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Episode 163: Hunter Trade Reaction
35 Plays1 month ago
Alex and Corey give their reaction to the De'Andre Hunter for Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis trade!
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Transcript
Cavs Kick Off Trade Season with Big Move
00:00:16
Speaker
Hey Cavs fans, welcome to another episode of the Cavs Pick and Roll podcast, the podcast for diehard Cavs fans. I'm Corey. i am here as always with Alex.
00:00:27
Speaker
Alex, some big news for Cavs fans. The Cavs have kicked off the NBA trade season by making, i won't call it a blockbuster move.
00:00:40
Speaker
That's a pretty significant deal. sir i think I think it's kind of expected as, ah you know, even before the news broke, it was leaking that the Cavs were shopping DeAndre Hunter.
00:00:54
Speaker
um And then you were also hearing about ah Keon Ellis for the Sacramento Kings and hearing, ah you know, i kept hearing reports, all these teams are interested in him.
00:01:05
Speaker
so Felt like a sweepstakes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. i You know, i know very little about about him either. so yeah a lot I haven't seen much much film on him yet.
00:01:18
Speaker
I got that sense from a lot of Cavs fans. I saw some in the comments like help me understand, like, who is this guy? Who is this kid? So on and so forth. I did see ah some some clips that were posted online and I I'm just going to say it.
00:01:36
Speaker
I think he's going to end up being our best defender on the wing or be neck and neck with maybe a Tyson. He seems very um aggressive, if you will, um which is great, right? We can always use more defense.
Three-Team Trade Breakdown and Guard Dilemma
00:01:51
Speaker
And the trade that we're talking about, of course, is the Cleveland Cavaliers moving on from DeAndre Hunter, only about a year since acquiring him, Alex.
00:02:04
Speaker
man we were so excited last year when we traded for hunter we felt like we won the trade deadline like seriously that was such a huge move everybody was so excited he had such a great season last year and if you would ask me a year ago i definitely wouldn't have thought that the calves would have moved on just a year later from hunter well you know they last season uh He had such good chemistry with Ty Jerome.
00:02:32
Speaker
yeah Those two together on the court were like reliving their days at Virginia. like They just played off of each other so well. and This season, Hunter's been a little inconsistent. He has he doesn't have Ty Jerome out there with them you know Those two together were just lightning in a bottle on the on the second team.
00:02:52
Speaker
so i you know I think that's part of it. He just hasn't i don't know he just hasn't clicked the way that that he was before. Yeah, definitely. And we talked about it on the last episode, I believe, how, you know, he he he basically said, I want that starting spot, you know, over the summer when Strews got hurt. Atkinson gave him that starting spot.
00:03:12
Speaker
It wasn't working. It wasn't working with him coming off the bench. And he just makes too much damn money. considering the Cavs financial situation to not be producing on a night in and night out basis, not not playing, you know, sixth man of the year caliber type basketball for for a team that, um you know, has championship aspirations. So I liked DeAndre Hunter.
00:03:37
Speaker
um I thought he was a great pickup last year, like what he was able to do. But with the salary he was making, Alex, and just where the Cavs are at, again, financially and and and everything else, it I think it ultimately was was the right decision to move on.
00:03:53
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And so the Cavs traded DeAndre Hunter to the Sacramento Kings. In return, they got Dennis Schroeder and Keon Ellis from Sacramento.
00:04:04
Speaker
And the Kings also is a three-team deal. So the Bulls were involved. The Bulls got Dario Sark, and they also got two second-round picks. One of those second-round picks was from the Cavs for 2027. So we lost DeAndre Hunter and a second-round pick.
00:04:23
Speaker
but we got Dennis Schroeder and Keon Ellis. So again, Keon, young guy, defensive-minded. He's only averaging six points. So if you're looking for scorer, he certainly isn't that. But that's what you have Mitchell for. That's what Garland for.
00:04:42
Speaker
Hell, that's what you have Tyson for now. So I'm not i'm not so worried about that.
Evaluating Schroder's Fit with the Cavs
00:04:46
Speaker
um What do you think about the Cavs acquiring Dennis Schroeder? I've never been a Schroeder fan. Is that why you asked me that? You know never really cared for Schroeder. I don't. I didn't, to be honest with you. Yeah, yeah. I never really cared for Schroeder. I never really liked his game.
00:05:08
Speaker
He's kind of a ball hog. He's kind of a... Dennis Schroeder and Thomas Bryant is going to be the new Ty Jerome and DeAndre. The new Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love. The
00:05:21
Speaker
like Alex, I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised. I think he's one of those players that you hate him when he's not on your team and you love him when he's on your team, maybe. But I don't know. he's He's bounced around to so many. I think he's been on nearly every and NBA team. yeah eleven but eleven I don't know what the deal is, why he can't find a home.
