Cavs Still Haven’t Made A Move

Cavaliers’ president of basketball operations Koby Altman has said it a number of times since the season ended with a playoff loss in five games to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semi-finals.

He has said he wants the Cavs to run it back with the same core players (the so called “Core 4”) for the 2024-25 season with a new coach in Kenny Atkinson. And after the draft and the beginning of the free agent period, he has done just that, stand pat.

Yes, the team’s perennial all-star, Donovan Mitchell, signed a three-year extension last week, meaning he could be here for four more years, but that’s the extent of the club’s transactions so far this summer.

We guess Altman wasn’t using “GM speak” in talking about the current roster.

If that’s going to be the case, it puts a lot of pressure on new coach Kenny Atkinson, because his hiring looks to be the only reason the current roster will get better, outside of the natural growth of young players.

Cleveland likes to talk about the youth of their roster, but really the only player with the potential to make a substantial leap in performance is Evan Mobley, who will be in his fourth year in the NBA. Yes, Darius Garland will turn 25 during the new season, but he has been in the league for five seasons.

How many players improve their performance greatly after they’ve been in the NBA five years?

And Kenny Atkinson is a coach, not a magician. He can put players in situations where they can succeed more, but he’s not going to make Evan Mobley a great outside shooter and he’s not going to make Darius Garland less turnover prone.

Nor is he going to make a backcourt with two smaller guards along with a small forward who is 6’5″ a defensive force.

We understand the Cavs didn’t make the trade for Mitchell until September 1st, so there is plenty of time before training camp starts to improve the roster. However, virtually every team in the league has made moves since the playoffs ended.

Outside of drafting Jaylon Tyson, Cleveland has been idle.

We have seen reports that the organization is waiting for a decision on Isaac Okoro’s contract status and if that’s true, it’s pretty disturbing. Okoro is a very good defender who is limited offensively and he’s only 6’5″.

If he’s holding up potential moves for the Cavs, well…

The current regime seems to be looking at the incremental improvement from non-playoff team to play-in tournament team to lose in the first round to winning in the first round and thinking they should stay the course.

We believe in the philosophy of every move a team makes should be gearing towards winning a championship. Falling short of that goal is a failure. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t look at progress and think we are getting closer to the goal though.

Perhaps a big move will come in the next couple of weeks. But at the end of the playoffs (and last year for that matter), we have felt the Cavaliers needed to add size at guard and small forward, and also get a solid backup for Jarrett Allen and Mobley.

And remember, Altman sped up the winning process when he traded for Mitchell.

We don’t think they can contend for a title without more size. The front office seems to think differently.

Are Cavs Overrating Their Roster?

For many years after Andrew Berry took over as Browns’ GM, people were noting that he didn’t cut any of the players he drafted. Part of that was when he got the job, the Browns weren’t very good, but it is understandable that if you draft a player, you see the reasons you chose him.

Therefore, you give them the benefit of the doubt.

On the other hand, we have been around coaches who love players from afar, and if and when they get them on their team, all they see are the warts.

So, we understand that Koby Altman has a certain fondness for the players he has brought into the Cavaliers’ organization. But we also think it’s fair to ask if he can evaluate them without bias.

In Kenny Atkinson’s introductory press conference, the new coach referred to coaching “four all-stars”. We bristled at that.

First, only three of the current Cavaliers have made an all-star team: Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen. Despite the organization’s wishes for Evan Mobley, who Altman picked with the third overall pick, he has not made one.

And while technically, Garland and Allen have made the team, they made it once, and they made it during the 2021-22 season, which will be three seasons ago when the new season starts.

Garland was comparable to his all-star season the following year, but last year, injuries caused his numbers to drop. And you know how we feel about starting two smaller guards and how it affects things defensively.

Allen was an injury add on in 2022 but was in the discussion to make it to the mid-season classic last year when he averaged a career high in points at 16.5 per game.

Mitchell is an all-star, making the team five times. It may be semantics, but Garland and Allen are players who made an all-star team, we would not consider them perennials.

