Easing Concerns About Cavs, Mobley.

The Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t taking anyone by surprise this season. Last year, coming off a 22 win campaign in the 2020-21 season, they got off to a fast start because perhaps opponents did not take them seriously.

They got into the “play in” tournament with 44 victories but lost both games to Brooklyn and Atlanta, thus not making it to a best of seven series.

This year, other teams are very aware of J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad making a 12-7 record to start the year more impressive. They’ve beaten Boston twice in hard fought overtime games, and that is half of the Celtics’ loss total.

We also have to remember the Cavs have also already been on one of their west coast trips this season, going 2-3 on the five-game trek. And they’ve also played Milwaukee twice, losing both times, and therefore have played four games, a little over 20% of their schedule against the two teams who reached the NBA Finals out of the Eastern Conference the last two seasons, and are the favorites to get there again this season.

Of course, when the wine and gold do lose a game, the “football mentality” of the city comes alive and there is panic and dismay in the air.

Friday night, the Cavs had a terrible third quarter against the Bucks and there were questions from social media about the team and the coach. Keep in mind, Cleveland was without three key players in their nine-man rotation–Kevin Love, Caris LeVert, and Lamar Stevens, and then Jarrett Allen hurt his hip in the second quarter and played just three minutes after.

Right now, the Cavaliers’ roster isn’t deep enough to sustain that many players being out, particularly one of their big men, as after Allen and Evan Mobley, there isn’t much depth.

Speaking of Mobley, we have seen some criticism of his progress in his second season. We feel that is ludicrous.

His minutes are up slightly, his shooting percentage has increased to 54.1% from 50.8%, his free throw accuracy is better (up to just under 71%) and his rebounding is also up slightly from 8.3 to 8.5. His scoring has decreased by a half a point per contest, down to 14.5, and that is a product of getting one less shot per game.

Let’s face it, the Cavs have more offensive weapons than they had last season, so there are less opportunities for Mobley offensively right now. We think as the season goes on, Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell will get better finding the second-year pro where he prefers to get the ball, and his offensive numbers will go up.

That said, Mobley is still third on the team in shot attempts per game behind the two starters at guard.

He will also get stronger as he gets older, and that will help him on both ends of the floor. No reason for concern.

When Love and LeVert get back, the Cavaliers will have a better bench and adding two players who can contribute will greatly help production on both ends of the floor.

If anyone is worried about the Cavaliers, take a deep breath. They are handling things just fine.

Wine And Gold Bench Not Getting It Done

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a red-hot start to the season. After losing their opener to Toronto, they reeled off eight straight wins, several of them without All-Star guard Darius Garland, who was poked in the eye in the first game of the season.

Everything was clicking for J.B. Bickerstaff’s crew, Cedi Osman got off to a great start shooting the three ball, Dean Wade scored a career high 22 points in a comeback win over New York. And they beat Boston on the road in overtime with Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert both scoring 41 points.

But on the west coast trip, the Cavs were going for win #9 and led the Clippers in the fourth quarter, but lost, starting a five-game losing streak that ended Friday night in a double overtime win over Charlotte.

Sometimes it’s difficult to get a victory after a long losing streak, and hopefully now that the wine and gold got back in the win column, they can right the ship. But some holes did spring up during the losing skein.

Jarrett Allen missed a couple of games with an ankle problem, and that exposed a size problem. Allen and Evan Mobley are a big reason Cleveland succeeds defensively (they are still 4th in defensive efficiency), but they are the only rim protectors on the roster.

With Allen in there, Mobley can get out an defend on the perimeter where his length bothers smaller players, as it did at the end of the first overtime Friday night against Terry Rozier.

The only other experienced interior big man is Robin Lopez, signed in the off-season as a free agent. Lopez is a seven footer, but is slow, and not really a shot blocker. And quite frankly, we don’t think he can be out there for 25 minutes a game if something happened to Allen or Mobley and they couldn’t play for a stretch of games.

