CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my notebook as the Cleveland Cavaliers stopped playing defense:

1. Look at these numbers: 112, 112 and 114. That's how many points the Cavs have allowed in the last three games. And the opponents were the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Orlando Magic -- not Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

2. I was the Einstein who wrote the Cavs defense was improved. That came following the first two games where they held the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks under 100 points. Then they played three bad teams and barely seemed interested.

3. The last three games show how the Cavs miss Derrick Rose. Recovering from a sprained ankle, Rose hopes to play Saturday in New Orleans.

4. Rose is not a great defender, but he gives the Cavs another ball handler. He is a fierce driver to the rim. He averaged 13 points and shot 44 percent in the first two games, victories over Boston and Milwaukee.

5. The Cavs expected a "bumpy ride" early in the season. That was a phrase a top team operative mentioned to me. They knew with so many new players, the team would have games where they'd looked disjointed. So far, that's true.

6. The disclaimer for everything I'm writing: It's only five games into an 82-game schedule. But early in the season, I thought Kevin Love would thrive. He and LeBron James played well in the past, especially when Kyrie Irving was hurt.

7. But Love has been rather underwhelming. He is shooting only .418 from the field, a dismal 6-of-25 (24 percent) on 3-pointers. Love continues to rebound well, 11.2 per game. But when he gets the ball near the rim, he dribbles and dribbles and seems to take far too long to put up a hook shot or a power layup. It gives the defense time to crowd him.

8. J.R. Smith has been bothered by a bad back. He told the media that was not why his shooting is off. My guess is the back is an issue. Smith is 3-of-25 (.120) on 3-pointers. He is playing 25 minutes a game, averaging only 4.8 points.

9. So Love and Smith are a combined 9-of-50 on 3-pointers! That's 18 percent!

10. It has been one of my themes since James returned ... watch his minutes. He is at 37.6 per game already. Twice, he has played 41 minutes.

11. A year ago, James averaged 37.8 minutes per game. That was the most since the 2012-13 season for him. It also was the most any NBA player averaged last season. James did sit out eight games in 2016-17, so that helped a bit.

12. James is off to an amazing start, averaging 27.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 7.4 assists. He is shooting .611 from the field. This is his 15th season. While much is made of James playing point guard with Rose hurt, he often does that during the course of most games. He is this generation's Magic Johnson when in that role.

13. Coach Tyronn Lue is frustrated as he can't find many combinations that work well together. In the 112-107 loss to Brooklyn, he had only three guys who played well: Kyle Korver, Jeff Green and James. You also can add Iman Shumpert to the list. But it was James and three guys off the bench.

14. Not sure why, but Jae Crowder has been almost invisible in the last three games. That covers 71 minutes. He is 5-of-16 from the field (16 points) with five rebounds and one assist. He is just hanging around the 3-point line.

15. In those last three games, 11-of-16 shots have been 3-pointers. Crowder is a solid 3-point shooter, but he's not Kyle Korver. The Cavs need Crowder active on defense, rebounding and cutting to the basket on offense. He has seemed stagnant.

16. Korver has been one of the team's most consistent players, averaging 10.4 points. He's shooting .559 from the field, .520 on 3-pointers. He has developed a chemistry with James.

17. I do think Dwyane Wade will function better with the second unit. Even when they were together in Miami, the Heat often were more effective when James and Wade didn't play together. That allowed one to control the offense while the other rested.

18. The Cavs have had Rose for only two games. Wade sat out the loss at Brooklyn. Isaiah Thomas is not expected back for at least another month. So the Cavs rocky start is not a shock. But they should be better than this, especially against some of the lesser teams they've faced lately.