Cavs “Greatest 8” After 50 Years

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be celebrating their 50th season this season and it is the only franchise in town where we can say we have been there since the beginning.

Before that, NBA basketball in Cleveland was limited to the visits the Cincinnati Royals made each year to our fair city.

In the last year before the Cavs existed, the Royals made four stops at the Cleveland Arena, the final game was played on February 3, 1970, a game won by the Los Angeles Lakers, 124-114.

Jerry West led the way for the Lakers with 38 points, while Tom Van Arsdale had 36 for the Royals.

The Cavaliers entered the league at the same time as the Buffalo Braves and Portland Trailblazers. The league probably thought they were doing the expansion teams a solid by scheduling them for 12 games each against each other.

Obviously, LeBron James is the greatest player ever to wear the Cavs’ uniform, leading the franchise to not only their only championship, but was also the focal point for all five Eastern Conference titles won by the team.

Depending on your point of view, he is one of the three best players to ever play in the NBA.

As soon as he retires, his #23 will hang from the rafters, and we would presume a statue will be erected outside Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Who else would be on the Cavaliers’ top eight players (starters and first subs) in franchise history?

We would start with the only other Cavalier besides James to achieve first team all NBA honors, and that would be Mark Price.

Price is still 5th in all time scoring and 2nd in assists and steals in club history. In addition to his first team All-NBA accolade (1992-93), he was third team three times (’88-’89, ’91-’92, and ’93-’94). He was on the second Cleveland team to lose in the Eastern Conference finals.

Kyrie Irving would be the other guard. It’s really a no brainer to add the four time (with Cleveland) all-star and the guy who made the biggest shot in franchise history. He also was third team All-NBA in 2014-15.

The center was so close we kept two as both Brad Daugherty and Zydrunas Ilgauskas make our “Great 8”.

Both had major injury problems throughout their career (Daugherty’s back issues caused him to retire at 28, while Ilgauskas battled foot problems), but Daugherty was a four time all star and is still 3rd all time in scoring and rebounding, and as a center, is 7th all time in assists.

Ilgauskas is a distant second to James in scoring, and also ranks as the runner-up in games played and rebounding. And he was a starter on the franchise’s first trip to the NBA Finals.

The other forwards, besides James, were mainstays on the early 90’s teams which couldn’t get over the Michael Jordan hurdle: Larry Nance and Hot Rod Williams.

Looking at numbers, you forgot how good Williams was. He ranks 5th in games played, 7th in points, 5th in rebounds, and 2nd in blocked shots in Cavalier history. He was a reserve mostly because Lenny Wilkens loved him as a weapon off the bench, backing up both Daugherty and Nance, and at times playing with them.

Nance is 9th all time in scoring, 8th in boards, 3rd in field goal percentage and blocked shots. He was the final piece in making those teams title contenders. The Cavs were 42-40 the year Nance arrived in a mid-season trade, they won 50 games in three of the next five years.

The last spot on our list goes to franchise icon Austin Carr, whose career was hampered by knee injuries, but was the team’s first star.

Carr was the first overall pick in the draft in 1971, and made the All Star team in his third year with a 21.9 scoring average. He was around 24 PPG the following season when he injured his knee, and became a valuable reserve for the Cavs’ first team that went to the conference finals in 1976.

Those are our Cavs’ “Greatest 8”. The best players Cleveland basketball fans have seen wearing the wine and gold.

Still No Love For Kevin Love

It is a yearly rite of passage for Cleveland professional basketball fans. Each and every year after the playoffs end, there are those who talk about trading Kevin Love.

And we keep thinking that mostly, this makes no sense.

Yes, Love is injury prone, the most games he has ever played in a season with the Cavaliers is 77, and that was in his first year here. He played 75 the following season, and from there it has gone downhill: 60, 59, and last season, 21, although he could have played more if the Cavs were trying to make the playoffs.

