Was Drafting Garland Unfair To Sexton?

Last June, the Cleveland Cavaliers made Darius Garland the fifth overall pick in the NBA draft despite drafting a smaller guard the year before in Collin Sexton.

We’ve heard a few people compare the situation to 1987 when the Cavs traded for Mark Price after he was drafted by Dallas in the second round, and then GM Wayne Embry picked Kevin Johnson, another lead guard in the first round the following draft.

The difference is Price didn’t play a lot as a rookie, averaging just 18 minutes a night, and scored just 6.9 points and three assists, and shot just 41% from the floor behind John Bagley.

The next season, Price averaged 16 points, 6 assists, and shot 50% from the floor, and by mid-season, Johnson was traded to Phoenix in a package that netted the Cavs Larry Nance Sr. and Mike Sanders.

Nance was the missing piece Cleveland needed and they won 57 games the following year, being eliminated in the playoffs by “The Shot”.

With Garland and Sexton both drafted very high, the front office and coaching staff felt they needed to play the two guards together, even though they sacrificed size, with two under 6’2″ players in the backcourt.

John Beilein thought the pair could play together and perhaps they could have in college, but in the pro, it’s tough to play defense with a lack of height, even at guard.

Perhaps the better idea would have been to start Sexton, who improved as his rookie season progressed and pair him with a bigger #2 guard, and bring Garland off the bench, much like Johnson over 30 years ago.

Sexton, who has been widely criticized all season long (including here), seemed unsure of what he was supposed to do, being moved off the ball.

Since the end of January, the second year man from Alabama has averaged 24.2 points and 4.2 assists per game. Keep in mind, a year ago, Sexton averaged three dimes per contest.

Perhaps it was too much to expect two rookie guards to play effectively at the NBA level this early. It seems playing with veterans helps Sexton, and maybe not having to guard bigger off-guards all night helps his offense too.

This is not to denigrate Garland, but he’s 19-years-old and only played four games in college a year ago.

When you play with guys who have been around, and know how to move the basketball, like Kevin Love, Larry Nance, and Matthew Dellavedova, it becomes contagious, and you become a better passer too.

Sexton admitted when Beilein stepped down and J.B. Bickerstaff took over, that he looked inward and wondered if he needed to play better and play differently. He certainly has done just that.

If Sexton continues to play like he has in the last month, GM Koby Altman has a huge decision to make. Does he turn the keys to the offense over to Sexton and make a move with Garland?

The rookie is averaging 12.3 points and 3.9 assists per game, and he looks like he can play in the NBA. But Kevin Porter Jr. has scored 10 points and dished out 2.2 assists in seven less minutes per night, and he looks like a keeper too.

Resolving the backcourt may be the single most important decision the Cavs have to make this off-season. However, they may not get the value they want because of how they handled the 2019-20 season.

Hard To Find Fault With Cavs Or Beilein For This Failure.

It appears the revolving door that is the head coaching position for the Cleveland Cavaliers has started to turn again.

It is very likely that John Beilein has coached his last game in the NBA for the Cavs, and it is difficult to place blame on this failure to work on any one party.

In theory, hiring a college coach was a decent idea. The wine and gold put together a very young roster, and the thought was let’s bring in someone who can teach the kids to play the right way.

Beilein was connected to the Cavs by assistant GM Mike Gansey, who played for him at West Virginia, and obviously he thought he was prepared for an 82 game schedule and all the other things that came with being an NBA head coach.

He was wrong. He isn’t happy, and at 67 years old, shouldn’t you want to do something that gives you joy?

And that’s what we believe, that this is Beilein’s decision more than it’s the front office being unhappy with the direction of the team.

We do think there are reasons for the coach’s discontent though.

We feel he knows the current roster isn’t set up for success, and the front office is driving the idea of playing the “mini backcourt” of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. The coaching staff knows it is very difficult to win in the pro game playing a pair of guard that are under 6’2″.

