Central Division

Cleveland Cavaliers Power Rankings - 2011-12

Power Ranking
WEEKRECORDRANKCOMMENT
Week 1721-4223With all this tanking going around -- most of which we're fine with because the current lottery system, like it or not, encourages it when you've got a bad team -- do we applaud the Cavs for letting Kyrie come back for a late-season bow on his pending Rookie of the Year coronation? Only if he doesn't get hurt.
Week 1620-3927Textbook tanking here. Amid reports both Kyrie (shoulder) and Varejao (wrist) haven't been ruled out completely for the rest of the season -- when they realistically have -- Cleveland is putting the ball in the hands of relative unknown Lester Hudson and letting Hudson's fairy tale soak up the local spotlight.
Week 1518-3628Word is we might indeed see Varejao back on the floor before the end of the season. Sure to be cautious with Kyrie's shoulder from here to the finish line, maybe the Cavs feel the need to give their fans something after becoming the first team ever to lose back-to-back home games by 35 or more.
Week 1417-3327If Kyrie (shoulder sprain) doesn't play again this season -- which is the way I'd play it if I ran the Cavs -- he'll wind up with averages of 18.9 ppg, 5.7 apg and 4.0 rpg in 45 games along with nice numbers percentage-wise from the field (.471) and 3-point line (.419). Plenty, in other words, to win the ROY in a walk.
Week 1317-2925A brutal April schedule awaits for the Cavs, which really isn't the worst thing when you remember what we said in Week 10: Cleveland not-so-secretly has no problem plummeting in the standings to improve its draft lottery odds. As for your weekly Kyrie Update: He turned 20 on Friday. We repeat: Only 20, folks.
Week 1216-2626Will I be voicing my displeasure about Omri Casspi's dwindling minutes with Byron Scott when the former ESPN analyst and I next cross paths? You know me too well. Not that I expect to win the argument, mind you, knowing that Lord Byron loves new starter Alonzo Gee more than any other Cav not named Kyrie Irving.
Week 1116-2321Further illustrations of what Irving means to the Cavs: They lost by 27 and 29 in Denver and OKC, respectively, last season. And they just won in both cities ... with Irving notching up the third game winner of his career by going coast to coast against the Nuggets. And he doesn't turn 20 for two more weeks.
Week 1013-2224The deep, dark secret of Cleveland's season is that as much as they want Kyrie to flourish and develop the way he has, management won't be crushed to have another high pick in June. Which is the sort of thinking that is surely nursing the Cavs through their first five-game skid of the 2011-12 campaign.
Week 913-1821When we weren't buzzing about Omri Casspi's new Sprite commercial -- as it's known in Cleveland and at Stein Line HQ -- this was one of the questions of the weekend occupying the committee's brain: Can you name three players who got more out of Orlando than Rising Stars MVP Kyrie Irving? Us, neither.
Week 812-1723It wasn't the sort of dazzling drive he delivered to beat Boston and Dallas, but Kyrie's two FTs with 0.4 seconds left Sunday night to finish off Sacramento marked the third time in Cleveland's past five victories that the rook -- after missing three games due to that concussion -- served up the Cavs' game-winning points.
Week 710-1625The Cavs got watchable again far sooner than expected ... so naturally calamity strikes to fell both Kyrie (concussion) and Varejao (fractured wrist). There's nothing yet to suggest that the rook is in lasting danger, but the Varejao news is a crusher, since they can neither play him nor trade him now.
Week 69-1317Egregious mistake by yours truly to not at least include Varejao among East snubs in my latest Weekend Dime. Unavoidably overshadowed by Kyrie Fever, which spreads faster every week, Varejao is the NBA's top offensive board man (4.7 per game) and has played his way to near-untouchable status.
Week 58-1118Only issue so far with Kyrie is that he's making it tough to write about Casspi in this space as much as the Omri-loving committee would like. More circus layups in the paint after spin-cycle drives into the lane like the ones he uncorked against Phoenix and Boston will soften the blow, though.
Week 46-923It'll take a lot to put a damper on Kyrie Fever in Cleveland -- much like the committee's unshakeable Casspi obsession -- but last week was an undeniable patience-tester after a home loss to Golden State was followed by back-to-back L's to Chicago and Atlanta by a combined 66 points.
Week 35-619How many times have you watched that clip of Kyrie weaving, spinning and behind-the-backing through the Phoenix D? He's up to four straight 20-point games on that l-o-n-g swing through the West and shooting 51 percent from the floor in January.
Week 24-422By next Monday's rankings, Kyrie Irving will have played as many games as a pro (11) as he did in his one season at Duke. Throw out his two rough shooting nights against Toronto and the Cavs can have no complaints with what they've seen from him so far.
Week 12-225Swiping LeBron from Clevelanders apparently wasn't enough. Now it's Cleveland State's Norris Cole who's been ensnared by the clutches of South Beach. Pleased as the Cavs must be to be .500, local distaste for Miami can only be spreading.
Preseason19-6329The broader focus will obviously be on Kyrie Irving, but Cavs fans have to know that the acquisition of longtime committee obsession Omri Casspi means that the No. 1 overall pick must produce if he wants this prime comment real estate.
Training Camp12-170It wasn't the sort of dazzling drive he delivered to beat Boston and Dallas, but Kyrie's two FTs with 0.4 seconds left Sunday night to finish off Sacramento marked the third time in Cleveland's past five victories that the rook -- after missing three games due to that concussion -- served up the Cavs' game-winning points.

Cleveland Cavaliers