Tag: peyton watson

Time For A Little Hoops Talk.

With the Browns opening their season today and the Guardians in the midst of a race to play in the post-season, we thought we’d go against the grain a little bit and talk basketball. After all, the Cleveland Cavaliers did get to the Eastern Conference finals last season, and they open training camp in a few weeks under Kenny Atkinson.

Besides, both of those teams are very frustrating right now.

For years, we have said the wine and gold need to be bigger, and they have made some improvement along those lines. When they swung the big deal for James Harden in February was that if the Cavs were going to have a ball dominant guard who wasn’t a great defender, it is better for it to be the 6’5″ Harden, rather than 6’2″ Darius Garland.

Koby Altman has also acquired two 6’8″ wings in Mario Hezonja and Peyton Watson, who we would think will share time at the small forward spot with Jaylon Tyson. And don’t forget another 6’8″ player in Nae’Qwan Tomlin, who played in 64 games a year ago, getting most of his time before the trade deadline.

Remember that the deal for the 17-year veteran came late in the year. Harden only played in 26 games with the wine and gold, so the offensive became doing what Harden did best, using a lot of pick and roll. We are sure that will be the case again, with Harden getting the most out of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley in that way.

Cleveland still has Tyson, Sam Merrill, and second-year player Tyrese Proctor to share time in the backcourt with Harden, and of course, Donovan Mitchell. With those players on the roster, we would love to see Harden’s and Mitchell’s regular season minutes controlled, especially Harden, who is now 37.

We would still love to see Altman add a better big man to back up Mobley and Allen than veteran Thomas Bryant, no disrespect to him, but Cleveland should consider itself a contender to win the title, and particularly in the playoffs, you need another big man who can make an impact. The Cavs saw that need in both their series against the Pistons with Paul Reid and the Knicks’ Mitchell Robinson.

Because the Cavs like to play “small ball’, our guess is they think they can easily slide either Watson, Hezonja, or Tomlin over to the four, but we don’t like that from a rebounding standpoint. Defense isn’t over until you grab the rebound. Thus, the need for someone to play center/power forward and can give the Cavaliers about 18 solid minutes.

As it has been for the last few years, the biggest question for the Cavs is Evan Mobley. Can he take the next step into being a perennial all-star. His points, rebounds, and shooting all took a drop last season, and we have doubts as to whether or not he can do it. We just don’t think it’s in his personality to assert himself.

We have seen questions about the depth on the team and we will go back to the old adage of “if you don’t play your bench, you won’t have one”. We said it last year and we will say it again, Atkinson has to use and trust his second unit early in the year. It will pay dividends in the second half of the season.

Last season, he went away from Tyson and Tomlin after the trade and probably could’ve used both in the post-season. Hopefully, that’s a lesson learned.

Cavs Make Some Deals And Get More Size

The Cleveland Cavaliers made a move last week, trading veteran guard Dennis Schroder to Charlotte for another guard, Tre Mann. We will spare you our usual comment when looking at a deal made by president of basketball operations Koby Altman, but Mann is 6’4″, which is Altman’s type.

While on merit, dealing a 6’1″ guard in Schroder for a 6’4″ point guard in Mann is a good thing, we are all about the Cavs getting bigger, particularly in the backcourt, but the move seemed likely a precursor to another move, probably for a bigger wing the wine and gold desperately need.

And it was. Last night, the Cavs sent Max Strus and Mann along with a 2031 first round pick away in a five-team deal in which the primary return for Cleveland was soon to be 24-year-old 6’8″ wing Peyton Watson. Watson had his best year with Denver last season, playing in 54 games, 40 of them starts, and averaged 14.6 points and 4.9 rebounds.

He shot 48% from the floor and 36% from beyond the arc and is regarded as a good defender. He was a restricted free agent and as part of the deal, he is signing a four-year deal with the wine and gold.

We hate to see Strus go, as in our opinion he added toughness to the Cavs as well as a decent shooter from outside. But at 6’5″, he was small to play the #3 and is really more like an off guard.

Mann was also part of the transaction and goes to Washington and Cleveland also gets 6’6″ Cam Whitmore in the deal, and he makes less than Mann, giving the Cavaliers’ additional salary relief. Whitmore was considered a sleeper when he was taken with the 20th pick in the ’23 Draft, and averaged 12.3 points in 47 games with the Rockets.

Last year, he played in just 21 games for the Wizards missing most of the season with a venous condition in his shoulder.

Obviously, the key is Watson. Cleveland needed more size on the wing, which they lost when Dean Wade signed with Philadelphia, and the newcomer is a much better offensive player than the departed Wade. And with 6’8″ Mario Hezonja and holdover Nae’Qwan Tomlin, it gives Kenny Atkinson three bigger options on the wing.

The coach could still use more depth at the big man spots, because if Evan Mobley and/or Jarrett Allen can’t play for whatever reason, they really only have Thomas Bryant, and that’s not good enough for a team trying to get to the Finals.

And they could also use another ball handler, although that may not be a huge need with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden probably being on the floor much of the time.

We have seen Craig Porter Jr. mentioned, but although he’s an energy guy and a terrific rebounder for his size, 6’1″, his handle needs work. A better option might be last year’s second round pick, Tyrese Proctor, who played point at Duke in college.

Proctor has a good outside shot and should be improved in his second NBA season.

We have wanted the Cavs to get longer for a few years and by getting Watson and Hezonja, they have accomplished that. The question is how they will fit in with the ball dominant backcourt of Mitchell and Harden.

Remember, in basketball, it’s not just accumulating talent, it’s how do the pieces fit together.