Lack Of Size For Cavs Is Still An Issue

Over the past couple of years, we have written about the lack of size on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster. Outside of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, they have a plethora of smaller players for their positions.

We know about the backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, but Max Strus and Isaac Okoro were getting a lot of time at small forward, and both are 6’5″, undersized for that spot.

In the off-season, Koby Altman addressed this a bit, trading for 6’6″ guard Lonzo Ball, signing Larry Nance Jr. as a free agent and moving De’Andre Hunter (6’8″) into the starting lineup at small forward.

They also brought in Thomas Bryant to back up at center and he’s 6’9″, but he’s really taking the roster spot used on Tristan Thompson a year ago.

So they still really haven’t addressed adding size up front. The forerunner for the new style of play in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors teams from 2015-2018 were based around the outside shooting of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson and the versatility of Draymond Green.

They still had serviceable big men on the roster.

In 2015, their first title, they had Andrew Bogut, Marreese Speights, Festus Ezeli, and David Lee, all of whom are 6’9″ and taller, and all were in the top 12 in terms of minutes. On their second title squad, they had added Kevin Durant (conservatively 6’11”), replaced Bogut with Zaza Pachulia (6’11”) and had Javale McGee (7’0″) with David West (6’9″).

Look at last year’s champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. They have the combination of Chet Holmgren (7’1″) and Isaiah Hartenstein (7’0″ and don’t get us started) and have two other 6’9″ players who got minutes in Jaylin Williams and Ousmane Dieng.

Since Allen and Mobley have missed a lot of time with injuries this season, the lack of size has reared its ugly head for Kenny Atkinson once again. In the loss to Charlotte on Sunday, the coach was using Dean Wade at center with the next two tallest players being Ball and Jaylin Tyson, both a 6’6″.

Wade is listed at 6’9″ but is used primarily for his ability to defend on the perimeter, not as a deterrent to opposing players driving to the basket.

In short (no pun intended) that’s a very small group on the floor, especially with the Hornets going with no one under 6’5″ for most of the quarter.

So, once again, the roster construction should be questioned. A few years ago, the emphasis seemed to be on smaller, quicker players who can shoot. But in the past couple of seasons, those players are getting bigger and just as quick.

It’s a constant evolution.

Basketball is a sport by its nature where size is important and having bigger players who can play a spot where they have a size advantage with the same skill set is always desirable.

Can the Cavaliers make any moves to get bigger as this season progresses? The salary cap and apron will make it very difficult, but there’s usually some way to get it done.

Even when everyone is healthy, this Cavs’ roster needs to get bigger.

Looking At Cavs, Looking For Toughness

Tomorrow night, the Cleveland Cavaliers will have hit the 20 game mark of the NBA schedule, about a quarter of the way through. Hard to believe right?

The team has had to deal with a lot of injuries. No Cavalier player has appeared in all 19 games to date. Evan Mobley has played in 18, Donovan Mitchell in 17, and next up is De’Andre Hunter with 15.

Max Strus has been out all season, while Darius Garland has seen action five times.

Pretty amazing considering they’ve only played 19 contests.

This has led to a lot of experimenting from Kenny Atkinson, so we really don’t have a true reading on what this team can be in 2025-26.

On the plus side, some players who probably wouldn’t have seen the court this season have emerged as possible rotation players for this team as the season progresses.

Most notably, we are talking about Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who Atkinson said the other night is a guy he has a hard time taking him off the floor. The 25-year-old is averaging 7.1 points and 2.8 rebounds, 1.5 on the offensive end and at 6’8″, has played at guard and both forward spots.

When everyone gets healthy, we would like to see Tomlin replace Dean Wade in the rotation to see if the rookie can continue to produce like this once word gets around the league. If he doesn’t, we think you can always go back to Wade and he will be, well Dean Wade.

Craig Porter Jr. has done well too, and although we would like to see a better handle from Porter, the one thing he can do is create his own short, which is in short supply with the Cavs.

Porter is scoring at 5.8 per game, getting 2.9 boards and 2.5 assists per contest with 44.8% shooting from the three-point line. He should also keep getting time when the roster is whole.

