Transcript
Speaker: Hey Cavs fans, welcome to another episode of the Cavs Pick and Roll podcast, the podcast for diehard Cavs fans. I am Corey. I am here with Alex. We are making our triumphant return, Alex.
Speaker: Yeah, it's been ah it's been a little while. I think we see that every single episode. I think so too. um And it's it's crazy because our last episode, there were so many hopes and dreams.
Speaker: and And today it's a little bit different, a little bit more of a reality check and just things things have changed drastically. i I think I was wearing a LeBron jersey on the last episode. I think so. I think so. I think I was wearing Cavs gear. I don't even I'm not even rocking Cavs gear because I'm just I don't know. It's cold in my basement and I'm wearing a long sleeve. So it's almost hoodie weather. It feels like not yet, but we're getting there.
Speaker: Summer's coming to end. Kids getting ready back to go to school. And what that means, we are inching closer to the next NBA season and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Give it another go.
Speaker: Um, they're not going to quite look the way we were hoping as Cavs fans. Right. And where I kind of wanted to start just because we haven't been able to give our two cents on this yet. And that's really all we're going to give it. Cause it's happened kind of so long ago now, but Alex, it felt like we were waiting an eternity for LeBron to make his decision.
Speaker: Right. And I recently went on my yearly family vacation with my family as I do, ah down to South Carolina. Uh, we drive down there every year.
Speaker: And what happens the day I leave the day I am driving down there, which was the 24th of July, LeBron makes his announcement that he is signing with the Philadelphia 76ers.
Speaker: And my first reaction was crap. i can't I can't record with Alex because I'm in a car for the next 12 hours. And then pull the car over to the side of the highway and weep for a little while. Right.
Speaker: And then just the shock, the anger, the dismay, the road rage as I'm driving through the mountains at that point. I'm in the Virginias driving through the mountains at that point. It was not a safe, a safe thing. Yeah.
Speaker: But Alex, that's how I found out when when LeBron decided for the third time in his career to not choose the Cleveland Cavaliers. And where were you at, Alex, when the news broke?
Speaker: i don't i don't I don't even remember, but i remember you texted me. And I was like, ah, damn it. I just lost $100 on Kelsey. I thought it was $200. You told me you put it in another $100. No, I don't. Alex was trying to get paid. Hey, my wife might be watching this. Oh, boy. But it was $10. Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker: yeah yeah So, yeah, after all that waiting, after all that excitement, um LeBron chose not to come back to the Cleveland Cavaliers and to have the storybook ending that we were all hoping for, Alex.
Speaker: And it feels like that happened so long ago now, but it's also so fresh. It's kind of it's kind of weird because you're kind of just trying not to think about it. um But that's the reality.
Speaker: there's There's no LeBron, and that just would have brought – we would have been so hyped right now if LeBron would would be here right now. We'd be thinking of all all our sorts of possibilities of other players coming, and just, man, the whole narrative would have been flipped compared to where we're at today, which is embarrassed by the New York Knicks and really have had a lackluster offseason, which we're going to get into. Yeah.
Speaker: right Well, you know, it's because it's not just because it's LeBron, but it's also because that is like our number one need for this team. It's always been that ever since he left, it's always been that hole at, you know, at the three at the the small forward position.
Speaker: It's it's it's crazy that every every gap in between him being here. They never really found a great solution. They've tried to put Teddy Osmond, Dean Wade's like kind of like this, like and wonder one one foot in, one foot out kind of attempt at it. They've never gone out and traded or signed some max caliber player to to fill that void.
Speaker: And I think it's because they were always hoping they're they're they were leaving that door open for that comeback. And it's disheartening, especially when you find out that the Cavs were the only team that he actually had an in-person you know meeting with, and which makes you think, man, he was he was it was on his mind, right? He was entertaining it, and the Cavs just fell short.
Speaker: And um Philadelphia, man, just out of nowhere, trades for Jalen Brown and all of a sudden puts themselves and into the conversation. right? And showed him that, okay, we're we're ready to to go all in. And the Cavs, you know, kind of decided to to remain as is for the most part.