The elephant in the room is Mobley. We know everyone is high on him, but it is fair to point out his progress has been slow. He averaged 15 points and 8.3 rebounds as a rookie, and although his shooting has improved from 50.8% as a first-year player to 58% last season, his scoring went from 15.0 to 16.2 to 15.7.

Granted, some of that is due to his role (or lack of one) in the offense. The player taken right after him, Scottie Barnes averaged 15.3 a game in his rookie season and 19.9 last year.

What if Mobley is just a real good player, an excellent defender, but not quite an all-star level player?

It wouldn’t mean writing him off, if he can score 18 points, grab 10 rebounds, block a couple of shots in addition to playing excellent defense, that’s something any coach can work with. But it’s not what many expected after his first year.

The Eastern Conference got better since the playoffs ended. Philadelphia signed Paul George. The Knicks swung a trade for Mikal Bridges. Indiana gained valuable playoff experience.

The Cavs need to get better and although we like Kenny Atkinson, we don’t think that’s enough. The off-season has just begun, but hopefully Altman can be truthful with himself about the roster he has built.

That’s a trait the best executives have.

Cavs Running It Back? Bad Idea

With the NBA Finals soon to be over, the NBA crazy time will start very quickly. The draft will occur at the end of the month, followed by the free agency period where trades will occur.

In his post-season press conference, Cavs’ president of basketball operations Koby Altman made comments alluding to the wine and gold’s “Core 4”, and his desire to keep them together.

After all, his supporters will say, the Cavaliers have made progress in each of the last three seasons, going from making the “play-in” tournament and losing to getting into a seven game series to winning a first-round match up.

While all that is true, it can also be true to realize that might be the ceiling for this group. And really, isn’t that what Altman is paid to determine.

The first thing for Altman to decide is who will be the new head coach. It seems like it is down to three candidates: James Borrego, Kenny Atkinson, and Chris Quinn. We would have no issue with either of them.

Our only issue with Quinn would be he is the first lieutenant to Erik Spoelstra, the league’s best coach. Sometimes, these guys try to be their mentor, and since they aren’t that guy, it doesn’t work.

The people who think staying the course with the Cavs led by Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, usually are thinking about it from (surprise!) the offensive end of the floor. However, we say it all the time, basketball isn’t just about scoring points.

Our feeling continues to be Cleveland cannot continue with the small backcourt because Mitchell and Garland do not complement each other, but also because it is not effective from a defensive standpoint. So many contending teams have size at the guard position, and the Cavaliers don’t.

That puts them at a disadvantage.

The other thing that bothers us is the constant talk of having to move Jarrett Allen. We get it, “you can’t win with two non-shooting bigs”, that’s the argument, correct? But what we find difficult to fathom is how you get better by trading your second-best player, and that’s what Allen was this past season.

He averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 boards per night, shooting 63.4% from the floor. If you could trade Allen for a player who has a chance at being your best player, then yes, you can trade him. We doubt that would be the case.

And yesterday, it was reported that Mitchell doesn’t want Allen moved, and that will have weight within the organization.

As for Mobley’s “dominant” series vs. Boston in the second round, need we remind everyone he didn’t do this against Joel Embiid, Bam Adebayo, or even Kristaps Porzingis, he did it against 37-year-old Al Horford, a solid pro, but not a player who should be giving a player like Mobley fits.

Also, trading Allen (or Mobley for that matter) would be removing one of the few players with size on the roster. We understand a big man would come back in any deal, but that player likely wouldn’t be as skilled.

And Cleveland needs to add size, not get smaller. That’s for sure.

If Altman can add a slew of wings in the 6’7″ to 6’9″ range and add another big man to back up Allen and Mobley without giving up one of his core players, then great. We just don’t think that’s possible.

You’re A Candidate, You’re A Candidate…Cavs Coaching Search

By now, perhaps you too have received a request by the Cleveland Cavaliers to interview for their head coaching job. The Cavs have at least five or six candidates to date that they have received permission to interview.

That seems like a lot, particularly because when you made the decision to fire J. B. Bickerstaff, you would think they had at least one or two people in mind to take the job. That doesn’t seem the case.

