The Cavaliers season ended last night, and boy was it a long one. A 26 game losing streak will do that.
There were injuries to key players like Anderson Varejao and Antawn Jamison, the trades of Mo Williams and Jamario Moon, and of course, a stretch where the team lost 36 of 37 games.
The team played much better at the end of the season, after veteran point guard Baron Davis was healthy and started running the team. He had a very positive effect on the rest of the team.
Some media people were actually upset when the wine and gold started playing better because they were jeopardizing the possibility of getting the first pick in the NBA draft.
The problems even extended to Hall of Fame announcer Joe Tait, who had to cut his last season short due to health issues. Good luck to Joe in his retirement. He provided us all with so many thrills during his time at the mike.
In the midst of all that went wrong this season, what did we learn about the Cavs this season?
We learned that J.J. Hickson has to be properly motivated by his coach, but when he is, he can play. Despite playing center for much of the season at 6’9″, Hickson averaged 13.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per night.
His defense against Blake Griffin the night the losing streak was broken shows he has the ability to play the game. You’d like to see him improve his shooting percentage from this year’s 46%, but he is someone who can be here when the Cavs get back to the playoffs.
We also learned the value of a true point guard when Davis arrived. No offense to Ramon Sessions, who is an improving young player, but Davis’ presence changed everything.
He made Ryan Hollins into an offensive threat. He improved the game of Hickson. And he cut down on the foolish turnovers the Cavaliers had before he arrived.
Mo Williams did a good job here, but he’s really more of a combo guard than a true point guard.
That’s why the front office covets Duke guard Kyrie Irving so much. Having a guy like that makes the offense run so much smoothly.
We also learned that Christian Eyenga has some talent. He’s freakishly athletic, being able to jump out of a building, and looks like he’ll be able to be a pretty good defensive player. He’s raw to be sure, but he’s also young.
He should be a building block for the franchise going forward.
We also learned that Samardo Samuels could be a diamond in the rough. He’s got a big body and isn’t afraid to use it. Once he started to get some playing time, he showed he was afraid of no one. He may be a reserve for a good team, but he can definitely play in the NBA.
We also learned that the Cavs still have some nice tradable chips going into the off-season. Jamison still can play, and he would be a good fit on a playoff contender.
And Boobie Gibson has had success guarding taller opponents and hasn’t lost his shooting touch.
Out of those two, Jamison is more likely to go, perhaps in a draft day deal for more young players and/or draft picks.
We also learned how to adapt to life without the best basketball announcer ever, one that we’ve listened to since the beginning of the Cavalier franchise.
It won’t be the same without you Joe Tait. Thanks for all the thrills and memories.
JK
Cleveland Sports Perspective 