CLEVELAND, Ohio — If you’re a Cavs fan, this is hard to watch.
It’s worse than that – it’s awful.
As Fred emailed me, “It appears the Cavs players, coaches and management have pretty much given up. In a year when they certainly could have made the finals, they will be lucky to make the play-in.”
That’s how it feels when a good team with aspirations of greatness is hit with a tidal wave of problems.
On the surface, the Cavs’ record is 15-14. No reason to panic. But they have lost eight of their last 11 games. Five of those losses were to teams with losing records – and four of them were on their home court.
They were booed at times. As Cavs star Donovan Mitchell admitted, “We deserve it.”
Let’s look at what is going on …
Evan Mobley is the latest Cav to sustain a significant injury.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.comInjuries are real
The Cavs have been crushed by injuries. They’ve had 16 different lineups in 29 games. It isn’t an excuse, it’s reality.
Here is the medical report of games missed: Max Strus (29), Sam Merrill (17), Darius Garland (16) and Jarrett Allen (12). Others have missed fewer games, but now Evan Mobley (4) will be out for at least a few weeks with a calf injury.
Mobley and Garland were All-Stars last year. Strus and Allen were starters a year ago. Merrill has been a starter this season.
When players do come back after missing extended time, they rarely play up to their usual standards. There is an adjustment period. That’s what is happening with the Cavs.
Garland and Allen are just starting to come around.
Kenny Atkinson has to be ruthless in how he address the Cavs problems on defese.John Kuntz, cleveland.comDefensive problems are real
I find myself moaning and complaining to my TV set at times during these games. They rush 3-point shots on offense. The defense is not getting back to protect the rim. Too often, they look distracted when it comes to defensive assignments.
“The fact of the matter is we couldn’t stop them tonight,” coach Kenny Atkinson said after the Cavs lost 136-125 to the Bulls Friday. “It’s really the three games we played them this year … Three games we played this team … I think they scored in the 130s every game. That’s the story. We could never really get a stop against these guys.”
Atkinson wasn’t quite right, but close: The Cavs beat Chicago 128-122 on Nov. 8. They lost 127-111 (Wednesday) and 136-125 (Friday).
Even with the injuries, some of these problems are solvable – defense! Yes, teams are playing at a faster pace. But some of this comes down to effort. Get your butt back on defense.
Other things can be done. This is where coaching comes in.
How to handle it?
Magic Johnson explains a basic truth about point guards.APWords from Magic Johnson
Early in the season, the Cavs had Jaylon Tyson pressuring the opponent bringing the ball up the court. Craig Porter Jr. also did it. They backed away from that recently, partly because they wanted all the players to run back to defend.
One way to slow down a team is to pressure the ballhandler, full court.
OK, it’s an old guy story, but I can’t resist: In the 1980s, I was with a few reporters before the Cavs played the Lakers. We were talking to the great Magic Johnson. The question was handling pressure defense.
“It doesn’t seem like it bothers you,” I said to Magic.
“Listen, no point guard likes to be pressured full court,” he said.
Pressuring the point guard can force him to pass the ball to a teammate – probably a lesser-skilled ballhandler. It also can take a few extra seconds off the 24-second clock.
I’m not talking about a full-court press with five guys. I am talking about doing it selectively.
It’s been a rough year for De’Andre Hunter.John Kuntz, cleveland.comRuthlessly evaluate who isn’t defending
The two Cavs with the worst plus/minus stats are Garland (minus-53) and De’Andre Hunter (minus-47).
The Cavs have to live with Garland. He’s never been a good defender. They need his offense and energy. When he concentrates, he does a good job of getting the ball to the big men, especially Allen. We have seen that in the last few games.
Garland had his best game of the season vs. the Bulls on Friday. He had 35 points and looked quicker than at any other time this season. He consistently drove to the rim.
As for Hunter, he’s been lost. He has dribbled the ball off his foot a few times in the last two games.
In Friday’s loss, he shot 3 for 11 from the field. He had five fouls in 26 minutes. The Cavs were outscored by 13 points with him on the court.
He’s been passive for most of the season. The Cavs took him out of the starting lineup. He was among the top sixth-men coming off the bench last season. They recently put him back in that role. It hasn’t helped.
