Why Can’t Some NBA Players Finish the Season?

The NBA season is no doubt a marathon. It starts with training camps in October and if a team is lucky enough to get to The Finals, it doesn’t end until the end of June.

The eight months of traveling, and unlike baseball, the trips are just in and out of a city. They don’t allow players to stay in a city for three or four days, depending on the length of a series.

However, like they usually do, the star players are making the last few weeks of the season a joke, in that many of them take the last few games off. Just the other day, LeBron James said he was going to take the balance of the regular season off, to order to rest up for the playoffs.

James took time off here at the end of the season too. Apparently, he will be joined on the bench by Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, his teammates on the Heat.

We aren’t picking on them, because you will see a great many all-star caliper players missing games throughout the last week of the campaign.

And if the playoffs started tomorrow, they would be able to go. They aren’t injured, they are resting.

David Stern, the ~~dictator~~ commissioner, in a high-profile move (the kind he loves) fined the San Antonio Spurs $250,000 for telling Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker to go home at the end of a road trip, therefore missing a game against the Heat.

Why no action here, Mr. Stern?

The NBA season used to be much shorter, and players didn’t miss the last week of action.

In 1966-67, the season opened on October 15th and the regular season ended March 19th, cutting at least two weeks off the span in which the season is currently played in. However, of the first team All-NBA team that season, which included Rick Barry, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Oscar Robertson, and Jerry West, only West missed games toward the end of the year, and he played the last game, scoring one point.

The current players don’t want to have reduced minutes, because it will hurt their statistics, and they certainly don’t want that. Guess West didn’t care about his numbers.

In 1976-77, the season started about a week ahead of where it starts now and ends about a week sooner as well. Four of the league’s first team all-NBA players (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Thompson, Paul Westphal, and Elvin Hayes) played more than 80 regular season games. The other, Pete Maravich played till the end, but missed time in March with an injury.

Ten years later, 1986-87, the league was on its current timetable of starting around Halloween and ending around April 20th. The first team stars that year were Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kevin McHale, and Hakeem Olajuwon. McHale did miss some April games, but returned to play the last couple of contests. Jordan and Johnson each played over 80 games, with Jordan playing them all.

In 1996-97, the least amount of games played by the best players, who were Jordan, Olajuwon, Tim Hardaway, Karl Malone, and Grant Hill, were the 78 played by Olajuwon. Even Hill, whose career has been destroyed by injuries, played in 80 contests that season.

So, when did this sitting out the last couple of weeks start? It’s a slap in the face to the ticket buyers around the league that the stars aren’t playing the late season games.

Why doesn’t Stern do anything about it. The first round of the playoffs has a tremendous amount of days off built in, so players certainly are able to rest during this time.

It doesn’t help that most of the playoff spots have been decided in each conference for several weeks.

If what Spurs’ coach Gregg Popovich did early in the year bothers the commish, so should this. If the players aren’t going to play, then the regular season should be shortened.

OKC “Model” Won’t Work in Cleveland

Much of the news out of the Cavaliers camp lately has centered on the relationship between coach Byron Scott and his team, and whether or not he will remain the coach next season.

However, once the season ends, the focus will shift to GM Chris Grant, who will be involved in the deciding if the Cavs need a new coach and also be in charge of reconstructing the roster.

It has been three years since LeBron James left and the wine and gold aren’t close to becoming a competitive basketball team. And while many around town talk about the Oklahoma City “model”, the truth is right now Cleveland only has one all-star player out of the last three drafts, the oft-injured Kyrie Irving.

For that model to work, they need to add a lot of talent, and with patience starting to wane, they have to do it quickly. And quite frankly, it looking at the upcoming draft, they aren’t going to find another star piece using that process.

Dion Waiters’ knee injury was a tough blow for Grant and Scott because it ended the evaluation process, perhaps for the rest of the season.

The rookie from Syracuse was averaging 14.7 points a night and was showing better shot selection as he gained experience as a pro. However, it is still up in the air as to whether Waiters can be a starting #2 guard in the NBA or will be better suited in a sixth man role, being able to play both the point and off guard spots.

Tristan Thompson has shown he’s a legitimate starter in the Association, averaging 11.5 points and 9.3 rebounds a game. However, it is clear that he’s not as good of a player when on the court with Anderson Varejao, and he still needs to improve his offensive game. He needs to develop a reliable jump shot to go with the push shot he’s used inside.

The more you see Alonzo Gee, you realize that he’s a bench player. He’s a solid defender, but takes too many poor shots offensively, accounting for his 40.5% shooting percentage.

