2021-22 regular season thread

[KuruptedCav]

Honestly, Sexton isn't why we're losing, just like Booker wasn't the reason the Suns were losing when he was leading them in FGA and still had the worst record in the NBA. The Cavs have suffered through a combination of poor coaching, lack of talent, and/or injuries the past 3 years. This past year they could've been a lot better but constant injuries and then drama with Drummond etc led to them collapsing after a strong start.

I can understand those that are hesitant to give Sexton a major contract, my only counter to that is that anyone that's performed as well as he has has gotten a major contract so he's going to get one but I can understand others point of view in not wanting to give him one. One of the biggest difference between the Cavs and Suns rebuild where giving Booker the max wasn't up for debate was that the Suns drafted poorly and didn't have as many good young players that would be needing to pay while. I mean after drafting Booker in 2015 the Suns then drafted:

2016:
Dragon Bender (Bust)

2017:
Josh Jackson (Bust/Off-Court issues)

2018:
DeAndre Ayton (Great pick but rookie in Booker's final rookie contract year)
Mikal Bridges (Great pick but 3&D so maxes in the 13-20 mil range)

So they had no one they needed to pay. Although they might not end up as studs like Ayton, Garland and Okoro aren't busts either so they'll be needing to pay players back to back which will lock them into a capped out team while still trying to figure out winning. If instead of drafting Garland in 2019, they instead drafted Jarrett Culver who busted I think even keeping the Okoro pick and Mobley pick the same no one would be questioning paying Sexton a sizeable contract, though a max might've still been up for debate. But since the Cavs didn't draft pure busts but instead got Garland who is worthy of extending, even if it's more on the Lonzo scale than his max himself as well so far, and then just drafted their own Ayton in Mobley, the Cavs do need to be more cognizant of paying everyone off of their rookie contracts while they still aren't winning.

The decision to pay or not pay Sexton should definitely wait till after this season to see if he continued to improve his play unless he's willing to sign a 20-25/yr extension right now. After this season that will hopefully see the starting 5 and top 3-4 off the bench healthy and engaged the majority of the season, we'll get to see if last year's hot start is actually replicable or if it was just a matter of being a rushed offseason due to COVID. If they able to show that the start of last year wasn't just a fluke, Sexton continues to improve like he does every year, and the team gets 35+ wins, I think paying Sexton the appropriate contract will end up happening as it'll show the Cavs are actually on the right path, as long as everyone's not hurt that is.

Honestly, Sexton isn't why we're losing, just like Booker wasn't the reason the Suns were losing when he was leading them in FGA and still had the worst record in the NBA. The Cavs have suffered through a combination of poor coaching, lack of talent, and/or injuries the past 3 years. This past year they could've been a lot better but constant injuries and then drama with Drummond etc led to them collapsing after a strong start.

I can understand those that are hesitant to give Sexton a major contract, my only counter to that is that anyone that's performed as well as he has has gotten a major contract so he's going to get one but I can understand others point of view in not wanting to give him one. One of the biggest difference between the Cavs and Suns rebuild where giving Booker the max wasn't up for debate was that the Suns drafted poorly and didn't have as many good young players that would be needing to pay while. I mean after drafting Booker in 2015 the Suns then drafted:

2016:
Dragon Bender (Bust)

2017:
Josh Jackson (Bust/Off-Court issues)

2018:
DeAndre Ayton (Great pick but rookie in Booker's final rookie contract year)
Mikal Bridges (Great pick but 3&D so maxes in the 13-20 mil range)

So they had no one they needed to pay. Although they might not end up as studs like Ayton, Garland and Okoro aren't busts either so they'll be needing to pay players back to back which will lock them into a capped out team while still trying to figure out winning. If instead of drafting Garland in 2019, they instead drafted Jarrett Culver who busted I think even keeping the Okoro pick and Mobley pick the same no one would be questioning paying Sexton a sizeable contract, though a max might've still been up for debate. But since the Cavs didn't draft pure busts but instead got Garland who is worthy of extending, even if it's more on the Lonzo scale than his max himself as well so far, and then just drafted their own Ayton in Mobley, the Cavs do need to be more cognizant of paying everyone off of their rookie contracts while they still aren't winning.

