Standing Pat Shouldn’t Be An Option For Cavs

Sometimes patience is needed and sometimes it is not.

Since the Cleveland Cavaliers were bounced out of the NBA playoffs, and earlier than they and many people expected to boot, there has been speculation about should they run it back with the so called “Core 4” or not.

After all, the wine and gold won 64 games this season, had three winning streaks of 12 or more games, and was the top seed in the Eastern Conference. We are a big believer in Charles Barkley’s line of “if it ain’t broke, don’t break it”, but we aren’t talking about a single season here.

Since president of basketball operations Koby Altman made the big swing for Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs have been knocked out of the playoffs the last three seasons in “Gentleman sweeps”, that is to say five games.

The first year they lost to the Knicks in round one, the last two seasons, in the conference semifinals.

When something happens once, you can write it off as a fluke, even twice, you can point to circumstances, but when it occurs three times, it is time to admit changes need to be made.

There are people who think when you say Altman has to make some moves, you are saying he should blow up the roster. That is absolutely not the case. Cleveland is still a relatively young team, in fact, maybe too young.

Mitchell will be 29 next season. Jarrett Allen will be 28. Darius Garland will be 26 by the end of next season, and Evan Mobley will be 24. At the end of this season, no one who was getting significant minutes for Kenny Atkinson was 30 years old.

These Cavs are a very good regular season team, especially in the early part of the year. But second halves of the season and the playoffs usually come with more physical play, and that seems to bother the team.

One move we would make is to get a veteran, yes, someone over 30, and can still play meaningful minutes for next season. We think it would be good to have a player who has seen it all in the NBA on the court when things start to go wrong. For example, the Pacers have Pascal Siakam, who is 31.

And in basketball, it’s not always about talent and putting the five most talented players on the floor. It’s about the fit. They have to be able to play off of and enhance their teammates’ games.

So, when we say Altman should move away from a particular player, it doesn’t mean we think said player is devoid of talent. What we are saying is the fit just isn’t working with that guy.

We see the analytics community will come up with efficiency ratings, etc. for a group of players and deem them to be successful, and maybe they are, but perhaps switching out one of those guys makes them even better.

We get the familiarity factor. This group has been together basically for three seasons and most definitely the longer you play together the more you know about each other.

But the things that have plagued the Cavs in the post-season, outside of the injuries, aren’t currently on the roster. Toughness, mentally and physically, has to come from more players, and of course, there is the height that is desperately needed.

Altman and his staff need to make some changes. With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, it won’t be easy, but change is needed. Hopefully, it’s an interesting summer for the Cavaliers.

For Cavs, It Turns Out Size Does Matter

Believe us, we would have loved to be wrong about the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Even in the midst of the 15-game winning streak to open the year, we said the streak was nice, but the real tale for the Cavs was going to be told in the playoffs. We knew they were a playoff team coming into the year, it was always about how far they could advance in the playoffs.

Of all the reasons we thought the wine and gold would lose in the playoffs, we never thought the shooting would fail this team. Yes, they aren’t big enough, and their toughness, both physical and mental, can be called into question.

But we never thought the shooting would be an issue. This was a team that shot 49% from the floor, 38% from three, and 77.6% from the line. In the five-game series loss to Indiana, they shot 42.6% from the floor and 29.4% from three.

Meanwhile, the Pacers shot 36.8% from long distance in the regular season and knocked down 42.1% in the series. Andrew Nembhard made 29% during the 82-game schedule and suddenly became Larry Bird in the playoffs, making 11 of 22 threes.

Before this season ending series, we felt the Pacers would offer a challenge due to their length and athleticism. Cleveland’s pair of 6’2″/6’3″ guards had a difficult time getting the team into the offense against the Pacers’ trio of 6’5″ defenders. There were so many possessions where the Cavs got the ball over the timeline with 17 or 18 seconds left on the shot clock.

