Teams Starting To Creep Up On Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers have struggled since the NBA All-Star game. Much of the struggles have been because of injuries, but still, they are 7-8 since the game in Indianapolis, and their once solid position in the Eastern Conference standings is no longer.

When the break came, the Cavs were 36-17, second in the East, and three games ahead in the loss column over 3rd place Milwaukee, and five losses ahead of New York and Philadelphia.

As of today, they have dropped to third, and are just two games in the loss column ahead of New York, and three over Orlando.

We don’t think we need to say that if the wine and gold drop to the #5 spot, they will not have home court advantage in the opening round playoff series.

Donovan Mitchell came back from his knee issue to play two games last week, but said after Saturday’s defeat in Houston, he will likely miss more time due to the knee, trying to get it completely healthy.

So, with a tough stretch coming up, eight of the next 11 are on the road, J.B. Bickerstaff is going to have to come up with another way to win basketball games. They had great success without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley earlier in the season, but this time, it’s Mitchell, clearly the most important player on the team.

The Cavs are also missing Mobley again, this time with an ankle injury, and Max Strus. Both are important players, but they aren’t Mitchell, who carried the Cavaliers when Garland and Mobley missed a great deal of time in December and January and did it when Bickerstaff put the ball in his hands.

What would we do in the meantime?

First, we would slow the pace even more than they have already. Cleveland is 21st in the league in pace, and we would slow it down even more, especially against the better, more athletic teams in the NBA.

Second, we would start Caris LeVert in Mitchell’s absence and put the ball in his hands and that of Jarrett Allen.

We know we have been very critical of Darius Garland, but why not take advantage of what he is doing well right now, which is his long-range shooting. He was making 33% of his threes before the break, and has been on fire after, knocking them down at a 42.6% clip.

He still is turning the ball over more than we would like, and if we see him drive to the basket one more time and get stripped, we will lose whatever mind we still have.

LeVert is averaging 5. 2 assists per game with just 1.5 turnovers, and Allen has done a very good job operating out of the high point and finding open shooters on the perimeter. He’s averaging a full assist higher than he ever has in his career, and still could wind up with the highest scoring average since he came into the NBA.

We would also get Craig Porter Jr. on the floor more when LeVert is not in the game.

The organization might disagree because the Cavs have the league’s best road record, but we think it is important for the wine and gold to have home court for the first round of the playoffs.

That means to need to stack some wins despite the injuries. They only have six home games remaining, so they are going to have to gut it out on the road.

It won’t be easy.

Discussing Darius Garland

During the 2021-22 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the surprises in the first half of the season. Coming off a 22-50 record the previous season, Cleveland was sitting at 35-23 as the All-Star game was heading to their home at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

While Evan Mobley was having a very good rookie season, the team’s breakout star was third year guard Darius Garland, averaging 20.3 points and 8 assists per contest.

And he was only 22 years old.

Garland was shooting 47.7% from the floor on 16.3 shots per game, 37.8% from three-point range and making 91.1% of his free throws playing a little less than 35 minutes per game. While Jarrett Allen was named to the all-star rosters later because of injuries, it was Garland who was the breakout star.

After the break, Garland’s shot attempts increased to 19.4/game, but his shooting percentage dropped to 43.5%, although his three-point shooting got better. His minutes increased to 38 per night and his assists increased to 10.

Watching the games at the time, we thought Garland seemed to be in the “I’m an all-star” mode. The Cavs went 9-15 down the stretch, mostly because they lost Allen to a hand injury. They were 37-27 when Allen was hurt, and went 7-11 without him.

Garland had a very good regular season last year, being paired with Donovan Mitchell. He averaged 21.6 points, on 46.2% shooting (career high 41% from three), and his assists were down from 8.6 to 7.8, understandable because of Mitchell’s presence. His turnovers also decreased from 3.6 to 2.9.

But in the playoffs, he had a problem (as did all the Cavs) with the increased physicality. He shot 43.8% from the floor and had just 5 assists compared to 3.6 turnovers per game in the series loss to New York.

He also had problems guarding Jalen Brunson, although to be fair, anyone not named Isaac Okoro had the same issue.

This season, Garland has regressed. To be fair, he has battled injuries all year, missing games early in the season after getting hit in the eye, and then a little over a month with a broken jaw.

