Worrisome Wednesday
Posted January 11th, 2006 by Brian Windhorst
Los Angeles — When I got off my flight this afternoon, I was rather taken aback my how much e-mail I got from fans upset by the way the Cavs played and lost to the Knicks last night. Obviously, you guys and gals are upset with what you saw.
If you read my game story, I break down that what happened has been building since Hughes’ injury. Terry Pluto also had a good perspective.
In general, here’s what is happening:
–With Hughes out and Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones struggling, teams are camping in the paint. They bring help when LeBron James drives and the have been double-teaming Zydrunas Ilgauskas, although I think they’ve been under-using Z.
–James has tried to make up for this by attempting more jump shots, like he did last night. When the Cavs got the lead in the third quarter, it was when LeBron made five straight jumpers. In fact, at one point LeBron actually made 9-of-10 shots last night, which got the Cavs up 11. He’s taken seven or more 3-pointers in each of the last four games. He’d only tried seven or more four times in the first 28 games.
–Damon Jones is playing too many minutes, which is why his defensive lapses have gone up and become a real glaring issue. As for his shooting slump, that happens to everyone. As for the fans’ reaction to it, he brought it on himself.
–This is very much like the Cavs played at the end of last season, with the exception that they are playing better defense. By contesting more shots and working hard on help defense, they’ve actually kept themselves in more games. Perhaps it will serve them well.
It is not surprising to me there are offensive problems. All year, Mike Brown has sort of just assumed the offense would always show up. He repeatedly said it would "take care of itself." Well, without Hughes and with some bad habits, it ain’t right now.
So this is a real test for Brown, to see what adjustments he makes or fails to make. And if the players will respond to these issues or continue to say in their bad habits.
By the way, Anderson Varejao will probably play against the Lakers. Also, Damon is starting for the Cavs in that one, Kobe Bryant is starting there for the Lakers. Who do you give the edge to?
January 11th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Excellent analysis. Last night was scarily similar to the end of last year. Lebron taking 31 shots, no one else able to create their own shot or even consistently stick open jumpers.
How can you say DJ is playing too many minutes, when he averaged over 30 in Miami last year?
January 11th, 2006 at 4:53 pm
“All year, Mike Brown has sort of just assumed the offense would always show up. He repeatedly said it would “take care of itself.”"
brian, this has been my concern all year and to be fair, i think you and, most of the rest of the media, have something to do with it as well. how so? well, by harping ( and writing) on how ALL the cavs problems were related to defense and “defense wins championships,” etc. you gave people the impression that, well, obviously it’s ALL about the defense! while i’ve always maintained that a good *efficient* offense sets up your defense! and as we saw with our own eyes at the end of last year and sometimes even this year, when your offense is missing shots it puts MORE pressure on your D and if you *keep* missing shots, each possession becomes life or death.
the celtics and the lakers *dominated* the 80’s, yet no one talks about how great bird or magic were defensively, cuz they weren’t! BUT they we’re so efficient on offense that that then set up their D. but both dynasty’s were lead by offense.
i know this will bother some of the luddites out there but as hollinger shows in his statistical analysis of off. and def. efficiency, the pistons are #1 in off. efficiency but only #15 in def. efficiency, yet they have the best record in the league and NO one thinks they are not going to be a finalist for the championship. and i would argue, and the numbers back me up, that their *offense* is the reason why.
and remember what ben franklin said about common sense( and if he’d been around the NBA, he would’ve meant it triple!); it is frequently *neither!*
January 12th, 2006 at 4:13 am
Gals e-mail you? Wow. Brian Windhorst groupies. Be sure to wear protection!
Be that as it may, that Jones minutes thing is completely bogus. He barely moves when the Cavs have possession, so it’s not like he’s winded. Rick Hamilton in constant motion he’s not. If you want to get serious about a problem instead of apologizing for him, then look at video of the Knicks game. Specifically with 2:20 remaining in the third quarter. Play it slow, frame-by-frame. It’s outrageous.
Oh, and by the way, KJ, indeed Bird repeatedly made it onto the NBA’s all-defensive teams in the 80’s. He also received multiple votes during the seasons he didn’t make it. McHale, Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Cooper also repeatedly made the all-defensive teams. The coaches vote, nobody else, so I assume they have a solid handle on what constitutes good defense.
One added note: I read a quote by Mike Brown saying Jones is one of the Cavs’ best team defenders. Of all the quotes I’ve read in 2006, this is by far the most fascinating. I am certainly no drug-testing expert, but the next time the NBA requires a Cavs player to pee in a cup, they should make Brown whip out his Johnson, too.