The decision to pay or not pay Sexton should definitely wait till after this season to see if he continued to improve his play unless he's willing to sign a 20-25/yr extension right now. After this season that will hopefully see the starting 5 and top 3-4 off the bench healthy and engaged the majority of the season, we'll get to see if last year's hot start is actually replicable or if it was just a matter of being a rushed offseason due to COVID. If they able to show that the start of last year wasn't just a fluke, Sexton continues to improve like he does every year, and the team gets 35+ wins, I think paying Sexton the appropriate contract will end up happening as it'll show the Cavs are actually on the right path, as long as everyone's not hurt that is.

Spot on, Sexton isn’t the reason the Cavs aren’t winning, and likely will not be the reason they are winning.

His development curve isn’t outside of what the Wizards saw with Beal, what the Kings saw with Fox, the Jazz with Mitchell, etc.

Moving him is fine, but that trade needs to be for value. We’re talking Kevin Johnson here not Ron Harper.

Now, I don’t think he’s earned a max contract. But, I also don’t think $100/4 cripples the franchise. In 2022/23 that’ll be around the 50th highest salary…


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[Revenged25]

Honestly, Sexton isn't why we're losing, just like Booker wasn't the reason the Suns were losing when he was leading them in FGA and still had the worst record in the NBA. The Cavs have suffered through a combination of poor coaching, lack of talent, and/or injuries the past 3 years. This past year they could've been a lot better but constant injuries and then drama with Drummond etc led to them collapsing after a strong start.

I can understand those that are hesitant to give Sexton a major contract, my only counter to that is that anyone that's performed as well as he has has gotten a major contract so he's going to get one but I can understand others point of view in not wanting to give him one. One of the biggest difference between the Cavs and Suns rebuild where giving Booker the max wasn't up for debate was that the Suns drafted poorly and didn't have as many good young players that would be needing to pay while. I mean after drafting Booker in 2015 the Suns then drafted:

2016:
Dragon Bender (Bust)

2017:
Josh Jackson (Bust/Off-Court issues)

2018:
DeAndre Ayton (Great pick but rookie in Booker's final rookie contract year)
Mikal Bridges (Great pick but 3&D so maxes in the 13-20 mil range)

So they had no one they needed to pay. Although they might not end up as studs like Ayton, Garland and Okoro aren't busts either so they'll be needing to pay players back to back which will lock them into a capped out team while still trying to figure out winning. If instead of drafting Garland in 2019, they instead drafted Jarrett Culver who busted I think even keeping the Okoro pick and Mobley pick the same no one would be questioning paying Sexton a sizeable contract, though a max might've still been up for debate. But since the Cavs didn't draft pure busts but instead got Garland who is worthy of extending, even if it's more on the Lonzo scale than his max himself as well so far, and then just drafted their own Ayton in Mobley, the Cavs do need to be more cognizant of paying everyone off of their rookie contracts while they still aren't winning.

The decision to pay or not pay Sexton should definitely wait till after this season to see if he continued to improve his play unless he's willing to sign a 20-25/yr extension right now. After this season that will hopefully see the starting 5 and top 3-4 off the bench healthy and engaged the majority of the season, we'll get to see if last year's hot start is actually replicable or if it was just a matter of being a rushed offseason due to COVID. If they able to show that the start of last year wasn't just a fluke, Sexton continues to improve like he does every year, and the team gets 35+ wins, I think paying Sexton the appropriate contract will end up happening as it'll show the Cavs are actually on the right path, as long as everyone's not hurt that is.

Spot on, Sexton isn’t the reason the Cavs aren’t winning, and likely will not be the reason they are winning.

His development curve isn’t outside of what the Wizards saw with Beal, what the Kings saw with Fox, the Jazz with Mitchell, etc.

Moving him is fine, but that trade needs to be for value. We’re talking Kevin Johnson here not Ron Harper.

Now, I don’t think he’s earned a max contract. But, I also don’t think $100/4 cripples the franchise. In 2022/23 that’ll be around the 50th highest salary…


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The way I see it, Sexton isn't a floor raiser, he's not going to make a bad team good, he's a ceiling raiser where he takes a good team and helps them become great. Just like I don't see Booker as a guy that makes a bad team good, but he allows a good team a chance to get to the finals.