And Indiana stayed with the Cleveland players on the perimeter which caused the offense to morph into a lot of isolation ball, mostly Donovan Mitchell attacking the basket. And if they had possessions where they could move the ball, it seemed they overpassed.

They passed up good shots trying to get layups and dunks and Myles Turner and Pascal Siakam were there waiting.

Now, the focus shifts to Koby Altman. Altman has swung a big trade after losing in the play in tournament and fired a coach after losing in the conference semis a year ago. Perhaps it is time to look at the makeup of the roster, which continues to show there isn’t enough size.

We’ve talked about the backcourt, but beyond Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, there isn’t enough height on the team in a sport where absolutely size matters. Kenny Atkinson determined the Cavs’ back up big, Tristan Thompson, couldn’t play in the series unless it was garbage time.

Bringing in De’Andre Hunter helped, but there are still too many 6’5″ or 6’6″ players on the roster. And given opportunities after the trade deadline, Altman filled the open roster spots with 6’4″ Javonte Green and 6’6″ Chuma Okeke.

We like Jaylon Tyson a lot, he has versatility the Cavs need, but Cleveland passed on DaRon Holmes, 6’10” from Dayton and 6’11” Kyle Filipowski from Duke, who were rated around the same place as Tyson.

Perhaps Nae’Quan Tomlin and Luke Travers can move into the rotation in training camp, both players would add some size.

As for toughness, the Cavaliers have been dominated in all three series they were eliminated in over the last three seasons. They didn’t put up much of a fight in any of those losses.

That has to change.

It was a stunning defeat especially after a 64-win regular season, and we agree with Atkinson that the pain of defeat is a great motivating factor. We also agree when he said the season wasn’t a success because the Cavs didn’t make progress in terms of advancing.

It’s going to be a long summer for both the front office and the players. Let’s hope both are ready to work hard before training camp starts.

#1 Seed Clinched. Cavs Now Need To Get Some Rest

It’s all over in the Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers clinched the best record in the conference and home court advantage in any series in the East with their win over the Bulls Tuesday night.

So now it is sit back and wait for the weird “Play In” Tournament to be over to see who the wine and gold take on in the first round. Right now, the contenders are the Magic, Hawks, Bulls, and Heat.

The best record out of that group is Orlando’s 39-40 mark, but we know the Magic gave Cleveland a tough series last season, and they lost Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner for significant time during the regular season, so they are better than their record.

The other three teams are currently at least five games below the .500 mark, although everyone is familiar with how the Heat play when it comes playoff time.

The Cavs have three games remaining, two with Indiana, who sit in the #4 spot in the East, and are a possible second round match up and one more with the Knicks, who will probably be the #3 seed. The first two games are vs. Indiana and New York on back-to-back nights on the road, so we would bet many of the starters will either not suit up or will play very reduced minutes.

We know Jarrett Allen wants to play in all 82 games, so he will make an appearance in both road contests, but at least on Thursday, we would guess Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and possible Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter will sit that one out.

NOTE: Mitchell, Garland, Mobley, and Max Strus have been ruled out for tonight’s game.

So be ready to see lots of Craig Porter, Jaylon Tyson, Luke Travers, Chuma Okeke, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, and Emoni Bates over the next three games.

We are sure Bates is already dreaming of how many shots he can put up before the end of the season.

The players who carried the load to a 63-16 record deserve to rest up for the playoffs and stay healthy. And by the way, we aren’t greatly concerned about Mitchell’s sprained ankle. If need be, he could have two weeks off before the first playoff game for the Cavs.

Basketball players play basketball. And if they are on the court, there are chances for injury. And shouldn’t the Cavs be able to beat a first-round opponent without Mitchell if they had to?

Remember, the Cavaliers lost a second round series to Boston a year ago, and the Celtics didn’t have Kristaps Porzingis?

We are sure that Mitchell is fine and will probably be on the court in one of the last three games. And even if he isn’t he should be 100% when the playoffs begin.

