No Excuses, No Moral Victory, But A Lot of Encouraging

The Cleveland Browns stood toe to toe with the two time AFC defending champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. In fact, they led most of the game.

However, when you are playing championship teams, you cannot make mistakes and the Browns made three critical ones in the second half and dropped a 33-29 decision at Arrowhead Stadium.

We have seen many site looking for a scapegoat to hang this loss on, but sometimes you can’t blame everything on one person or play.

Is anyone going to put the blame on Nick Chubb, who hadn’t fumbled in a game since the opening game of last year? That doesn’t seem fair. Nor is it to put an onus on Baker Mayfield, who clearly was trying to make the right play and throw the ball out of bounds in the fourth quarter, but was tripped up trying to do so, and threw an interception instead?

Now, Jamie Gillan’s error was inexcusable, and his faux pas gave the Chiefs the ball on the Cleveland 15, and the resulting touchdown finally put Kansas City in front.

Dropping the snap was bad enough, but trying to run with it compounded the error. Even if he shanks the kick, you gain yardage. If you want to place blame somewhere, that play would be the one to pin it on.

We suppose it depends on your viewpoint going into the game. We said it would be a very difficult chore for the Browns to go into KC and win, especially with a rebuilt defensive unit. The fact they almost pulled it off, bodes well for the rest of the season, and quite frankly, makes us feel even more optimistic about Kevin Stefanski’s squad.

We wondered if the offense would be as good in action as it appeared on paper, and it was. If the Browns execute, we imagine the Cleveland offense will look like the team they played yesterday. Meaning, it will be scary for opponents.

Now, comes the tough part. Looking at the schedule, the Browns are going to be the better team at least the next two weeks and probably the next four to five weeks. They can’t have a hiccup, they have to learn to do what good teams do, win games you are supposed to win.

That said, we have every confidence that the team will be prepared to do just that. Stefanski doesn’t strike us as the type to let complacency slip in, and the team getting full of themselves. Especially, because he will remind the players every day this week that they are 0-1.

We also aren’t claiming any moral victories. The Browns are too talented for that. They should win football games, and even though we figured it would be a tough opening game, the players didn’t play that way. They went in knowing they could win.

Two surprises for us in week one. First, we didn’t think rookie Anthony Schwartz would make much of an impact during the first half of the season, but boy did he make one on Sunday. It will interesting to see how he figures in when Odell Beckham Jr. is ready.

The other was David Njoku, who has been criticized and maligned since his rookie season. He looked like a match up problem for defenses with his size and speed at tight end. It is hard to believe it is his fifth year with Cleveland, and he is still just 25 years old.

If he catches the ball like he did vs. KC, it’s just another weapon for Stefanski to exploit.

Is The Tribe Finding Out About Anyone?

Since the Major League Baseball trading deadline on July 30th, the Cleveland Indians have been focusing more on the 2022 season than on securing a post-season berth. But six weeks into the process, have they learned anything that will help them?

The Tribe has used a revolving door at second base, in both corner outfield spots, and in the bullpen. We feel they know they have a leadoff man and centerfielder in Myles Straw, but do they know anything more about the players they have been running in and out of the lineup.

First, let’s discuss Straw, who has played 39 games with Cleveland, getting on base 37.5% of the time, stealing 10 bases, and playing tremendous defense in center. Straw plays shallow, which we love, because he has a tremendous ability to go back on the ball.

At the other spots, though, do we know any more than we did before the end of July.

In the outfield, Bradley Zimmer had a nice hot streak where he belted some long home runs, but in the last 28 days, he’s hit .203 with a 613 OPS and just two homers. Perhaps the front office has finally learned he isn’t a part of the future, but if that’s true, then why not get more of a look at Daniel Johnson, who has had just 42 at bats since the All Star Game.