[jbk1234]

The problem with all these Cavs aren't-bad-due-to-Sexton takes is that the Cavs haven't had another replacement level SG on the roster the entire time he's been here. We haven't had an opportunity to move him to the bench or plug in someone else decent. But even towards the end of KPJ's rookie year, the Cavs were starting to play better with KPJ in the lineup instead.

I can't believe we're about to go into yet another season where our choice is starting Cedi or Sexton at SG. It's borderline inexplicable.

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[toooskies]

Yes, the guy who lead the team in usage and FGAs, AND who takes 75% of his shots in the paint, needs free rein to drive more. Meanwhile, the player who can actually run an offense, and who has better floor vision needs to learn how to play off ball, not that it would matter because Sexton won't pass it to him anyway.

This sounds like a great way to crater Garland's trade value before he straight up asks out. Maybe if we really try, we can triple down on this approach, insist that our seven foot center shoot threes instead of rolling to the hoop, make him angry, and destroy his trade value in the process.

Send them both off for a couple of mid firsts, max Sexton, post five more-20 win seasons, and complain that we need to get our *best player* more help. Also, we can write Mobley off as a bench player, when he only plays well sharing a court with Rubio, and trade him for scraps.

Or, we could not do that. We could say that Sexton has had more than a fair shot and we're going to attempt to run an actual NBA offense this season.

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Sexton took 52.4% of his shots within 10 feet last year. Garland was at 50.7%.

Less than 25% of Sexton's team-leading FGAs were from three point range. Also, a lot of his 6 FTAs come from him forcing action inside and those don't count towards FGAs. This doesn't include when he gets blocked down there or turns it over.

Unless you're bringing him off the bench, you need to build an entirely different team around him.

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The problem with all these Cavs aren't-bad-due-to-Sexton takes is that the Cavs haven't had another replacement level SG on the roster the entire time he's been here. We haven't had an opportunity to move him to the bench or plug in someone else decent. But even towards the end of KPJ's rookie year, the Cavs were starting play better with KPJ in the lineup instead.

I can't believe we're about to go into another season where our choice is starting Cedi or Sexton at SG. It's borderline inexplicable.

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Damyean Dotson is, like, the definition of a replacement-level guy. 0.0 win shares. Negative VORP last year, but roughly 0 VORP the year before when he was an average shooter.

(Replacement-level guys suck.)

[JonFromVA]

We need another SG or SF. I think it will be demoralizing for the rest of the team if we're starting a Garland/Sexton back court again. There's no way the Bulls will trade Ball before the start of the season. I don't even think they're allowed.

One of Sexton/Garland needs to be traded or moved to the bench. A Rubio/Garland back court would be absurd. A Rubio/Sexton back court could work (off the bench more so than as starters). You can slide Nance to 3 as a last resort in the starting unit, with Okoro at the 2 and Garland at PG, but Nance cannot be the plan at SF for a majority of the season. Ross is rumored to be available but he's basically a rich man's bench player.

I'm really concerned that we screwed up by not moving Sexton for Herro ahead of free agency. We basically need a Simmons, Beal, or Dame trade now to get value for Sexton and balance the roster.

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Okoro plays like a 3. Windler or Nance might be able to move him to the 2, but what we really need is some health and practice time to evaluate our options.

And while Mobley may eventually be an answer for a lot of problems, we need to be realistic with our expectations for him as a rookie. I haven't followed Anthony Davis's carrer very closely but one thing I do know is he wasn't good on defense early in his career.

He gives this roster a chance to become something special, but the clock starts now. We're now on his timeline.

I don't expect he'll struggle like Wiseman who barely played in college, but a young big man struggling is more likely than one breaking out as a 20yr old rook.

[jbk1234]

Sexton took 52.4% of his shots within 10 feet last year. Garland was at 50.7%.

Less than 25% of Sexton's team-leading FGAs were from three point range. Also, a lot of his 6 FTAs come from him forcing action inside and those don't count towards FGAs. This doesn't include when he gets blocked down there or turns it over.

Unless you're bringing him off the bench, you need to build an entirely different team around him.

