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Episode 162: Halfway There
37 Plays1 month ago
The Cavs head into the 2nd half of the season and continue inconsistent play with wins against the 76ers and a lopsided loss to the Thunder. Alex and Corey take a look at the games and discuss what they liked and didn't like on both sides of the court.
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Transcript
Episode Kickoff & New Year Greetings
00:00:16
Speaker
Hey, Cavs fans, welcome to the Cavs Pick and Roll podcast, the podcast for diehard fans by diehard fans. I'm Alex and I'm here with Corey. What's going on, Corey? Hey, Alex. It is our first episode in 2026. Happy New Year.
00:00:31
Speaker
And we are now officially into the second half of the season. Lots to get into. Lots to talk about. um Alex, they're at the halfway point.
00:00:43
Speaker
It's kind of crazy that this season is already halfway over. Yeah, yeah. Happy New Year to
Mid-Season Reflections on Cavs' Performance
00:00:48
Speaker
you. Merry Christmas. yeah just Just real quick, did you get any Cavs gear for Christmas? I think I think i think I only got like one shirt this year. It was kind of kind of sad this year, to be honest with you.
00:01:00
Speaker
ah Not very much. Not very much. Just like the Cavs. Kind of sad. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. What about you? I was wondering that shirt was new, but you said that that poster hanging up back there I got for Christmas.
00:01:12
Speaker
It's kind of hard to make out. What is it? it's It says defend the land. Go Cavs. it got the finals script on it. Oh, okay. Yeah, can't see it very well back there over here in the corner. but Very cool. Yeah, and right next to it is my plaque, the the championship plaque where they were selling the little blocks of the championship court.
00:01:33
Speaker
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You showed that off before. That's cool. That's cool. You need like a spotlight over that thing, man, to be shining down so you can see it when you come down.
Key Game Analyses: Christmas & MLK Matches
00:01:41
Speaker
Have it play some some music. Yeah, yeah.
00:01:45
Speaker
You also are, are what do you what are you drinking, Alex, tonight? Oh, night yeah. I got to show off the ah Easy Buckets Pale Ale. This is from ah Great Lakes. It's the official beer of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
00:01:58
Speaker
Very cool. It's good. It's a good, ah good light, crisp IPA. Founded at the disc local discount drug mart. it' a good name. Easy buckets. It's easy drinking. Easy drinking. Easy buckets. I like it.
00:02:13
Speaker
I like it. If only the Cavs could get easy buckets. If only the Cavs get easy buckets, we might have a few more wins, Alex. We might have a few more wins. So there's a lot of topics that we were talking about. We want to get into and we'll get into on this episode, but we got to talk some of the recent games, um probably the second best day of the year if you're a basketball fan, just in general.
00:02:39
Speaker
ah Just happened, Alex. MLK Day, right? It's kind of similar to Christmas where where games start at noon and they go all the way to what? Whatever time in the middle of night on the West Coast, you know, wherever the last game was. So it's just, you know, seven hours of basketball. It's eight hours of basketball, whatever it is.
00:02:56
Speaker
And um the Cavs played on Christmas Day, right? they they They lost to the Knicks. We talked about that. They had another shot on MLK Day, but this time against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
00:03:09
Speaker
They were at home in Cleveland, Alex, but the Thunder are a pretty good basketball team. They did win championship last year. And this was going to be a tough matchup for the Cavs, I think, no matter what.
00:03:21
Speaker
And the game did not work out in our favor. What stood out to you from this game? Was it just simply were we were outmanned or was it more than that? ah Man, it was it was a lot of things. I don't know what it is with this team, but it...
00:03:39
Speaker
It just seems like people are lost, like on both offense and defense. I don't know what else to say other than it looked like Oklahoma City looked like ah an NBA team and the Cavs looked like they were playing in the rec league.
00:03:57
Speaker
Like they just look so disconjointed. oh man, I don't know what what the what their deal is. It's it's crazy. yeah. But before we get too deep into it, I did want to shout out the, uh, Judith Hill, the singer they had, uh, that did the player intros for the Cavs MLK day. I thought that was really cool that they did that. And she like saying the players names as they were introduced.
00:04:22
Speaker
I thought it was really neat. Had, uh, Yeah, hit you right in the feels. Yeah, yeah. I really enjoyed it. It was something different. It was something different for sure. and um um I wouldn't be surprised if other games had special tributes and things like that going on.
00:04:38
Speaker
Just, again, a great day for for basketball fans in general. And, and yeah, it allows it allows the teams and orgs to do something a little bit different. And and Cleveland took advantage and and did a good job with bringing her in.
00:04:50
Speaker
um So, yeah, good good call out there. As far as the game, it was it was a weird game because we were totally outmatched, but we were somehow in it for for a bit. For a bit. Yeah.
00:05:05
Speaker
We
Thunder Game Struggles & Team Dynamics
00:05:06
Speaker
got start We started to get down, and then we get back into it, and I thought it was to runaway game by the by the by the second quarter, and somehow you know we're only down five going in the second quarter, right? um We get down double digits, but then we would get, you know, under double digits again and so on and so forth.
00:05:22
Speaker
Second a half, a little bit of a different story. The Cavs were totally playing behind the the whole way. I that. i do feel that Man, we're going to talk about Garland and the injury and everything like that. Having Garland definitely would have helped for sure.
