Altman’s Presser Said Little, But His Moves Over The Years Say A Lot

Press conferences these days are really becoming obsolete. In today’s world, teams want to control the narrative, so they give the press very little, be it after games and after seasons.

We get it, let’s say after a Browns’ loss, we found it laughable that fans and media alike were angry when Kevin Stefanski didn’t come out and say, “our wide receivers can’t catch a cold”. As for Todd Monken? Well, we don’t know yet.

That’s why we believe little of what Cavaliers’ President of Basketball Operations Kobe Altman said in his post-season comments on Friday. And if Altman was telling the truth, then we would think his job will be in jeopardy following next season.

We have been a frequent critic of the way Altman has constructed his roster. When J.B. Bickerstaff was let go following a five-game series loss against Boston in the conference semi-finals in 2024, we felt the blame shouldn’t be put solely on the head coach.

Altman gets a lot of credit among fans because he built the Cavs back up pretty quickly after LeBron James departed for Los Angeles following the 2018 Finals. After three terrible seasons (19, 19, and 22 wins), Cleveland was back in the play-in tournament in 2022 with a 44-38 record, with a team led by Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Lauri Markkanen.

But if we look at individual moves, how good has Altman been? His first big move was trading Kyrie Irving to Boston with the big prize being the Nets’ unprotected first round pick in 2018.

That trade was a bust as the two players acquired from Boston, Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas were both moved during the season and the draft pick, which people figured would be a top five choice, ended up being 8th because the Nets performed better than expected.

The Nets’ coach that year? Yes, it was Kenny Atkinson. And instead of getting a player like Deandre Ayton (1st), Jaren Jackson Jr (4th), or even 3rd overall pick Luca Doncic, Cleveland picked Collin Sexton with the pick.

As for Allen, yes, Altman picked him up in ironically, a James Harden transaction, where the Cavs gave up a second-round pick for a then 21-year-old center who averaged 11 points and nine rebounds per game in his third year in the league. We think any GM in the sport would have done that.

After drafting Sexton, he doubled down the following year, picking another small guard, Garland with a top five choice. Garland has been one of the better players in that draft, but it is the duplication on position that is the issue. And the lack of size.

He drafted a defense first wing in Isaac Okoro with another top five pick the following year, which is frankly his worst selection. We wanted Obi Toppin, but Dino Avdija, Devin Vassell, and Tyrese Haliburton were still on the board.

The next season it was Evan Mobley, who has been an all-star and Defensive Player of the Year, yet people are wondering now about his progression as a player. In his fifth season, his scoring average has always been between 15.0 and 18.5 and his rebounding always hovers around 9.0 per contest.

His signature move is the trade for Donovan Mitchell, in which Markkanen was the biggest (literally) piece going to Utah. The trade for Mitchell, no doubt a proven scorer in the NBA, boosted Cleveland to a 50 win team and the least number of wins for the Cavs since Mitchell arrived has been 48.

But then we have the playoff performances. In each of the last four seasons, the series that sent the team home have been blowouts. Five games to the Knicks, Celtics, and Pacers, and this year’s sweep in the conference finals.

And most often the reason can be pointed to a lack of size on the roster despite what the “analytics” tell them.

Does Altman correct that problem this summer? That should be the focus on what the Cavaliers do this off-season. Or maybe he is like Bickerstaff, a guy who can rebuild, but can’t get you over the top.

Cavs Pull It Off, Now Get Ready For The Knicks

It was the one outcome we didn’t figure was possible. We thought it was possible for the Cleveland Cavaliers to win the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Detroit Pistons, but we surely did not foresee a blowout win.

Kenny Atkinson’s squad returned the favor from Friday night, dominated the Pistons in a 125-94 win and advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 2018.

The opponent will be the New York Knicks, who started the questions about this basketball team a few years ago when they beat up Cleveland in a five game first round series win.

What it made us think is why can’t the Cavs play like that more often? Cleveland came out and Donovan Mitchell got his big guys involved early. Evan Mobley had five points, four rebounds, and three assists in the first quarter, while Jarrett Allen scored six. And the cherry on top was the wine and gold knocked down 6 of 13 from long distance, including a halfcourt buzzer beater by Mitchell at the end.