That means that Grant needs at least two starters, maybe three if Waiters is judged to be the sixth man. If Tyler Zeller can pound weights in the off-season and still retain the basketball skills he has, he could claim one spot. He’s getting 8.1 points and almost six boards a game, but is over matched in the strength department regularly.

We’ve talked about the draft a little in recent weeks, and will repeat once again that there doesn’t appear to be anyone there, even at the top of the draft, who will be able to step in right away and make an impact.

So, how does Grant put the Cavaliers in a position to make a big leap forward in 2013-14?

He has a boatload of draft picks that he may have to dip into to acquire a player who can help immediately. He also has Varejao, who if he can demonstrate he is healthy, should be able to be dealt for more young players.

Utah may be looking to move either Al Jefferson or Enes Kanter this summer, either would be a help in a Cleveland jersey.

Or could Grant take a shot at Sacramento’s DeMarcus Cousins, a player of great ability but one with maturity issues?

Regardless of who it is, the Cavs’ fans and probably their owner will not be patient enough for another season where the win total doesn’t approach 30, let alone 40.

The Oklahoma City plan isn’t going to work here. The draft simply isn’t strong enough.

Nightly Blowouts Spell Trouble for Scott

Byron Scott is most definitely his own man. He said he learned very early in the coaching profession to do it his way, because that way you don’t have to second guess yourself if you lose your job.

If things don’t turn around soon for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he may once again experience what that feels like.

The wine and gold lost their 10th straight game last night to the Brooklyn Nets in an embarrassing effort at home, getting beat by 18 points. The game wasn’t really that close as the Cavs outscored the Nets by nine points in the fourth quarter.

It is true that Scott’s team has been affected by injuries, as Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters have missed most of the last ten contests, and others will remind you than Anderson Varejao has been out as well for most of the season.

Still, that doesn’t excuse the seeming boredom the team plays with, and it doesn’t excuse the pathetic defense the team has played the three years in which Scott has guided the team.

And regardless how many injuries the team has suffered, it doesn’t mean they can’t play hard and smart, especially on the defensive end. Most nights, the Cavs are horrible on that end of the floor.

That is not to say the coach doesn’t preach defense, and his past coaching gigs suggest he can teach NBA defense. However, for whatever reason, the message isn’t getting through to the players. The same mistakes are made night after night.

The coach says he is working on it, but the errors keep occurring. At some point, the coaching staff has to take the blame. There seems to be no repercussions for not playing hard and not correcting mistakes. Even though the wine and gold is lacking in talent, there has to be accountability when things aren’t done correctly.

A recent report from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal has surfaced indicates that there is dissension among the players, with guys complaining about tough practices. This certainly can be written off as losing games breeds unhappiness, particularly among the ones getting no minutes.

If the players don’t want to be worked hard, they should play better. It’s simply easier to blame the coach.

However, as the old saying goes, it’s easier to replace one coach than fifteen players.

Another thing in Scott’s minus column has been blown leads. They have wasted two leads of over 25 or more points this season, one early in the year against Phoenix and the other against Miami. Add in a recent collapse against Boston at home, and you can see why people are unhappy.

No one is saying the Cavaliers should be a playoff team, they certainly don’t have that kind of talent. But they did go 10-9 in a recent stretch, and played very competitively in January and February. Now they are getting blown out against teams like New Orleans and a Philadelphia team that is struggling mightily. The latter loss was at home.

The 10 straight losses have been by an average of 13.5 points.

The Cavs have eight games remaining in the season. Although some fans are happy with the losses, because it means a better position in the draft lottery, the reality is this draft isn’t that good.

These final games have even more meaning. Byron Scott is likely coaching for his continued employment in Cleveland.

Draft Prospects Should Have Fans Wanting Cavs to Win

Around this time of year, many fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers start hoping for losses, so the wine and gold have a better chance of improving their position in the NBA draft lottery.

With every loss, these people shout with glee, happy that the Cavs dropped another game.

This year, that’s not smart.

Why? Because of two reasons. First, what most fans don’t understand is that winning breeds winning, and the rest of this season should be about establishing a winning attitude for the 2013-14 season.

The second reason is that this year, more than perhaps the last few seasons, there isn’t a clear-cut first pick in the draft, not that Cleveland can sink low enough to have the best chance of getting the first selection.

This year is one of those seasons where there are very few finished products available to teams having one of the top five selections in late June. You can almost call this year’s draft a crapshoot.