Since the winning streak ended, the bench hasn’t provided much, meaning Bickerstaff has a very top-heavy roster.

They have four all-star caliber players in Mitchell, Garland, Allen, and Mobley, and two solid veterans in Kevin Love, who could be out for a while with a hairline fracture of his thumb, and LeVert, meaning the depth folks thought the Cavaliers had is no longer there.

As noted earlier, Osman and Wade had great starts to the season, but the former hasn’t been good lately and Wade has been hurt but followed up the 22 point game with a scoreless one. No doubt, Bickerstaff needs both to step up and provide production each and every night.

After not getting much time early in the season, Lamar Stevens has taken advantage of the injuries and has started to get minutes again, getting at least 29 in last three contests, averaging 9.3 points in those games. He’s solid and deserves to keep getting minutes, probably at the expense of Isaac Okoro who is really struggling, especially on the offensive end.

Raul Neto got playing time while Garland was out, but since the Cavs went west, he’s been AWOL.

That leaves Bickerstaff with six solid players, guys he can depend on every night. That’s not enough, particularly for a time with playoff aspirations.

The first thing that needs to happen is someone, notably Osman and Wade, need to step up, but it doesn’t have to be one of those two, they are just the most likely candidates. It could be Okoro too, but he seems to have lost confidence in his offensive game right now.

Maybe it’s a slump for the bench crew, or perhaps we were all just fooled by the eight-game winning streak. But if this team wants to avoid the play in tournament, they need depth that Bickerstaff can rely on.

Time for some players to step up

Mitchell As Advertised.

When the Cleveland Cavaliers took a big swing for Donovan Mitchell late last summer, we were a bit skeptical on the deal. We thought it robbed the Cavs of the “big” identity, not having Lauri Markkanen, at 7′, playing small forward.

We also thought it did not solve the problem of the team’s small backcourt, with Mitchell and Darius Garland measuring at around 6’2″.

However, until you see a player every day, it’s tough to evaluate him properly. And man, were we wrong about Donovan Mitchell.

One question we had was his will to win, and he has proven that should not have been questioned. It’s pretty clear he feels this team has more weapons than he played with in Utah, and when Garland gets back, you have to think this team will even be better offensively.

Also, Mitchell plays much bigger than his listed 6’1″. He has a very strong upper body and can get off the floor and battle for rebounds and navigate his shot against much bigger players. He plays with force.

And he’s a willing passer. In his six games with the wine and gold, he has had eight or more assists in four of them. Granted, Garland is out of the lineup, so the ball is in Mitchell’s hands a lot. But as a point of comparison, in Collin Sexton’s three plus years with Cleveland, he had eight or more assists just nine times.

Plus, he’s another guy who plays with the “scrap” that J.B. Bickerstaff loves to talk about. In the last two games, the Cavs trailed by more than 10 points, but kept working hard, picking up the intensity on the defensive end of the floor, which enabled them to come back and win both.

Mitchell also seems to have fit in seamlessly with his new teammates, taking a leadership role right from the start, but he looks like he’s played with this group for years. We are sure when Garland returns, there might be a bit of an adjustment because both players like to have the ball in their hands, but they seem to have good chemistry, as does the rest of the roster.

And already, they’ve had a number of players step up. Friday night, Caris LeVert had 41 points. Sunday, Kevin Love had 29 points. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley have been a defensive force inside and on the boards.

Cedi Osman and Dean Wade have both contributed the long-range shooting needed while Garland has been out, with Wade knocking down a ridiculous 15 of 24 three-point shots.

We are usually critical of Isaac Okoro, particularly offensively, but his defense Sunday night was a big reason for the victory over New York.

After tomorrow night’s contest with Boston, the first long trip of the season comes along, starting in Detroit and moving to the west coast. Getting Garland back should ease the burden on not just Mitchell, but every Cavalier.

Will there be some regression? Sure, we doubt the Cavs can continue to shoot 43% from beyond the arc for the season. On the other hand, there will be games where Allen and Mobley both contribute more on the offensive end.

