Looking At Cavs. They Have Guys Who Can Play

There is a certain percentage of fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers who are in the forever tank mode, waiting for the next LeBron James or someone of that ilk to come along and make the team contenders again.

The reality is those players come along maybe once in a decade, and so any NBA team should probably have an alternative plan to get better other than getting lucky.

Since LeBron James left via free agency after the 2017-18 season, GM Koby Altman has been trying to accumulate talent, and on face value, he has done that.

And since coach J.B. Bickerstaff has already been fired (probably not justly) in Houston and Memphis, one would think he feels he needs to win in Cleveland, or he won’t get another shot at an NBA head coaching gig.

While we understand the analytics that prevail in all professional sports, we still have enough old school in us to look at players and separate them into two categories: He can play and we don’t know if he can play.

Looking at the current Cavs roster, we see a lot of guys who can play. And that’s a good thing. Now, can Bickerstaff and the coaching staff mold them into a unit that can be cohesive and make each other better? That’s the challenge.

Up front, the Cavs have two former all-stars in Kevin Love and Andre Drummond. That should speak for itself. Between the two of them, there are five league rebounding titles, four by Drummond.

Love can shoot the ball and is a terrific outlet passer, and really sacrificed his personal game when Cleveland went to four straight NBA Finals. Drummond has been on losing teams most of his career, both times he has been in the playoffs, his team was swept. But he’s a skilled big man and a force inside, although not a big rim protector.

In the backcourt, Collin Sexton has grown on us. He’s a competitor to be sure and his work ethic is apparently off the charts. And it has been reported that Darius Garland was the most improved player on the team during the off-season workout period.

How can you not like what Kevin Porter Jr. did as a rookie last season? He seemed to get better each month as the season went on, and his minutes increased as a result, and so did his playmaking abilities. We are anxious to see how much he has improved this coming season.

Cedi Osman seems to be a polarizing figure, perhaps because some figured he was going to be a star for some reason, but he’s a player. He’s not a starter for a upper echelon team, but he can certainly be in the top eight players. His best role is probably more of a slasher, a drive and dish guy more than an outside spot up shooter.

Larry Nance Jr. is a guy who is perfect for a real good team, one reason he is coveted by them. With his perimeter shooting improving, he can get some minutes at small forward. He is probably the team’s best defender and is an underrated passer. He should be among the team’s leaders in minutes, even if he doesn’t start.

Then you have the new players we haven’t seen yet in Dylan Windler and rookie Isaac Okoro. We are anxious to see Windler’s shooting, and how Okoro’s defensive mindset plays in the Association.

And you also have JeVale McGee, who can be a solid rim protector if he comes to play, and another young guard in Dante Exum, who is still just 25, and was once the 5th overall pick in the draft.

The Cavs have some players who can play in our opinion. To us, the biggest message that the organization needs to send is that winning is important. Contending for a playoff spot should be on the table.

The days of tanking and hoping need to be over.

Looking At Bickerstaff’s Experiences…

What do we know about Cavs’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff? Yes, we know his father was a long time coach in the NBA with the Sonics, Hornets, Nuggets, and Washington (both Bullets and Wizards, actually), making five playoffs appearances.

But how has he coached style-wise? We only got to see him for 11 games before the season ended abruptly due to the pandemic. The Cavaliers looked much better under his leadership, going 5-6 after he took over for John Beilein, who guided (?) the squad to a 14-40 mark.

Bickerstaff’s first head coaching gig was with Houston in 2015-16 taking over for Kevin McHale 11 games into the season. The Rockets made the playoffs, losing in five games to Golden State, who of course, lost in the Finals that season to the Cavs.

That Houston team was a veteran group, led by James Harden, who was the youngest of the top five in minutes for the team at 26 years old. Although the Rockets were 21st in defensive efficiency, Bickerstaff gave a lot of minutes to solid defenders like Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverly, and he started Dwight Howard.

