Cavs made a huge mistake and traded the wrong big man

[Sunlight]

The wrong big man was not the only mistake. At least 2 of 3 unprotected first round picks also.

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[Vampirate]

[quote="jbk1234"]I wish the Cavs could've kept the Lauri out of the trade. I wish him nothing but the best. That said, he's kind of playing under ideal conditions right now. He's the best player on the team. He sees minutes with another stretch big in Olynyk. The Jazz had zero expectations heading into the season. The West is considerably weaker than it's been in the past.

At some point, the Jazz will have more mouths to feed, that painted area will get more crowded, and things will get tougher for him. He's turned a corner, but I'm not sure the Jazz end up building around him as the number 1 option.[/quote]
Honestly, if the Cavs knew Lauri would be this good, you guys wouldn't have Mitchell.

There's just really no replacing a 6"11 50/40/90 scorer that Lauri is this season.

On the other hand, there's no way you'd be able to predict this compared to his other seasons. Lauri was a good player last year, but is a borderline Superstar this year. In the playoffs I don't know how you'd guard him as he's just shoot over anyone, and can easily get space around people his size.

Basically the trade negotiations would go like

Cavs: We want Donovan

Utah: Oh We want Lauri and 4 firsts

Cavs: We'll trade you X and 4 firsts instead

Utah: No, you're not doing the deal without Lauri

Cavs with knowledge now: Sorry, no deal.

*hangs up the phone*

At the time your GM would look like idiots, but then Lauri would explode. Weird how things work out sometimes.

[Sane]

It's dead obvious that you just can't have two bigs on the floor who can't shoot, it's going to kill the spacing and is holding the Cavs back from taking off fully.

I think it's time for Mobley to move to C and lose his safety net in Allen. It's nice having Allen to clean up for everybody but once you want to contend, every dollar matters and every additional player that can the same thing becomes a bottleneck. I also predict Mobley becomes the recipient of more touches on the inside. There's a reason they don't have assets to invest in a wing defender: it's because they've over-invested in the big man position via picks and money.

Allen for OG would be a great trade for both teams imo.

Mobley
OG (brings more spacing, opens up the interior for Mitchell and Garland to penetrate, guards the best wing scorer)
Wade (can guard the lesser of the two best wings)
Mitchell
Garland

Allen
Siakam
Barnes
Trent Jr
FVV

Both teams are more balanced if you ask me.

[Sunlight]

Markkanen has the third longest 20-point streak in the NBA. Only Lebron and Tatum ahead.

[BostonCouchGM]

the real issue is that Mobley was one of the more overrated prospects to come out in years. People were talking about him as the next AD and he's nowhere near that level. The dude simply cannot shoot and hasn't improved at all. He also can't play the 5 since he's so skinny. Him and Allen can't be on the floor together unless Mobley learns to shoot which let's face it, isn't going to happen for a long time. It's kinda ironic how Markkanen would be perfect for them but alas they couldn't land Mitchell without including him.

[FranchisePlayer]

the real issue is that Mobley was one of the more overrated prospects to come out in years. People were talking about him as the next AD and he's nowhere near that level. The dude simply cannot shoot and hasn't improved at all. He also can't play the 5 since he's so skinny. Him and Allen can't be on the floor together unless Mobley learns to shoot which let's face it, isn't going to happen for a long time. It's kinda ironic how Markkanen would be perfect for them but alas they couldn't land Mitchell without including him.

I might not go that far but their stats behind the arc:

Mobley 12 3P FG3% 20
Lauri 150 3P, FG3% 43.2

In an offense-first league? Ouch.

[toooskies]

the real issue is that Mobley was one of the more overrated prospects to come out in years. People were talking about him as the next AD and he's nowhere near that level. The dude simply cannot shoot and hasn't improved at all. He also can't play the 5 since he's so skinny. Him and Allen can't be on the floor together unless Mobley learns to shoot which let's face it, isn't going to happen for a long time. It's kinda ironic how Markkanen would be perfect for them but alas they couldn't land Mitchell without including him.

- AD can't shoot either
- Mobley's TS%, despite taking awful 3s for the sake of development, has gone from 55% to 60%. He's getting fewer shots and his scoring has gone up slightly, all while accommodating the addition of a high scorer
- AD didn't start at the 5 in his second year and has always been reluctant to play the 5, guys like Robin Lopez, Alexis Ajinca, and Greg Stiemsma did in his first two seasons
- Allen and Mobley literally play on the floor together all the time and do it well, especially on defense
- Markkanen somehow packed five years of progression into an offseason (and this regular season), it's amazing. Happy for him. Still fine with the deal, literally no one predicted Markkanen being in the All-NBA conversation at any point in his career, especially the past few years as he didn't ostensibly develop much year-to-year.

[Catchall]

I think Lauri is good enough to be the third guy in a Big Three scenario. I think he still needs other guys to get him some space to get open looks and to drive. He's been playing well on the defensive end, and I've been surprised how well he can pass it. I just think his role is to be your Al Horford if you've already got Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Or maybe he's like MPJ if you've got Jokic and Murray.

