The Injury Bug Strikes Back: Can the Cavs Stay on Top of the Eastern Conference?
The Cleveland Cavaliers, statistically the best team in the NBA, may be in some serious trouble, although most people who witnessed the victory on ESPN Friday night against Chris Paul and the Hornets would disagree.
Already down one Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the big Lithuanian center for the “Wine and Gold,” guard Delonte West will join him in a suit, out for the next 4-6 weeks or more with a "non-displaced" fracture in his non-shooting wrist.
West's strong outside shooting and underrated defense will be a huge loss. Guards Sasha Pavlovic and Wally Szczerbiak will be forced to take West's minutes over the next few weeks.
Just the way in which he was hurt, landing on his wrist, shows the type of player he is and what he meant to the team. Just watching the injury, the way the entire team came off the bench to help him off the floor shows how tightly knit this group is.
Not too many teams in recent memory from my recollection have had this kind of chemistry. One loss like this, coupled with Big Z's injury, could not come at a worse time for the “Wine and Gold.”
With three of the next four games on the West Coast against playoff-caliber teams, the Cavs will have to press on.
The Celtics appear to have pulled out of their stall, and the Magic have torn apart the Western Conference in their recent road trip. Coach Mike Brown has been quoted numerous times stating that his team is a "no-excuses team." This will be tested now more than ever.
Unfortunately for Cavs' fans, the rest of the league will not take mercy on the shorthanded Cavaliers. The schedule does not get any easier, with tough matchups against the Lakers, Blazers, Magic, and Pistons in the next few weeks, all on the road.
Clearly, no rest for the weary.
Losses may be on the horizon, losses that can strip them of their top record in the top-heavy Eastern Conference. The Pistons' struggles though could net the Cavs their first division title in decades.
Fans are quick to jump on the bandwagon demanding that GM Danny Ferry trade Szczerbiak and his $13-plus million expiring deal, otherwise known in the trade market as gold in order to get another great talent.
However, other GM's will force Ferry's hand in such a situation seeing how discombobulated this roster appears to be. Bodies are banged up, and this team might not be fully healthy until March.
Still, after watching how the “Wine and Gold” took care of Boston with Ilgauskas out by 15 points, the NBA nation will be afraid of what this team is capable of come playoff time. Not to mention a guy named LeBron James, who isn't that bad, hence the MVP chants.
The path to a title for the Cavaliers (Cleveland hasn't won a title since 1964) may take them out of the No. 1 seed temporarily. But that doesn't mean that this team can be taken lightly in the playoffs. Just ask Boston.
Regardless, pundits realize now that the 31-7 record the Cavaliers maintain is not a fluke. When all the parts return healthy, greatness is the final obstacle that awaits this franchise.