However, it’s hard to find anything to point at on this team right now. There were questions about the #3 spot coming into the year, but LeVert, Osman, and Wade have done a yeoman’s job there.

Right now, isn’t this team just as likeable as the Guardians came to be?

New Look Cavs Should Finish In East’s Top Six

Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers open the 2022-23 season against the Toronto Raptors with high expectations. And they should be looking forward to it.

Last season, the Cavs won a surprising 44 games, doubling the total from the previous year (although it was a shortened 72 game season), and getting into the “play in” tournament, where they were eliminated by losing to Brooklyn and Atlanta.

For much of the year, J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad was in the top four in the East, using their big lineup with first-time All-Star guard Darius Garland providing the long-range shooting.

Injuries started to hit. Ricky Rubio, who was so good at the start of the year, injured his knee, and later Jarrett Allen missed time as well. Kevin Love led the Cavs in games played with 74.

Cleveland struggled after the mid-season break, losing 17 of 26 games, and to us, playing a different style than they did earlier, more reliant on Garland for scoring.

GM Koby Altman took a huge swing during the summer, trading for another All-Star guard, Donovan Mitchell from Utah, giving up Collin Sexton, who missed most of last year with a knee injury and ending the big lineup by moving Lauri Markkanen in the same deal.

Mitchell is a proven scorer, a career 23.9 points per game, and last year, he poured in 25.9 per contest. However, he is still just 6’1″, albeit with a long wingspan, so concerns about a lack of size in the backcourt is still a concern.

Can Garland and Mitchell provide enough defense against opponents’ guards? Bickerstaff maintains defense is still the wine and gold’s identity. That means everyone needs to pitch in, it cannot fall to just Allen and second-year power forward Evan Mobley.

Letting opposing guards to get to the paint with ease breaks down the defense completely. Mitchell and Garland have to do better.

We cannot wait to see the progression of Mobley this season. Last year as a rookie, he scored 15 points, grabbed 8.3 boards, and blocked 1.7 shots per game. He no doubt will be better in his second year.

For all the discussion about who the best player on the Cavs was a year ago, and then include Mitchell in the conversation this season, in a year or two (or perhaps this season) that point could be moot. The answer will probably be Mobley.

The biggest question for Bickerstaff will be who is starting at small forward and who else will get minutes once the regular season commences. Knowing the coach likes height, the favorites might be Cedi Osman or Dean Wade, but both players are very inconsistent.

He could go with veteran Caris LeVert, who can score and pass, but can he play without the ball, which he probably would with Mitchell and Garland starting. Finding the best fit could be a process that takes the Cavs into when the calendar changes.

The Cavs should avoid the play in tournament this year by finishing in the top six of the Eastern Conference and getting a best-of-seven series to start the post-season. On paper, they are more talented than last year’s team.

However, last year’s squad showed other teams a different look, one with three seven footers on the front line. This year’s roster is smaller, but seemingly more skilled.

We didn’t see all of the key players during exhibition play, so we are left wondering how Mitchell fits in, who (if anyone) loses touches in the offense.

That wonder will end come Wednesday night up north.

It could be a very exciting winter downtown.

Cavs Make A Big Swing, Now How Does It Work?

We always thought the Cleveland Cavaliers would get involved when Donovan Mitchell was traded, but not in a million years did we think the Cavs would be the team getting the three-time All-Star.

First, kudos to Koby Altman and Mike Gansey for swinging for the fences and getting a player that is one of the top 20 players in the league, and they didn’t have to surrender either Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, or Evan Mobley.

However, the proof will be when the wine and gold take the court in the regular season.

Going into the off-season, we felt the Cavaliers needed to shore up the small forward spot (#3) and get more outside shooting.

After this deal, those needs are still there, and we also didn’t like the small backcourt when it was manned by Garland and Collin Sexton, who was sent the Jazz in this trade. Guess what, Mitchell is only 6’1″, so Cleveland is still small at guard.

