Rubio’s Injury Hurts, Can Altman Fill The Void?

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ worst fears came true yesterday as it was announced Ricky Rubio tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

When Koby Altman acquired the veteran right before the draft, we loved the move because Rubio “knows how to play” basketball, and a young team like the Cavs need more guys who can show them the correct way to handle things.

Although we felt it was a great move by Altman, we think we still underestimated how important the 5th overall pick in the 2009 draft would be to Cleveland.

Rubio has not only helped Darius Garland in his development, which was probably the main reason for the trade, but due to the injury to Collin Sexton, he has wound up playing along side Garland, freeing him up to do more scoring.

Meanwhile, the veteran has ramped up his scoring too. When the trade was finalized, coach J.B. Bickerstaff told Rubio he wanted the Spanish National Team version of the guard, and currently, his 13.1 points per game would tie his career high, set in 2017-18 with Utah.

He’s taking a career best 12 shots per contest (his previous high is 10.7 in his first two seasons with the Jazz), and he’s attempting five three pointers per night, way over his previous high of 3.7, also with Utah.

Right now, he’s the leader of the wine and gold’s bench, which has done a tremendous job all season. All three of the principles in this group, which includes another veteran in Kevin Love along with Cedi Osman, are averaging in double figures.

The Cavs have used a very balanced scoring attack this season, with seven players averaging more than 10 points (not including Sexton) and Isaac Okoro falling just short of that mark at 9.2 points per game.

Rubio’s loss would be a huge blow to the resurgent Cavaliers because he fills so many roles on the team.

As a backup point guard, he allows Garland to play just 34 minutes per night. Without someone of Rubio’s talent, his minutes will have to increase when he returns from the COVID protocols, and that might take a toll on him as the season wears on.

And because he can play with Garland, Cleveland’s leading scorer will not be able to play off the ball as often, which allows him to be a spot up shooter from deep. Rubio’s replacement would have to be someone who commands respect from opposing defenses, and that would be a tough find.

There is also the veteran’s approach the Cavs will miss. Again, when he came to Cleveland, the phrase we used is “he knows how to play”. While, some of that has rubbed off already on his young teammates, we are sure Rubio hasn’t showed all of his tricks at this point.

Can Altman fill this spot with one player? That’s doubtful, so he may have to make a couple of moves to fill the void left by Rubio. Most of the good ball handling guards who can score and provide veteran leadership aren’t probably available.

But right now, the Cavaliers should have playoff aspirations and they’ve earned that right. To keep their winning ways, they need to replace the veteran and as quickly as possible.

Yes, Garland shouldn’t be gone too long, but they need someone who can play with him and be a back-up to the third-year player.

There is a huge challenge ahead for both Altman and Bickerstaff.

Who knew Rubio would make this much of an impact on the Cavs?

Despite The Absences, The Browns Had Good Chance To Win

The Cleveland Browns lost two games in a six day span, and both of those defeats could be classified as gut-wrenching.

Playing with a third string quarterback a week ago Monday, the Browns took the lead late, only to lose on a game ending field goal.

Then on Christmas Day, a possible fourth quarter comeback against a favored Green Bay Packer team fell short on an interception/missed pass interference call.

Of course, as is the custom when the Browns lose, there were criticisms of both the quarterback and the coaching staff. The latter seems a little iffy though.

We say that because even though both games were very close, we have to remind folks that Cleveland played both games with a roster ravaged by COVID-19. Both contests were played with a makeshift offensive line and several key players missing defensively.

And they still wound up with a chance to win each game! If that isn’t the definition of coaches getting the most out of their roster, we don’t know what is.

One reason for the criticism is fans judge coaching by one thing, play calling, and there are questions about Kevin Stefanski’s play calling against Green Bay. Cleveland was dominating on the ground, with Nick Chubb gaining 126 yards on 17 carries, and it is valid to wonder why they threw so much.

However, if you take out the interceptions (yes, we know about Butch Davis), it’s not as though Green Bay was stopping the air attack either. Dustin Colquitt punted just once during the game.

