Ball Don’t Lie’s 2011-12 #NBA Season Previews: #Cleveland #Cavaliers

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Fri Dec 16 01:25pm EST
Ball Don’t Lie’s 2011-12 Season Previews: Cleveland Cavaliers

By Kelly Dwyer


Usually NBA season previews are best read in October, back when football games hardly mattered, Midnight Madness was a few weeks away,and baseball was winding down. Perhaps with the last of the offseason's iced tea in hand, as you whiled away on a too-warm-for-the-season afternoon.
Well, pour yourself a glass of bull shot and tighten those mittens, because it's mid-December and the NBA decided to have a season this year. As such, the exegetes at Ball Don't Lie are previewing the 2011-12 campaign in a mad rush, as if you or we would have it any other way. So put down the shovel long enough to listen to Kelly Dwyer, Dan Devine and Eric Freeman as they break down each of the NBA's 29 teams, plus Toronto.
This time? It's the Cleveland Cavaliers.


Kelly Dwyer's Reasons to be Cheerful
For a team that was massively worked over by a pair of narcissists -- former franchise playerLeBron James and current owner Dan Gilbert -- the Cleveland Cavaliers appear to be in fantastic shape moving forward. Not this year, of course. They'll be terrible. The future is bright, though; provided the team does well with all its incoming assets moving forward.
You've seen me work up this dance before, but it bears repeating that the team was too late in its attempt to rebuild. The Cavs should not have attempted to shoot for a mediocre record last season by hanging on to all their veterans and appearing as if they thought a LeBron James-less squad would have a chance at making the playoffs. Antawn Jamison actually had trade value a year and a half ago,Anderson Varejao will be of no use to a rebuilt team once the Cavs find their playoff footing again, and the crew could have been sick with draft picks moving forward had they just accepted their NBA fate in the wake of LeBron James' prick move.
Instead, they dallied. And, while they dallied, they got incredibly lucky. Lord knows they deserved it.
Mo Williams was one of those guys they should have traded, and they did eventually, for Baron Davis'bad back and attitude and what should have been the ninth pick in the draft. Instead, it turned into the top pick in the draft -- a weak draft (Cleveland Fate wouldn't have it any other way), but enough to secure an absolute stud in Kyrie Irving. Then the NBA has to go and lock out its players for five months, saving Cleveland the frustration of having to watch this team in November and December, and the league rewards the Cavaliers with something called "the amnesty clause." Which means they can waive Baron Davis, who was going to be out until February at the earliest.

Couple that with Jamison's expiring contract, and the Cavs will have only two-thirds of their cap space used up heading into next summer. Along with, we're assuming, another high draft pick -- this time in a fantastic draft. All I could have asked for was a few more draft picks in return for other vets, trading in the summer of 2010.
Well earned, certainly deserved.
This season? Cleveland fans will get to watch Irving happily learn on the job, and they'll get to enjoy their team free from any nonsense from Davis behind the scenes. No missed practices or moody post-game quips in response to coach Byron Scott (whom Davis did not get along with during their shared time in New Orleans). All the massive worry we had about Davis poisoning the water in the wake of last February's deal, some two or three years down the line, is gone forever. What incredible, and deserved (for the fans, at least; certainly not the ownership) fortune.
And before that cap freedom hits (though the Cavs, it should be noted, are currently well under the salary cap and could swing a trade if they so desired), the fan base will get to enjoy Omri Casspi bounding around, they'll get to figure out what position Tristan Thompson works best at, and they'll cheer loudest for the relentless Varejao in his prime. No LeBron cloud, no Davis fumes, nothing but optimism and a pretty crummy team.
A fun team, though. Not a spiteful or angry one. An identity all its own, and still growing.
(Great uniforms, too.)
Dan Devine Has Feelings about Your Team: Cleveland Cavaliers


