Cavs Need A Large Step In The Winning Direction

People’s views on the just finished Cleveland Cavaliers’ season probably depend on what their definition of progress is.

Yes, the Cavs have improved in each of the last three years since LeBron James departed for a second time via free agency. In the first season, they were 19-63, a .232 winning percentage.

The following season, the win total stayed the same, but due to the COVID pandemic, the season was shortened to 65 games, so they won at a 29.2% rate. That was followed by an increase in the win column, from 19 to 22, again in a non-traditional 72 game slate, so the winning percentage increased to .306.

The last two seasons came with a draft pick selected in the top five.

If you like a slow rebuilding process, these Cavaliers are for you. But at this pace, the wine and gold will make the playoffs around when this decade ends.

That may not be fair, but this franchise hasn’t made the NBA playoffs without James since the 1997-98 season, so pardon everyone if they are skeptical about the future of this team.

It has been reported that owner Dan Gilbert is contemplating making some changes to the front office, so we guess that would put the man at the top in the not so patient class.

If Cleveland had approach the 30 win mark this season, a figure that should have been attainable, we doubt anyone would be calling for a review of how things have been done over the past three seasons. As Bill Parcells famously said, you are what your record says you are.

However, there is more to putting together a basketball team than collecting talent. And we don’t know if Altman and the current front office understands this. You need players that can play off each other, amplify the strengths of their teammates and minimize the weaknesses.

In short, you need players who play for the rest of the men on the roster.

You also need someone with a vision. Can they see the team winning with Darius Garland and Collin Sexton getting the most minutes at the guard position? And if you go forward with them as a backcourt duo, what do you have to do around them to lead to victories.

And what to do with Isaac Okoro, who played well as a rookie and took the task of defending the opposition’s best scorer pretty much on a nightly basis. Okoro can play in the NBA, but his size screams that he’s a two guard. Can he provide the offense that position requires?

The point is all three of those players have talent. In a vacuum, you would say Altman made solid choices on each player. But can you win with them playing point guard, #2 guard, and small forward? We wouldn’t bet our career on it.

We have said this before, but improvement in the win column has to be a priority. No matter what happens with the draft lottery this season, it should be made clear the franchise doesn’t want to be involved in it again following the 2021-22 season.

We believe winning is a learned skill, and it hasn’t been taught around this franchise since James left. That has to change right now, and that starts with ownership and Altman, or whoever is in charge of the basketball part of the operation.

The Cavs don’t need to be a playoff team at this time next year, but they need to take a significant step in that direction.

Cavs Need To Do A Deep Evaluation.

In the business world, well run companies periodically go through an internal audit. They look at their systems and processes to see if they make sense or could they be improved.

Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers have won 20 games this season, an improvement over the past two seasons with 16 games remaining on the slate, perhaps they should undertake the same endeavor.

Virtually the entire roster, save for Kevin Love, has been put together by GM Koby Altman, which means he saw something in each of them to make him want to secure them for the organization. However, should Altman’s evaluation of each player or his vision for the team be beyond approach.

There are many general managers who have earned the right to not be second guessed. People like Pat Riley, Jerry West, R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich in San Antonio have a proven record of putting teams together that can compete in the upper tier of the NBA.

Right now, Altman isn’t in that class, and it seems fair to bring in someone with a long background in the game to consult with Altman and make sure that his vision for the team can be attained soon, and how many players on the roster can be part of that success.

It has been brought up by several media members over the past couple of weeks what exactly will happen if the Cavaliers get one of the top five picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.

According to draft “experts”, of the top six players in the draft, five of them are either point guards or wing players, with only USC big man Evan Mobley being the exception.

Over the past three years, Altman has spent three top ten picks on players who play those positions, Collin Sexton (8th overall), Darius Garland (5th), and Isaac Okoro (also 5th). So, unless Mobley is there when Cleveland makes its selection, doesn’t the rookie take the place of one of these high draft picks?

