I am pretty sure no one saw this coming. Obviously, no one expected the Cleveland Cavaliers to be a contender for the NBA Championship, but most analysts expected them to be in the fight for the playoffs. Boy, were we wrong. Instead, Cleveland is sitting at 16-33 with one of the worst records in a putrid Eastern Conference. Cleveland started the season off just fine. Things were going great, and it seemed they were playing to their expectations. But things would quickly take a turn for the worse, and things have been awful since. Let’s take a look at how Cleveland’s season has played out.
First off, Dan Gilbert made one of the dumbest decisions ever in drafting Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft. Bennett is currently averaging around three points a game. It’s awful. He is the first number one overall pick since Kwame Brown to not be invited to the NBA Rising Stars game. Earlier this month, he had a 15 point game and many thought that maybe he was finally breaking out of his shell. Recent results suggest that was a blip, and the breakout is not what’s happening. Anthony Bennett may become one of the biggest drafts busts ever, if he hasn’t already.
Then, you have Dion Waiters. This guy definitely is not a bust. In his second year, you can say he’s having a solid year. The main problem with Dion Waiters is in the locker room. First, there were reports that he and Kyrie Irving really don’t seem to get along that much. A few weeks later, another report came out that Waiters had requested to be traded. With how bad this season has turned out for Cleveland, they might as well trade him. He can go to a better team and have his solid play actually mean something.
I really didn’t want to have to get into this, but I guess I’ll have to. The Andrew Bynum saga. I mean really, does this man really not like playing basketball? How can you not like playing basketball and earning millions of dollars? It really makes no sense to me. Actually, Andrew Bynum really was not playing that poorly for Cleveland. It seemed as though he could find a home in Cleveland and could rejuvenate his career after missing so much time with chronic knee issues. But after being suspended for conduct detrimental to the team, things went right down the drain again. He would eventually be traded to the Chicago Bulls as part of a package for Luol Deng; and the Bulls would release him.
Luckily, Cleveland got a good return in Deng. Deng is an all-star caliber player, who we all knew would eventually be traded with Chicago having their own issues this season. Deng has played decently in Cleveland, but reports indicate that he really does not like the direction this Cavaliers team is going. He has said that he feels this team is just a mess and that it does not know what it’s doing. I would not expect Deng to re-sign with the Cavaliers when he becomes a free agent this summer. He deserves to be on a much better team. I would not be surprised to see him go back to Chicago if we’re being honest.
And of course, you have Kyrie Irving; the Cavs star player. The only good thing coming out of Cleveland. He is easily one of the better point guards in the league. But please, stop the comparisons with Chris Paul and Stephen Curry. He isn’t on that level yet. While Curry and Paul are getting better each year, Irving seems to actually be playing worse. His stats are down from last year, nearly across the board. Some of Kyrie’s closest friends have said that he wants out of Cleveland. I really can’t blame him for this. Cleveland just is not the place for him. He will leave Cleveland. It’s just that simple, and just a matter of time.
And if any Cavs fan really feel LeBron is coming back, you have got to be out of your mind. There is no way he’s coming back, even if its close to home. He could not win with the team he was a part of before he left for Miami, and he certainly would not win with the team he’d be a part of if he came back. Sorry to break it to you Cavs fans, its the truth, that even with Lebron James this team wouldn’t be good enough.
Oh wow, I almost forgot one thing. How do you get blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers who had EIGHT ACTIVE PLAYERS. Three of them got hurt, so when Robert Sacre fouled out, he had to stay in the game. That’s just awful, Cleveland. Come on. It’s the Lakers.
Maybe in the next few years Cleveland will fix things. But for now, I’m sure they can’t wait for this season to be over.
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Main Photo Credit: USA Today
