Sigh

 A week ago the Cavs were in great shape, 7-5 and going into a game against one of the worst teams in the league with hope of getting their full big man rotation back together in the near future.  Instead of reintegrating Love and Markkanen back with Mobley and Allen they started Ed Davis at center last night and are 9-7 going into a game against the best team in the league record wise.  

This has some of the feel of last season, where a better than expected start was hampered by injuries, a trade and eventually the Drummond/Nance frontcourt could no longer hold the defense together in a meaningful way.  Right now it is the Garland/Rubio backcourt trying to hold the offense together and it isn’t holding out.  

There are significant differences though.  Last season Love’s injury limited him to 4 games out of the first 47, while Sexton and Mobley’s injuries aren’t projected to cost them more than half of that number combined, and the backcourt was thin from day 1 as Delly didn’t even make it onto the court until game 48.  This team also just has more talent than last year’s squad, so riding this out without a 10 game losing streak is much more likely this time around.  

This situation, specifically the combination of missing players and tough opponents, does make it difficult to write about the Cavs as an actual team though.  What does a preview of tonight’s game look like?  The Cavs are under-talented and on the 2nd half of a r/h B2B against a team that just blew out the team that just beat us when we had the rest advantage.  It is the NBA and the Warriors are on the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip so it is possible they come in without energy and the Cavs run hot enough from 3 to steal the win, but it isn’t likely, it can’t be strategically orchestrated.  So here are some musings.

1.  The coaching staff has been fantastic.  Ignore the whining about lineups, Dylan Winder’s butt splinters and their choppy offense, this team had played hard every game and been and with 3 starters missing, plus two bench players they were a Denzel Valentine heal on the out of bounds line from taking a 2 pt lead with less than 2 mins to go against the Celtics and they hacked a 23 point deficit down to 8 against the Nets with a rotation the included Ed Davis, Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman in the 3rd quarter last night.  

2. If they can avoid further injuries the Cavs are in line to be at nearly full strength as their schedule eases up a little.  If Mobley is back before December 10th then they could have everyone except for Sexton available for a 9 game run that includes the Timberwolves, Rockets, Pelicans and Kings.  If Sexton is back by mid January then they could have a full squad for a run that includes 6 current bottom feeders in 15 games.  Ifs and ands might turn into pots and pans here.

For the season there is a weird level of clarity for a team whose lineup has been in flux.  It is clear that Mobely is a player who will define the coming years for the Cavs, it is clear that they can start him with Allen and be productive.  It is also clear that there aren’t obvious moves to make.  Which position are they going to be able to upgrade with a marginal move?  PG?  Nope.  C?  Nope.  PF?  Nope.  SF?  Nope.  SG?  Maybe at the backup spot after Sexton comes back if Okoro stagnates.  It is also obvious that Love isn’t going to get bought out or traded in anything but a huge deal now.  Even if he completely shifted in attitude and demanded a trade he would be sent home and his contract held onto to facilitate a potential blockbuster move in the offseason.  That is what Mobley’s first 15 games has done for the Cavs.