Terry Pluto's Talkin' ... about Cavaliers' trade strengths, a good veteran fit for the Browns and the Tribe's arms
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
February 13, 2010, 11:55PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There's a few days between NBA games and spring training is right around the corner, so Terry's Talkin' ...
About the Cavaliers
1. The Cavs are 2-0 against the Lakers, 2-0 against the Magic. That's 4-0 vs. teams that won four of five from the Cavs a year ago. That's why the Cavs should be in no hurry to make a trade, unless it's incredibly lopsided in their favor. They have addressed one of their major weaknesses -- dealing with taller teams.
2. Too much attention is being paid to how Shaquille O'Neal's stats stack up when he faces Dwight Howard. The real bottom line is how Howard plays, how he no longer dominates the Cavs as he did a year ago. In two games against the Cavs, Howard is averaging 15 points and 9.0 rebounds, making nine of 12 shots. Very solid numbers, but not domination. He also has been in foul trouble in both games. Last season, it was 18.3 points and 13.5 rebounds in the regular season, in the playoffs it was 30.3 points in the Magic's four victories -- 25.8 and 13 rebounds overall. As long as the Cavs have a healthy O'Neal, it's hard to imagine Howard scoring 40 points as he did in Game 6 to eliminate the Cavs.
3. In the Eastern Conference playoffs, Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy exploited the Cavs' lack of an inside scoring threat. He had lean power forward Rashard Lewis defend Zydrunas Ilgauskas, because Z is now primarily a jump shooter. The 6-11 Howard was assigned to Ben Wallace, who seldom shot the ball. Howard ignored Wallace and defended the hoop -- taking away driving lanes from LeBron James and others. With O'Neal as an inside scoring threat, that no longer happens.
4. Within one season, Howard went from not having to worry about defending anyone near the basket to needing help to deal with O'Neal. In addition to O'Neal having a way of annoying and distracting Howard with some comments, he is at least two inches taller and 50 pounds heavier. Howard is not used to facing such a massive center, and it bothers him. In his career, Howard has averaged only 14 points against O'Neal. The real point is not how O'Neal scores against Howard, but how Howard is neutralized by O'Neal.
5. As the Cavs consider trade options, they have to be very careful when it comes to giving up J.J. Hickson. In the last 10 games -- starting with his breakout 11 points, 14 rebounds against the Lakers -- Hickson is averaging 10.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and shooting 58 percent. Remember that he is only 21, and if he remained at N.C. State, Hickson would be in his junior season. He was out from the middle of March and missed most of the summer due to back problems, so this is his first healthy NBA season. Obviously, the 6-9 forward has room to grow on the court and certainly can add more muscle to his 242-pound frame.
6. The Magic double-teamed O'Neal or James, and Hickson and Anderson Varejao combined for 36 points. A year ago, it was the Magic who gave the Cavs matchup problems. Now, it's the Cavs who are frustrating Orlando. Coming into the game, the Cavs and Orlando were the two best teams defending the paint area near the basket. The Cavs were ranked No. 1, allowing 34.9 points per game. Orlando was No. 2 at 35.6 In the two games this season, the Cavs have outscored Orlando in the paint -- 86-70. That also means the Cavs allowed around 35 points in the paint per game, their average for the season.
7. At the All-Star break, the Cavs have the NBA's best record and a seven-game lead over Orlando in the East, 81/2 in front of Atlanta. They have won 13 in a row, their 43-11 record is the same as a year ago after 54 games. But they have had more injuries, more new players to break into regular rotation. Yet, their trademark defense may be better than ever.
8. Adam Neff (Chesterland) e-mailed about stopping into the NBA store in New York City: "The first thing you see is Cavs merchandise, they even had a Brad Daugherty jersey. Most every team was represented, but by a pretty good margin, they had more Cavs stuff in more places than any other team, including the Knicks."
