Live Thread: Cavs vs. Wizards (#LueAgain)
2018-04-05
With just four games remaining in the regular season, the Cavaliers welcome back Head Coach Tyronn Lue after a nine game absence for health reasons. The team went 8-1 under interim Coach Larry Drew, but it has been reported that he was following the script laid out by Lue before he left. Ty has also been present for practices and shoot-arounds here and there over the past week.
Now that they have their coach back, all the Cavs are missing are their point guards. George Hill is still out with an ankle sprain, and now Jose Calderon will miss at least tonight’s game with some hamstring soreness. In response, Lue is inserting rookie Cedi Osman into the starting lineup. He’s also keeping Jeff Green as a starter, which will apparently be the case from here on out… even into the post-season.
Tyronn Lue says Cedi Osman will start tonight with Hill and Calderon out (meaning LeBron James will have plenty of ball handling duties vs WAS). He also said he plans to go with a starting front court of LeBron, Kevin Love and Jeff Green when the playoffs open up.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 5, 2018
Obviously, there will be some dissenting views on whether or not this is a good idea. However, the Cavs are still 7-3 when Green starts, and he does have a knack for guarding star players well (i.e. DeMar DeRozan twice recently). Still, I hope Green starting does not mean he has a green light to shoot more threes…
The Wizards are struggling mightily, having lost six of their last eight games to fall to the 7th seed (if the playoffs started today). They did get John Wall back three games ago, yet they lost the last two contests, with Wall shooting just 9-27 from the field since he returned. The Cavs should be able to take advantage of Wall’s rustiness, although it may be a sloppy game without Hill or Calderon to keep order on the offensive side.
Prediction: The Cavs eek out a win in Lue’s first game back… edging the Wiz in an ugly game 95-89.
Catch all the action starting in just a few minutes (8pm EST) on TNT… and as always, chime in below.
Why did Lue feel the need to mess with the rotations that had been working?…I know there’s no Calderon tonight but why wouldn’t he just replace Calderon with someone like Cedi and keep the rotations that Drew was using because they were working? I really am beginning to believe that Lue is mentally handicapped…
I don’t think he is very bright. Unfortunately for us we don’t have as much top end talent anymore without Kyrie. With this team, you have to manage the bench and rotations because you can’t rely on three guys carrying you. That means their is less of a cushion for bad coaching decisions.
There is just no justification for lue remaining coach.
LeBron should convince Ty to take more time off to get really, really healthy. Challenge himself to never drink another Shirley temple.
Coaching disaster this 2nd half. Simply not playing the best players.
I know we had to do some juggling but:
1) Brin & Love should be staggered
2) TT and Nance should never play together.
3) Green should not start.
Clarkson should never be a primary ballhandler.
I want to stay positive with Lue but his rotations tonight have been awful. And Cavs aren’t playing with any energy
Cleveland Clinic can’t cure incompetence, apparently
The Wizards know that if they are patient enough and move the ball they will get a great shot. They are a bad match up for the Cavs even though you guys don’t accept it.
This is not playoff intensity Cavs… but get all angsty about it if you want…
They were pretty intense when Wash started coming back in the second. They only gave up near the mid way part of the third.
Still not playoff Cavs…
EG this is not the same Cavs roster. A lot of new faces with no playoff experience.
Exactly
I think the Cavs beat the Wiz in 5,…..despite Lue
Gonna be tough to climb out of this… maybe just save energy for Philly…
Cavs give up more wide open corner threes than any team in NBA history…there is no excuse…
is called the longbardi defensive scheme
“We’ll FORCE them to take the corner three, alright guys?! Alright, let’s go get ’em!!”
Yeah it doesn’t do them any favors. I also think these guys are unprepared mentally. Seems like they don’t know where to rotate after one rotation. That is also on longibardi.
Tristan Thompson is literally doing nothing.
Silently protesting Lue’s return by metaphorically taking a knee
Nance might be the player I have the least faith in on this team. Just seems like a big uncoordinated oaf
Playing TT and Nance together is just ridiculous…
Drew seemed to always stagger LeBron and Love. Why is Love on the bench when Cavs are getting killed on the boards?
Oubre allowed to mug Nance.
What is Nance doing?
Why is Lue playing TT and Nance together? Guarantees an offensively challenged lineup.
