Preseason kicked off tonight. One thing after watching. This team is YOUNG. Pretty fun to watch. Garland and porter look the part. Biggest complaint I have is Michael is no McLeod

Very young ... it’s going to be a year of learning and improving, but fun IMO

I'm out of market now, so definitely won't get to see many games. Was AC on the mic tonight? What was his demeanor when talking about McLeod? He was definitely crushed by his passing...

I tuned in late but he was AC. But the back and forth and rapport with Fred was really missing

I am actually looing forward. A couple of hot shot guards. A real rim protector, Love...we are going to be fun to watch....I am hopeful for our future prospects.

I think we are on to something.

We have the perfect coach for this team

j/c:

Did anyone see Zion's highlights tonight? Wow!

Cedi Osman should not be on this roster.

The guy is hot garbage.

he can make some plays that very few in the history of the game could honestly

has been since he's been in the league. They keep trying to polish that turd

He's the Cavs version of Matt LaPorta.

The problem with Cedi, he's a high-energy guy that can have a good/great game every 4th game. I think they're hoping he can be more consistent with better pieces around him. In the world championships recently, he had stinker, stinker, great game, stinker (if I remember correctly).

If the dudes we've drafted come around, he won't be getting much time.

I agree ... he’s a glue type guy with energy, but can’t be relied on consistently. Can’t ask him to do too much

He is a solid defender. That is probably his biggest value ... especially when we are planning a small guard system.

Cedi is a below average defender at best.

He had a -38 plus minus yesterday.

I won't be able to see many Cavs games this year. Others who don't live in NE Ohio will be in the same boat as me. I do want to talk about the NBA, however.

Should we create a NBA thread or should all of the talk be on here?

You can buy team only packages with league pass.

Thanks, but I don't want to. I just wanna know if it's cool to start a NBA thread?

For the 2018-19 season Cedi had a Real Defensive Plus-Minus of -3.59. Ranking him 80 out of 81 small forwards in the NBA.

http://www.espn.com/nba/statistics/rpm/_/page/2/sort/DRPM/position/5

Case and point.

yeah one thing Cedi will never be confused for is a good defender..I scream at him almost as much as his teammates do for being out of position

I think it can all be here.

I'm excited for the season to start. The Cavs will stink but that's okay for now. Questions:

1. How will Sexton and Garland coexist? Neither are pass-first PG's, so who has the ball?
2. Will someone come calling for Kevin? I think so, but that depends what is offered. Anyone interested won't have a lottery pick and we'll only get back trash to offset the contract leaving us. Kevin might be best served as the "face of the franchise" and then just accept being a big brother to the young guards (and losing, a lot).
3. Trade TT? He's actually got a movable contract, but is he motivated to be "2016 TT"?
4. Will Cedi be playing more than 25 minutes a night? If he is, we're in trouble.
5. Are we destined for last place or can we contend into March with an outside chance at an 8 seed?

Also, Zion is amazing. I worry if he'll stay on the court. Hope so, the league needs a fresh dominating face.

In terms of TT .. get rid of him as soon as we get a decent enough value. He’s overpaid and basically has no real future with the team and is a misfit in the current offensive systems

Thanks for answering.

Do you think people would be upset if I started an NBA thread? Some of these posts, [I will delete this part so as to not offend anyone. Let's just say that some of these takes on the Cavs are way out of bounds in my opinion.]

I would just like to talk basketball w/out all the crap.

This team is horribly built. Hey I know let’s draft another undersized guard. We need a legit center and cedi osman needs to go play in China . We can’t defend anything. We are undersized at every position on the floor except for Love. Gonna be a long season

So we’re 0-1 now ... we do see awfully undersized at the guard spots for defensive purposes

TT had a very good game.

That's not why they lost tonight. Offense was dumb and frenetic. Stupid plays. Need to play through Love more.

Garland actually impressed me. Lot of quick twitch to his game. Great shot. I expect him to get better over the course of the season.

Finally!

So naturally we just extended him for 4 years at 31 mil ....

According to ESPN he was +6 in the opener. He was the only Cavalier in + range. (there was one 0)

Cavaliers vs. Magic - Box Score - October 23, 2019 - ESPN
https://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=401160627

Did I see the score correctly?

Cavs are up 18 right now?

39 point 2nd quarter will do that. :-)

Tristan and Kevin playing like vets. Good for them.

TT got the first three of his career too.

They look good tonight. Moving the ball around well. Wish we could keep Brad Daugherty on the mic, loved listening to him.

I think everyone is going to like playing in Beileins offense. Really gets the bigs involved

Cedi will go down as the worst contract in history. ‘‘Tis dude doesn’t have an nBa game. Can’t dribble, shoot or defend

We struggle to defend from 3 positions. Pg/sg/sf. But Sexton and garland can score pretty much whenever they want

Whoa, just seeing the score ... go cavs!

Henson looks pretty good protecting that paint

Stuck with lineup with Dellavedova and porter too long

Not a shot at you lead, but nice to see a positive post. I want to frame it.

Good to see a Cavs win. Hopefully they surprise this year.