The tipping point for the former Michigan coach may have been the trading deadline. There has been speculation Beilein wanted Sexton and Kevin Love moved before the rosters were set for the balance of the season, and when that didn’t happen, he decided he couldn’t wait to get out.

The Cavs shouldn’t be shocked with the move either. After all, they hired a 66 year old head coach with no NBA experience. If they didn’t have an idea this may not work, then they were foolish.

We would guess JB Bickerstaff takes over the reins for the rest of the season. What he needs to establish is a blueprint for how the Cavaliers are going to play, and that imprint should come after a discussion with the front office.

Cleveland sports people have been using the term “alignment” a lot recently, mostly in discussing the Browns. However, the same thing is needed at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

We have been saying for about a month now, that the Cavs need an identity besides young players getting better.

If it was up to us, we would establish a defensive mindset. Most NBA players (if not all) can put the ball in the basket, but playing time should be determined by effort and success when the ball isn’t in your hands.

Until there is accountability on the other end of the floor, it is difficult to see significant progress for this group.

Perhaps Bickerstaff can talk to Altman and get the “season has been a success” crap out of the way. It is time to start seeing progress, and it should start with playing defense.

You don’t play it? You don’t play.

If Bickerstaff can start putting this in place, keep him on for next year. If not, hire someone who will, but they have to have Altman on the same page.

Otherwise, it won’t work, and we will likely be talking about the same thing at this time next year.

Cavs Need To Adjust Their Style After The Break

The Cleveland Cavaliers enter the NBA All-Star weekend with the worst record in the Eastern Conference and second worst in the entire league.

They did make a splash at the trading deadline, acquiring two time All Star Andre Drummond from Detroit for pretty much a bag of balls and some warmups.

That’s not to disparage John Henson and Brandon Knight, but they were free agents to be at the end of the season, and weren’t coming back to play for the wine and gold.

With their roster set, what does the balance of the NBA schedule hold for the Cavs? What should they be trying to accomplish in the 30 or so games remaining on the slate?

GM Koby Altman was quoted as saying this season, yes, this one, has been a success because of the development of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr.

While we understand where he is coming from, no season in which a team wins just 26% of their games is a good one, particularly when they won only 23% last season, and supposedly added two first round picks.

These last 28 games should be about showing some progress on the court. No, we don’t think the Cavs should or will make the playoffs, but it would be nice if there were no more 41 point losses at home either.

And really, let’s say John Beilein’s group stunned the world and went 20-8 in the remaining schedule. Would people really be upset by that? That would be significant progress, no?

With the addition of Drummond, Cleveland is going against the grain in today’s NBA, going with more size. That’s not a bad thing, just different. But if you are going to go with it, you also have to change your style of play.

When Phoenix started the “small ball” movement, they didn’t line up and play the same style of all the taller teams in the NBA at that time, they started playing with pace and shooting more threes than the rest of the league.

The league average in 2004-05, Mike D’Antoni’s first year with the Suns, was 15.8 three point attempts per game. Phoenix took a league high 24.7.

If Beilein is going to feature Drummond, Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., and Tristan Thompson, the strategy should be play fast off of defensive rebounds, take advantage of fast break opportunities.

If that isn’t there, and the team is in a half court situation, the object should be to work inside out. Get the ball to Drummond or Love around the paint and surround them with shooters.

Thus, a greater emphasis should be put on defense, since the best way to fast break is to get stops, grab the rebound, and run.

That may also entail using a different rotation in the backcourt, maybe moving Garland to the bench and getting a little more size at guard by using Sexton and Porter, and occasionally Cedi Osman there.

We have said all season we would like to see Osman, Nance, and Love on the floor at the same time with Thompson at center, just to see if the Cavs can play that way.

This would be a good chance to experiment with that group together.

If you are going to play with size, then you have to use a style that doesn’t allow your bigs to be run off the floor, particularly with the way the game is played.

