Cavs Mailbag: Defensive Woes, Is J.B. Bickerstaff's Seat Hot?

Spencer Davies answers Cleveland Cavaliers' fans questions after the team's 132-120 loss to the Sacramento Kings and before finishing the road trip.

Welcome to Cavs Mailbag! In this daily mailbag, Spencer Davies will respond to fans’ curiosities surrounding the Cleveland Cavaliers throughout the duration of the 2023-24 season. In order to submit yours, simply send your questions on X to @SpinDavies or via email at spindavies22@gmail.com.

The Cavs did not carry their momentum forward from Saturday in Sacramento, taking yet another two step backs after a step forward at Golden State. It’s been a troubling theme this season with inconsistency. 

The good news is that Cleveland wraps up its week-long road trip on Wednesday evening against a young, inexperienced and undermanned Portland Trail Blazers squad. 

Coming out of the roadie with a split record would be mentally refreshing for the wine-and-gold, who just can’t seem to sustain any type of progress seemingly made.

Let’s get to your questions.

Where does the defense go from here? - @Mr_NikkiG

After what we saw against the Kings, you’d like to say it can’t go anywhere but up. While it’s fair to acknowledge how deadly that team is with a home-court advantage and its star duo of De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Cleveland got decimated. Period.

Sacramento’s high screens and dribble handoffs were too quick to handle. Sabonis’ focus on establishing a paint presence led to the Cavs overreacting and crowding, which led to wide-open threes for guys like Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray, who loudly broke out of their shooting slumps. Even more concerning was how easily Sacramento got looks in transition beyond the arc with nobody even sniffing a contest. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen the Cavs get dissected like this. Recall the Indiana Pacers game a few weeks ago on the road? Tyrese Haliburton was surgical in running the offense. Myles Turner hit almost every jump shot he took. Aaron Nesmith, Bruce Brown and Buddy Hield each had multiple triples. You can refer to the Oklahoma City Thunder game as well, where Shai Gilgeous-Alexander got to his favorite areas with no resistance whatsoever.

The solution feels like it can be as simple as winning individual challenges on the perimeter and getting back after misses. Maybe there will be some rotational combinations changed up. With that said, this is for the most part the same group that dominated the defensive landscape last season. We knew they’d take a step back because of a new philosophy on offense, but this has been extreme. And as J.B. Bickerstaff mentioned, it’s even more troubling because we’ve seen it work before — including this season.

Nov 13, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) makes a layup next to Cleveland Cavaliers center Evan Mobley (4) in the fourth quarter at the Golden 1 Center / Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone is calling for J.B. to be fired, but is he actually on the hot seat? What’s a realistic win-loss record that would make that happen? @Greg_Boose

Thank you for asking about this in a different and productive way. I can’t answer the same question over and over again differently, so this is a little easier to manage. Though the Cavs have Bickerstaff’s back and believe he is the right man for the job, the NBA is a results-based business.

There is still time since it is only mid-November, but if this trend of Cleveland picking and choosing its nights to perform (and not being able to put together consecutive efforts) continues, his seat will grow warmer and warmer. 

It may be less about record and more about losing ground in a highly-contested Eastern Conference. Currently, the Cavs are four-and-a-half games back from the 8-1 Philadelphia 76ers, yet they’re only two games back of the third-seeded Miami Heat with an inverse record to Cleveland’s.

Giving it at least another 10 or 15 games in my eyes would be a wise decision just due to the early-season absences. It feels like this next month will be crucial for everybody’s sake in that locker room.

What additions or subtractions can be made to fix this team? - @gabefiorello

None player-wise. Maybe coaching-wise, but we don't know that yet as I said my peace in the above answer. I sincerely don’t feel like there is a gaping hole or question about the way this roster is constructed now. The Cavs went out and got their guys in free agency and brought in some promising rookies who will develop with the Cleveland Charge.

Rotationally, Isaac Okoro’s return would likely give a nice boost and allow Georges Niang and the second unit a break from chasing around these younger, faster players in opposing second units. Okoro is always dependable from a defensive perspective, as well as a true weapon in the open floor and the short corner. 

For the record, I’ve been told that Okoro’s left knee injury is a wear-and-tear thing and he just needs some rest.

How concerned should we be that Jarrett Allen wasn’t dunking? - @CoxSportsOhio

Clearly, Jarrett Allen doesn’t have much lift right now and isn’t going up to flush much. After being second in the league in slams last season to Evan Mobley, the 25-year-old has just four in five games. Is it cause for concern? I don’t know yet because Cleveland still has him locked into a restriction at 28 minutes. As long as he’s finishing, getting to the line, protecting the rim, boxing out and securing rebounds, Allen will be effective and crucial to this team.

Defensively, he looks a step slow against some of the more dynamic, quicker bigs. However, that should come with time and he deserves the benefit of the doubt in that department because of his track record as an anchor underneath.