00:05:42
Speaker
i think the Cavs still would have lost that game though. And that's the that's that's the problem when we have gone up against some of these teams. They're just on another level. They're just on another tier than what the Cavs are this year.
00:05:54
Speaker
which speaks why they are where they're at with their standings, the number of, you know, wins and losses, just their inconsistent play. Like they're just, they're not one of those elite teams this year. They're just not.
00:06:06
Speaker
And playing against the Thunder, just, just prove that, you know, I feel like they could be an elite team. I don't understand why they're not.
00:06:17
Speaker
and i don't want to say it's just injuries. Like, I'm tired of saying it, too. It's like the third year of saying injuries. I don't get it Yeah. But they did say... It's nearly the same team as it was last season that kicked everyone's butt. I mean... Yeah.
00:06:33
Speaker
What is it? it did They did say before that... I'm pretty sure it was before that game, or maybe it was the second Philly game. I don't remember. But we played what 44 games, 45 games or whatever it is Again, little bit past the halfway point here.
00:06:46
Speaker
The Cavs have had 23 different starting lineups going into that game, which was tied for first in the NBA. That's absolutely insane. Insanity. Yeah. Right.
00:06:57
Speaker
And this team has a lot of talent and they still had Donovan Mitchell play, arguably still a top 10 player in the league. Evan Mobley play, Jared Allen play. Like they, they, they still had some nice players playing in this game.
00:07:09
Speaker
And the thunder is just one of those teams where, you know, you don't, you see them twice a year when, when the cows play them and stuff, unless you're really paying attention to them, you look at that roster and,
00:07:21
Speaker
And I'm just like, there's not a lot of household names there, but they just, they understand how to play together. They gel, they play together as a team. And, um, it, it really, sh it's like night and day. Like you were saying, like versus watching the Cavs who look like, yeah, they were in a, they're a rec ball club. They look like they were in a different league than what the thunder were.
00:07:42
Speaker
And it's just frustrating, Alex, because it's not the exact same team, but it's it's 80, 80, 85 percent the same team it was last year. Ty Jerome takes up 10 percent of that. yeah I'll give I I'll give a curl five percent.
00:07:59
Speaker
Yeah. Ty Jerome takes up 10 percent. And ah just a lot of other things just aren't clicking this year in general. And some of some of it is the new bodies that you brought in to replace those players as well.
00:08:11
Speaker
Yeah. like Like you said, it's it's just really frustrating and I can't pinpoint, you know, what the problem is. I think it's a lot. It's just a lot of problems. It's a lot of different things. Like you said, that Oklahoma City game, the Cavs got down early and then the whole rest of the game, they're trying to catch up. Right. And then it was the game. It never felt like it was out of reach.
00:08:34
Speaker
They were always within striking distance. They're down, you know, seven, eight A three-pointer here, three-pointer there, and and you know it's we're we're back in it. but And then it gets to the fourth quarter, right?
00:08:46
Speaker
And they outscore us 45-25. They just turned it on, and we just kept turning the ball over, turning the ball over, making a bad pass. Missing easy buckets.
00:08:58
Speaker
ah I lost count how many times the Cavs brought the ball down court
Impact of Injuries & Mitchell's Challenges
00:09:05
Speaker
and Mitchell shoots a long contested three ball and breaks it.
00:09:09
Speaker
I think Mitchell went one for nine from three. It's just frustrating. It's like, why are you doing that? Pass the ball around. Move. Cut.
00:09:20
Speaker
Pass to the back. you know Do something other than run down court, shoot a quick three. like That's not working. It might work last season when guys were rebounding, but Mobley and Allen also have not been re rebounding very well all season.
00:09:37
Speaker
Yeah, and mitch Mitchell had an off game. i mean Teams are s starting to the blitz him pretty pretty hard. When you don't have Garland out there, ah who's another ball handler, another guy that can score any which way, it it makes it pretty obvious who... who the Cavs' main ball handler is going to be, who's going to be taking the most shots, and and teams are starting to blitz him as as a result, um which is going to make it more frustrating for him. right hes He knows he has to carry a bigger load this season, and and he he he's been doing that for for much of the season.
00:10:11
Speaker
But as it continues to go on, I mean, that can't be the expectation or the way to to win these games. and need other players to step up, and some have. We're going to talk about that. Jalen Tyson had a huge game, the game before this, right?
00:10:24
Speaker
Career-high game in Philly. um But Alex, yeah, you nailed it there in the beginning of that. The Cavs did not take care of the ball. 21 turnovers to only 11 for the Thunder.
00:10:36
Speaker
um Just a lot of careless mistakes. um that That led to points for for the Thunder, right? You're giving away free baskets. So the Cavs just did not look ready, did not look prepared, did not look hungry enough in that game.
00:10:52
Speaker
um That is a game where they are the underdog. Nobody's expecting them to win that game realistically. But it's also a great opportunity to to make a point, a statement, if you will, that could have been a statement game if the Cavs could have somehow figured out how to be competitive and and and steal that game. at Even at home, would be stealing a game against the the former champs.
00:11:17
Speaker
They didn't do that. It is what it is. It's done. You can't powwow about it. You got to move forward and figure out you know what to do the next game. They have a little bit of an easier opponent, Alex, against the Charlotte Hornets, but they have lost to them as well.
