I am not one to panic, but then again, I am not from Cleveland. But if I was from northeast Ohio, I have to admit I would be at least a little bit antsy about the state of the Cavs following their 23-point loss to the Pistons.
Look, when you are getting booed on your home court just two months into what is supposed to be a special season, there are issues. When you are 5-5 in your last 10 games after an eight-game winning streak, and only one of those wins has come against a quality opponent, there are issues.
And, yes, the Cavs have issues.
It’s not just that Anderson Varejao is out for the season, Kyrie Irving is day-to-day and David Blatt is complaining about a lack of a killer instinct. The bigger problem is the lack of efficiency in LeBron James’ game. The King is averaging a career high 3.8 turnovers per game, and shooting below 50 percent for the first time after five consecutive years of making more than half his shots (he shot a ridiculous 58 percent last season in Miami). And until LeBron becomes two things — more of a leader and more of an efficient offensive player — the Cavs will continue to be a hard team to put a finger on.
Does this merit panic? Because if anyone is prone to making panicky moves it is Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.
Or does this merit more of a wait-and-see approach, especially given the fact that the Cavs are a mere 30 games into this new era, and you had to expect a few growing pains.
My answers in this interview with CineSport’s Noah Coslov.