Bigger Cavs Obstacle: West or Injuries?
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a very talented team with an eye on the NBA Finals. Which is a bigger obstacle for the Cavs: Western Conference or Injuries?
Again tonight, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cavs are dealing with injuries. Kyrie Irving won’t make his return. Iman Shumpert is again missing a game, after just returning. Mo Williams is questionable.
The Thunder are the #3 seed in the Western Conference and considered one of the three teams in the West that could compete for a trip to the NBA Finals, along with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. Tonight, the Cavs will have a tough contest with the 17 – 8 Thunder led by Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka.
The Cavs are the favorite to meet one of those three Western Conference teams in the NBA Finals. With a solid 16 – 7 record, and the #1 seed in the East, the Cavs have had to deal with a number of injuries.
Timofey Mozgov had a knee surgery this offseason and hasn’t looked like himself. His quickness and confidence both seem to have been drained. He has had some moments recently that are encouraging but his mental state is up and down.
Shumpert just returned from his wrist injury and now has hurt his groin and is day to day. His defense, athleticism and developing offensive game is important for the Cavs.
Irving is one of the top point guards in the league, in a league full of great point guards. His absence puts a ton of pressure on LeBron James and Mo to create on offense. We still don’t know when he might return. Could be this weekend, could be Christmas and could be February. The Cavs need him.
Williams was brought in to start in Irving’s place early in the season and give the Cavs a solid hand at the point. He started out strong but has had leg issues to deal with. The veteran will be needed to spell Irving, work with LeBron and to lead the second unit.
Many of the Cavs other players are veterans including James Jones, Richard Jefferson and Anderson Varejao. Andy has been an injury waiting to happen most of his career and hasn’t been great when healthy the last two season. Older players tend to get hurt more often so relying on Jones and/or Jefferson could be risky.
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Last year, the Finals didn’t go the Cavs way. The belief of many was that the Cavs would have won had Irving and Kevin Love been healthy. They made it to the Finals with LeBron and a bunch of role players. Injuries kept them from a Championship.
Jefferson and Williams were brought in to give the team far more depth with Varejao and Sasha Kaun expected to give the team more reinforcements in the frontcourt.
It leads to a very simple question: Do injuries or the Western Conference present a bigger obstacle for the Cavs Championship aspirations?
What say you Cavs fans?