We also wonder if there are so many candidates because they are looking for someone whose idea for the team is the same as Koby Altman’s, and that may be difficult to find.

We would think most coaches would look at the Cavaliers’ roster and say it will be very difficult to win in the playoffs with two small guards, two solid big men, and a bunch of undersized wings.

Our personal position is we would like someone with previous NBA head coaching experience. On the other hand, we don’t want a retread either. We consider the latter to be someone who has moved around the league from team to team, like a Doc Rivers or a Nate McMillan.

But someone who has had one job deserves a second chance. Isn’t everyone better the second time they do something? We have mentioned previously that we like Kenny Atkinson, who went 118-190 in four seasons with Brooklyn, and took them to the playoffs in one season.

James Borrego seems to be a solid candidate as well, after an interim gig with Orlando in 2014-15, he guided Charlotte for four seasons, the last one resulting in a 43-39 record, which you would think they would initiate statue building instead of getting a pink slip.

One of the candidates mentioned is troubling to us, and that would be Johnnie Bryant, reportedly someone with a close relationship with Donovan Mitchell. In our opinion, that would be a colossal mistake.

What happens if the Cavs aren’t winning with Bryant at the helm? Is the organization stuck with him because Mitchell likes him?

Bryant has no track record of being a head coach in the NBA. Could he lay the hammer down on Mitchell if need be? That’s a tough one because Mitchell would be the guy who got him the gig.

It also puts Mitchell in an imposing position within the organization, and frankly, he’s an excellent player, top 20 at least in the league right now, but he hasn’t earned that kind of gravitas.

It has been reported that Mitchell didn’t like the talk that he wanted Bickerstaff out, so does he want the pressure of being the guy who hired the next coach too?

If we were a candidate for the job, we would want to remake the roster to what currently works in the NBA, which means adding size, and we would want to know if the front office is amenable to doing that.

Especially if you are someone who didn’t play in the league and is hoping for a second chance to sit in the first chair. There aren’t many coaches who get a third chance without great success prior (see Mike Budenholzer).

Hopefully, this is Altman doing a thorough job in canvasing rather that an exercise in seeing who agrees with him.

We use this comment a lot in the world of sports: “The wise man knows what he doesn’t know”. We hope that doesn’t apply here.

With JB Out, The Pressure Is Now On Altman

Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t surprise anyone when they announced coach J.B. Bickerstaff would not be returning next season. Bickerstaff was the right man for the job after the John Beilein debacle, but in the NBA, as in life, times change.

Bickerstaff gave the Cavs an identity. They would be a good defensive team and put forth maximum effort. After going 14-40 under Beilein, they won five of the eleven games under the new coach before the season ended due to COVID.

The wine and gold were 29th in defensive rating that season, and during the last three years, they were in the top ten in the league.

We ran into assistant coach Antonio Lang at a mall that season (we don’t know him, but recognized him) and in talking to him (small talk) we said it was a tough season and also remarked at how small the Cavaliers were.

Of the top eight players in minutes that season, the tallest players were Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. who are both 6’8″. And yes, that’s a theme we will address later.

As we said though, times change in the NBA and while the franchise should be grateful to Bickerstaff for setting a course for the young Cavaliers, now after appearances in the post-season the last three years, it is time for a new voice.

And by the way, that’s okay. There are many times coaches and managers are great in making a young team competitive but someone else comes in to put them over the top.

The term “a new voice” has been mentioned several times about the Cavs and we do not disagree. Cleveland needs a better offensive philosophy than the pick and roll heavy system they have used under Bickerstaff.

And we also still believe the frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen can work with a different offensive scheme. It would require Mobley to develop a solid 15-to-18-foot jump shot, but the defensive force that duo gives you is tough to give up on.

Mobley’s biggest strength is being able to guard smaller players on the perimeter and making him a center probably takes that away.

The dismissal of Bickerstaff now puts the pressure to win on president of basketball operations Koby Altman. We said many times during the year that we had issues with the coaching but had equal issues with the roster construction.

We think Cleveland has run its course with the two small guards and no size at the wing position set up. In most games and playoff series, the Cavaliers have a size advantage at one spot, power forward with Mobley. They are undersized at both guard spots and at small forward.

