Sadly, the Cleveland Cavaliers have fallen to 8-45 in losing their 26th game in a row. This includes 36 losses in their last 37 games, in which more sadly the 2nd of 36 losses came at the hands of the Miami Heat and new South Beach talent LeBron James. The Cavs have not lost this many games since the beginning of the LeBron Era under Coach Paul Silas, and they never lost this many games under the various rosters coached by Coach Mike Brown.
This team appears to have more overall talent than other struggling Cavaliers franchises, including the 2002-2003 squad that finished the season at 17-65. However, the 2002-2003 Cleveland Cavaliers did have two players who were consistently trying to lead the team: Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ricky Davis. This year, the Cavaliers have had different players try to carry the team on different nights. Earlier in the season, Mo Williams, J.J. Hickson, Anderson Varejao, and Daniel Gibson seemed to be the most dominant Cavs players. Currently, Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions are the two Cavs that are providing the most consistent on-court leadership and standout play.
Regardless of the overall poor play, the Cleveland Cavaliers do have some problems that they can overcome, whether in the short term or the long term. Here are a few.
1) The team has not won without Anderson Varejao. Anderson Varejao has become a linchpin for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Cavaliers are a subpar 8-23 in games in which Varejao is playing, the team is 0-22 without The Wild Thing in 2010-2011.
>Short-Term Remedy: The return of Leon Powe. Leon Powe has spent a hard 18 months recovering from previous injuries and surgery, but he is the Cavaliers player that offers the most Varejao-like blue collar effort on defense and the boards. If the Cavs have not ended the losing streak before Powe returns, they should end it when he does return.
>Long-Term Remedy: The retaining of Anderson Varejao. Analysts have long speculated that Varejao is most valuable to championship contending teams. That said, once recovered from injury he is one of the 'tradable' players on the Cavs' roster. While Varejao's rugged play might not grab the casual fan's attention, his leadership by example is worth keeping to build up the next successful Cavaliers era.
2) J.J. Hickson lacks chemistry with some of the current Cavs. J.J. Hickson remains a young player with lots of potential. While he still needs some polishing and training, he has shown some flashes of light this season. What should be noted is that last season, the key to his solid season was spending most of the prior offseason practicing with LeBron James. While Hickson retains good on-court chemistry with Anderson Varejao and Antawn Jamison, he lacks chemistry with some of his other teammates, especially Ramon Sessions.
>Short-Term and Long-Term Remedy: Have Hickson and Sessions spend extended time practicing together. There seem to be multiple miscues between Hickson and Sessions on the court. The bulk of the miscues appear to be miscommunications and misreads on the offensive end. With more familiarity, Hickson and Sessions should be able to capitalize on their skills and athleticism to make a formidable pick-and-roll combination.
3) The Cavaliers have not defended the 3-point line well. It is obvious that the Cavaliers have not been a good perimeter defensive team. This is mainly because Coach Byron Scott has recognized the team's lack of size and conceded perimeter defense in order to protect the basket. Still, this is an area that can be improved immediately.
>Short-Term and Long-Term Remedy: Practice more to develop better chemistry, and in turn, better communication while playing more assertive defense. The Cavs have played very passive defense. When opposing teams show good, continuous ball movement, the Cavs have watched 3-pointers fly, oftentimes without even raising a hand. Once the other team hits a few 3 balls, the fastbreak defense also begins to sag. While Varejao is the linchpin that hold the defense together, the team has a number of defensively capable players. While guards such as Daniel Gibson and Ramon Sessions can force a lot of steals, other players such as J.J. Hickson, Jamario Moon, and Christian Eyenga offer intimidating shotblocking capabilities. With good communication and assertiveness, the Cavs can convert these 5-point losses into 5-point and 10-point wins.
4) The Cavs lack an identity. As the "Chosen One", LBJ was the face of the franchise. Meanwhile, Zydrunas Ilgauskas was another face, as his heart and easygoingness resonated well with a multitude of teammates. Other guys, such as Delonte West and Ben Wallace symbolized toughness and grit while also having fun, while guys such as Damon Jones and Shaquille O'Neal mixed flash and talent with fun. Now, the Cavs have a collection of solid players wearing generic jerseys and acting too deferential to each other on the court.
>Short-Term Remedy: Assign roles and stick with them while playing with more pride. For the duration of full ballgames now, the Cavaliers walk and run up and down the court with their chins down and their shoulders sagging. They look defeated before they are even falling behind in games. When healthy, it appeared that Mo Williams was the clear-cut scorer while Anderson Varejao was the clear-cut defender. Without these guys, the rest of the Cavs need to step up. Antawn Jamison is a bonafide scorer, so he has claimed that role. Meanwhile, Ramon Sessions is a very athletic guard, so he has claimed that role. Now, the Cavs need Leon Powe to get healthy and be a key one-on-one defender while J.J. Hickson can become the top help defender. Daniel Gibson needs to play more like the all-around guard he was playing like earlier in the year, while Christian Eyenga needs to become the slashing swingman with a respectable midrange jumper. Anthony Parker needs to play a good all-around game as well, while Jamario Moon needs to be more aggressive on offense. Manny Harris needs to become a good perimeter defender, while Ryan Hollins needs to improve his footwork so that he can become a formidable post player on offense. The remaining guys--Joey Graham, Samardo Samuels, and Alonzo Gee--have different combinations of grit and talent. Coach Byron Scott and the coaching staff need to put all of these players in position to capitalize on their strengths rather than playing generic basketball while doing an average job running the Princeton offense and doing a subpar job playing passive defense.
