A Game 7 Win And A Date With The Pistons

The nice thing about the NBA playoffs is that after every series, you start with a clean slate. So, that the Cleveland Cavaliers had a tougher time than expected with the Toronto Raptors means nothing when they start the Eastern Conference semifinals tonight against the Detroit Pistons.

As for game seven, the Cavs found themselves down 47-38 with 2:58 left in the second quarter. Max Strus drilled a three, got a steal which led to two free throws from James Harden. After an offensive foul drawn by Strus, Harden knocked down another three, and after another turnover, Jaylon Tyson hit another three and the home team went into the locker room tied.

The third quarter was the Jarrett Allen takeover. Allen scored 14 points and grabbed 10 boards in those 12 minutes, and Donovan Mitchell added nine more as Cleveland outscored the Raptors 38-19 and basically put the game away.

You can’t minimize what Strus, Tyson, and to a lesser extent Sam Merrill did in that quarter although Allen was clearly the star.

Strus did a little bit of everything, the all-around game the Cavs need, scoring 12 points with 8 rebounds and five assists. And we are a fan of Tyson (and would like to see him get more time) for the same reason. He had 7 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists.

And we would be remiss if we didn’t mention Evan Mobley’s aggressiveness in the first half. He wound up in foul trouble, but he had 13 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 27 minutes. At times, his passiveness drives us crazy, but he came out to make an impact.

So, now it is on to the top seed in the East, the Pistons, who also needed seven games, and had to overcome a 3-1 deficit in the series, to defeat the Orlando Magic.

Cade Cunningham and Tobias Harris took almost half of the Pistons shots in the first round series win and were the only Detroit players to average more than 11 points per game. By contrast, Mitchell and Harden, who took the most field goal attempts for the Cavs, combined to take 41% of them and Cleveland had four scorers who average more than 11 points per game, and Strus scored 10.3.

The Pistons did not shoot the three ball well in round one, knocking down just 32.7% of them, and Cunningham and Duncan Robinson made 40 of the 68 conversions. We would point out though that Toronto didn’t shoot the three well in the regular season, but the overhelping Cavs defense provides opponents with some wide-open looks, so Detroit may do better in the series.

Another challenge will be the physicality the Pistons play with, particularly their big men, Jalen Duran and Isaiah Stewart. Duran had 28 offensive rebounds in the Orlando series and Ausar Thompson had 25 more. The Cavaliers outrebounded Toronto for the series, but that was a result of the 60-33 advantage in the deciding game.

They will have to keep Detroit off the offensive glass.

Hopefully, the Cavaliers learned a lesson Sunday night and will come out with more intensity and physicality, especially on the defensive end in this series. And they don’t have homecourt advantage, meaning they will have to win at least one in the Motor City.

For all of the complaints we had about the Cavs’ play in round one, that all gets erased. It’s a new series and a new set of challenges.

Raptors Bringing Physicality. Can Cavs Answer It?

To quote the great Jim Nantz, “it’s a tradition like any other”. Nantz, of course, is talking about The Masters, but we could use the same line to describe the performance of the Cleveland Cavaliers in their series against the Toronto Raptors.

It started with the first-round loss to the New York Knicks four years ago, when the Knicks started playing a physical brand, some might say, playoff brand of basketball and the wine and gold just never matched it.

Opponents play with force, a physicality, and the Cavaliers simply don’t match it. And that’s what has happened up north, and the two teams come back to Cleveland with the series tied at two games apiece.

To be it simply, Scottie Barnes bullied the Cavs in the two games in Toronto and Kenny Atkinson’s crew hasn’t answered back. Following Friday’s game three loss, Atkinson switched Dean Wade on to Barnes, moving Evan Mobley to Brandon Ingram, and to some extent it worked, they held the Raptors to 93 points, and the two Toronto forwards shot 12 of 37 from the floor.

But Barnes got to the line 14 times, had nine rebounds and six assists. Wade and Mobley were just 7 of 16 from the floor, and the latter had nine rebounds.

