Will Gloom & Doom eclipse the Cavs’ season? – Terry Pluto (2024)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — I received this email from a reader who signed it: I’m Not A Grumpy Old Man.

“I can’t wait until next Tuesday when I won’t have to listen 24/7 about the Solar Eclipse on the radio, TV or anything else. With the hundreds of thousands of people coming here I won’t be able to pull out of my driveway. (at least the media makes it sound like that). And get your milk, eggs, bread and toilet paper!”

At this point, I’m with the Not A Grumpy Old Man. But I admit, when you hear the words “solar eclipse,” don’t you think, “I gotta get 2,000 rolls of toilet paper”? The solar eclipse could be fun, but it’s not an earth-shaking event … I hope!

Stories by Terry Pluto

• I don’t want to hear about playoff seeds or injuries: It’s time for the Cavs to win – Terry Pluto
• Cavs making the playoffs is reason for what? A shrug? A celebration? – Terry Pluto
• What I’m hearing about Nick Chubb and his new Browns contract – Terry Pluto

Anyway, back to the heart of his letter:

“My concern is the Cavs will be bounced again in the first round. The past two months have been painful. I understand all the injuries the Cavs have been going through – especially after going through the entire Browns season watching the same thing. But the Browns luckily pulled together and made it a fun season.

“The Cavs seem like a different story. After a terrible loss we hear about being undermanned and injuries or lack of having their heads in the game. They say, ‘We need to figure it out!’ That’s why I feel they could get bounced in the first round.

“Time is just about up for the injury excuses or the mental part of the game. The coaches and players have had enough time to figure it out. OK....enough venting. Only time will tell if the Cavs ‘figured it out’ in time for the playoffs – and don’t look directly into the sun!”

FOR A WHILE, A BEAUTIFUL TEAM

I love Not A Grumpy Old Man’s email because it reflects what I have been hearing from many Cavs fans.

They embraced the team for most of the season as they found ways to win without Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. From Jan. 1 until the end of February, the Cavs were 20-6. Many of those games were without key players.

The one constant was Donovan Mitchell. He was the basketball sun, the rest of the players were the planets revolving around him.

Many Cavs fans fell in basketball love with that version of the team. The ball moved. Players moved when they didn’t have the ball, creating open shots for each other. Mitchell was the light of this unselfish and in-sync basketball world.

While their volume of 3-point shots increased, it didn’t have a negative impact on their defense. They ranked in the top five.

WHAT MITCHELL MEANS TO CAVS

In no other team sport can one player make such an impact in every game as a superstar in basketball. He plays both offense and defense. He can take the most shots, throw the most passes and play elite defense. He also can inject his teammates with confidence.

Mitchell does that for the Cavs.

But now, his knee isn’t right. He’s also recovering from a broken nose and wearing a mask for the first time in his career.

Since March 1, the Cavs are 8-11. Mitchell has played in only five of the games. The Cavs were 2-3 with him in the lineup.

But Mitchell was dealing with the knee and other problems. A 27-point scorer heading into March, he has averaged 15.3 points in his last five games. He’s shooting .338 from the field, .324 on 3-pointers.

The strong, explosive drives to the rim have almost disappeared. It’s like he’s in a total solar eclipse. His game is a mere shadow of what it was most of the season.

The Cavs are 34-18 when Mitchell plays, 12-13 when he’s out.

A SENSE OF DOOM

Not A Grumpy Old Man isn’t the only one fearing the worst. Several Cavs fans talked to me at my health club and even the Copley Post Office.

“What’s wrong with them?” was the first question. Then they moved into the coach will be fired, Mitchell will leave for New York (or somewhere) and we may as well all eat dirt and die.

That’s hyperbole, but not by much.

As we talked about Mitchell’s knee, my usually upbeat wife Roberta (who loves the Cavs) said, “That’s what happens, the little black cloud over Cleveland!”

Sigh.

TAKE A DEEP BREATH

This season has shown how a month can feel like an eternity to the Cavs. Here is their record in the last five months: December (7-5), January (11-2), February (9-4), March (7-10) and April (1-1).

Am I upbeat about the playoffs? Not really. Not unless Mitchell recovers from his knee problem.

It’s hard not to fall into the trap of “everything falling apart.” Quick, fire someone, trade someone … do SOMETHING. But at this point in the season, nothing major can be done.

In an interview with cleveland.com’s excellent basketball writer Chris Fedor, Mitchell has vowed to be ready for the playoffs.

We’ll see if that’s true.

This is part of what I wrote to Not A Grumpy Old Man:

“I once heard someone say, ‘Can you at least wait until they mess up to say they messed up?’ That’s especially true when there is nothing to be done right now about the situation. Fire the coach now?

“The playoffs will open in three weeks. I have no clue what will happen, but life is too short to always default to the worst-case scenario. At 68, I have learned as much. Why rush it and worry about it? We’ll find out soon enough.”

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