JonFromVA wrote:jbk1234 wrote:JonFromVA wrote:
Well, there's that obvious answer ... we're still holding that position open for that certain someone ... or some specific answers:
Like last year we didn't know we were going to end up with the #3 draft pick and sure didn't expect Evan to fall there. If none of that took place, someone like Barnes or Kuminga might be a Cavalier right now.
And then in Summer we had another chance to shore things up, but couldn't get a Sexton deal done, then when Larry decided he'd like to play for a winner (hahahahaha) we decided trading for Lauri was the best we could do and could even be a stop gap at SF.
But my assertion is still that a lot of our lineups no matter how wonky were working and while injuries have once again derailed our ability to see how well they work, we can easily go forward next season with Lauri at SF and Isaac at SG.
If Evan's development is the key to us stepping up in to contention, then it's still realistically a 2+ year plan we should be working on.
Yeah, I don't mind leaving some cap space for LBJ, but if the opportunity to get a real shooter this summer presents itself in a trade for LeVert or a S&T for Sexton, I'm taking it. I'm not keeping a $40M slot open for two seasons in order to sign a 38-year old LBJ. We can work out whatever we need to work out.
I agree with you that Okoro and Lauri back as starters isn't the worse result next season (we absolutely need an upgrade at backup PG though). I do think the Cavs need to keep some money open for the summer of 2023 as we could whiff on LBJ, sign a guy like Cam Johnson, and maybe even better off in the long run.
I wouldn't be planning around James next return, but I'm not running the show, so I try to take that in to account.
IMO, our best bet to adjust our roster how we'd like is through player development. It just so happens that the players we've drafted/developed in to solid assets are players we don't readily want to give up, but that doesn't change the fact this teams has 3 terrific assets in Allen, Mobley, and Garland ... which is 3 more than most people were thinking we had this time last year.
Behind them, I think LeVert, Markkenen, and Sexton have some value and Love is looking to have somewhere between a neutral to slightly positive value as an expiring (and just so happens to have a big enough contract to help absorb a player like James).
So, for instance, there was a point some Raptors fans would have traded Siakim for Allen, but now that he's playing so much better and they seem to be making due at C ... not so much.
So my thought process on this is thus: Levert, Sexton, or Lauri. Two of those three have to go this off season.
All three of them will be back. But there comes the point where you have to question what their fit on this team is going to be. With Mobley/Allen as well as a player like Okoro, Cleveland's best bet is going to be to become a defensive minded team. That's not happening with those guys on the roster getting heavy minutes. We can give a pass to someone like Kevin Love because of the other things he provides to the team (like critical floor spacing and defensive rebounding), but we can't be a defensive minded group with these guys on the roster.
One thing I just said in another thread is that I think Cleveland's best bet is to invest more into Lamar Stevens. His defense, while not as good as Okoro's, is going to be critical to Cleveland's success in the future. But he has to learn to develop a three point shot at the very least. Okoro is already showing signs of getting there but he's not even close to being a reliable three and D player yet. But I think if you can make one out of him as well as Stevens, Cleveland doesn't have to worry about trading for one. And if I were Cleveland, I would have those two spend most of their summer working on that three point shot.
With that said, I think Cleveland's biggest needs are the following: one, as someone already pointed out, finding a legitimate backup PG for Garland. I don't think Sexton fits that mold, and that's why I think he's one of the ones who need to go. Levert is the other. I originally defended the trade for him, but I now both understand and see why people had their concerns about him. He's had some really good games for Cleveland and his defense has actually been better I think than people give him credit for, but it's clear he's not a good fit for the roster and is more of a short term solution to the issues we had. Rubio coming back to Cleveland would obviously be the ideal situation, but no one knows if he will. Maybe he will, he has had nothing but good things to say about the team and city and I don't think he'd blame us for making that trade. But if not him, then we need to make sure we can find a reliable backup for Garland in order to continue to keep that offense running. That is what made us such a dangerous team in the first place and it's what will continue to define our team going forward, especially with the kind of roster we have.
I mentioned Lauri as the third, but I do think that of the three players, he is the one you can justify keeping on the team the most. His height and three point shooting and the fact that he's not a disaster on defense does give him a spot on the team at the very least. He's someone who can play the SF-C positions which is critical in gaining matchup advantages over teams. I do question whether or not having him start is the right move, especially since I think Lamar Stevens, if he develops a three point shot, is much better suited in that role, but I can't deny the matchup advantages having three seven footers gave us. But then again, if we end up getting the next thing I discuss, the rotations will be tricky.
The second, and I actually made this my main point in a thread I made, is finding a reliable backup center. I know we have Allen/Mobley to shuffle with which is what we've been doing all season, but I honestly think that, at least for right now, it would be in our best interest to play Mobley at the four as much as possible. It's very clear that he's a much better PF than he is a C until he is able to put on more muscle mass. I mentioned possibly signing Andre Drummond back, if he's interested in returning to the team. I think that would be a very good backup for Allen and he'd be able to do a decent job of holding down the paint while Mobley continues to roam on defense. That made us a ridiculously good defensive unit, and I think it's the easiest way to ensure that Mobley stays healthy.
The only problem with this is how you're going to end up playing all of these guys. It's clear we need Kevin Love's scoring and rebounding, but we also need to use as much of that Mobley/Allen combo as possible. So I don't know how, assuming we actually get the things I suggest above, we are going to be able to play all of these guys. I haven't even discussed who Okoro's back up would be (I assume he's just going to be the starting SG permanently going forward, and IMO that's the right call), or who would be backing up Stevens in the hypothetical (probably Osman). Where does that leave Lauri?
I guess it's a good thing that our biggest problem right now is figuring out how to fit all the pieces together. I'm confident Cleveland will be able to play even better next season, but I really do hope we can make some moves to our roster to help improve it better as a whole, but, with all that said, I'm going to take a moment to gloat and just end this long post with this:
Everyone who thought Mobley was the key and Allen was easily replaceable are currently eating crow. It's clear how important Allen is to this team and why he made them so good in the first place, and why I think it is crucial that we keep him unless we can get something in return that not only solves our biggest problems, but makes us among the best in the league in those specific areas (for example, finding three and D players at SG/SF or a great PF partner for Mobley while he slides into the 5 permanently).