So, the rest of the week should be about resting some key players and having everyone healthy heading into Easter weekend and the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, because of the tournament, the coaching and scouting staff cannot do a full deep dive, but we sure reports are being put together on all possible opponents.

It was a great regular season for sure, but these next two months will decide whether or not this season is a success or if some difficult decisions need to be made.

Despite Recent Struggles, Cavs Are Sitting Just Fine

If you listen to the national media, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a nice story. They’ve had a great regular season, but many don’t think they can compete with the defending champion Boston Celtics.

Frankly, a lot of this conversation has come because the Cavs are just 6-5 in their last 11 contests, and their opponents have only been held under 110 points three times in those games.

After their 16-game winning streak ended just prior to a west coast trip, Kenny Atkinson said he would be trying some different combinations, mainly because they had a 7.5 game bulge over Boston in the East entering the trip.

We can’t find any flaw in that logic.

Watching the halftime show Wednesday on ESPN (yes, we know, that’s our fault), a casual fan would have thought the wine and gold were trying to get into the Play in Tournament, not have the second-best record in the NBA.

We are not saying the Cavs are a shoo-in to get to the conference finals, but they have been one of the best teams in the league since day one. We write that knowing what we have said all along, this season for Cleveland will be determined by how far they advance in the playoffs, and we also think the front office believes they can win the title.

There have always been strange trades in the NBA, and we like to talk about the comment Gregg Popovich had when the Lakers obtained Pau Gasol from Memphis. Popovich made a statement to the effect that it must be nice to give up nothing and get Gasol.

We might be saying the same thing about De’Andre Hunter at some point, because he seems to be the perfect piece for the Cavaliers.

In just under 25 minutes a game since his arrival, Hunter is scoring 14 points and grabbing 4 boards while shooting 43.7% from three. Most importantly, he gives Atkinson some length on the wing.

We would not be surprised if the Cleveland-Boston match up occurs with a trip to The Finals at stake, we see a lot of this combination on the floor: Donovan Mitchell, Ty Jerome, Hunter, Dean Wade, and either Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley. That group has the length to give the Celtics some competition.

Still, the Cleveland player to watch most remains Darius Garland. The sixth-year guard is having perhaps the best shooting year of his career, making a career-high 47% from the floor, and his second-best year from three at 40.2%.

In his two playoff seasons, his shooting dropped 2% in both seasons. And he had turnover issues.

Let’s face it, in every playoff series, opponents hunt the weakest defensive player on the floor, and for the Cavs, most often it is Garland. He has to be at least decent on that end of the floor when the post-season starts.

We expect Atkinson to lean into what has been the Cavs’ advantage all year. They have depth, and we think the coach will play 10 until a player shows he’s not deserving of the time.

They will move the basketball, and when you do that, it makes it difficult to trap players in order to get the ball out of their hands. In essence, they will play their brand of the game and make the other team stop it.

The difference is we think Atkinson does a good job of adjusting and doing something else to counter the defense.

The playoffs start in about two weeks. We think part of the Cavs’ “struggles” have been because they are anticipating the post-season tournament.

Thinking Like A Coach Or GM

At times we are asked why we think Cleveland area teams should look to add to the roster. It has come up recently because we have written several pieces about how the Guardians should sign a veteran starting pitcher because there are several available on one-year deals.

We would also like the Cavaliers to add another big man, either on the buyout market or from the G-League.

First of all, and this probably comes from our coaching days, we have been trained to look for what needs improvement on a given team. We think there isn’t a team out there that doesn’t have either a weakness or could use a slight improvement to its roster.

Sometimes, it would be a subtle move, such as could you find a better “last man” on the roster. That seems silly to some, but it is how coaches and general managers need to think.

Fans look at players and teams and think if everything goes right, the team they follow will be very good. For example, there are people (influencers, since they were kind of in the spotlight this week) who believe Kyle Manzardo, Juan Brito will become all-stars, and Bo Naylor will return to his 2023 form and the Guardians will repeat as Central Division champions.

Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff are probably hoping that is indeed the case, but they also should be coming up with a contingency plan in case everything goes in the other direction. We believe they are concerned, but perhaps their hands are tied from making such a move.

There is an old adage in baseball that at the end of the year, a players’ numbers will be close to what the back of their baseball card says. But when a player only has one or two lines on that card, it is tough to judge him or her.

Not having a track record is likely the thing that worries an executive more than anything else.

We discussed the starting rotation for Cleveland the other day and really, there is only one hurler, Tanner Bibee, with any kind of record of success as a starter, and he only has two years in the big leagues. Every other candidate for the rotation should be viewed as huge question marks.

And, by the way, we are fans, just like you, and we want all of those pitchers to do well. But we haven’t seen any evidence that calms our fears.

As for the Cavs, on Friday night, we saw Jarrett Allen leave the game with a hand injury. Hopefully, all is good, and Allen plays tonight, but what if this happened near the end of the regular season or the playoffs?

If Allen were to miss a significant amount of time in the post-season, the Cavs probably are in trouble, but if it would be a game or two, you can’t just have Tristan Thompson as the only alternative. That’s why we (and the Cavs’ brass) would be looking for another big man.

They don’t need a starter, just someone who could provide five to ten minutes in an emergency situation.

The coaches and executives need to plan for any problems that should arise, and that’s how they are trained to think. It’s also why they have a lot of stress in their jobs and feel more relieved than happy when things go well.

Yes, Cavs Have Chemistry. They Also Have a Unique Opportunity.

There is no question the Cleveland Cavaliers have tremendous chemistry. They seem to share the ball, enjoy playing with each other and the results have shown this. They are sitting at 40-9, the best record in the NBA.

Their best player, Donovan Mitchell has accepted playing less minutes and taking less shots in order to get more people involved, allowing more players to play significant minutes.

This has allowed the wine and gold to survive when players have missed time due to injuries. Isaac Okoro has played just 28 games, Dean Wade has missed 14, Caris LeVert 13. Yet the Cavs continue to roll losing three in a row just once this season.

They are 24-3 at home, 16-6 on the road. They are 26-6 against the Eastern Conference, 14-3 vs. the West. There are probably three or four teams that can win an NBA title this season, and Cleveland is one of them.

One of the things we have praised team president Koby Altman for is he has brought in all these players, and they all have good character. There isn’t a knucklehead or a diva on the roster. And in today’s NBA, that is truly remarkable.

We have heard many pundits say because of the success Cleveland has had this season; Altman should stand pat at this week’s trading deadline. And there is certainly some merit to that. Don’t make a move just to make a move.

On the other hand, because character has mattered so much to the organization, shouldn’t we trust the front office to avoid bringing in someone who will upset the chemistry?

Look, the Cavaliers are having a tremendous season. No one, not even the most ardent supporter of the wine and gold would have imagined the team being 40-9 at this point of the season.

And you don’t know if the Cavs will ever be in this situation again. They could run it back next year with the same group and not have this kind of record. That’s the reality of sports.

We don’t believe the Cavaliers will make a huge splash at the deadline, and they may even wait for the buyout market or perhaps scour the G-League for what they need, but they should be pursuing another big man. And we aren’t talking about a stretch four either.

We mean a legitimate post presence. Tristan Thompson has been a great teammate, but if either Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley have to miss any time during the rest of this season, Kenny Atkinson is going to have a problem.

The issue is Thompson’s offensive game which is severely limited. He cannot do the things within the offense that Allen and Mobley can do. The Cavs need someone who has to be guarded by the opponents.

We’ve felt Cleveland needed more size on the wing as well, and they probably still do for the playoffs, but getting a playable big man should now be the higher need.

And if a trade is out there, surely the Cavs have depth. As we said, they’ve kind of played without Okoro this year, and perhaps Jaylon Tyson could take his minutes in a pinch. A season like this may not come around again.