I'm so excited for you!
No matter what, last year was going to be terrible for Cavaliers fans. In one offseason, they lost the greatest player in team history, the franchise's longest-tenured and arguably most beloved player, the identity they'd built during a seven-year ascent to the ranks of the elite, and any hope of continuing to compete for championships. Things were about to get bad; it was unavoidable.
In such trying times, fans tend to adopt a bunker mentality, striking an us-against-the-world chord and rallying around whatever totems remain. For the post-LeBron Cavs, that meant Anderson Varejao -- a homegrown link to past glory, a defense-and-rebounding glue guy whose hustle and determination could be the foundation of a new identity for a team that would have to scrap for everything it got. As Cleveland basketball plunged into chaos, the curly-haired Brazilian known for his often frantic play became a symbol of stability. Something to hang on to.
And then, during practice the day after a 120-105 loss to the Toronto Raptors, Varejao fell down. The torn tendon in his right ankle would require surgery; he was done for the season. It was almost unfathomably cruel. After that, the occasional highlight or upset aside, all Cavs fans could root for was a swift end to the season, a little luck in the lottery and a chance to begin rebuilding in earnest.
They didn't get their first wish, as the Cavs closed the season with a dreadful 11-36 mark in their final 47 games. They did get the second, with Cleveland snagging the No. 1 and No. 4 picks to select prized rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson. They got a big head start on the third thanks to the amnesty provision in the new collective bargaining agreement, which enabled general manager Chris Grant to shed the $28 million remaining on Baron Davis' contract from the team's balance sheet.
It'll take time, shrewd management and a lot more luck for the Cavaliers to get good again, let alone great, but after a deep, dark year, at least the process is underway. And when this new era of Cleveland basketball begins on the night after Christmas -- against the Raptors, natch -- their totemic big man will be there in the Q, healthy again, patrolling the paint and giving fans something to hang on to. It'll be an exciting sight.

I'm so worried for you!
I'm worried that the most optimistic of Cavs fans -- those good, kind, decent people who look at Kyrie Irving and see Derrick Rose -- might think that momentum has shifted, that the team's luck has turned, that anything can happen in a short season and that hey, these young guys might catch some teams by surprise!
Maybe. But none of that means they'll be any good, though.
Coach Byron Scott has not yet installed top pick Irving as the team's starting point guard, which would worry me a bit if I was a Cavs fan, because it would make me worry that Scott is thinking eternal bridesmaid Ramon Sessions gives the Cavs a better chance to win now. If that's the case, that would (of course) be dumb, because winning 25 games this year instead of 22 doesn't matter nearly as much as getting the 19-year-old face of your franchise -- you know, the one who played all of 11 games in college last year -- every second of floor time you can, so that he can learn by doing. I'd also worry that Scott is thinking more about keeping his job than about developing the team's young talent, which is very reasonable, but not what I'd want to see, because it's not about this year. But then, I'm a worrier.
(Also, if I was a Cavs fan, I'd want to see as much of Irving as possible to maximize the number of what teammate Samardo Samuels referred to as "oohs and ahhs" moments that the former Blue Devil might create. Call it restitution for a year of relatively little worth cheering. But then, I'm selfish.)
Whenever Irving takes over, his quickness, creativity and touch should help breathe at least some life into Cleveland's doornail-dead offense. Likewise, the return of a healthy Varejao and the addition of Thompson -- whose athleticism and 7-foot-2-inch wingspan have many expecting him to make an immediate impact on the defensive end -- should improve a Cavaliers defense that was similarly awful last season.
But considering Cleveland finished second-to-last in the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency, better only than the Milwaukee Bucks on O and their opening night opponents from Toronto on D, the Cavs would have to make a pretty substantial improvement just to become bad. Things should improve this year, if only ever so slightly, but any glass-almost-entirely-full Cleveland faithful should substitute sugarplums for visions of competitiveness dancing in their heads.

I have no idea what to make of you!
What are you, Luke Harangody?
Are you an:

O'Doyle

I'm pretty sure you're an O'Doyle.
Are you the:

next Drew Carey

I'm pretty sure you're the next Drew Carey.
Are you a football extra from:

"Little Giants"

All grown up? I'm pretty sure you're a football extra from "Little Giants" all grown up.
You are a mystery, Luke Harangody. A beautiful, corn-fed mystery. And I will solve you.

Eric Freeman's Culture Club
The worlds of the NBA and popular culture intersect often. Actors and musicians show up at games, players cameo in their shows and movies and make appearances at their concerts. Yet the connections go deeper than these simple relationships — a work of art can often explain the situation of an NBA team. Eric Freeman's Culture Club makes these comparisons explicit. In each installment, we'll assign one movie, TV show, album, song, novel, short story, or filmstrip to the previewed team.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: "Underworld, USA"