Anybody can have an off moment.

Tristan Thompson putting up 25 points and a three pointer, lead making positive posts, Cavs winning games. What's going on here?

I got to tell you guys...I'm impressed with Garland's raw talent. Just based on pure ability has a much higher upside than Sexton. A lot of natural ability there.

The team needs to run the offense through Love. They stopped doing that last night and gave up a big lead. Our guards don't seem to know how to make passes to the post.

That contract to Cedi? Wth was the team thinking.

Garland is silky while Sexton is a bull. They compliment each other well. It would be a lot better if one of them was 6’5-6. When cedi osman is your starting 3 and TT leads your team in scoring nothing makes sense.. lol we need a legit 3. Giving cedi that contract only exists in the same world that gave delly 34 million lol. I really hope Henson stays healthy. He showed his value on the defensive end.

It was also nice seeing the clips of Daugherty, Nance, and Price. Kosar and Price were my guys growing up. Like Price, I also went to GT. I once talked to a basketball coach there who coached Price. He said Price was so talented that he could rotate the ball cross threads in mid jump on his jumper. He said Kenny Anderson could make it full court in like four dribbles.

And of course Henson hurt again

Can we just keep the mid 90's unis?

I've always thought the wine and gold new unis are absolutely terrible.

Tough test tonight against the Bucks.

So far playing good in the 1st quarter.

Porter needs to be in dleague. He’s really bad right now. He needs to be playing major minutes. Just not up here

Really? Watching him, Garland, and Sexton I was thinking the future just might be bright.

Clarkson is either instant offense or instant offense killer.

They are making Kon-uh-ten look like an all-star.

I know it ... clarkson is so boom and bust

I like Porter, he’s just so raw.

Cavs have a hard time scoring when they need to.

That will make it a long season but hopefully where the young guys grow.

They don't really utilize Love. Would like to see him get moved to a contender. Makes sense for the Cavs and Love.

When Clarkson was on the Lakers he was a black hole.

I can see Love being moved, but he’s gotta stay healthy and perform well enough through January. If not, his contract is probably too much

The thing we complain about with the Browns is that we don't have any veterans who have won anything in the NFL, and no one to show the young players the way.

The Cavaliers have one guy who could be on the team next year who fits that role like a glove, (since Thompson and Delly, and their expiring deals will almost certainly be traded) and that's Kevin Love.

Indeed, but the 3 of them on the floor together is a defensive nightmare, and Porter can't really get consistency with his shot. really like Garland and Sexton. They could be the next dame/mccollum. Garland I think will follow Sexton's path last year.. he'll start to come on later in the year.. Right now he's still figuring out where he can get his shot. I will say I do like Beilein's style. They hustle and are active on defense even if they aren't very good yet. The effort is there. Im really not a fan of Clarkson, one minute you're like damn, nice shot/move, next its like have you ever played before?

That LONG contract shocked me. I underestimate his worth. But I see missed threes and poor defense mostly. He can be streaky, and I want every Cat to light it up. But, this is the star we want to chain the team to? Just puzzling to me.

I've changed my opinion and am in agreement with you on Porter after watching the game last night. I think D league would do him some good. Lot of raw ability though.

I agree with you on Garland too. He's going to come on toward the end of the year.

YTown, in terms of Love providing that veteran leadership that makes sense. However, I saw Love several times last night loaf on D and not get back, especially if the offensive possession resulted in him not touching the ball or missing a shot. He wasn't setting a very good example on the court at least.

I was able to watch tonight being in Chicago. That dunk by Sexton to push it to a 6-pt lead, wow! TT & Kevin we’re very good again. Porter had a great dunk too.

https://www.thescore.com/s/12271634
https://www.thescore.com/s/12271363

WoW!

Nice to see the young guys play well today.

2-2. Last year we were 1-11.

Cedi Osman has a PER below 8.
Delly is below 3.

Bold prediction. Cavs and Browns will be 4-5 on Nov 11th.

This team is so much better coached than last year. They are gritty and play with heart..I know they probably aren't going to win much, but they are fun to watch. This coach really has unlocked the potential in TT..he's playing like an all star right now. I think we are a legit 3 away from making some noise in the east

Last year in close games they would just fold every single time.

This year ( through four games ) they are playing hard.

I could see them winning 30-35 games.

Vegas has us at 24 wins... I'll go with the OVER.

Agree on the coaching. It's night and day and Beilein's holding guys accountable.

I was up at the game tonight and the atmosphere was great. Sexton's dunk was impressive.

The Cavs fought back several times throughout the game.

On a side note, the renovations to RM Field House are incredible. Attention to detail everywhere.

I sat in section 102, row 7, aisle seats. $18/ticket. I love non-Bron Bron Cavs ticket prices (granted this was a random Tuesday night game vs the lowly Bulls).

Nice win! I agree: this team is better than last year

I'm really hoping Winder comes in and unseats Cedi. I think thats what they are hoping too..lol. One thing i notice with Beilein, he doesn't let the ball stick..even notorious black holes like TT and Clarkson are passing now and its doing wonders for everyone.. Lebron would hate it here..lol

I don't think they are going to go over 24 wins, but if they make it competitive and the young guys improve over the course of the season, that will be a successful season.