His shooting is down slightly (45.6% from the floor, 38.2% from three), and so are his assists (6.2) and his turnovers are up to 3.3. He’s had just two games with 10 or more helpers, and since Mitchell has been out, he’s had some problems late in games with turnovers.

Garland scored 34 points in a win over Minnesota last Friday, but had five turnovers in that game, and was fortunate to be bailed out when he dribbled into a trap late in the fourth quarter, and then in an isolation situation, had a possible game winning shot blocked.

In Monday’s loss to Phoenix, Garland again dribbled the air out of the ball on a key possession late forcing a bad shot. He scored 30 points in that game.

In our coaching days, we used to tell players the last thing we would use to check to see if a player had a good game, was the scoresheet. We feel the same way about these two games.

When Garland was out and the ball was in Mitchell’s hands, it seemed the ball moved more. It doesn’t seem that way now, the ball is sticking in Garland’s hands.

This Cavalier season will be measured by how the team does in the playoffs. However, because Mitchell’s contract situation, there will likely changes to the roster this off-season. If Mitchell stays, Koby Altman has a decision to make with his backcourt.

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.

Garland Is Very Good, But Maybe Not A Good Fit

After the Cleveland Cavaliers win over the Washington Wizards on Sunday, Donovan Mitchell took the opportunity to back his teammate Darius Garland against some criticism on social media.

Mitchell was being a good teammate, no question about that, although most of the criticism that comes on social media should probably be ignored by NBA players. Ours included.

There is a difference though in criticizing Garland’s play and thinking the Cavaliers might just be better exchanging him for another player.

Garland is a very good player. He’s made an all-star team and has been a starter since his rookie season, and the last three of those five years, the Cavs have been a pretty good team.

In 2021-22, he scored 21.7 points and dished out 8.6 assists, shooting 46.2% from the floor, 38.3% from three. Last season, playing his first season with Mitchell as a backcourt mate, he scored 21.6 points and had 7.8 assists. He also raised his percentage from behind the arc to 41%.

He’s always been a bit turnover prone, averaging 3.6 in his all-star year, but did improve to 2.9 a year ago. Remember, he does have the ball in his hand a lot. Our biggest issue is when he penetrates, he loses the ball too easily as it is knocked out of his hands.

However, in spite of the statistical success Garland and Mitchell had a year ago, the Cavs were handled quite easily in their playoff series against the Knicks losing in five games.

We thought it would be a very difficult matchup for Cleveland because of the physicality the Knicks bring every night, and also because we have our doubts about trying to win with two starting guards that are under 6’3″.

This season, it’s been a bit of a struggle for Garland. His scoring has dropped to 18.2 points and his three-point shooting has dipped to 34% thus far.

Early in the year, when Garland missed four games, the Cavs struggled, going 1-3. When he broke his jaw in December, he missed 19 more contests, but this time the wine and gold went 15-4.

The ball was put in Mitchell’s hands and the team and offense flourished. To be fair, when Garland returned, the Cavs kept rolling, winning the first seven games he appeared in and nine of twelve overall.

Again, we want to remind you that there is no question here that Garland is a very good NBA player. But in basketball, it’s not just talent that succeeds, it is how the players fit and play off each other.

And there is also the nasty part…the defensive end.

One of the issues with the smallish backcourt is defense. There is no question it is tougher to guard someone two or three inches taller than you, especially if you have a slight build, which Garland has.

Last year, coach J.B. Bickerstaff tried to have Garland check Knicks’ guard Jalen Brunson in the playoffs. It was a mismatch. Brunson just overpowered him, and he’s listed as just one inch taller.

Put all those things in the mix and it may be Garland isn’t a good fit in Cleveland if Donovan Mitchell decides to sign a contract extension.

The big word in that last sentence? “If”.

The NBA MVP “Ladder” And Should Mitchell Be On It

One of the dumber things we see in sports is the “MVP Ladder” listed weekly by one of the NBA’s sponsors. It starts in the second week of the season, for goodness sakes. Why not wait until say, the All-Star break to start talking about the award.

We feel like in the NBA the media tries to give the award early and then spend the rest of the season justifying it. And usually, it’s because it is a specific player’s “turn”. For example, Jayson Tatum’s name always comes up early in seasons, but by the end of the year, others have passed him up.

What’s worse is other sports have started the same nonsense. But we digress.