And yes, the game has evolved too, and the sport where Love once averaged 26 points and almost 13.5 rebounds per contest is no longer being played. Teams want big men who can defend on the perimeter now, to contest the three point shot, and that isn’t Love’s strength, although he does make an effort.

However, Love is still unquestionably the Cavaliers best player. Shooting a career low 38.5% from the floor, he still scored 17 points and grabbed almost 11 boards per game.

Part of that came from getting to the free throw line with a greater frequency (5.2 per game) than he ever did wearing the wine and gold, his best figure since his last year with Minnesota (8.2 per game).

Many people forget that Love has two second team All NBA honors during his career, which is one more than Kyrie Irving, who made second team this season, and a third team honor with the Cavs.

These “experts” think there is only one way to build an NBA team these days, and that is by tanking and being successful in the draft. Of course, there is plenty of evidence to the contrary as Golden State and Toronto, who have won the last three titles, have not tanked to win.

We aren’t saying we would keep Love under any circumstance, in fact, there are very few players in that category, LeBron James being one of them.

For example, the Cavs were said to entertain offers for Irving after the 2016 season, because if then GM David Griffin could have improved the team in a deal for the former first overall pick, then he absolutely should do that.

We understand Love makes a lot of money, but if Cleveland get under the cap, which they will even with Love on the roster heading into the 2020-21 season, they aren’t attracting big name free agents.

The Cavs played much better when Love was on the floor a year ago, so why not let Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Ante Zizic, and the three rookies, Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr. play with a still very good player and learn good habits from a five time all star?

If you can make a trade that decidedly helps the franchise, then by all means, make the deal.

For example, we keep hearing Portland as a destination. Then 22-year-old seven footer Zach Collins would have to be involved along with at least one unprotected first round draft pick, preferably after the 2020 draft.

Getting a young big and a future first rounder can make a positive impact for Cleveland.

And if Kawhi Leonard winds up with the Lakers, it would be surprising to see anyone make a huge offer for Love.

If he doesn’t, we still think Love has more value at the trade deadline, where someone can use him, providing he is healthy, as a chip to put them over the top.

Until Koby Altman gets “wowed” with a deal, there is no reason to trade the best player on the team. Unless that player is about to be a free agent, or causing a problem in the locker room, there usually never is.

Cavs Add More Shooting, And That’s A Good Thing.

When LeBron James was with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the idea was to surround him with shooters, players who needed to be defended on the perimeter so James had driving lanes to the basket.

The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t follow that blueprint last year, but that’s another story for another time.

That theory was before the sport and the people who build teams within it started to embrace the three point shot, and that revolution culminated in Golden State’s three titles in four years, the first centering around the long range shooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.

While the 2018-19 Cleveland Cavaliers were a bad team, finishing 19-63, they did rank 13th in the league in three point shooting, led by Nick Stauskas’ 43% mark, while recently retired Channing Frye and rookie Collin Sexton both hit 40%.

Last week, the Cavs adding even more shooting drafting Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr. in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Garland only played five games at Vanderbilt, but made 11 of 23 attempts from beyond the college three point line, and he hit 75% of his free throws.

And at his workout for the Cavs in Los Angeles, apparently he put on an incredible shooting exhibition from long distance. We can’t wait to see his range when the exhibition games start.

Windler, a four year player from Belmont, shot 40.6% from three throughout his college career, and the last two seasons, hit 42.6% and 42.9% from long range respectively. He was also a career 76.1% maker from the line, with a high of 84.7% last season.

Porter also made more than 40% of his long distance shots in his abbreviated college career (he played just 21 games), making 28 of 68 attempts. Unfortunately, he hit only 52% of his free throws, a figure that has to improve in the pros.

As they say, the NBA is a make or miss league, and it looks as though the Cavaliers got a few more guys who can make shots. We have always said, anyone can be a shooter, what you really need are makers.

The next part of the puzzle is to add size, which Cleveland has seemed to ignore over the past five years.