Speaker: So we'll see we see how it goes, but I still think you made a mistake. I think that LeBron on the Cavs, I mean, this team is so much better than what I think the 76ers will be. Yeah, they got a lot of big names on that team, but that team was just assembled this offseason. Like,
Speaker: That's the thing. you know, they're not, they got to play together. They got to learn to mesh together. They got to build some camaraderie. Like there's a lot of egos. There's a lot of egos. There's a lot of alphas on that team. Unproven. MB doesn't like to play basketball anymore. he always, he doesn't play back, back to back. See,
Speaker: I don't know. it's it's It's a very good look on paper, but how well it'll actually work on the court, time time will tell. History will say that most times ah in year one of like a super team or a team being put together, it's very difficult to go all the way.
Speaker: But they're definitely going to be the the center of the NBA as far as attention and and all that kind of stuff, right? And um the Cavs won't.
Speaker: If anything, it's it's kind of the opposite to where now all of a sudden the 76ers have risen up to to the Knicks level and the Cavs have dropped down. at least a notch or two right and we'll talk about that as well but that's the reality he chose to move on he's he's playing you know at least two more years in the league he signed a two-year deal and we'll we'll see what happens i i will say this with him being in the east now that does mean you're gonna see lebron what three four times versus the the the one time you saw him in cleveland you know when he was out out west
Speaker: And i don't remember who said it, but somebody said it on one of the social media sites. i'm like, you know what? Absolutely. The Cavs were giving him a tribute video every time he came into town year over year.
Speaker: That shit stops. That stops. He's playing two more years. He's playing on another team. And now you're going to see him. two times a year in Cleveland. You don't need to give him a tribute every year. Give him one next year when when it's when he's finally done. But you know what?
Speaker: It's on. It's on. Yeah, I can't keep You can't keep catering to him and and and and giving him that kind of love. And Alex, I do wonder at the end of the day, when it comes to love, if that was also part of it. No, not Kevin Love.
Speaker: No, not Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. I'm talking about at the end of the day, this hurts. But history is going to tell... In the future, Alex, we're still going to love LeBron.
Speaker: He's still going to get a statue. He's still helped deliver the only championship in franchise history. He knows that he's still... This is his home. And ultimately, he's going to be loved here.
Speaker: So maybe that also made it easy for him to make that decision to go somewhere else. I don't know. But it's interesting to think about all the what could have beens and and all the angles that were involved in it.
Speaker: Yeah, it's definitely an odd choice. Philadelphia, like, yeah wouldn't want to live there, you know? He has no history there. Totally new fan base this late in the career.
Speaker: New Jersey, New Jersey, you know. Jersey sales, is that the angle? Like, I don't get it. Yeah, I don't It's so bizarre. But we need to move on because he's not going to be here.
Speaker: And, you know, when that news dropped, okay, well, what was the pivot? What was plan B, right? And you started to hear some reports come out, nothing too, too legitimate, but you heard stuff of, well, the Cavs have some other big names that they're, you know, in the works on and so on and so forth.
Speaker: Well, what I could tell you, Alex, since that day, which is nearing a month now, the Cavs have not added anyone significant to this roster.
Speaker: Now, they did bring back a player from the EuroLeague that hasn't been the m NBA in, what, five years now, right? Mario Herzona, think is how say his last name. think it's Herzona. Herzona, yeah. herzonna yeah So, you know, the Cavs kind of won that sweepstakes, if you will.
Speaker: They gave him a one-year $2.8 million dollar deal. Um, hadn't been the NBA for, for five years, but been doing his thing over in the Euro league. okay, cool, and some people are excited about that, but it still feels like the Cavs need to do more, Alex.
Speaker: Well, it was ah you know it's cost-cutting, right? They're trying to get under the apron, so they're shedding salary. So they got rid of Dean Wade's salary. They brought in a player who is very similar to Dean Wade, I think, in Mario Hazonia, kind of a similar size, similar 3 type player.
Speaker: similar at lower cost At a lower cost. So it's it's low risk cost low risk, potential high reward. If he's real motivated, I mean, it's a one-year deal, I'm guessing he wants to stay in the and NBA past this year, so he's going to try to ball out to get that new contract, right?
Speaker: um But it's also not a sure thing, right? It's cool. It adds some depth. We'll see what we have with him. But that's really the most significant thing they've done as far as adding anybody to this to this roster so far.
Speaker: Um, besides that they did get Donovan Mitchell. This is how far back it's been. Now Donovan Mitchell did re up on a new three year deal. I forget the exact numbers now.
