There is no ignoring it - the Cleveland Cavaliers look rough 20 games into the season.
Against the 13th seed Portland Trailblazers, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost at home by eight points one game after dismantling the Atlanta Hawks 128-105. The fatal flaw in this Cleveland basketball club is not bad players - it is a lack of urgency or interest in playing hard every game (alongside some glaring coaching mistakes this week).
In truth, the Cavs still have plenty of time to turn around this season. They are currently tied with the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers for the sixth seed as all three teams sit 4.5 games behind the first-place Boston Celtics. The right course correction now can put the Cavs in a guaranteed postseason berth instead of a tough Play-In Tournament. As much as home-court advantage is coveted, the Cavaliers are not without playoff hope if they can just make it in.
The Cavaliers need to move forward
Last season's playoff failures are in the past. The team has had another year to grow their young core, and the offseason was filled with great moves. Not only did the Cavs bring in two great shooters in Max Strus and Georges Niang during free agency, but they added two talented young players in rookies Emoni Bates and Craig Porter, Jr.
The first area of concern right now is their turnovers. Not only is Darius Garland's 4.3 turnovers per game a career high, the Cavaliers are turning over the ball 14.6 times each night, ranked 21st in the NBA. Extra possessions are going to kill any momentum garnered, especially when it is coming from your best playmakers.
This season, the Cavaliers are playing a faster, more fluid offense. This certainly is contributing to the dramatic fall off in ball security, and in his last five games, Garland has turned the ball over only twice in three of those games. There is hope going forward, even if the season is far from perfect.
A tough question that the organization must ask, however, is whether the man on the bench is the right man for the job.