They were 7th in pace.

He then went to Memphis after being let go in favor of Mike D’Antoni as associate head coach under David Fizdale. He took over for Fizdale after 19 games (taking over during a season is a common theme), and the Grizzlies played at a slow pace, ranking 29th.

Memphis’ best players were two veterans, Marc Gasol (33) and Mike Conley (30), and the other leaders in minutes were Tyreke Evans (28), Dillon Brooks (22), and JaMychal Green (27).

The following season was Bickerstaff’s only complete season in the NBA, going 33-49 with a team that was last in the Association in pace, and their top eight in minutes per game were all over 25 years old.

It was the season in which Memphis moved Gasol, along with other veterans Green and Garrett Temple, getting Jonas Valanciunas and Avery Bradley.

Again, Bickerstaff gave minutes to some good defensive players, and the Grizzlies ranked third in the league in points allowed.

In the 11 games he was the man in charge last season, he most certainly paid attention to the defensive end. The wine and gold allowed more than 130 points in three of their last five games under Beilein. They allowed over 125 points in a game under Bickerstaff just twice, and one of those was an overtime contest.

One other thing Bickerstaff did was increase the minutes for his best players. Before he took over, Collin Sexton led the team in minutes with 32, followed by Kevin Love at 31, Tristan Thompson, Darius Garland with 30 and Cedi Osman at 29.

With the new coach, Sexton, Love, and Garland increased their minutes per game by four, while Osman played two more. The biggest jump was for Larry Nance Jr., who went from 25 to 31 minutes, and started getting some time at small forward. No doubt Nance’s ability to defend was a reason for the increased time.

So, we feel we can conclude that Bickerstaff is going to emphasize defense, which is good because it’s been a long time since that end of the floor has been a strong point for Cleveland. It could be a big factor as to why Isaac Okoro was the first round pick.

Now, the question is whether or not he is on the same page as GM Koby Altman? For example, let’s say a Darius Garland or Kevin Porter Jr. aren’t working hard enough on that end of the floor (speculation)? Does the coach cut their minutes and does Altman support that, or does he want the players he drafted to be on the floor.

In his past, Bickerstaff hasn’t played a lot of young players, but that could be due to the rosters he has had. But, we feel he will lean on players like Drummond and Love as his anchors.

Also, based on his past records as a head coach, he will want to win, and will probably coach that way. It will be interesting to see how this plays out once training camp and the regular season starts.

Is A Revamped Cavs’ Roster On The Horizon?

It will be interesting to see what the Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster will look like when training camp opens December 1st.

First, the trading period opened up yesterday, and with the draft coming up tomorrow, will the Cavs be involved in any of the transactions which take place.

Also, Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellavedova, heroes of the title team in 2016 are eligible for free agency, and we would place better odds on Delly returning to the organization than Thompson, who would seem to attract a lot of attention from contending teams.

Then, you have the fates of big man Andre Drummond, who will pick up his player option for 2020-21, but it is doubtful he will be looking to sign long term with Cleveland, and Kevin Love, who has a huge contract, but has seemingly been on the market since his first season with the team in 2014-15.

Another player who has been involved in the trade speculation is Larry Nance Jr., which we think makes sense because Nance is a real good player, and will turn 28 years old on New Years Day. Nance’s game is perfect for a playoff contender because he does everything well, and he’s coming off a career high in scoring (10.1), adding a three point shot to his repertoire.

It would seem to us that he is also the kind of player GM Koby Altman and coach JB Bickerstaff would want around to help a very young basketball team.

Cleveland was said to be interested in some free agents as well, players like Memphis’ Josh Jackson, who is 24 years old, and can play either wing spot at 6’8″, and Miami’s Derrick Jones Jr., also 24 years old, and is more of a small forward, and averaged a career high 8.5 points per game last season.

You would have to think since Jones played for Erik Spoelstra in south Florida that he has some idea about defense, which should appeal to the Cavs.