The first question an outsider should have is what kind of team does Altman want to put together, and does his vision coincide with that of coach J.B. Bickerstaff?

Does he want to have a defensive oriented team, or a team based around the three point shot and one-on-one play? Because if you don’t have a vision on how to win in the NBA, how can you construct a roster?

Without a direction, you are simply just collecting talent, and as we have seen throughout the years, just putting together talented players doesn’t always lead to winning. The players have to play as a unit, complement each other.

Should there be any untouchables on the current roster? We’ve identified at least one, although our guess it is not the same person the front office has in mind. It would take an awful lot for us to consider trading Jarrett Allen, a soon to be (tomorrow) 23-year-old 6’11” rim protector, who also has a good feel for the game.

In our eyes, height still matters in professional basketball. There are always exceptions to the rule, but if you can find players who have the skill set needed for a position, but are also bigger than average, that’s optimal.

We saw LeBron James at 6’9″ and 250 (conservatively) pounds playing small forward, because he had the skills to do it (heck, he has the skills to play anywhere), and he was dominating. His size isn’t the sole reason, but he was unguardable because he was larger than the guy trying to guard him.

The Cavs aren’t real playoff contenders this season, and it appears they don’t want to get in this year anyway. But when will this be unacceptable? It should be next season.

The organization can try all kinds of marketing schemes, different uniforms, etc. The best marketing tool is winning basketball. Are there any pieces that can lead to that already here? And are those pieces the same ones the front office thinks they are?

Cavs Should Consider All Avenues To Improve.

One of the worst things an organization can do to tie an excessive amount of promotion into a player who is either just coming into professional sports or hasn’t made their bones at the professional level.

The Browns kind of did this with Baker Mayfield, especially after his rookie season, when the team went from 0-16 to 7-8-1. It was all Baker, all the time in northeast Ohio, and Mayfield admitted he didn’t work as hard in the off-season after his rookie season. The result following was a 6-10 disappointment.

Mayfield learned and led the Browns to an 11-5 mark and the playoffs last season.

It appears the Cavaliers have painted themselves into the same corner with Collin Sexton. Sexton’s work ethic is not in question, the man is a tireless gym rat.

However, even before the third year pro out of Alabama was drafted, the pick he was taken with was held up as the ultimate prize in the trade that sent Kyrie Irving to Boston. It was Brooklyn’s choice, but they spoiled it by playing tough minded ball, and instead of being projected as the NBA’s worst team, they won 28 games.

So, Cleveland wound up with the 8th pick overall, and selected Sexton, who has put up numbers in his two and a half season with the Cavs, a career 19.6 scorer, shooting 45.6% from the floor, and 39% from three point range.

He became the symbol of the new Cavs, the post-LeBron Cavs, although the team went 19-63 his rookie year, and then 19-46 in his second season, shortened by the coronavirus.

There have been many reports with the NBA trade deadline coming up, that GM Koby Altman has told teams several players are untouchable, Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, and Sexton among them.

To be fair, the drafting of Sexton was followed by picking another ball dominant small backcourt player in Garland, under the guise of taking the best player available. While that is generally a solid concept in drafting, it is usually done with the expectation of trading from strength at some point to improve a position of need.

But the organization has said they are going to keep both smaller backcourt players. So, that theory goes out the window.

Sexton puts up numbers. He’s improved to 23.9 points and 4.2 assists per game, but his shooting percentage has leveled off from last year. He’s scoring more because he’s shooting more. His second year partner at guard, Garland, is scoring at 16.5 points and 5.9 assists per night, taking on the facilitator role.

Watching games, it is noticeable how much better the offense flows when Garland is on the floor.

Sexton doesn’t seem to have point guard instincts right now, and when Garland isn’t in the game, the offense should run through him, but it doesn’t. Too many times, he reverts to trying to do everything himself.

Cavs’ analyst Campy Russell said after Friday night’s loss to San Antonio, that the teams’ young guards have to learn to get everyone involved.

