Game 62: Orlando Magic (18-43) @ Cleveland Cavaliers (21-40) - 7:00PM

[ducler]

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[Stillwater]

he was creeping into Lottery convo before the leg injury and it has been a long process, but I was really hoping we could have had the chance to take Chuma at 26 in 19 and as it turns out we ended up with a player that still doesn't play due to injuries. I know I know he went 16th
looks good in this one but he absolutely embarrassed Dre the other day:

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[jbk1234]

Cedi and Sexton have this thing were they *show* but don't actually help off of 3 point shooters and all it accomplishes is leaving the shooter open. Either stay put or actually help.

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[jbk1234]

Cavs are 6-31 from 3 point range. If we don't get some shooters this summer, nothing is changing.

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[Stillwater]

if ORL wins the lottery I will remember this game where the Magic sit their best player after an ankle twist and the Cavs leave DG on the court. These small victories kill the more important ones

[Stillwater]

lose mfs

[Stillwater]

thanks dg good TO and desperation foul drive that tank

[JonFromVA]

I think it's telling that when the Cavs turned up the defensive energy, they made a strong push and got back in the game; and then they stopped full court pressing once they caught up and lost.

I get they have a lot of players out hurt, but the one advantage a young team is supposed to have is a whole lot of energy to burn. Somehow the organization constantly fails to maximize let alone capitalize on that even in non-Covid years.

We shouldn't even touch Duncan Robinson in free-agency if we're just going to turn him in to a "slug" (credit John Beilein).

[Stillwater]

I thought for sure as soon as Okeke had to exit for a ankle injury the Cavs would have sat DG since he also had just twisted his ankle instead they knew they would lose and left his hobbled ass out there to ensure they lost...bravo on that timely TO etc.
Kid cannot finish games

[yoyoboy]

Yeah Garland has been struggling to close games lately. Very ill-timed turnovers and missed shots. Good for the tank.

I do generally like what he's doing in these situations at least, aside from when he drives to the baseline and jumps out of bounds with no plan on who he's going to pass to, resulting in a turnover. He just needs more reps because the ability is clearly there. I love the way he's moving off the ball lately and his passing has been great, regardless of too many turnovers, considering how awful this team is at shooting threes/finishing.

[JonFromVA]

I thought for sure as soon as Okeke had to exit for a ankle injury the Cavs would have sat DG since he also had just twisted his ankle instead they knew they would lose and left his hobbled ass out there to ensure they lost...bravo on that timely TO etc.
Kid cannot finish games

Sarcasm?

Garland was trying to win the game, and came pretty close to pulling it off. Trying to do so after hurting his ankle knowing we lacked anyone else who could competently run the team is to his credit.

If JBB was trying to lose the game, he could have pulled the starters in mock disgust rather than playing them the entire fourth and asking them to press and try to win it.

[Stillwater]

I thought for sure as soon as Okeke had to exit for a ankle injury the Cavs would have sat DG since he also had just twisted his ankle instead they knew they would lose and left his hobbled ass out there to ensure they lost...bravo on that timely TO etc.
Kid cannot finish games

Sarcasm?

Garland was trying to win the game, and came pretty close to pulling it off. Trying to do so after hurting his ankle knowing we lacked anyone else who could competently run the team is to his credit.

If JBB was trying to lose the game, he could have pulled the starters in mock disgust rather than playing them the entire fourth and asking them to press and try to win it.

I am on the fence as to if this roster is just that bad that the team without it's leading scorer can't finish games and JBB is trying to make Koby realize that, or if they know playing heavy minutes and not utilizing fresh legs would be too smart and might equate to winning which they cannot do if they want to be better next season. I personally enjoy watching DG prove what I have been saying all along about his lack of athleticism in big moments hurting them too much. I would not be surprised if they draft Suggs tbh if this continues. DG has all the makings of a solid regular season floor general that cannot be on the floor in the playoffs unless of course he starts taking and making a significant amount of 3s

[JonFromVA]

I thought for sure as soon as Okeke had to exit for a ankle injury the Cavs would have sat DG since he also had just twisted his ankle instead they knew they would lose and left his hobbled ass out there to ensure they lost...bravo on that timely TO etc.
Kid cannot finish games

Sarcasm?

