What if… the Tribe adds a free agent outfielder: While We’re Waiting
October 28, 2019Chase Young deserves to be in the Heisman Trophy discussion
October 28, 2019Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Ty Lue said last season won’t be measured in wins and losses, but rather “wins and lessons.” New head coach John Beilein has continued that, stating that this year is all about development will improving game by game. With that in mind, and in honor of the NBA Champion head coach, WFNY is going to follow along with what we learn every week.
The Cavs are supposed to be bad this year. We all know that. But with first-year head coach John Beilein, a 66-year old who is known to be good at developing his players, this season is all about development and improvement rather than the actual record. Winning is fun, obviously, but it’s important to step back and realize that young players such as Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Kevin Porter Jr, Dylan Windler, and Ante Zizic, and even guys such as Cedi Osman and Larry Nance Jr.
If we were to look ahead, that’s the core of this team. The Cavs need those players to continue to improve as they gain more experience. Add in a veteran like Kevin Love — who is in the first year of his four-year, $120.4 million contract extension he signed in 2018 — and that’s the group that Cleveland fans will continue to lean on.
So, back to this season. The first week was an average one, but it gave us plenty of promise and hope for this team as well. It will be very tough to get back to the level they were during the LeBron Era, especially given the fact that Cleveland isn’t a city that will attract big-name free agents in an era where super teams are becoming very common, but that doesn’t mean that the Cavs can’t be a legitimate playoff contender in the near future. If things go right, both in terms of adding players and developing the core group that’s currently donning the wine and gold, it can happen sooner rather than later.
The season opener in Orlando was one that gave Cavs fans plenty of hope in regards to the starting lineup but made us realize that the second unit needs plenty of work. Cleveland lost to the Magic, 94-85, in a low-scoring game. Then came the home opener in a renovated and newly-named Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. With the Cavs outscoring the Pacers, 39-20, in the second quarter, the wine and gold pulled out their first win of the season, beating Indiana, 110-99. Even though the Pacers were without Victor Oladipo, it was still an impressive win for the Cavaliers.
With the first week of the season over, let’s take a look back at some of the wins that the Cavs can take into the rest of the year along with some lessons they can learn from after two games:
Win: Fred McLeod tribute
I was a little teary-eyed watching the tribute Saturday night and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one. Watching games will never be the same without hearing Fred McLeod. Whether it was his taglines, chemistry with Austin Carr, or just the type of person he was on and off the mic, Fred will be greatly missed.
Husband.
Father.
Colleague.
Friend.An ambassador for the City of Cleveland.
And so much more.
Thank you, Fred. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BTjCIkjmGG
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 27, 2019
It was a wonderful tribute to a great man.
In case you missed this 30-minute show on FOX Sports Ohio last week, this was an outstanding tribute as well:
Add in that Fred’s wife, Beth, gave all of his ties to current and former Cavs employees and media members, ones that they wore on Saturday and will continue to wear to games throughout the season, and I’m sure Fred is smiling up there.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1187730768006533121
Win: #Cavs50 celebration prior to the home opener
It would have been nice to have more former Cavs greats back for the home opener, but it was still quite a good bunch that returned. Cleveland is expected to have many celebrations throughout the season to celebrate the 50-year anniversary.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1188265850446536705
Win: Three-point shooting from K-Love, Sexton, Garland, and Osman…and Thompson
As a team, the Cavs are shooting just 30.8% from beyond the arc. In a time where three-point shooting is a vital part of an NBA offense, that obviously has to improve. With that said, Cleveland’s main three-point shooters — Kevin Love, Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Cedi Osman — in the starting lineup have done well through the first two games:
- Love: 3-for-6 (50%)
- Sexton: 5-for-11 (45.5%)
- Garland: 4-for-9 (44.4%)
- Osman: 3-for-7 (42.9%)
Love and Garland are known for their outside shooting, but it’s nice to see Sexton continue to improve from that range after developing that part of his game throughout his rookie campaign last season. Osman, on the other hand, will greatly improve his game if he can consistently knock down shots from long distance.
Oh, and you read that last name correctly. Tristan Thompson knocked down the first three-pointer of his career Saturday night. In true TT fashion, the three came after he grabbed an offensive rebound as well. It was beautiful.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1188253582606266368
Win: The starting frontcourt
Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson have been a perfect pairing for the Cavs. Something that I’m sure no one expected even in a single game, let alone after two games, is that Thompson is leading the team in points, averaging 20.5 points per game. In all, the big man is also averaging 12 rebounds and two blocks a night as well. He’s also shooting an impressive 70.4% from the field.
Love, the other man in the frontcourt for the Cavs, is having himself a good start to the season as well. The 31-year old is averaging 16 points, 15.5 rebounds, six assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 52.9% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. His 8.5 shots per game are the sixth-most on the team, which absolutely mist improve, but even with limited opportunities in terms of shots, he’s making the most out of them. There was even a time during Saturday night’s game that Love had 19 points on just four shots. That’s outstanding.
Add in that he is leading the team in assists and it’s clear that the offense is running through him, which is the way it should be. One of his assists was an alley-oop to Thompson, which was great.
Vets gonna vet.@RealTristan13: 23PTS, 11REB, 3BLK@KevinLove: 21PTS, 12REB, 7AST#BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/neK97DoVyW
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) October 27, 2019
Win: Kevin Love’s leadership
The veteran leader on the team, Love has continued to state that he loves being in Cleveland and on the Cavs. While he remains in trade rumors, much like he has been basically ever since becoming a Cavalier, the big man has been a fan favorite and player that both his teammates and coaches can lean on in terms of production on the court and a voice on and off the court.
