Author Archives: Henry Taylor

About Henry Taylor

Huge Browns, Indians, and Cavs fan for all my life. I also love and know all about the NBA.

Lindor leads Indians to 5-2 victory over Twins

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The Cleveland Indians entered the night coming off a 4 game series against the Chicago White Sox. A series in which they only managed one win. The task does not get any easier against the AL-leading Minnesota Twins. The Tribe kicked off the 8-game homestand facing the division leaders. Cleveland came into the night 11.5 games back of first place despite being the favorites entering the season. Sure, anything can happen, but let’s face it: if the Indians want any chance of taking their fourth straight division championship, they need to take at least two out of three games. They started the series strong Tuesday night, with a 5-2 victory to take the opener. This gets them halfway to their goal.

Shane Bieber continued his impressive season

Shane Bieber was excellent in the win. Bieber went 7.0 innings allowing only 5 hits and punching out 7. He did give up two home runs on the night. One to Marwin Gonzalez and one to Eddie Rosario, but they were both only solo shots.

Bieber has been excellent this season, as he’s needed to be with injuries to Corey Kluber and Mike Clevinger. He’s 5-2 with the win against the Twins, with a 3.57 ERA and 92 strikeouts. While he’s been inconsistent at times, Bieber has mostly been excellent this season. It certainly appears Cleveland has a great future piece with Ace potential.

The offense came alive in the series opener

Offensively, it was the Francisco Lindor show early on. After Marwin Gonzalez got the Twins on the board with a homer in the second, Frankie blasted a homer to left in the third inning to tie the game and open up the scoring. After a controversial walk to Leonys Martin in the fifth inning, Lindor then crushed another blast to left to put Cleveland up 3-1. Eddie Rosario did hit a solo shot of his own in the sixth, but then it was Roberto Perez in the moonshot home run to center in the seventh. This is Perez’ eighth of the year. On the very next pitch, we saw Jake Bauers pull a line drive to right field that just cleared the fence to put the Indians up 5-2.

After that, Oliver Perez would come in. Perez would shut down the top of the Twins order in the eighth inning. In the ninth, Brad Hand notched his 17th save of the year that was sealed with a game-ending double play.

Beating the Twins has got to feel good for the struggling Indians squad, but there’s much, much more work to be done. They have two more games against the division leaders, and if they win both they can come within 8.5 games of first place in the central. Carlos Carrasco will be on the mound tomorrow, who will look to follow the lead of Shane Bieber and shake off some of his struggles this year.

Cavaliers Fall to Pacers 105-90 in Indy

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The Cleveland Cavaliers, coming off a 119-106 loss to the Wizards Friday night, travelled to Indiana Saturday and again lost, 105-90, to the Pacers, completing an 0-2 back-to-back.

Kevin Love did not see action tonight as he’s not yet cleared to play in back-to-backs, but Brandon Knight played in his first game in a Cavalier uniform and scored 9 points on 3-3 shooting. Let’s get into it all.

NameMINFG3PTFTASTREBPTS
PG – Collin Sexton306-143-31-14516
SG – Deng Adel251-71-50-0013
SF – David Nwaba232-50-11-2105
PF – Lary Nance Jr.396-113-51-221016
C – Marquese Chriss243-71-20-0237
Jordan Clarkson318-162-70-06218
Brandon Knight123-33-30-0209
Mattthew Dellavedova232-41-30-2535
Ante Zizic171-40-01-2133
Jaron Blossomgame151-60-50-0022
Channing Frye22-22-20-0016

Again, Kevin Love sat the second half of the back-to-back out, meaning Marquese Chriss got the start in just his second game with the Cavaliers. Brandon Knight, aquired in the trade with Houston that sent Chriss, Knight, and a first round pick to Cleveland, also made his Cavalier debut.

Cavaliers were unable to overcome fast start from Pacers

Myles Turner and the Pacers got off to a fast start, as Turner scored 10 of their first 14 (including two threes) as the Pacers jumped out to a quick 14-7 lead. The Cavaliers really struggled offensively in the first, trailing 30-17 after one.

