2025-26 Off-Season

[JonFromVA]

No one has ever asked Strus to be a ball handler though.

And for Steph, there's a reason the Warriors didn't find success until Kerr was hired and moved him to SG, his natural position.

I have a different definition of ballhandler, then. You apparently are defining the concept narrowly enough that it's effectively just PGs and point-forwards.

Well yeah, i don't want Tyson handling the ball or initiating offense lol because the odds of him setting his teammate up for a bucket are just as likely as him dribbling it off his shoe out of bounds.

When Mitchell gets doubled ... can Tyson catch a pass, take a few dribbles, and get the ball to whoever is open?

Can he dribble the ball up the floor at times so Mitchell doesn't have to?

Can he attack, draw the D, and move the ball?

The bar isn't super high ...

[JujitsuFlip]

I have a different definition of ballhandler, then. You apparently are defining the concept narrowly enough that it's effectively just PGs and point-forwards.

Well yeah, i don't want Tyson handling the ball or initiating offense lol because the odds of him setting his teammate up for a bucket are just as likely as him dribbling it off his shoe out of bounds.

When Mitchell gets doubled ... can Tyson catch a pass, take a few dribbles, and get the ball to whoever is open?

Can he dribble the ball up the floor at times so Mitchell doesn't have to?

Can he attack, draw the D, and move the ball?

The bar isn't super high ...

Just have Mobley do all that stuff, heck Tyson, go do back cuts and hit open 3s lol he's just our new Okoro but hopefully less frustrating.

[JonFromVA]

Well yeah, i don't want Tyson handling the ball or initiating offense lol because the odds of him setting his teammate up for a bucket are just as likely as him dribbling it off his shoe out of bounds.

When Mitchell gets doubled ... can Tyson catch a pass, take a few dribbles, and get the ball to whoever is open?

Can he dribble the ball up the floor at times so Mitchell doesn't have to?

Can he attack, draw the D, and move the ball?

The bar isn't super high ...

Just have Mobley do all that stuff, heck Tyson, go do back cuts and hit open 3s lol he's just our new Okoro but hopefully less frustrating.

Mobley is going to be featured more with Garland out, but his ball handling has not been great either.

[JujitsuFlip]

When Mitchell gets doubled ... can Tyson catch a pass, take a few dribbles, and get the ball to whoever is open?

Can he dribble the ball up the floor at times so Mitchell doesn't have to?

Can he attack, draw the D, and move the ball?

The bar isn't super high ...

Just have Mobley do all that stuff, heck Tyson, go do back cuts and hit open 3s lol he's just our new Okoro but hopefully less frustrating.

Mobley is going to be featured more with Garland out, but his ball handling has not been great either.

Yeah but he's worth the investment.

This team goes as Mobley goes. Trying to unlock our 3rd string SF as a secondary ball handler/play maker is a useless endeavor.

[toooskies]

Just have Mobley do all that stuff, heck Tyson, go do back cuts and hit open 3s lol he's just our new Okoro but hopefully less frustrating.

Mobley is going to be featured more with Garland out, but his ball handling has not been great either.

Yeah but he's worth the investment.

This team goes as Mobley goes. Trying to unlock our 3rd string SF as a secondary ball handler/play maker is a useless endeavor.

While you want player development from Mobley you don't ignore player development of everyone else. Avoiding the ball is how you turn Tyson into Isaac Okoro with worse defense.

Unless the plan is to pay everyone indefinitely we're going to want/need Tyson to be a rotation player in two years and he doesn't get there by running to the corner and avoiding the ball. Let him make some mistakes in the regular season.

[JujitsuFlip]

Mobley is going to be featured more with Garland out, but his ball handling has not been great either.

Yeah but he's worth the investment.

This team goes as Mobley goes. Trying to unlock our 3rd string SF as a secondary ball handler/play maker is a useless endeavor.

While you want player development from Mobley you don't ignore player development of everyone else. Avoiding the ball is how you turn Tyson into Isaac Okoro with worse defense.

Unless the plan is to pay everyone indefinitely we're going to want/need Tyson to be a rotation player in two years and he doesn't get there by running to the corner and avoiding the ball. Let him make some mistakes in the regular season.

They let Okoro run point in the 2021 Summer League and the guy still never had the chops to dribble the basketball when it counted.

I'm just all way out on Tyson being a ball handler. Let Proctor give it a try since he handled the ball some in college.

[JujitsuFlip]

https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-rumors/38811/cavs-starting-lineup-deandre-hunter-sam-merrill-cleveland-cavaliers-nba

The starting 5 is set.

Mitchell
Merrill
Hunter
Mobley
Allen

Sounds like Hunter may have been set to start at 3 before Strus even went down. Garland will obviously shuffle back in for Merrill, once healthy.

