Clarkson Deal First Of Many?

After winning two straight games, the Cleveland Cavaliers took the first step to rebuilding their roster for the 2020-21 season.

They moved Jordan Clarkson to the Utah Jazz in exchange for oft-injured guard Dante Exum and two future second round draft picks.

It may not seem like a big return for the wine and gold’s third leading scorer at 14.6 points per game, but perhaps it was a deal GM Koby Altman thought needed to be made sooner than later.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that several veterans weren’t happy with coach John Beilein’s “rah-rah college” coaching philosophy.

We immediately figured Clarkson was one of those critical, which was merely speculation on our part, mostly because Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. came out and quickly squashed the comments, and Kevin Love spoke highly of Beilein during training camp.

So, if Clarkson was indeed not happy here, Altman probably figured the sooner, the better to get him out of here.

Plus, Beilein was playing Clarkson at the end of close games because of his scoring ability, especially when his shot was falling, and this generally took one of his young guards, usually Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. off the floor during crunch time.

Porter, in particular, has been earning more time with his recent play, averaging 11.1 points per game on 51.1% shooting in December, and it would figure that he would get first crack at Clarkson’s minutes.

Plus, Clarkson was going to be a free agent after the season, and why not get something back for the veteran who arrived in Cleveland with Nance at the trade deadline in 2017-18.

He also isn’t a “move the ball” type of player than Beilein prefers.

Exum is a wild card because he’s suffered with injuries pretty much since he entered the league as the fifth overall pick in 2014.

First, he’s 6’5″ (an inch taller than Clarkson, which we have said is a must in any deal), and at his heart is a point guard first.

The only year he was relatively healthy was 2016-17, when at 21 years old, he averaged 6.2 points and 1.7 assists per night in 18.6 minutes.

This season, he’s barely played, getting into 11 games and playing just 83 minutes.

However, in the Cavs’ position, why not see if Exum can be an NBA player? It’s not as though Cleveland is making a playoff run, and if he can play up to the potential of his draft status, the wine and gold have a 24-year-old lottery ticket.

As we said before the real reason for the deal is to clear out a potential problem in the locker room, and to open up playing time for Porter, who by the way, when he plays well, the Cavaliers are a much better team.

This is the first of probably a few more moves for Altman before the trade deadline in February.

Besides Love, who has asked to be moved, Cleveland still has free agents (read: Expiring contracts) to be in Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight, John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova, and Ante Zizic.

The Cavs might be interested in bringing back Thompson and even Dellavedova next year, and Zizic can’t get on the floor right now, but all of these guys could be available for future draft picks plus a bad contract.

Although the return wasn’t great, this was a move Altman felt he needed to make, and right now was the best time.

Our View Of Winning And Leading In Hoops.

Basketball can be viewed differently by a lot of people, it’s a very subjective sport.

Many people view it from a numbers perspective only, meaning players who score a lot are good players, although there are some guys who do that at the expense of everything else, so they aren’t really important to winning teams.

We hear it all the time in conversations about basketball, and we can cite examples right on our own Cleveland Cavaliers.

We believe people undervalue Larry Nance Jr. because he’s not a scorer, his career high in points per game is the 9.4 he tallied this season.

But Nance does a lot of good things on a basketball court. First, he makes 52% of his shots, meaning he understands his limitations in that area. He also grabbed 8.2 rebounds and dished out a career high 3.2 assists.

A big man who can pass is very valuable. Look at Nikola Jokic for the Denver Nuggets, who averaged over seven assists a game for the team with the second best record in the Western Conference.

Conversely, we aren’t big fans of Jordan Clarkson, who we believe is nothing more than a scorer for bad teams. Think about it, the Cavs averaged 104.5 points per game, and they were one of the worst teams in the NBA.

Someone has to score those points. When Clarkson did play for a good team, the second half of the 2017-18 season with Cleveland, he was invisible much of the time, particularly in the playoffs.

He doesn’t do much else to help a team win, and in our view, that’s why he is very replaceable.