NBA Trade Deadline Coming, What Say You, Cavs?

In less than three weeks, the NBA trade deadline will be here. It actually arrives sooner than the Super Bowl, as it is on February 7th, whereas the NFL title game is the 9th.

Cavs’ fans and media alike were preaching continuity, letting the current roster play through the season and seeing what they could accomplish, after all the wine and gold have the league’s best record at 35-6.

That is until last Thursday’s blowout loss at the hands of the other roster dominating the NBA right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who sit with a 35-7 mark.

OKC led by 18 at the end of the first quarter, 26 at halftime, and 38 points at the end of three quarters in the rout. And suddenly, everyone said the Cavs needed to make a move on or before February 7th.

We will blow our own horn here for a second by saying this was always an issue for Kenny Atkinson’s squad, even coming into the season. If the Cavs have a weakness, it is they lack size throughout the roster.

Long, athletic teams have given them a problem all year (although not that much of an issue because they are 35-6). Boston handed them their first loss. Atlanta knocked them off in back-to-back games.

In last Thursday’s game, the Thunder were missing big men Chet Holmgren (7’1″) and Isaiah Hartenstein (7’0″), but a look at who plays the most minutes for them reads this way: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (6’6″), Jalen Williams (6’6″), Lu Dort (a rugged 6’4″), and Cason Wallace (6’4″) along with the two big men.

That is where Cleveland’s smaller backcourt has a distinct disadvantage. Donovan Mitchell found it very tough sledding against Dort, shooting 6 of 31 in the two games against the Thunder. We also know that Atkinson will come up with some ways to get Mitchell freed up if the two teams meet in the NBA Finals.

We said going into both of the games that fans should not read too much into the pair of contests, that they would simply be a good measuring stick and as it was, the two teams split the games.

We simply found it interesting that everyone jumped to the same conclusion we had since the first game of the regular season. The Cavs need to add some height.

It was almost immediately reported after the loss last Thursday that the Cavs were interested in 6’8″ wing Cameron Johnson from Brooklyn. He would add some size along the perimeter and also shoots 42.6% from three.

We would definitely be someone the front office should have interest in.

They also need another solid big man. Evan Mobley missed the last two games with a calf injury, and outside of Jarrett Allen, Cleveland doesn’t have another big man you can trust putting on the floor for 20 minutes per night.

Tristan Thompson is a good locker room guy, but we would bet Atkinson doesn’t want him on the floor very long.

As for the locker room chemistry, if it is as strong as reported (and we have no doubt otherwise), there shouldn’t be an issue. The one thing Koby Altman has always prioritized is character, he has never brought a “knucklehead” into the locker room. We have no doubt it will be no different this year.

But the Cavs have been so good this season, the front office has to go for a title right now. This is the time. Taking steps is one thing, but when you have played halfway through the schedule and you are on a 70-win pace, the shiny gold Larry O’Brien Trophy should be on everyone’s mind.

There is less than three weeks to go for it.

In Praise Of Garland

We have been very critical of Darius Garland’s playoff performances each of the last two seasons. Opponents were physical with him, and he responded by not being very careful with the basketball.

In 2022-23 Garland averaged 21.6 points in the regular season with 7.8 assists and 2.9 turnovers. In the playoffs, his scoring was comparable at 20.6, but the assists were down to 5 per night while turning it over 3.6 times per game.

Last year, we knew Garland battled injuries all season long. His scoring dropped to 18 points per contest, and his assists were down to 6.5 and his turnovers up to 3.1.

In the series against Orlando and Boston, Garland’s scoring fell to just 15.7 points with 5.8 assists. His turnovers did improve to just 2.3 per game.

We have wondered if the Cavs can get to where they want to be, champions, with a smaller backcourt of Garland and Donovan Mitchell.

The way Garland has stepped up his play this season, we are now anxious the see this guard tandem in the post-season.

