Nothing Against Tyson, Cavs Still Need Size

The Cleveland Cavaliers had their first attempt to add some size in the NBA Draft Wednesday night, but chose not to do it, drafting G Jaylon Tyson from California with the 20th overall pick.

We say guard because Tyson is 6’5-1/2″ and we are sorry, but in today’s NBA, that’s a guard. We know Cleveland last season played Max Strus (6’5″) at small forward, but we reiterate, that’s the height of a guard.

This isn’t to denigrate Tyson. We also wanted the Cavaliers to draft more well-rounded players as they have a lot of one-dimensional guys, and Tyson appears to be that. He’s a good shooter, moves well without the ball and is a willing passer, all good traits on the offensive end of the floor.

His scouting report says he’s not fast, nor a leaper, but other players have been able to make themselves decent defensively with less physical attributes.

Cleveland could’ve drafted KyShawn George (6’8″), DaRon Holmes (6’10”), Baylor Scheierman (6’7″), or even Kyle Filipowski (7′) and added needed height.

Instead, Tyson joins the 6’5″/6’6″ collection on the roster, joining Strus, Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert, Sam Merrill, and the forgotten Ty Jerome.

We understand the off-season has just begun, so there is plenty of time to restructure the roster and clear a few of the players we just mentioned, but again, the first thought we had when the pick was announced was another 6’5″ player.

Starting later today, the free agency period starts in the NBA and so there will be a lot of player movement over the next week. Cavs’ president of basketball operations Koby Altman has said that he would like to keep the “core 4” together and this has been repeated through reports since the season ended.

We will soon find out if this is “GM speak” or not.

We are sure new coach Kenny Atkinson has discussed the roster with his new boss. Does he concur with Altman, that is the big question.

In our humble opinion, and we are not alone, the backcourt of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland doesn’t work if Cleveland wants to take another step forward and get to the conference finals next season.

It doesn’t mean they are both talented, it just means they don’t play off of each other. This is hardly news in the NBA. We frequently cite the late 60’s Lakers who had Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, and Elgin Baylor. When Baylor was injured, the team took off.

A more recent team would be Milwaukee, where it looks like at least in the first year, that the Bucks were better with Jrue Holiday than with Damian Lillard.

Running it back with the Core 4 (by the way, we hate calling them that) just delays progress another season. Right now, in the East, there is Boston, and then no clear-cut secondary contender.

With the correct moves, Cleveland could become the challenger to the world champion Celtics. We don’t think this can be done without a significant roster change.

We guess what we are really saying is the Cavs need Evan Mobley to take a big jump, and we doubt that can happen with two ball dominant small guards playing 35 minutes per night.

We should find out soon what Altman thinks. And of course, there is still the need for more size.

Let the off-season begin!

On To Round Two And Boston For Cavs

Well, they did it. The Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs with a 106-94 win over the Orlando Magic. And they overcame an 18-point first half deficit to do it.

Early on, the Cavs couldn’t make a shot on offense and defensively couldn’t stop Paolo Banchero, who had 24 points in the first half.

The game may have turned oddly enough when Max Strus and Darius Garland, who were a combined 1 for 8 from the floor, missing all five of their three-point shots, both had to leave the game in foul trouble.

J.B. Bickerstaff went to Caris LeVert, who he benched in the second half of Game 6, and Sam Merrill, who hadn’t been playing much at all, probably because it was all he had.

LeVert hit 4 of 6 shots and Merrill hit two threes and two free throws the remainder of the half and Cleveland trimmed the lead to a more manageable 10 points at the half.

In the second half, Donovan Mitchell took over, scoring 24 points on 8 of 14 shooting, Strus got it going, knocking down 3 out of 4 from long range, and Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro played tremendous defense.

Mobley was a force inside, grabbing 16 rebounds and blocking five shots in addition to 11 points. Okoro forced Banchero into a 4 for 15 half from the field, putting the young Magic all-star into check.

In the end though, it was Mitchell. He scored 39 points in all and attacked from the opening tip off, getting to the line 17 times, making 15. He kind of willed the Cavs to victory.

So now it is the #1 seed in the East, the Boston Celtics, who had the NBA’s best record in the regular season going 64-18. They ranked first in the league in offensive rating and third in defensive rating.

And they have stars on top of stars: Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and one of the league’s unsung very good players in Derrick White.

However, Porzingis is currently on the shelf with a calf injury, so actually from a size standpoint, the Celts are a much better matchup for Cleveland. Beyond him, the Celtics have only one player who gets more than 20 minutes per night and is 6’9″ or more in Al Horford.