Another thing that irritates us is talk of a players’ legacy, or determining who is the leader of a team.

Leadership is a very difficult thing, getting people to follow you isn’t easy. One thing we believe is that leaders don’t have to tell you they are the leader. Everybody just knows.

LeBron James did inform the media all the time he was the Cavs’ leader, but the players seemed to understand that as well. The holdovers from last year’s roster talked a lot this season on the work ethic that carried on even though James was in Los Angeles.

James led by being prepared for every season and every game. He is talented enough that he didn’t have to be, but he was. His teammates saw that.

And sometimes, players thrive when they aren’t a featured performer.

For example, Kyrie Irving wanted badly to have “his own team”. Right now, the phrase “be careful what you wish for” comes to mind.

Irving is having a problem with the leadership role, and really, there’s nothing wrong with being the second best player on a team that wins a title.

Look at how people view Klay Thompson or Scottie Pippen. They are thought of as great, even though they played with better players. They are important reasons as to why their teams are champions.

There seems to be too much self awareness in the game today. Why not win as many titles as you can? We understand that players can be free agents and can play where they want, and we don’t begrudge that. They’ve earned that right.

But shouldn’t the goal be to win? And win as much as you can?

It may be a generational thing, we guess.

Basketball is a beautiful game when played well. And as we said, it is a very subjective sport. This was our view.

Cavs’ Turmoil This Year Not A Help To Sexton

It is no secret the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season hasn’t been as expected. While no one thought the Cavs would be returning to the NBA Finals for the fifth consecutive season, even the most negative fans would have thought they’d be sitting at 9-37 at this point.

But that’s what happens when not only does LeBron James depart, but your team is missing another all-star, Kevin Love, for basically the entire season.

All of the losing has caused fans to be very critical of some of the players, particularly the wine and gold’s first round draft pick, Collin Sexton.

It seems that many fans expected Sexton to be Kyrie Irving from the moment he took the court as a rookie. That’s a pretty unfair comparison.

Look, we don’t think the recently turned 20 year old point guard is having a good year. There are plenty of things he needs to address this off-season to be a starting caliber player on an NBA playoff team.

His assist to turnover ratio is 2.8::2.3, and his defensive win shares in the worst in the NBA.

However, if you look at the worst defensive win shares in the league, they lowest four all belong to Cleveland players: Cedi Osman, Rodney Hood, and Jordan Clarkson.

That’s because of the awful defensive concept the Cavaliers have used over the last two and a half seasons.

As for the assists to turnovers issue, the Cavs are second worst in the league in assists as a team, mostly because they don’t have a lot of ball movement in their offense. Our opinion is that’s a result of trying to control the shot clock in an effort to keep the pace slow.

That doesn’t mean Sexton is really a good passer either. At this point of his career, he’s more likely to look for his own shot than he is to seek the open man.

We’ve all seen the chart on social media showing Sexton’s terrible efficiency rating in comparison to the rest of the NBA players, but much of that is due to Cleveland’s terrible record and showing in games.

They get blown out a lot.

All of this doesn’t mean Sexton is a bust. First, no one should be labeled a bust 46 games into their career, especially someone who was thought of highly enough to be the eighth overall pick.

Make no mistake, most draft experts had Sexton going in the first dozen choices in the draft too. It’s not as though only the Cavaliers’ front office had him rated highly.

Actually, the one thing that has been better than advertised for the rookie is his shooting. He’s made 39% of his three point attempts (although he doesn’t shoot many), and is making 86.6% of his free throws, up 8% from his year at Alabama.

Let’s see how Sexton plays with a functional team before making the decision that the Cavs made a mistake.

A team with a coach that isn’t fired six games into the season. A team that doesn’t lose its best player four games into the year. A team that doesn’t have a revolving door at the #2 guard spot. A team that doesn’t try to play a small forward at the #4 position.

With all this going on, it’s not fair to make a judgment on Collin Sexton. Sometimes there is an underlying story beyond the analytics.