00:05:39
Speaker
I guess we're about to find out. one one thing One thing I pick up on him when I watched him play is he's hes he's not afraid. He thinks he is a top five player. In his mind, he's a top five player in the NBA. I think that's why I never really cared for him. He seems like such a chucker. but he's not He's not afraid. A little a black hole, so hopefully he'll...
00:06:03
Speaker
pass the ball and get some assists. He's not afraid. He's confident and he's got that dog in him, which has come out that the Cavs, that's one of the things that they liked about him, that he's he's not afraid to to be aggressive. to He's not afraid in the moment and so on and so forth.
00:06:21
Speaker
Not that we want him taking you know the game-winning shot when you have someone like Donovan Mitchell on the team, but you have someone with some grit. you know and I think that might go a long way.
00:06:32
Speaker
And he's been in the league for quite a while. He's bounced around, obviously. But I remember i remember when he was on Detroit. um i don't know if it was earlier this year or last year. And, man, he was just doing all sorts of stuff out there. I'm like, how is this guy just coming off the bench over there? and just It's like Russell Westbrook type.
00:06:53
Speaker
he's maybe a not he's and He's not on Westbrook's level, but I put them almost in the same camp of like, one, how are you these guys still in the league? How does Westbrook just continue to...
00:07:05
Speaker
make millions of dollars. You know what i mean? and And Schroeder's not that much different because like you said, they're both kind of chuckers. They're both kind of full of themselves, but yet they find a way. Yeah. And now, and now he's on the calves and he's, he's a vet and we'll see i was gonna say schroer's been He's been a long, he's been around a long time, a long time. Like I remember playing with him on like,
00:07:30
Speaker
you know, whatever NBA game I was playing on PlayStation Vita, you know, 10 years ago, whatever. It's like, yeah, he's been around forever. And he was always very athletic, very quick.
00:07:41
Speaker
yeah Always had that first step. He was, he was really fast. That's what I remember, but remember most about him. So I, you know, I don't know if he still has that speed, probably not quite, but Hey, maybe he's making up for it with a, you know, a lot more experience these days.
00:07:59
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. The only, i won't call it a problem, but the Cavs now have an interesting situation because they have a log jam at the guard position.
00:08:12
Speaker
um They brought in two more guards, essentially, and and shifted out um you know Hunter.
Lonzo Ball's Future in Question
00:08:21
Speaker
And got smaller on top of it, right? Because Keon is, I think I saw he was 6'4", and Schroeder, you know, he's that or under, right?
00:08:28
Speaker
So it almost feels like, Alex, another move is going to be coming for the Cavs. And Lonzo Ball's name has been dangled out there in recent reports.
00:08:40
Speaker
He obviously has not really... worked out this year as well as far as a production level. um And it seems like he would be the odd man out at this time. His numbers have definitely shrunken in the rotation, even with Garland out.
00:08:58
Speaker
It's not like his minutes are getting extended. Atkinson is playing port ah Proctor and Porter Jr. and so on and so forth. So um Do you think ball would be the odd man out or do you see the calves doing something else crazy? I've heard, you know, potentially Porter jr. What direction do the calves need to go next after bringing in two more guards that will, I'm assuming are both going to play rotational minutes. Yeah. I mean, I, I think they're not done making trades.
00:09:28
Speaker
I mean, the, the roster is definitely guard heavy right now, like you said. So I, think they've got to do something, you know, Like you said, Ball's not getting minutes or shouldn't be getting minutes.
00:09:41
Speaker
Tomlin's, ah you know, stepped up. Tyson stepped up. We got all these guys. Craig Porter Jr. has been playing well. I like Craig Porter Jr. a lot, but at the same time, i don't want him as our starting guard. You know, when Garland's out, like we we needed a better backup guard, and that's where Schroeder comes in.
00:09:59
Speaker
Schroeder will start getting a lot of ah Craig Porter Jr.'s minutes, I think, especially while Garland's out. Um, yeah, yeah. You know, Larry Nance jr. He's also kind of an odd man out at this point.
00:10:12
Speaker
I don't see him getting a whole lot of minutes. thomas Tom Tomlin's going to be eating up his minutes as much as I like Larry Nance jr. Uh, You know, i I think his role is very minimal at this point, unfortunately. Yeah, almost. I'm i'm almost seeing Thomas Bryan getting more minutes than Nance at this point. Right. And I've seen Nance is another name thrown around out there for, you know, maybe moving away from him as well.
00:10:38
Speaker
Um, so I, I agree. I don't think the calves are done. They definitely need to, to get some size back, right? They're, they're, they're an undersized team already before this trade happened.
00:10:51
Speaker
And that was one of the things that we loved about Hunter was his size, his versatility, his offensive game that he was able to bring and so on and so forth. And it'll be interesting to see what what the Cavs do.
00:11:05
Speaker
the deadline is this week. So ah I'm with you. I think the Cavs will make another deal. um and And obviously, you know. Ball seems like the guy, but we'll see. You never know what can happen.