Brandon Knight came off the bench for the first time in a Cavalier uniform early in the second, and provided an immediate boost, knocking down two quick three pointers. He would go on to finish with 9 points on 3-3 shooting, every shot from three. The Cavaliers would still trail at halftime, 54-42, as Sexton scored 11 in the first two periods. The third was much of the same, as the Pacers stretched the lead out to as big as 18. A little run by the Cavs cut it to 11, but it wouldn’t get much better than that.

Indiana managed to maintain their lead through the fourth quarter, and held on for a 105-90 win at home over the Cavaliers. Bojan Bogdanovic lead the way for the Pacers, scoring 23, while the Cavs attack was lead by Jordan Clarkson, who dropped 18 off the bench and continues to be one of the league’s top bench scorers, while Sexton and Nance scored 16 each. Nance added 10 rebounds.

Young Bull experiences dropoff

After scoring 27 in each of the last two games, Collin Sexton followed up with a 16 point, 5 rebound, 4 assist performance, which still beats his season average in all three.

For my taste, Sexton was too hesitant to attack tonight. He continues to knock down the threes, making all three tonight, but didn’t attack as much as I’d like. Hopefully he continues to attack the rim going forward, as we talked about in last night’s recap.

Injury Report

  • John Henson is still out with a wrist injury.
  • Kevin Love, after returning from a 50-game absence last night, sits out the second half of the back-to-back
  • Cedi Osman continues to miss time with an ankle injury. The Cavaliers hope he can return to the lineup soon.

Cavaliers Fall to Wizards 119-106

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Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to defeat the Washington Wizards despite Kevin Love’s Return 27 points from Collin Sexton.

After missing 50 games due to a toe surgery, Kevin Love’s return made all the headlines for the Cavaliers’ game against the Wizards Friday night. However, there’s much more to be said about Cleveland’s 119-106 loss to Washington. Love only played the first 6 minutes; he’s fine, it was all part of the plan. Meanwhile, Collin Sexton continues excellent play with 27 points and Clarkson added 24 off the bench. Let’s get into it all.

NameMINFG3PTFTASTREBPTS
PG – Collin Sexton3710-183-74-44327
SG – Deng Adel352-81-53-4025
SF – David Nwaba296-112-33-42817
PF – Larry Nance Jr.333-151-43-461910
C – Kevin Love61-50-32-2114
Jordan Clarkson316-182-710-113624
Matthew Dellevadova240-70-40-0530
Marquese Chriss225-103-50-00813
Ante Zizic163-40-00-0016
Channing Frye30-00-00-0010
Brandon Knight – DNP

Kevin Love’s Return

Kevin Love, as we mentioned, got the start and played the first six minutes. Lobe started out aggressive, getting the ball in the post on the first play and drawing a foul, knocking down both free throws. He went on to miss his next three shots, all three-pointers, before again posting up and making a tough inside shot through contact. He missed an inside fadeaway for his final shot, and then exited the game for the night with four points.

This is all part of the plan with Love. With the Cavaliers being where they are, there’s no reason to rush him back. He played six minutes to try to get some of the feel back of playing in an NBA game. He’ll also be held out of tomorrow’s game against the Pacers as he’s not cleared to play in back-to-backs yet.

Recapping the Rest of the Game

Anyhow, after Love exited, the Wizards, and particularly Bobby Portis, caught fire. The team dropped 41 on the Cavs in the first quarter and lead 41-27 after one. Cleveland managed to stabilize things in the second, tying Washington 25-25 and trailing by 14 at halftime, behind 14 from Sexton.

The Wizards got off to a fast start in the third, quickly taking a 20-point lead. The Cavaliers weren’t done, however. An 18-3 run lead by Jordan Clarkson and the rebounding/passing of Larry Nance Jr. cut the lead to just five. It would go on to be close throughout the rest of the third, with the Wizards extending the lead back to 12 but the Cavs cutting it back to 3. Cleveland was trailing 92-86, heading into the fourth.

