Cavs Season Hinges On Organizational Attitude

It is very difficult to predict the final record of the Cleveland Cavaliers this season because we don’t know what players who will suit up in the team’s opener on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage Field House will end the season with the team.

What we think we know right now is that J.B. Bickerstaff has put more of an emphasis on defense in the regular season for the Cavs than any coach perhaps since early in the tenure of Tyronn Lue. After watching horrible defensive concepts over the past few seasons, this is definitely needed.

If Kevin Love is ready to go in the opener, he and Andre Drummond will make up two the five starting spots in Bickerstaff’s starting lineup. Will either or both be there after the NBA’s trading deadline? Well, that’s anyone’s guess.

Drummond picked up his player option for the 2020-21 season, meaning he can be a free agent after the season, and if he is playing up to the level he established prior to last season, a contending team could be willing to give up a king’s ransom.

Love has been on the trading block pretty much since he arrived in Cleveland before the 2015-16 season, but his contract could be a deterrent to a deal.

It will be interesting to see what Bickerstaff does with the other three starting spots Wednesday night vs. Charlotte.

If he goes by merit, at least from the exhibition games, we would think Collin Sexton should be at the point with rookie Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman at the wings.

Kevin Porter Jr. hasn’t been on the court yet in the four preseason games, and Darius Garland, who was reported to be impressive in post-season camp, hasn’t showed it in the four games the wine and gold played against the Pacers and Knicks.

Once Porter is up to speed, he could replace either Okoro or Osman as a starter, but he figures to be in Bickerstaff’s rotation, along with veterans Larry Nance Jr. and Javale McGee up front. Nance also figures to get some time at small forward. He’s the Swiss Army knife of the team, being able to score, pass, defend, and block shots.

If Bickerstaff is going to use 10 players, does the coach go with second year man Dylan Windler or veteran Damyean Dotson? We would imagine Windler would get the first shot, because Dotson will keep himself ready, and with Windler missing his entire rookie season, we would anticipate the organization wants to see what he can do.

Can this roster make a run at a playoff spot? A better question should be will the organization give them a chance to make that run?

This roster has some talent. Drummond and Love have made all-star teams. Sexton can get to that level, he certainly has the work ethic to do it. Nance, Porter, and Osman are good players, and Okoro should during the pre-season that he might be better offensively that we thought when he was drafted.

However, it comes down to depth. Can Garland be a contributor? Can Windler be the shooter the front office thought he could be when they drafted him? Will Love and/or Drummond be moved at the trade deadline for younger players?

We think the Cavaliers can finish around the 30 win mark, which would be a nice increase from the past two seasons. But the number goes lower if they are going to make moves at the deadline.

In our opinion, this is the year where winning starts being emphasized over “asset accumulation”. We feel J.B. Bickerstaff has that mindset, we don’t know if Koby Altman does.

Looking At Cavs. They Have Guys Who Can Play

There is a certain percentage of fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers who are in the forever tank mode, waiting for the next LeBron James or someone of that ilk to come along and make the team contenders again.

The reality is those players come along maybe once in a decade, and so any NBA team should probably have an alternative plan to get better other than getting lucky.

Since LeBron James left via free agency after the 2017-18 season, GM Koby Altman has been trying to accumulate talent, and on face value, he has done that.

And since coach J.B. Bickerstaff has already been fired (probably not justly) in Houston and Memphis, one would think he feels he needs to win in Cleveland, or he won’t get another shot at an NBA head coaching gig.

While we understand the analytics that prevail in all professional sports, we still have enough old school in us to look at players and separate them into two categories: He can play and we don’t know if he can play.

Looking at the current Cavs roster, we see a lot of guys who can play. And that’s a good thing. Now, can Bickerstaff and the coaching staff mold them into a unit that can be cohesive and make each other better? That’s the challenge.

Up front, the Cavs have two former all-stars in Kevin Love and Andre Drummond. That should speak for itself. Between the two of them, there are five league rebounding titles, four by Drummond.