Barnes is attacking and the Cavaliers haven’t seemed to have challenged him all that much. Conversely, especially in game four, the outside shot wasn’t falling for Cleveland, yet they kept hoisting the three, taking 40 of their 87 shots from beyond the arc. They made just 10.

The Cavs looked to take control of the game in the middle of the second, third, and fourth quarters, only to see the Raptors close each time. In the second quarter, Cleveland led by seven (33-26) with 1:40 remaining, only to see Toronto close the half on a 12-3 run.

In that quarter, Dennis Schroder and James Harden started taking the ball to the basket and combined for 11 of the team’s 19 points, going 5 of 9 from the field. The rest of the team went 3 for 14.

Cleveland led 56-48 with 3:53 remaining in quarter three only to see the Raptors go on a 12-2 spurt to lead after three 60-58.

And of course, in the fourth quarter they had an eight-point lead at 84-76 with 4:55 on the clock, but the Raptors closed the game on a 17-5 run.

We hate to blame a coach, but we have to wonder what Sam Merrill is giving the Cavs, especially if he isn’t making shots. He did make 3 of 7 on Sunday, but prior was 3 for 10 in the series. And in game four, didn’t have a rebound or an assist.

In the playoffs, we think you need more all-around players. We felt down the stretch the Cavs needed someone else who could take the ball to the basket. Jaylon Tyson is willing to do that and he’s also a stronger rebounder and defender than Merrill.

This is the playoffs. The physical play is enhanced. As for the rotations, the coaching staff needs to go with the hot hand(s). Thomas Bryant needs to play if for no other reason than he’s a big body. Atkinson seems to have gone away from Keon Ellis, who hasn’t done much, but Schroder should get more time. There is no reason he should have played less than Merrill.

We understand Harden is taking a lot of heat nationally, but to us, it’s clear Mobley has to step up from both a physical standpoint and be more aggressive offensively. And Wade needs to shoot if Toronto is ignoring him.

They are doubling the guards and several times Wade took the ball into the paint from the wing, then turned around and passed the ball back outside. He has to be more aggressive offensively.

The Cavaliers can still win this series and really must win the series. They didn’t get Harden to lose in round one. But they have to be more physical.

What we don’t know is are they capable of doing that.

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.

Cavs’ Playoff Run? Your Guess Is As Good As Ours.

We were asked the other day what we thought the playoffs will hold for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who currently sit with the #4 seed in the Eastern Conference with just five games remaining.

Our answer was not a cop out, although it sounds like it was. The reply was we can see Kenny Atkinson’s squad winning the East and getting to the NBA Finals. And we can also say them losing in the first round to Atlanta, Philadelphia, or Toronto, three possible opponents in the opening round.

To be completely honest, when we look at basketball, we first think about defensive matchups. Why? Because pretty much every player in the NBA can score. That’s why they are in the league. We have watched the wine and gold over the last month and don’t see a lot of good things defensively.

They seem to play effectively on that end of the floor in spurts. The last four games, after getting beat at home by Miami, they have played well. Will they have more attention to detail in the playoffs? You would hope so.

But we can definitively say the Cavaliers will play good defense when the playoffs start in two weeks? We just don’t know.

When Koby Altman traded for James Harden, we wrote that we guess if the Cavs were going to have a ball dominant guard who doesn’t play much defense, they might as well get a bigger one, which Harden is. The veteran can stand his ground if he is taken into the post.

And what we fear most (and as always) is Cleveland’s lack of size, particularly at the wings, and the lack of size depth up front.

We know the Cavs have Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley at the #4 and #5 spots. There is no problem there. But, they only have one other big man to protect the rim, Thomas Bryant.

Many in the Cleveland hoops media will point out Dean Wade, who is an excellent wing defender. He’s also missed 18 games since the beginning of 2026 (Cavs have played 40) and hasn’t been super durable in his career.

And offensively, let’s just say he’s an unwilling participant. We feel that opponents are going to make Wade play offense in the playoffs by using his man to double on others, namely Donovan Mitchell and Harden.