The Cavs also needed someone to step up off the bench and Sam Merrill, who we admit we would have lessened his minutes before the game, turned out to be that guy, showing we don’t know as much as we think we do.

Merrill hit his first two threes, which we have seen before, but he kept it going, ending with five makes in eight attempts and 23 points. Cleveland only made 32.4% from three, but Merrill had the hot hand.

We also have to mention the impact Mobley made in this series. We have always wondered about the physicality with Mobley, but for the series, he scored 15.9 points, grabbed 7.4 boards, and perhaps most surprisingly, dished out 4.9 assists, second on the team to James Harden. He shot 52% from the floor and more importantly was a force inside, blocking 19 shots.

He looked like the player Cavs’ fans have been hoping for since Cleveland became a playoff team.

So, now the wine and gold go from one former coach in J.B. Bickerstaff to another in Mike Brown, now the head man with the Knicks. It is important to point out the Knicks won just one more regular season game than the Cavaliers, finishing at 53-29.

But they have had an easier road in the playoffs, winning the first round in six games and sweeping the 76ers in the semi-finals. The don’t have a big height advantage in the starting lineup, with just one player over 6’7″ in Karl-Anthony Towns, but they do play physical on the perimeter with 6’5″ Josh Hart and 6’7″ OG Anunoby. And of course, their star is 6’2″ Jalen Brunson, who we would say, plays a lot like Harden.

The two teams met three times, but only once after the trade deadline. Opening night saw the Cavs drop a 119-111 decision with Anunoby scoring 24 and Brunson getting 23. On Christmas Day in New York, the Cavs blew a big lead, up by 12 after three quarters before losing by two, 126-124. Mobley came off the bench that day, his first game back after an injury.

Mitchell and Brunson each had 34 points.

In the lone game at Rocket Arena, Cleveland won 109-94 behind 23 from Mitchell and 20 from Harden.

Can the Cavs beat New York and get to the Finals without LeBron James for the first time in team history? Sure, the Knicks are far from a perfect team, they have flaws like the Cavaliers. But the Cavs have to play with the same energy, physicality, and attention to detail as they played with in both Game 7s.

That seems to be a tall task for this group although we don’t know why.

Don’t Know What To Expect From Cavs Tonight. That’s An Issue

The Cleveland Cavaliers seized home court advantage in the conference semi-finals against Detroit with a stirring overtime victory in Motown. All they had to do was win at home and they would advance to the Eastern Conference finals against the New York Knicks.

But the Jekyll and Hyde nature of this team came out and they were dominated in game six at Rocket Arena. Now, either they win tonight or they clean out their lockers tomorrow.

Perhaps the tone was set in the first quarter when the Cavs forced three consecutive missed shots and Detroit kept the possession alive with three offensive rebounds, and after the third Cade Cunningham hit a three.

The Pistons had 13 offensive rebounds and Cleveland had just 24 on the defensive end. Add in the Cavs’ 39% shooting from the floor and you can see why Kenny Atkinson’s squad lost by 21 points.

There is an old saying in the NBA that role players play better at home because they are more comfortable, but Cleveland got little off their bench, getting just 5 of 19 shooting from Max Strus, Dennis Schroder, and Sam Merrill, while Duncan Robinson, Marcus Sasser, and Paul Reid scored 40 points.

And remember, Sasser and Reid didn’t play much early in the series, so kudos to JB Bickerstaff for trying something different. Atkinson has gone away from Jaylon Tyson and Keon Ellis.

So, Atkinson isn’t using anyone taller that 6’5″ off his bench right now. The fact that Bickerstaff has been able to move off Isaiah Stewart and go to Reid talks about roster construction. Atkinson’s third big man, Thomas Bryant has been of no use in the series.

But the thing that sticks out about the Cavaliers’ team is simply the sense of urgency. We have heard people blaming the coach for this, but really, it’s not up to Kenny Atkinson to let the players know a potential series clinching game is important. If they don’t understand that, it’s a big problem.

However, with James Harden and Donovan Mitchell, the Cleveland offense comes down to one-on-one play, with the guards breaking down their defender off the dribble. And if both aren’t playing well, the Cavs are in trouble.

Mitchell shot 6 of 20 Friday night and has shot just 28.3% from three in the series, compared to the 36% in the regular season. Harden had eight turnovers. Detroit’s Ausar Thompson has been a defensive menace, but the Cavs don’t seem to realize he is shooting gaps looking for deflections and steals and are still throwing lazy passes on the perimeter.

