Cavs Get Hunter, Hunting A Title

We have said many times over the last couple of years that the Cleveland Cavaliers needed more size, and they addressed it on Thursday getting De’Andre Hunter from Atlanta for Caris LeVert, Georges Niang, some second-round draft picks and some pick swaps.

Hunter stands out because he’s a 6’8″ wing and most of Cleveland’s wing are in the 6’5″/6’6″ range. When you pair that with two smaller starting guards, it’s a problem against long, athletic teams.

Hunter is having his best year in a sixth man role with the Hawks, averaging 19.0 points per night on 46% shooting and is making 39.3% of his threes. That latter figure is trending up over the last two seasons, hitting 38.5% last year.

Now, Kenny Atkinson has two tall wings in Hunter and Dean Wade, when he gets back and hopefully can stay healthy.

The loss of LeVert will be underrated by some who only judge basketball on numbers, but he was one of the few Cavs who can create his own shot and gave the wine and gold some size in the backcourt. To us, he was Cleveland’s fifth best player, a spot now taken by Hunter.

However, Ty Jerome can pick up the slack in the shot creation department, he is very creative around the basket and is a very good passer as well.

And Niang was a solid three-point shooter at 40% and Atkinson was using him at power forward at time, albeit he was undersized. His locker room presence will be missed.

There was a lot of discussion about chemistry with the Cavs, but remember Hunter played with Ty Jerome at Virginia, so there is a locker room connection there, and both played for Tony Bennett at UVA, and Bennett was one of college hoops’ finest teachers. In our opinion, playing for him means you know how to play.

And that’s one of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ strengths.

We would still like to see team president Koby Altman need some more size in the buyout market. There were rumors the Cavs were interested in 6’10” Ben Simmons, but he signed with the Clippers.

But Simmons is more of a wing defender and the Cavaliers need another post presence. The thought that keeps going through our head is if Jarrett Allen and/or Evan Mobley get hurt (hopefully nothing long term), Atkinson’s only alternative is Tristan Thompson, and that’s an issue.

If Atkinson wants, he can go with Mitchell or Garland and Jerome in the backcourt (6’2″ and 6’5″) with Hunter, Mobley and Allen up front. That’s more of what most NBA teams do in terms of height.

He can also use Max Strus or Isaac Okoro (6’5″) in the backcourt as well.

Cleveland still has an open roster spot, so we would expect Altman to find another player with size who is bought out or perhaps in the G-League.

Again, this player wouldn’t be expected to be a rotation piece, more like some insurance in case of injuries or foul issues.

We wrote the other day that the Cavs did have tremendous chemistry but were also in a unique situation because of their record. Altman decided to push the chips to the middle of the table, something we wish another team in the city would do.

Cleveland should be better vs. long, athletic teams, and it is clear the goal is to now get to the NBA Finals and win it.

Just an excellent move.

Yes, Cavs Have Chemistry. They Also Have a Unique Opportunity.

There is no question the Cleveland Cavaliers have tremendous chemistry. They seem to share the ball, enjoy playing with each other and the results have shown this. They are sitting at 40-9, the best record in the NBA.

Their best player, Donovan Mitchell has accepted playing less minutes and taking less shots in order to get more people involved, allowing more players to play significant minutes.

This has allowed the wine and gold to survive when players have missed time due to injuries. Isaac Okoro has played just 28 games, Dean Wade has missed 14, Caris LeVert 13. Yet the Cavs continue to roll losing three in a row just once this season.

They are 24-3 at home, 16-6 on the road. They are 26-6 against the Eastern Conference, 14-3 vs. the West. There are probably three or four teams that can win an NBA title this season, and Cleveland is one of them.

One of the things we have praised team president Koby Altman for is he has brought in all these players, and they all have good character. There isn’t a knucklehead or a diva on the roster. And in today’s NBA, that is truly remarkable.

We have heard many pundits say because of the success Cleveland has had this season; Altman should stand pat at this week’s trading deadline. And there is certainly some merit to that. Don’t make a move just to make a move.

On the other hand, because character has mattered so much to the organization, shouldn’t we trust the front office to avoid bringing in someone who will upset the chemistry?

