The Cedi Question

During the past basketball season, Cavaliers’ rookie Cedi Osman became something of a fan favorite. His smile and energy attracted fans of the wine and gold to him.

He played with joy and seemed to be thrilled to be in the NBA, a stark contrast to many who feel the league is better because they are in it.

Some in the media treated him like a mascot, a cuddly toy that the other players on the team liked to squeeze after games.

In the 70’s, fans knew when the game was in hand when coach Bill Fitch put former Ohio State big man Luke Witte in the game. He was a crowd favorite because he was a former Buckeye, but it was enhanced by his becoming a human victory cigar.

That’s how some in town view Osman. He’s a good kid, but something of a novelty.

The reality is Cedi Osman can play basketball, and he will be one of the better players on this year’s edition of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This is not to suggest Osman will be an all star or god forbid, replace LeBron James’ production for the Cavs. But he’s not a good luck charm for the wine and gold, nor should he be considered everyone’s “little buddy”.

His shot was not consistent last year, but watching him in the NBA Summer League, you can tell that he worked on his shot with Kyle Korver, a shooting guru with tremendous success in his career.

What he can do, is get to the basket and he is very athletic so he can be disruptive on the defensive end of the floor. And if he can improve his long range shooting, it will allow him to be able to get to the hoop even more.

In our opinion, the best thing about Osman, and this was pointed out by LeBron James, is that since he was playing in the Euroleague since the age of 18, he is not afraid or intimidated by playing in the NBA.

We have stated this before, but after the trading deadline deals, the rookie had a stretch where he was getting 15 or more minutes per night, and he averaged almost 9 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

That was a stretch of 11 games, and the Cavs were 8-3. After he injured his hip, he never really got back in coach Tyronn Lue’s rotation.

The other thing we noticed, besides his energy and enthusiasm, was he is in the right spot on the floor to come up with rebounds and loose balls. That’s instinctual, maybe players never develop this skill.

He also played the right way when he did get a chance. The most field goal attempts he took all season long was 11 in a 22 point win over Detroit in March. Many rookies feel the need to put points on the board when they get in, Osman played unselfishly.

We also like the attitude of Osman and rookie first round pick Collin Sexton, who both seem to want the responsibility of being leaders. This year’s team, without James will need that.

Again, we aren’t saying Cedi Osman is going to make the All-Star team next season, but he can be a big factor for the 2018-19 Cleveland Cavaliers. He brings more to the table than being a likeable end of the bench player.

Where Do Cavs Go From Here?

It’s been a few days now since LeBron James announced he was going to play for the Los Angeles Lakers, so now it’s time to look at what the Cleveland Cavaliers can do in the 2018-19 season.

The first thing to realize is the Cavs lose their first round pick to Atlanta (via the Kyle Korver deal) if they aren’t in the top ten picks in next year’s NBA Draft.

So, while the instinct of the organization might be to win as many games as they can, because there is more talent on the roster, young talent too, than there was in 2010 when James went to Miami, but at least for now, it would be best if the Cavaliers don’t win.

They could start that process by dealing Kevin Love, their most tradable commodity, for more young talent and/or draft picks. Love will be 30 years old before next season starts, and in our opinion, you don’t want to start a rebuild with someone past 30 years old.

After the draft of Collin Sexton, the wine and gold have a collection of solid players who are under the age of 26. If Rodney Hood (26) is resigned as a restricted free agent, coach Tyronn Lue could start he and Sexton at guard, Cedi Osman (23) and Larry Nance Jr. (25) at forwards, and Ante Zizic (21) at center.

Jordan Clarkson (26) would be the sixth man, and if Love is moved, we are sure another young piece or two would be coming back as well.

We are sure the Cavs would love to move on from veterans like JR Smith, George Hill, Kyle Korver, and even Tristan Thompson, but that isn’t as easy as it seems.

All of them have lengthy, high paying contracts, and those aren’t appealing to other teams, unless you are willing to take the similar contracts back in return.

