Ed Davis, PF24 MIN | 2-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 4 PTS | -1Was pretty invisible and missed a few easy buckets. 4 rebounds in 24min is not what we have come to expect, even against a strong rebounding team.
Jonas Valanciunas, C19 MIN | 3-6 FG | 2-4 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | -2Had a typical Jonas game, doing “the right things” and occasionally being rewarded with a whistle or a bucket, while also occasionally flashing his inexperience.
Jose Calderon, PG33 MIN | 10-15 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 6 AST | 23 PTS | +7Carried the team offensively in the early going and it honestly felt like he had ALL of the points at half (really just 15). Kyrie got his, of course, but what do you expect? Yet another stellar performance from Jose The Starter.
Mickael Pietrus, SG16 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | -6Very empty. The “rush” of joining the team has worn off and he is likely at risk of losing his role with Double-A and Fields back, Ross growing, and Kleiza apparently being relied on as a key offensive contributor.
DeMar DeRozan, SG36 MIN | 4-9 FG | 8-8 FT | 5 REB | 4 AST | 16 PTS | +15A relatively quiet 16 for DeRozan, he did well getting to the line against wings that have no business guarding him. He also helped keep the returning Waiters in check.
Amir Johnson, PF29 MIN | 6-7 FG | 5-5 FT | 6 REB | 4 AST | 17 PTS | +16Great performance for Amir, who worked hard out of the pick-and-roll, did a nice job defensively and also showed a nice passing touch on high-low feeds. Struggles on the D-glass were the only wart.
Linas Kleiza, SF21 MIN | 2-6 FG | 6-7 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 10 PTS | +5The Lithuanian Bomber wasn’t hitting from outside (typical) but managed to exploit an odd match-up situation to get to the line frequently as a small four.
John Lucas, PG15 MIN | 4-7 FG | 1-1 FT | 1 REB | 5 AST | 11 PTS | +7Great performance for Lucas, who once again added a handful of assists to his point total. I still like him better as PG3 but he’s turned a corner since his horrid start.
Alan Anderson, SG32 MIN | 6-12 FG | 1-2 FT | 6 REB | 2 AST | 18 PTS | +20Kobe! Anderson probably still shoots too much, but after an 0/8 Friday he has been on fire for two straight, mixing in threes with free throws. Slow your role a bit and you can be a valuable bench piece.
Terrence Ross, SG15 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 3 PTS | +9Pretty invisible playing time for Ross, whose minutes will likely be in flux even more with a full complement of wings now available.
Five Things We Saw
Sorry this is brief. I ZOOMED through the PVR since I was only able to half pay attention to the game on my first viewing (meeting a friend’s baby). Tomorrow’s post-game will be after a more thorough viewing.
I don’t LIKE seeing John Lucas on my screen, and he’s too wild for my tastes, but when he has it going he’s a real spark plug.
Every mediocre game Ed Davis has is risky for him, since eventually, you’d think, Bargnani will be back and minutes for him and Amir will again be at a premium. Can’t squander this opportunity.
Three Cavaliers with face masks is hilarious. BTW, John Krolik’s assessment of Tristan Thompson as someone who does some things well but a lot of things poorly was on full display in this one.