And one reason Thompson can be disruptive is because Cleveland gave someone 22 minutes who has absolutely no interest in playing offense. We know. We know Dean Wade is a tremendous perimeter defender, but Thompson has managed to put up 39 shots in the series. Wade has taken just 14.

That’s unacceptable.

So, which Cavaliers’ team will show up tonight? We wish we knew. Before the playoffs started, we made the observation that we wouldn’t be surprised if the Cavs lost in the first round, nor would we be shocked if they went to the NBA Finals.

We’ve seen nothing to make us change that opinion. After 13 playoff games, that’s not optimal.

When Will Cavs Play A Complete Game?

This playoff season for the Cleveland Cavaliers is becoming very frustrating to watch. Outside of Game 1 of the first round series against the Toronto Raptors, Kenny Atkinson’s squad hasn’t played a complete good game.

They won Game 2 despite not playing well and were victorious in Game 5 because Dennis Schroder willed them to a triumph in the fourth quarter and won Game 7 because Jarrett Allen had an epic third quarter. They simply have not played well, not at the level a team wanting to make a deep run in the playoffs should be.

Another maddening trend is the falling behind early. In Tuesday night’s loss in Game 1 against Detroit, they fell behind by 16 after the first quarter, trailing 37-21.

Despite all that and a slew of turnovers, James Harden being the main culprit in that area, the Cavaliers fought back and tied the game with 5:28 remaining. They had a chance to take the lead after Cade Cunningham missed a three, but Harden’s floater was blocked by Jalen Duren at 5:01 left.

By the way, we read a lot of criticism of Harden, some of it justified, but to us, without the trade, Toronto wins the series. The small backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland get eaten up by the Raptors’ length.

After Harden’s shot was blocked, Cunningham drove to the basket twice in a row and found Duren for a pair of dunks, and then after Evan Mobley missed an ill-advised three, he dunked again and with three minutes left, the Cavs were down six.

We don’t like to blame coaches too much, but there are definitely things to question. Atkinson allowed Jarrett Allen to pick up his third foul in the first quarter, so he played just six minutes in the first half. However, he only played 12 minutes in the second half and fouls weren’t an issue then.

The Cavs need Allen available because at least in Game 1, Evan Mobley seemed to be not strong enough to guard Duren. Again, the lack of size, in this case, bulk is a problem.

We understand Dean Wade is an excellent defender and a darling of the +/- crowd, but we are sorry, but when he’s on the court, Cleveland is playing with four offensive players. He played 27 minutes and took three shots, a tip in, and two threes. As for being a “connector”, he had just one assist.

In 200 minutes of play in this post-season, Wade has taken 42 shots, 29 of them threes, and has just five assists. It’s not that he can’t shoot, it’s that he refuses. And that puts a burden on Donovan Mitchell and Harden, who face double teams because opponents know Wade is not an offensive threat.

By contrast, Jaylon Tyson, who is also a solid defender, who can also pass and score, has played just 127 minutes, taken as many shots as Wade, and has 16 assists.

It’s only one game, that’s what we keep telling ourselves, but this is the playoffs, and a team can’t expect to win playing in spurts. They must be able to play well for an extended period.

Just when are the Cavaliers going to play with some force and urgency? That’s the big question going forward. They have to win one game in Detroit. Tonight, would be a good time to do so.

A Game Seven For The Cavs And Perhaps A Mandate?

We will repeat, before the NBA playoffs started, we were asked about the chances of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and we replied that we could see them getting to the NBA Finals and we could also see them losing in the first round.

Today, one of those things could come true.

In we were scoring this series as a prize fight, we would score it as the Cavs winning the first round (Game 1), and every other game would either be even or in favor of the Raptors. No, Kenny Atkinson’s crew hasn’t played well in this series.

We figured Cleveland had the two best players in the series in Donovan Mitchell and James Harden, but we were wrong. Scottie Barnes has been that, averaging 24.2 points, 9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds per game. He has been to the line 47 times in the series, compared to just 14 for Mitchell, and that is not a complaint about the officiating. Barnes has been the most aggressive player on the floor.