January 12th, 2006 at 7:14 am
Bird was a fantastic defender, to say anything else is absurd. Damon on the other hand is not…at all… Tucker are you sure he was serious?? I can’t… I just…. I’d like to read that one.
Detroit and S.A. are both amazing defensive teams..I don’t care what Holl-dawg says.
OH and magic lead the league in steals in 80-82 (3.2 and 2.7 respectfully).
Oh yeah and from the dictionary
“vis-a-vis n 1: a person or thing having the same function or characteristics as another [syn: counterpart, opposite number] 2: small sofa that seats two people [syn: love seat, tete-a-tete] ”
That’s where the love seat joke came from.
January 12th, 2006 at 7:18 am
They had an off night. It happens in the league. Im more interested to see if they can Get Z a flurry of shots in LA because i think thats the only way were gonna make that game easier, WIth Kobe having 5 straight 40+ games Z is gonna be the key. They cant keep trying to take 30 3pters a game and only making 3. Thursday night, Lakers, Lets see if they can finally get Z playing against the opposition and dominating like we know he can.
January 12th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
Ok, two words. Where’s Luke??
That is the first thing that I would like answered. No, I am not one of those people that is on the Luke ban wagon but he is not a Trajan Langdon, not yet. Damon Jones has never impressed me and it ALWAYS seems like he takes everything way too lightly.
With Larry being out and both of our “shooters” laying up more bricks that china has rice, I think Brown needs to look down the bench and tell our 2nd year rookie to take off the warm ups.
But what do I know? Oh, I do agree, make Brown pee in a cup because his head is the size of Barry Bonds and this isn’t even baseball.
January 13th, 2006 at 8:37 am
Rick Hamilton? How am I the first to call this person out? There are at least 5 people reading these comments, 6 including me.
January 13th, 2006 at 9:39 am
His first name is richard…..??
January 13th, 2006 at 10:06 am
You completely lost me, CN. Are you related to Rick Hamilton? I do love his ‘do, by the way.
But getting back to minutes, I’m still waiting to read a rational explanation as to how minutes without any movement on the offensive or defensive ends purportedly affects that person’s defensive play. During the Lakers game, it took an entire 2 1/2 minutes into the game before Smush Parker blew right past Damon “Deer Caught in the Headlights” Jones. So, if I am reading Brian correctly, and I do believe I am, an entire 150 seconds on the job is the NBA’s version of Third World slave labor. Gee, I’m getting exhausted just writing about it.
Please tell me how Jason Kapono, Jim Jackson, Wes Person or Luke Jackson, just to name four off the top of my head, couldn’t do the exact same thing as Jones, and probably do it better, without any necessity to tie up years of precious cap space.
Nah…How ’bout the underlying truth for any ridiculous apologist stuff to cover for that big-lipped overpaid no-talent statue: Basically, the unvarnished truth is that Jones is a quotemeister. Every sportswriter in the country with the gravy stains on his shirt worships and loves a quotemeister. Quotemeisters always make the job a helluva lot easier and always make the job a helluva lot more enjoyable. For a sportswriter, a quotemeister is like having daily access to fresh Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ring Dings, Ding Dongs and Devil Dogs.
January 13th, 2006 at 3:20 pm
By the way, not that there’s anything wrong with sportswriters eating fresh Twinkies, Ho Hos, Ring Dings, Ding Dongs and Devil Dogs. I’d eat them, too, but with the current state of my colon, they’d give me a bad case of the Hershey squirts.
January 14th, 2006 at 2:06 am
Damon Jones was brought in to replicate his role on the Heat: camp on the 3 point line and shoot 3’s. He’s not a shooting guard, as this horrible stint has proved. He was starting a slump before he got moved and has not improved with the minutes…because he’s been put in the wrong spot. As BW said, he’s brought the fan reaction on himself, but I don’t think he’s being used correctly. Talk all you want about a guy being paid millions to produce, but if you put LBJ at center, or even PF, his numbers would decrease.
Jackson has never proven himself to be a consistent 3 point threat in the NBA. If he can do so consistently while NOT playing against the MIGHTY competition of that great basketball breeding ground known as the Northwest, then by all means play him more. Jim Jackson and Wes Person might as well be dead. Jason Kapono shines on a mediocre team.
DJones played 30 minutes at point guard next to Wade and Shaq. He was a role player, a limited one at that, and that’s all he’ll ever be, slump or shine.
February 3rd, 2006 at 12:48 pm
The writer didn’t say that Damon Jones’ increased minutes were causing fatigue that was leading to bad defense. He meant that since he was on the court more his defensive deficiences were being exposed more and were more obvious.