Love’s Career Arc Has Not Been Seen Here.

When Kevin Love arrived in Cleveland, he was 26 years old and coming off a season in which he scored 26.1 points and grabbed 12.5 rebounds per game. He made the All Star team, and was second team all-NBA twice in his career.

Cleveland traded the first overall pick in the previous draft, Andrew Wiggins, along with another first overall pick in Anthony Bennett to Minnesota to bring him to the Cavaliers, thus forming a “Big Three” with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

Love’s numbers took a dip, mostly because he was no longer the first option offensively, dropping to 16.4 points a night, and his shooting numbers dropped, and so did his rebounding totals.

No player sacrificed his individual numbers more than Love, and while James remained with the team, no one was more of a whipping boy for the fans. Whenever the Cavs didn’t play well, the fingers usually pointed at Love. We always thought fans figured he was going to average 25 points per game here, but he was getting around 17-18 shots a contest with the Timberwolves. That number dropped to around 13 here.

The deal paid off for the Cavs and Love with the 2016 NBA title, and Love had his signature moment late in the fourth quarter with a great defensive possession against Steph Curry. He was the first player James hugged as the clock ticked to zero.

Irving was traded after the former UCLA standout’s third year in town and James left following the next year, both of which ended with losses to Golden State in The Finals.

When James left, the Cavaliers gave Love a long term, very highly paid contract to keep him in town and he became the best player and the face of the franchise.

But injuries started to hit as Love turned 30. The first post-James season was a disaster, Cleveland finishing just 19-63 and the team’s star played only 22 games, due to a toe injury on his left foot which needed surgery. He averaged 17 points and almost 11 rebounds but shot just 38.5%.

The next year, he clashed with John Beilein and seemed to have a problem with how some of his young teammates played the game. Injuries limited him to only 25 games the following, and folks started to wonder how GM Koby Altman could figure out how to move Love’s large contract.

Last year, Love agreed to have his minutes reduced to stay healthy, and it helped that the Cavs doubled their win total. Now a veteran leader, he played 74 games, scoring 13.6 points and gathering 7.2 caroms in 22.5 minutes a night.

He was once again an important player on a winning team, and he seemed to buy in, embracing a leadership role.

This year, with the Cavs off to a 7-1 start, after trading for Donovan Mitchell, he’s at 12.4 and 7.2 a night. Friday night against Detroit, he had 10 assists and was two rebounds shy of a triple double.

We write about this because we can’t think of a Cleveland athlete with the career arc of Kevin Love. From key player on a title team and title contender, to a guy struggling to stay healthy and happy on a losing squad, to a key part of a young team seemingly ready to contend again.

It’s hard to believe, but this is Love’s ninth season with the wine and gold. Most athletes don’t play here long enough to go through that cycle of contention. He’s 9th in franchise history in points, 7th in rebounds, and second to James in three-point field goals.

Someday, his number will be hoisted to the rafters for his contributions to this franchise. And it seems now, the fan base realizes how important he is to winning, now as a long-range shooter, who can still rebound. He’s also the Cavs’ king of drawing charges, and his young mates call him “grandpa” or “uncle”.

It’s great to see, particularly because he sacrificed a lot of numbers in order to win here. Glad to see him get his due.

Browns Best Game Shows They Can Do It. Will They?

With the backs against the wall, the Cleveland Browns played their best game of the season Monday night, whipping the Cincinnati Bengals, 32-13 to raise their record to 3-5 on the season, with the bye week arriving next weekend.

The week off should help getting Denzel Ward, Wyatt Teller, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, and perhaps even David Njoku back for the last nine games, and of course, Deshaun Watson returns for the December 4th tilt against Houston.

The biggest question we had from Monday night’s rout was why can’t the Browns play like that more often, if not every week.

The defense, gashed for more than 399 yards in a game three times in 2022, held the Bengals to just 229, improving on the then season low 254 yards allowed to Baltimore the week before.

Talk about “Jekyll and Hyde”! In their eight games this season, they’ve allowed 400 yards (well, 399 to New England) three times, and less than 308 four times. The league average is 345 yards per game, so much like the little girl with the curl, they are either very good or very bad.

