Per usual, the Cleveland Cavaliers need another wake-up call

Whether it’s holding hands and singing kumbaya or just having some wine and watching more film, the Cleveland Cavaliers are due for another shot in the arm. Teams are starting to figure them out, and this is on you, coach Tyronn Lue, to fix that.

Now I know what you are probably thinking, this is coming from the guy who has previously raved about the new-look Cavaliers and their newfound versatility on both ends. Yeah, well, I still stand by that Cleveland is a drastically better team, from top to bottom (or bottom to top, really), than they were the morning of February 8th, 2018.

Nonetheless, the results have been a mixed bag thus far and, given their nuclear turnover, that’s understandable, .

Things starting popping off in the first two games, as LeBron James, J.R. Smith, and the new guys looked like they were about to wreck the league (sorry Browns fans), as they handled the Boston Celtics and slugged it out against the Oklahoma City Thunder. As KJG’s own Robbie DiPaola noted, though, the honeymoon is over.

The Cavs are a pedestrian 4-3 since their new pieces have been on the floor altogether, and it’s time to get down to business again. Kevin Love is still a ways away, and Cleveland is not getting Robin-type production from the man who has to be that right now, in Lue. James can’t do everything, even though he’s practically done that many times before.

The fact of the matter is, nobody is going to give the Cavs a pass. Teams have turnover midseason and they have numerous times in recent years. It’s nothing new for James and the growing pains will be there throughout the next month and a half or so before the postseason. That being said, Lue needs to hold himself and others accountable.

CLEVELAND, OH – FEBRUARY 25: LeBron James /

Bron is as special of a player, and really leader, as there’s ever been in the Association. His imprint on the game, and in the locker room is unmatched, but the Cavs need the other parts around him to step up more consistently, and other leaders need to emerge both on and off the floor.

Love seems like he could ultimately fit that bill in both areas with him being one of the key guys and how long he’s been in Cleveland. I would think he already has his presence felt. However, the on-court narrative has not been special, yet, and that’s what this team wants to be so James stays, right?

That’s a rhetorical question.

Every Bron-led team at this point has a standard of at least getting to the NBA Finals, and getting a chance to take down the Golden State Monstars, I mean Warriors. Now we’ll glance over the basics of how unspecial the starters have been since the beginning of this new chapter, courtesy of Cleveland.com’s Bill Livingston.

"“The Cavs are 4-3 since the trade deadline roster quake. This is not an uptick (half the wins were against lowly Memphis and Brooklyn), and certainly not what they hope to become.Not to put it all on coach Tyronn Lue, but sometimes you wonder whom he is putting in – or more accurately, keeping in – and why.When Mike Hargrove managed the Indians in the 1990s, he often said, “Regulars are regulars for a reason.”And the Cavs’ starters, who scored all of 14 points other than James’ 33 against the Spurs recently, are starters because … Um, I’m working on it. Don’t rush me.”"

In that time, the starters have looked really good in some moments, and less-than-good in others for long stretches. Overall, the Cavaliers are sixth in the league in net rating in this seven-game stretch, per nba.com. In that same time frame, though, the starters’ net rating is near the bottom of current playoff teams at -1.4, which are far inferior from the bench. In that same span, the bench net rating is fourth in the league with a mark of +11.1.

This difference is not what the Cavs were looking for. The massive difference in production between the starters and bench is on Lue. Whether it is a good PR move in the locker room or not, there needs to be a reality check with Smith and he must be more consistent to warrant his starting role for the rest of the season, as KJG’s own Nathan Beighle suggested.

He should promote Jordan Clarkson to the point guard, and move to George Hill to the two, or vice-versa, as both are capable combo guards. Clarkson is third on the team in scoring in these last seven games while shooting 51.4 percent and has a robust plus-minus of 3.7, per nba.com.

