Everyone is trying to say the right things when it comes to Dion Waiters, even Waiters himself. As seen in a Thursday ESPN article by Dave McMenamin everyone knows what they are supposed to say:
"“It’s all right. We’re winning,” Waiters told ESPN.com following Cavs shootaround Thursday. “It ain’t about me right now. It’s not about me. As long as we’re winning (I’m fine).”"
How long can that last? What about on nights when they don’t win, a regular thing in the long NBA season, will it be about Dion then?
"Coach went with who he went with. We won, so I really can’t go to him and ask him why. If we had lost, it would have been a different thing. But we won, so I really can’t be mad.”"
I guess he would be mad and ask coach David Blatt ‘Why?’ if the Cavs had lost.
"“We can keep playing him and keep going to him and Dion is a professional,” Blatt said after Waiters went 1 for 5 in a win over the Indiana Pacers last weekend. “He’s not a young kid anymore. He’s a seasoned NBA player and he’ll pull himself up as he should.”"
That sounds like the right thing for a coach to say, but with a twinge of blame on Waiters’ shoulder. Blatt is saying it is on Dion, not about how much he plays or if the offense is run for him, but for Waiters himself to pull himself up.
"“When I do get in the game, just getting me going,” Waiters said. “How do you get me going? If that’s running plays or things where I can impact and get going. But once I’m in the flow, I’m in the flow. It’s hard to get me out of that. So we just haven’t found ways for me to really, really impact the game yet.”"
Waiters seems to have a different opinion of what is going wrong. He seems to think Blatt and the Cavs should run some plays for him, get him involved. If they do that then he will stay pretty focused. The underlying message is if they don’t, he isn’t and won’t.
"“I think all of us, we know he’s a very, very good basketball player,” James said. “And when his number is called, I think the best thing is to come in with a lot of energy and effort and you can’t worry about the ball going in. All of us, we all know that. We can’t control it. It’s a make-or-miss league. One thing you can control is how hard you play and how much you give to the team, how much you sacrifice for the team and we’re all trying to do that.”"
Even LeBron James is saying the right thing, with a little twist of blame thrown Waiters way. LeBron is saying that it is up to Dion to always put in hard effort no matter what is happening on the floor. No matter that plays are not being run for you, that shots aren’t dropping or that you don’t have the ball in your hands, Waiters is expected to give effort. He has yet to find that balance. Playing off the ball he floats instead of making decisive movements to open spaces. When he gets the ball he resets the offense instead of keeping the ball and players moving. He thinks things will change soon though:
"He and Blatt have worked on a plan to bust the slump. Now it’s time to set it in motion.“We talked. We talked,” Waiters said. “And he said he’ll try to run more plays for me. We got to wait. We talked about it. It’s just about when it’s going to happen.”"
Sir Charles In Charge
This is where we are all in wait and see mode. Waiters seems to think that Blatt is interested in focusing more of the offense on him, especially with the second unit. However we have not seen this to be true at all this season. Blatt’s primary focus has been to get the Big 3 to work together and for one of them to take over while the others are resting. Often this is either Kyrie Irving or LeBron. That still keeps the ball out of Waiters hands and limited plays run for him.
Over the next week we will see if anything changes. If Waiters believes things will start to be more focused on him but they are not he is bound to get frustrated. On the other hand if Blatt is unable or unwilling to involve Dion in the ways that are best suited for his game than it may be clear that the Cavs do not have long term plans for the 3rd year shooting guard.
In his past 10 games Waiters has averaged a little over 21 minutes a game, with a high of 30 in the blowout win over the Wizards, and a low of 9 in the tight win over the Bucks. In those 10 games his already low averages have dipped. He is averaging only 8.1 PPG, only 7.2 in the last 10. He is averaging only 1.9 rebounds per game, only 1.1 in the last 10.
His shooting for the season is a horrendous 37%, down from 43% last season. Yet his 3 point shooting makes his field goal percentage look great, 24% from deep for the season down from 37% last year.
Obviously his role is significantly different this year than last, which should impact his raw numbers (points, rebounds, assists, etc) but should not have this big of an impact on his shooting percentages. Waiters inability to adjust his game was a concern when he was second fiddle to Kyrie. That pattern continues now but he is at best the 4th most important player on the team behind James, Irving and Kevin Love.
Self disclosure: I think Dion Waiters could be a good to great player. Given a team to run of his own I think he could be an Allen Iverson-lite type of player. I actually think that is the player he has tried to model his game after. The problem is three fold for Dion:
- That isn’t going to happen on the Cleveland Cavaliers. Ever.
- Ball dominate players are being phased out in the NBA right now for more efficient, ball moving players.
- Another team is highly unlikely to give him the keys to the kingdom at this point.
Yet there was a point last season where I recommended the Cavs look to build around Dion and not Kyrie Irving. This was due to two factors: First and foremost the two players don’t seem to be able to gel on the floor. Second, Irving was far more likely to bring back a huge haul on the trade market. LeBron James, Kevin Love and Irving extension, and his play, mean I was very wrong.
Sam Amico, of Fox Sports Ohio, and I also believed the Waiters would want to adjust his game this year and come under LeBron’s leadership. Both of us predicted that Waiters would either be the Cavs 4th All Star or would be on the fringe and considered a snub for a spot. So my thoughts on Waiters have been very high.
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It seems like Blatt, LeBron and Dion himself also think highly of Waiters’ skill set. Yet his play and fit with this team so far has left a lot to be desired. His mood and outbursts have gotten worse, 2 technical fouls already, same total as all of last season. Could it be time for him to go?
Dion Waiters thinks coach David Blatt will start installing things to get Waiters in the game. If that happens, and/or the Cavs keep winning, Dion will be happy. If it doesn’t, and when the Cavs lose, Waiters will not be happy. That will also be a sign that Blatt and the Cavaliers do not have plans for Dion Waiters to be a long term piece of the puzzle in Cleveland and could look to move him.
Best case scenario for all parties might be to find a team with a young player that hasn’t fit what they had hoped for and a swap of that player for Dion, other pieces might be needed, could help all sides. A player who was drafted high but fills more of a 3rd or 4th option role is the type that would fit that bill. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is an example, but not a rumored deal, that could interest everyone involved. If I am another team I am trying to buy low on Waiters as soon as possible.
Do you think Dion Waiters is a Cleveland Cavalier at the end of this season?