The point is even with a short-handed roster, the Browns’ coaching staff had them ready to play both games, and with a single play in each contest, they could have emerged with a victory in either, if not both.

If you thought the Browns were going to go 12-5 or 11-6 this season and cruise into the playoffs, we get this season is a disappointment for you. And certainly, the expectations were high going into the season.

Even with all that has gone wrong this season, with two games remaining in this season, Stefanski and his crew still have a chance to get into the playoffs for the second straight year.

They need help for sure. The Chiefs need to win this week against Cincinnati in the Queen City, which is possible. Kansas City is still chasing a first round bye with the best record in the AFC and the Bengals have had issues putting two good performances together back-to-back.

They also need the Rams to triumph over Baltimore, who are currently reeling.

Since the AFC North has been a schizophrenic division all year, both the Bengals and Ravens could win and make the division moot.

And the Steelers are basically in the same boat as the Browns, so no matter what happens on Sunday, the Monday night game will be no walk in the park. Cleveland needs to play well, and somehow, must figure out how to run the ball against the Steelers

Things happen in an NFL season, and the Cleveland Browns haven’t received a lot of breaks this season. There are many NFL teams who can say the same thing, so it is not as though the world has been against the team.

However, it’s not a bad team either. They don’t need a new coach, and replacing the quarterback won’t be as easy as people think.

The front office will not view the season emotionally, which is the correct thing to do.

But there is still a chance for this team. Hopefully, the cards fall properly, and Monday night is a big game for the Browns

A New Investor Means Positive Changes For Guardians? (Fingers Crossed)

Even though Major League Baseball is in lockdown mode (and they don’t seem very anxious in rectifying the situation), fans of the Cleveland Guardians got some good news in the past week.

According to reports, the Dolan family has found a minority owner to take the place of John Sherman, who sold his interest in the team to purchase the Kansas City Royals. The rumor is David Blitzer, who owns shares in the New Jersey Devils (NHL) and Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) and several European soccer teams.

Hopefully, this will inject some capital into the operations of the Guardians, who badly need it, not only in terms of players but we feel in the business operations as well, particularly in marketing and scouting.

We love that Blitzer has experience in professional sports, so perhaps he will share the realization that you need to spend money to make money, a premise known by many people in the business world, but not by the majority owner of the Guardians.

It is no secret the payroll of the baseball team has dropped significantly since Sherman decided to buy the Royals, and we hope having another investor will cause the amount of cash spent on players’ salaries to rise dramatically and hopefully immediately.

Besides the on the field product, we would also like to see an upgrade in the marketing and game day experience at Progressive Field. We know the renovations were supposed to start this off-season, but we would like to see the hiring of more ticket takers and people working concessions stands at the ballpark as well.

The days of frugalness need to end right away.

If you visit this site often, you know how we feel about the Dolan ownership, and you also know we don’t believe for a minute they are losing money. We don’t believe anyone owning a Major League Baseball team is under a financial hardship, despite their claims to the contrary.

We believe one of the reasons fans do not go to Progressive Field is it’s not a fun experience. Hopefully Blitzer (assuming the rumors are true) takes what he learned from his other investments and makes going to a Guardians’ game the thing to do on a warm, summer night in Cleveland, and also does some things to boost attendance during the times when school is still in session.

On the field, the first big decision is with Jose Ramirez. The switch-hitter is one of the franchise’s all-time greats and it would be nice to see one of those types finish his career in a Cleveland uniform.

Remember, Ramirez did not receive a huge signing bonus when he came to the organization, and over the past five seasons, he has been one of the best players in baseball. If he and his agent see this as an opportunity for him to finally get paid, it could be difficult to get a long-term agreement here.

Regardless, the payroll has to increase to a more respectable number.

As part of the investment, Blitzer is expected have the opportunity to become the majority owner when the Dolans decide to sell. Assuming a lease (or by then, a new stadium deal can be put in place) extension. This could be another win for Guardians fans.

