Tag Archives: Cleveland Cavaliers

Another insane mock trade involving Donovan Mitchell

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Another day and another hypothetical trade proposal that involves Cavs star Donovan Mitchell on the move. The trade, which appears in an article on King James Gospel, has a handful of players changing teams.

Cleveland would receive Damian Lillard from Portland while Miami lands Donovan Mitchell. Portland’s return would be Tyler Herro, Isaac Okoro, Jaime Jaques, Nikola Jovic, three first-round picks, and two pick swaps.

This is a lot to sort through.

First off, thankfully it does have Mitchell ending up on the Knicks. Pretty sure everyone has seen enough of those for a lifetime and then some. As far as the actual trade is concerned, it is a doozy. Anything involving Lillard at this point will be shut down by the league. Miami’s involvement, even though they do not land him in this mock deal, would result in immediate red flags.

Lillard ending up in Cleveland is an interesting proposition. Darius Garland and former Cavs guard Collin Sexton were tabbed as the next potential Lillard-CJ McCollum. McCollum has since moved on to New Orleans while Sexton’s career has not developed. The issue is that Garland and Mitchell may be a better pairing than Garland and Lillard

Donovan Mitchell going to Miami would improve an already impressive starting lineup. Mitchell would be a part of easily the most talented team he has been on up to this point in his career, and the Heat would be on the shortlist of true title contenders.

For Portland, they are in full rebuild mode so acquiring the volume of picks makes all the sense in the world. Herro is someone they can build around if they choose to or flip for more future assets, the latter option seeming to be the preferred route for a team in their current position.

At the end of the day, this is a fun trade to shake things up, as there is no reason for the Cavs to find themselves in a deal such as this one.

Knicks guard chimes in on Donovan Mitchell rumors

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Current New York Knicks point guard and longtime friend of Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, discussed the trade rumors with Joe Vardon of The Athletic. Brunson mentioned the frequency and availability of the rumors involving Mitchell headed to New York. Additionally, Brunson said that he was happy with his current teammates, but that was to be expected.

It’s impossible not to see things—rumors and all the stuff that comes up on Twitter and all that stuff every single day is always on TV. There’s always possibilities when you hear about that stuff. Donovan is a good friend of mine for a while. We were in the same high school class, our relationship goes back a long way. I think right now, I’m more than happy with my guys, and I love my teammates.”

Jalen Brunson

The most notable of these rumors and speculation is that of the temper tantrum-throwing Tim Bontemps. Bontemps plays all the hits as he openly campaigns for the Cavs to trade Donovan Mitchell to the Knicks. What also is not helping matters are ridiculous mock trades that make more sense for the Knicks than Cavs.

Cleveland is expected to make the playoffs this season and advance further this time around. In order for that to happen, the Cavs will need big-time contributions from Donovan Mitchell. Because of this, do not expect the rumors and speculation about Mitchell to end any time soon. This will carry on all season and into the offseason in the exact same manner as it did during LeBron James’ two stints in Cleveland. Like James before, Mitchell has endured similar treatment from those on a national level. Trying to find a way to get him out of town and into their preferred destination.

At some point, all of this will come to an end. The Cavaliers will either find a way to convince Mitchell to extend his stay in Cleveland or they will end up trading him, appeasing the nonsensical ramblings of those who cannot fathom the idea of a star player wanting to stay in Northeast Ohio.

Cavs trade Donovan Mitchell to Knicks in ridiculous mock trade

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As if there was not already enough unnecessary trade speculation involving Donovan Mitchell, we now have a mock trade. This one comes from James Piercey of NBA Analysis Network and has the Cavs sending Mitchell to the Knicks (shocker). The mock trade is as follows.

New York receives Donovan Mitchell.
Cleveland receives RJ Barrett, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Quentin Grimes, in addition to New York’s 2026, 2028, and 2030 first-round draft picks.

Jesus tapdancing Christ, what are we doing here?

The only way a trade like this would be considered from Cleveland’s perspective is Donovan Mitchell straight-up requested a trade to the Knicks. That’s it. Cleveland made multiple moves in the offseason to improve their supporting cast in order to make a deep postseason. They are very much invested in being competitive this season and a trade such as this one would make them further from rather than closer to that.

RJ Barrett is a good player, but Donovan Mitchell is better. This is an undeniable fact. Too much stock is being put into one playoff series that saw the entire Cavaliers team play poorly. There would be one positive in this swap and that is Barrett being under contract for four more seasons while Mitchell’s deal expires after the 2024-25 season. This is assuming he declines his player option for the 2025-26 season which is a near certainty.

The hypothetical addition of Grimes is interesting due to his ability to shoot the three. However, the Cavs sought out help this offseason in order to address that very issue. Max Strus’ 197 made three-pointers ranked 21st and Georges Niang’s 154 was 48th. Where did Grimes finish? Just three spots ahead of Niang with three more three-point makes. Taking this into consideration the appeal sort of dissipates just a bit.