I agree ... in terms of our record, a lot will depend on the schedule, when guys are injured or resting, etc.

I think we could reach 30 wins, but it’ll be between 25-30

My Celtics are off to a good start nice win over Milwaukee last night

A lot of our record will depend on who we ship off for other assets. Delly and TT could well be moved due to their expiring deals. Maybe Love gets moved for the right deal ... but I am less sure this will happen.

Young players also have trouble with the length of the schedule as much as the talent in the NBA. The NBA schedule is more than double that of a college team ..... and that's a huge adjustment.

I think that 25 wins is about right. I am really curious as to what this team will look like, from a maturity aspect and a roster basis, by the end of the season.

Celtics aren't going anywhere. Their roster is bleh.

Cavs on ESPN with Doris Burke and a 12-2 start. Nice.

Hmmm...am I wrong to say we have some real promising youngsters on this team?!

Tristan Thompson playing the best ball of his career.

Our Cavs are growing.

I think we do ... but we'll still be hard pressed to win 28-30 this season.

I will be interested to see what we do with guys like Tristan, Love, Clarkson, and Delly. 3 of these guys have expiring deals ..... and could be valuable in trades.

With a young roster and a coach fresh out of college I'll view 25-30 wins as progress.

He looks like he is a solid leader for this young squad. He is definitely in better shape and brings a lot of energy.

I only saw the fourth quarter of today's game but I was impressed with the defensive effort from everyone.

Cedi Osman and Delly looked like a Freddy Kitchens 4th down play call as always.

Osman....... +22 for the night.

He may have been +22 but I know about 11 of those 22 came in the 4th quarter when he was doing nothing.

I saw him miss a 3 and turn the ball over.

The Cavs having three wins is a testament to playing bad teams and Beilein's coaching. They have next to no winnable talent on the team. They have guys that may be ready in a few years, guys to get excited about, but they are pretty devoid of talent at this time. They have no consistent shot makers and really struggle to score on offense. The offense has little to no flow. Osman is a starter which is not a good sign talent-wise.

But I think Garland and Porter have a chance to be good. They show a lot of flashes.

Beilein is a fabulous coach and it’s showing here now too

Windler should be back this month. If he can hit the three consistently, that could open the floor up more.

He's doing a really good job with this group, they just gotta be a little better defensively, and they can become a really good team.

another good showing tonight...i think we have two major holes, 2 and 3 position, both on offense and being able to defend that. Our guards get destroyed. But man, Beilein really has these guys actually playing together..you can see there's a plan at both ends...been a decade since we've seen that

I'm fairly impressed with Beilein so far.

Yep, he’s so good at maximizing talent .. and his discipline/organization is so apparent

Next 10 aren't easy:

@Philadelphia
Miami
Philadelphia
@New York
@Miami
@Dallas
Portland
Brooklyn
Orlando
Milwaukee

NY and Orlando are W's? We'll see...

Does he know football?

Cavs fall by one in Philly ... really tough loss, but a great game and good battle

Remember in 2012, when I told you Lebron would return?

It’s 2019, I’ll tell you the same. These stories write themselves

3 years to build a winner

yeah lebron isn't coming back, and truthfully I don't think the cavs would want him back..he'll be old, expensive, inflexible with his contract demands. Unless he wants to sign a 1 day deal to retire a Cav. Just keep building and make something sustainable

He can go play and live in China. He seems to a fan...

I don't think he is either, other than as you said, to sign the one day thing and retire a Cav, if even that.

And that's fine. I think the organization wants to move on from it. They got their title. You'd never be able to get a guy like Beilein with Lebron in town. It just wouldn't work. Lebron wants to do his thing, and I think we figured out that any really good coach is going to do theirs. That's not a total knock on Lebron, because I think when it's set up nicely, it works.

I just want to see them keep developing young guys, and make smart moves at the deadline if they are there. There's no reason for this team to create horrible contracts that don't do anything. They may have to take on one to get an asset, but that's a different story.

Cavs are struggling where I said I thought they would in beginning. Garland, Sexton and Osman. Garland is a rookie, Sexton is too small to play the 2 and Osman is just hot garbage..Going to have to move one of the guards I think. They aren't getting it done on either end. You can tell Beilein is seeing it too, he's benched those 3 a few times this year because they've been so unproductive. Not sure why they gave Altman an extension..he hasn't made very good decisions lately. Going to be a long year if we don't make some moves to get more production out of those 3 spots. Garland gets a pass like sexton did last year. Both rookies and both coming off injuries, it'll take some time. I'd almost send Garland and porter down to dleague and let them get some confidence and conditioning, They absolutely need to trade Love, his value in a trade far exceeds what he's giving us short term. He really isn't the guy you want for a rebuild and he deserves to be playing on a winner. I think you need to blow it up all the way and shed all the big contracts if you're planning on building a winning young team ala Philly.