It’s going to take a new commitment from the coaching staff and the players. Will we see some progress in terms of team goals between now and the middle of April?

Key Word For Cavs? Accountability

Watching Saturday night’s Cavaliers game against the Chicago Bulls, both Austin Carr and Brad Daugherty both mentioned the same word multiple times.

The word was accountability.

Right now, the young Cavs don’t have it.

There doesn’t seem to be any personal accountability from the players themselves, and most of that seems to be because there isn’t any from the coaching staff.

This isn’t a blast on John Beilein because we believe the entire organization is invested in the development of the players drafted over the past two seasons: Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr.

So, this is something that has to come from both the front office and the coaching staff. Together.

Beilein was brought in to teach, to guide the young players in learning the game, to play a style conducive to winning, but it seems right now like while these things are discussed in film review and in practice, there are no consequences for not doing what the coaches want.

There is a fine line between letting players learn while playing and taking away playing time for transgressions, and now that 46 games have been played, perhaps it is time for a velvet glove to be used.

The wine and gold have been blown out the past three games, all at home, by the Knicks, Wizards, and Bulls, all teams in the Cavaliers’ class, that is to say, none of that trio is making the playoffs.

We could understand the lopsided defeats if they were playing the Bucks, Lakers, and Clippers. Or if they lost close games to the lesser lights of the NBA. But getting smoked indicates something needs to change.

The Cavs are reverted to the same god awful defensive team they were last season, although they weren’t a juggernaut on that end of the floor earlier this year. However, looking at the box score, we see John Henson played 11 minutes and Matthew Dellavedova was on the court for five.

Doesn’t seem like defense is a priority for the team if you are playing those two just 16 combined minutes. And yes, we know Delly has had a horrific shooting year, but if defense is important he should play.

After getting blitzed in the third quarter Saturday to fall behind by more than 20 points, the 4th quarter opened with Garland taking a 30 foot shot, and no, the shot clock was not running down.

When Beilein says he doesn’t want Garland losing confidence in his shot, we are sure he didn’t mean a shot like that was okay. Why not take him out of the game at that point?

Later, Dante Exum, who has more size to guard Zach LaVine than Sexton or Garland, was doing a decent job on the Bulls’ leading scorer, but Beilein removed him to put Garland back in the game.

Look, we know winning isn’t the end game for the Cavs in 2019-20, but you have to have some success and also build a foundation for winning down the road, and that begins by having the players be accountable.

The coaching staff put Tristan Thompson on LaVine at times during the game, which isn’t fair to Thompson, who is a very good defender, but shouldn’t be expected to stop a 6’6″ shooting guard on the perimeter.

That’s the problem when you lack size though. The Cavs don’t have any guards long enough to be a deterrent to a guy like LaVine. Hopefully this is addressed soon.

It’s time to take the training wheels off some of the young guys and force accountability on them. Until that happens, get used to seeing games like the three played last week.

The Sexton Dilemma

We all know this was a season of growth and development for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s why GM Koby Altman hired John Beilein as the coach, a guy with a reputation for teaching young players how to do it.

Cleveland had three first round picks in 2019, and used them on Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr. That trio, along with 2018 lottery pick Collin Sexton, were supposed to be the foundation for future success.

We don’t disagree with the drafting of Sexton and Garland, two smaller guards, in the last two years because we believe in the taking the past available player especially when you are a rebuilding team, and it seemed (at the time!) they were doing just that.

However, Sexton has fallen far short of expectations, and apparently is driving his teammates crazy in the process.

Right now, according to Basketball References’ VORP (Value Over Replacement Player), Sexton is the worst player who was drafted in 2018, just behind Kevin Knox of the Knicks, who was drafted right after him, and was a guy many people in Cleveland wanted the Cavs to pick.

The best players picked after Sexton, who was chosen 8th overall are New York’s Mitchell Robinson (36th), Mikal Bridges (10th), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11th).