Going back to the conversation with Lang in early 2020 about the roster being small, the person in charge of that roster was also Koby Altman, meaning it’s a trend.

The NBA is getting bigger. The smaller starter among the four teams in the conference finals is Kyrie Irving, listed at 6’2″. The Pacers have a 6’5″ small forward, but both their starting guards are 6’5″ too.

Altman said in his presser he didn’t see the need for changes, but we attribute that to executive speak, he’s not going to tip his hand. The Cavs need players in the 6’7″ to 6’9″ range that can play on the wing and can play.

They also need depth at center and power forward.

J.B. Bickerstaff probably wasn’t the guy to push the Cavaliers forward, but now Koby Altman needs to prove he is the man to build a roster of an NBA title contender.

We will see what the summer brings for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Cavs’ Season Ends, Let The Speculation Begin

What seemed inevitable after Donovan Mitchell injured his calf during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal became a reality last night, as the Celtics wrapped up the series in five games with a 113-98 win.

Jarrett Allen didn’t play at all in the series because of a rib injury, and down two starters, they simply didn’t have enough scoring or depth to be able to compete with the team who had the best regular season in the NBA.

Outside of the Game 2 eruption of 118 points, the most points the Cavs scored in the series was 102 in the Game 4 defeat. And when your opponent regularly hits triple digits, it makes it very difficult to win.

Credit J.B. Bickerstaff for having his depleted crew, and they didn’t have Caris LeVert yesterday, play very hard and made both games without Mitchell competitive. The wine and gold didn’t roll over, they made Boston work to win the series.

Tremendous efforts by Evan Mobley and veteran Marcus Morris, particularly in the second half, kept the series winning contest close. Mobley scored 33 points, 25 of them after halftime, while Morris, picked up after being bought out, scored 25 points in total, making five of six three-point shots. That pair scored 36 of the team’s 46 tallies after the half.

The use of Morris in the playoffs was very puzzling because when he was used, he usually did very well. Yet, he received a DNP-CD in Game 4, a crucial game especially because it was home.

Now the speculation on the future of the franchise will begin. Will Bickerstaff return? We have been critical of the coach the past two seasons, but to be honest, we can’t lay this series loss just on him.

Will Koby Altman stay on as Vice President of Basketball Operations? Let’s face it, this roster was poorly constructed to win in the playoffs, they simply aren’t big enough. They start two short guards, two big men, and don’t have an upper echelon player in the 6’7″ to 6’9″ range.

At the very least, the Cavs need to bring in someone from outside to evaluate the current roster. Altman seems to overlook the weaknesses of players he brought in.

None of the basketball people we know understand the love affair with Dean Wade. He’s a pretty good defender, but crazy inconsistent. He simply doesn’t play well in enough games to justify the faith in him.

The Cavaliers don’t have enough “guys who can play”, meaning players who have a diverse skill set. They have way too many one-dimensional talents.

Isaac Okoro is a defender, but other teams don’t feel the need to guard him. Sam Merrill is a shooter. Tristan Thompson can rebound, but you don’t want the ball in his hands offensively. Georges Niang is a three-point specialist.

And beyond Mobley and Allen, there really is no size on the roster. The Cavs signed Damian Jones in the off-season, but he rarely saw action.

More versatility is needed going forward. Max Strus isn’t the three-point shooter the Cavs thought they were getting (they could have looked at his stats), but he’s a decent passer and rebounder for his size. But his size says he should be playing guard.

The biggest question though is Mitchell. Will he sign an extension or not? If he does, the logical move would be to trade Darius Garland, as it is pretty obvious the two do not mesh well.

We’ve heard folks say Garland still has a good reputation in the league, so he could be the bait to bring in more size.

As for the debate as to whether or not Mobley and Allen can play together? We would like to see a different perspective from another coach before determining it can’t work.

The Cavs did indeed make progress from a year ago, winning a post-season series, but the organization seems to put limits on itself. They were one of the final eight teams playing this season. To virtually stand pat again would be a waste of this opportunity.

They did that last year. They can’t afford to do it again.

