The Cleveland Cavaliers are seventh in the Eastern Conference at 6-7 so far this season-- not exactly in line with where most people expected them to be. There have been some on-court issues as well as some questionable comments to the media.
So what's wrong with the Cavs and how do they fix it? Several NBA Insiders weighed in, with the first concern being the front office.
"If we think, as a coaching staff, when we're going into that bunker that there's going to be hurdles from the assistant GM to the analytics guy, and we end up with all these opinions that are being heard by players, managers, coaches and trainers, it creates an ugly locker room," former NBA coach George Karl wrote. "The only way you solve it is by winning games. They've just got to win."
Okay, a clearer line of dialogue from top to bottom. That seems like a reasonable fix. If everyone is on the same page it will get harder to get lost in the shuffle. Got it. But what about on the court?
"Their defense is truly, truly troubling," ESPN's Amin Elhassan wrote. "They're in the bottom five in the league in defensive efficiency. When you watch them, they have horrible technique, they don't pay attention, there doesn't seem to be any consistency in their approach as far as defensive schemes or anything. But to go back to what something Coach Thorpe said -- for me, when I was a lower-level front office guy in Phoenix, I often could hear out people without prejudice. People talk to me without prejudice, because I don't have any power."
Improved defensive play is important for any team in any sport. You can't contend for championships if you can get stops. It's a very simple ballgame.
So how do the Cavs combine on and off court changes and translate them to successful results?
"I think at the end of the day what separates the Spurs from every other team in the league -- I know this might sound trite -- is the culture that exists all the way from the front office and ownership down throughout the entire organization," ESPN's David Thorpe wrote. "In Cleveland we've got a young GM, you've got an owner who hasn't been great in building culture in Cleveland. You've got young players who've been in a losing culture, you have a coach coaching for the first time in the NBA. At some point -- and I think this has to happen -- the Cavs must ask themselves: 'What's our culture? How are we going to set it?'"
Ultimately, it's important to maintain perspective when it comes to the Heat. Rarely do championship squads meld together immediately. We saw it in Miami when the Heat struggled to a 9-8 start in 2010 and lost in the Finals to the Dallas Mavericks. It takes time to gel in all basketball aspects, especially with so many new faces. Cavs fans should just be patient and bet on the team's overall talent wining out in the end.
