Third Quarter Progress Reports

We’ve just passed the third quarter mark of the 2016-17 NBA season, yet we still haven’t truly seen the Cleveland Cavaliers in action. While J.R. Smith has returned to action, Kyle Korver has yet to play with Smith due to an injury of his own. Deron Williams played with Kevin Love for the first time last Thursday, and Andrew Bogut was a Cavalier so briefly that Tyronn Lue never coached him due to an illness of his own.

Things haven’t been great for the Cavaliers as a whole, but like any team, the individuals have had their own successes as well as their own struggles. Today we take a look at each member of the Cleveland Cavaliers as the team heads down the home stretch of the regular season and begins to gear up for the playoffs.

Andrew Bogut

At this point, everyone knows Bogut’s story. Signed to give the Cavaliers an added dimension of size and rim protection, Bogut played just 58 seconds before fracturing his left tibia. This injury cost him the season, and Bogut has since been waived by the Cavaliers, but the progress reports wouldn’t seem complete without him. Grade: Y. For You’ve got to be kidding me, and blink and You missed him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XonTKSYuKTk

Kay Felder

After seeing action in 13 January games, Felder played in just 10 contests in February and March combined. Never a true part of the rotation, Felder is now the third true point guard on the Cavaliers’ roster. He may help the Cavs someday, but not this season. Grade: D. Felder is a Developing player who is rightly spending more time with the Canton Charge of the NBA Developmental League than with the Cavaliers.

Channing Frye

After shooting just 32.8% from deep and struggling mightily on defense in February, Frye has bounced back in March. He’s back in his more comfortable role off the bench, and is shooting 50% from deep over nine games. Frye has his flaws, particularly on the glass, but he remains an excellent fit with this team both on the floor and in the locker room. Grade: R. Frye’s shooting has Regressed to the mean, and that’s a good thing. If only he could Rebound a bit more.

Kyrie Irving

After a bit of a dip in his shooting during February, Irving has bounced back in March, shooting 49.7/41/89 in eight games. He also dealt with some tightness in his left knee recently, but seems to be fine. Already a four-time All-Star, Irving is just beginning to approach his prime. Could a 50/40/90 shooting season be in his future? Grade: I. Slowly but surely, Irving has improved at playing within his team’s offensive scheme and as a one-on-one defender. His effort on that end will have an Immense impact on the Cavaliers going forward.

LeBron James

Are we sure he’s human being and not some sort of basketball machine? Stop me if you’ve heard this one, but LeBron James is the best basketball player in the world. It’s been true for the last decade-plus, and it’s just as true today. After averaging 25.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 10.6 assists in February, James is at 28.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game in March. So much is expected of him, by both his team and his fans, but he always delivers. His only blemish is a career-low 67.7% shooting from the line. Grade: B. In his 14th season, James is averaging career highs in points and rebound, and his having one of the most efficient shooting seasons of his career. He’s still a Beast and the Best player in the league.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkuVwgoVqrg

Richard Jefferson

The Cavaliers’ elder statesmen just keeps rolling along. Despite losing a step or two with age, Jefferson is shooting a career-best 58% on two-point shots. He’s also shooting his best mark from the line since the 2010-11 season, and his outside shot has started to come around this month. Jefferson is likely at his best playing 15 minutes a night, with about half of those as a small-ball four alongside James, and that’s fine. When everyone is healthy, that’s all this team needs from him. Grade: S. Despite the new additions, Jefferson always finds a way to Stick in the rotation. Now his Shot is starting to fall. 

James Jones

Outside of garbage time, Jones hasn’t seen much action recently. He remains a knock-down shooter from deep, but his defensive issues make it hard for Tyronn Lue to trust him in a regular role. Still, he seemingly always comes through when the Cavs need him. Grade: R. He’s always Reliable and Ready to go.

Kyle Korver

After a slow start with the Cavs, Korver caught fire, shooting 49% from deep before being sidelined with a strained tendon in his left foot. When watching Korver, an open three feels like a layup, and he’s getting plenty of open threes with the Cavaliers. He’s also averaging just over 11 points per game with the Cavaliers, the highest scoring averaging by any bench player James has played with. Grade: A. When healthy, Korver has been an Amazing fit with the Cavaliers, and is Automatic from beyond the arc.

DeAndre Liggins

The return of Smith, combined with the recent additions to the Cavaliers’ roster have pushed Liggins to the end of the bench. After a rough January, he found his outside shot, and has proven to be adequate from the corners. The hot take question is, would the Cavaliers be any worse for wear if Liggins had Shumpert’s role on the team? Grade: D. Liggins is back out of the rotation, but he has proven that the Cavaliers can Depend on his Defense.

