Breaking Down the Year

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off of a disappointing season last year. Kyrie Irving’s second season with the cavaliers’ was the only was one of the only bright spots of the year. Finishing with the third worst record in the entire league the cavs sealed the number one pick in the 2013 NBA lottery draft. Picking power forward/center Anthony, the cavs now had the big man they were looking for. Also, acquiring center Andrew Bynum from the Philadelphia 76ers we now had those two key big men that we were looking for. Drafting Dion Waiters out of Syracuse the year before the cavs team was looking very solid and they are projected to finish at the number eight seed in the Eastern Conference which would make them a playoff team.

 I do believe the cavs can be a playoff team if they play unselfish basketball and don’t just depend on solely Kyrie Irving to score the basketball and make plays. The cavs are now good enough where everyone on the court can be a scoring threat and that should open up the scoring column for the rest of the team and take some of the scoring load off Irving. The cavaliers are off to a rough start with a record of 4-10 and if they don’t turn their gameplay around then they will fall far out of the playoff hunt and never make up the ground that they’ve already lost and exit the season early, like they did a year ago.

The cavs bench play hasn’t been very solid at all and the only way that they will improve is of their bench players step up and make it more of a goal to come into the game and contribute, by putting points on the board. I think the cavs will turn it around and proceed to make the 8^th seed if they change some outcomes of their game. With the cavaliers division being very tough this year there is no chance that they can win it outright because of the Indiana Pacers who are playing really good basketball and will be the first or second seed in the Eastern Conference, and one of the only teams, in my opinion, to contend with the defending champion Miami Heat. With the choices that the organization has made in draft picks and coaching options I think the cavaliers can get back to their winning ways such as when Lebron James was in Cleveland. 

looking at the future

Lebron James left Cleveland four years ago; the memory is still very strong in the back of every cavaliers fan. When he said he was taking his talent to south beach, we knew that the cavaliers were starting a new unexpected chapter in their organization and knew that there were tough times ahead. Cleveland, four years later, is still trying to rebuild after that terrible decision Lebron made. Understanding why he did it wasn’t hard; however, the cavaliers gave James no help in his quest to win a title in Cleveland.

Lebron being the only true star on the team from the years 2003-2010 he was very stressed and disappointed because he was carrying the weight of the team on his shoulders, as Kyrie did last season for the cavs. The things the cavs are now doing differently for Kyrie: they’re bringing other players in that will help Kyrie and the cavaliers be successful in the future. Looking at the cavs two seasons ago and looking at them now you can see that they are moving in the right direction and are one more great player away from being a top contender in the East.

 The best case scenario is that Lebron James after entering free agency in the 2014 season decides that he really did treat the city of Cleveland bad by leaving and deciding to come back to the great city and state, where he was from. It has been reported that Lebron said that he would like to play beside Kyrie Irving and just the thought of those two on the same team should get every Cleveland cavalier fan excited. Even though there is a chance this doesn’t happen, the possibility could very well happen. If this doesn’t happen then the cavaliers are still moving in the right direction to win a championship. It probably won’t happen soon, unless Lebron comes back, but we have made huge strides as an organization and realize what they need to do to become the best team in the East, yet again.

 Cleveland fans need to be patient and understand that if were are going to be the best we first need to take our losses and learn from them and get better as an overall team. Cleveland fans are used to losing, even though it isn’t something to be proud of the city has been disappointed time and time again by their sports organization. If we are patient good results will come in the long run.

Jarrett Jack

                The point gaurd position is one of the most important positions on the court because they run the offense. The Cleveland Cavaliers needed to bring in a good backup point guard to help limit the number of minutes that Kyrie Irving has to play. They did just that when they signed point guard Jarrett Jack in the offseason. Jack has had no trouble fitting in with the team early in the season. When the rookies forgot to bring donuts to a morning practice Jack got to embarrass them a little bit. Jack got to pick out what suits they had to wear to their first game as Cleveland Cavaliers. The whole team got a good laugh out of the little prank and just like that Jarrett Jack was part of the team.

                Offensively Jarrett Jack is a great guy to have running the plays. No matter what Jack doesn’t break concentration and keeps his focus. He is a good shooter whether it is a catch and shoot situation or off the dribble. Stealing the ball from Jack is tough, because he can handle the ball, and he doesn’t lose focus so you hardly see careless passes from the guy. Every once in a while he will have a game where he scores a lot of points but most of the time he just plays important minutes.

