The Cleveland Cavaliers are 4-4 after eight games, clearly below expectations. Kenny Atkinson's team continues to suffer from the same issues, and once again, it looks like the coach doesn't have an answer.
The Oklahoma City Thunder led by as many as 17 after the first quarter of their last game. As usual, Atkinson didn't use a timeout to end the opposition's run, nor did he switch things up when they struggled to secure rebounds or get stops.
Ultimately, the Cavs fought back to make this an eight-point road loss after trailing by as many as 25. However, Atkinson and James Harden had a bit of a heated exchange mid-game, and the future Hall of Famer put his team on notice after the loss.
Vibes are already off with this Cleveland Cavaliers team
“We’re eight games in and we have to start figuring it out soon,” Harden said (h/t Cleveland.com). “Consistency is key. Wherever we can find that consistency throughout the course of the year, it’s going to help us win a lot of games... We’re just inconsistent.”
Harden is absolutely right about what he says, and you always want your veterans to hold the team accountable, even when they also contribute to the team's struggles. That said, we're just eight games into the season.
This is just like when a team has a player's only meeting. You know it's about to get worse before it gets any better, and while this might sound like hyperbole, it's definitely not a good omen for what's to come this season.
The Cavs were down Peyton Watson and Jaylon Tyson, and they also lost Jarrett Allen early in the game. That will usually kill you against a team like OKC, but they were also down multiple key pieces, including Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace, and Chet Holmgren.
Mark Daigneault's team came to play, while the Cavaliers committed five turnovers (four live-ball) in the first quarter and missed 12 of their first 16 shots. They looked clueless and helpless against a winning team... Again.
It feels like we've seen this movie already. One could skip the remaining 74 games of the regular season, and everyone already knows the Cavs will have some nice runs, finish with a 3-6 seed, and be a second-round exit like they always are. That's the worst place any team can be.
The Cavs are stuck in limbo. They're not bad enough to get a potential superstar in the NBA Draft, nor good enough to be a legitimate championship contender. The craziest part is that they're capping their own ceiling by stumbling into the same old issues.
Atkinson hasn't learned anything from all the blown leads and past meltdowns, and it looks like the guys in the locker room are starting to lose their patience. Mario Hezonja already pointed out everything that's wrong with the team, and once James Harden loses confidence in the project, things usually get ugly. Fast.
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