Speaker: Pretty cool to see him commit. And that was before the LeBron news dropped, by the way. Um, we, we've talked about this many times. It's, it's kind of crazy how much Mitchell has embraced being here and it has said yes. Now,
Speaker: Twice since being traded here and wants to continue to be here. um So that's pretty cool. um And good to have him here. And they also res re-signed Thomas Bryant.
Speaker: Back to a Spider Mitchell real quick. Yeah. That was kind of unexpected that he... Re-upped here and signed an extension when he could have waited until mid next season and signed a new supermax deal.
Speaker: Yes. And really, ah you know, pinned us in the salary cap. But him signing the extension this offseason. That's also a cost savings that saves us some money.
Speaker: Absolutely. and i And I wonder if that's what he was thinking was, listen, I just watched New York Knicks win the championship. I saw Jalen Brunson take less money to have more talent around him. Like, I don't know if that was part of it or not.
Speaker: But yeah, I think, I think a lot of people were surprised. I was totally expecting him not to sign it this summer. Us going to the next season, being on, you know, eggshells about how we felt about him as a result and us having to listen to trade scenarios for, for a month and a half before the trade deadline, you know, happens next year.
Speaker: um So with him deciding to to come back and be here, that that that definitely helps. And then you also have James Harden, who, for all the hate he has gotten, has been a team player here this offseason.
Speaker: He has yet to sign his contract because he is trying to give the Cleveland Cavaliers flexibility in other moves that they can make. Right. Right. So you like to see that out of your out of your top guys doing that.
Speaker: Yeah, he's been extremely patient. Yeah. Which which reminds me, Draymond Green was doing the same thing for Golden State. I haven't heard if he's signed yet or not. I thought I saw I thought I saw he did, but I don't remember. I feel like every time I see or hear about Draymond Green, it's him like podcasting now, which is kind of weird considering he's still in the NBA. You can kind of tell what his next move is going to be.
Speaker: but Yeah, he wasn't he was trying to do the same thing to make make room for LeBron when Golden State was trying to get him. i do wonder I do wonder what that Harden deal will look like when it's all said and done.
Speaker: um he is 37, so you know two years, three years, somewhere around there. and I'll just be curious to see what that number comes in at and how much longer he's willing to wait, Alex.
Speaker: Yeah. yeah It's hard to believe you know remembering all the way back to that OKC team with him and Westbrook and Durant all together. incredible. And then Westbrook just announced his retirement.
Speaker: He did. Westbrook did. And we were just talking before we recorded. First, he should go to the Big Three League. He would dominate. Second, there was a hot, hot second a week or so ago. i was like, huh, what about about russell what about Westbrook? Would he be...
Speaker: worth taking a shot at. You know, he's kind of a loose cannon, but he could still produce and just, I don't know, at this point you just want to see the Cavs do something. Mm-hmm. But what I remember about that OKC team So how badly I wanted them to beat the Miami Heat the year that they faced them in the finals.
Speaker: Yeah. Let LeBron get his championship and the Thunder let me down. I'd like to go back and watch some of those games. Actually, it would be fun. It would be fun. They were Serge Ibaka. I think Steven Adams was there before he had the long hair. Like, yeah, they had a squad. They had a squad, man. They had a squad. They were all just super young at the time.
Speaker: They were, they were. But yeah, Westbrook announced his retirement. Kind of surprising. Thought he had another year or so, but he decided to hang it up on his own terms. um Besides that, the Cavs did make a trade.
Speaker: They did shed some more salary by moving Dennis Schroeder to the Charlotte Hornets. They also sent $4 million along with Schroeder because they were they are highly motivated not to move any more of their picks, at least it seems.
Speaker: And they sent $4 million in cash as well for Trey Mann. Trey man, young, young guard. Trey man. Two words, two names there. Trey man. Trey man.
Speaker: Not the man. Trey man. treman um Trey man comes back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although I am curious if he does stick around Alex, but because between Trey man,
Speaker: Proctor, Porter Jr., and Malik Thomas, we have to talk about real quick. You now have four young, unproven backup point guards on your team that are all 6'5", maybe, and under.
Speaker: yeah And that's just too many young guys and too many unexperienced guys, and someone's got to go. And I don't know if it'll be man or not. But Trey Mann is 25 years old. He's six foot four. He's a they haven't listed as a point guard on basketball reference, but he's played the last five seasons in the NBA.
Speaker: um Man. ah had a bad shooting Had a bad shooting year last year. Ironically, Trey man does not shoot the Trey very well. yeah No, no, no. And, um you know, he's i think he's making $8 million, and he and there's a team option.