Solid Efforts Starting To Appear For Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers have won two straight and now no longer have the worst record in the NBA. Add in a very close loss at home to the Lakers on Wednesday night, and you have three consecutive solid efforts for Larry Drew’s crew.

Once again, the chief reason for this is slowing down the pace. Cleveland is now 28th in the NBA in pace. We have said it before, if you are short on talent, it is ludicrous to try to run up and down the court with squads that have more talent than you.

The Cavs are taking better shots too. They are up to 17th in the league in field goal percentage, and although they don’t take many three point shots, they are last in the NBA in attempts at 23.6 (the Rockets and Bucks both take more than 40), they are 7th in the Association in percentage made at 36.3%.

They have cut way back on the number of possessions in which they just come down the floor and jack up the first open shot, no matter if it is one the shooter can reasonable make.

They run when they get the opportunity, and if the numbers aren’t their, they are patient. They are also third in the NBA in offensive rebounds, led by Tristan Thompson, who is second in the league in that category, so they extend a lot of possessions.

First round draft pick Collin Sexton is playing much better too. The rookie, who was getting criticized heavily by some veterans, has settled down and shown he has game.

He’s scoring 14.6 points per night, and since moving into the starting lineup when George Hill got injured, he’s just under 20 per night, shooting 50% or better in six of those eight games.

Yes, we would like him to average more than 2.4 assists per game, but none of the Cavs have gaudy assist totals. Kevin Love still leads the team at 3.5 and Hill is next at 3.0. Sexton is fifth behind a pair of forwards, Larry Nance Jr. and Cedi Osman.

Right now, opposing teams are playing off of Sexton, seeing if he can make the jumper consistently. If he continues to do it, that will open up driving lane and hopefully, the rook will get defenders to collapse and then find the open man.

Another change Drew has made is dusting off a guy we have been begging to play more in David Nwaba.

The soon to be 26 year old from Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo isn’t spectacular, but he’s the best perimeter defender on the roster, and having him, Osman, and Thompson on the floor at the beginning of games gives Drew a defensive presence.

Putting Nance in there provides another.

Teams are leaving Nwaba open from beyond the three point line, and we would like him to not concede and shoot that shot. He is open for a reason. We know the long range two is not a good shot analytically, but a made 22 foot shot is better than a missed three.

We understand the Cavs are going to have ups and downs, but the last three games are encouraging and yes, watchable.

You are starting to see some roles develop. Thompson is becoming a leader. Jordan Clarkson is become a go-to scorer in the fourth quarter. Nance and Nwaba are energy guys.

That’s a good sign.

The Cavs are 4-8 after losing their first six, and it looks like Drew has provided a trusting voice for the players. Beating two playoff teams in a row in Philadelphia and Houston should solidify that trust.

What Could Cavs Have Done Differently?

Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers’ season has ended with a sweep at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, it is time for a look back at some of the reasons the season was filled with ups and downs.

One of the things that failed Cleveland in the Finals was their defense. The Warriors shot 51.3% for the four games, and shot 60.5% from inside the arc, a whopping percentage.

Many of these shots were uncontested layups and dunks by the Warriors’ “non-stars”. JaVale McGee shot 16 of 20 from the floor, Shaun Livingston was 13 of 15, Jordan Bell was 10 for 14. That’s 39 of 49 from that trio alone.

McGee in particular got a whole bunch of easy shots because the Cavs couldn’t defend the high pick and roll, something they struggled with all season.

We have railed all season long about a solid defensive plan for the team, something it could hang it’s hat on. As we have written previously, this lack of a basic defensive scheme came back to bite the wine and gold in the end.

The failure to manage LeBron James’ minutes also played a factor. While James wanted to play in all 82 games for the first time in his career, he didn’t have to lead the league in minutes.

That also falls back on the coaching staff’s reluctance to build some kind of offense when The King was sitting on the bench. We understand the plan was to put the ball in LeBron’s hands and let him orchestrate things, but when he wasn’t playing, there wasn’t a different attack.