Look, the Cavaliers are having a tremendous season. No one, not even the most ardent supporter of the wine and gold would have imagined the team being 40-9 at this point of the season.

And you don’t know if the Cavs will ever be in this situation again. They could run it back next year with the same group and not have this kind of record. That’s the reality of sports.

We don’t believe the Cavaliers will make a huge splash at the deadline, and they may even wait for the buyout market or perhaps scour the G-League for what they need, but they should be pursuing another big man. And we aren’t talking about a stretch four either.

We mean a legitimate post presence. Tristan Thompson has been a great teammate, but if either Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley have to miss any time during the rest of this season, Kenny Atkinson is going to have a problem.

The issue is Thompson’s offensive game which is severely limited. He cannot do the things within the offense that Allen and Mobley can do. The Cavs need someone who has to be guarded by the opponents.

We’ve felt Cleveland needed more size on the wing as well, and they probably still do for the playoffs, but getting a playable big man should now be the higher need.

And if a trade is out there, surely the Cavs have depth. As we said, they’ve kind of played without Okoro this year, and perhaps Jaylon Tyson could take his minutes in a pinch. A season like this may not come around again.

Nothing To Worry About, Cavs Just Battling Some Depth Issues

The Cleveland Cavaliers have lost three of their last four games and some people are in panic mode. Did everyone really think this Cavs’ team was going to go 74-8 and have the greatest regular season in NBA history?

We didn’t. We would also feel differently about these past two weeks if A). the Cavs were being beaten soundly and B). they were completely healthy.

Let’s look at the second thing first. One reason for the wine and gold’s success this season is their depth, Kenny Atkinson plays 11 guys more than 10 minutes per game. When they have had individuals out for a game or two, that depth pays off because the other players fill in those minutes.

Over the past week or so, the Cavs have had three or four players out, forcing Jaylon Tyson, Craig Porter Jr., and Tristan Thompson to play significant minutes. Individually, when one of them has had to fill in, it has been done seamlessly but having to play all three of them out there, sometimes together, has taken a toll.

One of the four possible Cavaliers’ all-stars, Evan Mobley, missed four games in the last ten days, but the guy who is probably the fifth best player on the team, Caris LeVert, has also missed four contests, including the last three, all losses.

LeVert doesn’t get a lot of love from fans, who mostly look at scoring averages and three-point shooting. But he gives the Cavs some length in the backcourt and on the wing, can create his own shot, and is a solid defender. He’s a very important player, and that’s why we shake our head when we hear about possible deals for him.

Missing Dean Wade doesn’t help the cause either. He was already starting at the four for Mobley, and as soon as Mobley came back, Wade went down. We’ve talked about the lack of depth among the big men in the past and this injury highlights the problem.

Wade’s career high in games played is 63 back in 2020-21, his first full year with Cleveland, and since then, he consistently misses about a third of the regular season. His injury forces Thompson to play much more than we are sure Atkinson would prefer.

Losing the depth is a big issue. And it’s forcing the coaching staff to go deeper into the bench. That may pay dividends down the road, getting time for Tyson and Porter Jr., but in the short term, it has caused a problem.

However, it is not as though the wine and gold are getting blown out, despite the injuries. Two losses to the Rockets, who are 30-14, by one on the road and by four at home, is hardly anything to be upset about. The loss to an undermanned Sixers’ team wasn’t ideal, but that’s life in the NBA.

Look, the Cavs aren’t a perfect team and having several rotation pieces out of the lineup exposes some of their flaws. It also doesn’t mean they have hit the proverbial wall. They’ll be fine when they get these important players back.

It should also remind the front office to not stand pat at the trade deadline. Even a marginal improvement could be the difference between a conference finals appearance and an NBA Finals spot.

Cavs Getting Threes From Good Shooters

It seems the NBA is going through a controversy about the three-point shot. Watching some games, it seems like all that is missing is the rack of balls used doing the contest on All-Star Saturday night.

One of the games’ best young players, Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards, is shooting over 10 threes per game (he’s making 42.4%), and Boston’s Jayson Tatum is doing the same. In all, five players are shooting that kind of volume.

