The Cleveland Cavaliers announced Monday night that Jarrett Allen will miss the team's upcoming three-game road trip due to knee tendinitis, extending his absence to 18 days since the injury. The Cavs are 2-3 without February's Eastern Conference Player of the Month in their lineup, and there is reason to be uncomfortable. The setback is believed to be minor, but it would have been at least two weeks since Allen last suited up.
"I still think it's a day-to-day thing," Cleveland head coach Kenny Atkinson said Sunday afternoon. "That's where we are with it. I wish I could get more specifics. But I don't expect it to be long-term. He's just dealing with some serious tendinitis, and sometimes that happens during the season, right?
"Especially after his stretch and his usage. So I'm thinking it'll just be a short break, and we'll get him back in the team soon."
In two of the Cavs' last three games, they have given up 128 and 130 points to the Orlando Magic and Dallas Mavericks. The first player shot 51.8% from the field with 37 attempts at the free-throw line, and the second shot 52.9% from the field with 27 attempts at the charity stripe, which is a sign of a bad habit.
Much of the problem can be blamed on a defense that is not consistently protecting the perimeter, with Allen lacking a key rim protector. Combine those two factors, and it's difficult to keep opponents in check.
Cavs All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell said after a "bad loss" to the Mavs about the need to improve on defense, "Especially now that we don't have JA in there, sometimes, we're five short." "[We have to be better at] To be able to defend, and if we lose, [making] [right] Rotating, and then, keeping them away from the glass. Although we sometimes play small ball, that is no excuse. I think this is the biggest thing. I think our defense was the only issue.
Cavs defense needs improvement
After losing a game against the Orlando Magic last week, James Harden had a similar message: Cleveland needs to be better on that side of the field.
“Communication, knowing who we're protecting,” Harden said. "The matchup changed possession-by-possession. This team did a really good job, and they do it every game, of putting the ball in the paint, and we didn't have any resistance. [The Magic] Shot an incredible percentage at the basket, and got to the line multiple times. Something we can fix, something we can control.”
“I think early on, we let them get to the rim too easily,” Keon Ellis said. "They're a rim team, so I think that's how they've got to roll at first... Maybe if it's going to be close in a short period of time, they have to think about shooting it to try to slow it down. It's probably at first because they want to get to the rim, so they'll drive and drive and drive. Try to get them live from the outside."
According to the star duo, this Cavs group has too much talent to worry about putting the ball in buckets.
Harden said, "Offensively, we're very talented. Defensively we need to get better." "We can score with the best of them. It's important to get consistent stops and rely on our defense to win games."
“I mean, I'm not really worried about the offensive piece,” Mitchell said. "We had 16 turnovers for 25 points; it affects your transition defense. You can't get set even when we have Evan [Mobley] At 5. But I think the biggest thing is just stopping the ball and then staying in our rotation. It's just the finer details, and we have to get better."
Mobley has had success when Allen has been absent, but he has also been able to rely on perimeter players generally holding their own. Mitchell specifically pointed this out on Sunday, but Cleveland hasn't been able to put anyone up front for a week. This results in overhelp, which takes teammates out of their spots and ultimately allows opponents to touch the paint.
From there, they are either scoring, getting to the free throw line, or kicking out to shoot or initiate a swing-swing sequence. The Cavs start scrambling, and then it becomes a world of hurt.
"You can look at my postgame comments against Orlando, OK? Very, very similar," Atkinson said. "I think it's a very similar game. Much more generous on the defensive end. And I just told guys, it starts with that first unit. Not very good defensively. They never felt us out. They got comfortable. They got confidence, and then, it's the same kind of story, right? We've got really good defenders in that lineup, so an unforgivable defensive effort today.
"Give credit to Dallas. I just thought their energy level was higher. But, when your energy level isn't there — sometimes you have games where it's not there — now you have to use your kind of savvy and experience and be in the right position. You might not have a game where you're super active, and that happens, but there were a lot of mental breakdowns."
In addition to praising Max Strus for a great comeback effort and start to the season, Atkinson used his entire press conference to discuss the defense.
He himself also reflected on whether Cleveland should have switched groups from 1-to-5 as a challenge to prepare for the playoffs, because "we don't normally do that." But describing this effort as passable feels like a real red flag at the end of the season.
"We showed four or five clips where we're not touching them," Atkinson told ClutchPoints in the press room. "In a switching defense, you have to control the screener. You have to slow down the screener, right? You have to stay on the ball. We're playing man-to-man, but it was like, we were in a zone because we were so different. And in the NBA, if teams are so comfortable, the shots are easier. They're not worn out physically, so they're fresher to make shots."
Take care of basketball matters too.
“I'll just say the last thing I knew the focus wasn't there [there]I think we had 12 live-ball turnovers," Atkinson said. "Some of those were differentials. Some of those were the lineup. Maybe I threw some in there by not shooting enough, so that was a big part of it too.
"Live-ball turnovers are death. I hope this doesn't sound too harsh, but they are. If you have a live-ball turnover above the free-throw line, it's probably going to be a layup. You can't prevent it."
Cavs have been banged up again, but depth needs to shine defensively
It should be noted that Sam Merrill has missed the last two games with a hamstring injury, and Jaylon Tyson injured his ankle last Friday in Dallas. They are key pieces of the perimeter.
However, Ellis is known for his ball pressure and technique, and Dean Wade is a top defender with his versatility, so the Cavs should be outmatched very easily.
Mitchell and Harden have the right message, but they need to hold up their end of the bargain in this case too.
At times, Cleveland's wings behave a little more loosely due to the frontcourt threats behind them. And although this defensive drop off over Allen's absence from the lineup may be a bit much for one player, it undoubtedly underlines his importance to the team.