A big man and draft picks

As far as Hartenstein is concerned, Cleveland already had him once. There is not really a reason to bring him back at this time. And to be fair, his inclusion in the deal is just to make the money work as the author admitted in the brief blurb regarding Hartenstein. Additionally, it was noted that Cleveland may not want Hartenstein.

One quick thing about the draft picks. The Knicks are supposed to be good right? So the likelihood that these end up being lottery picks is incredibly small. An argument could be made that the Cavs could use them to acquire a superstar-type player. But they did that already by sending picks and players to Utah for Donovan Mitchell. Why would they go down the same road they have previously and perform a literal repeat? The answer is they wouldn’t.

There is simply no reason for the Cavs to entertain this hypothetical trade package for Donovan Mitchell at this time.

Danny Green was a in a “weird space” with Cavs

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The return to Cleveland did not go as planned for veteran forward Danny Green. In a recent interview with Emily Austin on The Hoop Chat, Green discussed what transpired during his second stint with the Cavs.

“It was just tough being in that position, that situation. There was a lot of weird air of not knowing what was going on, what was happening, what my role was going to be, or what it was. There was talks differently before I got there than when I got there. Ultimately in the time I thought I was going to get my opportunity to actually play throughout the regular season, I caught COVID“

Danny Green would later add that as the regular season came to a close and it became playoff time, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff did not want to disrupt what got them there. This resulted in Green feeling in what he described as a “weird space of people not knowing if I was healthy or not“. While less than optimal for Green, it is understandable from Bickerstaff’s point of view. Green was limited for most of the season before returning to the Cavs.

The way things unfolded during his second stint in Cleveland was not ideal in the least bit. Green appeared in just 8 games, averaging 6.5 points in 11.5 minutes per game in the regular season. The postseason saw those numbers drop to 0.8 points in 9.9 minutes.

In the right situation, Danny Green can still be a contributor in one way or another. Teams are always looking for veterans with playoff experience to help guide the younger players on their roster and Green has plenty of it. The 36-year-old veteran should be able to find work at some point this offseason as he has no intention of retiring and wishes to continue his career.

Is Donovan Mitchell a Top 5 shooting guard?

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Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell is among the upper echelon of players in the league, this is a fact. But where does Mitchell rank when compared to the rest of the league’s shooting guards? Is he in the Top 5? That answer appears to be yes.

Frank Urbina from HoopsHype places the Cavs’ guard as the third-best in the NBA. Ahead of Mitchell on this list are Anthony Edwards (second) and Devin Booker (first). This is not exactly anything to get worked up about as both are deserving of their respective positions. Urbina was both complimentary, noting his fourth straight All-Star appearance and earning second-team All-NBA honors. But there is some criticism about how the Cavs’ playoff run came to an end.

“The Cavaliers overall had a good regular season, going 51-31 and making the playoffs as the East’s No. 4 seed, but were unceremoniously eliminated in five games by the New York Knicks in round one at least in part due to Mitchell’s shot-chucking style of play going cold in the postseason.“

Frank Urbina on Donovan Mitchell

Urbina made sure to mention that Donovan Mitchell has played better in previous postseasons and that should be the expectation moving forward. Going into full panic mode about Cleveland’s postseason exit was always a foolish endeavor. The Cavaliers were clearly outmatched and received a physical beatdown as Mitchell’s teammate Darius Garland noted previously. Additionally, the Cavs did not have a proper supporting cast last year and the hope is their issues have been rectified.

It will be tough for Donovan Mitchell to move up this list given that Edwards and Booker are two of the best players in the league, much less their position. Although holding steady is more than acceptable given Mitchell’s current spot on this list. As long as Mitchell is able to play at the same level it should bode well for the Cavaliers moving forward.

Jarrett Allen named way too early trade deadline candidate

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Could the Cleveland Cavaliers move one of their big men by the NBA Trade Deadline? That possibility was suggested in an article identifying 1 Way-too-early 2024 trade deadline candidate for all 30 teams. Jarrett Allen was the Cavs’ entry on this list and there is a pretty solid case made for it.

Not only do they have to take a tangible step forward in their overall team development to try and sell Donovan Mitchell on their future, but they also have to figure out what the dynamic is going to be with the emerging Evan Mobley

There are a couple of things to take away from this. First off is fit as it became very questionable this past season. The Cavs were lacking enough threats from outside the paint and having Allen as a permanent resident near the basket bogs things up down there. This leads us to the next point.

Figuring out how things will work with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Mobley is clearly the future in Cleveland while Allen has been a solid addition to what used to be a very underwhelming group of players who did not fit together. Now Allen has found himself in that position. Unless the Cavs can convince Allen to come off the bench, he may not be in Cleveland long-term.

Lastly is selling Donovan Mitchell on a future in Cleveland. It was already reported that the Cavs are “rolling out the red carpet” for the star. While at first, it seems like moving Allen would be the opposite, finding a way to build the right supporting cast around him to convince him to stay would prove beneficial.

