The Cleveland Cavaliers are one big, hot, giant mess right now.
Even though their record might not suggest it, the team is struggling badly. They are going through their worst stretch of the season, and it seems they simply can’t win at the moment. They have looked outmatched by top teams, and have barely hung on to beat lesser teams. That’s not what anyone expected considering the offseason additions of players such as Derrick Rose, Isaiah Thomas, and Dwyane Wade, among others.
One of the biggest problems for the Cavs this season has been their sloppy defensive play. Or rather – their LACK of defensive effort. Cleveland has struggled badly on the defensive end of the court, and at times it seems they can’t defend to save their own lives. The big question here is not what the Cavs will do come postseason time. The question is what the Cavs will do to solve their problems NOW.
Unfortunately, there is no easy question to that answer. There are several factors that need to be acknowledged when analyzing the Cavaliers’ problems on defense, and they go beyond the numbers. Their biggest problem is not that they are allowing a whopping 109.5 PPG, fifth-worst mark in the league. They also sit 29th in defensive rating with an atrocious 109.8 mark, topping only the Sacramento Kings.
But no, those are not the problems. The biggest problem here is the construction of the roster. It only takes a quick look to see the players – not so much the coaching staff – are the ones to blame. Or rather the GM, because he is the one that assembled the roster. Let’s take a look, shall we?
The point guard position has Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas, and both are a liability on defense. J.R. Smith and Kevin Love are not known for their defensive ability. The same goes for Kyle Korver and Jeff Green. Dwyane Wade is quite old and doesn’t have the athleticism as before. The few players that are known for having (some sort of) commitment on defense are Jae Crowder, LeBron James, Iman Shumpert and Tristan Thompson. But aside from LeBron, none of these players have played even remotely close to their potential on the defensive end of the court.
Perhaps the Cavaliers need to make a trade for someone like DeAndre Jordan. Or maybe they just need to stick what they have and re-tool the team next year. After all, LeBron might not return for the 2018-19 season. The team needs to plan accordingly for that.
But right now, their defense is an absolute mess. And if they don’t improve drastically, then an early playoff exit is not out of the question. After all, defense wins championships, especially when you’re not scoring as much as you need to make up for your shortcomings on the defensive end of the court.