Clearly, Cavaliers coach Byron Scott didn’t come out and say that Dion Waiters was fat but he said everything else close in the book. The Cavaliers are worried that the young guard’s playing weight is a little bit too heavy. Coach Scott attributed extra weight to the fact that Syracuse played zone defense. Dion will have to tone up to play effective man-to-man defense.
“The biggest thing with him is conditioning,” Scott said. “Once he gets in shape, all the other stuff will start to come.”
Scott believes Waiters needs to shed about 10 pounds, something Waiters thinks can come off pretty easily. He believes his shooting mechanics are a little out of whack and Scott continues to harp on his defensive technique. Scott pulled Waiters aside at practice on Monday and worked with him for a few minutes on his defensive stance, instructing him to remain low and pivot on defense rather than stand up and relax when his man gives up the ball.
Waiters played very little man-to-man defense at Syracuse, which plays primarily zone. The zone defense is rarely used in the NBA.
“He’s so used to zone [defense] the last couple of seasons that he stands around a lot on the defensive end,” Scott said. “We have to get him out of that. He has a ways to go in that department.”
Dion will lose the weight because he “Balls hard, D Waiters!” -Meek Mill