And remember, Immanuel Quickley, Toronto’s starting point guard, has not even played in the series, and Brandon Ingram, who we felt would be another problem for the Cavs, missed the second half of game five and all of game six.

There is a game seven today, because the Raptors have exposed what is wrong about the Cleveland roster.

We have complained for several years about the lack of bigger wings, and certainly Atkinson has no one to really combat the 6’8″ Barnes, and really 6’6″ R.J. Barrett and 6’7″ rookie Collin Murray-Boyles have also given the Cavs fits. Although part of that could be giving their most physical wing, Jaylon Tyson, who is 6’6″, just 15 minutes per night.

Atkinson is giving one-dimensional Sam Merrill and Max Strus more time than Tyson, and frankly, we don’t understand it. Strus started out strong in the first three games but has made just 2 of his last 11 long range shots. For the record, Tyson has outrebounded and out-assisted Merrill in the series, despite playing less minutes.

And we didn’t mention all three are getting more minutes than Dennis Schroder, who saved the wine and gold in game five with a tremendous second half performance.

The other problem with the roster assembled by Koby Altman is there are too many one-dimensional players. The Raptors have much more versatility.

Dean Wade, who is 5th in minutes in the series, is a great defender, particularly on the perimeter, but an unwilling and inconsistent shooter on offense. Sometimes it appears he can’t wait to get the basketball out of his hands.

Merrill works hard defensively, but let’s face it, if he’s not making shots, he’s a liability on the floor. Strus always brings hard-nosed play and toughness, but he’s not reliable in his shooting.

And none of them have the ability to create shots for themselves, outside of Schroder, who attacks relentlessly.

Compare that to Toronto. Heck, Jamal Shead is scoring just 8.2 points per game, and shooting just 37% from the field, but he’s made an impact with his defense. Ja’Kobe Walter, who averaged just 7.4 points per game in the regular season, is scoring 10.8 per game in the series.

There is simply more energy off the Raptors’ bench.

Part of this is the style of offense used by Cleveland since the Harden trade, which features more isolation and one-on-one play. Toronto is basically double teaming the ball, figuring no one else can make a play. And it’s working.

Can the Cavaliers win today and advance? Sure. But, the next round, be it against Detroit or Orlando will likely present the same challenges.

And by the way, we didn’t even talk about the lack of toughness…

Cavs Take a 1-0 Advantage Over Toronto

The Cleveland Cavaliers kicked off their playoff series with a 126-113 over the Toronto Raptors to take a 1-0 series lead in the first-round best-of-seven series.

It was a sluggish first half for Kenny Atkinson’s squad, but a huge third quarter in which the Cavs outscored their opponents by a 36-22 count gave the wine and gold (or blue in yesterday’s case) a 21-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, which was more than enough for the win.

Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, and James Harden added 22 more with 10 assists, but the x-factor for Cleveland was Max Strus, who provided a big spark towards the end of the second quarter and throughout the third. Strus made 8 of 10 shots, four of six from three, scoring 24 points and also provided tough defense on Scottie Barnes and Brandon Ingram.

In the first half, the Cavs had no answer for Ingram who hurt them in the mid-range game, particularly when Jaylon Tyson guarded him. Tyson is just too small and got in foul trouble immediately, picking up three very quickly.

If we were Raptors’ coach Darko Rajakovic, we’d be wondering how to get the ball to Ingram more often. For the game, the former second overall pick took just nine shots, less than Barnes, R.J. Barrett, and Jamal Shead, who started in place of the injured Immanuel Quickley.

The Raptors couldn’t get their running game going, mostly due to Quickley, who averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists per game, shooting 37.4% from three, being out. His availability for Game 2 is still up in the air.

On the other hand, Toronto shot 35.4% from three as a team during the regular season, but knocked down 13 of 27 yesterday. If they return to form Monday night, that is definitely advantage Cleveland.

The home team had a huge advantage inside as Jarrett Allen (5 of 7) and Evan Mobley (6 of 9) had several dunks against the foes from The Great White North. With Harden continuously looking the duo rolling to the basket, that is something Toronto needs to find an answer.

Atkinson went with ten players until garbage time, and many referred to the cliche about team’s rotation shrinking in the playoffs. In reality, the number of players getting time lessens because of usually one or two aren’t playing well. Until that happens for Cleveland, we would continue to look for Atkinson to play ten. The Cavaliers have a deep roster.