Speaker: He hasn't played a whole lot. Like, i don't see a season where he's, like, played the whole season. Mm-mm. He's probably a guy that, you know, probably wasn't able. I mean, think about it. They had LaMelo out there.
Speaker: um it just probably was hard for him to find the stick in the rotation. and i think that's going to be the case here. If he does start off the season actually in a Cavaliers uniform, say they move Porter Jr. or something like that. I still don't see him beating out.
Speaker: um Some of the other guys, but we'll see. We'll see what happens. um And it was really just a shedding more salary. ah Bobby Marks, who is the salary guru, says swapping out shooter for Trey Mann creates savings below the apron for Cleveland.
Speaker: Cavs are now $32 million below the first apepron apron and $44 million. and fortyf four million Below the second apron, the figures did not include a new contract for James Harden. And he says, for now, Cleveland is likely to have the 6.1 tax mid-level exception available.
Speaker: So that gives us the MLE to get a player. And it also gives us room to give Harden a contract without going back over the apron, possibly.
Speaker: Right. It opens up doors for for another move and... and people got really excited when that news dropped on Schroeder because it's like, okay, it's like just tumbleweeds forever. Right? So anything we're just like grasping onto and everybody thought another move was coming and we'll see. I mean, it's only been a couple of days, but the two names that we have heard forever now, it's getting tiring to be honest with you as Jonathan cominga and Peyton, Watson Watson out in Denver.
Speaker: What are your thoughts on either of those players? as were Do you like either one of them? Do you like one over the other? it seems like it would take a little bit more work to get Watson, who is a restricted free agent.
Speaker: it might It might involve having to move a Max Drews. It might involve having to give up a draft pick. Kaminga, not as much, but there's still things that need to to happen to make that move happen.
Speaker: i like I like the idea of Watson more than I like the idea of Kaminga. I would prefer to bring in Watson if we could.
Speaker: But, you know, i don't I don't think either one of them really moves the needle for us. It's not... I don't know. I think we just kind of stay even, kind of stay status quo no matter which one we bring in.
Speaker: It'll be interesting. I think Kaminga seems more like a little bit of a risk to me, only because he just... I don't know. He's had several teams give up on him now. He's got crazy athleticism. Listen, he'd be a fun guy to watch. Don't get me wrong. You're going to see, you know, breakaway dunks and highlight plays and all that stuff. But he's not a great shooter.
Speaker: um And, you know, just where's his head at? ah You know, is he is he trying to just get paid? Is he trying to actually find his his place in the NBA? You know, so on and so forth.
Speaker: Um, and Watson, admittedly, I don't know much about Watson until he came up and you just, every day you see, you know, stuff on him and you see footage and stuff like that. Looks like a nice player. looks like it looks a little bit more, ah mature, maybe a better fit as far as being able to slide right in to potentially the starting role.
Speaker: If Kaminga comes in, I don't know if you start him. If you still have Struis, if you still have Tyson, if you still some of these other guys, I don't know if he's necessarily starting. To where with Watson, again, it's a bigger investment. Struess might not even be here anymore.
Speaker: um it feels like he'd be slotted in to your to your starting small forward spot. But I really think that's what we're going to do. I think we're going to get one or the other. We're going to bring them in, yeah and that's going to be our offseason.
Speaker: i As much as I would like to see them make some sort of bigger splash, I think this is it. like I think if they're going to make a splash, it's going to be at the trade deadline. I don't think it's going be yes this offseason. Yeah, I think so, too. i think yeah I'm starting to see some some crazy Kevin Durant stuff come up again.
Speaker: And I kind of roll my eyes every time I see that, because last time we saw that come up a year or so ago, it was, you know, Kevin Durant for Evan Mobley and all that stuff. um But, you know, I don't know the the realities around any of that kind of stuff, and I don't feel like that's that's you know realistic or whatever. These are the two names that we have heard forever, yeah and and either neither one of them have landed somewhere else, even though the Lakers are interested in Kaminga, and I'm sure there's other teams that would like Watson, but it doesn't feel like the Cavs are...
Speaker: are battling against, you know, too many teams here. It's just, what are the cows willing to give up? And I think both, both sides are, are just playing chess right now.
Speaker: I think Denver wants that first round pick. I want to, I think the cows want to see if they can do something without giving up a pick. Right. With Kaminga, maybe it comes down to a numbers numbers game or or figuring out a sign-in trade with Atlanta. Well, what does Atlanta want, you know, and what are we willing to give up and so on and so forth.