Since Garland has been with the Cavs for six seasons, it’s hard to realize he’s still only 25 years old. He concentrated on getting stronger and so far, the results are tremendous.

Like most of the Cavaliers, his minutes are down (33.5 for his career, just 30.2 this season), but his scoring is comparable to his best seasons of 2021-22 and 2022-23 when he averaged about 21 and a half per night. He’s at 20.9 this season.

His shooting has never been better, hitting a career best 49.8% from the floor and 42.9% from three, also his best mark as a pro. His assists are down from his highest mark of 8.6 per game in his third year in the league, but he’s still dishing out 6.7 helpers, while his turnovers are at a career low of 2.4.

Better shot selection for Garland, as well as his assist numbers being down are both the result of Kenny Atkinson’s offensive scheme with players and the ball moving quickly. And credit Garland for flourishing in the attack.

No doubt, the proof will come in the playoffs. The way the Cavs’ offense runs, they aren’t depending on just one player initiating it, sometimes it’s Garland, at times Mitchell, and we’ve even seen Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen being asked to do it.

That will likely mean the trapping Garland saw from the Knicks in the first-round loss won’t occur often in this playoff year.

We are sure teams will attack Garland on the defensive end of the floor, which isn’t a new strategy. Heck, the Cavs used it in the 2016 Finals when they repeatedly targeted Stephen Curry. Can the improved offense of Garland make that a strategy that doesn’t pay off the way opponents think it will.

Atkinson has challenged him in certain game, most notably the second match up vs. Boston when he told Garland he had to rise to the challenge of guarding Jayson Tatum.

Good health, maturity, and a new offense have guided Darius Garland to his best season, without a doubt. Hopefully, it pays off in April, May, and hopefully June.

Cavs Giving Some Vibes Of “Miracle” Team

Think about it for a bit…29-4

The Cleveland Cavaliers started this season with a 15-game winning streak, but right now, they’ve won eight in a row, and started an always tough west coast swing the Friday after Christmas, and won handily against Denver, Golden State, and the Lakers.

One of the indicators of how good a basketball team is their margin of victory, which is second in the NBA at 11.88, just behind Oklahoma City’s 12.0. The only other team over ten points per game are the defending champion Celtics (10.73).

At this point of the season, the NBA is kind of lopsided. There are only six squads that sit 10 games over .500, while there are five teams that still have not reached the 10-win mark.

If you look at teams who have a legitimate chance to end the season by hoisting the Lawrence O’Brien Trophy, there is no doubt the Cavaliers are one of those teams. It is remarkable to think that it was just the 2018-19 campaign where the wine and gold won just 19 games, and they followed that with the same number of victories in the COVID shortened season.

The national media talks about Kenny Atkinson’s club, but they haven’t really been a huge story in the Association to date. One reason is the people who cover the NBA seem to have an agenda on what stories will be important before the season starts, and it is hard to break into that realm.

The other reason is playoff success. This iteration of the Cavs (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley) have only one a single playoff series, the seven-game victory over Orlando last season.

However, the darlings of the Western Conference, Oklahoma City have done the same. The only difference is the Thunder did not make the progression from also ran to the “play-in tournament” to losing in the first round, to winning in the first round like Cleveland.

And despite this tremendous start to the season, the reality is the real season for the Cavs starts in the playoffs.

These Cavs remind us a bit of the “Miracle at Richfield” team from 1975-76. That team had nine players who averaged over 15 minutes a game, whereas Atkinson plays ten players regularly and when injuries have occurred, other players have stepped in to take their place in the rotation.

We have talked about how Mitchell, the team’s star, is playing a career low 31.5 minutes a night. The ’75-’76 Cavaliers had a former All-Star in Nate Thurmond anchoring the second unit, and the star of the franchise’s early years, Austin Carr, also came off the bench.

