There has been a ton of hand-wringing lately over the sorry state of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ defense, and rightfully so. The Cavaliers own the eighth-worst Defensive Rating in the NBA at 105.6, making this easily the worst defense LeBron James has ever been a part of. It is entirely too early worry about any team’s playoff chances, but it is fair to say the Cavaliers will not make the NBA Finals if they do not improve their defense.
It is not difficult to see why the Cavaliers have struggled defensively. With Anderson Varejao done for the season, LeBron 
James and Shawn Marion are the only players on the team anyone would consider above-average on-ball defenders. None of the Cleveland big men provide any sort of rim protection, and even LeBron looks largely disinterested in playing defense.
I was writing the fantasy notes here at FantasyAlarm Tuesday when the news came in that LeBron and Shawn Marion were both inactive for their road game against the Hawks. I immediately recommended the Hawks for fantasy, and for good reason. As I pointed out, LeBron and Marion are the best defenders on Cleveland’s roster. Perhaps even more importantly, the Hawks had just scored 127 points in Cleveland less than two weeks ago. I was only half joking when I said Atlanta could score 150 on Tuesday; I didn’t think it would happen, but it would not have shocked me.
The Hawks had a good night, with Paul Millsap scoring 26 points and Jeff Teague adding 23 and 11 assists, but they only scored 109 points. That is when I realized while the criticism of Cleveland’s defense is mostly valid, I have rarely recommended players going against the Cavaliers in this column.
The Cavaliers are certainly not a bad fantasy matchup. Any team that allows 105.6 points per 100 possessions is a decent matchup for fantasy, but it is difficult to rack up points against the Cavs because they play so slowly. They are the sixth-slowest team in the NBA, averaging just 94.57 possessions per 48 minutes. It is hard to believe the Cavs’ pace is so slow considering Kevin Love’s only role on this team appears to be grabbing uncontested defensive rebounds and throwing long outlet passes to LeBron James.
The Cavaliers, of course, are not alone. The Knicks, Jazz and Heat are even worse than Cleveland in Defensive Rating, though they are also the three slowest teams in the league. That is what makes teams like the Lakers, Timberwolves and Kings more attractive fantasy plays for their faster pace of play. As always I weigh defensive rating, pace and several other factors before making my picks for the week. The following picks are for the week from Monday, January 5 to Monday, January 12.
Dion Waiters, Cleveland Cavaliers (Road vs. 76ers, Home vs. Rockets, Road vs. Warriors, Road vs. Kings) Now that I spend my first 400 words trashing Cleveland’s defense, I am going to recommend a Cavalier for his defense. The Cavaliers face four of the five-worst teams in the NBA in Opponent’s Steals this week. Waiters is still a poor on-ball defender, but he is averaging 1.3 steals per game this season and that number will almost certainly be higher when the week is over. His fantasy prospects are also helped by Shawn Marion’s ankle injury.
Corey Brewer, Houston Rockets (Road vs. Bulls, Road vs. Cavaliers, Road vs. Knicks, Home vs. Jazz) It seems pretty crazy, considering their history under Tom Thibodeau, but the Bulls are the fastest team Houston will face this week. They are also the best defensive team on the schedule, which bodes well for the Rockets. This week will be an interesting contrast in styles as the Rockets have played faster than most, especially in December. Even after a five-point effort on New Year’s Eve, Brewer is still averaging 14 points per game in five games with the Rockets. That number will come down a bit along with his .538 3-point percentage, but he is a good play given his schedule.
Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks (Home vs. Suns, Road vs. 76ers, Home vs. Timberwolves, Road vs. Bulls) Sanders can rebound, block shots, and finish close to the basket. That is the extent of his skill set, and his fantasy contributions. This week the Bucks have a very nice schedule for his skills. The Suns and Timberwolves are in the bottom five in the league in opponent field goal percentage at the rim. The 76ers have allowed the most rebounds to opponents, with the Suns and Timberwolves not far behind. Few teams have allowed more opponents blocks than the Bulls, though the Timberwolves and 76ers are two of them. If Sanders cannot return from his current illness in time to take advantage of the schedule, John Henson and Zaza Pachulia should be decent fantasy plays.
Spencer Hawes, Los Angeles Clippers (Home vs. Hawks, Home vs. Lakers, Home vs. Mavericks, Home vs. Heat) Hawes has not fit in the way the Clippers though he would, due in part to his missing most of December with a knee injury. That could change this week, as the Clippers’ upcoming schedule plays to two of his strengths: passing and three-point shooting. Only the Knicks have allowed opponents to shoot better from beyond the arc than the Mavericks and Lakers, while the Hawks and Lakers are in the bottom five in opponent’s assists per game.
Teams do not have to play fast to be good fantasy matchups, but it certainly helps. That is why the 76ers, Timberwolves, Suns, Lakers, Rockets, Mavericks and Kings all made appearances in this week’s schedule breakdown.