The fourth quarter was pretty disappointing for Cavs fans. the Wizards couldn’t pull away, but the Cavaliers couldn’t make that run. The Wizards ended up winning, 119-106, at home.

There were still multiple positives in this game for the Cavaliers. The new addition Marquese Chriss dropped 13 points and 8 rebounds, knocking down 3 of 5 threes on 5/10 shooting overall. He’s only 21 years old and the Cavaliers hope to keep the athletic big man long term. Jordan Clarkson and David Nwaba both had great games, with Clarkson dropping 24 off the bench and Nwaba scoring 17 points and 8 rebounds while playing great defense. And of course, Collin Sexton scored 27 points for the second straight game and continues to attack the hoop.

How has Sexton improved the last two games?

These last two games, Collin has no longer shied away from contact and settled for jump shots. He’s been doing what he did best in college – attack the rim and seek contact. This is a great sign for the Young Bull. So far this year, Sexton has been hesitant at the rim and tried to avoid contract. Now, he’s using his body, scoring through contact, or drawing fouls (where’s he’s been excellent at the charity stripe). His overall aggressive nature in the last two games is what we’ve wanted to see from Collin all year, and now we’re finally getting it, and getting results too. He’s scored 27 points in each of the last two games.

Another thing I saw from Sexton, particularly against the Wizards, is that he’s starting to use his speed. Twice, I saw him take it coast to coast in a blur of speed and beat everyone to the rack. His speed is one of his most valuable assets and if he can do a better job of using it to his advantage, look out. These are all great signs from the Young Bull and he’s starting to develop into what Koby Altman and the Cavaliers’ envisioned when selecting him 8th overall in the 2018 draft.

Injury Report

  • Cedi Osman continues to miss time with that ankle injury. He’s unlikely to return tomorrow against the Pacers but will hopefully return very soon and continue his excellent stretch.
  • Cavaliers newcomer Brandon Knight, who came over in the Chriss trade, is still rehabbing from surgery but also hopes to return to the lineup very soon.
  • John Henson is still out with a wrist injury. There hasn’t been much word on him lately, which means he’ll be out for a little while longer.

Why Cavaliers Can Be a Powerhouse in Two Seasons

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are doing a much better job than you think.

Sure, this year’s Cavs have been straight-up awful – they hold a record of 11-43, better than only the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. But it’s all part of the plan. Not only are the Cavaliers putting themselves in position to get a top draft pick this summer, they’ve also made some great trades along the way which have really set them up for the future. Let’s dive into GM Koby Altman’s plan for the future, and how the Cavaliers could be winners in only two years.

We’ll start with the great trades the Cavaliers have made this year. Through a total of four trades, the Cavaliers have managed to pull off this overall swap:

  • Kyle Korver
  • Sam Dekker
  • George Hill
  • Rodney Hood
  • Alec Burks
FOR:
  • Six second round picks
  • Two first round picks
  • Brandon Knight
  • John Henson
  • Matthew Dellavedova
  • Marquese Chriss

That’s four players who either were expiring and either meant nothing to the Cavaliers in the future (Dekker, Hood) or were veterans on bad contracts (Hill, Korver). In return, you got 8 total draft selections, a good young player (while expiring) in Chriss, and four players who are expiring after the 2019-20 season. That’s a great value for the Cavs, and it really puts the team in a good position going forward, as we’ll get into in a second.

The way the Cavaliers roster is constructed, there are 6 expiring contracts after the 2019-20 season. This is everyone expiring, along with how much they’re making in their final season:

  • Tristan Thompson ($18.54M)
  • J.R. Smith ($15.68M)
  • Jordan Clarkson ($13.44M)
  • John Henson ($9.73M)
  • Matthew Dellavedova ($9.61M)
  • Brandon Knight ($15.64M)
What Koby Altman is doing is really rather genius.