I wrote this post 3 months ago. I was wrong. I think Lauri can be your #2 guy. A 7-ft big wing who dunks on 7-footers, drills 3pt shots like he's Toni Kukoc, and can score on an array of drives and mid-range turnarounds can be the 2nd option if he's playing with an elite on-ball guy. Offensively, he's doing everything that Anthony Davis does, though he's not that level of defender.

[TheLand13]

the real issue is that Mobley was one of the more overrated prospects to come out in years. People were talking about him as the next AD and he's nowhere near that level. The dude simply cannot shoot and hasn't improved at all. He also can't play the 5 since he's so skinny. Him and Allen can't be on the floor together unless Mobley learns to shoot which let's face it, isn't going to happen for a long time. It's kinda ironic how Markkanen would be perfect for them but alas they couldn't land Mitchell without including him.

Pretty much everything you just said here is completely wrong. I'm willing to bet you haven't watched a single minute of the Cavaliers this season, right?

[One Last Shot]

The only all-star this year from the roster of Cavs last year was Lauri Markkanen. Seems like they should do everything they can to retain Lauri. Mitchell for Markkanen straight up swap seems like fair at this point. He's a 7-footer who's averaging 25/9 with 67 TS%. He's shooting 43.2% from 3's in 7.2 attempts per game.

[mudsak]

I think Lauri is good enough to be the third guy in a Big Three scenario. I think he still needs other guys to get him some space to get open looks and to drive. He's been playing well on the defensive end, and I've been surprised how well he can pass it. I just think his role is to be your Al Horford if you've already got Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Or maybe he's like MPJ if you've got Jokic and Murray.

I wrote this post 3 months ago. I was wrong. I think Lauri can be your #2 guy. A 7-ft big wing who dunks on 7-footers, drills 3pt shots like he's Toni Kukoc, and can score on an array of drives and mid-range turnarounds can be the 2nd option if he's playing with an elite on-ball guy. Offensively, he's doing everything that Anthony Davis does, though he's not that level of defender.

I've had this discussion with a few hard-headed Jazz fans who still don't think he's capable of being a solid #2 on a contender. I don't know what kind of edibles they're eating, but if Lauri's efficiency remains at this level...I can't imagine having a better #2 option. Dude can make an impact from anywhere on the floor, is a walking mismatch, and is so efficient he doesn't need to be the one running the show. Dude also seems to be robotic from the FT line. He's just a special player.

I hope the Jazz can manage to mold their roster into something during Lauri's window... I love watching him play.

[Catchall]

I think Lauri is good enough to be the third guy in a Big Three scenario. I think he still needs other guys to get him some space to get open looks and to drive. He's been playing well on the defensive end, and I've been surprised how well he can pass it. I just think his role is to be your Al Horford if you've already got Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Or maybe he's like MPJ if you've got Jokic and Murray.

I wrote this post 3 months ago. I was wrong. I think Lauri can be your #2 guy. A 7-ft big wing who dunks on 7-footers, drills 3pt shots like he's Toni Kukoc, and can score on an array of drives and mid-range turnarounds can be the 2nd option if he's playing with an elite on-ball guy. Offensively, he's doing everything that Anthony Davis does, though he's not that level of defender.

I've had this discussion with a few hard-headed Jazz fans who still don't think he's capable of being a solid #2 on a contender. I don't know what kind of edibles they're eating, but if Lauri's efficiency remains at this level...I can't imagine having a better #2 option. Dude can make an impact from anywhere on the floor, is a walking mismatch, and is so efficient he doesn't need to be the one running the show. Dude also seems to be robotic from the FT line. He's just a special player.

I hope the Jazz can manage to mold their roster into something during Lauri's window... I love watching him play.

If your #1 guy is Lebron or Luka, then Lauri can be the #2 guy, but that's the kind of elite wing that would unlock Lauri 100%.

[DrCoach]

If was a bad trade for Cavs then and now

[FranchisePlayer]

Read on Twitter

Impressive.

[jbk1234]

I'm very happy for Lauri and wish the Cavs could've kept him out of the trade. But people need to understand that the Jazz aren't particularly interested in getting stops right now, and when they get to that point, some of the bloom is coming off the rose.

[mcmurphy]

... and is not a pylon in defense



Better of him with similar or more ppg are only Giannis, AD, KL, KD and Embiid.

[FranchisePlayer]

... and is not a pylon in defense



Better of him with similar or more ppg are only Giannis, AD, KL, KD and Embiid.

...and every single one of those players has played less games than Markkanen this season.

[mcmurphy]

... and is not a pylon in defense


...and every single one of those players has played less games than Markkanen this season.

... and only KD of those players has better efficiencyof Lauri

[FranchisePlayer]

... and is not a pylon in defense


...and every single one of those players has played less games than Markkanen this season.

... and only KD of those players has better efficiencyof Lauri

... and only the Finnisher is playing his 1st season as a #1 option.

[DowJones]

-The Cavs have the 5th best record in the NBA
-The Cavs have the best point differential in the NBA
-The oldest Cavalier in the starting rotation is Donovan Mitchell

The Cavs are fine