As former Cavaliers’ GM Chris Grant might say, the team is in “asset acquisition mode”, right now as the NBA trading deadline grows ever so closer, that date being February 7th.
What will the wine and gold look like after Thursday and even looking ahead to this summer?
The front office will no doubt want to keep Cedi Osman, who has played much better since the calendar turned to 2019, and Collin Sexton will get an opportunity to work on his game this summer, and hopefully come back with added dimensions to his game.
Larry Nance Jr. would also seem to be a keeper.
Beyond that trio? Your guess is as good as ours.
Kevin Love’s inactivity thus far would seem to mean he will finish the year with Cleveland. Since he hasn’t played since October, his value is low, but a fine last two months of the season would make him very appealing to a contender.
It will also be interesting to see what the organization does with Tristan Thompson. The big man from Canada would seem to be more valuable to a contending team than he is to a squad that is a couple of years away from the playoffs.
If you can get a first round pick and some promising young players, you have to do it.
Same with Jordan Clarkson, who has been the Cavs’ leading scorer this season, but his value may never be higher.
We doubt Larry Drew will return as head coach. In looking for a replacement, GM Koby Altman should be looking for someone with along the Kenny Atkinson (head coach of the Brooklyn Nets) model, someone who can teach a group of young players how to play NBA basketball, and also refine their abilities.
Forget about big names or retread guys, fine someone who can communicate and teach the fundamentals, particularly on the defensive end of the floor.
Altman needs to find a coach who will use a style of play that will emphasize the strengths of the team. That may seem simplistic, but think about how Tyronn Lue tried to play with the roster on hand at the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
In looking at possible trades, we would take a shot at any player drafted in the last couple of years that has reached a point where their current team is disappointed in them.
Here is a list of players whose current teams seem disenchanted with them, many because of where they were drafted. From the 2017 draft, we would be interested in Josh Jackson (Phoenix) or Frank Ntilikina (Knicks), and if Philadelphia still wants to part with him, the first overall pick that year, Markelle Fultz.
From the year before, we would be interested in Marquese Chris (Houston) or Thon Maker (Milwaukee). Both are big men who have struggled in their career to date. With the shortage of height on the Cleveland roster, why not see if either are just late bloomers, which many big men are.
The Cavs’ Ante Zizic was a later pick in that draft, as was newly acquired Wade Baldwin, who came from Portland in the Rodney Hood deal.
Just because a player didn’t do well in one system doesn’t mean they can’t play. And the Cavs should be using the rest of the season like they have the last two months, like an extended tryout camp.
If you see yourself as someone who likes to evaluate talent, the rest of this NBA season may be right up your alley, that is, if you follow the Cavaliers.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 