Cavs in crisis: Four pressing questions
With trade deadline looming, skidding Cleveland has decisions to make
The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost 12 of their past 18 games, Kevin Love suffered a broken left hand and the prospect of them returning to the NBA Finals for a fourth consecutive season looks grimmer by the day. With the trade deadline looming Thursday and LeBron James’ future in Cleveland very much in question, USA TODAY NBA insiders Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt tackled four pressing questions in Cleveland.
What should the Cavaliers do with the Brooklyn pick?
Amick: A quick reminder: LeBron is one of the best players of all time, a 33year-old who has given Cavs owner Dan Gilbert every reason to believe he can produce at a Hall of Fame level for several more seasons. Yet here is Gilbert, and here are the Cavs, refusing to even discuss parting ways with their precious Brooklyn pick as the deadline nears.
The message sent to LeBron? We’re more interested in preparing for life without you than we are improving life with you. The Cavs should have been gauging the market for the Brooklyn pick months ago and seeing which superstar they could add with that asset, but the expectation among rival executives now is that they’ll have a relatively quiet deadline.
If Gilbert didn’t have all the emotional baggage of LeBron’s 2010 departure weighing him down, he’d see that any other team in this situation would do anything and everything it could to keep a player of his ilk. Instead, the noise about Gilbert being more than happy to say goodbye to James when the summer rolls around grows louder. And while only Gilbert knows how he truly sees it, there are members of James’ inner circle who have been hearing this narrative for months now.
Gilbert wants his team back. C’est la vie LeBron. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, one that could result in a relatively quiet trade deadline for the Cavs and with Gilbert likely living to regret the illadvised tact he took — again.
Zillgitt: Right now, the Brooklyn picks falls into the No. 8 slot — a spot that could land the Cavs a player such as Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson, Duke’s Wendell Carter, Alabama’s Collin Sexton, Texas’ Mo Bamba, Kentucky’s Kevin Knox, Villanova’s Mikal Bridges or Michigan State’s Miles Bridges. All very good players, but it’s unknown what kind of pro each one will be.
So here’s what the Cavs should do with the pick: If they can get an All-Starcaliber player with multiple years left on his contract after this season and the Cavs feel that player can get them to the NBA Finals and perhaps win a championship and perhaps convince LeBron James that he should stay — if that’s what they want — they should make the deal.
But if it’s a player on an expiring deal, especially one who isn’t a differencemaker and especially against Golden State, there’s no reason to trade the Brooklyn pick.
Now in their fourth season since James returned, is mental fatigue taking a toll on the Cavs?
Amick: It’s a whole lot more complicated than the fatigue factor, and it has everything to do with the layers of dysfunction that the Cavs are battling. Cavs general manager Koby Altman is trying hard to shed the contracts of Tristan Thompson (two years, $36 million remaining) and J.R. Smith ($14.7 million next season, team option worth $15.6 million in 2019-20 with $3.8 million guaranteed), two players who were re-signed in large part because of LeBron’s omnipresent influence. They’re all represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports who built the agency with a huge assist from James. As it pertains to the Cavs’ interest in the Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan, a person with knowledge of that situation said Cleveland continues to offer only its own first-round pick and this kind of unwanted money in those stalled negotiations. The person spoke to USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Zillgitt: Going to the Finals three consecutive seasons is taxing physically and mentally. Before Golden State and Cleveland did it, the previous team to do it was the Miami Heat with LeBron James, and the fatigue was apparent in San Antonio’s five-game series win in James’ final season with Miami. Even Warriors coach Steve Kerr once noted how difficult going to the Finals season after season after season was with Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. It falls apart for a variety of logical reasons.
And this season’s struggles for the Cavs seem to be different from previous seasons — the problems deeper and less fixable. That’s just on the court, where James and many of his teammates haven’t meshed as quickly as anticipated. Off the court, dynamics with players, the front office and ownership have created a tension and drama that add weight to the situation, including finger-pointing and power struggles.
These successful runs must end at some point, and for the Cavs, that point seems closer and closer.
How would you assess this summer’s blockbuster trade with Boston?
Amick: At the moment, with Thomas struggling and Kyrie Irving elevating his game in Boston, it looks like a terrible move because, well, it will likely lead to the exit of … LeBron James. And Gilbert, who made the decision to send former general manager David Griffin to the exits in mid-June, bears the responsibility here. As has been reported, Griffin and the Cavs came close to landing Paul George from the Indiana Pacers via trade and, by all accounts, sending the kind of message to James that might compel him to stay. Instead, this train went off the tracks and it looks highly unlikely of getting back on at this point.
Zillgitt: It hasn’t worked. While it looked like a decent return at the time for a player who wanted out, Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder and to a lesser extent Ante Zizic haven’t come close to lessening the impact of losing Irving. It’s been 13 games in his return from Thomas’ problematic hip injury, but the Cavaliers have a net rating of -14.8 points per 100 possessions with Thomas on the court and Crowder has a net rating of -4.1.
The James-Thomas dynamic has struggled to make an impact — even offensively. With those two on the court at the same time, the Cavs score 100.8 points and allow 115.8 points per 100 possessions. It’s obvious that it might just take the rest of the season for Thomas, who is shooting 36.4% from the field and 23.7% on three-pointers, to find his offensive rhythm. While that’s fair given the injury, it’s taking longer than the Cavs probably expected, and it’s possible he won’t return to his Celtics self until it’s too late to make an impact this season.
With that said, if the Cavs win 15 of 20 games after the All-Star break and somehow magically “flip the switch,” I’m going to lose my basketball mind.
How will this season affect LeBron’s free agency decision?
Amick: Another trip to the Finals could always change the landscape, but all signs point to James leaving Cleveland. So, barring his faith in Gilbert being renewed in the next four months, where does he go? That part remains unclear.
While we have chronicled the many reasons the Houston Rockets are a viable possibility, the Lakers scenario remains front and center in the minds of many league executives. And even with George saying recently that he’s happy in Oklahoma City, there is still a strong sense in some circles that he’ll jump at the chance to partner with James while playing for his hometown team in July.
Zillgitt: It’s easy to envision several scenarios in which James returns to the Cavaliers and in which he doesn’t. The Cavs could reach the Finals and I see him returning or see him not returning. The Cavs could win the championship and same thing. Falling short of reaching the NBA Finals, however, could push James to another team with a better chance of competing for a title.
Could it be Philadelphia? Houston? San Antonio? Could it be the Los Angeles Lakers if another All-Star joined him and the Lakers made some other moves? But for now, James wants to see if it can work in Cleveland, and that means making moves before the trade deadline that put Cleveland in better position to win now and in the future. What is the front office and, more pointedly, ownership doing to convince James Cleveland is the best place for him in the future? We’re about to find out.