From Distance: And We’re Back

four point play….

1. First off, hello, everyone. I haven’t written a post since our world changed. “From Distance” became, “In the Abyss”, and I apologize to those of you who actually made it a point to read my work.

What can I say? Initially, I couldn’t find the point in writing; or I suppose I knew that anything I would write would be impregnated with political discourse as I am wont to do. Whatever the various reasons were, I just didn’t find the impulse to write about one of my favorite things in our beautiful, if flawed, culture.

There was no time in which I stopped watching basketball. If anything, like many of us, I turned to sport to help keep my mind off of various existential crises. I watched LeBron win the the weirdest Championship in history. I delighted in Gianni’s demolition of the Suns and the remaining criticisms levied at him.

Frankly, it’s been a weird couple of seasons, and Cavaliers basketball provided plenty fodder for that weird. But this group of guys has made “weird” live up to its best connotation. This group has gotten my typing fingers itching. In short. I absolutely love this team.

2. And what’s not to love? Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month, Evan Mobley has provided the rarest and most lovely of combinations: transcendent potential and current production. NBA nerds have been properly losing their minds over this kid, but his brief absence, resulting in the Cavs’ losing streak, stemmed some of the talk.

It seems big road wins over the Mavs and Heat have thrust Mobley and the Cavs back into the spotlight.

Coach Nick underplayed the offensive strengths of this squad in his appraisal. I understand the spacing worry, but vertical spacing can be just as important as floor spacing. How many teams in the league have two elite lob catchers in their starting lineup? Toss in Isaac Okoro’s hops and Lauri’s size, and the Cavs starting unit has the most vertical spacing in the league. Even if one is obsessed with shooting, it’s clear Lauri’s shot will come around. Mobley is beginning to hoist from deep with more regularity and efficiency. Even Isaac is coming out of this early season shooting slump.

Honestly, I see no issue with the offense other than the team’s propensity to turn the ball over. When the Cavs don’t gift the rock, they keep a fantastic opportunity on the offensive glass, and limit points in transition.

The team is currently turning the ball over 16.6 times per game, good for second worse in the NBA. Some of those TOs don’t hurt the team. We should all applaud any lob attempt or big to big pass. The potential benefit of those attempts far favor the cost.

The ones that are giving the Cavs trouble are largely focused based. They come in bunches when the team is trying to pick up the pace with the dribble instead of by picking up it up via player movement. If the Cavs are able to cut out these strange pockets of sloppiness, they will be fine on the offensive end. It should be noted that good egalitarian systems can feature higher assist AND turnover numbers. Draymond throws the ball out of bounds regularly. Indeed, the Warriors are third in the league in turnovers. Playing with joy does have its consequences.

Garland and Rubio are both doing a masterful job of manipulating pace and matchups. I am pleased to see how the team looks for mismatches without stopping the ball. The collective IQ to see which ball swings net the best matchup advantage is startling to watch after years of Collin Sexton madness. (we will get to him later).

Coach Nick did focus on the primary reason the Cavs are built for long-term success. The defensive effort and talent. I put effort first because it is a joy to watch. Every guy on this squad is busting his tail to be a positive defender.

Guys like Lauri Markkannen and Dean Wade are foolishly hunted by opposing teams. Both guys are moving their feet incredibly well, staying down on pump fakes, and generally shutting down wings in ways that no one would have expected.

If I were an opposing GM, I would be praying for the Cavs to make Dean Wade available in a trade. He has given Kevin Durant the hardest time of any guy I have seen this season. Time and time again, Durant would go to pet moves assuming Wade would bite and consistently, Dean used his feet and head to force tough shots. Any top team in the East would be happy to have that kind of defense on Durant come playoff time.

https://twitter.com/King0fCleveland/status/1463237360116805643

Darius Garland might not have the hugely positive defensive numbers that both Lauri and Dean flaunt, but his willingness to chase, move his feet, and keep his hands up are turning him into a difficult player to beat.