Just remember there was a report that the Cavs had an opportunity to trade up and take Luka Doncic at the third pick, but they chose to take Sexton instead.

Ouch.

I'm with lead...not sure why Altman was extended.

well its explained easily..lol, this is the same team that decided that Griffin wasn't worth the extension and TT was worth 15mil/year..lol. I wonder if the Altman extension was simply trying to maintain some continuity while Gilbert recovers. He's notorious for not keeping GM's very long

j/c...

The problem with all the talent being out west. The rest of the country is in bed and not watching...

the cavs aren't very fun to watch right now..they need a stick of dynamite and get rid of guys like Love/TT. I'd use Garland as bait to get a legit wing..team isn't very balanced.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ap-source-cavs-trade-clarkson-004008019.html


AP Source: Cavs to trade Clarkson to Jazz for Exum, picks

Associated Press
TOM WITHERS, Associated Press•December 23, 2019

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jordan Clarkson wasn't going to be a part of Cleveland's future. Now he's in the past.

The Cavaliers agreed Monday night to trade Clarkson to the Utah Jazz for guard Dante Exum and two future second-round draft picks, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

Cleveland will get a pick in 2022 and one in 2023, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not yet had the required conference call with the NBA to approve the swap.

The deal came together shortly before the Jazz played in Miami and the Cavs hosted Atlanta. Clarkson warmed up on the floor at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse before he was informed of the trade.

Clarkson figured to be on his way out of Cleveland. He's in the final year of his contract and had been coming off the bench behind Collin Sexton and rookie Darius Garland, a backcourt the Cavs hope to keep together for years.

Clarkson, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018, scored a season-high 33 points in his final game for the Cavs on Friday. The 27-year-old is averaging 14.6 points, 2.4 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 29 games this season.

The Cavs are rebuilding and want to give as much playing time as they can to Sexton and Garland as well as rookie Kevin Porter Jr., one of their three first-round picks this year.

Exum had fallen out of Utah's rotation and the Jazz had been looking to move the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 draft. The native of Australia is averaging just 2.2 points and 7.5 minutes this season.

Cleveland has been successful in developing young players and will try to do the same with the 24-year-old Exum, who has battled injuries and has two years left on his contract. He'll make $9.1 million this season and next.

This is the third trade between Cleveland and Utah in the past three years. Previous deals involved Rodney Hood and Kyle Korver.

Don't like this trade, Clarkson would pull a first closer to deadline..he's one of the best bench scorers in the league. Exum has been a bust and second rounders in NBA are close to worthless...I think they should have held out longer

I'm not a big fan of Altman.

Has he made one good decision since he's taken over?

Altman is trash, but he's a yes man for Gilbert..Who drafts 2 pgs in the first round back to back

I watch them in spite of myself. Habit more than passion.

Man, that sucks. I was looking forward to seeing him develop alongside our other young guys.

Kyrie is so trash.

Tristan Thompson has been thrown out of the game for slapping Jae Crowder on the behind while he walked by.

An odd week for slapping ass in Cleveland sports

John Henson makes the second free throw that Tristan Thompson didn’t take, as he committed Simple Battery while he was the free throw shooter
https://twitter.com/FearTheSword/status/1218364200029949952

j/c...

Damian Lillard is a joy to watch.

Lillard is one of my favorite guys in the league

j/c:

Gave up next to nothing for Drummond. Drummond has a player option for 2020-21.

And no team can pay him more than Cleveland. Not sure that is a good thing, however.

Could be part of sign-and-trades too.

Can he play Left Tackle?

Maybe, but he'd hate taking a significant pay cut to play in the NFL!

Pistons trying to avoid that player option.

We still have a basketball team?

Absolutely.

Also, a post-up center is all but dead in today's NBA.

I won't be surprised if he opts in with Cavs, because I'm not sure he sees that kind of money from another team in 2020-21.

He'd probably not get $28m/year, but he'd get a bigger total contract value by opting out and signing elsewhere (3 years @ $50M for example).

Also, and as much as it pains me to say it, he wouldn't have to play in Cleveland either.

Something tells me we'd have plans to trade TT or Kevin today, right?

Cavs may buyout TT per Windy.

Doesn't look like Love is going anywhere or that they were able to move him.

I was hoping they'd get something for TT. He's been playing out of his mind this season. I'd imagine a few contenders need a guy they can put on the floor and not worry about (play a bit of D, get your rebounds and clean up a few putbacks).

Never mind...

Altman is an idiot..he's going to set this team back so many years.. You take what you can for TT, you don't just let him walk...good god. They really should have moved Sexton if you are going to trade for Drummond(i like this trade) Sexton is about the worst possible Guard to play with a ball dominant big

His contract was such a joke.

Sounds like he is pumped to come to Cleveland!

He'll love it once he hears Ahmaad Crump boom into the mic.....

"ANDREEEEEEE DRUUUUUUUMMOOOOOND!!!!"

I'm actually pretty interested to see how Drummond fits into the team structure. Giving up Henson, Knight, and the worst of our 2nd round picks is not a steep price at all.