Outside of Ante Zizic, the wine and gold really don’t have a legitimate big man, although we have yet to see John Henson.

Kevin Love is 6’10” and has been miscast at center at times, but he’s a scorer and rebounder, not really a rim protector or a defensive force inside.

Tristan Thompson is a good defender and rebounder, particularly on the offensive end, but he is very limited offensively, and is still just 6’9″.

Larry Nance Jr. has incredible hops, so he can block shots, but he’s struggles to handle bigger players in the post.

We understand that the game has evolved and throwing the ball in the post is no longer needed to be successful, but having players who demand double teams near the basket helps.

Love does, but that’s probably it at this point.

We would like to see Koby Altman add another bigger player before the season starts. With all the shooters he is bringing in, that could be very important.

Cavs Draft A Trio Of First Rounders

The Cleveland Cavaliers went with the best player available theory in last night’s NBA Draft taking Darius Garland, a 6’2″ guard from Vanderbilt.

Many experts had Garland going higher in mock drafts, mostly at #4 to the Los Angeles Lakers, before they dealt the choice to New Orleans in the Anthony Davis proposed transaction.

As it stands, the Cavs will use a very small backcourt when they pair Garland with last year’s first pick, Collin Sexton.

Garland also played just five games for Vandy before injuring his knee, but he probably has more point guard instincts than Sexton, and probably is a better shooter than he was when he came into the league last season.

The problem could be on the defensive end, playing two guards who are both short. And we know the wine and gold have had issues on that end of the floor since winning the championship in 2016.

It’s not a bad pick, because the Cavs went with talent, it’s just difficult to see a fit, particularly when they could’ve chosen Jarrett Culver, a 6’6″ defensive minded guard, or a 6’5″ combo guard in Coby White.

New coach John Beilein is said to be intrigued with playing the duo or Sexton and Garland together, but as we have said before most of the players taken last night can score, where they are drafted comes down often to how they fit in the league defensively.

Contrary to what we thought, the Cavaliers stayed at #26 and selected a pure shooter, 6’7″ Dylan Windler from Belmont.

Windler is 23 years old, so what he is now is what he is, but he has a quick release and can certainly fill it up. He’s a good athlete, but isn’t known for his defensive prowess. He’s one of those guys who is constant movement on offense, hustles for loose balls, and plays off the ball well.

He seemed like a good fit for Golden State, where several mock drafts had him headed.

Then, GM Koby Altman took a bold step in moving four second round picks to Detroit to get back in the first round to take Kevin Porter Jr., who about six weeks ago was projected to be in the lottery.

Porter is a guy who probably should have stayed in college for one more year, because he has a lot to work on, but no question he is talented. If he can connect with Beilein though, and is open to coaching, he could wind up being a very good player.

It’s a great risk because of his upside, and the Cavs didn’t really give up a heck of a lot.

There were two things the Cavaliers didn’t do last night, though.

First, they didn’t cash in the JR Smith chip. Smith has to be moved by the end of the month for other teams to take advantage of his unique contract, so expect another trade by then.

Second, they still ignored height. They drafted a point guard and two wings, and we still feel they have a shortage of big men on the roster. True, they will get John Henson back, but that will give them only three players over 6’10”: Ante Zizic, Kevin Love, and Henson.

The latter two missed considerable time last season.

Let’s hope that is also on Altman’s agenda.

You never know with rookies, but the Cavs picked three players who have skills that are desired in today’s NBA.

Now we will have to see how it plays out when training camp starts in September. At the very least, the Summer League should be exciting.

Cavs’ Approach Is Refreshing

The NBA is unique in the professional sports landscape.

Because there are only five players on the floor at any one time, the great player makes a huge difference. We just witnessed the impact Kawhi Leonard, one might be the best player in the league right now, had on the Toronto Raptors, leading them to their first championship.

The association also gives the most power to the players. Since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined Dwyane Wade in Miami, the star players have tried to form “super teams” to help them compete for championships, and team executives have tried to put their franchises into positions to attracts the stars.

