The Point Four-ward: How Buddy Ball Won Out

Four points I’m thinking about the NBA and the Cleveland Cavaliers…

1.) This time last season, I couldn’t have expected I’d be uttering the following statement: the two Cavaliers players I most enjoy watching this season are Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson.

Now, sure, even before Wednesday night’s Kyrie-a-thon, that’s not the craziest thing in the world to say. It’s not like saying I’m tuning in just for the chance to see three glorious minutes of Mike Miller or James Jones. But this time last year, I was firmly on Team Dion and was more than open to criticizing the highly-susceptible-to-criticism play of Irving and Thompson, a.k.a. Team Buddy Ball.

But here we are now…

While Waiters showed up less than fully willing to alter his game to adapt to a new set of teammates and expectations, Irving and Thompson, for the most part, have let the new demands on them make them more effective players for this Cavaliers team.

For Thompson, it meant being freed of the ambiguity surrounding his role as a former number four overall pick. Before this year, even while dismissing the notion that Thompson could ever become the second coming of Karl Malone  (let alone even the first coming of Jonas Valanciunas), there was some hope that Thompson would emerge as a difference making player. There was hope for that because there was need for that and, as is the case with players on bad teams, Cavs fans often conflated what the team lacked with what Thompson was missing. And, to be fair, if this team was 10-37 right now and continuing to whiff on its rebuild, I wouldn’t be praising Thompson right now, I’d surely be burying him.

But, luckily for Thompson, the team’s direction changed radically when they found themselves once again speeding down Highway 23. Thompson’s pared down role — he’s emerged as one of the team’s more versatile defenders, capable of switching on just about anyone and now excels defending on the perimeter where he was once (only recently) abysmal and he’s pulled down over four offensive rebounds a game during the Cavs’ current win streak — allows him to really shine as a high-quality role player, finally the high-motor player his defenders always claimed he was even when he really wasn’t.

Think of it this way: on a bad team, offensive rebounding is nice. But on a team expected to play deep into the playoffs, having a player who can get the Cavs four second-chances in what could be a tight game (or series of tight games) is absolutely crucial.

2.) Irving, of course, is another matter entirely. His 11 triples against the Blazers, which came on the heels of a similarly clutch performance in Detroit, isn’t a case of a player sacrificing his game for the betterment of the team. But Irving’s improved a lot of the things detractors (myself included) pointed to as likely irreparable flaws in his game. What’s more, he’s led this team by example (even more so than LeBron James, one could argue) in this recent stretch where the Cavs have appeared to right their ship.

Flat out, Irving has competed, which is something Cavs fans have been desperate to see from their fourth year guard. If still not lock-down, Irving has, along with the rest of the team, held opposing point guards to 35.5% shooting (42-118) over the last eight games. For a player who seemed so willing to usher opposing points safely into the lane for easy score after easy score, just seeing him flying around and showing some grit and life on D is a revelation.

While James still does his fair share of ball handling, you can see the Cavs letting Irving run some of the show now, even when he and James share the floor. This frees the Cavs up to get James more touches in the post and recognizes that Irving is often just as willing a passer on his drives now than is James, if not more so.

Watching Irving and Thompson have success at Waiters’ expense on Sunday (two of Thompson’a three blocks came on “I know exactly what’s coming” swats of his former teammate) seemed to say that those who were against Buddy Ball may have been on the wrong side of history.

3.) Speaking of Waiters: a lot was made of LeBron James’ wording of the essay that announced his return. Remember how he failed to mention Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett while listing the players he was excited to play with and mentor (Irving, Waiters and Thompson)? Well, in hindsight, he probably could have left Waiters name out of the essay too, since it was James’ addition to the roster that made the skills of the third-year guard from Syracuse redundant.

Waiters’ unwillingness (or inability) to change his game to fit in with two other players (James and Irving) who would dominate the ball and create off drives, made him the third wheel who really just wanted to play the same way the Big Wheels got to. This is not to question Waiters talent — Cavs fans know he’s got it in droves — but the team couldn’t keep playing tug-of-war with the ball. There needed to be defined roles, a pecking order, and Waiters always seemed to be the one resisting his role in deference to the version of himself that he could be on, say, a team like the Sixers where he’d be allowed to dazzle… at the unfortunate expense of winning.

The Cavs needed a shooter, free of conscience, who could also be an able defender. They got that (plus Iman Shumpert) for Waiters in J.R. Smith. He has allowed the Cavs to balance the floor and give Irving and James the driving room they need and plenty of options when they do.

Would Waiters have been able to excel in Irving’s role if the team had decided to roll with Syracuse Orange over Duke blue? Again, had you asked me this even four months ago, I’d probably have opted Orange. Now, well…

4.) I cannot overstate how important Wednesday’s win over the Blazers was. Going back to LeBron 1.0 days, the Cavs have always been horrible when he doesn’t play. It used to be because the Mike Brown-era LeBron teams were a little thin on talent when their star sat. That’s no longer the case.

Winning when the King is unavailable for decree not only builds confidence in a team that is still anchored by several players not yet accustomed to winning, it shows James that the squad is solid enough to get the job done if he should come up short, either due to injury or just plain poor performance. James still needs to build trust in this team and this coaching staff… and games like Wednesday night’s are a good place to start.