Four of the guys ranking in the top ten in attempts are shooting less than 36% from distance. We know the analytics say making 33% of the threes is the same as shooting 50% from the field, but our numbers show a made two-point shot is better than a missed three-point shot.

This brings us to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many people have talked about their shooting this season, but they rank just 10th in the league in taking shots from beyond the arc, but they lead the NBA in percentage, knocking down 39.9%.

The teams who have taken the most threes are Boston (13th in percentage made), Chicago (9th), Charlotte (17th), Golden State (12th), and Minnesota (14th).

What we think that says about the wine and gold is they aren’t just shooting threes to shoot them, they are getting quality looks and having good shooters take those shots.

The Cavaliers who have taken the most threes are Donovan Mitchell (9.2), Darius Garland (6.8), Sam Merrill (5.5), Georges Niang (4.6), and Dean Wade (4.3). Two of those players, Merrill and Niang have reputations as snipers, meaning they are first and foremost long-distance shooters.

Mitchell is knocking down 40.4% from beyond the arc and Garland is at 41.8%. The two players with the reps are at 33.3% (Merrill) and 36.3% (Niang). Wade is shooting just 30.5%, and we wish he would not take as many shots from outside.

Wade is a career 36.4% three-point shooter, but if you take out his seven best three-shooting games (yes, we know he had them) in which he knocked down an unreal 38 of 57 shots, his career percentage drops to 33.4%.

What we are saying is that if his first couple long range shots don’t fall, he probably should get closer to the basket.

Other Cavs’ players have been super-efficient from long range. Isaac Okoro and Caris LeVert are both making around 49% from three, while Ty Jerome and Evan Mobley are both around 40% as well.

In our mind, the reason for all of the three-point shooting is the success Golden State had from 2015-2019 and the analytics group.

However, the reason for the Warriors’ success were both of their primary long-range shooters, Stephan Curry and Klay Thompson, both knocked down over 40% from behind the line.

People always talk about Trae Young’s range, but he’s 35.2% from three. LaMelo Ball likes to hoist them too, but he’s 37.2% for his career, and around 35.5% over the last two years.

It’s one thing to take three-point shots, it’s another to make them. Part of the Cavaliers’ early success is having good shooters taking good shots. Shooting them doesn’t make a team effective, making them does.

Cavs’ Recent Losses Indicate A Roster Weakness

While there shouldn’t be any real concern over the Cleveland Cavaliers first losing streak of the season, it can be true that some of the concerns we had about the roster showed up in the two straight losses to the Atlanta Hawks, a squad with a 9-11 record to date.

We have been pointing out for we guess a couple of years about the lack of height on Cleveland’s roster. We talked about it before the playoffs last year anticipating a match up with Boston.

While the wine and gold have two smaller guards in Donovan Mitchell (6’3″) and Darius Garland (6’2″), Boston goes with a pair of 6’4″ guards in Jrue Holiday and Derrick White.

The Cavs start 6’5″ Isaac Okoro at forward, while the Celts have 6’6″ Jaylen Brown and 6’8″ Jayson Tatum. And they have Kristaps Porzingis (7’2″) at center, meaning the Cavaliers have a size advantage at only one spot in Evan Mobley.

Atlanta is built similarly although they have Trae Young (6’1″) at the point. The rest of the starting five is 6’8″ Dyson Daniels, 6’8″ Zaccharie Risacher, 6’9″ Jalen Johnson, and 6’10” Clint Capela.

And they use 6’8″ De’Andre Hunter off the bench as well.

Coincidentally, the Celtics and Hawks have dealt Kenny Atkinson’s crew their only three defeats this season and of course, the Cavs and Celtics play tonight at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

It is difficult to point out weaknesses when a team is 15-0 or even 17-1 (still a little weird doing it at 17-3, frankly) but Cleveland needs more size and athleticism at the wing spots and definitely they need another inside player.

We liked the Ty Jerome signing a year ago because at 6’5″ he gives the backcourt more size. But Cleveland is still full of wings that go 6’5″ or 6’6″ when many teams in the league go 6’7″ or 6’8″ at those positions.