If Wade does start, the Cavs will match up well in the starting lineup, going 6’3″ (Mitchell), 6’5″ (Harden), 6’9″ (Wade), 6’11” (Mobley) and 6’9″ (Allen).

After Bryant, who is the sub for Allen/Mobley, who is the next biggest Cavaliers in Atkinson’s rotation? Jaylon Tyson at 6’6″? 6’5″ Max Strus? Sam Merrill and Keon Ellis at 6’4″?

And if Wade is played off the court, Atkinson will have to put a smaller wing, although a more offensive minded one in his spot.

That a worry if the Cavs go against a team where they have wings around 6’7″ or 6’8″ like Boston. Or Toronto with Brandon Ingram and Scottie Barnes, both 6’8″.

Or Philadelphia with Paul George and Kelly Oubre, both 6’8″.

Strus and Tyson have some bulk. We have loved the defensive impact in the passing lanes Ellis has made, he’s amazing, but he is slightly built. And we can’t get it out of our heads watching Jaylin Brown from the Celtics bullying Ellis into the paint and shooting over him with his 3″ advantage.

Can the Cavs overcome this defensive issue? Sure, they have two great offensive players in Mitchell and Harden, capable of taking over a game. But that puts a tremendous burden on both.

That’s why the playoffs will be fascinating. We can’t wait to see how it plays out.

Folks Don’t Want To Trade Jarrett Allen Now

Ever since the Cavs drafted Evan Mobley, there have been a segment of fans, usually younger ones, who wanted to trade Jarrett Allen. The logic being you can’t have two big men that cannot shoot from outside.

Part of this is the league has gone three point happy, among fans and players alike. We watch the end of many NBA games and are convinced players can’t help themselves. They’ve been playing the same style for so many years now, it has become a reflex action to hoist a three, even if there team is ahead by say six with under two minutes to play.

The smart play would be to take a little time off the clock and get a shot with a better than 50/50 chance of going in.

Anyway, back to the Cavs and Allen. So, the hope was Mobley could develop a reliable three point shot and that would solve the problem. But after two years of being in the 37% range (the first year with limited attempts, last season he averaged taking three per game), the reigning Defensive Player of the Year has dropped to 30%.

We always figured having the two bigs could work. You can stagger their minutes, and you can also space them better. Run sets with Mobley at the high post and Allen on the opposite low post. With the three-point shooters the Cavs have we don’t think doubling the post would be a problem, nor do many teams do that anymore anyway.

Allen has had a career renaissance over the last couple of months and has been even better since the trade for James Harden at the deadline.

Since February 1st, Allen has played in 14 games (he just missed 10 in a row with tendonitis in the knee) and have averaging 20.8 points per game on 66% shooting and has grabbed over 10 rebounds per contest.

And since we have talked about the lack of size on the roster, when Allen is out of the lineup it forces more minutes for Thomas Bryant and Dean Wade has to play minutes at power forward, thus Kenny Atkinson loses his biggest wing defender.

With Harden on the roster, there has been a resurgence for both starting big men, mainly because Harden is such a tremendous passer, particularly in the pick-and-roll game, he gets Allen and Mobley the ball going downhill most of the time.

As for those fans who didn’t think it would work, we believe they only look at the offensive side of the floor. We have seen that in discussions about Darius Garland. Many fans want to look at his gaudy offensive numbers, while ignoring that he is a liability defensively.

(And yes, we know Harden isn’t a lockdown defender either, but he’s also 6’5″ and can hold his own if being posted up)

With both bigs on the floor, it allows Allen to be the rim protector and Mobley to play more on the perimeter and the Cavs will need that in the playoffs, especially if the play a team with size on the wings.

There is room for teams to play differently and still win. The defending champs, Oklahoma City, play a different style than does Boston, and the Knicks and Pistons play a very physical style of basketball. It doesn’t have to be the free-flowing shooting threes game.

For example, since Harden came aboard, Cleveland has played at a much slower pace. And if they are advancing through the playoffs, no one is going to care.

A Frustrating Time For NBA Teams. Cavs Are No Exception

What is frustrating about the Cleveland Cavaliers these days is as one NBA play-by-play man would say, they seem to be “playing with their food”.

