The last week of play tells you all you want to know about the Cleveland Cavaliers, and it has to drive coach Byron Scott crazy.
After Sunday night’s loss to Washington, it would not have been surprising had the coach destroyed the locker room in anger at the effort put out from a team whose record is now 9-46.
Monday night, the wine and gold took on one of the NBA’s better team, the Dallas Mavericks. They played with passion and hustle, and was tied late in the fourth quarter. They had a chance to send the game into overtime, but Anthony Parker’s three pointers missed, resulting in the Cavs’ 25th straight loss.
The next game was against Detroit, a team in the lower tier of the league. However, the Cavaliers came out not ready to play and the Pistons rolled, handing Cleveland their 26th consecutive loss.
The losing streak was broken on Friday with an overtime win against the LA Clippers.
The Cavs came ready to play, scrambling for loose balls and working hard on defense.
Apparently, that game satisfied their thirst for victory because they laid an egg against Washington, losing to a team that had not won on the road all season.
It’s hard to believe that any team with as poor a record as the Cavaliers would take any opponent for granted.
It also means there is a deeper problem for Scott, GM Chris Grant, and owner Dan Gilbert.
Scott has been trying to go with his veterans as of late, probably to generate some trade interest in guys like Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, Mo Williams, and Jamario Moon.
But the problem is these guys just don’t seem to be interested in doing what is needed to win on a night in night out basis. Perhaps, LeBron James saw the same thing and that’s why he left.
There is no excuse for not playing hard or not being prepared to play.
Sunday night, Williams and Parker turned the ball over so much it resembled Christmas Eve with the two Cavaliers in the role of Santa Claus.
And those are the veterans!
Maybe the coach and GM see the same thing from these players and they are biding their time until they can cleanse the roster.
This team needs someone to step up and show everyone what needs to be done in order to win in the NBA. Right now, there is no one currently on the roster who shows this type of professionalism.
At least guys like Ramon Sessions, Manny Harris, Samardo Samuels, Daniel Gibson, and the much maligned J.J. Hickson act like they care.
For those who question the latter’s talent, look at his numbers since Scott benched him for missing practice at the beginning of January. He is putting up numbers, and even better, putting out an effort every night.
There seems to be people starting to question the coaching of Scott right now based on the club’s record and the lack of effort in these recent games.
How do you motivate the dead? That’s what Scott has to work with right now. Many of his veteran players aren’t giving him effort on a regular basis. That shows a lack of heart on the players part.
The coach cannot want to win more than the players. If that is truly the case, Byron Scott can’t shoulder the brunt of the blame for the Cavaliers’ record.
Nothing will change until a talent transfusion is performed by Grant.
Anyone want to be an NBA coach?
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 