First Quarter Progress Reports
2016-12-12
With 22 games played, the Cleveland Cavaliers are just over a quarter of the way through the 2016-2017 season. So how are the defending NBA Champions doing? Today, we’ll take a look at each Cavalier’s progress thus far, and give each the grade he warrants. Unlike my day job (teacher), these grades are not serious, and all in good fun.
Every year, James simply becomes more amazing. Now in his 14th season and with over 1,200 NBA games (playoffs included) under his belt, the greatest player of his generation keeps rolling along. James is averaging a career high in assists, and his most rebounds per game in four seasons. His scoring is down a bit, but that’s more by design than anything else. Oh, and his outside shot has bounced back this season. He’s been a top ten player in the league by any standard, and he’s giving about 75% effort. Grade: E. LeBron is Easing his way into the season, but he’s still Excellent by any objective standard.
For the last two seasons, Love has been the scapegoat for any problems the Cavaliers have had. Critics said that his numbers with the Timberwolves were inflated, that his defense would hinder the Cavaliers in their quest for a title, that he simply wasn’t the star many thought he was. Now he’s an NBA Champion who is putting up numbers that compare favorably with those from his time in Minnesota. He’s shooting a career-high from deep and he’s one of five players averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds. The others? Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Russell Westbrook. Grade: R. Love is Rebounding in more ways than one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jBpqLB-nkc
He took a step forward in the playoffs, and has kept it at a higher level this season. Irving is currently shooting at a career high on both two and three-point attempts. His assists and rebounds are down a bit, but not significantly, especially considering how high James’s assist totals are. Now, if only he would put half the effort into defense that he does into offense. Grade: A. Irving is an Amazing scorer from All over the floor. He’s a star even with his sometimes Abysmal defense.
In some ways, it’s been a season of highs and lows for Thompson. He’s averaging career lows in points per game, field goal attempts per game, and free throw percentage, but is also at career highs in rebounds and blocks per game, as well as field goal percentage. Much has been made of him losing fourth quarter minutes to Channing Frye, but Thompson is actually averaging his most minutes per game since James returned to the Cavs. Despite these things, the Cavaliers know they can count on Thompson to play every night, crash the boards at an elite level, and guard out on the perimeter as well as almost any big man in the league. Grade: C. Thompson is as Consistent as they come, even as his role is Changing.
It been a rough start for Smith. After missing most of training camp because of free agency negotiations, Smith has struggled with his shooting, the skill that earned him his new contract. Currently shooting 31% from the floor and 33% from deep while averaging the fewest field goal attempts per game of his career, Smith will undoubtedly rebound at some point, but he has to get healthy first. Grade: B. As in Behind. J.R.’s shot is off, and his knee has been Bothering him all season. Could missing most of training camp—and the transition into the regular season that comes with it—be the culprit?
After suffering through the worst season of his career, Shumpert has been tremendous for the Cavaliers during the first quarter. He’s shooting career highs on two and three-point shots, as well as free throws. Shumpert has also served as the nominal backup point guard, and while it’s not his true role, he has been adequate there. While his defense isn’t always as consistent as one would hope, he can still provide a positive impact on that end. Grade: B. After a Below-average season last year, Shumpert is Bouncing Back quite nicely.
Channing Frye
Thoughts and prayers are with Frye, who lost both of his parents this season. He’s a great teammate and underrated defender. Oh, and he leads the league in three-point percentage. Frye’s role has expanded a bit this season as Tyronn Lue is more willing to play him alongside Love. When they share the floor with James, Irving, and Smith, the Cavaliers are nearly impossible to stop on offense. Frye has been a perfect fit for the Cavaliers since the day general manager David Griffin acquired him from the Orlando Magic. Grade: S. He likely won’t win it because of the type of player it usually goes to, but Frye should get heavy consideration for Sixth Man of the Year.
After a slow start to the season, particularly in terms of his three point shooting, Jefferson has begun to heat up. For a player who was a featured scorer earlier in his career, he has done a wonderful job of making the transition into a role player. He’s only takes threes or shots at the rim, and is very good at converting from both areas. Jefferson is also a solid defender, whose ability to guard 3s and 4s allows him to fit along James in much the same way Shane Battier did for the Miami Heat. Grade: C. He’s slowing down a bit with age, but Jefferson is still a Crucial part of the team and is Coming on strong after a slow start.
Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Dunleavy has had an excellent career, but there’s no doubt that he’s been a disappointment for the Cavaliers. He seems uncomfortable and out of rhythm every time he is on the court, and at 36 years old, there’s reason to believe he might just be Mike Done-leavy (thanks, Nate). While he has shot better from three since the beginning of December, his two-point percentage has plummeted. When J.R. Smith returns from his leg injury, will there be enough minutes for both the struggling Dunleavy and the surprising DeAndre Liggins? Grade: O. Dunleavy is getting Old and his shot has been Off all season. Pretty soon he might be Out of the rotation.
