The new Cavaliers made their debut in the wine and gold last night and it was a resounding success. The Cavs blew it open early, getting off to a 32-13 lead, and coasting to a 109-89 win over the hapless Memphis Grizzlies. Ben Wallace and Delonte West joined the starting lineup, while Joe Smith and Wally Szczerbiak came off the bench. All the newcomers contributed to the victory, although the level of competition will improve with road tilts at Milwaukee tomorrow and Boston, the team with the NBA’s best record on Wednesday.
Things may change after more practices, but it appears that Mike Brown decided to balance the defense lost by trading Larry Hughes by starting Devin Brown. This will help the wine and gold get off to good starts instead of letting opponents’ guards scoring at will in the first quarter. Coach Brown now has some firepower coming off the bench with Szczerbiak, Damon Jones, and Joe Smith. And when Anderson Varajao, Sasha Pavlovic, and Daniel Gibson return from their injuries, the Cavs will then be able to go ten deep.
That’s important in the playoffs because of the depth of their chief rival, the Detroit Pistons. They are getting all kinds of positive press about being able to bring guys like Jarvis Hayes, Lindsay Hunter, Jason Maxiell, Rodney Stuckey, and Amir Johnson off the bench for key minutes, but it is necessary for them because they are an aging team. The Cavs have added some age as well, but now they can bring Varajao, Szczerbiak, Gibson, Smith, and Pavlovic in as substitutes. That will help them match the Pistons, and also against a Boston team whose three best players are over 30.
Using Wallace at the power forward spot, which is his natural spot, seemed to give him an extra bounce in his step last night. He also showed he can still finish close to the basket off of the pick and roll. His minutes will be cut slightly when Varajao returns, which will keep him fresher to create his defensive havoc. Joe Smith is another key acquistion. He made open shots last night, and seemed to play with more energy than Drew Gooden had on most nights. Having four talented big men is something that Mike Brown has dreamt about his Donyell Marshall started his slide last year.
West could be the question mark. He is long, which is something GM Danny Ferry and Brown covet in the backcourt, but his shot has been inconsistent. Still, last night he did find the open man consistently. Szczerbiak will likely fill the sniper roll off the bench, and he becomes a precious trade commodity next year when he is in the last year of his deal. The biggest thing is replacing two inconsistent starters in Hughes and Gooden. Hughes has played better for the last month, but his shot is like a light switch, and Gooden’s up and down play has been discussed in this blog for a long time.
I understand that Memphis is not a quality team, far from it. However, I liked the energy and style of the newest Cavaliers. With the depth, especially in the front court, that the deal brings, the wine and gold are better from a playoff basketball standpoint. If they can gel quickly, there may be a third team to fear coming out of the Eastern Conference.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 