For whatever reason (and we don’t buy the reason they give us), the Dolan family decided to take a very frugal approach when it came to running this baseball team, and that wasn’t fair to the fans.

Yes, they had some success, particularly in the last 10 years, but they always seemed to stop short. Hopefully, this deal gets done, and the Guardians can end the longest championship drought in the sport.

Browns Playing Close Games, Mistakes Show Up Greater In Those.

It was a heartbreaking loss for sure on Monday night. The Browns missing more than half their starters because of the latest COVID-19 breakout, took the lead in the fourth quarter, but then lost at the gun to the Raiders, 16-14.

The loss means the Browns likely have to win their three remaining games on the slate, starting with the tough task of going to Lambeau Field on Christmas Day to play Green Bay, who has already clinched the NFC North, but is playing for a first round bye.

On paper, it says Kevin Stefanski’s crew doesn’t have much of a chance to win the next game, but did anyone have the Lions beating the Cardinals last weekend?

Look, the results have been disappointing this season, because we all thought the Browns 2021 season was going to look much like the ’20 campaign, and the team would go 11-6 or better and cruise into the playoffs for a second straight year.

However, things don’t always work out as planned, right?

We can think of only one game all season long where both sides of the football played well, and that’s the 41-16 triumph at Cincinnati. Cleveland had both the running and passing game going offensively, and the defense held the Bengals to under 100 yards rushing and forced three turnovers.

You can make a case for the win over the Bears as well, when the Browns had their third highest yardage total for the year (behind Kansas City and the LA Chargers’ games) and the defense allowed one yard passing because of all the sacks on Justin Fields.

Most of the league is in the same boat as Cleveland though.

Even within games, the performance of the team fluctuates. For example, Donovan Peoples-Jones made two real good catches in the drive which gave the Browns the lead against the Raiders. But he dropped (or allowed the defender to knock the ball out of his hands) a key pass in the first quarter.

It’s the nature of the NFL that many games are decided on one play or one series. A mistake or failure to execute in those situations costs you a game. We also believe in the Bill Parcells adage of you are what your record says you are.

Let’s say the defense closes out the KC and LA games. Let’s say the offense doesn’t turn it over against Pittsburgh in the 4th quarter. If just one of those things happens, Stefanski’s bunch are in first place in the AFC North at 8-6.

And yes, we can play the same game the other way too.

Cleveland has been smoked twice this season, against Arizona and New England. Conversely, they have only three wins by more than 10 points (Houston, Chicago, and Cincinnati), meaning they’ve been on the edge the entire season.

When you play this many close games, one play where the execution isn’t perfect, or a dropped pass, or a mix up in coverage, comes back to haunt you.

It doesn’t mean the Browns are poorly coached or do not have talent. It does mean they need to eliminate mistakes, and some of those occur because they are human.

We understand people want others to say they have to get “tougher” or “smarter” and mistakes won’t be tolerated. No one plays a perfect game.

Some of this will happen because of experience.

Maybe, the coaches and team will unlock this the rest of the season. Three wins will get them into the post-season. More likely, this is a blip on the radar, and the Cleveland Browns will be better next season.

Cavs Won’t Be Sellers, Should They Be Buyers At Trade Deadline?

We are sure when the NBA season began, the plan was for Kevin Love to play well enough that contending teams would be interested in adding his hefty contract to help push them toward a lengthy run in the playoffs.

Sometimes, plans go awry and it is for a good reason.

Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a playoff contender, and Love is helping them win basketball games.

Does this mean Love won’t be traded? No, he could still be moved, after all, anything is possible, but it would seem doubtful that GM Koby Altman is going to get an offer that both makes this year’s edition of the wine and gold better, and frees up salary cap space by taking the veteran’s contract.

Cleveland should now be in the “buyer” category now. They sit with the third best record in the Eastern Conference at 19-12, and are one of the better defensive teams in the league. And defense plays once the post-season begins.