The refs will slowly begin to realize that Darius rarely touches guys on opponents’ forays to the cup. His consistent hand showing with his raised arms has confused refs into calling phantom fouls. It is almost as though they see his arms up and assume he is pleading with them “no, I didn’t foul him, I swear”. Referees whistle reactions on a regular basis. Maybe they will soon get the memo that Garland’s hands are not an admittance of guilt but simply fundamentally sound one-on-one defense.

3. Now, we must use this time to honor a huge reason why the wing and perimeter defenders are able to move their feet and focus so directly on their responsibilities. Tower City’s Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. The Cavs feature two of the best switch bigs in the NBA who also happen to be two of the best rim protectors in the league. The Cavs currently lead the NBA in contested 2 pointers per game. They prevent the opponent from even taking many threes, but when they do, they often run into this problem.

Mobley has put up elite defensive numbers as called out on the recent podcast. He leads the NBA in contested shots per game at 14.1. What is particularly impressive is that he is contesting from all areas of the floor. He trails only Poeltl and Gobert in contested 2pt shots. Those guys average 2.5 and 2.6 contested 3pt shots per game. Mobley? FOUR 3pt per game. Al Horford and Ayton are the only guys that are anywhere near that prolific in both zones.

The Cavs are 12-6 with Mobley in the lineup. If the Cavs stay healthy, Mobley will be an All-Defensive team candidate and could be voted in by the coaches for the All-Star Game. Coaches get it, even if the fans don’t. He isn’t a great defender for a rookie. He is an elite NBA defender. I am tickled pink.

4. While I am not happy that Collin Sexton is injured, his absence unequivocally makes the Cavs a better team. Allowing Isaac Okoro to play his natural position at the two has turned a good defense into a dominant one. Sexton is neither long, skilled, or smart on the defensive end. He tries hard, but he hasn’t grown much since his rookie year. He still hops around like I detailed years ago. You can’t change directions when you are in the air.

Offensively, the Cavs do occasionally miss his shot-making and speed in the open floor. Those skills don’t make up for his tendency to completely stall the offense. It takes Collin too long to gather, appraise the defense, and flow into his move. Unless he is diving backdoor or around the C cut, he catches the ball, pulls out the dribble, and allows the defense to recover. It is maddening and hurtful for the offense on the whole.

Collin’s absence has put the target on Dylan Windler and Isaac Okoro. Fans always want to hate on somebody. You will not get that here. Both Windler and Okoro are intelligent players looking to move the ball and hit the glass. Yes, I recognize Isaac is shooting terribly from three so far. It just doesn’t bother me. Lou Dort shot terribly before he started to hit. For all the grief Windler gets from some of you, he is still a plus defender (length and smarts win the day, though he needs to stay down on fakes better) and hitting 39 percent from deep.

These guys aren’t busts and they certainly should not be traded anytime soon unless packaged for a superstar. This team has great chemistry and is deeper than 90 percent of the league. Let’s see how they look in February before packing anyone’s bags.

Quickies: 

I continue to be perplexed by the Blazers trading of Gary Trent Jr. for Norman Powell. Powell is a fine player, but Trent is a larger and better defender, equal shooter, and much younger. It didn’t make sense when it happened and continues to be a headscratcher.

I get it. Chris Paul is good. But, do we have collective amnesia? Once a team FINALLY shut down his snake PnR into a fallaway jumper to his right, he cratered and had “injuries”. Every good coach in the league knows that Paul’s right elbow, fall toward his right jumper is cash. He is a much less successful shooter when he is forced to his left. Regular season teams might not execute the scouting report well enough to stop his pet move, but good playoff teams who aren’t totally decimated by injuries will. The Suns are good. Chris Paul is still wildly overrated and very stoppable.

If you all don’t watch much of the NBA, take some time to duck in and out of other non-Cavs games. What you will find is that the Cavs and Warriors are playing the best team ball in the NBA. What a joy to watch.