Game 36 | Cavs (19-16) vs Rockets (23-11) | Wednesday, January 7th, 2015 | 7:00 PM ET

[MirORich]

Teams that have played together in a system for multiple years can withstand some games where multiple guys are out or can't play yet.

We have a collection of guys who have no experience together.

Their de facto leader and #1 player is out. Mozgov and Shumpert couldn't play yet. Smith hasn't even had a single practice with the team.

And we should expect to see a unified, humming system out there?

No. Guys are confused. Players who shouldn't be playing the type of minutes they are are having to play big minutes..

What do you think it's going to look like. Once the season starts these guys rarely get in the full practices like they do in training camp. I thought this game would look much worse.

The anger and arguments I'm seeing would be perfectly justified if this is how things look in 4-6 weeks. I guess some of you believe its how it will look. I don't. Time will tell.

 

[godfather]

Delly hit some shots tonight. Smith didn't. Smith is also not familiar with the system. While it isn't completely defensible, it also isn't as far fetched as you think.

It doesn't matter that he hit two shots, he blows. The other teams know he blows, they don't even pay him any attention, nor should they, because he BLOWS.

You know who the burden falls onto, the other 4 that's out on the court. The fact, he could hit two shots, believe me, isn't very telling in a good way for Delly. If he were any good at all, which he isn't, he'd have had a monster 4th Q.

No one even tries to pretend to guard him out there.

 

[shoes22]

Delete.

 

[MirORich]

Don't mistake disgust at Love being so incredibly piss poor, as one example, as not recognizing the bigger picture (with most of us). This is a GAME THREAD, after all. More reasoned takes are reserved for the main forum and for good reason. And no matter who was missing tonight, Love was trash. He just was.

Sorry, I'll try to keep things more specific to this game. We broke down/wore down in the fourth. Love had a bad game. Not sure our definitions of "trash" are the same if you think trash is 18 pts, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, on 7/19 shooting without a center out on the court with him.

Bad game tonight for him for sure. But "trash"?

 

[Sebastian]

It doesn't matter that he hit two shots, he blows. The other teams know he blows, they don't even pay him any attention, nor should they, because he BLOWS.

You know who the burden falls onto, the other 4 that's out on the court. The fact, he could hit two shots, believe me, isn't very telling in a good way for Delly. If he were any good at all, which he isn't, he'd have had a monster 4th Q.

No one even tries to pretend to guard him out there.

You're right. He is the only player that blows. But for not having played Delly, the Cavs win. A certainty. Had Blatt played Miller and his porous defense instead, they surely would have won. No doubt. So let it be written, so let it be done.

 

[czvo]

Yeah you let Love brick wide open threes instead or TT fumble the ball at the rim or Marion airbags a floater or Delly throw passes out of bounds or watch Miller pass up open shots or pass to Haywood on the bench. What option did he have. No one can score so he was double teamed and trapped producing no offense.

This has been the excuse for Kyrie going on 4 years now. At some point, it can no longer be used as an excuse.

But it's not just about who's around him, it's about the mindset. If Kyrie is going to play point, if he's going to have the ball in his hands 90% of the time, then he has to play a style of ball that makes his team want to play with him and each other. If his teammates feel like they are only getting the ball because Kyrie didn't have a shot, two things happen:

1. They either go out of their way trying to get it back to him (Delly, Thompson)
2. They go out of their way to try and get theirs because giving it up likely means not getting it back (Love)

Team ball starts with the point guard. Give it up and move without the ball, and it will rub off on everyone else. The same goes for LeBron when he comes back because lord knows his first look to pass is if he can get an assist.

 

[brownsbuck6]

Your definition of trash is so dubious as to not be considered a sapient opinion. But certainly, if your goal is to bitch endlessly like a drunken malcontent, then please, keep repeating the same things. We are all enthralled by your erudition.

