Culty Catch Up: First/Needing Matty Edition

Each week there is a ton of NBA media pertaining to the Cavs and the league in general that deserves recognition. A lot of it goes unread because there just isn’t enough time to keep up with it. Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered with six to eight notable reads/videos (the last two reads are up in the air just like the Cavs bench production this season) from the past seven days to get you through the weekend feeling entertained, caught up, and much smarter. I’ll throw in Dion’s Neon Man Of The week and some other features to add to the entertainment.

First off, if you didn’t catch our Thanksgiving 5 on 5, check it out here. Highlights include the Cavs Thanksgiving parade with the inflatable Big Z arms float, the float of short-term Cavaliers, and a Cavs Christmas wish list.

During the Thanksgiving week, there aren’t many mind blowing NBA articles; however, I shoved aside my Turkey high, sort of how Tristan Thompson shoved John Wall to the ground (more on that later), and still managed to capture some interesting takes from the past seven days. Sheridan Hoops, the site that first broke the concept of LeBron James coming back to Cleveland, featured the Cavs prominently this week. Chris Bernucca’s weekly column dealt with the weaknesses of the King’s team. There’s a lot. Here’s one the national writers are currently noticing:

That is what gets teams into the playoffs and through the postseason wars. It is psychological as much as physical, and the Cavs don’t have a whole lot of depth in that area, either. Among their basic eight-man rotation, James and Marion are the only ones who have played in the playoffs this decade.

Love is in his seventh season and has played in any many postseason games as I have. So has Irving, a four-year veteran who sounded ridiculous when he said “I have been through the trenches” after Friday’s loss at Washington. Thompson was 74 games under .500 through his first three seasons. And while Varejao is a trusted trooper, he hasn’t been to the playoffs since James first left in 2010.

Who needs experience?

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Bernucca’s coworker, Bobby Gonzalez, has some players he would like to see on the team to shore up the defense and provide leadership. The most interesting guy he mentions has to be the formerly overweight OJ Mayo.

O.J. Mayo, Milwaukee. A big wing who can definitely score and is in my opinion a better defender than he gets credit for. He is in shape – unlike last season – and his trade value is good right now.

His name hasn’t been linked with the Cavs in the past, but his veteran background could make him an interesting piece to trade Dion Waiters for. Mayo hasn’t always been the most chemistry friendly player (neither has Dion though). However, he played the role of six man for Memphis and could help the Cavs out if he could come off the bench to provide consistent play the whole season.

Gonzalez labels Waiters as being just six feet tall as one of the Cavs defensive issues. It’s not height, Mr. Gonzalez. It’s just effort seeing as Mr. Dion is a muscular 225 pounds and listed as 6’4”.

In both of these Cavs critiques, Matthew Dellavedova is mentioned just once. That’s not really fair. While Delly hasn’t lit up the league by any means, he has been serviceable for the Cavs by playing defense and getting the ball up the court and into motion. Would you swap him out for Cory Joseph?

No disrespect to Australian Matthew Dellavedova, who’s hurt, but I don’t think he’s the answer. In hindsight, should they have kept A.J. Price? Yes, but maybe they can target a Cory Joseph, who moves to the third backup spot in San Antonio when Patty Mills comes back.

The added allure of having a home grown guard on the team is too much for me to give up to give Joseph minutes. Delly would represent a rare gem find for the Cavs if he proves to be a role player this year.

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Jason Lloyd’s recap of the Washington Wizards game on Wednesday night provided a key insight into the team’s defense.

Tristan Thompson said the defensive plan was hatched by David Blatt and Tyronn Lue. Guys like Thompson, Anderson Varejao and LeBron have such good feet they’re comfortable with bigs on some mismatches. Thompson said it’s the bigs’ call this year on when to switch.

“We all have good feet and we’re able to defend,” Thompson said. “If there’s a pick-and-roll with 3/4 (small forward and power forward), we’re going to switch.”

How long will it take Kevin Love to figure out he needs to switch and be as far away from the basket on defense as possible. I know it might limit his rebounds, but it will also keep guys like Kevin Seraphin from looking Shaq-esque down low at times.

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Zach Lowe dismantled the Dallas Mavericks offensive brilliance this week.

Teams have specific rules about which defender draws that help assignment. It is almost always one of the defenders on the weak side, so if Ellis is driving down the right side of the floor, a defender all the way across on the left wing has to dive into the paint and bump Chandler.

The Mavericks specialize in throwing those rules into chaos. They want to confuse you about very basic things: Which side is the weak side? Whose job is it to help on Chandler?

The best way to sow such doubt is to act early, before a defense is set. That’s easier coming off a stop, when the Mavs can rebound and push the ball amid the chaos of transition. There is no time for Carlisle to call plays after a Dallas stop, and the coach likes it that way. “We try not to call any plays if we can,” Carlisle says. “We want to be difficult to defend, and the more random we can make it, the more difficult it will be for defenses.”

Lowe contends that the Mavs are mainly running multiple series of pick and rolls with some movement from perimeter guys. When it’s broken down in the piece, it seems so simple and like it wouldn’t be effective. However, watch any Mavs game and you will be wowed by how smoothly their offense runs.

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Take a peek at ESPN’s more traditional version of the 5 on 5 piece about the first month of basketball to learn more about the league in genreal. This edition is big on the Warriors and the Raptors. The Cavs are mentioned just twice.

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Amin Elhassan has some advice for David Blatt in his insider piece if the team starts losing again. Amin thinks the Cavs need to talk on defense, block out the media, trust/learn the offense better, rely less on the Big Three, and just be patient.

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Finally, I know you’re probably sick of reading, so here’s a video on getting girls. Nick Young’s biography needs to be titled And Then, I Got To Macking: How To Chuck It All Up And Win At Life.

Dion’s Neon Man Of The Week

Dion’s Neon man is someone Mr. Waiters can relate to or appreciate. This week it’s Tristan Thompson for pushing John Wall down to the ground sort of on accident but then completely owning the incident. Dion was trying to make Wall fall all game by delivering the member of the second best backcourt death stares for three quarters. TT didn’t want Dion to feel bad about the power of his above mentioned stare and made this situation happen. I love seeing the Cavs have each other’s backs.

Bottom Lines Of The Week

Russell Westbrook posted an insane line after coming back from a hand injury against the Knicks last night. ESPN has it presented the best.

Kyrie Irving had the best Cavs quote of the week. This week might go down as the one where the Cavs changed the direction of the team’s basketball mindset.

“Based on the lineup, whatever our team needs, (whether the ‘1’ or ‘2’) gets going, I’m going to guard them,” Irving said. “I just have to do the job at stopping the head of the snake.” [Bob Finnan, The Morning Journal]