And getting Max Strus (6’5″) back doesn’t solve that issue.

Dean Wade is a valuable defender and is 6’9″, and he can defend on the perimeter. However, there are two problems with the fifth-year player out of Kansas State: He’s very streaky with his shot and he’s injury prone.

Wade has only played more than 60 games once in his career in 2020-21, and since his high was 54 games last season. Availability is an ability.

Besides even if Wade is available, the Cavs still need another big man. If something would happen to Mobley and Allen long term, who picks up the slack? If there is a move to be made at the trade deadline, it should be to get a veteran big man who can defend the rim.

And yes, we know Tristan Thompson is on the roster, but he’s there for his veteran leadership and knowledge. If he has to start playing 20 minutes per night, it’s a problem for Atkinson.

Look, the Cavs weren’t going to go 82-0 or even 81-1 this season. They were going to lose some games. Also, they aren’t a perfectly constructed NBA team, there isn’t one, not even the defending champion Celtics.

They came into the season with some flaws on the roster, but the shooting and execution of the players covered some of that up.

We aren’t concerned by the two losses this past week, but watching how Atlanta plays should give everyone, including Atkinson and the coaching staff, an idea of why they are a tough match up.

That’s just the nature of the sport.

Have Cavs Put Together A Solid Roster?

Certainly, the Cavs’ recent struggles have put a spotlight on J.B. Bickerstaff. And to be honest, the coach doesn’t help himself with some very weird choices.

For example, in a game where the Cavs where getting hammered at Phoenix Wednesday, trailing by almost 30 points in the first half, the coach used basically seven players, and Sam Merrill and Marcus Morris each played just four minutes.

Remember, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade (perhaps joining Ty Jerome on the mysterious injury list), and Craig Porter were not available.

But, enough dogging on Bickerstaff. We go back and forth on what is more of an issue for the Cavs, the coaching or the composition of the roster, which would fall on Koby Altman.

A common theme when we discuss the wine and gold is our belief that the roster is small by NBA standards. Yes, the Cavs start Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, both 6’11”, legitimate big men. However, they are usually at a height disadvantage at each of the other three positions, particularly against the better teams in the NBA.

Look at the other teams battling Cleveland for the 2nd through 5th spots in the Eastern Conference and who they start at point guard, #2 guard, and small forward:

Cleveland: Darius Garland (6’1″), Donovan Mitchell (6’3″), Max Strus (6’5″)
Milwaukee: Damian Lillard (6’2″), Malik Beasley (6’4″), and Khris Middleton (6’7″)
New York: Jalen Brunson (6’2″), Donte DiVincenzo (6’4″), and Josh Hart (6’4″)
Orlando: Jalen Suggs (6’5″), Gary Harris (6’4″), Franz Wagner (6’10”)

Altman’s first top ten pick upon getting the job was taking Collin Sexton, a 6’3″ guard. After LeBron James left for Los Angeles as a free agent, the Cavs needed a guard who could score, so we understood the pick.

However, several mock drafts had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a 6’6″ guard going in the top six and he was still on the board when the Cavs’ picked at #8. Cleveland liked Sexton because of his toughness but traded him after an injury plagued fourth season.

Altman doubled down the following year, selecting Garland with the 5th overall selection. To be honest, we liked Jarrett Culver, a 6’6″ guard out of Texas Tech who is no longer in the NBA. But taking smallish guards in back-to-back years put the Cavaliers on the path to being a smaller team.

Garland is a good player, so it’s a solid choice, it’s just curious because of the Sexton selection the year before.

In 2020, Altman picked Okoro, a 6’5″ defensive specialist with the 5th pick. We said (at the time) picking a defensive player who was not a big man that high was a huge risk. Okoro’s offense is starting to develop, but the predicament Cleveland finds itself in is offering a contract extension at a much larger salary.

We would have taken Obi Toppin, a 6’9″ forward, who we feel can play both forward spots and is averaging 10.1 points per game with the Pacers.