And with a young team, it’s difficult to imagine having those players, who would likely be unhappy on a losing team after visiting The Finals, sitting on the bench in reserve roles.

Hill could be a good tutor for Sexton, if he was willing to do that. It is difficult thinking Korver would be a problem, but he should be valuable to a contending team.

Smith and Thompson have been to four straight Finals with the wine and gold, so it is doubtful they would be happy with a subservient role in Cleveland, so a buyout could be likely for those two.

As for the returning players, as we said there are some nice pieces here, but unless Sexton becomes one, no star, and that’s what you need to win in the NBA.

Hood was averaging over 16 points per game in Utah. Nance has showed he was a winning player in his time in Cleveland. Osman played well in spurts (when he got time), and if his shot improves can be a very nice player.

Zizic showed solid post moves to score when used late in the season, but his defense needs work.

Whether these guys pan out or not, it shows more promise than the 2010-11 Cavalier roster. The only players on that roster who had meaningful careers after that season were really Mo Williams (five more seasons, including the 2015-16 Cavs’ championship team), Ramon Sessions, still active this past season, and Anderson Varejao.

The biggest thing, and this has been an issue, is player development. That hasn’t been a strong suit of the current coaching staff.

That could be the key to the season.

Blame For LBJ’s Departure Falls On Both Parties…And Bad Luck

The news came around 8PM last night. LeBron James was signing a four year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, leaving the Cavaliers for a second time via free agency.

There will be those that criticize James for his decision, same as they did eight years ago, and others will hammer Dan Gilbert and the organization for not being able to provide James with a team that can win titles.

The truth lies somewhere in between, however.

When James came back he wanted (at least what was claimed) to nurture the young Cavs. He wanted to work with Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Dion Waiters. He recruited Kevin Love to help out.

But when the team struggled that first season, the Cavs got veteran players that James felt more comfortable with, guys like JR Smith and Iman Shumpert, and ultimately, the front office paid them a ton of money, so when, if Smith’s case, he declined as a player, his contract became untradeable.

The same with Thompson, who was represented by James’ agent, so the Cavaliers paid him more money than a defensive oriented big man with limited offensive skills probably should have received.

Because of that deal, and that Thompson has leveled off, the wine and gold are stuck with his contract unless they simply give him away.

We are sure the Cavs’ organization figured out, like everybody who understands the game of basketball, that Smith and Thompson are marginal players at best right now, and the best thing for the Cavaliers would be upgrading at their positions, but unfortunately that seems impossible.

And even after the championship in ’16, James wouldn’t commit to the Cavaliers long term because he couldn’t trust Gilbert, so the front office couldn’t engage a future plan.

That’s life with James on your team, and the Cavs’ front office did what they needed to do to put their squad in a position to get to The Finals.

And they won in 2016, a year after James willed Cleveland to a six game series without the second or third best players on the roster, Irving and Love, who were injured.

That’s where luck, or in the Cavs’ view, bad luck took over.

Due to a spike in the salary cap, the team Cleveland beat in ’16 was able to sign the second best player in the league, Kevin Durant, as a free agent. There is no question here that Durant has been the difference in each of the last two Finals, and without him on the Golden State roster, Cleveland may have just celebrated a “Three-peat”.

The Cavs’ management, Dan Gilbert, nor James can be blamed for that. Another situation like that may never happen again.

The front office can be blamed for the lack of return in the trade of Kyrie Irving, who needed to be dealt, and Gilbert can be blamed for not keeping former GM David Griffin, who put together the title team.

An experienced hand may have made the difference in the return for Irving, although to be fair, Griffin was the guy who agreed to the deals with Thompson, Shumpert, Smith, and giving up two first round picks for Timofey Mozgov.

We would say the front office recognized the need to get younger since the end of the 2017 season, and most of the moves made did just that, but the pressure to win and win now with LeBron James, was probably a factor in why the coaching staff didn’t really bring Cedi Osman, Ante Zizic, and later, Rodney Hood along.