[ijspeelman]

Super off-topic, but I'm just going to be excited about basketball cards for two seconds

Topps takes over the basketball card license from Panini here in two weeks and I am extremely excited to collect Topps Chrome Cavs cards. I just saw some leaks of the next Topps set for basketball and I am v impressed. I've said this before, but I am collecting every "refractor" card from the first days of Topps Chrome to now. I put in Panini Prizm Silvers in their place when Topps lost the license

[JujitsuFlip]

I can't believe media day is 1 week away. The off-season flew by.

Below is my count of guys on the roster, we can have a total of 21 but I'm not sure the Cavs ever get to that number for camp.

1. Mitchell
2. Mobley
3. Garland (IR to start the season)
4. Allen
5. Hunter
6. Strus (IR to start the season)
7. Ball
8. LNJ
9. Merrill
10. Wade
11. CPJ
12. Tyson
13. Proctor
14. Tomlin (Two-way)
15. Travers (Two-way)
16. Chaney Johnson (Exhibit 10)
17. Norchad Omier (Exhibit 10)
18. Jaxson Robinson (Exhibit 10)

[toooskies]

Did something happen with Tristan Enaruna? He looked not-awful in Summer League.

[JujitsuFlip]

Did something happen with Tristan Enaruna? He looked not-awful in Summer League.

I honestly think he could be a candidate for spot 14 or the third Two-way slot, there just hasn't been anything officially announced yet.

https://www.si.com/nba/cavaliers/news/cavaliers-g-league-affiliate-trades-for-hometown-star

The Charge did trade for his G League rights in August, so he will at minimum get a camp invite, if I had to guess.

[FromTheLand]

Thomas Bryant? Perfect pick up

[ijspeelman]

Free agent center Thomas Bryant has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mark Bartelstein and Zach Kurtin of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Bryant played a key reserve role on the Indiana Pacers' second half run to the Finals and now enters his ninth NBA season.

https://bsky.app/profile/shamsbot.bsky.social/post/3lzjijxofna2i

[ijspeelman]

Thomas Bryant? Perfect pick up

Actually one of the more perfect pickups for a backup big. Shocked he didn't command more of a market. Bryant allows another big who can play next to either of Mobley or Allen. Obvi a combo of Bryant and Allen makes us lack footspeed, but we may be able to get away w it in the RS and some PS matchups

I guess LNJ is taking the Tristan role this season. I'm still okay if he gets spot minutes at the 4/5

[JujitsuFlip]

Whoa, we finally filled the back-up 5 spot! It only took 4.5 years hahahaha

He's solid, i like his ability to stretch the floor.

[toooskies]

I like the move. I had previously thought the delay on signing a 14th man was that we wanted to see what Tomlin did in camp or we were waiting on GSW’s scouting of the free agent market.

This might push Wade out to 11th man?

[ijspeelman]

I like the move. I had previously thought the delay on signing a 14th man was that we wanted to see what Tomlin did in camp or we were waiting on GSW’s scouting of the free agent market.

This might push Wade out to 11th man?

I count him as being the 10th guy, I think?

I have the following ahead of him:
Garland
Mitchell
Mobley
Allen
Hunter
Strus
Merrill
Ball
Bryant

Kinda a toss-up on some nights if Merrill, Ball, or Bryant are ahead of him.

Do you have Tyson or CPJ (or Proctor) ahead?

[toooskies]

I like the move. I had previously thought the delay on signing a 14th man was that we wanted to see what Tomlin did in camp or we were waiting on GSW’s scouting of the free agent market.

This might push Wade out to 11th man?

I count him as being the 10th guy, I think?

I have the following ahead of him:
Garland
Mitchell
Mobley
Allen
Hunter
Strus
Merrill
Ball
Bryant

Kinda a toss-up on some nights if Merrill, Ball, or Bryant are ahead of him.

Do you have Tyson or CPJ (or Proctor) ahead?

I've got Nance ahead of Wade too.

[JujitsuFlip]

Kinda irrelevant where Wade falls since Garland and Strus are out to start the season, Ball isn't playing back to backs, and we're not filling spot 15.

Wade will get lots of burn up to Christmas.

[ijspeelman]

I like the move. I had previously thought the delay on signing a 14th man was that we wanted to see what Tomlin did in camp or we were waiting on GSW’s scouting of the free agent market.

This might push Wade out to 11th man?

I count him as being the 10th guy, I think?

I have the following ahead of him:
Garland
Mitchell
Mobley
Allen
Hunter
Strus
Merrill
Ball
Bryant

Kinda a toss-up on some nights if Merrill, Ball, or Bryant are ahead of him.

Do you have Tyson or CPJ (or Proctor) ahead?

I've got Nance ahead of Wade too.

I can see it, but idk if I agree. I kinda see LNJ as a back-up small-ball big rather than a 4. I think Wade will get a lot more run in that slot due to his defense on the wing. However, I could just be not seeing the vision