Ochai Agbaji was supposed to help with the shooting, and he was also sent west in this transaction, and Lauri Markkanen was part of the unique trio of seven footers J.B. Bickerstaff started last season and was a problem for opposing teams.

He’s gone too.

Mitchell is a dynamic scorer, averaging 23.9 points per game in his career, but our question with him (and we aren’t going to hide it now) has always been can he be the best player on a title contending team? We don’t think he is.

However, that could be a moot point because soon, maybe this year, Mobley will be the wine and gold’s best player, and by the way, we also said that a year ago when people were debating about Garland, Sexton, or Allen.

Last season, Mitchell averaged 20.5 shots per game, and Cleveland’s leader was Garland at 17.3. No doubt, this is the most talented team Mitchell has played with. With Utah, the Jazz’ second best player (or best early in Mitchell’s career) was Rudy Gobert, a great defensive player but not someone defenses focused on.

The third best player was Joe Ingles, who we really like as a player, or Mike Conley or Bojan Bogdanovich. In Cleveland, we will play with two All-Stars from last year in Garland and Allen, and Mobley.

If the Cavs’ trio from last year keep improving, and they should they are all very young, especially Garland and Mobley, Bickerstaff would seem to have a quartet of very good players to build around.

So hopefully, Mitchell comes in with a “just want to win” attitude and isn’t hung up on number of shots he gets or points he scores.

Again, we don’t know that he thinks that way either.

Who replaces Markkanen as a starter? We would try Caris LeVert or Cedi Osman there, because he’s a better offensive threat and taller than Isaac Okoro.

That assumes Altman and Gansey are done making moves this off-season, and we know they are always looking to improve the roster.

If LeVert starts, the bench would be made up of Kevin Love, Okoro, Osman, and we would guess Lamar Stevens and Dean Wade.

Not a lot of shooting in that group except for Love, and really Okoro and Stevens are very similar players.

We have seen speculation that Okoro could start, but maybe Stevens is a better choice unless Okoro makes a big leap offensively. At the end of last season, other teams stopped guarding the second-year player out of Auburn, and that causes problems for the offense.

Again, perhaps another move is coming.

Give the Cavs tremendous credit for going out and getting perhaps the best player on the market this off-season. Should bring a lot of excitement to Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse this winter.

Agbaji Should Help Right Away

NBA Draft night was uneventful if you were looking for blockbuster trades, but the Cleveland Cavaliers did alright for themselves.

We have said since the results of the lottery were known that it should be difficult for the Cavs to draft a project. We understand that’s what the draft has become, trying to project what a college player, usually 19 or 20 years old, will become.

Koby Altman and GM Mike Gansey should have been looking differently. After being in the top four in the Eastern Conference standings as late as the All Star break, the wine and gold (we guess we should say, new gold) need to finish in the top six in the East next year. That’s the next step for the franchise.

To that end, they needed to add either a veteran by dealing the pick, or take someone who is ready to step in and contribute immediately.

On a good team, which the Cavaliers are now, it is difficult for a guy picked in the middle of the first round to get minutes. Usually, it’s because they don’t know how to defend at the NBA level.

Cleveland took a four year college player in Ochai Agbaji from Kansas, voted the Most Outstanding Player at this past year’s Final Four. Agbaji is 6’6″, 215 pounds and has improved his shooting, particularly from three point range, every year.

And he has been a good defender at the college level as well, and can switch on the perimeter (which we think is a blight on the game, actually), the way most NBA teams do it.

He may not have a high ceiling, but he has a low floor, and at pick #14, that’s not a bad thing. Adbaji is probably a better player right now than many of the players picked ahead of him. Three years from now, that might be a different story.

But again, the Cavs aren’t in the business of long-term development anymore. And it’s not like they have a bunch of grizzled veterans. They were the 8th youngest team in the league last season, and that’s with Kevin Love, Ed Davis, and Rajon Rondo.

The age of their core players, Darius Garland (turns 23 in January), Evan Mobley (21 last week), and Jarrett Allen (24 in April), would put them in the top three in terms of youth.

