Request for Jamario: Wanna Help Me Develop the “Double Gooseneck”???
Jamario Moon has been reduced to a cheerleader.
A good one, but a cheerleader nonetheless. And so has Daniel “Boobie” Gibson . . . and while he’s no cheerleading superstar like Jamario (and rookie Danny Green), he’s still pretty excitable.
Whenever there’s an above-average play . . . even if it’s only marginally above-average . . . Jamario is probably doing something ridiculous on the sideline in front of the Cleveland Cavaliers bench. And if the team is playing flat, he can still be seen smiling, just waiting for the moment to explode.
It’s that sort of energy, intensity and explosive tendency that’s hard to keep bottled on the sideline, especially when the team is sparklessly going through the motions.
(Which is why it would seem to make sense to move him onto the court in those situations, right?)
He’s basically this year’s Tarence Kinsey, only Jamario is a more talented player. Not that it matters when you’re left to cheerlead on the bench. (By the way, can anyone imagine if we had both Jamario and Tarence? The NBA would have to allow the Cavaliers to expand their roster just so that there would be enough players to restrain them in the event that Delonte West dunks off a cut.)
Before the All-Star Break, Coach Mike Brown held Jamario out of one game that he was healthy for. Since the All-Star Break, he’s been held out of seven games he could have played in. In the Cavs’ last six games, Jamario has entered only one game . . . and that was for eight minutes in a 30-point blowout over Detroit.
If you dismiss Sebastian Telfair (which we’ve all already been doing for years now) and rookie Danny Green, is it possible that Jamario is fighting off Gibson to be the second-least valuable player on the Cavs’ roster?
Yes. Apparently.
Boobie is in essentially the same position as Jamario.
Just three years ago, when the Cavs were entering their first-ever Finals series, Daniel appeared to be on the verge of emerging as one of the Cavs’ best players . . . and we’re talking between second- and fifth-best. Now, only he, LeBron, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Anderson Varejao remain from that team.
And now, Boobie can’t get into a game.
In the Cavs’ last 17 games, he’s only been in five. And he played just one minute in two of the ones he did get into . . . and in another he just played eight minutes. So Boobie has only received “substantial” minutes twice . . . 22 and 13, respectively . . . since February 21st.
This is for a dude that was having a pretty strong season . . . both offensively and defensively . . . at the beginning of the season, and for a guy who scored in double-figures in nine of ten games while Mo Williams was out with a sprained shoulder.
Not too long ago, it would’ve seemed crazy that Daniel could be the Cavs’ 13th best player. In the recent past, the same could be said of Jamario. Especially with neither of them playing themselves out of the rotation.
That’s depth. Serious depth.
Since January, we’ve seen the improvement of Jawad Williams, the rise of J.J. Hickson, the trade for Antawn Jamison, the arrival of Leon Powe and the return of Z. And soon, Shaq will be back in the mix, too.
Some Cleveland fans would like to see more Jamario, others would like to see more Boobie, and everyone would like to see something fresh when the Cavs fall into their bad habits of casually playing down to the level of their opponents.
But barring any further injuries, it’s unlikely that Coach Brown will expand his rotation in the run-up to the playoffs . . . at least for any real minutes. His priorities are now on setting the playoff rotations and getting those players going. And Jamario and Boobie aren’t in line to play much in the playoffs.
The playoff rotation will be eight, or maybe nine players, max: (1) LeBron, (2) Mo, (3) Jamison, (4) Varejao, (5) Delonte, (6) Anthony Parker, (7) Hickson, (8) Z, and (9) Shaq (and until Shaq is back, they might have Leon Powe in for his center-playing abilities).
So, that means the cheerleaders will be Jamario, Boobie, Jawad, Danny, and Sebastian.
OK.
Since that’s how it looks like it’s going to be, I have a special request for Jamario. I’d like him to spend some of his time on the bench dreaming up more inside jokes and cheers for Cavs players and fans.
Everyone loves the overly complicated handshakes and the Gooseneck, which Jamario apparently started. Now, let’s usher in something new for this year’s playoffs. And as you may have guessed, I have a suggestion. It needs a little work . . . hopefully by Jamario himself . . . but the framework is there.
