CAVS 2022-2023

joesports said:
So who should/will the Cavs start at the 3/small forward?
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I supposed it might be Okoro?

You have to assume it's going to be Garland and Mitchell at guards and Allen and Mobley as the big men, so you either go small with LeVert or big with Love if it's not Okoro, one of the few small true forwards they have on the roster. I think Love will still come off the bench. Supposedly, LeVert is in as good of shape as he's been in years, so maybe he starts a number of games.

Of course, they also just gave Dean Wade a contract extension ;)
 
soccerdad72 said:
I supposed it might be Okoro?

You have to assume it's going to be Garland and Mitchell at guards and Allen and Mobley as the big men, so you either go small with LeVert or big with Love if it's not Okoro, one of the few small true forwards they have on the roster. I think Love will still come off the bench. Supposedly, LeVert is in as good of shape as he's been in years, so maybe he starts a number of games.

Of course, they also just gave Dean Wade a contract extension ;)
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Who starts is not as important as who finishes a game. Remember in the early '90s when Mike Sanders started but Hot Rod Williams usually ended up playing the crunch time mins. Maybe they go this way pending match ups.
 
Auggie said:
Who starts is not as important as who finishes a game. Remember in the early '90s when Mike Sanders started but Hot Rod Williams usually ended up playing the crunch time mins. Maybe they go this way pending match ups.
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They will have two strong units
 
That was an ugly game last night, Toronto played with reckless abandoned and got away with a lot of aggressive play but that is their style and the Cavs needed to adjust. Needed an outside shooter in the 2nd half to hit open 3s to spread out the floor, Love was not a factor and a defensive liability as Toronto wings were slashing and crashing the boards. Hope Garland's injury is not significant because they will need him.
 
Mitchel appears to be the real deal and I think that was a great pick up, we don't need the draft captial and the players we gave up are pedestrian. If Rubio can come back into form I love our rotation at guard. But the 3 spot is currently a mess and could be the downfall of this team. Okoro is looking like a bust and when Lavert plays the position he looks like a fish out of water as he really is a 2, Cedi has been a breath of fresh air on offense but is a defensive liability and is more a spark plug type player off the bench and not a starter. Finally is it me or on defensive do the bigs look block 1st to the detriment of boxing out and getting a rebound? Going to the game tonight and will fill in my impressions from a live perspective.
 
So I went to the Orlando game and here are a few takes:

  • It was a seriously off night for the Cavs and they still won, I guess that is showing the team is growing and improving. But it did also shows that an early season NBA game can be some very bad basketball and was borderline preseason in quality.
  • Mobley had a better offensive night then what he has shown so far this year which was some good news, if the guards were better he could have had an even better evening. Cedi also looks like he has taken a step up and is a great energy guy off the bench. Allen also showed why he is a valuable component still being able to score when the defense is sagging because...
  • The guard play was terrible. I get that Mitchell will have off nights and give him credit for still playing with energy but missing Garland really was evident last night. Count me as someone that doesn't think Lavert should be on this team. The guy just has this funky game on offense and never seems to come through when things are tough, classic good player on a bad team.
  • The best player on the court was Banchero, guy has the game with current NBA rules to be a huge star in the League. Wade/Okoro had no chance and when Mobley checked him they either switched on a pick and roll or he pulled him so far from the basket that the lane was wide open for Wagner drives. The Magic guard play was also terrible which made the Cavs guard play that much more troublesome.
As for the gameday experience the crowd was a standard NBA game one, lousy opponent in the middle of the week and there was still 80% of the arena in attendance; contrast this with a mid week early season game for the Guardians which would be like a couple thousand at best. Not much changes to the sideshow, looks like the Cavs marketing team is coasting and they are spending $s elsewhere. Fans still skewing young and urban, a lot of kids and teens. A few more business types then last year and that might be more a result of the downtown workers starting to come back. Prices are going up; tickets, concessions, and parking are all much more than last year. Inflation has hit the NBA too.
 
Glad they were able to get the win despite an off night from Mitchell and no Garland, although I read he was practicing, so he should be back soon.
 
