Pictured are Cleveland Urban News.Com Sportswriter Karl Kimbrough (in maroon attire with yellow t-shirt) and Cleveland Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown (in black suit)
By Cleveland Urban News.Com Sportswriter Karl Kimbrough
(www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
CLEVELAND, Ohio-Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2013-2014 season has come to an end and once again with them out of the playoffs everyone, including the players and Cavalier management, must be wondering where do we go from here?
Before the season began then new head Coach Mike Brown said on a number of occasions that he felt his team would be in the playoffs this year. But after concluding the season, Brown admitted that he under estimated how much his team needed to grow to be a playoff team. As he made that statement Brown could have been thinking about the most important game of the season. This would be the April 4, 2014, game against the Atlanta Hawks. Why would he be thinking of this game?
At that point in the season there were only six games left to be played and the Cavaliers were finally only two games out of the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference which was held by Atlanta. At that time Cleveland had won five out of their last six games while the Hawks had been playing their worst basketball of the season, losing eight out of their last 10 games. If the Cavaliers could win this game they would be only one game out of the playoffs with five remaining and Atlanta had the more difficult schedule. After struggling mightily the first half of their season Cleveland could now make a recovery and achieve its goal, even with a 31-45 record at the time.
At this most important time the Cavaliers not only loss to the Hawks, but were embarrassed 117-98, and the game really was not that close. Atlanta led 39 to 23 after the first quarter and dominated the game from the tip of the ball. How could this happen with so much to gain and so much to lose. How? It is simple.
This Cleveland team is very immature and not ready to rise up to the intensity necessary to beat the Hawks. In other words, this team is not ready to win meaningful games. Why? They are still simply learning how to win, how to play together as an offensive and defensive unit with each player understanding, and how to use applicable talent to complement respective teammates abilities. As we break this game down, the Cavaliers began the game playing at a pace which was a step or two behind the Hawks on offense and defense.
The Hawks were comfortable playing at a faster pace than Cleveland. These are the obvious aspects that were clearly the large differences in these two teams, although they were close in records. Not only were the Hawks comfortable in their pace, but they understood how to create shots for each other. Their passes were quick and fluid, often catching the Cavs on their heels and not ready to defend the play. It was as if Cleveland was not prepared to play the Hawks, not sure of what to expect from them. Offensively the Cavs could not get comfortable and in a rhythm like Atlanta. They lacked the offensive and defensive continuity that propelled the Hawks and made this win easy for them. Cleveland also did not attack the Atlanta interior defense then pass outside to keep them off balance. Atlanta's passes and shots were open because Cleveland players were in man to man defense, often three feet away.
Again the failure to be aggressive and physical defensively feed the opposing teams confidence so what ever shots they put up felt like they were going in and eventually the basket seemed as big as an ocean. Not only did key scorers like Jeff Teague score 20, but a journey man player like Mike Scott came off the bench and scored 26 against the Cavaliers. This game was some what of a synopsis of all of the problems that have plagued the Cleveland team all year.
Not being able to win meaningful games at the crucial time of the season again shows the immaturity of this Cavs team and how they are taking baby steps in growth and development, rather than the large strides Brown expected. From the beginning of training camp the young nucleus of the Cavalier starting five struggled to play with each other, not being in sink, not wanting to share the basketball. That nucleus of young players was made up of Dion Waiters, Tristan Thompson and Kyrie Irving. Whether they start together or not, this group will play over 30 minutes per game so they need to play in concert with one another, which can be done if they are willing and truly want to win.
The Atlanta Hawks are not much more talented than the Cavaliers, but they do know how to use and blend their talents for the success of the team. In order to maximize talent in the game of basketball, as a collective unit each player must understand their individual importance as a part of the collective unit. As should the other players that make up that unit, and be willing to incorporate the abilities of all players.
In other words, each player must know his role and be willing to perform even when under duress. Each player must be confident in themselves and their teammates ability to accomplish their role for the success of the team. This will allow the basketball to move quickly and freely for the best scoring opportunities. For example, in a NBA Championship Game Michael Jordan, the player considered by many to be the greatest player and scorer of all time told his teammate Steve Kerr, “ Be ready (to shoot) I am coming to you.” This was during a time out in the last seconds of the game and the shot could win or loss the game. The fact that Kerr made the shot is not what is key here. Kerr knew his role and so did Jordan who could have taken the shot himself, but he understood that to win he needed to use the players around him.
Dion and Kyrie played the last seven games together as starters in Cleveland's back court. This after Dion requested to come off the bench earlier in the season. The Cavalier management will not speak about it, but they needed to see if Dion and Kyrie could play together successfully before they must make decisions this summer about their roster.
The success or failure of this basketball team lies in the hands of those two players. Why? The offense and defense starts with the guards. On defense they initiate the pressure on the opposing guards. Ball pressure goes a long way towards getting stops on defense. It also allows the team to play faster and more aggressively up and down the court. Irving showed that he is willing to buy into sharing the ball more by not dominating it in five of the teams last six games. In fact, Irving deferred to Waiters in most of those games. His 43 point game against Charlotte had more to do with the other players having a bad shooting day and Kyrie picking up the slack.
It is not enough though for Kyrie to just defer, he must make his team mates better, and he is apparently beginning to understand that better because after game 76 in Orlando Irving said that team play is paramount
“My job is to make my teammates better,' said Irving.
Irving said that "I just pressed to much, but now coming back the way our team is playing, it's great for me, to attack or make plays for my teammates, and that's my job to make my team better.”
This comment came after Irving had been out for eight games and saw his team win four out of eight without him and before he came back in Orlando.
Hopefully that experience humbled him a bit because he's been given the point guard job without having to display leadership qualities. He knows what his job is, but he still needs to learn to use his great dribbling skills to create shots for others. Irving is not a point guard who will navigate or probe a defense like former MVP point guard Steve Nash with the intentions of drawing the defense to him for a teammate to get an open shot. Instead, his primary goal has been to dribble to free himself for a shot.
Waiters at times does the same thing, and the ball tends to stay in his hands to long, taking other teammates out of their rhythm. Teammates such as Thompson, Tyler Zeller and others rely on those two guys to get them the ball where they can score on a regular basis because they can not create their own shot. If the guards do their jobs, a better scoring balance and attitude will likely prevail.
This year's draft will not fix this team, it has to come from the young nucleus, which also includes Tyler Zeller, and Anthony Bennett. The other option would be to trade Irving or Waiters and bring in a veteran guard.
The small forward position needs to be addressed as well. Starter Luol Deng misses to many games, is worn down, and will probably look for another team in free agency. The Cavaliers have relied too heavily on youth from the draft to build this team and need veteran leadership to help Irving and Waiters if they are here next season.
Acting General Manger David Griffin seemed to agree that veterans need to be added.
“What I'd like to see us be in is targeted acquisition mode," said Griffin during a season ending news conference last week. (www.clevelandurbannews.com) / (www.kathywraycolemanonlinenewsblog.com)