In our opinion, Altman should consider any move to improve the 2021-22 edition of the Cavaliers. However, there are players we wouldn’t trade either. It would be difficult to find a big man more skilled than Allen, so he stays. And the team needs (we might say desperately) someone with the feel for the game Larry Nance Jr. has. So, we wouldn’t move him either.

And we think Garland shows all the signs of being able to be a solid player in this league, but can a backcourt of Garland and Sexton co-exist and be successful in the NBA? Even the three point happy NBA?

Keep in mind, Sexton is coming off his rookie deal and the Cavs have to start paying him.

Put promotion aside. Yes, the organization held up Sexton as the first piece of the rebuild following the departure of James, but they need to listen on the young guy if they think it can help the wine and gold get back to the playoffs sooner.

We aren’t saying Sexton has to be moved, but we would not be opposed to listening. We are aware we go back and forth on the young player, at times, he looks like he has this game figured out. But then he reverts back.

It’s not easy to build a competitive basketball team.

Cavs Off To Tough Start To Home Stand

Last week, we said the Cavaliers losing streak was understandable because of the competition they faced over the past three weeks or so. We then said we would look at how the team was performing after playing Oklahoma City, Atlanta, and Houston at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

Well, the first game happened on Sunday night, and it wasn’t any prettier, as the Thunder whipped the wine and gold, 117-101. What makes the score seem worse was the Cavs had a 10 point lead in the first half.

The Cavaliers need to win the next two games at home. They are playing two teams with comparable records and they are in their own arena. We understand home court advantage doesn’t mean as much without fans in the seats (or in Cleveland’s case, not at full capacity), but the next two are winnable, although so was Sunday night’s contest.

We also understand the squad is short-handed, especially at power forward with both Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. out, but J.B. Bickerstaff might have to do some things differently with that duo both being out.

This is not a criticism of Bickerstaff. In fact, right now, the front office should start holding some players accountable for the recent play of the team. Yes, this is a young roster, but outside of Isaac Okoro and Dylan Windler, all of them have gone through an NBA season, and know what the league is all about.

The shot selection by some players is very questionable. You wouldn’t think you have to do this with professionals, but maybe the coaching staff needs to explain to every player what is or is not a good shot for them.

On Sunday night, the bench play was deplorable. Windler hustles and plays presentable defense, but he was drafted with a reputation as a shooter. He’s making 30% of this three point opportunities. He needs to make shots to have a future in the league.

That isn’t to say we’ve given up on him, just that he needs to play better. We believe he’s at the stage where he’s giving opposing players too much credit, such as double pumping when driving to the basket. Take it in strong and go to the free throw line.

Outside of JaVale McGee, the coach is getting nothing from his bench, although he needs to realize this and not have four substitutes on the floor at one time. Play one or two in combination with the starters. Damyean Dotson has some talent, but he’s spent his entire career with the Knicks up until this season. He didn’t learn any winning habits there.

Love and Nance are out, and Dean Wade still can’t get into games. Maybe it would be best if GM Koby Altman cut bait with Wade and found someone in the G League who can play some serviceable NBA minutes.

Perhaps slowing the tempo a bit would help as well, especially to get Jarrett Allen, who really is the Cavs’ best player over this stretch more touches.

Even though we just said Windler needed to make some shots, maybe put him in the starting lineup instead of say, Cedi Osman and let Osman run the attack with the second unit.

We know Bickerstaff has used a ton of starting lineups this year, so what’s one more? Or maybe start Osman and Windler and bring Okoro off the bench. The starters can’t play 48 minutes every night.

The biggest remedy might just be getting a win. All the losing leads to bad habits and selfish play. The Cavs need to experience a win. Unfortunately, it won’t come through wishing and osmosis. It will take playing smart, not taking bad shots, and playing better defense.

Situation For Drummond Changed Quickly.

