Five things that need to be said

Here are a few things I know.  Or at least I think I know.

1. You can't run an up-tempo offense without a good offensive point guard.  At least not well.  The Cavs don't have one right now.  Maybe it'll work for a night or a week, but I not for long periods of time or, um, hello, the playoffs.  End of discussion. It may be fun to talk about Sasha Pavlovic at the 3, Andy Varejao at the 5, and LeBron James at the 4.  Hey, there's probably valid points and great ideas in there.  But the most important piece is missing right now.  This is not a slap of Daniel Gibson, I think he's got a great future.  Key word there, though, is future.

2. Over the last 29 games, the Cavs have scored 19 fastbreak points or more just twice.  The two games LeBron didn't play.  I'll bet he doesn't know that.

3. I understand why Larry Hughes is not thrilled with his role and he'd love to have more freedom both offensively and defensively.  But I'd have a little more sympathy if he didn't just chuck away from the outside and not pass or rebound much anymore.  He's playing mad and it isn't helping.   I mean, I know he wants to run, but when he does run he pulls up from 18 feet on a 3-on-2 break.  I was defending Hughes earlier this season when fans were getting on him when he was playing through an injury.  Well, he tells me he's fine now, so I say where's the real Larry Hughes?

4. Mike Brown's processes and theories are sound.  I 100 percent believe he knows what it takes to get teams to a championship level.  His faith in defense and stability are rock-solid basketball values.  I think he's a good coach.  A good head coach, however, demands respect from his players.  With them openly disagreeing with the way he plays offense, I don't sense a deep level of respect there.  This is a problem, one he's got to deal with.  This, even more than him eventually figuring out the offense, is key to his future.

5. If this Cavs team, as it is currently constructed, wants to do anything this season, it is going to have to come with defense.  If they are going to beat good teams and win on the road, it is going to have to be by shutting them down.  This was the way they won tough games all season.  This is what they can do.  Do what you can do, don't dream about what you can't do.

Then again, maybe I'm all wrong.