The All Star break couldn’t come at a better time for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They had a remarkable first half of the season, entering the gala weekend with a 40-11 record, currently the 2nd best in the Eastern Conference and third best overall. However, the Cavs have not been playing with the same dominance they enjoyed earlier in the season. It looks like the injuries have taken its toll.
Over the past two months, the wine and gold have lost starters Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Delonte West to significant injuries. Also, key reserves Sasha Pavlovic and an emerging Tarence Kinsey are currently on the shelf. The latter injuries have forced Mike Brown to give additional minutes to Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson, neither of who are defensive stalwarts, although they do work hard on that end of the floor.
For a team that is built on defense, that’s a tough pill to swallow. Still, although they haven’t played well, they have continued to win. The Cavs are 7-3 in their last ten games going into All Star weekend. Compare this to Orlando, who after their loss of Jameer Nelson, are playing .500 ball since his injury. Sure, they’ve lost to some elite teams like Orlando (with Nelson) and Los Angeles, but they are winning the games they should win for the most part.
It looks to me like the extra workload for LeBron James, Mo Williams, and Anderson Varajao have worn them down a little bit, and they need some rest. James and Williams will participate in the All Star festivities, but they won’t work as hard as they would during a normal Mike Brown practice. Varajao hasn’t looked the same since Ilgauskas returned to the lineup, and he should spend the weekend relaxing on his couch.
Another result of the injuries is the ball movement that had been a staple of the offense has decreased greatly. This comes from having to play people who aren’t real offensive threats or are stand still shooters. Getting West back, which could come right after the break, will help a lot in this regard. West has an ability to shoot the jumper and take the ball to the hole, which opens up the attack.
Remember that West, next to LeBron James, may be the most indispensable player on the team. He provides good shooting from outside, can drive to the basket, has the ability to play the point, and is a good defender. The Cavs’ success with Delonte West doesn’t mean that he is a replaceable part. Make no mistake about it, he will be a key factor for Cleveland as they finish the season and enter the playoffs.
He is also a better point guard option than Gibson, who is really a shooting guard in a point guard body. Hopefully, it also means less of James initiating the offense, which means less of him pounding the ball outside the circle letting the shot clock run down.
It should be obvious to everyone by now that the Cavs offense flows much better with Williams and/or West starting it than with #23. James should be the finisher.
The break should also give Ilgauskas more rest for his ankle. He clearly is not back to 100% after the chip fracture of his ankle.
Getting West back and Ilgauskas’ continuing improvement with his ankle will be the medicine for what has ailed the wine and gold over the last few weeks. Injuries are part of the game, and when you think about it, the Cavs have coped with them very well.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 