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The problem with all these Cavs aren't-bad-due-to-Sexton takes is that the Cavs haven't had another replacement level SG on the roster the entire time he's been here. We haven't had an opportunity to move him to the bench or plug in someone else decent. But even towards the end of KPJ's rookie year, the Cavs were starting play better with KPJ in the lineup instead.

I can't believe we're about to go into another season where our choice is starting Cedi or Sexton at SG. It's borderline inexplicable.

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Damyean Dotson is, like, the definition of a replacement-level guy. 0.0 win shares. Negative VORP last year, but roughly 0 VORP the year before when he was an average shooter.

(Replacement-level guys suck.)

Doston is the definition of a borderline NBA player hence his career minutes and the bouncing around between the G League and third-string/DNP. I'm talking about a guy who actually gets real minutes on a team that wins more than 20 games a season. I mean even Terrance Ross would be an upgrade.

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[jbk1234]

We need another SG or SF. I think it will be demoralizing for the rest of the team if we're starting a Garland/Sexton back court again. There's no way the Bulls will trade Ball before the start of the season. I don't even think they're allowed.

One of Sexton/Garland needs to be traded or moved to the bench. A Rubio/Garland back court would be absurd. A Rubio/Sexton back court could work (off the bench more so than as starters). You can slide Nance to 3 as a last resort in the starting unit, with Okoro at the 2 and Garland at PG, but Nance cannot be the plan at SF for a majority of the season. Ross is rumored to be available but he's basically a rich man's bench player.

I'm really concerned that we screwed up by not moving Sexton for Herro ahead of free agency. We basically need a Simmons, Beal, or Dame trade now to get value for Sexton and balance the roster.

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Okoro plays like a 3. Windler or Nance might be able to move him to the 2, but what we really need is some health and practice time to evaluate our options.

And while Mobley may eventually be an answer for a lot of problems, we need to be realistic with our expectations for him as a rookie. I haven't followed Anthony Davis's carrer very closely but one thing I do know is he wasn't good on defense early in his career.

He gives this roster a chance to become something special, but the clock starts now. We're now on his timeline.

I don't expect he'll struggle like Wiseman who barely played in college, but a young big man struggling is more likely than one breaking out as a 20yr old rook.

I think it will be demoralizing for the team to start Sexton again. I really do. It's not simply a matter of him passing more, or giving effort on defense. The threshold issue is whether he's going to be willing to play within a more structured offense, or whether he's going to break off and do his own thing because that works for him better than what the Cavs are trying to run.

At some point, you have to at least start to build the foundation. I'm just beside myself that we don't really have a capable backup SG on the roster as a plan B. I really am.

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[mcfly1204]

We need another SG or SF. I think it will be demoralizing for the rest of the team if we're starting a Garland/Sexton back court again. There's no way the Bulls will trade Ball before the start of the season. I don't even think they're allowed.

One of Sexton/Garland needs to be traded or moved to the bench. A Rubio/Garland back court would be absurd. A Rubio/Sexton back court could work (off the bench more so than as starters). You can slide Nance to 3 as a last resort in the starting unit, with Okoro at the 2 and Garland at PG, but Nance cannot be the plan at SF for a majority of the season. Ross is rumored to be available but he's basically a rich man's bench player.

I'm really concerned that we screwed up by not moving Sexton for Herro ahead of free agency. We basically need a Simmons, Beal, or Dame trade now to get value for Sexton and balance the roster.

Okoro plays like a 3. Windler or Nance might be able to move him to the 2, but what we really need is some health and practice time to evaluate our options.

And while Mobley may eventually be an answer for a lot of problems, we need to be realistic with our expectations for him as a rookie. I haven't followed Anthony Davis's carrer very closely but one thing I do know is he wasn't good on defense early in his career.

He gives this roster a chance to become something special, but the clock starts now. We're now on his timeline.

I don't expect he'll struggle like Wiseman who barely played in college, but a young big man struggling is more likely than one breaking out as a 20yr old rook.

I think it will be demoralizing for the team to start Sexton again. I really do. It's not simply a matter of him passing more, or giving effort on defense. The threshold issue is whether he's going to be willing to play within a more structured offense, or whether he's going to break off and do his own thing because that works for him better than what the Cavs are trying to run.

