Where the Cavaliers Stand

The All-Star break is upon us and the Cavaliers have finished the proverbial first half with the record of 33-22. The team has had a wild roller coaster season so far with a lot of ups and downs. Before the season, expectations for this team were extremely high, with a lot of people thinking that the team would hit on all cylinders from game one. That was definitely not the case. It took quite of bit time and change for the Cavs to play up to the expectations of their fans.

For about the first two months of the season, the Cavaliers played a very dysfunctional and underperforming style of basketball. On January 13th, the Cavs were under .500 with an unexpected record of 19-20. The team played like they were still unfamiliar with their fellow teammates and as if they did not want to listen to Coach David Blatt. This was not the team I had in my mind when LeBron James announced his return and the Cavs acquired Kevin Love. But general manager David Griffin swooped in like Superman and saved the season with two huge trades.

In the span of two days in early January, Griffin made huge adjustments to the Cavs that would mark the upward swing for the team. The first trade was swapping away the controversial Dion Waiters, Lou Amundson, and Alex Kirk for JR Smith, Iman Shumpert, and a key first round pick. That first round pick would be paired two days later with another first in exchange for Timofey Mozgov. These trades have completely changed the structure of the team for the better and should win general manager David Griffin the Executive of the Year award.

Waiters had not fit in with the team, so this trade allowed the Cavs to acquire players who better fit the roles the team needed desperately: a perimeter defender, an outside shooter, and a rim protector. It was amazing how quickly these pieces changed the course of the season and made the team one of the favorites to win the championship. Smith, Shumpert, and Mozgov have all made huge impacts on the team and have made the Cavs more of a “team.”

So where are we now? The Cavs have won 14 of 16 games since January 15th and have played their best basketball over that time. The team’s defense has looked immensely better since they inserted Mozgov as the rim protector and added Smith and Shumpert as wing defenders. The rotation and overall team output has improved because of the infusion of the three players. The bench is much better because of the addition of these three key players. It looks like the team I dreamt of seeing when I first heard the news of LeBron and Love joining the Cavs.

But, I believe the team could look to add another smaller piece or two to make the team even stronger. Right now, I see the biggest weakness for the Cavs as their backup point guard spot. Matthew Dellavedova is a solid player, but struggles defensively and is not a big offensive threat. With the trade deadline next week, I think the Cavs will be looking to fill this spot above all other needs. The Cavs need a point guard who can guard. They do not need an offensive force because they already have enough of that. Though, it would be a plus if the player could add some outside shooting too.

The other spot I would look into is adding a backup big man. This is not as big of a need as a point guard, but it would help the team to add some beef down low. This would be cherry on top for me if Griffin could somehow add both of these pieces or even just one of those needs.

But as it stands right now, the Cavs are definitely one of just a few teams in the NBA to have a serious shot at winning the championship. It took a little longer and a few changes for the Cavs to be at this level, but they are there now. The second half of the season should be a lot of fun in anticipation of the coming playoffs. Then the true season begins for the Cavs, and we see what these players really have. Hold on to your seat, this should be an exciting ride!