Why Cavs’ Defense Has Dropped

Nobody thought it would be this bad. 

We are not talking about the play calling by the Cleveland Browns, rather this discussion is centered on the play of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have now lost eight straight contests, and their record has plummeted to 7-17 on the season. 

Good luck in the 2011 Draft Lottery. 

The wine and gold have the 7^th worst record in the league currently, and teams like New Jersey, Washington, and Detroit are closing fast.  The team has the worst point differential in the NBA at –9.7 points per night, which means you could make the point that Cleveland is the worst team in the association.

It’s not pretty, and it seems to be getting worse.

Coach Byron Scott changed the starting lineup to get more production there, and it worked.  Unfortunately, the bench, which had been one of the highest scoring units in the NBA, is now doing nothing. 

Still, the biggest problem with this team is defense, and the lack of it.  The Cavs rank 9^th from the bottom in terms of points allowed per game, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.  The only team allowing more points than the wine and gold that scores less than 100 points per game is the Washington Wizards.

The other seven teams that allow more points are all running type teams, squads like Phoenix, Golden State, Toronto, and New York.  Although Scott would like the offense to be more up-tempo, right now it isn’t and Cleveland is scoring only 93 points per night while giving up 103. 

They are fourth from the bottom in field goal percentage against, behind the Suns, Raptors, and Wizards.  However, from behind the three-point line, they are allowing more than 41% of shots worth three points. 

The only other team over 40% is the Los Angeles Clippers.

Fox Sports’ Sam Amico said the Cavaliers’ perimeter defense is the worst he has seen in the 25 years he has covered the NBA.  And yes, it is that bad.

It starts with Scott not having anyone who can stop the opponents’ point guard from getting into the paint on a consistent basis.  The failure of Mo Williams, Ramon Sessions, and Daniel Gibson to stop dribble penetration puts the rest of the defense in a position to have to help prevent a lay up parade.

Couple that with the lack of a shot blocker in the middle, and you have a situation where too many players are concentrating on stopping points in the paint, as they should be.  However, that leaves the perimeter wide open.  Ryan Hollins is a decent shot blocker, but he’s only on the floor for about 12-15 minutes per night.

In previous years, the team had guys like Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O’Neal blocking the way to the hoop.  Although they weren’t mobile, they were big enough to alter shots.

J.J. Hickson could be a deterrent in time, but right now, he doesn’t know how or is unwilling to play solid defense inside.

And currently, the Cavs don’t have enough guys with the quickness and size needed to recover on outside shots.  Anthony Parker and Manny Harris are the only guards with size on the roster, and Parker is now playing small forward and has appeared to lose a step.

The other players who have the height to challenge shots from outside aren’t athletic enough to recover from stopping drives, outside of perhaps Jawad Williams and the recently banished Jamario Moon.  However, if the guards were doing their job, everyone else could concentrate on stopping their man.

Last year, LeBron James and Delonte West could recover much quicker than the current group.  And West could also guard the point and limit drives to the basket.

In this losing streak, nothing has worked for this basketball team, but the defense is the main problem.  Better defense would not only mean the Cavaliers would need less points to win, but they would also be able to utilize the running game their coach wants.

The Cavs need a lot to make this team better, but the first piece should be a defensive minded point guard, who makes good decisions with the basketball.  Until that happens, it will be tough to watch the Cavaliers.

JK