The thing that is different about the playoffs is you play the same team over and over, and adjustments are made on a game-by-game basis. My guess is Toronto will want Harden to shoot more, stopping the rim runs by Allen and Mobley. Make Harden a high-volume shooter.

We also think they will make Sam Merrill and Tyson have to make shots. They combined for 1 for 8 yesterday.

And they will take to get Ingram going and keep him going, especially if Atkinson put Tyson and/or/ Strus on him. The latter did a solid job, but Ingram still has a height advantage.

This game figures to be a tougher challenge for the Cavs, but if they win, they have a huge leg up in the series. So again, it’s a big game.

If Quickley’s hamstring allows him to play, expect the Cavs to go at him defensively.

This is a #4 vs. #5 matchup. It’s not supposed to be a sweep. That doesn’t mean it can’t be though.

Looking At Cavs-Raptors Matchup

The long 82 game grind is over and the start of the NBA playoffs start this weekend with the Cavaliers taking on Toronto in a best-of-seven series with the Cavs having the home court advantage. Cleveland finished the regular season with 52 wins, six more than their first round opponent.

The teams played three times in the regular season with the Raptors winning all of them but those contests were all played before Thanksgiving and Kenny Atkinson’s roster is much different now.

The first game, played on Halloween was at Rocket Arena, a 112-101 Toronto win, and Atkinson started two players who aren’t even on the roster right now in De’Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball. R.J. Barrett, Brandon Ingram, and Jamison Battle all scored 20 for Toronto, and Scottie Barnes had 14 points and 10 rebounds.

The second game, also in Cleveland, was a 126-113 Raptors win. Donovan Mitchell scored 31 for the wine and gold, but Barnes had 28, Immanuel Quickley had 25, and Jacob Poeltl scored 20. Reserve big man Sandro Mamukelashvilli scored 13 off the bench.

The last game was a 110-99 in Canada and Ingram shredded the Cavs with 37 points with Barnes adding 18. The Cavs started Ball and Larry Nance Jr., in that game as Jarrett Allen was out.

In total, Allen has played 20 minutes against the Raptors this year, and all three games were before Koby Altman remade the roster with the deadline trades for James Harden, Keon Ellis, and Dennis Schroder.

We know the Cavaliers can score, the old coach in us worries about the defense, particularly the potential matchup problems Ingram and Barnes can present. Both are long, athletic players, the type the Cavaliers have had problems with over the last few years.

The plan should be to use Evan Mobley on Barnes and Dean Wade on Ingram, both very good defensive players. The concern with Wade is when will an opponent play him off the floor in these playoffs, because Wade seems to not want to shoot, and opponents could use the man supposedly assigned to him to start doubling on to either Mitchell or Harden.

Quickley is the Raptors’ chief three-point shooter, but he has a hamstring injury, so how much he can contribute is in doubt.

The Raptors’ are in the bottom five in the league in three-point attempts, which defending those shots is a weakness for the Cavs. That’s a good thing.

We also can’t overlook the reputation for having a lack of toughness Cleveland has garnered over the past few years. We do think Altman addressed this by getting Schroder, who is an irritating player (that’s a compliment) and also because of Jaylon Tyson, who is a tough defender, who also can shoot the ball.

But we need to see Allen and Mobley respond the first time an opponent knocks a Cleveland player to the floor. That’s not saying dirty play, it is saying they need to get mad and play with an edge.

We will see how this plays out over this playoff season.

As for this series, Cleveland has the best two players on the floor in Mitchell and Harden. They also have two inside scorers in Mobley and Allen, who Harden can get the ball to inside. We talk about the Cavs’ lack of size inside, but outside of Poeltl, the Raptors don’t have much either.

A first-round loss would be a disaster for the Cavs, but we don’t see that happening. We also don’t think it will be a cake walk because of Ingram and Barnes.

Cavs Strategy This Week Is Sound. Better To Be Healthy

History does repeat itself, right?

A couple of years ago, the Cleveland Cavaliers were involved in a close race for the second through eighth spots in the Eastern Conference standings. With a couple of games to go, the Cavs’ first round opponent could have been Orlando, a young team getting to the playoffs for the first time as a group, Indiana, Philadelphia, or Miami, with their famous culture.