So, it is unfair to lie the blame in one spot. The Cavs did what they needed to do to win as soon as possible. LeBron didn’t really commit to a long term stay.

That’s life with the best player in the sport.

Irving’s Legacy In Wine and Gold

Collin Sexton made a splash Thursday night, and not just by being the Cavaliers’ pick with the eighth overall selection in the NBA Draft.

He also said he was going to wear the #2, last worn in Cleveland by Kyrie Irving.

Now, there is no doubt that Irving will hold a special place in franchise history for making “The Shot (Cleveland version)”, which gave the Cavs their only title in 2016.

He deserves adulation for taking and making it, especially since both teams had a difficult time scoring in the last five minutes of Game 7.

However, he also decided to demand a trade after the 2016-17 season, and Cleveland granted him that request, sending him to Boston. It has also been reported that he planned to have elective knee surgery if he was not traded, making it so the Cavaliers didn’t have a choice.

So, some fans reacted with outrage at Sexton’s wanting to wear #2.

First, the rookie did wear the number at Alabama. It’s not as if Sexton wore #33 in college and decided to wear #2 here to troll Irving and his fans.

The other argument from fans, we believe these are younger fans, is that Irving should be honored some day by having his jersey retired here as the second best player in the history of the franchise.

We believe this is very clearly up for debate.

In our opinion, Mark Price is the second best Cavalier ever behind of course, LeBron James, and win shares concurs with this theory. Here are the franchise’s top five in win shares:

LeBron James 154.1
Mark Price 65.4
Brad Daugherty 65.2
Zydrunas Ilgauskas 63.4
Hot Rod Williams 58.3

Irving ranks eighth in team history (behind Larry Nance and Anderson Varejao) in this category.

To determine how win shares are calculated, please visit BasketballReference.com, but the all time leaders in the category are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Karl Malone, James, and Michael Jordan.

It is an accumulative statistic, meaning the longer you play, the higher number you get, and that is one of our arguments against Irving at the second best Cavalier.

Price played nine seasons in Cleveland, and four times made the all-NBA team, a first teamer once (the only other Cav besides James to have that honor) and third team three times.

Irving played with the Cavaliers for just six seasons, making the all-NBA teams just once, a third team selection in 2014-15.

That indicates how both players were regarded within their eras. By this measurement, it shows Price was regarded as an elite player at his time. Although Irving is a gifted player, he has only been regarded as a top six guard in the NBA once.

And in looking at individual stats, Irving leads Price in points per game (21.6 to 16.4 with Cleveland) and rebounds.

The difference in points is attributable to Irving taking five more shots per game than Price, as the latter shot a higher percentage from the field.

As a point guard, Price averaged 7.2 assists with the Cavs, compared to Irving’s 5.5. Price was also a better three point shooter, making 40.9% compared to 38.3%.

Look, we are not saying Kyrie Irving is not a great player, nor can the story of the Cavs’ only title be told without the important contribution of Kyrie Irving.

But second best player in Cavs’ history? Retire his number? Let’s look at that without the emotion of the 2016 NBA Championship or the emotion of how his time with the Cavaliers ended.

Sexton Is A Solid Pick For Wine and Gold.

In today’s NBA, what happens on draft night could be totally different two weeks or two months from now.

As it stands right now, the Cavaliers drafted a point guard with the eighth overall pick in the draft last night, grabbing Alabama’s Collin Sexton, a pick that received mixed reviews.

We believe the reason was the expectation that GM Koby Altman was going to swing a deal to bring in a veteran star player in an effort to keep LeBron James with the team, but James is said to like Sexton too.

Of course, there is still time for Altman to swing a deal before the end of the month when the free agency period begins in earnest.

In our opinion, Sexton is a very good pick.