It was also the first game this season where the defense caused more than one turnover, forcing an interception and a fumble by Cincinnati. When the Browns win or tie the turnover battle this season, their record is 3-1. Pretty simple, right?

Of course, the game didn’t get off to a great start for the defense and special teams. A penalty for too many men on the field on the first play of the game? And Cade York’s first field goal attempt was blocked.

But midway through the second quarter, Kevin Stefanski’s crew put everything together and really dominated the Bengals on both sides of the ball.

Offensively, it was the second best game of the season in terms of yardage, the 440 yards exceeded only by the 443 gained against the Chargers.

We know everyone reaches for the low hanging fruit of play calling in terms of the problems with the team (because everyone is a master play caller on Madden), but when the Browns have the ball, they are much more consistent.

The lowest total gained thus far was the 328 gained vs. New England with the 336 against Baltimore ranking next. Again, the league average is 345, so even when the offense hasn’t been at its best, it’s pretty much league average.

It was also the Browns’ fifth game with over 170 yards rushing, but the first since the loss to the Chargers. At this point, the organization should realize this is the team’s profile. They need to come out each and every game and run, and then run some more.

Now, it’s up to the team to maintain this level of play, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. The last two games show maybe they’ve turned a corner. If the Browns want to make the games Watson does play relevant, they need to continue to hold their opponents down.

It would be difficult to see a win vs. Buffalo, but the other games Jacoby Brissett will start (Miami and Tampa Bay) appear winnable.

Being 5-6 when Watson returns, and with three divisional games remaining would put Cleveland in a decent spot.

Our other thought after Monday’s game? Man, it would be nice to have that Jets’ game back now.

Mitchell As Advertised.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers took a big swing for Donovan Mitchell late last summer, we were a bit skeptical on the deal. We thought it robbed the Cavs of the “big” identity, not having Lauri Markkanen, at 7′, playing small forward.

We also thought it did not solve the problem of the team’s small backcourt, with Mitchell and Darius Garland measuring at around 6’2″.

However, until you see a player every day, it’s tough to evaluate him properly. And man, were we wrong about Donovan Mitchell.

One question we had was his will to win, and he has proven that should not have been questioned. It’s pretty clear he feels this team has more weapons than he played with in Utah, and when Garland gets back, you have to think this team will even be better offensively.

Also, Mitchell plays much bigger than his listed 6’1″. He has a very strong upper body and can get off the floor and battle for rebounds and navigate his shot against much bigger players. He plays with force.

And he’s a willing passer. In his six games with the wine and gold, he has had eight or more assists in four of them. Granted, Garland is out of the lineup, so the ball is in Mitchell’s hands a lot. But as a point of comparison, in Collin Sexton’s three plus years with Cleveland, he had eight or more assists just nine times.

Plus, he’s another guy who plays with the “scrap” that J.B. Bickerstaff loves to talk about. In the last two games, the Cavs trailed by more than 10 points, but kept working hard, picking up the intensity on the defensive end of the floor, which enabled them to come back and win both.

Mitchell also seems to have fit in seamlessly with his new teammates, taking a leadership role right from the start, but he looks like he’s played with this group for years. We are sure when Garland returns, there might be a bit of an adjustment because both players like to have the ball in their hands, but they seem to have good chemistry, as does the rest of the roster.

And already, they’ve had a number of players step up. Friday night, Caris LeVert had 41 points. Sunday, Kevin Love had 29 points. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have been a defensive force inside and on the boards.

Cedi Osman and Dean Wade have both contributed the long-range shooting needed while Garland has been out, with Wade knocking down a ridiculous 15 of 24 three-point shots.

We are usually critical of Isaac Okoro, particularly offensively, but his defense Sunday night was a big reason for the victory over New York.

After tomorrow night’s contest with Boston, the first long trip of the season comes along, starting in Detroit and moving to the west coast. Getting Garland back should ease the burden on not just Mitchell, but every Cavalier.