They could have moved up to second place in the conference standing in the last couple weeks of the season, meaning possibly having home court advantage for the second round, but kind of decided they wanted to play the Magic, which indeed happened, in the first round.

At the time (and maybe still is the case), outside of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, the Cavaliers weren’t very big, and Orlando had Paolo Banchero, Franz and Mo Wagner, and Jonathan Isaac. We weren’t thrilled by Cavs’ choice to play them, even with their inexperience.

It almost came back to bite them in the rear end, when the young, long, and athletic Magic took J.B. Bickerstaff’s team to seven games, and when Orlando led the last game by ten points at halftime, it looked very much like the organization made a bad call.

But Donovan Mitchell scored 24 second half points and the Cavs rallied to advance to the conference semifinals where they lost to the eventual champion Celtics in five games.

It looks like the wine and gold are doing the same thing this year or maybe not. It’s a weird circumstance for Kenny Atkinson’s squad.

Yes, Cleveland is just a game behind the New York Knicks for third place in the conference standings, which if all of the higher seeds win would mean a second-round match up against the Celtics, rather than taking on the top seed Detroit Pistons in the semis.

The Pistons have had a great season with 57 wins to date, but the Cavs have played them tough in two matchups a few weeks ago, despite playing without Donovan Mitchell in both contests.

On the other hand, the Cavaliers are in the midst of a pair of games against the team that could very well be their first-round opponent in the Atlanta Hawks. In last night’s win, Atkinson played his usual rotation. In fact, he kind of shortened it, albeit with Tyson out.

The last two games will probably be a different story. Cleveland hasn’t been healthy all year and now isn’t an exception. Jaylon Tyson and Dean Wade, who should both be in the playoff rotation haven’t played in a couple of weeks. Allen is battling tendonitis in his knee, so some time off would benefit him. Mitchell has an ankle sprain which kept him out of Monday’s game in Memphis.

And James Harden is 37 years old and could use some time off to get ready for the playoffs.

Playing Atlanta twice a week before having to play them possibly seven times in the next two weeks, it serves the Cavs no purpose whatsoever other than to be the blandest team to ever play. Why show them anything on either side of the ball.

We are sure we will see some of the primary players in the three remaining games just to keep them in game shape but even if some people are painting this as the Cavs picking their opponent in the first two rounds, it is really more about making sure the best players are the healthiest heading into the playoffs.

Besides, when you get past the first round of the post-season, all the teams are good. The Washington Wizards aren’t getting a bye into the tournament.

After a season filled with injuries, that’s just being smart.

Atkinson Still Experimenting As The Season Winds Down.

Even though the NBA playoffs are about a month away from beginning, we still think the Cleveland Cavaliers’ coach Kenny Atkinson is still trying to figure out things.

And it will probably continue because it appears Max Strus will be back today for the Cavs as they complete their home and home set against the Dallas Mavericks, so playing time will have to be adjusted once again.

Why do we think Atkinson is still taking different looks at different players? In Wednesday’s loss to Orlando on the road, the Cavs’ defense was terrible all night.

The Magic shot 52% from the floor and Desmond Bane, a burly 6’6″ guard bullied Cleveland for 35 points, while forwards Paolo Banchero and Tristan DeSilva scored 25 and 23 points each. Moreover, Orlando looked like they could get any shot they wanted when they wanted it.

In his post-game press conference, Atkinson bemoaned the defensive effort by his team. The coach rarely sugarcoats a lot in these talks, a refreshing alternative to other coaches/managers in Cleveland. However, in looking at the box score, particularly the minutes played column, reveals our theory.

We believe Cleveland’s best perimeter defender is second year player Jaylon Tyson. At his size (6’6″) and physicality, he would have done a solid job holding Bane in check. He did a very good job on Detroit’s Cade Cunningham, a league MVP candidate when the two teams met twice a few weeks ago. He played only 18 minutes in Orlando.

Dean Wade, probably the Cavs’ best wing defender over 6’7″, and someone who could have made things more difficult for either Banchero or DeSilva, also played just 20 minutes. Although we have issues with Wade and his hesitancy on the offensive end, he is a solid defensive player.