Boston loves the three-point shot, leading the league in attempts and makes, and second in percentage. Their flaw has been when they aren’t going in, they just keep taking them.

The biggest thing though for the Cavs is they have to get offensive production out of someone besides Mitchell and Jarrett Allen, if he can get healthy.

This means Darius Garland simply must play better. Garland hit a three in the fourth quarter and the whole team seemed to celebrate because he’s struggled that much.

Actually, he did shoot well in the series, it was everything else that was awful. He seemed to be very shaky with the ball in his hands and defensively is a problem as well. If he can move the ball (meaning he stops dribbling the air out of the ball) and hit shots, he can be a big asset.

We would also like Bickerstaff to reset. Go back to playing Georges Niang at least to start the series, and we would still go 10 deep, giving time for Sam Merrill, Marcus Morris, and Tristan Thompson.

It’s a new series. We don’t think the Cavs can win; it will be more about how competitive they can play in the series to determine how the team should be reshaped this summer.

Have Cavs Put Together A Solid Roster?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And drafting Evan Mobley was a no brainer.

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

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

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

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

Time For Cavs To Have Accountability

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ weird season continues. They have struggled since the All-Star break, but still are in third place in the Eastern Conference, and amazingly are just a game and a half behind the second place Milwaukee Bucks.

Of course, they are also just a half game ahead of fourth place New York, while Orlando has slid to two and a half games behind Cleveland.

Still, that doesn’t make Wednesday loss on the road to a terrible Charlotte team any more palatable, and it doesn’t exactly give fans a warm and fuzzy feeling with the playoffs just a couple of weeks away.

J.B. Bickerstaff has always talked about the Cavs being defensive minded, but the lowly Hornets blistered Cleveland, particularly from inside the three-point line, where they made 31 of 43 shots, a 72% clip.

The thing that came up again to fans and media alike is this word, “toughness”. Or the lack of it from the wine and gold.

When the Cavaliers win, they always talk about togetherness, having fun, and sharing. They also like to refer to themselves as a young team. That’s getting old (no pun intended).

Evan Mobley is 22, but he’s been in the NBA for three seasons. Isaac Okoro is 23, but this is his fourth year. Darius Garland is 24, but in his fifth NBA campaign.

And those are the only guys under 25 getting regular playing time.

Jarrett Allen is 25, Dean Wade, Max Strus, Donovan Mitchell, and Sam Merrill are 27 years old. The young team excuse should be off the table and the coaching staff and organization should stop coddling them.

It’s time for Bickerstaff to stop calling timeout every time the opponent scores three baskets in a row. When Phil Jackson coached, he was famous for not calling timeouts, instead giving his players instructions to figure it out themselves. That’s how you build toughness and accountability.

In that game, Garland, who we have criticized for being careless with the ball, turned it over three times in the first five minutes. Why not take him out of the game after that? Hate to sound like a parent, but there are consequences for actions.

And Marcus Morris, who received the Cavs’ chain for his tough play in Monday’s win, didn’t even get off the bench for the loss on Wednesday. That’s how being tough and physical is awarded in the organization?

It’s long since the time to take the “training wheels” off for this group. They are old enough and been around long enough for the organization to be looking for accountability from this squad.

Perhaps there is a different message in the locker room and at practice. Publicly, it’s beginning to sound like rhetoric.

We’ve said it earlier this season, but the regular season isn’t how the Cavaliers are going to be judged, but it is important to get home court advantage for as many rounds as possible. That’s because this group hasn’t had any playoff success.

The Miami Heat should be the model used for being tough, and it’s not weakness to point to another organization as a guide.

How often do you think Erik Spoelstra talks about having fun?

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 Now At A Crossroad

After a four-game trip that started well in Miami, the Cleveland Cavaliers dropped the final three games and now seem to be at a crossroads. Their record has dropped to just two games over .500 at 14-12, and Friday, they received bad news.

Two of their starters, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, will be out for extended periods due to injury, Garland with a broken jaw, and Mobley is having arthroscopic surgery on his knee. Garland will miss approximately three to four weeks, and Mobley six to eight weeks.

As we said last week, the Cavs’ season has been weird, filled with several injuries, and with extended absences of two starters, the depth will really be tested.

We have complained about the make-up of the Cleveland roster for a while now, so coach J.B. Bickerstaff will have his hands full trying to keep his team in playoff contention, because injuries or not, missing the post-season after last season’s 51-win campaign, would be a disappointment.