First, we think Sexton has some talent, and he certainly has a good work ethic. By all accounts the Cavs’ management had to lock him out of the practice facility or he would not have left.

However, he may have the problem that plagued Michael Jordan’s early career with the Bulls, he feels the best option on every possession is himself. That differs from the way John Beilein has said he wants his team to play.

Beilein preaches ball movement, and too often Sexton falls in love with his dribble and looks for his own shot.

His three point shot percentage has dropped from 40% last season to 30% this season, although his overall percentage has risen to 45% from 43% in 2018-19.

And while he no longer is the primary point guard, he ranks fifth on the team in assists per game, behind a power forward in Kevin Love, and Matthew Dellavedova, who plays 18 minutes less per game.

He also has the second worst defensive rating on the team ahead of only Garland. That speaks to the Cavs being a bad defensive team and also being the smallest team in the NBA.

The biggest issue is the fit. Where does Collin Sexton fit on the Cavaliers, not this season, but for the future. Is he a foundation piece for the organization?

Playing the way he has this season, we would say no. We would rather have the ball in Garland’s hands, as he seems like a willing passer, eager to set up teammates.

Can Sexton change? Of course, he just turned 21 years old, but when is he going to “get it”? Part of Beilein being here is to teach the young guys how to play the game of basketball, right now, it doesn’t appear like Sexton is getting the message.

The emergence of Kevin Porter Jr. plays into this as well. Porter is really a #2 guard, and plays well together with Garland. Is there enough playing time to go around for all three players? Perhaps Sexton fits best as a sixth man.

Does Sexton have a future in Cleveland? It will be interesting to see if Altman would be willing to move him before the trading deadline. Certainly, everyone in the organization needs to start seeing some progress.

Young players are supposed to get better in their second season. We are still waiting to see some improvement.

On The Frustration Of Kevin Love

The Cleveland Cavaliers seemingly have a disconnect within their own roster, and it centers around Kevin Love.

Love was fined for a temper tantrum on New Year’s Eve in Toronto, showing frustration with the way the team was playing during a timeout.

He was fined a reported $1000 (pennies for the all star) for the outburst, and then argued with GM Koby Altman after practice about the situation. Please note for future reference who Love was upset with…

Against Oklahoma City later that night, Love showed his feelings several times during the game, snapping a pass at Cedi Osman’s feet and turning and shaking his head at other times during the contest.

Clearly, he is having a tough time with the way things are going. He wants to be traded, and for him, it can’t come soon enough.

Why is he yelling at Altman though? Shouldn’t his angst be directed at the coaching staff, after all, they are controlling how the team is playing on the floor, right?

Here’s where we will try to connect the dots (at least in our humble opinion).

We think the coaching staff shares Love’s concern about the way the team is playing, but they are getting direction from the front office level.

Altman drafted both Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, two smaller guards in the first round each of the last two years. He obviously would like them to play and to play well. Unfortunately, this makes the team on the floor very small.

This height disadvantage isn’t just limited to the backcourt, the wine and gold are small throughout the roster, statistically the smallest team in the NBA.

The other reason we think Love directed his comments toward the general manager is the vision John Beilein has said he wants for his team. He consistently talks about ball movement, and how he wants the Cavs to move the ball like, say the Boston Celtics do.

But when Sexton gets into his dribbling shows, nothing is done. It would seem that if a player isn’t doing what the coach wants, there would be repercussions.

Unless, of course, the GM is telling the coach to play both of his first round picks.

This whole thing centers around Sexton, who isn’t shooting from distance like he did in the second half of his rookie season, and his assist numbers, while not good a year ago (3.0) have dropped to 2.3 per night.

And yes, we understand he is playing off the ball more than he did a year ago.

Sexton is taking more shots per game than he did a year ago, and this year Love has been available for most games. The second year man is taking four more shots per contest than Love, who by the way, is second on the team in assists (2.9) behind Garland’s 3.2.

We guess is taking his position change to “shooting” guard literally.