Love can shoot the ball and is a terrific outlet passer, and really sacrificed his personal game when Cleveland went to four straight NBA Finals. Drummond has been on losing teams most of his career, both times he has been in the playoffs, his team was swept. But he’s a skilled big man and a force inside, although not a big rim protector.

In the backcourt, Collin Sexton has grown on us. He’s a competitor to be sure and his work ethic is apparently off the charts. And it has been reported that Darius Garland was the most improved player on the team during the off-season workout period.

How can you not like what Kevin Porter Jr. did as a rookie last season? He seemed to get better each month as the season went on, and his minutes increased as a result, and so did his playmaking abilities. We are anxious to see how much he has improved this coming season.

Cedi Osman seems to be a polarizing figure, perhaps because some figured he was going to be a star for some reason, but he’s a player. He’s not a starter for a upper echelon team, but he can certainly be in the top eight players. His best role is probably more of a slasher, a drive and dish guy more than an outside spot up shooter.

Larry Nance Jr. is a guy who is perfect for a real good team, one reason he is coveted by them. With his perimeter shooting improving, he can get some minutes at small forward. He is probably the team’s best defender and is an underrated passer. He should be among the team’s leaders in minutes, even if he doesn’t start.

Then you have the new players we haven’t seen yet in Dylan Windler and rookie Isaac Okoro. We are anxious to see Windler’s shooting, and how Okoro’s defensive mindset plays in the Association.

And you also have JeVale McGee, who can be a solid rim protector if he comes to play, and another young guard in Dante Exum, who is still just 25, and was once the 5th overall pick in the draft.

The Cavs have some players who can play in our opinion. To us, the biggest message that the organization needs to send is that winning is important. Contending for a playoff spot should be on the table.

The days of tanking and hoping need to be over.

Looking At Bickerstaff’s Experiences…

What do we know about Cavs’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff? Yes, we know his father was a long time coach in the NBA with the Sonics, Hornets, Nuggets, and Washington (both Bullets and Wizards, actually), making five playoffs appearances.

But how has he coached style-wise? We only got to see him for 11 games before the season ended abruptly due to the pandemic. The Cavaliers looked much better under his leadership, going 5-6 after he took over for John Beilein, who guided (?) the squad to a 14-40 mark.

Bickerstaff’s first head coaching gig was with Houston in 2015-16 taking over for Kevin McHale 11 games into the season. The Rockets made the playoffs, losing in five games to Golden State, who of course, lost in the Finals that season to the Cavs.

That Houston team was a veteran group, led by James Harden, who was the youngest of the top five in minutes for the team at 26 years old. Although the Rockets were 21st in defensive efficiency, Bickerstaff gave a lot of minutes to solid defenders like Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverly, and he started Dwight Howard.

They were 7th in pace.

He then went to Memphis after being let go in favor of Mike D’Antoni as associate head coach under David Fizdale. He took over for Fizdale after 19 games (taking over during a season is a common theme), and the Grizzlies played at a slow pace, ranking 29th.

Memphis’ best players were two veterans, Marc Gasol (33) and Mike Conley (30), and the other leaders in minutes were Tyreke Evans (28), Dillon Brooks (22), and JaMychal Green (27).

The following season was Bickerstaff’s only complete season in the NBA, going 33-49 with a team that was last in the Association in pace, and their top eight in minutes per game were all over 25 years old.

It was the season in which Memphis moved Gasol, along with other veterans Green and Garrett Temple, getting Jonas Valanciunas and Avery Bradley.

Again, Bickerstaff gave minutes to some good defensive players, and the Grizzlies ranked third in the league in points allowed.

In the 11 games he was the man in charge last season, he most certainly paid attention to the defensive end. The wine and gold allowed more than 130 points in three of their last five games under Beilein. They allowed over 125 points in a game under Bickerstaff just twice, and one of those was an overtime contest.

One other thing Bickerstaff did was increase the minutes for his best players. Before he took over, Collin Sexton led the team in minutes with 32, followed by Kevin Love at 31, Tristan Thompson, Darius Garland with 30 and Cedi Osman at 29.