                Defensively he is a player who uses his brain and works hard on every possession. He isn’t the biggest guy so guarding some of the bigger point guards is hard for him. He is good at fighting through screens which plays a huge role when playing point guards who excel at the pick and roll, like Steve Nash or Ricky Rubio. He is good at getting in passing lanes to make the important steal. He’s no Chris Paul when it comes to stealing the basketball, but he can still get after it.

                I think after last year’s horrible season the Cleveland Cavaliers wanted to make sure they had depth to play with. Bringing Jack adds so much depth to the guard’s spots, because you can run point with him, Kyrie Irving, or Dion Waiters. If the Cavaliers do make the playoffs jack will play an important role in the games, because he is a veteran. When you have a veteran doing the right things the younger guys will follow. The reason they do what he does is they know he has been in the league for a long time for a reason. 

The Small Forwards

                The Cleveland Cavaliers used to have the best small forward in the game of basketball in Lebron James. After James left in free agency the Cavs were left with a hard problem to fix, replacing the best small forward in the game. The cavaliers have three pretty good small forwards in Alonzo Gee, C.J. Miles, and Earl Clark. Each player with a different type of skill sets that all help the cavaliers on the court.

                Alonzo Gee is a player who has been with the Cavs for a while now and he has been average for the Cavs. He is someone who you can count on to get to the rim by driving past the defender. He has improved his outside shooting since being with the cavs, especially from three point range. If he can get his outside shot down he will be a lot more dangerous offensively. Defensively he can guard other strong small forwards because he is six foot six inches. He can guard them in the post because of the fact that he is built, kind of like Paul Peirce a savvy veteran.

                The Cavaliers picked up C.J. Miles this year and he should help keep the floor spread for the Cavs offensively. He is an excellent shooter which helps keep lanes open for the scorers. If the defender goes down to help on the person that is driving, the ball can then be kicked outside to Miles for the open three. Once he starts knocking down the outside shot defenders start to jump out on him, this leaves an easy drive to the hoop. Miles is big enough to guard other small forwards like Carmelo Anthony and Paul George. Picking up miles in free agency adds one more shooter to the court for the Cavs, and finding pure shooters is not easy to do.

                Then you have small forward Earl Clark, another pretty decent player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Just like C.J. Miles Clark was picked up by the Cleveland Cavaliers this year. Clark really hasn’t helped the Cavs to much so far. He can run the floor in transition and also he is an ok shooter but not as good as Miles. Earl Clark has no problem when it comes to getting in the air, he has a pretty outstanding jumping ability.

                These three players are nowhere near the basketball player that lebron was for Cleveland, but they have been doing a decent job at filling some of the void.

Dion Waiters

Finding another good scorer to help Kyrie Irving has been a challenge for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs drafted shooting guard Dion Waiters and hope that he will develop as a scorer. This year he has shown that he can make a great second option offensively for the Cavs.

                Waiters, reminds me of a young D-Wade he is a very slashy to the basket kind of guy. He has a great ability to blow by the defender with his speed and get to the basket. I think that at this point in Walters’s career he is a better shooter than Wade. If he keeps on getting better and better at jump shooting it will help him get to the basket. Being able to pump fake the defender and drive right by is a great combination to have.

                Another thing that makes Dion a key piece to the team is his ability to control the offense when Irving is on the bench. If Irving is hurt, in foul trouble, or just getting g a much needed rest Waiters has the ability to run the point guard position. Waiters got some experience being the point guard during his time in Syracuse. This was a Syracuse team that was high scoring and an up tempo college team. Being up tempo and doing a little run in gun is exactly what the Cavaliers want to be able to do offensively. With Irving and Waiters on the court at the same time the Cavs transition offense should excel.

                On defense it is a challenge for Dion to guard some of the taller shooting guards in the post, but his strength makes him capable of doing it. His quickness makes him a threat to steal the ball and like I mentioned he will take off and get an easy transition score. He does a good job of getting out on shooters as the ball is swung from one end to the court to the other.