I call it . . . the Double Gooseneck. Or Goosey Times Two. Or Goosey2x.
It’s like the Gooseneck, hence the similar name, only instead of a one-handed, cocked follow-through . . . it’s a two-handed Goosey follow-through.
Here are a few examples:
First, it looks like Barack Obama is doing a “Double Gooseneck,” here.
And here’s some cute little kid doing the “Goosey Times Two” to perfection!
And finally, here’s the hand signal for the “Double Gooseneck”:
Thoughts?
The Cavs’ Stellar Record While *Not* At Full-Strength Is About to Be Tested
You never wish injury on an opponent.
On Thursday night, the Boston Celtics were without Paul Pierce due to a right thumb injury. Paul, of course, has served as the linchpin of Boston’s “Big Three” (copyright 2007, 2008).
You also never wish injury on yourself.
For fans in other cities, that’s an obvious joke.
For fans in the success-starved city of Cleveland . . . it’s often a temptation, especially when it seems as though an injury is the only way to banish an overpaid, under-performing veteran who was brought in, almost inexplicably, to block the ascent of the younger, potential-filled kid waiting in the wings.
If an injury does not occur, the stubborn Cleveland coaches / front office may never unseat the fading vet to get a good enough look at the prospect. Then, undoubtedly, that kid leaves or is traded to have an opportunity elsewhere. And with uncanny frequency, a star is born and Cleveland is burned.
It’s the modus operandi of the Cleveland Indians . . . but it’s happened to the Cavaliers and the Browns as well.
Relax.
This is not an anti-Shaquille O’Neal / pro-J.J. Hickson (with a slice of Anderson Varejao) article, but if the Cavaliers weren’t being run by a smart coach and an elite front office . . . it could’ve been.
In the middle of the second quarter of Thursday’s 108-88 win in Boston, Shaq went down with a “significant right thumb sprain.” The extent of the injury won’t be known until sometime Friday, after Shaq gets the results of an MRI.
In a Twitter post Thursday night, Brian Windhorst made an “amateur guess” that Shaq could be out two to three weeks if the ligament was only partially torn . . . up to six-plus weeks if it’s completely torn.
That’s devastating news, especially because of the timing.
If Zydrunas Ilgauskas (who was just bought out by the Wizards) is indeed coming back to the Cavs, he won’t be able to rejoin them until March 21st . . . which is 30 days from when his trade to Washington was approved by the league.
So the Cavs went from two beloved, huge, slow centers to no beloved, huge, slow centers.
Curiously though, the Cavaliers went from weakly falling down 13 to the Celtics – giving up 60% first half shooting (70% in the first quarter), and generally looking very push-over-able – to slamming the game into reverse, and rocketing themselves out of the TD Garden, with a 20-point shellacking.
When the Cavs came out for the second half, they started their second-best player, Anderson Varejao, for Shaq. Andy and LeBron kept the Cavs in the game for the first seven minutes of the quarter, but with 4:26 left, the Cavs were still down by seven. (They were down by six at the half.)
Then J.J. Hickson entered the game for Andy. Then Jamario Moon replaced Anthony Parker. Then Delonte West spelled Mo Williams. (By the way, during all this, Jamison hit three straight shots.)
The Cavs picked up the tempo, and at the end of the third, they were only down one.
And then Mike Brown gave LeBron his usual fourth quarter blow, and went full-on small ball . . . with Mo replacing LeBron . . . and, well, you could say that was successful. Thanks to big plays by all five (Delonte, Mo, Jamario, J.J. and Antawn / Andy), the Cavs outscored the Celtics by seven in the first four minutes of the fourth, putting them up by six.
Then LeBron re-entered, and found Mo for thee straight 3-pointers . . . yes, three straight (I’d say he’s back). LeBron, Andy and Delonte made shots here and there to keep the Cavs rolling, before Mo iced it with yet another three. He finished with 19 points (on 7-of-13 shooting) with five threes.
Then, in the garbage time no one could have foreseen, Leon Powe, in his first action of the season, scored a basket, and later added two free throws to finish with four points in four minutes.
