Today marks the final home game for the Cavaliers in their 2012-2013 season. A season filled with optimism, the Cavs were killed by injuries and developing players throughout, leaving Cleveland basketball fans with a bit of a weird taste in their mouth.
They aren’t quite sure what to do next. “Do we fire Byron?” “Do we draft Nerlens?” “Do we sign free agents?” “Where do we go from here?”. These are the questions that all Cavs fans want the answers to, and I’ll try to provide them the best I can.
“Do we fire Byron?”
No. Not because he’s doing a great job, but because I don’t see any other legitimate options out there. Some have brought up Mike Brown, Stan Van Gundy, and Doug Collins among others. None of those guys are the answer, of that I’m relatively sure.
In terms of Byron’s attitude, it sure seems like he wants to get out of town. Earlier today, Byron said, in the wake of a bad loss to the 76ers, that the lack of effort from the players was not a result of his coaching. He said that his preparation was good enough, but that he was unable to go on the court and play for them. He also said he was unsure of the Cavs players and their ability to be professional and give 100% on the court each night. To me, this either screams “I want out of here!”, or “I need help!”. Either way it’s a rallying cry. Things cannot stay status quo, which leads me to my next question.
“Who do we draft?”
Obviously, this question relies on the simple, yet incredibly important, lottery and ultimate draft position. If the Cavs do obtain the 4th pick in the draft, however, what do they do? NBADraft.net, as of right now, has the Cavs taking Otto Porter 4th overall, followed by DeShaun Thomas at 30th overall, Adreian Payne out of Michigan State at number 32, and finally Lorenzo Brown from NC State at #34. I don’t think the Cavs draft could work out much better than that, to be quite honest. With Porter, you’re taking a scoring small forward, something the Cavs desperately need. Then you have DeShaun Thomas, who plays the same role, but as more of an outside presence. He could essentially be a backup plan if Porter doesn’t work out. Next, you have the big, nasty Adreian Payne, who gives the Cavs some much needed size and aggression in the post. Finally, you get Kyrie a legitimate backup point guard in Lorenzo Brown from NC State. In case you’re wondering, if that were the result of the draft, the Cavaliers roster would look a bit like this:
Kyrie Irving
Dion Waiters
Wayne Ellington
Tristan Thompson
Anderson Varejao
Mareese Speights
CJ Miles
Alonzo Gee
Tyler Zeller
Otto Porter
DeShaun Thomas
Adreian Payne
Lorenzo Brown
Kevin Jones
That lineup really encourages me. There is a LOT of talent on that roster, in addition to a lot of depth and a lot of scoring. Maybe adding a free agent would make that group even better.
“Should the Cavs go on a free agent shopping spree?”
No. Absolutely not. I think they need to calculate very steadily what kind of players they need before they go signing them. I think a single solid free agent would do just enough. I hate to say it, as I’ve been off of this band wagon for a while, but imagine what Paul Millsap would give to that roster. Not only could he score, he’d give more size, better defense, and even more talent to a roster already blossoming with gifted players. The only problem would be, getting him at a manageable price, and getting him for a one-year deal. Imagine this:
Kyrie Irving
Dion Waiters
Otto Porter
Tristan Thompson
Paul Millsap
Anderson Varejao
Tyler Zeller
Mareese Speights
Wayne Ellington
CJ Miles
Alonzo Gee
DeShaun Thomas
Adreian Payne
Lorenzo Brown
Kevin Jones
That group would have size, strength, scoring ability, and an incredible amount of depth. But again, there’s no need, especially with a good draft, to go on a spending spree. “You know who” is going to be a free agent in 2014, and if the Cavs want to be a legitimate Finals contender, they are going to have to lure him in with a ton of money. A solid one-year deal with a single player, such as Paul Millsap, would be the perfect fit for this Cavaliers team.
“Where do we go from here?”
This is obviously the most vague question that’s being asked, but it’s a legitimate one. Many people thought the Cavs would be far more competitive than this, especially with Dion Waiters playing well and Tristan Thompson developing so quickly. Well, a few things need to be addressed. First and foremost, Kyrie Irving can’t just play like a superstar anymore. He’s transcended that role. He now needs to act, have the attitude of, and lead, like a superstar. If the Cavs want to contend for the playoffs next season, Kyrie has a LOT of growing up to do. When Byron Scott makes his aimless comments about certain players with no heart, I think he’s pointing those directly at Kyrie Irving. I know Kyrie has given Cleveland a lot of hope, but I think his mental toughness is lacking, and I’m glad he’s been called out for it.
Next, you have to figure out the Andy Varejao situation. At this point, I deem him untradeable, as his injuries are just too much of a risk. My thought process goes as follows: lessen his role, make him that much more effective. Andy was a 15 and 15 guy before going down with injury. There’s no reason, even with a diminished role, he can’t be a 10 and 10 player. Lessen his minutes, but maximize his production and make him the role player he was with LeBron in town.
Finally, go small. The Cavs don’t have a legitimate starting center that is going to play huge minutes. So why not just rotate? The Heat have started Chris Bosh at center for this entire season, and it seems to have worked out for them. Rotate between Thompson, Speights, Zeller, Varejao, Payne, Millsap, and Jones at the center and power forward positions. I would put the emphasis on Thompson and give him the most minutes, but as for the others, figure out a rotation that works and stick with it. As sad as it may seem, the NBA is less and less about getting dirty in the paint and more and more about having athletic and dynamic bigs. Why not adjust?
Next year seems to be the “make it or break it” year for the Cavaliers. Next year is when all of the draft picks and hard work of Chris Grant should be paying off. If they can put together a solid draft class, pay a nice, solid free agent for a year, and keep Kyrie and Byron Scott sane, I think the Cavs can seriously compete for the playoffs. I hate to say it, again, but the results of 2013 will be the deciding factor for a Finals run and a LeBron return in 2014.