Sam Fuller's 1961 feature "Underworld, USA" is about a young boy who becomes pathologically obsessed with avenging his father's murder. Over more than a decade, Tolly Devlin (played by the recently deceased Cliff Robertson) gets involved in a life of crime, infiltrates a large, uh, underworld, and finally finds the people who perpetrated the killing. It's not a vendetta as much as an entire reason for being — Devlin's so single-minded that at times he comes across as the instrument of a supernatural power. It's enough to ensure that he never has a life outside of finding and killing the people responsible.
Dan Gilbert has interests and passions in life outside of hating on LeBron James, but there are times when he seems interested in little else when it comes to Cavs. Nearly 18 months after "The Decision," Gilbert is still unnaturally fixated on certain superstars leaving their current teams for bigger markets. It's a shame, too, because the Cavs have two promising rookies in Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson along with another high pick likely to come in a loaded 2012 draft. Before long, the Cavs might find themselves playing in May once again.
Related: Mo Williams, Derrick Rose, Samardo Samuels, Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, LeBron James,Baron Davis, Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, 2011-12 Season Previews

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Watched the first pre-season game tonight. Kyrie looked darned good, but so did rookie Brandon Knight for Detroit.

Our #4 pick Trystan Thomas didn't look good at all, but he's much bigger than you'd think for some reason. He needs to bulk up, develop a jumper, and work on his handles. Might be a project.

My hope for the season now that my original hope of no season at all is by the wayside: we're horrible record wise, top 3 pick from the lottery, but we look to have a shit ton of potential.

I think I'll be watching more Cavs this season only because I need to wash the memory of the Browns from my brain.

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Cleveland Cavaliers roster: Erie details

5-on-5 Roundtable: Cavaliers try to build toward a winning identity with young roster


David Richard/US PresswireKyrie Irving runs the point for a young, rebuilding Cleveland team.

John Hollinger broke down each player on the Cavaliers' roster. Now our 5-on-5 crew weighs in on what lies ahead in Cleveland in 2011-12.



1. For which Cavaliers player is the 2011-12 season most important?




John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: Kyrie Irving. Irving won't be a franchise savior like Blake Griffin, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, or other No. 1 overall picks have been, but he is the player who will lead the Cavaliers into the future, and it would be great for both him and the franchise if he hits the ground running in his first NBA season.
Keith Lipscomb, ESPN.com Fantasy: With so few to choose from, I'll say Irving, because the city of Cleveland needs a reason to get excited about the Cavs again. He should be given plenty of opportunity and hopefully will improve as the season progresses.
Colin McGowan, Cavs: The Blog: Anderson Varejao. If he has an impressive first half of the season and shows that the ankle injury he sustained last season is fully healed, Cavs GM Chris Grant will likely field a few offers from contenders before the trade deadline, and Varejao will have a chance to reassume his proper role: that of a sixth man on a playoff team.
Kyle Weidie, Truth About it: It's gotta be the No. 1 pick, Irving. He's not trying to fill LeBron James' shoes, no one reasonably expects that. No, the simple hope is that he makes Cavs fans feel better about themselves. Could be a tough challenge.
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: Everything with the Cavs is now about Irving. He's only played 11 real games since he left high school and that was two years ago. This season, no matter the length and no matter the Cavs' record, is about how he adapts and the health of his foot. Irving has impressed his teammates in the early stages of training camp and they are optimistic about his rookie season.

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2. Who is the most intriguing player on the Cavaliers' roster?




John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: Tristan Thompson. Thompson will either completely transform the Cavaliers with his defense, shot-blocking, energy, and offensive rebounding, or look like a complete bust because of his inability to shoot, score in the post, grab defensive rebounds, or shoot free throws. Color me intrigued.
Keith Lipscomb, ESPN.com Fantasy: Thompson, not only because of his athleticism and shot-blocking ability, but also because of his offensive shortcomings. If he can make improvements at the offensive end, especially at the free throw line, the sky's the limit.
Colin McGowan, Cavs: The Blog: Thompson. Irving is more or less a known quantity, but Thompson is a physical freak with a ceiling at satellite height and a basement somewhere near the Earth's outer core. His rookie season will narrow that spectrum of potential, for better or for worse.
Kyle Weidie, Truth About It: I'm intrigued by Omri Casspi. Cleveland once refused to include J.J. Hickson in a trade for Amare Stoudemire, but then shipped J.J. for Sacramento for the native Israeli just before the lockout. Nonetheless, any pressure for Casspi to legitimize the trade is nowhere near the level of hope his home country has for him.
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: Christian Eyenga. All you need to know about him is he's probably got one of the top five vertical leaps in the NBA and during the lockout he actually grew two inches, from 6-5 to 6-7. He's still quite raw and just what to expect for his long-term development is hard to predict because he's quite literally still growing. But he's a highlight-maker who's worth tracking. Sooner or later, you will see him on "SportsCenter."