Check out these plus/minus numbers for the game: Delonte (+27), J.J. (+27), Andy (+18), Jamario (+13), Mo (+11) and then LeBron (+9). Shaq, for the record, was -10.
So what about this small ball phenomenon, right?! The defense picked up, the offense was freed, the Cavs seemed to be in the driver’s seat over the last 16 minutes, completely controlling the game. Over that period, the Cavs outscored the Celtics 46-19.
That’s pretty dominant.
So have the Cavs been screwing around with too much Shaq and Z and not enough J.J. and Andy?
No, not at all.
But thanks to Dan Gilbert, Danny Ferry and Mike Brown, the Cavs are an extremely deep team, which is constructed in a way that it can be successful in numerous styles of play, including small ball. They have the pieces and they have the talent. And, obviously, that’s how they’ll have to be playing until either Shaq or Z is able to return.
The Cavs can be successful at small ball, they can be exciting, and they can grow.
But as LeBron said after the game:
“We need him out there. We play faster without Shaq in the lineup . . . but in the playoffs you can’t play fast all the time. You need to establish the half-court offense. That’s what he does for us.”
As Windhorst talked about in his postgame blog, the small ball antics work well to mix things up and surprise teams not expecting it . . . and to slip past un-athletic teams like the Celtics . . . but it isn’t a formula that’s going to win games for you night-in and night-out. At least, not in the playoffs.
So if Shaq being out isn’t a sign of future success for the Cavaliers (and J.J. Hickson) . . . what is?
The fact that someone is injured. The Cavs play better when someone is unavailable due to some significant physical or (in Delonte’s case) mental problem.
Why is this the case? I don’t know. Maybe the Cavs rise to the challenge. Maybe it makes them more focused. Maybe the disturbance in the usual lineup releases them from over-thinking their offensive and defensive plays, and they just . . . play. Or maybe it’s complete link and coincidence.
The Cavs are 45-14 . . . so any split of that record is going to be pretty lopsided, but check out these numbers . . . which I configured manually, so let’s leave a one-game margin for error.
- The Cavs are 11-0 without Mo Williams
- The Cavs are 16-2 without Delonte West
- The Cavs are 6-1 without Shaquille O’Neal
- The Cavs are 7-2 without Jamario Moon
- And the Cavs are 44-14 without Leon Powe
All told, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 25-5 (.833) without at least one rotation player (not counting Powe, or Moon’s DNP-CDs) . . . and they are 20-9 (.690) at full-strength (not counting Powe, obviously.)
If you want, you could add Z . . . but that would kind of screw this up. If you include the win against Dallas in November where Z didn’t play on the night he was supposed to break Cleveland’s record for all-time games played . . . the Cavs are now just 3-3 without Z.
You can pray for Z to come back . . . and then you can wait until he does.
But you should never wish an injury on anyone . . . including yourself. But since we’re in the throes of what could be an extended period of time without Shaq, we might as well make the best of it.
Mike Brown Shrinks the Rotation . . . and the New Cavs Grind Out a Win
Once the playoffs hit, Mike Brown’s tendency (like a lot of coaches) will be to shrink the rotation down to seven or eight players . . . and barring any injuries or severe lop-sidedness, that’s it. That’s the team.
If Zydrunas Ilguaskas comes back, he gets the final spot in that Top Eight. That sure leaves a lot of talent on the bench. This deep, deep depth is a good problem to have, but it doesn’t exactly output easy answers. The nagging question will always be: Are my Top Eight really my Top Eight . . . right now?
Wednesday’s game against the New Orleans Hornets was a “must win.”
Not in a playoff, do-or-die way, of course. And actually, not in any sort of real, necessary way either. But it was nonetheless, and Mike Brown celebrated that fact by using a tight, playoff rotation.
To explain the little extra playoff-like seriousness, consider Cleveland came into the New Orleans game on a three-game losing streak.
The Cavs were 0-3 since the All-Star Break, they were 0-3 with Mo Williams back, they were 0-3 with Antawn Jamison on the team, they were 0-2 with Jamison actually playing, and 0-1 with Jamison playing and not going 0-for-12 from the field.
The Cavaliers were already on their first three-game losing streak since March of 2008. A loss would be their first two-game home losing streak since April of 2008 . . . and their first four-game losing streak since December of 2007, when they lost six in a row.
