The Cleveland Cavaliers have hit the stage in their development where they are a very frustrating team to watch at times.
After a stretch against a brutal schedule that saw them lose 10 games in a row, the last being an embarrassing defeat at the hands of equally mediocre Oklahoma City, coach J.B. Bickerstaff made a lineup change to bring Dean Wade, a shooter (stretch four) in the starting lineup and the team reeled off four straight wins.
In the last game before the All Star break, Cleveland was going for its fifth consecutive win and had a 19 point lead in the third quarter, blowing it after Darius Garland went down with a groin strain. Garland missed Friday night’s contest too, a 34 point blow out at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans (16-22), another team on par record wise with the Cavs.
Yes, Garland was out, and Larry Nance and Kevin Love, both of whom has been out for awhile played, so some adjustments were needed. However, the wine and gold were trailing by just six in the second quarter before the roof caved in.
Bickerstaff and his staff have some guy who can play in this league, this isn’t a roster devoid of talent, so losing by 34 on the road to a team that really isn’t much better than the Cavs is very frustrating.
It has to be maddening for the coaching staff too, because it seems like he has to constantly challenge them to compete. Too often they revert to bad habits, ones which go away from team play. And when the Cavaliers are playing well, they very much play together, moving the ball, etc.
Cleveland had 13 assists in Friday’s game. Some of that has to do with the team shooting 34% from the floor, and 22% from three point range. Newcomer Quinn Cook hit three of four from behind the line, meaning the rest of the team went a dreadful 4 for 28 (14%).
Moving the ball has been stressed since day one of training camp by Bickerstaff and the coaches, but without Garland out there, they come up with just 13 helpers. And that has to fall on to the player who has his hands on the ball most, Collin Sexton.
We go back and forth on the third year player out of Alabama. There is plenty of good in his game. He can score, there is no question about that. He shoots 48% from the floor and 39% from behind the arc. He dishes out 4.3 assists per game, second most on the team.
But when things aren’t going well, instead of trusting the other players on the floor, he tries to do everything himself. And that’s a difficult thing for a player to learn. Michael Jordan had to learn it as well, and we are not comparing Sexton to Jordan.
When Garland is not playing, the Cavs need Sexton to be a playmaker. If he can’t do that, then the organization has to ask a difficult question, can an NBA team win with a 6’2″ #2 guard? We know Toronto won with a small backcourt, but they had one of the five best players in the league in Kawhi Leonard.
Right now, the Cavaliers don’t have a player like that on the roster.
At this point, the basketball IQ on this team isn’t very high. And that’s not just on Sexton. For example, Cedi Osman (or someone else is telling him) think he’s a three point shooter. He’s not. He takes the most threes on the roster, and he’s hitting just 32%.
At this point, Sexton is much like the team he plays for. It is alternately enjoying and frustrated watching he and the Cavaliers play.
Yes, they are a young team, but they do have some veterans to guide the way like Nance, JaVale McGee, and Love, and Taurean Prince has been around as well.
This squad can make a playoff push in the mediocre Eastern Conference. But they can’t have many more games like their first one after the break. It’s time for the young players to play much smarter and tougher.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 