One thing the Cavs have going for them is chemistry, they play together and enjoy playing with each other. Even with Collin Sexton sidelined, Cleveland has eight players averaging at least 9.3 points per night, ranging from Darius Garland’s 19.1 to Isaac Okoro at the lower figure listed.

So, Altman should be looking for a player who fits with the current roster and can shoot from outside. And J.B. Bickerstaff likes to play big men, and if you can find another useful big, then why not get one of those too.

The problem is what could Altman give up to make such a move without disrupting the current formula for success?

The easy answer would be Sexton, who is out for the season, and did not sign a contract extension before the campaign started, so he will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Our guess is that the front office has reached out to Sexton and his representatives to see if he is interested in staying with the Cavaliers long term at a smaller than the max deal number. Many basketball people have speculated he would be perfect in a sixth man role, providing instant offense off the bench for a contending team.

The question is would he accept that role?

Other than Sexton, and if you move him it would basically be for less than his value, but on the other hand, you get something that helps you this season.

And although the Cavaliers have a very young core, there is no guarantee about any other season except this one. It would seem the future is very bright, but in the NBA you never know about injuries, contract issues, etc., and how is affects a team.

Still, unless another team is interested in a player like Dylan Windler, Lamar Stevens, Dean Wade, and/or Denzel Valentine, the best course of action for Altman would seem to stand pat and see how far this group can go.

That’s not a bad plan either. You would see how these Cavaliers do in a playoff situation, and that would give the front office a good idea of what needs to be done going forward.

What will Altman do? All we can do is wait and see. There will be wings available at the trade deadline, but do the Cavs want to disrupt what is currently working? Normally, we would say yes, but that might not be the wise thing with this group wearing the wine and gold.

No Conversations About Baseball Doesn’t Help It Grow.

It used to be said that baseball was the one sport that had no off season. It was talked about all year long. That’s why the term “hot stove league” was started, to describe the part of the year where the game wasn’t being played, but trades were being discussed and free agents were being signed.

That’s not true now. Other sports have gotten wise to this and have extended the relevance of their games during the periods where the action isn’t on the field.

Heck, in Cleveland, the sports talk shows discuss the Browns 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If your team isn’t playoff caliber, the draft talk starts during the season, as soon as it is evident the playoffs aren’t the goal.

You also have mini-camps and the beginning of training camp. Really, the only dead time for football is the period after the draft until the end of July.

In the NBA, as soon as the playoffs end, usually in the middle of June, you have the draft right after, and then in early July comes the free agency period, and there is a flurry of trades that go along with that as well. Once that ends, basketball kind of hibernates until training camp starts in September.

However, right now, baseball has gone silent because the owners have decided on a lockout to apparently try and break the strongest union in professional sports. So, instead of trade rumors and speculation on where free agents will sign and for what kind of money, we get nothing.

Baseball has disappeared from the sports consciousness, and if the parties can’t come to an agreement, apathy will set in. And for a sport waning in popularity over the last couple of decades, that’s suicidal.

It is easy for writers and broadcasters to side with the owners, because the players job is “playing”, something every kid who likes sports grew up wanting to do.

We side with the players though. Why? Because they are the product. No one goes to Progressive Field to see Paul Dolan own the Guardians. Fans buy tickets to watch baseball, and baseball is played by players.

Unfortunately, it appears the two sides don’t seem to want to get to the bargaining table to work out the differences any time soon.

We are sure the owners figure as long the new CBA is in place by spring training, then everything is fine, but in the meantime, there is no talk about baseball. The game is out of the sports point of view.

Meanwhile, the NBA has its slate of Christmas games, the league will be on TV all day. The NFL is coming down the stretch of its regular season, and there are plenty of games that affect the playoff landscape.

It seems odd that a tactic in trying to grow your sport is taking it out of the public’s eye. As Pepper Brook in Dodgeball said “it seems like a bold strategy”.

Rob Manfred and his owner friends will tell you they are trying to save baseball, but really, they are trying to kill it. Odd, because it makes all of them a boatload of cash. And yes, more cash than any player makes.

