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Cavs might be short a big man who scores
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
Published on Thursday, Oct 30, 2008
In May, the Cavaliers lost Game 7 in Boston by five points.
In the offseason, the Boston Celtics subtracted James Posey and P.J. Brown, and the Cavs added Mo Williams.
The result in the season opener Tuesday?
A five-point Cavs loss.
This might not be a bad sign — the planets do not seem misaligned — but it is a sign that the Cavs have to get over this Boston hump. The good thing is they have the benefit of time to do it.
In that regard, the Cavs might want to pay better attention to the regular season and homecourt advantage. They've lost eight in a row at Boston (counting playoffs), but the Celtics did not beat the Cavs in Cleveland in the playoffs last season.
Every regular-season game matters, and that homecourt edge might be crucial come April and May.
On the plus side, what stood out Tuesday night was the play of forward Anderson Varejao. Coach Mike Brown said Varejao almost single-handedly kept the Cavs in the game in the fourth quarter.
He was right. And most of the plays that came from Varejao were hustle plays, working for rebounds, playing defense on Kevin Garnett, that kind of thing.
This provides a very good sign.
Varejao's head was a mess last season, because of his contract holdout and his injuries and the acquisition of Joe Smith, which took his minutes. That led him to try to do things he should not have been trying to do.
If Varejao is back to his old self, the Cavs will benefit.
That being said, the Cavs might be one big guy short. That's because they traded Smith for Williams, a move to add a point guard. It was a move that needed to be made but did hurt, because losing Smith is not insignificant.
Rookie forward J.J. Hickson played a lot in the preseason but didn't play at all in the opener. Those minutes went to Lorenzen Wright. Perhaps one game is too early to judge Wright, but he did not provide the offense from the short-range jump shot that Smith did.
The trade for Williams took some time because Brown did not want to lose Smith and kept looking for a way to make the deal without involving him.\
But the Oklahoma City Thunder insisted.
Which leaves the Cavs with Ben Wallace and Varejao, who are not offensive players, behind center Zydrunas Ilgauskas. They need Wright to be better, or they need Hickson to blossom.
Williams showed why he was so welcome, though. He pushed the ball and led LeBron James to a thunderous dunk in the fourth quarter on the break.
He's also a very good shooter.
Williams will help, as will the re-signing of Delonte West, a hard-nosed, tough, tough guard.
But Brown cautioned that he wants his team to be ''opportunistic'' when pushing the ball and that he does not want the game to become a ''rat race.''
This might sound like a coach trying to exert control, which would really be no surprise, given most coaches like control. But Brown believes firmly that teams that run like greyhounds (such as the Phoenix Suns the past few years) won't win in the playoffs. They might be pretty, but the coach does not believe they are championship caliber.
The Cavs had some turnovers from their rat-race pace in the fourth quarter, and it will take time for the team to adjust to Williams and the new emphasis.
They also missed free throws in the fourth quarter, especially James. And they missed 3-pointers in the game — the only player to make a one was Williams.
Daniel Gibson will make those shots in the regular season, as will James, who was not upset about the way his team played. His logic: We missed some good shots. Hard to argue that point, too.
But at some point, it has to be more than this, that or the other thing. A team has to unseat its rival, to win on the other team's homecourt, if it wants to be a championship team. If at season's end, it's the same story, there's only one conclusion: The Celtics are simply better.
There is no reason not to believe that James will benefit from Williams' presence and the Cavs' faster ''opportunistic'' pace.
Remember, a year ago the Cavs had turmoil leaving training camp and James looked bad in a bad opening-game loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
He rebounded in Game 2 with an outstanding game and was outstanding the rest of the season.
A year ago he said he would not allow his team to play poorly.
He didn't.
This season he doesn't need to have that mantra, because the Cavs' talent should keep them from playing poorly.
They just need to get over the Boston hump.
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com. Read his blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/mcmanamon/.
In May, the Cavaliers lost Game 7 in Boston by five points.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Naples, FL
Posted 07:22 AM, 10/30/2008
AV's problem last year had nothing to do with his head but with his ankle. When he returned from his holdout in '07 he played the best baskeball of his short career until his ankle injury and was not the same, nor was his ankle, the rest of the way. Look for Andy to have a huge year if he can stay healthy.
