Patience, Proactive Moves Paying off for Cleveland Cavaliers
When Cleveland Cavaliers general manager David Griffin addressed the media before a Jan. 4 game against the Dallas Mavericks, his message was very clear.
The Cavs were off to a mediocre start, LeBron James was away from the team resting and coach David Blatt's seat appeared to be warm.
Still, Griffin stood confident about where the team he had assembled was at.
"What we've got is exactly what we talked about, guys. We came into the year and I know it wasn't a sexy story. Growth and development in the long haul is what this is about. Every member of our organization from top to bottom—ownership, myself, the players, coaches, LeBron himself—signed on for the long haul. This is something we're doing over time."
His advice for the media, fans, team and everyone else gazing upon the city of Cleveland was very clear.
"Guys, this is a really difficult recipe to get right. Everybody needs to just settle down and let it happen."
Now, telling fans that have waited over 50 years for a title to be patient is a potentially dangerous thing to do. After all, this is a city and fanbase that wants, craves, results immediately.
Based off recent events, however, Griffin appears to be right.
Thanks to a few trades and players trickling back into the rotation following injuries, it appears the Cavaliers' patience is finally beginning to pay off.
Starting a New Trend?
Many compare the Cavs to the 2010-11 Miami Heat squad that featured James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh due to their star Big Three connection. Although Miami started just 9-8, they had improved to 30-13 after 43 games. Cleveland, now 43 games in themselves, are 23-20 overall.
So, why do the Cavaliers have to be patient while the Heat got off to such a fast first half?
While it would've been great to have eclipsed the 30-win mark already, the Cavs are in very a different situation than that Miami team was. Yes, both were comprised of James and two star sidekicks, but the comparisons end there.
For starters, the Cavaliers are coming off a 33-win season. Their best carry-over player, Kyrie Irving, is 22 and yet to experience the postseason. Cleveland truly had to build success from the ground up.
In Miami, a culture of winning was already present. The Heat had made the playoffs 14 of the past 19 seasons, and won a title behind Wade in 2005-06. Wade was 29 when James and Bosh came to town, already with six postseason appearances to his name.
For those comparing that first-year Heat squad with these Cavaliers: Stop.
This is perhaps the youngest Big Three that we've ever seen assembled. It's not the 2007-08 Boston Celtics. It's not the 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers (thankfully), and it's certainly not the Heat.
Instead, think of the Cavaliers as laying a groundwork for future star trios to be compared to.
Cleveland hasn't put up a flashy record and has indeed faced some injury and chemistry issues.
If and when they get everything turned around, however, all past comparisons should stop.
Recent Play
There are a number of reasons why the Cavs have won four straight games.
First and foremost is the return of James from his two-week rest period. Cleveland is just 1-8 in games where James doesn't play this season. Love, Irving and Shawn Marion also missed time while James was out.
Secondly, one cannot say enough good things about Griffin's recent trades. While the team waits on Iman Shumpert to make his debut (as he's expected to against the Charlotte Hornets on Jan. 23), J.R. Smith and Timofey Mozgov have been huge difference-makers thus far.
Ever since going scoreless in his Cavs debut, Smith has been the extra scoring punch Cleveland needed. In seven games since, Smith is averaging 16.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals. He's shooting 44 percent from the field and 37.9 from three. Smith is working to space the floor for guys like James and Irving to drive, with a whopping 59 percent of his shots coming from deep. Basically, he's doing everything that the Cavaliers hoped Dion Waiters would.
“I just play. When I get an open shot, I shoot. When I don’t, I try to make a play for one of my teammates. The way we scramble, the way we hustle, it’s my type of game. We play up and down. It just seems like a perfect fit," Smith said following a win over the Utah Jazz, via Cavs.com.
It didn't take long for Mozgov to work his way into the starting lineup, and his 7'1", 250-pound frame is exactly what the doctor ordered for Cleveland.
Surprisingly mobile for a player of his size, Mozgov is making a big difference on both ends of the floor. On defense, opponents are shooting 3.3 percent lower than normal within six feet of the basket when guarded by Mozgov, per NBA.com. By comparison, teams were shooting 4.1 percent better when checked by Anderson Varejao in the same area.
In seven games (six starts), Mozgov is averaging 10.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and a team-best 1.1 blocks. His 17.0 PER ranks behind only James, Irving and Love.
As Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal points out, James didn't know a whole lot about his new big man but has quickly grown to like him:
"As he began watching Mozgov closely, James discovered a nice touch and rare range for a big man. Mozgov is shooting 43 percent this season on shots between 16 feet and the 3-point line. And since he started playing alongside him, James has noticed Mozgov’s agility. He moves smoothly and runs the floor well for a big man. James shook his head in wonder Wednesday night recalling how Mozgov caught a pass and dunked it left-handed against the Utah Jazz in one smooth, fluid motion.
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In terms of playing next to a true center, James had high praise for Mozgov, likening him to a former teammate whose jersey now hangs in the rafters of Quicken Loans Arena.
James told Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group:
"It's funny, I was talking to my friend the other day and I said he's probably the best, as far as big, true big. You know, Chris Bosh is a great big, Kevin Love is a great big. But I'm talking about a true, 7-foot, big guy. He's probably the best one I've played with since Z (Zydrunas Ilgauskas). They have different skill sets, but they both have skill. They know how to play. Sometimes you get a lot of bigs that are just big. He knows how to play and it's great to have him out there.
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While Cleveland's defense will only improve once Shumpert returns, the past few games have certainly been encouraging on that end.
One of the greatest indicators of defensive performance is opponent field-goal percentage. Over their first 39 games (19-20 record), Cleveland was allowing a whopping 47.1 percent shooting, 29th in the league.
Since that time, the Cavaliers have turned up the defensive intensity. In the past four games (4-0), the Cavs have held opponents to 44 percent from the field. This would be eighth in the NBA, a jump of 21 spots for Cleveland, via ESPN.com.
Mozgov has set the tone for the Cavaliers on defense, helping to erase mistakes made on the perimeter. Irving's effort has been much better as of late, and Cleveland has even witnessed some defense from Smith since the trade.
In just a short period of time, the new guys are having a huge impact on the Cavs' new winning ways.
Jellin' Time
Griffin's time in the kitchen should be complete. He's bought the groceries, mixed them up and set the oven to bake. Now, only time will tell if his recipe has been a success.
Of course, the main ingredient continues to set the tone for everything the Cavaliers do.
James looks like he stepped out of a time machine following his rest period. The now 30-year-old is putting up 30.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists in five games since his return and is pleased with the direction the Cavs are headed.
Following Wednesday's win over the Utah Jazz, James said, via Cavs.com:
"It’s clicking. Defensively, we’ve stepped it up. On offense, we share the ball and even though we missed a lot of open looks tonight, everyone fell into a good rhythm. When you have that, when everyone is in a good rhythm offensively, we’re sharing the ball, defensively we’re helping one another – the game is fun.
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When asked if the team was finally starting to jell, James responded: "We’re playing some good basketball right now. We still have one ‘gel piece’ coming very soon that we are all excited about. Once he gets into the motion, then we can go from there.”
That piece, of course, is Shumpert, who should claim the starting shooting guard job at some point this season. He'll only help to take defensive pressure off of James and allow Smith to provide some scoring from the bench.
Cleveland needed another wing defender, a proven sixth man and some size in the middle.
They now have all three. Players are getting healthy and still have three months before the playoffs start to come together.
We all just have to settle down and let it happen.
Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010.
All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted. Quotes obtained firsthand unless sourced.
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