That meant the Cavs struggled with James sitting, meaning coach Tyronn Lue had to rush him back in there to win games.

Early in the season, Cleveland was a veteran laden team, with Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, and Jae Crowder playing key roles. Rose got injured and left the team for awhile, and Crowder never fit in to the way to play off of James.

Wade initially was a starter, but after a few games, found his niche as the leader of the second unit, and the Cavaliers took off. We may never know what happened, but when the deals at the deadline were made, they involved Wade going home to Miami, which we feel everyone signed off on.

After those deals, it never seemed like the coaching staff involved or did anything to maximize the talents of Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson, particularly the former. Larry Nance Jr. fit in because he’s instinctual and athletic.

And Cedi Osman, another good athlete already on the roster, and a contributor after the deals, never got back in the mix after he suffered a hip injury.

From game 42 through 52, Osman played at least 15 minutes every game, of which the Cavs won eight, and he averaged almost nine points, and 3. 5 rebounds per game.

After the injury, he played more than 15 minutes three times, a win over Washington, the loss to Philadelphia where the Cavaliers almost won after being down by 30, and the last game of the season.

Could Osman’s athleticism and basketball IQ have helped in the playoffs? We won’t know because he played only in garbage time.

The failure of getting athletic young players like Hood, Clarkson, and Osman, and even Ante Zizic, a former first round pick, hurt the Cavs in The Finals.

These were things everyone was concerned about as the season went on, so much of this is not a second guess.

But if James returns to the Cavs next season, these things need to be addressed for the betterment of the franchise and more success going forward.

Being younger and having a smarter team will help going forward.

Cavs Still Need Some Players To Step Up

Basketball is a funny game. We have always said that you can execute a play or a plan perfectly, but a player still has to make a shot.

Conversely, you can do everything wrong and somebody like JR Smith hits a seemingly impossible shot, and the team likes good.

In the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first round series against the Indiana Pacers, which went the full seven games, the wine and gold shot 43% from the floor, and 32.2% from three point range.

In the first two games of the conference semi-finals against Toronto, the Cavs have shot 48% from the floor, and 36.2% from behind the arc. Is it just that simple?

Maybe.

Certainly, Indiana was much more physical with Cleveland, and until game seven, coach Tyronn Lue seemed hesitant to match that physicality by playing Tristan Thompson, who is one of only three truly big bodies on the roster.

Thompson started the ultimate game in the series, scoring 15 points and 10 rebounds, and the Cavs have looked like a different team.

He has averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds in 21 minutes in the series vs. the Raptors.

Of course, it also helps to have the best player in the world, one Mr. LeBron James.

All he has done in nine post-season games this season is average 34.4 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 9 assists, and dominated the three games (Game #2, Game #4, and Game #7) where his teams’ back was to the wall.

Oh yeah, he’s also playing 42 minutes per game at age 33.

In the first round series, save for Kyle Korver, James had little help against the Pacers. Kevin Love was the only other player to average double figures (11.4), but that was more than six points less than his regular season average. Love also shot just 33% from the floor compared to 45.8% during the 2017-18 campaign.

Even though it is just two games, Cleveland has five players scoring ten or more points against the Raptors. Besides James (34.5), the Cavs also have big offensive contributions from Love (19.0), Smith (17.5), Jeff Green (15.0), and Korver (12.0).

And we didn’t mention another player having a big impact in George Hill. Hill missed three games against Indiana in round one, and didn’t play in Game 7 until the second half because of back spasms.

Hill provides solid defense and another ball handler to initiate the offense for Lue.

Certainly, Smith shooting 58% from the field and going 7 of 9 from three, and Green making three quarters of his shots from the floor and knocking down 5 of 7 from beyond the arc probably isn’t sustainable.

But if Love continues to play (read: make shots) like yesterday, that duo’s likely cool down won’t hurt as badly.

Still, at some point, Lue will need Jordan Clarkson or Rodney Hood to make some shots.

