duncan228
11-27-2008, 05:38 PM
CHISOLM: CAVALIERS ARE FINALLY A LEGIT TITLE CONTENDER (http://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=257524)
Tim Chisolm
The Cavaliers are finally legit. After years of second-rate play around superstar LeBron James, and after an embarrassing 4-0 annihilation at the hands of the Spurs two springs ago, the Cavs are at last looking like the kind of team that could threaten the powers-that-be in the NBA. Their 12-3 start to the season is only part of the story as to why this team looks poised to make some serious noise come May and June, so long as they can keep a sensible head about the whole thing.
The first, and most obvious, difference with this iteration of the Cavs is the addition of point guard Mo Williams. For years this team has failed to pair James with a point guard who could relieve some of his playmaking and scoring duties, though not for lack of trying after a number of attempts made to pry Mike Bibby away from Sacramento the last two years that ultimately failed.
This summer the Cavs entered into a three-team deal that nabbed them Williams - a younger version of Bibby - who is an adept shooter that helps spread the floor while also bringing legit playmaking skills to the table. His arrival has allowed James, who has been a point forward for most of his career, the freedom to play off of the ball at times to find easier avenues for his already unstoppable offense (as evidenced by his career-high 49% shooting accuracy this year).
The trick with adding Williams wasn't to pull James off of the ball permanently, though, but rather to allow head coach Mike Brown the ability to tap into a deeper array of James' talents. Throughout games James is rotated around from point-forward to wing scorer to power forward, making thorough use of his many skills and attributes (including passing, rebounding, stealing, blocking, post-play, penetration and his awe-inspiring combination of size and speed). While a certain team may be able to match-up with him in one of those roles, very few have the versatility and roster depth to deal with all of the various hats he dons throughout a game. Williams has the scoring acumen to play both on the ball and off as an offensive player and that luxury has afforded James, and the Cavs a multitude of options not previously available to them with Larry Hughes, Eric Snow and Delonte West running the point.
Another side benefit of having Williams manning the point guard spot is that is has allowed West to return to the shooting guard spot he played at Saint Joseph's before being drafted by Boston and getting stuck at point guard. He's flourished at the position, averaging 11.5 points on a stunning 53% shooting from the floor and 44% from three (his previous career-highs had been 49% and 39%, respectively) and has mitigated the damage done by the fact Sasha Pavlovic and Daniel Gibson have been thoroughly inconsistent early in the season at the spot.
The trickle-down affect of having a player like Williams on the team will really be felt come Playoff time when rotations are shortened and each possession is vital. The balance he affords this roster will allow Brown to field lineups that aren't riddled with compromises (like being forced to play Pavlovic or Donyell Marshall to round out a rotation). The offense of the Cavs has finally started catching up with their typically effective defense and the results should send shivers down the spines of team's who used to bank on long Cleveland scoring droughts to defeat them in the Playoffs when they would simply double- and triple-team LeBron James and force his teammates to make plays. There is a chance that teams will finally be forced to play for such a stratagem and that could be a huge factor considering that the Cavs were already a force in the post-season, even with a triple-teamed LeBron James.
There is a danger looming on the horizon, though. There is a chance that this team, currently firing on all cylinders, could throw a wrench into their own machine, and even if it may be done with the best of intentions, it could upset everything they've worked so hard to get right.
Wally Szczerbiak, he of the $13-million expiring salary, could pose a scenario too tempting to pass up for GM Danny Ferry. The team, infatuated with the idea of pairing LeBron with another star, another high-wattage player to relieve some of the burden from his shoulders, could cause all of their progress to come to a screeching halt.
Of late, people seem to always want to refer back to the mid-season trade that saw Rasheed Wallace enter the fray for the Pistons on their way to an improbable title in 2004 as an archetype of solid team-building. It's a story that has only gained traction since the Lakers pulled a similar move last winter to nab Pau Gasol en route to the NBA Finals. Lost in those sagas, though, are the stories of the teams that followed the same through-line only to be denied the same fortunes of the teams that came before. Consider the Phoenix Suns of last season, sitting atop the Western Conference, trading for an aging monolith in Shaquille O'Neal only to fall from the top of the Conference and ultimately succumb to the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round of the Playoffs. They did not get the same storybook ending as the Pistons or Lakers; instead they fired their coach and endured a summer of bashing as over-the-hill washouts.
The issue is that sometimes teams, in their lust for star-power, ignore common sense as it applies to their roster. The Nuggets were infatuated with the idea of pairing Allen Iverson with Carmelo Anthony, and what they got were two players who were marginalized by their too-similar skill set. The same could be said of Chicago, in desperate need of post-scoring instead fell in love with Ben Wallace and threw a massive contract his way to lure him away from Detroit. He only served to further diminish what they team could do around the basket offensively and he was swiftly shipped away as soon as the team could find a taker (coincidentally it was the very Cavs under discussion).