Cavs’ Direction May Depend On Tonight’s Result

Regardless of whether or not the Cleveland Cavaliers win their first round series against the Orlando Magic, it feels like tonight’s Game 5 is a referendum on what the organization has built since LeBron James departed for Los Angeles after the 2018 NBA Finals.

We have not wavered on this, but although we do not think J.B. Bickerstaff is one of the NBA’s best tacticians, part of the problem for the wine and gold is the makeup of the current roster.

We have bemoaned the lack of height for the past two seasons, but it’s not only the tallness of the players, it’s the builds as well. For example, right now Darius Garland and Evan Mobley don’t have the strength to overcome physical play.

Also, the team isn’t mentally tough. They seem to be frontrunners. When things are going well, great, but as soon as something goes wrong, they don’t seem to know how to get things turned around.

And that falls on Koby Altman.

After last season’s playoff loss to the Knicks, Altman looked at the team and decided they needed more shooting, so they signed Max Strus who has one season shooting over 35% from three, and veteran Georges Niang, a career 40% shooter from beyond the arc.

So far in this series, they have made 4 of 28 from long range.

However, we thought at the time the biggest reason for the 4-1 “gentleman’s sweep” by New York last spring was the inability to match the physicalness the Knicks presented. And that was not addressed in the summer, and the two games in Orlando showed the Cavs are still lacking in that department.

Orlando has outrebounded Cleveland in the series after four games, and if the Cavs get to 100 points tonight, it will be for the first time in the series.

The popular thing in NBA circles is when a team loses, the team’s best player is to blame, a theory we do not subscribe to. That isn’t to say Donovan Mitchell has been great in this series, but it’s not as though the coaching staff has done anything to get Mitchell going.

He had a great first half on Saturday, scoring 18 points taking just one three pointer. In the disastrous third quarter, the Cavaliers were outscored 37-10, Mitchell took four shots, three of them from long distance.

When your opponent is on a run, you have to have a set to get your best player a good look. We are still waiting. And by the way, Cleveland’s second-best player, Jarrett Allen, took just two shots.

Meanwhile, Evan Mobley has taken more shots in the series than Darius Garland, a curious statistic. While Garland gives us headaches when he is trying to set up the offense, too much dribbling and very turnover prone, he has been the Cavs’ best three-point shooter in the series, making 9 of 22 (40.9%).

Even if the Cavs win tonight and go on to advance to the second round, these issues aren’t going away, unless Mobley and Garland spend extensive time in the weight room, which we would guess they already do.

As for tonight, let’s hope Bickerstaff is willing to try something different. We would not run away from Strus and/or Niang, but if they aren’t making shots, you have to try Sam Merrill and Marcus Morris, no?

And perhaps use Tristan Thompson up front to provide some muscle, and more resistance to Mo Wagner near the basket.

Orlando has made adjustments to get back in the series. Each of their two best scorers, Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner have gone off for 30 points. Now, it’s the Cavaliers’ turn to answer back.

The bigger question is can they?

Have Cavs Put Together A Solid Roster?

Certainly, the Cavs’ recent struggles have put a spotlight on J.B. Bickerstaff. And to be honest, the coach doesn’t help himself with some very weird choices.

For example, in a game where the Cavs where getting hammered at Phoenix Wednesday, trailing by almost 30 points in the first half, the coach used basically seven players, and Sam Merrill and Marcus Morris each played just four minutes.

Remember, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade (perhaps joining Ty Jerome on the mysterious injury list), and Craig Porter were not available.

But, enough dogging on Bickerstaff. We go back and forth on what is more of an issue for the Cavs, the coaching or the composition of the roster, which would fall on Koby Altman.

A common theme when we discuss the wine and gold is our belief that the roster is small by NBA standards. Yes, the Cavs start Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, both 6’11”, legitimate big men. However, they are usually at a height disadvantage at each of the other three positions, particularly against the better teams in the NBA.