Love Is Back And Helping Cavs Win.

When LeBron James decided to leave the Cavaliers and sign with the Los Angeles Lakers following the 2018-19 season, Kevin Love became remaining member of the franchise’s “Big Three”.

We know Kyrie Irving, the other player in the trio that led the Cavs to their only NBA title was dealt prior to that season, but the wine and gold made it back to The Finals for a 4th consecutive year anyway.

After the departure of both James and Irving, Dan Gilbert offered Love a boatload of money on a contract extension, and our guess would be the promise of continuing to compete here in Cleveland. After all, Tyronn Lue was still at the helm, and the franchise still had Tristan Thompson, Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, etc.

Our comment about continuing to compete is speculation, because he don’t know for sure, and we have never met Kevin Love.

We are sure the organization thought rookie Collin Sexton, the 8th overall pick in the NBA Draft would be able to help the veterans as well.

But Love injured his big toe and missed most of the season, playing in just 21 games, scoring 17 points and grabbing almost 11 rebounds per night.

By the time training camp started in 2019-20, the Cavaliers had a new coach, longtime college headman John Beilein, and added another smaller young guard in Darius Garland, and the rebuilding phase of the team was in full bloom.

For an all star player who played six years in various rebuilding programs in Minnesota before being traded to Cleveland, coinciding with James returning to the franchise, we are sure it was a bitter pill.

It wasn’t what he signed (or re-signed in his case) up for.

We aren’t saying Love handled the frustration well. He had temper tantrums. He called out his coach, who had never coached at the NBA level before, and he was frustrated with his teammates, particularly the younger guys.

He still averaged 17.6 points and almost 10 rebounds per night, and many times was playing center, a position he was no longer big enough to play on a night in, night out basis.

We also believe Love was frustrated by the lack of accountability the younger players were held to. It was as if they were allowed to not pay attention to detail without consequences.

Last year was another injury riddled year, as the veteran missed all but 25 games with a calf issue, and only averaged 24 minutes a night when he did take the floor.

The drop in availability, temperament, and production made his contract an albatross on the franchise. No team wanted to make a move for Kevin Love.

This season, the Cavs are winning for the first time since James departed and Love is rejuvenated. Embracing a bench role, averaging just 20 minutes per contest, Love is scoring 12 points and grabbing 7 boards per game.

He can still rebound with the best and he’s back to looking for that long outlet pass that was his trademark. He’s more of a sniper offensively, looking for the three point shot, and knocking down 40% in the young season.

And his defensive effort is better with the reduced playing time. J.B. Bickerstaff has made playing the right way a mandate and Love no longer has to compete with bigger centers because of the presence of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.

The man can still play. We aren’t condoning the attitude issues he showed the past few seasons, just saying we understand. Once you experience winning, it’s tough to not have it.

It’s funny how things look better to everyone when winning is in the equation.

To Continue Surviving, Browns Need To Run Better

The late basketball coach Jim Valvano said it while his North Carolina State basketball team was in route to winning the 1983 NCAA Basketball title.

The term is “survive and advance”, and although the Cleveland Browns haven’t advanced anywhere yet, they did survive and have another meaningful game this Saturday afternoon against the Raiders.

And in the crazy AFC, the 24-22 win over the Baltimore Ravens, moved Kevin Stefanski’s crew into second place in the division, moving past both the Steelers and Bengals, who both lost this week.

A win is a win, so we aren’t going to complain about it. Look at some of the other early season favorites in the conference. Buffalo has the same record as Cleveland at 7-6, and next week’s opponent was sitting at 5-3 a few weeks ago, but losing four out of five has them at 6-7.

Even though the Raiders are struggling, if the NFL has taught us nothing this season, it is that things can change in the snap of your fingers. So, the Browns need to improve on Sunday’s performance is they want a victory against the visitors from Las Vegas.

The offense continues to struggle, scoring only 17 points (the other points were the result of Myles Garrett, literally), and although most of the blame is heaped upon Stefanski’s play calling and on Mayfield, it might be another area that is failing.

