Backup swingmen giving us NOTHING

[MarkPrice25]

I remember saying before the season started that we are going to be a VERY SOLID team this year, capable of winning over 50 games (and I still am confident that will happen). But, I also said that the "X-factor(s)" for becoming a truly great team capable of competing with the big boys in the East was the contributions of Luke/Sasha.

Now, I don't want to throw them under the bus and I don't want to overreact so early in the season, but these two have given us absolutely nothing off the bench. Considering we have one of the best 1-2 punches off the bench in the league, we really only need one more scorer for a few minutes a night. AV will bring the defense and energy when he gets back, but it is essential that we get something out of the position when LBJ and Hughes are resting.

I've generally been pleased with the way the team has played when LeBron has not been out there, but it is no thanks to these two guys. While the perimeter defense was awful last night and Z did not get involved offensively enough, we lost that game IMO in the first 4 minutes of the second quarter when LeBron and Hughes were taking turns getting a rest and Jackson was out there. I think that the kid has potential, but he has to show me something.

When Luke is out there, there is absolutely no rhythm in the offense because he passes up open shots and gives someone else the ball out of rhythm with the clock running down all the time. He hustles, but when players are described as "hustle" players, it means they are not very good. It's like describing a catcher as a "defensive catcher." Translation: Can't hit! The kid needs to put the ball in the hole and understand that it is ok to miss a shot if it is a quality shot. I'd rather see him miss an open jumper in rhythm then see him pass the ball to someone with no time on the shot clock who wasn't expecting the ball in the first place (figuring Luke would shoot the open shot).

Then there's Sasha. He gets two fouls before the P.A. announcer finishes saying that he is checking in and he turns the ball over before the ball boy finishes folding his warm-ups.

They need SOMETHING from the 2 and 3 for a few minutes a game, not 25. If one of these two guys step up and bring something to the table, we will be considerably better. Maybe Ira is the guy, but I doubt it. Am I just being overly critical because I expected good things out of this tandem, or is this really the problem that I see it as?

 

[Maximus]

Yeah, Sasha didn't look too good in the 5 min the other night, but Lebron didn't fair much better against Maggette either. Sasha isn't in the rotation and isn't getting consistent minutes at all....it's tough to prove anything. He's only played 69 minutes the whole season in 12 games.
Jackson on the other hand is getting decent minutes in the rotation and is doing nothing. 152 minutes in 15 games. He's had opportunites to produce but hasn't. I still think Sasha is their first choice and that Luke will be traded before Jan 1st. Luke had disks fused together....that just has to have a short & long term impact on the guy. I just don't know how much more upside he really has. Sasha is 2 years younger, healthier, and a better athlete.....I think Luke will be moved.
I'd like to at least see Sasha get another turn in the rotation for 5-7 games, he can't do less than what Luke has been doing of late.

 

[B Mac]

I agree with Maximus yet again. Ive always been more favorable of Sasha than Luke, even when it seemed the whole of Cavs fans on this board were on the Luke bandwagon. However, I am more on the Newble bandwagon than either of these two playing right now. At least we know what we are getting from him everynight and he wont pass open shots and plays well above average D. Get better soon Ira, we need you bad.

 

[West Remy]

Jackson on the other hand is getting decent minutes in the rotation and is doing nothing. 152 minutes in 15 games. He's had opportunites to produce but hasn't. I still think Sasha is their first choice and that Luke will be traded before Jan 1st. Luke had disks fused together....that just has to have a short & long term impact on the guy. I just don't know how much more upside he really has. Sasha is 2 years younger, healthier, and a better athlete.....I think Luke will be moved.
I'd like to at least see Sasha get another turn in the rotation for 5-7 games, he can't do less than what Luke has been doing of late.

Sasha has been in the league for 3 years and still looks like a deer in headlights at times. Luke is essentially a rookie. Sasha's played in 155 games in his career, compared to 24 games in Jackson's career. Sasha also has played 2,074 career mintues to Jackson's 190. In light of that, I disagree if you even suggest we've even had CLOSE to an equal look at Luke as player to Sasha.