Speaker: It's just interesting how long that has drawn out as well, though, for both players. I think, you know, last season, Jalen Tyson showed incredible potential.
Speaker: And that's that's kind of what makes me think that we're not going to do any sort of crazy move and we we're going to play who we have up until the All-Star break and just see how these lineups work out now that we have Arden on the team. You know, he only played, can't remember what it was, like 17 regular season games with us at the end of last season. So let's see what some of these lineups look like, see how work.
Speaker: you know how they play with these Mitchell, Harden, Tyson, Struis lineups. And if it's going well, then maybe we stick with that. If it's not, then we'll try to make a trade at the trade deadline.
Speaker: Would you give Tyson the green light and experiment with him with being your starter? 100%. hundred percent yeah First half of the season, 100%. That's what I want to see want to see him do.
Speaker: Give Tyson all the minutes he wants. Yeah, i think I think where I was a little bit disappointed last year with Tyson, and it wasn't necessarily, I don't think, his fault. Everything changed. We talked about this. Everything changed when Harden came in.
Speaker: um But Tyson prove was able to prove when there were some injuries and he was given some opportunities that he could be a serious you know basketball player for this team, right?
Speaker: He had some great stretches. I don't want to blame Harden. It wasn't Harden that... cut Well, the rotation changed. It was Keon Ellis, it was Dennis Schroeder, and Harden. we We gained three players. Yes. That really cut into everyone else's minutes.
Speaker: Right. But it cut into it cut into Tyson's minutes, and as a result, it also cut into his playoff time early. Early during the playoffs, as time got on and things weren't working out, Tyson started to get some minutes, but I would love to unleash him this year.
Speaker: Let him play 30 minutes, 28 minutes a night or whatever, whether if he's not starting, have him be your first guy off the bench and just let him get all the experience he can. So that next playoffs, he is in the rotation, playing significant minutes, making that impact versus this past offseason where he was kind of there, kind of not, kind of in, kind of out, kind of able to do some things, but not really, you know, so on and so forth. I think think one of the ways that this team, if they're going to improve, part of it's going to have to be from within, right? Right.
Speaker: And I know everybody kind of rolls our eyes at this point of Mobley taking that next step. But imagine if he does. Imagine if Tyson takes that next step. If those two guys take those next steps.
Speaker: Casals surprise some players, some people, you know who you're leaving out of that.
Speaker: Malik Thomas. Malik Thomas. He tore it up that summer. at Yeah. I mean, he he killed it. man He was cooking everybody. He was. Give that guy some minutes.
Speaker: and That's the other thing, too, is there were some reports right after that said that, you know, the Cavs feel like he can make an impact right away. And I will be curious, with them moving on from Schroeder, are they going to rely on these young guys? Are they going to rely on someone like Thomas to be that backup point guard? I'm hesitant on whether they're going to truly give any of these guys that role.
Speaker: But Thomas, man, he showed some flashes, and he could score. Now, we've got to see how that translates to the NBA, right? Preseason and all that stuff, he'll get some run again. The talent level will go up.
Speaker: But man, that was an unexpected, pleasant surprise to watch Malik Thomas just tear it up over the summer. that was fine yeah yeah That was fun. Yeah, that was fun. That was fun. But yeah, but it but but again, if you're absolutely right, if he can contribute this year,
Speaker: You know, that's another young guy that steps up that nobody's really thinking about right now. Everybody's thinking about, we lost LeBron, we didn't trade for Jalen Brown, we didn't get Giannis, woe is me, boo-hoo, when, you know, you still have a very good basketball team, and this group, if anything, has another year together,
Speaker: And that camaraderie builds, that chemistry builds. And again, what if some of these young guys take that next step? Even someone like a Tomlin who who started the show Signs last year.
Speaker: no I don't expect him to turn into an all-star player anything like that. But what if Tomlin continues to develop, continues to find minutes in your rotation? Like there are players on this team, Alex, that can contribute, that can make a difference that I think nobody is really giving enough credit or thinking about right now.
Speaker: Yeah, I agree. Tomlin was a defensive beast. He was. He was the other fun guy to watch in summer league too. it was It was him and ah and Thomas out there.
Speaker: and yeah he just and I don't know what his ceiling is, but he was he was fun last year, and I'm curious to see what his role looks like this upcoming season.