We would assume that the loss of Garland means the ball will be put in Donovan Mitchell’s hands, and he is averaging 5.1 assists per night, and frankly, has been better with the ball than Garland in terms of turnovers this season, averaging one less per game.

That would move Max Strus to the two guard, giving the wine and gold a more traditional sized backcourt. However, moving Strus creates an opening at the small forward spot, and therein lies the roster construction problem.

Bickerstaff likes to bring Caris LeVert off the bench, so the candidates to start at small forward would seem to be Isaac Okoro or Georges Niang. Dean Wade might have been a choice as well, but he’s probably the starter in Mobley’s spot.

You would think a player who was the fifth overall pick should be the starter, but Okoro still is not a viable option offensively, so it is difficult to give him extended minutes because opponents don’t feel the need to guard him.

So, we would probably go with Niang, because it would seem to spread the floor for Mitchell. Having Strus, Niang, and Wade on the court together could give Cleveland the ultimate floor spacing.

There is a flaw to this though, and that is Wade is nowhere near the rebounder that Mobley is. On a per 36 minute basis, Wade gets 7.5 rebounds, compared to Mobley’s 11.2.

Wade needs to show up once and for all. The organization has a much higher opinion of him than we do, and now would be a good time to see why.

We have talked about the lack of big man depth for the Cavaliers for some time now, and here we are again. For some reason, Bickerstaff seems reticent to use Tristan Thompson on a regular basis, even though the veteran is just 32-years-old.

We know Thompson is offensively challenged, but he can still defend on rebound (he gets 11.3 boards per 36 minutes). He going to have to be out there every night now, we would think.

Garland’s injury would seem to force rookie Craig Porter Jr. on the court. He’s been impressive in limited appearances, and this should give him an opportunity to see if he can adjust since defenses will see him more often.

And as for the big men, maybe we will see Damian Jones and/or Isaiah Mobley get an opportunity to see some minutes.

The Cavaliers have a top heavy roster, with five very good players (Mitchell, Garland, Jarrett Allen, Mobley, and LeVert). Now, two of those guys will be missing for a while, and they will need more from the everyone. That doesn’t mean hoisting up more shots either.

They just need everyone to do a little more. For example, Mitchell to be more of a distributor, Allen, a couple more buckets per game, etc.

If players don’t step up, the Cavs might have too deep of a hole to dig out of when Garland and Mobley get back.

Big Summer Ahead For Cavs

The NBA season ended on Monday night, meaning the draft, free agency, and trade season is upon basketball fans around the country.

That means we will see if Cavs’ president of basketball operations was serious when he said the wine and gold were not going to make big changes this summer.

There is some truth that Denver was patient throughout the past few seasons and reaped the benefit by winning the title, and the Nuggets have indeed built around Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, two players drafted by the team.

The counterpoint to that is the newly crowned champs are built traditionally. Yes, they have one of the best players in the world in the two-time MVP, but they have size in the backcourt, Murray is 6’4 and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is 6’5″.

As we have written many times since the Cavs were eliminated by the Knicks, Cleveland has a very small roster, with only Evan Mobley bigger than most players who play his position. And to be fair, Jarrett Allen is the height of most NBA starting centers.

So standing pat is kind of banking on every going the same way for the Cavs in the 2023-24 campaign. And can that way work in the playoffs?

Help isn’t going to come in the draft, so the Cavaliers have to rely on free agency and the trade market in order to improve. The question is do they have the resources to make the improvements needed to compete in the playoffs next year?

Sure, you can trade players like Cedi Osman, Isaac Okoro, or Lamar Stevens, but what is that going to get you? They don’t have enough room under the salary cap to go out and get a big-time free agent. Most teams in the league don’t.

Now, if Altman and GM Mike Gansey really think the Cavs just played a team that was a bad matchup in the first round, and they just need to run it back, okay. There is merit to that. Let’s say, Cleveland would’ve played the Nets in the first round, they likely advance to the conference semifinals.

Many people have speculated that Allen is the most likely to go, but the Cavs are already devoid of big men. Most of these people have the belief that either your power forward or center must be able to shoot threes to win in today’s NBA.

Our counter to that is yes, it does open up the floor, but it doesn’t have to be beyond the arc. If Allen and Mobley can be respectable from 15 feet, that would be very helpful.

And if other teams think the same way as Cleveland, then what kind of return would the Cavaliers get for Allen?

We still think it will be difficult, not impossible to win with a pair of small guards getting big minutes. We said this when Collin Sexton and Darius Garland were the starters, and raised the point when Donovan Mitchell was acquired.