00:11:29
Speaker
They lost to the Hornets ah two times ago when they faced them. And that's that's the problem with this team is is some nights they look brilliant. Since we've recorded, Alex, they've had some nice wins in in this in this stretch over the last 15 games or so. And they have been overall playing better, but they also have had some really
Inconsistent Performances & Key Wins
00:11:50
Speaker
poor games. And that game against the Thunder, it was just, it was an egg. It was a stinker. Yeah, yeah and that's that's the last one, the last game that we saw. That's the game that's fresh in my mind. And it brings back all that frustration, even though i was super pumped.
00:12:05
Speaker
with the two previous wins against the Sixers before that game. Absolutely. Absolutely. And no doubt that, you know, not having Garland, um, not having Merrill again, like since we've recorded, they were out, they've come back and now they're out again.
00:12:21
Speaker
Right. We still haven't seen Max Strews. Um, you know, that's a lot of firepower right there. That's a lot of offense. That's a lot of three point shooting right there that you're missing. um So that is definitely a factor.
00:12:35
Speaker
But again, they just didn't look like they wanted it bad enough, that that game, for whatever reason. Missed opportunity. Missed opportunity. But Alex, let's go back to those 76er games, which, man, I was pumped up after those games.
00:12:51
Speaker
The first game, the Cavs, both these games were in Philly, right? It's always weird when the scheduling's like this. I never understood why it's it's like that. um But both games were in Philly and the the first game, the Cavs were in complete control of that game.
00:13:08
Speaker
They looked dominant. The 76ers were the ones playing from behind and never really had a chance to to catch up. Um, that, that was a great game.
00:13:21
Speaker
um and they were at, they were at full strength, you know, Joel and beads playing again, you know, Maxi's there, like they, they had their squad and, uh, the calves went into that building and, and really embarrassed the 76ers to be honest with you.
00:13:36
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I liked, uh, I liked that they had started Jalen Tyson in that first unit, starting him at the three. i think he just fits in with, I think I probably said this in last episode, but I think he just fits in that group perfectly.
00:13:48
Speaker
alongside Mitchell Garland and Mobley and Allen. Yeah, totally. he's just He's just blossoming this year. um he's just he's he's He's willing to do it all on both. He's willing to guard the other players either team's best player, wing player, or guard or whatever.
00:14:06
Speaker
His own offensive game is is developing. uh, quite nicely. he is still halfway through the season within the top 10 three point shooters.
00:14:18
Speaker
As far as percentage, that's pretty impressive. It's not like he's only taken 20 this year and he's made half. I'm like, he takes three pointers, Alex. And it's pretty impressive to think that there's a player right now in the calves that's within the top 10.
00:14:33
Speaker
And most people probably wouldn't think of Tyson. You would think Sam Merrill, Mitchell, Garland, yeah maybe somebody else. And then, and then you would, really Jalen Tyson's top 10 like that's like that's pretty cool right he he's definitely blossoming um this year um but yeah this was a nice game the Cavs had a good well-rounded scoring where they had four or five players in double digits and and really just the 76ers really didn't have anything in this game to to really make it super competitive um which is nice to see right because 76ers aren't
00:15:09
Speaker
yeah They're not championship contenders, Alex, but they're they're solid. They're going playoff team. and you know They have Joel and B. They have Maxie. They have some nice players. It was nice to see the Cavs be on the other end of it for once.
00:15:23
Speaker
yeah my ah I've got to say my favorite part of these two 76er games has got to be Naquan Tomlin. because he was going beast mode. he was. Dunking all over Embiid. Especially in that second game. He was fired up. He's he's he was he's fun to watch because, yeah man, it's a kid that, when did he start playing basketball, Alex?
00:15:46
Speaker
like freshman year of college or something crazy like that. Yeah, he got discovered on ah on a yeah on the playground. On the playground, right? So so here's a dude that you know it just took a completely different path than what you would expect to get to the NBA.
00:16:02
Speaker
And yeah, he started off in the in the in the G League, but here he is playing. getting an opportunity because of the injuries, making very little money as far as the salary cap for the Cavs versus the output the Cavs are getting from him.
00:16:19
Speaker
it's it's it's ah It feels like another diamond in the rough right now. And he gets so excited. he gets so amped up. it's it's It's real fun to watch him and play Alex.
00:16:31
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, even when he's not scoring with his crazy thunderous dunks he likes to throw down, he's ah he's he's a total energy hustle guy. yeah He's getting c assists, he's grabbing rebounds, he's making plays, he's he's getting blocks.
00:16:47
Speaker
mean, he's just so active on the court. He is, and I'm almost willing to say what has kept us in some of these games and or maybe even is why we've gotten some of the victories we have gotten I'm going to argue it's it's because of guys like Tyson and Tomlin. I'll even throw Porter Jr. in there. I sometimes think our second unit is what out hustles other teams' second unit because you have young guys like that.
00:17:15
Speaker
who are all sneaky, under-the-radar guys. like Porter Jr. jumps out of the out of the gym and just grabs a rebound over a center or just blocks somebody ah you know on a layup or something like that. and He could do some things on the offensive end. Tomlin we just talked about. Tyson we just talked about.
00:17:31
Speaker
Those are three sneaky young guys that just do a lot of things that don't show up in the box score and really how have helped us stay in some of these games and maybe even steal some of these games. So that's been a positive for sure, and Tomlin is part of that.
