Cleveland
Cavaliers
Central
| 2011-12 Team Rating | |
| Offense | Defense |
| 98.6 | 102.1 |
| 22nd Overall | 20th Overall |
Stats through Feb. 16
W
11
L
16
PCT
.407
GB
11
CONF
7-12
DIV
2-3
HOME
6-7
ROAD
5-9
LinksVideo | Statistics | Tickets | Team
|
Category | Grade | ||
 Anderson Varejao had stepped up his game at both ends, stacking up double-doubles ... and then disaster (broken wrist). Antawn Jamison solid, Omri Casspi disappointing.
|
C |
||
 Kyrie Irving has met and exceeded expectations to such an extent, he's almost taking the other guards' tests for them for this grade.
|
B |
||
 Big challenges ahead, so to speak, for front line covering for Varejao. Cleveland knows how to get back, giving up league-low 9.2 fast-break points.
|
C- |
||
 Alonzo Gee has played well enough to start and Ramon Sessions will have earned the minutes he gets with Anthony Parker and Daniel Gibson hurting. Tristan Thompson? Still early.
|
C+ |
||
 Credit for year-over-year improvement and solid play in the fourth quarters of many games (24.5 ppg) rests here.
|
B |
||
B-
Summary
Just when it became safe to put down the clicker and linger on a Cavaliers game, the lineup gets riddled with ailments. That figures to force a step back, but even then Cleveland won't be near the sub-basement in which it dwelled in 2010-11.
It's darn-near impossible to not grade these guys on a curve, using last season's flatline performance as the baseline. Byron Scott, we have to assume, has played a role in Kyrie Irving's strong rookie play, considering his work with point guards in the past.
-- Steve Aschburner
Explanation of Marking System
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