There is no question that LeBron James is the best player on the Cavaliers by far. There are some, myself included, who think he is the best player in the NBA. That said, there is no excuse for the Cavaliers performance last night in a 100-79 defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Nets at the Q. At the end of the game, someone threw one of the orange souvenir balls out on the court, presumably because they couldn’t find anything else.
Now while I don’t condone heaving stuff on the court, as Chris Rock says “I understand”.
Granted, losing James means the wine and gold lose their best scorer and playmaker, as well as one of its better rebounders. They also lose their smartest player. It’s obvious that without The King, the Cavalier players do not understand the game of basketball. How else can you explain Zydrunas Ilgauskas getting a total of six shots in last night’s contest? The big man is the team’s second best offensive player, but since James has been out, he has taken an average of eight shots per night. With LBJ in the line up, he routinely gets around 14-15 per game.
Doesn’t anybody on this team realize that getting the ball to Z is a better option than jacking up jump shots, including the relentless stream of bad 3-pointers this team takes. I watch the games, and when the opponents are starting a run, the Cavs answer by taking a poor outside shot, instead of getting the ball inside or taking the ball to the hoop. Usually the culprit is Sasha Pavlovic or Damon Jones, both veterans. After the success this team has had the past few years, you would think these guys would get it. Also, their long-range jumpers aren’t as open as when James is on the floor.
Without LeBron on the floor, perhaps the coaching staff cannot rely on the players on the floor to make decisions as to who takes the shots. Maybe Mike Brown and his staff have to turn into Pat Riley and call a specific play every time down the floor. I’m sure the players wouldn’t be happy about this, but they have demonstrated a high basketball IQ. Really, there is no excuse for this type of performance at home by a team that went to the NBA Finals, even without the best player in the game.
It looks like Anderson Varajao will be back soon after he signed an offer sheet with the Charlotte Bobcats, which the wine and gold have matched. Although the Cavs miss his energy and rebounding, and need another big man, it’s not a great deal for Cleveland. He can be an unrestricted free agent after next season. The Wild Thing will be back soon, but I still wouldn’t be surprised if now that he’s back, GM Danny Ferry will still try to deal him before the deadline
The Cavs waived Demetris Nichols to make room for Varajao on the roster, so maybe they were not showcasing Shannon Brown, as some have speculated.
It doesn’t appear LeBron will be back in the lineup tonight against the Wizards, so the Cavs need to play a much more intelligent game starting tonight. In addition to all of his physical gifts, it’s apparent the Cavaliers need LeBron James so they make sure they play the game the correct way as well.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 