Not Just Talent, Cavs Have To Be Concerned With Fit In Any Deal.

With the Cleveland Cavaliers currently sitting in the 5th spot in the Eastern Conference standings, much speculation has been made about possible moves to strengthen the roster for the stretch run before the February 10th trade deadline.

The Cavs need some scoring. They rank 20th in the NBA in points per game, and 11th in offensive efficiency. But although they are fifth in the league in field goal percentage from inside the three-point line, they are just 16th from beyond the arc.

Adding another perimeter threat would allow Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley more room to work inside, as we’ve seen teams start to dare the Cavs to shoot from outside, because Allen and Mobley are so lethal in the paint.

Darius Garland shoots the most threes, and he knocks them down at a 36.6% clip, and Kevin Love is next, making 40.3%. However, Cleveland is 20th in the NBA in shooting the long distance shot. They aren’t great at it, so they don’t do it a lot, and that friends makes sense.

The challenge for GM Koby Altman though, is not to just find someone who can make three pointers, but to find someone who fits into how Cleveland currently plays.

J.B. Bickerstaff has built this team on grittiness and a defensive presence, and the players have bought in. To bring in a player who will not buy in to how the Cavs are playing could ruin what this team has been built on.

In terms of what Altman has to offer, Ricky Rubio’s expiring contract would be first and foremost. The injured Rubio will not play the rest of this season, but he is a free agent at the end of this season, meaning his deal can help balance the cash on both sides.

The other major piece is Collin Sexton’s contract. Sexton will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, and another team might want the right of refusal on the young guard.

Basketball is probably the leading sport where the parts (the talents of the players) must fit together. For instance, on defense, a team is only as good as its worst defender.

There is also a difference between playing winning basketball and losing basketball, so GM’s have to be careful bringing in players who don’t play “the right way”.

In our opinion, bringing in someone from a losing program would be a bigger risk than bringing in someone who has been on a winner.

When Altman needed to replace Rubio, we went for Rajon Rondo, who has played on winning teams virtually his entire career, including three teams who went to the NBA Finals. The GM knew Rondo would put winning first.

Caris LeVert is another name mentioned prominently, and although he doesn’t have the winning pedigree of Rondo, he is a proven scorer (over 18 points the last three seasons) and has a reputation of being a great teammate.

The downside? He’s only a career 33% shooter from distance.

On the other hand, another player who has been mentioned heading to Cleveland is Sacramento’s Buddy Hield, who is 40% shooter from beyond the arc since coming into the league but has been a part of a losing team for many years.

Could he fit into playing a role on a winning team? That’s what Altman needs to determine.

And really, it’s a question all winning teams have to ask. Not just about Hield, but any player who is used to losing.

Being on a winning team takes a lot of sacrifice for some players, having the willingness to forego some personal numbers so you can win is the type of players coaches and organizations love.

It’s not just about plugging in a players’ statistics to a certain team, including the Cavaliers. Being able to fit into the Bickerstaff’s plan for the team and being willing to fit in with the current group is very important.

If the Cavs want to enhance this team, those are all things that need to be considered.

How Things Have Changed For Koby Altman.

It appears the Cleveland Cavaliers have settled on long term stability, and we hope it works out.

On Christmas Day, the team announced an extension for coach J.B. Bickerstaff, keeping him as the head coach through the 2026-27 season. That would give Bickerstaff seven full seasons at the helm, putting him up there with Bill Fitch (9 years), Lenny Wilkens (7), Mike Fratello (6) in terms of continuous service with the team.

Then on Tuesday it was announced that GM Koby Altman would have the added title of president of basketball operations, and his contract was extended though the 2027-28 season.

So, the Altman/Bickerstaff duo will be running the professional hoops team in Cleveland for the foreseeable future.

What a remarkable turnabout for Altman, who many (including us) questioned since LeBron James departed via free agency following the 2017-18 campaign.

There were back-to-back 19 win seasons (to be fair, the one year was shortened to 65 games by the pandemic), followed by 22 victories a year ago.