Look at the other teams battling Cleveland for the 2nd through 5th spots in the Eastern Conference and who they start at point guard, #2 guard, and small forward:

Cleveland: Darius Garland (6’1″), Donovan Mitchell (6’3″), Max Strus (6’5″)
Milwaukee: Damian Lillard (6’2″), Malik Beasley (6’4″), and Khris Middleton (6’7″)
New York: Jalen Brunson (6’2″), Donte DiVincenzo (6’4″), and Josh Hart (6’4″)
Orlando: Jalen Suggs (6’5″), Gary Harris (6’4″), Franz Wagner (6’10”)

Altman’s first top ten pick upon getting the job was taking Collin Sexton, a 6’3″ guard. After LeBron James left for Los Angeles as a free agent, the Cavs needed a guard who could score, so we understood the pick.

However, several mock drafts had Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a 6’6″ guard going in the top six and he was still on the board when the Cavs’ picked at #8. Cleveland liked Sexton because of his toughness but traded him after an injury plagued fourth season.

Altman doubled down the following year, selecting Garland with the 5th overall selection. To be honest, we liked Jarrett Culver, a 6’6″ guard out of Texas Tech who is no longer in the NBA. But taking smallish guards in back-to-back years put the Cavaliers on the path to being a smaller team.

Garland is a good player, so it’s a solid choice, it’s just curious because of the Sexton selection the year before.

In 2020, Altman picked Okoro, a 6’5″ defensive specialist with the 5th pick. We said (at the time) picking a defensive player who was not a big man that high was a huge risk. Okoro’s offense is starting to develop, but the predicament Cleveland finds itself in is offering a contract extension at a much larger salary.

We would have taken Obi Toppin, a 6’9″ forward, who we feel can play both forward spots and is averaging 10.1 points per game with the Pacers.

Altman did try to go big when he traded for Lauri Markkanen, a seven-footer who could play small forward, and really was part of the reason Cleveland jumped from a lottery team to a playoff squad. But the former University of Arizona standout was part of the package to get Mitchell.

Getting Jarrett Allen was a coup, but the Cavs basically got him for nothing, and what GM would have turned down that request.

And drafting Evan Mobley was a no brainer.

He did go big for Mitchell, a very bold move. But Bickerstaff is still stuck with having to play Okoro and Strus, both 6’5″ at small forward where they are undersized.

Whether Mitchell decides he wants to stay here or turns down the extension, our guess is things will look very different when the Cavs report to training camp in September.

If Mitchell re-ups, our guess is Garland will be moved. If he doesn’t sign, the Cavaliers will look to move their all-star guard for players and draft picks.

We still believe when it comes to hoops, it is better to err on the side of size. You don’t want to draft untalented big men, but notice the lack of players 6’7″ to 6’9″ on the roster.

Cavs Malaise Continuing.

The Cavs last trip of the season didn’t get off to a good start as they were hammered by the defending champion Denver Nuggets. The rest of the week have them playing Utah, Phoenix, and both Los Angeles teams, and only the first of those opponents will not be playing when the regular season ends.

On February 10th, the wine and gold won their ninth consecutive game, raising their record to 35-16 when they beat Toronto by 20 points.

Since then, they have a 10-14 record, which should be concerning for a team that hopes to advance in the playoffs. True, they have had a bunch of injuries, most notably to the team’s best player, Donovan Mitchell, who missed 15 of those games with a variety of issues: illness, knee problems, and a broken nose.

In the games Mitchell has played, the Cavs are only 5-4, well off their previous pace.

We understand that evaluating a team when they are in a downturn is dangerous. The same is true when a team is on a hot streak, which Cleveland was when the trading deadline arrived.

Koby Altman looked at a red hot team and stood pat, which we said at the time was the wrong move. The Celtics had the best record in the NBA and went out and got Xavier Tillman from Memphis in a deal.

They added another big, Tillman is 6’8″ and he’s played in 13 games for the Celtics, getting 3.3 points and 3.1 boards in almost 15 minutes of playing time nightly.

To be fair, Altman did sign Marcus Morris, a 6’8″ wing for the rest of the season and certainly the Cavs can use a wing with that kind of size.

Right now if the season ended, the Cavs would take on Indiana in the first round of the playoffs. Cleveland would have the experience factor, making the post-season the past two years (if you count the “play-in” round), while the Pacers haven’t made it the 2019-20 season.

