Cleveland Cavaliers
It has been a roller coaster ride in Cleveland dating back to July. The Cavs went from also-ran to title contender in matter of hours as LeBron James signed on the dotted line, and with the addition of Kevin Love, David Blatt and a set of veteran role players, expectations rose to unforeseen heights. Sadly, Cleveland has been unable to meet them to this point.
It should certainly be noted that LeBron James has missed 10 games, and in games without him, the Cavaliers are just 2-8. Still, Cleveland’s overall 23-20 mark is flatly unacceptable for a team with this kind of personnel, and that has led to various reports about the team and a potential mutiny against Blatt.
Defense is the real issue for LeBron and company, as the Cavs are a bottom-five team on that end. They have allowed 106.4 points per 100 possessions, and not even an uptick from the addition of Timofey Mozgov can account for that sort of disastrous performance. Admittedly, the team has looked much better since LeBron’s return from injury, and that is encouraging, but if we are to evaluate a 43-game sample, there is a lot to be desired.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have talent and that means something. LeBron James has shown the ability to carry lousy supporting casts to relative success, and that is almost assuredly coming in the second half, but grades are about actual performance and not projection, and history doesn’t treat this group kindly right now, even with the built-in caveat of a new team gelling together.
Grade: C-