00:17:49
Speaker
the um The second game, Alex, was a little bit different. um Of course, the 76ers, after being embarrassed at home, were going to try to come out with a different energy.
00:18:02
Speaker
And surprisingly, the Cavs came out with energy early in that game. And of course, an NBA game is very long. The 76ers battled back and eventually took control of the game and really had control late in the game. They were up seven or eight points with a couple minutes left in the game. And I'm like, ah, you know, we're going to come up short on this one, Alex. Yeah, i thought same thing.
00:18:27
Speaker
Man, what a what a what a what a game from from Tyson. career high 39 points. He was lights out, dude. It was such a fun game to watch Tyson play. And afterwards, ah Donovan Mitchell got interviewed and he was just in awe. He's like, I'm so happy for this kid. He's like, he needs to be on the, he needs to be on the most improved player.
00:18:54
Speaker
Like, list or he should win the most improved player award because of things that he's doing in year two, the amount of work he puts in and so on and so forth, which is very cool to see your yourre number one guy say that about somebody. I saw a stat that his 39 points was the most in a game by anyone from his draft class, the 2024 draft class. yeah Yeah, that's crazy. That's crazy.
00:19:20
Speaker
But yeah, he he really... Man, he really kept us in that game, and it was fitting because the last play of the game, Tyson has the ball. He's driving to the rim. They collapse on him. he makes a little dump pass to Mobley, who dunks it for for the win, right?
00:19:40
Speaker
And he gets the winning assist as well. And man, I was so pumped up after we won that game, that that last two minutes. Oh, man, because i didn I didn't think we were going to win it. and And I never would have thought we would have stole both of them in Philly. I was like, oh, man, we're going to go on these games. We're going lose both, maybe split, get one. Never would have thought we would have got both of those.
00:19:59
Speaker
Yeah. Right. Maybe last year, but not not this year. Right. This year, you don't you don't quite have that confidence as a Cavs fan that you had last year.
00:20:10
Speaker
Was there anything else that stood out to you from ah from from the seventy six er games?
00:20:18
Speaker
Don't think so. um Didn't we get to see Larry Nance Jr. got a few minutes in that first one that the Cavs dominated? He got five minutes. At the end.
00:20:30
Speaker
Yeah, at the very end. It was his first game back from his injury. It was nice to see Larry Nance back on the court. Yeah, yeah, for sure. I mean, we need we need bodies. That's for sure.
00:20:41
Speaker
the the The thing is, though, like Larry Nance Jr. is a good... A good example, like with Tomlin's play. Would you play Tomlin or or or Nance Jr. right now?
00:20:55
Speaker
Right. Tomlin. Yeah, exactly exactly. You know, what to even Thomas Bryant hasn't been getting as much run as he was earlier in the season. No, no. that's the thing. Tomlin is taking advantage.
00:21:08
Speaker
Tyson is definitely taking advantage. ah' I'll admit going into the season, I was a little bit worried about the Cavs kind of going all in on on Tyson shipping off Levert, um you know, and and, you know obviously they traded away a Curro.
00:21:23
Speaker
I'm glad I was wrong, though, because his three-point shot has been great. and And like I said, he he does a little bit of everything, and his offensive game is is really developing. can really tell he has confidence out there, um which is great to see.
Critique on Lonzo Ball's Role
00:21:39
Speaker
so alex I still think we're given way too many minutes to Lonzo Ball. I was just going to say. He absolutely kills me when he's on the court. i mean what Speak on it, Alex. It's five on four when he's on the court. i mean We're just a man down.
00:21:56
Speaker
He stands on the perimeter, catches the ball, passes the ball, catches the ball, passes the ball. He doesn't drive. He doesn't set guys up. He doesn't get assists.
00:22:07
Speaker
He doesn't rebound. He barely plays defense. He'll play the passing lane and he'll occasionally get the ball. But usually people drive right around him.
00:22:19
Speaker
I really don't know. i just don't get what how he's on the team getting minutes. Why is he in the rotation? Most, most games,
00:22:29
Speaker
um Yeah. Wow. I don't know. What the hell? Yeah. I mean, i'm um ah I'll say this. I'm glad that like he's healthy still. right I think we were all kind of worried like by week two, is he still going to be healthy and he's just is he just going to be $10 million dollars sitting on the bench or whatever his contract is? I'd rather his $10 million dollars be sitting on the bench. i I am glad he's out there running around. I mean, he is he he is. He's quick and he does make some nice passes, but his defense is not that great.
00:23:03
Speaker
um His shot, is it's very like flat. it's Yeah, it's flat. It's a laser shot. It's a laser. i was texting with one of my buddies about this. he shoots it like he's a seven-footer. I don't know why. it'ss There's no arc to it. There's no lift to it, right?
00:23:18
Speaker
So it's either either swishing or it's or it's or it's it's it has no chance of going in because of the way he shoots it. And he's not shy. He'll he'll throw it up, right?
00:23:29
Speaker
He'll throw it up there. But if you look at the box score the last couple games, you'll also see that Porter Jr. minutes have have increased. And Lonzo Ball only got five minutes in that OKC game, right?