With the new coach, Sexton, Love, and Garland increased their minutes per game by four, while Osman played two more. The biggest jump was for Larry Nance Jr., who went from 25 to 31 minutes, and started getting some time at small forward. No doubt Nance’s ability to defend was a reason for the increased time.

So, we feel we can conclude that Bickerstaff is going to emphasize defense, which is good because it’s been a long time since that end of the floor has been a strong point for Cleveland. It could be a big factor as to why Isaac Okoro was the first round pick.

Now, the question is whether or not he is on the same page as GM Koby Altman? For example, let’s say a Darius Garland or Kevin Porter Jr. aren’t working hard enough on that end of the floor (speculation)? Does the coach cut their minutes and does Altman support that, or does he want the players he drafted to be on the floor.

In his past, Bickerstaff hasn’t played a lot of young players, but that could be due to the rosters he has had. But, we feel he will lean on players like Drummond and Love as his anchors.

Also, based on his past records as a head coach, he will want to win, and will probably coach that way. It will be interesting to see how this plays out once training camp and the regular season starts.

What Is Altman’s Plan For Cavs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Isaac Okoro, a 6’6″ wing player from Auburn, whose specialty is defense with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft Wednesday night.

We have doubts about picking a defensive player who isn’t a big man or a shot blocker this high in the draft, but let’s see how it plays out. By every report, Okoro has a great work ethic and let’s hope his improves what scouts say is his weakness, his jump shot.

It is very difficult to play offense in the NBA when you have someone on the floor, particularly a wing player, who can’t shoot. The spacing, so important now, is compromised because defenders don’t have to guard the player. They sag off and get into the passing lanes.

However, our real question is the direction of the Cavaliers, led by GM Koby Altman. What exactly is he trying to accomplish?

Certainly, part of the “culture” will be set by coach J.B. Bickerstaff too. But, let’s examine the make up of the current roster.

In two of the past three drafts, Altman has drafted smaller point guards, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, thus duplicating the position. He has also now drafted three wing players in the past two drafts: Dylan Windler, Kevin Porter Jr., and now Okoro.

He also has Cedi Osman and Larry Nance Jr., who was playing some small forward for Bickerstaff when he took over a year ago, on the roster.

If he is trying to build a modern team, one that depends on the three point shot, the problem is none of these guys, excluding Windler, who we haven’t seen yet, but has the reputation of being a good shooter, are exceptional long range shooters.

The league average last season was 35.8% and the wine and gold was 20th at 35.1%. The Cavs’ best players from beyond the arc were Osman (38.3%) and Sexton at 38%. The top 20 in the NBA last season all shot over 40%.

And Okoro’s weakness is said to be his shooting.

Altman certainly isn’t building around size either. With the loss of Tristan Thompson via free agency to Boston, Cleveland has Andre Drummond (6’10”) and Kevin Love (6’8″) as the starters at center and power forward, and Nance as the back up.

Who else? Jordan Bell, who they signed as a free agent? Bell has shown he can rebound, but he’s just 6’8″. Dean Wade is 6’9″, but projects more as a stretch four.

This franchise has seemed to ignore height for years, and we just don’t understand it. Yes, the game has changed to a perimeter one (because of the ridiculous rules against playing defense), but the champion Lakers had big men (Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, and of course, LeBron James), and Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat has Bam Adebayo, Meyers Leonard, and Kelly Olynyk.

You still need big men in the NBA.

What is the direction of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their roster is still terribly top heavy at the point guard and wing spots. They were one of the smallest teams in the NBA a year ago, and have actually lost an inside player in the off-season.

That direction needs to come from the GM and the head coach. Drafting defensive players like Okoro doesn’t give you a “direction” because if the other four players on the floor don’t have the same mindset, it’s not going to work.

Defense is only as good as the weakest defender because good team will find that guy and exploit him.

Right now, the Okoro pick looks like let’s throw another wing out there. Meanwhile, drafting a big man would have replaced Thompson, who was a rotational player who left.

Could it all work out? Of course it could, but now is the time for Altman to come up with an organizational philosophy beyond collecting talent. It takes more than that to win in the NBA.