His first post-James draft pick, made with the precious lottery pick obtained in the Kyrie Irving trade, was Collin Sexton, a score first 6’2″ guard who isn’t a particularly good passer (some would say not willing either) and because of his height, is a defensive liability.

The next year, he doubled down on the guard position, taking another smallish guard in 6’1″ Darius Garland, and with other first round picks, he took swingman Dylan Windler, supposedly a good shooter, and the troubled Kevin Porter Jr., who has since departed.

The following first rounder was Isaac Okoro, another player with a limited skill set. He’s a very good defender, but offensively, he needs work.

Up until then, you can’t blame fans for wondering what was going on with the Cavaliers. Add in the head coaching chaos, bringing in long time college coach John Beilein, who was ill equipped to coach at the pro level.

Then during last season, Altman got involved in the big transaction involving James Harden going to Brooklyn, and came out with a young, talented big man in Jarrett Allen, and the Cavs signed the restricted free agent to a five-year deal.

After years of kind of ignoring size, Cleveland got some size. Allen averaged 13.2 points and 10 rebounds a game last year, and has upped that to 16.9 and 11 this season.

If he was playing, that move put Altman on a hot streak. Tayshaun Prince came over with Allen, and was used to get Ricky Rubio, a veteran playmaker the wine and gold needed, from Minnesota.

He used the 3rd overall pick to draft Evan Mobley (confession, we though he would be a project at this point) and made another trade to get Lauri Markkanen from Chicago. Bickerstaff likes size, and he decided to start the three seven footers together, giving Cleveland more size up front that most other NBA squads.

When Rubio went down, Altman almost immediately traded for Rajon Rondo, a very accomplished veteran to replace him.

There is no question Altman isn’t getting an extension and promotion without the moves made over the last year.

He also deserves credit for finding Bickerstaff and putting him in charge. Without a doubt, he’s a top candidate for coach of the year honors.

The Cavaliers are four years post-LBJ and they have made themselves into a playoff contender, not just a play-in tournament contender.

There is now pressure on Altman and Bickerstaff to keep progressing and get the Cavs back into championship contention.

It’s funny how things and perceptions can change in just a year. Koby Altman has become a rising executive in the NBA. That’s not something we would have said a year ago.

Cavs’ Depth Being Compromised, Need Others To Step Up.

The absences keep piling up for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they seem to be battling through them as they head into a tough, long trip to the west coast.

After the COVID outbreak hit northeast Ohio, the wine and gold have had several players missing, including starters Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland. The first two have already returned, and Garland is likely to be back tonight against Memphis.

Although the virus seems to be out of the locker room, the injuries are now biting the team. We have already discussed the huge loss of Ricky Rubio, and now, another member of the usual rotation, Isaac Okoro, looks to be out 2-3 weeks with an injured elbow.

Our guess is Lamar Stevens will take Okoro’s place in the starting lineup and the rotation, since as J.B. Bickerstaff usually does, he puts the player most like the one missing in his place. And by the way, that’s a very sound strategy, in that is keeps everyone else’s spot the same.

The biggest obstacle the coaching staff has had is the injury to Rubio occurring at the same time Garland was put on the shelf. Having to go to the third option at point guard, Kevin Pangos, was something Cleveland couldn’t overcome, and it caused Koby Altman to sign Brandon Goodwin, who actually might be an upgrade over Pangos.

The former Gonzaga player, Pangos, seems to really struggle against defensive pressure bringing the ball up the court, and although he has a reputation as a shooter, he’s not making shots either.

Goodwin hasn’t shown much as a shooter either (0 for 3 from three, 2 for 6 from the line), but he appears to get into the offense quicker, which is a great help. To aid both Pangos and Goodwin, Bickerstaff seems to run the attack through Kevin Love when he is on the floor.

The problem for some of these players getting extended time for the first time all season, is they have fallen into the trap of doing what the defense wants them to. For example, early in the second half of the New Year’s Eve game against the Hawks, Atlanta started leaving Pangos open, hoping he would shoot.