Man, things change quick in the NBA, especially when it comes to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

On January 27th, the Cavs beat the Pistons, 122-107 to raise their record to 9-9. Andre Drummond had 23 points, 16 rebounds, and five steals and was a huge part in the victory over his former team. The week before, the wine and gold knocked off the star laden Brooklyn Nets in back-to-back games, giving everyone, us included hope for the current season.

Yesterday, not even three weeks later, the Cleveland brass sent Drummond home until they work out a trade for the league’s leading rebounder.

Since, that game, the Cavs have gone 1-9, with the lone win being against Minnesota, a game in which Drummond did not play. So, that win against Detroit was the last win Drummond will experience as a member of the Cavaliers.

After starting the season strong, the big man seemed like a different player after GM Koby Altman traded for Jarrett Allen as part of the mega-swap involving James Harden going to the Nets.

He averaged 17.5 points for Cleveland this season, but since that Pistons game, that figure dropped to 14.4 and his rebounding dropped to just under 10 per game. To be fair, his minutes dropped from 30 to 25 in February, but did his numbers drop because his minutes fell, or vice versa?

There is a downside to free agency sometimes. Drummond was a free agent at the end of the current season, and the Cavs felt like he wasn’t going to sign with the team long term, so when Allen became available, Altman jumped at the chance to get a good, younger big man, who would be a restricted free agent after the year, meaning the Cavaliers could match any offer, thus keeping him here for awhile.

But Drummond seemed to be bothered by the presence of Allen, perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, and he played differently.

When the deal was made, most people, including us, felt Cleveland would be moving Drummond sooner than later, and it seemed to cast a pall on the entire roster. Maybe it didn’t affect the locker room, but it certainly appeared the whole squad was in a funk.

Drummond was held out of Sunday night’s tilt against the Clippers, citing rest. But yesterday’s announcement certainly made more sense. How quickly a move will come is anyone’s guess, but for right now, Allen is the starter at center, with JaVale McGee getting back up minutes.

So, if Drummond’s attitude was an issue, and by the team sending him home, it appears that is the case, the next thing to fix is the defense in the backcourt which is becoming an issue again. Allen is a good defender, but he finds himself covering for players being allowed to go to the basket at will, and no one is helping. Offensive rebounders from opposing teams are getting easy baskets.

And until Kevin Love can take the court again, the move also makes Cleveland very small up front. The starting power forward is Taurean Prince, who is a slight 6’7″. Don’t forget Isaac Okoro, who gets the bulk of the minutes at small forward is only 6’5″, so once again, the wine and gold is very small.

Hopefully, Love and Larry Nance Jr., who have started the majority of the games at power forward will be back sooner than later, and maybe (hoping) another player with size comes back in a possible trade for Drummond.

Drummond’s legacy with the Cavs: 33 games, 17.5 points, 12.9 rebounds. Altman got him for a song, and hopefully gets more than he paid in a deal.

Things can change quick in the NBA for sure.

More Injuries For Cavs? Why Not Experiment?

The Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a decent start to the 2020-21 basketball season, but have struggled a bit recently, losing eight of their last ten.

And now, the injury bug has hit again with the news that their glue man, Larry Nance Jr., will miss the next six weeks with a broken finger.

Nance pretty much does everything well, and was just coming back from a sprained wrist, when he broke the finger Saturday night against the Bucks. Nance is a good defender, good passer, and is becoming a good shooter, expanding his range to where he is hitting 38% of his three point attempts this season.

His injury is just another for a team that really hasn’t been healthy all season long. Since he’s barely played this season, it’s easy to forget Kevin Love has played in just two games, a total of 46 minutes.

The only Cavalier who has played in every game this season is Cedi Osman. Collin Sexton, Nance, and Isaac Okoro have all missed five games. Darius Garland has missed eight, and Dylan Windler has not participated in 13 contests.

Even Andre Drummond sat out two games. And this isn’t a “load management” issue either, all of these guys have had physical issues which forced them to sit out games.

