Preseason Recap: Pistons 129, Cavs 110 (or, Waxed)

Dan Gilbert once famously offered the Cavaliers coaching job to Tom Izzo. Maybe he should have tried Wax Tom Izzo instead… On second thought, nah… too creepy. After seeing multiple cut aways to Austin Carr and others posing at the strangest wax museum in sports (which exists inside the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing) during the Cavs’ preseason finale against the Pistons, I’ve officially had my fill of paraffin Spartans.

Ah yes, the NBA preseason… where neutral courts, strange lineups and local color reign supreme. And now, after the blissfully shortest exhibition season on record… it’s in the rearview. Bring on the games that count! Let’s see what this team really looks like going forward… because the focus was still a bit blurry the last few practice games, and this one did little to sharpen the view.

This recap will be a little stream-of-consciousness, flowing like so much hot wax around the sneakers of Cavalier defenders who melted down under the molten rocks Detroit was flinging from the perimeter for most of the evening. As I mentioned on the live thread earlier… allowing a team to go 21-45 from deep is a good way to lose by double digits. Although, the Cavs managed to keep this one competitive for most of three quarters before they got their candles blown out.

The fundamental flaw from the start, however, was the decision to have Sam Dekker try and guard Blake Griffin. I mean, sure, with Kevin Love and Larry Nance, Jr. out nursing minor foot and ankle soreness respectively, somebody had to step up, but Dekker? That’s like asking a Segway to guard a bulldozer. Why not start Tristan Thompson on Griffin to at least make him work a little… especially since Ty Lue made the bold choice to put the more offensive-minded Ante Zizic on Andre Drummond?

No surprise then that Griffin Blaked his way to 29 points (with five assists and three boards) on 11-17 shooting in just 26 minutes. He went over, around and through Dekker, even holding down the x button almost too long on his 3-4 effort from beyond the arc. Between that, Drummond tipping the ball to himself for multiple rebounds, and Reggie Jackson blow torching a few triples, the Pistons put the Cavs in the position of playing catch up all game long.

On the positive end of things, the throwback Jazz pairing of Rodney Hood and George Hill in the starting back court actually looked the best it has all preseason. H&H were both aggressive with the ball early and wound up tallying double digits on the night. Hill stroked a few threes and shot an efficient 5-9 for 14 points, to go with four boards, two assists and a nifty steal. Even though not a lot of Hood’s shots went down (just 4-13 from the field), he did a terrific job drawing contact, getting to the line to go 11-12. He led the team with 21 points, and added four boards just to spite Nate.

The aforementioned Zizic and Thompson also reached double digits as they did what they could to balance out Griffin and Drummond up front. Ante didn’t miss any of his four shots on his way to 11 points and eight boards in 20 minutes. The Z Train finished the preseason shooting an insane 88% from the field (15-17), which begs the question… why didn’t his teammates get him more shots? TT also had maybe his best game of the silly season with 13 points and nine boards in 22 minutes. He did surprising things too, like dish a couple of assists and dribble into a sweet jump shot. More importantly, he finally looks like he’s fully over last season’s nagging injuries.

David Nwaba was also a surprise starter (in place of Cedi Osman who was also being held out for precautionary ankle tweakage), and he produced a mixed bag of commentariat reviews. Some felt his offense was shaky, and it was at times. Others pointed out his hustle on the defensive end, which allowed him to finish as the only Cav in positive plus/minus (+5).  He did manage four boards, three assists and a block to round out a fairly active night. And, while Nwaba probably isn’t starter material, he should be able to provide some punch and energy off the bench behind Cedi and Hood.

On a less positive note, let’s hope Jordan Clarkson isn’t rubbing off too much on Collin Sexton. Both guards came off the bench, and both were pretty cold shooting the ball (4-10 for Sexton, 4-11 for Clarkson) notching exactly eight points a piece. Neither seemed to get the offense into a flow early on either. The difference ultimately, was that Sexton started looking to set his team mates up (a team high five assists), while JC seemed to still be working on dribbling without looking at the ball. He did still have two dimes, including one underneath the hoop to TT which was a fun surprise. The lesson Ty should glean from this game, however, is that this pairing does not do what Nate said Jim Chones advertised… “Listening on the radio on my way home from work. Jim Jones just said that Sexton and Clarkson is a backcourt that will make your mouth water.” Actually, Nate, I think Jim Jones said “Drink the Kool Aid” which is probably what Ty has already done…

I’d love to say that this game went a long way in separating the wheat from the chaff in the race for the final roster spot/two-way deals, but Dwane Casey kinda ruined that plan by riding his regular rotation players in a meaningless game. Hard to tell who’s got an edge when the opponents are racing up and down the floor and launching three balls with no compunction nor conscience. Congrats to Ish Smith and Langston Galloway for having career nights in a game nobody will remember. Congrats to the Pistons bench for celebrating like they just won Game 7. Congrats to Dwane Casey for narrowly averting disaster when Andre Drummond caught a Jordan Clarkson elbow to the windpipe in his 35th minute of play… in a preseason game. 

“Lol. Pistons starters flexing on the the Cavs bench. Duane Casey is the king of winning meaningless games.”   — Nate Smith

Yes, the Pistons had an excellent night from downtown. They waxed the Cavs’ perimeter defense, which was fairly non-existent for most of the night anyway. I’d say Mike Longabardi has his work cut out for him… but that implies that Mike Longabardi actually works… or is even capable of constructing a defense that works… ever. Someone remind me how this guy has a job again?

“I was told there would be no accountability…”

I’d like to see more of Bonzie Colson. He was decently active in his six minutes of play. I’d like to see more of Billy Preston and Ike Taylor too, but they were both held out and Taylor could miss a while with a stress fracture. I guess I’d need to see a bit more of Emanual Terry before passing judgment, but I’ve seen enough of Kobi Simmons and John Holland. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Cavs hang onto Holland over Colson, but I’d certainly be disappointed. In the end, none of these guys is likely going to get any playing time, barring injury or massive deadline trades.

All that said, I’m not sure we’re any closer to seeing the full picture on this Cavs team just yet. Core guys like Kevin Love, Cedi Osman and Larry Nance got very limited run given minor injury and precaution. They’ll likely be a work in progress on both sides of the ball for much of the regular season. It’s very possible they can find a chemistry that works as the young guys progress around the one All Star that remains, and they could surprise some teams… especially in the first half of the season. However, it’s equally possible that they meltdown under the heat of the improved competition of the East.

Like any good wax figure, it’ll sometimes be tough to determine whether or not the Cavs are the real thing or just a reasonable facsimile. Unlike with a wax figure, it should be more fun than creepy to find out.

See you in Toronto!

GO CAVS!