We know we are a broken record (dated reference, we know), but if Thompson leaves, and with Ante Zizic already going back to Europe, the Cavaliers need big people. We wouldn’t mind taking a shot at Nerlens Noel, another free agent who averaged 7.4 points, five rebounds, and 1.5 blocked shots with the Thunder last season.

Finally, Altman needs to sort out his backcourt, which is cluttered with the drafting of two smallish guards in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland in the top ten the past two seasons. Add in last year’s 30th overall pick in Kevin Porter and another top five overall pick in Dante Exum, and it will be a struggle to get them all decent playing time.

Will one or more of them be moved before camp starts?

Altman is in a tough spot. The Cavs have won less than 20 games in each of the last two seasons, albeit one of them in a 65 game season, and they need to start showing improvement in the win total area.

Trading for more potential lottery picks doesn’t seem like a good idea, getting young players with experience would seem to be a better option.

The biggest thing, though, is finding players who fit together, who complement each other’s game, and can contribute on both ends of the floor. And that’s where Bickerstaff’s influence should come in. It’s his deal, and he should have players he feels comfortable with.

What will the roster look like at the end of the month? Our first clues should reveal themselves this week.

All Kinds Of Ways To Win In The NBA, You Don’t Have To Play Small

Doing things differently is what separates the good from the great, particularly when it comes to sports.

The NBA is no different, many teams copy the system that works, instead of looking at their roster, their talent, and doing what is best with the players at hand.

In 2013-14, the Golden State Warriors finished 51-31 under Mark Jackson, an improvement from the prior season (47-35), and a huge improvement from Jackson’s first year as coach, when they had a 23-43 mark in a shortened season.

That Warriors team was 4th in the league in three point shooting percentage (38%) and was sixth in pace.

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson were the stars of the team, and Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green were already in place.

Jackson was let go, and Steve Kerr took over, and quickened the pace of play, as Golden State ranked first in that category. They also led the league in three point shooting, and won the NBA title.

The pace slowed a bit the next season, and even more when Kevin Durant joined the team, and even though the Warriors had plenty of big men on the roster, the “small ball” movement was in full swing, and many teams followed.

Including the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When the Cavs won the title in 2016, they won the last three games by slowing the pace, playing their speed. After winning, it seemed to us they felt like playing at the Warriors’ pace, which we felt was the wrong move, because that was Golden State’s game, and they were better at it than Cleveland.

There is no rule that says every team in the NBA has to play like Golden State, and here’s hoping GM Koby Altman understands this.

Perhaps the wine and gold’s two best players are big men, Kevin Love and Andre Drummond. If you adapt to your talent, and we think J.B. Bickerstaff is a smart coach, it would seem playing smaller, like many NBA teams are, would not be the way to go.

You can’t win that way, you say?

The Milwaukee Bucks have the sport’s best record at 53-12, and they usual starting lineup featured a 7 foot center, forwards that were 6’11” and 6’7″, and guards that were 6’1″ and 6’4″.

The Lakers have the best record in the west, and their lineup consists of a 7 foot center, a pair of forwards measuring 6’10” and 6’9″, and a backcourt of 6’3″ and 6’6″.

Toronto has a smallish set of guards (6’1″ and 6′), but their starting frontcourt measures 6’11”, 6’9″, and 6’7″.

The Clippers? 7 foot center, forwards and 6’7″ and 6’8″, and guards at 6’1″ and 6’4″.

Our point is there are a number of ways to win in today’s NBA despite the talking heads telling everyone teams have to play like Golden State and Houston to do so, and the Cavaliers should be paying attention to that.

This year, the team tried to win with a very small squad, statistically the smallest in the league, and it didn’t work for a variety of reasons, inexperience being one of them.

However, it didn’t help that rookie Darius Garland and his 40.1% shooting was taking the third most shots on the team, because the coaching staff gave him the green light. He was taking one less shot per game than Love, and that can’t happen.