[LeBron sat out five of those games with a sprained left index finger. If you want to go back to the last four-game losing streak with LeBron, you have to go back to the 2007 NBA Finals sweep. The last regular season four-game losing streak with LeBron happened four years ago, in February of 2006, when the Cavs' starting backcourt was Eric Snow and Flip Murray.]
Yes, the rotation has been a revolving door recently, with Jamison, Mo, Delonte and Powe coming in . . . and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, along with players like Jawad Williams, Jamario Moon and Daniel Gibson going out. It’s definitely a major transitional point for the team.
But at some point, the Cavs were just going to have to get the Moondog off their backs, so that they could go back to improving and working on their game like they’re used to: While winning.
Mike Brown wanted this game more than anything. (Well, maybe more than anything except being able to see the team finally start playing some freakin’ defense again, which didn’t happen in this game.)
Fortunately, the Cavs ended up beating the Hornets 105-95.
Perhaps fittingly, Brown achieved the win while firmly sticking to a tight eight-man rotation. It included the Top Seven listed above, plus Jamario (in what would probably be Z’s spot).
Was it Bown’s Top Eight players right now? Maybe not . . . Mo is still playing himself into game shape, while Daniel Gibson is arguably better on both sides of the ball right now. And although J.J.’s defense is usually a roller-coaster ride, his overall game is bigger than Jamario’s right now.
And no, Leon Powe did not get into the game . . . although he was active and available. [It'll be interesting to see if he makes his debut on Thursday night in Boston. He'll probably be pretty rusty . . . and hasn't meshed with the team in an actual game . . . but you know he wants a piece of that.]
LeBron played 44 minutes, Jamison played 37, Delonte played 32, Mo and Shaq played 31, Anderson played 28, AP played 27 and Jamario played nine minutes.
The scoring and shot distribution also had a nice, even playoff-type feel.
LeBron and Shaq led the team with 20 points each. Jamison had 18, Anderson had 14, Delonte and AP both had 13, Mo had 6 and Jamario had 1 point. And here’s how the shots and assists broke down:
- LeBron: 7-of-16 . . . 13 assists
- Jamison: 7-of-14 . . . 2 assists
- Shaq: 9-of-13 . . . 0 assists
- Anderson: 6-of-12 . . . 0 assists
- Delonte: 5-of-10 . . . 3 assists
- Mo: 2-of-9 . . . 8 assists
- AP: 4-of-7 . . . 1 assist
- Moon: 0-of-1 . . . 2 assists
Oh, and six of the eight players had between four and seven rebounds: LeBron (5), Jamison (6), Shaq (7), AP (4), Delonte (4) and Anderson (7). Jamario added a couple and Mo had one.
The offense as a whole was intermittent. It looked great in the first quarter . . . and in patches throughout the rest of the game. The good news is, Jamison is clearly well on his way to finding his place within the offense.
Now, if only the Cavs’ defense could come together.
Once again, they allowed an opponent to shoot 50% . . . and once again, they made a star out of a rookie. Make that two. Marcus Thornton went off for 37 points, and Darren Collison had 22.
It’s hard to say how much the tightened rotation had to do with this win . . . if anything. Mike Brown prefers to have his players work out their wrinkles on the floor, so his decision probably had more to do with giving Jamison, Delonte and Mo as much playing time as possible with LeBron and Shaq to give them an opportunity to get a feel for each other and inspire more on-court chemistry.
Still, it’ll be interesting to see how he handles the rotation throughout the rest of the regular season (at least, in games where the score remains within 10 either way).
Will we see more tight rotations with the eighth spot sort of an open slot to try someone different in each game, depending on the match-ups . . . or, once things settle down, will the rotation be expanded once again, to play around with all the possible groups and lineups?
There are threesomes, foursomes, and fivesomes that will be magical and lethal for the Cavs . . . even against the top teams in the league . . . it’s just a matter of discovering them, and finding how and where they fit.
Regardless, if Z comes back . . . and a healthy Cavs team is legitimately 13 deep . . . Mike Brown has both the easiest job in the league and the hardest.
He has the talent to win. Now he must configure it so they do.