Garland was trying to win the game, and came pretty close to pulling it off. Trying to do so after hurting his ankle knowing we lacked anyone else who could competently run the team is to his credit.

If JBB was trying to lose the game, he could have pulled the starters in mock disgust rather than playing them the entire fourth and asking them to press and try to win it.

I am on the fence as to if this roster is just that bad that the team without it's leading scorer can't finish games and JBB is trying to make Koby realize that, or if they know playing heavy minutes and not utilizing fresh legs would be too smart and might equate to winning which they cannot do if they want to be better next season. I personally enjoy watching DG prove what I have been saying all along about his lack of athleticism in big moments hurting them too much. I would not be surprised if they draft Suggs tbh if this continues. DG has all the makings of a solid regular season floor general that cannot be on the floor in the playoffs unless of course he starts taking and making a significant amount of 3s

Wasn't he proving to you last year that he'd never be more than a backup PG?

I'm sure he'll raise your bar again as a 22 year old.

[jbk1234]

Cavs starters were 7 of 30 from 3 point range. It was good to see them battle back, but you're just not going to win in the NBA shooting that poorly from three point range. It really shrinks the floor for the other team, and even if you manage to score inside, inevitably you'll lose trading two for three against the better teams.

I don't think it's getting fixed solely as a product of internal growth either. If Mobley is off the board, I'd give strong consideration to trading back and bringing in the best shooters they can get. I really like Huerter but it would probably have to be a three team deal.

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[Stillwater]

Sarcasm?

Garland was trying to win the game, and came pretty close to pulling it off. Trying to do so after hurting his ankle knowing we lacked anyone else who could competently run the team is to his credit.

If JBB was trying to lose the game, he could have pulled the starters in mock disgust rather than playing them the entire fourth and asking them to press and try to win it.

I am on the fence as to if this roster is just that bad that the team without it's leading scorer can't finish games and JBB is trying to make Koby realize that, or if they know playing heavy minutes and not utilizing fresh legs would be too smart and might equate to winning which they cannot do if they want to be better next season. I personally enjoy watching DG prove what I have been saying all along about his lack of athleticism in big moments hurting them too much. I would not be surprised if they draft Suggs tbh if this continues. DG has all the makings of a solid regular season floor general that cannot be on the floor in the playoffs unless of course he starts taking and making a significant amount of 3s

Wasn't he proving to you last year that he'd never be more than a backup PG?

I'm sure he'll raise your bar again as a 22 year old.

Anyone who thought hed be as good as hes been this year despite not being "that" good had a lot of optimism based on his disappointing rook season. I am not surprised he is this level of player just surprised it happened this fast.
My feeling has not changed about his overall potential but i can buy he turns it up at least one ir 2 notches with better spacing yet to be determined. As far as individual upside though its capped already

[JonFromVA]

I am on the fence as to if this roster is just that bad that the team without it's leading scorer can't finish games and JBB is trying to make Koby realize that, or if they know playing heavy minutes and not utilizing fresh legs would be too smart and might equate to winning which they cannot do if they want to be better next season. I personally enjoy watching DG prove what I have been saying all along about his lack of athleticism in big moments hurting them too much. I would not be surprised if they draft Suggs tbh if this continues. DG has all the makings of a solid regular season floor general that cannot be on the floor in the playoffs unless of course he starts taking and making a significant amount of 3s

Wasn't he proving to you last year that he'd never be more than a backup PG?

I'm sure he'll raise your bar again as a 22 year old.

Anyone who thought hed be as good as hes been this year despite not being "that" good had a lot of optimism based on his disappointing rook season. I am not surprised he is this level of player just surprised it happened this fast.
My feeling has not changed about his overall potential but i can buy he turns it up at least one ir 2 notches with better spacing yet to be determined. As far as individual upside though its capped already

Nah, some of us just have more realistic expectations for a 19 year old than others.

[JonFromVA]

Cavs starters were 7 of 30 from 3 point range. It was good to see them battle back, but you're just not going to win in the NBA shooting that poorly from three point range. It really shrinks the floor for the other team, and even if you manage to score inside, inevitably you'll lose trading two for three against the better teams.

I don't think it's getting fixed solely as a product of internal growth either. If Mobley is off the board, I'd give strong consideration to trading back and bringing in the best shooters they can get. I really like Huerter but it would probably have to be a three team deal.

