The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Despite injuries, Cavs have winning formula
Lue changes strategy for team after absences of key players mount
The Cavaliers are so short on healthy players these days that Coach Tyronn Lue can practically, while sitting in his chair, reach across seated coaches and players and shake hands with the last man in uniform.
Despite that obstacle, the Cavaliers ran their winning streak to nine straight on Nov. 28 when they beat the Miami Heat, 108-97.
The Cavs dispatched the Heat without point guard Isaiah Thomas (hip, 21 games missed), without point guard Derrick Rose (ankle, 14 games missed), without center Tristan Thompson (13 games missed) and without guard Iman Shumpert (knee, eight games missed).
Lue expected to be without Thomas for the first two months of the season. He did not expect to be minus the others a quarter of the way into the season. Rose, who has played only seven games, is not with the team. The mounting knee and ankle injuries the last six years have taken such a toll he is taking personal time to ponder whether he wants to continue his career.
“Koby (general manager Koby Altman) and Dan
(owner Dan Gilbert) and those guys have done a good job of giving us all the talent we need,” Lue said.
“It’s been tough figuring out how to play without a point guard, but Jose (Calderon) has stepped in and done a great job. Shump did a good job when he played the point guard.”
The Cavaliers added depth in the offseason so they would be better equipped to challenge the Golden State Warriors in a fourth straight NBA Finals. No on imagined how important that depth would be in November to
prevent the Boston Celtics from running away with the NBA East.
Adding Rose, Dwyane Wade, Jeff Green, Jae Crowder and eventually Thomas in theory was supposed to take some of the workload from the shoulders of LeBron James, who turns 33 on Dec. 30. It hasn’t worked out that way because of all the injuries.
James has played in all 21 games for the 14-7 Cavaliers. He was averaging 37.4 minutes a game before facing the Heat, down a whole 24 seconds from last year when he played in 74 of 82 games and averaged 37.8 minutes. He is averaging 28.6 points compared to finishing with an average of 26.4 points a game last year.
James was ejected with
two technical fouls in the Heat game, but not before scoring 21 points in 28 minutes.
The scary thing is James usually reaches another gear after the AllStar break.
Kevin Love has also played all 21 games. He scored 32 points in the first half against the Heat and finished with 38 in just 25 minutes in the second game of a backto-back after scoring 13 points in 25 minutes on Nov. 27 in a 118-91 victory in Philadelphia.
Love has always been steady and reliable, but for some reason fans nitpick his game.
Lue, too, deserves more credit than he gets for navigating his team through the rash of injuries. He
had to go to Plans B, C, D and E in a hurry.
“In the past, we were a pick-and-roll spread team,” Lue said. “Now we’ve become a catch-and-shoot, pick the picker, post-up team.
“We’re getting used to that adjustment and what we’re trying to do. Guys have figured it out. The rotations are better. Guys know when they’re going into the game. Right now we have a good thing going.”
Indeed the Cavaliers do have something good going, and it should only get better when the injured return.