Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 112-96 road loss to the Toronto Raptors on Monday.
1. Remember the beginning of the season, when the Cavs were The Determined Little Team That Could? They played with fire and looked organized and competitive. They even won some games they weren’t supposed to.
2. Well, what happened?
3. Actually, the more I watch this team, the more I think it really misses Andre Drummond. I never thought I’d say that, either.
4. But let’s be honest, the Cavs haven’t been the same since they put Drummond on the pine in mid-February. He was traded a little more than a month later.
5. Granted, you can’t really judge the Cavs on what happened Monday. They were missing about half the team to injuries. You can’t really judge them entirely on this season, actually.
6. That said, the Cavs (21-40) have had a good share of their core players for plenty of games. And they look less cohesive than ever. As I’ve asked before, are they really that much better off than last year?
7. We keep hearing about “growth,” but who is growing here? OK, I pick Darius Garland. I also think Collin Sexton (out with a concussion) is also a wonderful young player. I have a feeling we are looking at his ceiling — and that’s OK. But other than those two, who on this roster really gets you ramped up about the future?
8. Anyway, I’m not saying the Cavs should have kept Drummond. They would have needed to give him a max deal this offseason to do so.
9. Then again, legendary Detroit Pistons guard Isiah Thomas once said of paying big money to guys, “If you need four cups of sugar to bake a cake, and only have three, how much are you willing to pay to make sure the cake gets baked?”
10. For the record, Thomas actually said that a long time ago and was defending a massive contract given to Atlanta Hawks center Jon Koncak, who I’m guessing at least half of my readers don’t know.
11. Anyway, I’m sure some blogger or pencil-necked podcaster is going to turn this into, “Amico says the Cavs should have given Drummond a max contract!” That isn’t what I’m saying. I’m saying the Cavs haven’t been as good without Drummond.
12. For starters, they have lost 13 of 17. Sexton, Garland, Kevin Love, Jarrett Allen, Isaac Okoro … it doesn’t matter who’s out there. The Cavs have been fading. They’ve undoubtedly been worse at the end than they were at the beginning.
13. For a franchise that keeps promising an upward trajectory … yeah, sorry. I’m not so sure. So you’ll need to go somewhere else if all you want is a cheerleader. This team still has a lot of major question marks in my eyes.
14. As for the game, we all saw what Love did under the basket when the referee tossed him the ball to inbound it. Instead of catching it and passing it in, Love just sort of slapped at it, letting the Raptors grab it and walking in the other direction.
15. It was wildly unprofessional and a lousy example for his younger teammates. The Cavs always seemed incredibly ready to punish former guard Kevin Porter Jr. Surely they will also come down on Love for his own dose of immaturity. Right?
16. Offensively, Okoro had a nice game with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting. He seems to have one of those games every three or four weeks. I honestly am not sure what to make of him just yet. I don’t think the Cavs do either, if they’re actually being honest. That’s all OK. Let’s give it another season.
17. Jarrett Allen has also looked much better in the previous two games, finishing this one with 15 points and seven rebounds. Okoro also had seven boards.
18. Other than that, there wasn’t much to see here — though Garland (13 points) did pass for 10 assists. Defensively, though, the Cavs just keep wilting in the second half. The third quarter proved to be a killer vs. the Raptors.
19. Usually it’s the opposing guards who light up the Cavs, but this particular night belonged to Toronto’s frontcourt of Pascal Siakam (25 points) and OG Anunoby (20).
20. For more specifics on the Cavs’ injury situation, visit this link.
21. Finally, I had a great time with Gary Underwood on the Hoops And Cards Podcast. We talked NBA, Cavs rebuild and yes, even basketball cards. You can listen to it all right here.
