Who Will Step up for the Cavs with LeBron Out?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling, plain and simple. They currently sit at 19-14, good for the fifth seed in a once-again weak Eastern Conference. The Cavs, losers of four out of their last six, have begun to hear rumors of head coach David Blatt being on the hot seat, as well as various trade scenarios. In fairness, Cleveland has encountered some poor luck, with center Anderson Varejao out for the season after a ruptured achilles, combined with guys like Kevin Love and Mike Miller, who are battling nagging injuries.

When Cleveland acquired Kevin Love to play alongside James and Irving, the city had renewed hopes of a first NBA title.  Now they will have make a hard push just to get into the playoffs.
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No matter how bad it's gotten however, there's always been hope, for they had the city's savior in LeBron James. The two-time NBA champion was having another James-esque season, averaging 25.2 points, 7.2 assists and 5.3 rebounds a game on 49% shooting from the field. But with the news that he will be out for about two weeks while he recovers from strains in his left knee and lower back, Cleveland is now on its' heels and scrambling to find answers.

The playoffs are still a realistic option, but the likeliest scenarios will be as a six, seven or eight seed, meaning a date with teams like the Bulls, Raptors and Wizards in the first round. In order to avoid that scenario, and in order to get through a brutal west coast trip that begins Jan. 9 in Golden State and ends four games later in Los Angeles (Against the Clippers), the following are the players on the Cavaliers' roster that need to step up.

Dion Waiters

The third-year shooting guard from Syracuse has been the subject of many trade rumors since the beginning of the season, but the Cavs need him now more than ever with their best scorer sidelined. His 41% shooting from the field is going to have to increase if he wants to make the most of his extra playing time, but his slashing and finishing abilities give him a positive upside for Cleveland. Waiters is currently averaging a little over 10 points a game, but has show that he can be the top threat next to Kyrie Irving at times this season.

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiGCBlYg9nY

Matthew Dellavedova

The second-year shooting guard has shown flashes of talent this season, and is averaging over 36 minutes a game over his last five contests for the Cavs. His season averages are around 4.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game, but has hit almost 43% of his 3-point attempts over his last five games. His playmaking and consistency will need to improve, but Dellavedova has some of the tools required to make a sizable impact on the court.

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Tristan Thompson

Thompson has already stepped his game up, as he has recorded four consecutive double-doubles for Cleveland. Coming off of back-to-back seasons where he averaged over 11 points and nine rebounds a game, Thompson is no stranger to playing starters' minutes, which is what he will do for the forceable future, as he is taking Varejao's spot in the starting lineup. His length and athleticism will greatly help the Cavs' backcourt over the next two weeks. Thompson is currently averaging 9.5 points and 8.0 rebounds a game this year.

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBjwny7E710

Time will tell if the various role players on Cleveland's roster, along with stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love can mesh together and thrive in James' absence. It also remains to be seen if the Cleveland front office will make any type of deals in the near future, but for now, all they can do is wait for their star to return, and hope for the best.

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*All stats and info courtesy of ESPN

2014-15 NBA Standings 

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Daily Recap- Nov. 8

Who Was Hot

John Wall (Washington PG)- Had a phenomenal night and posted a stat line of 26 points, 17 assists and seven rebounds in a 133-132 overtime win against the Boston Celtics. With the exception of nine turnovers, Wall played extremely well, and his 26 points were the most he has scored in almost two weeks (28 versus Cleveland on Dec. 3.).

Paul Pierce (Washington SF)- The Truth had a big game, scoring 28 points and grabbing seven rebounds in Washington's win over the Celtics in overtime on Monday. Even with extended minutes, Pierce shot the ball extremely well (9-12 FG, 6-6 FT), and his seven rebounds were the most he had grabbed in over two weeks (10 rebounds at Milwaukee on Nov. 22).

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Marcus Smart (Boston PG/SG)- Scored 23 points on 7-14 shooting in an overtime loss to the Celtics. Smart had the best game of his young career, and should receive more minutes in head coach Brad Stevens' rotation.

Eric Bledsoe (Phoenix PG/SG)- Recorded his first career triple-double (27 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds) in a 121-120 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Bledsoe played the game of his life on Monday, but it was not enough as the Suns fell just short on a Blake Griffin game-winner from  3-point range. Phoenix fans should be thrilled to see the Kentucky product playing so well, as it will bode well for their deep playoff hopes.

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Dion Waiters (Cleveland SG)- Tallied a season-high 26 points in a 110-88 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Waiters had his best game of the season, but this will most likely be a rare occurrence, as Waiters' consistency is not at a strong level at this point in his career.

Blake Griffin (Los Angeles PF)- Scored 45 points in a 121-120 overtime win over the Phoenix Suns. Griffin hit 14 of 24 field goal, 15 of 17 free throws, and the game-winning 3-pointer to beat the Suns at the buzzer. The 45 points were two off of his career-high, and were by far his highest point total this season.

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Play of the Night

Clippers' forward Blake Griffin hit the game-winning 3-pointer to beat the Phoenix Suns 121-120 in overtime. Griffin finished with 45 points, with none bigger than his last three, which came off of a friendly bounce from the rim.

Link- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnVvh6lmujA

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