Is a trade on the horizon? Not necessarily, but the fact Allen’s name continues to appear signals that his time with the Cavs may be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

Cavs must approach the season differently after Rubio’s announcement

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The Cleveland Cavaliers approach the upcoming season in a way that takes the possibility of being without Ricky Rubio into consideration. The veteran backup point guard recently announced that he is putting his professional basketball career on hold to focus on his mental health. This puts the Cavs in a spot where they must alter any of their plans that include Rubio.

Waiting and hoping Rubio returns at some point to contribute to this team is not an acceptable approach. Yes, it would be great if that was the case, but mental health can be tricky. It does not work within predetermined timeframes that fit the structure of the upcoming season. Because of this, they should Rubio’s potential involvement next season as non-existent. Maybe Rubio gets the help he needs to get in a better spot mentally and eventually returns to the game of basketball. But banking on that from the Cavs’ perspective is not a good management strategy.

Without Rubio, the Cavs have just one point guard on their roster and that is Darius Garland. This presents a problem. It is possible that Cleveland alters their rotations and staggers the time of Garland and Donovan Mitchell a bit differently to make up for the absence of Rubio. Mitchell is a very ball dominant player and is more than capable of running an offense if needed. But again, a backup point with experience would be a bit more optimal for everyone involved.

The free agent market is nothing special at this point in the offseason as most players available are available for a reason. Perhaps they could swing a trade for someone a team would end up releasing due to a roster crunch. Either way, finding an actual backup option will be vital to their success.

Ricky Rubio to put career on hold

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Cleveland Cavaliers veteran point guard Ricky Rubio has announced he is putting his career as a professional basketball on hold. Rubio stated that he will be focusing on his mental health during his time away from the game.

Taking time to focus on one’s mental health is very important should an individual deem that necessary. Personal matters should always come first as there are more important things in life than a game. Basketball will always be there. There is no reason to put mental health on the back burner in order to play the game of basketball. Stepping away and taking the right steps to improve mental health when needed is and will always be the correct course of action.

Darius Garland on Knicks: “They beat us up”

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland did not mince words when describing their postseason exit at the hands of the New York Knicks. Garland spoke with Cavs beat writer Chris Fedor and described the overall physical nature of their playoff matchup with New York.

I think their physicality took a toll on us in that series. They beat us up. We now know how physical the game is in the playoffs and we know how fast the pace is and every possession matters. Just taking little bits and pieces of that series and trying to put it together for the regular season and then also carry that into the playoffs.

Darius Garland on series with Knicks

Darius Garland also made sure to note that this was the first playoff action for a lot of the Cavs’ players. This is something that is very important in the grand scheme of things. There is value in being a young team and getting your teeth knocked in during a postseason series loss. The playoffs are a completely different animal and sometimes that leads to exits in this manner. But this should not mean anyone should be down on the future of this team.

Although Cleveland’s first postseason trip in the second post-LeBron era did not go their way, it will prove to be a valuable learning experience for everyone involved. Getting that first taste of posteason play is so crucial in the development of a team. There is simply no substitute for actual playoff basketball and replicating it properly is impossible.

Cleveland expects to get back to the playoffs this year and the hope is that they can draw from their prior learning experience as a way to get better. The front office has brought in a collection of new players to help their cause. Now it is up to the players to hold up their end of the deal and put together a more successful postseason run.

Cavs crack Top 10 in ESPN Power Ranking

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Are the Cleveland Cavaliers a Top 10 team in the NBA? ESPN seems to think so as they have the Cavs just making the cut in their post-offseason power rankings. A group including Kendra Andrews, crybaby Tim Bontemps, Jamal Collier, Andrew Lopez, Tim McMahon, Dave McMenamin, and Ohm Youngmisuk was consulted when putting together this list. This group ultimately has Cleveland ranked ninth in the NBA. McMenamin provided the information on the Cavs’ entry.

After the franchise’s momentum was stalled with a first-round flameout against New York, the Cavs have had a strong offseason — from adding Max Strus and Georges Niang to rookie Emoni Bates looking like a potential steal in Cleveland’s run to the summer league championship. Still, the biggest question remains if the team can make enough strides next season to convince Donovan Mitchell to extend and make The Land his home. 

Dave McMenamin on the Cavs

The only team in the Central Division to be ranked higher than Cleveland is Milwaukee (2) and rightfully so. The Bucks finished with the best record in the NBA last season and are considered to be on the short list of elite teams. Cleveland is on their way to that level, although a sizeable gap remains currently.

Expectations are high in Cleveland as the Cavs are expected to go from postseason participant to true contender. The front office identified areas of need and hopefully found solutions as noted above. There are some concerns about the length of Donovan Mitchell’s stay in Cleveland, but that is not anything to get worked up about at the current moment. The current focus is on improving now and putting together a deeper postseason run. After that is when working on an extension for Mitchell becomes their top priority.