January was not great for the Cavaliers. After their loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night, the defending NBA champions finished the month with a dismal 7-8 record and plenty of drama within the franchise.
Record aside, most of the drama was fueled by comments made by LeBron James. After a puzzling loss to the New Orleans Pelicans (one that saw the Cavaliers spoil a 49-point outburst by Kyrie Irving and a triple-double from James), LeBron suggested that the Cavaliers were perhaps satisfied with last season’s title. LeBron followed up those comments with a couple eye-opening tweets:
I not mad or upset at management cause Griff and staff have done a great job, I just feel we still need to improve in order to repeat…
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 24, 2017
if that's what we wanna do.
— LeBron James (@KingJames) January 24, 2017
James has suggested that the team needs another playmaker. He isn’t wrong. As the roster is constructed, the bulk of the ball-handling duties fall on either James or Irving.
The stats back up James’ claim.
According to Fox Sports, both James and Irving are both in the top 15 of the NBA in usage percentage. The Cavaliers are the only team with two players in the top 15. In short, James and Irving are carrying more of a load than any other duo for any other team in the NBA.
This much is evident: The Cavaliers need more help. The disagreement, however, is where the help will come from.
Certainly, the Cavaliers have the ability to add a veteran backup point guard, which would provide a band-aid fix to the Cavaliers’ problems. Names like free agents Norris Cole, Mario Chalmers, and Jarrett Jack have been floated around, while rumors have flown in regard to buyout candidates Rajon Rondo (Bulls) and Deron Williams (Mavericks).
But is adding a backup point guard enough? For the Cavaliers, a major shakeup could be best.
It is only the end of January and the Cavaliers are clearly bored, similar to how they were bored at times last season. In the same vein, the Cavaliers have been without JR Smith since before Christmas. There certainly is validity to the argument that the Cavaliers went through this last year and won a title with this lineup last June.
The other side of that argument is that their biggest obstacle in pursuit of a repeat is the Golden State Warriors, who, after losing to the Cavs in seven games in last year’s NBA Finals, replaced Harrison Barnes with the NBA’s second-best player in Kevin Durant.
If the Cavaliers are hoping to re-invent themselves, there are only so many options. Clearly, James and Irving are untouchable, while Tristan Thompson proved his worth in last year’s playoffs as he was able to switch screens and bother Golden State’s guards on the perimeter. That leaves the Cavs with one major bargaining chip: Kevin Love.
In last year’s NBA Finals, the Cavaliers were able to slow down the Warriors by dictating the tempo of the game on offense and allowing Irving and James to play isolation basketball on offense and loading up on the Golden State in the half court on defense. (Side note: In Irving and Love’s absence, the Cavaliers gave themselves a chance in 2015 by utilizing the same strategy.)
Love’s defensive struggles have been well-documented and there is little doubt that the Warriors’ small ball lineup makes it especially hard for Love on the defensive end. Unfortunately, Love’s offensive numbers have tapered against the Warriors, as well. In the 2016 Finals, Love was, for the most part, ineffective against the Warriors, averaging only 8.5 points, and 6.8 rebounds in 26.3 minutes per game, according to basketball reference. In that same stretch, Love shot only 36% from the field and 26% from beyond the three point arc.
Last week, ESPN reported that the New York Knicks approached the Cavaliers and offered Carmelo Anthony for Love, an offer that that Cavaliers rebuffed. However, perhaps the Cavaliers should reconsider.
Though Carmelo does not offer an upgrade defensively and is certainly not an elite rebounder, what he does offer the Cavaliers is another isolation option to take the pressure off James and Irving for significant stretches of the game. Carmelo can create his own shot better than Love and is a better option to carry an offense while James and Irving rest. At 36.5% from behind the arc on the season, Anthony would also serve as an adequate floor-spacer playing alongside the dynamic duo. In comparison, Love is shooting 37.5% from three this season.
While trading Love for an aging Anthony is not a slam-dunk fix for the Cavaliers, it could perhaps give the Cavaliers some depth on the offensive side of the ball.
A major shakeup is likely not a necessity for the Cavaliers – despite what has transpired in January, the Cavaliers are built for the playoff system – but is perhaps something they should consider.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
