The Point Four-ward: R-E-L-A-X

Kyrie Irving during the NBA Finals, reminiscing about all of the great things Robert Attenweiler wrote.

1) So what happened during the the latest road trip?
The Cavs are coming off a stretch of mediocre basketball, going 4-4 in 2017 (including a six game road trip starting in Brooklyn and ending in Oakland).  The Cavs offense has really gone off the rails, posting an anemic 99.8 Offensive Rating, which is 3rd worst in the NBA during that stretch.  They’ve also managed the worst Assist to Turnover Ratio and eFG% in the league during the same span.  Contrast that to the 2016 portion of the 2016-2017 season, a 32 game campaign where the Cavs posted the 3rd best Offensive Rating of 111.3, the 3rd best eFG%, and 10th best Assist to Turnover Ratio.

There are lots of contributing factors here.  Kyrie Irving hasn’t been the same since pulling his hamstring, Kyle Korver hasn’t even had an opportunity to check out the practice facility in Cleveland, and Kevin Love is nursing an achy back, rendering his status questionable for the game Thursday against the Phoenix Suns.

2) Is help coming via an outside player?
Probably not through a trade according to Brian Windhorst, who is adamant that the Cavs have nothing left in the cabinet to trade and pulled off a near miracle in acquiring Kyle Korver, nearly causing a mutiny in the Atlanta Hawks organization.  Windy is fairly certain that this Cavs team is who they will be in the playoffs, barring another miracle.  While a trade may not lead to a contributor, the buyout market may be friendlier, as the Cavs still have an open roster spot.

Windy says to watch to buyout market. Bogut could be bought out in Dallas. Would be a lot of competition to sign him.

— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) January 18, 2017

3) Did the Warriors send a message? What does this mean for the Cavs?
The Cavs laid an egg on MLK Jr. Day, getting blown out by 30+ points. Afterwards, there was some discussion about whether this constitutes a bonafide rivalry.  Draymond Green and the Warriors have stated publicly that it is a rivalry while LeBron and the Cavs have downplayed it.  One thing is clear though, the Warriors sent a message, loud and clear.

Cleveland has half a season to “get ready” for their ultimate goal of winning another championship.  While the Cavs records stands eerily similar to this juncture last year (29-11 this year vs. 30-11), no one seems to think Tyronn Lue is in danger of getting canned the way David Blatt was.  With Toronto and Boston within 3.5 games of Cleveland, people may get anxious and urge the team to clamp down on defense and, you know, actually try hard.  This team isn’t wired that way.  They seem to like being put in a position of having their backs against the wall.  LeBron James thrives in that role.  LeBron has said many times that he doesn’t like being comfortable.  Trust the process, Cavs fans, LeBron knows what he is doing, evident by his six straight Finals Appearances.

A reminder the Cavaliers are undefeated against the Warriors in NBA Finals where they lose a January game by 30-plus points.

— Greg Swartz (@GregSwartzBR) January 17, 2017

The Cavs are in a funk and may be exposed again in some upcoming nationally televised games against the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder in the next two weeks.  But, why get bogged down by Kyrie’s Advanced Stats and other errata from the Encyclopedia Galactica when you could just enjoy the Hitchhikers Guide to the Cavs.  First, it is slightly cheaper; and secondly it has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large friendly letters on its cover.

4) Lastly, we lose a great one…….
In case you didn’t notice, this is my first attempt at a Point Four-ward as I try to fill in the GINORMOUS shoes of Robert Attenweiler, who will be taking on a smaller role to focus on other writing projects.  Cavs:TheBlog will miss Robert dearly, as we wish him nothing but the best in all of his future endeavors.

If you want to reach him, please give him a follow on Twitter @cadavalier or shoot him an email at rattenweiler@gmail.com.