Take on bad contracts, but make sure they all expire at once – so that the Cavs can have a LOT of cap space at that time. If everything goes as planned and the Cavs don’t sign any free agents, they’re set up to have somewhere around $60M in cap space in 2020-21. That takes in the players still under contract at that time (Love, Sexton, Nance, Zizic), adds in around $16M for the two first round picks the Cavs have in 2019 and their first round pick in 2020, and takes into account the projected salary cap that year.

$60M is enough to sign one max contract, and spend the rest on a very good/borderline elite player or multiple good players. Will it be hard to get a max-level player to come to Cleveland? For sure. However, the Cavs could have a very attractive young team at that time and getting a max player to come isn’t totally out of the question.

Now that we’ve tackled all that, let’s go into a completely hypothetical world. We’re going to build one possible edition of this Cavs team over the next couple years. There are infinite situations, here’s a sample one where most things go right for Cleveland.

Building the Cavs Superteam

We’ll begin assuming that the Cavaliers finish off this season as horribly as they started it and get a top-2 or -3 pick. While Zion Williamson is commonly seen as the top prospect in this class, I personally like R.J. Barrett and think he’s both the safer pick and fits better with our team. In this example scenario, the Cavaliers draft R.J. Barrett, and with our first round pick from Houston (which is currently #21), I have the SG/SF Kevin Porter going to the Cavs. Porter is an explosive athlete who can score on all three levels and has a high ceiling.

If the draft goes as I’ve projected, this could be the Cavaliers team going into 2020-21:

PGSGSFPFC
Collin SextonCedi OsmanR.J. BarrettKevin LoveTristan Thompson
Matthew DellavedovaJordan ClarksonKevin PorterLarry Nance Jr.John Henson
Brandon Knight


Ante Zizic

Sexton-Barrett-Porter is a really good young core, and I see Kevin Love as a really good piece for now and the future if he can stay healthy (which is possibly the biggest “if” for the Cavaliers going forward). You add in that Nance is under contract and Osman is a restricted free agent after ’20-21 and we really, really nice core here.

Not only is that a nice team, but we’re set up for the future. While that team has the potential to make a run at the playoffs, I see them as a middle-lottery team.

Where to next?

Thompson is among the expiring players, so I can see the Cavaliers drafting a center. I don’t want to dive too deep into the 2020 draft class, but I’ll say that there are 3 good centers in the 4-10 range, in the current mocks. Draft a big there and you’re still staring at $60M in cap space heading into the offseason.

You could use some of it to resign Osman and/or Clarkson, go out and get a max player, and pick up some talented bench help… and all of a sudden, you’re a very scary team. With the Sexton-Barrett-Porter-Love-(drafted center) core, Nance and Osman off the bench, and $60M in cap space… Koby Altman will have done his job and that’s one of the best situations to be in any team could ask for.

To conclude, I’d say that Koby Altman has a really good plan up his sleeve. In just two or three years, the Cavaliers could be back in contending form is everything goes even close to right. We didn’t even mention the pile of second round picks he’s accumulated, and at least a few of those will probably turn out to be something.

Don’t worry, Cavs fans. Our time is coming.

Cavaliers Fall to Celtics Despite 27 From Sexton

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The Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against the Boston Celtics Tuesday night in Cleveland. Despite Collin Sexton falling 2 short of his career high with 27 points, they take the tough loss by a final score of 103-96.

Stats via ESPN

The Cavaliers put up a surprigingly good game against the 35-19 Celtics, despite them missing Kyrie Irving, leading 30-28 after one. A Terry Rozier buzzer-beating three pointer would put Boston up 59-51 at halftime, but the Cavs weren’t going away, cutting the lead to six, 85-79, entering the fourth. Boston lead most of the way throughout the game and the entire fourth quarter, but Alec Burks was big late and the Cavs were able to make it a 101-96 game with a little over 2:00 to go. Cleveland would not score again, however, and Boston held on for a 103-96 tough road victory. Collin Sexton scored a game-high 27 points, while second-year standout Jayson Tatum lead the way for Boston, scoring 25.

