A 3-4 start for the three-time defending Eastern Conference-champion Cleveland Cavaliers has wrought some hand-wringing and worries amongst their supporters. Among the key issues for the Cavs has been their defense (they have the NBA’s fourth-worst Defensive Rating as of this morning) and on-court communication has been lacking as well.
Cavs coach Tyronn Lue spoke with reporters after Tuesday’s practice and said the players had discussed their many issues before practice. Lue’s hope, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com, is that the discussion will lead to some on-court fruit for the team:
“Off the court we’ve got great chemistry, great bond,” said Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. “Just, on the court we just got to be better. Like, talking, communicating, enjoying the game together. Having fun. … Right now guys are not having fun.”
There’s not much to enjoy about ranking 25th in opponent points allowed (110.1), 21st in opponent field goal percentage (45.9 percent), 27th in opponent 3-point percentage (39.9 percent) and dead last in opponent 3-pointers made per game (13.7). The talk didn’t just focus on the Cavs’ defensive deficiencies, but what needs to be done to correct them.
“Naturally, the slow start that we’ve had prompted us to just all get on the same page and kind of figure out what we need to do,” said Kevin Love. “I feel like we can get in better shape, that’s going to help us on the defensive end. Communication, energy and just getting the new guys to (become) adjusted, well adjusted and on the floor, more time together. So time will tell how it’s going to play out, but we have a lot of really good positive energy from today, so, it was a great practice.”
LeBron James was a “vocal” participant in the meeting, a source present on Tuesday told ESPN, but he was not the lone voice.
“Most everyone spoke,” the source added. “Was very productive.”
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Between the meeting, film and on-court work, the Cavs’ practice ran more than three hours, about twice as long as a normal day. When Lue took over in January 2016, he similarly lamented how his team wasn’t in good enough shape to play at the pace he wanted it to in order to be successful. He relied on longer practices, cardio-focused shootaround activities and individual player accountability to literally get the team up to speed.
“I just think we’ve had moments in previous seasons where we’ve had this conversation I feel like where just our rate of play, our pace of play is even more so what I’m talking about,” Love said. “Maybe ‘out of shape’ is the wrong word. It’s just getting into our sets, secondary offense and miss or make, getting the ball out and pushing it. I think that’s more than anything what I’m trying to say.”
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James is averaging 37.0 minutes per game, down from his league-leading 37.8 minutes per game a season ago, but still tied for fourth this season as a 32-year-old. Love would like every player to max out his energy when he’s on the court, even if it means playing fewer minutes and conceding to a fresher player coming off the bench.
“I’m not saying that guys are taking plays off, but just (not) going super hard,” Love said. “We have the luxury of being able to put guys in different spots and a really deep roster where we don’t have to necessarily log 30-plus minutes, even the starters. So just go hard; if you’re tired, ask for a sub.”
"Off the court, we got great chemistry. On the court, we gotta be better."
Coach checks in from practice.
FULL 📹 → https://t.co/8oecSg3qPR pic.twitter.com/UZuXmHSilz— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 31, 2017
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