So, if you didn’t draft a superstar, and you a not a destination for superstars, what do you do?

Obviously, in Cleveland, the Cavaliers benefited from James being from Akron and wanting to bring a championship to the area. It helped that Kyrie Irving was already here for James’ return, and they had assets to deal for another star, Kevin Love, who remains with the team.

But James left after the 2018 season, so GM Koby Altman has to try to rebuild the organization. He is doing things a little differently, and quite frankly, we have no problem with it.

Altman has put his eggs into the player development basket. If you aren’t in a position to draft superstars, then developing them yourself seems to be a good plan.

That why he hired a long time successful college coach in John Beilein, and this past week, hired University of California women’s head coach, Lindsay Gottlieb, as an assistant.

Beilein’s reputation is putting together very successful college teams without the five star recruits that Duke, Kentucky, and North Carolina usually get. He took good high school players and turned them into very good college players, some even became first round picks in the NBA Draft.

No doubt, it’s a gamble hiring a 66-year-old who has never coached in the NBA, and hiring a coach who led a Division I women’s program as an assistant. But why not?

If you are a team playing someone better than you, and you just rely on talent, you most likely aren’t going to win, right?

So, you try something different. Like Cleveland State did when Kevin Mackey became head coach, you full court press for the entire game, using waves of players.

That might be your best chance.

Or maybe Altman is copying the Raptors blue print. Not a lot of high draft choices there, but they developed players like Pascal Siakam (27th overall pick from New Mexico State), Fred VanVleet (undrafted), and Norman Powell (second round pick) into contributing players on a title team.

We have praised the Cavs for not taking on “knuckleheads”, players who can and will be disruptive when things aren’t going well. In addition, it appears they also have guys who aren’t afraid of working to get better.

And that means what Beilein, Gottlieb, and the rest of the organization will be teaching should fall on willing years, and it may just work.

The Cavs’ plan seems to be worth the risk because it isn’t the same old thought process NBA teams use. Why not get good teachers to teach the game?

The Disconnect Between Dolans, Fans

Cleveland sports fans have different relationships with the owners of their sports teams.

Since the early 1960’s, the Browns have been owned by out of towners. Sure, Art Modell moved to northeast Ohio, but he was a New Yorker. After he moved the team to Baltimore and the Browns rejoined the NFL in 1999, Al Lerner, another ex-New Yorker owned the team.

His son, Randy, sold the team to Jimmy Haslam, from Tennessee. None of these guys really had the trust of the fans of the team, for various reasons, although right now, Haslam gets a break because of the hiring of GM John Dorsey.

The Cavaliers were brought into the NBA by Nick Mileti, born in Cleveland.

At one point, Mileti owned (through partnerships) the Cavs, the World Hockey Association Cleveland Crusaders, and the Indians, as well as building the Coliseum in Richfield, Ohio, a world class sports arena.

Because he was from here, the fans warmed to Mileti. After all, he brought professional basketball to the area, and at the time, many thought the Indians were headed out of town before he bought them.

Mileti didn’t have a lot of money, but he had vision and passion for Cleveland sports.

Unfortunately, the baseball fans in the area have never bought into the current ownership, the Dolan family.

Dick Jacobs is looked fondly on by Tribe fans because he built a solid organization, which hadn’t been seen for years, and his teams won, for the first time in 40 years, the Cleveland Indians were among the best teams in the sport.

And with the revenue pouring in from the new ballpark combined with a contending team (and no football team), Jacobs signed off on adding players. The payoff was five straight post-season appearances and two American League pennants.

Those Indians were brash and cocky, and the fans loved it. Our baseball team was competing with the Yankees and Red Sox, and beat them in the playoffs.

Jacobs got out of the game before any rebuild had to be done. And that’s where the Dolans came in.

We believe that Cleveland sports fans want to see in their teams the same attitude they have, that of an underdog. The attitude that we can be as good as the bigger cities, a “we’ll show you” feeling.