At some point, you have to at least start to build the foundation. I'm just beside myself that we don't really have a capable backup SG on the roster as a plan B. I really am.

I get you want a plan B, but Okoro will likely get some minutes at the 2, as will Cedi. Is it a perfect scenario? No. Is the sky falling because it's going to ruin our 2021-22 title run?...

[jbk1234]

Okoro plays like a 3. Windler or Nance might be able to move him to the 2, but what we really need is some health and practice time to evaluate our options.

And while Mobley may eventually be an answer for a lot of problems, we need to be realistic with our expectations for him as a rookie. I haven't followed Anthony Davis's carrer very closely but one thing I do know is he wasn't good on defense early in his career.

He gives this roster a chance to become something special, but the clock starts now. We're now on his timeline.

I don't expect he'll struggle like Wiseman who barely played in college, but a young big man struggling is more likely than one breaking out as a 20yr old rook.

I think it will be demoralizing for the team to start Sexton again. I really do. It's not simply a matter of him passing more, or giving effort on defense. The threshold issue is whether he's going to be willing to play within a more structured offense, or whether he's going to break off and do his own thing because that works for him better than what the Cavs are trying to run.

At some point, you have to at least start to build the foundation. I'm just beside myself that we don't really have a capable backup SG on the roster as a plan B. I really am.

I get you want a plan B, but Okoro will likely get some minutes at the 2, as will Cedi. Is it a perfect scenario? No. Is the sky falling because it's going to ruin our 2021-22 title run?...

Okoro works at the 2 if you have a 3 who spaces the floor. We don't. Basically we're hoping that Okoro and/or Windler and/or Cedi shoot a whole lot better from range next season. If that doesn't happen, our spacing is still broken.

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[jbk1234]

James Ennis is out there if the Cavs want to take a low-cost flyer.

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[Harper4Ferry?]

Garrison Matthews, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brad Wannamaker are all guys I'd look at to fill out the bench and kick guys like Dotson off the end.

[jbk1234]

Garrison Matthews, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brad Wannamaker are all guys I'd look at to fill out the bench and kick guys like Dotson off the end.

Can any of them shoot at all? I'd rather re-sign Hartenstein who can at least open up the floor for our not shooting guards and wings.

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[JonFromVA]

We need another SG or SF. I think it will be demoralizing for the rest of the team if we're starting a Garland/Sexton back court again. There's no way the Bulls will trade Ball before the start of the season. I don't even think they're allowed.

One of Sexton/Garland needs to be traded or moved to the bench. A Rubio/Garland back court would be absurd. A Rubio/Sexton back court could work (off the bench more so than as starters). You can slide Nance to 3 as a last resort in the starting unit, with Okoro at the 2 and Garland at PG, but Nance cannot be the plan at SF for a majority of the season. Ross is rumored to be available but he's basically a rich man's bench player.

I'm really concerned that we screwed up by not moving Sexton for Herro ahead of free agency. We basically need a Simmons, Beal, or Dame trade now to get value for Sexton and balance the roster.

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Okoro plays like a 3. Windler or Nance might be able to move him to the 2, but what we really need is some health and practice time to evaluate our options.

And while Mobley may eventually be an answer for a lot of problems, we need to be realistic with our expectations for him as a rookie. I haven't followed Anthony Davis's carrer very closely but one thing I do know is he wasn't good on defense early in his career.

He gives this roster a chance to become something special, but the clock starts now. We're now on his timeline.

I don't expect he'll struggle like Wiseman who barely played in college, but a young big man struggling is more likely than one breaking out as a 20yr old rook.

I think it will be demoralizing for the team to start Sexton again. I really do. It's not simply a matter of him passing more, or giving effort on defense. The threshold issue is whether he's going to be willing to play within a more structured offense, or whether he's going to break off and do his own thing because that works for him better than what the Cavs are trying to run.

At some point, you have to at least start to build the foundation. I'm just beside myself that we don't really have a capable backup SG on the roster as a plan B. I really am.

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Sexton is a very capable scoring guard. Lets just hope they can work on his weak areas. Some actual practice time should help because even if he doesn't see an open teammate, he should be able to follow a play and look for an open teammate or just minimally make quick decisions.