Will there be some regression? Sure, we doubt the Cavs can continue to shoot 43% from beyond the arc for the season. On the other hand, there will be games where Allen and Mobley both contribute more on the offensive end.

However, it’s hard to find anything to point at on this team right now. There were questions about the #3 spot coming into the year, but LeVert, Osman, and Wade have done a yeoman’s job there.

Right now, isn’t this team just as likeable as the Guardians came to be?

A Trio Deserving Of Heritage Park.

The Cleveland baseball franchise has its own franchise Hall of Fame out behind the centerfield fence called Heritage Park. Everyone may have forgotten this because the team hasn’t added anyone since 2016 when Albert Belle, Jim Thome, Frank Robinson, and Charlie Jamieson were added.

Why has it been six years since the franchise honored anyone? Quite frankly, we have no idea. We have theories, but they would all be the same as some of the other things the team has done to not do anything for the fans.

They just don’t do anything for the people who pay for tickets.

This needs to change next season. Since Progressive (nee Jacobs) Field opened in 1994, the Indians/Guardians have been among the best franchises in baseball, making the post-season 13 times, winning three American League championships, and 11 Central Division titles.

They’ve honored many of the greats from the late 90’s teams which won two pennants: Belle, Thome, Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel, Sandy Alomar Jr., Charles Nagy, and manager Mike Hargrove, who is also honored for his playing days with the Tribe.

It’s time to start honoring the players who played in the 2000’s, as those teams had some success as well.

We would start with Grady Sizemore. Sizemore spent parts of eight seasons with Cleveland, with injuries taking their toll over the last two, but he was a dynamic force from 2005-2009. He made three All-Star appearances (’05. ’06, and ’07), leading the league in runs scored and doubles in 2006.

That season was the down year between the 2005 team which just missed the post-season and the ’07 team which reached the ALCS. However, we maintain that if the Indians were contenders that season, Sizemore would have been the likely MVP of the league.

He batted .290 (907 OPS) with 22 homers and 53 two baggers, scoring 134 runs, while playing tremendous defense.

As we said, injuries cut his career short, as he only had one more season after 2009 (age 26) where he played more than 100 games. Still, he should be honored for the greatness he exhibited with Cleveland in that five year span.

Jason Kipnis was a mainstay of the early Terry Francona era teams, playing with the team from 2011-2019, making two All-Star teams, and key player on four Cleveland teams that made the post-season.

The second baseman has over 1100 hits (1120) and 123 home runs in a Cleveland uniform with an OPS over 800 three times in a four-year span from 2013-16. And he moved to centerfield in 2017 and 2018 for the post-season.

We would also like to see Cody Allen honored in Heritage Park.

Allen is the franchise’s all-time saves leader (149) and the closer in the run from 2016-18 where the Indians got to the World Series in the first of those years. He struck out 564 batters in 440-2/3 innings, leading the AL in games finished in 2015.

Along with Bryan Shaw and Andrew Miller, he was a huge reason Cleveland got to the Fall Classic in ’16 despite a starting rotation ravaged by injuries.

Honoring this trio would be a first step in re-establishing the franchise’s Hall of Fame. The 2022 squad re-awakened fan interest and the organization needs to keep that going.

Celebrating the history of the franchise is never a bad thing. The Guardians need to get back in touch with that.

Blowing Things Up Again? Hope Browns Don’t Do It.

When you’ve had 12 coaches since 1999, we are sure it becomes the knee-jerk reaction of fans and media alike to fire the current coach when things aren’t going well. Sometimes, it’s not the right decision.

That’s why we are not in favor of the Cleveland Browns firing Kevin Stefanski either during this season or after the season ends.

Stefanski currently has a 21-19 record as head coach, mostly built off the 11-5 playoff season in 2020, but even last season, which everyone was disappointed with, produced an 8-9 mark, which is the fourth best season since Cleveland returned to the NFL in 1999.

Sad, but true.

This isn’t to say Stefanski is blameless. He forgets sometimes that Nick Chubb is the Browns’ best offensive player. He sometimes puts too much of the team’s success on Jacoby Brissett, who we all have to remember is really the backup quarterback.