Let’s not forget that Agbaji also fills a position of need. The Cavs aren’t exactly teeming with 6’5″ or 6’6″ players who can shoot the ball. The rookie should get plenty of opportunities to contribute.

The free agency period is coming up and the trades will probably start throughout the NBA after the calendar turns to July.

Hopefully, Altman and Gansey aren’t standing pat. We believe the wine and gold need another veteran wing and another veteran big man as well as a point guard, unless they have decided Collin Sexton fits as both a #1 or a #2.

And they still need shooting.

They did a good job in the draft though, getting someone who can help right away. This is a key year for the franchise. They can’t settle for another play in game season.

Next Season For Cavs Starts Next Week

Tonight is game six of the NBA Finals, and the season could reach its conclusion if Golden State takes the game, wrapping up the franchise’s fourth title since 2015.

However, most teams are looking forward to next season, and that kind of kicks off a week from today with the NBA Draft. For those hoping to be playing in the Finals, this is their first chance to start to improve their roster.

Since the Cavaliers did not make the playoffs this past season, making it only to the “play in” tournament, obviously they are a team that needs to get better so they can finish in the top six of the Eastern Conference standings in 2022-23.

Much of that improvement will come from experience. Remember, the wine and gold’s three best players are very young. All Stars Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen will be 22 and 24 respectively when next season begins.

And rookie of the year runner up (he was snubbed for the honor) Evan Mobley, will be 21. This trio will get better from experience if they put the time in on the practice floor.

That will make the team better.

And remember, if the Cavs can come to a contract extension with Collin Sexton this summer, he played just 11 games due to a knee injury and having him on the court will also improve the squad.

Conversely, how will Kevin Love play next season, a year in which he starts as a 34-year-old. His minutes were down to 22.5 per game, the lowest number of his career, as he embraced the bench role for J.B. Bickerstaff.

Love nailed 39.2% of his three-point attempts last season, his highest percentage 2017-18, the last time he made the All-Star team. He also played the most games since 2014-15, his first year in Cleveland, playing in 74 games.

We don’t anticipate much of a drop off for the veteran. He was happy last season because the Cavs were winning though, if they get off to a bad start, you have to wonder if Love will still be happy.

Bickerstaff and his staff need to be prepared to combat what other teams may do against the three seven foot front court starters the Cavaliers use. And if Caris LeVert is still here, how does the staff make best use of him.

The one criticism we had of the head coach was that he did a great job developing a style of play early in the year, but in the second half, they seemed to move away from it.

We get injuries were a factor, but the defense and rebounding did slide as the season went on, and that wasn’t due to injuries, the attitude seemed to change.

In conjunction with that, GM Koby Altman can’t have the end of the roster filled with G League guys and veterans there for locker room presence.

At the beginning of the season, Altman signed Kevin Pangos and Ed Davis for depth. While Davis contributed early, by the end of the season, he shouldn’t have been on the floor. As for Pangos, in his first NBA action, it was obvious he was not an NBA player.

That cannot happen again this off-season.

There are also players the organization needs to make decisions on, notably Cedi Osman and Dylan Windler.

It’s obvious the organization isn’t enamored with Osman, and most times, they don’t use his best skills (driving, creating). They seem to want to make him a three-point specialist.

Windler has had injuries and just hasn’t produced when he is on the court. Holding on to both doesn’t sound optimal.

Next year starts in one week. We will see if Altman has anything up his sleeve in moving playersa as the first round unfolds.

Big Summer For Many NBA Teams, Cavs Included

Well, it’s now official. The Cleveland Cavaliers will have the 14th overall pick in next month’s NBA Draft, although it would have been an extreme long shot for them to have moved up.

The Cavs are the best team, record wise, in the league that didn’t make the playoffs, and with a young core of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, this is an important off-season for GM Koby Altman and his staff.

However, it’s also an important summer for some of the league’s big market teams, and could anything those teams do influence the wine and gold?

