Dribbles: Cavs stung by another early embarrassment in inexplicable OT loss to Hornets

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 119-111 overtime home loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. 

1. Don’t ask me to explain what’s going on with the Cavaliers. I have no idea. But I do know it ain’t good.

2. Think about their last three games. A home loss to a totally depleted Warriors team. A road victory-in-name-only over a 3-20 Wizards team. And now this.

3. Yes, the Cavs were without Evan Mobley (calf). Yes, Max Strus (foot), Larry Nance Jr. (calf) and Sam Merrill (hand) remain sidelined. But the Hornets entered with a record of 7-18. They are a rookie-laden team. They were missing key players such as LaMelo Ball and old friend Collin Sexton.

4. As my pal Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com tweeted, “Nothing like trailing by 17 points in back-to-back games against the Wizards and Hornets.”

5. Anymore, I sit there and watch the Cavs and think, “Dude. Really?” They fell behind big. They charged back and sent the game into OT. Then they wilted.

6. I don’t know if it’s an effort thing. I don’t know if we overrated the Cavs (15-12) entering the season. I don’t know if they just aren’t very inspired. After all, everyone says it doesn’t matter until the playoffs in April and May. All I know is thank heavens the playoffs aren’t in December or January.

7. I also know the Cavs can’t shoot. Darius Garland led the way with 26 points, but was just 8-of-19 from the floor (3-of-7 on threes). And that was one of the better showings. Donovan Mitchell finished 6-of-24 shooting and 1-of-11 on threes. De’Andre Hunter went 1-of-7 shooting and scored four points in 27 minutes. What the … ?

8. Oh, they also missed all 10 of their shots in the five-minute overtime period.

9. Still, I wouldn’t even call that the Cavs’ biggest issue. They’re getting killed by lesser teams in the Intangibles Department. Important rebounds. Key stops. Loose balls. Working it around for a great look. Cleveland is losing in nearly all of those areas.

10. Jarrett Allen returned from a finger injury, scoring nine points and grabbing three rebounds in 23 minutes. He was a non-factor. Dean Wade started in place of Mobley and did a nice job with 14 points and eight boards. Jaylon Tyson was another bright spot (again) with 16 points in reserve.

11. But they’re all just empty stats. The reality is, the Cavs just cannot put anything together. They cannot sustain runs. And they can’t even do those things against some of the NBA’s worst.

12. What’s going on? Where do the Cavs go from here? Didn’t they just get a week with no games to work on all this stuff? You would think the answers to these questions and more would be easy, especially for a team with sky-high expectations.

13. Instead, it’s just a whole lot of, “Dude. Really?”

14. Rookie sensation Kon Knueppel paced Charlotte (8-18) with a game-high 29. The kid has been electric. Brandon Miller added 25 and Miles Bridges scored 20. After watching the Hornets on this day, it was hard to remember that they’re pretty bad.

15. But sadly, the Cavs today are making those truths pretty easy to forget. And that’s not good.