It’s about maximizing the talent you have and adapting a style in which they can thrive.

That’s what Kerr did, and that’s what Bickerstaff is charged with in the upcoming season.

It’s the definition of coaching.

Bickerstaff Showing Winning Is Important And Expected

Cavs’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff used the “p” word the other day regarding his basketball team. He said the expectation for the Cavaliers next season would be to make a run at the playoffs.

First of all, that a refreshing point of view. Coaches and players should want and expect to make the post-season. We doubt players start any season, even the wine and gold this season and think “gee, let’s lose 65 games”.

Second, this has to make all the tankers nervous. There are people out there who believe teams should be trying to do one of two things: Either be in a position to win a title or trying to maximize your chances of getting the first overall pick in the draft.

They don’t understand teams need to experience winning, coming out with victories occasionally breeds more wins. It’s a learned skill, that’s why you see veteran teams who have lost a great player continue to win for awhile. The players have learned how to come out ahead.

We hate to tell people, sometimes it’s not all about talent. It’s knowing where to be on the court, knowing how to set up a teammate, knowing what’s the right play.

We all know the Cavaliers are a very young basketball team. Their top three in minutes played in 2019-20 are all 25 years old and younger–Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, and Darius Garland.

Add Kevin Porter Jr. to the mix and that would make four of the top seven, and three of those guys are under 21.

And they will add another player from this year’s draft, as they will have one of the top six picks, and that guy will also be under 21 years old.

But they still need a goal of success, and that’s where Bickerstaff’s playoff comment comes in. Talented young players sometimes need to be reminded that winning is the main goal in the NBA.

Those four young players will have some veterans still on the roster to teach them the correct way to play. We have no idea about what this summer will bring (for the league, right now too) for Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, who will be a free agent, but even if they are gone, other solid veterans will likely be brought in.

For example, after Bickerstaff took over, look at the difference in the offense when Matthew Dellavedova got a ton more minutes at the point. Delly is third on the Cavs in assists, behind Sexton and Garland, both of whom play twice the minutes of the Australian.

Look at the influence he had on Sexton when we started moving the basketball offensively. Sexton saw the success, and his assist totals, criticized by many (including us) started to rise.

That’s learning. Now we aren’t naïve to think all players are open to learning and understanding that winning is important. There are plenty in today’s game who think making the “pretty” play is the right thing to do, and winning is secondary.

Those guys usually become guys who put up numbers on bad teams.

The great players are part of winning teams, championship teams.

That’s what J.B. Bickerstaff wants to develop in Cleveland with the Cavs. And telling his young group of players that winning is important and expected is a good step.

You can’t start too early.

Could Playing With Size Be More In Vogue For Cavs?

In the fourth quarter of Monday night’s comeback victory over the Miami Heat, new Cavs’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff did something we have advocated for about three months.

He went big.

He played Darius Garland at the point, played Kevin Porter Jr., a two guard with some actual size at 6’4″, and then went with Larry Nance Jr. at the three, with Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson up front.

These Cavaliers were better defensively, and we feel a big reason for that is the height being used.

Nance’s improved three point shooting, he’s a respectable 34% from distance in the past two seasons, allow the coaching staff to play him there. Nance referred to himself as a “swiss army knife” after the game, and that’s a pretty good analysis.

We loved the acquisition of Nance in 2018 at the trade deadline, because in watching a few Lakers’ games that season, we felt he was the best “player” on the team.

He’s a solid defender, which the wine and gold desperately need, and a very good passer for a forward. Defensively, he has enough quickness to stay with small forwards, and with his leaping ability, can bother the shots of power forwards.

The only questions about the former Revere High School product are his durability, he’s never played more than 67 games in a season, and his lack of bulk when defending in the paint.