Altman did try to go big when he traded for Lauri Markkanen, a seven-footer who could play small forward, and really was part of the reason Cleveland jumped from a lottery team to a playoff squad. But the former University of Arizona standout was part of the package to get Mitchell.

Getting Jarrett Allen was a coup, but the Cavs basically got him for nothing, and what GM would have turned down that request.

And drafting Evan Mobley was a no brainer.

He did go big for Mitchell, a very bold move. But Bickerstaff is still stuck with having to play Okoro and Strus, both 6’5″ at small forward where they are undersized.

Whether Mitchell decides he wants to stay here or turns down the extension, our guess is things will look very different when the Cavs report to training camp in September.

If Mitchell re-ups, our guess is Garland will be moved. If he doesn’t sign, the Cavaliers will look to move their all-star guard for players and draft picks.

We still believe when it comes to hoops, it is better to err on the side of size. You don’t want to draft untalented big men, but notice the lack of players 6’7″ to 6’9″ on the roster.

Cavs Need To Be Tougher, And Not Physically.

If not for two “miracles”, the Cleveland Cavaliers would be 3-7 in their last 10 games. But Max Strus did hit a 59-foot shot to beat Dallas, and Dean Wade did go crazy Tuesday night in Boston, so the wine and gold have tread water since the week before the All Star Game.

Yes, Donovan Mitchell has missed five or those games, and hasn’t played the past three contests with a bone bruise in his knee after playing 44 minutes in a double overtime loss to Chicago last week.

Since Darius Garland broke his jaw in December, there is no question Mitchell is the driving force of the team, so his absence looms large.

After the loss Sunday night to the Knicks, the team that eliminated Cleveland from the playoffs a year ago, once again, talk turned to toughness. Many in the media took that to mean more physical play, but we also think the Cavs could use some mental toughness as well, and not just among the players.

We have long discussed the organization’s avoiding of adding bigger bodies. Yes, they have the two big men starters in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, but other that those two, the Cavaliers usually are smaller at every other position on the floor compared to their opponents.

The point is it is tough to impose your will on other teams with smaller players. Tristan Thompson returning from suspension will help add more size, particularly around the basket.

We will say it one more time: Basketball is the one sport where size matters. For example, the defending champion Denver Nuggets’ smallest starter is Jamal Murray, listed at 6’4″. The Celtics have the best record in the East, and their smallest starter is 6’4″ Derrick White.

Cleveland will play the West’ top team, Minnesota on Friday, and the ‘Wolves’ start two seven footers, and the rest of their lineup is 6’4″, 6’9″ and 6′ point guard Mike Conley.

However, we also think the team needs to be mentally tougher. The Cavs have a history of getting big leads and losing them, seemingly taking their foot off the gas. Heck, against the Knicks, Mobley hinted the team relaxed a bit seeing Knicks’ star Jalen Brunson leave the game in the first minute.

The organization doesn’t help with the incremental steps in evaluating the season. Again, the goal should be to win the NBA title. After the season, you can take pride that progress was made, but the goal should be win every game.

It also doesn’t help that J.B. Bickerstaff comes up with excuses, usually about the referees after many losses. We aren’t saying there isn’t a time to complain about officials, but you can’t do it after half of your losses.

Instead, he should tell his team to play through things. Win in spite of opponents being physical. Do different things when the usual isn’t working. That’s how you develop toughness. Don’t use being a young team as an excuse. After all, Cleveland isn’t even one of the youngest teams in the league. They are right in the middle.

To their credit, they weathered the injuries to Garland and Mobley, and right now, Garland is back, but now Mitchell is out, and Mobley could be out for a while again with an ankle sprain.

Toughness isn’t putting a hard foul on a driving opponent. In fact, these days, it gets you ejected from the game. It does involve having a mindset of overcoming anything thrown at you by an opponent. Not making excuses.

By the way, we understand teams can’t do that every night in the NBA. But there are games teams point to. You have to play those games with a bit of an edge.

A Tough Stretch For Cavs Should “Let Us Know”

Since blowing out the Toronto Raptors on February 10th, the Cleveland Cavaliers have gone through a bit of a rough patch. It’s understandable because the wine and gold have been on fire since the calendar turned to 2024, winning 17 of 19 games through that contest in the Canada.

