Dysfunction junction is temporarily located in Orlando tonight, where the train wreck also known as the Cleveland Cavaliers goes up against the Magic. The line opened with the Cavs giving 3 1/2 points and has risen by a point or more in Vegas and at Offshores.
The Cavs were expected to be bad prior to the season, but this bad? Hell, no.
And at this point, they have the longest championship odds of any NBA team: 1,000-1.
Where to begin?
Well, Kevin Love is out for a minimum of 6 weeks with a knee injury, but a January return to the court seems more likely than a December return, per sources.
Tyronn Lue is on the unemployment line, Larry Drew was the “interim” coach but got more money and another year (partially guaranteed) tacked onto his contract.
J.R. Smith and Kyle Korver are trade candidates who will likely have to endure the misery until February, and then there is the age discrimination lawsuit filed by former assistant coach Jim Boylan, whose option was not picked up over the summer. Their prized rookie, Collin Sexton, is enduring an extraordinary learning curve at the position (point guard) that is the most difficult to master in the NBA.
On the positive side …..
Uh-oh. Cannot complete that sentence. And that is never a good thing.
But so it goes when you move into Life After LeBron, Stage 2.
At 1-9, the Cavs have the 30th best record in the NBA. Their point differential of minus-10.8 is second-worst behind Phoenix’s minus-12-2. They are 5-5 against the spread but 4-1 ATS on the road (Hey, wait a minute. Is that a nugget of good news?).
Hard to believe that The Q was the site of the NBA Finals last spring, but things have a tendency to change in the NBA, wouldn’t you say?
LeBron and the Lakers are having their own set of issues, and Luke Walton may or may not be on the hot seat — depending on what defines a “drastic circumstance.”
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One would think that a franchise record for largest deficit after one quarter would fit that bill, but Magic Johnson apparently has more patience than Rodin.
But the Lakers are a calamity of another sort.
At least they have hope.
Cleveland?
The best thing they have going is being all but assured of having one of the 10 worst records in the league, which will allow them to keep their lottery pick (otherwise it is conveyed to Atlanta). Korver, Love, Smith and George Hill are all trade assets, with Love the biggest fish for a team that may feel they are one All-star caliber player away from being a legitimate championship contender. This is especially true in the East.
It’ll be on general manager Koby Altman to figure out what is the best way to move forward as the NBA trade deadline approaches, but that means a very long, November, a very long December, and a very long January.
And hey, there are still games remaining against the Hawks. So 1-81 is probably not going to happen.
But 10 wins by the time this is all said and done in mid-April? At this moment, that looks like a longshot.