Speaker: He's just an athletic freak. Yeah, for sure. For sure. So that's kind of been the Cavs offseason. Did it meet fans' expectations?
Speaker: Not even close, right? Now, if the Cavs make a move here yet, I think Cavs fans will feel a lot better if they go out and get Watson. I think a lot of people will take a deep breath and tell themselves that, okay, this is okay, right?
Speaker: um And that that time will tell if that actually happens, Alex. But in the meantime, the NBA schedule did come out. And the Cleveland Cavaliers are not getting as much love as what they did last year.
Speaker: The Cavs only have 17 nationally televised games. The max is 34 games. The Spurs, the Knicks, the Lakers.
Speaker: The Lakers. have 34 nationally televised games, the Thunder have 32, and then it just drops from there. There were some interesting teams that had more than us.
Speaker: The Pistons. The Pistons have more than us. They have 19. And there was a couple other teams that were interesting. But Alex, we also don't have a Christmas Day game, and we don't even play on the NBA opening night.
Speaker: Finally, for the sixth year in a row, the Cavs will be starting their first game of the season on the road. we haven't had a home game to open up the season, and this will be our sixth year now.
Speaker: And to add salt to that wound, it will be in Philadelphia against the 76ers, Alex. Good. hope we cook them. I hope so, too. I hope so, too. I'm going to be nervous going into that game. be hyped up. Not going lie, I'm to be nervous. Our team has been together for a while, and they're going trying to it out. know, but man, it's... I'm hoping...
Speaker: That's their home opener, though. Adrenaline's running. The fans, just like, man, they they could also cook us by 30. I don't know. But I would love it if the Cavs went in there and pulled out a victory. um That'd be great.
Speaker: But, yeah. I am shocked, Alex, that that game, though, is not in Cleveland. Because the NBA knows what they're doing with making that schedule, adding dramatics to it, right?
Speaker: But wouldn't even have wouldn't it hit have been even more dramatic if the Cavs' first game was at home with LeBron and the 76ers at Rockin' Mortgage Arena?
Speaker: Oh, yeah. Boy. Missed opportunity there, Mr. Silver.
Speaker: What do you think the Cavs' fans' reaction would have been? I really don't know. Cheers, booze? think there would have been some booze. There'd be some nasty signs. Is some little kid holding up a sign?
Speaker: I don't know. i don't know if it would go that far. Maybe. It's interesting. It's interesting because it's still so close that it's still it's still fresh enough, I think. I don't know. I don't know what would happen. I would say that like all of last season...
Speaker: i didn't I wouldn't have even thought of LeBron coming back to Cleveland, really, or that I would have even cared or that it would have made a difference. It didn't really hit me until he left the Lakers.
Speaker: He's on the open market. The Cavs are being floated as one of the top three teams he's talking about rejoining. And then it just started building hype and, in you know, this expectation and it could happen. And,
Speaker: And then he wasn't looking for a max contract. He signed what? yeah What did he sign? It was a $16 million deal for two years? you kidding me? Yeah, was something cheap. $8 million? That's what Trey Mann's making.
Speaker: Trey Mann's making $8 million.
Speaker: Man, it's going to hurt going back and looking at this you know in the future of the history of all this, that there there was an opportunity and you know, $8 million. dollar Yeah.
Speaker: yeah But man, yeah, it would have been kind of crazy if that first game, what was at home against Philadelphia, you couldn't write up a better start to the season. However, Cavs fans, you won't have to wait too long.
Speaker: Because November 6th is when Philadelphia comes to Cleveland for the first time and LeBron comes back. So, you know, less than two weeks later, basically. um he'll be ignore it I don't know what to expect. i think he will get some booze. like Absolutely. I think he will. I think he'll get some booze. I'm just, you know, Cavs fans, they hold grudges, man. Like Kelly Olenek still gets booze. Hell yeah, man.
Speaker: We still hate Carlos Boozer, man. And he only spurned us one time. LeBron's done it multiple times. Absolutely. What I don't want to see, but we will. I don't want to see Philadelphia 76er LeBron jersey sitting in the sitting in the stands.
Speaker: But there'll be some there, i guarantee it. But yeah, that'll be interesting. That'll be a fun watch. on First game of the season. That'll be a interesting watch. i don't know if I'll say fun. Depends on the outcome of it.