Collin Sexton’s hot start not enough for Cavaliers

Sexton was great right from the start, starting off the game with three aggressive drives to the basket before hitting a three to cap off a 9-point first quarter. He scores 9 more in the second, hitting another three and continuing to play aggressive. More of the same in the third quarter, scoring 9 more points and totaling 27.

Collin, however, did not score in the fourth quarter and was not able to reach his career high of 29 points. He continues to show flashes of being great but, again, proves to be inconsistent. He went 0-5 from the field in the fourth quarter, and finished the night with totals of 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, on 11-24 shooting (3-7 from three).

While Sexton played a big role in keeping the Cavaliers in the game, Alec Burks also had a big night. Burks totaled 21 points and was huge down the stretch offensively, making a couple of clutch plays late and scoring the Cavalier’s last five points. Burks is the most obvious potential trade target on this Cavalier roster, and surely boosted his stock with this great performance.

Larry Nance Jr. chipped in 11 and 7 off the bench. Zizic, Nwaba, and Delly scored 8 apiece, but the Cavalier’s leading scorer Jordan Clarkson had an offnight, putting up only 7 points on 2-13 shooting (1-7 from three)

Rodney Hood Traded to Portland

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On a Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, the news recently broke that the Cavs will be sending forward Rodney Hood over to Portland. In exchange Cleveland receives Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin, and two future second round picks. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal.

Shortly after, the news broke that the second rounders would come in 2021 and 2023.

Hood had signed a $3.4M qualifying offer with the Cavaliers in the offseason. While he has shown flashes, especially early in the year, of being a very capable offensive weapon, he has been very inconsistent this season with Cleveland. He is currently averaging 12.2 points on 42.7% shooting, 36.2% from three. Portland was in need of more offensive weapons and they hope Hood can help take some of the load off Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers acquire Nik Stauskas, Wade Baldwin, and the two second rounders.

Stauskas, 25, is in his fifth year in the league. Stauskas was the 8th overall selection by the Kings in 2014. He signed a $1.6M, 1 year deal with Portland in the offseason and is currently putting up 6.1 points for the Blazers. Take a look at his career stats:

He’s been widely considered a draft bust, but has been seen as a sharpshooter throughout his career. He’s recently missed some time with Portland due to a sore knee, but he should be ready to contribute when he arrives in Cleveland.

Meanwhile, point guard Wade Baldwin IV was selected 17th overall in 2016 by the Memphis Grizzlies. Baldwin has not appeared in more than 33 games in a season. Some can be attributed to injuries. Others are from coach’s decision. It’ll be interesting to see what he does in Cleveland with an opportunity.

With the two second round picks, the Cavaliers have now been able to flip Sam Dekker, George Hill, Kyle Korver, and Rodney Hood for seven draft picks.

A Closer Look At Jake Bauers

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Jake Bauers was acquired by the Indians in a three-team deal that saw Cleveland sent out Edwin Encarnacion and Yandy Diaz and get Bauers and Carlos Santana.

Indians fans saw this as another annoying deal – the Tribe’s big cleanup hitter, Encarnacion, and a very promising young hitter who has shown he can hit above .300 consistently, Diaz, in return for Carlos Santana, who is quite possibly worse than both, and Jake Bauers, who fans quickly dismissed as another minor league outfielder who can’t help the team now.

Truth is, Bauers is only 23 and can do a lot more to help this club than people give him credit for. We’re here to clear up three misconceptions on Bauers, and prove that he can be a huge part of the Tribe defense – and offense – in 2019.

1. Jake Bauers is another outfielder

Not the biggest misconception but a common one. Jake Bauers is not a true outfielder, although he can and has played left field. His true position is at first base, where we can expect him to start for the Indians. And he’s not just any first baseman – he’s an excellent defensive one. The stats show it, but you can tell it just by watching him. He should prove to be a huge upgrade defensively over Yonder Alonso at first.

