The NBA season is just 10 games old, and already the Cleveland Cavaliers have had many ups and downs to their season.
They knocked off the defending Eastern Conference champs, the Boston Celtics on opening night, and promptly lost on the road to the Toronto Raptors two nights later.
They had a three game road winning streak, but they’ve also had a four game losing streak at Quicken Loans Arena.
So, all in all, being .500 on the season is about where they should be based on how they’ve played to start the 2010-11 season.
Critics will say the record is only that good because the wine and gold have played a relatively soft schedule, and while that is true, there are some things that need to be said about the quality of the teams in the NBA.
There simply aren’t that many very good teams in the league right now, in fact, you can make the case that there are a lot of mediocre squads in the NBA, particularly in the East. David Stern has got to be cringing at that statement.
There are 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and currently just six of them are over the .500 mark.
There are some outstanding teams. You have to put Boston, Orlando, and Miami (yes, it pains one to say that) in that class, and Atlanta and Chicago (especially when Carlos Boozer gets back) are very close behind.
That would be five teams who figure to make the playoffs, leaving three spots up for grabs, and quite frankly, the Cavaliers are as good as any of the teams vying for one of those spots.
The best of the rest, so to speak, may just be the Milwaukee Bucks, who have a good big man in Andrew Bogut and a possible rising star at the point in Brandon Jennings. They also have solid veterans in Corey Maggette, John Salmons, and Drew Gooden. They also have a good coach who stresses defense in Scott Skiles.
That leaves nine teams looking to get the last two spots. Can anyone say with conviction that the Cavs aren’t better than these teams: New Jersey, New York, Toronto, Philadelphia, Indiana, Detroit, Charlotte, and Washington?
The biggest challenge for Byron Scott’s crew is getting healthy. With Anderson Varajao and Mo Williams both in the lineup, the wine and gold won the three straight road games. They can go 10 deep when both are playing, although the coach played that many yesterday by giving rookie Manny Harris some minutes.
These two guys are arguably two of the team’s best, along with Antawn Jamison. Those three have the best career track records. They are all solid NBA players. We need to see more of guys like J. J. Hickson and Daniel Gibson before they can be put on that level.
The point is the people who say the Cavaliers have had a soft schedule need to look at the league. Outside of five or six teams (the three from the East and the Lakers, Spurs, and Thunder in the West, we’ll reserve judgment on the Hornets), anyone else you play would be considered a beatable team.
For example, check out the “great” Heat. They haven’t beaten any team with a winning record as of yet.
This basketball team will get better as the season goes on because they will learn to play Scott’s system better. There is no reason to write this team off. After the first ten games, they still can be a playoff team.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 