Playing for the Cavaliers is an adjustment for Luol Deng.
Under Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, Deng knew what he was going to get: lots of minutes, residual spittle flying off Thibs’ lips as he yelled, lots of minutes, a defensive cliche every now and then, lots of minutes, the keys to the team in Derrick Rose’s absence, lots of minutes and most importantly, lots of minutes effort.
The Bulls may not be the poster team for stability, what with Thibs being at odds with the front office on days that end in “y,” along with their recent, albeit failing, attempt to tank this season. But that last part is the point. Everyone knows what they’ll get from the Bulls. Aside from stingy defensive sets, they’re going to compete. Battle. Fight.
The effort is going to be there every night, Rose or no Rose. Every. Single. Night.
It doesn’t work that way in Cleveland, where the Cavs are still awful. Despite being projected as a playoff team, the Cavs are 16-28, two games outside the playoff picture…in the Eastern Conference; the terrible, terrible (terrible) Eastern Conference.
First Andrew Bynum was the answer, a legitimate sidekick for Kyrie Irving. That didn’t work out. And Dion Waiters certainly isn’t working out. He’s in the papers at least once a month for reported trade requests or spearheading stretches of mayhem. It’s left the (overrated) Kyrie Irving alone. Sort of.
Deng was supposed to inspire winning. His commitment to defense commingled with his innate leadership abilities was supposed to spur a postseason run. His arrival was supposed to incite change.
It hasn’t.
Cleveland is 5-5 since acquiring Deng, which is a drastic improvement when you think about it, the Cavs being 12 games under .500 and all. But it’s not enough. Not yet. They need to make the playoffs, otherwise they risk losing Deng, who is growing increasingly miffed by his team’s play of late.
Said Deng, via Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer:
We did a lot of good things (Sunday), but we did a lot of disappointing things — things that reminds us that we’re not that good. And we’ve got to be honest with ourselves. We’ve got to realize what we’re playing for. There’s got to be more sense of urgency. We can’t keep waiting. This is not a waiting league, it’s not a waiting game. You’ve got to do your job. When I say that, I’m talking about everybody. I’ve got to do a better job of leading when things like that happen. That’s why I’m here. And I’ve got to get better than that.
Preach, Luol, preach. And stop being so kind.
The Cavs are worse than “not that good.” Not only are they .500 against losing teams, they’re 5-17 against winning outfits. That’s not going to get them into the playoffs. Not even out East, where the only postseason prerequisite is typically a pulse.
If things don’t change for the Cavs, who rank 24th in offensive efficiency and 19th in defensive efficiency, bet on them missing the playoffs. Bet on a full-fledged, ugly implosion.
Bet on Deng seeking refuse in free agency from a team even he must admit is “not that good.”
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