We understand he’s the head coach, responsible for the entire product on the field. Hopefully, internally he is putting pressure on defensive coordinator Joe Woods and special teams’ coach Mike Priefer, because most weeks their units aren’t doing much to help the Browns win.

It seems to be solely on the offense to outscore the opponents.

We know fans and media don’t like Stefanski’s press conference either. We would remind you this is a new era, and it is rare coaches will stand up in front of the media and be negative about individual players and different facets of the team.

If we had to guess, when Stefanski took over as coach, he told players he would not call them out in public, that he had their back. If you notice, Terry Francona and J.B. Bickerstaff both do the same. It seems though, in football, fans want to see the coach point out who is not doing the job.

We do believe there has to be more accountability for players. Our feeling is the front office and coaches are “married” to some of these guys because this regime brought them in, either via the draft or free agency.

But if they aren’t doing the job, it’s a next man up league. There are players who aren’t drafted that make Pro Bowl teams every year, so it is likely the front office can find someone who will do a better job.

For example, last week there was a penalty on a kickoff return, and the call was on a player who alternates between the practice squad and the active roster.

In watching the game, we immediately thought, we would release that player. That sounds cruel, but sometimes you have to make the point that mistakes will not be tolerated. That gets players’ attention.

Still, we wouldn’t fire the coach. He has done a good job with the offense. He’s scripting of the first plays usually results in a score for the Browns. We also think the team is organized for the most part.

But the last and real reason is simply this: The madness has to stop. Look at the Steelers and Ravens. They are the models of success in the AFC North and their coaches have been around for 16 and 15 years, respectively.

Even Zac Taylor in Cincinnati had seasons of 2-14 and 4-11-1 before leading Cincinnati to the Super Bowl.

Remember, it was just two years ago that Kevin Stefanski was the AFC Coach of the Year. And he deserves the opportunity to be the head coach when Deshaun Watson, the Browns’ franchise QB plays a full season.

Look, he’s not the movie version of a football coach that everyone wants, a guy who gets in players’ faces and grabs their facemasks with spit flying out of his mouth.

Just let him have an opportunity with different defensive and special teams’ coaches. We think he deserves that chance.

What Can You Say About The Browns Right Now?

Sometimes, there is just nothing more to say. That’s how we felt Sunday when the Cleveland Browns lost their fourth consecutive game, this one 23-20 to the Baltimore Ravens.

The loss dropped Kevin Stefanski’s squad to 2-5, with four of the five losses being by three points or less. If there was a gold star for being close, it would go to the Browns.

As former Browns’ star Josh Cribbs once said, the Browns almost always almost win.

Our biggest thought during the game was when Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah forced the fumble in the fourth quarter, the best bet for the team was to move the ball while using the clock, and then make a field goal to tie or a touchdown to win, leaving little time remaining.

Then on a 3rd and 2, Cleveland threw a long pass which Amari Cooper caught, but was called for offensive pass interference. So, the Browns were in a 3rd and 12, and were forced to try a 60-yard field goal after a false start penalty.

Why not either give the ball to Nick Chubb or throw a short pass on 3rd and 2, getting a first down and keeping the ball. It sounds ludicrous to turn down a TD, but they didn’t get the six points anyway.

Jacoby Brissett played well again, but did have a turnover, fumbling in his own territory, but went 22 of 27 for 258 yards. We get it’s a quarterback league, but the Browns are a rare team where the QB isn’t the best player on offense. Stefanski’s insistence on having Brissett make key plays is “frustrating” to use his word.

However, on a weekly basis, the special teams and the defense don’t provide any help in winning games.

The defense played better on Sunday and held Lamar Jackson to just 120 yards passing and 59 yards rushing. The passing total was low because he didn’t need to throw. Baltimore hammered out 160 yards on the ground, making it the third time in the last four games Cleveland has allowed at least 150 yards rushing.

It’s still a fundamental. If you can’t stop the run, you most likely will have a problem winning football games.