It looks like Mitchell is the impact player the Cavs need, and everybody is following his lead. Does his job with no drama and seems to enjoy playing on this team (LeBron who?). It should be a fun and competitive season. I'm not going to try and analyze every move the Cavs make, I'm just going to kick back and enjoy the athleticism.
 
When the trade went down, I was in the camp that the Cavs gave up too much for Mitchell … I was wrong, he is worth everything and more … looks like a great player with a great attitude … this team is really enjoyable to watch.

On a side note, Brunson was killing them in the 3 qt … Okoro came in the 4th and locked him down … only scored two points on the night, but played a big role defensively to help get the win.
 
I was watching a young Knicks fan on YouTube doing a commentary on the highlights of the game. When Kevin Love went crazy with his threes, the kid said," Damn, you're like 50 yrs old..." Great shooting by the senior member of the team.
 
Fun team and you got to like seeing guys pick it up when others struggle. After lighting up the best team in the east Lavert decides to go 0-for, so Love decides to put the offensive load on his back. And while Okoro isn't doing much offensively he lead the Cavs at+24 for the game.

Nice test coming up with a national TV broadcast against a motivated Celts team before the traditional early season West Coast trip, use to be so the circus could use the arena the 1st week of November, that includes stops at both LA teams and Golden State.
 
DB135 said:
www.nba.com

Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Nov 2, 2022 Box Scores

Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Nov 2, 2022 player box scores including video and shot charts
www.nba.com www.nba.com
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That was a fun game and unlike the lousy Orlando game I saw a week ago this was a well played NBA contest with two better teams trying to prove a point. Of note after a fast offensive start both teams played lock down defense and other than a couple runs by both teams points were tough to come by, in particular in a limited sampling it looks like the Cavs can get by on defense with both Garland and Mitchell on the floor at the same time. On offense the Cavs will get a ton of open 3 looks wit the way Garland and Mitchell penetrate, guys will have to hit these if they want to do some damage. And finally while the Celts didn't shoot lights out from the floor they were 26 of 27 from the line on the road, that is nails.
 
This team looks solid, and they play a fun brand of ball. I like the two big, 3 small lineup. Wish they still had a backcourt spark off the bench like Sexton, but clearly Utah liked him also. Worth it to get Mitchell.
 
wolves82 said:
This team looks solid, and they play a fun brand of ball. I like the two big, 3 small lineup. Wish they still had a backcourt spark off the bench like Sexton, but clearly Utah liked him also. Worth it to get Mitchell.
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Well, you have Love, who can score a point per minute played when he is hot. He can also pass well.

Rubio will be back before long, and he is a stabilizing presence when he's on the floor.
 
OldSoulon said:
Well, you have Love, who can score a point per minute played when he is hot. He can also pass well.

Rubio will be back before long, and he is a stabilizing presence when he's on the floor.
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Love is a huge defensive liability though, they drive right at him when he is on the floor. He needs to be hitting 3s to negate the lack of D or else it is best to sit him and go with the group they had on the floor last night during crunch time.

The primary negative for me right now is Okoro. Dude did have a decent +/- night against the Knicks but I sure wish he could hit 33% of his open 3s as he is getting fantastic looks. If he cannot do that he is basically worthless and might be a guy that gets traded for a 2nd rounder to create space for a cut vet trying to hook on to a contender.
 
Auggie said:
Love is a huge defensive liability though, they drive right at him when he is on the floor. He needs to be hitting 3s to negate the lack of D or else it is best to sit him and go with the group they had on the floor last night during crunch time.

The primary negative for me right now is Okoro. Dude did have a decent +/- night against the Knicks but I sure wish he could hit 33% of his open 3s as he is getting fantastic looks. If he cannot do that he is basically worthless and might be a guy that gets traded for a 2nd rounder to create space for a cut vet trying to hook on to a contender.
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You could see the Celtics pretty much just ignore Okoro when he was in last night and that completely throws the brakes on the Cavs offense when the opponent has a guy that can help double at any time.
 
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