Speaker: um And some other key games, Alex, is um November 7th will be the first time that we play against the Knicks in New York, of course.
Speaker: Right. um That'll allow us. That's like a measuring stick game. Okay. Where are we at? You know, how are we looking? That kind of thing. um December 31st. Do you know who makes their triumphant return to Cleveland for the first time?
Speaker: No. Darius Garland. Yeah. Clippers will be playing here. Forgot all about him. Yeah. Yeah. Come back. No. His taste will here somewhere.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then we're also playing on MLK day, Martin Luther King day. They did give us that. I forget who we're playing against though, Alex. Pistons. Pistons. Okay. so pistons Okay. That'll be cool. That'll be good matchup.
Speaker: Be curious to see. Pistons are another team, Alex. they've They've done less than we have, I think, with their offseason, which is interesting. and But yeah, okay, so we play the Pistons on MLK Day.
Speaker: So...
Speaker: Feels like not getting as much love as years past, right? No opening day, no Christmas day, playing in LeBron's house instead of him playing in our house up in the season and just so on and so forth.
Speaker: Nationally televised games down. I forget what it was last year, but I guarantee it was more than 17. It feels like the NBA is seeing the Cavs as a team trending downward instead of trending upward.
Speaker: Is that fair? Do you get that sense, Alex? Yeah, there's definitely a lack of respect going on. What do you think about that, Alex? What do you say to that? Hey, ah you know, we're always the underdog. It's always Cleveland against the world, so...
Speaker: You know, if they want to disrespect us and, ah you know, if they, ah yeah, I think they'll, they're going to get bit because we still got a squad. We've got a good team. We do.
Speaker: We do. um And I hope that lights a fire underneath the Cavs players. Like you're getting no love. LeBron decided to go somewhere else. He's not your competition.
Speaker: um you hope that lights a fire under them. And you know what? I kind of like going back to the underdog status a little bit because the last couple of seasons, it was like, man, calves, calves, calves, right? We win what? 60 something games two years ago. Get to Eastern conference finals last year.
Speaker: and now we're just looked at as now, you know, Halliburton's coming back. Uh, The Knicks are the champs. 76ers are going to go to the finals. Boston will somehow be in the mix. Cavs, you're not even a top 14. Right?
Speaker: Okay. Okay. ah We'll see what happens. We'll see what happens, though. So it'll be interesting. And that's what gets me excited, Alex. As we inch closer to summer being you know over with here, the reality is we are getting back to Cavs basketball here soon, and it' it's easy to get excited again.
Speaker: even with like the, yeah the next NBA 2k game. Yeah. So I don't know. I don't know, man. I, I will say last season. So,
Speaker: yeah Yeah. If I, if I do get it, it's for that Dennis Schroeder's trade though. I just want to make sure I have the the most updated roster. Um, it's actually from league Thomas. If I'm being honest, ah ah I did see some cast players, cast player ratings, uh, Harden and Mitchell or they rated.
Speaker: want to say eighty seven s What? That's pretty low. It doesn't sound right. I'm sorry. Mitchell had to be higher. I'm not even going to try to. It had to be 90 something. Mitchell had to be a 90 something. It was Harden and somebody else.
Speaker: Harden was an 87. Allen was an 85. Mitchell must have been higher. Mitchell might have been 90 or something like that. I could be wrong. But i don't know if I'm going to pick it up.
Speaker: It's just so hard. buying a game just for a roster update basically, especially since games aren't cheap these days, you know, the cheapest version is $70. Just like, uh, stuff will be on sale by, by, by black Friday for $30, you know?
Speaker: And i've I've said this, I think I said this last year, the game comes out, I think early September this year, like the first week of September season hasn't even started and you're bored with it by November.
Speaker: Right. I always hate how early it comes out in comparison, like in parallel with the season. So I don't know. We'll see. What about you? Probably not. Yeah.
Speaker: At least not until it's down to like, you know, 15 or 20 bucks. Oh, you're waiting longer than, than, than Black Friday. Then you're waiting till Christmas. Yeah. Maybe, maybe Christmas. Um, so do you think you're going to watch the, uh, Cavs games?
Speaker: I was doing some research the other day and I was like, how can I watch games this year? Because didn't FanDuel, is FanDuel still around? Didn't they close? or Yeah, they're gone.