Oscar Mercado? He’s gone 22 for 97 since the trade deadline, with 3 home runs. He’s improved his strikeout/walk ratio but he’s still not getting enough hits. On the other hand, he’s only had 96 at bats, so is that enough to make a judgment on him?

At second base, the Indians has used a mixture of Owen Miller, Andres Gimenez, Yu Chang, and when he was here, Ernie Clement at the position, and to date Chang has been the hottest hitter, and seems to have received the least amount of at bats.

Perhaps that shows what the organization thinks of the 25-year-old infielder, who over the last month has gone 14 for 49 (.286) with four home runs.

Miller has gone 16 for 61 (.262) with two dingers, and Gimenez is 14 for 67 (.209) since the deadline.

The bigger question is does a 70 at bat stretch give you any insight as to who should the organization thinks can help the Guardians next season? Or will the team go through the process of being unsure in spring training and then into April and May about who can play everyday?

Wouldn’t it have been better to just say, Miller will play second base after the Cesar Hernandez deal, and given him 150-200 at bats to see if he’s the answer there? Or just play Zimmer or Mercado everyday to find out if either is a viable everyday player in the bigs?

To us, this is a major flaw for the front office, they are afraid to trust their judgment and possibly make a mistake. We are called this the “Aguilar Syndrome”, named after Jesus Aguilar, who received 58 at bats in three seasons for Cleveland, and then went on to have solid career (a 30 HR season, and likely his second 100 RBI season this year) for Milwaukee and Miami.

That should be a regret, but a player like Gio Urshela, who had over 400 at bats with the Tribe and hit .225 should not.

The Indians could have used the last two months to pick two or three players and make firm evaluations. Instead, they went with the revolving door method to give everyone a chance. Do they know any more about any of these players?

Maybe Zimmer, who is going to be 29. But we fear not anyone else.

Cavs Should Be Trying To Get Simmons, He’s Really Good

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the Cleveland Cavaliers trading for disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers’ star Ben Simmons.

Should the Cavs be interested? What would they have to give up? Would it improve the roster for the upcoming season?

First, let’s say Simmons is a very talented player, being elected to three all star teams in his first four seasons in the league. The consensus around the Association is that he is probably in the top 25-30 players in the league right now.

Based on that, Koby Altman should be interested in bringing him to Cleveland. It says here he would be the best player on the team the minute he put on the wine and gold.

Let us also say right now that we doubt such a trade will involve the Cavaliers. But it is fun to speculate.

The main rap against the former first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft is his shooting ability, notably from long distance. He has famously (or maybe infamously) taken just 34 shots from behind the arc in his four years in the NBA, making just five.

On the other hand, he has made 56% of his field goal attempts in his career, so he knows where he needs to be on the court to score. There’s nothing wrong with that. We have seen many players throughout the league fire up shots that have little chance of going in, and continue to take those bad shots.

Sometimes, selectivity is a good thing.

Other than shooting, Simmons does everything else very well. He averages 7.7 assists per game at 6’11” and grabs 8.1 boards per contest in his four year career. He’s also a very good defense player, making first team All-Defense in each of the last two seasons.

We understand there is a section of basketball fans out there that focus on one thing, scoring. Unfortunately, there is way more to the game than that and Ben Simmons is very good at doing all of those things. He just isn’t a very good shooter from outside the paint.

As for a potential trade to Cleveland, it is hard to see what Philadelphia would want from the Cavs, and in turn, would Altman give up the players. For example, we are sure Philly would ask for Darius Garland, but we would not give him up.

There has been recent speculation that the Sixers would be interested in newly acquired Lauri Markkanen, but in that case Altman would be giving up a three point threat (something Cleveland needs) for someone who is not. We would prefer not to give up the newest Cavalier.

As for Collin Sexton, who is probably the most marketable player the Cavs have, we would certainly be willing to move him in a package for Simmons, but it’s tough to see a fit for the 76ers. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are the primary scorers there, so would Sexton get the shots he is accustomed to?