We have written about this ad nauseum, but a big part of Cleveland’s struggles defensively is lack of size. Playing Garland and Collin Sexton at guard together make the team very small, and that is compounded playing Porter Jr. at small forward.

Notice that Andre Drummond wasn’t in that lineup against the Heat, but he soon will be part of that group, at least we hope so.

The new big man is getting just 10.8 shots per game with the Cavs, compared to almost 14 a night with Detroit. In the loss to Miami Saturday night, Drummond took just three shots, which is ridiculous.

We are not worried about this because the Cleveland guards are quite frankly, terrible at making entry passes into the post. That’s amazing to say about a player in the NBA.

As the coaching staff works with them, and playing Porter, who is a willing passer, more often, we would expect that to improve, and Drummond will get more shots.

He is active defensively, moves well for a big guy, and at 6’10”, gives the franchise a legitimate offensive big man. Tristan Thompson has done a great job, but he is really more suited to being a defensive oriented power forward.

The other player we hear being questioned is Cedi Osman. He is another player we feel is not being used in an optimate manner.

We think Osman is best used as a slasher, a guy who drives to the hoop and either finishes or has the ability to find the open man. Right now, he’s kind of a spot up three point shooter, and although he is hitting 38% from behind the arc, he is more streaky from distance.

It will be interesting to see if Bickerstaff uses this bigger lineup more often. It certainly can’t hurt. Hopefully, he is using the rest of the year as a laboratory, seeing what does and does not work.

Even though teams are playing smaller in today’s NBA, make no mistake, size is still important. It’s about time the Cavs’ front office got on board.

Cavs’ New Direction Is Hopefully Forward.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers take the floor Friday night, they will have a new coach in J. B. Bickerstaff.

This is will be the third time the soon to be 41 year old has taken over a team in the middle of a season. He took over for Kevin McHale in Houston during the 2015-16 season, guiding the Rockets to a 37-34 record.

He also assumed the reins in Memphis from David Fizdale in 2017-18 and coached through last season, going 48-97 with the Grizzlies.

Here, he takes over what appears to be a mess. And we say that including the front office, John Beilein’s relationship with the roster, and the players themselves.

Let’s start with the front office. Koby Altman was the first GM to receive a second contract under owner Dan Gilbert, but since LeBron James departed via free agency after the franchise’s fourth consecutive Eastern Conference title, the Cavs have a 33-103 record.

Yes, the wine and gold are rebuilding, but they haven’t stripped the roster bare either. Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and Larry Nance Jr. all received a lot of minutes on that 2017-18 team, and they are still here.

So is Cedi Osman, who was considered a youngster with talent on that squad.

However, has Altman put his thumbprint on this organization? It seems here like he is collecting talent, which on the surface would appear to be a good thing, but basketball is a different sport. Collecting talent isn’t everything, collecting complementary talent makes for a winning team.

Getting Andre Drummond for pretty much nothing is a good move. But it seems to clash with the team’s leading scorer, Collin Sexton.

Shouldn’t the current roster be playing inside out, with Drummond and Kevin Love getting the ball around the paint and the guards playing off them when they are double teamed? That doesn’t seem like Sexton’s strong point.

We would guess Bickerstaff has a better relationship with the players than Beilein, because they didn’t seem to like the former college coach, and the assistant would typically be the guy the players complain to about the head guy.

But now Bickerstaff is the boss, and he is setting up the rotations and controlling the playing time. Because of his previous experience, maybe he will grab the players’ attention, and get them to buy in to the way he wants the game played.

The players aren’t immune from criticism either. It’s one thing to complain about a coach trying to teach when you are winning, but when you are losing 3/4ths of the time you take the floor, perhaps you should listen.

We have said this before, but two former players who do Cavs’ telecasts, Austin Carr and Brad Daugherty, use this word all the time…accountability. It is lack among this roster and we fear nothing will improve with the Cavaliers until there is some.