The danger is that the Cavs could go about landing a Vince Carter or a Josh Howard only to realize that they don't really fit on this current team. The reason Rasheed and Pau were such effective transactions is because they filled a need that the teams identified, they weren't just big stars that they felt they could put a package together to acquire. What would adding a high-power scorer do to a team like the Cavaliers? They are already the second-best team in the NBA in field goal percentage (.485), and they are scoring well over 100 points per game, why risk messing that up? They don't need another scorer, as of right now it doesn't look like they NEED anything. What would be gained from acquiring another big contract in February? Is it so they can brag to their friends about how they turned Wally Szczerbiak into a more recognizable name? What if the import only serves to upset the balance that this team has spent five years cultivating, could they brag about that? What if that new player halts the momentum of a really good team?
We're not talking about a middling Playoff team in need of talent to get to the next level, here. We're talking about an elite team with arguably the most talented and unstoppable force in the NBA. They are on the cusp, they are right there as a title contender. To strike that balance it takes a steady hand and to maintain that balance it takes an even steadier one. One botched move and the whole thing comes crashing back down to Earth (isn't that right, Dallas?). It takes time to integrate star players into new systems (just ask Philadelphia or the Clippers), and sometimes the months of February and March aren't enough time to regain the momentum a team had before the trade (right Phoenix?). To risk upsetting that balance before one even sees if this team is good enough as built seems reckless to eyes of at least one writer.
Let's not mince words, here. This team needs to field a Championship-caliber team within the next two years. They need to be making trips to the Finals and ideally winning once there to make it nearly impossible for LeBron to leave in 2010. People want to talk about how much time teams have to position themselves to seduce him, why don't they talk about the fact that Cleveland has just as much time to prove there's no place like home? This team is really good right now. GM Danny Ferry and Mike Brown have shaken off some very iffy early years to get themselves to the place that they're at today. Does it really make sense to fix what hasn't even proven to be broken?
After years of harboring one of the best young players to come around in a generation on one of the most mediocre teams of that same period, the Cavs are finally on a course for a Championship bout they could actually win. While a cynic could say 'it's about time', let's instead just be happy that the time finally arrived.
Tim Chisolm
The Cavaliers are finally legit. After years of second-rate play around superstar LeBron James, and after an embarrassing 4-0 annihilation at the hands of the Spurs two springs ago, the Cavs are at last looking like the kind of team that could threaten the powers-that-be in the NBA. Their 12-3 start to the season is only part of the story as to why this team looks poised to make some serious noise come May and June, so long as they can keep a sensible head about the whole thing.
The first, and most obvious, difference with this iteration of the Cavs is the addition of point guard Mo Williams. For years this team has failed to pair James with a point guard who could relieve some of his playmaking and scoring duties, though not for lack of trying after a number of attempts made to pry Mike Bibby away from Sacramento the last two years that ultimately failed.
This summer the Cavs entered into a three-team deal that nabbed them Williams - a younger version of Bibby - who is an adept shooter that helps spread the floor while also bringing legit playmaking skills to the table. His arrival has allowed James, who has been a point forward for most of his career, the freedom to play off of the ball at times to find easier avenues for his already unstoppable offense (as evidenced by his career-high 49% shooting accuracy this year).
The trick with adding Williams wasn't to pull James off of the ball permanently, though, but rather to allow head coach Mike Brown the ability to tap into a deeper array of James' talents. Throughout games James is rotated around from point-forward to wing scorer to power forward, making thorough use of his many skills and attributes (including passing, rebounding, stealing, blocking, post-play, penetration and his awe-inspiring combination of size and speed). While a certain team may be able to match-up with him in one of those roles, very few have the versatility and roster depth to deal with all of the various hats he dons throughout a game. Williams has the scoring acumen to play both on the ball and off as an offensive player and that luxury has afforded James, and the Cavs a multitude of options not previously available to them with Larry Hughes, Eric Snow and Delonte West running the point.
Another side benefit of having Williams manning the point guard spot is that is has allowed West to return to the shooting guard spot he played at Saint Joseph's before being drafted by Boston and getting stuck at point guard. He's flourished at the position, averaging 11.5 points on a stunning 53% shooting from the floor and 44% from three (his previous career-highs had been 49% and 39%, respectively) and has mitigated the damage done by the fact Sasha Pavlovic and Daniel Gibson have been thoroughly inconsistent early in the season at the spot.
