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Bruce Hooley covers the Cleveland Cavaliers for ESPN 850 WKNR. The Cavaliers at the All-Star break seem less likely to win an NBA title than they did at season's outset, for reasons not confined to them. The dominance of Golden State and San Antonio through the season's first 50-plus games creates massive doubt whether Cleveland has enough to hoist the Larry O'Brien Trophy, apart from issues pertaining solely to the Cavs. Sure, 38-14 leads the Eastern Conference and is an exemplary record. But the Cavs didn't embark upon Year 2 of LeBron, Part II, to earn a Juice Box, a pack of Ritz Bitz and a congratulatory, "Thanks for playing," pat on the head at the NBA Finals. Been there, done that, don't wanna do it again. But before targeting what the Cavs must accomplish to avoid another June swoon, it's worth noting what they have overcome already. Weathering the change in coaches from David Blatt to Tyronn Lue better-positiond the Cavs to reach their potential. Blatt wasn't the prime culprit of his failure to reach the players, but every coach must take some responsibility for failing to find a way to relate to those he directs or coming up short in getting them to relate to him. Lue, a former player with a robust NBA assistant coaching resume, comes armed with a background better able to earn his players' respect. The down side is, he hasn't coached nearly as many games as Blatt, but the tradeoff tilts heavily toward a plus for the Cavaliers. Second, the Cavs persevered through the absences of Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert to start the season. Memories of the 19-20 stumble to start 2014-15 haven't faded enough to obscure how halting this season might have begun had the Cavs not been on point. Now, for the to-do list. Though 52 games, we still don't know what this team does best or who it does that with. Lue voiced a preference for playing faster, not necessarily via rampant run-and-gun, but moreso with a commitment to increasing tempo and getting into the offense with at least 18 seconds to run sets. That's a definite plus the Cavs -- meaning Irving and James -- must commit to going forward. As for who else Lue surrounds them with, particularly at crunch time, that remains a mystery. Is there a late-game role for Kevin Love, despite his obvious defensive short-comings. Can Richard Jefferson and Mo Williams provide quality minutes to rest James and Irving at least a little for playoff freshness, or are the aging veterans destined for spectator status on the Mike Miller and Shawn Marion Memorial Bench Seats? And the biggest unknown remains, will James and Irving shelve their inclination toward ball domination when things get tight, trusting an offense Lue admits the team still doesn't know how to run? All this lies ahead for the Cavaliers to solve once the season resumes on Thursday. It will be an epic test of their will and focus, revealing whether they are content to backslide into old habits that won't cost them much in an Eastern Conference they can dominate in their sleep, but would surely spell their doom in June.
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