Kevin Love

Love returned last week against the Jazz, just a hair over four weeks removed from knee surgery that was originally supposed to cost him six weeks. The Cavs have missed his shooting and rebounding, going just 7-6 in his absence. It’s going to take him some time to get completely back into the swing of things, particularly since he’s on a minute restriction, but he’ll get there. Maybe now, he will get the respect he deserves as a huge part of this team. Grade: B. Love’s Back in action, and if there’s one thing his absence proved, it’s how much Better the Cavaliers are with him on the court.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXIhMJs5YAw

Larry Sanders

After Bogut’s injury, the Cavaliers quickly turned to Sanders. There’s no questioning his upside as a defender, but there’s no telling what effect a layoff of over two years has had on his game. The Cavs seem to have a good plan in place, in which Sanders will get plenty of reps with the Canton Charge, and is signed to a contract with a team option for next season, but he has a long way to go to get back to contributing to at the highest level. Grade: W. We Will Wait and see. It’s going to take Sanders time to get back into game shape. The Cavs having a team option for next season is a nice part of this deal since they can keep him on an extremely affordable deal if it works out, and go another way if it doesn’t.

.@l8show_thegoat gets a nice hand for his @Cavs debut 👏 pic.twitter.com/jgQBboANpO

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) March 15, 2017

Iman Shumpert

At some point in their careers, a player just is who he is. To his credit, Shumpert has worked hard to improve his outside shot this season, and he’s played much better offensively than last season (which was arguably the worst of his career). Still, he’s the same player he’s always been, an inconsistent shooter and off-ball defender who dribbles too much for his (and his team’s) own good. He shoots well enough to take open threes, and is a solid on-ball defender. That’s a nice piece to have, but Shumpert is likely the third shooting guard when this roster is healthy. Grade: R. Shumpert has mostly had a Rough time with his outside shot since the beginning of February, and is obviously Regressing to the mean. If Smith finds his rhythm, don’t be shocked if Shumpert is struggling to earn minutes come playoff time.

J.R. Smith

Smith returned on March 9, and has already begun to have a positive impact on the Cavaliers. It’s really amazing how much he has changed as a player in his two-plus seasons in Cleveland. Once a remorseless gunner and indifferent defender with a poor shot selection, Smith has become the Cavs’ most consistent perimeter defender, and his outside shooting is an important safety valve for the Cavaliers’ offense. A lineup of the Big Three, Korver, and Smith is terrifying to think about in terms of its offensive potential. Grade: S. Swish is back, and the Cavs are better for it. Now he has to Shake off the rust. For Someone who typically Starts his Seasons Slowly, it could take a while for him to find his consistency.

Tristan Thompson

Meet the third quarter, same as the first two. Thompson is as consistent as they come. Pick a month over the last few seasons. Chances are Thompson is averaging 7-11 points, 8-10 rebounds (three offensive), and never missing a game. His excellence is in his consistency. His consistency is excellent. Grade: L. In many ways, Thompson is Lynchpin whose work holds the Cavs together. He’s a Lunch pail player, a great offensive rebounder who continues to grow as a defender, particularly in terms of rim protection.

Deron Williams

Like Korver, it took Williams a couple of games to adjust to his new team, but he’s fitting in pretty well now. Williams has brought an added dimension to the Cavs as an elite-pick-and roll point guard. His assist-to-turnover ratio is nearly four to one, and he’s shooting his highest percentage on two-point shots since his prime years with the Utah Jazz, likely due to the open shots he gets . What’s more, Williams has shown that he can both play with James and Irving, as well as run the offense without them. Grade: P. Williams is an excellent Pick-and-roll Player. Hopefully his Playmaking can help get James and Irving some more rest.

Derrick Williams

After playing fairly heavy minutes his first month with the team, Williams has seen his role decrease throughout the month of March. He’s fit as well with the Cavaliers as he has with any team in his career, but may be squeezed out of a fully healthy rotation. A big problem is his defense. Williams can guard several positions, but none of them particularly well. Grade: C. There was some Cynicism when the Cavaliers signed Williams, but while he has Come back to Earth after a hot start, Williams has shown that he Can supply Consistent effort and athleticism off the bench.

Tyronn Lue

The last few months haven’t been easy for Lue. He’s had to deal with both losing players to injury and acclimating new players to the team and rotation. Because of this, Lue’s rotations have been inconsistent, and his team has been just as uneven in terms of winning basketball games. In many ways, it’s unfair to judge Lue simply because he hasn’t had a chance to coach the “real” Cleveland Cavaliers in three months. Grade: R. Lue has the Respect of his locker room. With everyone healthy, he needs to find a consistent Rotation, and hopefully some Rest for his stars.

David Griffin

With no cap space and one first round pick, Griffin has greatly improved the Cavaliers’ depth by adding Kyle Korver, Derrick Williams, Deron Williams, and Larry Sanders. Korver and Deron Williams will undoubtedly be rotation players throughout the playoffs, and Sanders Derrick Williams could see time in certain situations. It’s hard to imagine a general manager doing any better. Grade: F. For Fantastic General Manager, or for Future Free Agent. Griffin’s contract runs out after the season, and it’s imperative that the Cavaliers retain his services.

And that’s our third quarter progress reports for the 2016-17 Cleveland Cavaliers. The final progress reports will be released after the playoffs. Hopefully those reports will be able to have the same championship praise last year’s team received at the end of the season. The fact that they could is what makes this team special despite all of it’s ups and downs. With the Cleveland Cavaliers, anything can happen.