And second year player Jaylon Tyson has earned his spot, mostly by being a defensive force, and unlike Isaac Okoro, has to be respected by the opposition when it comes to his shot. He’s scoring 11.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game and is in the top ten in the league in shooting from three.

Conversely, Atkinson and the staff have to figure out why Mobley seems to be in a funk. Right now, he seems very passive when on the court. It could be because of using him differently offensively. He seems to be on the perimeter more often this year, rather than be at the elbow where he can attack the basket easier and also be a distributor.

However, we have concerns about Mobley’s aggressive nature. One comparison for him when he came into the league was Kevin Garnett, but their personalities seem so different, and frankly the Cavs could use Mobley to have more of Garnett’s mindset.

But can someone develop having that? Mobley looks to be a pretty quiet guy, can he adopt an alpha mindset? It’s one thing to have size, something we have advocated for, and certainly the team is bigger.

It still seems to lack toughness, particularly from the bigger players. We have no qualms about Mitchell’s will to win, but it would be great if one of the bigs adopted a “take no crap” philosophy.

That’s a real concern, particularly as the playoffs get nearer. That’s still the biggest question from our perspective.

Cavs Winning While Testing Things Out.

Do you want to know how you can tell the Cleveland Cavaliers are a real good basketball team? It’s because they haven’t played very well to date and yet they have a 10-6 record after the first five weeks of the NBA season.

There have been a lot of injuries for sure. Max Strus hasn’t played yet and like won’t until the middle of December at the earliest. Darius Garland has played in only three games. Sam Merrill has missed time. De’Andre Hunter has missed three contests. Jaylon Tyson has been out the last four games in concussion protocol.

So, there hasn’t been very much continuity for Kenny Atkinson, yet this team is so good, they still have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference.

Frankly, we are fine with this. We have been saying since training camp started, we would be happy if the wine and gold got off to a slower start and approached the playoffs playing their best basketball.

Last year, Cleveland relied on the three point shot quite a bit and it worked. They took 45.7% of their field goals from behind the arc and converted on 38.3% of those long range tries.

This season, they are taking even more threes (49.1%) but making less at 34.9%. In watching the games, we don’t see enough of what analyst Brad Daugherty talks about, which is playing inside out, meaning getting the ball in the paint or in a post-up situation and then kicking out to a wide-open shooter.

One of the things about last season’s squad was the guys who took the most 3s also shot at a very good percentage. The leaders in three-points attempts last year were: Donovan Mitchell (36.8%), Darius Garland (40.1%), Sam Merrill (37.2%), Strus (38.6%) and Ty Jerome (43.9%).

The league average was 36% and all five of the players taking the most long distance shots for Cleveland a year ago were above league average.

This year, the league wide percentage is about the same (35.8%).

And two of the top five shot takers from beyond the arc, Hunter (31%) and Lonzo Ball (31.3%) are well below the league average. Both are historically better than that. Hunter has made 36.9% for his career, while Ball has knocked them down at a 36.1% clip.

So perhaps those two should take the ball to the hoop a little more until they regain their touch from long range.

Much has been made about the lack of minutes for Jarrett Allen in the fourth quarter of games, but at this point in the season, we chalk that up to experimentation by the coaching staff. Allen is still a solid defender and good rebounder, and that’s greatly needed if you have a lead down the stretch.

If you haven’t noticed, the NBA is getting longer and having more size, particularly on the wings will be even more important. We have talked about the Cavs not having enough size for a few years now. That’s why we are happy to see Nae’Qwan Tomlin have some success.

He’s 6’10” and very active on the glass, particularly on the offensive end. And having Tyson and Ball, both at 6’6″ adds some size to the backcourt when needed. Think about it, without the injuries, does Tomlin get any playing time?

But having Garland’s shooting is also important for offensive spacing. Perhaps in the playoffs it will be like baseball. Get the lead and then bring in the defenders.

We haven’t moved off of our belief that this is the time for the Cavs to see what works and what doesn’t. It’s a good thing they are able to do that and still win more often than not.