What will the Los Angeles Lakers do? Yes, they have LeBron James, but their roster looks like one of a good team, in 2012. What do they do to surround James with the right kind of talent and can Anthony Davis ever stay healthy?

What of the Brooklyn Nets? Will they run back the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving show or totally restructure their roster, even moving the recently acquired Ben Simmons. They could be looking for a rebuild this summer.

The New York Knicks made the playoffs in 2020-21, but returned to their normal lottery spot last season. Are they satisfied with a Julius Randle and RJ Barrett combination going into the ’22-’23 season? And will they continue to hold Obi Toppin hostage?

What does this have to do with the Cavaliers? If those teams make big moves, cap space will probably be needed and perhaps Altman can pick up a nice piece for the Cavs because salaries do not match up.

Remember, that’s how Cleveland got Allen, a 23-year-old seven footer, who became an all star last season.

If you didn’t know, by rule, the Cavs cannot announce a trade of their first round draft pick before the selection is made. That pick is an asset though, and may be used to bring in a veteran player. We say veteran because we believe there is plenty of youth on the roster, so another young guy could be superfluous.

On the other hand, you might get an experienced college player who gets bypassed early in the draft because every team looks to project on players.

We have seen the Cavs linked to Kansas senior 6’5″ guard Ochai Agbaji. He could probably make a contribution right away, and at least one draft website compared him to Desmond Bane of Memphis. If he wound up being close to the player Bane is, that would be great.

The other player who seems like a good fit and may be available is Ohio State G Malaki Branham, also 6’5″. Just a freshman, he may take longer to be a contributor on a team that should have playoff asperations.

Altman also needs to decide on some bench players. It seems clear they don’t have a good handle on what to do with players like Cedi Osman and Dylan Windler, so it’s time to cut bait.

And no more roster spots for guys who can’t play, like Ed Davis, or bringing in someone like Kevin Pangos.

And make no mistake, barring injuries, the Cavaliers need to qualify for the real playoffs next season, meaning a best-of-seven series. No more play in games.

They made the giant leap to contender in 2021-22, and this young core of good players needs to get in the playoffs.

Cavs Should Be Looking At Top Four Spot in ’22-’23.

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers did not advance to the real playoffs, which started Saturday, it’s time to look towards the 2022-23 season, and there will be expectations for J.B. Bickerstaff and his squad.

It will no longer be a nice story to get close to the playoffs. The expectation by most observers, will be making one of the top five seeds in the Eastern Conference.

The question is how will that be accomplished.

Cleveland has to get better offensively. They were 20th in offensive rating this season and seventh defensively, although that ranking declined after the midway point of the campaign.

The Cavs should have Collin Sexton healthy heading into training camp, barring a trade. We say that because what assets does GM Koby Altman have to try to improve the wine and gold?

Kevin Love’s contract is now expiring, and that used to have value, but in the past few seasons, it has been less and less important. And Caris LeVert has one more year on his current deal. Does the front office want to extend him?

They have a lottery pick, which will likely be the 14th overall pick barring some extreme luck in the draft lottery. We feel the Cavaliers would be better off moving that pick for a veteran who can contribute immediately.

The team is young enough right now, and to us it is obvious someone with more experience would be a bigger help.

Altman and Bickerstaff have to decide what kind of team they want going forward. Early in the year, it used size, playing slower, and playing defense. It was an old school approach.

Is that the way they want to continue? We asked because in the second half of the season, they seemed to get away from that style. We know injuries played a big factor, but the Cavs did go 9-17 in their last 26 contests.

Can they play two smaller guards together and be effective on the defensive end?

One thing is for certain, the team needs some wings that can shoot the basketball, someone in the 6’7″-6’9″ range. Yes, Love does that, but good teams have more than one player like that, and with guys like Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley inside, having shooters will make them more effective.

Speaking of Mobley, no doubt he will get stronger in the off-season and be more of a force next season and beyond. With so much discussion about Garland’s improvement and being the team’s best player, he is just renting that title because next year, Mobley will likely be the Cavs’ premier star.