It's like getting a look at a quality big for next to nothing.

Looks like he's bringing some real positivity with him.

Lmao yeah, welcome to Cleveland

The trade for drummond was great..he's that dominant big we've needed. But we needed to do more, we don't have a nba quality 2 or 3. Our guards are REALLY bad defensively and Sexton isn't a guy who's going to share the ball. Drummond/sexton can't be on floor together...now drummond/garland could be a dynamic duo for years

I think that Drummond can also be effective with Love, as well.

I do see difficulties with him and Sexton on the floor together, but hopefully Coach can figure it out.

It probably won't happen, but either Love or TT would make a lot of sense for Houston.

You mean the same Sexton that leads the team in scoring and steals?

clear case of stats are for losers...actually watch the games..sexton gets abused in team defense...leading this team in steals isn't saying much...this is a very bad defensive team, and as far as scoring...he's a ball hog...its clear coach is letting him do it, but sexton isn't efficient. He doesn't distribute. He's a great guy off the bench ala clarkson to get buckets on his own, but in team offensive sets he's going to clog up the works.. That won't work with a guy like drummond.. Altman was an idiot for drafting 2 pg's back to back

We have uniforms and everything...

j/c...

In other words:

Andre Drummond knows he wouldn't get more than a one year deal in free agency because the league doesn't value players like him anymore.

he's a 26 year old double double machine...I like the idea of having him long term

I also like that Drummond is a solid passer.

"My excitement is genuine, I'm really happy to be here. The (Cavs) record, it doesn't faze me. I know I can do a lot of things here to help us improve and get ready for the next season."

@AndreDrummond
is prepared for take-off in Cleveland

https://twitter.com/cavs/status/1226562022453710859


Center Of Attention
All-Star Big Man Andre Drummond is Prepared for Take-Off in Cleveland

BY JOE GABRIELE (@CAVSJOEG)
2/8/20 | CAVS.COM
All year, the Cavaliers have been celebrating their 50th season and honoring some of their all-time great players and eras. Many of the key players from the past were members of the “Miracle of Richfield” squad.

To a man, they’ll tell you that the player that took their squad from a scrappy crew to a true contender was center Nate Thurmond. If you need further proof, look to the rafters the next time you visit Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Thurmond – a Hall of Fame big man – wasn’t in Cleveland long, but it was long enough for the Akron native to change the trajectory of the franchise forever.

The comparisons to Cleveland’s acquisition of Thurmond to the Cavs’ Deadline Deal steal this past Thursday – nabbing All-Star center Andre Drummond in exchange for Brandon Knight, John Henson and a future second rounder – doesn’t align perfectly.

Thurmond was on his career’s back nine while the 26-year-old Drummond is in squarely his prime. Thurmond arrived in early November; Drummond just before the All-Star Break. And these Cavs aren’t quite on the cusp of Playoff contention like Bill Fitch’s 1975-76 squad was. (But that could all change, too.)

The Cavaliers came into the Deadline having dropped 12 of their last 13 games – including a Wednesday night thriller in OKC – but there’s a distinctly different vibe heading into the final two games before the break. Heading into the second half, things suddenly feel less like a re-build … and more like a build.

”It's just that, sometimes, it's one guy; it's like if you add a great clean-up hitter or a great leadoff hitter,” beamed Coach John Beilein. “There's just that one thing that just changes the whole dynamic. And we hope that's what happens.”

Beilein inherits the game’s most dominant rebounder and the top traditional center in the Eastern Conference.


The 26-year-old leads the league in total rebounds per game (15.5), offensive rebounds per game (4.6), defensive rebounds per game (11.2), double-doubles (42), double-digit rebound games (10), games of 15-plus rebounds (28), 20-rebounds games (12), 15-point/15-rebound games (22), 20-point/20-rebound games (9).

Over a three-day, two-game period against our beloved Cavaliers early last month, the man averaged 25.5 points and 21.5 rebounds.

But Drummond has more in common with the Cavaliers than punishing them in the low post four times a year. He’s got an existing relationship with five-time All-Star Kevin Love.

”Dre's a guy I've known for a long time, we have the same agent,” said Love. “He plays extremely hard and has crazy production, so he's going to be – along with T-Top, Larry and myself – it’s going to be a pretty formidable frontcourt.

”We're going to be able to make a lot of good things happen, rebound the ball at a high clip – and then we have a number of skill guys that can play different ways. So, it makes us more competitive. We add an All-Star-level player to the team and it definitely looks good.”

”Kevin and I have a great relationship,” said Drummond. “When the trade came through, he was the first person to call me and truly was ecstatic to have me here, because we both were talking about how we didn't know what was going to happen at the Trade Deadline. So to be here with him, someone I've had relationship with for a long time was great.”

Love’s game, like Thompson’s and Nance’s, will be altered with the arrival of Drummond. For starters, the man who scored a career-high 35 points against him last month – Tristan Thompson – will be back to a reserve role.

