Is Delonte West The Cavaliers' Missing Link? (Probably)

Brian Windhorst, the excellent Cavaliers beat writer for the Cleveland Plain-Dealer, checks in with a column today wondering about the significance of Delonte West’s absence:

The loss of West seems to be taking a toll on the Cavs that is greater than if he was sidelined with a sprained ankle. He’s practicing with them, he’s traveling with them, he’s warming up with them. Then he disappears into the locker room and the Cavs struggle on the floor in areas where he could certainly help.

It isn’t something the team is used to and it isn’t something they seem to be dealing with easily based on their play thus far. “It definitely hurts us,” Mo Williams said. “Look at what happened with (Kevin Garnett) with Boston last year, it doesn’t matter the stature of the player, it is losing a valuable player. It’s evident we miss him.”

The absence, according to Windhorst, has myriad implications for the Cavs, all of which stretch an already thin roster a little thinner. Maybe too much so, as perimeter defense is one example he offers:

Perimeter defense.

West is the Cavs’ best guard defender and often will guard the top scoring wing players or the quick point guards to give Williams a rest or even when Williams is in the game. With his good strength and good lateral speed, West can often keep in front of guards attempting to drive, or at least re-route them off the play.

In the first two games quick guards Rajon Rondo of the Celtics and Jose Calderon of the Raptors have repeatedly broken down the Cavs defense off the dribble and caused them to collapse and give up easy shots. Rondo had 10 assists in the first game and Calderon had 11 assists Wednesday.

Beyond that, Delonte West’s absence means the other guards on Cleveland’s roster are forced into roles that don’t exactly suit them. As Windhorst outlines, Anthony Parker was brought in as a free agent to provide 25-30 minutes of energy and scoring. Instead, he’s being counted on as a starter to play upwards of 40 minutes a game—and well, he’s not that good.

Throw in the added reliance on Daniel Gibson to play significant minutes at point guard, where Delonte had been a key backup, and you can see where losing a key rotation guy like West ends up watering down the rest of your roster. Gibson, for example, no longer has the opportunity to do what he does well—score—because he’s too busy being a mediocre point guard for 20 minutes-a-game. Everybody loses.

I alluded to this issue in my NBA preview, too, saying:

Cleveland has point guard issues—it’s through no fault of their management that Delonte West has had difficulties with bi-polar disorder, but it is the management’s fault that there isn’t another competent guard besides West and Mo Williams. Literally, the only other guards on the roster are Daniel Gibson and Anthony Parker, and while both can play spot duty at point guard, neither can be expected to do so for any extended period of time. That’s an issue.

And it’s an issue that, frankly, Cleveland should have foreseen. I mean, Delonte West struggled last year with personal issues, not to mention injuries. Did they really think they’d be successful going into this year with such a vulnerable linchpin at one of the most critical positions on the floor? West’s myriad issues are something that no team could have prepared for, but the lack of a contingency plan from the Cavs is inexcusable. Instead, they’ve got 400 pound Shaq and glacial Zydrunas Ilgauskas sharing time in the fourth quarter, Mo Williams trying to play 40 minutes of point guard and defend at the same time, and Lebron toiling away, one triple double at a time, for a team with some glaring holes. Not fun, and with Lebron headed for free agency, pretty damn ominous.

Would you stay if you were him?

Last year was a dream season in Cleveland, but until Delonte’s demons are exercised or the Cavs add another competent guard, this year's shaping up to be something of a nightmare.