Now that it is a little bit in the past, it is now time to look more in depth at what went wrong in the Cavaliers’ run for the NBA Championship this year. For the second straight season, the Cavs failed to make it to the Finals despite being one of the favorites to win it all. Overall, the Cavaliers failed to win the Eastern Conference’s bid to the Finals because they overreacted to last year’s loss to the Orlando Magic.
True, last year’s elimination was difficult to stomach—never had the Cavaliers had the best record in the NBA. At the same time, the Cavs did not lose that series by much. A number of people commented that the Cavs gave up too many points and rebounds to Dwight Howard; however, the same could be said about the Magic’s defense on LeBron James. The bigger issue in that series was that the Cavaliers failed to guard the perimeter well. Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston, and Mickael Pietrus all played a good series. Of the Cleveland defenders guarding these players, Delonte West deserved the most credit for playing undersized against point-forward Turkoglu—he kept the matchup as even as possible (although the defensive assignment arguably cut into West’s offensive production). Still, while the strong play was expected of Lewis, Turkoglu, and Alston, who were starters, bench player Pietrus’s ability to score at will was unacceptable for the highly-touted defense of Coach Mike Brown and the Cavaliers.
Once Cleveland was eliminated, GM Danny Ferry set his focus on retooling the Cavaliers again in order to get them back to the Finals. A big post defender…wing defenders…a stretch four…These were the alleged needs of the team in order to get past Orlando and back to the NBA Finals.
However, what started out as a small project turned into a radical change in the makeup of the team’s roster. Including trades and the draft, the Cavs had added 7 new players to the team entering the postseason. This began with “The Shaquistion”, in which the Cavs traded Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic for Shaquille O’Neal. Overall, this move was a decent move. The team traded a top flight defensive-oriented champion post player for a more well-rounded, hall of fame-bound champion post player. However, the trade did mean the loss of a combo forward/center post defender in Wallace as well as an inconsistent, yet potent young scorer in Pavlovic.
After this trade, assistant coach and “offensive coordinator” John Kuester was hired to be the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. In 2007, Kuester had replaced Kenny Natt (who had left to join friend Reggie Theus in Sacramento, and who is also a highly respected assistant across the league). In two seasons, Kuester was able to take the offense to the next level. Kuester’s offense revolved around the double point guard lineup of Mo Williams and Delonte West. West, in his own right, plays better as a shooting guard, yet typifies the prototypical combo guard—one who can excel at either guard position, especially on defense.
In addressing the concerns over the perimeter defense, Danny Ferry successfully recruited top midlevel free agents Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon to Cleveland. While both were/are known as solid all-around players and strong wing defenders, their presence meant the possible disruption of the Mo-Delonte backcourt. This was further complicated by the emerging emotional issues of West, who was arrested amidst a confusing motorcycle/gun incident. Likewise, Mo Williams got injured in the first half of the season, and after returning from injury, never seemed to regain his form. West was hurt during an overlapping period, meaning Mo did not have Delonte to cover up for his flaws/fill his gaps. Williams’s clutch play remained a concern, as was seen during a seemingly stressful situation in Miami, when he could not stomach to watch LeBron James shoot—and make—the game-winning free throws.
Despite making the roster even deeper, the last move that knocked the Cavaliers off-balance was the acquisition of All-Star forward Antawn Jamison. Jamison has had a great reputation around the league as a solid teammate, a consummate professional, and an outstanding citizen. He was the “stretch four” that Ferry and the Cavs coveted, and a player that LeBron had said would be a good addition to the team (aside from Amar’e Stoudemire). The move was considered better than a trade for Stoudemire, because the Cavaliers traded much less (they got Zydrunas Ilgauskas back) and did not force another attempt at the failed Stoudemire-O’Neal frontcourt that Phoenix used for a year and a half. Jamison brought a scoring intensity matched by few on the Cavs roster.