Speaker: They're gone, right? so And we haven't heard any news yet. The Cavs haven't announced you know what streaming service or anything like that that the games are going to be on. You were talking to me the other day at work through through messaging. you You heard some rumors. What did you hear? That it was going to be days in. It's like D-A-Z-N.
Speaker: They already scooped up the rights to several other and NBA teams, and supposedly the Cavs will will be one of those teams that they'll take over the rights to.
Speaker: It's $25 a month subscription.
Speaker: a yeah Yeah. Neither one of us have cable. We're not going to get cable. um Not many options left.
Speaker: Not many options left. FanDuel was pretty good. Even Ballet Sports was was fine. And that $20 a month pay point was... We we can live with that, right?
Speaker: So we'll see what happens. 25 isn't terrible, but you know <unk>ll we'll see what happens, I guess. I'm done watching it on Janky Ways, though, Alex.
Speaker: I used to do that a couple years ago, and it's just waiting waiting for the buffer. Click out of that ad that just popped up, right? found a pretty good one. ah so All right. I'll either give NBA League Pass a try or...
Speaker: Go back to something else. Yeah. Yeah. We'll see. We'll see. ah Preseason, Alex. When does preseason start?
Speaker: Good question.
Speaker: October. October. Was it 16th or 18th? October 8th. 8th. 13th. The Cavs have three games this year.
Speaker: October 8th against the Boston Celtics at Rocket Arena. Sunday, October 11th, Orlando Magic at Rocket Arena.
Speaker: And Tuesday, the 13th, against the Orlando Magic on the road. um The NBA is doing the same thing as last year, Alex, where they have...
Speaker: games of the week or whatever you want to call it on different streaming services. who yeah ESPN, Peacock and Prime and all that. um Not shocked that that's sticking around, but I'm assuming you're not a fan of that as well.
Speaker: Right. Yeah. but You know, also read the Cavs have 16 sets of back to backs, which is tied for the most in the league. Yikes. We're really getting screwed over on this schedule.
Speaker: Yeah. Like I said, man, Cavs not giving the love this year. And hate to bring them up again, but LBJ had a great quote.
Speaker: Everything is earned. Nothing is given, right? Cavs are gonna have to earn it They're have to earn that respect back from from the NBA, from from fans, from the league, other teams, whatever you want to call it, that they're still a serious contender.
Speaker: i mean, they just went to the conference finals. I know. I mean, but everybody but nobody sees that but nobody sees them as a true threat. That's the problem. And it's because of how they... Never will. And it's because of how they lost. And it's because their offseason has been. mean, if you had to get it, if you had to give it a grade, you ain't giving them higher than a C right now.
Speaker: At least most fans wouldn't. Right. So I get it. I get why. What are the Cavs going to do with it? Hopefully it's motivation. We'll see. Yeah, I'll see.
Speaker: Anything else, Alex, before we wrap up? You had some some exciting news that you wanted to share. Yeah, I do have some exciting news. An announcement. The Cleveland WNBA team has shown off, released their name and new logo, the Sirens.
Speaker: The Sirens. Cleveland Sirens. Yeah, the Sirens. All right. You know, if you saw the Odyssey movie this summer, this there were Sirens in it. Okay.
Speaker: which, you know, when the the Indians changed their names to the Guardians, it it was like Guardians of the Galaxy where that was the hot movie, and now the Odyssey is the hot movie, and cleve Cleveland once again took a... Capitalizing?...sports team name based on something from it. It seems like. I don't know.
Speaker: That's funny. We're still a couple years away, right? Was it 27 or 28, I think, is when... Cleveland will have a WNBA team again. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.
Speaker: Yeah, it'll be interesting. like I barely remember the Rockers. I don't really remember...
Speaker: i remember i remember i remember it being a great name for a basketball team. And I remember liking the color scheme of their jerseys. But that was about it. i don't remember it being on TV or... i I don't remember like hearing scores about it or who any of the players names were or different times, different times. I don't know.
Speaker: I don't know. We'll see. We'll see. All right, Alex, let's wrap this episode up. Thank you, Cavs fans, as always, for tuning in and listening.
Speaker: And Alex, let them know where they can follow us and connect with us. Follow us on x at Cavs Pick and Roll. Shoot us an email, CavsPickAndRoll at gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr.
Speaker: Watch this episode on YouTube. Wherever you're listening and watching, click like, subscribe. Leave us a rating or a review. We'd appreciate it. All right, Caz fans, there it is. again soon.
Speaker: Peace out, Caz fans.