Draft Toppin? That’s Fine With Us.

One week from today, the NBA will hold its draft, about four months later than normal. As we know, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have the fifth overall pick.

In the last two drafts, GM Koby Altman has taken two 19-year-old guards with his first overall pick, and last season had two other first round picks, taking a four year college player and another teenager.

Predictably, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr. have gone through a lot of growing pains since they joined the league, and as a result, the Cavs’ record has reflected that, with 19 wins (in 82 games in 2018-19 and 65 games in 2019-20) each year, among the worst in the league.

Since both Sexton and Garland were so young, Altman was banking on potential, and that’s not totally a bad thing.

This year though, it may be the time to step back from that theory. One national writer suggested the wine and gold try to hit a double in this draft instead of going for a home run, and that’s a sentiment we agree with.

That’s why we wouldn’t mind getting Obi Toppin from Dayton, which many mock drafts have the Cavaliers taking.

Saying Toppin is a “double” isn’t an insult, because after all, he was the college player of the year last season. But in recent years, the NBA draft has become an exercise in trying to project the play of young men basically a year out of high school.

Toppin is not that. He’s 22 years old.

To us, being able to put the ball in the basket is the great equalizer in hoops, and Toppin can do that, averaging 20 points a game at Dayton, shooting 68.8% from inside the three point line, and shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc.

If you can score, a lot of bad things can happen during a possession, but if you get the ball to the scorer and he puts the ball through the hoop, the result is the same as if you executed perfectly.

The scouting report on Toppin says he has good shooting fundamentals, a high release point, and can be effective in the pick and roll as well as a spot up shooter. All of those things are in the plus column.

He also has a good basketball IQ and is not a selfish player. Again, those are great traits to have on the court.

The supposed weakness for the 6’9″, 220 pound forward is defense. We don’t think this is a big deal, and here’s why.

First, the late, great John Wooden once said the same skills that make a player good offensively translate to the defensive end. And he has demonstrated that he is a good offensive player.

Second, in the NBA, there is a difference between someone who competes on the defensive end, and a player who doesn’t care or want to play on that end of the court. If Toppin has the desire to play defense, even if he isn’t quick laterally, he can do an acceptable job defensively.

Smart coaching staffs know how to hide players who don’t have the tools to be lockdown defenders, but show the “want to” when the other team has the ball.

We know the tendency is recent years for NBA teams is to take athleticism and hope they develop into basketball players. To us, Toppin is already a basketball player.

The “let’s keep tanking” people will disagree, but it’s time for the Cavaliers to start showing some progress in the win/loss column. We think drafting Obi Toppin can aid in the start of that progress.

Altman Says Cavs May Take A Guard. We Say No Way.

It is anybody’s guess as to when we will see our professional basketball team again, as it has been reported that the NBA season may not start until after the calendar turns to 2021.

The Cavaliers are currently getting some work in at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, as part of the program for teams that were not invited to the “bubble” in Orlando.

So, coach J.B. Bickerstaff gets his first look at his team in six months, although Andre Drummond and free agent to be Tristan Thompson are not taking part in the workouts.

Bickerstaff does get his first look, on the court at least, of rookie first round pick Dylan Windler, who missed the entire 2019-20 season with a stress fracture in the leg, and subsequent surgery to repair it.

The next big order of business for the franchise is the draft, which will be held on November 18th, with the free agency period apparently to follow, although that is not confirmed.

The Cavaliers have the fifth overall pick, and GM Koby Altman has said the wine and gold will take the best player available at that spot, even if it is a guard.

Don’t believe that for a second. It is pure rhetoric unless the roster is overhauled before the draft occurs.

The Cavaliers have drafted guards in the top ten of the draft the last two years, and both are primarily point guards. With only five players on the floor at one time, you cannot have this kind of duplicity on the roster.

In addition to Collin Sexton (2018 first rounder) and Darius Garland (’19), Altman also used the last pick of the first round, which he traded for, to take yet another guard, and Kevin Porter Jr. showed signs he can be a starter in the Association long term.