You can’t move a guy like Mobley who has size, is a great defender, being able to guard on the perimeter as well as the post. He’s exactly the kind of versatile player needed in today’s game.

So that means another revamp of the backcourt.

Does the front office have the stomach for that? Two years ago, the Cavs experimented with three seven footers on the front line. Last year, they were a small team. Do they see if they can get to the conference finals with a second year of this group?

We’d like to see the experimental phase end. Even in today’s NBA, size wins. That’s Altman’s challenge this summer.

Cavs Need More Than Tinkering To Advance Next Year.

In watching the NBA playoffs, we continuously think about the Cavaliers’ first round defeat in five games at the hands of the New York Knicks. We think about it because the Eastern Conference’s 8th seed, the Miami Heat, advanced to the NBA Finals

We also think watching the Heat and this is a huge off-season for the Cavs’ organization, and the heat should be turned up on the seats of both Koby Altman and J.B. Bickerstaff.

In reading wrap ups about the series, it seems the scapegoats for fans and some media are Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.

Mitchell takes blame because he is the star player, and when many national analysts look at a team’s failure, they perceive the problem as the best player simply didn’t play well enough.

Allen takes blame because Cleveland was hammered on the boards, and since he’s the center, it’s his fault. We aren’t saying he’s blameless, but part of the problem was the Cavs’ defensive philosophy. Allen was in help mode and was caught out of position.

Our feeling is the coaching staff did little to help either player. The Knicks were trapping Mitchell and Darius Garland to force them to give up the ball, but it seems the coaches never came up with a counter.

Why not move Mitchell off the ball and have him run off screens to get open and get the ball where he can just shoot it with a good look? As of Allen and Mobley, it doesn’t seem like the wine and gold run anything for either offensively. Therefore, teams don’t really need to guard them to take away anything.

As for Altman, he gets a lot of praise for getting Mitchell and drafting Mobley. While we can debate the price for the former, it doesn’t take a special basketball mind to go after a multiple time all-star player. It takes guts to give up what is needed, but it’s not like he found a diamond in the rough.

He did take a chance on Mobley in some regards, as we didn’t think he would have made an impact so quickly because of his slight build. But there is no questioning his talent.

NFL general managers make their reputation on finding gems in the later rounds of the draft, the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds. To us, NBA GMs make their bones finding solid players to make up the bench.

Right now, we would say Altman has not done a good job in that regard, and let’s face it, he whiffed on the Isaac Okoro pick at #5, despite what the organization continues to tell you.

Of the 58 players in that draft who played in the NBA, Okoro ranks 51st in VORP (Value Over Replacement Player). Among the players the Cavaliers could have selected are Tyrese Haliburton, who made the all-star team this season, Onyeka Okongwu, who was selected with the very next pick (9.9 PPG, 7.2 RPG this year), and the player we wanted, Obi Toppin, a 6’9″ player who can play on the wing.

Because of injuries, Dylan Windler simply hasn’t contributed, and when he has played, he’s made just 32.2% of his threes, belying his reputation as a shooter.

And the bench just isn’t there. The front office has decided to sign veteran big men the last two years who simply can’t play anymore (Ed Davis and Robin Lopez). They’ve put an immense amount of trust in Dean Wade, who we feel would be at the bottom of most team’s rosters.

He signed Sam Merrill after the trading deadline, apparently to add shooting, but Merrill has been hanging around the NBA for three years and has played in 11 games since his rookie year.

Despite Altman’s comments about staying the course this off-season, if the Cavaliers want to contend for a spot in at least the Eastern Conference finals, they have to bolster the roster from spots #8 through #10, and get much better at small forward.

Doesn’t sound like tinkering, does it?

Can The Cavs Respond Tonight?

A week and a half ago, basketball fans in northeast Ohio were excited about the Cavaliers. They won 51 games and had homecourt advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

Things can change drastically in ten days, right?

Tonight, the Cavs are playing for their playoff lives, down 3-1 to the New York Knicks with a possible elimination game at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Can the Cavs come back and win the series? Our first thought is no, because New York has exposed the weaknesses the Cleveland roster has, namely a top-heavy roster that provides little depth.

One issue we don’t think J.B. Bickerstaff can address is the lack of a third big man who can get on the court. We aren’t going to re-hash the whole Kevin Love situation again, but the real issue is Koby Altman and Mike Gansey did not replace Love with another serviceable big. So, when Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are on the bench, the Cavaliers really have no big bodies to replace them.

We say it all the time, yes, basketball has changed. The smaller players do have a bigger impact on the game right now, but never forget that size still matters. You have to have size to win, and beyond Allen and Mobley, the wine and gold don’t have enough.