00:11:19
Speaker
um But as far as his role, it's definitely definitely just about gone now after this trade, whether he's here or not past the day, you know, the yeah trade deadline. Yeah.
00:11:31
Speaker
Do you think, so you mentioned Tomlin, you mentioned Tyson. Do you think, you know, we we talked about first Hunter was inconsistent this year. he was making what? 23 million this year. i think he was making even more next year.
00:11:46
Speaker
um so there was financial motivation here, I think. Right. And the fact that he wasn't balling out also made it justifiable.
00:11:57
Speaker
But do you think that Tyson and Tomlin's play this year was also a factor in the Cavs ultimately pulling the trigger and making this deal? Oh, You can't have you know twenty four million dollars contract sitting on the bench for extended periods of time over the season, especially with the Cavs and their current roster situation her salary situation.
00:12:27
Speaker
you know They're in the second apron. They've got to get under that apron. I believe they're fort they were $14 million fork over the apron. yeah They're $14 million over still. so Yeah.
00:12:38
Speaker
Yeah, if they move on from Ball, who's $10 million, they'd they'd be pretty close then at that point. So they would need to hold on to Ball. For the rest of the season to have his expiring contract come off the books. Correct.
00:12:51
Speaker
Correct. So if the Cavs don't move on from ball, there is still a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel. The only bad thing is, is most likely he's, he's sitting the bench for most of the rest of the season, unless there's other significant injuries somewhere.
00:13:06
Speaker
And i think it's safe to say that the Lonzo ball experiment was, was a fail. i will give props ah that he has stayed at least healthy up until this point in the season.
00:13:20
Speaker
And, um, The Cavs will still gain something from him if they don't move on from him from the deadline because like you just said, the contract can come off the books and that will definitely help in the summer.
00:13:33
Speaker
Yeah. And then I saw Keon Ellis, who is up for an extension on February 9th, which could be up to three years, $52 million.
00:13:45
Speaker
which would put us right back over the the second apron if we hang on to him. So there's definitely got to be a lot more that that happens here, whether at this trade deadline or this offseason. Yeah, yeah, definitely. I think this offseason is going to be a pretty interesting one.
Giannis Trade Speculation and Cavs' Limitations
00:14:00
Speaker
So... So far around the league, it's been pretty quiet. We haven't seen any other kind of trades happen. Atlanta Hawks made a small trade with a guy's name I can't pronounce or or you know nobody's going to know. so um i think I think, though, Alex, that could be because everybody's waiting for the ball to drop on whether Giannis gets moved or not.
00:14:22
Speaker
um
00:14:25
Speaker
Do the Cavs entertain that? And ultimately, where do you think he ends up? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I think Giannis is coming to Cleveland.
00:14:36
Speaker
Is that popcorn? Yeah, I'm just going to sit here and eat my popcorn. Should we talk about the Cavs getting Giannis? ah Oh, my God. I had the prop. I had to do it. so Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. I could see Giannis. don't know.
00:14:55
Speaker
What other offers the Bucks are fielding for Giannis? I think that we have one of the best offers. I think we got plenty of young guys that we could offer. And I don't know why we wouldn't.
00:15:08
Speaker
It ain't going to happen. ah And I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. and like Because we have no draft picks. When you trade a guy like that, you want a rising, budding star like an Evan Mobley.
00:15:23
Speaker
maybe even a Darius Garland. But then you also want about three more first round picks. it's it's Think about what we traded for for Donovan Mitchell. We do not have a draft pick the rest of this decade, basically, if I remember correctly.
00:15:37
Speaker
Maybe 2029. I don't remember now. Giannis is going to get that type of haul as well. The Bucs, that's what they're going to look for. Even though Giannis is older than what Mitchell was when he got traded, he's he's that's what they're going to look for. And the Cavs don't have that, or or the time, or or really the aspirations to make that happen, right? You start trading Darius Garland, Jared Allen, all these first-round picks, and then throw Mobley at him as well. that just...
00:16:05
Speaker
It's too much. It's not going to happen, unfortunately. i think it'd be very fun to see if there was somehow that mobile Giannis and Mitchell running around and you traded everybody and anybody else. I think that that would have been pretty fun. That would be wild. That'd be wild. You probably wouldn't have much depth.
00:16:23
Speaker
You probably wouldn't have much depth, but. With that kind of out as as far as a real realistic option, um I've seen his quote-unquote wish list be, I think, the Knicks, the Raptors, and was it Miami, i think?
00:16:41
Speaker
The Lakers weren't on it? I don't think so. I think they were all East Coast teams. um Which, Alex, if he's going to get moved, man, I want him going out West. Yeah.
00:16:52
Speaker
I want the Warriors. Go go go get Giannis. go go Go send eight Mr. ACL tear Jimmy Butler over to the East and let Giannis go play out in the West and battle out there with Wemby and everybody else. I don't want to see him go to the Raptors.