The Birdman can’t fly quite as high as he used to, both due to age and the fact that he looks a bit larger than ever before. Andersen had looked like he might be joining Dunleavy on the Potentially Washed Up List, particularly after shooting just 21% from the field in the month of November, but there are some signs that he has a little bit left. He is still a solid rebounder on a per minute basis, and his blocks per minute average is his highest in three seasons. Andersen also has a higher Real Plus-Minus Rating (-1.32) than the man he replaced as the Cavaliers’ fourth true big man, Timofey Mozgov (-2.17). At the very least, he’s an upgrade over Sasha Kaun as an emergency big man. Still, the jury is out on whether Andersen can actually contribute to a contending team. Grade: H. Andersen looks Heavier than at any point in his career, and there’s no doubt he isn’t the player he was a few years ago. Does he have enough left in the tank to Help the Cavaliers when called upon, or is this the end to the career of the first player ever called up from the NBA Developmental League?
In the year 2030, when LeBron James Jr. is leading the Cavaliers to another NBA Championship, fifty-year-old James Jones will come off the bench and nail four straight triples along the way. For all the talk of Jones being at the end of his career, he remains an excellent shooter, and is currently hitting a volcanic 78% from three. He is also worshiped by the likes of James and Love, and his work ethic sets the standard for this team. Grade: R. Jones has the Respect of the locker room as much as any player on the team. He’s also always Ready when the team needs him.
Don’t hurt me, John Krolik. Felder has flashed some signs during his rookie season, averaging nearly eight assists per 36 minutes, as well as an assist-to-turnover ratio of over 2:1. His handle is solid, and he’s shown some ability to create his own shot. What he hasn’t done is actually put the ball in the basket. Felder hasn’t been able to finish around the rim consistently, and he’s attempted just two threes this season, missing both. Combine that with his struggles on the defensive end due to his relatively diminutive stature, and it’s obvious that he has a long way to go before he can help the Cavaliers on the court. Luckily for Felder, Dan Gilbert may be his biggest fan. Grade: L. Tyronn Lue obviously feels that Felder has a lot to Learn before the Cavaliers can Lean on him as the team’s backup point guard.
DeAndre Liggins
There might be something here. Liggins has given the Cavaliers some solid minutes after Smith went down with his knee injury. He’s an aggressive defender with great length that he also uses to wrack up rebounds and steals. On offense, Liggins has been able to knock down open shots, and moves the ball well. He doesn’t have a ton of upside, but if he can prove to be a solid bench player. The Cavs have been looking for a cheap rotation player ala’ Matthew Dellavedova for the last few seasons. If Liggins keeps this up, he could be it. Grade: D. The Defense Liggins supplies can keep him out of the D-League and possibly earn him a Definite role with the Cavaliers, especially if he continues to knock down open threes.
Coming into the season, the Cavaliers had hoped that McRae could take a step forward as a two-way wing who could help replace the loss of Matthew Dellavedova. That hasn’t happened. McRae is a black hole on offense who focuses almost exclusively on scoring despite shooting just under 30% from the floor, and an appalling 28% on two-point attempts. It’s inaccurate to call McRae a scorer, because the ball doesn’t actually go through the hoop. He currently sports a 5.6 PER, and is ranked 408 out of 425 players in Real Plus-Minus. Given his success in the D-League last year, it’s understandable why the Cavaliers took a chance on McRae, but he simply hasn’t lived up to even the most modest of expectations. Grade: I. McRae’s play on the court has been Insufficient in terms of helping the Cavaliers in any way.
Tyronn Lue
One of the youngest head coaches in the NBA (only Luke Walton and Earl Watson are younger), Lue has already won a championship, and currently has his team once again sitting atop the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers’ offense is even better than last year, with each member of the Big Three being more equally involved than ever before. The defense is a concern, although the Cavaliers have buckled down on that end over the last few games. The Cavaliers are currently on pace to win over 60 games, and look like they are well on there way to a third consecutive visit to the NBA Finals. Grade: U. As in underrated. Lue is one of six current coaches to have won an NBA Championship, and he’s a year younger than the highly acclaimed Brad Stevens, yet he receives little praise for his coaching acumen.
There you have it – Cavs: The Blog’s first quarter grades for the 2016-2017 NBA season. The Cavaliers are off to a great start, and their high-powered offense makes this one of the most entertaining teams to watch not only in the NBA, but in the history of this franchise. While no one knows for sure how the season will end, we do know that the Cleveland Cavaliers are a truly great team. It’s important to remember that and enjoy the tremendous basketball we get to see this group play. On that note…
Cavs go with Rick Astley intro on 80s night https://t.co/R0E8Ze6Yuj
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) December 10, 2016
Good stuff Mike! Fair and accurate assessment of the team thus far…
Yo Evil, here is a potential cool feature for the site:
How about a running year-to-date count of how many times Cols says Awesome, Sucks, and maybe Frauds. This is the kind of task that computers are good for.