Bickerstaff needs to pull out all stops tonight, he really has nothing to lose. The Knicks primary offensive threat is Jalen Brunson, and the Cavs best success against him is to guard him with bigger people, which we agree with.

Brunson is simply too strong for Donovan Mitchell or Darius Garland.

We believe you have to use Isaac Okoro on him with Caris LeVert and Lamar Stevens also taking turns guarding him. Stevens hasn’t played real minutes in the series, but we think he has to be on the floor tonight.

We have heard many folks complaining about Mitchell’s performance on Sunday and about Allen’s play in general. We agree Mitchell played poorly, but think about it, what did the coaching staff do to help him?

The Knicks are trying to take Mitchell away from the Cavs, and that’s good strategy, he’s their best player, but the Cavs’ staff have to figure out a way to get the All-Star guard some good looks, perhaps with some off-ball screens to get some shots in the paint so he can get in a rhythm early.

As for Allen, he is having problems defensively, but mostly because he is helping with players who are penetrating, and he’s done that all year. He either needs his teammates to keep their men in front of them or somebody to pick up his man when he helps.

That isn’t happening.

Offensively, the Cavs really don’t do much for Mobley or Allen. When the Knicks’ trap out front, the middle is open and that’s where Mobley can help. Get him the ball there and he can either attack the basket or set up a lob for Allen. But really, the Cavaliers don’t ever make a reasonable effort to establish either on the offensive end.

We would go back to starting Okoro, and use LeVert, Osman, and Stevens off the bench. That’s it.

Again, it is a tough road for the Cavs to win this series, but they need to extend the series back to New York to gain some respect among the basketball cognoscenti.

The flaws were always there, they are just being exposed now.

Gonna Be A Tough Series For Cavs Against The Knicks

The NBA playoffs start this Saturday and the Cleveland Cavaliers will be hosting the New York Knicks Saturday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Many fans are using the Cavs’ 51 regular season victories and the home court advantage in the series to proclaim a win in the best-of-seven series and an advancement to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

We have our doubts.

This doesn’t mean we think the wine and gold will lose to the Knicks, but it will be a very difficult series for J.B. Bickerstaff and his squad.

In the regular season, teams play the way they play. The league schedule is such that there is very little practice time, so coaches set a style of play and a plan and the players execute. In the playoffs, coaches take advantage of things their opponents do not do well, and they exploit weaknesses.

This isn’t to say the Knicks have no areas where Cleveland can attack them, nor are we proclaiming Tom Thibodeau a genius. Yes, Thibodeau has more playoff experience than Bickerstaff, coaching in 61 post-season games.

His record is just 25-36. The last time he won a series was in 2015-16 when his Bulls were eliminated by the Cavaliers. His last two times in the playoffs have resulted in first round losses in five games.

Our worry is the lack of depth for the Cavaliers will hurt them against the Knicks, who are much deeper. Earlier in the season, we felt if the Cavs got production from one or two of the non-core players on the roster, they had a very good chance to win.

And we include Caris LeVert in the core player category.

This means Bickerstaff needs solid games from one of these guys on the nightly basis: Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman, Ricky Rubio, or Lamar Stevens.

Okoro has missed the past few weeks with a knee issue and no doubt his defense will be needed, particularly against Knicks’ guard Jalen Brunson. Okoro missed the last regular season game vs. New York, and Brunson went off for 48 points.

We are also concerned about the decline in rebounding for Cleveland over the last two months. The Cavs outrebounded their opponent for four of the first five months of the season (January was the exception), but March and April (18 games) have been a different story.

Opponents are grabbing five more caroms per game since the beginning of March. You can be a very good defensive team, but your job isn’t done until you corral the missed shot. Lately, this has been an issue for Cleveland. It’s one of the reasons we have advocated getting another player with size who can play.

And we do remember Jarrett Allen did miss some time during this period, which didn’t help. By the way, the Knicks are third in the league in offensive rebounds this season.

No doubt, the Knicks are going to try to devote attention to Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, the Cavs’ primary scorers. Hopefully, Cleveland uses Evan Mobley to ease the pressure. The second-year player increased his scoring from 15.7 points per game before the All-Star Game to 17.5 after. His rebounds and assists increased too.

We will learn a lot about not only the players, but the coaching staff in this series. That’s one of the reasons we wanted the Cavs to get in a seven game series last year. We would already know.

This series will go at least six or seven, the people who think it will be a five gamer and likely viewing with rose colored lenses.

Playoff basketball is back in Cleveland. That’s the best news of all.