Too much. Forced to make a play because no one on that unit can as presently constituted.
JR with a terrible pass on the PnR.
If this is lue with rest we’re in deep crap
Clarkson at PG is always bad offense.
Yeah he needs to have someone else as primary ballhandler
TT missed boxout and rebound. Pathetic effort.
Why is JR afraid to shoot?
Tt with zero boxout wasting a great defense by nance
Wiz getting all the 50/50 balls…
Nice drive Clarkson!
Cavs trying to get Wizards into the 6th spot so that they don’t have to play Miami.
Clarkson is a disaster tonight
Take out tonight and you’re right
Fake news
Yep…
Coaches’ fault. He should never be PG no matter what. THey keep forcing it.
JR fell asleep on the backdoor.
Clarkson seems to have zero plan when he drives. He scored there but he likes to dribble into multiple defenders.
Bad turnover JC…
Wtf this lineup
How many possessions tonight have they failed to box out gortat?
Man… you can’t let Gortat get that board… Where is Love?
Why can’t Lue stagger LeBron and Love? One should always be out there.
No question…
Yep…this isn’t that hard…wish the Cavs had a coach that gave me confidence…
Nice rotation TT…/s
This effort is really embarrassing to Lue.
Mike Scott Cavs killer.
Nice drive by JC
Namce/Thompson lineup. Ugh.
Yup.
What possible thinking could justify that?
Breakdown by JR…
Nance and Korver looked like the only guys trying… what is going on coaches???
Probably looking at their players slack jawed with blank stares.
JR should be benched for clowning around.
is jr afraid to take shots again?
He’s not afraid… he’s just goofing off because nobody’s trying.
He has passed up several wide wide open treys tonight to pass to other perimeter shooters who look to be less open.
YOU THINK JUST MAYBE ANTE COULD HELP DEFEND THE RIM —JUST A THOUGHT !!—-MAN I NEED A “PETE’S WICKED ALE “
Just a terrible defensive quarter… set up by some less than inspiring shot selection…
39 in the 1st. 43 since.
Where’s the TO???
OK I AM CALLING IT A NIGHT ——IF TY IS COACHING IN THE PLAYOFFS WE ARE DOOMED —SORRY ABOUT THE PESSIMISTIC ATTITIUDE —BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS
WOW… they have just completely quit on defense.
The team just looks cLueless tonight and I don’t think it’s a coincidence
Nice steal nance.
Good recovery on that last one…
Team looks lost.
JR was so surprised that Clarkson actually passed to him, he wasn’t ready to shoot.
This defense is embarrassing…
Shoot the ball JR!
WTF LeBron?
Just crash the boards Larry!
Cavs cannot stop anything the Wiz are doing.
NANCE WITH ONLY 2 SHOTS —LOVE BEING HOT ONLY 1O SHOTS —CLARKSON WITH 9 —IT IS CALLED COACHING YOUR PLAYERS ———SORRY TO BE SO ROUGH ON TY / 1ST GAME BACK—- BUT IT IS OBVIOUS WHO THE PLAYERS PERFORM BETTER FOR
No he has earned it. The one thing that might stop this team from going back to the finals is Lue.
Way to shoot it with confidence LNJ!
Wall and Beal are going nuts tonight… where’s the perimeter defense?
CAVS MISSING DREW
Cavs missing Calderon/ Hill…
Geez Oubre was late with that challenge. A yellow card in soccer.
I’ve believe the Wizards are the toughest match up for the Cavs in the east cause they just don’t fear the Cavs. The Cavs can get away with giving up open three’s against the Raptors and Celtics and they will not hit those open shots but the Wizards will.
Wizards are not good…
Well I’m talking about the way they match up against the Cavs. The Cavs can’t get stops against them.
They have lost 11 out of 17. Cavs making them look good with horrible defense
Oubre with an elbow to Bron’s jaw… no review?
I think LBJ was cranky for that stretch. Something changed about his play.
TY ‘STILL EXPERIMENTING ‘ WITH LINEUPS—–SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL HIM PLAYOFFS START IN ABOUT A WEEK —GEEZ—–I KNOW ” HE WILL WATCH THE FILM “—–WELCOME BACK TY !!
Lue waited way too long to put Korver back in.
Korver with another defensive play!!!