                If Dion improves his outside shooting and decides to be more aggressive to score then he will mold into a good player in this league. I’m sure Kyrie doesn’t have a problem sharing some of the scoring load to help take some weight off of his shoulders.  The best part about Dion is he is still really young, so he and Kyrie will be a force to reckon with down the road in the NBA.

the Wild Thing

                In my mind the heart and soul of the Cleveland cavaliers is the wild thing, Anderson Varejao. He isn’t a big name player and isn’t well known by that many people but Cavs fans know he is the man. He is the biggest hustler in the NBA and has more heart than most players. He is probably the fan favorite when it comes to watching the Cavaliers in the quicken loans arena stadium. When you go to the stadium to watch the Cavs, you will see a lot of wild thing fans wearing the famous wig. The wig is to display the wild hair that Varejao has that helped him get his nickname.

                Offensively the wild thing isn’t the hugest threat and most teams don’t waste time trying to find ways to stop him. Like I said Varejao is the hustler and he is one of the best offensive rebounder in the league. He also is starting to improve his outside shot. This makes him another great player to run the pick and roll with point guard Kyrie Irving. Most teams do not even guard Varejao at fifteen feet from the basket but he has proven that he can now hit those shots. He also is good at drawing fouls on players getting to the free throw line. Getting the other team’s big men in foul trouble helps when it comes to getting points in the paint, because they will not be able to be as aggressive.

                Defensively you couldn’t ask for anyone else to play defense for you. He gets after all of the rebounds even if he isn’t close to the ball. He is one of the best in the NBA at drawing an offensive foul on the opponent. When he doesn’t draw the offensive foul he does a great job at getting his arms straight up to contest a shot without fouling. He will dive on the floor to get a steal or a loose ball depending on the situation. It amazes me how the NBA has yet to give Varejao a defensive player of the year award.

                Varejao is the piece of the puzzle that the Cavaliers need to keep on their team. In my mind he is the best unathletic player in the NBA. I don’t mean that in a bad way I am just saying that he might not have the skill set as some of the greats, but he makes the plays that some do not want to make.

Picking Anthony Bennett

                After another long struggle of a season for the Cleveland Cavaliers they found their way back into the draft lottery once again. During the lottery period the Cleveland Cavaliers managed to get the first pick in the draft. Yes, I said the first pick once again. Looks like the basketball gods are on the Cavaliers side after the loss of Lebron James. With the first pick the Cleveland Cavaliers selected power forward Anthony Bennett.

                Anthony Bennett was sort of a shocking pick for most basketball fans. He wasn’t that hyped coming out of college and honestly no one saw this pick coming other than the Cleveland staff. Bennett is a big body, but he can also shoot the long shot which is dangerous for defenses. It was a shocking pick but who else could Cleveland take? I mean Michael carter Williams was on the board but he is a point guard. The Cavaliers don’t need a point guard with exceptional superstar Kyrie Irving on the team.

                There is a lot of positive attributes when it comes to Anthony Bennett. The first one can’t be taught and it is his ability to work hard and hustle on all possessions. Then like I mentioned he does have a big body so he can post up and defend other big guys in the post. Then you add in his long shooting ability which plays a huge role. The reason this is so important is he can set pick and rolls with Irving and trick the defense. He can either roll to the paint or he can pop out and use that shooting ability to get an easy three pointer.

                Just like most young players there are always going to be some negatives to their game that are easy to point out. One is in this young season Bennett has failed to hit on those long shots many of times. His confidence in himself is not the highest right now which you can expect from young player like Bennett. He has done a great job defending though which will make head coach Mike Brown happy. This should keep Bennett’s minutes up because brown loves players who get after on defense.

                All in all I think the addition of first round pick Anthony Bennett wasn’t a terrible choice for the Cavaliers. I mean he wouldn’t be my pick, but I am not in charge of the Cleveland Cavalier organization. If I was in charge I am sure the Cavs would have won a championship by now. But you can’t blame Gilbert I’m sure he just doesn’t want the browns to look bad.

Bringing back Mike Brown

The Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last year, allowing any team to score at will. That’s when the Cleveland organization decided to bring back former head coach Mike Brown. Brown has always been a very defensive minded coach. If you don’t play good defense for him then chances are you probably won’t get to play for him. Coach Brown has the championship attitude that a head coach in the NBA needs.

Coach Brown is no stranger when it comes to coaching superstars. Brown paired up with Lebron James in Cleveland, where they had the best record in the NBA for two seasons. They even made it to the finals where they ended up getting swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Since Mike Brown does have experience in helping young superstars grow, he should be able to help bring out the best in Kyrie Irving. Coach Brown has already said this season that Irving is a very coachable guy. This brings optimism that Kyrie Irving is going to flourish under Coach Brown’s wing.