If not .... you shouldn't be so quick to rule out Garland-Rubio. They just might bring the two guard dynamic that Beilein imagined because the passing is there.

[Harper4Ferry?]

Mathews-39% from 3(Windler insurance) absolutely the type of guy we should be looking for as a backup guard
Other 2 guys are obvious bench players Hollis-Jefferson is a solid defensive wing, Wannamaker-mentor to our guards, likely to be a good head coach at some point.

[LivingLegend]

Garrison Matthews, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brad Wannamaker are all guys I'd look at to fill out the bench and kick guys like Dotson off the end.

Can any of them shoot at all? I'd rather re-sign Hartenstein who can at least open up the floor for our not shooting guards and wings.

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If you strictly want to go by shooting Garrison Mathews seems to be a good shooter in limited work, but he is a 6'5" SG. Hollis Jefferson would be awesome given his size and defense but he doesn't even attempt to shoot.

[jbk1234]

Mathews-39% from 3(Windler insurance) absolutely the type of guy we should be looking for as a backup guard
Other 2 guys are obvious bench players Hollis-Jefferson is a solid defensive wing, Wannamaker-mentor to our guards, likely to be a good head coach at some point.

Didn't the Warriors cut Wanamaker despite not having another backup for Steph? That doesn't seem like a good sign.

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[jbk1234]

Okoro plays like a 3. Windler or Nance might be able to move him to the 2, but what we really need is some health and practice time to evaluate our options.

And while Mobley may eventually be an answer for a lot of problems, we need to be realistic with our expectations for him as a rookie. I haven't followed Anthony Davis's carrer very closely but one thing I do know is he wasn't good on defense early in his career.

He gives this roster a chance to become something special, but the clock starts now. We're now on his timeline.

I don't expect he'll struggle like Wiseman who barely played in college, but a young big man struggling is more likely than one breaking out as a 20yr old rook.

I think it will be demoralizing for the team to start Sexton again. I really do. It's not simply a matter of him passing more, or giving effort on defense. The threshold issue is whether he's going to be willing to play within a more structured offense, or whether he's going to break off and do his own thing because that works for him better than what the Cavs are trying to run.

At some point, you have to at least start to build the foundation. I'm just beside myself that we don't really have a capable backup SG on the roster as a plan B. I really am.

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Sexton is a very capable scoring guard. Lets just hope they can work on his weak areas. Some actual practice time should help because even if he doesn't see an open teammate, he should be able to follow a play and look for an open teammate or just minimally make quick decisions.

If not .... you shouldn't be so quick to rule out Garland-Rubio. They just might bring the two guard dynamic that Beilein imagined because the passing is there.

I can imagine an ideal scenario where Sexton plays heavy minutes off the bench alongside Rubio who still runs the offense. But if I had to put odds on that scenario panning out in a contract year, with Love and possibly Mobley, needing touches off the bench as well, they wouldn't be high. The diverging incentives are just too much and the Cavs can ill afford to have a repeat of last year's drama.

I agree with the F.O. that the Garland/Sexton backcourt is irreparable defensively. One of your forwards has to be a really good three point shooter to keep the spacing salvageable if you're starting Sexton. We just don't have the personnel to make it work. If anything, the Rubio for Prince swap hurt on that front.

We're further away from having the right kind of team around Sexton, and when I look at everything the Bulls gave up to build around LaVine, their ceiling, and the likely opportunity cost to the Cavs, I'm not really interested in trying anymore.

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[toooskies]

I think it will be demoralizing for the team to start Sexton again. I really do. It's not simply a matter of him passing more, or giving effort on defense. The threshold issue is whether he's going to be willing to play within a more structured offense, or whether he's going to break off and do his own thing because that works for him better than what the Cavs are trying to run.

At some point, you have to at least start to build the foundation. I'm just beside myself that we don't really have a capable backup SG on the roster as a plan B. I really am.

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Sexton is a very capable scoring guard. Lets just hope they can work on his weak areas. Some actual practice time should help because even if he doesn't see an open teammate, he should be able to follow a play and look for an open teammate or just minimally make quick decisions.

If not .... you shouldn't be so quick to rule out Garland-Rubio. They just might bring the two guard dynamic that Beilein imagined because the passing is there.