Instead of sticking to the gameplan, he took the bait, and Atlanta rallied.

That’s another reason Stevens is starting to grow on us. First of all, he plays with great effort and is a very good defender. On offense, for the most part, he doesn’t settle for jump shots when the defense allows them. Generally, he will attack the basket anyway, which is his game.

When everyone is healthy, the Cavs’ offense should run through Garland, Allen, Mobley, and Love. And in the win over the Pacers, they seemed to get back to that, pounding the ball inside most trips down the floor.

While scoring is fun to watch, at their core, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a defensive team first, ranking third in the NBA in defensive rating. No question, it helps to have Allen and Mobley protecting the rim.

One thing they do need is Lauri Markkanen getting out of his shooting slump from outside. That will also help open things up on the offensive end.

Altman Moves Quick, Gets Veteran Point Guard.

The mindset of the Cleveland Cavaliers sure has changed since the beginning of this season. When the campaign started, it figured to be a year to develop the young players the team has accumulated over the past few years.

However, the wine and gold got off to a very good start to the season, and suddenly the playoffs were in the view of both the players and coaching staff, but apparently also GM Koby Altman.

So, when Ricky Rubio went down with a season ending knee injury earlier this week, Altman decided quickly the Cavaliers couldn’t have Kevin Pangos as the primary backup for Darius Garland, who is currently out due to the league’s health and safety protocols.

Altman wanted another veteran presence in the backcourt, so he traded Denzel Valentine, who wasn’t getting off the bench much anyway, to the Lakers, for veteran Rajon Rondo, who Cavs’ fans can remember as a key player on the Celtics teams that battled the LeBron James’ led wine and gold bunch in the late 2000’s.

Rondo won’t provide the court spacing offensively that Rubio did, mostly because he’s not an effective shooter. He’s a career 32% shooter from beyond the three point line.

However, he can pass the ball. He’s led the NBA in assists three times in his career, and he will be able to handle the point guard duties, so Garland can play off the ball and look for shots on the perimeter.

He’s been in only 18 games for the Lakers this season, averaging just 16 minutes in those appearances, scoring 3.1 points, but getting 3.7 assists per game. He’s taken just 32 shots and two free throw all year.

The moves signals that the Cavs are no longer in rebuilding mode and have decided to make a run at the playoffs. It doesn’t mean Altman will throw caution to the wind and start moving younger players to try to win a title, but the front office knows getting into the post-season and gaining that valuable experience for Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen is very important.

As stated before, the cost for Altman was minimal, Valentine played in just 22 games in Cleveland, getting just 9 minutes per night, and when the Cavs were fully healthy, he was firmly anchored to the bench.

He was the 14th overall pick in 2016 after an excellent college career, but it hasn’t translated. With Cleveland, we saw a player who took ill-advised shots, tried to force passes, and kind of played like he was a star, instead of a role player trying to fit into a team.

We would also guess Altman still will be looking to strengthen the roster, as he still has a trade exemption (from the Javale McGee trade last season).

The Cavs signed Brandon Goodwin to a 10-day contract, and frankly, he looked better than Pangos in his debut. Bickerstaff was basically playing eight men, with Rubio being one of them. And we doubt Rondo can handle the minutes Rubio was getting this season (28.5) right away.

And Cleveland still needs another productive wing player, even when Cedi Osman is back from the COVID list. Dylan Windler hasn’t done anything consistently on an NBA floor, and Dean Wade seems to regress when he is presented with a larger role.

Another brutal west coast swing comes in January, and we will have a clearer picture of whether or not the Cavaliers can be team that can have home court advantage in a first round playoff series or they are more like a contender for the play in tournament.

It will depend on what kind of play they get from their backcourt. And that’s in a better spot than it was when Rubio went down.

Rubio’s Injury Hurts, Can Altman Fill The Void?

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ worst fears came true yesterday as it was announced Ricky Rubio tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

When Koby Altman acquired the veteran right before the draft, we loved the move because Rubio “knows how to play” basketball, and a young team like the Cavs need more guys who can show them the correct way to handle things.