In the week leading up to the All-Star weekend festivities (we will ignore that abomination of a game), and after, the Cavs have a 4-4 record with one of those victories coming Tuesday when Max Strus hit a 59-foot shot to win the game against Dallas.

The wins came at home vs. Chicago in which the struggled, the Strus contest, and Ws against the hapless Pistons and Wizards.

They haven’t looked like the same team that rolled for the first six weeks of the new year.

Starting today, they will be tested in March with home games against the Knicks, who muscled them out of the playoffs last season and the Celtics, who are the best team in the East. It should give J.B. Bickerstaff a measuring stick of where his team is right now.

Following those games is a road game in Atlanta, then a three game homestand in which the team with the best record in the West, Minnesota comes in and so does the talent-rich Phoenix Suns.

The middle of the month has a road stretch, featuring two games vs. Miami (one is the only home game) and other road tilts at New Orleans, Minnesota, and Indiana. Overall, they have 11 road games out of 14 played, while the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse is hosting the Mid-American Conference tournament and the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Hopefully, the Cavs will find the formula that allowed them to be dominant from the time Darius Garland and Evan Mobley were injured to the week before the All-Star break.

Perhaps, the Cavaliers and the coaching staff were a bit in their own heads. The squad was sizzling putting the ball in Donovan Mitchell’s hands, and he played at an MVP level.

The Cavs talked about the different style of play adopted when Garland and Mobley were out. They pointed to the three-point shooting, but really that improvement came from increased playing time from Sam Merrill, who is still knocking them down at a 43.5% clip.

That’s way it was weird that Merrill received three DNP-CDs (did not play-coach’s decision) in a recent seven game period in which Cleveland went 4-3.

Dean Wade, who played 20 minutes or more in 11 out of 12 games in an 11-1 stretch throughout January, suddenly had his time reduced. He played less than 10 minutes in two games since play resumed.

We aren’t huge Wade supporters, but as we believe Charles Barkley once said, if it ain’t broke, don’t break it. It seems like Bickerstaff has decided to do just that.

Now, can he put it back together again? The obvious solution is that Merrill and Wade earned their time on the floor, and the adjustments should have been made by doing some slight trimming to some of the players getting heavier workloads.

After all, that would have them be fresher for the tough stretch coming up and then the playoffs.

Many of the national basketball media are having doubts about the Cavs making a deep run in the post-season. Playing well in a tough March slate could change some minds among folks who know the game.

Cavs Still Looking For “3 and D” Guys, Especially With Length

The NBA trade deadline is rapidly approaching, and rumors surfaced last week that once again the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for “3 and D” guys, wing players who can shoot and can defend.

They have until February 8th to make a deal, and hopefully the players they are interested in have some length. The Cavs signed Max Strus (6’5″) and Georges Niang (6’7″) during the off-season, but they haven’t provided the shooting we are sure the organization was hoping for.

Strus topped out at 41% in 2021-22 but shot 35% last season and that figure has dropped to 33.7% in 2023-24. Niang came into the year as a 40% shooter from beyond the arc for his career, but this year has converted on just 36.5% of his attempts.

Dean Wade has some size on the wing when he plays there, and is a solid defender, but is wildly inconsistent. He took 10+ shots in back-to-back games at the end of December against the Pelicans and Bulls (7 of 11, 6 for 8 from three vs. NO; 4 for 12, 3 for 10 from three vs. CHI), but went seven straight games where he took less than five shots.

He was 3 for 15 from three in that span.

Outside of Wade, the other two new players aren’t exactly defensive stoppers. Both try, which is something, but are limited due to height in Strus’ case, he’s probably better cast as a guard, or quickness (Niang).

Add in the need for height, which we have talked about for the last two seasons. Outside of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, Cleveland has only two players over 6’10”. One is rookie Emoni Bates, who is very raw, and Damian Jones, who rarely gets off the bench.

Wade and Tristan Thompson, who is limited to playing in the post offensively, are 6’9″ and the only player 6’8″ is another player who doesn’t get much action in Isaiah Mobley.

