Live Thread: Cavs @ Pelicans
2015-12-04
The Cavs will look to bend a few beaks tonight as they prepare to take on the Pelicans in the first game of a quick back-to-back weekend road trip at Smoothie King Center (yeah, that’s right… Smoothie King… drink it in). New Orleans hasn’t quite lived up to their lofty expectations, after surprisingly winging their way into the playoffs last season. They come into this one with just a 4-15 record, having lost their last four in a row (sound familiar? *cough* *cough* Wizards…), despite still getting a high level of play from their rising superstar, Anthony Davis (23.5 ppg, 10.7 rpg). Meanwhile, the Cavs are reportedly making a change to their starting lineup to help bolster their defensive efforts from the outset, inserting Matthew Dellavedova for Mo Williams.
After giving up early leads to lesser teams lately, David Blatt is apparently looking to staunch the bleeding of opposing guard penetration, at least until his starting backcourt can return. On that front, the Cavs got some encouraging news with regards to their missing star point guard, as Kyrie Irving progressed to a full court, full-contact five-on-five practice yesterday. According to ESPN, Irving’s presence, along with Iman Shumpert’s, resulted in the Cavs’ “best practice, by far” of the season.
In the best quote of the article, Irving said that he and Shumpert hope to emulate professional wrestlers when they get back in the lineup:
“We understand our presence on the team and what we bring to the team,” Irving said. “When we get back we call ourselves the Hardy Brothers. We’re coming full attack like the Hardy Brothers back in WWF.”
Probable starting lineup for tonight for the Cavs: Matthew Dellavedova, J.R. Smith, LeBron James, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. And for the Pels: Eric Gordon, Tyreke Evans, Alonzo Gee, Anthony Davis and Omer Asik.
One guy who won’t be playing, but made his presence known anyway during warmups, is former Cav (and still Angry Smurf) Kendrick Perkins, who reportedly shouted something at Delly…
Kendrick Perkins visited #Cavs on court. He yelled at Matthew Dellavedova, "You lucky I ain't playing. I'd hit you with a hard-ass screen."
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) December 5, 2015
Logic should dictate that the Cavs will be able to handle The Brow and his flock fairly easily, but as we know, nothing seems all that easy for the Cavs these days. New Orleans will likely give the wine & gold all they can handle on their home court, especially with the return of a healthy Tyreke Evans. Hopefully, Delly can help keep him in check.
Prediction: Cavs 114-110.
GO CAVS!
!) AGRREE WITH KEVIN –EVEN WITH KY SHUMP COMING BACK–GRIFF NEEDS TO LOOK AT ANOTHER BIG
2) AGREE WITH PETER —AT PRESENT GOLDEN STATE WOULD SWEEP / BUT JUNE IS A LONG WAYS OFF
3) WOULD CONCEDE THE WIN TO MIAMI TONIGHT ( AKA POPOVICH ) REST STARTERS BOTH MENTALY AND PHYSICALLY –REGROUP AND COME BACK STRONG NEXT WEEK
I stopped watching with eight minutes to go in the forth quarter. That’s the first time I’ve voluntarily stopped watching a Cavs game in a while. I can’t escape the idea that the Cavs are the Nets of 2015–way overpaid for the number of wins they can secure. I don’t have high hopes for this team. As a Cleveland expat living in the Bay Area, Golden State would sweep this team in the finals. Every game would be a 20 point win in favor of Golden State.
What if I told you that a team could start the season 19-20, then wind up taking two, almost three games off these Dubs with a depleted roster?
I wonder if Griff will be making moves this year at any point. I thought his appearance tonight spoke of damage control after the team looked like hot garbage on Tuesday. It’s pretty transparent that the team is underachieving and it’s on the players. Organization did everything it needed to assemble a top roster.
He kinda threw Mosgov under the bus on national tv.
The Pelicans’ Kendrick Perkins is visiting his old teammates/coaches in the Cavs locker room postgame
Well here’s my Colsian take. You win some and you lose some but we are the best because we have LeB. (Bangs head into wall)… And yeah Kyrie will be back as soon as his agent clears him. (Bangs head into John Wall, but John Wall doesn’t mind as he tells me that it’s better than getting booed by his hometown “fans.”) And Delly needs to get in shape.
It’s a long season and we have time to figure it out. The Pels were a playoff team last year, as were the Wizards. Who says we’re entitled to blow out playoff teams every night missing Kyrie and Shump?
I know, I’m being too optimistic here. But once we get Kyrie back and guys get locked in, we’re going to be looking at a very different team.
I didn’t expect us to lose this game. Sloppiness and turnovers and the (I can’t see JR syndrome) He was literally forgotten in 4th and 1st part of OT,
James Jones is making me angry
He’s been stinking lately. Just think how different this game might have been if he hits a couple of those pretty open 3s in the 4th.
I’m not a coach but I just don’t understand why the Cavs stop playing the offense that they were playing at the beginning of the season. Maybe teams made adjustments that we don’t see that made the Cavs leave that type of offense?
To be honest I expect another L tomorrow and I wonder how long will the Cavs keep KI out if they can’t find a way to win tomorrow?
LeBron should take a vacation to Miami for a day or so.
Time for the bi-weekly players only meeting…
Maybe they should just pay attention to the meeting with the coaches
Well Delly screwed up. Happens. Move on. Lots of things could’ve gone better.
True. Bad play by Delly cost us, but he played a decent game
Tristan and Lebron played like crap most of the night. Even when Lebron played great he wasn’t playing like Lebron getting people involved and setting up shooters. He was playing like Kobe.
Tomorrow night the Cavs should start the Canton Charge and concede the loss.
I’d be okay with it. Totally serious.
Pretty shoddy defense in the OT… Cavs needed to win this one in regulation…
Damn it! I hate losing.
You guys we haven’t won in December!
Not going to win playing like this. Too many stagnant possessions, too many bricked long shots. And they’re not even playing the top teams in the league yet…