So, while saying you are going to take the best player available, which is typical GM-speak going into a draft, you don’t want your organizational leader saying “we really don’t need this position, so we are going to reach to take a lesser player”, if the Cavaliers take another guard at five, it would be a colossal error.

It has been reported that Altman doesn’t want to move either Sexton, who looked much better after Bickerstaff took over as head coach, or Porter, who averaged 12 points per game after December 1st, and is the bigger guard the team needs.

That would leave the organization open to moving Garland, although they would be selling low on the second year guard, but could package him and the fifth pick this year to get a young, veteran, and yes, taller player.

Remember, the Cavs were the smallest team in the NBA a year ago, and even though they made the deal for Drummond, they lost another tall player in Ante Zizic, and Thompson could be gone by the time training camp opens.

The Cavs already have a logjam in the backcourt with Sexton and Porter the likely starters, with Garland needing minutes to develop, and don’t forget Dante Exum, a bigger guard who was the fifth overall pick in 2014, and will be only 25 years old when the next season opens, provided it opens before next June.

Don’t panic about Altman’s comments, because they are purely rhetoric, draft speak. It would be a shock if he took another guard in this draft. More likely, they will take a big man or a taller wing player.

That makes the most sense.

Wanting To Win Should Be Part Of Cavs’ Evaluation Process.

To us, when it is played correctly, basketball is a beautiful sport to watch. A local high school coach recently showed footage of the 1986 Boston Celtics moving the ball with the comment that the game never looked better.

Unfortunately, in these days of isolation and fans and players alike going crazy over fancy moves by players, sometimes that gets lost in today’s game.

We should alert you that this could come across as “get off my lawn” basketball guy.

One of the reasons for the popularity of the Golden State Warriors was the way they moved the basketball. Yes, the long range shooting was a factor too, but when the Warriors were playing well, the ball moved rapidly and found the open player.

This isn’t a new concept. The championship Knicks teams (yes, they were good once) of the early 70’s used the mantra “Find the open man”.

We see scouting reports on players and it talks about their shooting range, their leaping ability, how they can see the floor, and how strong they are, but if it’s mentioned at all, there isn’t much on the “team” attitude of the player.

What got us thinking about this was the Cavaliers’ interest in LaMelo Ball, if he is on the board whenever Cleveland makes their first selection.

First, we understand that Ball is still just 18 years old and his father has made the decisions about where he is playing basketball.

But his amateur career has been filled with going from team to team, looking for a way to best showcase his talents.

Quite frankly, it isn’t much different from what people call the “AAU culture”, where players hop from team to team to either play with their friends, which is fine, or to get away from an environment they dislike, such as having to play defense or not get as many shots.

The scouting report on Ball is he has good range on his shot, and can also get to the basket and finish. He has tremendous court vision and can find teammates in stride or in rhythm, and can play defense when he is committed.

His weaknesses are that he’s not an explosive athlete and needs to improve his shot selection. Both of those areas can be improved with a workout program and experience if he is willing to be coached.

So, he has talent. Let’s face it, if you are being projected to be a top five pick in the NBA Draft, you can play the game.

But you have to wonder what it would look like if the Cavs took him.

Yes, we know he played at SPIRE Institute in 2018, so he’s familiar with the area, but we would wonder if he would be just biding his time until he can get out of Cleveland, which might also be said about several other players in the draft.

What we don’t know is what kind of teammate he is. Is he someone who would be happy with 5 points and 7 assists in a win, or would he rather score 35 points in a loss?

We also understand the way players are viewed in the NBA has changed. For many younger fans, winning has become secondary, visually pleasing play is better. We’ve addressed this issue before.

How many of the younger players have adjusted their game to a style that leads to more winning? We saw Collin Sexton make some strides late last season.

This isn’t an indictment of Ball, he just has the highest profile. But the willingness to do things to win should be part of the equation. It truly isn’t all about talent.

Cavs Plans This Summer Should Include The Sorting Of The Guards.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have a problem at the guard position, and we aren’t criticizing the 2018 first round draft pick Collin Sexton, who has been a whipping post for many both locally and nationally.