Defensive coordinator Joe Woods showed more blitzes against the Ravens and put pressure on Jackson in the pocket. We would like to see more of that. But again, they forced just one turnover. They haven’t forced more than one in a game this year.

The special teams gave up a 46-yard punt return and had a penalty on a kickoff return that pinned the offense back.

Even when both units play error free, they rarely do anything that contributes to a win. And occasionally that’s needed for teams to win in the NFL.

There still seems to be a lack of accountability in the organization though, and we aren’t talking about the coaching staff. It appears there are players who give up on plays and/or just aren’t very good at doing their jobs. Yet, there aren’t any lineup changes except for the ones caused by injuries.

The defense is still ranked very low in most categories, so someone isn’t doing a good job, right?

Next week’s game against Cincinnati is basically must win. Falling to 2-6 makes Deshaun Watson’s return moot. Can they do enough to get a victory?

Our eyes tell us they will do just enough to take another defeat.

Yes, Guards Need More Pop. They Need More Walks Too.

For all of the talk of “small ball” and lack of power, the Cleveland Guardians’ offense wasn’t terrible in 2022. They did rank 6th in the American League in runs scored at 4.31 and their team OPS of .699 ranked 7th and was just below the league average (701).

They were 6th in on base percentage, mostly because they ranked 4th in the AL in batting average at .254. They did rank 11th in slugging percentage and as we should all know by now they were second last in the Junior Circuit in home runs.

By now, even casual baseball fans know Cleveland is the hardest team in the major leagues to strike out. It’s funny that Andres Gimenez led the team in strikeouts with 112 and then Amed Rosario with 111. Third? That would be Franmil Reyes, who wasn’t on the team since the beginning of August.

We have talked about how we believe the Guardians need some pop before next season, and they could probably use a player who can fill in at 1B/OF/DH, preferably a right-handed hitter.

They could also use more walks. They were 11th in the AL in working bases on balls. And if you are going to preach contact, and we believe in that approach, then you would hope the hitters could be more selective at the dish.

Jose Ramirez led the team in walks with 69, a total that ranked ninth in the league. He was followed by Steven Kwan with 62 and then Myles Straw with 54. Remember that Ramirez got less and less patient as the year went on.

We would have to think Kwan will walk more with experience (and with umpires realizing he has a pretty good grasp of the zone), and Straw worked more in 2021 (67 times).

Hopefully, Gimenez can learn the strike zone better. He did have a .371 on base percentage, but that was more a product of being hit by a league high 25 pitches. He only drew 34 walks. As a comparison, Owen Miller worked 32 bases on balls.

Rosario doesn’t walk either, but he’s been around long enough to show he simply doesn’t have that skill set. His career high is just 31.

Josh Naylor’s walk percentage went up from 5.6% in ’21 to 7.6% in ’22, so perhaps he can improve that rate again.

Some of younger players have a track record of taking walks. Bo Naylor walked 82 times in the minor leagues last season. Will Brennan drew 50. Will Benson had a tough time because of sporadic playing time when he got to the bigs, but at AAA, he worked a team high 75 times.

And Tyler Freeman has a minor league on base percentage of .376.

Why more walks? If you don’t get a hit, but you walk, guess what? You don’t make an out. And you move the line along. Not to mention you make the opposing pitcher work more.

The contact approach would seem to go hand in hand with drawing more bases on balls.

So, having more power would certainly help, but getting more baserunners would help as well. We wouldn’t be surprised if this was something the Guardians’ front office took note of too.

Great Year For Guards, But Can’t Stand Pat For ’23

What a remarkable, unexpected season for the Cleveland Guardians. We figured a slightly above .500 season coming into the year, but Terry Francona’s young squad won the Central Division title and advanced to the Division Series by beating Tampa Bay.

Cleveland baseball fans fell in love with this team, the youngest squad in baseball, and we are sure there will be many fans who will want to bring everyone back next year. They were a very likeable team.

However, executives have to think with their heads and not their hearts, and to us, standing pat with this current roster would be the absolute wrong move. Francona himself said the organization needed to build on the success of this group.