Last season, Cleveland had one of the league’s best running games, ranking 3rd behind just the Ravens and Titans. And while they still rank 4th in 2021, lately the yards in the ground game have been tough to come by.

In the first five games of the season, the Browns averaged 188 yards per game on the ground. Coincidentally, they also scored 28.4 points in those five contests.

The following eight games shows Cleveland gaining just 116 yards per game rushing, and the points per game has also dropped to 14, half of the total in the first five games.

We understand Nick Chubb missed three of those games, but he has also played in five of the games, and in three of the ones he played in, he rushed for less than 61 yards.

Now, we agree Chubb is one of the best running backs in the game, and we don’t think he has suddenly lost a step, so clearly something is wrong with the run blocking right now, and that needs to be addressed in the last four games of the season.

In the first Baltimore game, Chubb carried just 8 times for 16 yards, as the coaching staff gave up on the running game.

But against the Steelers, Chubb carried 16 times for 61 yards, and then on Sunday, he toted the ball 17 times for 59 yards. In those three games, he totaled 41 carries for 136 yards, just a 3.3 average per carry.

Keep in mind, Chubb averages 5.5 yards per carry for his career.

We have said many times that Baker Mayfield is not the most important offensive player on the Browns, and that it was Chubb.

However, right now, the coaching staff cannot get him untracked, and the entire offense is suffering.

The offensive line, praised by many pundits at the beginning of the season, hasn’t performed up to expectations. This could be because of injuries. Jedrick Wills hurt his ankle in the season opener and hasn’t been right since, and Jack Conklin has had problems with his elbow and then his knee.

And maybe opponents adjusted to what the Browns did a year ago.

Whatever the reason, the Cleveland Browns need to run the football to succeed, and the coaching staff has to figure out a way to unlock that part of the game.

Young Cavs Using Old Philosophies.

There is no doubt the Cleveland Cavaliers are approaching things differently in this NBA season. While there has been a trend toward “small ball”, mostly because of the success of the Golden State Warriors, the Cavs have decided to go big, playing three guys 6’11” and taller in their starting lineup.

One thing about the Warriors, while they used the small lineup mostly because of the defense of Draymond Green and Klay Thompson, they always had a cadre of big men on the roster, players like Andrew Bogut, Zaza Pachulia, and Javale McGee.

And of course, let’s not forget that Kevin Durant is a seven-footer as well.

J.B. Bickerstaff can play the trio of big men, and we can extend the group to include Kevin Love, because they can all move very well, so they can defend on the perimeter as well as near the basket.

It also works because Lauri Markkanen is very good three-point shooter, knocking them down at a 36% clip, and lately, that number has been even better.

If the starting lineup had the mobility of say, Tacko Fall, it wouldn’t work. They would have a tremendous defense disadvantage. But Jarrett Allen helped win a game because he harassed Portland’s Damian Lillard on the perimeter.

But Evan Mobley’s ability to guard anyone anywhere has changed the dynamic. Mobley is not only emerging as the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year (with Toronto’s Scottie Barnes), but should make an all-defensive team, and we think he should get some MVP votes as well.

Bickerstaff also uses only nine men regularly, and some nights go with just eight players. That would seem to be a problem as the season progresses, but the Cavs currently do not have anyone averaging over 34 minutes per night and have eight players playing more than 20 minutes per game.

That would put no one in the top 20 in the league in minutes per game. The highest ranking Cavalier would be Darius Garland at 34.4 minutes. There are 19 teams whose leader in being on the court plays more than that.

For example, the Bulls have three players who play more than 35 minutes on an average night, and Toronto has the league leader in Fred Van Vleet and Barnes is also on the court for 36 minutes.

There haven’t been a lot of instances where anyone wearing the wine and gold have played 40 minutes in a given game.

As noted, Garland leads the team in minutes, but has played 40 minutes just once, and that was just 40:04 in the loss to the Nets in Brooklyn. Allen has played the next most, but hasn’t been above the 40 minutes threshold.