This Is A Different Season For Cavs. Don’t Jump To Conclusions Yet

The Cleveland Cavaliers open the home part of their schedule tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks, their only game at Rocket Arena out of their first five contests.

Already, there are complaints about the first two games for the wine and gold, and we base that on the football mentality that permeates throughout the area.

Folks, there are 80 more games to play.

Last year, the Cavs got off to a 15-0 start, one of the best starts in NBA history. Note the end of that last sentence. Teams don’t do that on a regular basis, and the Cavaliers weren’t going to do it again this season.

And frankly, we have said previously that we wanted Kenny Atkinson to do some experimenting with rotations in October and November, particularly getting good looks at some young players.

He has had to make some changes because Darius Garland, Max Strus will both miss significant time to open the year, and then De’Andre Hunter suffered a bruised knee in the last exhibition game. That’s three prominent players.

As a result, Sam Merrill has moved into the starting lineup along with second year player Jaylon Tyson, and guys like Craig Porter Jr. and perhaps Dean Wade are getting more playing time than normal.

Heck, even second-round pick Tyrese Proctor has played in both games, something we didn’t foresee happening before training camp starting.

Perhaps the biggest complaint has been about the usage of Donovan Mitchell, who have taken 40 shots in the first two games. Evan Mobley has taken the next most at 30.

We don’t Atkinson wants his team to rely on Mitchell so much and would like the shot numbers between his two best players to be much closer. By the way, Merrill has taken the third most shots, followed by Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr.

Bet no one had Merrill and Nance in that group.

Mitchell’s usage would have been less had the Cavs not had questionable shot selection in the fourth quarter vs. Brooklyn. Cleveland had a 108-86 lead heading into the fourth quarter Friday night.

Then, they feel into the NBA trap. They made 9 of 11 threes in a 45 point third stanza. Early in the fourth, the long-range shot stopped falling, but the Cavs kept hoisting them, and perhaps had they taken the ball to the hoop when that happened, Mitchell and Mobley could’ve taken the last quarter off.

Merrill made 6 of 10 threes for the game but missed three of them in the fourth. Wade missed three more, as the wine and gold went 1 of 11 in the quarter as a team.

Again, it’s a different season, a different team, and it is way too soon to have any concern.

For this team to get where they want to go, the principal players have to be Mitchell and Mobley, and almost in a #1A and #1B role. Our only question is can Mobley demand the ball at times during the game. For example, last night, would he tell his teammates they need baskets and get me the ball in the paint.

But again, it’s just two games. We would guess Hunter will be back in the lineup tonight, and if so, it probably means less minutes for Wade, and either Porter or Proctor because Tyson can be used at guard.

Much like last season, when they were 15-0, this season is all about how the Cavs are playing in April and May.

Take a deep breath and keep that in mind.

Injuries Mean Opportunities For Some Young Cavs

The Cleveland Cavaliers announced they will be taking training camp on the road again this season, but they will have two holes in their starting lineup when it starts.

We know about Darius Garland’s toe surgery which will likely keep him out for at least a few weeks, and last week it was discovered that Max Strus will probably be out until December with a foot fracture.

How will Kenny Atkinson and his staff fill those openings when the regular season starts.

We have had issues about a lack of size at both guard spots and the small forward position for the Cavaliers over the past few seasons, and coincidentally, Garland and Strus man two of those spots.

So, it’s the perfect time to see if bigger will be better.

First, let’s look at the guard spot open with Garland’s injury. We would doubt Atkinson would want to start newcomer Lonzo Ball because they want to limit the veteran’s minutes because of his injury history.

That would leave Sam Merrill, second year player Jaylon Tyson, and Craig Porter Jr. as the likely candidates. Porter is more of a point guard, which would make him a natural fit opposite Donovan Mitchell, but we worry about his handle, and he’s still just 6’2″, so it doesn’t make the backcourt bigger all that much.

Merrill would provide shooting for sure and he’s 6’4″, and Tyson shows an all-around game we like and he’s 6’6″ but starting either of those players would involve putting the ball in Mitchell’s hands as the primary playmaker.