Altman also has to make the roster deeper. Coming into the season, he filled two spots, Kevin Pangos and Ed Davis, with players who can’t play in the NBA. That can’t happen this off-season.

And decisions have to be made on Dylan Windler, who either can’t be a rotation player on a good team or needs a fresh start somewhere else and Cedi Osman, who ended the year not in agreement with the coach.

Osman is another guy who plays much better in international competition, when he is used as a playmaker, a drive and dish guy. He’s not used that way with the Cavs, so other teams may have an interest in him.

Lamar Stevens played his way into having a future here, but can the same be said for Isaac Okoro? Okoro has not developed any kind of offensive game, and the question is can he? He’s another player who may have value for a young, developing team.

The Cavaliers are not that any more. They won 44 games in the regular season, double last year’s total. They should be thinking about a home series in the first round of the playoffs and advancing.

In many ways, this is a bigger off-season for Altman and management that the last three summers.

Cavs Season: Encouraging And Disappointing.

The Cavaliers season came to a disappointing end Friday night, when they lost 107-101 to Atlanta in the NBA’s dumb (we thought this before the Cavs lost) play in tournament.

The game was kind of a microcosm of the wine and gold’s performance since the all-star game. They took a sizeable first half lead, 14 points was the largest, and then didn’t make any adjustments to what their opponent did defensively.

They started out shooting well from behind the three-point line, and when the shots stopped falling, they kept taking them anyway. They hit six threes in the first quarter, just seven in the last three periods.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff tried to go defense in the second half, trying to protect the lead, but because the defensive players he used provide no offense, the Cavaliers scored just 40 points in the second half. Had they mustered 50, the Cavs would be playing today in Game 1 of a seven-game series against Miami.

Isaac Okoro and Rajon Rondo, the two players the coach went with, combined to go 2 for 6 from the field, 0 for 3 from distance and scored six points. Meanwhile, Kevin Love, perhaps the team’s best outside shooter outside of Darius Garland, played just 10 minutes and scored three points.

Darius Garland, Cleveland’s best player down the stretch, played poorly, hitting just 9 of 27 shots, including 1 of 7 from three. The Hawks started pressuring Garland as soon as he crossed half court, and the Cavs didn’t do anything to counter.

And after Hawks’ big man Clint Capela was injured late in the first half and did not return to the game, Cleveland didn’t really try to exploit this by getting the ball inside to Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Lauri Markkanen.

And of course, Love wasn’t used until late in the fourth quarter.

The Cavs based their early season success on playing three seven footers on the back line, playing at a slower pace, and defense, they ranked in the top three defensively early in the year.

As the season went on, injuries forced them to use a smaller center/forward combination, the pace quickened, and the defense slipped, finishing seventh for the season.

Why didn’t the style and attitude sustain itself? That’s a question for Bickerstaff. It could have been because the early success made the players think they could take short cuts, but there was a definite difference from how the team played early in the season and how they played at the end of the year.

Yes, the Cavaliers had plenty of injuries this season. Everyone of their starters missed at least 10 games during the season. Evan Mobley led the team in games played with 69, and only Garland played more than 65. We are sure that was a major challenge for the coaching staff, but it makes even more sense that Bickerstaff needed to emphasize the core values.

The organization has a big summer ahead. They get to keep their first round pick, which they dealt to Indiana for Caris LeVert, but it was lottery protected. They need to make the roster deeper, and they need to evaluate players like Okoro, Dylan Windler, and even Cedi Osman to see if they are worth keeping.

Collin Sexton will be back, but where and how does he fit in?

And we know Bickerstaff just signed an extension, but his coaching in the two play in games had to raise some eyebrows.

The Cavs took a strong step forward this season, but still, it can be considered a disappointment because of a 9-17 finish and not getting to a seven game playoff series.

That will take some honest evaluation. Here’s hoping a self-audit will be successful.