Sexton’s play over the last month or so, have given us optimism for the 6’1″ second year guard who, by the way, still hasn’t reached his 22nd birthday.

In the 11 games played after the All Star Game, Sexton is averaging 25.5 points and 4.2 assists a night, on 53% shooting from the floor, including 43.1% from three point range.

Even better, the Cavaliers have gone 4-6 in that period. Of course, the wine and gold also changed their head coach, replacing John Beilein with J.B. Bickerstaff.

No, the problem is there seems to be too many guards on the current roster, and with the Cavs perhaps having one of the top picks in the NBA Draft, whenever it occurs, several of the highest ranked players also play guard.

In the past two seasons, GM Koby Altman has adopted the draft the best player available mentality, so what happens if that is all that’s left when Cleveland’s turn comes up in the selection process.

It would seem to trigger some sort of move or at least a change in philosophy.

One reason for the overload at the position is Altman’s gamble at the end of last year’s first round, trading for Kevin Porter Jr.

Porter has improved as the season as gone on, and has earned more playing time as a result. He started the season playing about 18 minutes, and in each month has earned more court time, going from 21 minutes in November, to 23 in January, and then to a little less than 27 in February/March.

The Cavaliers need some size in the backcourt after using top ten picks on two guards under 6’2″ the past two drafts, and Porter at 6’4″ gives them just that. Beilein used him at small forward, where he was undersized, to get him on the floor, but in reality, he’s a #2 guard, where he can be paired with Sexton or Darius Garland, last year’s first pick.

Can Bickerstaff juggle playing time for three young guards, because they all need playing time to develop, and what happens if when the Cavs turn comes up in the draft, the best players remaining are Anthony Edwards of Georgia, LaMelo Ball, and Cole Anthony of North Carolina.

The “best player available” theory has to go out the window.

If the NBA does not resume the regular season and goes right to the playoffs (which we believe will be the plan), Cleveland misses 17 games to see if or how the three young guards can coexist together, especially with the changes Sexton has made in his game.

So, what does Altman do? Does he move either Sexton or Garland prior to the draft in an effort to get either a young player with some size or another first round pick?

Or does he trade down in the draft and pick either a small forward to compete with Cedi Osman or another big man because Tristan Thompson is a free agent at the end of the year, Andre Drummond can be a free agent next summer, and you never know when Kevin Love could be traded.

The point is the Cavs have plenty of holes, but maybe the backcourt isn’t one of them. It will be interesting to see what Altman and his crew does this summer.

Bickerstaff Showing Winning Is Important And Expected

Cavs’ coach J.B. Bickerstaff used the “p” word the other day regarding his basketball team. He said the expectation for the Cavaliers next season would be to make a run at the playoffs.

First of all, that a refreshing point of view. Coaches and players should want and expect to make the post-season. We doubt players start any season, even the wine and gold this season and think “gee, let’s lose 65 games”.

Second, this has to make all the tankers nervous. There are people out there who believe teams should be trying to do one of two things: Either be in a position to win a title or trying to maximize your chances of getting the first overall pick in the draft.

They don’t understand teams need to experience winning, coming out with victories occasionally breeds more wins. It’s a learned skill, that’s why you see veteran teams who have lost a great player continue to win for awhile. The players have learned how to come out ahead.

We hate to tell people, sometimes it’s not all about talent. It’s knowing where to be on the court, knowing how to set up a teammate, knowing what’s the right play.

We all know the Cavaliers are a very young basketball team. Their top three in minutes played in 2019-20 are all 25 years old and younger–Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, and Darius Garland.

Add Kevin Porter Jr. to the mix and that would make four of the top seven, and three of those guys are under 21.

And they will add another player from this year’s draft, as they will have one of the top six picks, and that guy will also be under 21 years old.

But they still need a goal of success, and that’s where Bickerstaff’s playoff comment comes in. Talented young players sometimes need to be reminded that winning is the main goal in the NBA.

Those four young players will have some veterans still on the roster to teach them the correct way to play. We have no idea about what this summer will bring (for the league, right now too) for Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, who will be a free agent, but even if they are gone, other solid veterans will likely be brought in.

