Apparently, the Cleveland Cavaliers offensive strategy is to get the ball to LeBron James or Zydrunas Ilgauskas and if you can’t, shoot a three pointer. The team totally ignores the mid range jump shot now the Larry Hughes is injured. Outside of James, the team’s offensive IQ is not very high.
Last night’s loss to Portland was a perfect example on this overreliance of the three point shot. Trailing by one with less than a minute to go, the shot the team took was a three from the corner by Donyell Marshall. They didn’t need a three to take the lead! Had Marshall pump faked, he would have almost certainly been fouled by a Trail Blazer defender running out at him.
I love the aquisition of Marshall, and still do. However, last night he took seven shots, five of them from beyond the arc. For the season, roughly 2/3 of his field goal attempts are long distance shots. And then there is Damon Jones. Jones took 14 shots last night, 10 of them three pointers. In fact, Jones has taken 77% of his attempts from the field from beyond the three line. A ridiculous percentage, indeed.
The Cavaliers certainly needed people who could shoot from the outside over the off season. However, with one of the best players in the game in James, and one of the best low post presences in Ilgauskas, the team should not be falling in love with the three point shot. Perhaps putting Jones in the starting line up is a mistake since the Cavs set a tone early that they will be hoisting the three. This is where the team misses Hughes the most, since he is deadly with the 15 to 18 foot shot.
It’s time for Coach Mike Brown to start Luke Jackson opposite Eric Snow at guard for two reasons. One, the team needs to get a look at its first pick from 2004, and two, Jackson is more similar to Hughes than Jones is. It also allows Brown to use Marshall and Jones off the bench in tandem as he did for most of the year.
With four straight losses, albeit all close games, it is time to make a change to shake the team up. Continuing to start Jones sends the wrong message. It isn’t working, and the Cavs need to end their mini slump.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 