And Kevin Love would seem to be useful as a sniper off the bench in Philadelphia, but you would have to add a whole lot to that package to get anyone to take on that contract.

Would Cedi Osman be of interest? Maybe. But again, anyone the Sixers are interested in is probably a good player, and the Cavs certainly need good players.

Again, we don’t expect anything to happen on this front, but adding Simmons to the roster would make the Cavaliers a better team. Adding a three time all star in his prime is always a good idea.

It’s Been Awhile, But Browns Have Earned Respect

Sunday afternoon, a little after 4 PM, the Cleveland Browns will kickoff their most anticipated season since 2019. That was the year after rookie Baker Mayfield led the team to a good second half and we were all intoxicated by Freddie Kitchens’ play calling.

Heck, John Dorsey was enamored with it so much he made Kitchens the head coach that season, and remember, he interviewed a Minnesota offensive assistant named Kevin Stefanski as well that off-season.

This year feels different. First, the Browns made their first playoff appearance since 2002, and won their first playoff game since 1994, when as it is always mentioned, Bill Belichick was coaching the team.

GM Andrew Berry has constructed a helluva roster, especially on offense where the Browns have one of the top offensive lines in the sport, one of the best runners in Nick Chubb, with former rushing champ Kareem Hunt backing him up, and a talented receiving corps led by Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.

Some still question the quarterback, but we don’t. The poor ’19 campaign by Baker Mayfield, in which he threw 21 interceptions is the outlier when looking through the context of the passer’s collegiate career at Oklahoma, and last season and his rookie year with the Browns.

While, we would not put him in the top five QB’s in the league right now, a second consecutive playoff appearance for the brown and orange would have him closing in on that ranking before next year.

Still, the NFL schedule maker didn’t do the Browns any favors scheduling them to open the season in Kansas City against the two time AFC defending champion Chiefs, who beat the Browns in the divisional playoff last year, eliminating them.

The Chiefs are the team to beat in the conference without a doubt, and let’s just say the Browns haven’t been very good in season openers since they returned to the NFL in 1999, compiling a 1-20-1 mark, with the lone win coming in 2004 against Baltimore.

Cleveland has a rebuilt defense, needed since the Browns ranked 17th in yards allowed and 21st in points allowed last season, with as many as nine new starters taking the field at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The only two holdovers are of course, Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward, both former first round picks.

They added some big names, former Rams standout safety John Johnson III and former first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, and of course, spent their first round pick this past draft on a cornerback, Greg Newsome II.

Defenses generally need time to develop and become a cohesive unit, so don’t be shocked and/or ready to dismiss the team if Patrick Mahomes, probably the NFL’s top passer, has a good day on Sunday. If progress hasn’t been shown by say week four, then some criticism should be considered.

But it isn’t unusual for a defense to gel late in the season. Last year, Tampa Bay allowed 30 points or more in three of their first nine games, then didn’t do it again throughout the rest of the season, including their run to the Super Bowl.

The Browns are still a young football team, with just nine players over 30 years old, and two of them are the backup quarterback (Case Keenum) and long snapper Charley Hughlett. And only two more (Landry and Beckham) are 29.

The only player with 10 years in the league is linebacker Malcolm Smith, with Keenum and DT Malik Jackson having nine years in.

We have every reason to believe the Browns will be a very good football team this season, and we also believe they can get to the Super Bowl, their first ever berth, if the defense develops.

Just don’t micro-analyze things. Trust in the coach and the organization. They have earned that respect.

Tribe’s Woes Vs. The Big Boys

There is an old baseball axiom that say to be a contending team, you have to beat up the “bums” and split with the contenders. That would explain why the Cleveland Indians aren’t really in the playoff mix.

Outside of the White Sox, who the Tribe has the familiarity of playing 19 times because they are a division foe, Cleveland has had huge problems with the best teams in the American League.

