Random dribbles on the Cavaliers as they head into Monday’s home game vs. the Pacers.
1. It’s been a floundering finish for Cleveland’s pro basketball team, with injuries and thoughts of the offseason proving way too much to overcome.
2. For the Cavs and their fans, this is getting real old. The main question everyone seems to be asking is, “Will this team ever be competitive without LeBron James?”
3. The main answer is, “No. Not since the 1990s.”
4. It’s true. Since LeBron was drafted and has been in the NBA (2003), the Cavs have made the playoffs exactly zero times without him. More often than not, they’ve wound up with a top-five draft pick and have to resort to telling their fans, “Hey, we might be good in a decade.”
5. And guess where the Cavs stand again today?
6. Yeah, it stinks. At least give us some evidence that this season’s strong, inspiring start wasn’t just a fluke. At least tell us something besides, “We really like four or five of our young players.”
7. At some point, the Cavs have to offer something of real substance. Anyone who stinks can promise their fans that they’ll be good someday, that rebuilds are tough, that there is some sort of master plan.
8. In fact, did you know every team that won’t make the playoffs is selling the same story as the Cavs are today? From Orlando to Minnesota and beyond, everyone is touting a “promising young core.”
9. As one well-respected former NBA coach told me, all of it is merely a case of general managers being in “cover my (butt) mode.” Then he added, “Literally anyone can say they’re gonna be good in five years. How about winning some damn games?”
10. Now, this isn’t intended to rip the job done by Cavs GM Koby Altman. Other than the Kevin Love contract situation, I think Altman has done a decent job in the draft (given where the Cavs have been selecting) and often tries to make trades to steer the Cavs in the right direction (Jarrett Allen, Andre Drummond, etc.).
11. That said, I think benching Drummond until a buyout was reached was a bad look for the organization. And I think that because opposing players have told me so. And the Kevin Porter Jr. situation was totally mishandled.
12. The Cavs had Porter in a program after his offseason car accident and arrest. So they did try, and they were clearly fed up when more major drama followed. I get that. What I don’t get is why they shipped him out so quickly — especially when you consider all that Love seems to get away with.
13. Anyway, the Porter situation is what it is. The Cavs lost a good one, that’s for sure. But that brings us to Love. And man, Altman needs to get that figured out and move Love somewhere else — by any means necessary.
14. Love could still be a contributor to a contender, a la Blake Griffin with the Nets. But Love’s best days are very clearly behind him, and he will need to find the right fit. That fit is no longer Cleveland, and it’s not even up for debate.
15. Love knows it, the Cavs know it. He wants out and the Cavs would prefer he’s elsewhere. Other than adding another lottery pick, moving Love has to be the top priority. It was a nice run and Love is a nice guy. But the Cavs need to thank him for the good times and then break up.
16. OK, now that we’ve settled that … the Cavs appear to be better off than they were the first time LeBron bolted back in 2010. That was my third year covering the franchise on a full-time basis, so I’ve seen both “rebuilds” up close.
17. On paper, the modern core four of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Allen and Isaac Okoro is a better setup than what the Cavs had to offer back in, say, 2012. (Yes, even with Kyrie Irving.) You can throw Larry Nance Jr. in there, too.
18. But the Cavs still need a clear “elite” talent. I’ve written that before, but it really can’t be stressed enough. It probably wouldn’t hurt if that player is a veteran in the range of ages 25-28. But good luck finding that guy without surrendering one of the young players. Or at least Nance and some picks.
19. Maybe that person can be Garland. I know a lot of opposing players who think he could be at least a “1A” to someone else’s “top dawg” on the roster. And I personally love Sexton. I suspect the Cavs do, too. If you can find an elite-level wing or power forward (such as The Next Anthony Davis), Garland and Sexton can work as a smaller backcourt.
20. Other than that, I have my doubts. The young guards like each other just fine. But that doesn’t make them a long-term fit. Remember, putting up numbers on a bad team doesn’t really mean squat. When you lose all the time, stats and analytics are terribly skewed.
21. It’s true that Toronto won a title with small guards (Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet). But the Raptors had Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam. If the Cavs find the next Leonard, then sure — Garland and Sexton can work. But how long are the Cavs and their backcourt willing to wait? At some point, even Garland and Sexton will lose their patience.
22. The Cavs will have to pay Allen and Sexton this summer, and that’s fine. They have a pick that is expected to fall in the top five in a talented draft. They do have some hope. But this summer will go a long way in determining their future. It’s a massive offseason.
23. Are the Cavs going to be the Sacramento Kings for the next 15 years? Or can they put a team on the floor that actually gives the franchise and its fans something more than unfulfilled promises and more embarrassingly bad results? I don’t know. But I do think Altman and coach J.B. Bickerstaff deserve more time. Blowing things up and hiring a new coach every two years isn’t a good plan, either.
24. But the hot seat is getting a lot hotter, and deservedly so. And this offseason will determine if the front office and owner Dan Gilbert have any clue about how to actually build a winner — or merely just know how to say things are moving in the right direction.
25. Bottom line: LeBron is gone, and no Akron-bred superstar is gonna come rescue his hometown franchise again anytime soon. Fans are getting impatient, angry. The Cavs need to stop the PR spins in the media, and give those who still care some actual evidence they know how to build a winner. Right now, we have nothing to go on but saying, “Gosh, the Cavs sure are bad without LeBron.”