Clarkson has made just 17 of 52 shots (32.7%) and has hit just 4 of 20 threes. And if take out his Game 4 performance vs. the Pacers, his only really good game in the post season, those numbers drop to 12 of 43 (28%) and 2 of 17 from three. One of those threes was in garbage time last night.

Clarkson is capable of turning a game around with his scoring, and something tells me he will be needed to do just that in the next two games at Quicken Loans Arena.

Hood shot just 26% from three last year in the playoffs compared to 37% in the regular season, and has made just 2 of 14 this season. He needs to step up offensively too.

If the Cavs just hold serve at home, they will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the fourth straight season. However, we doubt in will be easy. Toronto is a quality team.

However, the Raptors are faced with having to win four of the next five games, with three of those being in Cleveland.

We don’t think the Cavs will rest on their accomplishments in the first two games.

Is Lue The Right Man For This Cavs’ Team?

As the Cleveland Cavaliers head into another “must win” game tonight against the Indiana Pacers, down 2-1 in the best of seven series, the heat is getting turned up on coach Tyronn Lue.

Many people, including us, have been critical of Lue’s substitution patterns and the wine and gold’s defensive scheme, which centers on having players who can defend multiple positions.

He has had problems incorporating the four players GM Koby Altman acquired at the trade deadline into the mix. Outside of Larry Nance Jr., and we are stretching it with that, none of the new guys appear to know what they are supposed to do on a night in, night out basis.

However, when Lue took over the head coaching reins midway through the 2015-16 campaign, he took over a pretty much a veteran unit.

The only younger guy he inherited was Matthew Dellavedova, who was in his third NBA season, and was a backup point guard and defensive specialist.

Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, and Iman Shumpert were in the fifth NBA seasons, and they all understood what their roles were. Irving was the second option offensively, capable of explosive performances.

Thompson and Shumpert were defensive players based on hustle and grit.

The primary bench options on that team were veterans like Richard Jefferson, Channing Frye, and Mo Williams.

Lue’s biggest move upon taking over the team was to get them to play at a faster pace. He famously said the Cavs were not in shape to play the up tempo game he wanted.

Now, switch to 2017-18, and the Cavaliers are a much different team.

Yes, there still is experience with James and Kyle Korver (15th season), JR Smith (14th), Jose Calderon (13th), and Jeff Green and George Hill (10th), but after the deadline moves, there are also a lot of younger players in the rotation.

Nance is in his third year, while Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson are both in their fourth seasons, and of that trio, only Hood has been on a winning team prior to coming to Cleveland.

Cedi Osman is a rookie, and although he has shown promise that he can contribute to this team, the coaching staff seemed bothered by his presence, giving him real minutes only after the trade, and many times that was due to necessity.

What we are trying to say is Lue didn’t have experience as a head coach in developing young players, and that’s what was needed after Altman turned over the roster.

The coaching staff appears to be throwing these young players out there and seeing if they can figure it out, that doesn’t always work.

At least one media member has pointed out that the four new guys played better before the coaching staff started giving them instructions and direction.

Remember the two games right after the deals? The road wins over Boston and Oklahoma City might have been the two best wins of the season for Cleveland. The newcomers just went out and played basketball.

Even the veterans who started the season, save for Dwyane Wade, looked lost at times, not sure of what they were supposed to do. Jae Crowder didn’t look remotely like the player he was in Boston, but he’s contributing for Utah right now.

NBA head coaches are used to change a team’s culture, which Lue was brought in to do in 2016. Other times, they are needed to coach, to develop younger talent. That’s wasn’t Tyronn Lue’s job when he took over.

But that’s what is needed now.

Players & Coach Need To Keep Adjusting For Cavs

If you understand the game of basketball, you can understand that the Cleveland Cavaliers are going through some growing pains.

After the fast start when the four new players showed up after the trading deadline, the wine and gold have split their first quartet of games following the all star break, and one of the wins was a close one over the lowly Brooklyn Nets.

Not only are the players getting to know each other, but Tyronn Lue also is going through an adjustment as to how George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. fit with the holdover Cavaliers.