Yet, the addition of Jamison did a number of things to the Cleveland roster. Jamison immediately became a starter because Shaq was injured, Z was gone by league rule for 30 days, and Anderson Varejao brought more to the team off the bench. However, it should be noted that the last champions to acquire their #2 playoff scorer in the middle of the season were the 1995 Houston Rockets, who brought in hall of fame guard Clyde Drexler via a midseason trade. It should also be noted that these Rockets were defending champions, and the Drexler-Hakeem Olajuwon duo had succeeded previously at the University of Houston.
While, in theory, the Jamison-O’Neal frontcourt was a good idea, it turned out that they lacked the chemistry—both offensively and defensively—that Varejao, Z, and Wallace have/had over the past few seasons. The trademark defense of Mike Brown—highly characterized by the efficient post defense of the team before Jamison’s arrival—was no longer intact. Jamison’s presence meant the benching of young emerging forward J.J. Hickson (who had started 73 games this season), the Cavs all-time games played leader Ilgauskas (whose temporary departure, combined with Shaq’s injury/absence from the team, seemed to paralyze the team’s morale), and former Celtic hustle forward Leon Powe (who is recovering from injury last postseason/surgery last offseason after helping the Celtics win the 2008 Championship). Jamison’s presence, combined with the presence of O’Neal, Parker, and Moon, also meant fewer minutes for LeBron at the power forward position—which had been a key to success for both the 2008-2009 Cavs and the 2008 gold medal-winning U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball team. In light of his past play at power forward, it can be argued that LeBron James is a "stretch four".
Like Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison is a potent scorer who seems to level off in clutch time situations. Furthermore, this postseason was actually only Jamison’s second 2nd round appearance. In fact, Jamison has never played in the playoffs past the 2nd round. All of this, combined with the fact that NBA championship teams do not add their #2 scorer midseason, means that Jamison would have been better integrated as a bench player/bench scorer for the Cavaliers. Despite Jamison’s standout character and solid resume, it is debatable whether the trade for him was even necessary. Hickson had been playing well, Powe had just returned, Varejao plays better as a power forward than as a center, and Z had been having a good season as a ‘stretch five’.
Meanwhile, Coach Mike Brown overemphasized the integration of Shaquille O’Neal into the team’s rotation. Shaq is still a solid player, and in certain matchups, Shaq should be on the court frequently (i.e. vs. the Orlando Magic or the Los Angeles Lakers). However, O’Neal’s presence in the team’s offensive system was best used when James was not in the game. The preseason suggestion of O’Neal and Daniel Gibson playing together worked midseason when Mo and Delonte were out with injury, but Coach Brown did not utilize this lineup once the two guards came back, Shaq got hurt, and Gibson left indefinitely for the birth of his first child. When the postseason came around, Shaq had not yet played with Jamison. However, with Shaq being a future hall of famer and Jamison being a former All-Star, it was within reason to start the two together. On the other hand, Shaq’s main purpose on the Cavs was to guard Dwight Howard, who the Cavs would be facing only if they advanced to the Conference Finals.
In the end, the coaching staff did not seem to have a grasp of who the team’s clutch players were/are. The team’s depth was good in theory but detrimental in practice. There were just too many minutes and too few spots in the rotation. Even making the active roster list for each game was difficult—Jawad Williams, Sebastian Telfair, and Danny Green are all capable players, with Jawad showing that he has strong chemistry in the lineup with LeBron. Looking back, last year’s team that lost to the Magic was already good enough to win the championship. If anything, they needed one more wing player and one more post player (perhaps Parker and Powe) for good measure. Any other roster moves should have addressed chemistry and clutch play.
Two seasons ago, the retooled Cavaliers lost to the favored Celtics (who went on to the win the NBA Championship). Last season, the Cavs prepared for the Celtics, got the Magic, and lost. This season, the Cavs prepared for the Magic, got the Celtics again, and lost.