00:23:44
Speaker
um In the Philly game, the second Philly game, ah he got he got some minutes, but but Porter Jr. got more minutes than what Lonzo did. And we'll see if that trend continues. And with Garland out, I mean, it's expected that porter somebody else has got to play, right? Because they're not confident in starting Lonzo Ball either, who got the start.
00:24:03
Speaker
Porter Jr. got the start, right? um Their ability is still, I think, a question for him. But I saw something the other day that kind of was like, oh, I didn't really think about that. But they did say that you know because of his contract, he is a potential trade candidate um because he comes off he comes off the books.
00:24:22
Speaker
I think after next year, he has one more year on his kind of his contract. I think it was two-year deal. Um, so that makes them a potential trade chip. Maybe not quite this season.
00:24:33
Speaker
Um, unless the Cavs decided to move on, but in the off season and next year and so on and so forth, I don't think you're going to see much more of of what those two years are of of Lonzo ball. And it'll be another, it'll be weird in history. Like there's so many weird point guards that have played for the calves. Alex, yeah you have Derek Rose, you have Kevin Johnson, you have, um, you know, uh, God, who was Troy Hudson? Uh,
00:25:01
Speaker
smush parker no you have some darren williams played for the cat like you just have so many weird names that played for the calves isaiah thomas isaiah thomas right like we have to do an episode on this yeah it in this summer mo williams is a dog though like yeah he was a dog like in this summer we have to do an episode about weird point guards that have played for the calves um and And Lonzo Ball is going to be one of them because it's like, really? he he played for the Cavs? I don't remember him. That's because he didn't do anything.
00:25:28
Speaker
It's because he didn't do anything, sir. okay yeah But yeah, Lonzo Ball unfortunately hasn't really paid big dividends so far this season for the Cavs.
00:25:38
Speaker
Plus minus for the Cavs is negative 12 when Lonzo's on the court. don't know if that's true or I'm sure it's not true. That stings. So I don't think we're going to go too far back in these games, Alex, but I did...
Utah Loss & Lineup Issues
00:25:54
Speaker
The game before that was against Utah, and I don't i don't really want to talk about the game. It was a crap game. We lost to a shit team at home.
00:26:02
Speaker
You know what I really didn't like about that game was the starting lineup. So we had... It was before Garland was hurt. We had Garland, Mitchell, Merrill, Mobley, and Allen. We had three...
00:26:17
Speaker
kind of pretty small guards and we just got destroyed on defense. Like Merrill at the three, we were getting targeted as soon as yeah. One of the Utah players, I mean, you got big marketing out there, like all their, all their forward centers, you know, we're just switch onto a Cavs garden, take them, you know, yeah i yeah exactly just had we couldn't contest anything. We couldn't stop them from getting to the hoop. I mean, it was just ugly.
00:26:43
Speaker
Love Merrill, but I don't love him at a, at a three position and especially not in the starting lineup. Yeah, exactly. we did that early in the season too. And he, we got him guarding Jalen Brown or something for the Celtics. It's just, it's, it's not a good matchup. Right.
00:26:56
Speaker
Um, but what I want to talk about, about that Utah game is two quick things. You just mentioned market in who, who, who destroyed us, by the way, it's kind of sad that he's still rotting out there in Utah.
00:27:08
Speaker
Um, And I feel like, you know, he he wanted to make a point every time he returns here, rightfully so, right? i I have a buddy who still swears to this day that we never should have traded him. Like, he totally would take Markiton over Donovan Mitchell right now.
00:27:24
Speaker
And it's funny because he sent me Markiton stats the next the next game, and I see that he didn't disappoint. um But the other thing was Kevin Love is still somehow on the Utah Jazz, Alex.
00:27:39
Speaker
Yeah. i Who would have saw that coming? I mean, when that happened, that trade happened, I think we all thought, man, he's getting waved. Is he coming back to Cleveland? What contender is he jumping on?
00:27:52
Speaker
It's kind of crazy that he's playing basketball for Utah right now. um But. the reception that he still gets when he comes back home to Cleveland is still overwhelmingly positive, Alex.
00:28:06
Speaker
And, uh, that speaks volumes, right? The calves fans still showing love to Kevin love. And I think that's pretty cool. He's still one of my favorite calves of all time.
00:28:16
Speaker
Help yeah bring this help bring us a championship. That's going to be stayed with the calves. Even after yeah whole championship team kind of blew up, he was still the the guy that stuck around for a few seasons.
00:28:29
Speaker
Yeah. He's also the guy that sacrificed the most, right? He he was the third fiddle and in that group. And um he stayed because of the money, let's be honest, but still cool that he stayed yeah and has continued to talk positively about Cleveland. I don't even know when the last time...
00:28:46
Speaker
The other two even talked about Cleveland. You know I mean? Like you don't, you don't hear that. Right. um But it's going to be pretty cool when that, when that Jersey does get hung up in the rafters, probably be very emotional for him.
00:28:57
Speaker
That's going to be a cool day to, to, to witness. But the reason why I wanted to bring that up is as Kevin Love gets praised with Love, um somebody else is coming to town
LeBron's Potential Final Game in Cleveland
00:29:08
Speaker
here soon, Alex. Next next week, I think it's the 28th, the Los Angeles Lakers are going to be in town.
00:29:15
Speaker
And we're at a point now to where could this be LeBron's last basketball game in in Cleveland? So far, he hasn't given any kind of hints or anything like that if this is going be his last season or not.