Look, Sexton is still a very young player, just turning 21 a few days ago. However, we are guessing by the reactions of Love and Tristan Thompson, the coaching staff is telling him to move the ball more, and yet, he still gets in ruts where he is pounding the ball into the hardwood.

Maybe, the staff wants to cut into his playing time to send a message, but the front office is saying no. And that’s where Love’s frustration comes in. Perhaps he was saying to Altman to let Beilein coach the second year pro.

We aren’t sure you can win in today’s NBA with two smaller guards, and if we are correct, eventually someone, either Garland or Sexton will have to be moved.

That’s the real decision for Koby Altman.

If Anything, Beilein Should Be Tougher On Young Cavs.

We have been saying for the past couple of seasons, the one good thing you could say about the front office of the Cleveland Cavaliers, is they haven’t brought in any knuckleheads.

After the reports that some players are quoted that coach John Beilein’s too much of a “rah rah” college coach, we stand corrected.

To be fair, it could be a false report, or it could also be the rantings of a disgruntled player who is trying to ease his way out of Cleveland, but with the Cavs currently at 5-17, and losers of 12 of their last 13, it wasn’t a good time to be happening, for everyone involved.

First of all, Beilein was brought in for his teaching skill. The wine and gold have a very young roster, outside of Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, and maybe of them need to learn how to play the game, and we aren’t speaking about just the pro game either.

Second, if a player is upset about not getting playing time in Cleveland, he should be more worried about his future in the NBA. The Cavaliers are one of the worst teams in the league, and if you can’t get on the court for that team, then perhaps as Chuck Noll used to say, you need to get on with your life’s work.

In our opinion, Beilein should be tougher. The coach says he wants a team that moves the ball, like Boston or Dallas, but his starting guards average 2.9 assists (Darius Garland) and 2.4 assists (Collin Sexton) per game.

The teams’ best player, five time All Star Kevin Love, averages the third most shots on the team, behind Sexton and Thompson, and is barely ahead of Garland and Jordan Clarkson.

And it isn’t like Love is coasting, waiting to be dealt to a contender. He’s still averaging 10.5 rebounds per night, and this is for a Cleveland team that is smaller than the opponents on a nightly basis.

What would be do if we were coaching? We know Beilein was brought in to develop the young players, so he is trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but we would start making some cuts in playing time to send a message.

Sexton is showing signs of being a “chucker”, looking for his shot before anything else. It might be time to have some time to understand what the coach is looking for offensively.

We have said this for a few weeks, but we would move Nance into the lineup at small forward (he’s shooting 37% from three) and move Cedi Osman to the two. That would instantly make Cleveland bigger, but Nance is a very good passer and Osman isn’t bad, so it would increase ball movement.

And maybe, it lights a fire under the second year guard, who we think has regressed from the way he ended his rookie season.

It would also open up some time for Alfonzo McKinnie, who we would like to see more of.

Whose minutes would be cut? We understand the Cavs would like to deal Clarkson, an asset because of his expiring contract, but his shoot first mentality is an odd fit here anyway.

Moving Nance to the three would also open up minutes for Ante Zizic, who the organization needs to find out about.

Thompson was very vocal after Friday’s game about the comments about the coach, saying it was a bad look, although he was much more forceful than that.

GM Koby Altman should be finding out who made the comments and get them out of town as quickly as possible.

The Cavs made a bold choice in bringing in Beilein. Now they need to have his back.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly Thus Far For Cavs

After getting off to a decent start to the NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have become what most people thought going into the season. They are one of the worst teams in the league at 5-15.

Only three teams have a worse record: Atlanta (5-16), New York (4-17) and Golden State (4-18).

With three players 20 years old or younger getting primary minutes, the wine and gold’s poor record isn’t unexpected. And we certainly feel John Beilein has done a solid job teaching and guiding the young roster.

That said, here is the good, the bad, and the ugly as the Cavs hit the quarter pole of the 2019-20 campaign.

