A Cavalier Missive

Dear Cleveland Cavaliers:

Enclosed is a letter advising you on the 2015 season from an out of shape 40-year-old who has only ever played pick-up and rec-league ball and whose highest coaching achievement comes from coaching sixth grade girls. Ignore the lack of credentials. These are the things each of you needs to improve upon in order to make this season a successful one.

Jared Cunningham: Congratulations on making the team. Your best opportunity to make an impression on this team will come early with Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert out. Make the most of it. Keep playing that disrupting defense you’ve been playing: move your feet, force turnovers, pick up guys in transition, and never stop working. Offensively, get out and run. Keep attacking the rack, and don’t get frustrated if you don’t get calls. You’ve got to stick in the league a bit before that happens. Concentrate on finishing strong and driving and kicking. Don’t fall in love with outside jumpers, especially long twos. Use them only as a last resort. Before you start jacking them from the wing and the top of the key, master the corner three. That’s where your shot looks best right now. Model yourself as a higher flying Avery Bradley.

Joe Harris: The biggest thing you can do right now is loosen up. You’re so stiff when you shoot, you’re nailing the back of the iron almost every time. Relax. Let the ball come, and let it fly. Just play with some swagger. I imagine you’re a guy who shoots much better in a practice than in games, so just, you know… loosen up. Maybe try meditation.

Shasha Kaun: Defensive drills… move those feet, get in position, keep those hands straight up, engage, box out, rebound. That’s your job. Practice your defensive rotations, your free throws, and be ready. You may not play a lot early, but there will be a time this season when the Cavs need you. Be prepared for it, and make the most of practices. Play well in practice because iron sharpens iron. Also, you’re the rookie. Donuts are your responsibility.

James Jones: Keep doing what you did last year. Be ready to shoot and drain buckets when you come in. Don’t stop competing on defense or the boards just because someone might have you outmatched. Make sure you have a fake and go move. You’ve been doing all this for the last year. Let ’em keep underestimating you.

Richard Jefferson: I loved what I saw in preseason. Keep strokin’, swinging the rock, and throwing it down. Learn the defensive schemes. You’re not a lock down defender any more, but you’re smart, you still can hang with some guys, and if you defend within the team defensive concept, you should be able to hold your own on that end of the floor. If you feel yourself wearing down, ask for a day or two off. You’re 35, for Chrissake. Eat plenty of protein and take your multivitamins.

Anderson Varejao: My old friend. Bend your knees on defense. Get your butt down. You’re not the lateral mover you once were. You’re going to have to have proper defensive stance to stay with the youngins’, but I believe the rumors of your defensive demise are greatly exaggerated.

You have another contract in you after this one. This is the year you will stay healthy. Don’t be afraid to shoot that now-deadly elbow jumper, but don’t force it either. Similarly, now that you seem to be the high post centerpiece of the second-team’s Princeton offense, don’t force the back door pass. If it’s not there, hit the guy on the curl, the handoff, or the high-low, or just put your head down and get to the basket. You’ll get some starts in the back end of some back-to-backs. Make the most of them.

Iman Shumpert: I expect you to be an expert at passing and finishing with the left hand come spring. But don’t do anything stupid. Your team’s going to need you come playoff time. Your high fade will block out your opponent’s sun. Cast that shade.

Matthew Dellavedova: This is the year you get paid. Just get a little more arc on that floater, and keep ’em guessing in the pick-and-roll. You look leaner, meaner, more focused.  I love they way you’re catching and shooting. Get your shots up every day. Keep being an annoying SOB on defense. Keep makin’ the haters hate. Hydrate.

Tristan Thompson: Don’t spend the money all at once and don’t let it go to your head. What you make and how well you play are two completely different things. Just ask Joe Johnson. So rebound your butt off, and remember to make contact and box out on the D-Boards. I know you didn’t turn into a jump-shooter in the offseason, but hopefully you put a couple more feet on your range. More importantly, I hope you’ve been working on your charity shots. Pump fake, and get to the line. If you can get over 70% there you’ll be a terror. I hope you stayed in shape during your holdout, because Cleveland needs you to block some shots too.

Mo Williams: I hope I see better D than I saw in the pre-season, or most of last year for that matter. You have to be a tone setter, and lazily going under picks is not going to get it done.

I’ll tell you this, and I’ll tell LeBron and Kyrie too: you don’t have to make the home run pass every time with this team. If you move the ball, everyone else is a good enough passer that it will find the open guy. And the ball will find you when you’re open too. Catch-and-shoot, Mo. Play with intensity. I’ll be sitting up in the Mo’s Famiglia section of Loudville every chance I get. I wanna hear the Godfather theme play early and often.

Timofey Mozgov: Cover your hands in glue before every game. You know the pocket passes are coming, and you’re going to have to have your hands down to catch them. Defensively, keep doing what you’re doing around the basket and don’t bite on pump-fakes. But you’re going to have to work on closing out jump shooters. It’s the worst part of your defensive game. Zack Randolph wasn’t the only one who lit you up in pre-season. Ask the assistants to drill you on scouting reports to know which side to close out which opponent. Don’t jump when you close out. You’re big enough you don’t have to, and you’ll only pick up fouls.