00:17:07
Speaker
I don't want to see him go to New York, Alex. I don't want to see him go anywhere in the East. It was up to me.
00:17:14
Speaker
Except Cleveland. He could go to Cleveland. I don't know why you're throwing that out as not a realistic option. I i don't think it It's totally possible. I really don't. We could easily put together a package. Man, it'd to be like an 18 deal. Who else has anything to offer? like Nobody has anything.
00:17:30
Speaker
That's the thing. like Do the Bucs want Carltown Anthony? No. No. yeah Do they want LeBron? No. Yeah, yeah so i don't i don't I don't know what kind of...
00:17:41
Speaker
draft picks these other teams hold. So it'll be interesting. I'd be shocked though, if he is not traded by the trade deadline, but if the bucks feel like they don't get something that they feel is warranted, they they they could wait till the off season as well.
00:17:56
Speaker
Um, but I think that's why so far there hasn't been many other trades and, uh, it'll be interesting.
Roster Changes: Luke Travers Waived
00:18:03
Speaker
Alex is recording this on Sunday night as we get into tomorrow, Monday and Tuesday.
00:18:09
Speaker
It'll be very interesting. i think I think a lot of action is going to happen. yeah probably Probably Monday is my bet. Yeah, we've still got a few days before the deadline. it's ah It's just starting to heat up. I think this move the Cavs made is just kind of preempted to something bigger they're trying to do.
00:18:25
Speaker
yeah Yeah, it'll be interesting to see. so um And also I've been hearing in a lot of reports about the Cavs being aggressive. Wendy said that. They're they're they're on calls. they're taking calls. They're being aggressive. They're they're You know, so on and so forth. So that's that's hopeful, at least. Right.
00:18:42
Speaker
And we'll see what happens here in the coming days. There was, unfortunately, one other casualty in this trade as well, Alex. um The Cavs moved on from Luke Travers.
00:18:56
Speaker
He was waived as the Cavs, also acquired a player from the Chicago Bulls. um So Luke Travers, no longer Cleveland Cavalier. We've talked about Travers. I like Travers. Very unorthodox game, very sneaky game, but there just wasn't space on this roster.
00:19:19
Speaker
um I would have loved if he would have somehow stayed with like the charge or something like that. Heck, I would love if they would pull Zajunas Agauskas where or you wave him, trade him, you know bring him back a couple days later. Remember that when they did that with Z when they traded him to the Wizards?
00:19:35
Speaker
Yeah, but Cavs, moving on from from Luke Travers, and we'll see ah where he ends up. And I wanted to call that out as well, Alex. Yeah. Yep, sad to see him go, but just just not enough minutes, not enough roster spots is what it is. Is what it is, man. So the Cavs right now, Alex, are battling the Portland Trailblazers as we speak. I'm just doing a quick ah check-in here. It's the second quarter, about seven minutes left. Cavs are up eight.
00:20:09
Speaker
They are on their five-game West Coast trip. um So this is only game two of that trip. Alex, the Cavs have been playing better as of late. My confidence has gone up since the last time we recorded.
00:20:28
Speaker
They did lay a bit of a stinker in their first game on the West Coast trip against the Phoenix Suns. Which upsets me because they have Dylan Brooks. and yeah That's just a team that we beat them earlier in the year, but I had just i don't want to lose to Dylan Brooks. right and devin Devin Booker didn't even play.
00:20:47
Speaker
Nope. Of course, we didn't have Garland or Mobley. now No. Turnovers, offense wasn't just there. Bad defense, just...
00:21:00
Speaker
A bad game by the Cleveland Cavaliers. I think that's fair to say. Atkinson, two tax gets ejected out of the game, right? And I don't know, man. they're they're just It's one of those games where it's like, okay, well'll we'll give you a pass, but I don't want to see that trend on this West Coast trip.
00:21:17
Speaker
And the Cavs have been playing better, like I said, but I but but i am curious to see how they're going to do on this trip. And was there anything from that Phoenix game, Alex, that that stuck out to you or even worth calling out?
00:21:30
Speaker
ah Kenny got teed up twice and ejected. Yeah, yeah. Coach Atkinson. So that happened. Yeah. Let's see.
00:21:41
Speaker
Tyson. Tyson got into it with ah Brooks quite a bit. it was nice to see them. Yeah, even Tomlin mixed it up with him there towards the end of the game. Yeah, I like that about about Tyson, too. And we'll we'll talk about this here in a minute. But Tyson's confidence is just sky high right now. um And it's kind of, you know, it's kind of funny, kind of comical to see him kind of jarring with Brooks. But I like that, too. I like that he's not afraid.
00:22:08
Speaker
um And that's going to help him remain in the role that he's in and and continue to grow in that role. um He's been a big part of... what positivity we have had up until this point in the season. So it's great to see him continue to develop.
00:22:27
Speaker
So before that game, Alex, this is the one that I really want to talk about was the Lakers game.