If the season ended today (it does not, of course), the five teams that would advance to the post-season would be Tampa Bay, Houston, Chicago, New York, and Boston. Take out the splitting of the 14 games vs. the Pale Hose, and the Indians’ record against the other four teams would be 4-19. What is amazing is that eight of the losses have been by one run, and two more have been by two runs.

Two of the wins have also been by one run.

And if you add in Toronto and Oakland, teams very much in the wild card mix, the record is 8-28.

That means against everyone else, Cleveland is 59-38, which is really, really good.

They have been outscored in those contests, 125 to 79 against the Rays, Astros, Yankees, and Red Sox meaning they have been averaged less than four runs per game against those top tier teams. Overall, they average almost 4.5 per contest. It’s tough to win without putting runs on the scoreboard.

It’s not a stretch to say the Indians can dominate the lower class teams in the American League, but have been totally outclassed by the big boys. And that has to change is they want to be contenders next season.

Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes have been productive against the upper echelon teams of the AL. Ramirez has hit .322 (19 for 59) with four home runs and 13 runs knocked in. Reyes has hit .324 (23 for 71) with seven dingers (remember he had a great series vs. Tampa) with 19 ribbies.

On the other hand, Amed Rosario has struggled against these teams, hitting just .193 with 3 RBIs, and Harold Ramirez is 10 for 51 with four runs knocked in. Some of the younger Indians have struggled as well. Bradley Zimmer is just 9 for 52 (.173) and Bobby Bradley has gone 9 for 56 with a single home run.

All the losses by one run shows that for the most part, Cleveland has been competing with the good teams, mostly because their starting pitching keeps them in games early.

The Tribe is a very young team, so it might just be a part of the growth process, learning to win against the better teams. One good thing to take away from this is in each of the series, the Indians have won one game in the set, the last game. The early losses, some of them tough to take, haven’t bogged the team down.

Cleveland has gone 23-8 against the Royals and Tigers, but have struggled slightly against Minnesota, who is having a down season. They still have seven games left against the Twins to improve that mark.

Playing much better against the good teams has to be a goal for next year. We understand the mindset of Terry Francona is taking things one day at a time, but getting wins against good teams is needed to make the playoffs.

It’s been a struggle to do that for the 2021 Indians.

Things To Watch For Tribe In September

In many ways it feels hard to believe that the Major League Baseball season has just one month left. It seems like yesterday that Shane Bieber allowed a home run to Miguel Cabrera in a snowstorm at Comerica Park in Detroit.

But here we are, and the Indians have just 33 games remaining. And that’s literal too, because once the campaign is over, the name goes away, and when spring training starts next February, the Cleveland baseball team will be the Guardians.

Even though the front office seems to be focused more on the 2022 season and finding out what players currently on the roster will be able to help next season, the Tribe is still just five games out in the lost column for the second wild card spot and we have always felt there is a chance if you enter September five games or less out of a playoff spot.

That’s a long shot, obviously.

What else is there to look for with the season winding down towards a conclusion?

One thing to watch is the return of Aaron Civale and Shane Bieber. If all went well for Civale last night, he should return to the rotation when the team returns home on Labor Day. By the way, we know pitchers’ wins doesn’t hold the cache it used to, but even though the right-hander has missed a little more than two months, he’s still 7th in the AL in wins with 10.

Bieber could start to make rehab appearances in minor league games next week, which could have him back on the mound in a major league game by the middle of the month.

We have said before it would be important for the organization and the pitchers’ themselves to know they are healthy heading into the off-season.

And we will be left imagining a rotation of Bieber, Civale, Cal Quantrill, Triston McKenzie, and Zach Plesac heading into the ’22 season.

A baseball axiom is not to trust anything done in April or September, but the outgoing position battles in the outfield and at second base bears watching.

At second, we will likely see a revolving door with Andres Gimenez, Owen Miller, and Yu Chang getting opportunities.