For example, right now if the standings remained where they are and the lottery held to form, the Cavs would have the 7th pick in the selection process. Several mock drafts have GM Chris Grant taking Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel, who is 6’11” and weighs a whopping 211 pounds or UNLV forward Anthony Bennett.

Noel has missed at least half of this year’s season with a knee injury and obviously needs to bulk up to be able to play and contribute at the NBA level. Tyler Zeller, the Cavs’ rookie center, weighs 250 pounds and is still getting pushed around by veteran big men on a nightly basis.

Just think what would happen to Noel. And with a young core of Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Dion Waiters, the wine and gold need to win as soon as next season. Noel probably won’t be able to be a real contributor for a few years.

That’s the challenge for Grant. Not only does he need to find someone good coming out of college, but someone who can contribute to the team as soon as next season. Taking a project doesn’t help this young team in the short-term.

Bennett may be a better choice because he has an NBA body (6’7″ 240 pounds). The problem with him though is he may be a tweener, too small to play power forward and not quick enough to play small forward. Right now, his offensive game is more like the former, and the Cavs already have Thompson.

That’s the point. If you look at the players ranked from 4-12 that are likely to come out in this year’s draft, there are no finished products. While that may be true of most years, this year is really a gamble.

Looking at the top ten prospects projected to come out this season, it shows seven freshmen and three sophomores. Of those who have spent two years in college, one, Georgetown’s Otto Porter is ranked in the top three and probably won’t be available to the Cavs. The other two are Cody Zeller (brother of Tyler) and Alex Len of Maryland, who needs to get stronger to play in the NBA.

The point is it is not likely that the Cavs will get anyone who can provide a huge boost for next season. And they need a huge boost if they want to challenge for the playoffs next season.

This might be one of those years it may be better to deal with teams looking to move someone for salary cap relief.

Following the Oklahoma City model likely won’t be possible with this year’s college crop.

Should Cavs Shut Down Kyrie?

For a city that hasn’t won a professional sports title in almost 60 years, Cleveland sports fans are a relatively patient group. When their teams are mediocre and floundering, they understand that rebuilding is needed and usually they can accept it.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a good example.

After the shock of losing LeBron James to the Miami Heat, Cavs’ fans realized that it would take more than one year to get back to the playoffs. After watching a team which suffered through a 26 game losing streak the following season, supporters of the wine and gold rejoiced when Cleveland won the draft lottery and picked Kyrie Irving.

Irving was better than expected, winning rookie of the year honors, and the Cavaliers win total jumped from 18 wins in 2010-11 to 21 the next year in a lockout shortened season. They have matched that total so far this season in 61 contests, mostly by winning 12 of their last 21 contests.

Finally, Cavs’ basketball is worth watching again.

Irving is now an all-star, and many experts feel he will be one of the NBA’s ten best players in a year or two.

Then yesterday comes the news that the front office may shut Irving down for the rest of the season because he has a sore knee.

Maybe the former Dukie’s knee may be damaged worse than the public has been led to believe, but watching his performance in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s win over Utah, it looks like he’s pretty healthy.

If his knee is bad, he should be held out of games until it is ready to go, but if he can play on it without risking further damage, he should be out on the court and helping this team learn how to win again.

A possible decision to hold the reigning Rookie of the Year out of games smacks of tanking, a tactic other NBA teams, including the Cavs have used in the past.

It’s just not a good decision for the 2012-13 Cavaliers.

First of all, since the Memphis trade which brought Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington to Cleveland, the wine and gold are playing well. They are learning how to win and they shouldn’t be looking to take a step backwards now. Especially because of the next point.

There is no consensus #1 pick in this year’s NBA draft. College basketball expert Jay Bilas, who also works on the draft coverage (talking about wingspan) recently said that Michigan’s Trey Burke is probably the player of the year in college this year, but the first selection in the draft will depend on that particular team’s need.

The point is that GM Chris Grant is going to have one pick in the top ten and another (assuming the Lakers can make the playoffs) in the mid teens, and there isn’t a franchise maker available this season. The Cavs will get good players, but not a slam dunk all-star.

So, it comes down to what is more important to the future of the franchise, winning games now and developing a winning mentality, or moving up a couple of spots in a weaker draft.

With Irving in tow, and Dion Waiters showing improvement every month, the Cavs need to learn how to win, to get used to the feeling. If you don’t think that’s important, then you haven’t been watching this basketball team since Speights and Ellington arrived.

They came from a winning atmosphere in Memphis and it has rubbed off on their new teammates.