”Roles change -- throughout the course of the season, throughout your career,” shrugged Thompson after Friday’s practice. “At the end of the day, control what you can control, which is when your number is called, be ready to play. And I'm ready for whatever position coach puts me in, to be myself and however I can help this team win more ballgames. That's all that matters to me.”

Drummond’s numbers are staggering.

He’s posted 402 double-doubles since 2012-13 and has 81 20-plus rebound games since then. He’s on pace to lead the league in rebounding for the fourth time and in total rebounds for the sixth consecutive season.

After playing in 60 games in his rookie season, Drummond’s never played fewer than 78 games in any year since.

"My excitement is genuine, I'm really happy to be here. The (Cavs) record, it doesn't faze me. I know I can do a lot of things here to help us improve and get ready for the next season."

Cavaliers center Andre Drummond

The Cavaliers were able to land Drummond and his prolific production without having to sacrifice an iota of their molecular structure. John Henson and Brandon Knight were nice players and good guys, but they combined for just over 650 minutes of floor time this season.

It’ll also be interesting to see how the addition of Drummond will affect the Cavaliers’ young backcourt of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. on both ends of the floor. More rebounds leads to more run-outs. On the defensive end, they can pressure the ball knowing what’s behind them.

With the guards, the young guards, I'm definitely looking forward to working with them and shedding some insight both on offense and defense,” said Drummond. “I was given some film on them today, to sit on and really watch how they play, so I know what I'm working with, but I think really helped him out.

”Communication is definitely gonna be huge with them. I know they're young and still learning, but if I can help them get past that curve a little bit early, I think we'll be very good.”

Fans won’t have long to wait. The Andre Drummond Era begins in Cleveland on Sunday night when the Clippers roll into town. The Cavs and Pistons have wrapped up their season series, but we’re still going to see a motivated big man for the final 30 contests.

There’s a feeling that things are about to turn around. And Drummond definitely delivered that vibe as the Wine & Gold geared up on Saturday afternoon.

”You know, for me, just coming to an organization that wants me to be here, that's what it really boils down to,” said Drummond. “My excitement is genuine, I'm really happy to be here. The (Cavs) record, it doesn't faze me. I know I can do a lot of things here to help us improve and get ready for the next season.

”It doesn't faze me because I see a bright future here in Cleveland. You know, the young guys here are really, really good. And with the addition of myself and Kevin being healthy, I think we can do really special things here.”

https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/features/drummond-arrive-200208

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/john-...rs-per-reports/

John Beilein's first season as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers has gone about as bad as it possibly could so far. With a dismal 14-40 record, Cleveland is currently in the Eastern Conference's basement, and several veterans, including 2016 champions Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, have reportedly tried to orchestrate mid-season exits. Now, things are looking even grimmer for Cleveland's coach. The Cavaliers are unlikely to bring him back next season, according to a report by Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.

At one point, the timeline was even shorter. Beilein and the team discussed potentially stepping down during the All-Star Break, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, and a final decision is expected to come down within the next 24-48 hours. No agreement has been reached at this point in time. Beilein is in the first year of a five-year contract with the Cavaliers.

A number of factors have reportedly led to Beilein's miserable season in Cleveland. He helmed one of the best programs in college basketball at Michigan, so losing at this level is obviously a stark contrast. His son Patrick also resigned from his position as head coach at Niagra for what has been called "personal reasons," and that has reportedly weighed on the elder Beilein as well.

Adding to the tension was controversy earlier this season in which Beilein accidentally called his players "thugs" during a film session. He explained that he meant to say slugs, and he apologized to his players, but the damage was likely done. Such an incident likely left a lasting impact on the locker room.

Cleveland cycles through coaches faster than any other team in the NBA. Beilein is the team's sixth since LeBron James left in free agency for the first time in 2010. No Cavs coach has lasted more than three full seasons since, including Ty Lue, who won a championship for them in 2016. Gilbert is just as hard to please when it comes to general managers. Koby Altman is the first one that he has ever granted a contract extension to.

Beilein was hired ostensibly to help develop an extremely young Cleveland roster, but former lottery picks Collin Sexton and Darius Garland have been largely underwhelming together this season. Whether that duo can work together for the long haul remains to be seen, but in all likelihood, it looks as though that determination will be made by a new head coach.

I didn't mind us hiring a college coach. I just wasn't sure about that college coach.

Nothing Koby Altman has done has been good.

Yet he seems to escape criticism.

That's what I don't understand.

2016 happened. It buys that entire franchise a decade of horrible decisions in a row.

Koby has not been good, but Dan Gilbert is the reason Beilein was hired.

The article in The Athletic from Shams, Jason Lloyd and Kelsey Russo that released during the ASG makes me think a parting of the ways may happen before their next game is played.

The Cavs will be on their 6th head coach in 7 years! That'd even make Haslam blush (or impressed)!

If it weren't for LeBron James rescuing the team Dan Gilbert would be viewed nearly the same as Haslam.

100%.

We are lucky Bron Bron was born in Akron and decided to return.