Just as opposing teams are targeting Garland, the same is true for Hunter.
Meanwhile, Hunter’s offense is sinking. He is shooting .423 from the field and .303 on 3-pointers. This is his eighth pro season and never has he shot this poorly.
Is something wrong physically? In the past, he has dealt with a cranky knee.
Plus/minus stats (especially the basic ones I have) can be a bit deceiving. But I ask you, “Don’t the stats match the eye test?”
Finally, the arrow next to Garland’s name is pointing up. Not so with Hunter.
Nae’Kwan Tomlin can help the Cavs defense. John Kuntz, cleveland.comWho is defending?
Donovan Mitchell (+133) and Mobley (+83) are the top two in that area. They also are All-Stars. Mobley is the Defensive Player of the Year.
Mitchell can be a good defender when not worn down. But he has been asked to carry such a huge scoring load, his defense has suffered.
Now come some meaningful numbers:
No. 3 on the list is rookie Nae’Qwan Tomlin (+54). He has pogo sticks for legs. He’s 6-foot-8. He’s in the middle of everything when it comes to rebounds, loose balls and defending.
Craig Porter Jr. (+26) is in the same category. They are annoying players when they defend you. Give them more time when the defense is asleep.
Lonzo Ball (+27) can’t make a shot (30%), but good things tend to happen when he’s on the court. He appears to be on cruise control, but the veteran guard comes up with a surprising number of rebounds, loose balls and he’s also a superb passer.
I was surprised that Tyson (+15) didn’t have a higher plus/minus rating. But you can see the impact that his hustle makes on the game, and he’s improved his shooting.
In his 18 games as a starter, Tyson is averaging 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds while shooting .585 (.465 on 3-pointers). Those are winning numbers.
Finally, there is Allen (+52). Over the years, the Cavs were a good defensive team when Allen and Mobley played together. Yes, they had some playoff flameouts, especially when it comes to rebounding.
But Allen and Mobley often covered up for the bad defense from guards. Coming back from injuries to both hands, Allen looked much better Friday. Like Garland, the arrow is pointed up.
The 3-pointers
James Kimbler emailed: “Is it the coach’s decision that is leading to so many 3-point attempts … or the players’ decisions … some combination of both. Do the players know that if they jack up 3s, the coach will be okay with that?”
When Atkinson was hired before the 2024-25 season, the goal was to shoot more 3-pointers. They did. They also made a lot more. But injuries have taken away some of the best outside shooters (Strus, Merrill and Garland).
Until last week, the Cavs led the NBA in 3-point attempts. Now, they are No. 2. The problem is they are No. 29 in 3-point field goal percentage.
The coaches have been stressing/demanding more drive to the rim. The Cavs are slowly cutting down 3-pointers, especially some of those lazy/rushed shots off the fastbreak when lanes are open to the basket.
They have to take open 3-pointers, but be forceful to the rim when the opportunity is there. Allen drives me nuts when he’s 4 feet from the basket, then throws the ball to a teammate for a wide-open 3-pointer.
I don’t care if three points is better than two.
But two points is better than zero! When you are in range to dunk the ball or make a layup – dunk or make the layup!!!
Finally, slow the pace down a bit. Just because the other team wants the game to be a track meet, the Cavs don’t have to let them set the tempo.
Jaylon Tyson can bring some energy the Cavs desperately need.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.comThe bottom line
Coaching now is critical.
If the Cavs want better defense, the coaches have to give more minutes to those who defend – even if it means the offense suffers.
Garland is the exception. Push him to defend better. But they need his offense, especially with Mobley being out for some time.
Dean Wade also has seemed passive. Wade is a +1. It’s not about him being a big scorer. But in the last five games, he’s shot 8-for-23 (23 points) in 124 minutes. He is 4 for 15 on 3-pointers. Defensively, he’s not been as effective as in the past. Challenge him to deliver more zest to the game.
But when Hunter looks sluggish, or when Allen or someone else isn’t hitting the boards – put in Tomlin. Encourage Tyson, Porter, Tomlin and the emerging Tyrese Proctor to go into defensive attack mode.
The coaches have to make some hard and painful decisions if they want to upgrade the defense. They can’t worry about the feelings of the veterans. They have to set the tone by giving playing time to those who earn it.