No Deal For Cavs, No Love for LBJ

 

The NBA trading deadline came and went and GM Danny Ferry decided not to make a move.  With the recent better play by the Cavaliers, and the emergence of Sasha Pavlovic, Ferry figured the status quo was not such a bad idea.  With Dwayne Wade out, possibly for the season, the path is paved for the Cavs to get to the Eastern Conference finals.  Can they get there?

 

The recent good stretch for the team started with some outstanding defensive efforts.  The players have commented that Coach Mike Brown told them they could run more if they played better on the defensive end.  Make no mistake, even though the wine and gold are running more, they are winning games with defense.  In winning five of their last seven games, virtually all of them against playoff contenders, only the Lakers scored 100 points.  And the Cavs won that game.  Five opponents have been held to 90 points or less, with the Cavs winning four of those contests. 

 

Brown also adjusted his playing rotation to give Pavlovic more time, decreasing the minutes of defensive liabilities Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones.  Also, Anderson Varajao minutes have increased, and so has his production.  The Brazilian has made his case to remain in the starting lineup with his play in his starts, subbing for Zydrunas Ilgauskas.  However, although some have said he should replace Z in the starting lineup, we have advocated replacing Drew Gooden, whose inconsistent play translates better to coming off the bench.

 

One thing that has stunned me as of late is the criticism of LeBron James.  James is still averaging 26.5 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists per game.  Those are tremendous numbers, although his scoring is down about five points per game and his assists are off by one per night.  The one thing noticeable in his stats is his free throw percentage, which is also down five points from a year ago.  Improvement in this area will increase his scoring average.  He is being criticized for not caring enough about the game.

 

LeBron is still one of the best players in the NBA.  If you can name four players better than him, you are dead wrong.  He is also 22 years old, and the players he played with at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School are now seniors in college.  He has fallen into the category of being too good for too long, so now the nitpickers have to find something wrong with him.  Besides being an All Pro player, he has never been in trouble, nor does he ever say anything outrageously stupid.  He’s a model citizen.

 

The problem is he might be too polished for the media.  He gets criticism for saying the Cavs played well in a loss, and he is satisfied with that.  This causes the fans and press to go crazy.  I think he’s just like Nook LaLoosh in Bull Durham.  He’s just watching what he says in public.  I believe that winning is very important to LeBron James.  He’s just trying to keep an even keel with his teammates.  If he stays calm, the rest of the Cavaliers will relax and hopefully play better.  People should not take what is said in post game interviews as gospel.

 

In a curious note, the Bulls’ Ben Wallace said the Cavs were easier to defend last night because Ilgauskas wasn’t playing.  Hopefully, the anti Z contingent heard that.  I guess Wallace doesn’t know what he’s talking about either.

 

JK