Now, Mike Brown is gone and Danny Ferry has left. Here’s hoping that LeBron James stays to finish unfinished business and win the NBA Championship for Cleveland.
True, last year’s elimination was difficult to stomach—never had the Cavaliers had the best record in the NBA. At the same time, the Cavs did not lose that series by much. A number of people commented that the Cavs gave up too many points and rebounds to Dwight Howard; however, the same could be said about the Magic’s defense on LeBron James. The bigger issue in that series was that the Cavaliers failed to guard the perimeter well. Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, Rafer Alston, and Mickael Pietrus all played a good series. Of the Cleveland defenders guarding these players, Delonte West deserved the most credit for playing undersized against point-forward Turkoglu—he kept the matchup as even as possible (although the defensive assignment arguably cut into West’s offensive production). Still, while the strong play was expected of Lewis, Turkoglu, and Alston, who were starters, bench player Pietrus’s ability to score at will was unacceptable for the highly-touted defense of Coach Mike Brown and the Cavaliers.
Once Cleveland was eliminated, GM Danny Ferry set his focus on retooling the Cavaliers again in order to get them back to the Finals. A big post defender…wing defenders…a stretch four…These were the alleged needs of the team in order to get past Orlando and back to the NBA Finals.
However, what started out as a small project turned into a radical change in the makeup of the team’s roster. Including trades and the draft, the Cavs had added 7 new players to the team entering the postseason. This began with “The Shaquistion”, in which the Cavs traded Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic for Shaquille O’Neal. Overall, this move was a decent move. The team traded a top flight defensive-oriented champion post player for a more well-rounded, hall of fame-bound champion post player. However, the trade did mean the loss of a combo forward/center post defender in Wallace as well as an inconsistent, yet potent young scorer in Pavlovic.
After this trade, assistant coach and “offensive coordinator” John Kuester was hired to be the head coach of the Detroit Pistons. In 2007, Kuester had replaced Kenny Natt (who had left to join friend Reggie Theus in Sacramento, and who is also a highly respected assistant across the league). In two seasons, Kuester was able to take the offense to the next level. Kuester’s offense revolved around the double point guard lineup of Mo Williams and Delonte West. West, in his own right, plays better as a shooting guard, yet typifies the prototypical combo guard—one who can excel at either guard position, especially on defense.
In addressing the concerns over the perimeter defense, Danny Ferry successfully recruited top midlevel free agents Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon to Cleveland. While both were/are known as solid all-around players and strong wing defenders, their presence meant the possible disruption of the Mo-Delonte backcourt. This was further complicated by the emerging emotional issues of West, who was arrested amidst a confusing motorcycle/gun incident. Likewise, Mo Williams got injured in the first half of the season, and after returning from injury, never seemed to regain his form. West was hurt during an overlapping period, meaning Mo did not have Delonte to cover up for his flaws/fill his gaps. Williams’s clutch play remained a concern, as was seen during a seemingly stressful situation in Miami, when he could not stomach to watch LeBron James shoot—and make—the game-winning free throws.
Despite making the roster even deeper, the last move that knocked the Cavaliers off-balance was the acquisition of All-Star forward Antawn Jamison. Jamison has had a great reputation around the league as a solid teammate, a consummate professional, and an outstanding citizen. He was the “stretch four” that Ferry and the Cavs coveted, and a player that LeBron had said would be a good addition to the team (aside from Amar’e Stoudemire). The move was considered better than a trade for Stoudemire, because the Cavaliers traded much less (they got Zydrunas Ilgauskas back) and did not force another attempt at the failed Stoudemire-O’Neal frontcourt that Phoenix used for a year and a half. Jamison brought a scoring intensity matched by few on the Cavs roster.
