The Cavaliers enter Friday’s home game against the Pacers at 10-6. Not bad, but not the 15-1 of last season.
But that makes sense. Darius Garland (toe) has been out for all but a couple games. Max Strus (foot) has yet to play at all. Others have shuffled in and out of the lineup.
The NBA is experiencing an injury epidemic and the Cavs are no exception. Their biggest loss, of course, is Garland. He’s the engine. He’s an All-Star. He gets to where he wants on the floor and makes the offense hum.
Without him, the offense too often sputters. The Cavs still look like an Eastern Conference contender — just not as much as at this time last year.
That’s hardly a reason for concern. As we’ve sometimes learned the hard way in Cleveland is that you’re at your best in April and May (and June, if you’re fortunate enough to get there).
And one Western Conference scout who spoke to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps seemed to keep all that in mind.
“They’re not great right now, but they’re down at least two starters,” the scout said, referring to Garland, Strus and Sam Merrill all missing time. “Lonzo (Ball) hasn’t been great.
“Are they better (than last year)? Probably not. They’ve always needed Evan (Mobley) to get even better, and he’s not there yet.”
That’s fair. The Cavs haven’t displayed the necessary scrappiness many nights. Rebounding and free-throw shooting have been issues. They’re not mastering the intangibles.
It’s safe to say they’ve not been at their best. Yet they’re 10-6, despite the injuries, and have 66 games to go. The season won’t end until a long, long way from now.
Some early concerns? Sure. Time to sound the alarm bells? Hardly.
The bottom line is we can’t accurately assess this team until we see how it fares with its All-Star point guard. On the bright side, that day again may be near.
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I am both a Cavs fan and Evan Mobley fan.. but I don’t like the way the organization sells their players to the media.. and the overhyping by the media in general..
These kids are being told how great they’re going to be with comparisons.. and they become shoes to fill type comparisons in the fans eyes.. where anything short of Giannis for Mobley will be falling short of expectations.. setting people up for disappointment..
Why not celebrate Evan Mobley for the things that Evan Mobley already does.. And keep the bar high on what it means to be Evan Mobley.. As even Giannis has flaws in his game.. and a man of Mobley’s body type and basketball style and intelligence would not be maximized if he tried to turn himself into Giannis, and do the things that Giannis does Giannis is still even working on those things for himself. Mobley should be exploring the power of Mobley.
Cavs need a Rodney Rodgers type multitalented big who can open up space for Mobley. Dump off passes after creating space.. Tons of putback dunks after teams collapse on a Rodney Rodgers drive and layup attempt.. A bulky big who can run the floor and finish at the rim.. we still need to bulk up.. to wear other teams down physically.. that’s the only way to stop that from happening to us so much instead..
Cavs brass need to be looking from within themselves.. their best exploration of Mobley’s talents and potential with those talents.. unique to him.. not that it hurts to pick up tricks from other guys with similar advantages.. but who is the focus in Cleveland.. let it be Mobley himself. Which means first, let him earn all the respect and expectations on his own.. let it happen naturally.. let us learn what to expect from Mobley by watching him play. Building on what win plays and works best. Look for it, look for the angles for Mobley, instead of getting blinded by Giannis.. Meanwhile he gets stronger and more stable physically, and explores his own limits with his own mindset and path converting field goals.. instead of trying to put himself in Giannis shoes or to think like Giannis. In the long run otherwise I think we could be selling Mobley short on his own potential by hyping him that way.. He might already know he does some things better than Giannis, and could do those things even better.. If he could growing to cast his own shadow, which we will celebrate, already do. Please and thank you.