Although we felt it was a great move by Altman, we think we still underestimated how important the 5th overall pick in the 2009 draft would be to Cleveland.

Rubio has not only helped Darius Garland in his development, which was probably the main reason for the trade, but due to the injury to Collin Sexton, he has wound up playing along side Garland, freeing him up to do more scoring.

Meanwhile, the veteran has ramped up his scoring too. When the trade was finalized, coach J.B. Bickerstaff told Rubio he wanted the Spanish National Team version of the guard, and currently, his 13.1 points per game would tie his career high, set in 2017-18 with Utah.

He’s taking a career best 12 shots per contest (his previous high is 10.7 in his first two seasons with the Jazz), and he’s attempting five three pointers per night, way over his previous high of 3.7, also with Utah.

Right now, he’s the leader of the wine and gold’s bench, which has done a tremendous job all season. All three of the principles in this group, which includes another veteran in Kevin Love along with Cedi Osman, are averaging in double figures.

The Cavs have used a very balanced scoring attack this season, with seven players averaging more than 10 points (not including Sexton) and Isaac Okoro falling just short of that mark at 9.2 points per game.

Rubio’s loss would be a huge blow to the resurgent Cavaliers because he fills so many roles on the team.

As a backup point guard, he allows Garland to play just 34 minutes per night. Without someone of Rubio’s talent, his minutes will have to increase when he returns from the COVID protocols, and that might take a toll on him as the season wears on.

And because he can play with Garland, Cleveland’s leading scorer will not be able to play off the ball as often, which allows him to be a spot up shooter from deep. Rubio’s replacement would have to be someone who commands respect from opposing defenses, and that would be a tough find.

There is also the veteran’s approach the Cavs will miss. Again, when he came to Cleveland, the phrase we used is “he knows how to play”. While, some of that has rubbed off already on his young teammates, we are sure Rubio hasn’t showed all of his tricks at this point.

Can Altman fill this spot with one player? That’s doubtful, so he may have to make a couple of moves to fill the void left by Rubio. Most of the good ball handling guards who can score and provide veteran leadership aren’t probably available.

But right now, the Cavaliers should have playoff aspirations and they’ve earned that right. To keep their winning ways, they need to replace the veteran and as quickly as possible.

Yes, Garland shouldn’t be gone too long, but they need someone who can play with him and be a back-up to the third-year player.

There is a huge challenge ahead for both Altman and Bickerstaff.

Who knew Rubio would make this much of an impact on the Cavs?

Cavs Won’t Be Sellers, Should They Be Buyers At Trade Deadline?

We are sure when the NBA season began, the plan was for Kevin Love to play well enough that contending teams would be interested in adding his hefty contract to help push them toward a lengthy run in the playoffs.

Sometimes, plans go awry and it is for a good reason.

Currently, the Cleveland Cavaliers are a playoff contender, and Love is helping them win basketball games.

Does this mean Love won’t be traded? No, he could still be moved, after all, anything is possible, but it would seem doubtful that GM Koby Altman is going to get an offer that both makes this year’s edition of the wine and gold better, and frees up salary cap space by taking the veteran’s contract.

Cleveland should now be in the “buyer” category now. They sit with the third best record in the Eastern Conference at 19-12, and are one of the better defensive teams in the league. And defense plays once the post-season begins.

One thing the Cavs have going for them is chemistry, they play together and enjoy playing with each other. Even with Collin Sexton sidelined, Cleveland has eight players averaging at least 9.3 points per night, ranging from Darius Garland’s 19.1 to Isaac Okoro at the lower figure listed.

So, Altman should be looking for a player who fits with the current roster and can shoot from outside. And J.B. Bickerstaff likes to play big men, and if you can find another useful big, then why not get one of those too.

The problem is what could Altman give up to make such a move without disrupting the current formula for success?

The easy answer would be Sexton, who is out for the season, and did not sign a contract extension before the campaign started, so he will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

Our guess is that the front office has reached out to Sexton and his representatives to see if he is interested in staying with the Cavaliers long term at a smaller than the max deal number. Many basketball people have speculated he would be perfect in a sixth man role, providing instant offense off the bench for a contending team.