He knows that it might be a long season, but he’s ready to lead a young team while helping the young players improve and develop and also be the team’s best player while doing so.
This video clip makes it so easy to root for K-Love. I’m so glad he’s a Cavalier.
Kevin Love talked with #Cavs legends before tonight's game and got a great perspective of what being a part of Cleveland's organization means. pic.twitter.com/gN7qunR8m5
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) October 27, 2019
Win: Cedi Osman’s extension
Cedi’s a fan favorite. Cavs fans want him to don the wine and gold for a long time. With his first NBA contract coming to an end at the conclusion of this season, Cleveland locked him up for the long term. Osman and the Cavs agreed on a four-year, $30.8 million extension, one that the team made official on Saturday.
“Cedi epitomizes everything it means to be a Cavalier and we’re excited to sign him to this extension,” said general manager Koby Altman. “His work ethic and commitment to this organization and community are qualities we admire in a player. Cedi has also demonstrated daily his desire to expand his overall skill-set and we look forward to seeing his continued growth and development.”
It’s a win-win for both the team and player, which makes it so good.
Cedi Osman’s average salary of $7.7 million per year would make him the 34th-highest paid SF and 158th-highest paid player in the NBA. Add in that the fourth year of the extension is non-guaranteed and it’s such a team-friendly deal. Kudos to Koby and the rest of the Cavs FO.
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) October 25, 2019
Add in that the extension starts at $8.75 million in 2020-21, de-escalates every year as the contract goes on and is non-guaranteed in the fourth (and final) year of the contract, and it’s a very team-friendly deal. Even if he doesn’t improve much, it’s not a big hit in terms of cap space. If he does improve as his experience continues to grow, the extension looks even better for the Cavs.
Along with that, it’s a good deal for Osman because it gives him financial security for at least the next four years. He’s a fan-favorite in Cleveland. If he can continue to improve, he’ll be even more likable.
Lesson: Cedi Osman’s production on the court
It’s early so there’s absolutely no reason to worry, but the Cavs need more out of their starting small forward. Osman is averaging just seven points, two rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 28.3 minutes a night so far. Those numbers will all but certainly improve, but the sooner the third-year forward makes that happen, the better the Cavs will be.
Then again, Cleveland is plus-15 when he is on the court, which certainly accounts for something.
Win: Cavs defense…finally?
For much of the past few years, the wine and gold have featured one of the worst defenses in the league. As soon as assistant coach (and so-called defensive specialist) Mike Longabardi was officially not named on Beilein’s staff, I knew it was a huge plus for the defense.
Sample size or not, through two games, his departure has proven to be addition by subtraction. Through two games, the Cavs have allowed 193. Neither the Magic or Pacers hit the 100-mark. That’s quite a feat in itself.
This is the first time the Cavs have allowed fewer than 100 points in back-to-back games since November 10-14, 2018, when they did so in three-straight games. Cleveland’s defense did that in just nine games last season.
— Josh Poloha (@JorshP) October 27, 2019
Not only have they not allowed 100 points in a game through the first two games, but their 96 defensive rating is the fifth-best in the league. Not a bad start.
Lesson: Jordan Clarkson
I respect Jordan Clarkson’s game. I really do. He’s a scorer off the bench and a guy that a good team can use as a spark offensively on the second unit. But he’s not the type of player I want on a rebuilding team, especially one that features a rookie and second-year player in the backcourt.
The more Clarkson plays, the more the veteran takes time away from Sexton and Garland. Additionally, the more he plays, the more shots he takes away from those two youngins as well. Clarkson has never been known as much of a passer or assists guy, and that has proven itself yet again considering he has just one assist in two games (22 minutes). He’s fourth on the team in points (11 points per game), but as previously mentioned, he’s a player that a rebuilding team with two very young guards doesn’t need. The fact that he’s shooting a dismal 35% from the field and 25% from three-point range doesn’t help.
There’s a reason Beilein is starting two 6-foot-1 guards in Sexton and Garland. That’s all.
Win: John Beilein’s first win in the NBA
Being a first-year head coach isn’t easy, doing so at the age of 66 is certainly unheard of, but so far, the Cavs seem to love Beilein, which is certainly a good thing. The players proved just that after winning their first game of the season over the Pacers, giving Beilein his first win in the league.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1188288992497807360
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1188461942282866688
They might struggle at times, but this team is certainly easy to root for.
Win: The throwback jerseys and court
This might be an unpopular opinion, but the Cavs throwback jerseys this season are awesome. From the 1990s, they even brought back a similar court that they will use every time they wear those jerseys as well. There’s just something about the combination that I like so much.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1187828286518452230
Oh, and they brought back Whammer. Yesssss.
https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1188261592573661184
Other things from around the NBA:
- We’re only two games into the season, but Tristan Thompson is already showing that he could be quite a trade chip for the Cavs at the deadline. His energy, and ability to score and be a legitimate rebounder in the paint is the type of game and player every contender needs. Add in that he’s an expiring contract and it makes it that much easier to trade him for what could potentially be a first-round pick in return.
- The Warriors are not only 0-2, but they have lost by a combined 47 points. What a time to be alive.
- Trae Young and Luka Doncic are really, really good. The two second-year players have been dominant in the first two games of the season. Wish there was a way the Cavs could have traded up in the 2018 NFL Draft to draft one of those guys.
- The NBA needs Zion Williamson to be healthy. I want to see how good of a player he can be in this league.