We bring it up because the Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell has started to come up in conversations about the league MVP. Charles Barkley even said Mitchell should be discussed for the honor.

Mitchell is having an incredible year. In scoring, he is even with last year’s career high of 28.3 points per game, but it’s the other numbers that are more impressive.

He’s dishing out assists at a career high pace, with 6.3 per contest, beating his previous best by one assist. His turnovers are consistent with the rest of his career.

His rebounding has also increased over his career best, as he is grabbing 5.4 boards per night. And his shooting percentage has increased since arriving in Cleveland, as he shot 44.1% with Utah, and in his two years here, that is up to 48.4% last year and 47.5% this season.

Most importantly, when Darius Garland was injured, and J.B. Bickerstaff essentially put the ball in Mitchell’s hands, the Cavs have won 22 of 27 games, roaring to the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference standings.

He has boosted his numbers since the day Garland went out to 29 points and 7.3 assists per contest. And it is not like he has been on the floor too much. After the first two games in this stretch, he’s played over 40 minutes just once, partially because of all the blowouts the team has played.

There have been games were he flat out carried the wine and gold. He had 45 points and 12 rebounds in the Paris game against the Nets. We woke the team out of a malaise against Detroit on January 31st, scoring 45 with 8 assists and 6 rebounds.

He’s likely also headed for his second all-NBA appearance in two years with Cleveland, which would make him only the third Cavalier to receive that honor more than once. The other two are LeBron James, who was named ten times (8 first team, 2 second team) and Mark Price, who received the honors four times (1 first team, 3 third team)

Mitchell made the second team last season.

He finished sixth in the MVP voting last season after leading the Cavs to a 50 win season, and they are on pace to surpass that mark in 2023-24.

Mitchell isn’t likely to win the award. Since the turn of the century, the only guards under 6’5″ to win it are Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, Steph Curry, and Russell Westbrook. But if the Cavs can finish second in the East, perhaps he can get to the top five.

Either way, he’s having a heck of a season. People who know the game know it, even if the national love isn’t there.

Garland & Mitchell Are Good Together. Could The Cavs Be Great Moving One?

The Cleveland Cavaliers are a very good basketball team. Barring a monumental collapse, they are going to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year. They are currently the second seed in the Eastern Conference and are seven games ahead of the 7th seed in the loss column.

They accomplished this record without Darius Garland for 24 games and Evan Mobley for 23 games. Heck, Donovan Mitchell has missed nine contests, and Jarrett Allen missed the first five games of the season.

Through all those injuries, they have a 32-16 record, three games ahead of last year’s pace.

We say all of this because recently there seems to be a discussion about Garland and whether he can play with Mitchell. We know the pairing has worked, last season’s 51 victories proves this, as well as this season’s record.

One of the things that is different about the NBA is some styles of play work in the regular season, but don’t in the playoffs. For example, before Golden State made its run of titles, Charles Barkley commented that no jump shooting team had won, and he was correct.

Teams had to be able to get hoops inside and through fast breaks, because that was more reliable than long range shooting.

With last season’s success in the regular schedule, the Cavaliers now have to win in the playoffs to take the next step as a franchise. The front office felt they needed to add shooting, but the Cavs shot 44.8% from the floor and 32.7& from three in the series loss to the Knicks last season.

New York shot 42.9% in total, and 28% from three in the series. And you read that correctly, the Cavs actually out shot the Knicks.

If you remember correctly, Cleveland was beaten up pretty badly on the boards, in part because the guards could not stop the penetration, particularly from Jalen Brunson, and when Allen and Mobley went to help, the Knicks’ big men slid into position for easy offensive rebounds.

New York had 75 offensive rebounds in the five games. Cleveland had 46.

And that’s what Koby Altman and the brass have to think about, can a backcourt of Garland and Mitchell be strong enough defensively to win in the playoffs.

Basketball is a different sport because sometimes it’s not about talent, it’s about fit. Look at the Milwaukee Bucks. They acquired Damian Lillard in the off-season, and no question he is a superstar, but at the same time, they miss Jrue Holiday who was traded to get Lillard, and ultimately wound up in Boston.

And we have said before, what complicates things for Altman and the Cavaliers is Mitchell’s contract status, as he can be a free agent after next season.

No one should be saying Garland and Mitchell cannot play together. The Cavs have succeeded with that backcourt. But can they win in the playoffs and ultimately win a title?