The Good. Tristan Thompson has improved his offense, averaging 13.9 points (more than two points above his career high) and continues to rebound well, also at career high 10.6 per game. Whether he stays with the Cavs or is moved before the trade deadline, he has been a positive influence both on and off the court.

Larry Nance Jr. has improved his perimeter shooting, hitting 39% of his three point shots. He’s averaging 10.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. We do wish the team would take advantage of his passing more often.

Kevin Porter Jr. has shown flashes enough that we can see him living up to his reputation as being the steal of last year’s draft being the last pick in the first round.

He’s getting 20 minutes per night, usually at small forward where he is usually undersized. And he’s a pretty good passer for a rookie too.

The Bad. Collin Sexton seems to have leveled off, perhaps because he is sharing the playmaking duties with rookie Darius Garland. His three point shooting has dropped to 32% from 40% last year, and his assist total has dropped. There are too many possessions for the Cavaliers where Sexton is the only one touching the ball.

Which brings us to this–Kevin Love is getting the least shots per game of his Cleveland career at 11.4. Love is still the Cavs’ best offensive player. It would help if everyone else on the team realized that.

Granted, he’s missed some time lately with a back issue, but the five time all star has taken more than 14 shots just three times since the sixth game of the season. He took more than 14 is three of the first six games.

The Cavs need more size. They are statistically the smallest team in the NBA, averaging 6-5.5″ per player. The league average is a full inch larger. The tallest Cav is Ante Zizic, who plays little.

Basketball has changed, but you still need big guys to play it at the NBA level.

When Cleveland plays a team with any size at all, they get battered inside. Any move GM Koby Altman makes this season should involve bringing in size, at all positions.

The Ugly. For starters, Matthew Dellavedova’s three point shooting percentage of 9.4% (3 for 32). Perhaps, Delly is better off passing on the long range shot.

Cleveland is third last (ahead of only New York and Portland) in assists. This has to be Beilein’s pet peeve, as he stresses ball movement ad nauseum. Watching games, there is still way too much dribbling and not enough passing.

It might help if the ball were in the hands of guys like Love and Nance, both good and willing passers more often.

And the Cavs’ defense is starting to show signs of returning to last year’s horrific state. Part of it is the size issue as Cleveland is last in the NBA in blocked shots. The wine and gold need a rim protector in the worst way.

New-Old Coach, Veteran Players Guiding The Young Cavs

We have said many times over the past year or so that the one thing you have to give credit to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ front office is the character of the players they have on the roster.

In a sport filled with players with big egos, the Cavs have accumulated people who work hard at their craft, and in the case of Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, guys who are willing to take the young players under their wings and teach them the ways of the NBA.

Those young players are willing to take the instruction, which again has been something many teams cannot claim.

To sum it up, the Cavaliers have a lot of unselfish players.

They have even embraced and taken to a college coach, John Beilein, an NBA outsider, who has come in at 66 years old, who has emphasized teaching and growing players’ games. At this point in the year, and granted it’s only nine games in, it appears there is a mutual respect between the new coach and the veteran players.

The front office helped Beilein by bringing in two longtime NBA assistant coaches, J.B. Bickerstaff (in the league since 2004-05) and Antonio Lang (coaching since 2014-15) to facilitate the process.

Praise should be given to both sides. We saw what happened a few years ago when David Blatt, by any measure an accomplished basketball mind, came in like he knew everything about the pro game, and didn’t establish a connection with his players, which included a superstar in LeBron James.

And, a lot of veteran players, particularly ones who have played on a championship team or made four straight trips to the NBA Finals, wouldn’t have an interest in mentoring a bunch of 19 and 20 year olds.

We believe the type of people that Beilein, Love, and Thompson are is a huge reason this is working so far.

Cleveland is the 10th youngest team in the league with an average age of 25.2, because they have that rank despite the presence of Love (31), Matthew Dellavedova (another teaching veteran at 29), John Henson (29), and Thompson (28).

