The Cleveland Cavaliers are at their lowest point in LeBron’s second tenure

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are at their lowest point since LeBron James’ return. Is there any saving this team and this season?

There’s bad, and then there’s the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although they still sit as the East’s third best team, their recent slump has been the defining point of their season.

In their last game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Cleveland Cavaliers gave up 148 points, the most of any team LeBron James has ever played against.

Even more shocking is that there have only been four games (excluding this game) in the past four seasons in which a team has hit 145+ points, and only two were without overtime like this one.

This game is just another one in the Cavs ongoing, season-defining slump. But, what, if anything, is this slump telling us?

It tells us change is on the way, mainly because this wasn’t a flute. The Cavs have now lost 10 of their last 14 games. They’ve given up over 110 points in eight of those 14 games.

Shane Young (via Twitter) reminded us that in the last 40 years only one team has won the NBA Finals with a defensive rating in the bottom half of the league. That team was the Los Angeles Lakers, who were led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal both averaging over 28 points per game. And, they were ranked 21st in the NBA, not 29th like the current Cavs’ team.

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To add to that, the Cavs defense is almost certainly the worst that it has been since James’ return. In the Cavs last 14 games, they have the league’s worst defensive rating, giving up 113.9 points per 100 possessions.

This type of midseason slump is not something new to the Cavaliers and their loyal fanbase. They’ve gone through this the last two seasons; however, it’s never been to this extent.

Even during their worrisome midseason slump last season, the Cavs worst eight-game streak, where they went 2-6, was followed up by them winning six of their next seven. In previous seasons, it felt different. It felt like there was hope for them to snap out of the streak, to “flip the switch.”

This season, the numbers say different.

The Cavs, who are 27-18, actually have a negative net rating of -0.1 following their 24-point loss to the Thunder. It’s intriguing that a team with nine more victories than losses have a negative net rating. A LeBron James-led team has not had a negative net rating in over a decade.

It’s been a rough ride so far this season. Injuries have plagued this team throughout this entire season, but after almost a decade of Finals’ appearances, James-led teams should be without excuse.

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While there might not be an excuse for their poor play, there is certainly help on the way. Either Tyronn Lue is going to be shown the door or a defensive mastermind is going to be brought in to bolster the Cavs lacking defense.

Let’s hope for the best because, without a change, nothing will change in Cleveland.