Mobley has logged one game over 40 minutes, and similar to Garland, it was just three seconds over the level.

From what we can tell, the most minutes in a game that a Cleveland player has is the 43 minutes Isaac Okoro played in the loss at home to Golden State. Dean Wade also played 40 minutes that night, and that is the extent of games where a Cavalier was on the court that much.

Of course, having seven wins by 15 points or more helps get rotational players out of games early, and that has been mode for Cleveland lately.

And we wouldn’t be surprised if Cedi Osman’s (22.8) and Love’s (19.9) time on the court increases slightly as both are playing very well off the bench.

What Bickerstaff and the Cavaliers are doing is turning back the clock in NBA basketball. Back to the days where height mattered, a shorter bench, and defense. As for the latter, as long as no player is being overused it shouldn’t be a problem, although we do have concerns about Mobley since he is a rookie.

It just goes to show there aren’t many new concepts in basketball, or sports in general. Just history repeating.

Getting Another Shooter Would Be Huge For Tall Cavs

Last Sunday afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers lost a very entertaining game to the Utah Jazz at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse by one point.

While we were watching the game, it struck us that the wine and gold were kind of playing an older, more experienced version of what they are. Both teams are from small markets, and neither is a destination location for free agents.

The young Cavaliers are taller than the Jazz, but Utah is the second highest scoring team in the NBA, and lead the Association in three point shots made per game, making even more than the poster boys for long range shooting, the Golden State Warriors.

The Jazz are also 4th in the league in percentage from beyond the arc.

Cleveland scores 10 points per night less than the Jazz, making 3.6 less threes than the league leaders (they rank 18th), and are 15th in the league in percentage.

Utah has four players making more than 40% of their long distance shots, and another making 39%.

By contrast, the Cavs have two over 40%, and one of them, Dylan Windler, doesn’t play much mainly because, in our opinion, he is hesitant to shoot the ball. The other is Cedi Osman.

Darius Garland is also making 39% of his threes.

Kevin Love is hitting 36% and Ricky Rubio is at 35%. The player who leads the team in attempts from three point land is Lauri Markkanen, making 33%, although he has made 38.2% of these shots since returning to the lineup from COVID protocols.

The latter’s outside is very important for the starting lineup, although he can do more than be a spot up shooter.

Watching the game, we had the realization that Cleveland needs more guys who can knock down open jumpers from deep, especially with the presence of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley inside.

One problem right now for J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad is lack of “pure” shooters. Collin Sexton made three pointers, but he was really more of a scorer than a shooter. And the man replacing him in the starting lineup, Isaac Okoro, is currently being left alone because teams don’t think he can make a shot from outside.

The second year player, the fifth overall pick a year ago, is making just 22% of his three point attempts, and our guess is until he can make them, he will get plenty more opportunities.

In Monday night’s loss to Milwaukee, Okoro played just 18 minutes, in part because he couldn’t make a shot, missing six shots, including three from distance.

He is a solid defender, make no mistake about that. But much like a good glove man in baseball, unless you can hit at an acceptable level, you don’t get on the field. In hoops, if you are an offensive liability, you can’t be on the floor that long.

Thank goodness for Osman’s development as a long range shooter, because the Cavs would have no one beyond Garland, Love, and Markkanen.

Windler was drafted for this purpose, but he and another reserve, Dean Wade, seem hesitant at times to pull the trigger when they are open.

And neither give you enough in other areas to be on the floor unless they are making shots.

The organization sent Windler to the G-League for a couple of games to see if getting some game time would unlock something. He would seem to be the guy to get more time, but he has to take and make shots when he is in there.

The Cavaliers have made a vast improvement this season and it is mostly on the defensive end. The next step is to get some shooters. Perhaps that will be something GM Koby Altman targets in the trade market if the current success continues.

Otherwise, teams will continue to leave Okoro and the others open and that will provide less room for Garland, Allen, and Mobley to operate inside.