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3. What's the most surprising take in Hollinger's Cavaliers profiles?




John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: That Daniel Gibson shot 39.6 percent at the rim, which was worse than his mark on 3s and a full 10 percent worse than the second-worst finisher in basketball. I knew Boobie was bad around the basket, even horrifically bad, but I didn't know he was that much worse around the basket than every other player in the league.
Keith Lipscomb, ESPN.com Fantasy: How well Varejao ranked as a defender, albeit in a small sample size, last season. With so many poor defenders on the roster, it was interesting to see Andy's value quantified.
Colin McGowan, Cavs: The Blog: Wait, Ramon Sessions was eighth among point guards in PER last year? This is good news for the Cavs, who in the wake of Baron Davis' departure will likely hold on to Sessions and use him at both guard spots. I would worry about his ability to defend 2s, but then his ability to guard 1s is pretty nonexistent already.
Kyle Weidie, Truth About It: Hollinger indicated that Antawn Jamison stopped trying on defense last year. Most would not argue with this. What's surprising is how a player renowned for his professionalism would reverse the effects of leading by example, at least defensively. Jamison says he's comfortable coming off the bench, a point of contention he made with his past teams; will he now add more effort on D to that?
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: Just how poor of a shooting team the Cavs were last season. They had periods where they struggled to score; much of it was blamed on learning Byron Scott's Princeton offense. But it would've helped to have a guy who could hit some jumpers. Hollinger points out that they had all sorts of issues with long 2s and they were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams. One of the reasons they re-signed Anthony Parker was because he and Gibson were only two perimeter players who were able to hit an outside jumper.

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4. Based on Hollinger's profiles, what do the Cavaliers need most?




John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: In short, everything. Irving and Thompson will make the Cavs better in both the short and the long term, but this team isn't going to be rebuilt in just one season. It's going to be a long, painful rebuilding process, and it's going to require patience from both the front office and the fans.
Keith Lipscomb, ESPN.com Fantasy: Talent, plain and simple. They have very few players with special skills in any particular area, which makes them in need of everything. It's going to be another long season at The Q, so hopefully we'll get to see a lot of the youngsters.
Colin McGowan, Cavs: The Blog: Though Casspi is an improvement over nearly everyone else the Cavs started at the 3 last season in that he has skills other than turning the ball over and missing jump shots, he won't make anyone in Cleveland forget about that guy in Miami. Look for the Cavs to address this problem in the first round of the 2012 draft.
Kyle Weidie, Truth About It: Aside from hope in their most recent draft picks, the Cavs need a little bit of everything. But it's more evident that a top-notch shooting guard would really help.
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: The Cavs need wing players who can create their own shot and be a legitimate threat to hit jumpers. Frankly, they don't have any. They brought in Casspi in the offseason to help but they still have a hole at shooting guard. For seven years this was not an area of concern for the Cavs and over the last year they have been focused on shedding pieces to pick up future draft picks. As they continue the rebuilding process, the wing is an area they will focus on.

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5. Will a shortened season help or hurt the Cavaliers?




John Krolik, Cavs: The Blog: Hurt. Thompson and Irving are probably the two most important players on the Cavaliers, and with this brutal schedule, they might end up slamming into the "rookie wall" pretty darn hard.
Keith Lipscomb, ESPN.com Fantasy: Hurt. Considering Varejao's ankle issues, the compressed schedule can only be a bad thing for the Cavs from a defensive standpoint. In addition, the "rookie wall" could be that much tougher to plow through with less time to catch their breath.
Colin McGowan, Cavs: The Blog: Hurt. It's difficult enough to make the adjustment from college to NBA ball without dealing with a compressed schedule. Irving and Thompson are going to have to be in outstanding shape to bust through the "rookie wall" on the third night of back-to-back-to-backs.
Kyle Weidie, Truth About It: Hurt. As I suspect with most young teams, especially ones trying to integrate a 19-year-old point guard into the NBA, the Cavs need all the time they can get. A brief training camp could quickly turn to sloppiness, and then frustration. Could be a long, short season.
Brian Windhorst, ESPN.com: Help. This has the potential to be a transitional year for the team -- they have so many young players fans want to see play together, especially Irving, Thompson and Casspi. But it is also going to be a season with a lot of growing pains, which means a lot of losses. The faster they can get to the draft and potentially get another quality piece the better. Also the shorter the season, the fewer losses to suffer through.