Arace: The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Knicks. Should the response be fire everyone?
My Cleveland correspondent bought a ticket for Game 5 of the Cavaliers-New York Knicks series at Rocket Mortgage Field House Wednesday night. He thought that, surely, the Cavs would not again be embarrassed on their home floor. Alas, the Cavs were again embarrassed. They lost Game 5, and the Knicks clinched the series victory in a 106-97 romp.
According to my correspondent, not to mention Twitter, fans filed out of the former Q shaking their heads and muttering things about Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff and general manager Koby Altman. Most every muttering included the phrase “should be fired.”
Have fans always made such remonstrations in the midst of bitter disappointment? Probably. Should someone be fired? Should everyone?
Let’s look at the autopsy.
Bickerstaff
Bickerstaff got schooled by a defensive master in the Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau, who funneled the Cavs’ offense into the paint, took away the rim and punished anyone who drove toward the basket. Disrupted was the Cavs’ pick-and-roll offense, which leans heavily on Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. Exposed was the Cavs’ inability to knock down threes with any regularity, which played directly into the Knicks’ game plan.
Thibodeau broke into the NBA as a 20-something assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves in 1989. In the 2000s, he designed defenses that made the Knicks the stingiest team in the league and helped the Boston Celtics beat Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. As a head coach, he has run into some hard luck (Derrick Rose’s knee injury in Chicago, Jimmy Butler’s departure from Minnesota), but he has always been good for 45-50 victories/year and his reputation for game-planning remains nonpareil.
Bickerstaff got outcoached.
Does that mean the man should be fired?
Altman
The Cavs’ GM leveraged an array of assets, including three unprotected first-round picks, to acquire Mitchell last year. The thinking was that a star was the last key ingredient that this promising team needed.
In the wake of an emphatic elimination from the first round of the playoffs, it seems this was a miscalculation. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the twin towers in the frontcourt, got pushed around and were dominated on the glass. Mitchell and Garland could not find the space to operate on the offensive end, and neither could check Jalen Brunson.
Exacerbating these difficulties was how little help there was coming off the bench. There were no three-point shooters to spread the Knicks’ defense. And there was no muscle to deal with the Knicks’ bigs, Mitchell Robinson in particular.
Fire Altman?
Love
What adds to the poor optics is how Kevin Love, who had his contract bought out by Cleveland in February, is thriving in Miami.
The Heat pulled off an upset in the first round, eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks in five games. Love came off the bench to average 9.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in an incredibly efficient 21.7 minutes per game.
This is not to say the Cavs lost to the Knicks because they didn’t have Love. It is to say that the Cavs needed a skill set that fits Love’s game – a skill set Dean Wade could not, or is not ready to, provide. They needed an effective stretch 4. Mobley does not stretch.
Here, should we also mention Lauri Markkanen, who was shipped to Utah as part of the monster deal for Mitchell? Should we? I am loath to. I'll take "Spida."
Fire everyone?
That the Cavs won 51 games and then got schooled by the Knicks is difficult to digest. But does that mean it's time to blow it all up?
This is a team that, in the second post-LeBron era, has gone from 19 victories to 22 to 44 to 51. They finally stepped into the playoff ring and got punched in the mouth. It was a painful experience, but it was an experience they needed. Now, they know the difference between Game 82 and 83.
The Cavs were ranked in the top five in offense and defense during the regular season. Mitchell was terrific, Garland was a wicked slash line, Mobley was one of the best defensive players in the league. Allen was among the most efficient on offense. And they’re all under 27 years old.
Bickerstaff has nicely knitted a talented, young team together. Unless there is a no-brainer upgrade to be made, I’d stay pat.
As for Altman, while it is true some of his decisions can be questioned, it is equally true that he has made the Cavs better every summer. I’m not ready to give up on him. It’s not even close.
Altman knows what he needs. Let’s see what he does.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who should Cleveland Cavaliers fire in wake of playoff loss to Knicks?
