Pieces Falling Into Place For Cavaliers
January 12th, 2010 | by Ward Peterson |After winning back-to-back games over the course of the past two nights (Golden State and Portland), some things are showing some staying power for the Cavaliers:
LeBron James is Having Another MVP Season
Just when you thought LeBron James couldn’t get any better, he continues to improve. What makes James….well….James….is his ability to focus on specific areas of his game and then show improvement, without it adversely affecting the other areas of his game. The work spent last offseason with Cavalier assistant coach, Chris Jent, working on his outside shooting has made James virtually unstoppable. Play him outside and he’ll work his magic inside the paint. Clog the lane, and he’ll remain outside and hurt you there. After being named league MVP last season, James has gotten even better. He’s averaging just under 30 points (29.4) per game while shooting just over 50% from the field. His three-point shooting percentage has improved to 35.8%, and he’s averaging more than seven assists and rebounds per game as well. At this point, there is no ceiling on what LeBron James can accomplish.
After LeBron, Anderson Varejao Could Be Regarding as Team MVP
Anderson Varejao contiues to come off the bench for the Cavaliers, which will probably put him in strong position for serious consideration for the NBA’s Sixth Man Award this season. If they had another player to match his consistent play at the power forward position, he would likely be starting. Anderson leads the NBA in Plus/Minus (Roland Rating) which is determined by comparing how well the team performs when a player is on the court, as opposed to when he is not in the lineup, Varejao’s intensity on the floor is unrivaled by any other Cav player not named LeBron, and thus far in the 2009/2010 season, he is averaging almost a double-double (10.8 points and 9.3 rebounds per game).
95 Is The Magic Number
So far this season, the Cavalier have yet to lose a game where they score more than 95 points. If the Cavaliers can continue to score this effectively while making it tough on opponents to score (at this time, the Cavs rank third in the NBA in opponents TG percentage allowed with 38.05%), this season could be as special as we had hoped before it began.
Jawad Williams May Have Earned Rotation Time Even When Moon Returns
When Jamario Moon was sidelined a little over a week ago with an abdominal strain, Mike Brown made a somewhat suprising decision to put Jawad Williams into the bench rotation in place of Moon. He played extended minutes in his first game (a home win against the Wizards), and then in a tough road loss to Denver, was limited to only nine minutes. Since that time, in wins over Portland and Golden State, Williams has played consistent minutes and has averaged double-digit scoring. Williams’ game is still a bit rough around the edges, but with each game he plays, he seems to be showing that he has a better grasp of what the Cavaliers are trying to accomplish on both ends of the floor. His enthusiasm and over-pursuit will occasionall put him out of position on the defensive end, but he has good hustle, doesn’t seem afraid to take the open shot, and his length allows him to be ean effective defender on the perimeter. When questioned about Williams prior to the last game, Mike Brown confirmed that he was very close to finding some time for Williams even when Moon was active. Now that Williams has had a chance to show what he can do, expect Brown to keep Williams in the rotation even when Moon is back in the active lineup.