Mitchell’s minutes were down to 31.4 a year ago in the regular season, and he has assumed playmaking duties before with Garland out and the Cavs have flourished, so perhaps it’s not a bad way to go.

Either way, Tyson’s minutes should increase dramatically when the season opens.

And that’s because he’s also a candidate to absorb some minutes at small forward with Strus out. The easiest move for the coach would be to move De’Andre Hunter (6’8″) into the starting lineup, which would give the Cavs more size.

Think about a lineup with both Tyson and Hunter starting. It would give the Cavs a starting five measuring 6’3″, 6’6″, 6’8″ and a pair of 6’11” players in Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.

That’s the kind of size most NBA teams take the court with.

Over the past few years, the Cavs have gotten off to great starts and faded a bit in the second half of the season, one theory we have on this is that other teams are experimenting a bit early in the season, especially with younger players.

Barring more injuries, we believe it is safe to assume the Cavaliers will be a playoff team in 2025-26, so they should use the beginning part of the year to see what Tyson can be, and also to see if Nae’Qwan Tomlin can be a rotation piece.

If they can contribute, it gives Atkinson another more depth on the roster and in the case of Tomlin, a 6’10” player with some range on his shot.

Sure, you might lose a few more games, but you also may get someone who can give you quality minutes down the stretch and into the playoffs.

Either way, it would be a win for the organization.

East Is Wide Open. Cavs Have To Take Advantage

Without playing a game or making a move, the Cleveland Cavaliers position in the Eastern Conference has improved significantly over the last month.

Three of the playoff teams, not the play-in teams, the top six have lost key players to injuries that will likely keep them out of the 2025-26 regular season. Milwaukee lost Damian Lillard, Boston will probably not have Jayson Tatum, and of course, Tyrese Haliburton went down in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, all with torn Achilles.

Suddenly, the new lead dogs in the East are likely the Cavaliers, Knicks, with the Pistons and Magic and perhaps the Hawks in pursuit. Although, the Celtics seem to be going through a massive retooling, and we will see where they are at the beginning of the season.

So, Koby Altman, what are the Cavs going to do to improve their roster so they can succeed in the playoffs. We know they are successful in the regular season; they won 64 games last season. They have to get better in the post-season.

We have in the past talked about the lack of fit in the smaller backcourt of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell, but we can see there are other ways to add more size to the roster without dealing Garland for fifty cents on the dollar.

Simply put, the wine and gold need more size. On the wing, the only player Cleveland has that has height is De’Andre Hunter at 6’8″. The rest are in the 6’4″-6’6″ range: Max Strus (6’5″), Isaac Okoro (6’5″), Sam Merrill (6’4″), Ty Jerome (6’5″), and last year’s first round pick, Jaylon Tyson is 6’6″.

And don’t try to sell us on the wingspan either. You need height and size. While a guy like Tyson might have the arm length of the player who is 6’8″, if he’s guarding a player who is 6’7″ his wingspan is likely that at least, so you are still at a deficit.

You also need toughness. The Cavs haven’t lost in the playoffs the last three seasons because of a lack of talent, with the exception being the loss to Boston in 2024. They’ve lost because they aren’t mentally and physically strong. That’s a sentiment that runs throughout the league.

So, maybe it’s just a matter of exchanging two or three of the players listed above with bigger wings, in the 6’7″ or 6’8″ range. We understand some of those guys were big contributors to the regular season success, but no one is handing the Cavs a trophy for winning 64 regular season contests.

They also could use someone who has experienced winning in the post-season, and someone who is actually going to get on the floor. We firmly believe winning is a learned skill, and right now all of the guys who have played haven’t been past the second round.

The first round of the draft was last night and currently Cleveland has two picks tonight. Don’t believe anyone who tells you either player taken will have an impact on next season’s squad.

But the free season season starts next Monday, and the Cavs need to alter the roster. We understand that’s a gamble, but after losing in the first round three years ago and the second round each of the last two years, we don’t think running it back is an option.

