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So what do the Cleveland Cavaliers do now?
The Cavs found out earlier this week that star point guard Kyrie Irving will be out for four weeks with an injury, and they will play their first game without him on Wednesday.
The Wine and Gold come into the contest as losers of their last six games, and now they have to find a way to win without their leading scorer and playmaker.
On Wednesday night, the Cavs will take on the Philadelphia 76ers, who beat them in Philadelphia on Sunday. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m.
The Sixers have injury problems of their own, including the continued health problems of star center Andrew Bynum who has not played this year and recently injured himself again while bowling.
While Cleveland fans should be happy that no Cavs players have been injured by bowling yet, the season has not gone well so far. The Cavs come into the game just 2-8 and they really need a win before their season really heads into the gutter.
So what do they need to do to knock off the Sixers?
First of all, the Cavs need Dion Waiters and Daniel “Boobie” Gibson to score more. Both players have looked good this season, and Waiters is scoring 13.7 points per game while Gibson is chipping in 9.3.
The Cavs also need someone else to step up in the backcourt. Whether it is guards Donald Sloan or Jeremy Pargo, or even guard/forward C.J. Miles, someone needs to start scoring more points, as well as contributing in other ways.
Miles looked very good in the preseason and seemed like a solid free agent acquisition, but he is only scoring 4.3 points per game and is shooting an abysmal 22 percent from the field and 22 percent from three-point territory. He is also turning the ball over way too much.
Irving’s absence should give Miles the chance to do more, and it will be big if he can contribute.
Forward Alonzo Gee has started every game and is playing well, and he may be asked to do more now, too. Gee is scoring 11.8 points per game, and the Cavs may try to get more offense out of him.
The frontcourt combination of Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Tyler Zeller has been steady, and it’s a safe bet that these three players will continue to do well on Wednesday night.
The key is going to be in the backcourt.
My guess here is the Waiters tries to take over more, and that he and Gibson score a lot more to help the Cavs stay in the game. If Miles, Sloan or Pargo can have solid games, the Cavs can win. If they can’t contribute, though, it may be another long night in Cleveland.
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