 

[Maximus]

Sasha was a 19 year old kid when his career started in the league....he just turned 22 on Nov 15th...."rookie" Luke is 24. And I was obviously talking about this year.....same team....same teammates....that's how you get an equal look.....not bringing up Sasha's games in Utah when he was 19. Luke has had almost 3x as many minutes this year and done nothing. I'm in favor of sasha getting a few games now to see what he can do with some quality minutes. You will never know who's better if you only give one a shot and not the other....

 

[Karma]

Sasha was dropped from the rotation after a pair of mediocre performances. Jackson steps in and has a couple of decent outings then has followed it up with nothing of positive the last two weeks or so. Will Luke be dragged from the rotation like Sasha? It only seems just.

 

[West Remy]

^ If Brown gives Ira the spot, which it sounds like he will, probably yes.

 

[NarlCavs]

It's tough to provide something when you're not given regular consistent minutes. I'd love to see Brown commit to giving either Luke or Sasha a minimum of 10-15 minutes a night for at least a 25-30 game stretch. Nothing like this has been done since either has been in a Cavs uniform. Brown could do something along the lines of what he does with Marshall and Jones where both know they'll be entering the game mid 1st quarter and mid 3rd quarter. Maybe either Luke or Sasha could develop some consistency if their coach treated them in a consistent manner. Brown needs to trust his bench more and not only do it when he's in a blowout game. You can't go 82 games with basically a 7 man rotation.

I still think both Luke and Sasha possess some talent and do have potential but I now doubt that they'll ever be able to achieve it in Cleveland. We really don't know yet what we have in these 2.

I've pretty much reached the point where I feel the Cavs might as well trade both of them. It's obvious whoever the Cavs coach is will ride LeBron until he drops and won't give a young player playing behind him a complete opportunity. Maybe we can trade both for some 8-10 year vets since it might be the case that a vet would get the chance to play more minutes behind LeBron. I sure hope Ira Newble doesn't miss an open shot or have a turnover when he starts playing again.

It seems both Luke and Sasha receive a lot of criticism when they make a mistake in their very brief appearances but I don't think anything either has done has hurt the Cavs more than the lack of effort defensively by certain key Cavs players game after game.

 

[Karma]

I must agree Narl. Hughes and LeBron just play too many consecutive minutes together. I cannot see a reason why we cant spell Hughes earlier and bring in Sasha/Luke and then later Hughes checks in for LeBron. I understand we must have Hughes and LeBron out there, but they both dont need to be together for 40+ minutes.

With Luke and Sasha receiving such minimal minutes we do watch them like a hawk picking every minimal error.

 

[The George]

I cant believe have been saying this for the past few weeks but I find myself praying for Ira Newble to come back... This is a guy who gives us some decent defense as well as a veteran prescence and at least he knows what to do on offense unlike luke sometimes....Get Healthy Ira We Need You!!!

 

[Karma]

It shall be interesting to see whether Sasha retain his position of getting the odd minutes that LeBron or Hughes sits. He hit his only shot and was only hurt once by Maggette on defense.

 

[blackmagicGTI]

At the beginning of the season I was really down on Ira and was expecting big things from Luke or Sasha. At this point, I can't wait till Newble comes back. He is exactly what we need at this point; a defensive role player who can finish when asked to.

 

[Pioneer10]

The problem is not the backup swingmen. The problem is the starting and backup PG. Snow is providing mediocre defense while we play 4 on 5 on offense with him. Jones looks great when he is hitting threes but doesn't seem to know a thing about how to play defense: i.e. go over the screener not under

 

[ootbttnlagitnbasf]

where is all of the depth that we kept crowing about all summer? it evaporated when we went west. the west is still the toughest conference and we don't like playing on the road. we like the q.

but we are young (except for marshall, ilgauskas, jones, snow and hughes) and yet to jell as a team.