Cavs Rewind + The Week Ahead

By Will

Ok we’re changing up the style here at Cavs Rewind because the old format is really tedious to put together and I’d rather just write an article. Also, we interrupt your regularly scheduled review to cover last night’s breaking news:

CAVS TRADE!!!!!

Nothing gets the blood flowing like a good NBA blockbuster. And when it involves JR Smith all bets are off. So here is it:

Cavs get: JR Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Future 1^st round pick (OKC)

Knicks get: Lance Thomas (?), Alex Kirk (haha), Lou Amundson, and a 2019 2^nd round pick

Thunder get: Dion Waiters

So to break this down, the Thunder get a guy who is going to think he is better than Westbrook AND Durant, combined. Dion thought he was the best player on the floor while he was out there with LeBron, Love, and Irving. Sooooo you Thunder fans have fun with him. I wish you all the best.

The Knicks get cap relief. Doubt one guy they traded for will play a game for them. Although I LOVE the thought of Cole Aldrich and Alex Kirk on the court at the same time for the Knicks.

Our Cavs get the best flat top in the league (sorry Norris Cole)

…….And this guy

And that thing in his pants

***

So back to the season. The Cavs have been shit lately. No other way to put it. Since Christmas we’ve lost 6 of 8 games, many of them in ugly fashion.

That week the Heat outplayed and out hustled us on Christmas Day, the next night it took a late comeback to beat the mediocre Magic, then the Pistons straight EMBARRASSED us. In defense of that, the Pistons HAVE won 5 straight since they cut Josh Smith (this was their first game without him).

We opened last week with another loss to the Hawks, who are playing out of their mind right now. I didn’t know who Mike Budenholzer was two weeks ago but now I wish he was our coach. He has the Hawks playing “Spurs-like.” They’ve won 18 of 20 and are the 1-seed in the East right now.

The Bucks beat us on New Years Eve. By 16. The Bucks. Without Jabari Parker. The Milwaukee Bucks. I drank more than enough NYE Open Bar liquor to numb the loss so I’m not even bitter.

Next we finally got another win in a nailbiter vs. Charlotte. Then Dallas picked us apart like a chicken wing (I was courtside for this game and it was the 2^nd most fun I’ve ever had at a live game so I don’t care at all we lost this one either.)

EDITOR’S NOTE: HE WAS ALSO HIGH FIVING RONDO, DIRK, CHANDLER PARSONS ETC. TRAITOR!

Last night we hit what would have been rock bottom for the season, losing to the 4-win Sixers BUT the trade happened mid-game so I have not heard a single soul mention this game.

I think people are cutting us slack because LeBron is on his two week get-healthy sabbatical, Kyrie has sat out the last two games, and Kevin Love is looking like last year’s Kevin Love. Add in the fact that Dion got shipped out, we brought in two somewhat flashy players and no one is really panicking like you’d expect during an awful stretch this deep into the season.

These next few games are going to be exhilarating and also have the chance to be very disappointing. I’ll be shocked if J.R. doesn’t make his Cavs debut tomorrow night against the Rockets. That in and of itself is reason to be excited. I’ve seen plenty of bad Dion shots, but I can’t wait to see all these bad JR shorts. Shumpert is dealing with a shoulder injury but I hear he could be back as soon as Friday vs. the Warriors. Here’s the problem. LeBron and Kyrie are still out and we play the Rockets and Warriors. If we win either game (doubtful) I’ll be ecstatic. We play in Sacremento Sunday and if Kyrie and/or LeBron is back for that game and we can see the full squad in action…..

There’s a good chance we’ll have lost 8 or 9 of 11 by the end of the week but fuck it guys it’s the regular season, January basketball.