Maybe the Celtics will cut Aaron Nesmith?

Hopefully we work a lot on conditioning going in to next season and find a viable backup point that can stay healthy. We have enough problems shooting the ball, we shouldn't be dealing with dead legs and lack of energy.

[jbk1234]

Cavs starters were 7 of 30 from 3 point range. It was good to see them battle back, but you're just not going to win in the NBA shooting that poorly from three point range. It really shrinks the floor for the other team, and even if you manage to score inside, inevitably you'll lose trading two for three against the better teams.

I don't think it's getting fixed solely as a product of internal growth either. If Mobley is off the board, I'd give strong consideration to trading back and bringing in the best shooters they can get. I really like Huerter but it would probably have to be a three team deal.

Maybe the Celtics will cut Aaron Nesmith?

Hopefully we work a lot on conditioning going in to next season and find a viable backup point that can stay healthy. We have enough problems shooting the ball, we shouldn't be dealing with dead legs and lack of energy.

Neismith has been getting minutes and playing pretty well towards the end of the season. If we land Mobley, maybe we swap Nance Jr. for him. It would suck, I really like Nance Jr., but we need more shooters. Windler performing well below expectations, Cedi shooting at a fraction of last year's percentages, and Prince regressing to his streaky mean, really hurt of the bench. Even Wade, who looked liked a bright spot, has been pretty meh since his impressive start.

But the real issue is in the starting unit. Love, even if he has a renaissance performance next season, is obviously not a long-term solution. While Okoro's improvement is promising, his starting point means he has a way to go before he's keeping defenses honest. The Cavs need a real shooter from 3 point range in the starting lineup and it shouldn't be the guy running the offense.

[Stillwater]

Wasn't he proving to you last year that he'd never be more than a backup PG?

I'm sure he'll raise your bar again as a 22 year old.

Anyone who thought hed be as good as hes been this year despite not being "that" good had a lot of optimism based on his disappointing rook season. I am not surprised he is this level of player just surprised it happened this fast.
My feeling has not changed about his overall potential but i can buy he turns it up at least one ir 2 notches with better spacing yet to be determined. As far as individual upside though its capped already

Nah, some of us just have more realistic expectations for a 19 year old than others.

you think you are being realistic expecting DG to be what a all star caliber pg next season the season after?
He can't finish in traffic he cant make contested shots so he never takes them he throws errant passes but adds english
to make people say oohh aaahh and blame the teammate who is a rookie for throwing a brick.
Realism my friend is seeing DG is a very limited athlete who will get destroyed in the playoffs you can't build around him

[JonFromVA]

Anyone who thought hed be as good as hes been this year despite not being "that" good had a lot of optimism based on his disappointing rook season. I am not surprised he is this level of player just surprised it happened this fast.
My feeling has not changed about his overall potential but i can buy he turns it up at least one ir 2 notches with better spacing yet to be determined. As far as individual upside though its capped already

Nah, some of us just have more realistic expectations for a 19 year old than others.

you think you are being realistic expecting DG to be what a all star caliber pg next season the season after?
He can't finish in traffic he cant make contested shots so he never takes them he throws errant passes but adds english
to make people say oohh aaahh and blame the teammate who is a rookie for throwing a brick.
Realism my friend is seeing DG is a very limited athlete who will get destroyed in the playoffs you can't build around him

There's a lot of space between never being able to win a playoff game and making the All-Star team next year. Maybe pick a target and stick to it?

Players tend to improve their ability to finish in traffic, eliminate turnovers, create shots, make shots, etc, etc. That doesn't mean Darius will, but only you believe he can't.

Heck, his FG% between 0-3ft shot up this season to 58.7% from 46.8% last year ... and NOBODY on the team is assisted less on his 2pt attempts than Garland. That's a huge jump you refuse to recognize because ... you don't believe in results?

But that's not all ...

His AST% is up from last season, his TO% is down, his TS% is up, his steals are up, his blocks are up, his rebounds are up, his AST/TO is up.

His weight, strength, and conditioning are all improved.

And to top it all off he's finishing the year strong averaging 21 & 7.6 in April.

You have the proof, you have the trend. Why in the world would you assume he's not going to keep getting better?

If you had said he's not ready to lead the team in the playoffs now, I might have even agreed with you; but you must eat hyperbole bars for breakfast ...