No one is asking Kyrie Irving to play if he is injured, he is too valuable to the franchise for that. But holding him out of games to improve draft position isn’t what the Cleveland Cavaliers need right now if they want to start winning as soon as next season.

Cavs Finding Out Vets Help

We’ve all seen it. You go to an outdoor basketball court or the Y, and some young hot shots are dominating the action. They win game after game, having fun and belittling their opponents.

Then some old guys show up, move the ball around on offense, keep people in front of them on defense, play a little more physical, and they knock the young turks off their pedestal.

Why? Because they know how to play the game. They’ve been around, and know how to take advantage of players who are cocky and overly aggressive.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have two of those guys on their roster and they are contributing on a night in and night out basis. They are Shaun Livingston and Luke Walton.

Livingston was a Christmas present from GM Chris Grant to coach Byron Scott, being claimed on waivers that very day. For whatever reason, the Washington Wizards, who were struggling as badly as the Cavs at that time, couldn’t use the veteran who was once the 4th overall pick in the draft in 2004.

Their loss is Cleveland’s gain.

Livingston’s value isn’t found in the stat sheet. He’s averaging just 5. 3 points and 3.4 assists a game in the 25 contests he’s played in the wine and gold. But he is a steady hand and a catalyst for a bench bunch that is one of the most potent in the league after the acquisition of Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington from Memphis a few weeks later.

The Cavs have gone 13-13 since Livingston started playing. They were 7-25 prior to that point.

Livingston overcame a horrible knee injury in 2007 and really didn’t play a full season for three years. He was a heralded high school player, but as Scott said when he arrived, he is an old soul when it comes to hoops, playing the game they way it is meant to be played. He makes the right pass and for the most part keeps himself between his man and the basket on defense.

Walton came to the Cavs as someone who could balance the salary cap in the trade that sent Ramon Sessions to the Lakers at the trade deadline last season. He was a starter for LA in 2006-07 and started half the time the following two campaigns.

However, when Grant obtained him, he had played just nine games for the season due to back woes.

He’s another player that stats don’t tell the real story, averaging just 3.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 16 minutes per game. Early in the year, many fans (including us) were wondering why he was getting time, probably because he struggled playing with young guys who don’t share his IQ for the game.

Since the addition of Speights, Ellington, and Livingston, Walton has made a difference coming off the bench for the young Cavaliers. In that time, he’s averaged just 2.8 points, but has had five games (out of 11) where he has had five or more assists.

And he made a key defensive play late in Tuesday’s win over Chicago, knocking a pass away, and then firing it off a Bulls’ player in the final minute to preserve the lead.

Lost in most fans’ wishes for high draft choices is the fact that young teams need veterans to learn from. With the players acquired from Memphis, plus heady players like Livingston and Walton, Chris Grant has given his young guys some worthy teachers.

Don’t Get Excited About James’ Return

The rumors have been rumbling since the beginning of this season. “Insiders” are hearing that LeBron James will opt out of his contract following the 2013-14 season, and would consider a return to Cleveland.

Because the Cavs now have another “superstar” in Kyrie Irving, a move back to northeastern Ohio would be appealing to James.

Let’s just say if it happens, then it will be time to get excited about it. Until then, remember LBJ has a player who stabbed this franchise and this city right in the heart.

Therefore, there should be no big celebration when the Miami Heat come to Quicken Loans Arena to play the Cavaliers in March. James should be treated as the reason basketball fans have suffered through three terrible seasons in a row.

If Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert wants him back and the two parties make amends, then fine. When he wears the wine and gold jersey again, then he deserves our support.

The whole “back to Cleveland” scenario sounds like a ploy by James’ people to garner support for him, therefore not getting a chorus of boos when he plays at “The Q” as a visiting player.

Also, James’ marketing people are from around here and supposedly aren’t happy that they don’t have the run of the house in Miami that they did when LeBron was here. And for the most part, they are the ones floating the idea of coming back to the north coast.

From a basketball standpoint, think about this scenario: The Heat go one to win another title this season and then complete a “three peat” by winning again next season. Do you really think James is leaving a squad that has won three consecutive championships?

Of course he isn’t.

Don’t like that one? Here’s another: Kobe Bryant retires after the 2013-14 campaign and the Lakers are looking for another superstar to solidify their status as one of the sports’ preeminent franchises. Does James succumb to the Laker mystique and signs with Los Angeles? It would be very tempting.