The question is would he accept that role?

Other than Sexton, and if you move him it would basically be for less than his value, but on the other hand, you get something that helps you this season.

And although the Cavaliers have a very young core, there is no guarantee about any other season except this one. It would seem the future is very bright, but in the NBA you never know about injuries, contract issues, etc., and how is affects a team.

Still, unless another team is interested in a player like Dylan Windler, Lamar Stevens, Dean Wade, and/or Denzel Valentine, the best course of action for Altman would seem to stand pat and see how far this group can go.

That’s not a bad plan either. You would see how these Cavaliers do in a playoff situation, and that would give the front office a good idea of what needs to be done going forward.

What will Altman do? All we can do is wait and see. There will be wings available at the trade deadline, but do the Cavs want to disrupt what is currently working? Normally, we would say yes, but that might not be the wise thing with this group wearing the wine and gold.

Cavs Start Camp. What Exactly Will They Be?

In a little more than two weeks, the Cleveland Cavaliers open the regular season. They hasn’t been a big turnover from the roster of last year’s team that went 22-50 in the COVID shortened season, and quite frankly we don’t know what to expect.

The best player from a year ago no longer on the roster is Larry Nance Jr., moved in a three team deal which netted GM Koby Altman forward Lauri Markkanen.

Nance is an all around player, but missed more than half the season a year ago, playing in just 35 of the 72 contests. He will be missed, but the potential of Markkanen could more than make up for his loss.

Altman also brought in veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, which is nice, the Cavs could use a veteran who plays smart basketball. However, he plays the same position as one of the team’s best players in Darius Garland. Rubio could be a good sounding board for the third year player, but if Garland makes the strides expected by many, how much time does Rubio get on the floor?

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff still has a relatively inexperienced team. The only “old heads” are Kevin Love and Rubio, both of whom have been in the NBA for 10+ years. Beyond that pair, the two oldest players who figure to see decent playing time are newcomer Denzel Valentine (28) and Cedi Osman (27).

The most important Cavs figure to be Garland (21), Collin Sexton (22), Jarrett Allen (23), Markkanen (24), Isaac Okoro (21) and rookie Evan Mobley (20).

That’s a lot of youth for the coaching staff to have to teach about the ways of the NBA.

We also still have concerns about how the roster fits. Starting Garland and Sexton at guard, as expected, leaves the Cavaliers very small in the backcourt. Okoro, a tough player who had a solid rookie season last year, is short at 6’5″ for a small forward.

We still believe his size makes him a better fit at the off guard, but can he score enough to play there.

Then we have the frontcourt where the bulk of the playing time will go to three seven footers, Allen, Markkanen, and Mobley.

And what to do with Kevin Love, who is still here, and it probably won’t be long, particularly if he isn’t getting a lot of time, before he makes it known he would like to be elsewhere.

What style will Bickerstaff use for his squad. Right now, this doesn’t figure to be a strong outside shooting team, particularly from three point range. So, does he try to defend, force missed shots, and try to take advantage of fast break opportunities?

The problem with that is can the smallish guard apply the type of defensive pressure needed for this to work? Defense is as good as the weakest defender on the floor. Good teams will find the bad defender and take advantage.

Can Cleveland have that kind of defense?

We have heard the staff wants to use Mobley off the bench, at least early in the season. We think this makes sense, because at his stature, we can see him taking a pounding from bigger, more veteran players. It might be best to use him about 18-20 minutes per night at the start of the season, and we also might use him at small forward at times as well.

But the biggest thing for this team is can they play together, for each other, particularly when things go poorly. Can they make each other look like better players than they are individually?

That’s the key to success. And knowing what you can do and can’t do as a player, and where you rank in the pecking order on the team.

That’s our biggest worry about the wine and gold. Altman hasn’t made any bad picks, none of his high picks are complete busts. However, right now, they don’t seem to fit very well together. Getting them to do just that is the biggest key for success by the Cavs this year.