>Long-Term Solution: Build up a contending team with a winning culture. The future success of the Cleveland Cavaliers depends upon establishing a winning attitude amidst a well-connected team. The Cavaliers need to identify their stars/cornerstones, whether these players are present now, play elsewhere in the league, or play in the D-League, college, or overseas. Again, the Cavaliers do not have the flashy Hollywood culture of Los Angeles, the winning traditions of the Lakers or Celtics, or the sunshine of the Miami Heat to use as recruiting tools. However, they do have the spending power of Owner Dan Gilbert a la Mark Cuban in Dallas to mix with the modest yet capable fan base/market comparable to teams such as the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies. The Cavs also retain the rights to an unusually large trade exception for a few more months, which can be used to bring a star player or two to town. The keys to the long-term success here are developing a blueprint, sticking with it, scouting well, drafting decently, and giving the players and coaching staff adequate time to gel and excel. While each of the 3 successful Cavaliers Eras started with a #1 overall NBA Draft pick, the playoff runs emerged due to the mixing of veterans and young players, the mixing of stars and role players, and playing team basketball on both ends of the court. While the LeBron Era is named after LBJ, the Cavaliers teams of the last 7 years would not have done what they did without players such as Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson, and Delonte West stepping up during the regular season and playoffs. Likewise, the Price-Daugherty-Nance/Wilkens to Fratello Era had as much of Price's, Daugherty's, and Nance's leadership as it did guys such as Craig Ehlo, Mike Sanders, Hot Rod Williams, Ron Harper, Kevin Johnson, Terrell Brandon, and Tyrone Hill to step up and play big. In the Austin Carr/Bill Fitch Era, the Cavaliers combined a number of stars, veterans, and role players, including Bingo Smith, Jim Chones, Dick Snyder, Campy Russell, and Nate Thurmond. Thus, whether looking at internal team models or external models such as the Duncan/Popovich Spurs and the Billups-Hamilton-Prince-Wallace & Wallace Pistons to rebuild, the Cavaliers need to realize the feasibility of putting together a winner when doing so in a reasonable manner.
This team appears to have more overall talent than other struggling Cavaliers franchises, including the 2002-2003 squad that finished the season at 17-65. However, the 2002-2003 Cleveland Cavaliers did have two players who were consistently trying to lead the team: Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ricky Davis. This year, the Cavaliers have had different players try to carry the team on different nights. Earlier in the season, Mo Williams, J.J. Hickson, Anderson Varejao, and Daniel Gibson seemed to be the most dominant Cavs players. Currently, Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions are the two Cavs that are providing the most consistent on-court leadership and standout play.
Regardless of the overall poor play, the Cleveland Cavaliers do have some problems that they can overcome, whether in the short term or the long term. Here are a few.
1) The team has not won without Anderson Varejao. Anderson Varejao has become a linchpin for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the Cavaliers are a subpar 8-23 in games in which Varejao is playing, the team is 0-22 without The Wild Thing in 2010-2011.
>Short-Term Remedy: The return of Leon Powe. Leon Powe has spent a hard 18 months recovering from previous injuries and surgery, but he is the Cavaliers player that offers the most Varejao-like blue collar effort on defense and the boards. If the Cavs have not ended the losing streak before Powe returns, they should end it when he does return.
>Long-Term Remedy: The retaining of Anderson Varejao. Analysts have long speculated that Varejao is most valuable to championship contending teams. That said, once recovered from injury he is one of the 'tradable' players on the Cavs' roster. While Varejao's rugged play might not grab the casual fan's attention, his leadership by example is worth keeping to build up the next successful Cavaliers era.
2) J.J. Hickson lacks chemistry with some of the current Cavs. J.J. Hickson remains a young player with lots of potential. While he still needs some polishing and training, he has shown some flashes of light this season. What should be noted is that last season, the key to his solid season was spending most of the prior offseason practicing with LeBron James. While Hickson retains good on-court chemistry with Anderson Varejao and Antawn Jamison, he lacks chemistry with some of his other teammates, especially Ramon Sessions.
>Short-Term and Long-Term Remedy: Have Hickson and Sessions spend extended time practicing together. There seem to be multiple miscues between Hickson and Sessions on the court. The bulk of the miscues appear to be miscommunications and misreads on the offensive end. With more familiarity, Hickson and Sessions should be able to capitalize on their skills and athleticism to make a formidable pick-and-roll combination.
