In 2005, Mike Brown took over a Cavs team that went 42-40 a year before under Paul Silas. Since then, he has compiled a 145-101 (.589) regular season record and led his team to the Finals last season. Good work, right? Yes, but a closer look at the numbers reveals something very troubling.
The Cavs are getting worse offensively.
The table below shows the Cavs’ year-by-year offensive and defensive ratings, which are defined as points scored (or points allowed) per 100 possessions.
All in all, the defensive numbers look pretty good. It’s a little worrisome that the Cavs regressed from 4th last season to 11th this season, but the mid-season trade that brought Wally Szczerbiak, Ben Wallace and Delonte West probably had something to do with it (though adding a former Defensive Player of the Year shouldn’t have an adverse effect).
But Brown has never been criticized for his team’s defense. Take a look at the offensive numbers. Since posting the 9th most efficient offense in his first year, the Cavs dropped to 18th last season and 19th this season. To put this in perspective, Cleveland is sandwiched between Indiana and Philadelphia. Ouch.
A mediocre finish for most teams isn’t too alarming, but the Cavs have LeBron, who is one of the top offensive players in the league. He can drive to the hole as well as anyone, has a developing pull up jumper and is arguably the best-passing small forward in the league. And while it’s true that James doesn’t have a whole lot of help, one could argue that the help he has is offensive-minded. West, Szczerbiak, and Daniel Gibson are all known for their shooting and Zydrunas Ilgauskas is one of the best face-up centers in the league. The Cavs shouldn’t have this much trouble scoring.
I’ve been complaining for the past few seasons that Brown’s offense is uninspired. The Cavs will pass the ball around a little and eventually LeBron will get it on the perimeter and try to drive to the basket or pull up for a jumper. Obviously, it makes sense to get your best player the ball, but Brown doesn’t seem to change up where LeBron gets it or use any measurable amount of picks and screens to free him up.
But this part is mind-boggling: LeBron is the most physically imposing small forward in the league yet Brown never posts him up? Why is this? Michael Jordan was stronger and more athletic than most wings, and he made a living on the block.
LeBron is partly to blame for having failed to develop a post game. If he came back from the summer with a killer turnaround jumper and a sweet up-and-under, Brown would get him the ball on the block more. After all, it seems like a natural fit given LeBron’s ability to hit the open man if he gets doubled. But it’s not LeBron’s job to coach himself. It’s Brown’s responsibility to tell the young man how he can improve his game and, in turn, help his team win. Developing a post game would go a long way.
While he’s at it, I have some other homework for LeBron. As I watched a close up of him shooting a free throw, I noticed (in super slow mo) that the ball wasn’t even out of his hand before his eyes already looked up to watch the flight of the ball. I’ve always learned that a shooter should lock his eyes on the back of the rim (not the front) and keep those eyes there until the ball goes through the hoop. Don’t worry about where the ball is – it’s going to pass right through your field of vision if you did your job. If you start looking up to watch the path of the ball, you’re not as focused on the rim as you should be and your shooting will suffer. Given LeBron’s mediocre 73% career free throw shooting and inconsistent jumper, this is something that could really help his game if he worked at it.
Unfortunately, Brown has been coaching LeBron for three years now and he still has this bad habit. And people wonder why he’s shooting 19% against the Celtics…