One of the hardest things for a coach to do is to determine how much playing time the players should get.  Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers have added some depth, it is an even harder task. Coach Brown has three pretty similar small forwards in Earl Clark, Alonzo Gee, and C.J. Miles. Figuring out who should play and when they should play at small forward can’t be easy.  Also what does Mike Brown do about the big man in the middle Andrew Bynum. Giving him the right amount of minutes is essential in keeping him healthy. If you don’t give him enough minutes he won’t be able to get in game shape. Give him too many minutes and you will find him lying on the court grabbing his knees. Coach Brown wants to make sure that Bynum stays healthy because he will be even more important as the season goes on.

Now that the Cavaliers have the right guy at head coach it is time to see what they can do. Bringing back Coach Brown was a great move because he has coaching a superstar experience, playoff experience, and he is defensive minded. Also Coach Brown gets a lot of respect throughout the league, making free agents think more about going to Cleveland in the offseason. The parts are there and the season is still young, hopefully the Cavaliers get better and get things done.

Andrew Bynum

In this new, young season there was a question asked that needed answered. Who is going to be the big man presence in the middle. Then the Cleveland Cavaliers answered the question when they picked up free agent, seven footer, Andrew Bynum.

Many people think that Bynum could either be a high risk or a high reward type player. I think that picking up Bynum was a smart move for the Cavaliers. NBA analyst always say, that you can’t teach size and that is exactly what Bynum provides. He is seven foot tall and over 280 pounds of muscle. His size makes it difficult for opponents to drive in the paint and score easy layups. Why not pick up a player that instantly provides good defensive productivity.

It is not hard to see why some people thought that picking up Bynum was more of a risk than it was a reward. Bynum has had issues with both of his knees having surgery on them both. The prior year  he didn’t get to play in a single game as a Philadelphia 76er. How would taking an entire year off affect his play on the court? Could he come out and still be one of the best big men in the game of basketball? With all of these questions it is not hard to see why there was some skepticism when it came to the Cleveland Cavaliers spending money on Bynum.

Bynum is a good fit because he will help out Kyrie Irving when it comes to the rebuilding process in Cleveland. Kyrie can now pass to Bynum to pick up easy assists and can now shoot shots knowing that Bynum is there to pick up the rebound. Bynum is also a big body so he can set screens for Irving making it difficult for the defender to get around the pick from the big man.

Dan Gilbert has done another great job when it comes to rebuilding after losing the best player in basketball. He now has a good point guard and a good center two essential parts in making a solid playoff basketball team. Although Bynum hasn’t made a huge impact yet in the young season, I think the day will come. He isn’t getting much playing time yet so it is hard to judge. It is hard to get him in game speed shape because anyone that follows sports knows that there is a big difference between practice speed and game speed.

Kyrie Irving

After losing Lebron James in free agency many of Cleveland Cavalier fans lost hope. Then the cavs got the first pick in the draft the very next year. People wondered who would the cavs pick? This pick could give the Cavs fans hope again. The player that they ended up picking in the draft was point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving was questioned on whether or not he could be a star in the NBA, which he believed he could be.

Many people doubted Irving because they thought the entire draft class that year was a weak one. The fans had every right to doubt Irving considering he got injured in college and didn’t get to play many games for Duke University. With little college experience it was hard to evaluate how good Irving would be able to play in the NBA. Also many thought that Irving wasn’t a good enough shooter to be an effective player. He quickly answered though, setting an NBA record for the most three point shots made in a rising stars challenge NBA all star game with eleven.

After a few years in the NBA, Irving started to earn superstar status. He is now considered one of the best point gaurds in the game of basketball and many think one day he will be the best. Some day he will probably be MVP of the league. He averages over twenty points a game as well as around seven assists. He is not a big guy but he is still one of the best at finishing around the basket. You combine this with his great outside shot and it is easy to see why he is such a great player at only twenty one years old.  I mentioned the assists his speed and great ball handling skills make it easy for him to find the open man on the drive and kick game.

I think that Kyrie Irving was the perfect fit for the Cleveland Cavaliers that year. He is the player that will be able to bring Cleveland back to the playoff eventually. Dan Gilbert the general manager for the Cavaliers made an excellent choice when he picked Irving. He is point guard so he is the one bringing the ball down court, calling the plays, and getting teammates involved in the game. If you ask me not only is Kyrie Irving a superstar in Cleveland, he is the guy that brings back hope.