FYI, the Cavs did sign 6’11” Pete Nance to a 10-day contract. Nance is averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 boards per game for the Charge. He, of course, is the son of Larry Nance and the brother of Larry Nance Jr., both of whom played for Cleveland.

We will see how much, if any, playing time Nance will get.

What Cleveland could really use is a wing in the 6’7″ to 6’9″ range who can shoot. The Pistons just traded for Danilo Gallinari, and we can’t imagine they intend to keep him. He is 6’10” and a career 38.1% shooter from the three-point line. He had knee surgery a year ago, but has played in 26 games this season.

We have always liked 33-year-old Gordon Hayward, who is rumored to be on the block in Charlotte. He’s started 25 games with the Hornets this year, scoring 14.5 points, grabbing 4.7 rebounds, and dishing out 4.6 assists. He’s a basketball player.

We understand neither of these players are strong defenders, but we think they could help the wine and gold.

Last season, the Cavs were over matched physically by the New York Knicks in the opening round of the playoffs. They still haven’t addressed that in our view. If they played New York again this season, we don’t see the result being any different.

We understand you can’t make your roster to beat the Knicks, you might not ever play them. But Koby Altman emphasized shooting the three ball in the off-season, and the Cavaliers are actually worse at it than they were a year ago.

They have three weeks to improve their current roster.

JB Makes Changes, Cavs Win Game Two

The Cleveland Cavaliers needed a win badly Tuesday night and they got it, evening the series with the New York Knicks at one game apiece with a 107-90 victory at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

The wine and gold showed toughness, especially on the glass, outrebounding New York a few days after the Knicks dominated on the glass.

And J.B. Bickerstaff totally changed his rotation, benching Ricky Rubio and Dean Wade, both of whom contributed little in game one, and pretty much went with seven players in the win. We don’t know how sustainable that will be going forward, but it worked in Game 2.

Darius Garland was phenomenal shooting the ball, making six of ten from three-point range, scoring 32 points, 26 of them in the first half. In the early moments of the game, Garland was very careless with the ball, seeming to want to make the spectacular pass rather than the right one.

He corrected that issue by just making a bunch of shots.

Donovan Mitchell became the playmaker, dishing out 13 assists to go with 17 points. There is no doubt the Cavs will need Mitchell’s scoring ability before this series is over, but with the Knicks trying to double him when they could, he simply made the right basketball play over and over again.

Caris LeVert was skewered by many fans after the first game, but he has been so solid over the second half of the season, we figured he would bounce back, and he did, scoring 24 points, grabbing four boards, and dishing out three dimes, as well as hounding Jalen Brunson all night.

He played a team high 40 minutes.

Cedi Osman didn’t shoot the ball well, but played solid defense and grabbed six rebounds, behind only the Cleveland big men, Jarrett Allen (10) and Evan Mobley (13).

We are critical of Bickerstaff at times, mainly how he judges the talent of his players, but it took guts to not play Rubio and make the decision after Dean Wade’s poor first half in game one, not to give him any time during game two.

But the shocking move was with Isaac Okoro. Okoro started and picked up two fouls in the first three minutes on the floor, was removed from the game and never returned. Was his knee acting up again? After all, he did miss the last two weeks with an injury. Still, we were stunned he never went back in.

Instead, Bickerstaff went with veteran Danny Green at the #4 spot. Green only took two shots, making one, but the defense has to guard him, and they don’t do that with Okoro.

We expect the Knicks will try to exploit Green defensively as the series goes on. Quite frankly, having Green guard Julius Randle is not a good match for the Cavs, but the element of surprise worked for Cleveland.

So, the series goes back to Madison Square Garden for games on Friday and Sunday and the Cavs need to win one game in New York at some point if they want to win the series.

As mentioned earlier, the Cavaliers are going to need quality minutes from players not named Mitchell, Garland, Allen, Mobley, and LeVert if they are going to prevail. So, there will be opportunities for guys like Okoro, Rubio, and Wade to help.

They have to come through because you can’t keep playing seven players.

It worked in game two, and it had to. Going down 0-2 at home would have spelled a quick end to the Cavaliers’ season.