Right now, we think Atkinson and the coaching staff are seeing what they have in Keon Ellis, who struggled handling Jaylen Brown in the loss to Boston last week. It seemed Ellis was told to look for his shot more following that contest and since has scored 52 points in the last three games, making 12 of 20 three-point shots.

He’s a 41% shooter from distance in his career.

Ellis is a disruptive force on the defensive end; he gets his hands on more passes that we can remember with the Cavs in recent memory, and no doubt, we will get time in the playoffs.

When Jarrett Allen is healthy, Atkinson has been using Wade at the #3 to start with Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley and Allen. We understand why, but we would make a change.

We would start Tyson, because we would like to see his physicality on the floor right from the beginning. The Cavs have a reputation as being a finesse team, and having Tyson out there would provide a bit more force from the beginning of the game.

We believe he’s that important to this team.

Plus, with the shortage of size beyond Allen and Mobley, bringing Wade off the bench would allow the second unit to have a little more height. Right now, there are a lot of Thomas Bryant and basically four guards playing together. Having Wade and Bryant out there together should give the Cavs better rebounding.

And now, the coaching staff will have to integrate Strus, another player who brings toughness to the mix. This is the time to see what works and what doesn’t and seeing if it works against teams like Dallas or Chicago, or New Orleans isn’t optimal.

We doubt Atkinson will jeopardize home court advantage in the first round, but he wants his team ready when the playoffs come around. No problem with that.

Cavs Loss To OKC Wasn’t A Big Deal Here.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost Sunday to the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder and as people do in northeast Ohio, there was some freaking out.

We know the Thunder were missing two starters in MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams and two key reserves in Alex Caruso and Ajay Mitchell, so that played into the narrative from some that the Cavs failed a big test.

We said after the game we weren’t concerned about the loss on the road, the third game in four nights, but rather the bigger tests for Kenny Atkinson’s group would be Tuesday’s game against the Knicks would be more important as would the upcoming contest against the Pistons and the Celtics.

One reason is the way of the NBA. In the regular season, teams do what they do best and sometimes it doesn’t match up well with the opponent. The Thunder play very physically and in our opinion have adopted the style of the Pat Riley Knicks from the 90’s and the Warriors of the previous decade. That is, foul pretty much on every possession and figure the referees aren’t going to call them all.

Watch Lu Dort and Caruso defensively if you don’t believe us.

So, on Sunday, the Cavs didn’t adjust to this physicality until about the last three minutes of the first quarter and after that, played pretty well.

In a playoff situation, teams decide to react to what the opponent does well. Remember, last year the Thunder had to win two game sevens, one against Denver and the other in The Finals against Indiana, who lost their best player during the second quarter of the deciding game.

The point is the Cavs see the teams in the Western Conference so infrequently, it is hard to get a gauge on how they would handle being in a best-of-seven series. Against the East, these teams meet three or four times per season and play in the playoffs much more frequently, so you can see what those teams want to do on a more regular basis.

Of course, it wouldn’t be the Cavaliers without some injury issues.

Now James Harden suffered a non-displaced fracture in his thumb, and it likely to miss some time, possibly a couple of weeks, meaning he will not be in there when Cleveland plays Detroit and Boston.

Harden has shown remarkable durability in his career so who knows how much time he will really miss.

And Atkinson did say Max Strus is getting closer to returning which will throw another player into the rotation, and another 6’5″ player at that. Now, the coach has these players in that height range: Jaylon Tyson, Sam Merrill, Harden, Keon Ellis, and Strus.

With Strus missing the first 60 games or so, it’s tough to imagine he will be a significant factor in the post-season.

What may happen is the Cavs will use different rotations depending on the opponent, meaning players will get differing amounts of playing time on a per game basis.

That means plenty of questions about why a certain player didn’t get minutes on a certain night.

Atkinson is starting Dean Wade at small forward. It worked very well against the Knicks, but it didn’t work against the Thunder. So, he might play 25 minutes one night and five the next.

After this tough stretch, the schedule eases up quite a bit for the rest of the season, which likely will mean some games off for Donovan Mitchell, and perhaps some others. And remember, the Cavaliers are already pretty deep.

Again, how the Cavaliers do against the Pistons and Celtics are far more important than what happened last Sunday. No one wants to lose, but Cleveland wasn’t going to end the year on a 35 game winning streak.