00:29:29
Speaker
Um, but what do you think? Do you think that holds any more? What will the fans react potentially any differently? You think Alex, or will it just be another, Hey, LeBron's back in town and you know, some, some cheers. Don't get me wrong. Some, some maybe in the middle or it anything special? You think?
00:29:48
Speaker
I, I think they'll play a video for them. I think he'll some sort of homage video. He'll wave at the crowd. The crowd will cheer, I think. They should. ah They should.
00:30:00
Speaker
But I think that's it. I don't know that they'll there'll be anything else, really. do you think Do you think this will be his last game in Cleveland? No. His basketball game? I don't think he's done.
00:30:13
Speaker
i think i think he'll play another season or two. yeah i just saw a video of... his other son Bryce playing at, is it Arizona State or LSU? I can't remember what college he's at now, but I just saw a video of his other son in college and boy, it's only a matter of time before he's probably in the NBA and they can all be on the same team, all the all the James clan.
00:30:38
Speaker
That'd be wild. that'd be wild that would be wild That'd be wild. That'd be a record that would probably never be broken in our lifetimes. Absolutely. And that's, you know, that's got to be on his mind.
00:30:49
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. I mean, i i agree. i don't know. i i don't know if he's going to be the type that's just going to, at the end of the season, kind of blindside everybody and say, that's it.
00:31:01
Speaker
I'm done. Like, really, he's not going farewell tour? i just... I don't see that. The only way I see him just calling a quits is if he has some kind of Jimmy Butler tears his ACL type of injury. That literally ends his career, which I don't want to see happen, by the way.
00:31:17
Speaker
But besides that, i i I don't see us not knowing that it's his last season. Now, if it did happen, totally would be not shocked either. That's kind of a dick move and kind of an egotistical thing to do. And hey, hey would I don't think we would put it past him either.
00:31:35
Speaker
I certainly hope that next week isn't the last game for LeBron James in in Cleveland because don't I want the fan base to be prepared for what is truly his last game in in Cleveland. right And I hope that they would react a certain way.
00:31:52
Speaker
um Because at the end of the day, he is your best player in franchise history. He did deliver a championship and and so on and so forth. Yeah, I mean, there'll be a jersey retirement for sure. Absolutely. there's Possibly a statue. There should be a statue as well. There there absolutely should be. there's There's no argument around it.
00:32:09
Speaker
but I don't want his last game in Cleveland just to be some random game in freaking January that nobody even knew was going to be his last game. You know what mean? Like, that's kind of, eh.
00:32:20
Speaker
It's not a great ending, right? But we'll see. We'll see. There probably will be some sort of circus farewell tour. ko Kobe did it, right? That was...
00:32:34
Speaker
Where he was trading jerseys with everybody. and Yeah, yeah, yeah, totally. totally Even though he was such a... that last That last season of Kobe, man, he was such a chucker. He tossing it up every chance he got. Yeah, wow.
00:32:49
Speaker
Reminds me of a joke. what's a What kind of bee is bad at flying? A Kobe. Yeah. Oh, come on. Oh, is it too soon? What do you do? What do what do you have? 62 his last game? 62 points his last game? How many shots did he take? How many shots did he take? Yeah, that's what I thought. Yeah, I remember watching that game. He took every single shot in that game. I think the whole team had 62 points.
00:33:14
Speaker
ah think they won that game too. Pretty sure they did. Maybe not. I don't know. but Now I got to look it up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember watching it. But it'll be crazy. And yeah, just we'll see.
00:33:28
Speaker
we'll We'll see how that game goes next week and if it's his last game or not. um Alex, the other kind of thing that's right around the corner, two other things, is what's rapidly approaching that really hasn't gotten a ton of traction yet, I don't feel.
Trade Speculations Before Deadline
00:33:47
Speaker
Maybe I'm just not paying attention too much. The trade deadline is is only a couple weeks away, Alex. It's February 5th. It's like two and a half weeks, dude. Two and a half weeks. um I've seen some rumors from some other teams and stuff like that.
00:34:03
Speaker
Of course, for a hot second, for like less than 48 hours, there was some... some rumors swirling about DeAndre Hunter. Remember seeing that? This is like last week. Yeah, I did see like a tweet about DeAndre being unhappy in Cleveland and wanting out.
00:34:23
Speaker
But I don't know that there was any truth behind it. No, I mean, it wasn't like a valid source, I don't believe. Yeah, it was it was enough for him to address it, though, because he did come out and say, i never said anything. I'm happy here. i want to be here.
00:34:39
Speaker
And then reports started coming out on the other side from like local beat reporters that the Cavs do not want to trade DeAndre Hunter, like Chris Fedor and a couple others. So I don't know where all that came from.
00:34:52
Speaker
um You know, DeAndre Hunter is... Unfortunately struggling this year, which is another big reason. That's definitely a contribution to the team struggling, right? Because last year he came in and and he he lit it up. We talked about that with the second unit, him and Ty Jerome running around there, man.
00:35:09
Speaker
That was a tough duo to stop. This year he gets put in the starting lineup. Gets pulled out of the starting lineup, has been inconsistent, hasn't had a 20-point game. I think I heard since November at this point.