And that goes for the young guys and the veterans. Perhaps this was lost when the coaching staff didn’t hold the newbies to an NBA standard from day one. We don’t know that, but it has to be enforced by both the coaches and the veterans starting now.

The defenders say Cleveland is only a year and a half into the post-LeBron era, so the struggles are understandable.

Our problem is we don’t see a lot of progress in performance particularly in the basics of the game. You can play the right way and lose or play the wrong way and lose. We prefer the former.

The next era starts Friday. Hopefully, the internal strife is behind this organization and they can start to pull in the same direction.

Hard To Find Fault With Cavs Or Beilein For This Failure.

It appears the revolving door that is the head coaching position for the Cleveland Cavaliers has started to turn again.

It is very likely that John Beilein has coached his last game in the NBA for the Cavs, and it is difficult to place blame on this failure to work on any one party.

In theory, hiring a college coach was a decent idea. The wine and gold put together a very young roster, and the thought was let’s bring in someone who can teach the kids to play the right way.

Beilein was connected to the Cavs by assistant GM Mike Gansey, who played for him at West Virginia, and obviously he thought he was prepared for an 82 game schedule and all the other things that came with being an NBA head coach.

He was wrong. He isn’t happy, and at 67 years old, shouldn’t you want to do something that gives you joy?

And that’s what we believe, that this is Beilein’s decision more than it’s the front office being unhappy with the direction of the team.

We do think there are reasons for the coach’s discontent though.

We feel he knows the current roster isn’t set up for success, and the front office is driving the idea of playing the “mini backcourt” of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. The coaching staff knows it is very difficult to win in the pro game playing a pair of guard that are under 6’2″.

The tipping point for the former Michigan coach may have been the trading deadline. There has been speculation Beilein wanted Sexton and Kevin Love moved before the rosters were set for the balance of the season, and when that didn’t happen, he decided he couldn’t wait to get out.

The Cavs shouldn’t be shocked with the move either. After all, they hired a 66 year old head coach with no NBA experience. If they didn’t have an idea this may not work, then they were foolish.

We would guess JB Bickerstaff takes over the reins for the rest of the season. What he needs to establish is a blueprint for how the Cavaliers are going to play, and that imprint should come after a discussion with the front office.

Cleveland sports people have been using the term “alignment” a lot recently, mostly in discussing the Browns. However, the same thing is needed at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

We have been saying for about a month now, that the Cavs need an identity besides young players getting better.

If it was up to us, we would establish a defensive mindset. Most NBA players (if not all) can put the ball in the basket, but playing time should be determined by effort and success when the ball isn’t in your hands.

Until there is accountability on the other end of the floor, it is difficult to see significant progress for this group.

Perhaps Bickerstaff can talk to Altman and get the “season has been a success” crap out of the way. It is time to start seeing progress, and it should start with playing defense.

You don’t play it? You don’t play.

If Bickerstaff can start putting this in place, keep him on for next year. If not, hire someone who will, but they have to have Altman on the same page.

Otherwise, it won’t work, and we will likely be talking about the same thing at this time next year.

Getting Drummond For Virtually Nothing? Why Not?

We have commented for several years that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ organization ignored height in a sport where it matters a lot.

They addressed that yesterday in a huge way, trading impending free agents John Henson and Brandon Knight, and a second round draft pick to the Pistons for one of the best big men in the game, Andre Drummond.

Yes, we understand Drummond can be a free agent at the end of the season by declining his player option, but the Cavs have his “Bird rights”, meaning they can offer him more than any other team.

And even if he leaves via free agency, GM Koby Altman basically gave up the second round pick, because Henson and Knight were leaving anyway.

That’s what you call a win/win. He’s just 26 years old.

Quite frankly, Drummond is one of the game’s best big men. He leads the league in rebounding at 15.8, and has led the NBA in this category in three of the last four seasons. He’s also scoring 17.8 points per game.