Or would they be better off in the long run moving Garland for say, an upgrade at the small forward spot? That’s the question the Cavs’ front office needs to consider.

We get it. The Cavs are rolling. But the front office has to take a detached, independent view of the roster.

And that’s why the people like Altman get paid what they get paid. Sometimes they have to make tough decisions, especially with home grown players, in order to win championships.

The Cavs are a playoff team with Garland and Mitchell in the backcourt. The bigger question is could they be a title team by moving one of them?

The Cavs’ Question Heading Into The Trade Deadline

After the 2021-22 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers pushed a lot of chips to the middle of the table in trading for all-star Donovan Mitchell. Cleveland had lost in the play-in tournament the year before after winning 44 games, and wanted to make a jump.

It worked too, as the Cavs jumped their win total to 51, finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference and getting home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs.

The post-season didn’t work out as the wine and gold were eliminated in five games by the New York Knicks, and were relatively quiet last summer, adding shooters Max Strus and Georges Niang in free agency.

We felt the organization’s goal last season was to get into a seven-game series, not the play in tournament, and they have seemed to take an incremental view in terms of that goal, meaning they would like to win at least one series this season.

Right now, Cleveland sits where they were a year ago, 4th in the East, but in a jumble between second seed Milwaukee (32-16), New York (third at 31-17) and Philadelphia (fifth at 29-17). We don’t think catching top seed Boston is realistic, and the sixth seeded Pacers have lost five more games than the Cavs.

As we said, the Cavs took a big swing before last season in getting Mitchell, and they really haven’t followed up on that. Certainly, Mitchell’s contract situation, he can be a free agent after next season, probably precludes making another big move.

Another factor is how the Cavaliers have played since the injuries to Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. They have gone 16-7 since the pair went out on December 15th. Mobley returned to action on Monday and Garland was back in there last night.

We point out the Mitchell contract situation because while Garland was out, Mitchell became the primary ball handler and averaged 29.1 points per game with 7.9 assists and 2.9 turnovers per night.

Garland came into last night scoring 20.7 points with 5.9 assists and 3.8 turnovers a game.

We have always had doubts about the two small guard lineup, even back when Garland’s partner was Collin Sexton, who they traded to get Mitchell. With Garland out, the Cavs got bigger, moving 6’5″ Max Strus to guard and putting 6’5″ Isaac Okoro at small forward.

If Mitchell was already under a long-term deal, Altman’s decision would be easier. See what Garland, who has made an all-star team, can get you in a trade, perhaps the 6’7″ or 6’8″ wing the Cavs probably need to take the next step as a legitimate contender to get to the NBA Finals.

However, if Mitchell decides he isn’t going to sign the extension in Cleveland, then the Cavs will likely move him during the summer, and probably look for that wing as a return for the team’s best player.

What does all this mean for Cavalier fans? The organization will probably not make a big move at the trade deadline next week. They will see how the team looks with the Mitchell/Garland combination in the backcourt for the rest of the year and into the playoffs.

It will be interesting to see what the team’s record looks like over the next few weeks as they make yet another transition. They play five of the next six on the road, but the only game against a team over .500 is the home game, vs. Sacramento.

On paper, the winning should continue. But the style of play may change, and that’s the concern.

Cavs’ 3 Point Success? Surprise, It’s Sam Merrill

The Cleveland Cavaliers have spent the last week or so talking about their new offensive style since the injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley.

They’ve gone 8-3 in the 11 contests without two of their usual starters, and they have increased the number of three-point shots they’ve attempted in that span. In the first 25 games of the season, the Cavs averaged 33 long range shots per game, and in the last 11, they added 10 attempts per game.

Better yet, they’ve been more efficient with the shot, making 34.5% of their attempts behind the arc in the first 25 games, while they’ve knocked down 37% since Garland and Mobley have been out.

The chief reason for the improvement has been Sam Merrill, who since the injuries occurred has received steady playing time and made 44.4% of his three-pointers, taking 72 of them in the nine games he has appeared in.

If you are going to take more three-point shots, the key is putting someone in the game who can make them consistently. And that’s what Merrill is doing.

We have been wary of Merrill’s abilities because in watching him it seemed the game was too fast for him, meaning he shot well in the G League and Summer League, but when he got to the NBA, he was rushing, and the result was his shot was off.