Cavs Should Be Trying To Get Simmons, He’s Really Good

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the Cleveland Cavaliers trading for disgruntled Philadelphia 76ers’ star Ben Simmons.

Should the Cavs be interested? What would they have to give up? Would it improve the roster for the upcoming season?

First, let’s say Simmons is a very talented player, being elected to three all star teams in his first four seasons in the league. The consensus around the Association is that he is probably in the top 25-30 players in the league right now.

Based on that, Koby Altman should be interested in bringing him to Cleveland. It says here he would be the best player on the team the minute he put on the wine and gold.

Let us also say right now that we doubt such a trade will involve the Cavaliers. But it is fun to speculate.

The main rap against the former first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft is his shooting ability, notably from long distance. He has famously (or maybe infamously) taken just 34 shots from behind the arc in his four years in the NBA, making just five.

On the other hand, he has made 56% of his field goal attempts in his career, so he knows where he needs to be on the court to score. There’s nothing wrong with that. We have seen many players throughout the league fire up shots that have little chance of going in, and continue to take those bad shots.

Sometimes, selectivity is a good thing.

Other than shooting, Simmons does everything else very well. He averages 7.7 assists per game at 6’11” and grabs 8.1 boards per contest in his four year career. He’s also a very good defense player, making first team All-Defense in each of the last two seasons.

We understand there is a section of basketball fans out there that focus on one thing, scoring. Unfortunately, there is way more to the game than that and Ben Simmons is very good at doing all of those things. He just isn’t a very good shooter from outside the paint.

As for a potential trade to Cleveland, it is hard to see what Philadelphia would want from the Cavs, and in turn, would Altman give up the players. For example, we are sure Philly would ask for Darius Garland, but we would not give him up.

There has been recent speculation that the Sixers would be interested in newly acquired Lauri Markkanen, but in that case Altman would be giving up a three point threat (something Cleveland needs) for someone who is not. We would prefer not to give up the newest Cavalier.

As for Collin Sexton, who is probably the most marketable player the Cavs have, we would certainly be willing to move him in a package for Simmons, but it’s tough to see a fit for the 76ers. Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris are the primary scorers there, so would Sexton get the shots he is accustomed to?

And Kevin Love would seem to be useful as a sniper off the bench in Philadelphia, but you would have to add a whole lot to that package to get anyone to take on that contract.

Would Cedi Osman be of interest? Maybe. But again, anyone the Sixers are interested in is probably a good player, and the Cavs certainly need good players.

Again, we don’t expect anything to happen on this front, but adding Simmons to the roster would make the Cavaliers a better team. Adding a three time all star in his prime is always a good idea.

Cavs Add Talent, But Is The Fit Better?

Cavaliers’ GM Koby Altman made another move on Friday executing a sign and trade deal with free agent forward Lauri Markkanen, with fan favorite Larry Nance Jr. and a second round pick going to Portland in the deal.

The Cavs get younger in the transaction as Markkanen, who agreed to a four year deal with Cleveland, is just 24 years old and Nance will turn 29 on New Years Day.

First, let’s talk about the hometown player in Nance. We love his game. He has an old school game in that he does everything well. He averaged 9.5 points per game in his time with the Cavaliers, with 7.5 rebounds and almost three assists.

He was third on the team in assists last year, and might have been the second best passer on the team.

However, he also misses a lot of action. His high in games played since entering the league is 67, and last season, played in just 35 games due to illness and a broken hand.

He also has a game that fits better with a winning team, because he’s a complementary player. He passes, defends, block shots, and can finish at the rim. He will be a very good fit with the Trailblazers, a team trying to win.

Markkanen’s numbers have fallen off since his first two years with the Bulls, when he averaged 15.2 and then 18.7 points per game, and grabbed a career high 9.0 rebounds in his second season in Chicago.

In that second season, he averaged 15 shots per night, second to Zach LaVine. The next season, Chicago drafted Coby White in the first round and they became more of a guard oriented offense with LaVine getting two more shots per game and White taking more shots than the former 7th overall pick who played one season at Arizona.

