Well, it’s been almost a month since the NBA tipped off, which means we are officially ready to panic about the Cleveland Cavaliers.
You see, a 6-7 record to start the season has left the sports world scratching its collective head. How can you add two of the top 10 best players in professional basketball and not see immediate results?
To make matters worse, the team is losing to anyone and everyone. Good teams? The Cavs have lost to the Spurs and Raptors. Bad teams? They’ve also lost to the Jazz and Knicks.
That isn’t to say there haven’t been wins too. The Central-leading Bulls and the high-rising Pelicans were each dealt losses by LeBron and Co. The real question becomes, then, which team we should expect after having been a front-runner to win the NBA championship this year.
Let’s look at a few facts, though. Of the 15 players on the active roster, 10 of them were not playing for the Cavaliers a year ago. Not just any ten, either. Two of the starting five, plus three major contributors off the bench. While all basketball courts are the same dimensions, it is a huge adjustment to move to another city, meet new teammates, and get into a new system. This is, of course, all compounded by a rookie head coach, David Blatt, who is experiencing some growing pains as he gets comfortable with the intensity of the NBA.
On top of everything, the superstars brought in to help James’ quest to bring a title to Cleveland have exactly no experience in the playoffs. Kevin Love was stuck in Minnesota, where losing was as assured as snow in October (yes, there is snow in October in Minnesota). Kyrie Irving was a flashy member of a Cavaliers team that is only a few years removed from breaking the record for sucking over the longest stretch of time (don’t worry, the 76ers made that a distant memory last year). This team may be a statistical powerhouse, but it will need to do a lot of work to translate those individual numbers into team wins.
This team, though, is a few weeks away from getting comfortable playing in their new environment. Players will grow comfortable, teammates will gel, and this team will begin to scare everyone. Oh, and did I mention that, in the abysmal Eastern Conference, a 6-7 record earns the Cavaliers the seventh seed in the playoffs?
LeBron James is the greatest player in the world. He will be able to take over this team and lead them on a deep drive that will scare any and all opponents. On the way, though, he will have to learn how to be a player, a teammate, and a coach. He is doing all three of those things now, but the ratios are off. He needs to let Blatt do his job, while also providing guidance to an inexperienced team.
In an 82 game season, teams will go on hot streaks and cold streaks. While sensationalists will try to panic about any bump in the road. This Cleveland team, though, will be fine. There will be some learning curves, but come April and May, this will be a force that should put some fear into the Bulls, the Spurs, and anyone else who has an eye on a title.
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