Cavs falling apart with the playoffs on the horizon

Here we are less than two weeks away from the playoffs and the Cavaliers are in total chaos. All the positive things that happened earlier this season mean very little now. They are not the same team they were heading into the All-Star break. It would be next to impossible to pick them to beat anybody in the first round of the playoffs. Another first-round disaster could very well cost Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff his job — and rightfully so. Yes, he's a great guy and the players love him, but this is a results-driven league. What have you done for me lately? Cleveland has recorded a 10-14 record since the break, which includes blowout losses to Denver and Phoenix on their five-game road trip. Certainly, no one expected them to go into Denver and beat the defending champion Nuggets. What was expected is that they compete, fight and scrap. That was part of their makeup earlier in the season. Now, they get their butts whipped and no one seems to care. Beating the Suns on Wednesday was also far-fetched. But not many expected Phoenix to score 72 points in the first half and get any shot it wanted. What has happened to this bunch? It's hard to answer. Sure, injuries play a large role in the Cavs' downfall. Five-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell hasn't looked right in weeks, even though he scored 24 points against the Suns. His trademark drives into the key where he swings the ball around to the basket have practically vanished. He doesn't seem to have his usual explosion. Point guard Darius Garland? The less said the better. He's looked bad. He's turnover-prone and fails to shoot the deep ball. The one good thing about his play is that his assist totals are on the rise. But the Cavs need him to score points. He had five points against Denver on Sunday. A big topic on the team is whether the Cavs can play both big men at the same time. It sure looked like they could in the win over Utah on Tuesday when Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley both dominated the paint. Detractors say they clog up the middle, which doesn't space the floor and doesn't give their shooters room to unload from behind the arc. This has forced Mobley to take more 3-pointers and he's definitely improved in that area of his game. What's the answer to this big-man riddle. Hopefully, it's not to get rid of one of them, likely Allen, who's had perhaps his best season in the NBA. The Cavs, hanging onto the third seed in the Eastern Conference by the skin of their teeth, say they still have time to round into form with only five games remaining in the regular season. Teams aren't able to flip a switch and suddenly everything is right with their world. It takes practice, continuity and good coaching. At times, the Cavs are playing like strangers on the court. It's difficult to predict what will happen. But another first-round exit in the postseason will be a prelude to change in the offseason. Maybe a shakeup is needed. The front office has put talent on this roster. But are they the right pieces? There's so much going on right now, as several players are eligible for contract extensions in the offseason, including Mitchell, Allen and super sub Isaac Okoro. Hopefully, that's not carrying over onto the court. If the playoffs started today, the Cavs would face the Miami Heat. That would be a horrible matchup in the first round for Cleveland. But who would be a perfect matchup in the first round? Orlando? Indiana? Philadelphia? All of those teams have something to prove and might be too much for the Cavs in their present state. Time is running out on Cleveland. The postseason will be here before you know it. Let's see how the Cavs handle things in the coming weeks. Another disaster, though, could mean that it's time to blow up this team and go in another direction. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.