Him being a first baseman actually fits better with the Tribe’s current roster than an outfielder. That gives the Indians an infield of Ramirez, Lindor, Kipnis, and Bauers, with Santana being able to play first but primarily starting at DH. Save for Kipnis, that’s an top defensive infield.

2. He’s just another fringe major leaguer/prospect

Don’t just group Jake Bauers into the category of guys like Jordan Luplow, now. While you may still be able to call hm a “prospect” at 23 years old, he’s already got the talent to be a big part of a major league team.

We mentioned his defense – excellent. Offense? May not seem like he’s any good, but don’t let the numbers fool you. But that’s for the next section. The point is, Bauers is much, much more than a Jordan Luplow or a Max Moroff (acquired in one of the Tribe’s many trades). He’s a proven major league player with potential to be a star. I’ll bet that he’ll be the biggest name in that trade in, say, 2 or 3 years.

3. He can’t hit!

Maybe the most common misconception. Sure, on the surface, Jake Bauers did not have a good offensive rookie year. He put up a .201 bating average with 11 home runs and 48 RBI in 96 games. But let’s go deeper.

Bauers started the year very strong – through 35 games, he put up a .264 average with 5 homers and 18 RBI. But then, like most all MLB rookies, he hit a “rookie wall” and closed out the year batting .162. This is perfectly normal and expected. MLB rookies typically will come in and play at a high level, before falling into a little slump. This “rookie wall” isn’t going to carry over. If Bauers is like any other rookie, he could be back to a .250, 20 home run kind of guy by the beginning of next year – at only 23 years old.

He has potential to be a power hitter and that’s why I have him batting fifth – behind Carlos Santana – in my recent lineup prediction. I think he can be a big bat in the middle of the Tribe lineup this coming year, and if there’s anything I’m certain of, it’s that he won’t hit anywhere near as bad as .201.

Cedi Osman Red-Hot, Cavaliers Beat Wizards

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Cedi Osman. We all love him for his effort and enthusiasm, but he’s starting to give us the play to back it up.

Cedi Osman is starting to become more than just a mascot. He’s making huge plays for the Cavs during the last four games, and it has resulted in two straight Cavalier wins.

Cedi is averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists over his last four, the streak starting in Boston. Osman broke out of his shooting slump, going 8-11 from the field and 6-7 from three for 25 points. Despite a Cavalier loss, it was good to see Cedi finally find his shot. He kept it up, scoring a career-high 29 against Miami in a 6-point Cavalier loss, this time going for more of an inside game with 8 two-point field goals, 3 threes.

He experienced a slight dropoff in Chicago, scoring 17 on 6-17 shooting, but it was a Cavalier win, snapping a 6 game losing streak.

Cedi got right back on track Tuesday night against the Wizards. He went on a little mini-run at the end of the 2nd quarter and the beginning of the third. Finishing with 26 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists on the night on 10-16 shooting, 4-8 from three. The result appeared to be best-case-scenario, with Cleveland leading 105-80 with 6:52 to go. However, Washington pieced together an incredible comeback and had the ball, down three, with the shot clock turned off. The Cavaliers needed a big play, and Cedi Osman gave them just that, stripping rookie Troy Brown Jr. of the ball with around 3.5 second left and throwing it ahead to Larry Nance Jr. as the clock expired.

What’s changed about Cedi the last four games?

It’s really pretty simple. To me, Cedi simply looks much more confident out there. He’s letting it fly off the dribble with confidence, and he’s caught fire with his jumper. He’s also attacking smaller players and taking advantage of his size, another sign of more confidence. From what I’ve seen, this isn’t just a hot streak. If Osman can keep this mentality, he’ll continue to play at a high level throughout the course of the season.

We know Cedi has a lot of talent. We’ve seen flashes of it, we saw him dominate the summer league. He has just lacked confidence, and he has that now. I don’t think he’ll necessarily average 24 points for the remainder of the year, but I can see him putting up much improved numbers over the 12.4 points he’s averaging right now. Then again, maybe this is an overreaction and it is just a little hot streak. Hard to say, but I think we all hope the former is true.