The trickle-down affect of having a player like Williams on the team will really be felt come Playoff time when rotations are shortened and each possession is vital. The balance he affords this roster will allow Brown to field lineups that aren't riddled with compromises (like being forced to play Pavlovic or Donyell Marshall to round out a rotation). The offense of the Cavs has finally started catching up with their typically effective defense and the results should send shivers down the spines of team's who used to bank on long Cleveland scoring droughts to defeat them in the Playoffs when they would simply double- and triple-team LeBron James and force his teammates to make plays. There is a chance that teams will finally be forced to play for such a stratagem and that could be a huge factor considering that the Cavs were already a force in the post-season, even with a triple-teamed LeBron James.
There is a danger looming on the horizon, though. There is a chance that this team, currently firing on all cylinders, could throw a wrench into their own machine, and even if it may be done with the best of intentions, it could upset everything they've worked so hard to get right.
Wally Szczerbiak, he of the $13-million expiring salary, could pose a scenario too tempting to pass up for GM Danny Ferry. The team, infatuated with the idea of pairing LeBron with another star, another high-wattage player to relieve some of the burden from his shoulders, could cause all of their progress to come to a screeching halt.
Of late, people seem to always want to refer back to the mid-season trade that saw Rasheed Wallace enter the fray for the Pistons on their way to an improbable title in 2004 as an archetype of solid team-building. It's a story that has only gained traction since the Lakers pulled a similar move last winter to nab Pau Gasol en route to the NBA Finals. Lost in those sagas, though, are the stories of the teams that followed the same through-line only to be denied the same fortunes of the teams that came before. Consider the Phoenix Suns of last season, sitting atop the Western Conference, trading for an aging monolith in Shaquille O'Neal only to fall from the top of the Conference and ultimately succumb to the San Antonio Spurs in five games in the first round of the Playoffs. They did not get the same storybook ending as the Pistons or Lakers; instead they fired their coach and endured a summer of bashing as over-the-hill washouts.
The issue is that sometimes teams, in their lust for star-power, ignore common sense as it applies to their roster. The Nuggets were infatuated with the idea of pairing Allen Iverson with Carmelo Anthony, and what they got were two players who were marginalized by their too-similar skill set. The same could be said of Chicago, in desperate need of post-scoring instead fell in love with Ben Wallace and threw a massive contract his way to lure him away from Detroit. He only served to further diminish what they team could do around the basket offensively and he was swiftly shipped away as soon as the team could find a taker (coincidentally it was the very Cavs under discussion).
The danger is that the Cavs could go about landing a Vince Carter or a Josh Howard only to realize that they don't really fit on this current team. The reason Rasheed and Pau were such effective transactions is because they filled a need that the teams identified, they weren't just big stars that they felt they could put a package together to acquire. What would adding a high-power scorer do to a team like the Cavaliers? They are already the second-best team in the NBA in field goal percentage (.485), and they are scoring well over 100 points per game, why risk messing that up? They don't need another scorer, as of right now it doesn't look like they NEED anything. What would be gained from acquiring another big contract in February? Is it so they can brag to their friends about how they turned Wally Szczerbiak into a more recognizable name? What if the import only serves to upset the balance that this team has spent five years cultivating, could they brag about that? What if that new player halts the momentum of a really good team?
We're not talking about a middling Playoff team in need of talent to get to the next level, here. We're talking about an elite team with arguably the most talented and unstoppable force in the NBA. They are on the cusp, they are right there as a title contender. To strike that balance it takes a steady hand and to maintain that balance it takes an even steadier one. One botched move and the whole thing comes crashing back down to Earth (isn't that right, Dallas?). It takes time to integrate star players into new systems (just ask Philadelphia or the Clippers), and sometimes the months of February and March aren't enough time to regain the momentum a team had before the trade (right Phoenix?). To risk upsetting that balance before one even sees if this team is good enough as built seems reckless to eyes of at least one writer.
Let's not mince words, here. This team needs to field a Championship-caliber team within the next two years. They need to be making trips to the Finals and ideally winning once there to make it nearly impossible for LeBron to leave in 2010. People want to talk about how much time teams have to position themselves to seduce him, why don't they talk about the fact that Cleveland has just as much time to prove there's no place like home? This team is really good right now. GM Danny Ferry and Mike Brown have shaken off some very iffy early years to get themselves to the place that they're at today. Does it really make sense to fix what hasn't even proven to be broken?
After years of harboring one of the best young players to come around in a generation on one of the most mediocre teams of that same period, the Cavs are finally on a course for a Championship bout they could actually win. While a cynic could say 'it's about time', let's instead just be happy that the time finally arrived.