We think the catching position has to be upgraded, and we understand the organization values defense and handling the pitching staff above anything else at the position. Austin Hedges is a team leader, and we expect him to be back next year, but it would not be a shock if he shares time with Bo Naylor.

Naylor, a left-handed hitter, batted .263 with an 889 OPS between AA and AAA this season. He belted 21 homers and although he does have some swing and miss in his game (128 K’s), he also takes walks, getting 82 bases on balls.

Hedges does need to be better with a bat in his hands though. His career average is down to .189 (578 OPS). He did hit 43 home runs in a three-year span in San Diego, but with Cleveland has hit just 17 in two seasons.

The Guardians could also use an upgrade at 1B/OF/DH, preferably with a right-handed bat, so Josh Naylor doesn’t have to be exposed to tough southpaws. The Guards simply have to have a better option than Owen Miller at first when Naylor needs a day off.

Really, the team needs to fill the DH role with someone who is capable of playing defensively or get a first baseman and let Naylor be the primary designated hitter.

Even though the Guardians were sixth in the AL in runs scored, the bats struggled in the playoffs, as Cleveland scored just 17 runs in the seven games. They need more power (14th in homers) and although we loved the contact approach, the Guards need to walk more, they ranked just 11th in that category.

It’s easier to mix in a walk rather than have to get three or four hits in a row.

We would also like to see another starting pitcher added to the rotation. Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie are good at the top, and Cal Quantrill is solid, but it might be better if he was the #4 guy, and you had another starter who could strike batters out.

Hopefully, Aaron Civale is healthy and can contribute closer to his 2021 season next year, but it’s two straight years with injury issues for him. And Zach Plesac has the same problem, although his are self-inflicted.

It would also buy another year of development for Gavin Williams, Daniel Espino, Tanner Bibee, Cody Morris, Hunter Gaddis, and Xzavion Curry. The first two or three could be ready to help next season, but you wouldn’t have to depend on that.

With all of the young players the organization used this year, you have to remember there is no track record for some of these guys. There could be drastic dips in performances for some, and big jumps in statistics for others.

The front office should be prepared for that.

It will also be interesting to see what the management does with the farm system and the stacking up of prospects at certain positions.

The future looks bright as Francona pointed out after Tuesday’s game. That makes this winter very interesting for Cleveland baseball fans.

Browns Continue To Slide, And Season Is Slipping Away Too

Coming into last Sunday’s game against the Patriots, the Cleveland Browns had lost three games by a total of six points.

They can’t say that anymore as they were bludgeoned by New England, 38-15 dropping to 2-4 on the season, and any thought of Deshaun Watson returning to a team with a chance to make the playoffs is getting bleaker by the week.

Bill Belichick is a master at taking away what opposing teams do well, and he decided to focus on the Browns’ running game, which was leading the league in yards. When Nick Chubb didn’t start off the game gashing the New England defense for big games, Kevin Stefanski played right into his hands by throwing.

Jacoby Brissett threw 45 passes and Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined to touch the ball just 17 times. Hunt didn’t catch a pass.

Once again, Cleveland football fans are focusing on this, but since this was the first game Stefanski did this in 2022, we will wait and see if it is an aberration.

However, the defense was overwhelmed once again. Patriots’ rookie QB Bradley Zappe threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, and in what is becoming a weekly occurrance, Joe Woods’ unit allowing plays of 53, 38, 31, 29 and 27 yards.

New England converted 50% of their third downs as the Browns’ defenders simply couldn’t get off the field once again.

As a frame of reference, the Browns’ longest plays were 37 and 33 yards. The next longest was an 18-yard run by Chubb.

We heard the usual platitudes from the defensive players after the game. John Johnson III reminded people about the youth of the unit, even though the only newcomer in the secondary is rookie CB Martin Emerson. Others said they are close to correcting the problems.

However, they’ve been saying that all season long, yet the results haven’t changed.

The Browns rank 29th out of 32 teams in allowing points. The offense ranks 7th in scoring, yet people continue to question play calling. Oh, and we should add, they are still using a backup quarterback, but Brissett seems to be regressing to the mean in the past couple of weeks.

