3 big questions for the Cavs after acquiring Rajon Rondo
By John Suchan
Big question #2: Are the Cavs starting their annual collapse?
With the Cavs starting so well and getting to a season-best 20-13 record a week ago, there was a certain excitement floating through the Cleveland air that had fans and others taking note of the new and improved squad. But the team has been hit hard by COVID, as most of the players have been knocked out for a week or two.
The injuries are starting to grow, too. Their main scoring guard Collin Sexton was lost for the year with a knee injury back in November and now the backup guard Ricky Rubio was also sidelined with a serious knee injury.
A year ago, the Cavaliers got to a record of 10-11 on the season and then spiraled out of control and finished at 22-50. With this year’s team, there are too many new factors that would say that the team is not going to lose control of the season.
Like was mentioned earlier, adding a savvy rookie like Evan Mobley to the team is making a difference and his game will only keep getting better. The other guard Darius Garland, who is currently out because of Covid, has stepped up his talents, even more, this season. He’s averaging close to 20 points a game this season. His assists average is up to 7.3 this year too. Jarrett Allen, one of the other big men for the team, is also having an outstanding year. His point average has taken a significant hike north up to 17 points a game. You add in his career-best 10.7 boards a game and you have a very talented group of very young players.
It’s important that this team try and get a win in at least one of these next two home games against the Indiana Pacers or Memphis Grizzlies to at least stop the bleeding with this latest losing streak. This team is also capable of winning six games in a row, as they showed a few weeks ago.
Do they end up stalled at 20 wins or can they get back to playing the kind of basketball that got them to this point? Defense is the name of the game and in this recent stretch of games, this team has failed multiple games to play consistent defense especially at the perimeter of the defense. Having Garland and Rubio out has caused this shift in poor play. Hopefully getting Garland back and adding in a veteran like Rondo will help.
The Cavaliers have blown huge leads in this recent losing streak. They had a 21-point lead against the New Orleans Pelicans a few nights ago and a 15-point halftime lead against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. The team’s defense at the point of the opponent’s attack on the outside was almost nonexistent and, in both games, the Cavs lost in the second half. That’s a bad trend and that needs to be corrected.
Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff has to do a better job of helping get that corrected as well. With that let’s discuss this new contract extension for the Cavs coach because it has me concerned.