In terms of the impact on the second unit, Rodney Hood and Kyle Korver are bench microwaves that are heady players and should keep their bench chemistry growing with Larry Nance Jr., another heady player. Nance, Korver and Hood have developed synergy off-ball around James. Those players are all worthy of playing in crunch time and have proven that.

SACRAMENTO, CA – DECEMBER 27: Kyle Korver #26 and J.R. Smith #5 of the Cleveland Cavaliers look on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on December 27, 2017 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /

In addition, as Beighle acknowledged, Smith’s could “help bail them (as in the second unit) out of broken possessions” due to his “difficult shot-making ability.” That could light a fire under Smith, and the entire team as a whole. I know Lue seems to never want to demote J.R. but there’s been enough of a sample size for that to be the case.

He has a plus-minus that is only better than Ante Zizic (who barely plays) and Tristan Thompson in these last seven games, per nba.com. He currently has an atrocious PER of just 8.3 and has the second-worst box plus-minus of his time in Cleveland, per Basketball Reference.

I understand that Smith can go off in any given night, but we haven’t seen enough of that to warrant him playing 29.3 minutes per game. He is also a solid defender with other pieces around him but there’s not been enough consistency for him when guarding quality perimeter players, either.

Despite having better personnel around him since the deadline, Smith has the worst defensive rating of any Cavalier in this seven-game span. According to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Brian Windhorst, Smith was suspended from Cleveland’s last game for throwing a bowl of soup at Cavaliers’ assistant coach Damon Jones.

The thing is, he probably missed.

In all seriousness, though, his resurgence on both ends again has regressed to the mean (that being Earth). Cedi Osman should not be starting anymore, either. He’s flashed in some instances, and is competing hard on both ends, but he’s had fouling problems and sometimes he’s playing ahead of himself, leading to bad shots and eventually leading to stagnant offensive flow.

So why not demote Tristan Thompson, too? The answer to that question is because Nance has great chemistry with the other reserve pieces, and he’s playing when it matters most over Thompson, anyway. Along with that, Nance has committed some unnecessary fouls in spots, too (as he leads the Cavs in fouls since coming here), and Thompson can eventually do the dirty work on defense and as a roller for the starters next to Love when he returns to allow Love to have a less taxing defensive role.

So who replaces Osman as a starting 3? To me, the Cavs should at least try Jeff Green there. He’s been a solid contributor all year long, and his cutting ability and slashing in transition warranted free throw trips consistently. Even with all the new guys getting significant minutes, it’s significant that Green is fourth in free-throw attempts per game in the last seven contests, per nba.com.

In those attempts, he’s shooting 93.3 percent, which is far better than James or even Hill, who for some reason is a bit off from there so far in this post-deadline transition. Osman, who has been attacking the paint as well, is only shooting 57.1 percent from the line, and that’s contributing to the newfound free throw woes for Cleveland a bit. Green’s been a nice cutter for James, and will be more involved than Osman in the rotation in the postseason, so why not just flip the two for now for a few games?

In the second unit, Rodney Hood can handle it in spots, and with Nance being active in the middle for lobs and on the wing with screens for Korver, Osman, and Smith, the Cavs will not continue to have Clarkson isolation-heavy possessions. It’s not like James is going to be leaving the floor that often, anyway, and this second unit could patch things together mixed in with Hill in spots, too, for defensive purposes.

In summation, Lue needs to stop having such an absolute rotation involving mass subs. He is playing unproductive pieces for way too long, and he needs to be more self-aware. These mishaps are unacceptable for this long, and when you have James, you can figure it out mid-game. This team has had as many ebbs and flows as any team James has been involved with, but that’s no excuse to lay three eggs on your home floor.

Lue has to be open-minded with his lineups, and stop making players think too much, and just allow them to play and be more aggressive. The standing around constantly has to end, and this team needs to stop needing wake-up calls to win games. James shouldn’t have to hype players up every night to get success.

This is a process, yes, but 4-3 does not cut it, and the Cavs need to get more on the same page. The best NBA teams will not be forgiving to them, and Lue needs to be a whole lot better.