The Dolans simply don’t exude that type of feeling.

Think about some of the things the fans and the media alike bring up in discussing their stewardship of the professional baseball team.

They talk about “windows of opportunity” and consistently remind the ticket buying public that Cleveland is a small market.

You never hear words like that coming out of Dan Gilbert’s mouth. Gilbert’s attitude seems to be screw you, we’ll win anyway.

And in our opinion, that’s why fans gravitate to the Cavaliers’ owner more, even though the Indians have been the more consistent franchise over the last 15 years.

Even though Gilbert is from Detroit, he displays more of the Cleveland spirit than Larry and Paul Dolan. They seem resigned to their situation, instead of fighting the big boys.

This year might be the ultimate test case. The Indians have a slim chance in the division race, but they have virtually the same record as the Boston Red Sox. And you know the Red Sox aren’t selling.

This might be the reason ticket sales suffer too. As we know, there is plenty of interest in the team, the local ratings are among the best in baseball, but Progressive Field isn’t the “place to be” for a variety of reasons.

No Luck, Neither Good Nor Bad, Involved In Lottery For Cavs

The NBA’s Draft Lottery was Tuesday night, and this year, for the Cleveland Cavaliers, there wasn’t any luck involved, neither good or bad.

The biggest percentage chance for Cleveland to end up was fifth, and that’s exactly where they wound up.

So, save the gripes about how the Cavs got screwed. In fact, we laughed all spring at media folks who said the wine and gold had to get the first pick, when the percentages said it was a 14% chance.

Now, by consensus, the first three picks in the draft will be Zion Williamson, who was the prize of the lottery, and will no doubt be the choice of the New Orleans Pelicans. And most agree the next two picks will be Ja Morant of Murray State, and another Dukie, R.J. Barrett.

That would seem to leave GM Koby Altman with a choice of Texas Tech guard Jarrett Culver, Duke shooter Cam Reddish, Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland, and Virginia swingman De’Andre Hunter at the 5th spot.

And don’t forget, the Cavs have a second first round pick, the 26th selection, obtained from Houston in the deal where Cleveland took Brandon Knight’s high salary off the Rockets’ hands.

The biggest need for Altman and new coach, John Beilein is talent. Right now, the Cavs have one All Star caliber player in Kevin Love, and some other “nice pieces” in Collin Sexton, Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman, and Ante Zizic.

Sexton could develop into an all star type, and perhaps Osman can too, but if those two wind up being solid starters, that would be fine. There will always be a place on a team for someone with Nance’s skill set, and Zizic is still raw, but has ability.

Former Cavs’ GM Chris Grant used to say there are a few very good players in every draft, and his job was to find one of those players each year.

For what it’s worth, based on what we’ve seen and read about each of the prospects listed above, we would lean toward Culver, who is a student of the game, played in a great defensive scheme at Texas Tech, and whose weaknesses could be overcome with work, and he seems willing to do that.

The 26th overall pick could be important too, because don’t forget Altman could package that choice with a player, probably an expiring contract to move up from that spot.

Remember, the JR Smith contract is a very large asset as a trade chip. Maybe he brings back a higher pick and maybe even a third first rounder this season.

More likely though, Altman would be looking for another first round pick in the 2020 draft, to give him two next year.

Regardless, the Cavaliers have a very good chance to get a good piece this summer. And Altman will be moving at least one or two higher priced veterans (Tristan Thompson?) to accumulate more assets.

Remember, the best players on three of the remaining teams in the NBA playoffs were drafted 15th (Kawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo), 6th (Damian Lillard) and Stephen Curry was picked 7th overall.

We will read a lot about the players who will be taken with the 5th pick between now and the draft at the end of June.

There is talent available in the draft, it’s up to Altman to find someone who can help.

Beilein Hire Gets A Solid A

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a new head coach, and it was a shocker. Hiring a 66-year-old John Beilein from the University of Michigan was not expected at all.

