9. The Cavs: a slog
It's not really anyone's fault, but, man, the Cavs' offense is just awful to watch right now. There is just so much dribbling, and so little purpose or structure.
Collin Sexton half the shot clock to get the Cavaliers into their first action.
Larry Nance Jr. is constantly yelling at people to cut. This is not really a criticism as much as it is an unceasing reality: Most rookie point guards are unqualified to orchestrate NBA offenses.
Rodney Hood,
Alec Burks,
Jordan Clarkson -- shrug into a long 2. There is an alarming amount of Nance posting up going on. (Nance is finally taking and making 3s, at least!
Jaron Blossomgame has been kinda fun.
Cedi Osman tries hard!)
A Clarkson one-on-everyone drive is almost a relief.
Rising from a superstar's ashes is hard. You don't always get to plan for his departure, or handpick the first batch of young guys who soak up his minutes. Cleveland's two best players --
Tristan Thompson and
Kevin Love -- are injured. JR Smith is hoverboarding into the sunset.
But it doesn't feel like anyone other than Sexton and maaaaaaayyyybe Osman and
David Nwaba will be a part of the long-term, post-LeBron Cavaliers. Beyond that, they have no identity. It might take years. The red-hot Suns -- on four-game win streak! -- are only now coalescing around something that
mightbe the vague outline of a core belief system: play a point guard (to be acquired, naturally),
Devin Booker and two wings around a fast-twitch center (Deandre Ayton surging as a starter,
Richaun Holmes doing great work as his backup) in Igor Kokoskov's system.
Think of how many high draft picks and coaches it took Phoenix to arrive at this fragile embryonic stage. Cleveland is so far away. In the meantime, there is nothing worse than being bad
and boring.