The Cavaliers have to be in a position to contend for a title for James to even consider coming back. And right now, it will be tough for the wine and gold to win 25 games this season, meaning a leap to the .500 mark next season will mean an additional 15 victories. Yes, there will be plenty of players hitting their second and third years in the NBA, but that is a rather large jump in the victory column in one year.

GM Chris Grant should continue to build the Cavs like he has, accumulating draft picks and keeping plenty of cap room so his team can be a player if an all-star type player comes available because his current team needs payroll relief.

Oh, and it wouldn’t hurt to strike draft gold in this summer’s draft either. Cleveland means another difference maker on the team. Perhaps Dion Waiters can be that guy, but it looks like he’ll be a good player, not an all-star, at this point.

This isn’t to say LeBron James won’t come back to the Cavaliers after the 2014 season. He may, perhaps he does miss northern Ohio more than we think.

However, he’s the one who kicked us below the belt. To beg for him to return to the wine and gold just makes Cleveland sports fans appear totally weak.

Scott’s Record Shows He Knows Defense.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers lose more games to inferior foes like they did a week ago against Minnesota, hoop fans start to talk about the future of coach Byron Scott.

Most of the problem when the Cavs lose these games in their quality of defense. Owner Dan Gilbert even commented last week that when the wine and gold return to prominence, it will be because of their work when their opponents have the ball.

But is Scott the guy to teach defense?

His past coaching record says he is.

In his first year as a head coach, the 2000-01 season with the Nets, his squad finished 22nd in points allowed and 24th in field goal percentage against.

However, the following season (2001-02), in which the Nets made the NBA Finals, those marks improved to 5th in points allowed and 6th in defensive field goal percentage.

The next season (2002-03), another Finals appearance, had New Jersey 2nd in the NBA in points allowed and tied for 2nd in field goal percentage against.

Scott didn’t make it through the following season, but resurfaced as coach of the New Orleans Hornets in 2004-05, and his team finished 10th in the NBA in points allowed and 17th in defensive field goal percentage.

The other four years in New Orleans had Scott’s crew improving from 11th in points given up in 2005-06 to 10th, 5th, and 5th in subsequent seasons. The field goal percentage allowed went from 21st in ’05-’06 to tied for 12th, 16th, and 7th.

The point is if you want to point the finger at Scott for the Cavs’ horrible defensive rating, look somewhere else. He has demonstrated that he can put together a good defensive scheme, ranking in the top half of the league every year but his first as a head coach in points allowed, and his teams have been better than average in shooting percentage by opponents five times.

That is until he became the head coach in Cleveland.

Granted the franchise and the roster were a mess his first year at the helm, so we will excuse both the players and the coaching staff. However, we don’t think Scott has forgotten all he learned on the defensive end since he took over in Cleveland, so something is wrong.

It’s time for the head coach to take the gloves off and start demanding better defense by his troops, even if that guy in all-star Kyrie Irving. Irving is too talented a player not to be a good defender, and as the leader and best player, he would set the tone for the rest of the guys in wine and gold by playing better when the other team has the ball.

Too often, the Cavs are lackadaisical against lesser teams because they don’t put forth a good effort on “D”, and usually it starts with Irving.

He’s not the only one, though. A lack of effort on defense should start earning players a seat on the bench, and that goes for everyone.

The Cavs need to start winning now. The rest of this season should be about setting a tone for the 2013-14 season, when the wine and gold must start contending for a playoff spot.

Byron Scott is not the reason the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t a good defensive team. His track record proves otherwise. It’s time for the players to start buying in to stopping the opponent, and to stop trying to outscore everyone.

When that happens, we will see if this team is putting together enough talent to become a playoff squad.

A Little Experience Goes a Long Way for Cavs

There is no question that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a very young basketball team. The third youngest in the NBA according to age.

Pretty much on a nightly basis, the wine and gold start two rookies (Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller), two second year players (Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson) and a free agent who they found in the D-League in Alonzo Gee.

That’s not a recipe for success.

After the injury to Anderson Varejao, there was little help off the bench. C.J. Miles has been inconsistent, although better lately, and Luke Walton had moments where his veteran leadership made a difference.

However, as the Indians have found out in recent years, in order to provide leadership and a steady hand, the older players have to play on a night in night out basis so the younger guys like learn.

Since Christmas Day, GM Chris Grant has brought in some productive, experienced players to help coach Byron Scott, and the difference has been noticeable.

Shaun Livingston was claimed on waivers that day, and since his first appearance on the floor for the Cavs, the team has gone 8-10, a much better record than the 7-24 mark prior to his arrival. He’s averaged just 4.8 points and 3.2 assists since joining the team.

