CtB Trifecta Part 2 (Recaps, Rants, and Live Thread)

Good afternoon CtB!

Here’s a running diary of the past 72 hours in Cavs World…

1. Cavs 114, Grizzlies 115 (or, Another Choke Job)

The Cavs wasted a stellar second half of defense with a complete fourth quarter offensive meltdown to lose a heartbreaker in Memphis 114-115 against the Grizzlies. The Cavs had a lead going to the last few seconds of the game until a Steven Adams putback and a disastrous offensive possession put nails on the coffin while Coach J.B. Bickerstaff looked on with a timeout in his pocket. The team squandered a virtuoso MVP performance by Darius Garland, who clearly outplayed NBA darling Ja Morant. Caris LeVert and Evan Mobley also put in excellent second fiddle performances and went toe to toe with Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., two more NBA cult favorites.

While the last minute collapse received the full reaction treatment, the game was really about how Memphis’ small ball with Brandon Clarke and John Konchar completely obliterated Cedi Osman and Kevin Love off the bench. It was simply a bad matchup, but J.B.’s continuous trend of failing to have an answer for small ball needs to be held to account. The Cavs are failing to take advantage of Tower City on offense (Cavs are tied with the New York Knicks for worst post-up offensive efficiency in the NBA) and getting smoked at the three point line on defense (Cavs are bottom five in the NBA in opponent 3pt% at 37.2%). Coach Bickerstaff is forcing the team to make up deficiencies on both sides of the ball when opposing teams decide to go zero centers or one center.

2. Warriors 120, Cavs 114 (or, Dark Night of the Soul)

After Wednesday night’s debacle, the Cavs predictably let down against the Santa Cruz Warriors 120-114 in what has to be the nadir of the Cavs’ 2022-23 campaign. In contrast to the Memphis game, The starters just decided, and more particularly Isaac Okoro and Jarrett Allen, to not give a shit about playing defense. It was the scrappiness of Raul Neto and Lamar Stevens and the offense of Cedi and Love that kept the game interesting. And it was again the Cavs’ inability to punish small ball frontcourt of JaMychal Green and Anthony Lamb that doomed them to failure.

There was a ton of soul searching by everyone in CavsLand, about what ails the team: is it injuries, is it personnel, is coaching? Allow me to proffer a theory…

What’s “ailing” the Cavs is an organizational gambit to maximize the defense and ceiling of the team, even if means costing the team wins. The J.B. Bickerstaff is leaning heavily on Evan Mobley, Isaac Okoro, and Lamar Stevens (~74 minutes per game) to dominate on defense and buy time to let them figure out their offensive games. This move comes at the expense of Cedi, Love, and Neto’s minutes (~51 minutes per game). Cedi, Love, and Neto also happen to be grizzled veterans in the rotation that have a ton of NBA experience and know what it takes to win. When the Cavs shit the bed like they did last night, it calls into question whether the gambit will work or whether J.B. is struggling to balance the two sides between youth and experience. The playoffs will reveal all.

3. Will Mobley and/or Ice make the leap?

There’s a ton of media discourse out there about the advancements (or lack thereof) of the Cavs’ youngest players Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley. So in consultation with the trusty abacus, it appears that the truth lies somewhere in the middle between “no improvements” and “taken a leap.”

With Mobley, the main issue is a regression of his ability to anticipate on both ends of the court. His stocks are down and his turnovers are up even though he’s being used less on offense than last season. It’s a concerning trend because his feel for the game was his calling card coming out of the draft. On the other hand, Mobley’s clearly become a better scorer and rebounder this season, which is an excellent sign that Mobley works to improve the weaknesses in his game. The coaching staff needs to get him thinking less and playing with more poise on the court, when that happens the stocks and assists will go up and the turnovers will come back down.

The story of Isaac Okoro’s season is the massive leap he’s made on the defensive side of the ball. His reputation as a great defender was more projection than reality until this season. Ice’s massive leap in stocks and rebounds has turned him into one of the legitimate perimeter defenders in the NBA at the tender age of 22. Sadly, the leap hasn’t been there on offense this season, but he’s clearly putting in the work and hopefully will show improvement in the playoffs. The Cavs are clearly rolling the dice that the heavy minutes load will eventually pay off when the games matter most.

4. BREAKING WOJ BOMB

ESPN Sources: After missing seven weeks with a shoulder injury, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Dean Wade is planning his return against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday: https://t.co/dSR6mt8zPy

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 21, 2023

5. Quick words on the Grizzlies and Warriors

If there was a blueprint for the Cavs to follow, it’s probably the Memphis Grizzlies. Both teams bank on their defenses being elite, and their offenses being just good enough. The thing with Memphis is that they’re clearly a well-coached squad that has overachieved the last two seasons relative to their talent, as opposed to the Cavs who’ve done the opposite. The Cavs need to find a way to win ugly more consistently, something the Memphis squad has perfected.

As for the Warriors, they’ve been a pinnacle of mediocrity in the NBA this season… but there’s no way I’d want to face them in a play-in or playoff scenario. I need to see them dead and buried before I’ll believe their run is over.

6. Tonight, the hospital Milwaukee Bucks

Cavs welcome the Milwaukee Bucks to the shores of Lake Erie for another B-team scrimmage as both teams look to load manage their stars. The Bucks will be without both Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Cavs will rest Donovan Mitchell. Luckily for the Cavs, they can correct the mistakes of last night by being professional and taking care of business. Or they can continue to choke away prime opportunities to stack wins and secure home court advantage in the playoffs. Hopefully tonight it’s the former versus the latter, Go Cavs!