Perhaps the most enjoyable read of the pre-season so far. So many incredibly important points made all throughout, tackling issues we've somewhat touched on but some we need to potentially discuss further.
This for example:
One thing goes wrong — one injury, one pang of envy during a stretch in which he’s the third option, one dispute with the coach — and a superstar could bolt. Ask the Lakers about Dwight Howard.
is something that should still remain on our radar. Injuries, for me, are such a grave concern. This team
needs to stay healthy. And if anything goes wrong (which is about as likely in the NBA Anthony Bennett missing an open dunk - make of that ambiguity what you will), we could definitely seem some turbulent uncertainties surfacing.
The questions will come on the other end, where Cleveland faces a double whammy: It doesn’t have a rim protector, and as things stand now, it will start three bad defensive players. There is a ceiling to how good you can be defensively when 60 percent of your starting lineup is below average.
We’re getting ahead of ourselves. The phrase “We’re only as good as our defense” is echoing through Cleveland headquarters, and that end of the floor is where the mystery lies.
This is something that's been discussed relentlessly but is this still a cause for concern? We'll obviously not know what we truly lack on the defensive end until a month or so into the season. Although I still think people are underestimating the ratio of offense:defense and how impactful or dominance on the offensive end of the floor can disrupt the status quo of "defense-first NBA wins championships."In the NBA, at least since the 1970's, offense wins playoffs and championships more often than defense. The difference in success between strong offensive teams and strong defensive teams is not large, but data available online contradicts the old adage that defense wins championships.
Love and Varejao are among the league’s dozen or so best rebounders, and Thompson is at least serviceable on the defensive glass.
Another important point that might somewhat restore the balance during a lacklustre defensive outing. Between those 3, as LBJ said, "We should never lose a rebounding night." In the NBA, if shooting percentages are about equal, the team with more offensive rebounds wins
63 percent of the games. I can only imagine this percentage inflating based on our key personnel and their impact on both ends of the floor.
That should change here, and the Cavaliers, with the league’s premier outlet passer and a rocket-fueled group of ball handlers, should be able to turn defensive rebounds into easy transition points.
If not for easy baskets, this is going to result in a heck of a lot of trips to the foul line. It is more important for teams to get to the foul line frequently than it is for them to hit a high percentage of their foul shots. Perhaps, this is because lots of foul shots means the other team's starters are in foul trouble. Again, if shooting percentages are equal, the NBA team that commits fewer fouls wins 67 percent of the games. For us being such a high-octane offense and utilizing Love's outlet passes, we should be either 1. scoring consistantly easy baskets or 2. penetrating the paint so quickly that opponent's will be forced into foul trouble. If an opponent looks to prevent this quick outlet pass and set up defensively quicker than our counter-offense, this leaves plenty of room for uncontested rebounds, allowing us to control the glass and therefore create our offense more comfortably from that point.
Waiters shot 37 percent from deep last season, and he could push 40 percent if he ditches all the ridiculous off-the-dribble chucking that no longer has a place on this loaded team.
We'll obviously see a significant decrease in Waiter's off-dribble 'chucking' this season and a lot more pocket 3s. Just think of the damage he can do. Expect that 37% figure to jump into the 40s this season IMO.
Defensive limitations don’t matter when you go on a 15-2 run in 90 seconds.
I love this quote. It brings me back to a soccer quote from current Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola. During his time at FC Barcelona, he said that "it doesn't matter if the opponent scores 3. As long as we score 5." That team went on to win every trophy available that season employing this exact philosophy. And their offense was truly lethal.
Nobody knows yet what Blatt will do, but the variety of experience on the roster offers the promise of stylistic flexibility. “We’re gonna be versatile,” Blatt says. “The fact that we have guys coming from so many different systems will help us.”
This ambiguity is
so important. We have so many options on both ends of the floor and once our guys figure it out, expect it to be incredibly challenging to coach against. Especially in a playoff series where we have the ability to change our game plan on a nightly basis on account of said flexibility.
“It’s an oversimplification to say we don’t have rim protection,” Blatt says. “Not having a shot-blocker does not mean you don’t protect the rim. It just requires a different approach.”
Pause analysis for 'this man is a God/Blatt appreciation" comment.
Varejao puts his body in harm’s way doing this, and he has missed a ton of games. An injury to Cleveland’s best big-man defender would be catastrophic to its title hopes.
Another point of emphasis on the impact and dangers of an injury to an important player.
But this team isn’t going to be some helpless sieve. The tools of a solid defense are here, and you can win the title with a solid defense and an all-world offense. The Cavs probably won’t be a top-10 defense, but they could sniff that territory, and it’s possible the East won’t burp out a single offense potent enough to worry them.
This ^.
