Our fickle city’s relationship with the Cavaliers is in the sour mode once again since the wine and gold has lost four of their last five games. Monday’s loss to Orlando was due to the NBA schedule, whether fans want to admit it or not. It was really a continuation of the road trip since the Cavs played on the west coast just two days earlier. This is not an excuse, it’s reality. The NBA is telling you they want you to pay big bucks to watch a jet lagged team.
Of course, the usual suspects are to blame for the Cavs’ struggles. Whenever the team loses a few games, the criticism of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Eric Snow heats up. No one ever mentions when they play well, only when they struggle. Snow was a key contributor in two of Cleveland’s west coast wins, the games against the Clippers and Warriors. Ilgauskas played well against Sacramento and LA, and did well in the loss to the Sonics.
What people fail to recognize is that the wine and gold get almost nothing off of their bench on a nightly basis. The only consistent contributors off the bench are Anderson Varajao and even I’m shocked to write this, Damon Jones. Donyell Marshall has lost it quicker than anyone could have imagined, and the others rarely get opportunities to play. If you want to criticize Mike Brown, start with his failure to develop anyone into a reliable substitute. Daniel Gibson has shown flashes of talent, and Sasha Pavlovic has more ups and downs than an elevator. He tried David Wesley early in the campaign, and despite his decent performance against Golden State, he has showed that he is ready to retire. Scott Pollard, Ira Newble, Shannon Brown, and Dwayne Jones have played just slightly more than I have.
The Cavaliers really need to improve their bench to make a run deep into the playoffs. You have to remember what type of team Brown and Ferry want to have when you discuss the type of player they need. They stress defense! I can assure you that any player who isn’t a good defensive player will get no interest from the Cavs. That said, what they need is not a point guard who can score, it’s another combo guard who can defend and can make an open shot. They also need a player to replace Marshall as a fourth big man in the rotation. They are not going to be interested in the Steve Francis’ or Zack Randolphs of the world. They aren’t good fits for the direction the team is taking.
It’s too late for the younger guys to develop into acceptable options off the bench this season. That should have been addressed earlier. They need to fit in a veteran to fill these spots, and will probably have to deal a youngster to get him. Getting more players who can contribute on a nightly basis will ease the minutes the starters are logging, which will keep them fresher for the end of the season, and also in situations where they are playing a lot of games in a short stretch.
Fans who pick on Ilgauskas and Snow are criticizing guys who can and do contribute to the success of the team. Ferry needs to add more players who can make a difference every night. At the beginning of the season, Ferry and Brown thought he had nine Cavaliers who could play. Marshall’s slide and Wesley’s performance have left them two men short.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 