LeBron's Emotional Tribute and Cavs' Victory
00:22:35
Speaker
This, of course, was in Cleveland. This meant Luca come into town and of course, LeBron James coming to town.
00:22:43
Speaker
A lot of speculation is this LeBron's last game ever in Cleveland. The Cavs did a video tribute for what I heard was, I think the seventh or eighth time.
00:22:55
Speaker
um he seems to get a tribute every time he comes to cleveland um well deserved as well and there's lots to talk about this game but i'm gonna let you start it off where do you want to start you want to talk about lebron you want to talk about the game where you want want to talk about luca what do you want to talk about uh i don't i don't care but wherever you want to start well what was nice go ahead I was just going to say, you know, they at the very beginning of the game, they played a tribute video yeah to LeBron, and he got very emotional.
00:23:29
Speaker
yeah And you could see him on the sideline that's shedding some tears. um Yeah, yeah it was it was real nice. I watched it. It was a nice ah tribute. Showed his old playing days, playing against Detroit, playing against different teams. Yeah, yeah it was good stuff.
00:23:46
Speaker
It was good, and that was a pretty ah viral ah you know ah video there of of LeBron watching it and then kind of hiding his face and in his jersey for a bit, and then you kind of see the the hand kind of wiping away the face before he he pops his head out again, right?
00:24:05
Speaker
And um that's good, though, man, because i think there's a lot of people that just still the LeBron haters out there just see him as, you know, what he kind of was forever ago, which was, you know, he he had a bit of an ego. He still probably does so on and so forth. But man, that was a genuine moment right there.
00:24:26
Speaker
And there's not many other Cleveland sports athletes that, you know, have been able to accomplish what he has across any of Cleveland's major teams. And was pretty cool to see just that ah that moment of of genuineness from him.
00:24:44
Speaker
And Cavs continuing to do what they should do as far as an organization, show him love when he comes here, ah playing those tribute videos and and all that stuff. So... It was a cool moment, and um there was a lot of buzz on social media about that game, Alex, and and especially that moment, right?
00:25:04
Speaker
So that was cool. Of course, with that, though, comes the yearly annual you know Cleveland, you know LeBron back to Cleveland. He should end it where he started it.
00:25:15
Speaker
yeah He's going to be a free agent this offseason, you know all that stuff. And I said it to you to work at work this past week. through through an IM message. I'm just going to say it now.
00:25:28
Speaker
I think it happens, Alex. Even after this latest trade, that's what I was hearing. Oh, you know they traded DeAndre Hunter to clear cap space for LeBron. It's like, that's not why. It ain't for that, but I but i think it's going to happen.
00:25:41
Speaker
I think it's going to happen in the offseason. ah No, he's not going to come back for that medium that minimum, you fools. He's not going to come back for that.
00:25:52
Speaker
But I do think he'll come back for for a bit of a discount. Maybe he comes back, plays one year for 15 million or 10 million or something like that. Right. um
00:26:03
Speaker
I don't know. i just I don't see him quitting cold turkey, keeping it a secret all year long. I just i don't see it. He's talked about how he's he's taken it personally and and battling father time and all that. And then you just hear the the's the little bit of riff that's out there in L.A. with Jeannie Buss and LeBron. It just doesn't feel like he gets loved out there, right? Yeah.
00:26:26
Speaker
And I'm not saying that that moment... is what will sway him because he's very calculated. He knows what he's going to do a year from now. He knows exactly what he's going to do. um But I think he's not done with basketball and I don't see him going to yet another new team and the, and the Lakers just aren't there yet.
00:26:46
Speaker
Right. So it gives him his best opportunity. it allows him again to finish it where he ends it and just, man. What a way to end the career. So yeah, I agree. I don't think he's done. Yeah. I don't think he's done.
LeBron's Potential Return to Cleveland
00:26:59
Speaker
And yeah, all this stuff with the Lakers, you know, there's a lot of smoke, right?
00:27:04
Speaker
There's a lot of smoke that, you know, how is LeBron still fit there? And does he want to keep playing there? Do they, the Lakers still want him there? I think they don't.
00:27:15
Speaker
I think they don't want to have to pay him any money at 41, 42 years old and would rather spend that money on bringing in some more young talent and starting to figure out who's going to be that next star player, you know, along with Luca and and Austin Reeves, basically. So ah at at the same time, that's also why don't know that I want him in Cleveland if he's not taking the vet minimum or the MLE, you know, the mid-level exception. Sure. Like, we don't we don't have a ton of money to...
00:27:52
Speaker
give somebody just to have their reunion tour. lot can happen between now and the offseason, though. A lot can happen, right? And it'll be interesting to see. The Cavs, obviously, would have to position themselves. so not going to pay LeBron $50 million dollars a year. It's not going to happen. Yeah, there's no way.