Chang has hit well over the last month (12 for 34, 5 HR), Miller has an excellent minor league pedigree as a hitter, and Gimenez, the only left-handed hitter of the trio, hasn’t hit well since being recalled, but has shown a much better eye at the plate.

Can one of them get a leg up on the starting job heading into Goodyear?

The same goes for the ongoing competition in the outfielder, really in the corners, because it appears Myles Straw has taken command in center.

Harold Ramirez has returned and he will be added to the mix along with Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, and Daniel Johnson.

Zimmer has had a great deal of success since the All Star break, hitting .272 with 6 homers (806 OPS) in that span. However, he’s also fanned 48 times in 142 plate appearances (33.8%), which is very high. He’s hit long, long home runs, true, but is that type of production sustainable.

Mercado has improved his walk rate, but has hit just .223 in the second half (625 OPS), and for the year hasn’t done well vs. RHP (.205 batting average). As a right-handed hitter, he isn’t as good as Ramirez, who has decent enough numbers against righties, although Mercado is a better defender.

As for Johnson, he’s gone 15 for 50 with four dingers in the second half of the season, even though he was sent to AAA during that stretch. It looks like the organization has decided he can’t hit lefties, because he’s pinch hit for whenever a southpaw is throwing.

Johnson has a terrible strikeout to walk ratio (23:3), but we would like to see him get some opportunities vs. lefties.

It would be interesting to see what would happen though, if the Tribe won five or six in a row and got within, say, three games out in the loss column? That would be fun to see.

Whoever Is Managing The Tribe: Stop The Bunting Madness!

You might think the Cleveland Indians lead the American League in sacrifice bunts, but you would be wrong. They are actually fourth. The Royals, Angels, and surprisingly the White Sox all have more sacrifices than the Tribe’s 18 for the season.

On the other hand, the top four teams in AL in runs scored have all moved runners over via the bunt less than ten times each. Chicago is fifth in runs scored, but the Twins are sixth, and they have sacrificed seven times.

Good offensive teams don’t bunt often. Now, that could be a “chicken or the egg” argument, but it is frustrating to many fans that the Indians try to sacrifice as much as they do.

The only way to measure a baseball game is the number of outs. It famously has no clock. So, it seems very strange to give up an out when most times, it really doesn’t enhance your ability to score.

The latest example came up Saturday in a 2-2 game in the seventh inning after Oscar Mercado led off with an infield hit, and Andres Gimenez, who was trying to bunt, walked to put runners on first and second with no one out and the top of the order coming up.

Myles Straw, hitting .277 right now, and with a .336 OBP was asked to lay one down and popped up to the pitcher, making the first out, and not moving the runners.

First, Straw makes good contact and has tremendous speed, so his chances of being doubled up on a ground ball are pretty slim. Why ask one of your better hitters to deliberately make an out?

When we first started following baseball, early in games, if a leadoff hitter got on base in the first inning, the #2 hole hitter would bunt him over for the three hole hitter, traditionally the best hitter on the team. And in those days, that guy was a .300 hitter, meaning he had a reasonable chance to get a hit.

We understand the game isn’t played like that anymore. But several times this season, the Indians have sacrificed when the next hitter is batting in the low .200’s. Why give up an out for that situation?

We also get that you don’t want to bunt someone over when it opens first base and the opposing team will likely walk the next hitter. Really, for the Indians, that means not taking the bat out of Jose Ramirez’ hands, so Amed Rosario should never be bunting.

And giving up an out early in a game, particularly when the other team’s pitcher is average or below average is just dumb. Last week, the Indians were trying to bunt in the first three innings of a game started by Texas’ Jordan Lyles, who came into the game with an ERA over 5.00.

There is an old baseball adage that says when you play for one run, sometimes you get just that, one run. And there is a time for doing that, usually in the late innings of a tie game, where one run gives you a victory.

Otherwise, let players swing the bat. They might just NOT make an out.

Cavs Add Talent, But Is The Fit Better?