Yeah only thing gilbert has going for him is he isn't scared to spend, but he's put together a crap of a FO. Altman needs to be replaced as much as Beilein does.. who drafts two undersized PG's back to back with very little tape in college. I feel Beilein could have been a better coach with more to work with, but I def. understand moving on from him. JB is ready to step in and I think players will relate to him more as he has NBA experience. But we can't keep squandering lottery picks. Holding on to TT and not taking anything for him and just letting him walk is a fireable offense. Especially after trading for drummond. TT was having a career year, his value would never be higher and we won't get anything for him when he walks at the end of year.

How many bigs who are not real 3 and D types were traded at the deadline (or near it even) this year? Drummond ..... and who? I can't really think of any. There's a reason we got Drummond for our worst 2nd rounder and a pair of guys who were not going to be here long term. What was the market for TT? Where was the market for TT?

From what I was hearing, Houston had a deal in place for him and Cavs kept insisting on a first round pick. What do you mean TT not 3 and D, haven't you seen him stroking them from long range this season

He does have, what ..... 10 in his career? lol

Are you suggesting that a 2nd round pick would be worth a lot to the Cavaliers? TT might be most valuable as a sign and trade candidate.

J/c

It seems to me he totally lost the team with the “thugs” comment. He’s gone.

Depends if a sign and trade is feasible, he could take less to go play on a contender. Only reason to do sign and trade at this point is to get that 5th year. A 2nd at this point is better than what we currently have. I hate NBA contracts.. From what I've read, both Love and TT were trying to get out of dodge by deadline. Love has been a HUGE disappointment. That contract of his is another Altman blunder imo. Thats a lot of money for a part time player

I think it was obviously a bad fit before that, that probably sealed it. But his defense, he's trying to polish quite a few turds.

Officially out.... bickerstaff now the coach

j/c...

Only lasted 54 games on his 4 year deal...

j/c:

I don't know what went on in Cleveland, but I do know that Beilein is a very good coach who has a lot of respect w/most basketball people.

My first impression is that his release is more of an indictment on NBA players rather than him.

Probably calling the players "a bunch of thugs" in the locker room didn't really help much.

Slugs! He meant slugs!

Reports from Jason Lloyd were also that his son’s firing at Niagara was taking a toll on him.

Yeah, I heard Lloyd on the radio this morning discussing it.

Maybe, but it sounds to me this was just a bad fit for everyone. An ancient coach using a college model with pro athlete's mixed with a ton of losing.

Break it up and move on.

I still think this is a good job, not a great one, but good. They're going to have a high pick in the draft. TT's salary will be gone, Drummond may sign on for one year, Kevin's contract should be tradeable next season and the guards are decent (they aren't fitting well with each other, but that can change).

I think we have a problem with the "veteran" leadership on this team...its not good. He'll I'd even go so far as to say that it was a big reason he decided to leave.. guys like porter/sexton/garland all within his wheelhouse and are the same age he was used to coaching, guys like Love/TT have been drama and seem to be uncoachable. Hope JB does well, but his past isn't anything that would make you believe he will. We need a Van Gundy

Forgot that his son was also fired

Absolutely. Between Love openly pouted on the court multiple times this year, T.T. screaming at Beilein in the huddle, reports were surfacing 10 days into Beilein's tenure that "some players" weren't buying into his coaching style and that he had no idea how to adapt the NBA game.

Looking back, I'd say the vets never bought in from the beginning.

This was probably best for both parties to move on.

It seems that hiring a 67 year old white coach with no NBA experience to coach a bunch of young black guys (and Kevin Love) was not a wise choice.

Bingo.

Koby Altman is a disaster.

Yeah, passing on extending David Griffin to take on Altman instead is almost as bad as the rumor that the Cavs passed on trading up to draft Luka Doncic.

The hire reeks of Dan Gilbert.

It was a Gilbert hire.

Get 'em Chuck...

Yep, chuck was spot on and echoed what i said earlier, our "veteran" players are the problem, and we have crap talent on this team thanks to altman. Gilbert needs to get rid of everyone and hire a team builder type GM and get out of the way.

why would we take Doncic when we obviously needed another undersized PG with no college experience

I think I brought up earlier that he was a very highly regarded coach according to the guys I know who were BB coaches themselves.

I also agree w/Chuck about the Cavs' players looking really, really bad in this situation.

It's disgraceful.

Have to say something, I have long agreed with Charles.

Shame on every Cavalier walking through that door, show some respect

No longer will we cavalierly go though the motions, can’t do it

We aren’t that good

Watching the Dayton Flyers play. I would live to see the Cavs get Obi Toppin next season. He would bring the team length and athleticism. I think he could be a really good 3 in the NBA.

Don't look now, but the Cavaliers have won 3 of their last 4.

I was going to post the exact same thing tonight. He is 6’9” 220lbs, he would immediately slide into the 3 spot, and then we might really have something. Especially if Garland and Porter progress in the last 25 games or so like Sexton did last season.


Anyone see Porter’s late 3’s last night, the place was going crazy? He’s starting to come around in his last 15 games or so.

Good article on Garland and Porter:

https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2020/02/k...t-for-them.html

They played well last night too!

Also, came back from down 19 to win it in OT.