00:28:07
Speaker
If he thinks he's getting that, then he needs to retire and go watch Brawny play or go buy a franchise somewhere or something like that. Right. But he's also not to play for the vet minimum. So it really limits his options.
00:28:20
Speaker
And um I don't know. It'll be interesting to see. It'll be interesting to see. The other thing that happened in that game was.
Luka Dončić's Court Incident Sparks NBA Debate
00:28:31
Speaker
Luca. Yeah, Donich. Mm hmm. Took a three point shot. And ah as Charles Barkley said, hop like the damn Easter Bunny. Yeah.
00:28:42
Speaker
Kind of fell off the court. He hopped 12 times like the damn Easter bunny. Yeah, that was hilarious, man. That was great. Yeah, I was laughing. I was dying. And he actually kind of tweaked his ankle, his leg or whatever for a little bit, missed a little bit of the game, and then was complaining and um the next day you saw stuff come out about the Cavs and the NBA going to work to to fix their court design.
00:29:07
Speaker
Alex, man, has that ever happened before? I feel like... Yeah. i has it has it Has that happened before? like I feel like it had to have happened before. It's definitely happened before. i think this comes up like every other season.
00:29:26
Speaker
And we talk about it. And... we talk about how there's many other arenas that have the exact same raised court, just like this. It's not just Cleveland. It, you know, last time I researched it, it was like every other arena that also shares their arena with an ice hockey team.
00:29:44
Speaker
Cause they have to put the court down over top of it. Uh, you know, it's it's common and that, I even read a comment that Dallas has a also a similarly raised basketball court, so this wasn't new to Luka Doncic. So I don't know why they're making a big deal out of it.
00:30:01
Speaker
Yeah, well, whatever. Whatever. I don't know what else That's what I had to say about it, too. I only called it out because I wanted to say the Charles Barkley comment about the game, Mr. Bunny, because that was good.
00:30:13
Speaker
the The other thing that happened in this game, it it it it was a game up until halftime. And going back to LeBron real quick, yeah he he he did nothing special in this game, in my opinion, right? he He kind of showed his age in this game.
00:30:28
Speaker
But man, that third quarter, the Cavs came out smoking. And i will say, whether LeBron was in a Miami Heat uniform or in a Laker uniform, the Cavs have not fared very well over the years against LeBron.
00:30:44
Speaker
And it was nice to smoke that team in that game. The Cavs win by, what, 30 points or whatever? And if that was LeBron's last game in Cleveland, at least he didn't get the last victory, right? I think they said LeBron was 9-2 against the Cavs when he's a guest, you know, a visitor. Yeah, yeah. So...
00:31:08
Speaker
That was nice. The Cavs got a nice home victory. Everything was just clicking. Funny enough, DeAndre Hunter had had had a nice second a half, knocking down threes. Maybe he was...
00:31:19
Speaker
he was ah you know, having a trial run for the Lakers because before this trade, he was actually linked with the trade with the Lakers. Yeah. Um, and then the Kings kind of came out and, uh, that's where he ended up.
00:31:31
Speaker
It was nice to see the Cavs take care of business at home. Uh, the crowd did start chanting. We want Bronny with about eight minutes left or so in the fourth quarter, JJ Redick granted that wish.
00:31:45
Speaker
And, uh, Bronny came in, man. He dropped eight points, hit a couple threes, had a nice steal and a dunk. Do you think there's ever a time in Bronny's career that he ends up in a Cleveland Cavalier jersey?
00:32:00
Speaker
I doubt it. i i don't I don't think he'll be in the and NBA much longer after his dad retires. like That's what I'm wondering. I'm wondering what does his NBA career, what does his NBA path look like?
00:32:16
Speaker
Really, once LeBron's off the Lakers, which again could very well be this this at the end of this season. Right. Which is what some of the smoke was between LeBron and Jeannie Buss. Right. Was that they drafted Bronny. They gave him the contract.
00:32:32
Speaker
He wasn't appreciative. Right. Yes. Yes. Yes. So we'll see. Cleveland fans love him, though, because i remember last year when when l L.A. was in town, they they cheer for him as well. He he knocked down a ah jumper and the fans went crazy for that as well. Yeah, they were like giving him like a standing ovation when I was rewatching the the brawny highlights from that game. Yeah.
00:32:58
Speaker
Yeah. yeah don't I don't know. I don't know why I don't get it. I don't know why. i mean Whatever. i mean, well, it's a good story. I guess it's a good story, right? It's pretty wild. It's pretty wild.
Cavs' Resilience Amidst Injuries
00:33:11
Speaker
We'll see.
00:33:12
Speaker
if If he ends up having a 10-year NBA career somehow, I'll go out. I'll say, yeah, at some point he ends up in a Cleveland Cavaliers jersey. I don't know when. I don't know how. But if he plays that long, I think it'll happen at some point. LeBron pulls some strings. I suppose it's possible. Anything's possible. Anything's possible.
