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The Cleveland Cavaliers currently sit in fifth spot in the Eastern Conference, nursing a 19-15 record for a winning percentage of 0.559, and superstar LeBron James will not play for the next two weeks due to an assortment of injuries.
Though those numbers and LeBron’s health should not induce an all-out anxiety attack, there were high expectations for the Cavs this season, and they don’t appear close to achieving them.
Though lofty expectations like a 0.750 winning percentage, a domination of the East, and Cleveland’s first NBA title may have all been completely unrealistic to begin with, it comes with the territory of signing the best basketball player in the world and another top-ten talent, in LeBron James and Kevin Love respectively.
Considering the Cavs have played less than 50 per cent of their 82-game regular season, it’s still too early to adjudicate on those expectations anyway, for the Cavs may still achieve them.
However, what can’t be denied is that the Cavs haven’t looked impressive, even before LeBron was forced to miss games. Which raises the inevitable question: is it time to panic?
To answer that question, the Cavs front office needs to have an ‘honesty policy’ with themselves.
Forgetting the media hype around the team preseason, what was the franchise’s actual realistic objective for the team this season? Was it ‘championship or bust’? Or was there a recognition that a title may take a season or two, and the objective this season was to be building towards that?
LeBron himself has often said that this Cleveland team will be a ‘process’, and suggested that while a championship is the ultimate goal, it may not come this season.
Whatever the objective, the team’s current on-court performance should be measured against it. And if the front office can make a change that will help the team achieve that objective, they should do it. That’s not panicking, that’s doing your job as an executive.
So, do the Cavs simply need more time to gel, or is there something fundamentally wrong with the team, and a change required?
Much has been written and said about Cleveland’s ‘struggles’ this season. Ball movement of offense, and rim protection on defence, have been widely identified as the chief concerns.
The former should, hopefully, be fixed through patience and persistence. There is a lot of offensive talent on the roster, and it would appear – on paper – that it should eventually work together seamlessly. The Cavs have ball-handling, passing, perimeter shooting, post play and offensive rebounding all covered.
They could do with a little less selfishness at times, but considering that is actually LeBron’s wish, and the stature he holds on the team, that will no doubt come as well.
The Cavs offense is certainly one area where the coach should have a lot of impact, and with the weapons at David Blatt’s disposal, he needs to make this work, for other coaches would kill to have this array of talent.
For mine, the team simply needs a little more time together – along with a clear offensive identity – and it will be absolutely fine on that end of the floor. Though if the offense is still an issue come playoff time, or at worst, early next season, Blatt will be under enormous pressure to hold onto his job, and rightfully so.
On defence, however, it’s a different story, mainly because I’m not sure ‘time’ or coaching will solve anything. This is an area where the roster may simply need an upgrade.
Nearly halfway through a season is a sub-optimal time to sign a quality free agent. It goes without saying that almost all players are well and truly locked up by now, and that’s before you even consider the fact that the Cavs have a niche need.
Veterans Jermaine O’Neal and Emeka Okafor have been mentioned as potential pick-ups, and both would do a solid job providing the Cavs with what they are lacking. Yet considering their age and/or injury concerns, neither would be a guaranteed solution.
If the Cavs can’t land a free agent, and legitimately want to win this season rather than wait until the off-season to solve their rim protection issues, then the front office is going to need to make a trade. That’s where things get a little tricky.
To get quality they’ll have to give up quality, and whom on the roster do they deem expendable? The Cavs need to be careful that they don’t strengthen one area of the roster by significantly weakening another. If so, all they’ll be doing is filling up a leaky bucket.
Overall, if the question is ‘when is it time for the Cavs to panic?’, the answer is ‘never’. Yet that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t make changes if it’s for the short and long-term benefit of the franchise.
The key is, do you wait until the off-season to make an addition, and potentially sacrifice a title this year? Or do you roll the dice and make a move now? And if so, what’s that move?
Questions, questions, questions. Yet for the time being, there are no answers.