There is no question that he needs to work on his shot. He shot just 44.7% from the floor and just 33.6% from behind the arc. However, he demonstrated a tremendous ability to get to the basket.

He did shoot 78% from the line which shows he can shoot a bit, and remember, he’s just 19 years old, and although a player can’t improve his lateral quickness, they can work on their shooting, and get better through spending time in the gym.

One thing that was evident watching the Cavs in the playoffs, was they needed players who can create offense by attacking the basket. Too often, the only guy doing that was James.

Let’s face it, after the Kyrie Irving deal last summer, the Cavs needed a penetrating guard who can finish around the basket, although that could be a problem without a reliable jump shot to keep defenders honest.

Sexton will need to improve his playmaking ability to be successful in the NBA, because he was more of a combo guard in college, but again, he’s just a year out of high school, and we have seen a lot of scorers in college become playmakers in the pros.

His reputation is that he is a hard worker and plays well in big games. We love that. Players can improve by working hard, and when players don’t pan out in the NBA, many times it is because they don’t put the time in during the off-season.

And as a bonus, Sexton is considered a solid defender, something that outside of George Hill has been missing from the games of Cavs’ point guards for awhile.

Another reason for disappointment with the choice of Sexton is that the wine and gold passed on Michael Porter Jr., considered one of the most talented players available.

However, Porter’s back problems (also at age 19!) were simply too much of a red flag. Everyone seems to look at his upside, but what if he’s this decade’s Greg Oden, a player who simply can’t either get on the floor or stay on it.

As for the big picture, keeping the pick and taking Sexton doesn’t mean James is leaving Cleveland, nor does it mean he is staying.

We said it before the Cavs have another week to make moves in an attempt to make James see this is a good place for him to try to win another title.

It could be the most important week this franchise has had off the court in a long time.

What Cavs Should Do Now…

Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers just ended their season after getting swept in the NBA Finals, it is still a busy time for the franchise.

The NBA Draft is next Thursday, and of course, the Cavs have the 8th overall pick, a result of the Kyrie Irving trade last summer.

There is also the free agency period which starts on July 1st.

Oh, and there is the whole will LeBron James decide to stay with the franchise or will he go through the free agency process once again.

So, the wine and gold are one of the last two teams standing and yet the next three to four weeks are critical to the future of the franchise.

Unless they hear something differently, they should use this period to show James the best place to win, right now and in the future is right here with the Cavaliers.

How do they do that? First, listen to what he was saying prior to and after Game 4 of The Finals. He repeatedly said he liked playing with guys who have high basketball IQs. How many guys do the Cavs have like that?

We would say Kevin Love is one. Larry Nance Jr. is another. From hearing James’ comments throughout the season, we believe he holds Cedi Osman in high regard.

George Hill is a playmaker, good shooter, and solid defender.

Kyle Korver and Jose Calderon are cerebral players too, but are a little long in the tooth to be productive NBA players on a nightly basis any more.

Are we missing anyone who you would consider is a smart player? And being a hard worker or skilled in a particular area is not the same as being cerebral on the court.

So, GM Koby Altman has about two weeks to make some moves that would entice James to stay in northeast Ohio and try to lead the Cavs to a fifth consecutive NBA Finals. And we would bet he would want a roster that could finish the deal, and not just win one game against the Warriors over the past two years.

Many of said the Cavs can’t do anything because of their salary cap situation and lack of expiring contracts. However, they do have the 8th pick in the draft. And remember, teams all over the NBA will give up good players for the chance to get great ones.

These same people said Altman wouldn’t be able to do anything about the roster at the trade deadline, and instead, he turned over 40% of the roster.

Nobody is saying it is easy, and no doubt the Cavs’ front office will have to be very creative and flexible to get something substantial done before the free agent period starts.

What we would not do is accept that James is leaving and start preparing for life after LeBron. Look, it is really simple. If James is on the team, the Cavaliers are a contender for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, without him, they are probably bound for the draft lottery.