I can imagine an ideal scenario where Sexton plays heavy minutes off the bench alongside Rubio who still runs the offense. But if I had to put odds on that scenario panning out in a contract year, with Love and possibly Mobley, needing touches off the bench as well, they wouldn't be high. The diverging incentives are just too much and the Cavs can ill afford to have a repeat of last year's drama.

I agree with the F.O. that the Garland/Sexton backcourt is irreparable defensively. One of your forwards has to be a really good three point shooter to keep the spacing salvageable if you're starting Sexton. We just don't have the personnel to make it work. If anything, the Rubio for Prince swap hurt on that front.

We're further away from having the right kind of team around Sexton, and when I look at everything the Bulls gave up to build around LaVine, their ceiling, and the likely opportunity cost to the Cavs, I'm not really interested in trying anymore.

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Not sure the F.O. believes what you say they believe. If they did, Sexton would already be gone or they'd at least have found a reasonable backup in free agency. The Heat and Knicks obviously got the guys they wanted in free agency. It's reasonable to say that Sexton was only available for a high price or only if Mobley was off the board at #3.

If anything a frontcourt of Allen and Mobley should give our guards enough backup at the rim to aggressively defend the 3 in ways that you couldn't do with Drummond/Love as your projected starters.

[Revenged25]

Sexton is a very capable scoring guard. Lets just hope they can work on his weak areas. Some actual practice time should help because even if he doesn't see an open teammate, he should be able to follow a play and look for an open teammate or just minimally make quick decisions.

If not .... you shouldn't be so quick to rule out Garland-Rubio. They just might bring the two guard dynamic that Beilein imagined because the passing is there.

I can imagine an ideal scenario where Sexton plays heavy minutes off the bench alongside Rubio who still runs the offense. But if I had to put odds on that scenario panning out in a contract year, with Love and possibly Mobley, needing touches off the bench as well, they wouldn't be high. The diverging incentives are just too much and the Cavs can ill afford to have a repeat of last year's drama.

I agree with the F.O. that the Garland/Sexton backcourt is irreparable defensively. One of your forwards has to be a really good three point shooter to keep the spacing salvageable if you're starting Sexton. We just don't have the personnel to make it work. If anything, the Rubio for Prince swap hurt on that front.

We're further away from having the right kind of team around Sexton, and when I look at everything the Bulls gave up to build around LaVine, their ceiling, and the likely opportunity cost to the Cavs, I'm not really interested in trying anymore.

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Not sure the F.O. believes what you say they believe. If they did, Sexton would already be gone or they'd at least have found a reasonable backup in free agency. The Heat and Knicks obviously got the guys they wanted in free agency. It's reasonable to say that Sexton was only available for a high price or only if Mobley was off the board at #3.

If anything a frontcourt of Allen and Mobley should give our guards enough backup at the rim to aggressively defend the 3 in ways that you couldn't do with Drummond/Love as your projected starters.

To be fair, the Cavs defense was actually good to start the season with LNJ/Drummond out there as starters. It wasn't until LNJ got hurt that the defense really started to fall apart. I think the roles on this roster is a lot of what Portland wanted to do with their team but could never get the pieces around it, and is sort of similar to what Phoenix is doing. Scoring from the guards with defense from the 3-5 with the ability to score some points on their own. Okoro will be improved offensively based on the first SL game, Mobley looked raw but you could see the flashes even though he wasn't really utilized well, and Allen will do what he does as always.

Though depth will definitely be an issue for our 1-3 position. No real SG on the roster outside of Sexton, nor SF beside Okoro. Rubio is there to back-up Garland but if both go down like we had happen last year we'll struggle. Need at least one combo guard that can run point as well as back-up Sexton, and another SF on the roster. Trying to rely on Cedi to be consistent or Windler to be healthy isn't likely. LNJ could probably back-up SF, but that's still not good enough.

[jbk1234]

Mathews-39% from 3(Windler insurance) absolutely the type of guy we should be looking for as a backup guard
Other 2 guys are obvious bench players Hollis-Jefferson is a solid defensive wing, Wannamaker-mentor to our guards, likely to be a good head coach at some point.

Matthews sounds like a good target then.