There are 240 minutes of playing time in a non-overtime NBA game. Right now, the Cavs are giving 78 of those minutes (almost one-third) to Collin Sexton (31.0/game), Darius Garland (28.3) and Kevin Porter Jr. (19), two rookies and a second year player who is just 21 years old.

The only younger team than the Cavaliers that has a winning record is Minnesota at an average age of 25.1, and with a 5-4 record.

Yes, we know three of Cleveland’s four wins have come against the Bulls, Wizards, and Knicks, and it is unlikely any of those teams will be in the post-season.

But, under Beilein, Thompson has become more offense oriented, averaging over five points more per game than his career high of 11.7. Obviously, he’s taking more shots, but not really forcing them, just getting more in the flow of the offense.

As for Love, he’s shooting at the highest percentage of two point shots (48.1%) of his career. Remember, Love became more of a stretch four with James here, so getting more shots near the basket appears to agree with him.

So, not only is the new coach helping the young players develop, he’s also putting the veterans in good spots.

So far, it’s working. While we don’t think the playoffs are a possibility this season, it is refreshing to see a formula and a guiding hand for the young players.

Will it continue? Who knows for sure, but it won’t be due to a lack of character for this Cavalier team.

First Impressions On The Wine And Gold

We understand the NBA schedule is just two games in, so it is very early to make definitive proclamations about any team, and that includes the Cleveland Cavaliers.

However, we have seen some things we have liked in the first two contests, and we hope they will continue as the season goes on.

The first is defensive improvement. It would be hard to be worse that last year’s complete crap show, organized by “defensive” assistant Mike Longabardi, so there’s that.

However, the first thing we have noticed is no longer are we seeing opponent coasting down the lane for dunks without any resistance from people wearing a Cleveland uniform.

The Cavs have not allowed 100 points in either game, a vast improvement. Last season, for the entire 82 games, the wine and gold allowed less than 100 points just nine times. Nine games out of 82!

There was only one time all of last year where the Cavaliers allowed less than 100 points in consecutive games, November 7-13, when they held Oklahoma City, Chicago, and Charlotte under the century mark in three straight.

The last time they did this period, was March 3rd when they held Orlando, this year’s opener opponent to 93 points.

The Cavs’ defensive rating was a league worst 117.6 in 2018-19, and after two games, they sit at 97.1.

Now no one thinks that will continue all season, but it is a good start.

Last night, there was a stretch in the third quarter where new coach John Beilein had John Henson, Larry Nance Jr., and Matthew Dellavedova on the floor together and the defense was suffocating.

When was the last time you could say about the Cavs?

Also, the offense is working more inside out.

Last season, Collin Sexton and Jordan Clarkson led the Cavs in shots per game, combining for 29.3 per night, about 1/3rd of the team’s total.

After two games, Cleveland is averaging 84 shots per game, with Sexton and Tristan Thompson leading the way. Yes, we know Thompson hit a three last night, but most of his shots are in the paint.

And Beilein said after the opening game that Kevin Love should be getting more shots, which we were happy to hear. Love is the team’s best player, and he should be getting the most shots.

The offense should run through Love, Sexton, and Darius Garland, and Love getting nine assists last night is another example of the coaching staff stressing points to the players.

We have complained over the years about Tristan Thompson’s lack of development on the offensive end, so we are happy to see some improvement. No, we don’t need Thompson firing too often from beyond the arc, but when he gets the ball inside now, he is putting the ball in the basket.

And, Darius Garland has some range. Sexton has made more three after the first two games, but the rookie can knock it down. As he gains experience, we can see him being the type of player who other teams will have to guard from five feet beyond the three point line.

Whether or not these trends can continue, who knows, but we were a little concerned during the exhibition season about the offensive structure, and that could still rear its ugly head.

However, it looks like the coaching staff isn’t going to let any thing slide thus far. And that’s a good thing with a young team.