However, it’s not just the numbers. His experience and feel for the game has made a great deal of difference because Livingston knows how to play. Scott uses him frequently in crunch time.

He’s not the player he was before a devastating knee injury, but he understands how to play, something the young Cavaliers need to understand.

Then, Grant picked up two more veterans in Marreese Speights and Wayne Ellington from Memphis.

Speights gave Scott another quality big man to use behind Thompson and Zeller, a good shooter from outside and a solid rebounder. Most nights, the big man is on the floor during the fourth quarter of close games.

Ellington is a bigger version of Boobie Gibson, who can match up size wise defensively with other #2 guards. Being just a shade over 6’ (and that might be generous), Gibson has become a good defensive player, but just doesn’t have the height to match up with bigger guards.

The other thing that the former Grizzlies bring is winning experience. Memphis won a playoff series a year ago, and both Speights and Ellington are used to winning. There is no question is our mind that for most players, winning is learned.

Young guys, even a player as good as Irving, usually don’t know how to play winning basketball in the NBA. Irving has shown the ability to be tremendous at the end of games in terms of making shots, but he has to understand what needs to be done defensively and when to take chances with the basketball.

Now Scott has someone to turn to in tight games, guys that have played in playoff games and know what to do when games are on the line.

The young players have veterans to look up to and to learn from. And they are out there on the floor doing it, not just sitting around talking about it.

Fans all look at the incredible talent the players like Irving, Thompson, Waiters, and Zeller have, but every team needs players like Livingston, Speights, and Ellington too.

Now that the Cavaliers have them, the proof is showing up in the win column.

Young Cavs Today Remind of Late 80’s Group.

The Cleveland Cavaliers had their best stretch of the season last week, winning three straight led by Kyrie Irving, who scored at least 30 points in the wins.

Unfortunately, Irving had only 14 points at home against Golden State on Tuesday and the wine and gold’s winning ways ended.

That’s the way it is for a team dominated by first and second year players. Consistency is definitely going to be an issue.

Many supporters of the Cavs were bragging about the team’s representation in the Rising Stars game at All Star weekend next month, as all four of Chris Grant’s first round picks in the last two years (Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller) are participating in the contest.

It’s no guarantee of future success, but it does speak to the amount of playing time coach Byron Scott is giving to players with little experience. Alonzo Gee leads the Cavaliers in minutes played, but the next four who have spent the next most time on the floor are the four participants in the exhibition game.

It would be much better if Cleveland was competing for the playoffs, but the last time this many young players saw this amount of time for the Cavs was the 1986-87 season when Brad Daugherty, Ron Harper, Mark Price, and Hot Rod Williams were rookies.

Price wound up seventh on that squad in time played, but the top three were the other rookies, with Harper garnering the most.

We all know that three of those players made up the nucleus of some very successful squads in the late 80’s and early 90’s. If it weren’t for the worst trade in NBA history (Harper AND two first round picks for the rights to Danny Ferry), and a guy named Michael Jordan, to borrow an Indians’ slogan, what if???

Still, when they were rookie, that team finished 31-51 for the season, before improving the 42-40 the following season, and then to 57-25 in their third season together, when Magic Johnson called them “the team of the 90’s”.

While no one is predicting that type of rapid success for this young group of Cavaliers, it would be nice if they could come close to duplicating the progress of those young Cavs.

After that first season, Cleveland’s first round pick in the draft was Kevin Johnson, who went on to a great career with Phoenix, but is more important to Cavs’ followers as the trade chip which brought the team Larry Nance.

Here’s hoping this group of young players resembles that group more than another group of young Cavs in 1997-98, when four rookies (Cedric Henderson, Brevin Knight, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Derek Anderson) ranked in the top six for minutes played that season.

That group buoyed by veterans Wesley Person and Shawn Kemp finished the season 47-35 and lost in the first round of the playoffs to Indiana. A back up guard on that team was Scott Brooks, now the coach for Oklahoma City.

They followed up by going 22-28 in a shortened season with Ilgauskas, who turned out to the best player out of the group, missing most of the season with a broken foot.

By the third year they were supposed to be together, Anderson was dealt to the Clippers for Lamond Murray, Big Z was still out for the season, and Knight’s time was cut considerably by rookie Andre Miller.

The Cavs finished 32-50 and were stuck in mediocrity until the drafting of LeBron James.

The current young guys wearing wine and gold look more like the first group because of the presence of Irving, who appears to be heading toward elite status.

Let’s hope that is the case so the future is bright, not bleak.