And the narrative about this hire having Dan Gilbert’s imprints all over it overlooks the fact that Beilein is an excellent coach.

Beilein has a .650 winning percentage at U of M, and has coached in two Final Fours. And he has a Cavs’ connection in Mike Gansey, one of his former players at West Virginia, who is now Cleveland’s assistant GM.

The wine and gold were looking for someone who could develop talent, and the new coach certainly fills that bill. For the most part, Beilein wasn’t getting the “one and done” highly recruited players, and yet was cranking out top 20 teams on a yearly basis.

As for Beilein’s age, it has been rumored that one of the young, up and coming assistant coaches the Cavaliers have been interviewing will be named as the new coach’s chief assistant, sort of a grooming period for whoever gets the gig.

We understand this is Beilein’s first coaching job in the NBA, but learning from a guy with that kind of experience can’t be a bad thing, can it?

Plus, the veteran college head man isn’t coming into the league like a Rick Pitino or John Calipari, coming in looking to take the league by storm. He’s not a boisterous, overwhelming personality.

He’s just a very good basketball coach.

In watching his teams play over the years, the one thing we feel confident about, is the Cavs will be much better on the defensive end of the floor. The Cavs haven’t really been good on that end since the championship season of 2016, so that is something to look forward to.

He also prefers a motion offense, but he will have to adjust to the NBA game in that regard. It’s fine to run that type of attack, but he will have to put some pick-and-roll principles in because that’s a staple in the professional ranks.

Mostly though, Beilein has worked well with young players and let’s face it, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a young team. Outside of Kevin Love (30) and Larry Nance Jr. (26), the building blocks of the franchise are 24 and younger. Guys like Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, and Ante Zizic.

And they will add two more youngsters in the first round of next month’s NBA draft. The Cavs need someone who can communicate and teach these guys, and at his core, Beilein is a professor in the class of hoops.

Any criticism of this hire comes from those who see Gilbert as someone who thinks he knows the game more than the trained professionals. While we understand this, if Gilbert was the driving force behind bringing in a college coach, he brought in a very good one.

Remember, Beilein was also in consideration for the Pistons head coaching job a year ago.

Also, it isn’t like the owner and the front office interviewed Beilein first, fell in love and didn’t talk to anyone else. They talked to several young assistant coaches around the league who dealt in player development.

If you take the hire on merit, and figure in the hiring of a younger coach as the lead assistant, we don’t see how anyone could think this is a bad hire.

Of course, as with any hire, the proof will come when the Cavs start playing games that count again in October.

Our View Of Winning And Leading In Hoops.

Basketball can be viewed differently by a lot of people, it’s a very subjective sport.

Many people view it from a numbers perspective only, meaning players who score a lot are good players, although there are some guys who do that at the expense of everything else, so they aren’t really important to winning teams.

We hear it all the time in conversations about basketball, and we can cite examples right on our own Cleveland Cavaliers.

We believe people undervalue Larry Nance Jr. because he’s not a scorer, his career high in points per game is the 9.4 he tallied this season.

But Nance does a lot of good things on a basketball court. First, he makes 52% of his shots, meaning he understands his limitations in that area. He also grabbed 8.2 rebounds and dished out a career high 3.2 assists.

A big man who can pass is very valuable. Look at Nikola Jokic for the Denver Nuggets, who averaged over seven assists a game for the team with the second best record in the Western Conference.

Conversely, we aren’t big fans of Jordan Clarkson, who we believe is nothing more than a scorer for bad teams. Think about it, the Cavs averaged 104.5 points per game, and they were one of the worst teams in the NBA.

Someone has to score those points. When Clarkson did play for a good team, the second half of the 2017-18 season with Cleveland, he was invisible much of the time, particularly in the playoffs.

He doesn’t do much else to help a team win, and in our view, that’s why he is very replaceable.

Another thing that irritates us is talk of a players’ legacy, or determining who is the leader of a team.