And the defense has forced just five turnovers on the season to rank among the worst in the NFL in that category.

Let’s not leave out the special teams either. Chester Rogers fumbled a punt after the Browns cut the deficit to 24-15, allowing a quick TD to put the game out of reach. Last year, Cade York missed two field goals, although he made three on Sunday.

What is very frustrating is the lack of urgency from Woods and the players on defense.

When will some of the mistakes cost players time on the field? GM Andrew Berry traded for LB Deion Jones, but he was not activated for the game.

We have not noticed much being changed defensively, although Myles Garrett seemed to line up at other places besides his usual right side.

Speaking of Garrett, he was credited with breaking the team’s all-time sack record in the game, although we prefer to go with the revised total listed on ProFootballrefence.com which still has him 5th at 63.5 sacks, behind Bill Glass, Clay Matthews, Jerry Sherk, and Walter Johnson.

The latter is next up with 66 career sacks.

Sadly, that might be the only thing Browns’ fans have to look forward to in the coming weeks.

Right now, this group seems disinterested, especially defensively, and it’s difficult to see things changing, particularly with the Ravens and Bengals being the next two games.

That’s something we didn’t think we’d be writing this year.

New Look Cavs Should Finish In East’s Top Six

Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers open the 2022-23 season against the Toronto Raptors with high expectations. And they should be looking forward to it.

Last season, the Cavs won a surprising 44 games, doubling the total from the previous year (although it was a shortened 72 game season), and getting into the “play in” tournament, where they were eliminated by losing to Brooklyn and Atlanta.

For much of the year, J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad was in the top four in the East, using their big lineup with first-time All-Star guard Darius Garland providing the long-range shooting.

Injuries started to hit. Ricky Rubio, who was so good at the start of the year, injured his knee, and later Jarrett Allen missed time as well. Kevin Love led the Cavs in games played with 74.

Cleveland struggled after the mid-season break, losing 17 of 26 games, and to us, playing a different style than they did earlier, more reliant on Garland for scoring.

GM Koby Altman took a huge swing during the summer, trading for another All-Star guard, Donovan Mitchell from Utah, giving up Collin Sexton, who missed most of last year with a knee injury and ending the big lineup by moving Lauri Markkanen in the same deal.

Mitchell is a proven scorer, a career 23.9 points per game, and last year, he poured in 25.9 per contest. However, he is still just 6’1″, albeit with a long wingspan, so concerns about a lack of size in the backcourt is still a concern.

Can Garland and Mitchell provide enough defense against opponents’ guards? Bickerstaff maintains defense is still the wine and gold’s identity. That means everyone needs to pitch in, it cannot fall to just Allen and second-year power forward Evan Mobley.

Letting opposing guards to get to the paint with ease breaks down the defense completely. Mitchell and Garland have to do better.

We cannot wait to see the progression of Mobley this season. Last year as a rookie, he scored 15 points, grabbed 8.3 boards, and blocked 1.7 shots per game. He no doubt will be better in his second year.

For all the discussion about who the best player on the Cavs was a year ago, and then include Mitchell in the conversation this season, in a year or two (or perhaps this season) that point could be moot. The answer will probably be Mobley.

The biggest question for Bickerstaff will be who is starting at small forward and who else will get minutes once the regular season commences. Knowing the coach likes height, the favorites might be Cedi Osman or Dean Wade, but both players are very inconsistent.

He could go with veteran Caris LeVert, who can score and pass, but can he play without the ball, which he probably would with Mitchell and Garland starting. Finding the best fit could be a process that takes the Cavs into when the calendar changes.

The Cavs should avoid the play in tournament this year by finishing in the top six of the Eastern Conference and getting a best-of-seven series to start the post-season. On paper, they are more talented than last year’s team.

However, last year’s squad showed other teams a different look, one with three seven footers on the front line. This year’s roster is smaller, but seemingly more skilled.

We didn’t see all of the key players during exhibition play, so we are left wondering how Mitchell fits in, who (if anyone) loses touches in the offense.

That wonder will end come Wednesday night up north.

It could be a very exciting winter downtown.