3) The Cavaliers have not defended the 3-point line well. It is obvious that the Cavaliers have not been a good perimeter defensive team. This is mainly because Coach Byron Scott has recognized the team's lack of size and conceded perimeter defense in order to protect the basket. Still, this is an area that can be improved immediately.
>Short-Term and Long-Term Remedy: Practice more to develop better chemistry, and in turn, better communication while playing more assertive defense. The Cavs have played very passive defense. When opposing teams show good, continuous ball movement, the Cavs have watched 3-pointers fly, oftentimes without even raising a hand. Once the other team hits a few 3 balls, the fastbreak defense also begins to sag. While Varejao is the linchpin that hold the defense together, the team has a number of defensively capable players. While guards such as Daniel Gibson and Ramon Sessions can force a lot of steals, other players such as J.J. Hickson, Jamario Moon, and Christian Eyenga offer intimidating shotblocking capabilities. With good communication and assertiveness, the Cavs can convert these 5-point losses into 5-point and 10-point wins.
4) The Cavs lack an identity. As the "Chosen One", LBJ was the face of the franchise. Meanwhile, Zydrunas Ilgauskas was another face, as his heart and easygoingness resonated well with a multitude of teammates. Other guys, such as Delonte West and Ben Wallace symbolized toughness and grit while also having fun, while guys such as Damon Jones and Shaquille O'Neal mixed flash and talent with fun. Now, the Cavs have a collection of solid players wearing generic jerseys and acting too deferential to each other on the court.
>Short-Term Remedy: Assign roles and stick with them while playing with more pride. For the duration of full ballgames now, the Cavaliers walk and run up and down the court with their chins down and their shoulders sagging. They look defeated before they are even falling behind in games. When healthy, it appeared that Mo Williams was the clear-cut scorer while Anderson Varejao was the clear-cut defender. Without these guys, the rest of the Cavs need to step up. Antawn Jamison is a bonafide scorer, so he has claimed that role. Meanwhile, Ramon Sessions is a very athletic guard, so he has claimed that role. Now, the Cavs need Leon Powe to get healthy and be a key one-on-one defender while J.J. Hickson can become the top help defender. Daniel Gibson needs to play more like the all-around guard he was playing like earlier in the year, while Christian Eyenga needs to become the slashing swingman with a respectable midrange jumper. Anthony Parker needs to play a good all-around game as well, while Jamario Moon needs to be more aggressive on offense. Manny Harris needs to become a good perimeter defender, while Ryan Hollins needs to improve his footwork so that he can become a formidable post player on offense. The remaining guys--Joey Graham, Samardo Samuels, and Alonzo Gee--have different combinations of grit and talent. Coach Byron Scott and the coaching staff need to put all of these players in position to capitalize on their strengths rather than playing generic basketball while doing an average job running the Princeton offense and doing a subpar job playing passive defense.
>Long-Term Solution: Build up a contending team with a winning culture. The future success of the Cleveland Cavaliers depends upon establishing a winning attitude amidst a well-connected team. The Cavaliers need to identify their stars/cornerstones, whether these players are present now, play elsewhere in the league, or play in the D-League, college, or overseas. Again, the Cavaliers do not have the flashy Hollywood culture of Los Angeles, the winning traditions of the Lakers or Celtics, or the sunshine of the Miami Heat to use as recruiting tools. However, they do have the spending power of Owner Dan Gilbert a la Mark Cuban in Dallas to mix with the modest yet capable fan base/market comparable to teams such as the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, and Memphis Grizzlies. The Cavs also retain the rights to an unusually large trade exception for a few more months, which can be used to bring a star player or two to town. The keys to the long-term success here are developing a blueprint, sticking with it, scouting well, drafting decently, and giving the players and coaching staff adequate time to gel and excel. While each of the 3 successful Cavaliers Eras started with a #1 overall NBA Draft pick, the playoff runs emerged due to the mixing of veterans and young players, the mixing of stars and role players, and playing team basketball on both ends of the court. While the LeBron Era is named after LBJ, the Cavaliers teams of the last 7 years would not have done what they did without players such as Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson, and Delonte West stepping up during the regular season and playoffs. Likewise, the Price-Daugherty-Nance/Wilkens to Fratello Era had as much of Price's, Daugherty's, and Nance's leadership as it did guys such as Craig Ehlo, Mike Sanders, Hot Rod Williams, Ron Harper, Kevin Johnson, Terrell Brandon, and Tyrone Hill to step up and play big. In the Austin Carr/Bill Fitch Era, the Cavaliers combined a number of stars, veterans, and role players, including Bingo Smith, Jim Chones, Dick Snyder, Campy Russell, and Nate Thurmond. Thus, whether looking at internal team models or external models such as the Duncan/Popovich Spurs and the Billups-Hamilton-Prince-Wallace & Wallace Pistons to rebuild, the Cavaliers need to realize the feasibility of putting together a winner when doing so in a reasonable manner.