1 stud and 2 duds from the Cavs’ loss on Tuesday night to Knicks

Cavs Duds: Bench unit and J.B. Bickerstaff

The Cavaliers second unit has become a real issue heading into the second half of the season. The Cavaliers used an 11-man rotation last night, and not a single one of the six players who saw minutes had a very positive impact. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio played 12 and 13 minutes respectively, but combined to go 1-of-5 from the field and combine for three points. That simply isn’t enough from two of your primary second-unit players.

With that being said, I was very disappointed in Caris LeVert last night. He played 21 minutes, and is supposed to be the Cavalier sparkplug off the bench. Last night he did have nine points and and three assists, but his impact was mostly a negative one.

In his minutes played he finished with a -26 +/-, and on top of that looked lost on defense at times. He got beat to the rim multiple times all game, and then made the bad decision to foul, and allow his man to score. With the trade deadline somewhat approaching, I’m not sure where Caris LeVert stands among that group if he can’t defend, and isn’t the instant-offense on the bench like he once was.

The main culprit for last night’s loss, however, was head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Last night was a very winnable game, and the Cavaliers couldn’t pull out a much-needed victory.

Bickerstaff made some questionable moves all night long, including going with an 11-man rotation. While I am aware that it’s very important to be healthy at the right times, I don’t think the Cavs need an 11-man rotation. With Dean Wade back from injury, what does giving Lamar Stevens six minutes in a close game do? What does he do better than Wade? On top of that, I get that it’s important to get Ricky Rubio back into the flow of things, but why are there any rotations without Garland and Mitchell?

It’s very obvious they are the best options on the offensive end for the Cavs, so at least one of them should be on the court pretty much at all times considering the team really struggles to score without both of them in the lineup. In a winnable game, those are questions we shouldn’t have to be asking the head coach.

I’m usually not one to go after the head coach, but last night was a very winnable game, and it would have been huge for the Cavaliers to win. However, something just didn’t seem right all night. The rotations were odd from Bickerstaff, and at times the pace they use drives me crazy. Even with all that in mind, the Cavaliers are still in a good position in a tough Eastern Conference.

With the loss, the Cavaliers fell 1.5 games behind the Brooklyn Nets for fourth place in the conference. If the playoffs started today, the Nets would certainly be a tough matchup. Going forward, the Cavaliers continue their road trip as they head to face the Houston Rockets on Thursday night, followed by a meeting with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.

Like I said, I don’t usually go after coaches, and it sure seems like it’s too late to make a coaching change, but some things need to get worked out by Bickerstaff and his coaching staff. There really shouldn’t ever be a time when Garland or Mitchell aren’t on the court. It doesn’t make much sense in a league where the scoring is at an all-time high. While it was a bad loss, it’s not the end of the world.

The Cavaliers are still very much in-play in the Eastern Conference, they just need to work out some kinks before we get to the playoffs.