00:35:23
Speaker
Definitely not getting the production that we got last year. And I even remember seeing it's been his worst statistical year of his career so far, um which maybe that was that and enough for somebody to start some rumors around him.
00:35:38
Speaker
But it seems like he's here for now. Alex, going to ask the question, Cavs, are they going to do something by the trade deadline in two and a half weeks and shake up the roster? Even if it's one trade, one little trade, are are they going to do anything?
00:35:58
Speaker
ah Real quick before we get to that, I just want to – DeAndre Hunter, yeah, he's he's been inconsistent, um but he's still – like I wouldn't want to lose him. I still think he's probably our best three, our best player at the three, even though he hasn't been starting.
00:36:18
Speaker
ah he had a you know One of the games he had, he was really fired up in and and played really well. and I think it was one of the 76ers games. Didn't he get in a fight with somebody and they got double tacks? I think it might have been Barlow with the Sixers. Yeah, but yeah yeah he yeah he came in and kicked butt after that.
00:36:38
Speaker
But will the Cavs do something? i don't know. I think it's it's going to be a real struggle for them to find a deal that they can make. while they're in the second apron because they can't really combine players to make a big trade.
00:36:54
Speaker
it has to be player a player for a player. So it's not like they're going to be able to unload Lonzo Ball straight up for somebody. you know i don't i don't know how that who they would get even get.
00:37:09
Speaker
so yeah yeah My expectation is extremely low. Unless we make some big blockbuster trade involving... Garland and you know somebody else and bring me back and some then some other point guard you know I don't know but yeah my expectation is really low Yeah, my mine are as well. i think they should do something. The the standing pat thing um just isn't working anymore.
00:37:39
Speaker
You got to see if you can get some more durable bodies on this team. um If they do make a deal, i do feel like it's going to be a smaller deal. right like Maybe like like, again, like a Dean Wade type type trade or something like that, which you know you're not you're not bringing jaannis you're not bringing a star player back and in a trade like that.
00:38:00
Speaker
If they did do something wild and crazy, like trading Darius or someone like that, I i still don't think you're going to get... i think i think the names that you're going to see that come back are going to be lesser known names.
00:38:14
Speaker
You're not going to go trade Darius Garland for Ja Morant. You're not going to go trade Darius Garland for Giannis. You're going to go trade for um some young player, young up and coming player um that's three years into the league and about 15 million cheaper than what Darius Garland. Like that's what's going to come back potentially, I think, which I think will scare some. Be careful what you ask for, right? Because for the fans that do want to trade, i I think that's what they would get back.
00:38:45
Speaker
um because of their salary situation, because they also have to start thinking about, okay, we we still want to go for the title this year, but where are we at three years from now?
00:38:56
Speaker
right as well. Like if they fail again this year, Alex, we talked about this. I've talked about this. they They got to start thinking about going another direction and Donovan Mitchell isn't going just going to sit here forever and and and have the smile and say everybody eventually he's going to want to move on too.
00:39:13
Speaker
So the Cavs also have to start if they do make a big trade, they have to start getting some draft picks back. They have to start building a little bit for that window to to stay open as well.
00:39:26
Speaker
So it's going to be interesting. Draft picks. I mean, you're you're saying they're going to blow it up.
00:39:34
Speaker
I don't know. Like, I still think we got all the talent. and the right pieces on this team to make a deep run in the postseason.
00:39:45
Speaker
I just don't know why why they're playing so bad and inconsistently right now during the regular season. We still got a second half of the season to to yeah figure it out, put it together, and get to playing like we were last season.
00:39:59
Speaker
we We definitely saw flashes of of the old Cavs, too, throughout this stretch since the last time we recorded. They had some nice wins. they they they They handled the Spurs. Jared Allen had a huge game against Wemby.
00:40:12
Speaker
they they They win that game, right? they They manhandled the Phoenix Suns. They they took care of the 76ers. They've had some nice wins in this stretch. They took care of Denver.
00:40:23
Speaker
Granite Jokic was out, but they still took care of Denver. Um, you know, so they've had some nice wins and yeah, there's a lot of basketball left to be played. And if they can get healthy and stay healthy, I agree. I think they can make a nice little run.
00:40:39
Speaker
um I was reading an article before we started recording Alex at this time last year, the Indiana Pacers were 20 and 25.
Playoff Potential Amid Struggles
00:40:45
Speaker
and twenty five Look where they ended up at. Potentially one injury away from winning the championship last year.
00:40:53
Speaker
So there's time to figure it out. um You know, and it's it's it's not about it's about figuring out the right time as well. Right. You got to get hot at the right time and and so on and be healthy at the right time and have a little bit of luck as well.
00:41:07
Speaker
It's just the Cavs, unfortunately, haven't been very lucky the last couple years. So we'll see what happens. um'm um I'm not only curious if the Cavs do anything, but I'm also curious what other teams do ah around the league, um especially in the East.
00:41:23
Speaker
The standings are so, so close right now. um I mean, Alex, they the Cavs are sitting in seventh place, but they're three games out of second place.
00:41:35
Speaker
a game and a half out of third. Like, that's how tight the East is right now. When we went into that OKC game, the Cavs were actually, were the fifth seed to start that game. So all the Cavs got to do is string some wins together, and ah obviously they want to get home court seeding, right, when we do get the playoff time and so on and so forth, which is so far from now. They have plenty of time to to get there.