One thing that continues to be an issue for the Cavs are slow starts, they have been struggling in the first quarter during the last three contests. The problems have a lot to do with the personnel that starts the game.

In the first game after the break, Cleveland led Washington after one, 31-22, with JR Smith leading the way with 9 points.

Unfortunately, in the last three games, the Cavaliers trailed by seven, five, and four points after the first quarter respectively.

Smith has scored 11 points TOTAL, in those three games. Could we make a case that the key in the first quarter is JR Smith?

The bigger issue here is that Smith, who has always been streaky, isn’t having hot streaks with the regularity he had earlier in his career.

So when you have Smith, Tristan Thompson, and Cedi Osman in the starting lineup, there is a real possibility you will not be getting anything offensively out of this trio, and that’s a problem.

That’s why Lue needs to balance out his starting lineup with a more accomplished offensive player. We would recommend moving Rodney Hood to the first unit.

Hood would also give the first unit more length, and more versatility on the offensive end. Smith is more of a three point specialist, while against Brooklyn, we saw Hood attacking the basket, taking just one three point shot.

Nance’s tendency to pick up fouls is the reason to keep Thompson opening the game, although it seems the latter’s offensive game has regressed since last season. If starting Thompson means ending the game with Nance, we are all for it.

As for Osman, he will go to the bench when Kevin Love is ready to play, but somehow Lue needs to keep giving him playing time because as his defensive versatility.

The rookie has been guarding the opponent’s best player, regardless of what position, at the start of games, so the coaching staff has confidence in him on that end of the floor.

If that would happen, who would be the odd man out in the rotation? As weird as it sounds, it could either be Smith or another veteran, Kyle Korver.

When Korver is hot, it is a thing of beauty. He can turn a game around by himself. However, his shooting is the extent of value. His defense should keep him off the floor in close games when stopping the opponent is important.

The reason the newcomers stand out is they are multi-dimensional. Players like Thompson, Smith, and Korver do one thing well, and that’s Lue dilemma, finding the right time to use them.

That’s what the last 22 games should be about, finding balance for the ten players in the rotation, so the lulls that occur within a game are minimal if they can’t be avoided.

LeBron, Schedule Should Ease Cavs’ Transition

The Cleveland Cavaliers remade their roster at the NBA trade deadline, and entered the All Star break on a four game winning streak.

Two of those wins were without the quartet of players acquired on February 8th, and the last two, over playoff teams on the road against Boston and Oklahoma City were with Rodney Hood, George Hill, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. on the roster.

The newest Cavs have provided a huge impact already. Their youth and shooting ability have both spread the floor on offense and improved the wine and gold on the defensive end as well.

No doubt there will be an adjustment, after all, the Cavaliers have turned over 40% of their roster, but they have LeBron James and the upcoming schedule is favorable too.

Because James is such a student of the game, he told reporters he was already studying his new teammates’ tendencies the night the deals were announced. The King likes to find out where the shooters like to catch the ball so they are in a shooting position upon receiving the pass.

For Hill, Hood, and Clarkson, being on the floor with James creates wide open looks from the perimeter. In the two games they’ve played with Cleveland, Hood is 7 for 14 from three point range, Clarkson is 4 for 7, and Hill is 3 for 8.

While Hood and Clarkson’s numbers aren’t sustainable, they are capable of having nights where they can change a game with their long range shooting.

And as we have seen with Kyle Korver, a long range shooter on a roll can make a huge impact.

The schedule is also a big boost. Cleveland comes out of the break with six of their first seven games at Quicken Loans Arena. The only road game comes Friday night at Memphis against the 18-38 Grizzlies.

Tyronn Lue’s squad does play some good teams during the stretch, opening Thursday night with the Wizards, and they also play the Spurs, 76ers, and Nuggets during this stretch, but they will be in northeast Ohio for the better part of two weeks.

The Cavaliers enter this stretch with a 20-7 home record, and only three teams have lost fewer than that number (Toronto-4, Houston-6, and San Antonio-6) in the NBA this season.

