The Cleveland Cavaliers open their 2024-25 season Wednesday night in kind of a weird area. They have had regular season success, winning 44, 51, and 48 games the last three seasons, making the playoffs after the last two years.
The Cavs are a good team and have many very good players. Donovan Mitchell is a perennial all-star. Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen have each played in an all-star game and many people project Evan Mobley to be that caliber of player as well.
Whether or not the wine and gold have a successful season will depend on the success they will have in the playoffs. In the last three seasons, they have gone from losing in the “play in” round, to losing in the first round, to being eliminated in the conference semi-finals to the eventual World Champion Boston Celtics.
Based on the maddening plan of one step at a time taken by the front office, we will guess they will judge it a successful season if the Cavaliers lose in the conference finals in 2025.
After last season, president of basketball operations Koby Altman placed the blame squarely on former head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, firing him and replacing him with Kenny Atkinson, former head man in Brooklyn, and most recently an assistant with Golden State.
First, let’s say we like the hire. We thought Atkinson got the most out of his talent with the Nets, and Bickerstaff’s offense was a bit simplistic, depending heavily on the pick and roll.
Unfortunately, the coaching staff was the only area in which the Cavs made changes. Outside of first round draft pick Jaylon Tyson and free agent big man J.T. Thor, the same roster that lost to Boston is back.
Maybe that’s good, but we felt last year’s roster lacked size, and since Thor is the only player over 6’7″ brought in, we still feel that way.
Cleveland still is starting two undersized guards with Garland at 6’1″ and Mitchell at 6’3″ and with Max Strus starting at small forward (6’5″), the wine and gold are one of the sports’ small teams at those three positions.
It is interesting to note with Strus sidelined, Atkinson may go with 6’9″ Dean Wade at the three, giving the starting unit a lot more size.
We like that Atkinson said he is going to have a longer rotation, playing 10 or 11 on most nights, which will save wear and tear on the starters. He has a slew of 6’5″ and 6’6″ players off that bench, like Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Ty Jerome, Georges Niang, and the rookie Tyson, who has an all-around game many of these reverses do not have.
The reserves at the big men spots are concerning. The Cavs will use Wade, a stretch four, who frankly might be best served playing the three, and Thor. We would guess Atkinson will give Thor minutes. Bickerstaff never seemed to develop a legitimate big man back up after the team traded Lauri Markkanen, ending the tri-towers year.
The Cavs should be a good team again this season, and depending on the injury situation, should flirt with or exceed the 50 win mark again this season.
The measuring stick will be the playoffs. Philadelphia added Paul George, the Knicks added Karl-Anthony Towns (although we aren’t sure that makes them better), the Bucks are in year two of the Giannis and Lillard experiment), and Orlando is going to be better because their stars have another year of experience.
Can the wine and gold make a run to the conference finals or beyond? If they don’t, will Altman be the next change to be made?
Cleveland Sports Perspective 