The injuries, particularly in the frontcourt, have led to two way player Lamar Stephens appearing in 14 games, a lot of someone who figured to be getting most of his basketball in the G League.

Add to the mix a mid-season trade which brought aboard Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince from Brooklyn (in exchange for Dante Exum, who by the way, was also hurt), and it’s no wonder the wine and gold have struggled a bit to find their identity, especially on the offensive end of the court.

When Nance missed time with his wrist, coach J.B. Bickerstaff decided to go with Prince in his spot, but although he can play the four at times, he doesn’t have the bulk to play starters’ minutes at the position.

But what alternative does Bickerstaff have?

We understand it’s thinking a bit out of the box, and you probably couldn’t do it for the majority of the game, but why not start Drummond and Allen in sort of the twin towers set up, with Osman or Prince playing small forward.

The Cavs have kind of played an old school game this year anyway, why not fully embrace it by putting the two big men together on the floor. Besides, Cleveland doesn’t seem to be much of a small ball team, except in the backcourt.

Why not get Allen, who has been impressive since his arrival, more minutes? In his lone start with the wine and gold, he scored 23 points, had 18 rebounds and five blocks in a win over Minnesota.

And Allen seems to be effective playing in the high point, so he doesn’t seem to clog up the area in which Drummond likes to operate, that of starting in the wing and backing down into the low post.

The move would also bring Okoro, who has started all of the 20 games he has played in, off the bench. He has scored in double figures just four times in the last 12 contests, shooting just 28% from three (9 for 32) in that span.

Offense wasn’t what made the Auburn standout the fifth overall pick in the draft, and we are confident he will improve in that area. Right now, though, it might be a good time to take a step back.

The Drummond/Allen pairing would be temporary anyway, because when Love returns, he presumably will take over at power forward.

This season should be for seeing what works and what doesn’t. Why not see what playing Drummond and Allen together looks like?

Cavs Season Hinges On Organizational Attitude

It is very difficult to predict the final record of the Cleveland Cavaliers this season because we don’t know what players who will suit up in the team’s opener on Wednesday at Rocket Mortgage Field House will end the season with the team.

What we think we know right now is that J.B. Bickerstaff has put more of an emphasis on defense in the regular season for the Cavs than any coach perhaps since early in the tenure of Tyronn Lue. After watching horrible defensive concepts over the past few seasons, this is definitely needed.

If Kevin Love is ready to go in the opener, he and Andre Drummond will make up two the five starting spots in Bickerstaff’s starting lineup. Will either or both be there after the NBA’s trading deadline? Well, that’s anyone’s guess.

Drummond picked up his player option for the 2020-21 season, meaning he can be a free agent after the season, and if he is playing up to the level he established prior to last season, a contending team could be willing to give up a king’s ransom.

Love has been on the trading block pretty much since he arrived in Cleveland before the 2015-16 season, but his contract could be a deterrent to a deal.

It will be interesting to see what Bickerstaff does with the other three starting spots Wednesday night vs. Charlotte.

If he goes by merit, at least from the exhibition games, we would think Collin Sexton should be at the point with rookie Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman at the wings.

Kevin Porter Jr. hasn’t been on the court yet in the four preseason games, and Darius Garland, who was reported to be impressive in post-season camp, hasn’t showed it in the four games the wine and gold played against the Pacers and Knicks.

Once Porter is up to speed, he could replace either Okoro or Osman as a starter, but he figures to be in Bickerstaff’s rotation, along with veterans Larry Nance Jr. and Javale McGee up front. Nance also figures to get some time at small forward. He’s the Swiss Army knife of the team, being able to score, pass, defend, and block shots.

If Bickerstaff is going to use 10 players, does the coach go with second year man Dylan Windler or veteran Damyean Dotson? We would imagine Windler would get the first shot, because Dotson will keep himself ready, and with Windler missing his entire rookie season, we would anticipate the organization wants to see what he can do.

