Now that the season is basically over (Just in time for the Indians! Another day for that though), I think it would be appropriate for us to take a more in depth look as to why the Cavaliers reside in the NBA cellar.
I won't be missing these shenanigans
Missing Much More Than LeBron
The Cavaliers didn't have the luxury of just being the worst team in the NBA. Teams like the Nets, Golden State, Sacramento, etc., can all just be terrible in anonymity because, well, no one gives a shit. "The Decision" made it all so interesting for ESPN to constantly check up on just how bad the Cavaliers were doing. I don't even have to go into the losing streak. Unless you lived under a rock (Where are these people who live under rocks anyways? How do you watch Degrassi while tightly nestled under some igneous rock? Whatever, not important), you know all about it (#thelasttimethecavswon). People love to talk about how "we suck without LeBron", but it goes much deeper than that.
The roster as it stands right now has five players on it that played in the playoffs for the Cavs last season. You can barely count Jamison part of that team because he was here for a cup of coffee before being forced into the playoffs. And not to be forgotten is the fact that we have had the services of Varejao for only 31 games this season too. This isn't just last year's team with out James on it. The turnover on this team as far as contributers were James, Shaq, Z, Delonte, (the recently traded) Mo, and I suppose Jawad, for Baron Davis, Sessions, Joey Graham, Ryan Hollins and five rookies, three of which were undrafted. Does that seem a bit lopsided? It should.
The lack of size on this team is even bigger reason as to why this team struggles, even more so than the loss of James. The fact that we constantly have a front court of J.J. Hickson and Samardo Samuels or Ryan Hollins should be enough to completely explain my point. Watching Dwight laugh his ass off while these undersized power forwards and the wimpiest seven footer in the league try to guard him makes me cringe. Even wet my pants a little. No team in the NBA can even pretend to compete while starting a 6'9'' center. Impossible. I do see some sort of light at the end of this tunnel though. I promise, I'm not kidding.
Chris Grant Grants My Wish
I could write a seven page paper on how Christ Grant saved the Cavaliers from having the worst 12-month period of any NBA franchise until he did some wheeling and dealing on the trade deadline. I'd get an A on it too, but that's besides the point. The Clippers, an organization that makes the Cavs look like the NBA's Brady Bunch, was up to their old tricks again. The acquisition of Baron Davis and 1st rounder (UNPROTECTED??) for an obviously disinterested Mo Williams and Jamario "If he shoots one more time I'm going to throw a brick through my roommates television" Moon is just short of stealing. I would pay my sister the rest of Davis' contract just to get another 1st rounder, so acquiring an actual basketball player along with it makes me confident in our front office, especially Grant. The rookie GM didn't just stop there though.
My sister or Baron Davis, I don't care
The less talked about trade that Grant somehow weaseled out of the Celtics made me refresh my twitter like, seven times probably (my teacher was not too happy with my furious key strokes, but he got over it). A second rounder for Semih Erden and Luke Harangody is exactly the type of deal that this team needed. Erden, a 7-footer from Turkey will eventually start to remind people of a taller, stronger Anderson Varejoa when he first got into the league. He might be even more offensively challenged than Andy (did anyone think that was possible circa 2007?) at the same age, but what he lacks in offensive moves he can more than make up for in size and his tendency to try and dunk everything. I like dunks.
Harangody was a personal favorite of mine coming out of Notre Dame, and while there will always be people who will want to laugh at the unorthodox way in which Luke goes about his business on the basketball court, he will always be able to hold up the plaques (trophy? a medal? a voice mail on his Mom's answering machine?) that he earned as the Big East Player of the Year and 1st team All-American. Those are rather prestigious, you can't be a scrub and get those kind of accolades in what many consider the NCAA's best conference. He won't be a dynamic scorer in this league, but we have already seen flashes of what he can do when given playing time. He will work his ass off. He will get rebounds over many back up forwards in the NBA with his effort, and he will hit the j (sorry Luke, but my sister has better form) even as far back as the 3-point line. If Matt Bonner can play on the Spurs, who have had the best record for most of the season, then so can Harangody.