I have been a respected member of this forum a long time now- who the fuck are you? Don't be a disrespectful prick. Just a tip for you bruh- this board won't have you if you do. If you want to pick a fight with someone, I'm not the one. I'm not impressed by your baiting skills. Maybe cleveland.com is more your speed? You don't fucking know me. Debate my posts, do not attack me as a person. You've been sufficiently warned, I hope.

 

[Cashius X]

Totally serious.

You all see it too. This team is in a bad way and it's not fixable.

Honestly...I agree. I think our big three is fundamentally flawed and I don't really like the composition of this team.

Hopefully they prove me wrong but I'm not a firm believer in the team we're now locked into for the next couple years.

 

[brownsbuck6]

Sorry, I'll try to keep things more specific to this game. We broke down/wore down in the fourth. Love had a bad game. Not sure our definitions of "trash" are the same if you think trash is 18 pts, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, on 7/19 shooting without a center out on the court with him.

Bad game tonight for him for sure. But "trash"?

That's fair. Hyperbole to be sure- but between his wide open misses, missing free throws, not even TAKING shots he should have.. it was a very poor performance. A max player shouldn't need so many things to be right to perform around him, would you agree with that at least?

I agree that he will play better with a center, finally. But his performances for a 'max' player leave a lot to be desired sometimes.

 

[Snarly]

This thread is giving me an hernia. We only three players who played at least a year together and major injuries. Yet we should cream top teams in the west or beat them? I was fully ready to come out of this trip right around 500 before we get going.

 

[godfather]

I am so angry, not because we got beat. I didn't think we'd win. I just have no idea, why anyone would willingly play a guy that clearly shouldn't even be in NBA like Delly.

Yes, I am angry, because we had a chance to win. I don't know if we would have, I do know willingly playing Delly like we do, when we don't have to, and thinking we can win is asinine.

I really worry about Blatt, if he sees something in him. Delly is a NICE KID, he plays hard, I get it, he does everything a coach loves. But let's be realistic, he doesn't belong in the NBA, let alone playing 33 minutes tonight.

He played OKAY defensively, but trust me, that was mostly James Harden, being James Harden, taking some bad shots. Once he settled in, obviously, as you'd expect, Delly seriously couldn't guard him.

You're right. He is the only player that blows. But for not having played Delly, the Cavs win. A certainty. Had Blatt played Miller and his porous defense instead, they surely would have won. No doubt. So let it be written, so let it be done.

 

[MirORich]

That's fair. Hyperbole to be sure- but between his wide open misses, missing free throws, not even TAKING shots he should have.. it was a very poor performance. A max player shouldn't need so many things to be right to perform around him, would you agree with that at least?

I agree that he will play better with a center, finally. But his performances for a 'max' player leave a lot to be desired sometimes.

I would agree with this but at the same time its on the heels of three great performances by him. I just think we're all frustrated and dealing with it in different ways.

This is the difficulty of putting together a team that is expected to go to the championship or be ready for it from day one. There is little patience for things to develop.

I understand people being frustrated with what their eyes have been seeing but I just think there's a much bigger picture that we're missing out on and later in this year we'll look back at some of the games like tonight and laugh.

 

[godfather]

Thank God, hopefully, that's the last of Delly playing a lot of minutes. I seriously don't want him playing more than 8 a game, from here on out, if it can't be helped.

Hell, can we just scratch him out of the rotation? We don't really need a backup, once LeBron is out, Kyrie is on the floor anyways. He's gotta be out of the rotation when everyone is back.

 

[czvo]

This thread is giving me an hernia. We only three players who played at least a year together and major injuries. Yet we should cream top teams in the west or beat them? I was fully ready to come out of this trip right around 500 before we get going.

I don't think that means what you think it means.

You're the best, Snarly. (And this isn't sarcasm, just had to bust your chops.)

 

[Snarly]

I don't think that means what you think it means.

You're the best, Snarly. (And this isn't sarcasm, just had to bust your chops.)

I try