For example, after Bickerstaff took over, look at the difference in the offense when Matthew Dellavedova got a ton more minutes at the point. Delly is third on the Cavs in assists, behind Sexton and Garland, both of whom play twice the minutes of the Australian.

Look at the influence he had on Sexton when we started moving the basketball offensively. Sexton saw the success, and his assist totals, criticized by many (including us) started to rise.

That’s learning. Now we aren’t naïve to think all players are open to learning and understanding that winning is important. There are plenty in today’s game who think making the “pretty” play is the right thing to do, and winning is secondary.

Those guys usually become guys who put up numbers on bad teams.

The great players are part of winning teams, championship teams.

That’s what J.B. Bickerstaff wants to develop in Cleveland with the Cavs. And telling his young group of players that winning is important and expected is a good step.

You can’t start too early.

Season Continues Or No, Altman Has Key Decisions This Summer

With the season suspended due to COVID-19, the league that shutdown first, the NBA, is wondering what they should do when play can begin again.

While they would probably want to play some regular season games, at least to get players and teams in somewhat of a routine before the playoffs start, we believe the league should go right into the post-season.

In the Eastern Conference, there is a 5-1/2 game gap between 8th seed Orlando and the team with the ninth best record, the Washington Wizards.

In the West, the separation is 3-1/2 game between Memphis, who currently holds the final playoff spot and Portland.

With most teams having only 17-18 games remaining, it is doubtful any team currently qualifying for the post-season would drop off. Yes, we understand it is mathematically possible, not in reality, not likely.

If that is the way the NBA goes forward, then the Cavaliers have the second worst record in the NBA, and by rules, would have a 14% chance at the first pick (the highest odds along with Golden State and Minnesota), and could not fall lower than the 6th overall pick.

According to NBADraft.Net, the top six players right now are as follows–

Anthony Edwards, Georgia 6’5″ Guard
LaMelo Ball, 6’8″ Point Guard
James Wiseman, Memphis (sort of) 7’1″ Center
Obi Toppin, Dayton 6’9″ Forward
Cole Anthony, North Carolina 6’2″ Guard
Jaden McDaniels, Washington 6’10” Forward

Who should Cavs’ GM Koby Altman select?

That really depends on what decisions the team makes regarding the talent currently on the roster. Can Collin Sexton and Darius Garland play together? Making that decision is probably the key to everything else.

Our opinion is they can’t, and not because of any flaw in either player’s game. It’s because it is tough to be effective defensively, even in today’s NBA playing two guards under 6’3″.

And yes, we understand Portland has had some success, but to us, that’s the outlier not the norm.

And don’t forget the most impressive rookie for Cleveland this season, Kevin Porter Jr. and Dylan Windler, who hasn’t played all year.

What we mean is this…if you get the first overall pick, the Cavs really can’t take Edwards, Ball, or Anthony without moving either Garland or Sexton. We are not saying they don’t know that, but obviously you would get a decent piece for either player if they are dealt.

Obviously, the best fits for the wine and gold would be the big men, Wiseman, Toppin, and McDaniels. The one who figures to help most immediately would be Toppin, who played two years as a Flyer, and is 22 years old.

He would seem to be able to step in at small forward, moving Cedi Osman either to a true swingman, coming off the bench to play both guard and forward, or to the starting #2 guard spot.

Toppin doesn’t have a comparable player on the site, but Wiseman, just 19, is more of a true center (compare to Hassan Whiteside/DeAndre Jordan). If you select him, then Andre Drummond is likely gone after next season.

McDaniels, while talented, looks to be a project, weighing just 185 pounds. He will need to add weight and muscle to be more than a bench player in his rookie season. And you never know how big men with slight builds develop as NBA players.

Do they become Chris Bosh or Marquise Chriss?

This is a rather large off-season for Altman because of the decisions he has to make with his young backcourt. He has three first round picks from the last two draft who are ideally guards, and only two can play.

And it is difficult to ask young guys to come off the bench in 6th man roles. Sexton, Garland, Porter…which two are wearing wine and gold next season?