Cleveland has their second west coast swing after those seven games, and then have two more long homestands before the end of the regular season.

They are at home the week of March 19th for three games at The Q, and after a trio of games on the road, they are home from March 30th through April 5th, playing four games.

That’s more time in the gym, where they will have to be implementing Kevin Love back into the lineup by that time.

GM Koby Altman will also be adding another player to the roster this week, as NBA rules mandate the Cavaliers must get to 14 players by this Thursday, a week after the roster spots opened up.

Our guess is a big man will be one of the additions, perhaps Kendrick Perkins. Even though Nance was impressive on the offensive boards vs. Oklahoma City, early in the game, Stephen Adams did whatever he wanted.

It would’ve been nice to have someone with some bulk go against Adams.

Before the Cavs head west, we will have a much better idea as to the potential of this new group wearing the wine and gold.

If it goes like the last two games heading into the break, it will be a whole bunch of fun in downtown Cleveland.

Cavs’ Roster Make Over…Wow!

Wow! That is our first reaction to the wheeling and dealing done by Cleveland Cavaliers’ GM Koby Altman on the day of the NBA trade deadline, in which he turned over 40% of his team’s roster.

The Cavs were the NBA’s oldest roster and they were showing it over the last six weeks, losing 12 of their last 19 games and getting boat raced by every good team they played, and some average teams as well.

In three big moves, the wine and gold got younger, more athletic, and in our opinion, more likely to retain LeBron James when he becomes a free agent after the season.

Of the six players moved, the biggest impact looking to be the departure of Channing Frye, a veteran glue guy who provided leadership in the locker room.

Dwyane Wade, who went back home to Miami for a second round pick, will also be missed. Wade, no longer with the athleticism he had in his prime, still made the correct play, and tried to impart that to his teammates.

The other four were disappointments. Isaiah Thomas didn’t seem to fit in with the Cavs, and neither did the guy who came over from Boston with him, Jae Crowder.

Thomas is a good player, but was not 100% after the hip injury, and since he was a free agent to be at the end of the season, the Cavs couldn’t afford to see how that story ended.

Crowder scored more than five points per game less than he did a year ago, and was shooting five percentage points less in 2017-18.

Derrick Rose and Iman Shumpert have been injured much of the season.

In return, Cleveland got three players in their mid-twenties in Rodney Hood (25), Larry Nance Jr. (25), and Jordan Clarkson (25) and George Hill, who will turn 32 in May.

Hood, coming from Utah, is enjoying his best season as a pro, averaging 16.8 points per game, shooting 38.9% from three point range. He’s long too at 6’8″, and a good free throw shooter at 87.6%.

Nance Jr. is coming home, where his father’s number hangs in the rafters. He’s a solid defender, can jump through the ceiling, and is scoring 8.6 points and grabbing 6.8 board per contest.

Clarkson is a combo guard, with a career scoring average of 14.5 points per night. He can knock down threes, although he’s kind of a streaky shooter. He is getting 3.3 assists per game in an average of just under 24 minutes.

Hill is the veteran and will likely take over starting duties. He’s 6’3″, and currently leads the league in three point shooting at 45.3%. He is scoring at 10.3 points per game with Sacramento this season, after getting 16.9 a night last season.

This quartet makes the wine and gold longer and that should help the defense. Hill keeps his man in front of him, something not seen much in Cleveland this season.

We have begged coach Tyronn Lue to slow down the pace because of the age of the team, but with the younger legs, he should be able to get the ball up the floor quickly going forward.

But now the Cavs have some young players who can get better going forward to go with James, and that may be enough, along with a draft pick that could be in the top five by the time the season is over, to entice him to re-sign in northeast Ohio.

That pick could be used on draft night to bring in another star player in a trade.

The biggest thing for the fans is hope that the Cavaliers, who looked very little like a team that can make deep playoff run over the last few weeks, now can do just that.

It may take some time for the new pieces to gel, but if and when they do, there is no question the Cavs are in a better place than they were two days ago.

And that’s a good thing.