Jarrett Allen? He’s Not The Problem With the Cavs

The postmortem on the Cleveland Cavaliers season and roster continues and one of the scapegoats seems to be Jarrett Allen. Yes, we know Allen wasn’t much of a factor in the last two losses to the Pacers. Frankly, no one was a factor in the blowout that was Game 4, and we agree he didn’t play well in the last contest.

However, he, along with Donovan Mitchell and Max Strus were the best players wearing wine and gold in the first three games of the series.

He had 12 points and 5 rebounds in the first game, 22 points and 12 boards in Game 2, and 19 points and 12 caroms in the Cavs’ only win of the series.

The criticism comes from those basketball “experts” who believe the only way you can win playing two big men is if one of them hoists a bunch of three pointers.

But Kenny Atkinson made it work in the regular season (yeah, we know) by using a lot of motion so the lane was clear for drives by the guards. That seemed to ebb as the season went on, and the Pacers took them out of that style completely with their constant ball pressure by their backcourt.

The real problem is that Koby Altman put together a roster with only two big men who can actually play and contribute. Allen was probably overexposed against the Pacers because their “five out” style takes Allen away from what he does best, being a rim protector.

And too often, Allen was tasked with guarding Tyrese Haliburton on the perimeter because of switching. He did not allow the Pacers’ star to drive, but did give up threes because, let’s face it, it’s a terrible match up for the 6’11” Allen.

But what was Atkinson to do?

He was pretty much using De’Andre Hunter as the back up 4/5, a spot that at 6’8″ he really isn’t big enough for. Dean Wade could’ve been an option, but offensively he seems afraid to shoot and when he does, it wasn’t going in. Besides, much like Hunter, Wade is really a small forward.

We had been saying all year the roster needed another 4/5 that could contribute and preferably get one who could shoot from outside. The Cavs had several chances to add a serviceable big man but used their open roster spots on Javonte Green and Chuma Okeke, both of whom are in the 6’5″ range.

Maybe Nae’Qwan Tomlin can become a contributor next season. He’s 6’10” and averaged 20.8 points and shot 34% from three in the G-League this past year.

Remember that comment about the lack of size on the roster. Because if you move Allen, you need to get another big in return. That’s not to say Allen is untouchable, anyone can be moved if it upgrades the roster. But as it currently stands, the Cavs have no depth up front.

So, while you criticize Allen for what he’s not, remember he’s a rim protector and a solid rebounder, things you need over the 82-game schedule. We like to look at what a player does well and try to enhance those things.

Jarrett Allen isn’t the Cavs’ biggest issue. Was he overexposed in the Pacers’ series? Perhaps. But isn’t the real problem that Atkinson had no alternative?

That’s something the front office needs to think about this summer as they put together the ’25-’26 edition of the Cavaliers.

Cavs Need Another Big Effort Tonight.

The Cleveland Cavaliers were looking at their season Friday night. They lost the first two games of their best-of-seven series against the Indiana Pacers at home, and of course, in the history of the NBA, no team has come back from down 0-3.

Darius Garland didn’t play in the first two games, and both Evan Mobley and De’Andre Hunter sat out game two with injuries. All three played with the wine and gold’s season on the line.

The result was a 126-104 win in Indianapolis to cut the series lead to 2-1 for the Pacers. Mobley had 18 points and 13 rebounds, Hunter scored 8 and had 5 boards, while Garland scored 10 points and dished out 3 assists. It was enough to support the incomparable Donovan Mitchell, who poured in more than 40 points for the second straight game.

Hopefully, the trio will be available for the rest of the series, because as we thought going into the Eastern Conference semis, this is going to be a tough series against a quality team.

Mitchell is averaging 41.3 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the series, and Jarrett Allen and Max Strus have been very good, but no doubt, Kenny Atkinson needs his full complement of players going forward, especially because some of his bench guys haven’t played up to their regular season standards.

While we aren’t shocked that Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro haven’t produced, outside of good defense, Ty Jerome’s struggles are a bit puzzling.

Wade has played 60 minutes in the three games and has taken just 8 shots, making just one. To put that in perspective, the Pacers’ Jarace Walker has played 17 minutes and hoisted six shots.

We get Wade is out there for defense and rebounding (he is 5th on the team in the series with 17 caroms), but this is basketball. You have to be a threat on both sides of the court.