This could be implemented perhaps as counter in the upper right hand corner. We could just glance at it to see how the year is going. Maybe some color coding, e.g., angry red whenever Sucks outnumber Awesomes.
That would remind me too much of the giant billboard here in LA that keeps track of how many smoking deaths there still are each year…
Know that billboard well. Santa Monica Blvd not far from the big Masonic complex. Also, I don’t believe it’s productive for one’s mental health to be reminded of Cols’ numbing and simplistic redundancy.
RAOUL—YEAH MAYBE DOWN THE ROAD WE CAN DO THE SAME THING ( EVALUATION / GRADE CARD ) FOR THE CHARGE PLAYERS —I KNOW I AM REPEATING MYSELF BUT MORELAND MIGHT BE A SURPRISE FACTOR BY THE END OF THE SEASON—–EVERYBODY IS VERY HIGH ON HIM / PUTTING UP SOME VERY GOOD STATS —-EXAMPLE SAT NIGHT’S GAME / ABOUT 35 MINUTES—19PTS / 14 REB’S / 4 BLK’S / 4 STL’S / 4 ASSISTS —NOW I REALIZE WE DON’T HAVE TO LOOK TO FAR DOWN THE CAVS BENCH (MAMBA ) TO SEE A D-LEAGUE PLAYER PUT UP SOME FANTASTIC STATS AND NOT… Read more »
I THINK WE WILL SEE MORE OF KILLER SHRIMP COMING UP AND I AGREE HE IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE–THAT IS UNCLE DAN’S ” GOLDEN CHILD “
Fun stuff, Mike. I’m high on Liggins, but Kay won’t progress with the Cavs. He has to get playing time against NBA competition to improve because the adjustments for him are so much different than for other players. He’s just never going to see the floor enough with the Cavs. Think about Isaiah Thomas. Do you think he’d have ever gotten any run if he’d been on a team that was any good? He’d never have developed. Kay needs to go someplace he can play at least 12 minutes a night. Houston? Sacramento? Denver?
Thanks for the kind words, guys! Nate, I agree on Felder, but do you think Gilbert well let that happen? He really loves that kid.
So far Gilbert seems willing to do whatever Griffin tells him the team needs to do. He’s the best owner you can have. Willing to spend and stays out of the decision making stuff.
You guys heard about the Canton Charge?
RAOUL —GOOD PTS ON LIGGINS ( ALTHOUGH 6TH MAN OF THE YEAR MIGHT BE A STRETCH )—BELIEVE HE CAN / WILL IMPROVE ON HIS 3 PT SHOOTING ( BOTH LEBRON AND M.J. WERE TERRIBLE AT THE START OF THEIR CARRERS AT 3 PT SHOOTING ) AND YES AS FAR AS STRAIGHT UP ON BALL DEFENSE — HE IS BETTER THAN DELLY / ALSO IF YOU WATCHED SAT’S GAME HE HAD A NIFTY PASS TO T.T./ SO HE MIGHT ALREADY BE BUILDING THAT COMBINATION—— I STILL HAVE HOPE FOR DUNLEAVY —BUT HAVE TO ADMIT NY HIGH EXPECTATIONS FROM SEPT HAVE DIMINISHED
Excellent overview, Mike. I would direct anyone that hasn’t seen the Cavs play much to this report card to get a sense of the season thus far.
Excellent recap. One thing is might argue is that Liggins does not have potential upside. He has size and athleticism that obviously no one ever gets better at. But it is not uncommon for players to become much better shooters and generally better on offense as they get older. Liggins already seems pretty good at shooting 3’s. If he becomes a consistently good 3 point shooter, he will be in “sixth man of the year” territory.
Liggins is a good defender already though. That’s key. Like, people praised Delly for defense even though anyone with any quicks could go right by him. Liggins is a different story. If he shoots and plays defense then our wing depth is much improved over last year.
Delly was overrated a bit as an isolation defender as you are always so apt to point out. But he was an excellent help defender and the Cavs defensive rebounding rate when he was on the court was very high. If Liggins can make a Delly-Like impact it will be a game changer for the Cavs.
Liggins is already making a bigger impact than Delly. This version of Liggins, if he can keep it up, will actually get to play in the Finals. Perimeter defense is extremely important against the Frauds.