Until LeBron or his representatives tell Dan Gilbert and Koby Altman that he has decided to play elsewhere in 2018-19, the Cavs need to make the roster something James will want to return to.

Plus, if you do that and he does decide to move on, you can always trade some of the veterans for young players and/or draft picks.

It should be an interesting two weeks. And hopefully there is a new deal at the end for James, keeping him in wine and gold for a few more years.

What Could Cavs Have Done Differently?

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season has ended with a sweep at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, it is time for a look back at some of the reasons the season was filled with ups and downs.

One of the things that failed Cleveland in the Finals was their defense. The Warriors shot 51.3% for the four games, and shot 60.5% from inside the arc, a whopping percentage.

Many of these shots were uncontested layups and dunks by the Warriors’ “non-stars”. JaVale McGee shot 16 of 20 from the floor, Shaun Livingston was 13 of 15, Jordan Bell was 10 for 14. That’s 39 of 49 from that trio alone.

McGee in particular got a whole bunch of easy shots because the Cavs couldn’t defend the high pick and roll, something they struggled with all season.

We have railed all season long about a solid defensive plan for the team, something it could hang it’s hat on. As we have written previously, this lack of a basic defensive scheme came back to bite the wine and gold in the end.

The failure to manage LeBron James’ minutes also played a factor. While James wanted to play in all 82 games for the first time in his career, he didn’t have to lead the league in minutes.

That also falls back on the coaching staff’s reluctance to build some kind of offense when The King was sitting on the bench. We understand the plan was to put the ball in LeBron’s hands and let him orchestrate things, but when he wasn’t playing, there wasn’t a different attack.

That meant the Cavs struggled with James sitting, meaning coach Tyronn Lue had to rush him back in there to win games.

Early in the season, Cleveland was a veteran laden team, with Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and Jae Crowder playing key roles. Rose got injured and left the team for awhile, and Crowder never fit in to the way to play off of James.

Wade initially was a starter, but after a few games, found his niche as the leader of the second unit, and the Cavaliers took off. We may never know what happened, but when the deals at the deadline were made, they involved Wade going home to Miami, which we feel everyone signed off on.

After those deals, it never seemed like the coaching staff involved or did anything to maximize the talents of Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson, particularly the former. Larry Nance Jr. fit in because he’s instinctual and athletic.

And Cedi Osman, another good athlete already on the roster, and a contributor after the deals, never got back in the mix after he suffered a hip injury.

From game 42 through 52, Osman played at least 15 minutes every game, of which the Cavs won eight, and he averaged almost nine points, and 3. 5 rebounds per game.

After the injury, he played more than 15 minutes three times, a win over Washington, the loss to Philadelphia where the Cavaliers almost won after being down by 30, and the last game of the season.

Could Osman’s athleticism and basketball IQ have helped in the playoffs? We won’t know because he played only in garbage time.

The failure of getting athletic young players like Hood, Clarkson, and Osman, and even Ante Zizic, a former first round pick, hurt the Cavs in The Finals.

These were things everyone was concerned about as the season went on, so much of this is not a second guess.

But if James returns to the Cavs next season, these things need to be addressed for the betterment of the franchise and more success going forward.

Being younger and having a smarter team will help going forward.

Bad Old Defensive Habits Haunting The Cavs.

The backs are firmly to the wall for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They can’t lose a game for the rest of the playoffs, and will have to beat Golden State four straight times to win the NBA title.

What happened last night was simple. Too much Kevin Durant. On a night where the second leading scorer for the Warriors was two time Stephen Curry with 11 points, Durant was magnificent.

He made 15 of 23 shots, and not many of them were layups or dunks. He added 13 rebounds and seven assists, as he kept Golden State from getting blown out early, and then once the game was close, he supplied the dagger with a three pointer from about 35 feet out.

To us, the biggest problem last night was the basic tenets on defense that the Cavs have failed to establish all year long.