Offensively, when you get the ball on the block take your time and get your footwork right before the hook shot. It’s unstoppable then. Work work work. You could make yourself $70 million this season. Until then, please make more commercials.

J.R. Smith: You’ve got a chance to notch some high scoring games this season. Just don’t let your eccentricity get out of hand. I know you get bored and like to sabotage yourself. Don’t. Greatness is habit and routine. If things are getting nuts, go talk to the coach and figure it out. Don’t bring your scooter into the locker room. Keep shooting. You’re the greatest shooter in the world. Use that to set up the pass. This team loves you. Don’t screw that up.

Kyrie Irving: I can’t say anything other than get well soon? From personal experience, the weight room is the best way to avoid fluke injuries, and I’m talking all the muscle groups.  I know the team won’t push you to come back before you’re ready. When you do, I want to see the same defensive intensity this season that I saw in Game 1 of the finals. Your competitiveness in that game was off the charts.

I don’t need to tell you much about offense, other than to watch film with Kevin and LeBron. You three should be able to paint masterpieces on the floor by season’s end.

Kevin Love: You don’t even look like the same person that came into the league seven years ago. I can’t wait to see what you bring this year. Shooting? Rebounding? Passing? Post Play? Sorry. I’m gushing. And I didn’t even want the Cavs to trade for you last summer. I’ll be forever convinced that you saved the season last year when you took that charge in L.A.

Man, I hope your back is healed. You were gutty last year. This year, I hope you’re transcendent. Advice: be more assertive, especially on offense. Call for the ball in your spots. If it’s not working when you and Bron are together, ask the coach to stagger you when possible. If one of you two is always on the floor, you’ll be hard to beat.

Don’t give up position on the block, and if you do, swing the ball around and face up. You’re going to be quicker than most guys you’re playing now. Remember to keep your hands up on defense.

LeBron James: Don’t play head games with Miami. Riles and Wade are much more evil than you. Watch yourself. They’re going to make it personal and they’re going to try to hurt you. When you play them, protect yourself, keep it strictly business, and go home. South Beach is filled with traps. Every other team is going to be coming after you too. They saw you in the finals. They know you’re still the best player in the league. Beware of those thugs in Boston, the Doc Rivers gang, Roy Hibbert, Jordan Hill, Steven Adams, Patrick Beverly, Taj Gibson, Pebbles, Kent Bazemore, The Polish Hammer, The Morris Twins… Any one of them will cheap shot you if they get a chance.

For the first time in your career, for your team to be truly great, there are going to be times you need to defer. I know, I know. That sounds crazy. But for this to work – long term – Kyrie and Kevin are going to have to be your equal at times – in the playoffs especially. Remember Game 1 in the finals against the ‘Dubs? You had a shot to win in regulation. The play should have probably gone to Kyrie. He was just hotter. You’re going to have to recognize that at times. He has the swagger to make that shot.

Managing your effort is going to be your biggest challenge. The team feeds off you. Coasting to start the season, like last year’s 19-20? That’s tough to come back from. I’d rather 28 minutes of fired up LeBron rather than 40 minutes of a tired King. Figure out the minutes expectation and how to pace yourself for bursts of excellence throughout the season. Remember, everyone feeds off you. When your effort is down and your body language is negative, so is your team’s. I know it’s hard to be “up” all the time. That’s part of why you need other guys to take up the leadership mantle. They’ll pick you up and pick the team up when you need help. You’re going to have to trust them.

David Griffin and Dan Gilbert: Thanks for opening up the wallet. I say this with hesitation, but you may have to open the wallet up some more. Just keep an open mind, and don’t be afraid to make a move if something’s not working. Keep the positivity up. You’ve done a fantastic job of that for the last two years. If you see an opportunity to move Joe Harris for an upgrade, pull the trigger.

David Blatt: You’re going to have to be a mix of Solomon and Popovich this year. Have the wisdom to know when to go for the win, and know when to stick to your minutes rotation. The season is going to be a grind. You’re going to need a bench that can play in the playoffs, and part of that is letting them take their lumps at times. Don’t be tempted to play guys extra minutes just to grab a win, unless it’s an important one. If you don’t know which ones are important, Tyronn will.

It’s OK to defer to James, but if he’s being overbearing, have a private talk with him. He’s smart enough to know the team has to respect you. I think it’s going to work out fine though. Don’t let Mo and Andy play lazy defense. Bench them if they do, and let them know why. Mo has a tendency to coast and feel entitled. Nip that in the bud early.

You’re probably going to get valley J.R. instead of peak J.R. for stretches this season. You’re just going to have to ride it out. Hopefully the peaks are in the playoffs.

Don’t be afraid to try different stuff. I want to see Love at the three, even if it’s just an experiment. I want to see big lineups, small lineups, LeBron at point guard, Love and Bron at the big spots. Keep everyone guessing. And have fun. You’re not a rookie anymore. This season is going to be something special. Enjoy it.