Leadership is a very difficult thing, getting people to follow you isn’t easy. One thing we believe is that leaders don’t have to tell you they are the leader. Everybody just knows.

LeBron James did inform the media all the time he was the Cavs’ leader, but the players seemed to understand that as well. The holdovers from last year’s roster talked a lot this season on the work ethic that carried on even though James was in Los Angeles.

James led by being prepared for every season and every game. He is talented enough that he didn’t have to be, but he was. His teammates saw that.

And sometimes, players thrive when they aren’t a featured performer.

For example, Kyrie Irving wanted badly to have “his own team”. Right now, the phrase “be careful what you wish for” comes to mind.

Irving is having a problem with the leadership role, and really, there’s nothing wrong with being the second best player on a team that wins a title.

Look at how people view Klay Thompson or Scottie Pippen. They are thought of as great, even though they played with better players. They are important reasons as to why their teams are champions.

There seems to be too much self awareness in the game today. Why not win as many titles as you can? We understand that players can be free agents and can play where they want, and we don’t begrudge that. They’ve earned that right.

But shouldn’t the goal be to win? And win as much as you can?

It may be a generational thing, we guess.

Basketball is a beautiful game when played well. And as we said, it is a very subjective sport. This was our view.

Who May Not Be Back For The Cavs Next Fall.

The NBA playoffs have started over the past weekend and for the first time in five seasons, the Cleveland Cavaliers are not participants.

That’s not really a surprise to many who figured the wine and gold’s contending days ended when LeBron James departed for Los Angeles.

As expected, Larry Drew and the Cleveland front office parted ways. Drew would like to catch on with a contending team as an assistant, while GM Koby Altman’s preference for head coach would be a younger man with a background in player development.

We have already talked about who would be our core group heading into the 2019-20 campaign, the 50th season for the Cavs.

We would build around Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman, and David Nwaba. Collin Sexton showed enough in the second half of the season to be here as well, although if Cleveland happened to draft Ja Morant, we could see pursuing a deal for the rookie guard. (Notice we didn’t say point guard).

And our preference would be for Ante Zizic to be on the roster too, although we question whether or not we will ever be a solid interior defender. You can learn to position yourself properly to minimize your lack of quickness with experience.

We all are aware of J.R. Smith’s situation, his contract, because it is not fully guaranteed is a much better asset for teams if he is moved prior to the end of June. Because of that, he will likely be moved prior to the NBA Draft.

Notice we have not mentioned two key members of this year’s roster, including someone who was a key piece of the championship team.

We would bet Tristan Thompson will be moved before the next season begins. Thompson’s contract expires after the ’19-’20 schedule ends, which makes him a valuable piece.

Plus, his skills fit much better with a team contending for a title. He’s a solid defender inside, a tireless rebounder, particularly at the offensive end, and he has a lot of playoff experience.

Besides, the Cavs have Love, Nance, and Zizic who we are sure they would rather give more minutes to going forward, and don’t forget John Henson as well. And we would bring Marquese Chriss back on a smaller contract if he is amenable.

The other member who received a lot of playing time this season is Jordan Clarkson.

Clarkson provided scoring (16.8 PPG) for a team that at times needed it badly. But we still don’t know if he is anything more than a guy who can score points for bad teams.

He’s been in the association for six years, and made one playoff appearance, last season with the Cavs, where he was frankly, terrible.

His shooting numbers this season weren’t anything out of his norm, and he’s not a great passer or defender.

His contract also expires at the end of next season.

Our guess is Altman would be willing to move either and take back a bad contract with perhaps two years remaining if first round draft picks were included.

Nick Stauskas is also a free agent, but we believe the organization picked him up after he was waived to fill a roster spot, and they don’t have plans for him next season.

We believe the Cavs will be very active before the draft and when the free agency period kicks off, looking to make more moves like they did in getting Brandon Knight.

And of course, they will have a high draft choice as well. The floor is all yours, Koby Altman.