How many times did a mix up on the pick and roll result in a wide open dunk by a Golden State player? This is the Cavaliers’ 103rd game of the season, and by the looks of it, they still don’t have a set way of defending this most basic of basketball plays.

You can blame it on the roster turnover, but if the team had a defensive model, the new players would have adjusted to it by now.

We have railed against the switching scheme defensively all season long too. Our basic problem is it is lazy and more so, it allows the offense to dictate who is guarding whom.

Our question is this, who does Tyronn Lue want guarding Durant? Our preference would be Jeff Green and/or Larry Nance Jr. when they are in the game. However, the Cavs seem to be happy to use pretty much anyone else.

Most possessions end up with Durant being guarding by players like JR Smith, George Hill, and Kyle Korver. Why?

Look, you aren’t going to stop Durant, he’s a gifted offensive player, who because of his length can get his shot off wherever and whenever he wants. But you can make him more uncomfortable, and putting players five to six inches smaller on him doesn’t exactly do that.

When Cleveland made the deadline trades, the players they received in return were longer and more athletic. Unfortunately, the coaching staff either didn’t develop the newcomers well enough to contribute against a team that needs length and athleticism to defend them.

Rodney Hood is 6’8″, Nance is 6’9″, even Jordan Clarkson, who although he has been terrible offensively, has been decent on defense, is 6’5″. Are these guys just not good players, or were they minimized by the staff?

Someone said last night that the Cavs don’t appear to be obsessed with Golden State. The Rockets are. Maybe it’s because the wine and gold won in 2016.

It still looks like the Cavaliers are surprised by the new wrinkles the Warriors throw at them. Steve Kerr adjusts and uses JaVale McGee, and the Cavs have no answer, or at least it takes them five minutes to adjust.

Offensively, the Cavs still seem to go away from Kevin Love, their second best scorer. Love had a great first half last night, and then took three shots in the second half. That’s a crime.

And it wasn’t like Love was shrinking or playing tentatively. One of his second half hoops was a play where he took the ball right to Durant and got a layup.

Can the Cavs win on Friday and send the series back to the west coast? Perhaps, it’s not like the wine and gold have been blown out each game. It is similar to the 2007 Finals vs. San Antonio, when Cleveland lost by 9, 11, 3, and 1 points.

Unfortunately, the defensive issues won’t be going away.

What Do Cavs Need To Do.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are down two games to none to Golden State in the NBA Finals, and many feel it is a foregone conclusion that the series will end quickly, with the same result as a year ago.

That’s the popular view.

On the other hand, the Cavs had an outstanding chance to win game one, until some questionable decisions, both by the wine and gold (JR Smith) and the officials, late led to an overtime loss, and really, on Sunday night, Cleveland still had a shot until Stephen Curry got hot in the fourth quarter.

The Warriors are shooting 54% from the floor in the first two games, compared to 43% for the Cavs, and based on that, you would think both games were blowouts.

This year’s games were decided by 10 (in overtime) and 19 points, compared to 22 and 19 a year ago.

Still, a few things need to be addressed for Cleveland.

First, the switching defense was horrible in game two. There were far too many instances of Kevin Durant being guarded by Smith and George Hill, and Curry being checked by Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Jeff Green and Larry Nance Jr.

We have said it all year. Switching is lazy and it allows the offense to dictate who is guarding who. The Cavs themselves like nothing more than to see Curry matched up with James.

The Cavaliers have to try something different and cannot allow wide open layups and dunks off the high pick and roll. We say this knowing this has been a weakness all season long, so it will be difficult to improve at this stage of the game.

In terms of the players coach Tyronn Lue is using, it may also be time for some alterations.

Smith continues to struggle with his shot, hitting just 5 of 19 shots from the field, and just 3 of 10 from distance. Although we have buried Rodney Hood recently, it may be time to see if he can provide some energy and shot making.

Jordan Clarkson is another who looks like the moment is too much for him. He’s also not shooting well (3 for 13), and seems to be playing over 100 miles per hour when the game is being played at 60 MPH.