Cavaliers’ GM Koby Altman made another move on Friday executing a sign and trade deal with free agent forward Lauri Markkanen, with fan favorite Larry Nance Jr. and a second round pick going to Portland in the deal.

The Cavs get younger in the transaction as Markkanen, who agreed to a four year deal with Cleveland, is just 24 years old and Nance will turn 29 on New Years Day.

First, let’s talk about the hometown player in Nance. We love his game. He has an old school game in that he does everything well. He averaged 9.5 points per game in his time with the Cavaliers, with 7.5 rebounds and almost three assists.

He was third on the team in assists last year, and might have been the second best passer on the team.

However, he also misses a lot of action. His high in games played since entering the league is 67, and last season, played in just 35 games due to illness and a broken hand.

He also has a game that fits better with a winning team, because he’s a complementary player. He passes, defends, block shots, and can finish at the rim. He will be a very good fit with the Trailblazers, a team trying to win.

Markkanen’s numbers have fallen off since his first two years with the Bulls, when he averaged 15.2 and then 18.7 points per game, and grabbed a career high 9.0 rebounds in his second season in Chicago.

In that second season, he averaged 15 shots per night, second to Zach LaVine. The next season, Chicago drafted Coby White in the first round and they became more of a guard oriented offense with LaVine getting two more shots per game and White taking more shots than the former 7th overall pick who played one season at Arizona.

Last year, he did raise his overall shooting percentage to 48% (his career mark is 44%) and his three point shooting to 40.2% (36.6% lifetime). If that’s a trend, that’s something the wine and gold could really use, as they had the league’s worst shooting from beyond the arc.

Where does he play? Our thought is maybe he starts at power forward giving J.B. Bickerstaff the option of bring rookie Evan Mobley off the bench in his rookie season, backing up at both center and power forward.

We understand there is pressure to start the third overall pick, but as we have discussed, Mobley needs to put on some weight and get stronger, so maybe this is good for his development.

Again, we love what Nance gives you, but really Markkanen is the better player.

We do have a problem with Altman giving up a draft pick, albeit a second rounder. When you are building, you need draft capital, and second round picks can be valuable.

Getting Markkanen really emphasizes the point that there is no role or spot for Kevin Love on the roster and the team would be better off at this point to buyout the veteran. Thank him for his contributions and his part on the championship team, but let him part on decent terms.

This can’t be the last move by Altman either. The Cavs still have an odd fit of players, with small guards and three seven footers who need playing time. The also still need a legitimate small forward, one who can score. Our feeling continues to be that Isaac Okoro’s size makes him a #2 guard.

In terms of talent, the Cavs are better than they were yesterday. In terms of fit? It’s still an weird mix.

We also understand the sadness seeing Nance go, someone who grew up here, was great in the community, and was a link to when the Cavaliers were very good.

Should Starters Play In Atlanta? Whatever Is Decided, Folks Will Be Upset

It seems like there is a new angst for Cleveland Browns fans even when the team is good, which the 2021 edition of the brown and orange should be.

The latest is should the starters play in the final preseason game against Atlanta this weekend. Our response is simple. We trust Kevin Stefanski right now, and if he doesn’t think the starters need to play in this game, we trust him. He has earned that.

That isn’t to say he won’t ever lose it, but remember, no NFL teams played any exhibition contests a year ago, and for the Browns, it was a successful season.

Of course, Stefanski will be second guessed if his team doesn’t play well on September 12th when they visit Kansas City, and conversely, he will be hailed as a genius if the Browns beat the team that eliminated them from the playoffs last January.

We have heard people already saying Andy Reid is playing his quarterback and other starters in the preseason, but Reid has been around for a long time in the NFL and probably is a bit “old school” in that regard. He believes guys need to play.

Other coaches, like the Rams’ Sean McVay, believe starters get their reps in the training camp and there is no reason to expose them to injury in games that do not count. He’s a younger coach and perhaps Stefanski, also a young coach, feels the same way.