00:41:58
Speaker
They just gotta to get healthy. two Two things that kind of stand out to me, thinking about the previous season season and this season is, ah you know, last season we we kept having, you know, the Cavalanch, right? We would have a Cavalanch where, you know, you'd have...
00:42:15
Speaker
Ty Drill, Merrill, Mitchell, Garland, like just go off like hot streak. They take turns just nailing threes and we jump up by a huge amount. You know, it's the Cavalanch exciting. And we haven't, haven't really had that this season. We don't just think about these streaks. Think about it. Out of all those names you just listed.
00:42:36
Speaker
And I threw in Max Struess in there too. That's what five players. Max Struess is part that. Yeah. Only one of them played in that game against OKC, Donovan Mitchell. Struess out, Garland out, Merrill out, Jerome no longer here.
00:42:49
Speaker
So that that definitely plays a factor. And that's why I think, yeah, if you get those guys back, man, they even said on the broadcast, like Merrill and Struess, like those guys aren't household names. That's a lot of firepower the Cavs are missing right now.
00:43:02
Speaker
because we know how well they can shoot. And when they do get hot, I mean, Sam rail knocks down three, five, four or five, three pointers in a game by himself.
00:43:13
Speaker
Caps a pretty good chance of winning that game, but they, but they don't have that right now, you know, cause he's sitting on the bench, unfortunately. And it's true. Shoots would get hot too last year. as well. He'd make some bombs, man.
00:43:23
Speaker
Um, I'm very curious to see what he looks like when he comes back and how he fits into this roster. Um, I just saw something about him, uh, soon to return.
00:43:33
Speaker
but Yeah. Yeah. We'll see. I think, I think we'll get him back. I think we'll get him back right before the all-star break. That's my prediction. That's my prediction. um yeah And then the other thing that I you know haven't seen or heard about or anything that they used to do was the chain.
00:43:49
Speaker
the One player would get the chain that they would wear react and hype them up and they'd take a picture. and they didn't even They didn't even do that last year, I don't think. Wasn't it last year? I think once JB left, Atkinson's like, we ain't doing this.
00:44:02
Speaker
We ain't doing this crap. well maybe That was Maybe Kenny should bring it back because it was fun. That was fun. That was fun. So the the last thing, Alex, that I had at least was the the All-Star game, which is also coming up here in February.
Why Isn't Mitchell an All-Star Starter?
00:44:18
Speaker
um They did just announce the starters for both the East and the West. couldn't I don't remember who all of them were, but I could tell you one name. that wasn't on the East starters was Donovan Mitchell.
00:44:31
Speaker
And people are like, well, he got snubbed. He got snubbed. No, no, because the the the the the team's record, the team's play does play a factor in that, I think.
00:44:43
Speaker
i'm I'm not upset that he's not a starter. He's going to the All-Star game, but I'm not upset he's not a starter. Are you? Is that surprising or shocking to you? No, i'm not surprised with the way they've been playing.
00:44:54
Speaker
i mean, don't get me wrong. I was voting for him. But no, it's it is what it is. i mean, if he wants to be an all-star starter, then he's got to play like an all-star starter.
00:45:04
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. He's got to lead a team too That's, you know, uh, you know, a little bit better spot than what they are now. So it's going to be a little bit, uh, lonelier for him this year. i don't think there's going to be three, ah three calves players like last year going there.
00:45:19
Speaker
I think it's just gonna be Mitchell this year. Right. Um, I, I can't even see anybody that would sneak into the three point contest unless and maybe Jalen, I doubt it, but that would be pretty sweet. That'd be pretty sweet if he did get invited to go there.
00:45:32
Speaker
Um, But on the West, the other person that wasn't listed and and the streak that was broken, going back to LeBron, his 21-game streak of of being a starter, that's crazy, 21 years as a starter. So all-star game, i don't know.
00:45:52
Speaker
Didn't they change the format again, Alex, or don't they want to change the format again? I think they did, but I i can't remember offhand what what what it is now. Yeah. I did see Donovan Mitchell say he he he wants to play for the world team.
00:46:06
Speaker
um So because of where his mom came over from, which I forget where she came from. But um so, yeah, I'll start game. That'll be here before we know it as well. And just kind of crazy because after that, Alex, man, it's it's on March is right around the corner and then you're talking playoff basketball. So it's ah it's crazy that, ah you know, we're already halfway through another season and and a couple months away from basketball actually mattering. So Cavs need to flip the switch, Alex. flip it Yes, they do. It's time.
00:46:38
Speaker
It's time. We're all getting nervous. Yeah. Got me wanting trade half the team over here. Yeah. Come Corey's crashing out. Yeah. Yeah.
00:46:49
Speaker
Anything else from your end, Alex? Nope. I'd say we wrap it up. All right. Let's go ahead and wrap this up. Thank you, Cavs fans, as always, for tuning in and listening. And Alex, tell them where they can follow us and connect with us.
00:47:02
Speaker
Follow us on Twitter at Cavs Pick and Roll. Shoot us an email, CavsPickAndRoll at gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr. Watch this episode on YouTube. Wherever wherever toever you're listening, click like, subscribe, leave us a rating or review. We'd appreciate it.
00:47:17
Speaker
All right, Cavs fans, there it is. We will talk to you again soon. Peace out, Cavs fans.