The game seems to have slowed down a bit for him and the results have been very good. Teams can always use players who knock down outside shots at that rate. He currently ranks 13th in the league in three-point percentage.

Unfortunately, the Cavs’ issues are with the players who are taking the most long-range shots per game, Max Strus and Donovan Mitchell.

Strus has attempted the 7th most three-pointers in the league with 294. The problem is of the players in the top ten in the NBA in attempts, Strus has the lowest percentage of makes at 34.7%. The next lowest is Damian Lillard at 35.2%.

However, Lillard is a much more versatile offensive player, having gone to the line 275 times this season. Strus has attempted just 49 free throws.

As for Mitchell, because he’s missed some time with injuries, he ranks fifth in the league with 8.9 three-point attempts per game. And same as Strus, he has the lowest field goal percentage among the top ten in attempts at 35%.

This is not to call out Mitchell, who is one of the premier scoring guards in the league. However, he is knocking down 53.3% of his shots inside the arc. We understand the toll it takes attacking the basket more often (he’s makes 68% inside three feet), but only 10% of his field goal tries are from 16 feet to the arc, but he makes half of those shots.

Meanwhile, 42.8% of his field goal tries are three pointers. We’d like to see him lower that percentage a bit.

We still think a good part of the Cavs’ success since Garland and Mobley went out is due to a nice schedule break. The only real good team Cleveland has played in this span is Milwaukee, and they’ve only played three road games during this time.

When they return from France, they will play the Bucks three more times, as well as Orlando and the Clippers by the end of January. Of course, Garland shouldn’t be that far from returning.

Those games will be good tests.

It’s funny though that Koby Altman signed Strus and Georges Niang to get more three-point shooting, and the player who has been the key was here all along. Sam Merrill’s shooting has been a big factor in coping with the absences of Garland and Mobley.

Questions And More Questions About Cavs’ Future

As soon as the Cleveland Cavaliers announced Darius Garland and Evan Mobley would miss extended time due to injury, and rumors started popping up about a possible trade for Donovan Mitchell.

Our guess is these people feel the Cavs would not be a playoff team without two of their starters, so they would be better off cashing in on Mitchell, who can decline a player option for the 2025-26 season and become a free agent.

This of course means the wine and gold only have Mitchell for the remainder of this season and next, because he certainly won’t take the option and remain in “Cleveland” any longer than he has to.

To his credit, Mitchell has said all the right things and at least publicly hasn’t talked about wanting out of Cleveland, but no doubt, the front office has to be monitoring the situation. They certainly will not let Mitchell walk away without compensation, so if the all-star guard doesn’t give them assurances he would like to stay, Koby Altman has to listen to offers.

However, things have changed from a year ago. After 28 games last season, Cleveland was 17-11 and sitting in the #3 spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They were the up-and-coming team, adding an all-NBA talent in Mitchell, allowing the least points in the league, and a challenger for the best record in the conference.

They’ve only one a game less this year.

This season, the hot young squad is Orlando, sitting with a 16-9 record and in the 4th spot in the East. The Cavs have been up and down all season, beset with injuries to pretty much everyone on their roster, and due to that, generally has sat between 6th and 9th in the conference.

And Indiana’s run to the In Season Tournament title game have basketball talking about them as well.

So, if the Cavs can’t keep winning without their pair of injured starters, and they’ve received no commitment from Mitchell that he is willing to sign an extension, then you have to think it is time to sell high on the four-time All Star.

On the other hand, if Cleveland continues to win without Garland and Mobley, that has to open some eyes, no?

We have long found flaws with the smallish backcourt of Mitchell and Garland, who in terms of style of game are very similar. Max Strus has moved to the #2 guard spot right now, giving coach J.B. Bickerstaff a little more size on the perimeter, which should help defensively.

If the team can remain afloat or even flourish without Garland and Mobley, doesn’t reflect well on the coaching staff? Also, would it be a referendum on the Garland/Mitchell combination?

Our guess is that it will be tough to string together victories with a roster missing two of their top six players, but it could also be a Browns’ moment for the team as well. An opportunity to show the “grit” that Bickerstaff talks about.

If they can’t keep their heads above water with the injuries, it could mean a roster overhaul at the trade deadline, probably involving Mitchell, the organization’s most valuable trade chip.

The next six weeks could be hugely important for the future of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The high hopes this season brought for the franchise could be dashed pretty quickly.