KPJ had a nice game.

Very nice game

...and against Miami, who thumped us hard the previous game.

I'd like to pass Atlanta, NY, Detroit and Charlotte in the east by seasons end.

Game on 2-24 shocked me. I turned it after I saw us getting carpet bombed at will with 3's. A barrage! Then later saw we tied iy up for overtime. Ugly ball, but winning is better. The coach quits and we are on fire.

Go, Cavs!

It’s like Major League for basketball

Cavaliers have now won 4 of their last 5.

Wire to wire win over the Sixers.

Look out 8th seed.

The whole league will be shifting away from "Small Ball" to the Cavs new "Big Ball" by next season. #BookIt #TheEastStillRunsThroughCleveland

It’s Alive ... It’s Alive

dear lord.. we were in a position to get one more top 4 draft pick. Of course, we would mess this up. smh. We need to shut this down before they actually really screw it up.

There are 24 games left and we would have to win 20 of them to actually have a shot at the playoffs. We have a core to be good next year. this season was lost before it started.

yeah, its time to shut it down.. we gain nothing by continuing to try to win right now.. this team needs a lot to be competitive. Tank and get the odds and hopefully a franchise player.

Back to the L train last night

Some of our starters are part of these losses. We might consider adding a coach and a solid core player or two. We will need to part ways with a few regulars to turn it around. Patch players are not getting it done.

Can this one. Flush all the attitudes. Rinse. Repeat.

We have some really nice young players.

We lost to the Pelicans, who are starting to play much better as Zion got healthy enough to play.

The Cavaliers are not a complete team yet. That said, Sexton is turning into quite a scorer, and Porter Jr and Garland look like nice pieces again.

It turned out that the Beilein experiment was a total bust, but I like Bickerstaff, and it looks like the team is responding to him.

Garland has had some nice moments, I agree. You hate to keep saying it, but we’re a few drafts away from being competitive.

We'll see what happens. If we have another nice draft this year ..... who knows?

I wish we would have been able to get a look at Windler this year. He is supposed to be a really good shooter, as well as a solid rebounder. I think he can provide solid depth, with possible starting potential. (health permitting)

If he is able to play, and be what he should be able to become, the 2019 draft would be viewed as an outstanding draft for the Cavs.

We definitely need to hit on our draft pick this season. We have made so many trades that it's hard to keep track of what picks we do/don't have.

I can agree with that. I have liked what I have seen in Nance. Sexton and Garland have started to get real solid, and I enjoy watching Porter, too. Some of the bricks are killing us, and a few teams have had some great shooting outside that we seem to be unable to stop.

Better D. But we seem to be running harder and hustling more. WIP (Work In Progress). Coach B One leaving helped. Coach B Two seems to be an upgrade. This not a season to remember IMO.

So let’s rehash, Kevin Love is upset he is being paid too much in Cle?

Appreciate the defensive footwork during crunch time. If you don’t want to be overpaid, let’s find a settlement. You were paid to be a leader.

We need to focus on players that want to be here, and lead.

Yeah, I can understand his frustration, but it’s getting old. If we could find someone to take his contract and give us a decent return that’d be perfect

Tough night for the Cavs tonight, missing Drummond, Tristan, and Garland, against a fully healthy Jazz team.

Yeah, it was a pretty slim chance last night. Utah is good too

time of year the so called vets coast and malinger. Its good for us in the long run, get extended look at youngsters, play with lineups and sets and get a better idea of what you truly need for next year

Cavs are going to mess around and make ticket prices go back up!

Fun Fact from Fox STO: Last time the Cavs had 4 players with double-doubles was 3/24/90 when Price, Daugherty, Nance Sr. and Hot-Rod Williams did it.

Delly with 25 assists in these past two games.

Cavs had 60 rebounds tonight.

Nice win on the second game of a back-to-back.

7 guys in double digits scoring tonight.

This is a cool story...

This seems kinda quick.

What's the rush?

Koby Altman is awful. I don't trust a single thing that guy does.

I thought the same thing.

He's done a decent job so far, but would have been nice to see what our other options would've been.

Sexton is becoming a star. Altman appears to have hit pretty well on both Garland and Porter Jr. I think that the Drummond trade was a good one.

Rebuilding a team after Lebron James ditches you is tough work. After he left the 1st time around, after a 61 win season, we won 19, 21, 24, and 33 games. Lebron returned, and we instantly made a huge jump. He left, we went back into the dumper. Amazing how that works.

Altman has been here for what ..... 3 years? What makes you think that he has been "awful"?

Dan Gilbert is like Jimmy Haslam. They don't let contracts get in their way. Gilbert will fire him six weeks into the season next year if he's not pleased.

Tough loss in Chicago tonight, with Tristan, Garland, and Porter Jr all on the bench, and with Mooney and McKenzie getting a combined 34 minutes.

Cavs shot only 25% from 3 point range.

To make matters worse, the Cavs were +4.5 and lost by 5.

I think the Cavs have been playing better with Garland out and Delly in the lineup. He's been productive getting more minutes.