Indiana is long and athletic, which has given the Cavs problems.

The other teams which could be first round opponents are Miami, currently 7th and Philadelphia (8th, but probably with Joel Embiid back).

In the 4th and 5th spots are New York, just a half game behind the Cavaliers and Orlando, just 1.5 games behind Cleveland.

Quite frankly, we don’t feel good about either of those matchups right now. New York because of their physicality and Orlando is very similar to the Pacers in terms of size, but also inexperience.

For Bickerstaff’s squad, it’s not just a matter of wins and losses either. They simply aren’t playing well. Darius Garland is supposed to be one of the team’s foundation pieces, but he hasn’t played well since he returned from his broken jaw.

The Cavs have also missed versatile offensive threat Max Strus, who besides averaging in double figures also is four on the team in assists and rebounding. Strus hasn’t shot the three as well as he has in the past, but no doubt the team missed him while he was out.

Mitchell himself said it after Sunday’s loss. It’s April and the Cavs have to get things figured out soon, because the playoffs are about three weeks away.

Another first round loss could mean a lot of things for the Cavaliers.

Discussing Darius Garland

During the 2021-22 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers were one of the surprises in the first half of the season. Coming off a 22-50 record the previous season, Cleveland was sitting at 35-23 as the All-Star game was heading to their home at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

While Evan Mobley was having a very good rookie season, the team’s breakout star was third year guard Darius Garland, averaging 20.3 points and 8 assists per contest.

And he was only 22 years old.

Garland was shooting 47.7% from the floor on 16.3 shots per game, 37.8% from three-point range and making 91.1% of his free throws playing a little less than 35 minutes per game. While Jarrett Allen was named to the all-star rosters later because of injuries, it was Garland who was the breakout star.

After the break, Garland’s shot attempts increased to 19.4/game, but his shooting percentage dropped to 43.5%, although his three-point shooting got better. His minutes increased to 38 per night and his assists increased to 10.

Watching the games at the time, we thought Garland seemed to be in the “I’m an all-star” mode. The Cavs went 9-15 down the stretch, mostly because they lost Allen to a hand injury. They were 37-27 when Allen was hurt, and went 7-11 without him.

Garland had a very good regular season last year, being paired with Donovan Mitchell. He averaged 21.6 points, on 46.2% shooting (career high 41% from three), and his assists were down from 8.6 to 7.8, understandable because of Mitchell’s presence. His turnovers also decreased from 3.6 to 2.9.

But in the playoffs, he had a problem (as did all the Cavs) with the increased physicality. He shot 43.8% from the floor and had just 5 assists compared to 3.6 turnovers per game in the series loss to New York.

He also had problems guarding Jalen Brunson, although to be fair, anyone not named Isaac Okoro had the same issue.

This season, Garland has regressed. To be fair, he has battled injuries all year, missing games early in the season after getting hit in the eye, and then a little over a month with a broken jaw.

His shooting is down slightly (45.6% from the floor, 38.2% from three), and so are his assists (6.2) and his turnovers are up to 3.3. He’s had just two games with 10 or more helpers, and since Mitchell has been out, he’s had some problems late in games with turnovers.

Garland scored 34 points in a win over Minnesota last Friday, but had five turnovers in that game, and was fortunate to be bailed out when he dribbled into a trap late in the fourth quarter, and then in an isolation situation, had a possible game winning shot blocked.

In Monday’s loss to Phoenix, Garland again dribbled the air out of the ball on a key possession late forcing a bad shot. He scored 30 points in that game.

In our coaching days, we used to tell players the last thing we would use to check to see if a player had a good game, was the scoresheet. We feel the same way about these two games.

When Garland was out and the ball was in Mitchell’s hands, it seemed the ball moved more. It doesn’t seem that way now, the ball is sticking in Garland’s hands.

This Cavalier season will be measured by how the team does in the playoffs. However, because Mitchell’s contract situation, there will likely changes to the roster this off-season. If Mitchell stays, Koby Altman has a decision to make with his backcourt.