00:33:33
Speaker
So the Cavs get the victory against the Lakers. Um, they've been playing better basketball up until then. and this is even with Evan Mobley now being added to the injury list. You did mention that earlier, ah but it happened after our last episode.
00:33:50
Speaker
Mobley is, uh, said to miss one to three weeks. We're only about a week into that, Alex. I really haven't heard of any updates on that. Um, Man, the blows just keep coming.
00:34:02
Speaker
And it's amazing to me that Donovan Mitchell continues to be one healthy, continues to put the team on his back. um Yes, he's gotten some help from places that we weren't expecting, like Tyson, like Tomlin.
00:34:20
Speaker
But sometimes, man, when those lineups are out there and it's like it's Tyson, it's Dean Wade, it's Craig Porter June. It's like watching LeBron with Eric Snow and Sasha Pavlovich and Drew Gooden runner. like it's kind of amazing that the Cavs have have over this stretch won some of the games that they've had with some of the lineups they've put out there, Alex. It's crazy. Yeah, it's true.
00:34:46
Speaker
mean, yeah. I mean, there's a lot of players on this team that are just they're not They're not big names or well-known names or and haven't been around very long, but they they play their hearts out, man.
00:34:59
Speaker
They do. They do. And ah these young guys are keeping us afloat. So, man, that's it's but we're past that halfway point. I'm very curious to see what this team looks like here at the end of this week and ultimately after the All-Star game.
00:35:16
Speaker
It feels like... I'm not going to say it, Alex. I'm not going to say the Cavs have flipped the switch. But they're definitely moving it up. And I'm curious to see, will the Cavs flip that switch after the All-Star break um and and really get back into that top four and and and see how far they can climb? because that's still just so clustered right there.
00:35:38
Speaker
All they need to do is win some more games, have it you know have somebody lose some games. The Knicks seem to be inconsistent as well, and the Cavs are right there in the mix for you know potentially a 2-3 seed if they keep going you know the way that they've been playing here the last couple weeks.
All-Star Weekend Excitement
00:35:55
Speaker
Speaking of Donovan Mitchell, he did get named to the Eastern All-Star Reserve team. i don't think that's shocking, ah but glad to see that Mitchell will be representing the wine in gold.
00:36:08
Speaker
Alex, there'll be another player representing the Wine and Gold. Yeah, Jalen Tyson was chosen for the Rising Stars team. That's pretty cool. I like that. gives me a reason to to watch or care about that now.
00:36:21
Speaker
um I haven't seen all the participants for like the dunk contest. yet but man the one dunk that Tomlin had the other game think it was the Lakers game that dunk was sick windmill like a windmill into a tomahawk yeah I was like get him in the dunk contest geez that was he's such a he's such a fun player to watch he's just working his tail off on both ends of the floor and he makes mistakes, you know, he's, he's still raw and stuff, but man, it's going to be interesting to see how he continues to develop and same with Tyson. So, but happy for Tyson that he's, he's going to show up at all-star weekend and he'll be there with his buddy,
Jalen Tyson's Controversial Comment
00:37:05
Speaker
Donovan Mitchell. They seem to gel pretty well together.
00:37:07
Speaker
How'd you like that? Uh, Jalen Tyson quote after that Lakers game. I forgot all about that. i forgot all about that. Yeah, so he he basically said this is Donovan's city now.
00:37:23
Speaker
That did not spark positive reactions, Alex. Nope, sure didn't. Alex is back to the popcorn. I got my popcorn out. Man, yeah I don't have the exact quotes in front of me, and I should have.
00:37:36
Speaker
But... ah Tristan Thompson, kyri Irving, I think even K Love all came out, you know, immediately saying stuff like, dude, win something first, basically, or at least respect, yeah you know, what that era was and what he what, you know, LeBron delivered and stuff like that. And um I was watching that live. And when he said that, i I did kind of do one of those like, holy crap, I can't believe he just said that.
00:38:05
Speaker
And Mitchell kind of froze up. He didn't really know what to do or say. The interviewer was asking the question to Donovan Mitchell and Jalen Tyson like stepped in. And the interviewer's like, okay, I guess you can answer this question if you want. And Jalen Tyson's like, this is Donovan Mitchell's city now. Yeah. It's like, oh my. It's that confidence I was talking about. You could see Mitchell's face just turn red, too. Yeah, yeah, He was like, wow. Mitch was like, oh man, what are you doing to me? He knew right away. Mitchell knew right away, like, oh no. What are you doing to me? That was funny.
00:38:44
Speaker
Tyson did come back and walk those comments back and kind of... kind of a you know apologized to the broad and stuff and uh said he didn't mean any disrespect or anything like that but yeah that was i forgot about that at the very end yeah that was hilarious and then was it the post-game interview or was it the next game's pre-game interview where he was talking about being cut in the ninth grade yeah yeah Yeah, that was it that was pretty good too, where him and Mitchell were both at the podium and they were talking to Jalen Tyson and he's like, oh, I got cut in the ninth grade. The coach said I wasn't athletic enough and I never wanted to feel like that again and that's why I've worked so hard. And then Mitchell says, you know, Michael Jordan got cut in high school too. And Jalen Tyson's like, I'm not Michael Jordan.