Last year, he did raise his overall shooting percentage to 48% (his career mark is 44%) and his three point shooting to 40.2% (36.6% lifetime). If that’s a trend, that’s something the wine and gold could really use, as they had the league’s worst shooting from beyond the arc.

Where does he play? Our thought is maybe he starts at power forward giving J.B. Bickerstaff the option of bring rookie Evan Mobley off the bench in his rookie season, backing up at both center and power forward.

We understand there is pressure to start the third overall pick, but as we have discussed, Mobley needs to put on some weight and get stronger, so maybe this is good for his development.

Again, we love what Nance gives you, but really Markkanen is the better player.

We do have a problem with Altman giving up a draft pick, albeit a second rounder. When you are building, you need draft capital, and second round picks can be valuable.

Getting Markkanen really emphasizes the point that there is no role or spot for Kevin Love on the roster and the team would be better off at this point to buyout the veteran. Thank him for his contributions and his part on the championship team, but let him part on decent terms.

This can’t be the last move by Altman either. The Cavs still have an odd fit of players, with small guards and three seven footers who need playing time. The also still need a legitimate small forward, one who can score. Our feeling continues to be that Isaac Okoro’s size makes him a #2 guard.

In terms of talent, the Cavs are better than they were yesterday. In terms of fit? It’s still an weird mix.

We also understand the sadness seeing Nance go, someone who grew up here, was great in the community, and was a link to when the Cavaliers were very good.

Where Is Cavs’ Improvement Coming From?

After the NBA season, Cavaliers’ GM Koby Altman said the plan was for the team to “take the next step” and at the very least get in to the play in tournament for the league’s playoffs, meaning we was hoping to finish in the top ten in the Eastern Conference.

In 2020-21, that spot belonged to Charlotte and they won 33 games last season. The wine and gold finished with just 22. How would the organization make up the ground and also pass up Chicago and Toronto, who finished 11th and 12th in the East?

We are confused because right now, we see no path which leads to the Cavs making that leap and training camp will be starting in about a month.

We said before the draft that picking Evan Mobley with the third overall pick is not the move of a team that wants to start winning next year and we stand by that. While very talented, especially for someone his size, because of his current build, we would be surprised if the rookie made a huge impact in 2021-22. Perhaps the talent was too much to pass up, but Altman’s words and actions seem to be at odd with each other.

The Cavaliers also ranked last in the NBA in three point field goal percentage and 25th in overall shooting percentage. Mobley is certainly not going to help with the former, and we doubt newcomer Ricky Rubio, a career 32.5% shooter from beyond the arc, will help much either.

In fact, of guys who played ten or more games for the Cavs last year, the best three point shooter was Taurean Prince (41.5%) and of course, he was the player Altman moved for Rubio. So, on paper, Cleveland’s long distance shooting got worse.

We understand some of the young veterans like Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Isaac Okoro will improve naturally and that should translate into more wins, but will it mean winning 36-40 games that will likely be needed to at least get the 10th seed, if not higher?

Garland averaged 18.8 points and 6.3 assists per game after the All Star Game, how much better can he do this year? Remember, that despite those numbers, Cleveland went 8-28 in the second half of the season.

Perhaps the team will be healthier this year, which would help. Maybe Kevin Love will play more 25 games and Larry Nance Jr. will be available for more than 35 contests. Both of those guys would help in the win/loss department, although you can debate whether or not the former will be on the roster at all this season.

Counting on the growth of the young players in order to make a quantum leap forward would seem to be dangerous if your job was depending on it, and recent reports say ownership is going to reevaluate Altman and coach J.B. Bickerstaff after the first half of the season.

So if Altman thinks his job is on the line (and quite frankly it should be), he is taking an odd approach or he is putting his trust in his evaluation of talent and hoping everything gels for this group of Cavaliers.

If we were making a wager on what will happen, we wouldn’t make any long term financial plans if we were Altman. His plan has a lot of blind faith in it.