Dribbles: Another night, same old problems for Cavs in loss to Bulls

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 136-125 home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday.

1. You may not know this, but the Cavs could really use a win. Just one. That’s it.

2. Funny thing is, nobody expected us to be saying that about this team. Not after a season that began with Eastern Conference title talk.

3. Yet here we are. Three straight losses. Eight in the last 11. And a whole lot of them against teams headed to Nowheresville.

4. Cleveland was shorthanded again. Donovan Mitchell was out sick. Evan Mobley remains sidelined. Same for Max Strus and Sam Merrill.

5. Even so, this felt like a night where the Cavs were due. Home floor. Decent matchup. That’s usually how the league works. Except it hasn’t worked that way for Cleveland.

6. Offense wasn’t the problem. Not this time. The Cavs shot 47.5 percent overall and nearly 36 percent from three. As coach Kenny Atkinson put it, “You score 125 points, that should be enough.”

7. And yet, it rarely is. The issues remain the same. Rebounding. Turnovers. Loose balls. And especially transition defense.

8. The Bulls thrive in the open floor. They turn misses into sprints. They did it again, just like they did in Chicago earlier this week.

9. Slowing teams down has become a league-wide problem. It’s just that the Cavs are particularly bad at right now.

10. This doesn’t feel like panic time. It’s also not roster-blowup time. The new labor rules don’t allow for that anyway, and there isn’t a needle-moving trade sitting out there.

11. So this almost has to come from within. That’s how last season unfolded. But the lack of continuity hasn’t helped. Someone returns, someone else goes down. It’s been a constant shuffle.

12. Still, most of these games have been winnable. It’s not like the Cavs are facing the 73-9 Warriors every night. Far from it. 

13. This goes beyond injuries. Atkinson acknowledged as much. It’s on him to get it fixed.

14. The path forward isn’t complicated. The Cavs need a stretch of success. Five or six wins. Something to steady things. It doesn’t even have to happen tomorrow.

15. After all, the defending Eastern Conference champion Pacers were 14-15 at this point last season. They got healthier, got hot, and flipped the script.

16. Cleveland (15-14) can do the same. But it needs to start soon.

17. Friday was another missed opportunity. The Cavs erased a 14-point deficit and still couldn’t get stops when it mattered.

18. Darius Garland was excellent with 35 points and 6-of-12 shooting on threes. Rookie Tyrese Proctor started in Mitchell’s spot and scored 16. Nae’Qwan Tomlin added 15. Jarrett Allen finished with 14 and 12.

19. The young guys have been a bright spot. But young guys don’t win in this league. They support winning. They don’t drive it. Just look at the rookie seasons of LeBron James and Michael Jordan.

20. De’Andre Hunter scored 11 in his second straight game off the bench. Something still feels off there. Atkinson said that part is on him.

21. The Bulls (12-15) ran when they could and won the fastbreak battle 20-7. Matas Buzelis and Nikola Vucevic each scored 24.

22. Bottom line? It hasn’t been good. There aren’t easy answers. But the Cavs need a win while they search for them. And they need to start doing the things that lead to one.