00:39:37
Speaker
yeah Yeah. They got some good good humor going on that team. They do. They do.
Tyson's Rise and Team Impact
00:39:43
Speaker
i like Tyson. And again, man, i I mentioned this not too long ago. i I was pretty nervous when it was clear that the calves were kind of going all in on Tyson.
00:39:55
Speaker
i just I didn't see it last year. Right. And, man, he must've worked his tail off in the, in the off season. And it makes it so easy to root for a guy like that, that you can just tell it's just giving it his all out there every night.
00:40:09
Speaker
And, um, Yeah, it's a great story. It's going to be fun to see where where his ceiling ultimately is, but he definitely has a spot on this roster, has a spot on this roster for sure.
00:40:20
Speaker
so Tyson also had another really great quote, and it was like during the mid-game, like one of those mid-game interviews, and dang, I just cannot, I was hoping to find it real quick.
00:40:32
Speaker
but he says something like, I fear no man or something Yeah, yeah, he did say that. Do you remember that? Yeah, he said that, I think, in that Lakers game. He said, I fear no man, and you know he likes the challenge, basically, right?
00:40:46
Speaker
So that's good. That's what I mean. like there's not Here's the thing. The Cavs have three very nice players on their team, and Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley.
00:40:58
Speaker
they're all They're all nice guys, though, is is is the problem. right there's There's no dog in any of those guys. Mitchell could be a dog as far as taking over a game and scoring, but there's no true grit there.
00:41:12
Speaker
and I'm not willing to say that Tyson has that quite yet, but he he's he's he he shows more grit and more confidence than a lot of players on that team, right and and only in year two on top of it. Yeah.
00:41:25
Speaker
I like that. I like that. and And he has the game. His game so far this year, at least, has been able to back it up. It's not just, you know, Draymond Green talking shit. at 36 years old and not doing anything to back it up. right Tyson's out there producing, scored 39 points career high just a couple weeks ago. right So, yeah, it's a great story.
00:41:48
Speaker
yeah story I think Keon Ellis will be one of those players. That's what i um'm I'm reading from the Sacramento Kings ah fans' comments about that trade. He was ah you know one of their fan favorites.
00:42:01
Speaker
I don't want to say... Isaac Okoro vibes, but I hear he's a really good defender like Isaac Okoro. And I hear he's got, you know, some that gritty, some of that hustle.
00:42:13
Speaker
kind of a dog type player. So we need that. say That's, that's what we've been missing. That's what we've been missing on this team for, for several years now. And in my opinion, so if that's the case, it'll be refreshing. I'll, I'll, I'll welcome it to be honest with you.
Cavs Lead Against Trailblazers at Halftime
00:42:28
Speaker
So, all right, Alex, final score check here before we wrap it up, it's halftime in Portland. The calves lead 57 48. Um,
00:42:39
Speaker
um Jared Allen, Alex, I don't know if you've been looking at the box score. He is having himself a game, has already grabbed 10 rebounds.
00:42:51
Speaker
systemus Is this a mistake? 25 points at the half? For Jared Allen? Is this freaking Wilt Chamberlain? Who the hell is this? Finally.
00:43:03
Speaker
Finally. He's like, i don't want i I don't want to get traded. I better show up tonight. No kidding. But the Cavs are going deep in their roster. Larry Nance getting some minutes. Ball ball did get some minutes. Craig Porter Jr. playing.
00:43:17
Speaker
Tomlin with 10 points. Mitchell only with 5 points. um Dean Wade scoreless. And Jalen Tyson with 8 points. So, Let's go ahead and wrap this one up. Might catch a couple minutes of this game before before going to bed.
00:43:33
Speaker
um Alex, anything else you want to throw out from your end? No, I don't think so. can't think of anything else. you know We'll ah probably do another quick follow-up episode if another trade happens here right before the deadline.
00:43:47
Speaker
Yeah, it'll probably happen tomorrow. The Cavs will announce another trade tomorrow. We'll have a 10-minute episode. We'll have a 10-minute episode on Lonzo Ball yeah being traded. All right, Cavs fans, thank you as always for tuning in and listening. And Alex, let them know where they can follow us and connect with us.
00:44:05
Speaker
Follow us on Twitter at Cavs Pick and Roll. Follow us on Gmail, Cavs Pick and Roll at gmail.com. Choose an email. Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr. Watch this episode on YouTube. Wherever you're listening, watching, click like, subscribe. Leave us a rating or review. We'd appreciate it. All right, Cavs fans, there it is. We will talk to you again soon.
00:44:24
Speaker
Peace out, Cavs fans.