Cavalier fans and CavFanatics – it’s A.C. What’s happening?Well, the preseason is underway and we’re off and running. I’ve seen some good things and some bad things so far. That’s the way it is for a young ballclub.
As they get closer to the regular season, I’d like to see the Cavs start to establish a team identity. They don’t seem to understand that if you’re going to be a running team you have to play tired and know how to push past that. If you’re a running team you have to keep running.
That’s your advantage.
I’ve said this many times before, but Kyrie is the tempo setter. Even when he’s not scoring, he still has to push the ball. That’s what Coach Scott wants – putting constant pressure on the defense. And t hat means running the floor, not stopping at the baseline – cutting through. That means moving the ball to the open man. That means setting picks and going right into your offense off the initial fastbreak.
That’s how a good running team functions.
Kyrie’s very good in the halfcourt. He’s an excellent shooter. But he has to set a quick pace for the good of the team. That’s the most important thing. When you have guys like Tristan, Andy, Leuer, Zeller. When you have big men that can run the floor, you have to run to take advantage of their skills. You can’t take advantage of their skills pounding the ball in the halfcourt.
They’re going to have to make up for Antawn Jamison’s scoring. And I don’t want the entire load to fall on Kyrie. When your point guard is your primary scorer, you don’t always function well as a team. You have to have a balanced attack where Kyrie’s points become additional – instead of necessary.
You don’t want all your points to come from the backcourt. But right now it is. And that could be a tough situation for the team. Somebody in the frontcourt has to step up. It’d be nice just to get 10, 10, and 10 from our three frontcourt players. That would make a huge difference.
Right now, CJ Miles has been the star of Camp. He’s been the one who’s stepped up. You can tell he wants it. He wants the position. He’s not afraid to take the shots, he runs the floor. And that game against Siena – in the second half, he started to show me what he’s about. And he carried it right through to the next game.
And what happens is, as one player finds his role, the rest of the team starts to define their roles. And that’s all that’s happening now. Now we just have to find out: What’s our style? We know what we want to be. How do we execute to become like that?
Another guy who’s impressed me so far is Samardo. It’s not just the weight loss. He’s a better player mentally. He’s understanding how to give it up and how to get it back. He’s moving better now into his sweet spots on the floor. He’s understanding: Don’t let the defender take you out of your position. You put the defender in the position you want him in.
Right now, Dion Waiters is just getting himself going. Remember, he’s a 20-year-old rookie two preseason games into his career.
I’d like to see the young man get more involved in the offense. Right now, he stays on the perimeter and isn’t moving well without the ball. In Byron’s system, if you don’t move without the ball, you look like you’re isolated – because everyone else is moving. So, like most young players, he has to learn how to give it up and how to get it back. You have to have a “scorer’s mentality” from the 2 spot.
Mentally, you have to be able to overcome not making every shot. I expected to make every shot. But you’re not going to do that. And if you miss three or four in a row, you have to think you’re going to make the next one.
Lenny Wilkens told me one time: You can’t stop shooting because you missed three or four shots. You’re depended upon. We need you to score. When the ball comes to you, we know something’s going happen. So the rebounders get into position, the guard gets into position. Everybody gets into position. When you don’t shoot, that throws everything off.
Right now, he’s got a little tendency to get a little down after a miss. He’ll get over that. I’m going to have an opportunity to talk to him about it. You have to have thick skin. You’re going to miss shots. But you must have confidence in your own ability and the confidence that you will make your next shot.
And, as a 2-guard, you have to learn to get free throws. I knew on certain plays that were run, that I could get a foul shot. I knew what the defender was going to do. I knew, even if I was struggling from the floor, that I could get to the line and get my rhythm.
More than anything, Dion needs to just keep learning on the floor. This is stuff that you can only learn from going out there and playing through those situations. It’s really the only way. I can go out there and tell him all I want. But until you go out there and see it and feel it, there’s not much you can do. You have to experience it to know it.
But overall, I think he’ll be fine. He’s a tough kid and a talented ballplayer. He’s just got to take his lumps like all youngsters do.
Moving forward this weekend, I want to see the team continue to find their identity.
If you’re going to be a running team – RUN. If you’re tired, that’s what they got those other guys on the bench for. Get your rest and get back in there. That’s why Coach Scott has such a tough training camp.
Each possession is a push – even after made baskets. (I would have loved to play like that. But Fitch didn’t want that style from his starters. That’s why I was happy to come off the bench. He just cut us loose!)
Find your identity and commit to it.
If you’re a running team, I don’t care if you’re eight points up or ten points down, you don’t slow the game down! You learn to use that as your weapon. Use your running game as your weapon!
What you want on the mind of your opponent is: ‘If we turn the ball over, we have to get back!’ Now, your defense becomes a weapon. And you’d be amazed: you can use it to the point where it affects their offensive efficiency.
That’s what the Cavs want to be. That’s what Byron wants. And when they find that identity, that’s when they’ll become an effective team.