Is he a guy who can be the best player on a playoff team? That’s doubtful, but he is a productive big guy and is a deterrent around the basket, averaging 1.7 blocked shots per game.

Does he make the wine and gold significantly better right now? Again, probably not, so any fear of a lengthy winning streak starting soon and putting the Cavs with lower odds of getting a top five pick in this June’s draft are probably unfounded.

However, no one should complain about adding a good player for virtually nothing, and Drummond is a very good player.

He isn’t like the flashy players today’s NBA seem to love, but you still need quality big men to win, even today.

How does he fit in with the current Cavs’ roster? That would be up to the coaching staff and the young backcourt players.

Beilein has talked about ball movement offensively, but we really haven’t seen it. And the young players (Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, and Kevin Porter Jr.) have had issues making entry passes to the low post, which is where you want Drummond to have the basketball.

If they don’t learn quickly how to do that, then the new big man won’t be much of a factor offensively.

On the other hand, Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. are very good passers, so perhaps some imagination getting the ball into the high post to either of them, and then playing off Drummond can work.

With Tristan Thompson remaining on the roster, you may be able to give Nance some minutes at the small forward spot, which we have also advocated.

That also makes you stronger defensively, and it goes without saying that is a huge need for this squad.

The point is this is a low risk move for the Cavs. They basically gave up a second round pick for a quality big man.

When in doubt, we are always in favor of adding good players to the team. That’s what Altman did yesterday.

Can’t complain about that.

Cavs Need To Decide What They Want To Be.

Since the Cleveland Cavaliers lost Game 4 of the NBA Finals on June 8, 2018, LeBron James’ last game with the wine and gold, the Cavs have played 126 games.

Cleveland has won just 31 of those.

And there are only five players who were on the roster then who remain: Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman, and Ante Zizic, and the latter two only played in mop up roles.

By the time the All Star game is played, it would not be surprising to see Love and Thompson both moved for younger players and/or draft picks.

Last summer, GM Koby Altman hired John Beilein, the former University of Michigan coach who had no professional experience as the head coach, presumably to teach the very young Cavs how to play the game.

Still, with a 12-32 record, currently the third worst mark in the NBA, more than one person has wondered what exactly is the Cavaliers plan to get back to the post-season, because right now, only the most optimistic person can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Right now, it seems like the only plan is to acquire as many young players as they can and have Beilein and his staff get them to improve. While that’s fine in theory, does Beilein have a vision for his team and how do they get there?

The key phrase around town lately has been “alignment”. It’s what the Browns talk about in terms of having the coach and the general manager on the same page.

Is that the case with the Cavaliers? We think it’s a fair question to ask.

We have to assume Beilein and his staff have discussed what kind of style the young Cavs should play, but all we hear is that the coaches want the players to move the ball.

Is that it?

We don’t think basing a team on just athleticism alone seems like something that can be sustained.

Last season, the Cavs were terrible defensively, some experts said they were among the worst defensive teams of the past 20 years. This season, they are just slightly better, ranking 29th (out of 30) in defensive efficiency.

That’s something that should be addressed and quite frankly, should be the foundation for the franchise going forward. All young players know how to put the ball in the basket, heck, that’s how they get to the NBA.

However, learning defensive skills? That’s another matter and it’s also where we would start. Make it a mindset that playing time is based on defensive ability.

The late, great high school coach, Morgan Wooten used to tell his teams he was sure of two starting players: The best defender and the best rebounder. It puts a premium on those talents.

At the end of this season, we will be two full years removed from the beginning of the rebuilding process. It is fair to ask the organization to set a course for the future, identify the types of players you want, players who can fit together to get this team back on the winning track.

It’s easy to build a team when you can draft LeBron, Giannis, or Luka. If you don’t you need to build a culture. That’s what Miami and Utah have. They seek out players that fit their culture, that is to say, a style of play.

That can always be changed if you get the superstar player.

We fear no progress will be made until some sort of identity is established.