Imagine the starters play a quarter this Sunday night, and a key player goes down with an injury? That’s one reason why coaches don’t want to play the starters. On the other hand, guys go down in practice as well, and they don’t call off practice the ten days prior to the season opener.

We are sure everyone can recall LeCharles Bentley going down on the first day of training camp several years ago. Injuries can happen at any time.

But some coaches feel no need to expose starters to any extra game action. It’s the same reason coaches sit players at the end of the season if a post-season berth is clinched. There is no need to get hit for no reason.

So basically, it’s a no win situation for any coach, and the criticism only comes after the fact, like a loss in the opener against the Chiefs means starters should’ve played, they obviously weren’t sharp or if a key player has to miss time because of an injury, what was he doing out there in a meaningless game?

As for Stefanski’s decision, which hasn’t been announced yet, remember the starters did get to play in two days of scrimmaging against the Giants last week, so they did get action against another team, but in a more controlled setting. We expect that will become the norm as years go by, because quite frankly, the NFL could easily go to just two of these practice games.

It would not be surprising to us if the Browns’ starters have the same view of the game as we do Sunday night, that of spectators. However, if the coach thinks they need to get in there for a quarter or so, that’s fine too. In fact, we would probably do the latter.

And one other thing, if the Browns do lose to the Chiefs week one, it won’t be a shock.

Where Is Cavs’ Improvement Coming From?

After the NBA season, Cavaliers’ GM Koby Altman said the plan was for the team to “take the next step” and at the very least get in to the play in tournament for the league’s playoffs, meaning we was hoping to finish in the top ten in the Eastern Conference.

In 2020-21, that spot belonged to Charlotte and they won 33 games last season. The wine and gold finished with just 22. How would the organization make up the ground and also pass up Chicago and Toronto, who finished 11th and 12th in the East?

We are confused because right now, we see no path which leads to the Cavs making that leap and training camp will be starting in about a month.

We said before the draft that picking Evan Mobley with the third overall pick is not the move of a team that wants to start winning next year and we stand by that. While very talented, especially for someone his size, because of his current build, we would be surprised if the rookie made a huge impact in 2021-22. Perhaps the talent was too much to pass up, but Altman’s words and actions seem to be at odd with each other.

The Cavaliers also ranked last in the NBA in three point field goal percentage and 25th in overall shooting percentage. Mobley is certainly not going to help with the former, and we doubt newcomer Ricky Rubio, a career 32.5% shooter from beyond the arc, will help much either.

In fact, of guys who played ten or more games for the Cavs last year, the best three point shooter was Taurean Prince (41.5%) and of course, he was the player Altman moved for Rubio. So, on paper, Cleveland’s long distance shooting got worse.

We understand some of the young veterans like Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Isaac Okoro will improve naturally and that should translate into more wins, but will it mean winning 36-40 games that will likely be needed to at least get the 10th seed, if not higher?

Garland averaged 18.8 points and 6.3 assists per game after the All Star Game, how much better can he do this year? Remember, that despite those numbers, Cleveland went 8-28 in the second half of the season.

Perhaps the team will be healthier this year, which would help. Maybe Kevin Love will play more 25 games and Larry Nance Jr. will be available for more than 35 contests. Both of those guys would help in the win/loss department, although you can debate whether or not the former will be on the roster at all this season.

Counting on the growth of the young players in order to make a quantum leap forward would seem to be dangerous if your job was depending on it, and recent reports say ownership is going to reevaluate Altman and coach J.B. Bickerstaff after the first half of the season.

So if Altman thinks his job is on the line (and quite frankly it should be), he is taking an odd approach or he is putting his trust in his evaluation of talent and hoping everything gels for this group of Cavaliers.

If we were making a wager on what will happen, we wouldn’t make any long term financial plans if we were Altman. His plan has a lot of blind faith in it.