As for Okoro, he has played 48 minutes and taken seven shots, making two, and is 0 for 3 from beyond the arc, meaning if the offense is going to put him outside, the Pacers aren’t going to guard him.

Jerome needs a good game in the worst way. During the regular season, we saw many games where he had an impact despite not scoring. In the three games thus far, he is just 10 for 42 from the floor and has made only one of 12 three-point shots.

And as a team the long-distance shot hasn’t been falling for Cleveland. For the season, the Cavs made 38.3% of their threes, and through the first three games, the wine and gold are knocking down just 27.4%.

As amazing as Mitchell has been in the series, he’s only hitting on 22.6% of his threes, compared to 36.8% in the 82-game schedule.

If the Cavs start shooting better from deep in the series, that will add another dimension to their offense, one the Pacers will have to come up with an answer for.

When you are down in a playoff series, every game becomes bigger. So, tonight’s contest will either even the series giving the Cavaliers home court advantage again or put their collective backs to the wall for the balance of these conference semi-finals.

The famed Cavs’ depth has to return for this series to swing. It can’t just be on Mitchell and the starters to be on top of their games.

Losing Game One, Cavs Need To Respond Tonight

We told everyone it wouldn’t be easy.

There is a lot of angst over the Cavaliers’ loss in game one to the Indiana Pacers, but for us, that feeling of deep concern won’t take hold unless they lose tonight to go down 0-2 in the seven-game series.

We hate to break things down in the first game to the NBA being a “make or miss league”, but that’s a good place to start. The Pacers made 53% of their three-point shots and the Cavs, the second-best team in the NBA in three-point field goal percentage, made just 9 for 38 shots from beyond the arc.

There was a 30-point difference from three between the two games. It’s tough to win when you shoot poorly and the other team is hot.

Aaron Nesmith is a very good three-point shooter, making 43% in the regular season and he knocked down four of six, but Andrew Nembhard hit five of six, and he’s a 29% shooter during the 82-game schedule.

Conversely, Donovan Mitchell (36.8%) and Max Strus (38.6%) combined to hit just 3 of 19 shots from distance.

Besides missing shots, the other troubling thing about the wine and gold’s offense was the 50 shots (out of 98) taken by Mitchell and Ty Jerome. The only other Cleveland player who took more than 10 shots was Evan Mobley, who went 9 for 13 from the floor.

The shooting was a big part of the reason for the loss, but certainly not the only reason. The Pacers definitely played with more physicality, and remember they went to the conference finals last season, they have more playoff experience than Cleveland, and it showed.

The Cavs have to pick it up in terms of physical play, and this is something we feel this group needs to reminded of constantly.

Also, Kenny Atkinson loves to talk about the depth of the Cavs and during the regular season and in round one, he was right. However, Sunday night, Indiana had five bench players score, led by Bennedict Mathurin with 11.

The wine and gold had just three bench players score, but to be fair, Sam Merrill started in place of the injured Darius Garland. Jerome and De’Andre Hunter both scored in double figures, but the only other bench points were from Isaac Okoro, who had a bucket.

We thought Okoro was effective in the first half. He was a +6 and hit a layup and had two assists and two rebounds. He didn’t do much in the second half. But in the second half, it seemed he was cast as a three-point shooter, something he’s not good at. He’s much better when he attacks the basket.

Wade is another solid defender, but didn’t even attempt a shot in the first half. In the second half he missed two shots, including a wide open three which would have caused the roof at Rocket Arena to be blown off.

Because of the injuries to Garland, Hunter, and Mobley someone has to step up. Excuses are for when the series is over. Competitors overcome them. And a couple of players are going to have to produce more if none of the injured players can go.

Atkinson has to figure out a way to have both players be serviceable offensively so their defense can be a weapon.

Really, what Sunday’s loss did most was make tonight’s game pretty much a must win for the Cavaliers. They’ve demonstrated all year the ability to win on the road, but losing both home games would make it very difficult to advance.

This might be the first time all season this groups back have been against the wall. We will see what the response is.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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