And Kyle Korver is struggling much like he did a year ago in the Finals. It seems like the Warriors are long enough to contest his long range shots, and they are also doing what the Cavaliers did to him when he played for Atlanta.

They aren’t leaving him open.

The Cavs shot 37% from three in the regular season, they are making just 30% in the first two games of the series. They need to find someone to make shots. Only James and Hill have made more than 30% in The Finals.

It is also time for Cleveland to get more physical. Golden State has collected ten more fouls in the series than the Cavs (they have probably really committed 30 more, but that’s another story), so Lue’s group needs to make their presence felt.

Don’t be afraid to play a little bump and grind with Curry, Klay Thompson, and Durant. Because of the overtime game, this trio along with Draymond Green are averaging 40 minutes per game.

Make an effort to wear down the Warriors, and do a better job attacking players with foul issues. Durant picked up two in the first quarter on Sunday, and it seemed like Cleveland did not attack him.

Obviously, the Cavs need to win Wednesday night and get back in the series, going down 0-3 means it is over for all intent and purposes.

It is not the time for out and out loyalty based coaching. If guys aren’t getting it done, you have to try someone else.

A win in Game 3 puts the Cavs back in the series. No question about that.

What Can Cavs Do To Pull This Off?

For the fourth consecutive year, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will meet to decide what team will be the NBA Champions.

Most in the national media don’t give the Cavs much of a chance, and really that feeling is based on Cleveland’s defense for much of the regular season (they ranked 29th), and that the Warriors are the defending champs and the darling of those who cover the sport.

However, right now, there are only two teams who have a chance for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, and one of those teams is the Cavaliers. Talking about the Rockets or Celtics or 76ers is fruitless. They aren’t playing.

So, what can the coaching staff do to try and knock off the heavily favored Warriors?

The first thing we would do, and we said this a year ago, is slow down the pace. We understand that coach Tyronn Lue likes to play up tempo, and we would still take advantage of fast break opportunities that are there, but the reality is that’s Golden State’s game and they are better at it than Cleveland.

One of the reasons Lue favored playing faster was that was how to get the most out of Kyrie Irving’s offense. But he’s not with the wine and gold anymore, so the pace isn’t necessary, and the defense should be better as well.

Slow the game down, try to limit possessions for the Warriors, and see what happens. The Cavs have the best player on the court, let him control things.

Another thing Cleveland has done over the past year is get longer. While they don’t have a lot of height on the roster (which we have bemoaned all season), they did add Jeff Green (6’9″), and Larry Nance Jr. (6’8″), both of whom theoretically should be able to play Kevin Durant, who was the difference last season.

A year ago, Lue had to use Tristan Thompson (not quick enough), Richard Jefferson (not tall enough), and James (too important offensively) against Durant, and he had a field day.

We are sure Green was recruited to come to the north coast for exactly this situation. Now we will see if it was the right move. And don’t think for a minute that trading for Nance wasn’t made with a potential rematch with the Warriors in mind.

The other thing the Cavs need to do is match the physicality of Golden State. Yes, the Warriors don’t have a lot of height, height that plays anyway.

But we have said for years that they are coached to basically commit a foul every time down the floor, knowing the referees will not call each and every one of the infractions.

Instead of complaining, match the contact. Lue’s team is probably better suited for this after the tough series vs. Indiana and Boston, teams that banged the Cavaliers around a lot.

The last thing is to use your depth. The Warriors only have seven players averaging more than 12 minutes per game in the post-season. The Cavs have 10, nine if you discount Rodney Hood.

Use that to your advantage. Try to wear Golden State down in each game, and even more so throughout the series. Keep throwing fresh bodies at Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Durant.

This is not to suggest if the Cavaliers do this, it will work, and Cleveland will emerge as champions. However, this is one blueprint for possible success.

We will see how Lue plays it starting tonight.