Like the other night in Chicago, when Kenny Atkinson’s squad were leading by 29 points in the third quarter and the Bulls trimmed that advantage all the way to one before the Cavs won. In a postgame interview, James Harden, who led Cleveland with 36 points, wasn’t really happy that his team went away from the basketball that got them the big lead.

On the other hand, look at the record over the last ten games for the rest of what would be the top four seeds in the East:

Detroit 6-4
Boston 7-3
New York 7-3
Cleveland 6-4

It’s a malaise that sinks in at this point of the year. The finish line is in plain sight and teams without a doubt do seem to lose focus knowing that the games which really count are about three weeks away.

However, that doesn’t make it less frustrating to watch.

When Koby Altman made the moves at the trade deadline, particularly the big swing for Harden, it was done with a lot of anticipation of getting beyond the conference semifinals and getting the opportunity to play for a spot in the NBA Finals.

Frankly, we can see the Cavaliers getting to the Finals, and we can also see them getting bounced in the first round. Right now, they are that kind of team.

To be fair, Cleveland can’t seem to get their best players on the floor for any long stretch of games. Currently, Jarrett Allen is out with knee tendonitis, and regular readers know how we complain about the lack of big men on the Cavs’ roster. With Allen out, that shows up on a night basis, the lack of size up front.

Since Harden arrived in town, Sam Merrill, Allen, Evan Mobley, Jaylon Tyson, Dean Wade, and even Donovan Mitchell have missed games. Max Strus just played in his first game last Sunday.

It’s tough to develop continuity with players constantly shuffling in and out of the lineup. Meaning consistent play also suffers.

On the other hand, the old saying is that defense should show up every night, and in the last five games, the Cavs have allowed 128 points to Orlando, a possible first round matchup, and 130 to Dallas, a tanking team, and one the wine and gold obliterated two nights prior.

Frustration.

We seem to see Atkinson using a lot of groups including four guards, playing Harden, Mitchell, Keon Ellis, and either Merrill or Dennis Schroder together. Hopefully that’s an experiment because playing against a team with several 6’6″/6’7″ players will be a problem.

And this is where we advocate for Jaylon Tyson (again). Tyson should be the starter at the #3 because he brings a toughness to the starting unit and he is an offensive threat. If you ranked the Cleveland players, we believe he’s their 5th best player behind Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, and Allen.

For a team that has been accused of being soft at times, having Tyson out there to start a game puts some grit out there immediately. Then you can bring Schroder and Ellis off the bench to put even more irritants on the court.

A big week is coming up. Three games at home against playoff teams in Orlando and Miami. One solid week of games would help alleviate the frustration.

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.

Tough Stretch Out Of The Break Should Show Cavs’ Progress After Deals

Certainly, there is a lot of optimism about the Cleveland Cavaliers after the trading deadline when Koby Altman swapped Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and Lonzo Ball for James Harden, Dennis Schroder, and Keon Ellis.

The Cavs have won 10 of their last 11 games and although they sit in the #4 position in the Eastern Conference, they are just a game and a half out of the #2 spot.

We don’t want to pour cold water on everyone, but of the three wins since Harden arrived, Cleveland has defeated the Kings, who have the worst record in the West, and the Wizards, who have the worst mark in the East.

Yes, winning in Denver was a quality win, we are not minimizing that. But the real test is coming for this group.

It has been documented the schedule for the wine and gold is considerably easier down the stretch, one of the lightest slates in the Association, but the new roster will be test coming out of the All Star break.

After a home game tonight against Brooklyn, the Cavs hit the road for games against the red-hot Charlotte Hornets and the defending champs in Oklahoma City. Charlotte is currently a “play-in” team, and the Thunder came into town on MLK Day and waxed Kenny Atkinson’s crew 136-104.

The Knicks, currently the third seed in the East, comes to town on Tuesday, and the Cavaliers end February with a game in Detroit, and after another home game with the Nets, have a homestand against the Pistons, Celtics, and 76ers.

We will get a much better evaluation on all the roster moves after this stretch.