So in review, Grant has turned Mo Williams, Jamario Moon, and a 2nd round pick from Miami, into Baron Davis, a 1st rounder (DID I MENTION IT'S UNPROTECTED??) and two bigs who can be in the rotation for the next few years at least. I don't think I could have written down my dreams any more vividly then what happened on the deadline day. My hat goes off to you Grant, well not my hat, I look like a major douche in a hat (if I ever start to think about wearing one again, please, someone remind me of this admission), but you get a round of applause and two thumbs up. Maybe even a hug.
Hope Amidst the Garbage
The Cavs' roster looks something like a summer league roster at the moment (an in depth look coming soon), with some pretty bad "veterans" sprinkled admits the young guns.
Let's make this easy.
Keepers: Anderson, Hickson, Eyenga, Harris, Gee, Samuels, Erden, and Harangody. None of these players are going to be your best player. Only J.J. and maybe Andy really translate into starters in this league, but finally there is some sort of core of young players that could become significant contributers on a good basketball team. We all know what we are going to get from Andy who was averaging almost a double-double before he was hurt. J.J. continues to go through lapses on the defensive side as well as consistently rebounding. He also sprinkles in a few turnovers a game that make you change the channel completely. He would be a senior in college this season, so there is time still. His talent is undeniable, but if he wants to really be considered a good NBA player he needs to start taking his job more seriously. Eyenga, Harris, and Gee have infused the roster with some actual athleticism on the wing that even LeBron didn't get to play with. They are young, and a bit spacey at times, but there is actual talent there, now its up to them to take the next step. Samuels has really impressed me with his effort, and it's a bit easier to see why he was such a highly regarded prospect coming out of high school. He can finish with the dunk, and has a nice drop step from either side of the rim. He can be a rotational big if he continues to focus on playing defense, rebounding, and hitting that 10-15 jumper. I already talked about the other two bigs, so you know, scroll up if you weren't paying attention.
Do I really need an excuse to put this bad boy up?
No Choice: Boobie, Jamison, Baron Davis (sorta). Boobie has been a good soldier through everything, always repping the Cavs on his twitter, but something in me is just too cynical to allow him to keep missing five games every month. He is either not very tough, not very intersted, or both. The organization loves him though, and in public seems to be in it for the long haul. Jamison was almost traded away ( I really would have wet my pants. Seriously) to Golden State, and may be once the season ends, but his near 20 points a game have been missed ever since the injury. We could do worse than having Jamison start again next year. As I said before, the way Davis plays out the rest of this contract will be up to him. Who knows, he could even get another contract if he gives it his all. Maybe even 90%. Please, Baron?
Good Riddance: Hollins, Parker, Graham. I am not going to even waste the space on the never ending avenue that is the internet to discuss these three. They shouldn't be here next year, and hopefully I will be able to forget Hollins was even a Cavalier to begin with. I just wish the nightmares of him falling down and averaging TWO rebounds a game will go away. Please Lord, make them stop....
I Have No Idea: Sessions. Quite the enigma. You seem him split the double team some times and then crush a two handed dunk. He makes me talk to myself. "Ramon, if you just gave a flying fart every once in a while then you could be good." He makes the most bone-headed turnovers sometimes, and doesn't give much, if any interest towards guarding his man. He's got good size, athleticism, and an improving jumper, but as my Dad always says, he's a "mental midget." I am not sold on the fact that Ramon will be on this team next year, it all depends on who these two first round picks will be. If I was Ramon, I know I wouldn't want to be on my fourth NBA team in my first three seasons.
In Review...
This season has been painful. It's obviously no fun going from competing for NBA Championships to being the butt of every joke in the league, but I think we are on the right path. Five or six guys to start putting high impact pieces around, especially with the two lottery picks we have coming this summer. People say this class is weak, or at the very least, not top heavy, but there are players in every draft. Grant will have his work cut out for him as the worst we could do today is the 4th and 11th picks. There are players coming out that could really put this team only a few players away from competing for the playoffs again. I think this is exactly where the organization hoped to be at this point once LeBron left, and while we are extremely far from finished, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Not to mention Dan Gilbert is bat-shit crazy and will do everything he can to make sure LeBron is crying to 60 Minuets in 2020 about how he made such a big mistake. Let's hope. No, let's believe. It's all we have, and its what makes Cleveland the best sports city in the country. Go Cavs.
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