There is no question the Cleveland Cavaliers have tremendous chemistry. They seem to share the ball, enjoy playing with each other and the results have shown this. They are sitting at 40-9, the best record in the NBA.
Their best player, Donovan Mitchell has accepted playing less minutes and taking less shots in order to get more people involved, allowing more players to play significant minutes.
This has allowed the wine and gold to survive when players have missed time due to injuries. Isaac Okoro has played just 28 games, Dean Wade has missed 14, Caris LeVert 13. Yet the Cavs continue to roll losing three in a row just once this season.
They are 24-3 at home, 16-6 on the road. They are 26-6 against the Eastern Conference, 14-3 vs. the West. There are probably three or four teams that can win an NBA title this season, and Cleveland is one of them.
One of the things we have praised team president Koby Altman for is he has brought in all these players, and they all have good character. There isn’t a knucklehead or a diva on the roster. And in today’s NBA, that is truly remarkable.
We have heard many pundits say because of the success Cleveland has had this season; Altman should stand pat at this week’s trading deadline. And there is certainly some merit to that. Don’t make a move just to make a move.
On the other hand, because character has mattered so much to the organization, shouldn’t we trust the front office to avoid bringing in someone who will upset the chemistry?
Look, the Cavaliers are having a tremendous season. No one, not even the most ardent supporter of the wine and gold would have imagined the team being 40-9 at this point of the season.
And you don’t know if the Cavs will ever be in this situation again. They could run it back next year with the same group and not have this kind of record. That’s the reality of sports.
We don’t believe the Cavaliers will make a huge splash at the deadline, and they may even wait for the buyout market or perhaps scour the G-League for what they need, but they should be pursuing another big man. And we aren’t talking about a stretch four either.
We mean a legitimate post presence. Tristan Thompson has been a great teammate, but if either Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley have to miss any time during the rest of this season, Kenny Atkinson is going to have a problem.
The issue is Thompson’s offensive game which is severely limited. He cannot do the things within the offense that Allen and Mobley can do. The Cavs need someone who has to be guarded by the opponents.
We’ve felt Cleveland needed more size on the wing as well, and they probably still do for the playoffs, but getting a playable big man should now be the higher need.
And if a trade is out there, surely the Cavs have depth. As we said, they’ve kind of played without Okoro this year, and perhaps Jaylon Tyson could take his minutes in a pinch. A season like this may not come around again.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 