In other news…

The same Tuesday night as the Cavalier’s win over the Wizards, it was announced that Cedi will play on the “World” team in the Rising Stars game on All-Star Weekend. He’ll play against teammate Collin Sexton, who will represent the U.S..

Four Deals the Cavaliers Could Make at the Deadline

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The Cavs are clearly in all-out rebuild mode. They sit at 10-40 coming off a win over Chicago and are currently in last place in the NBA, which means it’s time to stockpile as many young players and picks as possible before the trade deadline. Cleveland has some talented players on the roster who could be a help to a contending team’s bench. Let’s hop right in and explore four potential deals the Cavaliers could make at the trade deadline.

1. Rockets Add Bench Help in Burks, Hood

Cleveland trades: Alec Burks, Rodney Hood

Houston trades: Brandon Knight, Marquise Chriss, 2021 second round pick

Houston has a star-studded roster, but they lack depth and might just need to add a few bench pieces to really step up to the next level. Alec Burks and Rodney Hood can both step in and give the Rockets a little self-creating offense off the bench, giving stars James Harden and Chris Paul a break. Plus, they’re both good off-ball shooters, which teams with superstars can never seem to get enough of. Houston would also get rid of Brandon Knight’s contract, which helps them financially, but we’ll get to that in a second.

Meanwhile, this makes perfect sense on the Cleveland side. Burks and Hood are two expiring players who likely aren’t a part of the Cavs future. Marquise Chriss is a good young big man who, just today, requested a trade out of Houston to someplace where he can get an opportunity to play.

Chriss can surely crack the Cleveland rotation, and although he is on an expiring contract, the Cavs would be able to offer him more money in the offseason than most teams if they trade for him. Knight hasn’t played at a high level since his ACL injury in 2016-17 and is not playing well for Houston. His contract is worth around $14M for the next two season, which is OK for the Cavs, whose recent strategy has been to collect contracts that expire after the 2019-20 season and then have a lot of cap space. The final item, that 2021 second round pick is always a nice addition for a rebuilding team like the Cavaliers.

2. Bucks Add Burks

Milwaukee trades: Jason Smith, Thon Maker, DJ Wilson

Cleveland trades: Alec Burks, David Nwaba

The Milwaukee Bucks currently have the best record in the NBA. Behind an MVP-caliber season from Giannis Antetokounmpo and all-star caliber campaigns from Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe. The Bucks bench is decent, but it could do with one more piece. They have plenty of shooting, so why not add a little of instant offense in Burks? Nwaba can also help their depth and add a little defensive energy.

Meanwhile, the big piece of this deal for Cleveland is the young 7-foot center Thon Maker. Maker has recently requested a trade to a team where he can have a bigger role. Maker (pronounced MAH-KER), 21, was selected 10th overall in 2016. Not because of his talent, but because of his ridiculous work ethic and desire to win. He’s been disappointing so far in his career, but he’s only 21 and can still develop into a good center. He’s got the height, length and a good jumpshot. D.J. Wilson is a solid young power foward, and veteran Jason Smith would be included for salary matching purposes (he’s on a $5M, expiring contract).

3. Hornets Take the Next Step

Charlotte trades: Bismack Biyombo, 2019 second round pick (from OKC), 2019 second round pick (less favorable of DEN and WAS)

Cleveland trades: Rodney Hood, J.R. Smith

Charlotte currently sits at 24-25, eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons are currently 2.5 games back of them for a playoff spot, so Charlotte is going to need a little more help if they’re going to stay one step ahead of Detroit. Kemba Walker’s contract is expiring this year, and he’s likely not coming back, so the Hornets would like to make the most of his final season. Or, if they show that they’re making moves to win it could influence Kemba’s decision this offseason.

