Hoops!

Let’s talk hoops. Let’s talk basketball. And let's skip the LeBron-2010-talk, for now.

I’m following the NBA for quite a while now, and over the past year, a couple of players just stand out. There’s no denying that everyone would like to be as talented as Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul or LeBron James. But, being from Europe and also having a thing for veteran players, I also count Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Shaquille O’Neal among my favourites.

My favourite team in the past year has been the Cleveland Cavaliers, and that is in no small part down to the King himself. His presence on the court, his athleticism and energy are out of this world. Chris Paul and Dwayne Wade are a good second and third, but they lack something James has got through the last year: a willing and able support cast that backs up the superstar in order to let him excel. If you look at their game, Paul and Wade took the burden of their lacklustre, mediocre teams and are building something refreshing. James did that a couple of years ago, with the eventual thrashing of the Pistons in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals in 2007 as a contemporary crown on his work.

Now it’s time to take it to the next level. With the Cavs off to a franchise best start (26-5 as of January 1^st, 2009), the chance for a championship ring seems more likely than ever. This is the result of the great chemistry between James and his Cavaliers teammates. The starters are all solid players, with Mo Williams and Delonte West providing a little extra scoring, Zydrunas Ilgauskas still playing good defense and with Ben Wallace (who is playing some of his best “Pistons-like” basketball) and Andy Varejao rotating for the other defensive spot. Then you have the benchpoints from Daniel Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak, and some promising performances by rookies Darnell Jackson and JJ Hickson. But are the Cavs really as good as they are made out? After all, they’ve lost against playoff-worthy teams (Boston, Atlanta, Miami, New Orleans and Detroit), three of them coming from their own conference.

In my opinion, the Cavaliers aren’t championship material.. yet. Sure, they’ve had a lovely home record and deserved a lot of the praise that has been coming their way, but they also seemed to crack when they had to bring their A-game. This doesn’t seem to change soon, as Gibson is still struggling with his outside shot, Wally is playing mediocre for the whole season long and Big Z is coping with an old foot injury. With them not contributing what they normally could bring to the Cavaliers, the team has struggled to make an impact in both home and away games (although winning 6 of 7). This line could continue, if they don’t get their act together and look for someone with a solid outside shot and fits in with the rest of the team. After all, the last thing what you want to do right now, is to disrupt the harmony of this team.

With Wally in his last year of contract, he could be used as a valuable trade tool to bring another piece of the puzzle to the Quicken Loans Arena. He clearly hasn’t fit in as well as he was supposed to, and he’s often the weak link in the Cavs’ defense, often giving his opponent wide open looks and fouling deliberately. The Cavs should look for a player who can match the shooting potential of Wally and bring a bit more on the defensive end, someone like James Posey. A genuine roleplayer who has no problem with playing as a 6^th man, making points from the bench. Then they would be championship material, then they would have a chance in the playoffs.