Both teams could shoot from outside. The ’76 team, who got to the Eastern Conference Finals, had outside marksmen like Carr, Bingo Smith, Campy Russell, and Dick Snyder. This year’s squad lead the NBA in three-point shooting, making an absurd 40.7% as a TEAM!

The next best percentage is the 38.8% being made by the Knicks.

We have seen people saying nothing should be done by president of basketball operations Koby Altman at the trade deadline. However, we disagree.

Yes, this group has amazing chemistry, but they still need another post presence in case of an injury to Allen and/or Mobley. And we also think that could use another wing defender with some length.

This team has amazing depth, particularly at the wing position. With Max Strus’ return, Atkinson now has Strus, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Georges Niang, and Sam Merrill to play on the wing.

And we haven’t mentioned rookie Jaylon Tyson, who when pressed into service has done a solid job.

The one thing Altman has seemed to always prioritize is character. The Cavs haven’t really had a “knucklehead” or “diva” on their roster for a long time. So, we have no doubt if a deal is made, the addition will fit right into what is working right now.

In a week, the Cavs and Thunder get together in Cleveland. That just might be an NBA Finals preview.

Being Thankful…for Kenny Atkinson

Happy Thanksgiving to all of the readers and followers of Cleveland Sports Perspective! Hope you enjoy the most overlooked (in our opinion) of the major holidays.

We have sports thankfulness for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who besides playing outstanding basketball to start the season, also keep sports fans in the area from obsessing on the terrible season the Browns are having.

The 17-2 start is a total surprise of us, and we still think the true test for this basketball team will be the playoffs. We hate saying that because it seems like we are downplaying an amazing first month of hoops, but we know the Cavs are a strong regular season team, will their new style and new coaching pay off next spring.

We liked Kenny Atkinson as a head coach when we had the Brooklyn Nets overachieving during his time there, and when he was dismissed there, he did what basketball lifers do, learning more about the game as an assistant under two men who won NBA titles in Steve Kerr and Ty Lue.

The prevailing thought around the NBA media folks was the wine and gold needed to trade either Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley, because their view of the game is skewed by how most teams in the NBA play today, with one big man inside and four shooters around the perimeter.

And neither Allen nor Mobley are particularly prolific three-point shooters.

Since basketball is a sport where height matters, we always felt the two big man lineup could succeed, and with the offense described above, you have a lot of players standing around, ready to shoot, while another player tries to get dribble penetration and force the defense to help.

Atkinson figured having Allen and Mobley moving and not being stationary would be a device to make it work.

Mobley is actually making less three pointers than a year ago by percentage (35.3% compared to last year’s 37.3%) and is only taking less than one more shot per contest. He also has the ball in his hands more, and his scoring is up two points per game.

An overlooked reason is his free throw percentage which is up to 82.4% from last year’s career high of 71.9%.

We love how Atkinson isn’t afraid to talk basketball philosophy after games. J.B. Bickerstaff used to talk more about effort, and “the grit” of the players, but Atkinson talks about how the players move on the court, who influences the game without scoring, etc.

Another subtle thing occurred Sunday night. After rookie Jaylon Tyson, usually not in the rotation had to play against New Orleans because of injuries and had a big game, the coach made sure he got minutes in the next contest.

Players need rewards for playing well.

There is also an old hoops adage that says if you don’t play your bench, you will never have one. Last season, the Cavs had five players who averaged more than 30 minutes per night and generally played eight or nine most games.

This season, only three players play 30 minutes, led by Donovan Mitchell’s 31.5 (he played more than 35 last season) and they play 10 or 11 most games.

That develops depth.

Look, Bickerstaff inherited a mess when he took over the job and he restored order, leaning on defense to give the younger Cavs an identity.

He’s doing the same thing in Detroit, where he has the Pistons sitting at 8-11 after winning just 14 games all of last year.

But Kenny Atkinson seems to be putting the finishing touches on this group. They’ve embraced the defensive concepts the former coach taught but now have a more diverse offense to go with it.

That is a reason to be thankful.