Yet, the addition of Jamison did a number of things to the Cleveland roster. Jamison immediately became a starter because Shaq was injured, Z was gone by league rule for 30 days, and Anderson Varejao brought more to the team off the bench. However, it should be noted that the last champions to acquire their #2 playoff scorer in the middle of the season were the 1995 Houston Rockets, who brought in hall of fame guard Clyde Drexler via a midseason trade. It should also be noted that these Rockets were defending champions, and the Drexler-Hakeem Olajuwon duo had succeeded previously at the University of Houston.
While, in theory, the Jamison-O’Neal frontcourt was a good idea, it turned out that they lacked the chemistry—both offensively and defensively—that Varejao, Z, and Wallace have/had over the past few seasons. The trademark defense of Mike Brown—highly characterized by the efficient post defense of the team before Jamison’s arrival—was no longer intact. Jamison’s presence meant the benching of young emerging forward J.J. Hickson (who had started 73 games this season), the Cavs all-time games played leader Ilgauskas (whose temporary departure, combined with Shaq’s injury/absence from the team, seemed to paralyze the team’s morale), and former Celtic hustle forward Leon Powe (who is recovering from injury last postseason/surgery last offseason after helping the Celtics win the 2008 Championship). Jamison’s presence, combined with the presence of O’Neal, Parker, and Moon, also meant fewer minutes for LeBron at the power forward position—which had been a key to success for both the 2008-2009 Cavs and the 2008 gold medal-winning U.S. Men’s Olympic Basketball team. In light of his past play at power forward, it can be argued that LeBron James is a "stretch four".
Like Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison is a potent scorer who seems to level off in clutch time situations. Furthermore, this postseason was actually only Jamison’s second 2nd round appearance. In fact, Jamison has never played in the playoffs past the 2nd round. All of this, combined with the fact that NBA championship teams do not add their #2 scorer midseason, means that Jamison would have been better integrated as a bench player/bench scorer for the Cavaliers. Despite Jamison’s standout character and solid resume, it is debatable whether the trade for him was even necessary. Hickson had been playing well, Powe had just returned, Varejao plays better as a power forward than as a center, and Z had been having a good season as a ‘stretch five’.
Meanwhile, Coach Mike Brown overemphasized the integration of Shaquille O’Neal into the team’s rotation. Shaq is still a solid player, and in certain matchups, Shaq should be on the court frequently (i.e. vs. the Orlando Magic or the Los Angeles Lakers). However, O’Neal’s presence in the team’s offensive system was best used when James was not in the game. The preseason suggestion of O’Neal and Daniel Gibson playing together worked midseason when Mo and Delonte were out with injury, but Coach Brown did not utilize this lineup once the two guards came back, Shaq got hurt, and Gibson left indefinitely for the birth of his first child. When the postseason came around, Shaq had not yet played with Jamison. However, with Shaq being a future hall of famer and Jamison being a former All-Star, it was within reason to start the two together. On the other hand, Shaq’s main purpose on the Cavs was to guard Dwight Howard, who the Cavs would be facing only if they advanced to the Conference Finals.
In the end, the coaching staff did not seem to have a grasp of who the team’s clutch players were/are. The team’s depth was good in theory but detrimental in practice. There were just too many minutes and too few spots in the rotation. Even making the active roster list for each game was difficult—Jawad Williams, Sebastian Telfair, and Danny Green are all capable players, with Jawad showing that he has strong chemistry in the lineup with LeBron. Looking back, last year’s team that lost to the Magic was already good enough to win the championship. If anything, they needed one more wing player and one more post player (perhaps Parker and Powe) for good measure. Any other roster moves should have addressed chemistry and clutch play.
Two seasons ago, the retooled Cavaliers lost to the favored Celtics (who went on to the win the NBA Championship). Last season, the Cavs prepared for the Celtics, got the Magic, and lost. This season, the Cavs prepared for the Magic, got the Celtics again, and lost.
Now, Mike Brown is gone and Danny Ferry has left. Here’s hoping that LeBron James stays to finish unfinished business and win the NBA Championship for Cleveland.