Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyle Korver Plays First Game In Loss To The Utah Jazz

In the Cleveland Cavaliers first game with Kyle Korver, they lost against the Utah Jazz.

In the Cleveland Cavaliers first game with Kyle Korver, the defending champs let one slip through their fingers with disappointing team defense. The Cavs lost 100-92 to the Utah Jazz.

Last night, the biggest problem was the way the Cavs defended on the perimeter. While the starting lineup, and in particular DeAndre Liggins, may not have expected Gordon Hayward to be as explosive as he looked last night, Hayward still dropped 28 points on the defending champs. In the first quarter, he consistently pushed the pace and kept Liggins, who usually guards players fullcourt, on his heels.

Liggins, who started this game off by knocking down his first two three-point attempts, would have been better served defending Rodney Hood while LeBron James took the challenge of playing against Hayward. After Hayward called out James a couple of years ago, saying he was the better player of the two, the Cavs and the league at-large may have failed to take him seriously. Nonetheless, Hayward is a player who is a true triple-threat offensively.

Hood, who scored 18 points, is a player who makes the most of his opportunities on the offensive end. Last March, Hood scored 28 points against the Cavs in an efficient manner, knocking down open shots in rhythm whether he was the ball-handler or splashing shots in a catch-and-shoot opportunity. The Cavs saw some of that again last night.

Though he’s not the type of player you guard 94-feet (or in Liggins’ case, 96-feet), he’s a player you have to pay close attention to once he passes halfcourt. Putting a body on Hood at all times would have saved the Cavs some trouble and James, who doesn’t display intense one-on-one defense at all times, isn’t the player that will thrive in that matchup though he should have. Liggins, who has a wingspan of 6-foot-11, has both the length and defensive mindset that would have bothered Hood and perhaps prevented the Jazz from stretching their lead.

Another issue that reared it’s ugly head is the Cavs’ lack of, not just any rim-protector, but a mobile big capable of getting out the perimeter to contest shots. As far as Kevin Love and Channing Frye are concerned, neither are the types of player that the Cavs need defensively. Neither player possesses the speed they’d need to get out on the perimeter, though they can, at times, move their feet well enough on the perimeter to make players pass up the ball.

It’s a pairing that Lue looked to be using to give the Cavs space and take Rudy Gobert out of the paint while keeping a true big on Derrick Favors. Yet, it simply showed that the Cavs only have three big men and one that’s particularly limited offensively while the other two are limited offensively. In other words, they don’t have a big man who is an all-around player.

To that point, Canton Charge call-up candidate Eric Moreland should seriously be looked at as an option for a 10-day contract once the Cavs figure out their point guard situation. He’s an affiliate player that the Cavs assigned to the Charge as he rehabbed a foot injury. Moreland, who is one of the most better big men in the NBA D-League, had defensive stats similar to six-year veteran Quincy Acy. Acy was just signed by the Brooklyn Nets as they waived former number one overall pick Anthony Bennett.

Not all was bad for the Cavs though. While Irving was being pestered by the length and activity of George Hill, a player who also plays fundamentally sound defense, James was seemingly unguarded for most of the game as he did whatever he wanted to the Jazz.

That includes a 3-minute 13-point surge in the third quarter. Nonetheless, even that wasn’t enough as the Cavs had to make up for their mistakes in the first half. Mistakes that included three straight James turnovers after he checked back into the game in the second quarter.

That’s where a backup point guard would come in and handle the reins of the offense while James was allowed to rest on the bench.

Must Read: Proposing A Trade For Deron Williams

As far as what everyone in the arena waited to see, Kyle Korver went 0-3 from three-point range but chipped in two points and three rebounds. He got those two points in a way we’ve seen him get buckets throughout his career, off of screens.

Most of the shots Korver took looked like he forced them up and he didn’t have the space to shoot that he’d have had if James and Co. were consistently attacking the teeth of the defense.

Still, Korver is confident. Before the game, Korver had this to say:

"“I’ve always felt the better the players are around me, the better I can be,” Korver said. “And this is the most talented team I’ve ever been on.”"

Besides that, their starting quarterback is doing a lot of film study on Korver and the passes he shoots well off of.

It was just one game and the Cleveland Cavaliers have one tonight against the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that’s as explosive offensively as the Jazz are suffocating defensively.

Related Story: King James Gospel launches new mobile app

What did you think of the Cleveland Cavaliers first game with Kyle Korver? Let us know in the comments section or Twitter @KJG_NBA.