And you would think that in this stretch of games, Evan Mobley should be back on the floor, so we can finally see how Harden affects him on the offensive end. We have already seen how Jarrett Allen has been much more of a scorer, not only with Harden, but on the western swing.

Remember the 40 point, 17 rebound game against Portland came before the trades took place.

With Mobley back, another thing to watch is how Atkinson will handle playing time. Right now, he is basically starting with Allen and four guards, which makes a lot of minutes available for the glut of wings on the roster.

We would think when Mobley is back in the starting lineup, Jaylon Tyson will start at the #3, with Sam Merrill and Dean Wade (when he returns) coming off the bench. But the coach might want Tyson coming off the bench and have Merrill’s shooting space the floor for Donovan Mitchell, Harden and the big men.

And doing this would make Wade the backup for Allen and Mobley up front. If Atkinson wanted to go big, he can always use Wade at the #3 as well, he has shown he can defend on the perimeter.

Also, Nae’Qwan Tomlin should stay in the rotation. His energy and length have earned being on the floor.

The minutes for the wings will likely work itself out before the end of the season and Atkinson will have a better idea of his rotation for the playoffs, but in the meantime, players like Merrill and Craig Porter Jr. will be on trial for earning time on the floor.

Being deep is a good thing overall though, and hopefully the injuries are behind the Cavs so Atkinson will have a tough decision when the playoffs start.

Early Return On Deals Very Good For Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing much better over the last month, winning 10 of their last 11 and just coming home from a tough trip out west where they dropped the first game in Phoenix and then ripped off four straight wins.

Certainly, all of the attention is on James Harden because let’s face it, no matter how you feel about his style of play, he is a former MVP and was named as one of the 75 greatest players in the league’s history.

But this span of better play started before Koby Altman swapped out Darius Garland, De’Andre Hunter, and Lonzo Ball. We could also be a little snarky and remind people it kind of started when Garland got hurt. They won the game he was injured to raise their record to 23-19, so the Cavs are 10-2 since.

We still worry about the lack of height on the current roster, but we also understand it is unfair to judge them now because Evan Mobley, the Cavs’ starting power forward, is out, and so is Dean Wade, who at 6’9″ can play both inside and outside.

But there is no question Koby Altman improved the Cavaliers’ defense on the perimeter with the acquisition of Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis. Although the former is 6’1″, Schroder is a pest defensively, picking up opponents in the backcourt and making his man work to bring the ball up.

Ellis is long and seems to have good anticipation skills in the passing lanes.

As for the big trade, we have no questions about James Harden’s ability to score. The guy can put the ball in the basket. He’s a 24.1 point scorer for his career and is coming up on the 29000th point in the NBA soon and is 730 points away from moving in the top ten all-time.

We know about his playoff failures too, but for this current team, when Mobley comes back, he’s probably the third best player, so the burden isn’t on him like in the past.

We also know that at some point he is going to probably force his way out of town, but we choose to look at the situation as how it affects the Cavaliers this season.

An aspect that is overlooked about Harden is his passing ability. He is also 12th all-time in assists, and he is particularly adept at making passes into the post. Jarrett Allen has scored 29 and 22 points in the two games Harden has played, and no doubt he will aid Mobley when he is healthy.

Harden isn’t a force on the defensive end, but at his size we can hold his own if someone tries to post him up, but he never was a decent defender and at 36, he’s not getting better. But really, the player he was dealt for wasn’t proficient on that end either.

Now, Kenny Atkinson has to figure out who is going to lose time with the three newcomers in uniform. There is no question there is a glut at guard and at small forward. In the last two games, he’s gotten around this by playing four guards, but that doesn’t help the rebounding.

When Mobley and Wade get back, that’s when he will have to make an adjustment. Our guess is Sam Merrill becomes more of a specialist, a sniper if you will, and Craig Porter Jr. will have a lesser role because Schroder and Ellis do what he provided.

Yes, things look good right now, but one thing hasn’t changed for the Cavaliers. Nothing really matters until the playoffs. They need to get to at least the conference finals. At least.