Can this roster make a run at a playoff spot? A better question should be will the organization give them a chance to make that run?

This roster has some talent. Drummond and Love have made all-star teams. Sexton can get to that level, he certainly has the work ethic to do it. Nance, Porter, and Osman are good players, and Okoro should during the pre-season that he might be better offensively that we thought when he was drafted.

However, it comes down to depth. Can Garland be a contributor? Can Windler be the shooter the front office thought he could be when they drafted him? Will Love and/or Drummond be moved at the trade deadline for younger players?

We think the Cavaliers can finish around the 30 win mark, which would be a nice increase from the past two seasons. But the number goes lower if they are going to make moves at the deadline.

In our opinion, this is the year where winning starts being emphasized over “asset accumulation”. We feel J.B. Bickerstaff has that mindset, we don’t know if Koby Altman does.

What Is Altman’s Plan For Cavs?

The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Isaac Okoro, a 6’6″ wing player from Auburn, whose specialty is defense with the fifth pick in the NBA Draft Wednesday night.

We have doubts about picking a defensive player who isn’t a big man or a shot blocker this high in the draft, but let’s see how it plays out. By every report, Okoro has a great work ethic and let’s hope his improves what scouts say is his weakness, his jump shot.

It is very difficult to play offense in the NBA when you have someone on the floor, particularly a wing player, who can’t shoot. The spacing, so important now, is compromised because defenders don’t have to guard the player. They sag off and get into the passing lanes.

However, our real question is the direction of the Cavaliers, led by GM Koby Altman. What exactly is he trying to accomplish?

Certainly, part of the “culture” will be set by coach J.B. Bickerstaff too. But, let’s examine the make up of the current roster.

In two of the past three drafts, Altman has drafted smaller point guards, Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, thus duplicating the position. He has also now drafted three wing players in the past two drafts: Dylan Windler, Kevin Porter Jr., and now Okoro.

He also has Cedi Osman and Larry Nance Jr., who was playing some small forward for Bickerstaff when he took over a year ago, on the roster.

If he is trying to build a modern team, one that depends on the three point shot, the problem is none of these guys, excluding Windler, who we haven’t seen yet, but has the reputation of being a good shooter, are exceptional long range shooters.

The league average last season was 35.8% and the wine and gold was 20th at 35.1%. The Cavs’ best players from beyond the arc were Osman (38.3%) and Sexton at 38%. The top 20 in the NBA last season all shot over 40%.

And Okoro’s weakness is said to be his shooting.

Altman certainly isn’t building around size either. With the loss of Tristan Thompson via free agency to Boston, Cleveland has Andre Drummond (6’10”) and Kevin Love (6’8″) as the starters at center and power forward, and Nance as the back up.

Who else? Jordan Bell, who they signed as a free agent? Bell has shown he can rebound, but he’s just 6’8″. Dean Wade is 6’9″, but projects more as a stretch four.

This franchise has seemed to ignore height for years, and we just don’t understand it. Yes, the game has changed to a perimeter one (because of the ridiculous rules against playing defense), but the champion Lakers had big men (Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, and of course, LeBron James), and Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat has Bam Adebayo, Meyers Leonard, and Kelly Olynyk.

You still need big men in the NBA.

What is the direction of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their roster is still terribly top heavy at the point guard and wing spots. They were one of the smallest teams in the NBA a year ago, and have actually lost an inside player in the off-season.

That direction needs to come from the GM and the head coach. Drafting defensive players like Okoro doesn’t give you a “direction” because if the other four players on the floor don’t have the same mindset, it’s not going to work.

Defense is only as good as the weakest defender because good team will find that guy and exploit him.

Right now, the Okoro pick looks like let’s throw another wing out there. Meanwhile, drafting a big man would have replaced Thompson, who was a rotational player who left.

Could it all work out? Of course it could, but now is the time for Altman to come up with an organizational philosophy beyond collecting talent. It takes more than that to win in the NBA.