It’s just become hard to watch.
What forward J.J. Hickson said after Friday’s loss to the Grizzlies — number 23 in a row — summed the desperation up well.
“They say you can’t win ’em all, but in the same light, you can’t lose ’em all either,” Hickson said. “So, if we stay (focused), I think we can get a couple of wins before the season’s over.”
If they stay focused the can win a couple more games before the season is over. They have eight wins now and he thinks if they play hard they can get to double digit wins by April.
It’s just become hard to watch.
The Cavaliers are not just bad, but epically bad. They have won one game since Nov. 27 and that was a fluky overtime victory over the Knicks. They have lost their last 10 games by an average of 14 points. It’s been painful at both ends of the court — the Cavaliers are shooting 41.7 percent as a team in their last 10, opposing teams are shooting 42.4 percent from three during that same stretch.
Ramon Sessions sets up the offense poorly (unless you love reckless drives), Antawn Jamison’s defense is nonexistent, Hickson proved incapable of taking the step forward many expected, Mo Williams just can’t create that much with nobody around him. They were supposed to get out and run, but their personnel is a poor fit for the style. Coach Byron Scott can’t find a style that does work for this group.
And it’s hard to see any relief in sight. Saturday they will tie the league record for a single-season losing streak at 24 when they take on a Trail Blazers team that has battled through its own injury problems this season by coming hard and never taking a night off. Then Monday it’s Dallas. Wednesday is a Pistons team that has struggled but has been a little better of late, then comes a Clipper team playing well.
Then would come the real showdown — Cleveland at home against winless on the road Washington. Somebody’s streak would have to end. I mean that’s the rules — someone has to win. Right? Because if two teams could both find a way to lose the same game it would be these two.
What has happened to Cleveland is more than LeBron James leaving town, more than too many injuries, more than missteps by ownership, but rather a perfect storm of problems. And now they are stuck in it with no way out until the season mercifully ends.
Until then, it’s just going to be hard to watch.