LIKE THE WRITE UP / GRADING —YES LOVE IS HIS OLD ( TIMBERWOLVES ) SELF AGAIN / SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR AN ALL STAR PLACE —–HYPOTHETICAL QUSTION —IF THE GM’S FOR EITHER DAVIS / COUSINS / TOWNS CALLED AND OFFERED YOU A STRAIGHT UP DEAL FOR LOVE ( KNOW IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN ) DO YOU PULL THE TRIGGER —I SAY YES ” WITHOUT A DOUBT ” ON DAVIS / TOWNS –MAYBE ON COUSINS —-GOING TO BE AN INTERESTING BACK / BACK WITH THE GRIZ THIS WEEK —OTHER THAN THE CAVS THEY ARE PROBABLY PLAYING THE BEST BALL IN THE… Read more »
Obviously you trade Love for KAT or Davis without thinking about it. As for Cousins, it’s more complicated but you can argue either way on that one. You’d probably do it I think, but I’m much less sure.
WHAT? No.
No. Love’s shooting is out of this world right now. Those guys just aren’t the shooters yet that Love is. Plus, who knows if they’d fit a role as well as Love does. Now if it was for the Zinger? Then I might do it.
I give the team an E. Everything is Awesome
You know things are going great when the Cols Awesome to Sucks ratio is above 5.0, like it is lately!
Jordan McRae should get an E for Euro-league bound.
The team feels so much different now than when Blatt was at the helm. Which is weird, because they were still winning out the conference. I think the difference with Lue is his communication style. He’s connected with the players in a way Blatt never could.
Plus Lue is much better at out of bounds plays and actually getting his guys to run an offense. It’s not even close as to who is the better coach.
I’m not sure who has a lower opinion of Blatt, Cols or Windhorst.
I missed many of Windy’s podcasts when Blatt was the coach. Was BW’s main beef communication or strategy or both?
Well Windy reported some angst when Blatt was the coach but since the day Blatt was fired Windy has on a number of occasions expressed how little he thought of Blatt. Ita often subtle, as BW isn’t prone to much emotion or hyperbole, but it’s such a persistent sentiment that I get the feeling he just thinks Blatt was awful.
It seems to me that BW’s main beef is that Blatt was arrogant (possibly as a defense mechanism) but that it caused him to be tone deaf with the players. He also didn’t like the way Blatt got defiant with the media when he was obviously wrong about some things.
You make a great point though – put of timeout execution under Lue has been seemingly outstanding. At least that’s what my eyes tell me.
The Cavs played at a very high level under Blatt from February 2014 until the Finals when they ran out of gas. They were never quite right last year but a lot of that was imo the injuries to Love, Irving, and Shumpert. By almost any measure, Blatt did well with the Cavs. I just think Griff thought the boys needed to play out of their minds to win it all and he didn’t see that ceiling being reached under Blatt. The thing is, the Cavs really turned the defense up in the playoffs and there is no reason to… Read more »
Fascinating thought. I was embarrassed by the move when it happened, but after talking with lots of folks, I think the biggest problem was that LeBron just wouldn’t run through a wall for him. He just didn’t have the respect that Lue had. Part of this is that he kissed LeBron’s butt too much. And as Ferris Beuler once said, “You can’t respect someone who kisses your ass.”
I think Blatt was not too bad, but I totally disagree with the “Blatt was great/Blatt got screwed” theory. Pretty much any NBA coach would have gone to the finals with this team, including Mike Brown or Hubie Brown or Larry Brown or even Charlie Brown. Blatt was trying to fit a collection of unique talents into his Euroball theory of how to play — it was a poor fit, and he was “out of his league” in more ways than one. On the other hand, Lue designed a system to maximize the players. The Cavs were a better team… Read more »
I don’t think you can say we would have been two time defending champs. Red Auerbach couldn’t have led the Cavs over the Warriors with Irving and Love both out. I side with Tom that if – and that’s a big if – the Cavs played the same defense with Blatt as the coach, we still would have won the chip. It’s very clear that replacing Blatt, however, was the right move for overall chemistry.
Nope. Blatt was not a good NBA coach. He didn’t even get offered an assistant job after he got fired. Yeesh people.
I thought he was offered to be an assistant WITH the Warriors? But he wanted HC or bust so he crossed the atlantic again
I cannot believe there are still Blatt deadenders. That guy showed nothing over two years with the Cavs.
Nonononono. The biggest problem was Blatt was very arrogant. Lue is such a better coach.
Fun and accurate write-up, Mike, of the Cavs’s season to date. I would only suggest that LeBron is much more than “…a top ten player in the league by any standard.” I believe he has been a top three player in the league by any standard, while still occasionally operating in chill mode as you indicate. I think Wesbrook and James have been the best all around players, and you could perhaps debate 4-5 other players filling out the other top three spot: Durant, Anthony Davis, Harden, and maybe DeRozan or Lillard. Curry’s star has fallen somewhat as even Dubs… Read more »