Random dribbles following the Cavaliers' 101-91 road loss to the Miami Heat on Christmas Day:
1. Before we get started, I wouldn't be overly concerned about the Cavs. I went through the schedule before the season and predicted a record of 19-11 after 30 games. Right now, they're 17-11. If they split their next two games (at Orlando and home vs. Detroit), that puts them at 18-12. Even if they lose the next two (they won't), I'd say they're right on track.
2. Granted, I know a lot of folks thought the Cavs would be a lot closer to something like 26-4. But with a first-time NBA coach in David Blatt and about 10 new faces on the roster -- well, that's not reality. As good as LeBron James is, the plan was never for him to come to Cleveland, sprinkle some magic fairy dust, and turn the Cavs into Michael Jordan and the 72-10 Chicago Bulls of 1996. I know you're sick of hearing it, but these things take time. Just ask LeBron and the 2010 Heat. They started 20-8 and finished 58-24.
3. The Cavs are three games behind that pace. I think they can finish three games behind that, too -- or at least somewhere in the vicinity of 54 to 57 wins. This being the first season of Blatt, LeBron, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, I think a record of 55-27 or so is acceptable. And if not acceptable, it's reality. What matters most is the Cavs get a top three or four playoff seed and play their best basketball in late April and May (And June if the need arises).
4. Are these Cavs a better team than this year's Heat? Without question. I have little doubt these Cavs would beat these Heat in a seven-game playoff series. But sportswriters and fans like to freak out, or at least overreact a little, to every fleeting moment. This was a poor all-around game by the Cavs. But mostly, they were just due to lose, they were on the road, and not enough guys "brought it" for a full 48 minutes. This is the NBA. So-so teams will beat good ones, and it happens no less than once a week.
5. Sticking with the excuses (we'll get to the issues in a moment), the Cavs were playing their first game without starting center Anderson Varejao, almost certainly out for the season with an Achilles injury. And again, they were on the road. Plus, it was an emotional day for this game's biggest star -- as James returned to Miami for the first time since re-joining the Cavaliers. Blatt said his team looked anxious early, and that's no surprise. Aside from James, not many of the Cavs' major players have performed on this grand a stage.
6. So, there's plenty going pretty well with the Cavs. Are they invincible? No. Are opponents respecting them? Not to the degree that they had hoped. But everyone knows LeBron is on this team, and everyone knows any team with LeBron is dangerous. No matter how you spin the Cavs' season so far, you can't argue the fact they are doggone talented. You can't argue that LeBron usually wins, and wins a lot -- and it looks as if he is primed to do so in Cleveland once again.
7. All of that said, things are far from perfect. At times, they can be downright confusing. At times, Blatt's rotation draws the ire of fans. At times, the entire universe questions why he's playing his Big Three of LeBron, Irving and Love so many minutes. And at times, all those questions are warranted.
8. I certainly will never know more than Blatt or general manager David Griffin or James when it comes to the NBA. I'll never try to paint that picture. Still, part of my job entails viewing the team with a critical eye. That doesn't mean just ripping guys when they do stuff I don't like. It doesn't mean questioning every substitution or decision of who to start or failed trade or shot attempt -- or any of it. But I do have some questions, and I feel as if it's fair to ask them.
8. For instance, I'm not sure why Blatt started Love (as opposed to Tristan Thompson) at center. It's not that big of a deal, as most coaches will tell you that positions are often determined by which position you defend. Not always, but a lot of the time. Love isn't a great defender, and that's OK. Neither were Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. At the same time, you have to do enough other things well to make up for it. On Christmas, that was not the case for Love. He had an off night, and the position change (from power forward to center) may have played a role.
9. Nor do I understand why Love isn't rebounding as well lately. He's still in double digits with an average of 10.5 per game. That's hardly lousy. But it's his lowest number since his rookie year of 2008-09 -- when Love averaged 9.1 rebounds with the Timberwolves. Last season, he was at 12.5. In 2010-11, it was a whopping 15.2 per game.
10. More concerning was the fact Love grabbed just five against the Heat. With or without Varejao (especially without), Love has to do better than that. He's set a high standard for himself. And being a monster on the boards is a big reason why the Cavs traded for him. In the Cavs' last five games, Love's average has dipped to 9.4 rebounds a night.
11. I don't understand why Brendan Haywood isn't playing, either. If he just stinks these days, then that's one thing. I don't know that he doesn't. I have never watched a full practice, or even more than the shooting drills at the end. And no one really seems to be asking why Haywood is glued to the bench. The possibility does exist that he's washed up. The possibility does exist that the Cavs are hanging on to him for no other reason than he's a contract to trade. And the possibility does exist that he could slow down the entire offense.
12. Still, I look at Haywood and see a wide 7-footer with six fouls at his disposal. That can't get him eight minutes a night with a major shortage at center? I'm not the coach. I don't know as much as the coach. I don't know much at all. But I see Haywood and see a 35-year old guy who's collecting a paycheck. If you're not going to use him, why is he here?
13. I've probably rambled on long enough without really saying anything. I know, it happens a lot. And I know I started this whole thing by saying the Cavs are fine. I really think they are. Or they are a lot better off than what we're so often hearing. Fans and the media like to whine. It's what we do. I get that. Still, I also know that the Cavs need help on the inside, and it won't matter if you sign or trade for another big guy if you're not going to use him. It won't matter if LeBron is on the team if the ball doesn't always move like it should, or if the Cavs don't rebound like they are capable, or if they don't step up when they're playing on a big stage.
14. I like a lot of what I saw vs. the Heat. Despite clearly being a bit nervous, LeBron finished with 30 points on 9-of-16 shooting (but a nerve-wrecked 10-of-18 on free throws). Kyrie was again masterful with 25 points -- and overall, is having a career year in terms of decision-making and playing with heart. Thompson (nine boards) has become an underrated rebounding force off the bench. And while Dion Waiters (eight points) will likely forever run hot and cold, he can really fill it up and has been much better lately.
15. Basically, not every game will be a work of art. You're gonna lose some you should win. But the Cavs must soon start to find a little more continuity, a little more consistency, a little more interior defense and little more rhyme and reason to the rotation. I'm not the owner, coach or GM. I'm just some guy with opinions. But this guy with opinions thinks that until the Cavs start doing the things listed above with a little more regularity, they'll never reach their full potential. And that potential, it seems to me, is pretty grand.
