Running It Back? Not A Good Idea For Cavs.

When Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations Koby Altman had his most season press conference, he didn’t give any indication about off-season moves, and that’s not a surprise. Since then, it has been reported the Cavs are going to run it back with pretty much the current roster in 2026-27, and if that is Altman’s intention, it’s a big mistake.

We have gone on ad nauseum about the team’s lack of size, both on the wings and up front. While people talk about the starting big men, Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, there has been little behind them over the past few seasons.

And we aren’t just talking height either. Both Allen and Mobley are slender big men, the Cavs have no one with bulk. Over the past few years, the backup bigs have guys like Thomas Bryant. Tristan Thompson, Damian Jones, and Robin Lopez, players who really can’t be counted on in a playoff situation.

Remember, the Cavs did have Isaiah Hartenstein in the 2021 season and after he scored 8.3 points and grabbed six rebounds in 16 games, they let him walk via free agency. They didn’t recognize that he can play.

We have also talked about the lack of size on the wing. Most of the NBA have players who are in the 6’7″ or 6’8″ range who can create their own shot, but the wine and gold’s tallest wing that can do that is 6’6″ Jaylon Tyson. The rest seem to be one-dimensional three-point shooters (Max Strus, Sam Merrill) or defensive minded (Dean Wade).

When Caris LeVert was here, fans didn’t like him, most because he was not a good three-point shooter, which unfortunately is becoming the way players are evaluated these days. However, we liked that LeVert could create his own shot. And when you are late in the shot clock, that is a valuable thing.

On the current roster, Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Dennis Schroder are the only players who can accomplish this and two of those players are under 6’3″. It can be done through quickness or brute strength. Cleveland has no one in the latter category.

Players who stand in one spot or only hang out on the perimeter are easier to guard because the defender/opponent kind of knows where they will be.

Somebody floated Zion Williamson as a possible Cavs’ target. Forgetting about his availability concerns (70 games are the most he’s played in a season), he would be a good get. If he gets the ball 15-20 feet away from the basket, you know he’s probably attacking the basket. He’s not shooting a three.

People talk about the “3 and D” players around the league, but to us, Altman has several three OR D players. Strus and Merrill are good from long distance but lack the size and quickness to defend bigger wings, like Mikal Bridges. The one replay where a lob pass from Bridges just gets over Merrill’s outstretched arms is a vision we cannot unsee.

And of course, Dean Wade has the size and ability to play on the defensive end, but he refuses (or is told to refuse?) to play on the offensive end of the floor.

Altman may want to run it back; that’s the ego of people in his position. The reality is the NBA is always changing and what succeeded three years ago is passe today.

In the game of basketball, more often than not, going big is a good way to go. Let’s see if the Cavaliers learned that lesson in the last four series they were eliminated in.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some Thoughts On The Cavs Following The Sweep

So, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season came to a thud in the Eastern Conference finals, getting swept by the New York Knicks, including home losses by 13 and 37 points.

There were a lot of crazy things said toward the end of the series angering both fans and the media, both local and national, so there was a lot of speculation that Kenny Atkinson would lose his coaching gig as a result.

To be honest, we are glad Dan Gilbert and the front office took a deep breath and looked at the big picture and decided to keep Atkinson in place, and he kept president of basketball operations Koby Altman as well.

The Cavs did win 116 regular season games over the past two seasons under Atkinson’s guidance, and they did advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2018. We cannot erase that accomplishment.

However, the things we have talked about concerning the roster over the past several seasons came to bear in these playoffs, even though they won two series.

We are hoping both Altman and Atkinson are staying because there is an understanding that the current roster is not geared to winning in the playoffs and in Altman’s case, he knows the league continues to evolve and he needs to get more size both in the post and on the wings.

Today’s NBA requires more players who can play on both ends of the floor, can create their own shots and guards and small forwards are getting taller every year.

If that’s the understanding, the roster will have to go through a series of changes.

Atkinson took heat during the season for his four guard lineup, and we agree the coach could have done a better job spacing out minutes for his big men, but the reality is out of the top nine players on the roster, six of them are guards, and we are talking about the roster after the trading deadline.

To be fair, Altman did bring in Thomas Bryant and Larry Nance Jr. in the off-season, but the coaching staff didn’t believe they were playable during the post-season. Bryant played just 41 minutes in the 18 playoff games and Nance just five. We felt both could have helped more during the regular season.

There is no argument about getting bigger, versatile players who can create their own shot. The Cleveland roster has too many players who are one-dimensional. Dean Wade is a very good wing defender that apparently refuses to play offense. Sam Merrill is a three-point shooter and though he’s a better defensive player than given credit for, if his shot isn’t falling, why should he get minutes?

Toronto’s length gave the Cavs troubles. The Knicks’ versatility was a problem. That’s what Altman and the front office have to combat this summer. They definitely need another big man to back up Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, assuming no trades involving them, and some bigger wing players.

We thought De’Andre Hunter would be the latter, but he just didn’t work out.

They also need some tougher players, not physically, but mentally. Players who can handle the playoff atmosphere. There were far too many games in the playoffs where there didn’t seem to be a match of the opponent’s intensity.

The defense also has to improve. We have asked over the last half of the season who is responsible for coaching the defense, and we still don’t know. What we do know is it wasn’t very good. The Cavs allow a very high percentage of three point makes, and a lot of that is there are a lot of wide-open looks from long distance.

So, the management stayed the same, but you would think there has to be better results in the 2026-27 season or there could be a complete cleaning of the people running the wine and gold.

One should hope for a busy summer for the Cavaliers.

Cavs Pull It Off, Now Get Ready For The Knicks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mitchell and Brunson each had 34 points.

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

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

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

When Will Cavs Play A Complete Game?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Game 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.

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.