J.R. Smith hasn’t suited up for a Cavs game in awhile and is the most obvious Cavalier to try to trade, and he can help space the court for Charlotte. Meanwhile, Rodney Hood adds an additional offensive boost and, again, more shooting to that Hornets offense. It’s not a huge trade or anything, but it puts Charlotte into a good position to have a good shot at the playoffs this year.

Meanwhile, Cleveland acquires the bad contract of Bismack Biyombo, $17M for the next two seasons. As we mentioned earlier, it fits in with the Cavaliers plan to bunch up the “expiring in ’19-20” contracts. The picks are, as always a good addition to a rebuilding team and Cleveland rids themselves of the $3.87M guaranteed of Smith’s contract next year, even if he’s cut (it’s worth over $15M if he’s not cut).

4. Blazers Rid of Bad Contracts, Add Bench Help

Portland trades: Evan Turner, Meyers Leonard, 2019 first round pick, 2021 second round pick

Cleveland trades: J.R. Smith, Alec Burks, Rodney Hood

Portland currently sits at 31-20, 4th in the Western Conference. While they aren’t talked about much at all, Damian Lillard is quietly having another exceptional year and has lead Portland to unexpected success. They’re star-studded with Lillard, shooting guard CJ McCollum and a few other nice pieces like center Jusuf Nurkic.

Portland needs more depth to step up into the level of teams like Golden State, Denver, Houston, and even Oklahoma City. This trade gives them just that. Smith, Burks and Hood could bring a lot of great offense to a currently weak Portland bench, and Hood might even start at small forward for them. They also get rid of two bad contracts.

Turner and Leonard are on $17.9M and $10.6M deals, respectively, but they go along with our common theme of expiring after the ’19-20 season. This is our only deal that involves a first round pick, which the Cavaliers would be happy to take for three players who aren’t a part of their future.

Cavaliers: The Rise of Ante Zizic

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Cleveland Cavaliers center Ante Zizic is exceeding all expectations.

Over the last 10 games, Zizic is putting up 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds on 57.6% shooting in 27 minutes. This is with six starts over a span of 10 games. If we look at per 36 minutes he’s putting up 15.5 points and 11.1 rebounds. That’s on the whole season, including games where he only played a few minutes at the end.

Ante is an old-style center. He’s not a good three point shooter (he has never attempted a three-point shot in his NBA career), but he loves his jump hook in the post, which is pretty much a lost art in today’s NBA. We’ve seen the Cavaliers give it to him with his back to the basket, and it’s proven to be reliable offense when he puts up a jump hook over the defender. While he may not be a “modern” center, he’s shown that he can still help out a team, and he’s only 21 years old with plenty of room for development. Based on what I’ve seen so far, I’d say Big Z has the potential to be a solid starter or very good bench center. He can rebound, and he’ll continue to develop into a sure two points if he continues to work on that low-post offense.

From Celtics afterthought to Cavaliers starter

Ante Zizic has never been recognized much in his career. He was drafted 23rd overall in the 2016 draft by the Boston Celtics and played his first year overseas. Boston signed him to a contract in the 2017 offseason, but he was quickly traded after signing that deal. He was of course a throw-in, afterthought item in the big Kyrie Irving trade. He was immediately put onto a deep team with hopes of winning a title. Zizic spent time earlier in the year going up-and-down from the Cavaliers to the G-League affiliate Canton Charge.

Zizic dominated with the Charge and got his big opportunity in the second half of the season. Both Tristan Thompson and newly acquired Larry Nance Jr. were out with injuries and the Cavs needed another big man despite moving Kevin Love to center. Zizic got rotation minutes, including one start over a 9-game stretch. Zizic put up a solid stat line of 8.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in just 14 minutes. But what really impressed the Cavs was his efficiency – 78% from the field during that stretch.

Once again this season Thompson is out and Nance is coming off an injury. So Zizic is getting his opportunity and playing even better. Ante has shown us that there’s still a place in this league for centers like him, and he hopefully has a promising future with Cleveland.